Tom Clancy's Op-center_ Sea Of Fire Part 9

"Evening, Paul," Coffey said.

"Good afternoon," Hood replied. "So? Did your patient wake up?"

Coffey told him he had. Before the attorney briefed him, Hood conferenced in Mike Rodgers and Bob Herbert. Both men were at home. Rodgers was up watching old action movies, as usual. Usually John Wayne or Charlton Heston. Herbert was getting ready to turn in.

Nothing Coffey said surprised Hood.

"Do you have any information about the bullets they pulled from the pirate or the wreckage?" Rodgers asked.

"Yes, I wrote that down," Coffey said. "Jelbart had one of his men come over and take a look at them. He just received word that they were from a .380 double-action semiautomatic. The initial forensics tests said that the bullets were remanufactured with a tungsten-polymer coating-"

"Which means that they're doubly difficult to trace," Rodgers said.

"How so?" Hood asked.

"Remanufactured, meaning that the sh.e.l.l and casing came from different places," Rodgers said, "and designed so as not to retain evidence of the rifling from the barrel that shot them."

"Bullets without fingerprints," Herbert said.

"More or less," Rodgers replied.

"Would it take considerable financial resources or a special laboratory to create ammunition like that?" Hood asked.

"Not necessarily," Rodgers replied. "Depends on what scale they're making these things. A few dozen, even a few hundred could be done in a shack with easily obtainable gear."

"So that's pretty much a dead end," Hood said.

"There is one thing that we need to talk about," Coffey said. "Brian Ellsworth, the chief solicitor for the Australian Maritime Intelligence Centre. He is very keen to have the United States as a part of this investigation."

"Officially, you mean," Rodgers said.

"That's what I mean," Coffey said. "I'm here as an independent adviser, not as a representative of Op-Center or the United States."

"What is Mr. Ellsworth looking for?" Hood asked.

"A formal commitment that we are a part of this investigation," Coffey told the others.

"Why should that matter?" Herbert asked. "There isn't a convenience the Australians need or a challenge that scares them."

"They could certainly do this by themselves," Coffey agreed. "At the same time-"

"They would prefer not to go it alone," Hood interrupted. "Especially if they need to put pressure on Singapore for access to intelligence or background information on this pirate."

"On Singapore, Malaysia, China, anyone who could be involved in this," Coffey replied.

"Frankly, I don't think the pirate is going to matter much anymore," Herbert said. "He and his guys were just unlucky."

"Possibly," Hood agreed. "I'm curious what they'll do if they discover that any Australians are involved in this."

"I'm sure that's another reason Ellsworth wants us involved," Coffey said. "If there is an Australian component to this, we can help pressure anyone in Canberra who might be in denial. That's one thing they don't do very well, Bob. Self-examination. There's a very strong blue-wall component in their thinking. It's them against the Rim, fighting for European values in an Asian world. They don't like attacking their own."

"Is anyone going out to the site of the attack?" Rodgers asked.

"Loh and Jelbart are both going on separate vessels," Coffey said. "I'll be joining the Australians."

"Lowell, if these pirates had attacked a vessel involved in the legitimate transport of nuclear material, there would be a record of the transit. Isn't that correct?" Hood asked.

"Yes," Coffey said. "Also a report would have to have been filed about the attack. The International Nuclear Regulatory Commission demands that an accident or attack involving any nuclear vessel, military or civilian, must be reported to both the home and destination port. That hasn't happened."

"How do you know?" Rodgers asked.

"Because the INRC must put out a bulletin immediately, warning of potential dangers to s.h.i.+pping or possible radioactive contamination," Herbert said. "The Australian Department of Defence, the Department of National Emergency Services, and the Communicable Disease and Public Health Center are among those inst.i.tutions that would be notified."

"And have not been," Hood said.

"Right," Coffey said.

"Are the public health people down there taking any special precautions?" Hood asked.

"They're going to increase coastline patrols off the major cities," Herbert said. "They'll be looking for radioactivity, of course, as well as any s.h.i.+ps that look as though they've been damaged."

"Bob, is there anything the National Reconnaissance Office can do to help look for the mystery s.h.i.+p?" Hood asked.

The National Reconnaissance Office was the highly secretive government agency that controlled and processed satellite imagery as well as other electronic surveillance capabilities.

"We're talking about a very large area with a great deal of s.h.i.+pping," Herbert said. "We don't know which way the other s.h.i.+p may have gone or exactly where the sampan was. I'd like to try to narrow the search area before we ask the NRO to tie up resources."

"Isn't this what those resources are for?" Coffey asked.

"Actually, no," Herbert replied. "Those satellites are for watching Chinese naval maneuvers, missile tests, and picking out terrorist activity in the hills and jungles of Indonesia. All of that affects American military and foreign policy on a daily basis."

