Solemn Duty (1997) (36 page)

Eli's plastic smile dissolved as he held the colonel's gaze.

"Sir, we have to try. . . . You and I aren't afraid of dying .. . we're afraid of losing again. And sir, I'm not planning on losing this one. Devoe is going down." Eli held his hand out to the colonel. "What'd'ya say, sir, are we going to be Rangers one more time and drive on?"

Anderson took Eli's hand. "I say, get me out of this damn hospital and let's drive on, Ranger."

.

District of Columbia.

Kenny Chun walked down the carpeted basement steps with two plastic shopping bags. He strode to Sovan, who sat in an easy chair watching a small television. Chun took a can of Diet Coke from a bag and handed it to his friend. " 'General Hospital' on yet?" he asked.

Sovan accepted the can without taking his eyes from the screen. " 'Days of Our Lives'-Bo is helping Marlena so he can see Hope again."

Kenny motioned with his head toward the open doorway of the room ten feet away. "I have things for the ladies."

Still not taking his eyes from the small screen, Sovan waved his hand.

Ashley was sitting on her small bed thumbing through Cosmopolitan when the small man stepped through the doorway.

He was wearing tight jeans, cowboy shirt, and sharply pointed rattlesnake-hide cowboy boots. She judged the young man to be no older than his mid-twenties. Glancing at Sandy Anderson, asleep on the bed beside Ashley, the young man tiptoed closer, whispering, "Miss, I brought you snacks and books to read. I didn't know what you would like so I bought all the top ten bestsellers in paper coverings." He set the bags on the floor beside the bed and motioned to the small television in the corner of the windowless room. " 'Days of Our Lives' is on. Would you like me to turn on the TV for you?"

Ashley shook her head and spoke softly. "No thank you... what is your name?'

"Kenny, miss. I am called Tep in my country, but I like Kenny here."

"Nice boots, Kenny," Ashley said.

Kenny smiled as if embarrassed. "They are like a pair Kenny Rogers wears. I saw him many times on TV in Hong Kong. He is very popular, you know. I have all his tapes and videos collected."

Ashley leaned over, took two Diet Cokes from the bag and handed the young man one. "You speak English very well, Kenny. Did you learn it in Hong Kong?"

"Yes, miss, the old one taught us. English is the second language, you see, and it was good business to learn. We watch all your TV programs on satellite in Hong Kong and learn new words all the time. I'm the best English speaker of us except for Jean Paul. He went to Hong Kong University and graduated with honors. The old one was very pleased."

Ashley took a sip of Coke, lowered her can and looked into the young man's eyes. "Kenny, you know you will probably die very soon working for Jean Paul, don't you?"

Kenny hunched his shoulders. "Life is suffering, miss. If the enlightened one chooses for me to die I will be reincarnated and be closer to Nirvana. I do not fear death; the enlightened one will bless my journey."

Ashley kept her gaze steady. "Buddha does not condone killing, Kenny, as my God doesn't condone the taking of another's life."

Kenny smiled. "Miss, I have seen all the movies and know you try to plant seeds in my head. Please don't waste your time. You know nothing of Buddha's blessings and know nothing of true suffering. Jean Paul understands and is driven to right the wrong done those like me and my family, who suffered greatly. Sovan, Penn, Sani-all of us have lost our families and our country. The French, you smiling Americans, the Vietnamese, our own Khmer Rouge, all have made us suffer in ways you will never know. The enlightened one knows, and we who seek justice know. . . . That is enough."

Kenny made a gesture as if touching the brim of a hat.

"Good day to you, miss. I must see if Bo finds Marlena."

Chapter 19.

11:05 A. M. FBI Headquarters.

On the top floor, in a small conference room, Eli concluded his background briefing and looked at the three men who were considered experts in their field by the FBI, CIA, and Special Operations Command of the Department of Defense. He motioned to Robert Anderson, seated in a wheelchair beside him. "The bottom line, gentlemen, is I'm asking for your support to keep the colonel and myself alive after the handoff, at the same time to figure out a way to take down Mr. Devoe and his people. The problem is we don't have much time to come up with a plan. I'd like to turn over the meeting to Special Agent O'Malley, who will be Agent in Charge of the operation."

