Rockman switched the feeds back and forth, still unable to spot the contact people. He had a situation map on the main screen; Dean’s position was marked with a green triangle and the two Air Force people in the park with squares. (They had old-fashioned FM transmitters.) Beyond the park were the three vans packed with military people they’d borrowed, Lia in her rental, and a pair of embassy Marines in plainclothes but with diplomatic plates and IDs, in case they had to deal with the local authorities. A pair of Army AH-6 scout helicopters borrowed from a unit stationed in Germany stood by at the airport available for their use; equipped with rockets, Hellfire missiles, and machine guns, the helicopters were a last resort if things got nasty.
They could always call on the local authorities, of course. But Rockman figured if things got that bad, they might just as well use the F-47Cs that were on the ground at Avino Air Force Base and nuke the place.
A figure of speech. The thermobaric bombs slung on the robot planes were designed to merely eradicate bunkers, not whole cities. The weapons ignited a mixture of solid fuel and air in a confined space, such as a bunker or a tunnel. The result was a kind of flash fire that created massive pressure to destroy the target.
“How we looking?” asked Telach, coming over to his console.
“Just waiting for them to show.”
“Biology people ready?”
Rockman thumbed to the back benches where an NSA scientist named Bill Chaucer was sitting with another expert from the CDC. They had open lines to university labs around the country, as well as Desk Three’s own research team and a vast database of knowledge.
“Wish I had that backup for my college chemistry class,” said Rockman.
“I doubt it would have helped,” said William Rubens, appearing behind him.
“We’re just waiting for them to make contact,” said Telach.
“How’s Dean look?”
“I think it’s food poisoning,” said Rockman. “He does, too.”
Rubens’ brow furrowed, but he said nothing, slowly rocking on his feet as he gazed at the screens.
Dean pushed his shoulders back and let out a slight groan. His neck muscles were so tight he felt as if they were pressed between clamps.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” said Dean. “I. think I have a cold coming on. Something like that.”
She turned toward him.
“I don’t speak Austrian.”
“German,” whispered Rockman.
Dean followed the woman’s glance downward toward the bag. Rather than popcorn, she was holding a gun.
32
“He’s got two platoons, no air support, nothing heavier than sixty-millimeter mortars that date to World War II,” said Foster, looking at the plan Karr had outlined.
“I like a unit that travels light,” said Karr.
Foster shook his head. The other Marine made a sound something similar to what a horse might make if sighing.
“You guys don’t think they’re up to it?” asked Karr.
The check of the computers showed that the Thai major had been pushing for raids over the border; all indications were that he was loyal to the government and Rubens had given his okay to proceed. The Art Room had made a decision on the first target, selecting the largest of the three camps it had spotted earlier. Satellite reconnaissance had detected pigs there; while there didn’t seem to be any of the prerequisites an advanced bio lab would require — there was no electricity, for example — the animals conceivably could be used for experiments or even breeding germs. Most of the experts described that chance as “vanishingly small”—but they couldn’t rule it out. For his part, Karr preferred to hit the largest camp first; that meant the others should be easier.
Assuming, of course, the tiny Thai force didn’t get squashed.
“With a lot more firepower, maybe we could take these guys,” said Gidrey. “Or, if we were talking two teams of Marines—”
“What, eight guys?”
“The right guys you could do it with four,” said Foster.
“See what I’m saying?”
“Yeah, but these guys… I mean, no offense,” said Gidrey, “but they’re not equipped. And, uh, from the looks of the way they got this camp organized—”
“Got to work with what we got,” said Karr. “Come on — there’s not that many people at this guerrilla camp, are there? Dozen at most.”
“They all got guns, though.”
“First of all, to get to any of these camps, it could take more than a day of travel by foot,” said Foster. He jabbed his hand at the map. “The terrain is torturous, and I’d bet there’s lookouts, booby traps, mines maybe — all sorts of crap. Plus, you have to cross area here which is held by another guerrilla group. The woods are full of ’em.”
“So we need a couple of helicopters. What else?”
“A gunship.”
“Like an AC-130? What else?”
“You’re going to get a gunship over here?” asked Gidrey. “From where?”
“Oh, I can get anything I want. My daddy’s rich,” said Karr. “Come on; help me draw up the attack. Don’t forget half these warm bodies here are just pigs — the swine kind, not the human. They’re going to have trouble aiming rifles.”
33
“They’re on A1, going in the direction of Vienna,” Rockman told Lia.
“God, can’t they make up their minds?” she snapped.
“Maybe you’ll get some sightseeing in,” said the runner.
Lia glanced at her watch. They’d been on the road now for nearly an hour, driving backward and forward. Dean was in the back of a black delivery truck, along with two guards who either didn’t understand English or were pretending not to. Thus far, there had been nothing to indicate where they were going. The outskirts of Vienna lay about five kilometers to the east. Lia was on the highway about a half-mile ahead of the truck; one of the vans was three cars behind it.
“Turning off.”
“What a surprise.”
“You see the feed from the Fokker?” asked Rockman.
“No, I have my eyes closed.” Lia zoomed out the display on her handheld computer. A black vehicle had joined the parade — a Mercedes that had been waiting by the roadside. A shadow arced nearby.
“Helicopter’s watching — don’t let the Fokker get too close,” said Lia.
“Right, we’re on it,” said Rockman.
“They’re slowing,” said the team in van one, which was closest to the delivery truck.
“Pass them by,” said Lia.
“Turning into an industrial park,” said Rockman. “Maybe our target.”
