Chapter 50
Enemy Below
1415 hours, 5 June 2002, White House Situation Room, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
"Ten-hut!" General Clark yelled when President McCain walked into the room.
"At ease!" the President said as he took his seat at the end of the table. Per the President's orders, The Joints Chiefs of Staff, the Secretary of Defense, the national Security Advisor, the Secretary of State, The Attorney General, and heads of the various Intelligence Agencies had all assembled. "You may begin, General" The President said.
"Yes Sir" General Clark said as he stood up, wooden pointer in hand. He nodded to one of technicians and some maps and photos appeared on the large screens that encompassed the wars of the Situation Room. "At approximately 0200 hours local this morning, a terrorist named Kabir Atef crossed the border into Iran" he began.
"Terrorists do this all the time, I assume there's something special about this one?" asked Vice Admiral Carlton Hargrove, the Chief of Naval Intelligence.
"He's Al Qaeda's Chief Intelligence Operative" Tomas Delgado, Deputy Director of the CIA spoke up.
"In the past week he's evaded 2 of our Airstrikes and both my Delta Teams" Colonel Colleton said.
"Not only that, but his older brother, Mustafa Atef, was convicted a little over a week ago of planning the September 11th attacks. Shortly after being convicted, Mustafa Atef took his own life" Deputy Director Delgado said.
"Before he died, Atef ranted about his brother, Kabir, "having the last laugh" so to speak"
"Another attack?" The President asked.
"Yes Sir" said Colonel Colleton. "A week ago, Russian Intelligence reported sighting s of Kabir in Murmansk. They believe he was trying to recruit Submarine Captains"
"Was he successful?" the President asked.
"We believe so" said Deputy Director Delgado. "The last known sighting of him in Russia was with this man" he said as another picture popped up on the screen.
"Captain Mikhail Yurastov" The President said.
"You know him Sir?" Meg, who was sitting next to him, asked.
"He's a legend, the best sub driver the Soviet's had" The President said.
"Captain Yurastov, along with several members of his crew, disappeared 7 days ago" Colonel Colleton said.
"Are any Russian Submarine unaccounted for?" The President asked.
"No Sir" said Admiral Hargrove.
"Kabir left Afghanistan, to go to Russia. Why would he come back, just to cross over into Iran?" The President asked.
"I have 2 officers investigating that question as we speak" Colonel Colleton said.
2350 hours local time, 5 June 2002, Turkish Special Forces encampment, Herat, Heart Province, Afghanistan.
It was nearly midnight when Tony and Bridget, still dressed in fatigues, pulled up to the camp. They both quickly dismounted and proceeded inside. "Omar!" Tony said.
"Shut up, I'm trying to sleep" Captain Omar Kemal yelled back in his native Turkish.
"Omar, it's Tony, get up" Tony yelled. He was in no mood to fuck around anymore.
"What do you want Tony?" Omar said as he stepped out of his tent.
"What are the locals saying about Kabir?" Tony asked.
"He was last seen in Qarquin, on the other side of the river, about 300 miles from here. If you leave now, you might make it by morning"
"Anything else?" Bridget asked.
"According to the locals, he hired a man, to drive a truck from here, over the border to Iran and back to Qarquin" Captain Kemal informed them.
"Thanks" Tony said as he turned to leave.
"Be careful, the road to Qarquin, is very dangerous. 2 tribes are at war" he cautioned them.
0548 hours local time, 6 June 2002, road to Qarquin, Qarquin District, Jowzjan Province, Afghanistan.
It was just after 1st light as Tony massed the accelerator as their HUMVEE thundered down the unpaved road. "Wanna know something cool?" Tony yelled.
"What?" Bridget replied.
"58 years ago today, my grandfather landed at Omaha beach" Tony said.
"Point Du Hoc?"
"Yep" Tony smiled as a bullet cracked through the windshield, flying right past Tony's ear. "Hello!" he said as he took the wheel with his left hand and drew his Colt .45 revolver with his right. "We got company" he yelled as AK-47 fire raked the landscape around them. Bridget quickly drew her .45 automatic and fired off several rounds. Once his revolver was dry, Tony holstered it and drew his Beretta Inox from his shoulder holster, and fired off several rounds through the now blown out windshield. Once they were around the next bend in the road, the shooting finally died down. "Well that was fun" Tony said as he holstered his Inox.
"We should do it again sometime" Bridget joked. "You smell that?" Bridget said as her nose caught a whiff of a very distinctive smell.
"Diesel Fuel" Tony said. "Those assholes must of hit the tank" Tony said. "There's a patch kit in the back, I think I can fix it" Tony said as he pulled over.
0605 hours local time, 6 June 2002, 5 miles outside of Kabul, Afghanistan.
"Here's good" Webb said. Three, who was driving, nodded, a pulled the black Mercedes they had "borrowed" over to the side of the road, put it in park and killed the ignition. He pulled the keys out, stepped out and walked to the rear of the vehicle, opening the trunk. He reached inside and yanked a man out, tossing him to the ground.
"On your knees!" Three yelled in Punjabi as he ripped the hood off of the man's head.
"Your Punjabi is terrible" the man said in a very English accent.
"Fuck you" Three replied.
"Colonel Ali Zardari, of the Pakistani Army" Webb said. "A man with 1 wife, but 2 mistresses, you like to summer in Anteed, and your really not in the Army, your ISI, Pakistani Intelligence" Webb recited. "And a double Agent for Iran" he added.
"You kidnap me, and then you insult me. You're either very arrogant, or very foolish. Perhaps both" the Colonel said. Three quickly drew his M9, and slammed the butt of it across the Colonel's face, knocking him to the ground. The Colonel quickly sat up, wiping the blood from his lip with the back of his hand. "What is it you want?" the Colonel asked.
"For starters, you can tell us what the Iranian Government sold Al Qaeda for $250,000,000 dollars" Webb said.
"I have no idea"
"I thought you might say that" Webb said as he pulled folded piece of paper from the breast pocket of his vest. "This is a copy of a wire transfer for said $250,000,000, from your office to the Iranian Defense Ministry"
"I know nothing of this, so called wire transfer"
"And we say you do" Three said as he crossed his arms across his chest.
"Tell us and we'll let you live" Webb said.
"Fine, I tell you" he said as he began to spill his guts.
"Jesus Christ" Webb said. "Finish him" he ordered.
"Wait no!" the Colonel protested as Three fired a round into his head.
"We need to get back to the Embassy" Webb said as he and Three got back in the car. "Step on"
0610 hours local time, 6 June 2002, road to Qarquin, Qarquin District, Jowzjan Province, Afghanistan.
"Hey T" Bridget said. "You ever thought about how you wanna go?" Bridget asked as Tony worked on patching the hole in the gas tank.
"Nope" he said as he poured fresh gas into the repaired tank.
"I wanna die like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" Bridget said.
"Oh yeah? And which would you be? Seeing as how I'm both the brains and the shooter" Tony joked.
"That's how I wanna go, in a blaze of glory, against impossible odds" she said as she walked around the HUMVEE, M-16 in hand.
"This isn't a healthy topic of conversation" Tony said.
"With something really important at stake" Bridget continued to ramble on.
"Jesus H. Christ, enough" Tony said as he closed the gas cap, and tossed away the empty gas can.
"Come on Tony, play along" Bridget said.
"Ok" Tony said as he nodded. "What about after? When your dead?" he said as they got back in the HUMVEE and he started the engine. "Do you choose cremation?" he said. "They shove your body in a furnace, and they bake ya. You know what burns 1st? Your hair. They your skin crackles and boils"
"Ok you win, you win" Bridget said as Tony's new sat phone rang. "Go for Movie Buff" he said.
"Tony, it's Webb"
"Ah, Agent 86" Tony joked. "What can I do for you?" he asked.
"We know what the $250,000,000 was for" Webb said.
2125 hours, White House Situation Room, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
"Ten-hut" General Clark said.
"At ease" The President said as he took his seat. "You gentlemen have an update for me?" The President asked.
"Yes Sir" General Clark said. "Tomas" he said turning to Deputy Director Delgado.
"One of Field Agents just reported in" Tomas said. "We believe that the $250,000,000 was for one of the old Russian Tango-Class Submarines that are in Iran's possession" Tomas said.
"However, satellite imagery shows that all 4 Tango-Class Submarines are still in port at Bandar Abbas" said Admiral Hargrove.
"I have a different theory" General Clark said. "Pull up the inferred from Bander Abbas" he said. "Every Tango-Class Sub ever built was built to same specifications" he began. "But the 2nd one, here, the Tariq" he pointed. "Is wider in diameter than the other 3, and it's colder, much colder" The General said.
"Well I'll be damned" The President said. "How's you come up with that?" her asked.
"I didn't, Meg did" The General said.
