Chapter Ten
When Doug returned to Headquarters it appeared that Sam trusted him a little more because he'd done what he was supposed to do. He had shown him that he could work with the FBI and not run. Sam had the ankle brace taken off of Doug's leg and he was given a little more freedom to leave his room and go to and from the cafeteria.
Doug continued searching on the internet for his targets and occasionally taking a break. During those breaks he would go to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee to get his mind off the terrorists for just a little while. On one of those breaks he caught the attention of a young FBI agent by the name of Amanda Hastings. She had been with the FBI for about 3 years. She had gone through the 21 weeks of FBI training in Virginia, passed the physical test, the polygraph test, and done her 500 hours of classroom, plus over 1,000 hours of simulated law enforcement hours. Even though she was issued a pistol her job with the FBI was to work with computers on a specialized and sophisticated social media surveillance system of suspected terrorist in the United States. She was the person that had access to the most watched individuals across America.
When she first saw Doug, he peaked her interest so she asked several of her colleagues who he was. She had heard he was working undercover and directly under Sam, Terry and Krista. She just didn’t know in what capacity he was working with them, but she was curious. She thought it was odd that an older gentleman with long hair and a beard, had gotten so much attention from the director. It was especially weird, since most FBI agents are between the ages of 23 and 37 years old, clean cut and shaven. She also knew that you had to be an American citizen, have a clean record and hold a four-year bachelor’s degree. You also had to have a Top Secret security clearance. She wasn’t sure if he had any of those credentials, but she knew he was a lot older and a little rugged looking. One of the girls that worked with her told her that she heard from “A Source” in the office, that he was working under Sam to help them find enemy radical terrorists in America.
When Amanda heard that, it made her even more interested in finding out about this man because that was the area she worked in. The suspected terrorist in America were the people she was keeping track of on her computer. She hadn't had any contact with him and she knew that she hadn't given him a list of names to follow up on so she wondered what he was doing there? She watched him come and go from the cafeteria for several days until she couldn't stand it any longer and she had to find out for herself. She knew she had to sit down with him and ask him about his job there at the FBI Headquarters.
A few days later when she was on her break, Doug was sitting alone at a table against the wall. He was having coffee and reading a newspaper. Amanda went up to him, stood right in front of him, and introduced herself, “Hi, my name is Amanda and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind if I sit with you for a minute?” As he looked up from the paper he was a little startled that she had spoken to him. He was surprised that anyone in the building was actually interested in talking to him at all, accept Terry, Krista and Sam. He said, “I don’t mind, just pull up a chair and have a seat." He stuck out his hand to shake hers and said, "My name is Doug, Oops, I mean Donald Peters.” Amanda sort of chuckled, “Sounds like you had a little slip of the tongue there, huh, Donald? Doug also laughed as Amanda stuck out her hand to shake his, "That’s okay, my name is Amanda Hastings, but most people just call me Mandy.”
As soon as she pulled up a seat across from him, she asked, “So what’s the deal with you Donald Peters?” Are you a bad guy or a good guy?” Doug said, “Wow! You don't waste any time at all, you just cut right to the chase." He laughed and continued, "I don’t have a good bone in my body, so I guess I’m a bad guy. Why, what have you heard about me? She smirked, "That's the problem, no one knows anything about you. I've asked everyone I work with and they don't know either." Doug didn't answer her question, he just asked one of his own, "What about you, what’s your deal, miss inquisitive? Why are you so interested in talking to me?"
Based on their initial conversation Amanda immediately felt comfortable with Doug so she started talking. She told him she was twenty eight years old and never been married. She said that she had moved there from Chicago when she started her training with the FBI. She had blond hair and it was cropped off around shoulder length. Her dark eyebrows made her green eyes stand out behind the thick black rimmed glasses she wore. She was spunky and he thought she could be about the same age as a granddaughter that he never had. They laughed and talked for several minutes, but she didn't find out anything about him as they just made small talk with each other. Soon her break time was up and she had to leave, “Okay Donald, I got to go, I’ll talk to you later.” She stuck out her hand to shake his before she left. He extended his hand and carefully cupped her hand with both hands and smiled at her, “Thanks for talking to me Mandy. Maybe I'll see you in here again sometime.” Mandy replied, "You can count on it, I'm in here all the time, can't stay away from the place."
