Necessary Retribution (41 page)

James Chapple, the new Director of the CIA frantically waved at the president as he talked to someone on the phone.

“Stop the shot! Stop the shot!”

The president didn't understand what the director was trying to say. “What are you talking about?”

“Tell them not to kill Marlette!”

Ernie was furious and screamed into the phone to the Director of the CIA.

“If you sons of bitches have killed Robin, we will bring you down! All I have to do is push a button and everything we know and have done will go to every major newspaper and media outlet in the world!”

“I'm trying to stop it, I'm trying!”

“Trying isn't good enough!”

Alex glared at the captain, Dimitry Anglov.

“Shoot down the helicopters!”

“I am not going to risk my men and this submarine over one American spy,” the captain calmly replied.

“That man saved millions of Russian lives and helped me recover these nuclear weapons! Shoot down the helicopters!”

“I'm sorry. I'm not going to give such an order and you will not shoot either.”

Admiral Ellison overheard the commotion in the White House situation room. He didn't need to be told what to do. He repeated his order.

“Do not shoot Marlette! Did you get my order?!”

Silence was his answer.

Confusion reigned on the Marine helicopter. The shot had gone off. The pilot screamed into the intercom. The Marine Captain yelled over the tactical net. Sgt. Barclay held his head over the edge of the helicopter floor and puked over the side. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

“You okay, Eno?” Sgt. Smiley asked.

“F-f-fuck no, I'm not okay! I just killed someone who shouldn't have been killed!” Tears were streaming down Barclay's face.

“Hate to break the news to you sport, but you missed Marlette.”

“What?!”

“You missed Marlette and shot the Asian guy. That son of a bitch jumped Marlette and knocked him down just at the right time and you hit him instead of Marlette…and you tore a big hunk out of the gunwale of the boat and hit the sub, too, but it doesn't look like it did any damage to the sub.”

The instant Robin saw the sniper, he was slammed to the deck from the back. He thought he had been shot at first, but realizing he
wasn't hit, he looked over and saw the Chinese agent's body lying on the deck with everything above the chest missing. Ahmed was on his knees screaming. Robin grabbed Ahmed and jumped through the door into the weather room and went prone next to the wall. He pulled Ahmed close to him and felt the boy trembling. He kept his MP5 trained on the ISI man. A large hole was in the gunwale near where he last stood and the remains of the Korean's head and shoulders were sprayed all over the deck. Anger surged through him. He considered crawling to the door and emptying a magazine at the chopper, when he heard the noise of the helicopters fading. His satellite phone beeped.

“Hello.”

“Colonel Marlette?”

“This is Robin Marlette, but judging by the last few seconds, I don't think I'm a colonel anymore, but I am one hundred percent pissed off! Just who in the hell thinks I need to die! Have you idiots gone fucking nuts?!”

“This is Admiral Ellison. I command Task Force Sea Strike One and now I'm finally in full control of this operation. I apologize for the attempt to kill you. It's not something I would've recommended. Can we discuss this situation?”

“You picked a hell of time to tell me you want to talk, Admiral. Sixty seconds ago would have worked a lot better!”

“Bear with me here, Colonel. Things have not been going the way I wanted it. You have my word on that, but as I said, I have full control now. I'd like to talk man to man about this.”

Robin winced at these words. He'd heard them before. “What's your combat experience, Admiral?”

There was a pause. “Well, I fought in Vietnam in the Mobile Riverine Force on the Mekong Delta. I commanded a patrol boat as a junior officer and a lieutenant. From there I went into the SEALs and saw action in several places, including Panama and Grenada. Then I was assigned as the executive officer to a Marine Expeditionary Unit task force and now I command one.”

“When you were in the Riverine Force? Did you know Bud Hallen?”

“Damn sure did! He served on my second boat! How do you know Bud?”

“He's on the Arizona Highway Patrol. I used to work with him. He used to tell me about his boat commander. He spoke highly of you.”

“Well I'll be damned. I'd like to see that man again.”

“I'm sure he'd like to see you too, sir.” Robin took several deep breaths. “Okay, I'll listen.”

