Collateral Damage - Marc Cerasini [91]
"If he starts that engine, the men who are supposed to be hiding inside that frailer will know something's up," Gorman warned.
"Do not fire," Captain Kelly repeated.
"You ready to shoot, Chuck?" Gorman asked.
"Ready," Romeo said after a short pause.
"Fire on three," Gorman said, aiming.
"Stand down and wait for my command," Kelly warned.
"Do not fire."
"One," said Gorman.
"Stand down, I said!" Kelly cried.
"Two."
Kelly was screaming in their headsets now. "If either of you shoots I'll have your heads..."
In the truck, the driver reached for the ignition. His partner pulled a cell phone from his jacket.
"Three."
Two holes appeared in the windshield simultaneously. Inside the cab, two heads exploded. The men flopped forward, dead. The driver slumped over the steering wheel; the man in the passenger seat dropped to the floor.
"Got them," Gorman whispered. "They're down. I repeat. The targets are dead."
"So are your careers," Kelly growled, his voice icy with rage.
Obviously the Feds had been monitoring the conversation. As soon as Gorman announced the kills, the doors on both vans burst open. Five men in plastic biohazard suits rushed to the truck, dragging what looked like a huge cellophane blanket.
Gorman was impressed by the speed and efficiency with which the men tossed the massive tarp over the vehicle, then sealed the edges of the covering to the pavement with some sort of instant adhesive pumped out of a glue gun.
Inside of a minute they were finished, and a third white van raced into the plaza. This one contained a huge vacuum pump that was immediately attached to the tarp.
Before Gorman and Romeo climbed down from their respective frees, the pump was sucking the air out of the bag, hermetically sealing the vehicle and all its contents.
When they were on the ground, a man in a black jumpsuit approached them. Gorman thought it was a Pittsburgh policeman, but revised his opinion when the man got close enough for Gorman to see the CTU crest on the uniform.
"You're the Feds?" Gorman asked, fully expecting to be arrested.
"Special Agent Clark Goodson, CTU Biological Terrorism Specialist, Midwest Division."
Still juiced with a killer's high, Gorman's adrenaline was pumping and his hands trembled. He fumbled for a reply.
Suddenly the man slapped him on the back. "Exceptional work," Goodson said. "If you'd waited, it would have been too late."
"Tell that to our boss," Romeo replied.
"Oh, I will." Goodson nodded. "And if that a-hole Kelly does take your heads, I'll find you both jobs on a CTU tac team. In fact, I hear L.A. is looking for a few good men."
23
THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 5:00 A.M. AND 6:00 A.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME
5:07:07 A.M. EDT
Security Station One
CTU Headquarters, NYC
The euphoria of taking out the final truck was quickly dampened, once the agent at the scene delivered his report.
"That's all we found here in Pittsburgh, Special Agent Bauer," Goodson said into the computer camera.
Behind the battle-suited speaker, a boxy, six-wheeled military vehicle was visible in the predawn light. Six men in hazard suits, helmets off, clustered around it.
"The truck was packed with conventional explosives," Goodson continued. "C-4 manufactured in Eastern Europe. There were also maps that indicate their target was the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning. They were planning to destroy the skyscraper during the morning rush hour. No biological or chemical agents of any kind are present."
Jack Bauer frowned at the screen. "The bio-weapon could be small, contained in a vial, an aerosol can or even a Breathalyzer."
Goodson shook his head. "We have a rolling CTU Bio-Containment Lab on scene," he said. "Along with a Fox Nuclear Biological Chemical Reconnaissance vehicle which we borrowed from the Army. Both units have scanned the entire scene with monitors so sensitive they could locate a cold germ."
The CTU operative paused. "I'm sorry, Special Agent Bauer. We found nothing."
Jack was about to protest,