The Sum of All Fears.pdf - Delta Force

And that, he decided, was that. Ghosn closed the access door, which set the
simple tamper switch, and backed away from the device. No, he said to himself.
It is no longer a 'device'.
'That it?' Russell asked.
'Yes, Marvin,' Ghosn answered quietly. He moved forward into the passenger seat.
'Then let's leave.' Marvin watched the younger man get out, and reached across
to lock the door. Then he exited the van, and locked his. They walked west, past
the big network up-link vans with their huge dish antennas. They had to be worth
millions each, Marvin thought, and every one would be wrecked, along with the TV
weenies, just like the ones who had made a sporting event of his brother's
death. Killing them didn't worry him a bit, not one little bit. In a moment, the
bulk of the stadium shielded them from the wind. They continued across the
parking lot, past the ranks of early-arriving fans and the cars which were
pulling onto the lot, many of them from Minnesota, full of fans dressed warmly,
carrying peanuts and wearing hats, some of them adorned with horns.
Qati and the rental car were on a side-street. He simply slid over from the
driver's seat, allowing Marvin to get behind the wheel. Traffic was now becoming
thick, and, to avoid the worst of it, Russell took an alternate route he'd
scouted out the previous day.
'You know, it really is a shame, messing with the game like this.'
'What do you mean?' Qati asked.
'This is the fifth time the Vikings have made it to the Superbowl. This time it
looks like they're going to win. That Wills kid they have running for them is
the best since Sayers, and because of us nobody'll see it happen. Too bad.'
Russell shook his head and grinned at the irony of it all. Neither Qati nor
Ghosn bothered to reply, but Russell hadn't expected them to. They just didn't
have much sense of humor, did they? The motel parking lot was nearly empty.
Everyone staying there must have been a fan of one sort or another, Marvin
thought as he opened the door.
'All packed?'
'Yes.' Ghosn traded a look with the Commander. It was too bad, but it could not
be helped.
The room hadn't been made up yet, but that was no big thing. Marvin went into
the bathroom, closing the door behind him. When the American emerged, he saw
that both Arabs were standing.
'Ready?'
'Yes,' Qati said. 'Could you get my bag down, Marvin?'
'Sure.' Russell turned and reached for the suitcase that lay on the metal shelf.
He didn't hear the steel bar that struck the back of his neck. His short but
powerful frame dropped to the cheap all-weather carpet on the floor. Qati had
struck hard, but not hard enough to kill, the Commander realized. He was
weakening by the day. Ghosn helped him move the body back into the bathroom,
where they laid him face up. The motel was a cheap one, and the bathroom was
small, too small for their purposes. They'd hoped to set him in the tub, but
there wasn't room for both men to stand. Instead, Qati simply knelt by the
American's side. Ghosn shrugged his disappointment and reached for a towel from
the rack.