The Sum of All Fears.pdf - Delta Force

single circuit, bouncing through the roiled, hot air. Looking down, Callaghan
could see a mass of melted asphalt, some of it still glowing red. The only spot
not giving off smoke was the south end of the stadium itself, which seemed to
glisten, though he didn't know why. What they could see appeared to be a crater
whose dimensions were hard to judge, since they could only catch bits and pieces
of it at a time. It took a long look to determine that parts of the stadium
structure remained standing, perhaps four or five sections, Callaghan thought.
There had to be people in there.
'Okay, I've seen enough,' Callaghan told Griggs. The officer handed him a
headset so that they could speak coherently.
'What is this?'
'Just what it looks like, far as I can tell,' Griggs replied. 'What do you need"
'Heavy-lift and rigging equipment. There are probably people in what's left of
the stadium. We gotta get in to them. But what about the – what about
radiation?'
The major shrugged. 'I don't know. When I leave here, I'm picking up a team from
Rocky Flats. I work at the Arsenal, and I know a little about this, but the
specialists are at Rocky Flats. There's a NEST team there. I need to get them
down here ASAP. Okay, I'll call the guard people at the Arsenal, we can get the
heavy equipment down here fast. Keep your people to windward. Keep your people
at this end. Do not attempt to approach from any other direction, okay?'
'Right.'
'Set up a decontamination station right there where your engines are. When
people come out, hose them down – strip them and hose them down. Understand?'
the major asked as the chopper touched down. 'Then get them to the nearest
hospital. Upwind – remember that everything has to go northeast into the wind so
you know you're safe.'
'What about fallout?'
'I'm no expert, but I'll give you the best I got. Looks like it was a small one.
Not much fallout. The suction from the fireball and the surface wind should have
driven most of the radioactive shit away from here. Not all, but most. It should
be okay for an hour or so – exposure, I mean. By that time, I'll have the NEST
guys here and they can tell you for sure. Best I can do for now, Chief. Good
luck.'
Callaghan jumped out and ran clear. The chopper lifted right off, heading
northwest for Rocky Flats.
***
'Well?' Kuropatkin asked.
'General, we measure yield by the initial and residual heat emissions. There is
something odd about this, but my best figure is between one hundred fifty and
two hundred kilotons.' The major showed his commander the calculations.
'What's odd about it"
'The energy from the initial flash was low. That might mean some clouds were in
the way. The residual heat is quite high. This was a major detonation,
comparable to a very large tactical warhead, or a small strategic one.'
'Here's the target book,' a lieutenant said. It was just that, a cloth-bound
quarto-sized volume whose thick pages were actually fold-out maps. It was