The Sum of All Fears.pdf - Delta Force

he told himself.
No, you didn't. She was starting to think that way, and you had to slam the door
on it right there and then.
It was the most dangerous thought that a person in government could have. He'd
seen it before. Some dreadful thing happened to people in Washington, D.C. They
arrived in the city, usually full of ideals, and those fine thoughts evaporated
so rapidly in what was in fact a muggy and humid environment. Some called it
being captured by the system. Ryan thought of it as a kind of environmental
pollution. The very atmosphere of Washington corroded the soul.
And what makes you immune, Jack?
Ryan considered that, unmindful of the look Clark gave him in the mirror as they
drove towards the river. What had made him different to this point was the fact
that he had never given in, not even once . . . or had he? There were things he
might have done differently. There were some things that hadn't worked out quite
as well as he might have wished.
You're not different at all. You just think you are.
As long as I can face the question and the answers, then I am safe.
Sure.
***
'So?'
'So, I can do many things,' Ghosn replied. 'But not alone. I will need help.'
'And security?'
'That is an important question. I have to make a serious assessment of what the
possibilities are. At that point I will know my precise requirements. I know I
will need help in some areas, however.'
'Such as?' the Commander asked.
'The explosives.'
'But you are an expert in such things,' Qati objected.
'Commander, this task requires precision such as we have never been forced to
face. We cannot use ordinary plastic explosives, for example, for the simple
reason that they are plastic – they change shape. The explosive blocks I use
must be as rigid as stone, must be shaped to a thousandth of a millimeter, and
the shape must be determined mathematically. The theoretical side of that is
something I could assimilate, but it will take months. I would rather devote my
time to refabricating the nuclear material . . . and . . . '
'Yes?'
'I believe I can improve the bomb, Commander.'
'Improve? How?'
'If my initial readings are correct, this type of weapon can be adapted to
become not a bomb but a trigger.'
'Trigger for what?' Qati asked.
'A thermonuclear fusion bomb, a hydrogen bomb, Ismael. The yield of the weapon
might be increased by a factor of ten, perhaps a hundred. We could destroy
Israel, certainly a very large part of it.'
The commander paused for a few breaths, assimilating that bit of information.
When he spoke, he spoke softly. 'But you need help. Where might be the best
place?'