Текст книги "Splinter Cell (2004)"

Автор книги: David Michaels

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Текущая страница: 18 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

That's his way of saying I'm free to do whatever the hell I want with the kidnappers. I probably have Lambert to thank for that.

"I want to go in tonight. Alone," I say.

"I assumed you would say that," Weiss says. "Let's meet your backup team first."

After a forty-minute drive we reach the northern outskirts of Jerusalem and stop at a staging point in front of an auto parts factory. We're in an industrial area, and the captain says the warehouse is two miles away. A team of ten Shin Bet Special Ops soldiers are here, equipped and ready to go. Shin Bet, or Shabak, is a branch of the ISF responsible for internal security. They spend a lot of time protecting government officials, preventing violent insurrection, gathering intelligence, pinpointing terrorist cells and dealing with them. Shin Bet's activities are always classified. Their job is a lot like mine, so I feel as if I'm with family.

They appear well equipped, too. I really like their replacement for the Uzi, the Tavor "Bull Pup" Assault Rifle, made by Israel Military Industries. It comes in a few different designs, each one suited for specific needs. One of the men shows me his weapon and says it's the Micro T.A.R., which is uniquely configured for security forces and special missions. They use a 30-round magazine of standard NATO 5.56mm ammunition.

Captain Weiss hands me a cell phone and tells me to call the kidnappers' number. He says the phone is untraceable just in case they try to figure out where I'm calling from. I bring up the stored number on my OPSAT and dial. I get a recorded message from a man with a heavy Russian accent.

"Mr. Fisher, if you are in Jerusalem, please indicate so at the sound of the beep, and we will be in touch with you shortly."

When I hear the tone I say, "This is Sam Fisher. I'm not in Israel yet but will be tomorrow morning. I'm traveling from a great distance. I will call again before noon and will await your instructions. Please keep my daughter safe." I disconnect, look at the captain, and ask, "Now what?"

"We wait until nightfall. The team will deploy around the warehouse, out of sight," he says. "I understand you have a subdermal implant for communicating with your superiors in Washington?"

My, my, nothing's sacred in the intelligence community. "That's right," I say.

"We will have your people configure the transmissions so the team can hear you. I've already spoken to your colonel about this. That way, you can call the shots should you be required to lead the assault team into the building."

"That's mighty accommodating of you."

Someone provides kosher turkey sandwiches for us, and we spend a few hours in the captain's Lexus. We talk about the security situation in his country and the different plans of attack for combating terrorism. Mid-evening I take the opportunity to grab two hours of sleep. When I wake I find it's just after ten o'clock. In the meantime, Carly St. John has provided me with the warehouse blueprints via my OPSAT. I now have a complete map of the building, showing entrances and exits, corridors, and rooms. I'm itching to get going, but I decide to wait two more hours, hoping to catch them in their pajamas. Finally, at midnight, I tell the captain it's time to move.

"You know they're probably setting a trap for you," the captain says.

I shrug. "Trap, Shmap. Let's go."

"You ready?"

"Absolutely."

He gives the order and we move out in separate unmarked civilian cars toward the site. A minute later we arrive at a crossroad. The captain points to the new road and says, "It's that way about a mile. We'll get out here and go the rest of the way on foot."

The drivers park the cars behind various empty buildings, and we proceed to hike through undeveloped terrain off-road. There's not a lot of trees and natural cover here. Israel is an arid country and it's hot and dry at this time of year. For a Mediterranean destination, I've never found Israel to be particularly pretty. I guess it is if you like sand and rocks. The land is fertile enough, although I can't imagine why it was once considered the "Promised Land."

I separate from the Shin Bet as we get closer to the warehouse. I want to make the first approach on my own.

"Mr. Fisher?" It's the captain's voice in my ear. "Do you read me?"

"Loud and clear," I say, pressing the implant.

"There are three cars parked in the back of the warehouse, under a tarp. A Ferrari, a Jaguar, and a Chevy Cavalier."

"Then there's probably not too many men inside."

"That's what I'm thinking, too."

I can now see the warehouse, but I'm well hidden behind some rocks, fifty feet away. I know the Shin Bet have surrounded the building, but I see no signs of them. These guys are good.

The building looks as if it hasn't seen a human being in thirty years. It consists of a large space that takes up most of the structure. From Carly's blueprints I understand there's a second floor with a window. This second floor is more of a "loft" that hangs over a third of the first floor space with a stand-alone staircase connecting the two. Along two sides of the building are corridors with rooms–old offices, I imagine.

"How do you want to handle it?" the captain asks.

