Threat Level Black

“The CIA didn’t even know they existed until I saw them,” said Howe. “One of them was just recovered a few days ago. It’s being shipped back for inspection. One of my guys is going to be on the team looking at it. I mean, one of NADT’s guys.”

“Could they have smuggled one of these UAV things out of the country?”

“If they could get an E-bomb out, sure. They’re pretty small. The North Koreans exported all sorts of weapons, Fisher. They used to sell Scud missiles all over the world. We could’ve stopped them, but we didn’t.”

“Mistake, huh?”

“You have any serious questions?”

“If you had one of these E-bombs, you could drop it from a UAV?” asked Fisher.

“You could. Or you could just fly the UAV to a specific point and altitude, then detonate it. There’s a problem, though, from what I’ve heard. The UAV they found has no engine in it.”

“You can’t just slap a motor in the sucker, huh?”

“It’s harder than you think. Has to be pretty small.”

“Who makes small engines?”

“There are a couple of manufacturers. U.S. ”

“Can I get a list?”

“Sure. There’s another problem. You have to control it somehow. Controlling an aircraft over many miles can be pretty tricky. Even something like the Predator-”

“Why do you have to control it?” asked Fisher. “Can’t you just program the course in, if you’re going to blow it up anyway?”

“You could, I think,” he said.

“Who would know?”

“I can find somebody at NADT for you.”

“What’s his number?”

“I’ll have him call you. Won’t be until Monday.”

“Sooner the better.”

“Monday.”

Fisher prodded a cigarette from his pack. He was out of matches and his lighter had no more fluid. He started rifling Macklin’s drawers, but all he found were a few old Playboy s.

Left by the drug dealers, no doubt.

“What about a sarin bomb?” asked Fisher.

“Sarin? The nerve gas?”

“Yeah. Could you put that on a UAV?”

“Sure, but there’d be no point,” Howe told him.

“Why not?”

“Has to be used in a closed area if it’s going to be effective.”

While that wasn’t precisely true, it would be much more effective if that was the case. And besides, the canisters they’d found on Staten Island were rigged for high pressure-the experts thought they would attach to a sophisticated dispersion system-but not shaped into bombs.

“Tell you what, Colonel: See if you can hunt down that expert for me before the weekend. If you can, call me. If you can’t, no big de-”

“I can’t,” said Howe before Fisher could finish.

“No big deal unless I call back and say it is a big deal.”

Howe hesitated. Fisher smiled at the face he’d be making. “All right.”

“You’re a good man, Colonel. Even if you don’t smoke,” said Fisher, hanging up.

Chapter 15

Clarissa Moore, the CIA officer heading the special study group, was waiting for Tyler when he and the others got back to South Korea. Tyler shuffled his feet across the macadam toward her Hummer, his legs so tired they felt as if there were lead weights strapped to his thighs.

“Hey,” he said, climbing into the truck.

“Hey yourself,” said Moore. “Good job up there. I heard about the UAV.”

“Saved a couple of lives in that helicopter,” said Somers, sliding in behind him.

Tyler leaned back against the seat, half-listening as Somers told the story. He recognized bits of the account, but it seemed foreign, as if he hadn’t been there but had only heard the story before.

Moore twisted around to look at him. “You okay?”

“I just need a little sleep,” he said.

“That’s it?”

No, thought Tyler. I need to escape. I need…Angel’s wings.

“Yeah, I’m beat tired,” he said, forcing as much enthusiasm into his voice as he could, trying to make it sound as if he were laughing at himself.

Chapter 16

Blitz squeezed his eyes together, trying to get them to focus. He was used to operating on very little rest, but even for him the past few days had been a real drain. He had worked over the entire weekend, with maybe a total of four hours’ sleep; it was now Monday morning and he was due to leave in an hour to fly up to New York City with the President. The latest draft of the President’s UN speech sat on his desk; Blitz hadn’t even had a chance to look at it.

Mozelle came in with a fresh cup of coffee. Blitz blinked at the coffee, then reached for it.

“Colonel Howe is outside, with one of his technical people from NADT. He says he has information about the Korean UAV.”

Blitz looked at his watch.

“Send him in. But buzz me in ten minutes if they’re not out.”

“I was going to give you five.”

Blitz took a sip of the coffee and rose, willing his body into alertness.

“Colonel, congratulations,” he said as Howe entered. “I understand you and Dick Nelson reached an agreement last Thursday. I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to get to you since then, it’s been a zoo here. Has the NADT board voted yet?”

“They gave Mr. Nelson the go-ahead before he spoke to me,” said Howe.

“Congratulations.” Blitz came out from around the desk and shook Howe’s hand.

“That’s not why I’m here.”