"Meg" The President said as he turned to her. "Would you like to take over for the General?"
"Yes Sir" she said as she stood up.
"For those of you who don't already know, Meg is a Annapolis graduate, and a former Naval Officer"
"It's like when you park your car out in the sun" Meg said. "If it's out there long enough, it's gets hot, really hot. The same theory applies to a sub"
"Are you saying the middle fell out of the sub?" Admiral Hargrove laughed.
"She's saying the middle was the Sub" General Clark corrected.
"Exactly" Meg said. "I believe the Iranians have built a decoy shell around the Tariq, and at an appointed time, she submerged and snuck right out" she said.
"The question is, where is the Tariq now?" Secretary of Defense Peter King asked.
"The Med, or maybe headed for the US" Admiral Hargrove suggested.
"I may not have been a bubblehead, but I know a thing or 2 about Submarines" The President said. "Not even the great Captain Yurastov can sneak her through the Suez Canal. The Tariq is a Diesel and she's an old one. I doubt Captain Yurastov could get her across the Pacific or circumnavigate her around Africa" he said.
"Which leaves only 1 target" General Clark said.
"Task Force 84, in the Arabian Sea" Meg said.
"Inform Admiral Carsten of the new Intel" President McCain ordered. "James, who's the lead sub for TF-84?" the President asked Admiral James Sandecker, the Chief of Naval Operations. Sandecker glanced over at General Clark before turning to the President.
"The Port Charles, Sir" said Admiral Sandecker.
"Sam's boat?"
"Yes Sir" said General Clark.
"Very well then" The President said as he stood up, along with everyone else in the room. "Inform Admiral Carsten and Lieutenant Commander Clark to expect company" he said before exiting the room, Meg in tow. "If the Tariq is going after TF-84, then we'll sink her" President McCain said confidently as he climbed the stairs.
"The Tariq is a diesel; she's quieter than a nuclear sub. And if Captain Yurastov is at the helm, it'll make it 10 times as hard" Meg said.
0730 hours local time, 6 June 2002, Flag Bridge, USS Dakota, Task Force 84, Arabian Sea.
"Lieutenant Loren Singer and Petty Officer 3rd Class Jennifer Coates, reporting as ordered" Loren said as she and Jenn stood at attention.
"At ease" said Admiral Carsten as he looked over a chart of the area. "Lieutenant Singer, I just got off the horn with General Buchanan over at CENTCOM. We may have an inbound hostile submarine, and our current rules of engagement concerning submarines make me nervous" the Admiral said. "Think you can help me out?"
"I'll do my best Sir" Loren said.
"Just do it quickly" The Admiral said. "Petty Officer Coates" he said.
"as of now, I'm stealing you from JAG, and making you my new Yeoman, for the time being"
"Aye Aye Sir" Jenn replied.
"Admiral Sir, all ships have been notified" said Commander Michaels, an Irish Officer serving as the Admiral's Chief of Staff.
0735 hours local time, 6 June 2002, USS Port Charles (SSN-792), 320 miles west of Task Force 84, Arabian Sea.
About a 100 feet below the rest of the Task Force, was the USS Port Charles, the newest and baddest Sub to come off the line in. With 12 VLS Launch tubes and 4 533mm Torpedo Tubes, the "PC" could dance wit the best of em.
"Lieutenant Danville, I have a flash message from Admiral Carsten" yelled Petty Officer 1st Class Jack Stinson. "hey ya go Sir" said the PO as he handed the paper to the PC's Executive Officer.
"COB!" he yelled.
"Yes Sir?" replied Master Chief Petty Officer Bobby Dougherty, the Chief of the Boat (COB) of the USS Port Charles.
"Flash Message from Admiral Carsten" Lieutenant Danville said as he handed the message to the Chief.
"I'll get the Commander" he said as he rushed out of the Bridge towards the Commanding Officer's quarters. He stepped in front of the door to the CO's quarters. He knocked forcefully on the steel door. "Flash message from the Admiral" Bobby said when the door opened.
"Thank you Bobby" said the recently promoted Lieutenant Commander Samantha Clark. Following the mission aboard the U-234, Sam had been awarded the Navy Cross, promoted to Lieutenant Commander and placed in command of the USS Port Charles, which had been launched in March and completed Sea Trails in April. At the young age of 24, Sam was quite possibly the youngest Lieutenant Commander in US Naval History.
Following it's transfer to the Far East, The Port Charles, under Sam's Command, had enjoyed easy pickings against Pakistani Merchant ships off the coast once Pakistan had entered the war on the side of the Taliban. Once task Force 84 had arrived on station of the southern coast, the Port Charles had been task with ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) Duty.
"Ok then" Sam said as she stepped out of her cabin. She was dressed in her service khakis with Navy-issue, blue service sweater over it. With Chief Dougherty on her heals, Sam made her way to the bridge.
"Captain on deck" someone yelled. Unlike the surface fleet, there was no snapping to attention or saluting on a Sub. Sam walked over to the Con, and grabbed the mic to the ship's intercom.
"All hands this is the Captain" Sam said. "We've just received a flash message from the Task Force Commander, Admiral Carsten" she paused. "We have an inbound hostile submarine, with a rogue ex-Soviet skipper at the helm. They're coming after are buddies on the surface, and it's our job to stop em" she said. "At hands, I repeat all hands, General Quarters, repeat, General Quarters, Battle Stations submerged" she said. Alarms rang through out the ship as all crew members. "The message said they were coming out of Iran, which means they would have left out of Bander Abbas" Sam said to Chief Dougherty and Lieutenant Danville. "Captain Mikhail Yurastov" she said. "The last of the Cold Warriors. I studied him extensively at the Academy. He keeps dossiers of all of our Sub commanders. HE subscribes to San Diego, Savannah and Providence newspapers, all of which regularly report on changes of command and battle group deployments.
"This guy was in Russia, subscribing to US newspapers?"
"You better believe it. Luckily for us, we have something he won't expect" Sam smiled.
"What's that?" asked. Lieutenant Danville.
"Me" she smiled.
"You're too new for Captain Yurastov to have learned your techniques" said the Chief.
"Have you ever come up against him?" Sam asked the Chief.
"When I was a young rating, back in the early 80s, I was assigned to the Seawolf, the SSN-575. We were tasked with tracking Yurastov. He slipped us like that" Bobby said as he snapped his fingers.
"We'll lets get to it" Sam ordered.
2215 hours, 5 June 2002, Oval Office, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
Despite the late hour, President McCain was still hard at work in his office, as was Meg in her office next door. What all this meant, was that Rex was still hard at work too. With the threat of attack on the US Navy prevalent, no one was going home.
President McCain was looking over some intelligence reports when there was a knock on the door. "Enter!" the President yelled. the door open and Rex appeared. "What is it Rexton?" he asked. Even at the late however, the President still didn't fail to call Rex by his full name.
"Deputy Director Delgado to see you" Rex said.
"Show him in" The President instructed. A few seconds later, Tomas appeared in the door way.
"Mr. President" he said as he stepped inside. "Captain Yurastov's file, as requested" he said as he laid it down on the President's desk.
"Thank you" President McCain said as he pushed it to the side. "Any progress?"
"We have strong reason to believe that Kabir is back in Afghanistan" Tomas said.
"Again? I thought he was in Iran?" he said.
"Intel puts him in Northern Afghanistan, but he won't stay there for long" Tomas said. "Our people are on it" he assured the President.
"I get why Kabir is involved, by why Yurastov? This is a suicide mission, he's certainly not in it for the money"
"I'm affair that may be my fault sir" Tomas said.
"You? How?" the President asked.
"It's a long story Sir"
"Tomas, we have nothing but time"
"In the lat e70s, I was stationed at our Diplomatic mission in West Berlin. Yurastov's wife was an officer in the KGB. She ran the KGB spy network in West Berlin. For years she was a torn in our side, until one day, in 79', my superiors had decided enough was enough"
"And Mrs. Yurastov suffered an "accident" did she?"
"3 in the back, 2 in the head" Tomas said. "My 1st he said"
"So he wants revenge for his wife" The President said.
"My fault sir" Tomas said.
"Tomas, that was 23 years ago, there's no way anyone could have predicted all this" The President said. "It's all on Lieutenant Commander Clark now" the President said.
0830 hours local time, 6 June 2002, Flag Bridge, USS Dakota, Task Force 84, Arabian Sea.
"Admiral Carsten Sir" Loren said as she reentered the Flag Bridge,
"What is it Lieutenant?" The Admiral said.
"I believe I have the solution to our submarine problem" she said.
"Speak" the Admiral said bluntly.
"Well Sir, while we believe the sub to have hostile intent, until it acts, it's a vessel of a sovereign nation with every right to traverse the sea" she began.
