I find a nook in the wall that's deep enough to cover me in shadow. I stop running, slip into the cranny, and wait until I hear the two cops enter the alley. They slow down, suddenly realizing I'm not in sight. The men speak to each other in low voices--one of them seems to be adamant that I came this way, the other is not so sure. With their weapons in hand they walk slowly toward me. The element of surprise is key here, so I hold myself back until just the right moment. When I see both of their backs, I step out of the nook and move between them. I grab their shirt collars, one in each hand, and slam the two men together. A pistol discharges and the owner drops it. The two cops are shaken but have the tenacity to turn and face me. Using the Krav Maga technique of moving forward in offense and positioning myself on the opponent's dead side, I prevent the armed cop from shooting me. The "dead side" of an opponent is his "outside." If you face an enemy who has his left foot forward, you must move forward and to your right. Moving in this direction places you in a position where the opponent's hands or feet can't readily strike you since you're at his side. This also allows you to clobber the guy because he's on your "inside." And that's just what I do. A quick jab to his arm causes him to drop his weapon. I swing to the right, raising my leg for a kick, and slam my boot into his chest. He goes down. The other cop is too shocked to budge. I move in, punch him hard in the stomach, and then pound him on the back of the head when he bends over in agony.
The alley's quiet after that.
I take the rope and grappling hook off my shoulder, swing it like a lasso, and throw it onto the roof of the building closest to me. I hear shouts and running footsteps in the square, so I have no time to lose. Getting up the wall is easy, and once I'm at the top I have a bird's-eye view of the Old Town. Below me, three more policemen enter the alley and rouse their stunned colleagues. I move to the other side of the roof so I can see Fountain Square and the bank beyond it. The number of patrol cars has increased and there's a lot of activity around the building.
Using the rooftop route, I head northeast toward the harbor, one shadow at a time.
25
THIRDEchelon's headquarters is nowhere near the National Security Agency, which is housed on Savage Road in Fort Meade, Maryland. The NSA is halfway between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., but Third Echelon resides in a small, nondescript building in the nation's capital, not far from the White House. The reason for this separation is because technically Third Echelon doesn't exist. Most NSA employees will have never heard of Third Echelon. As one of the most classified, top-secret organizations in the government, only those on a "need to know" basis are aware of the faction.
Third Echelon's mission is to activate individual operatives--the Splinter Cells--in targeted locations to assess and access information vital to the security of the United States. Third Echelon is not the CIA or the FBI. While men such as Sam Fisher have a license to kill in the line of duty, it is never an objective. Thus it is important that Third Echelon's support team in Washington provide the most accurate and up-to-date information to the Splinter Cells. It could mean the difference between successful missions with or without bloodshed.
Colonel Irving Lambert and his team had pulled an allnighter reviewing NSA satellite photographs of the Middle East and evaluating various reports pertaining to Fisher's assignment. After Lambert studied the revelations concerning Namik Basaran and the possibility that he may not be what he seemed, he directed the team to have a close look at Akdabar Enterprises' construction site in Northern Cyprus.
Carl Bruford, Third Echelon's director of research analysis, sat with Lambert at the light table examining the photos with a magnifier. Bruford, a thirty-one-year-old man from Illinois, was considered an expert on reading between the lines of intelligence reports and deciphering cryptic messages.
"I'll be damned if I can see anything weird," Bruford said. "The site looks like what Basaran says it is--a shopping mall. It's finished, too, from the looks of it. I don't think it's open to the public yet. There are still a lot of construction vehicles going in and out of the site, but the parking lot is empty."
Lambert rubbed the top of his head and frowned. "I don't like it," he said. "Keep looking. But I'll send this info to Sam anyway."
"Right. Oh, Chief, I had a thought that, I don't know, you might want to consider."
"What's that, Carl?"
"Doesn't Fisher have a daughter?"
"Yes, he does. She's a college student in Illinois."
"Northwestern, right?"
"Yes. Why?"
"I don't know. Just a feeling, but shouldn't we check up on her? I mean, since Fisher's out of the country and all. And, you know, since three of our Splinter Cells are dead."
Lambert made a face and rubbed his head again. "You think we're losing Splinter Cells due to a hit list?"
"I do, Colonel."
"And you think Sam's probably on it?"
"Don't you?"
Lambert looked away and Bruford thought he could see the wheels turning in the man's head. The colonel turned back to Bruford and said, "Yeah, go ahead. Be discreet, though. We don't want to alarm her."
"Will do."
The colonel went into the next room, where Carly St. John was busy working on hacking into Basaran's server. Probably Third Echelon's Most Valuable Player, St. John was a computer programmer extraordinaire, a woman who had the ability to dismantle the most complex code and put it back together the way she wanted. At twenty-eight St. John was the youngest member of the team yet one of the most senior--she held the position of technical director. And while she didn't consider herself attractive, men who met her fell in love at first sight. She was petite--five feet, one inch tall--and had a brunette bob-cut and sparkling blue eyes. She had heard the description "pixie" far too many times.
"How's it coming?" Lambert asked her.
"Well, I'm getting closer," she replied. "It's pretty tough encryption, but I think I have a handle on it. I've got Basaran's bank account hacked, now I just have to work on the Swiss account."
"Sam says that Basaran is supposed to transfer the money tomorrow. I'd really like to sabotage that wire transfer."
"I know, Chief," St. John said. "Give me the rest of the day, okay?"
Lambert squeezed her shoulder and left her alone. He went back into the Operations Room and saw Bruford hanging up the phone.
"No answer at Sarah Burns's apartment in Evanston, Chief," Bruford announced.
"I thought she lived in a dorm."
"That was last year. She's a junior now and lives in her own apartment."
Lambert rolled his eyes. "Sheesh, time flies. Keep trying, but you might contact our man in Chicago to have a look-see. He probably has nothing to do."
Bruford chuckled and picked up the phone again. "Right."
Lambert went into his private office, a small space that allowed him to get away from the hustle and bustle for a few minutes at a time. He sat in his swivel chair, scanned his e-mail inbox, and took a sip of the now-cold coffee. He made a face, thought about going to get a fresh cup, but decided he'd rather shut his eyes for a bit. He was dead tired. All-nighters were for college kids.
But as soon as he closed his eyes the fax machine began to beep. He glanced at the cover page and saw that it was from Lieutenant Colonel Petlow in Baghdad. Lambert figured that perhaps he should go ahead and get a fresh cup of hot coffee--by the time he returned, the fax would be finished. Four minutes later he was back in the office, java in hand, ready to examine Petlow's fax.