Over the next few days Mandy would try to take her breaks when she thought Doug had gone to the Cafeteria. She would look for him and meet up with him during her break. She would sit with him and they talked to each other for her entire break. After a few meetings they started to get more comfortable with each other and she started sharing more of her personal life with him. It was during one of those meetings when she broke down and told Doug about her brother Brian. She told him that he was killed by an I.E.D. while out on patrol in Afghanistan. She had tears in her eyes when she told Doug the story about him. She said, “He was my only brother and he was two years younger than me. We were very close and he was my best friend. We hung out and did everything together before he joined the Army. We came from a poor family and after he got out of high school Brian wanted to go to a four year college, but my parents couldn’t afford it. Brian thought the best thing for him to do would be to join the Army and then once he got out of the service the GI Bill could pay for his education. Unfortunately he never made it back alive, the terrorists killed him. He was only in Afghanistan 6 weeks when he was killed. That’s the reason I joined the FBI. I hate the radical Islamic terrorists that were responsible for his death. I would kill every last one of them if I had the guts and I could get away with it without spending the rest of my life behind bars.”
When she said that she struck a chord with Doug and he said, "That's terrible you had to go through that. I'm really sorry for your loss, Mandy." After she told him that story, he felt like he could now trust her and was willing to open up a little more with her about himself. He began by telling her his real name and that he was once a wealthy retired doctor. He told her the story about what had happened to his only grandson, Michael, in Afghanistan. He said to Mandy, “I feel exactly the same way you do, in fact, I’ve already killed a lot of them right here in America. I declared my own personal war of vengeance against them." That's when it hit her and Mandy said, “Oh my God! I know who you are now! You’re the "American Terrorist! I thought you died in Florida!” He motioned with his hands for her to calm down as he whispered, “Calm down Mandy, I could get in big trouble if anyone found out I told you that information.” She seemed a little shocked at what he had told her, “That’s so cool, I wish I could do what you’ve done. I would kill a lot of them if I had the nerve to do it.” Doug scrunched up his nose and said, “What, kill people? No you don’t. It does something to you when you do what I’ve done. It hardens your soul and you're never the same after you kill someone. You’re better off with a job like you have where you’re safe from all the hatred going on in the world." "But the FBI told everyone that you died in Florida during your heroic bombing of the terrorist house." Doug said, "There was nothing heroic about what I did Mandy, I was just trying to kill terrorists and that was all. I also tried to kill myself, but I somehow survived the massive explosions."
Doug leaned forward in his chair and looked her in the eyes as he
said, "You have to promise me you’ll keep what I've told you our little secret.” Mandy said angrily, “But they killed my brother, and I hate them for it.” Doug replied, "Yea, I know, I should’ve been more sensitive to what you were telling me. I’m sorry, but you can't tell anyone who I am or we'll both be in trouble.” When he said that, she calmed down a little, “I would never tell anyone who you are. You’re my hero, Doug.” He smiled, “I’m nobody's hero, I'm just a pathetic, lonely and sad grandfather getting revenge on the terrorists for the loss of my grandson.” When her break was up she excused herself and left. While he was sitting there alone, he thought, “Man, I sure hope by me telling her who I am doesn’t come back to bite me in the butt. I just hope I can trust her not to say anything to anyone.”
Doug had to go out on assignment with Terry and Krista for a few weeks to hunt down some of his terrorist targets so the FBI could arrest them. Upon his return he was once again met by Mandy in the cafeteria. She had a real serious look on her face, “I have something I want to share with you, but now you have to make me a promise that you will keep my secret.” Doug replied, “You can trust me with anything you want tell me, but maybe you shouldn't tell me.” Mandy whispered, “I trust you Doug, probably more than anyone else in this entire building. I don’t know if you know exactly where I work here at the FBI, but I monitor a special computer and keep track of the top suspected terrorists in the United States. I follow everything about them, where they live, where they spend their time and where they worship. The whole nine yards. I know everything about the suspected terrorists I follow.” Doug didn’t say anything, but he leaned forward and listened intently as the wheels were starting to turn in his head. He was now thinking Mandy might just be the answer to his prayers in finding more of the terrorists. She could make it a lot easier for him to find the targets that he wanted to go after. He felt like it was great that she already knew who the top suspected radical terrorists in America were and everything about them.
She said, “One big secret I have to tell you is that for the past year I’ve spent my spare time, following two of the FBI’s most highly suspected radical terrorists right here in Washington D.C. One's name is Ali Said Midilaki and he’s suspected of having financed and plotted part of the terrorist attacks on our American embassy in Libya. The FBI hasn’t been able to definitely confirm his guilt, that he was one of the masterminds, but after following his information and his activity for the past year I know he was the one that did it.” Doug knew who he was, he’d heard his name mentioned during some of his computer research of his targets. She continued, “The other one I’ve followed is Jameel Abdullah Hassaq. He has a web site on the internet and he preaches the destruction of Israel and the collapse of the west and an all Islamic world dominance. They live very close to each other and attend the same mosque.
