Vanishing Point - Marc Cerasini [88]
The gas hissed loudly as a blue jet of fire spewed from the nozzle. Tony feared the enemy would hear the sound, but the whine of the fuel pump masked the noise. Tony ignited the second welder, and wth a tank in each hand, he positioned them on the hose rack so the blue flame bored into the side of the fuel tank.
Then Tony ran, circling the hangar in the hope that the building would be enough to protect him from the explosion to come. He counted to ten, then to twenty. Tony was about to circle back to see what went wrong when an orange ball of fire shot up into the purpling sky. A powerful wave of debris and hot gasses rocked the hangar, shattering windows and blowing out the electricity. That same scorching wind washed over Tony a split second later, knocking him flat on his back, singeing his hair and blistering the skin across his torso.
The first blast was followed by a secondary explosion, then a third. Keeping his eyes closed, his hands over his face, Tony waited a full five minutes before he peeked out over the edge of the pit. A grim smile creased his battered face when he saw the remains of the Boeing 737 scattered all over the runway.
Playing a hunch, Tony checked the display on the late Steve Sable's cell phone. His smile widened into a grin when he realized he must have destroyed the jamming system with the airplane, because now the cell phone had locked onto a powerful signal.
Tony knew there was only one man who could help him stop this invasion. By the wavering light of the burning debris, Tony dialed Jack Bauer's cell phone...
* * *
5:39:26 a.m. PDT
Groom Lake Secure Terminal
McCarran Airport, Las Vegas
Jack burst through the glass doors, leading with his Glock. As soon as he entered the terminal, he smelled death. Back to the wall, Jack moved cautiously along the corridor, shifting his Glock with his gaze.
"Clear," he called. Curtis came through next.
Clock in hand, he moved to the opposite end of the hall, checked all four points of the compass before he called "clear."
Finally Nina entered in a crouch, gun held low but ready.
It took them only a few minutes to determine the terminal was deserted, except for the dead.
"They launched their raid from here," Jack said. "They killed everyone and hijacked the airliner. Disguised as a regulation flight, they landed at Groom Lake and took over the base."
Nina averted her eyes from the carnage around them. "Tony said the attackers spoke Chinese. This might not be terrorism, Jack."
"Then we're at war," Jack replied, face grim.
"What's our next move?" Curtis asked.
Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "CTU has been mobilized, but it's almost sunrise and we don't have time to wait for reinforcements to arrive," Jack replied. "Anyway, I'm sure the raiders are prepared to deal with any large-scale assault. Tony estimated there were between twenty and thirty commandos, all highly trained — too many for him to stop alone. They have hostages, and they have radar and anti-aircraft missiles at the base. If they need to, they could threaten American lives, or turn our own weapons against us."
Nina met Jack's gaze. "So you're thinking what?"
"We'll split up here," Jack replied. "I'm going over to the main terminal, see if I can commandeer an airplane or helicopter. I'll fly in below the radar if I can."
Curtis frowned. "What about us?"
"The raiders are concentrated around the experimental hangars. I want you to join up with Morris and approach that section of Groom Lake Air Force Base by land."
Curtis shook his head. "There's only one road in or out of there. They bad guys are sure to be guarding it."
"Then it's simple," Jack replied. "Don't use the roads."
19THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 6 A.M. AND 7 A.M. PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME
9:03:05 a.m. EDT
Central Intelligence Agency Headquarters
Langley,