"I'm going to find a way in, probably from the second floor. Stand down until I give the order. Then storm the place with everything you've got. Until I find Sarah and make sure she's all right, I don't want them to have any indication that you're out here."

"Understood," he replies.

I emerge from my hiding place but stick to the shadows. There are no lights on around the building so that's a plus. The first thing I do is a quick recon around the warehouse. The front door is a rusty steel job with faded paint and lettering. The few windows are painted over. In the back I find the three cars covered by a tarp and another steel door. Up high I see another window, one that's not painted over. That's my target.

I take my cigar holder and rope and fashion a grappling hook. I sling the thing around and toss it, catching it onto the roof on the first try. I give it a tug and then climb up the side of the building. When I reach the window I peer inside.

I see the loft; it's full of junk and extends maybe thirty feet. A lone lantern burns on the floor next to an empty bedroll. I can't discern anything beyond the edge of the loft, mainly because of the junk piles. The main thing is that no one is there. Good. I wrap the rope around my waist so I can use both hands as I hang by the window. I draw my Five-seveN, flip on the T.A.K. laser microphone with my thumb, and point the barrel at the glass. The square in the center of the camera screen doesn't turn red–it's not picking up any sound. Excellent. I switch off the T.A.K. and holster the pistol, then try to raise the window. It doesn't budge. The decades-old paint has hardened, but the window itself doesn't appear to be locked. I draw my combat knife and chisel away on the window edges, finally getting to where I can stick the blade through the slits. I sheath the knife and try the window again. This time it moves a little. I rearrange myself so I can put my weight into the very center of the top windowsill and push it up with a forceful thrust. The window gives way and slides open, a bit too noisily for my comfort. But it's enough for me to snake through. I unwrap the rope from my waist and go through the window, feet first.

Once I'm inside, I carefully move to the edge of the loft and look down. It's a wide-open, empty warehouse except for a lot of junk stacked along the sides of the room–mostly old appliances like refrigerators and stoves. I see a couple of doors leading to other parts of the building.

There's no one around.

A set of unsupported wooden stairs leads down from the loft. I start to take them, but they creak loudly. Instead I leap off the steps and land on all fours with a quiet thud. One single noise is better than a series of horrible creaks.

I focus on the door I know leads to a series of rooms in a corridor. Once again I take the Five-seveN and flip on the T.A.K. I aim it at the door and this time the screen turns red. Somebody is talking behind the door. I creep to the wall, flatten myself, and listen.

The voices are muffled, but they're speaking in Russian, that much I can tell. I consider storming through the door and blasting the hell out of them, but before I can act, I hear footsteps approaching.

The door swings open, hiding me behind it. Two men emerge and walk toward the middle of the warehouse. They've got AK-47s around their shoulders.

"Turn on the lights, Yuri," one says in Russian. "I can't see a fucking thing."

The one called Yuri walks toward the front of the building. Shit. They're going to hit the lights and here I am standing behind the door. So what do I do? I slip around the door without being seen and go into the corridor, just as the lights come on.

The corridor is well lit, but there's no one else here. I see three rooms. The doors to two rooms are open, probably the Russians' quarters–I see cots and signs of day-today living. One door is closed. I flip on the thermal vision in my goggles and see an indication that there's a warm body lying horizontally inside the room. Could it be Sarah? I decide to give it a try.

The door is locked, of course. With one ear trained to the open door at the end of the corridor–I can hear the Russians talking in the warehouse–I carefully take my lock picks and try them. After three attempts, I have it open.

Sarah is inside, lying on a cot.

40

" SARAH!" I whisper. She looks up, startled. Her eyes widen when she sees me. Of course, I look like an alien from outer space in my uniform and goggles. I raise the goggles so she can see my face.

"It's me," I say.

"Dad!" She lunges and grabs hold of me as if I'm the last man on earth.

"Shhh!" I whisper. "You've got to be quiet. I'm gonna get you out of here."

"Oh, Dad, I knew you'd come!" She starts to cry and I stroke her dark hair.

"Are you all right? Did they hurt you?"

"A little. I'm . . . I'm a little weak."

"Can you walk?"

"I'll try."

She gets to her feet, but I can see she's very unsteady. I'll have to carry her. I let her lean against the wall as I peer out the door to the corridor. It's still clear.

"Honey, wait here, I'll be back for you," I say.

"Don't leave me!" She almost panics.

"Sarah, the bad guys are right in there. I have to take care of them first. I promise I'll be back for you."

She takes a deep breath and wipes her face. "Okay."

"That's my girl. Don't make a sound."

I leave and close the door behind me, unlocked. I take the Five-seveN, attach the suppressor, and shoot out the two overhead lights in the corridor. I'm plunged into darkness, so I lower my goggles and turn on the night vision.

