Tom Clancy's Op-center_ Sea Of Fire Part 38

Herbert was about to tell FNO Loh to rush the stairs. The woman was ahead of him, of course. As soon as the copilot stepped out, the naval officer maneuvered around her. The crew stepped aside as they made their way to the tarmac. Loh entered the cabin.

"He's in the c.o.c.kpit!" Herbert said.

Loh nodded. Herbert wheeled to the side so he could see her. She pounded on the door.

"Mr. Darling, we will not let you depart," she said.

Herbert had watched the crew run off. They had hurried to the small, fenced-in parking lot. Darling's driver was still there. He was probably instructed to wait until his employer was airborne before departing. Herbert was glad. He did not want Jessica-Ann to see this.

"Mr. Darling! Open the door!" Loh insisted.

Herbert turned back to the c.o.c.kpit. He could see the top of Darling's head. He was seated in the pilot's seat.

The jet began to move.

"Officer Loh, get off!" Herbert cried.

The Singaporean officer continued to hit the c.o.c.kpit door.

Herbert did not know whether Darling was playing chicken. Even if he managed to get past the helicopter and take off, he would have difficulty maintaining equilibrium with the door open. A jet that size would be impacted by sudden shifts in air pressure, by fluctuations in temperature.

That a.s.sumes Jervis Darling is thinking rationally, Herbert thought. For the past few minutes, the Australian had been in the throes of a fight-or-flight response. Reason is not a strong component of that. Herbert thought. For the past few minutes, the Australian had been in the throes of a fight-or-flight response. Reason is not a strong component of that.

Herbert looked up at the helicopter. He gestured for the pilot to move in. The flier expertly maneuvered the chopper closer. He turned the aircraft perpendicular to the jet and lowered the port-side strut toward the windshield. Herbert could see the Learjet wings fluttering from the chopper's downdraft. The jet continued to move forward, gaining speed. The two vehicles were about ten yards apart. They would collide in moments.

Herbert had never felt so helpless. He wanted to run onto the Learjet and help Officer Loh kick in the door. Instead, he rolled back as the two vehicles. .h.i.t. The jet slowed with the impact but continued to move ahead. The helicopter was knocked slightly to its starboard. The rotor tilted precariously.

It was surreal, like watching a pair of prehistoric behemoths do battle. The pilot swung away and righted the helicopter. He rose in a tight arc and prepared to drop down again.

Herbert motioned aggressively for him to stop. As much as the intelligence chief wanted Darling, he did not want to damage the jet. Darling might still try to take off. Herbert wanted the man in prison, not in the morgue.

Someone came running from the tower. Two police cars were just entering the airstrip behind the jet. So was another vehicle, with a familiar driver. Paul Leyland was at the wheel with Spider riding the running board.

The fire brigade had been called by the tower, and a squat red rural Nissan Patrol Light Attack fire truck was racing forward. There was a 600-liter water tank mounted to the back. The Queensland firefighters used it to battle blazes away from hydrants.

And that was when Herbert got an idea.

The intelligence chief motioned to the chopper to try again to stop the jet. Herbert lowered his hands slowly, indicating a measured attack. It was risky, but he needed to delay Darling. As the chopper came down, Herbert wheeled quickly toward the fire truck.

"The hose!" Herbert yelled as he rushed past the wing of the Learjet. "Get the hose!"

Spider could not quite hear him. Herbert was dying. He reckoned that he had less than a minute to pull this off.

"We need the hose!" he shouted. He gestured broadly at the canvas hose, which was coiled on the side. Then he pointed to the wing of the Learjet.

Leyland sped up. He overtook the police car and came to a smoking stop beside Herbert.

"Hit the engine intake with water!" Herbert said.

Leyland obviously sized up the situation. He shot toward the Learjet. Herbert did likewise. He wanted to try to get Officer Loh out.

While the fire truck was in motion, Spider shimmied along the running board to the hose in back. Obviously, his ability to cling to the side of a moving vehicle had helped him earn his name. He unhooked the hose, pressed the b.u.t.ton to open the tank, and climbed the ladder to the top of the tank. He stood on a small platform there. As the truck neared, Spider leaned forward at a forty-five-degree angle. When the truck was within two hundred meters of the jet, Spider flipped a switch at the base of the nozzle. He pointed the hose toward the rear-mounted engine. Water shot from the hose so forcefully that Spider ended up standing erect. The powerful spray smashed into the back of the jet engine.

The jet was well ahead of Herbert; he was not going to get to it in time. The water was sucked through the superheated turbine. It turned to steam, simultaneously cooling the internal metal components. The engine cracked audibly and crisply, like nearby thunder. Smoke mingled with the wispier steam, first from the front and back and then from cracks in the side. A moment later, shards of silver and white metal shot from the front and back of the engine. Then the engine casing itself burst like a hot dog on a grill. The jet lurched, hopped slightly on the port side, but continued to move forward. The helicopter had approached more cautiously this time. It kept the jet back with repeated nudges rather than a single hit. It was a more successful means of keeping the aircraft from gaining speed.

