Clancy, Tom - Ballance of Power

by Balance of Power [lit]

  know he was here.

  416 OP-CENTER

  The FBI had taught McCaskey that if an

  agent didn't bring superior firepower to a

  situation he should back off until he could muster that

  firepower. A standoff always favored the pursuer.

  Failure favored the pursued.

  But with everything that was at stake, McCaskey couldn't

  take the chance of letting Amadori go.

  McCaskey looked up and mustered his resolve.

  He listened to the general's limping footsteps.

  Amadori was approximately ten feet

  away. McCaskey would crouch and swing around, try

  to pin his legs to the wall, then grab his arm before he

  could fire.

  Just then, McCaskey heard footsteps behind him.

  He turned and saw Father Norberto walking toward

  him. That wasn't all he saw. Above the music

  room, McCaskey noticed a red eye looking

  down from the ceiling.

  It was a camera eye. And Amadori was wearing

  goggles-Remote Surveillance System

  goggles.

  The footsteps stopped. McCaskey swore.

  He'd been too damn tired to think this through and now

  he was at a serious disadvantage. Amadori

  knew precisely where he was.

  There was nothing to do but retreat. He turned and ran

  toward the door that led to the courtyard.

  "What is it?" Father Norberto asked.

  McCaskey motioned him back. The priest just

  stood there, confused.

  "Jesus!" McCaskey cried in frustration. He

  didn't think Amadori would shoot a member of the

  clergy. But a Catholic priest would make the

  perfect hostage.

  BALANCE OF POWER 417

  No one would dare order an attack for fear of

  hitting the priest.

  McCaskey had to get the priest out of here. Reaching

  Father Norberto, he put his arms around him and tried

  to move him toward the courtyard door. A moment

  later he heard a shot and felt a punch in his

  back and then everything went blindingly red.

  FORTY-FIVE

  Tuesday, 12:21 p.m. Madrid, Spain

  It was easy for Aideen to follow the trail of

  blood. The drops were so close together they

  overlapped in spots. Amadori was losing blood

  quickly. What she hadn't anticipated was that the

  general would be alone when she caught up to him.

  Alone and waiting for her.

  Amadori fired once as Aideen came around the

  corner. She jumped back as soon as she saw him

  and the bullet whizzed by. There was silence after the echo

  of the gunshot died. Aideen stood there listening,

  trying to determine if Amadori moved. As she

  waited, she felt something pressed hard against the

  small of her back. She turned around and saw a

  man step the rest of the way from a doorway. It was the

  major general. He was holding a gun on her.

  Aideen cursed under her breath. The officer

  was wearing his RSS goggles. He must have been tuned

  in to the cameras behind them and spotted her. They'd

  separated and now she'd been snared.

  "Face front and raise your hands," he commanded in

  Spanish.

  Aideen did. He relieved her of her gun.

  "Who are you?" he asked.

  BALANCE OF POWER 419

  Aideen didn't answer.

  "I don't have time to waste," the major general said.

  "Answer and I'll let you go. Refuse and I'll

  leave you here with a bullet in your back. You have a

  count of three."

  Aideen didn't think he was bluffing.

  "One," said the officer.

  Aideen was tempted to tell him that she was an

  Interpol operative. She had never faced death that

  seemed so imminent. It had a way of weakening one's

  resolve.

  "Two."

  She doubted that the major general would spare her even

  if she told him who she was. But she would

  definitely die if she didn't.

  Yet by telling the truth, she could very well ruin the

  lives and careers of Maria, Luis, and

  their comrades. And she would destroy countless other

  lives if she helped Amadori survive this

  assault.

  Maybe she'd been meant to die in the street with

  Martha. Maybe there was no escaping that.

  Aideen heard the gun bark behind her. She jumped.

  She felt blood on her neck. But she was still

  standing.

  A moment later Aideen felt the major general

  stumble against her. She lurched involuntarily as he

  fell forward. The two guns clattered on the

  floor. She glanced back at the officer. Blood

  spurted like a water fountain from the back of his head.

  She looked up.

  A familiar man was walking toward her, down the

  corridor. He was holding a smoking pistol and

  wearing a look of grim satisfaction.

  "Ferdinand?" she said.

  420 OP-CENTER

  The

  familia

  member hesitated.

  "No, it's all right," she said. She looked around

  quickly. Then she turned her back toward the

  surveillance camera behind her. Certain she

  wouldn't be seen, Aideen lifted her black mask

  just enough for him to see her face. "I'm here with others,"

  she said. "We want to help."

  Ferdinand continued walking toward her. "I'm glad

  to hear that," he said. "Juan and I doubted you back

  at the factory, after the attack. I'm sorry."

  "I don't blame you. You had no way of knowing."

  Ferdinand held up the gun. " This came to me when

  your friend caused an uproar before. They took her

  away, and also Juan. I want to find them-and I

  want to find Amadori."