I peer through the door to the warehouse and see that the two Russians have stepped outside through the front. The place is empty. I quickly enter the space, drop to one knee, and aim the Five-seveN at the work lights. I shoot out all six of them. Now the only illumination in the place comes from the open front door, and it's not much.

I run and find the steps leading to the loft. I quickly ascend the stairs and make it to the second floor just as the two men return. I quietly swing the SC-20K off my shoulder and ready it.

"Hey, did you turn off the lights?" one of them asks the other.

"No." I see the one called Yuri go back to the light switches and flick them. "What the hell?"

"Did we lose power?"

"I . . . I don't think so. Vlad, quickly!" They start for the front door, picking up on the possibility that I may have arrived earlier than expected. I rise, aim the rifle at the door and prepare to pick them off–when I feel the muzzle of a gun at the back of my head.

"Don't move!" shouts a voice. "Drop the weapon! Yuri! Vlad! I have him!"

The two Russians stop and look to the loft. "Eli? Is that you?"

"Yes. Drop it!" I let the rifle fall. "Raise your hands!" I do so.

Eli. Eli Horowitz, the one who betrayed my daughter. He's standing behind me with a gun to my head. The nearby lantern casts a dim glow over us, and now the Russians can surely see me.

"Bring him down!" one of them shouts.

"Get moving," Horowitz says. "To the stairs."

I slowly walk toward the stairs as Horowitz follows, the gun in one hand and the lantern in the other. A bright light flicks on below. Apparently one of the Russians found a floodlight that isn't connected to the main work lights switch. Now the room is dimly illuminated.

"You're early, Mr. Fisher!" the one called Yuri says. "We had a surprise party prepared for you, but it's not ready yet."

"Yeah, come back in the morning," Vlad says, laughing.

When I'm at the top of the steps, I abruptly step back into Horowitz, grab his gun arm, easily pull the weapon out of his hand, and then throw his body over my shoulder onto the stairs. He lands in the middle, on his back, and the entire staircase collapses from age and his weight. Horowitz yelps in pain as he falls to the floor amidst the debris.

Before I can do much besides leap for cover, both Russians let loose with their AK-47s. The bullets rattle everything in the loft as I crouch behind an old stove.

"Mr. Fisher?" I hear Captain Weiss in my ear. "What's happening?"

"Bring in the men, Captain!" I order, pressing my implant. "I'm up in the loft, there's three of them on the ground floor!"

More bullets whiz at me as I dart from behind the stove. I feel the heat of a round snapping at my right boot, too close for comfort. I make it to a more strategic position behind a large refrigerator, though, and take a moment to catch my breath. I turn off the night vision and see that the two Russians have taken cover behind the appliances on opposite sides of the floor. Shit, they'll be able to pick off the Shin Bet as they come through the door.

"Captain!" I say. "Don't come through the front do–"

But it's too late. The front door bursts open and three men rush inside. The two Russians are surprised but have the presence of mind to draw their fire toward the intruders. The three Shin Bet are hit and fall to the floor.

I reach into the Osprey and pull out two smoke grenades. I activate them to explode on contact and then throw them into the middle of the space. They burst loudly, quickly enveloping the room with thick, black smoke.

The Russians below me fire blindly into the middle of the room and up in my direction. I take the risk of jumping off the loft, landing hard on the floor. I hear windows breaking in other parts of the building–probably in the back rooms–as more men penetrate the hideout by other means. I run for cover as the Russians continue to fire in all directions. There are shouts and bursts of gunfire in the back of the building–were there other kidnappers inside? In the cover of the smoke I rush across the floor and return to the dark corridor. I burst into Sarah's room and find her lying by the cot. I pick her up in my arms and carry her out. When I reach the warehouse again, more Shin Bet have entered and taken cover, shooting in the direction of the hidden Russians. The noise is intense, and I feel my daughter shaking against me. I can't go that way, so I run through the corridor to the back door of the building. More Shin Bet have broken it down and are rushing inside. I let them through, and then Sarah and I leave the building, out into the fresh air. I run a good thirty yards from the warehouse before I stop and place her on the ground.

"Sarah, honey, talk to me!"

"Dad!" She isn't letting go.

I raise my goggles and finally get a good look at her. She has some bruises on her arms and around her face.

"What did those bastards do to you?"

"They hurt me with pliers," she sobs. "I didn't want to give them your secret number, but I couldn't take it, Dad. I couldn't take it."

I hold her close and stroke her head. "It's all right, Sarah. You did the right thing. No one can handle that. But you're going to be all right now."

Captain Weiss and another soldier appear behind me. "Mr. Fisher? Is she okay?" Weiss asks.