A ruddy faced middle-age agent nodded and pushed back his chair. "Call me J. C., guys. For the benefit of everyone, me run down how we can expect this handoff to go down.

Once we all see what we're up against, we can try and come up with solutions to the problems. Fust we have to assume Devoe will in fact allow Agent Tanner to accompany the colonel.

Talking him into it will be Tanner's department. The second assumption is Devoe is smart and has the necessary equipment and people to do the handoff the right way."

O'Malley lifted his chin. "The scenario I'm about to give you is the worst case for us. The first thing Devoe will do is give us very little reaction time. He'll say it will start at specific time, but will call again and move up the time schedule. Tanner will be told to drive the colonel to location X, and Devoe will warn us he is not to be followed in any way. Once Tanner and the colonel arrive at X, it will be a place in the open, like a parking lot. Not far away will be a hotel or apartments, and somewhere in the building will be a lookout with glasses or a telescope. He'll call Tanner by cell phone and tell him that he and the colonel are to get out of the vehicle and leave everything in the car including the cell phone, watches, rings, etcetera. He'll then tell them to strip naked and walk to another vehicle Devoe's men will have prestaged. He'll have another cell phone in the car for Tanner and give him directions to location Y. He'll tell Tanner he will be watched and probably followed to ensure there is no tail. Tanner will get to location Y after traveling over long stretches of highway where lookouts will check for tails and aircraft. At location Y, Tanner and the colonel will be met by someone who will check every orifice of their bodies for transmitters. He will also have a wand and pass it over both of them to ensure they haven't swallowed a transmitter or placed one way up their behinds. Once satisfied they are clean, he will direct them to another location or possibly drive them to the last stop, where the handoff will take place. Once there, they will be searched again and business will be conducted. The spot will be in a remote place with limited access and be under the cover of trees or perhaps in a deserted building so that a passing plane or helicopter cannot observe the activity. The place will, however, have one, and most likely two, quick escape routes. Guards will be on the entry route into the spot and lookouts will be posted to cover all avenues of approach. Despite what you see in the movies, the hostages will not be at the final site. Their presence complicates things, so Devoe will have them somewhere else. Once he's satisfied we kept our end of the trade, he will tell Tanner where the women are located and hopefully let him call and have people confirm they are in good condition. Once they are confirmed safe, Devoe will expect Agent Tanner to leave the colonel with him."

Wrinkling his brow, O'Malley regarded Eli and Anderson.

"That was the worst case scenario for us to deal with. It basically takes away any chance to track you both. Sounds gloomy, doesn't it?" O'Malley shook his head. "Don't worry, things are not as bad as they sound." He motioned to a balding man seated at the table.

"Chris Pullen, the Agency hostage expert, and I talked before you two arrived. We know we can defeat their attempts at keeping transmitters off you. It's just the last part we haven't figured out yet. I guarantee we'll have you tracked every inch of the way to the final handoff spot, but bow we get the strike force in to protect you still isn't solved yet."

The third man at the table, wearing an Army green uniform with a silver star on each of his epaulets, raised an eyebrow.

"Why is that a problem?"

It was the way he said it that made hope bubble up in Eli's chest. At the beginning of the meeting the brigadier had introduced himself simply as Walker and he had not said a word until asking the question.

O'Malley was caught off guard by the general's question and stammered, "Well, uh . . . General, a strike force just can't magically appear out of thin air."

Walker shook his head. "'That's not quite true, Agent O'Malley. If you can track Agent Tanner and Colonel Anderson, we can have a reaction force mounted in our quiet Black Birds that can stay out of sight and follow at a safe distance until they reach the handoff site. They can be on top of the location, and the detachment can fast-rope out of the choppers and be on the ground in less than fifteen seconds. Tell me how you see the last part of the handoff. Run it down for me from when the colonel and Tanner arrive at the site."