  "Amadori went this way," Aideen said. She

  pointed as she stopped to pick up her gun. She also

  picked up the major general's gun and goggles.

  The dead man's blood was cooling on the back of

  Aideen's neck and she used the sleeve of her

  black shirt to wipe it off. She felt sick as

  she walked away. Not because the man had died; he'd

  been ready enough to kill her. What bothered her was that

  neither the general nor the major general had had a hand

  in the event that brought Op-Center into this situation in the

  first place, the murder of Martha Mackall. To the

  contrary. These people had killed the men behind the murder.

  The crime for which they were being hunted was having

  orchestrated a coup against a NATO

  ally-a coup that, ironically, a majority of the people in

  Spain might have supported had it been put to a

  vote.

  v

  BALANCE OF POWER 421

  Martha was wrong,

  Aideen thought miserably.

  There are no rules. There's only chaos.

  Aideen and Ferdinand started off after Amadori.

  Aideen was in the lead, Ferdinand a few paces behind

  her. Aideen checked the gun she'd retrieved. The

  safety was switched off. That bastard of a major

  general

  had

  been ready to shoot her in the back.

  The corridor ahead was empty. They hear
d a shot

  and quickened their pace. Aideen wondered if someone

  else-possibly Maria?-had found Amadori. The

  trail of blood continued around the corner. They

  followed it, stopping short as they entered the hallway

  leading past the music room. They saw General

  Amadori standing there with a gun in his white-gloved

  hand. The gun was being held to someone's head. It

  took a moment for Aideen to realize who the general

  was holding in front of him.

  It was Father Norberto. And at his feet was another

  man lying faceup. He wasn't moving.

  It was Darrell McCaskey.

  FORTY-SIX

  Tuesday, 12:24 p.m. Madrid, Spain

  When Father Norberto had entered the courtyard

  outside the palace, he didn't believe the

  soldiers were going to hurt him. He could see it in

  their eyes, hear it in their voices.

  He had no such illusions about this man, the one who

  had just shot the American in the back. The officer

  had a gun pressed under his jaw and was holding his

  hair tightly with the other hand. The man was bleeding.

  He did not have the time or disposition to talk.

  "Where is the major general?" Amadori shouted.

  Aideen dropped the major general's goggles and

  gun and kicked them into the hallway. "He's dead.

  Now let the priest go."

  "A woman?" Amadori yelled. "Damn you, who

  is making war on me? Show yourself

  now!"

  "Let

  the padre

  go. General Amadori," Aideen said. "Release

  him and you can have me."

  "I do not negotiate," Amadori yelled. He

  took a quick look behind him. The door to the courtyard

  was only a few yards away. He pulled off his

  goggles and threw them to the floor. Then he pressed

  the gun harder against Father Norberto's throat and

  continued

  BALANCE OF POWER 423

  backing toward the door. "My soldiers are still

  outside, watching the perimeter while their brothers

  fight. When I call them they'll come. They'll

  hunt you down."

  "You'll shoot me if I show myself."

  "That is correct," said Amadori. "But I'll

  release the priest."

  The woman was silent.

  Throughout his years in the priesthood, Norberto had

  talked to grieving widows and parishioners whose

  brothers or sisters or children had died. Most of them

  had expressed the desire to die as well.

  Despite his own loss, Norberto didn't feel

  that way. He did not want to be a martyour. He

  wanted to live. He wanted to continue helping

  others. But he wasn't going to let a woman die

  for him.

  "My child, leave here!" Norberto cried.

  Amadori pulled tighter on his hair. "Don't

  talk."

  "My brother, Adolfo Alcazar, believed in

  you," Norberto said. "He died in your service."

  "Your brother?" the general said. He continued

  walking. He was just a few feet from the door.

  "Don't you realize that the people who killed Adolfo

  are here?"

  "I know," Norberto said. "One of them died in my

  arms, just as Adolfo did."

  " 'Then how can you take their side?"'"

  "I haven't taken their side," Norberto said.

  "I am on the side of God. And in His name-1

  beg you to call off this war."

  "I don't have time for this," Amadori snapped.

  424 OP-CENTER

  "My enemies are the enemies of Spain. Tell

  me who the woman is and I'll release you."

  "I won't help you," Norberto said.

  "Then you'll die." Amadori groaned as he

  reached the door. He was obviously in pain. Still

  holding the priest, he stepped into the gleaming

  sunlight and turned toward the southern gate. "I

  need assistance!" he yelled. He looked back

  quickly to make sure Aideen hadn't

  moved.

  The soldiers on the other side of the courtyard had

  their guns pointed toward the arches. They turned

  to look at the door. Suddenly, one of the soldiers

  stepped from behind the gatepost.

  "Stay where you are, sir!" the soldier yelled.

  Amadori glanced toward the arches. He saw two

  people crouched there, a bleeding man and a woman.

