Tom Clancy's op-center_ acts of war - Tom Clancy [86]
"How can that be?" Herbert demanded. "Are you sure there isn't an equipment failure on this end?"
"Positive," said Chingmy. "It's as if someone nuked an area ten miles across. There's nothing but static."
"What about the Rhyolite?" Herbert asked. The Rhyolite was a small, orbiting radio telescope in a 22,300-mile-high geostationary orbit. Guiding a high-gain beam to earth, it was able to detect even the faintest electronic signals. The most common of these signals was side-lobe energy, radio beam energy which spilled at angles from the main beam. Sigint specialists were usually able to decipher the primary messages from the contents of this leakage.
"The Rhyolite's gone out too," Chingmy replied.
"It's got to be interference from the ROC," Herbert said.
"That's what we decided," Chingmy said. "We're working on reestablishing contact. But it's as if someone threw a blocking program into the ROC computers. They just don't want to let us in."
Herbert told his assistant to update him one way or the other. Less than a minute later, before he could return to discussing the Bekaa Valley message with Martha, his phone rang again.
"Yes, Ching?" he said. Only it wasn't his assistant this time.
"I have someone who wishes to speak with you," said the caller.
Herbert slapped the speaker button and fired a look at Martha. "Mike," he mouthed.
Martha turned to her computer keyboard and typed:
Priority One: Triangulate call on Bob Herbert's cell phone. Expedite.
She E-mailed the message to Radio Reconnaissance Director John Quirk, then listened to Herbert's conversation.
"What do you see when you look for your van?" asked the caller.
"First tell me," said Herbert, "with whom have I the pleasure of speaking."
"One who holds your van and its crew of six," the caller replied. "If you wish it to remain a crew of six instead of five, please answer."
Herbert swallowed his quick temper. "We see nothing when we look for the van," he replied.
"Nothing? Describe this nothing."
"We see color static," said Herbert. "Confetti. Glitter."
Herbert was watching Martha. She received a "Mapping in progress" reply from Quirk. From this point it would take the RRD another twenty-five seconds to position the caller.
"Is there anything we can do for you all?" Herbert asked pleasantly as he slipped into his old Philadelphia, Mississippi, drawl. "Maybe we can talk about this, uh--this situation? Find a way to help you."
"The only assistance we require is the following. We wish you to make certain that the Turkish government does not stop us from reaching and then crossing the border," the caller said.
"Surely, sir, you must understand that we don't have the authority to do that."
"Get it," the caller said. "If I ring you again, it will be so you can hear the sound of the bullet which ends the life of one of your spies."
A moment later the line went dead. Martha gave Herbert a thumbs-up.
"The ROC is exactly where the ES4 placed it," Martha said. "Right outside of Oguzeli, Turkey. It hasn't moved."
"But it will," Herbert said.
Martha swung her high-backed chair around so she was facing away from the others. Then she phoned her assistant and asked him to ring the Turkish Ambassador's office at the Chancery in Washington.
While she waited, Herbert tapped the armrests of his chair.
"What are you thinking, Bob?" Ann asked.
"I'm thinking that I can't get anyone over to Oguzeli in time to follow the ROC," he said. "And if we try to watch it from space, all we'll get is ten miles of video and audio garbage."
"Is there any other way you can do it?" Ann asked.
"I don't know," Herbert said angrily. He was mostly angry at himself that this had happened. Security was one of his areas of responsibility.
"What about the Russians?" Ann asked. "Paul is pretty close to General Orlov. Maybe their operations center in St. Petersburg can see it."
"We had a scrambler built into the ROC so they couldn't," Herbert said. "Paul may be close to Orlov, but Washington and Moscow are still