There were several minutes of silence. “Well, Colonel, let's start with you telling me what's going on.”

Robin took another deep breath. “Admiral, we're going to get along a lot better if you just tell the FBI negotiator to go home. If we can't talk as fellow warriors, then this conversation is going nowhere.”

Another period of silence went by. “Okay, Colonel, he's gone.”

“Call me Robin, Admiral. Like I said, I don't think the colonel title is valid anymore.”

“Okay, Robin, let's start over. As I understand it, you are in possession of items a lot of people want, including nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, no one has really explained to me what they are and who owns them.”

“Myself and Colonel Alexander Prokenzi from the GRU, we're in possession of two Russian tactical nukes stolen from the Soviets by a renegade general named Picushkin. We stopped him from delivering them to the Al-Qaeda terrorist group. We also seized fifty million dollars in cash. Alex has taken the two nukes and twenty-five million dollars onto the sub along with General Picushkin. I have the other twenty five million.”

“I was told there were other top secret documents on the yacht.”

“We'll have to talk about that if and when we meet. I also have a wounded Pakistani ISI agent in custody with me. I did have a Chinese Intelligence agent in custody also, but you guys just killed him. Lastly, I have a young Pakistani boy who was made an orphan during this whole mess and who you guys have managed to scare shitless. That's the score so far.”

“You stopped the delivery of nukes to Al-Qaeda?!”

“My team and Alex's Spetsnaz team did. Then Alex and I recovered two more on this yacht. Call the Russian sub and ask for Colonel Prokenzi. He'll verify what I just told you.”

“Can you standby for a few?” Robin's phone was beeping an incoming call from Ernie.

“Well, I was planning to drop a line in the water and see what I could catch, but I'll wait.”

The Admiral laughed. “Okay, Robin. I'll get right back with you.”

“Yes, sir.”

Robin switched calls.

“Hey, Ernie, are you guys all right?”

“Us?! Did they try to kill you?”

“Indeed they did.”

“That does it. I'm going to the media.”

“Hold on, ol’ buddy. Things have calmed down. Just hang loose until I get back to you.”

“Are you sure?”

“I'm sure.”

“Okay, if you say so Rob, but personally I think we should blast everything to the media.”

“Don't do anything yet.”

Robin ended the call. He looked at Ahmed, who still trembled. “Ahmed, it's going to be all right. I'll take care of you. Do you have any family in Pakistan now?”

“I have an uncle, but he is mean. He beats my aunt and my cousins.”

“What about grandparents?”

“They died.”

“Okay, one way or the other I will make sure you and your brother are going to be safe.”

Ahmed hugged Robin tight. “I want to go home with you!”

“I'd like that myself, Ahmed, I just don't know if I can swing it, but we'll give it the ol’ college try.”

The phone beeped.

“Hello.”

“Robin, I just talked to Colonel Prokenzi and he verified everything you told me. I can't tell you how upset I am this situation got so far out of hand and I will tell the president he needs to fire whoever recommended you be targeted.”

“Okay, Admiral. Where do we go from here.”

“Can we give the ISI agent back to the Pakistanis?”

“Admiral, this asshole is the main contact with Al-Qaeda for the ISI. He is an intelligence bonanza, if we can hang on to him.”

“As much as I would like to keep him, the Paks are raising hell and threatening to sever ties with us if we don't give him back.”

“Of course they are. They don't want us to know what they've been up to.”

“Robin, I have to give him back.”

Robin took a deep breath and shook his head. “You're running the show, Admiral.”

“Good. They're sending a boat over now. The choppers are coming back, but this time it's to protect you.”

“I can take care of myself, thank you.”

“Work with me, Robin.”

Robin weighed his options…there weren't many. “All right, Admiral. I'm putting a lot of faith in you.”

“I know, Robin. I know.”

A few minutes later the helicopters came back as a tender from the Pakistani destroyer that came along side the yacht. Four unarmed sailors came aboard, put the ISI agent on a stretcher and took him off the yacht. Ahmed starting trembling more and held tightly to Robin.

“Robin are you there?”

“I'm here, Admiral.”

“Are you ready to be picked up?”

“The boy and I are ready.”