Herbert was silent.
"But you're still uneasy," Hood said.
"Yeah," Herbert told him. "Let's just go over our command tent options again."
"All right," Hood said patiently.
"We've decided that the Indian government is probably out of the loop on this nuclear option," Herbert said. "So unless we get that Kargil woman, Nanda, in front of a TV camera to explain this was an inside job we have no proof to offer the president or the Indian people."
"That's it," Hood said. "We've also got Indian troops moving in to cut Nanda and the Pakistanis down."
"We assume," Herbert said.
"We have to assume it's search and destroy," Hood pointed out. "The SFF gains nothing by capturing the Pakistanis and letting the truth come out. We need to give the cell a chance to get home."
"God help us," Herbert said.
"Bob, there's a bigger picture than aiding terrorists," Hood said. "You know that."
"I know," Herbert said. "I just don't like it."
"The time it would take us to move this through diplomatic channels could cost the Pakistanis their lives," Hood said.
"And going ahead with this operation can cost Striker their lives," Herbert said.
"That's been true every time they've gone into the field," Hood reminded Herbert. "If Mike or Colonel August has any doubts about this action they can call it off at any time."
"They won't," Herbert assured him. "Not with what's at stake."
"That's probably true," Hood agreed.
"And not with the balls Mike's got," Herbert went on.
"It's more than that," Hood said. "He knows his people. Did he ever run that quote past you, the one from the duke of Wellington?"
"I don't think so," Herbert said.
"I was watching Striker drill one morning and I asked Mike how he could tell when he had pushed his people as far as they could go," Hood said. "He told me that Wellington had a simple way to determine when he had created the best fighting unit possible. 'I don't know what effect these men will have upon the enemy,' Wellington wrote, 'but, by God, they terrify me.' Mike said that when he felt his people were tough enough to scare him, that was when he stopped."
"Paul, I don't need to be reminded that Striker is the best," Herbert said. "But I'm worried about the jump into the Himalayas. I'm worried about the odds and having to trust terrorists. I'm worried about having no backup for them and, worse than that, no exit strategy."
"I'm worried about all that too," Hood replied. "I'm also aware that we have no other options."
The intelligence chief was quiet for a moment. The silence was uncomfortable. Hood felt as if Herbert were judging him.
Herbert must have felt that too. "I know we're doing what we have to do," he said. "It doesn't mean I have to like it." Herbert's voice was no longer angry or searching. It was resigned.
Herbert said that he would call the NRO to get the exact location of the cell and then give Striker a final update before H-hour. Hood thanked him and hung up.
Op-Center's director rubbed his eyes. Herbert had his personal demons but so did Hood.
Unlike the intelligence chief, Hood had never put his life on the line. He had been a mayor and a financial officer before taking this job. He had sent Striker into danger before but never into an armed conflict. To do that seemed cavalier, hypocritical, cowardly.
But, as Hood had told Herbert, it was also necessary. Paul Hood's personal issues could not affect his professional decisions. He had to be dispassionate. He owed the president and the nation that much.
Hood stopped rubbing his eyes. He was tired inside and out. It did not help that when this was over he had to deal with the closing of the press office. Fortunately, he would be able to minimize his contact with Ann Farris until then. Because this was a military action Hood would instruct her to institute a total press blackout on any Op-Center activities until noon. She would have to shut down the phones and computers. No press department staff would be permitted to answer their cell phones. Queries to the automated main number would go unreturned. As for Hood, he would go into the Tank with Bob Herbert, Liz Gordon, and Lowell Coffey until the crisis had passed.
Then Hood would give Ann Farris the bad news along with his complete attention.
He owed her that much.
THIRTY-FIVE
The parachutes were zero-porosity mixed-fabric PF 3000s "Merits." They had been selected for the Indian military in this region because they gave jumpers maximum control over their descent. If there were a sudden current in any direction the fabric would retain its shape and buoyancy. The canopies themselves were slightly elliptical with a tapered wing. That shape provided for the softest landings. First used militarily by the French air force, the Merits also provided the safest jump for novice parachutists.
The parachutes were stowed in slender Atom Millennium containers. They had classic plastic handle ripcords and narrow chest straps along with lightweight Cordura fabric exteriors. The thin straps and light weight would be relatively unrestrictive if Striker were forced to engage the enemy or the elements before doffing the backpacks. There was also an instant-collapse system operated by a rubber pull-string. That would allow the chute to be deflated immediately upon landing in the event of strong ground winds.
Rodgers and his team had unpacked and repacked the parachutes. They examined the fabric as well as the shroud lines and ring attachments. With elements of the Indian military apparently working at cross-purposes, Rodgers wanted to make certain the equipment had not been sabotaged.
Suited in the white Nomex winter gear they had brought with them, the Strikers were huddled next to the hatch before lining up. The team members were crouched to keep their balance in the bumping aircraft. In addition to their parachutes, each commando wore a hip holster with a Browning 9mm high-power Mark 2 pistol, a Kevlar bullet-proof vest, leather gloves, and climbing boots. The vests had side pockets for flashlights, flares, hand grenades, additional pistol magazines, and maps. Before jumping into the subzero environment the commandos would don the Leyland and Birmingham respirator masks they carried. These full-face masks included large, shatterproof, tinted eyepieces for wide visibility. Medic William Musicant had the added burden of a medical belt. This remarkably compact unit, devised by the Navy SEALs for use in Desert Storm, allowed him to treat a wide range of both fall- and combat-related injuries.
Rodgers reviewed photographs of the terrain with Striker. Viens had transmitted these images from the NRO computer directly to the Striker laptop. Rodgers had printed out two copies to pass around. The general had also printed out a second set of photographs that had just come in.
The team was going into what was referred to as a "high-contrast" terrain. That meant the landing would be problematic. The target area was a large, flat ledge approximately seventy meters by ninety meters. It was the only relatively large horizontal site in the region. The drawbacks were several large outcroppings of rock as well as steep drops on the northern and western sides. Sheer cliffs bounded the area on the south and east. Colonel August was also concerned about the winds. He pointed to the color photograph.
"Depending upon the strength of the winds in the area, this concave southeastern wall could create powerful out-draft," he said. "That could keep us from landing in the target zone."
"Unfortunately, the cell is moving along very narrow ledges," Rodgers said. "That's the only area where we can intercept them."
"Why do we have to catch them in the mountains?" Ishi Honda asked. In addition to his parachute the young corporal was carrying the TAC-SAT in a pouch on his chest.