"Explain to me why I'm supposed to like you" The Admiral said.
"Sir I propose we declare a Cordon Sanitaire around Task Force 84, one that encompasses both Carriers, the Seahawk and America, the flagship, the Dakota, the amphibious assault ship, The Guadalcanal, and the support vessels. Once the exclusion zone is establish, we authorize the sinking of any non-allied submarine entering said exclusion zone"
"Are there any allied Subs in the area?" Admiral Carsten asked.
"Aye Sir" said his Chief of Staff, Commander Padraig Michaels. "The Galway" he said, referring to INSS Galway, of the Irish Naval Service. "While the Port Charles is off hunting down the Tariq, my lads aboard the Galway will be playing gate keeper" he said.
"Admiral Sir" Jenn spoke up. "Per your request, I ran Lieutenant Singer's proposed changes up the chain of command to 5th Fleet HQ, USCENTCOM, The Sec Def, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. They all concur with the Lieutenant" Jenn said.
"Thank you Petty Officer" Admiral Carsten said. "Commander Michaels!" he yelled. "Send the revised ROE (Rules of Engagement) to all vessels, especially the Port Charles and the Galway" he ordered.
"Aye Sir" the Commander said.
"Ok Lieutenant, walk me through it" the Admiral ordered.
"1st we need to determine the maximum attack range for the Tariq, which will help us determine the range of the cordon.
"15 Miles should be good sir" suggested Commander Michaels.
"We now designate a moving buffer zone around the battle group, and broadcast our intentions on all the appropriate frequencies. If the enemy sub violates the zone, we document the incursion, and sink her" she said.
1005 hours local time, 6 June 2002, road to Qarquin, Qarquin District, Jowzjan Province, Afghanistan.
It was just after 1000 hours as they reached the outskirts of Qarquin. For the past few hours, Bridget had been out cold, fast asleep. Tony drove as smoothly as he could, to avoid waking her. The plan was working, until Tony ran over a large pot hole, which jarred her awake. Bridget sat up and looked around. "How long was I out?" she asked.
"Almost 4 hours" Tony said.
"Why didn't you wake me?" she asked.
"Cause you were sleeping" he said.
"You look exhausted" she said. "Pull over, I'll drive for a while" she offered.
"I'm fine" Tony said.
"Tony…" she protested.
"Shut up" Tony said as he stepped on the brake. "Look" he said. On the road ahead of them, was a truck, it was just sitting there, in the middle of the road.
"You think it's the truck we're after?" she said.
"I'm not taking any chances" he said as he killed the end and grabbed his M4A1, and then tossed Bridget her M-16. "Cover me" he said as he hopped out and slowly approached the back of the small truck. He reached the back and threw open the flap. He shook his head. "Nothing" he mouthed to her. He then motioned to wards the front of the truck. Together, they slowly approached the cab, Tony on the driver's side, Bridget on the passenger's. When they reached the cab, they both lowered their weapon. "Clear" Tony said. In the driver's seat, was a dead man, legions covering his face.
"Oh god" Bridget said. "A Bio-weapon?"
"No" Tony said grimly. "Radiation" he said. "Come on" he said as he grabbed her hand. "Let's go"
1025 hours local time, 6 June 2002, Qarquin, Qarquin District, Jowzjan Province, Afghanistan.
A few minutes later, Tony and Bridget pulled up to Qarquin. "Look at this place" Tony said. Dead bodies were pilled up everywhere. And the people who weren't dead, were already beginning to develop legions.
"They all look like the truck driver" Bridget said. "We need a Medical Evaluation Team in here Post Ricki-Tick" she added.
"You realize we could already be exposed" Tony said grimly.
1035 hours local time, 6 June 2002, USS Port Charles (SSN-792), 245 miles west of Task Force 84, Arabian Sea.
"Commander Clark, Mam," yelled Chief Petty Officer Brett Ryan, the Chief Sonar technician on the Port Charles.
"What is it Chief?" Sam replied from the CON.
"I got em Sir. Russian Tango-Class Diesel, no doubt about it" he said.
"Stay on em Chief" Sam said as she walked over, her standard issue boots knocking against the metal floor.
"Like a fly on vegemite, Mam" the CPO said.
"Vegemite?" Sam said with a chuckle as she looked over his shoulder to get a look at his screen.
"I spent some time in Australia Mam" the Chief said. "It's this like uh, jam, they got down there. Tastes like crap till ya get used to it" he said.
"Well" she said. "Keep on that vegemite boy. We have standing orders to send her to the bottom if she's get within 15 miles of the Task Force" she said.
"If she holds the same course and heading, that'll be in just under 5 hours, Sir"
1100 hours local time, 6 June 2002, US Army Triage Center, Outside Qarquin, Afghanistan.
The Medical Evaluation Team had arrived quickly from Bagram and had quickly set to work helping the afflicted civilians. "I spoke with the De-Con team. There's minimal residual radiation, so it looks like we're ok" Tony said. "The bad news is, whatever was here, is long gone" Tony said. Then Tony noticed something. "You know what all these people have in common?"
"Radiation poisoning" Bridget said. Tony then gave her a look. "Sorry" she said.
"They're all Chechen" he said. "Remember, the Athena? The ship Nathan took down. The entire crew was Chechen" he said.
"The 2 missing kilos" Bridget said.
"It was smuggled here and these people safe guarded it" Tony said.
"What was the isotope?" Bridget asked.
"Weapons grade: Uranium-235, same as Nathan recovered from the Athena" he said.
"The Intel said that this morning Kabir slipped into Iran driving a truck, before returning again. I could have been a truck with uranium in the back" Bridget said.
"Unshielded Uranium" Tony said.
"But why? Kabir doesn't have the facilities to turn the 2 kilos into a dirty bomb, and Iran and Pakistan wouldn't waist they're time for such an amount" she said. "And what about the 25 Million that went to Spain; the money you stole from Eli David"
"Oh my god" Tony said. "That son of a bitch, he's been planning this for years" Tony said.
"What are you talking about"
"Time to get our son on the line, I need to speak to the President" Tony said. "Now!"
0135 hours, 6 June 2002, Executive Residence, White House, West Wing.
With Meg, General Clark and Deputy Director Delgado in tow, Rex burst into the President's bedroom, as time was critical. "What the hell?" The President said as he sat up in bed.
"Pardon our intrusion Mr. President, but you're need down in the sit room, ASAP"
"It's 0130" he said.
"We know Sir" said General Clark.
"Alright then" The President said as Rex helped him into this robe. "Who's here?" The President asked.
"Dr. Ramsay, AG Moss, The Joint Chiefs" Wes said.
"Where are Admiral Hargrove and the Sec Def?" The President asked as they rushed down the stairs.
"On their way, Sir" said Rex.
"Fine" The President said.
0140 hours, 6 June 2002, White House Situation Room, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
"Ten-hut" Wes said as the group entered the room.
"At-ease" the President said as he took his seat. "What's the situation?" he asked.
"Sir, we have Lieutenant Colonel DiNozzo on the line from Qarquin in northern Afghanistan"
"Put him through" The President ordered as one of the Marine's brought him his coffee, it was gonna be a long night.
"Tony, your on with the President" Wes said.
"Mr. President" Tony said.
"I'm here Tony" he replied.
"I have some bad news, and more bad news, Sir. I believe that Kabir Atef is in possession of 2 kilos of unshielded, weapons grade U-235 Uranium"
"Jesus Christ" the President said. "What's the other bad news?"
1110 hours local time, 6 June 2002, US Army Triage Center, Outside Qarquin, Afghanistan.
"Mr. President, about 32 years ago, there was a robbery from the USS Naval Base at Groton" Tony said .
"Yes I remember it" The President said.
"Mr. President, what we told the public that day wasn't entirely the truth. We recovered the Submarine, but not all of its contents" Tony said.
"What do you mean?" The President asked.
Tony and Malachi were sitting at Tali's Desk, waiting for Colonel Barrett. "Think he found anything?" Malachi asked him.
"I fuckin hope so" Tony replied. Both their heads shot up as Barrett walked through the door. "Any news Sir?" Tony asked.
"Unfortunately, yes. I think we've figured out why Officer Hadar sent y'all on a will goose chase" said Barrett as Tali walked. She walked over to the large computer screen. A few key strokes later, a diagram appeared on the large wall screen.
"The SS-7" said Tony, reading the corner of the diagram. "What is it?" he asked Tali.
"A Surface-to-Surface Cruise Missile. It's a new design, which incorporates stealth technology with the speed of Sidewinder and range of a tomahawk. It's the next of SS Missile technology" Tali explained.
"The SS-7s are stored in Groton, Connecticut" said Colonel Barrett.
"The Tiger Shark's home port" said Tony as he laughed at himself. "Those motherfuckers sent us on a wild goose chase" said Tony as he slammed his fist down on Tali's desk.