I nod, but she's not about to let go of me.

"Sergeant Marcus here will take her to safety," Weiss says.

I pick up Sarah again. "Sarah, honey, this soldier will take you away from here."

"Don't go!" she cries.

"Sarah, I promise I'll be right back to be with you and take you home. But first I have to go in there and play angry father. They can't do what they've done to my little girl!"

She smiles but still clings to me. I turn to the sergeant and he takes her into his own arms. Sarah doesn't protest. The sergeant runs with her down the road as Captain Weiss hands me a Tavor Micro Assault Weapon.

"Would you like this?"

"You bet."

I take it, lower my goggles, and rush for the back door.

The inside of the warehouse is a firestorm. I take cover behind more junk on the side and see that the two Russians are perched behind strong cover, firing at us with impunity. Another dead Shin Bet lies on the floor, and the rest of the team is firing from behind whatever protection they can find. I take aim with the Tavor and shoot, but the two targets are very well protected. The one mistake they made, though, is that they have no way to escape. Eventually they're going to run out of ammo.

Then one of the Shin Bet throws a grenade at the wall where a Russian is holed up. When it explodes, I hear the man cry out in pain. The Russian, obviously wounded, makes a last ditch attempt to kill some of us. He stands–it's the one called Vlad–then steps from behind a refrigerator and wildly fires his AK-47. The Shin Bet easily pick him off, and the man falls, hitting the floor with a splat.

The smoke from my grenade has begun to clear, and the other kidnapper continues to shoot at us. This time I take one of my own frag grenades, set it to explode on contact, and toss it toward him. When it goes off, the Russian's gunfire ends abruptly. All is quiet for a moment. I hear the captain give an order, and two Shin Bet run to inspect the damage. They rummage around and eventually pull Yuri's limp body from the junk. They drag him to the clear area and toss him to the floor. Another splat.

I move to the dead kidnappers and look at their faces. I don't recognize them.

"Search the rest of the building," the captain orders his men. He approaches me and asks if I know them.

"I've never seen them before," I answer. "They called each other Vlad and Yuri."

"We'll be able to identify them soon enough."

I turn back to the rubble of the fallen staircase and realize that someone is missing. "Where did–? There was another one here earlier," I say.

"My sergeant tells me they got one of them in the back. Shot him when they came through the windows."

I move toward the back rooms and find the body of the kidnapper in question. He's a young man, shot several times in the chest, but he's not Eli Horowitz. One of the Shin Bet is going through his wallet and papers.

"You have an ID on him yet?" I ask.

"Yes, sir. His name is Noel Brooks. Lived in East Jerusalem."

I join the search through the rest of the building but stop momentarily to consult Carly's blueprint.

"Hey, there's a trapdoor to a basement in this place," I tell the men. I point and lead them in the direction where I believe it to be. Sure enough, I find it near the back entrance. One of the soldiers opens the large trap, revealing a set of stairs descending to a dark basement. I follow two men down and switch on my night vision.

The place is moldy and dusty. It's full of scrap metal and pieces of broken bathroom fixtures–sinks and bathtubs. The air is foul and I can't imagine anyone being down here for more than ten minutes. The Shin Bet soldiers shine flashlights around the room and look behind some of the junk.

"Nothing here, sir," one of them says.

"Yeah," I say. "Carry on, I'll stay and take a closer look."

The men ascend the stairs and disappear. I stand in the center of the basement and slowly circle in place. Just for grins I switch my goggles to thermal vision in the hopes that I'll catch a breathing body. Nothing. However, just before I switch back to night vision, I notice some heat signatures on the floor. I bend to examine them more closely and realize they're not heat signatures at all but rather footprints left on the dusty floor. I switch to fluorescent mode and pick up more indications of disturbance in the dust. I can now trace an imaginary line along the footprints that leads to a corner of the room where more dilapidated kitchen appliances are piled. There's a lot of junk in-between so I shove stuff out of the way, making a clear path to the area. Eventually I have to climb over a pile of rubble to get there.

I see three old refrigerators, several sinks, two stoves . . . all of it appears to be from the sixties or seventies. I open each of the refrigerators and find them empty. I try the stoves next and there's nothing inside them. I'm about to give up when I notice that a bathtub is leaning sideways against the wall, tub-side in. I reach over and pull the thing down.

Inside is Eli Horowitz, cowering in fright. My Tavor is in his face faster than he can blink.

"Don't shoot!" he cries.

"Get the fuck out of there and keep your hands where I can see them."

The young man scrambles out of the tub and raises his arms. With one hand I frisk him. I don't find anything, but I'm intentionally rough on his groin. He winces but stays silent.