  "Get your unit back out here," Amadori shouted.

  "Secure the courtyard!"

  The soldier pulled the field radio from his belt and

  called for reinforcements. As he did, the woman behind

  the arch aimed at Amadori. The general angrily

  swung the priest around so he was facing her. The

  woman held her fire; gunshots from the soldiers

  quickly drove her back behind the arch. Amadori

  looked back into the palace to make sure the other

  woman hadn't come from around the corner.

  She had not. She didn't need to.

  Darrell McCaskey was lying on his side

  halfway down the corridor. He was facing

  Amadori and holding the gun Aideen had kicked

  into the corridor.

  Father Norberto looked in as well. He didn't

  un BALANCE OF POWER 425

  derstand. There was no blood, yet he'd seen the

  general shoot this man in the back.

  Amadori began to turn the priest around. But

  McCaskey didn't give the general a chance

  to maneuver Father Norberto between them. And he

  didn't fire to wound the general. He put two quick

  shots into Amadori's temple.

  The general was dead before he reached the ground.

  FORTYSEVE caret I

  Tuesday, 12:35 p.m. Madrid, Spain

  "You took one of the bulletproof vests," Aideen

  said as she ran toward McCaskey.

  "Never travel without it," McCaskey said. He

  winced as she helped him to his feet. "I put it

  on before I came here. After he shot me-I

  figured I'd lie low and wait for something like this."

  "Glad I didn't just kick out the goggles,"

  Aideen said.

  Ferdinand ran past them to the priest. Father Norberto

  was standing just inside the doorway, staring down at the

  body of General Amadori. He knelt and began

  to say a prayer over the dead man.

  "Father, he doesn't deserve your blessing," Ferdinand

  said. "Come. We must go."

  Norberto finished praying. Only when he

  made the sign of the cross over the general did he

  rise. He looked at Ferdinand. " "Where are

  we going?"'"

  "Away," Ferdinand said. "The soldiers-was

  "He's right. Father," Aideen said. "We don't

  know what they're going to do. But we should be somewhere

  else when they do it."

  McCaskey held onto Aideen's shoulder while

  he

  BALANCE OF POWER 427

  drew several painful breaths. "We've also got

  to let the boss know what's going on as soon as

  possible," he said. "Where's the team?"

  " "They encountered some resistance after the flushout,"

  she said. "They withdrew."

  "Can you get to them?"

  Aideen nodded. "Can you walk?"

  "Yes, but I'm not going with you," McCaskey said.
/>
  "I can't leave Maria."

  "Darrell, you heard what Amadori said,"

  Aideen declared. "More soldiers are on the way."

  "I know," McCaskey said. He smiled

  faintly. "All the more reason I can't leave her."

  "He won't be alone," Father Norberto told

  her. "I'll stay with him."

  Aideen regarded them both through her mask. "There

  isn't time to argue. I'll get the word out. You

  three take care."

  McCaskey thanked her. As she turned and ran

  toward the grand staircase, McCaskey hobbled

  toward the priest.

  "I'm sorry about this," he said in English, pointing

  to Amadori's body. "It was necessary."

  Norberto said nothing.

  Ferdinand put his gun in his waistband. "I'm going

  to look for my friend Juan," he said. He regarded

  McCaskey. " 'Thank you, sir, for ridding

  Spain of this would-be

  caudillo.""

  McCaskey wasn't exactly sure what

  Ferdinand had said, but he got the gist of it.

  "jDe nodal"

  he said. "You're welcome."

  428 OP-CENTER

  Father Norberto suddenly put his hand around

  Ferdinand's neck. He squeezed hard.

  "Padre?"

  Ferdinand said, confused.

  "Your friend is in there," Norberto said. There were

  tears in his eyes as he pointed toward the

  music room. "He's dead."

  "Juan dead? Are you certain?"

  "I am certain," Norberto said. "I was with him

  when he died. I was with him when he confessed his sins.

  He died absolved of them."

  Ferdinand shut his eyes.

  Norberto squeezed harder. "Everyone has the right

  to absolution, my son, whether they have slain one or

  they have slain millions."

  The priest released Ferdinand and turned away. He

  walked toward McCaskey, who had limped past

  them and was peering cautiously out the door.

  McCaskey didn't know what the exchange had

  been about, but it didn't sound pleasant.

  "What should we do?" Norberto asked.

  "I'm not sure," McCaskey admitted.

  He watched the soldiers as they watched him. The

  reinforcements were just arriving from an entrance further

  along the courtyard. It looked to McCaskey as

  if they were carrying gas niters. They must have been part

  of the group that went after Striker.

  Once again McCaskey felt helpless. The

  Interpol spotters might not realize that Amadori

  was dead, that a show of force from local police units

  might be enough to shut the heart of the revolution

  down. Especially if it came before the soldiers could

  rally behind a new leader.

  BALANCE OF POWER 429