Drew Berquist - The Maverick Experiment

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either a product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official positions or views of the CIA or any other U.S. Government agency. Nothing in the contents should be construed as asserting or implying U.S. Government authentication of information or Agency endorsement of the author's views. This material has been reviewed by the CIA to prevent the disclosure of classified information.

Copyright of The Maverick Program logo, as shown on the cover as well as throughout the book, is owned by Drew Berquist.

Published by Greenleaf Book Group Press
Austin, Texas
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Copyright 2011 Drew Berquist

All rights reserved.

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Publisher's Cataloging-In-Publication Data
(Prepared by The Donohue Group, Inc.)

Berquist, Drew.
The maverick experiment / written by Drew Berquist.1st ed.

p. ; cm.

ISBN: 978-1-60832-114-8

1. Undercover operationsAfghanistanFiction. 2. TalibanFiction. 3. Afghan War, 2001Fiction. 4. Suspense fiction. I. Title.

PS3602 .E77 2011
813/.6 2010938277

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Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper

10 11 12 13 14 15 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

First Edition

IN REMEMBRANCE

This book is dedicated to my friends and colleaguespatriots allwho were killed on the front lines on December 30, 2009, at FOB Chapman in Khost, Afghanistan. You will never be forgotten.

Wednesday, October 21
Undisclosed Location, Pakistan
2132 Hrs

The dull hum of the Agency's Predator drone filled the star-spattered sky as it stalked its target. The distinct sound created a sensation the villagers and Kuchi tribesmen alike had grown more and more familiar with in recent years: fear.

CIA officials in the region, responding to sensitive human intelligence reporting (HUMINT), had launched the drone in an attempt to eliminate one of their primary targets, Malawi Rafiq. The senior Talib, based in Pakistan, had been responsible for hundreds of deaths in Afghanistan and had rapidly ascended on the Agency's target deck. Months prior, Rafiq had ordered a suicide attack on westerners in Paktika Province. The bomber had detonated next to an armored Land Cruiser, causing the deaths of two Americans.

Rafiq and the Taliban struck gold when news reports indicated two Agency officers were operating the vehicle. The fallout had been catastrophic. The image of one of the officers, a young father of three, had been splashed all over the media following the incident, providing the ultimate trophy for the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Killing American soldiers had become easy for Rafiq and his grunts, but killing CIA personnel was an accomplishment that had always eluded him. The fact that the suicide bomber had been clueless about who was operating the vehicle was irrelevant; Rafiq knew the news ticker would reflect the unadorned fact: two CIA officers killed in Afghanistan by the Taliban. Such information would greatly aid the Taliban's ongoing psychological operations, which focused on creating more confidence among its soldiers and adding to the American public's waning support for the war in Afghanistan.

Tonight, Rafiq was reported to have been visiting a primary safe house in Pakistan used to facilitate safe passage for Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters into Afghanistan. However, like most upper-echelon terrorists operating in the region, Rafiq knew not to stay too long in one location or the result could be a Hellfire missile tapping him on the shoulder.

A squawk came over the comms unit in the dark viewing room, located at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia: Calypso, Calypso this is Joker-One.

Doug Lloyd, chief of the agency's Counter Terrorist Center, stood and watched from the rear of the room as his aide, Ryan Vance, and Carlisle Davenport, a senior-level consultant for counterterrorism, scrambled anxiously to listen in on the back-and-forth between the drone pilots and Islamabad station.

Joker-One this is Calypso, go ahead, responded the communications officer from Islamabad.

Calypso, we have identified the target vehicle, requesting authorization to fire.

Copy, Joker-One. Please indicate what we are seeing here, returned Islamabad as anxious sets of eyes around the world watched their live feed of the drone homing in on its target.

Roger Calypso. Reporting indicates the target left the grid coordinates provided to us in a dark-colored Toyota Corolla. We have identified the vehicle on your screen as the target.

How certain are we?

The drone pilot, seated at a control center in a remote CIA facility, swiveled his chair around to face his partner. Shielding his mic with his palm, he said quietly, I hate these guys. Do they want me to push the damn button or not? Uncovering his mic, he continued, Calypso, Joker-One. We are certain. The target vehicle will be in the village ahead in approx three minutes, over.

Lloyd pushed Davenport and Vance out of the way as he rushed forward and pressed the talk button on the comms unit. Joker-One standby for further instructions.

Doug, what are you doing? exclaimed Davenport.

Lloyd turned to Davenport with a sick expression. We can't fire on a village!

Carlisle fought his urge to punch his boss in the face and gathered himself to calmly reason with his superior. Doug, people die in war, and we aren't firing on a village if we fire now. They indicated this is our target, but we need to provide authorization this second. He turned to Vance. Ryan get on the horn and give them the green light, now!

Sir? said the nervous aide to his boss as he moved his hand closer to the comms unit, preparing to respond.

Just hold on, Ryan! Lloyd shouted. Carlisle, I won't survive this if any civilians are killed. You know that.

But Rafiq will if we don't fire. Dammit Doug, authorize Islamabad to give the order! He'll be done before the car reaches any possible collateral damage. I promise.

Lloyd sat down, shaking his head as he pondered how this would affect his career. The Agency had zero will to pull the trigger on any operation that could cause further political problems for the United States. If even one innocent civilian was killed, it meant big problems. Lloyd had his eye on an upcoming promotion, and possibly even a run for Congress, someday. This didn't help the situation.