Doug replied, “You’ve been following these guys around by yourself?" Mandy just nodded her head up and down, "Yep, all by myself." He got a little loud at first as he said, "Are you crazy?" Mandy didn’t say anything, she just shrugged her shoulders. He calmed down a bit as he whispered, “What are you doing following these guys around? If they found out you were with the FBI then it could get you killed.” Mandy replied, “I know, but after watching their activities for the past year, I know they’re both really bad dudes. They may be some of the worst radical terrorists we have here in America. I know they’re both just buying their time and plotting their next attack on America. It’s probably happening right now as we speak. I don’t want to see them or their group kill any innocent Americans. I was going to kill them myself, but I don’t know exactly how to do that without getting killed or caught by law enforcement agencies. I’ve never killed anyone before and the last time I tried to kill one of them, I had Midilaki in my rifle sites and I got “Buck Fever” and couldn’t shoot him." Doug said, "You've got to be kidding me, you are totally serious about this!" Mandy replied, "I've never been more serious about anything in my life. I want to kill these guys and get them off our streets. I want to do it for Brian."
Doug finally realized just how much Mandy really did hate the terrorists, almost as much as he hated them. He thought for a minute and slowly replied, “You have to be one hundred percent sure of these guys, before we go after them. We can’t get sidetracked like our law enforcement agencies did with the four African American men from Newburgh, New York.” Mandy looked surprised that he brought that up as she said, “What do you mean, they were convicted of a terrorist plot? They were plotting an attack on a Jewish temple and airplanes.” Doug replied, “They weren’t doing it for Allah or the Muslim religion. like the terrorists I'm after. They were just poor, uneducated men that were entrapped by a confidential informant. If you promise a lot of poor people $250,000.00 plus, cars etc. they would go along with just about any kind of plot to get that kind of money. Maybe not to kill people, but that amount of money is life changing for those people and too tempting to pass up. Don’t get me wrong, I think they should’ve gotten jail time for their stupidity, but not twenty five years. I believe the confidential informant that set the entire thing up was creating a diversion away from the real terrorists he was trying to protect. Mandy spoke up, “That’s an interesting theory on those guys. I’ve heard other people say something similar to what you just said.”
Doug said, “You know I could get these two guys for you, if you can figure a way to get me out of this building for a few hours at a time. You’d also have to find a way to get me a sniper rifle with a suppressor and some ammunition. It would have to be one that couldn’t be traced back to you or me. I would also need a case, like a musical instrument case, so that I could carry the rifle and ammunition in it without being conspicuous. I think if you were to go to China Town in Manhattan, you could get me whatever I need, as long as you pay them with cash. Mandy said, “I know a way I can get you in and out of the building, through the employee entrance and I can get you what you want and need to kill these guys. If I do, will you kill them for me and for Brian?”
Doug didn't answer her question as he said, “I would also like to have a pistol and ammo and a couple of vials of potassium chloride with a few syringe. I would also really love to have a Garrote to wrap around my targets neck if I get that close to one of them. I've never killed anyone that way but it might be interesting to find out.” Mandy wrinkled up her face, "I have some money saved up so that I could purchase whatever you want me to get. You just have to tell me you’re in and I’ll make sure you have everything you want and need.” Doug smiled, “Okay, I’m in, as long as it’s just between you and me and no one else is involved or even knows about what we plan on doing.” Mandy said, “I’ve been so busy with what I’ve been doing the past two years that I haven’t had time for a boyfriend. Especially, since I started spending all my time following Midilaki and Hassaq around. My family lives in Chicago and I never talk to them about my work or what I do in my spare time. They don’t have a clue what I do and I don’t tell anyone here at work about my brother or my hatred for all the terrorists. If I did they wouldn't keep me in that job.” Doug replied, “You get what I need and I'll kill those two terrorists.” He was thinking, “There’s no way she can get the things I need, but I’m willing to go along with her little plan and see just how serious she is and how far she will take this thing. If she can really get me what I need, then I’ll kill those two guys for her.” Mandy was really excited and just before she left she said, “Once I have everything worked out I’ll let you know. We'll get these guys, before they cause anymore problems.”
When Doug got back to his room and laid down, he began to wonder if Mandy could really possibly come through with her plan and pull this off. He thought, “If she can get me the guns and ammo I need, I might be able to get out of here for a least a little while and I'll take out her targets for her, but it won't be just for her, it will be for me too."
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