"It was burning out of control when the Coast Guard reached it. We were unable to board the ship before it sank."
Minutes later, Lyons sprinted from his motel room and ran across the beach. The helicopter sat at the water's edge, its rotor spinning. Blancanales and Gadgets climbed in as Lyons ran up. Gadgets extended a hand to him, and Lyons pulled the side door closed as the helicopter lifted away.
Lyons leaned close to them, shouting over the noise of the rotors. "What's the word?"
"They didn't tell me anything," Gadgets replied.
"Told me to move it," Blancanales said. "Forget breakfast, forget my suitcase, just move it."
"Something must be going on up there." Lyons strapped himself into his seat, took his cordless electric razor out of his coat pocket. "Wonder what?"
Barracks and equipment yards flashed beneath them. Soon they were over the asphalt airstrip of the Army base. A small Air Force jet pivoted at the end of the strip, then taxied into take-off position.
The helicopter dropped down fast, the copilot throwing open the side door even as the skids touched the ground.
"Okay, hotshots!" the copilot shouted. "That's your plane."
The Able Team double-timed it to the jet. It was Hal Brognola himself who let down the plane's folding steps. There were no greetings, only:
"In there. Take a seat. There's an information folder for each of you."
Lyons waited while Brognola retracted the steps and secured the outside door. "What's happening in New York City?" he said.
Brognola was grim. "Bad news."
The three Los Angeles hardmen followed Brognola forward. Four chairs were arranged around a conference table. Brognola spoke quickly into an intercom, then went to the door leading to the pilots' cabin. He locked it.
"Anders tell you what happened last night?" Lyons asked.
"He briefed me," Brognola took his seat, opened his folder. "The first page in your folders is a map of the Wall Street area. The World Financial Corporation Tower is circled in red."
Engines shrieking, the jet accelerated down the strip. Brognola didn't pause, only spoke louder. "At ten o'clock this morning, a van parked in the underground garage of the Tower. The company security guards checked the identification of the crew, allowed them to proceed with their unloading. The guards saw four movers.
"One guard accompanied the crew into the building. The guard who remained in the garage saw the crew take several large shipping crates in. The crates were labeled as business machines and appeared to be very heavy. Each crate was lifted with the truck's hydraulic lift and a dolly.
"Before the other guard returned, a telephone crew arrived, supposedly to service the building's internal telephone lines. There were three persons in the crew, one man, two women. All had correct identification.
"It was not until the seven people were inside the building that the guard realized they were all Latins. Perhaps of Puerto Rican nationality. The guard called the Tower's Director of Security, told him about them. During his conversation, all the telephone lines went dead. The guard could not call the police. So he attempted to leave the garage. One of the telephone crew pursued him.
"The supposed telephone service person attacked, the guard with a knife, wounding him. But the man ran from the garage and summoned police.
"The first police unit to arrive was driven back by automatic weapons fire. Police have sealed the building and the immediate area."
Brognola paused. He glanced to the others, closed the folder. "We have reason to believe these seven persons to be the terrorists responsible for the series of bombings in New York City.
"We checked with the World Financial Corporation, and they say there were about thirty employees in the building including the building security guards, computer service personnel, and executives doing weekend work. We must now consider all those people hostages."
"Hal, you said bad news." Lyons flipped through the pages of information in his folder. "This is good news. We've been running all over the East Coast trying to track these crazies down, and now we know exactly where they are. At least, we know where seven of them are. Gadgets, what do you think you can do about all this?"
"Well..." Schwarz gave it a moment's thought, then grinned. "I can bug the telephones, wire the place for sound, monitor the entire electro-magnetic spectrum, and maybe even take their pictures if they get close enough to the windows. I can do that as soon as I get there. But if you want some fancytricks, let me look the situation over and give it some thought."
"That's the stuff!" Blancanales laughed, his genial Latin face creasing in appreciation.
"About the phones!" Gadgets jumped out of his chair. "They cut the phones from the inside, right? As long as the phones are out, they can't call out. So wecut them, of course make sure the phones stay dead and you know what? They have to use a radio."
"That's already accomplished," Brognola told him.
"All right!" Gadgets raved. "And I'll ECM them so tight you see what I mean? They're trapped in there. Lotsa problems: if their main man is outside, they'll have to get instructions..."
"I'll have equipment for your electronic counter-measures when you get there, Schwarz," Brognola nodded. "The reason we cut the phone lines to the building is secrecy. This is important for you three to understand. The situation has been sealed, the Tower and the immediate area isolated. Federal officers have replaced all Police Department personnel. Reporters, so far, know nothing of the building's seizure or of the hostages; and to prevent citywide panic, that is how it's going to stay. The executive officers of WorldFiCor have pledged their cooperation, naturally. And as the financial district is deserted for the weekend, there is no reason why the secrecy should be broken. Do you understand?"
"You mean, no matter what we do, no one is to know?" Lyons asked. "I like that."
"The only way to go," Gadgets added.
"Except," Brognola pointed out, "we cannot maintain secrecy after dawn Monday. That gives you..." he glanced at his watch "...say, forty-one, forty-two hours."
4
Dropping into a canyon of stone and glass highrise towers, the shuttle helicopter's rotor blast created a storm of litter and filth around the waiting limousine. Lyons didn't wait for the skids to touch asphalt, but jumped the last five feet, ran to the limo. The slightly heavier, more easy-going Blancanales followed a few steps behind. And Schwarz, distracted as always by his mental machinations, took up the rear, fast.
A young man in a chauffeur's uniform hurried from the front seat to open the door for them. Lyons jerked it open and got in.
"Where's the information?" Lyons demanded.
"On the seat, sir. That folder..." the young man pointed "...is WorldFiCor executives, worldwide holdings. The other folder is all Puerto Rican nationals and other persons known to sympathize with or participate in FALN operations in the United States..."
"Go to the helicopter," Lyons interrupted. "Help that man with the cases."
"Yes, sir!" The agent ran to the helicopter, helped Brognola unload two aluminum cases, then hurried back to the limo, a case in each hand. Hal Brognola, burly in his business suit, followed him to the car carrying his own briefcase.
"Get this car moving!" Lyons shouted through the rear of the helicopter lifting away.
"That's Mr. Smith," Brognola told them, nodding at the agent behind the wheel. The limo accelerated even as Brognola pulled the door shut. "You will not use your names around him or any of the other agents helping you."