Operation Hell Gate - Marc Cerasini [59]
Eighty people had perished at Waco, including a dozen children that the FBI was supposed to have been rescuing. The fires had been fed by that military-type tear gas — a gas with incendiary properties when used in a confined space like the Branch Davidian compound or the basement of a Brooklyn tenement.
So what was the FBI doing using the same type of incendiary tear gas canisters? Did they really want to botch another raid? Either the FBI was refusing to learn from its previous fatal blunder, or someone was out to kill Taj and his comrades, not capture them.
But even that scenario didn't make sense to Jack. Wasn't FBI agent Frank Hensley using Taj, along with the Lynch brothers, to carry out his scheme? So why wouldn't Hensley try to protect his accomplices? Why would Hensley let Taj die if the Afghani terrorist still had a role to play? The only thing that made sense to Jack was the notion that Taj and his men had outlived their usefulness and had to be disposed of before they talked to the wrong people. But if that was the case, then why the frantic delivery of the attache case, unless it contained another bomb like the one that killed Dante Arete, but meant to kill the Afghanis?
Jack's head was spinning, as much from the mystery he was trying to solve as from the gas. The only two people who could answer Jack's questions were Taj Ali Kahlil and Special Agent Frank Hensley. The FBI agent was out of reach, so Jack's only choice now was to stick close to Taj.
Suddenly Jack felt a crushing grip on his forearm. A wet cloth was slapped onto his shoulders. He looked up to find Taj standing over him. The man had a cloth wrapped around his own nose and mouth to block the gas. He gestured for Jack to do the same.
From the floor above, Jack heard a stampede of booted feet followed by several shots. A long burst from an assault rifle ended with a howl, then a body struck the floor with a solid thump. The smoke in the claustrophobic basement intensified. Now the smell of burning wood mingled with the CS gas fumes. Face wrapped, Jack stood with Taj and an Afghani youth — perhaps fifteen — gripping an Uzi in his trembling hands.
The rickety door opened and another Afghani emerged from the billowing smoke. This man was short but powerfully built, perhaps fifty years old or older. He wore a turban, loose trousers, and a robe. An AK-47 assault rifle was slung over his arm, its muzzle bumping the low ceiling. The newcomer locked eyes with Taj and the men embraced. With whispered words spoken in Pashto, Taj held the man close, and Jack realized he was witnessing a farewell. Finally the man turned, yanked the rifle off his shoulder, and vanished once more into the billowing clouds of tear gas.
Jack grabbed Taj by the arm. "They're using CS gas," he cried over the chaos. "This whole building could burn."
"We are leaving now," Taj replied. "We must retrieve the attache case immediately or all our sacrifices will be for nothing."
"Forget the case. I need to see Tanner," croaked Jack, choking back a cough.
"The attache first, Mr. Lynch. Then I shall take you to Felix Tanner."
* * *
7:17:19 A.M. EDT
CTU Headquarters, Los Angeles
Nina Myers emerged from Jack Bauer's office and walked to the head of the metal stairs. Below, the Mission Center was a hive of frantic activity. She watched the action in silence, contemplating her next move.
Nearly every member of the Crisis Management Team was preoccupied. Tony Almeida and Jessica Schneider were interrogating the prisoner Saito, and with Milo Pressman and half of CTU's Cyber Unit dispatched to the Green Dragon Computers store in Little Tokyo to crack their mainframe, pretty much every analyst was doing double duty. They were stretched too thin as it was, and things were about to get worse.
"Listen up," Nina called in a loud voice. "I'm starting a second Threat Clock..."
Shock and disbelief greeted the news. Nina continued to speak over the noise.
"This second Threat Clock is a countdown.