Spider left the smoking husk and turned his spray on the starboard engine.

That turbine spat and sizzled as had the first one. Herbert continued to wheel himself toward the jet. From this angle, Herbert could see flames lighting up the interior of the starboard engine. They must be coming from a split casing of some kind. They flared for only a moment before the water smothered them. A moment later, the second engine ruptured with a single loud bang. Spider killed the hose as the casing peeled from the center outward, the top and bottom pointing toward the fuselage. The jet coasted for a moment, then angled toward the tower and stopped. Both engines were still smoking, the white smoke turning black.

Spider redirected the hose to the first engine. While he did, Leyland stopped the truck and jumped out. A small oxygen tank and mask were slung over his shoulder. He reached the stairs a moment before Herbert did. They had dragged along the tarmac and were cracked along the bottom. Leyland bolted inside. The cabin was filling with dirty white smoke. Herbert could not see anything.

The next few seconds seemed to pa.s.s in slow motion. The helicopter moved away from the jet and set down on the landing strip. Warrant Officer Jelbart emerged and ran forward. The police car arrived. Two officers in sharp blue uniforms emerged. One of them was using his portable radio to summon an ambulance. The air traffic controller arrived, breathless and waving his undone shirtsleeves and shouting profanities. But all Herbert could hear was the dying hiss of the engines. All he could see was the wide, open door of the jet.

Finally, Leyland emerged from the smoke. He was alone. He backed down the steps, peering at the interior.

Urgently, Herbert wheeled himself forward. "Paul, what's wrong?" he demanded.

Before Leyland could answer, Monica Loh emerged from the roiling cloud. Jervis Darling was beside her. His arm was thrown around her shoulder, and his head was nodding forward. Leyland remained in front of the barely conscious man as Loh walked him down the stairs.

When they reached the tarmac, Leyland and one of the police officers took Jervis Darling from FNO Loh. They carried him to the police car and lay him on the backseat.

Herbert went over to Loh. He scooted sideways on his seat and offered her a corner to sit on. She declined. Her face was covered with sweat. It seemed to make her dark eyes shine even more brightly. As Jelbart arrived, Loh looked at the shattered engines, then down at Herbert.

"That was a very clever backup plan," she said breathlessly.

"Backup plan?" Herbert said. "What do you mean?"

"I finally got the door open," she said with the faintest trace of a smile. "Jervis Darling was not going anywhere."

Herbert loved this woman. G.o.d, how he loved her.

SEVENTY-SIX.

Washington, D.C. Sat.u.r.day, 4:00 P.M.

"I'm not sure which took the larger hit," Lowell Coffey said to Paul Hood over the telephone. "Jervis Darling's Learjet or Australian statutes for crime and misconduct."

"How bad is it?" Hood asked.

"For us? Pretty favorable, actually," Coffey said. "I took Leyland's car and only just got to the airport, so I'm still catching up. Basically, the Queensland Crime and Misconduct Commission has taken over this case from the local police. They're flying in an a.s.sistant commissioner to investigate."

"Because of Darling's involvement?"

"Partly that, but mostly due to the nature of the charges," Coffey said. "Jelbart briefed them by phone. They're cla.s.sifying the destruction of the jet and the attack on the airfield as a single action, and attributing it jointly to the Queensland fire team, Op-Center, the Republic of Singapore Navy, and the Maritime Intelligence Centre."

"Good G.o.d."

"Yes, but having everyone named is good for us," Coffey said. "It gives weight to the idea we'll be putting forth, that there was probable cause to detain the jet. It's also good that the QCMC is cla.s.sifying this as a 'reactive' investigation, which is a fancy term for 'after the fact.' That suggests there may be a valid reason for what we did. It's not quite as extreme, but it's like stopping a guy who enters a bank wearing a ski mask and carrying a gun. The act is not considered a crime. It's called a contravention."

"I follow," Hood said.

"The best news is, the QCMC is also responsible for overseeing the transport of hazardous materials through the area. Based on Warrant Officer Jelbart's report, they're inst.i.tuting what they call a 'proactive' investigation into the smuggling activities."

"Which means what, exactly?" Hood asked.

"Basically, it means they can hold Hawke on Jelbart's say-so," Coffey said. "They've got him in the hospital. He hit his head at some point on the flight to Cairns. It seems he was the only one not wearing a seat belt when the chopper went into some kind of dive."

This was an open line, so Hood did not say what was on his mind. Not that he had to say it. He was sure the same thought was on Coffey's mind.

"What about Darling?" Hood asked.

"They booked him for a.s.sault, though they're taking him to the hospital as well to make sure he's all right. He took in a lot of smoke. He's extremely disoriented."

"Have they got solid security for Hawke and Darling?"

"The local police are handling that now, but Jelbart has some of his people flying in," Coffey said. "They should be here momentarily."

"At six in the morning?" Hood said. "They don't drag their feet over there, do they?"

"No, they don't," Coffey said. "The efficiency of every division, from the fire brigade to the local police, has been incredible."

