'You've got official military midnight rations?' Herbert asked.
'A three-course packet,' Liz said.
'Dried apricots and pineapple, jerky, and cookies. A friend of mine at Langley gave them to me. I think you've worked with her. Captain Mclver?'
'We worked on some black ops stuff together,' Herbert said. He smiled.
'Man, mid rats. I haven't had them in years. They always hit the spot in the wee small hours.'
'That's because you were tired and not selective,' said the admittedly dilettantish Coffey.
Hood's data finished loading a moment before Bugs Benet called. Hood sent the files to the other computer stations around the table. Liz and Coffey scanned the files as Hood's assistant informed him that he had Colonel Brett August ready to be patched through from the C-130 Hercules. Hood put the telephone on speaker and looked across the table.
'We're ready to go,' Hood said to the others.
Everyone came to attention quickly.
'Colonel August, can you hear me?' Hood asked.
'As clear as if you were in the cabin with us, sir,' the Striker commander replied.
'Good,' Hood replied.
'Bob, you've been talking to New Delhi. Would you please bring everyone up to speed?'
Herbert looked at his wheelchair computer monitor.
'Twenty-one hours ago there was an attack on a market in Srinagar, Kashmir,' Herbert said. He spoke loud enough for the speakerphone to pick up his voice.
'A police station, a Hindu temple, and a busload of Hindu pilgrims were destroyed.
With intel from the NRO and from your NSA contact who happened to be on-site, we have reason to believe that the attack on the station was the work of the Free Kashmir Militia, a militant organization based in Pakistan. However, we suspect that the attacks against the Hindu sites may have been organized by India itself. We believe that elements in the Special Frontier Force, the cabinet, and the military may be trying to win public support for a quick, decisive nuclear strike against Pakistan.'
No one moved. The only sounds were the hum of the forced air coming through the overhead vents and the crackling of the coffee machine as it finished brewing.
'What about the Pakistani terrorists?' Coffey asked.
'At this moment the cell is desperately trying to cross the Himalayan foothills--we believe to Pakistan,' Herbert replied.
'They have a prisoner. She's an Indian woman who apparently coordinated SFF actions to make the attack on the Hindu sites look like the work of the Pakistani Muslims. It is imperative that they reach Pakistan and that their hostage be made to tell what she knows.'
'To defuse the outraged Indian populace that will otherwise be screaming for Pakistani blood,' Liz said.
'Correct,' Herbert said.
'So far, the first attempt to capture the Pakistanis failed. SFF commandos were sent into the mountains. They were all killed. We do not know what other pursuit options are being considered or whether the cell has contacted Pakistan. We don't know what rescue efforts Islamabad may be attempting to mount.'
'They'd probably be chopper HAP searches,' August said.
'Explain,' Hood said.
'Hunt and peck,' August told him.
'The cell would not risk sending a radio beacon to Pakistan or suggesting a rendezvous point. That would be too easy for an Indian listening post at the line of control to pick off. Pakistan doesn't have the satellite resources to spot the cell so they would have to fly in and crisscross suspected routes of egress. And they'd use helicopters instead of jets, to stay below Indian radar.'
'Good 'gets,' ' Herbert said.
'Paul, there's something that's bothering me,' Coffey said.
'Do we know for certain that the NSA operative was an observer and not a participant? This action may have been planned a couple of weeks ago, timed to draw attention from their attempted coup in Washington.'
Coffey had a point. The former head of the NSA, Jack Fenwick, had been working to replace President of the United States Michael Lawrence with the more militant Vice President Cotten. It was conceivable that Fenwick may have helped to orchestrate this crisis as a distraction from the anticipated resignation of President Lawrence.
'We believe that Friday is clean, though right now we have him quarantined with an Indian officer,' Hood replied.
'I suspect that if Friday were involved with this he would be trying to get out of the region and keep us out as well.'
'Which could also mean he is involved,' Liz pointed out.
'In what way?' Hood asked.
'If you're suggesting, as I think you are, that Striker try to help the cell get home, it would be in Mr. Friday's interest to stay close to them and make sure they do not succeed.'
'That could work both ways,' Herbert said.