"I see," Coffey said.

"You don't sound happy, Lowell," Hood suggested.

"Well, I was hoping to give the Australians something," Coffey said.

"Does it have to be practical or can it be political?" Herbert asked.

"I suppose both is out of the question?" Coffey said.

"Only since the days of Julius Caesar," Herbert said. "Will Mr. Ellsworth accept a gesture of solidarity?"

"Most likely," Coffey said. "What did you have in mind?"

"Going over there myself," Herbert said. "It would be awkward sending Mike into a situation that is already bristling with soldiers."

"And I'm not sure the Pentagon would approve," Rodgers added.

Hood had to agree with that. Though Rodgers was second-in-command at Op-Center, he was still a soldier. The Australian press might a.s.sume that the unscheduled arrival of a military adviser was a prelude to a regional military buildup. Extreme ideas tended to grow in the fertile ground of unprecedented situations. They could not afford that kind of attention, not just from foreign governments but from the White House. Op-Center's needs might conflict with the administrations short- and long-term plans in the region.

"Mike, what about some of your special ops people?" Hood asked.

"If I sent Maria off on another mission now, Darrell would start a war of his own," Rodgers said.

Darrell McCaskey was Op-Center's liaison with the FBI and various international law enforcement groups. He had recently married former Spanish Interpol agent Maria Corneja. Shortly thereafter, Rodgers offered her a spot on his new intelligence-gathering unit named Op-Center Reconnaissance, Intelligence On-Site. ORION had been a.s.sembled to put spies on the ground, where the crises were happening, instead of relying on electronic surveillance. Maria accepted the a.s.signment and was immediately sent to Africa along with her new teammates David Battat and Aideen Marley. McCaskey had not been happy about that.

"The other operatives are out of town, tying up personal and professional matters before moving down here," Rodgers said, "and I haven't had any face time with my Asian intelligence man, Yuen Chow."

"Where is he now?" Hood asked.

"At home in Hong Kong," Rodgers said. "He'll be here next week. We're still running security on him. He spent seven years working in the movie business in Shanghai. It's tough finding out which of these boys may have had ties with the Guoanbu in Beijing or the Triads in Hong Kong."

"Or both," Herbert said. "Frankly, I'd want some of that take-no-prisoners muscle in my corner."

"So would I," Rodgers said. "But I would hate having to hire a shadow to make sure my spies weren't double-dealing."

The Guoanbu was short for the Guojia Anquan Bu, the Chinese Ministry of State Security. They were a ruthless intelligence service with irrevocable ties to Chinese nationals around the world. The Guoanbu thought nothing about imprisoning people at home to gain the cooperation of family members abroad. The Triads were the equally amoral gangsters who had organized in Hong Kong over a century before. They took their name from a three-sided good luck symbol that stood for heaven, earth, and man.

"So that leaves us with me," Herbert said. "I can go to Darwin and lend a hand collecting and crunching intel."

"Lowell?" Hood asked.

"It sounds like a good idea to me," Coffey said.

"Run it past Ellsworth," Hood suggested. "In the meantime, Bob, why don't you get ready-"

"I've been making the reservations on-line as we speak," Herbert told him. "Air New Zealand to Darwin. I'll be there Sat.u.r.day morning."

"By way of how many cities?" Rodgers asked.

"Five," Herbert replied. "D.C. to New York to Los Angeles to Sydney to Darwin."

"Screw that. I'll call over to the travel office at the Pentagon," Rodgers told him. "I'm sure we can hitch you a ride and get you there with less ha.s.sle."

"What, on one of those b.u.t.t-cold, avalanche-loud, flying metal rib cages that you guys call airplanes?" Herbert asked.

"Actually, I was going to requisition Air Force One," Rodgers said. "But I don't want you going soft."

"Gentlemen, I'm going home," Hood told them.

"And I've got to go hitch a ride with Jelbart as soon as he's finished with Ellsworth and Officer Loh," Coffey said.

"What are they talking about?" Hood asked.

"Whether we're going to have two investigations or a coordinated operation when we get out to sea," Coffey replied.

"Jeez," Herbert sighed. "This is how the world will be lost. There will be a skirmish that bloodies someone's nose followed by a world war that has nothing to do with that. We'll kill each other debating how to find some son of a b.i.t.c.h instead of just laying waste to him and his kind."

"You said it before," Hood reminded him. "It's either practical or political."

"Well, let's see if we can make it both," Herbert said.

"How?" Hood asked.

"By understanding," Herbert replied.

"That's it?" Hood asked, amused.

"Yes," Herbert said. "Understanding that the only way to get rid of me is by doing this thing right."

SEVENTEEN.

Cairns, Australia Friday, 7:00 P.M.

The tranquillity of the cove was just what Peter Kannaday needed. Like any long-time sailor, his emotional state was strongly affected by the sea.