Hood knew why. The Australians were surrounded by nations where the black market was a dominant financial force. Australia itself was mostly open coastline. If they did not maintain a warlike preparedness along every meter of that, it would not take long for corruption to set in.

"That said," Coffey went on, "we're all betting that Hawke will get off with minimal jail time."

"It wouldn't surprise me," Hood said.

"He'll take the brunt of the fall for Darling in exchange for guaranteed early parole," Coffey went on. "To put Darling on trial would be counterproductive. It would become a circus that would hurt the economy and detract from the main issue, which has to be breaking up the smuggling network and finding the nuclear material. Jervis Darling himself is effectively finished. He'll be quietly forced to resign the boards of his companies, his not-for-profit companies will be dissected for laundering the nuke payouts, and he may serve some token jail time. After that, he'll probably go live on one of his islands."

"With or without his daughter, I wonder," Hood said.

"The courts won't have much say over that," Coffey said. "But Darling will want her to get a great education. That means boarding school in Australia or Europe. They won't be together much."

"No mother and an MIA father," Hood said. "Did she see much of what happened at the airfield?"

"I don't think so," Coffey said. "But she had to have heard the engine explosions, the sirens. She knows the plane didn't take off."

"I wonder how she's taking this."

"I saw her in the small terminal building when I arrived," Coffey said. "She was sitting with Darling's copilot and driver. They were talking to her. She looked sh.e.l.l-shocked."

"I wish there was something we could do for her," Hood said. There was sadness in his voice, in his soul. He thought of his own daughter, Harleigh, living without him. He could not imagine what kind of man would create a situation that would expose his daughter to this kind of emotional peril.

Then again, this was the same man who reportedly took the girl's mother from her, Hood thought. Normal values did not apply. The good news was that Jervis Darling would not be taking anyone else's parents from them. Ever. Hood thought. Normal values did not apply. The good news was that Jervis Darling would not be taking anyone else's parents from them. Ever.

"I'm sure Ms. Darling will be looked after in the short term," Coffey said. "The people who were with her seemed very attentive. Though I have to wonder. Was it fear or affection that made these people loyal to Darling?"

"A little of both, I'm sure," Hood said. "But it was probably the free pa.s.s that had the most impact."

"What kind of free pa.s.s?" Coffey asked.

"I used to get that when I was mayor," Hood said. "That's when people are around someone of influence, so they have no problem getting into restaurants or clubs or the most popular attractions at amus.e.m.e.nt parks. They don't have to worry about speeding tickets or bureaucracies or bad service. If they get into trouble, strong, decisive help is just a name-drop or phone call away. I'm sure you saw some of that at your dad's law practice."

"Yes, only in Beverly Hills it was called kissing cheek, and n.o.body liked to do it," Coffey told him.

"You were lucky, though. You had money. You had a choice," Hood said. "A lot of people don't. For them, playing the sycophant to a Jervis Darling or a Mayor Hood is like consolidating their debt. The humiliation comes from one place, not dozens."

"Well, I should probably get back to the others," Coffey said. "It looks like Herbert and Loh are ready to break huddle. Tell me, though. Did you enjoy having people kiss your a.s.s?"

"I hated it," Hood said. "I discouraged it. But people kept doing it. That's one reason I'm here instead of there."

"We'll see who sticks by Darling now," Coffey said. "As the philosopher says, 'A failure is a stranger in his own house.' "

Hood hung up. He stared at the phone.

That was cruel and true, he thought. It was bad enough to fail. But one also had to endure it alone. It was impossible to feel any sympathy for Jervis Darling. But while Hood should be savoring the successful mission, he found himself responding emotionally to the idea of failure. He was uncomfortable by the nearness of it. By the sadness of what Jessica-Ann Darling would have to face. It forced Hood to think about the mistakes he had made with his own family. He wondered if that sense of inefficacy would ever completely disappear. he thought. It was bad enough to fail. But one also had to endure it alone. It was impossible to feel any sympathy for Jervis Darling. But while Hood should be savoring the successful mission, he found himself responding emotionally to the idea of failure. He was uncomfortable by the nearness of it. By the sadness of what Jessica-Ann Darling would have to face. It forced Hood to think about the mistakes he had made with his own family. He wondered if that sense of inefficacy would ever completely disappear.

Maybe it's not supposed to, Hood decided. Maybe that's what prevents a man from repeating his errors. Hood decided. Maybe that's what prevents a man from repeating his errors.

Hood picked up the phone. There was one thing of which he was certain. The ant.i.thesis of having his a.s.s kissed was having it kicked. By himself. Neither one of them did him any good.

He had to put the past behind him.

He had to call Daphne Connors.

Now.

SEVENTY-SEVEN.

Cairns, Australia Sunday, 7:10 A.M.

John Hawke and Jervis Darling were taken into custody separately. Even after their departure, the helicopter still had a brief delay in Cairns. The pilot wanted to ascertain that there had been no damage to the landing strut.

The report was favorable.

"Metal is still stronger than gla.s.s," the pilot reported proudly to Herbert after examining both the landing surface and pylons.