"A fishing trawler brought them out into international waters where they rendezvoused with an Israeli fast boat" said Barrett.
"Colonel, is this not an Act of War?" asked Malachi, who had been silent thus far, but now spoke up when he realized his country could be in trouble. Israel was powerful yes, but was certainly no match for America and her massive Nuclear Arsenal.
"Yes and no" said Colonel Barrett. "When The C.I.A does stuff like this, they have to answer to The American People for their actions. With Mossad, Prime Minister Netanyahu gives them a lot of room to operate" he explained.
"What does that all add up to?" asked Tony.
"Nothing, President Clinton has been notified, and he orders are quote 'the SS-7 must be recovered before it reaches Israeli soil' end quote" explained Barrett. "Just one problem: The fast Boat has disappeared" said Barrett gravely.
"Think they RVed with a Sub?" Tony suggested.
"It's the only thing that makes sense" said Barrett.
"Which means?" Mal asked.
"I'm reminded of a quote, 'That Wily-grey fox has outmaneuvered our command again' Major General Winfred Scott Hancock, December, 1862" said Tony.
"Who was he speaking of?" Tali asked, her knowledge of American History was still a little lacking.
"Robert E. Lee" said Barrett, remembering the quote from his days at West Point.
"So Eli David is Robert E. Lee?" Tali asked.
"No, Eli is a piece of shit" said Tony.
"There was an SS-7 Stealth Cruise Missile missing. We knew it was in possession of the Israelis, but President Clinton wouldn't give us permission to steal it back. Also, Colonel Barrett believed the Israelis stole it because we wouldn't share the technology with them. We now know that to be false" Tony explained. "I believe that the $25,000,000 dollars that was wired from Pakistan to Spain, and then to be picked up by a Mossad Agent, was a transaction between Eli David and Kabir Atef. $25 Million for the SS-7" Tony said.
0150 hours, 6 June 2002, White House Situation Room, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
"Admiral Sandecker, is the SS-7 capable of carrying a nuclear payload?" The President asked.
"Yes Sir" Sandecker replied gravely.
"Thank you Tony, we'll handle it from here" The President said.
"Understood Mr. President" Tony replied as he hung up.
"Mr. President, if that Cruise Missile is aboard the Tariq, and she's packed with unshielded Uranium, then the 15-mile buffer zone is woefully inadequate" Meg said.
"James, what's the range on an SS-7?" President McCain asked.
"180 Miles" the Admiral said. "It was designed for tactical nukes, frogs, we call em, not ICBMs"
"Either way, if there is a dirty nuke on that missile, it'll spread radiation for miles when it detonates" Wes said .
"I know" The President said. "They wouldn't even need to score a direct hit" then he thought of something. "James, does the Navy still do Missile-X?"
"That we do, Sir" Admiral Sandecker, the CNO, replied.
1120 hours local time, 6 June 2002, USS Port Charles (SSN-792), 210 miles west of Task Force 84, Arabian Sea.
"Skipper, the Diesel is cavitating, she's increasing speed, 10…11…13 knots" yelled CPO Ryan.
"He's making his move" Sam yelled as she stood up. "Stay with him, match his speed" she ordered.
"Making revolutions for 13 knots, aye" echoed the XO.
"Mam, that crazy Ruskie is diving and his sonar just went active" CPO Ryan yelled.
"What the hell is he doing?" asked Lieutenant Danville.
"Easy Henry" Sam said. "What do the charts say?" she asked .
"Depth 1225 to 1250 fathoms, unobstructed bottom" Danville checked. With a fathom equaling 6 feet, they were looking at well over 7,000 feet before hitting bottom. Not that Sam was in any mood to test the ships Crush Depth.
"Chief, back off, reduce speed to 10 knots, give me 25 degrees down angle on the planes" Sam ordered.
"Aye Mam" Chief Dougherty replied
"Mam, what are you doing?" questioned Lieutenant Danville.
"Throughout his entire life, Captain Yurastov has been making his own oceanographic charts. He's leading us into a trap" Sam said.
"How does he even were here? We're in his baffles" The young Lieutenant protested.
"He's assuming we're here" Sam said.
"Skipper, we have an obstruction, 500 yards!" CPO Ryan yelled.
"Emergency blow, hard right rudder, max rise on the planes" Sam ordered.
"Emergency blow, hard right rudder, max rise on the planes" Lieutenant Danville echoed.
"1-0-0" Chief Ryan yelled. "5-0" he yelled.
"Come on baby" Sam whispered. The sub tilted straight up, barely clearing the obstruction, now known to be a wreaked Saudi Supertanker. The Port Charles crashed through the surface, before splashing back down into the deep.
"Cleared it by 15 yards skipper!" Ryan yelled.
"That wreck wasn't on the charts" the XO said.
"Yurastov knew it was there, he used it to lose us" she said. "Even on the planes, prepare to search the port quadrant" she ordered.
"Why Port?" Chief Dougherty asked.
"Because we turned to Starboard" Sam said.
1140 hours local time, 6 June 2002, Flag Bridge, USS Dakota, Task Force 84, Arabian Sea
"Admiral!" Commander Michaels yelled. "We've just received a flash from USCENTCOM, that Sub is carrying a cruise missile wit ha dirty nuke warhead" he said.
"Fuck" The Admiral said slowly. "Does the Port Charles still have here?" he asked.
"Lost it about 10 minutes ago Sir" Padraig said.
"Flash message Lieutenant Commander Clark permission to sink her once she reacquires" Admiral Carsten ordered. "Sound General Quarters and Battle Stations, and commence nuclear protection counter-measures"
"Aye Sir"
"General Quarters, repeat, General Quarters, all hands man your battle stations" came over the ship's intercom.
"Order Captains Johnson and Grady to double their ASW aircraft in the air. Let's give Samantha a little help" The Admiral ordered. "Then order the remaining support vessels to scatter, flank speed until their at least 10 miles out"
"The skippers won't like that, Sir"
"I know, but they'll do it" The Admiral said. "Then get me the battle group's Missile-X scores" the Admiral said.
"Missile-X?" Jenn asked.
"Our Tomcat and Hornet Squadrons have Missile-X competitions every year. They try and shot down incoming missiles nearly as fast as they are" The Admiral explained.
"Does that actually work?" Jenn asked nervously.
"It better" Admiral Carsten said.
"I have the scores Sir" Commander Michaels said.
"And the winners are?"
"Lieutenant Ryan Atherton and his wingman, Lieutenant Donald Flack, are numbers 1 & 2 respectively. They're Hornet pilots with the VFA-41, the Black Aces"
"Get em in the air" The Admiral ordered.
0230 hours, 6 June 2002, Sergeant 1st Class Martin Deeks' Apartment, Bachelor NCO Quarters, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
With Tali due in a few weeks, Tony had sent Deeks home. I was one of the oldest rules in the book, "a distracted soldier, is a dead soldier". And right now, a distracted soldier was the last thing Tony needed to worry about. So Deeks was stateside for the next few months. Yeah, for a Unit operator, this sucked, but for a father to be, it wasn't so bad. He got to spend time with Tali, and attend her OB/GYN appointments.
Despite Deeks being with her, Tony was still worried, so he had asked his sister, Dr. Robin Scorpio, to stay with the expecting couple for a few days, until the Kabir threat had been dealt with. Other than Robin, there was another guest in the apartment: Martin Deeks Jr, Deeks son. Deeks had finally managed to convince the boy's mother to let him stay with his father for a while.
It was just after 0230 when Tali awoke with a pain and pressure in her stomach. "Ahh" she screamed, as she tried, but failed to sit up in bed. Her scream quickly jolted Deeks from his slumber. Tali shrieked when she discovered her pajamas were soaked.
"What's wrong?" he yelled, not realizing how loud he was.
"Get Robin" Tali said, as she panted. "Just get Robin" she said.
"Why? What's wrong?" he asked.
"My water broke" Tali said nervously.
1200 hours local time, 6 June 2002, USS Port Charles (SSN-792), 200 miles west of Task Force 84, Arabian Sea.
"Skipper, we just received a flash message from Admiral" said Lieutenant Danville as he handed the message to Lieutenant Commander Clark.
"The Tariq is carrying is carrying an SS-7 Stealth Cruise Missile, and its loaded wit ha dirty nuke warhead" Sam read. "We have permission to sink her once we reacquire" Sam read. "The America and Seahawk are sending up their ASW aircraft"
"Confirming Mam, ASW buoys are in the water" yelled CPO Ryan. "I think the choppers have picked em up Mam" he yelled. "They're deploying a torpedo" he said. Then there was silence, followed by an explosion.
"Well?" Sam asked.
"That's a negative skipper, I think they hit the noise makers" Ryan replied.
