So what?
he asked himself.
What’s wrong with ending a marriage that isn ‘I working the way you want it to anyway?
The words hung in his brain like a medical diagnosis he didn’t want to hear. He hated himself for even flirting with the notion of divorce, for despite everything he loved Sharon. And she had thrown in her lot with him, not with Renaldo. She had committed to building a life with him, not around him. And there were some things women would always be more possessive of than men. Like kids. That didn’t make her right and him wrong, her good and him bad. It made them different, that’s all. And differences could be worked out.
The bitterness was softened by the reminder that he and Sharon were vastly different people. She was a dreamer and he was a pragmatist. He was being judged by a standard that was more romantic wishfulness than reality. It was time to shelve those concerns for now because reality had to be dealt with. Besides, because they were family, his wife and children would forgive him.
At least, that’s how it was supposed to work in the World According to Paul.
Mike Rodgers, Bob Herbert, and Ron Plummer arrived for a 5:15 update.
Hood was ready for them, his conscience relatively clear and his mind almost entirely focused. Plummer had been named the acting diplomatic officer until an official review process for Martha’s replacement could take place. That would not happen until the current crisis had passed. If Plummer had the chops for the job they’d know soon enough and the review would be a simple formality.
“Grim news,” Herbert said as he rolled in on his automated wheelchair. “The Germans just canceled a big soccer match they were supposed to play tomorrow in Barcelona at the Olympic Stadium. Said they’re concerned about the ‘air of violence” in Spain.” “Will the cancellation be recorded as a forfeit for Germany?” Hood asked.
“That’s a good question,” Herbert said, “to which the answer is no, unfortunately.” He pulled a printout from a pouch on the side of his chair. ” ‘The Federation of International Football Associations has ruled that in a nation where-and I quote-‘there is a substantial disturbance of services or a reasonable fear for security, a visiting team may request a postponement for the duration of said unrest.” What’s going on in Spain certainly fits that requirement.” “Which will probably cause more unrest among soccer fans,” Plummer said, “which will help the situation unravel further.” “In a peanut shell, yeah,” Herbert replied.
“The prime minister is going to go on TV in the morning to urge everyone to stay calm. But the military has already been sent into major cities in three Castilian provinces to keep peace where the police have been sitting on their hands. The people there have always had a real dislike for the Catalonians and Basques who work there. The stuff with Serrador and the group in San Sebastian really sent them over the edge.” “The question is, where does it go from here?” Hood asked.
“We’ll know more after the prime minister speaks,” Plummer replied.
“What’s your sense of things?” Hood pressed.
“The situation will probably deteriorate,” Plummer said. “Spain has always been a patchwork of very different people-not unlike the Soviet Union was. Something like this, which polarizes ethnic groups, is a very tough fix.” Hood looked at Rodgers. “Mike?” The general was leaning against the wall. He shifted slowly, still obviously in pain. “The military people I spoke with in Portugal are extremely concerned. They can’t remember a time when tensions were so openly high.” “I’m sure you know that the White House has contacted our ambassador in Spain,” Herbert said. “They’ve been told to button the embassy up tight.” Hood nodded. National Security Chief Steve Burkow had phoned a half hour earlier to tell him that the embassy in Madrid was being put on alert. Passes for the military staff had been revoked and all nonmilitary personnel were ordered to remain on the compound. There was some fear about further attacks against Americans.
But there was a more general concern that Americans might get caught in the overall violence that seemed to be brewing.
“Does NATO have any jurisdiction here?” Hood asked.
“No,” Rodgers replied. “They’re not a domestic police force. I checked with General Roche, Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces in Central Europe. He’s pretty conservative.
Doesn’t want to plant a toe outside the charter.” ” ‘With Basques being attacked, the French Basques might not let it remain a domestic matter for long,” Plummer said.