Once I'm satisfied that he's unarmed, I grab him by the shirt collar and lift him off the ground. His eyes widen with fright as I growl, "I ought to kill you right here. I ought to snap your neck in two and leave you to rot, you filthy little shit." I swear I'm about to do just that, too, but the look of fear in the kid's face stops me. He may be twenty-three years old, but right now he looks thirteen.

I let go of his shirt and he falls to the floor. He grovels in front of me, muttering, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"Get up, asshole." I pull him to his feet and shake him. "Pull yourself together." He sniffs, wipes his nose, and nods.

I bring Eli Horowitz upstairs and take him outside. The Shin Bet's vehicles have been brought to the warehouse, and I see Sarah sitting in the back of one. I lead Horowitz to Captain Weiss and say, "Here's a live one for you. I think you'll find he's willing to tell you everything."

Horowitz's eyes move to the car where Sarah sits.

"Please, sir," he says to me. "I'd like to tell her I'm sorry."

"I don't think so," I answer. "You're lucky I didn't cut your balls off when I found you."

But Sarah calls out, "Eli!"

She opens the car door but remains sitting, a blanket around her, and gestures for us to come over there. What the hell, I think. I take the boy to her but keep a firm grip on his neck.

"Sarah," he says. "I'm really sorry . . . for everything. I didn't . . . I really didn't think . . ."

My daughter manages to find the strength to stand and face him. Before he can finish his meandering thought, she spits at him.

"Screw you, Eli," she says. Then she falls back into the seat and wraps the blanket around her.

"I'll take him from here, sir," one of the Shin Bet says. Horowitz is handcuffed and led away.

AFTERan overnight stay in Tel Aviv, I pick up Sarah at a military hospital located at Ben-Gurion Airport. The doctor tells me that she's undernourished and very weak but otherwise in pretty good shape, all things considered. Sarah had undertaken a hunger strike for nearly a week but wisely kept drinking fluids. If she hadn't done so, she'd have been severely dehydrated and very ill. With a few days of rest and a slow buildup of food intake, she should be back to health in no time.

The psychological effects, however, might take years to overcome. The two Russians, who were identified quickly by the Mossad, apparently tortured her to get my contact information. I won't detail what they did, but suffice it to say it involved pliers and a hammer. Thank goodness nothing is broken or maimed–just a lot of bruises that will eventually heal.

Eli Horowitz spilled his guts as soon as the Shin Bet had him in custody. He revealed that he worked for the Shop and there had been a standing order to find me and eliminate me. The only way to do so was through Sarah. I made a full report to Lambert, who is now making arrangements to keep a permanent bodyguard on duty for my daughter, no matter where she is. I realize the odds of this happening again are small, but I'll certainly rest easier.

As for the Shop, the Swiss-Russian International Mercantile Banks in Zurich and Baku were cleaned out, and everyone associated with them has been interrogated and/or arrested. Unfortunately, the top thugs of the organization, including mastermind Andrei Zdrok, have escaped. No one knows where they are, but I'm sure we'll hear from them sooner or later. A major concern for all of us is how our security might have been breached. The Shop had a hit list of Splinter Cells–how did they get it? I'm sure this will be a priority for me in the near future.

The Shadows is a crippled organization. Nothing was left of the shopping mall complex–or the Babylon Phoenix–and over a hundred of the men working there were killed. It's unclear if the terrorists have the capacity to regroup and elect a new leader, but one thing is for sure–they'll have a much harder time obtaining funding. The Turkish came out of the situation with egg on their faces, but in the end they owned up to the mistakes made with regard to Namik Basaran, aka Nasir Tarighian. The Iranian government sent the Turks a congratulatory note, thanking them for uprooting Tarighian and doing the job of getting rid of him. It saved Iran the trouble. Ironically, though, they didn't send the U.S. a thank-you card.

Later in the morning Sarah and I board a military jet to take us to Washington. A couple of young U.S. Marines push her in a wheelchair and lavish her with a lot of attention, which she loves. She's beginning to eat and, more important, starting to smile and laugh again. She's tough, like her old man, so I expect her to bounce back relatively quickly.

We settle into our seats and wait the obligatory twenty minutes before the plane is ready to lift off. Sarah takes my hand and rests her head against my shoulder. She yawns and then sighs heavily.

"I'm glad you're okay," I say. "If anything had happened to you . . ."

"Shhh," she whispers.

I chuckle and say, "All right, I won't make a big deal out of it. At least not until we get home."

As the plane lifts off, she says, quietly, "I love you, Dad."

I answer, "I love you, too, kid," but she's already asleep.