"You can bet on it, he's probably waiting on the bottom" Sam calculated. "Let's see who can draw faster" she said. "Give me 15 degrees down angle of the planes, all ahead 2/3s" she ordered.
"All ahead 2/3s aye" replied the XO.
"Mr. Ryan, go active' she ordered.
"Going active Aye" Chief Petty Officer Ryan yelled in reply. After a few minutes, they still had nothing. "I've got nothing on the bottom except that tanker, Mam" he said.
"That's just what Yurastov knew we'd get, he's there" Sam said as she grabbed the microphone and clicked it. "Weps, this is the Skipper, get me a firing solution on the tanker" Sam ordered. "Stand by to fire a full spread" she added.
"You were right Mam, I've got an object separating from the wreck, rising fast and increasing speed" CPO Ryan yelled.
"Weps, this is the skipper, get me a firing solution on the new target, 2 torpedoes" Sam ordered.
"Aye Mam" the weapons officer replied over the radio.
"This is the Skipper, load tubes 1 & 2, Mk-48 ADCAPs, flood the tubes and open outer doors" Sam ordered.
"Tubes 1 & 2 loaded and outer doors open" came the reply from the forward torpedo room.
"Skipper, we have a solution on the Tariq" the Weapons officer replied.
"Fire 1" Sam ordered. "Fire 2" she added a few seconds later.
"2 away" yelled CPO Ryan as he tracked them on his scope. Both Torpedoes quick acquired they targets and struck. "1, no 2 direct hits, she's breaking up!" Ryan yelled. Cheers of joy cried throughout the ship.
"Congrats Boss" Chief Dougherty said to Sam.
"Thanks Bobby" Sam smiled.
"Skipper, all I hear now is break up, but I swear she got a shot off before she blew" Ryan warned as he stood up from his station.
"Explosion must have detonated a torpedo" Lieutenant Danville said.
"Unless it was a missile" Chief Dougherty suggested.
"A Tango-Class, no, not a VLS launch, but maybe a torpedo-launched Cruise Missile" Sam said. "XO, flash the Dakota, they're gonna have company"
1235 hours local time, 6 June 2002, Angels 20, above the Arabian Sea.
"Raptor Flight, this is Homebase, we have inbound target bearing 149, range 30 miles, speed 400 knots"
"Copy that, Homebase" said Lieutenant Ryan Atherton as he snapped on his oxygen mask. "I've got the solution on my screen, Tally ho" he said as he pulled the f-18 in to a 0-G roll.
Back on the Dakota's Flag Bridge, Admiral Carsten watched and waited. "Should I order the decks cleared and enact nuclear protection measures, Sir?" asked Commander Michaels.
"Negative, too much radiation. If they don't take it out at least 10 miles from us, above or below decks, we're all dead" The Admiral said.
Meanwhile, Lieutenants Atherton and Flack were closing in on the missile. "Raptor 2, I have no joy" said Lieutenant Atherton.
"Same here, Raptor 1" replied Lieutenant Don Flack. "No acquisition
"2 miles out"
"We're 2 miles to the red line Don, let's do it" Ryan said as he pulled his fighter closer. "There it is, Missile ahead, maybe 100 off the deck" Ryan said as the 2 men brought their planes into a dive. "I've got a lock!' Ryan yelled. "Raptor One, Fox"
"Hold on Raptor Flight, you're inside the 10 mile limit, break off, repeat, break off, get the held out of here" Came Admiral Carsten's voice over the radio.
"Not yet, I'm gonna try something" Ryan said as he pulled back on the throttle.
"What're you doing Ry?" Don yelled.
"I'm getting ahead of it" Ryan replied. "See if she'll lock onto my afterburners" he said. "Come on, come on, come" he whispered to himself.
"It won't work, it's GPS targeted" Don yelled.
"It'll have to switch to thermal targeting to hit a moving target like the battle group" Ryan said as he brought his F-18A Hornet in front of the missile's path. "It's out only hope, were only 6 miles out from the Dakota"
"Go for it Bull" Don yelled, using Ryan's callsign. "Wait, what if it's set to blow up at set coordinates?"
"It can't be Donnie Boy, that would ruin our day" Ryan said.
"Missile is 2 miles out and has locked on to Raptor One. 1 mile, passing Port side" From the Flag Bridge, Admiral Carsten, Jenn and Commander Michaels watched anxiously as the lead plane, flown by Lieutenant Atherton, passed by, followed close behind by the missile, and the 2nd plane, flown by Lieutenant Flack. "Missile is out bound, 1 mile, 2 miles"
"Raptor 1, you are too close, the missile has a proximity sensor, it's gonna blow" Don warned.
"We'll make it, Raptor 2, we're 5 miles out, 5 to go" Ryan replied.
"We won't need to" Don said. "Missile is flaming out" he yelled.
"Let's just hope it doesn't detonate on impact" Ryan said. Its fuel exhausted, the missile's tail fire died out and the missile splashed into the deep blue sea.
"No detonation" Don smiled.
"YEEEEEEEHHHHAAAAAWWWWWW!" Ryan howled as he pulled his plane into a barrel roll.
"Homebase, this is Raptor 2, missile is in the water, sending coordinates for recovery" Don radioed in.
0335 hours, 6 June 2002, White House Situation Room, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
"YEEEEEEEHHHHAAAAAWWWWWW!" came Lieutenant Atherton's voice as the White House Situation room was piped into his radio.
"Nice to know nothing has changed" The President laughed. "James, I want you to but both Lieutenant Commander Clark and Lieutenant Clark" he said.
"I'm sure we'll find something" the CNO (Chief of Naval Operations) smiled.
"Now we just need to find Kabir himself" said General Clark.
"Lieutenant Colonel DiNozzo and Agent Webb are leading that effort as we speak" said Colonel Colleton.
"I'm sure they can handle it" The President said. "I don't know about you guys, but I could use some shut eye" the President said. "Goodnight Gentlemen" the President said.
"Ten-hut" Colonel Colleton yelled as they all snapped top attention. The President smiled and walked out, accompanied by Wes, Meg and Colonel Colleton.
"I don't know about y'all, but I got a one year old son that I haven't seen in a few days, so I think I'll call it a night" Meg said when they reached the top of the staircase. "Goodnight" she said before walking to her office to get her briefcase.
"On that note, I need to get back to Fort Bragg" Colonel Colleton said. "Tali went into labor a few hours ago" Tom said.
"A little early isn't it?" The President asked concerned
"She's 5 weeks early" Tom said.
"That's not too bad" Wes said. "Alexis was a month early when she gave birth to Nikolas, and that was 26 years ago" he added.
"Either way, I'm not missing the birth of my 1st grandchild, so, I'll see y'all later" he said as he made his exit.
"Mikhail Yurastov is dead, AL Qaeda's terror plot has been foiled, and Kabir Atef is on the run" Wes listed. "Not bad for a days work" he said as he placed his hands in the pockets of his green dress uniform. The President was now dressed in a t-shirt and jeans as the 2 men walked around the walkway outside the West Wing.
"Not bad indeed, even if Clayton Webb is leading the search" The president complained.
"Oh my God, I am so not getting into this again" Wes said.
"What?" The President said.
"For heaven's sake, it was 13 years ago" Wes said. "And you wonder why your eldest daughter won't speak with you" he said.
"Excuse me?"
"You need to end this. As long as you keep holding that grudge, that your precious daughter was willing to go again your wishes, you and Elizabeth, will never make amends" Wes said. "I'm going home to see my wife" Wes said as he walked away.
1300 hours local time, 6 June 2002, Bagram AFB, Bagram, Afghanistan.
"Kabir has flown the coop" Tony said as he poured coffee for Bridget and himself. "Courtesy of Eli David" Tony said.
"How do we know this?" Bridget asked.
"My source informs me that a Beechcraft King Air B200 was dispatched from a military airfield in Northeastern Israel. It flew into an airstrip in Southeastern Turkmenistan, where it refueled and picked up Kabir. It returned to the same airfield in Israel, where it refueled, and took its final leg, to somewhere in the Balkans" Tony said. "Satellite imagery confirms the pickup, but lost the plane somewhere over Iraq"
"Kabir must've paid a heavy price for Eli David to pull him out. It would have been simpler for Eli to have just killed Kabir"
"Kabir is the only one who can connect Eli David to today's attacks, we need him alive"
"What does Kabir have to offer Eli?"
"Drugs" Tony said. "Kabir controls most of the Opium and Poppy fields in Afghanistan. He and Eli have probably been doing business for years" Tony said. "Dana is in Italy right now, right?"
"Yeah, in Taranto" Bridget said.
"Give her a call, I'm gonna need to borrow her boat" Tony said.
"Why? Where are we going?" Bridget asked.
