The Sum of All Fears.pdf - Delta Force

an with it anyway. The one thing about it that had surprised Qati was the
silence. As the word spread like a wave through the terminal building, what lay
behind it was not shouting and panic, but an eerie silence that allowed one to
hear the flight calls and other background noises normally submerged by the
cacophony of voices in such public areas. So the Americans faced tragedy and
death, the Commander thought. The lack of passion surprised him.
It was soon behind him in any case. The DC-10 accelerated down the runway and
lifted off. A few minutes later, it was over international waters, heading
towards a neutral country and safety. One more connection, both men thought in a
silence of their own. One more connection, and they would disappear completely.
Who would have expected such luck?
***
'The infra-red emissions are remarkable,' the photoanalyst thought aloud. It was
his first nuclear detonation. 'I have damage and secondary fires up to a mile
from the stadium. Not much of the stadium itself. Too much smoke and IR
interference. Next pass, if we're lucky, we ought to have some visible-light
imagery.'
'What can you tell us about casualty count?' Ryan asked.
'What I have is inconclusive. Mainly the visible-light shots show smoke that's
obscuring everything. Infra-red levels are very impressive. Lots of fires
immediately around the stadium itself. Cars, I guess, gas tanks cooking off.'
Jack turned to the senior Science and Technology officer. 'Who do we have up in
the photo section?'
'Nobody,' S&T replied. 'Weekend, remember? We let NPIC handle weekend work
unless we expect something hot.'
'Who's the best guy?'
'Andy Davis, but he lives in Manassas. He'll never make it in.'
'God damn it.' Ryan picked up the phone again. 'Send us the best ten photos you
have,' he told NPIC.
'You'll have them in two or three minutes.'
'How about someone to evaluate the bomb effects?'
'I can do that,' S&T said. 'Ex-Air Force. I used to work intel for SAC.'
'Run with it.'
***
The nine Abrams tanks had by now accounted for nearly thirty of the Russian
T-80s The Soviets had pulled south to find cover of their own. Their return fire
had killed three more of the M1A1s but now the odds were a lot more even. The
captain commanding the tank detachment sent his Bradleys east to conduct
reconnaissance. As with their first dash, there were people watching them, but
for the most part they did this from windows now unlit. The street lights
worried one Bradley commander, who took a rifle and began shooting them out, to
the horror of Berliners who had the courage to watch.
***
'Was nun?' Keitel asked. What now?
'Now we get the devil away from here and disappear. Our work is done,' Bock
replied, turning the wheel to the left. A northerly escape route seemed best.
They'd dump the car and truck, change their clothes, and vanish. They might even