“That’s true,” said Rodgers. “But NATO still won’t want to break their primary mandate, which is to resolve disputes between member nations peaceably.” “I know William Roche,” Herbert said, “and I don’t blame him. NATO still has egg on its face from the Serbian-Bosnian conflict in ninety-four. The Serbs violated designated safe havens all over the place despite the threat of limited NATO air strikes. If you don’t intend to go in with everything you’ve got, stay on the sidelines.” “Anyway,” Rodgers said, “there’s a larger issue. If Portugal or France or any local government puts troops on alert it might help to precipitate a crisis.” “The Spanish are kinda ornery that way,” Herbert said. “Groups of ’em will get together and start some thing because they’re insulted that someone would think they’d start something.” “Are we talking about lynch mobs?” Hood asked.
” “They might look for Portuguese or French nationals to beat up on,” Herbert said. “Then, of course, those governments will have to respond.” Hood shook his head.
“Welcome to the world of precipitating crises,” Herbert said. ” ‘From my kinfolk firing on Fort Sumter to blowing up the battleship Maine, from shooting Archduke Ferdinand to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Give people a spark and you usually end up with a fire.” “That’s the old way,” Hood said tensely. “Our job is to figure out how to manage these things, to defuse crises.” That came out sounding harsher than Hood had intended and he took a long, slow breath. He had to be careful not to let frustration with his personal crisis seep into his professional crisis. “Anyway,” he said, “this brings us to the matter of Darrell and Aideen. Darrell has recommended sending Aideen to San Sebastian with an Interpol agent. I’ve okayed this. They’re going to go undercover to try and find out how the tape from the yacht was made, by whom, and why.” “Who’s the Interpol agent?” Herbert asked.
“Maria Comeja,” Hood told him.
“Ouch,” Herbert said. “That’s got to sting a bit.” Hood thought back to his own brush with his former lover. “They’ll have very minimal contact. Darrell will be able to handle it.” “I meant it’s gonna sting her,” Herbert said.
“She may handle it like the Castilians are handling the Catalonians.” It was a joke but a nervous one. Maria had been infatuated with McCaskey. Their romance, two years before, had caused almost as much conversation as Op-Center’s first crisis, finding and defusing a terrorist bomb onboard the space shuttle Atlantis.
“I’m not worried about it,” Hood said. “I am worried about giving Aideen an exit strategy in case something goes wrong. They’re flying up to San Sebastian tonight. Darrell says that Interpol is worried about the same thing that’s been hounding police all over Spain: ethnic loyalties within the organization.” “Meaning that Aideen and Maria are on their own,” Rodgers said.
“Pretty much,” Hood agreed.
“Then I think we need Striker over there,” Rodgers continued. “I can set them down at the NATO airfield outside Zaragoza. That’ll put them about one hundred miles south of San Sebastian. Colonel August knows that region well.” “Get them going,” Hood said. “Ron, you’ll have to take this to the CIOC. Get Lowell to work with you on it.” Plummer nodded. Martha Mackall had always handled the Congressional Intelligence Oversight Committee pretty much on her own. But Op-Center’s attorney Lowell Coffey knew his way around the group and would give Plummer an assist as needed.
“Is there anything else?” Hood asked.
The men shook their heads. Hood thanked them and they agreed to meet again at six-thirty, just before the night shift came on. Though the day team officially remained in charge as long as they were on the premises, the presence of the backups allowed them to get rest if the situation dragged on through the night.
Until things stabilized or got so far out of control that crisis management gave way to open war. Hood felt it was his duty to be onsite.
My duty, he thought. Everyone had a different idea about what duty was and to whom allegiance was owed. To Hood, the bottom line was that he owed it to his country. He’d felt that way ever since he first watched Davy Crockett die at the Alamo on a Walt Disney TV show. He’d felt that when he watched the astronauts fly into space on TV during Project Mercury, Project Gemini, and Project Apollo. Without that kind of devotion and sacrifice there was no nation. And without a safe and prosperous nation the kids had no future.