"Albania"
1235 hours, 6 June 2002, Maternity Ward, Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
After a shower and change of uniform, Tom had quickly made his way to the base hospital, where he was directed to the maternity ward. Once he found the room her was looking for, 29L, he knocked on the door and slowly pushed it open. "Knock knock" he said.
"Hey Daddy" Tali said in a half weak/ half exhausted voice, as she lay in her hospital bed.
"Hey Tali girl" Tom said as he walked over and gave his daughter a kiss on the forehead. "How ya doin?" he asked.
"I'm ok. Really tired, but ok" she spoke softly. She then raised her arm to point to the far side of the room. Tom turned and the smile on his face grew wider then perhaps ever before.
"Well I'll be" he stopped himself shorting of cussing. On the other side of the room was Deeks, sitting in a rocking chair. Buddle up in a little blue blanket in his arms, was the baby.
"How's it goin Colonel?" Deeks whispered. "Wanna meet your grandson?" he asked. Tom smiled as he walked over. He extended his arms and Deeks gently handed him the baby.
"He's amazing" Tom said. "Where's Martin Jr?"
"You just missed him, he's getting some lunch with Robin" Deeks said. "He got to meet his little brother about 10 minutes ago"
"What did you guys name him?" Tom asked as he looked at Deeks, and then back at Tali.
"Thomas" Tali smiled. "Thomas Anthony Deeks" Tali said.
"A beautiful name" Tom said as tears filled his eyes are he rocked his grandson and namesake in his arms.
2245 hours local time, 6 June 2002, Vlore Harbor, Albania.
With Dana's Yacht, the Lady Moura, moored in the harbor, Tony, Webb AND Three easily slipped into the murky harbor water. Ahead of them, was the waterfront warehouse of the Magen Shipping Company, a front for Eli David's smuggling operations. When they reached the end of the small pier, Tony, armed wit ha silenced Mac-10, slowly pulled himself out of the water. The men on the docks, were all to busy unloading a small freighter, to notice the 3 men as they climbed onto the edge of the dock and took cover behind a stack of crates. "Ok, I count maybe a dozen guys, all armed" Tony said.
"What about the crane?" Three whispered.
"Dana with take the operator out with a sniper shot once we move" Tony said. Well, someone would be taking the shot, just not Dana, but Three and Clay didn't need to know that. "Move" Tony ordered. the 3 men stood up and opened fire with their Mac-10s, spraying the docks with lead. Within seconds, all the men were dead. The men moved forward, when a man jumped out from behind Clay. Tony quickly grabbed a flat throwing knife off his belt and tossed it into the man's chest, killing him. After a sniper shot rang out, killing the crane operator and sending his body crashing into the harbor, Clay signaled for Dana and Bridget to come ashore. While they waited, they quickly shed their wetsuits, revealing their black commando fatigues underneath. Once Dana and Bridget came ashore via one of the Lady Moura's launches, the group of 5 moved into the warehouse.
"Where the hell are the drugs" Dana asked as she drew her Jericho and took cover behind some large drums of olive oil that were tied down by large, thick ropes.
"You're resting your tits on em" Tony said as he fired one round from his sidearm, a silenced CZ-75, into one of the barrels. A brown liquid began dripping from the bullet hole. Dana wiped some up with her finger and tasted it.
"Raw opium" she said.
"And old smugglers trick" Tony said as he pulled a black pouch from his pocket. He opened it and dumped the contents into his hand: pistachios. Bridget smiled as she watched Tony pop a few into his mouth, before he threw on the floor ahead of them?"
"Another smugglers trick?" Bridget asked.
"James Bond" Tony said. Bridget muffled a laugh as a "crack" of a pistachio shell echoed off the walls. Tony nodded to Three, who quickly cut the ropes that bound the piles of olive oil drums. The drums toppled over, crushing the unsuspecting guards. A burst of automatic weapons fire, sent Tony to his stomach as he took cover. Three quickly fired off several bursts from his Mac-10, sending the warehouse guards into retreat.
"Look at all this" Clay said as he took a look around. "Crates of weapons and ammunition, anti-ship mines, who the hell buys all this?" he asked.
"Milosevic" Tony said, referring to the ex-Serbian President and indicted war criminal Slobodan Milosevic. "Come on, let's clear this place out" he ordered. They made their way out of the back of the warehouse and found a man climbing into gray Mercedes. "Clay, get everyone back to the Moura, I'm going after this guy" he said as he unscrewed the silencer from his CZ-75, before taking off running up the large stone staircase that led to the top of the large hill, which the warehouse sat at the bottom of. Using every ounce of energy he had left, Tony charged up the steps, trying to intercept the gray Mercedes Benes. Tony sprinted to the top, just in time to get in front of the Mercedes. Tony took aim and fired several shots into the windshield, 2 of them striking the driver in the torso, causing him to loose control. The car spun out, crashing into and through the small stonewall that lined the cliffside. As Tony walked over, the car hung precariously over the edge, inches away from certain doom. Tony was easily able to recognize the driver. His name was Mikkos Mandrakos. Mandrakos was a brutal enforcer in the Athens underworld, and ran Eli David's smuggling operations in the Balkans.
"Help me" Mikkos begged weakly.
"Vengeance is mine, sayith the lord" Tony recited as he placed his boot on the passenger boot and gave the car a shove, with enough force to send the car over the cliff, crashing to the rocks below, before exploding into a fireball once a spark hit the punctured gas tank. Tony turned as Clay came running up.
"Another accident?" Clay asked with a smirk.
"No head for heights" Tony said. "You find anything?"
"Yeah" Clay said. "We found a receipt for a train ticket to Ioannina"
"Greece" Tony said. "There are millions of places Kabir could be hiding there" he said.
"At least we know he's there. We found forging equipment and a copy of Kabir's photograph" Webb said.
"Contact General Shah, if anyone knows where Kabir is hold up, it'll be him"
3 Days later- 0730 hours local time, 9 June 2002, St. Cyril's Monastery, Peneas Valley, Greece.
Dressed as humble Monks with their brown, hooded robes, Tony, Kamran Shah, Bridget, Clay and Three made their way up the mountain path towards the old Greek Orthodox Monastery. "St. Cyril's" Kamran said as he removed his hood. "Our old base of operations from when we were in the British Army, fighting the communists" he said. Once upon a time, Kamran and both Atef brothers had served in the British Army. Later, they all served in the Afghan resistance against the Soviet Invasion, until Kamran was betrayed by the Atef brothers, who sold him out the to the Soviet KGB. "Only Kabir would make an abandoned Monastery his personal retreat" he said as they all shed their robes. They were now about a mile from the base of the cliff.
"How do we get up there without being seen?" Tony asked.
"We'll need to split here" Kamran began. "The footbridge will be guarded, and a helicopter would make too much noise. You'll need to scale the cliff" he informed him. "Your best approach will be on the right face, which is away from the building" Kamran said as Tony raised his binoculars. "Then you have to make to the shed on the left, which houses the basket and the electronic winch. It can be operated only from the shed" he explained. "Good luck, my friend, may Allah go with you" Kamran added.
"Thank you" Tony said as he took off running towards the base of the cliff, climbing rope over his shoulder and the rest of his gear on his belt.
"You should have brought more men, Mr. Webb" Kamran said as he held up his pistol.
"Tony is counting on surprise" Bridget said.
"But we are only 4 men" Kamran stated.
"And 1 woman" Bridget said as she grabbed her crossbow, the silent, long-range killer.
Meanwhile, up inside the Monastery, Kabir was getting anxious. "Where the hell is Eli?" Kabir said. "He's late" Kabir said as he checked his watch again.
"The Director will arrive, when he arrives" said as blonde haired man, who was sitting against the wall.
"Easy for you to say Joshua, the Americans aren't scouring the world for you" Kabir said.
"Be quiet old man" said Mossad Officer and Kidon Operative Joshua Hadar as he stood up. "You're lucky the director wants you alive.
