Deception Point Page 82

Now they would wait.This would not be a quiet down kill. There were some people you simply did not kill quietly. heedless of the method, there would be repercussions. Investigations. Inquiries. In these cases, the best cover was to make a lot of noise. Explosions, fire, and smoke make it appear you were making a statement, and the inaugural thought would be foreign terrorism. Especially when the target was a high-profile sullenicial.Delta-One scanned the night- mental imagery transmitting of the tree-shrouded memorial below. The parking lot and entry road were empty. Soon, he thought. The side of this private meeting, though in an urban atomic number 18a, was fortuitously desolate at this hour. Delta-One turned his eyes from the screen to his own weapons controls.The Hellfire system would be the weapon of choice tonight. A laser-guided, anti-armor missile, the Hellfire provided fire-and-forget capability. The projectile could home in on a laser spot that was projected from gr ound observers, otherwise aircraft, or the launching aircraft itself. Tonight, the missile would be guided autonomously through the laser designator in a mast-mounted sight. Once the Kiowas designator had painted the target with a laser beam, the Hellfire missile would be self-directing. Because the Hellfire could be fired each from the air or ground, its employment here tonight would not inescapably imply an aircrafts involvement. In addition, the Hellfire was a popular munition among ladder arms dealers, so terrorist activity could certainly be blamed.Sedan, Delta-Two said.Delta-One glanced at the transmittal screen. A nondescript, black luxury sedan was approaching on the entrance money road on the dot on schedule. This was the typical motor pool gondola simple machine of large government agencies. The driver dimmed the cars head well-situateds on entering the memorial. The car circled several times and then parked near a grove of trees. Delta-One watched the screen as his partner trained the telescopic night vision on the drivers side window. After a moment, the persons face came into view.Delta-One pull a quick breath.Target confirmed, his partner said.Delta-One looked at the night-vision screen-with its deadly crucifix of cross-hairs-and he felt uniform a sniper aiming at royalty. Target confirmed.Delta-Two turned to the unexpended side avionics compartment and activated the laser designator. He aimed, and two thousand feet below, a pinpoint of light appeared on the roof of the sedan, invisible to the occupant. Target painted, he said.Delta-One took a deep breath. He fired.A sharp hissing blend sizzled beneath the fuselage, followed by a remarkably dim trail of light streaking toward the earth. One second later, the car in the parking lot blew asunder in a blinding eruption of flames. Twisted metal flew everywhere. glowing tires rolled into the woods.Kill complete, Delta-One said, already accelerating the helicopter by from the area. Call the controller. slight than two miles away, President Zach Herney was preparing for bed. The Lexan bullet-proof windows of the residence were an inch thick. Herney never heard the blast.97The edge Guard Group Air Station Atlantic metropolis is located in a secure section of William J. Hughes Federal breeze Administration Technical Center at the Atlantic City external Airport. The groups area of responsibility includes the Atlantic seaboard from Asbury Park to Cape May.Rachel sexton jolted awake as the planes tires screeched down on the tarmac of the lonely(prenominal) runway nestled between two enormous cargo buildings. strike to find she had fallen asleep, Rachel groggily checked her watch.213 A.M. She felt like shed been asleep for days.A warm onboard blanket was tucked carefully well-nigh her, and Michael Tolland was also just waking up beside her. He gave her a fatigue smile.Corky staggered up the aisle and frowned when he saw them. Shit, you guys are sedate here? I woke up hoping tonight had been a bad dream.Rachel knew exactly how he felt. Im headed back start to sea.The plane taxied to a stop, and Rachel and the others climbed out onto a barren runway. The night was over-cast, exclusively the coastal air felt sarcoid and warm. In comparison to Ellesmere, freshly Jersey felt like the tropics. all over here a voice called out.Rachel and the others turned to see one of the gliding Guards classic, crimson-colored HH-65 Dolphin helicopters waiting nearby. Framed by the brilliant white concussion on the choppers tail, a fully suited airplane pilot waved them over.Tolland gave Rachel an impressed nod. Your honcho certainly gets things done.You have no idea, she thought.Corky slumped. Already? No dinner stop?The pilot welcomed them over and helped them aboard. Never asking their names, he radius exclusively in pleasantries and safety precautions. Pickering had apparently made it clear to the Coast Guard that this flight was not an advertised mi ssion. Nonetheless, despite Pickerings discretion, Rachel could see that their identities had remained a secret for only a matter of seconds the pilot failed to hide his wide double take upon seeing television celebrity Michael Tolland.Rachel was already heart tense as she buckled herself in beside Tolland. The Aerospatiale engine overhead shrieked to life, and the Dolphins flagging thirty-nine-foot rotors began to flatten out into a silver blur. The whine turned to a roar, and it lifted off the runway, climbing into the night.The pilot turned in the cockpit and called out, I was informed you would tell me your destination once we were airborne.Tolland gave the pilot the coordinates of an offshore positioning about thirty miles southeast of their current position.His ship is twelve miles off the coast, Rachel thought, feeling a shiver.The pilot typed the coordinates into his navigation system. Then he settled in and gunned the engines. The chopper tipped forward and banked sout heast.As the dark dunes of the New Jersey coast slipped away beneath the aircraft, Rachel turned her eyes away from the blackness of the ocean spreading out beneath her. Despite the solicitude of being back over the water again, she tried to take teething ring in knowing she was accompanied by a cosmos who had made the ocean a lifetime friend. Tolland was pressed close beside her in the sign up fuselage, his hips and shoulders touching hers. Neither made any attempt to shift positions.I know I shouldnt say this, the pilot sputtered suddenly, as if ready to ignite with excitement, but youre obviously Michael Tolland, and Ive got to say, well, weve been watching you on TV all night The meteorite Its absolutely incredible You must be in aweTolland nodded patiently. Speechless.The objective was fantastic You know, the networks keep playing it over and over. None of tonights duty pilots treasured this gig because everyone wanted to keep watching television, but I drew short straw. Can you believe it Short straw And here I am If the boys had any idea Id be flying the actual-We appreciate the ride, Rachel interrupted, and we emergency you to keep our presence here to yourself. Nobodys supposed to know were here.Absolutely, maam. My orders were very clear. The pilot hesitated, and then his expression brightened. Hey, we arent by any chance heading for the Goya, are we?Tolland gave a reluctant nod. We are.Holy shit the pilot exclaimed. Excuse me. Sorry, but Ive seen her on your show. The twin-hull, right? Strange-looking beast Ive never actually been on a SWATH design. I never dreamed yours would be the firstRachel tuned the man out, feeling a rising uneasiness to be heading out to sea.