O'Malley walked to the chalkboard and drew a circle and a line from the outside to the center. "Let's say the circle here is the site. The line is the entry road. A guard will be posted on the road as they enter the site. Others will probably be securing the site. The vehicle pulls in and is stopped by the guard to confirm it's Tanner and the colonel. The guard will then call Devoe and confirm both men have arrived. Remember, one of Devoe's men might be in the vehicle with them. Anyway, the vehicle will proceed into the circle until told to halt. Then both Tanner and the colonel will be told to exit the vehicle and move to a spot where they can be clearly seen. Devoe will now make his appearance. Tanner says he's done his part, now it's Devoe's turn to do his, free the women. Devoe tells Tanner where they are, and Tanner calls us and everybody waits until our people find the women and we confirm they are safe. We tell Tanner they're safe, and then Devoe will expect Tanner to depart. He'll be escorted back to the vehicle and leave."

General Walker sat in silence a moment and finally nodded.

"Our problem is fifteen to twenty seconds, gentlemen. The way I see it, once Tanner receives confirmation that the women are safe, the clock starts ticking. My strike force will begin its attack run as soon as confirmation is given. The guards won't hear the choppers, but we have to assume they will see them coming and get off a warning. From the time they see the choppers and my first men hitting the ground, at most twenty seconds will pass. We need to make Tanner and the colonel somehow disappear during that time. We'll gain a few seconds because Devoe's people will be totally surprised and confused, but if Devoe is as good as everybody says, he'll recover first and begin popping at Tanner and the colonel."

Pullen, the CIA rep, lowered his head. "We have another problem. We have to ensure Devoe and his men are taken out quickly. If any of them call whoever they left in the Washington area, they may start blowing things up to make us pay."

The general shook his head. "No, we'll have an ECM bird overhead to jam everything within ten miles. The bird puts out white static, and believe me, nobody can communicate over any type of radio or telephone when the emitters are on."

O'Malley tapped the chalkboard. "That leaves us with the twenty seconds to worry about. It's obvious they can't disappear, so we need a diversion of some kind. Something that will make Devoe and his men take their eyes off our people."

Pullen's chin came up. "We could tape bags of liquid to the abdomens and cover the flat bags with what we call 'second skin.' It's used in the film industry, and once makeup is applied, it will appear they are average American males who have a slight pouch. Tanner and the colonel can puncture the bags with their fingernails. As soon as the chemicals are exposed to air, it becomes a persistent gas that will severely affect anyone within ten to fifteen meters."

"What about Tanner and the colonel?" O'Malley asked.

Pullen nodded. "Yes, they would be affected as well, but at least they will be prepared for the effects mentally. Unfortunately, what we currently have also causes severe vomiting."

"Seems that one is too iffy," O'Malley said "Devoe isn't going to be standing around with his thumb up his butt while these two are tearing at their stomachs. With that idea, he and his people are left with too much time to react. General, do you have a suggestion?'

Walker thought a moment and canted his head. "We need something that will scare them or confuse them. Maybe we can have a gunship fire rockets or missiles. . . . No, our weapons' killing radius is too great. I'm not sure we can modify our rockets or missiles in such a short time."

"What if they fired a smoke rocket?" Pullen said. "My people can handle the modifications to the rockets."

The general shook his head. "Still would have shrapnel effect when the body of the rocket broke up on impact Tanner and the colonel could be wounded very badly. But that is an option to consider. I was thinking maybe we could make a low pass with a smoke chopper. The only problem is it takes time for the smoke to settle to the ground and obfuscate the site, plus it will cause problems for my people when they come in."

Eli decided to speak up. "If we need something that will scare them and shake them up, how about if . . ."

When Eli finished telling them his idea, O'Malley shot a look at General Walker. "Can you make that happen?'

The general allowed himself a small smile. "I can do better than that. I can improve on his idea. The only problem now is Tanner's." Walker shifted his expressionless eyes to Eli and pinned him with a stare. "You're going to have the advantage because you know it's coming. You'll have to pick your man beforehand and get close to him. When it happens, you'll have to make your move quick and focus on his weapon. Once you've got it, take out the biggest threat first and keep moving, don't stay in one place, keep shooting and moving."