At the same time, Tony was beginning his assent up the cliff. He strategy was to climb as high as he could before using the pitons, to avoid any unnecessary noise. As he made his way up, the rest of his comrades made their way to the base of the basket lift. By the time he was about halfway up, Tony determined he could go no further without anchoring his rope, so he quickly grabbed onto of his pitons, quickly hammered it in, and continued his climb. When he reached for a small ledge above him, a bird squawked a flew out, making an awful racket. Tony looked down and saw Kamran waving for him to get down. Tony quickly hugged the cliff tightly, as he assumed a guard was looking. After a minute or so, Tony looked down again, and saw Kamran waving him on to continue. Tony quickly set another piton, and continued his climb. When he reached the top, he stopped for a breather. When he looked up, a guard was standing there. Before he was able to react, the guard gave him a hard kick to the face, sending him barreling down. Tony plunged off the cliff, but was caught in midair, thanks to the pitons. However ,Tony was now about 500 feet up, and was a good distance from the cliff. Tony chuckled as he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a spare bootlace. "Of all things a passenger's bootlace" Tony recited as he tied an improvised prusik loop, which he used to lift himself up the rope back to the cliff face. As he climbed his way back up, Tony could hear a metal on metal banging sound. Tony knew what it was; it was the guard using something, probably the butt of his pistol, to knock Tony's pitons loose. The guard was able to knockout 1, which set tony back some, and then another, further setting him back. However, Tony was able to pull himself up before the guard could manage to knock out the 3rd piton. Tony quickly grabbed a piton off his belt, and tossed it like a throwing knife into the guard's neck, killing him, and sending his body plummeting to the earth, hundreds of feet below. However, with the 3rd piton loose, Tony quickly grabbed the rope the guard had been using , and pulled himself all the way up the cliffside. Tony quickly took cover behind a stonewall as another guard passed by. Once the guard was gone, Tony then crept his way over the shed. Locking the door behind him, Tony quickly found the winch controls and lowered the basket. When it reached the ground, the group quickly piled in. tony then reversed the winch, and began pulling them up. When there was a sound from the door, Tony quickly dove for cover. He then crawled to the hole in the floor when the basket normally lay, and looked down at the group. He pointed to the cliffside to single them about the other guard. Webb took careful aim with his Browning HP, but Bridget stopped him. Bridget then took aim with her crossbow, and fired off a bolt. It struck the guard in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Tony then rushed outside and pulled the wounded man out of sight. Tony quickly gagged and tied the man up as the basket entered the shed.
"For you" Bridget said as she handed him his holsters. 1st was his belt holster, which held his Colt .45 revolver and extra clips for his BAR Scattergun. 2nd was his shoulder holster, which held his Beretta Inox. Finally she handed him Jordan, his Scattergun.
"Thank you" Tony said as he strapped on his holsters, and then made sure his Bowie knife was still sheathed to his ankle, which it was.
"You scared me" Bridget said as she walked over and gave Tony a kiss on the cheek. "Good job" she smiled.
"Come on, let's go" Tony said as he slammed the butt of his BAR against the guard's head, knocking him out. They made their way outside the shed, to the door that let to the main building. Tony was reaching for the door when it opened, and a woman stepped out. Tony quickly grabbed her, put his hand over her mouth, and pushed her up against the wall. "Where is Kabir? And keep your voice down" Tony said in Greek. When the home remained silent, Tony pulled his Inox, cocked the hammer, and placed it against the women's temple. The woman finally relented and pointed to the left. "Deal with her" he said as he pushed her over to Bridget, who in turn, knocked the woman out with a haymaker. They quickly made their way inside, easily locating the guards quarters.
"I got this" Clay whispered as he grabbed his silenced Mac-10. Three, also armed with a silenced Mac-10, quickly followed. Clay slowly pushed in the wooden door, and walked over to the left side of the room, Three went to the right. Clay nodded and both men opened fire down the row of cots, killing the sleeping guards.
"That's one way to die in your sleep" Three said, not noticed the movement behind the curtains behind him.
"Move!" yelled a voice. Three and Clay turned to find Bridget, her crossbow jammed in the back of a guard, who had a pistol in his hand. "Over there" Bridget said as she pushed him along with a hard shove before firing a bolt into the back on the man's neck, killing him.
"You hear that?" Tony said. It was the sound of incoming chopper blades. "It would appear Director David has arrived" Tony smiled.
"2 for the price of 1" Three said.
"Webb, take Bridget and Three, and circle round" Tony ordered. "Kamran with me" he said. Tony and Kamran quickly slipped into the courtyard and used the sound of the approaching helicopter to sneak up behind a pair of guards, who were looking over the railing on the 2nd floor.
"Drop it" Kamran said as he placed the barrel of his CZ-75 against the back of the man's head. When the 2nd guard tied to make a grab for his weapon, Tony gave him a hard kick to the stomach. A brawl quickly erupted between the 4 men. Kamran and the 1st traded blows, before a well placed kick sent the man on his back, tumbling down the wooden staircase that let to the ground floor of the open air courtyard. Meanwhile, Tony had managed to wrestle the other guard to the floor. Tony quickly picked him up, and delivered a stiff right hook, knocking the man through on of the Monastery's stained glass windows. As the man was falling, he grabbed Tony shirt, pulling Tony down with him. Tony and the man crashed through a table, with Tony's elbow smashing into the man's larynx. Tony stood up, and saw a blonde young man, Jericho in hand, walking towards him. Tony recognized him from surveillance photos as Mossad Operative Joshua Hadar. Tony quickly stood up and delivered a hard blow to Hadar's mid section, which didn't even phase him. Hadar grabbed Tony by the shoulder and flung him into the wall, which, like the rest of the building, was made of stone. Tony counter by sending his knee into Hadar's stomach, again doing nothing. Hadar then grabbed Tony by his lapels and tossed him across the room, landing at none other than Kabir's feet. Tony quickly grabbed Kabir's ankle, but Kabir kicked him away.
"Finish him" Kabir ordered as he exited the room. Hadar walked over, picked Tony up again, and tossed across the long dinning table. He then picked up the large, metal floor candelabra and charged Tony with it. He plunged it down towards Tony, but he managed to roll out of the way. Hadar tried again, but Tony ducked it, and swung his legs, clipping Hadar's knee, bringing him to the ground. Tony quickly got up, his lip bloody, and stumbled across the room. Hadar quickly got up as well and picked up a chair before tossing it across the room at Tony, who easily dodged it. Hadar then turned his back while he picked up a large, heavily stone planter that rested in front of a large window that over looked the valley. Tony quickly picked up the candelabra and when Hadar turned around, holding the planter above his head, Tony jabbed the candelabra into Hadar's stomach, using the weight of the planter to drive Hadar through the window. Tony watched as Hadar plummeted to his death, hundreds of feet below. He then noticed the helicopter was coming in for a landing.
Meanwhile, outside, Kabir was making a run for the helipad, when Kamran caught up with him. "Kabir!" Kamran yelled as he chased after him. Kamran chased Kabir down a hallway, as Kabir disappeared through a door at the end. Kamran burst through, only to be closelined by Kabir, who had been lying in wait just outside the door. Undeterred, Kamran quickly dove for Kabir's legs, as Kabir made his dash for the steps to the helipad. Kabir quickly got loose and ran for the steps as the small helicopter, a PZL Mi-2 Hoplite, touched down. Kamran ran and tackled him again, this time on the staircase. "Your going to pay" Kamran yelled as he punched Kabir across the face. "Your not as fast as you used to be" he said as he punched Kabir again. Kabir quickly grabbed a rock and smashed it against Kamran's face. Kabir made his escape up the staircase, but not before tripping over the last step, falling on his face. When he got up to his knees, he found Tony and Bridget, the latter, with her Crossbow in Kabir's face.
"It's over" Tony said, his Inox in hand.
"Let's finish this pig" Bridget said.
"No, we'll take him with us, he'll stand trial, just like his brother" Tony said as Kabir pulled a switchblade from his boot. He was about to try and stab Tony, when a throwing knife caught him on the back of his shoulder. Behind him, at the top of the stairs, a bloodied Kamran collapsed onto his back. "Payback's a bitch, ain't it" Tony said as Kabir moaned in pain. Tony then turned his attention to the helicopter. Director David and his guard, who was armed with an Uzi, stepped out.
"Kill them!" David ordered. Before the guard could open fire, Bridget fired off a bolt, which pieced the man's heart, killing him instantly. Tony then drew his Colt and opened fire with both it and his Inox. Bridget quickly drew her .45 automatic and joined in the frenzy. The Helicopter's pilot was about to step out, when Three and Clay appeared and riddle the helicopter's cockpit with bullets. The dead pilot's body slumped against the controls, sending the helicopter into a tailspin, which sent it over the cliff, and crashing, exploding into a fireball in the valley far below. Once they had emptied their weapons, Tony holstered his Colt, ejected the spent clip from his Inox, and inserted a new one.
"So it's over, it's finally over" Bridget said as Tony stepped forward to inspect the body.
"No it's not" Tony said in disgust. He pulled his Bowie knife from his ankle sheath, squatted down and scraped it against the face of the dead, pealing off a thin layer of prosthetic make-up off the man's face. "It's not him, it's not Eli David" Tony said in disgust. "He's a double" Tony concluded.
"So all of this was for nothing" Bridget said.
"No, not for nothing" Tony said. "We got him" Tony said as he pointed to Kabir, who was being restrained by Three and Webb.
"So know what?" Three yelled. "We taking this son of bitch back home for a nice vacation in Gitmo?"
