The sum of all fears - Tom Clancy [442]
Ryan was quiet for a moment. "Maybe I do. Hold on for a minute." He lifted another phone and dialed the United States Embassy in Mexico City. "This is Ryan calling for the Station Chief. Tony? Jack Ryan here. Is Clark still there? Good, put him on."
"Jesus, Jack, what the hell is -" Ryan cut him off.
"Shut up, John. I have something for you to do. We have two people coming in to the airport there on an American flight from Miami, due in about an hour. We'll fax you the photos in a few minutes. We think they might be involved in this."
"So, it's a terrorist gig?"
"Best thing we have, John. We want those two, and we want them fast."
"Might be a problem from the local cops, Jack," Clark warned. "I can't exactly have a shoot-out down here."
"Is the ambassador in?"
"I think so."
"Transfer me over and stand by."
"Right."
"Ambassador's office," a female voice said.
"This is CIA Headquarters, and I need the ambassador right now!"
"Surely." The secretary was a cool one, Ryan thought.
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Mr Ambassador, this is Jack Ryan, Deputy Director of CIA-"
"This is an open phone line."
"I know that! Shut up and listen. There are two people coming into Mexico City airport in an American Airlines flight from Miami. We need to pick them up and get them back here just as fast as we can."
"Our people?"
"No, we think they're terrorists."
"That means arresting them, clearing it through the local legal system and -"
"We don't have time for that!"
"Ryan, we can't strong-arm these people, they won't stand for it."
"Mr Ambassador, I want you to call the President of Mexico right now, and I want you to tell him that we need his cooperation - it's life-and-death, okay? If he doesn't agree immediately, I want you to tell him this, and I need you to write it down. Tell him that we know about his retirement plan. Okay? Use those exact words, we know about his retirement plan."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that you say exactly that, do you understand?"
"Look, I don't like playing games and -"
"Mr Ambassador, if you do not do exactly what I'm telling you, I will have one of my people render you unconscious and then have the DCM make the call."
"You can't threaten me like that!"
"I just did, pal, and if you think I'm kidding, you just fucking try me!"
"Temper, Jack," Ben Goodley cautioned.
Ryan looked away from the phone. "Sir, excuse me. It's very tense here, okay, we've had a nuclear device go off in Denver, and this may be the best lead we have.
Look, there isn't time for niceties. Please. Play along with me. Please."
"Very well."
Ryan let out a breath. "Okay. Tell him also that one of our people, a Mr Clark, will be at the airport security office in a few minutes. Mr Ambassador, I cannot emphasize enough how important this is. Please do it now."
"I'll do it. You'd better calm down up there," the career foreign-service officer advised.
"We're trying very hard, sir. Please have your secretary transfer me back to the Station Chief. Thank you." Ryan looked over to Goodley. "Just hit me over the fucking head if you feel the need, Ben."
"Clark."
"We're faxing some photos down, along with their names and seat assignments. Okay, you are to check in with the airport security boss before you grab 'em. You still have the airplane down there?"
"Right."
"When you have 'em, get 'em aboard, and get 'em the hell up here."
"Okay, Jack. We're on it."
Ryan killed the line and picked up on Murray. "Fax the data you have to our Station Chief Mexico. I have two field officers on the scene, good ones, Clark and Chavez."
"Clark?" Murray asked, as he handed the fax information to Pat O'Day. "The same one who -"
"That's the man."
"I wish him luck."
The tactical problem was complex. Dubinin had an anti-submarine aircraft overhead and could not afford to make a single mistake. Somewhere ahead was an American missile submarine that he fully intended to destroy. He had ordered it to protect himself, the captain reasoned. He had