The sun was going down as the Hosannah Hosannah entered the mouth of the cove. The effect was like a candle on the sea. There was a long, rippling, waxy-yellow streak on the water. It ended in a burning yellow wick on the horizon. Kannaday watched it from the stern as they entered the cove. Directly above him the blue-green skies were already spotted with early stars. entered the mouth of the cove. The effect was like a candle on the sea. There was a long, rippling, waxy-yellow streak on the water. It ended in a burning yellow wick on the horizon. Kannaday watched it from the stern as they entered the cove. Directly above him the blue-green skies were already spotted with early stars.

To all other sides of him was Darling Cove. The inlet was located in the northern reaches of the Great Barrier Reef. Over 2,000 kilometers in length and up to 125 meters thick, the reef is separated from the mainland by a shallow lagoon. The ma.s.sive structure was born at the end of the Ice Age when oceanic polyps began to thrive in the region. The polyps created protective multicolored sh.e.l.ls that survived when the animals themselves perished. Coral built upon coral for over 10,000 years, providing a home for each new generation of tentacled creature. It also became a haven for countless species of fish, giant turtles, humpback whales, manta rays, dolphins, and dugongs-marine cousins to the elephant.

The helmsman steered the yacht into the calm, wide-mouthed inlet. Kannaday looked down at the stained-gla.s.s blue water. Then he walked forward as sweet, warm air washed over the deck. It carried the hint of grapes from the Darling vineyard located to the southwest. Immediately to the northwest was a limestone formation scooped from a hundred-meter-high cliff by ancient storms. The rock glowed rust orange in the twilight.

The high reef concealed the cove from the open sea. To access the inlet a sailor had to know to come around the reef well to the north. The mouth itself was less than a half kilometer across. It was just about 200 meters to the far sh.o.r.e. There was a long stone wharf ahead and deep stretches of tawny white sand on all sides. Two motorboats, a motor yacht, and a pair of sailboats were at anchor. Security cameras were concealed in the 200-foot-tall karri trees that ringed the cove. Kannaday knew that microphones were hidden in the trees as well. They rarely heard more than the wind, the soft breakers, or the cry of a lost dolphin. For boaters who happened by, there were signs at the entrance to the cove. The oak boards, floating on moored buoys and mounted to posts, announced that this was the private property of Darling Enterprises. There were no posted warnings, no threats. Anyone who knew of Mr. Darling knew to keep out. Those who did not were arrested within two minutes of entering the cove. Guards lived in a small cabin just beyond the beach. Most of the time they surfed the Internet or played tiddledywinks. Darling held twice-yearly compet.i.tions among the staff with a sizable purse.

It did not escape Kannaday that the object of that game was to gather all the different chips in one cup. A cup that was controlled by Jervis Darling.

Kannaday took another moment to watch the sun set. This was the ninth or tenth time he had sailed into this cove. The quiet, majestic beauty of this place thrilled Kannaday for a moment. It always did. But this time it also made him angry. He felt as though he should own the seas he had just traveled. Kannaday had a yacht, and he was on the way to having enough wealth to keep him comfortable for the rest of his life. Instead, all he could think about was the displeasure of Jervis Darling. A man whose name alone on a placard was enough to frighten would-be trespa.s.sers. Kannaday resented the man's power and feared his disapproval. The captain also hated his own resentment and fear.

The yacht would be anchoring in a few moments. Kannaday would take a motorized dinghy. He would be met there by a Humvee. There was no need to radio ahead. The guards would have seen him. As the yacht slowed, Kannaday wondered if Jervis Darling feared anything. The billionaire probably feared failure. Also death, most likely. And almost certainly in that order. A man like Darling would only accept defeat at the hands of G.o.d himself.

If only I could have G.o.d as an ally, Kannaday thought bitterly. Instead, he had John Hawke. Kannaday thought bitterly. Instead, he had John Hawke.

The security officer was belowdecks with his men. They were probably watching action movies on DVD. That was all they ever did. There was no curiosity about the world, no desire for self-improvement. Perhaps that was why Kannaday had a.s.sumed Hawke would take his offer and go. It was easy.

Men like Hawke liked things easy.

Kannaday walked to the port-side winch that held the dinghy. He waited as one of the crewmen lowered it to clear water. The hum of the motor echoed through the cove. Kannaday's stomach began to burn.

Even though John Hawke had physically threatened the captain, Kannaday did not fear him. Fear did not come from known threats. It did not come from fear for one's physical well-being. For a man of the sea, the adrenaline kick that came with danger carried the captain through moments like those. Even when he had the knife at his throat he was not fearful. He had been focused on surviving, which was not the same thing.

Fear came from one thing above all. It came from the unknown. It grew from the antic.i.p.ation of something debilitating. A loss of freedom. The inability to realize one's vision.