'I think you people are making too many unwarranted assumptions,' Saunders told them. 'We don't even know for sure that the ships have been hijacked.. just a wild story from one woman. We need confirmation.'
'Which is precisely what we intend to get by inserting a team on board the Atlantis Queen' Dean told him. 'We will have a covert ops unit deployed and ready to go in within forty-eight hours… possibly twenty-four. Once on board, they can blend in with the passengers, report to us the actual situation, and be in place to support the actual takedown.'
'What if the passengers are being held sequestered someplace on board?' Wallace asked. 'Under guard.'
'According to our informant,' Dean said, 'that hasn't happened yet.'
'Hostages who don't know they're hostages?' Wallace asked.
'Essentially. At least for now.' Dean glanced at Saunders, who was scowling. 'While it's possible that eventu ally they'll do what General Saunders suggested — herd everyone into one place and keep them under guard — they haven't yet taken that step. If we are dealing with just a few terrorists, they're going to try to keep their hostages in the dark for as long as possible. They can't afford the manpower to watch over three thousand prisoners — not if that means feeding them, giving them water, getting them to the restroom a couple of times a day… at least until they show their hand.'
'Or they may hold a few prisoners as assurance for the good behavior of the rest,' Lia said. 'But at the moment, the passengers are just being told to stay in their staterooms. If that doesn't change, we have the opportunity to slip a team inside.'
'And what if it changes?' Saunders demanded. 'What if they do round everybody up and hold them at gunpoint?'
'Then we'll still have a team on board,' Dean told him, 'that can adapt to the situation as it changes. The Atlantis Queen is a big ship. Lots of places to hide.'
'I don't think you can do it,' Saunders told him. 'Parachute a recoil team onto a ship held by armed and fully alert terrorists? It's unprecedented.'
'It's not unprecedented,' Dean told him. 'There's the Achille Lauro in 1985. Terrorists on board an Italian cruise ship hijacked the ship and threatened to kill everyone on board.'
'But there was no CT assault on the Achille Lauro' Saunders said. 'The terrorists negotiated with the Egyptian government by radio, took the ship into Port Said, and went ashore peacefully.'
Dean's mouth worked in what was almost a smile. 'There's considerably more to the story than that, sir. First off, there was a U. S. Navy SEAL team at sea, just a few hours away from boarding that ship.'
'I know. Those were the SEALs who tried to capture the terrorists after they flew to Sicily.'
Dean nodded. The Achille Lauro hijackers had boarded a 737 bound for Tunis after coming ashore at Port Said. U. S. Navy Tomcats had forced the plane to land at the NATO naval air station at Sigonella, in Sicily, where the SEALs surrounded it — and had very nearly gotten into a firefight with Italian carabinieri who'd demanded jurisdiction. Ultimately, the two leaders of the hijackers, Muhammad Abu Abbas and Ozzudin Badrack Kan, had walked away free, released by Italian authorities.
'Second,' Dean continued, 'it's not common knowledge, and it can't ever be confirmed, but the unofficial word in the intelligence community is that the Israelis already had two CT-recon teams in place on board the Achille Lauro, and that they were just waiting for the go order. It's possible that the hijackers knew this — or suspected it — and that that's why they suddenly decided to turn around and go to Port Said after only three days.'
'This recon force of yours,'/Saunders said. 'I assume it's one of your SEAL teams?'
'I can neither confirm nor deny that, General,' Dean told him. 'But they are good. Very good.'
'The SAS is good as well,' Saunders said. 'I canriot countenance this plan.'
'What is it you propose instead, General?' Wallace asked.
'We've already deployed Royal Navy vessels to shadow the Sandpiper and the Atlantis Queen. We send in a couple of our destroyers or frigates to block the target vessels, force them to stop. While we're negotiating with them over the bow, a couple of helos off the Ark Royal come in from astern, and we put a platoon of SAS commandos down on the stern of both ships. Another helicopter drops a stick of commandos abseiling down onto the Queen's bridge. Sweet, neat, and simple.'
'You may be forgetting something, sir,' Dean said. 'The 30mm cannons on the Sandpiper? They've already shot down one Royal Navy aircraft. Those helicopters would be sitting ducks.'
'So we send in a flight of helicopter gunships just ahead of the transports,' Saunders replied with a shrug. 'That's just a minor operational detail. We hit those gun positions with rockets or chain guns before the terrorists even know we're there.'
'I must admit to some… concern about firing live weapons at the Sandpiper, General,' Wallace said. 'Her cargo is highly radioactive.'
'It's also well shielded and well protected, if your corporate propaganda is to be believed,' Saunders told him. 'Besides, those gun positions are nowhere near the ship's cargo hold.'
'But accidents do happen,' Wallace said, 'especially in combat. The Home Office has already insisted that no action be taken that would jeopardize the passengers on the Atlantis Queen… or risk the release of radiation from the Pacific Sandpiper.'
'The recon teams,' Dean suggested, 'would be in a position to take those guns out ahead of time. They could coordinate their strikes to take out the bridges of both ships and all three guns, then send a signal to bring in the helicopters.'
'I still must protest,' Saunders said. 'Remember… those ships both technically are British soil. It should be British troops who carry out the rescue.'
'General Saunders,' Dean said, 'forgive me for saying so, but this is not the time for fucking politics!'
'Mister Dean, I would remind you there's a lady present!'
'That's okay, General,' Lia said. 'Charlie is fucking right! You want to beat your manly chest and play your testosterone-sodden games, go ahead, but if you do, you're an idiot, putting at risk three thousand civilians and a very great deal of dangerously radioactive material to salve your wounded national pride.'
'Charlie! Lia!' Rockman's voice whispered in Dean's ear. 'Pull in the horns. We have to stay on this guy's good side!'
'The SAS can have the publicity, General,' Dean added, standing up suddenly 'No one will ever hear about our people being there… or if they do, they'll assume they belonged to you. But we're ready to go and can get a team on board those ships with a minimum of delay. I suggest you consult with your superiors and then get back to us.' He turned and walked away from the table. Lia stood as well and followed.
'Charlie, you're screwing this deal up!' Rockman called.
Dean did not reply as he strode out the door.
Chapter 16
David Llewellyn sat in one of the plush theater seats, his wrists tightly strapped together at the small of his back, another zip strip binding his ankles, a strip of cloth tightly cinched between his teeth and tied at the back of his head. An entire afternoon of cautious struggle had done nothing but chafe the skin of his wrists raw.
He glanced to his right, where Tricia Johnson was slumped in the theater seat next to his. At least the bastards had let them get dressed before hauling them down here; she was wearing shorts and a T-shirt. Llewellyn, though, was distinctly chilly. All he'd had available to put on in Tricia's stateroom was his swim trunks.
She met his gaze, and he saw her eyes darken with anger before she sharply turned her head away. They hadn't been able to talk much since the intruders had broken into her stateroom and hauled them out of bed. Clearly, though, she knew he was Ship's Security and not a rich passenger who'd known her at Penn State. Presumably she was also angry that he'd not done anything to stop this… this invasion.
He looked around the theater, an enormous bowl-shaped auditorium located at the extreme forward part of the ship's superstructure, occupying Decks One, Two, and Three. With two levels of balcony above the main floor, the theater was large enough to hold a thousand people or more. At the moment, however, it held perhaps a
