Patriot Games by Tom Clancy

“Working on their jet lag, I imagine,” his chief observed. “Getting a good night’s sleep. So, all ready here?”

“Yes, the safehouse is all prepared for tomorrow. Alex and his people are ready, and I’ve gone over the changes in the plan.”

“They’re from Alex, too?”

“Yes, and if I hear one more bit of advice from that arrogant bastard –”

“He is one of our revolutionary brethren,” O’Donnell noted with a smile. “But I know what you mean.”

“Where’s Mike?”

“Belfast. He’ll run Phase Two.”

“The timing is all set?”

“Yes. Both brigade commanders, and the whole Army Council. We should be able to get them all . . .” O’Donnell finally revealed his plan in toto. McKenney’s penetration agents either worked closely with all of the senior PIRA people or knew those who did. On command from O’Donnell, they would assassinate them all, completely removing the Provisionals’ military leadership. There would be no one left to run the Organization . . . except one man whose masterstroke mission would catapult him back to respectability with rank-and-file Provos. With his hostages, he’d get the release of all the men “behind the wire” even if it meant mailing the Prince of Wales to Buckingham Palace one cubic centimeter at a time. O’Donnell was certain of this. For all the brave, pious talk in Whitehall, it was centuries since an English king had faced death, and the idea of martyrdom sat better with revolutionaries than with those in power. Public pressure would see to that. They would have to negotiate to save the life of the heir to the throne. The scope of this operation would enliven the Movement, and Kevin Joseph O’Donnell would lead a revolution reborn in boldness and blood . . .

“Changing of the guard, Jack?” Marty observed. He, too, had packed up his things. A security officer would check the box before he left.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better, but you can get tired of watching daytime TV.”

“Taking all your pills?” Ryan asked.

“I’ll never forget again, Mom,” was the answer.

“I see there’s nothing new on our friends.”

“Yeah. They dropped back into that black hole they live in. The FBI is worried that they’re over here, of course, but there hasn’t even been a hint of it. Of course, whenever anybody’s felt secure dealing with these bastards, they’ve gotten bit on the ass. Still, about the only outfit that isn’t on alert is the Delta Force. All kinds of assets are standing by. If they’re over here and they show anybody a whisker, the whole world is going to come crashing in on them. ‘Call in the whole world.’ We used to say that in Vietnam.” Cantor grunted. “I’ll be in Monday and Tuesday. You don’t have to say goodbye yet. Have a good weekend.”

“You too.” Ryan walked out, with a new security pass hanging around his neck and his jacket draped over his shoulder. It was hot outside, and his Rabbit didn’t have air conditioning. The drive home along Route 50 was complicated by all the people heading to Ocean City for the weekend, anything to get away from the heat that had covered the area like an evil spell for two weeks. They were in for a surprise. Jack thought. A cold front was supposed to come through.

“Howard County Police,” the Desk Sergeant said. “Can I help you?”

“This is 911, right?” It was a male voice.

“Yes, sir. What seems to be the problem?”

“Hey, uh, my wife said I shouldn’t get involved, you know, but –”

“Can you give me your name and phone number, please?”

“No way — look, this house, uh, down the street. There’s people there with guns, you know? Machine guns.”

“Say that again.” The Sergeant’s eyes narrowed.

“Machine guns — no shit, I saw an M-60 machine gun, like in the Army — y’know, thirty caliber, feeds off a belt, heavy bitch to pack along, a real friggin’ machine gun. I saw some other stuff, too.”

“Where?”

The voice became rapid. “Eleven-sixteen Green Cottage Lane. There’s maybe — I mean I saw four of ’em, one black and three white. They were unloading the guns from a van. It was three in the morning. I had to get up an’ take a leak, and I looked out the bathroom window, y’know? The garage door was open, and the light was on, and when they passed the gun across, it was in the light, like, and I could tell it was a sixty. Hey, I used to carry one in the Army, y’know? Anyway, that’s it, man, you wanna do something about it, that’s your lookout.” The line clicked off. The Sergeant called his captain at once.

“What is it?” The Sergeant handed over his notes. “Machine gun? M-60?”

“He said it was — he said it was a thirty-caliber that feeds off a belt. That’s the M-60. That alert we got from the FBI, Captain . . . ”

“Yeah.” The Station Commander had visions of promotion dangling before his eyes — but also visions of his men in a pitched battle where the perpetrators had better weapons. “Get a car out there. Tell them to keep out of sight and take no action. I’m going to request a SWAT callup and get hold of the feds.”

Less than a minute later a police car was heading to the area. The responding officer was a six-year veteran of the county police who very much wanted to be a seven-year veteran. It took him almost ten minutes to reach the scene. He parked his car a block away, behind a large shrub, and was able to watch the house without exposing himself as a police officer. The shotgun that usually hung under the dashboard was in his sweating hands now, with a double-ought buck round chambered. Another car was four minutes behind his, and two more officers joined him. Then the whole world really did seem to arrive. First a patrol sergeant, then a lieutenant, then two captains, and finally, two agents from the FBI’s Baltimore office. The officer who had first responded was now one of the Indians in a tribe top-heavy with chiefs.

The FBI Special Agent in Charge for the Baltimore office set up a radio link with the Washington headquarters, but left the operation in the hands of the local police. The county police had its own SWAT team, like most local forces did, and they quickly went to work. The first order of business was to evacuate the people from the area’s homes. To everyone’s relief, they were able to do that from the rear in every case. The people removed from their homes were immediately interviewed. Yes, they had seen people in that house. Yes, they were mostly white, but there had been at least one black person. No, they hadn’t seen any guns — in fact, they hardly saw the people at all. One lady thought they had a van, but if so, it was usually kept in the garage. The interviews went on while the SWAT team moved in. The neighborhood houses were all of the same style and design, and the men made a quick check through one to establish its layout. Another set up a scope-sighted rifle in the house directly across the street and used his sight to examine the target home’s windows.

The SWAT team might have waited, but the longer they did that, the greater was the risk of alerting their quarry. They moved in slowly and carefully, skillfully using cover and concealment until they were within fifty feet of the target house. Anxious, sharp eyes scanned the windows for movement and saw none. Could they all be asleep? The team leader went in first, sprinting across the yard and stopping under a window. He held up a stick-on microphone and attached it to the corner of the window, listening to an earpiece for a sign of occupancy. The second-in-command watched the man’s head cock almost comically to one side, then he spoke into a radio that all his team members could hear: “The TV’s on. No conversation, I — something else, can’t make it out.” He motioned for his team to approach, one at a time, while he crouched under the window, gun at the ready. Three minutes later the team was ready.

“Team leader,” the radio crackled. “This is Lieutenant Haber. We have a young man here who says a van went tearing out of that house about quarter to five — that’s about the time the police radio call went out.”

The team leader waved acknowledgment and treated the message as something that mattered not a bit. The team executed a forced entry maneuver. Two simultaneous shotgun blasts blew the hinges off the windowless side door and it hadn’t even hit the floor before the team leader was through the opening, training his gun around the kitchen. Nothing. They proceeded through the house in movements that looked like a kind of evil ballet. The entire exercise was over in a minute. The radio message went out: “The building is secure.”