The Sum of All Fears.pdf - Delta Force

constellation of stars in the heavens. In prison he purportedly converted
himself to Judaism, and even circumcised himself with his teeth, which speaks
volumes for his flexibility,' Brigadier General Avi Ben Jakob added
matter-of-factly. 'Do not ever tell me that there is something too mad to be
true. I have been an intelligence officer for more than twenty years, and the
only thing of which I am certain is that I have not yet seen it all.'
'Avi, even I'm not that paranoid.'
'You have never experienced a holocaust, Dr Ryan.'
'Oh? Cromwell and the Potato Famine don't count? Get off that horse, General.
We're deploying the US, troops here. If it comes to that, there will be American
blood on the Negev, or Golan, or whatever.'
'And what if – '
'Avi, you ask what if. If that what-if ever happens, General, I will fly here
myself. I used to be a Marine. You know I've been shot at before. There will be
no second Holocaust. Not while I live. My countrymen will not let it happen ever
again. Not my government, Avi, my countrymen. We will not let that happen. If
Americans have to die to help protect this country, then Americans will die to
do so.'
'You said that to Vietnam.' Clark's eyes flared at that one, Ben Jakob noticed.
'You have something to say?'
'General, I'm no high official, just a grunt with pretensions. But I got more
combat time than anybody in this country of yours, and I'm telling you, sir,
that what really scares me about this place is how you guys always fuck up the
same way we did over there – we learned, you didn't. And what Dr Ryan says is
right. He'll come over. So will I, if it comes to that. I've killed my share of
enemies, too,' Clark told him in a low, quiet voice.
'Another Marine?' Avi asked lightly, though he knew better.
'Close enough,' Clark said. 'And I've kept current, as they say,' he added with
a smile.
'What about your associate?' Avi motioned towards Chavez, who stood casually at
the corner, eyeing the street.
'Good as I ever was. So're those kids in the Cav. But this war talk is all
bullshit. You guys both know that. You want security, sir, you settle your
domestic problems. Peace will follow that like a rainbow after a storm.'
'Learn from your mistakes . . .'
'We had a four-thousand-mile buffer to fall back through, General. It isn't that
far from here to the Med. You'd better learn from our mistakes. Good news is,
you are better able to make a real peace than we ever were.'
'But to have it imposed – '
'Sir, if it works, you'll thank us. If it doesn't work, we have a lot of people
to stand by you when the crap hits the fan.' Clark noticed that Ding had moved
casually from his post across the street, moving aimlessly, it seemed, like a
tourist . . .
'Including you?'
'Bet your ass, General,' Clark replied, alert now, watching the people on the
street. What had Chavez spotted? What had he missed?
***