State of Siege - Tom Clancy [36]
Rodgers motioned for everyone to be quiet, then punched the speaker button. "We're here," he said. "In the Tank." "What are you hearing?"
"Nothing," Rodgers told him. "No statements, no demands. How are you doing?"
"The phone rang a minute ago," Hood said. "They're sending up an evac team. Before they do, I want to try and see what's going on." Rodgers didn't like the idea of Paul moving around unannounced. Skittish security forces just arriving on the scene could mistake him for a terrorist. But Paul knew that. Paul also knew that if Striker were going to do anything to help get Harleigh and the other kids out, they needed intel.
"I'm at the door," he said. "I hear footsteps outside. Opening- There was a long silence. Rodgers looked at the faces of the other people in the room. Everyone was somber and staring down; Ann was flushed. She had to know everyone was thinking about how she was reacting to all this. Everyone but Rodgers. He was wishing that he were there with Hood, in the thick of this. How did the world turn upside down like this? The manager was in the field, and the soldier was at a desk.
"Hold on," Hood said quietly. "Something's happening.,, There was another silence, this one short. "Mike, there's someone coming out of the Security Council chamber," Hood said. "Oh, Christ," he said a moment later. "Christ."
* * *
TWELVE
New York, New York Saturday, 9:01 P dism.
Reynold Downer stood in one of the two Security Council chamber doorways that opened into the corridor. The double oak doors were in the far northern corner of the long, back wall of the council. Outside and just beyond the doors, a second wall jutted into the corridor perpendicular to the Security Council wall. Downer had opened only the far side door. The Australian was still wearing his ski mask.
In front of Downer was a slender, middleaged man in a black suit. He was Swedish delegate Lddeif Johanson. There was a single sheet of legal-sized paper in his trembling hands. Downer was holding a handful of the man's blond hair and pulling backward slightly. His automatic was pressed to the base of the man's skull. The Australian turned the man so that he was facing away from the corner formed by the two walls.
Ahead of them were a dozen United Nations security guards. The men and women were wearing bulletproof vests and helmets with thick visors. Their guns were drawn. Several of the guards were shaking slightly. That wasn't surprising. Though the bodies of their dead comrades had been removed, their blood was still on the floor.
"Speak," Downer said into the captive's ear. The man looked down at the legal-sized paper. He was trembling hard as he read from it.
"I've been ordered to inform you of the following," he said softly in a Swedish accent.
"Louder!" Downer hissed.
The man spoke up. "You have ninety minutes to deliver 250 million dollars U.s. to the Zurich Confederated Finance account VEB9167681-EPB. The name on the account is false, and any attempts to access it will result in additional deaths. You will also deliver a helicopter with ten-person capacity, running and fully fueled, in the courtyard. We will be taking passengers with us to ensure your continued cooperation. You will notify us by radio on the regular United Nations security channel when both are there. No other communications will be acknowledged. If you fail, one hostage will be killed then and every hour thereafter starting with myself." The man stopped. He had to wait until the paper stopped shaking before continuing. "Any attempt to liberate the hostages will result in the release of poison gas which will kill everyone in the room."
Downer quickly pulled the man back toward the open door. He told him to drop the paper so the officials would have the bank number, then ordered him to shut the door as they stepped inside. When it closed, Downer released the man's hair. The Swede stood there unsteadily.
"I should have tried to run," the Swede muttered. He looked at the door. He was obviously weighing his chances of getting back outside.