"Not a bad idea" Tony said. "How about it Webb? Why don't give em an all expenses paid trip to Camp Seven?" Tony asked.
"Not a bad thought" Webb said. "But we can't take him home, not yet anyway" he said.
"Why not?" Tony asked.
"Greece is a non-extraditing and non-allied country"
"Greece was in NATO" Bridget said.
"NATO is dissolved, Greece isn't a member of the CDS" he said. "It has to look as if we nabbed Kabir back in Afghanistan" Webb told them.
"So let's fly him back" Tony said. "We commandeer a Lear36 from the airport at Ioannina, and then fly direct to Bagram"
"Does the Lear-36 have that kind of range?" Webb asked.
"With 123½ miles to spare" Tony said.
"It's sad that you can do that in your head" Bridget commented.
"It's a gift" Tony smiled.
1115 hours local time, 9 June 2002, Office of Mossad Director Eli David, Mossad Headquarters, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
"It's over Director, the Americans have Kabir" said Mossad Agent Avram Rabinovitz, his aide.
"It is never over" Eli said as he picked up his phone and dialed. "It's me" he said. "Plan B is in effect" he said before hanging up.
0948 hours local time, 10 June 2002, Bagram AFB, Bagram, Afghanistan.
Early the next morning, Tony brought the Learjet in for a smooth landing. He taxied the small jet into an open hangar, where a GMC was parked and waiting outside. They're were cheers and whistles as the ramp lowered and Kabir was escorted off by Tony and Three. "I got em, Dad" Three said as he grabbed the handcuffed Kabir by the arm, and led him out of the hangar.
"Congrats Top" Chester said as he walked up.
"Thanks brotha" Tony smiled. "What've I missed?"
"We're Uncles, Tali had the baby" Chester smiled.
"Well all right then" Tony said. "Have Howitzer assign 2 of his guys to escort Kabir back to the Seahawk" Tony yelled.
"Yes Sir" Chester said. Tony then turned back to the ramp, where Bridget was waiting.
"In the past 2 weeks, you've cripple Al Qaeda, smashed Eli David's Network in the Balkans, and pretty much saved the world" Bridget listed. "Not to bad, not too bad at all"
"I just wanna thank you, for having my back through all this" Tony said. "I couldn't have done it without you" he said.
"Anytime, anywhere" Bridget said.
"Buy ya a drink?" Tony asked, as he offered her his arm.
"And here I thought you'd never ask" Bridget smiled as he gladly accepted. They walked arm-in-arm out of the hangar as they looked ahead, and saw Three.
"Get!" Three said as he handed cuffed Kabir inside the SUV. He slammed the door, and then checked his pockets for his phone; he wanted to tell Jenn the good news. As he turned back, he saw it on the ground a few feet back. "Damn it" he said as he hustled over to retrieve it. As he bent down, he felt a sudden burst of head against his face. That's when it happened.
Tony and Bridget were walking towards Three, when it happened. The GMC exploded into a massive fireball that sent out shockwaves strong enough to knock both Tony and Bridget flat out their backs. "Ahh" Tony complained as a trickle of blood, dripped down his forehead. "You ok?" he said to Bridget.
"Nothing some aspirin won't fix" she replied.
"Oh god!" Tony said as quickly scrambled to his feet. When Bridget saw it, she was right on his heels. "Three!" Tony yelled as he slid to his knees and picked up his son.
"MEDIC!" he half screamed, half cried out as he his son lay limp in his arms.
End Part 2
Please Review!
A/N- this being the final chapter of "28 Seconds: Strength & Honor", I would like it if everyone who reads this would give me a review. I gave y'all an extra long chapter, chalk-filled with action and drama. I hoped y'all enjoyed it, and please stay tuned for Part 3 of the "28 Seconds" Series- "28 Seconds: Walk in Hell"
28 Seconds: Strength & Honor
Starring-
Michael Weatherly as Lieutenant Colonel Tony DiNozzo
Nicole Steinwedell as Captain Bridget Sullivan
Taylor Handley as Staff Sergeant Three DiNozzo
Zoe McLellan as Petty Officer 3rd Class Jenn Coates
Katie Holmes as Sergeant 1st Class Tali Colleton
Eric Christian Olsen as Sergeant 1st Class Marty Deeks
TJ Ramini as Sergeant Major Malachi Ben-Gidon
Terri Reeves as Dana David
Josh Duhamel as 2nd Lieutenant AJ Kearns
Sarai Givaty as Staff Sergeant Liat DiNozzo
Nathan Fillion as Rick Castle
Trevor St. John as Master Sergeant Chester Martin
Tracy Needham as Megan Martin
John-Paul Lavoisier as Rex Bartlett
Gary Sinise as Colonel Tom Colleton
Also Starring-
Steven Culp as CIA Agent Clayton Webb
William deVry as General of the Army Wesley Clark
Sarah Jane Morris as Det. Erica Jane Barrett
Michael Easton as Det. John McBain
Maurice Bernard as Sonny Corinthos
Lisa LoCicero as Olivia Falconeri
Max Martini as Colonel Edward James Barrett
Martin Sheen as President John McCain
Sean Kanan as Major AJ Quartermaine
Roger Howarth as Colonel Todd Manning
Sasha Alexander as Secret Service Agent Kate DiNozzo
Jennifer Lawrence as Izzy Gibbs
Molly C. Quinn as Alexis Castle
Haley Pullos as Molly DiNozzo
Wes Chatham as Billy Hazard
Susan Haskell as Lieutenant Commander Jordan Parker
Ryan Paevy as Lieutenant Nathan Westbourne
Kelly Thiebaud as Lieutenant Britt Westbourne
David James Elliott as Commander Harmon Rabb Jr.
Moon Daily as Sergeant Karine DuBois
Susanna Thompson as Major Hollis Mann
Jeffery Donovan as Staff Sergeant Michael Weston
David Rees Snell as Master Sergeant Ronnie Gardocki
Brian J. White as Sergeant 1st Class Tavon Garris
Chris Hemsworth as Junior Lieutenant Chris Galtier
Greg Kinnear as Lieutenant General Irving Morrell
Kimberly McCullough as Dr. Robin Scorpio
Francisco Quinn as Kabir Atef
Allison Janney as Anne Colleton
Karl Urban as Officer Wolfgang Rommel
Topol as Major General Kamran Shah
Erin Torpey as Jessica Buchanan
Stockard Channing as Cindy McCain
Guest Starring
Mark Harmon as Leroy Jeathro Gibbs
Lauren Holly as Jenny Shepard
Dote de Pablo as Ziva David
Aleksandr Kuznetsov as Colonel Alex Volkonov
Jeffery Vincent Parise as Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Rivera
Barack H. Obama as himself
Jack Conley as Rear Admiral Sam Carsten Jr.
Jade Carter as Sergei Zhukov-Rabb
George W. Bush as himself
Kiefer Sutherland as Captain Jack Bauer
John M. Jackson as Rear Admiral AJ Chegwidden
Catherine Bell as Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie
David Eisenberg as Brigadier General Lucien Galtier
Pauley Perrette as Dr. Abigail Scuito
Michael Nouri as Eli David
Peter Murnick as Clark Palmer
Marik Tadros as Michael Rivkin
Jason Beghe as Hank Voight
Susan Lucci as Catherine Rommel
Claire Coffee as Catherine DiNozzo
Richard Flood as Commander Sheamus McKevitt
Chuck Carrington as Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Tiner
Pieter Vilms as Vasili Rokotov
Steve Burton as Jason Morgan
Tyler Christopher as Lieutenant Commander Nikolas Clark
Kelly Monaco as Lieutenant Commander Samantha Clark
Rebecca Herbst as Elizabeth Quartermaine
Dominic Zamprogna as Dante Falconeri
Bradford Anderson as Corporal Damian Spinelli
Rocky Carroll as Leon Vance
Shepard Smith as himself
Wolf Blitzer as himself
Sibel Galindez as Elizabeth "Skates" Hawkes
Glenn Morshower as Secret Service Agent Aaron Pierce
Diane Keeton as Marie Galtier
Jesse Spencer as Sergeant Garrett Galtier
Jason Thompson as Lieutenant Commander Patrick Drake
Alan Ruck as Captain Stuart Bondeck
Erik Palladino as Petty Officer 3rd Class Vostanik Sabatino
Alyssa Milano as Kyra Castle
William Devane as Secretary of Defense Peter King
Dennis Haysbert as Secretary of State David Palmer
Larry Hagman as Colonel JR Ewing
Jake Lacy as Corporal Peter Mars
Britt Rentschler as Elena Markov
William H. Macy as Admiral James Sandecker
James Gandolfini as Master Chief Petty Officer Bobby Dougherty
Ted King as CIA Deputy Director Tomas Delgado