Mission of Honor

Chapter Sixty-One

The tension in the office was not like anything Paul Hood had ever experienced. Hood, Rodgers, Herbert, and McCaskey sat in their chairs, waiting. Lowell Coffey had joined them. No one was talking because there was nothing to talk about. There had been no further word about the Japanese or the Europeans. Everyone was focused on the situation in Botswana.

Hood could tell that Herbert was not comfortable with the silence. It was not in the man's gregarious nature to be silent among friends. After shifting in his wheelchair several times, Herbert finally spoke.

"When I was a kid, I saw a movie called Sink the Bismarck'' the intelligence chief said. "I don't remember whether the movie was accurate or not, but there was this one scene that really stuck in my mind. The commander of the British naval forces was running the search-and-destroy operation from his underground HQ in London. After he gets word that the Bismarck has gone down, he looks at his watch. It's six o'clock. He's been working for days straight. He goes out for dinner and realizes it's actually six A. M. Time got totally screwed up for him down in the bunker."

Everyone was silent for a long moment.

"Are you saying that you're totally screwed up, Bob?" Lowell Coffey finally asked.

"No," Herbert said. "What I'm saying is that perceptions get warped when you're in a crisis situation. We're sitting here, cut off from other stimuli. No windows. No news about the world. No phone calls from friends or family. I don't know if that's a good thing."

"Whether it is or isn't, what choice do we have?" Coffey asked.

"I don't know, but we should talk to Liz about that," Herbert replied. "She should come up with some sort of activity or music or some feng shui decor that helps us keep perspective."

"Like floral pattern wallpaper," Hood said.

"I wouldn't go that far," Herbert cautioned.

"I tried taking my mind off things once by playing blackjack against the computer," Hood said. "I lost. It didn't make me feel any better."

"Losing at anything is not supposed to make a person feel good," Herbert pointed out.

"You did have one consolation, though," Rodgers said.

"What was that?" Hood asked.

"There was a Reset button on the game," Rodgers said. There was a whisper of bitterness in his voice.

"I don't think any of this is relevant," McCaskey said. "We have perspective, and we have direction and resources. What we don't have is a goddamn resolution. That's what makes a person nuts."

While McCaskey was speaking, Rodgers's cell phone beeped. He punched it on and simultaneously glanced at his watch. As he did so, Rodgers carefully noted the time.

"Yes?" Rodgers said.

"Good news," Aideen said, "we've got the priest, and we're on our way back to Maun. Dhamballa is also with us."

"That's great!" Rodgers said. "How is the team?"

The general saw McCaskey lean forward intently. meCaskey briefly put his forehead against his folded hands. Then he leaned back and looked over at Mike Rodgers.

"Everyone is fine here," Aideen told him.

Rodgers felt his chest grow lighter. He gave McCaskey a thumbs-up. The FBI liaison shut his eyes, threw back his head, and laughed.

"We just heard shots," Aideen went on. "We can only assume it's Leon Seronga. He stayed behind to cover our retreat."

"What about Father Bradbury?" Rodgers asked.

"He's a little shaky and says he could use a bath, but we think he's okay," Aideen replied.

"Did Dhamballa come willingly?" Rodgers asked.

That brought a surprised look from the others.

"He's with them?" Herbert muttered.

Rodgers nodded.

"Seronga convinced him that he had to leave," Aideen said. "I don't know what Dhamballa's plans are, though."

"Do you think Dhamballa will seek immunity?" Rodgers asked. He snapped his fingers at Coffey.

"I think he wants to stay here and try to relaunch his crusade," the woman replied.

"Just in case, I'll put Lowell on it," Rodgers said. "We'll have the process in motion."

Coffey nodded. He got out his cell phone.

"What is the status of the Brush Vipers?" Rodgers asked.

"When we left, they intended to go deeper into the salt pan," Aideen told him. "The idea was to lead the helicopters away from us."

Rodgers glanced over at NRO image on the computer. "Radar still has them moving north," he said.

"I'm glad to hear that," Aideen said. "We'll reach Maun well before the sun is up. Once we do that, we'll be in the clear."

"Aideen," Rodgers said, "we're all pulling for you. You've all done an amazing job over there, all of you. Thanks."

"We're kind of happy right now," she admitted.

"Tell Maria I love her," McCaskey said softly.

"Aideen? Is Maria available?" Rodgers asked.

"Yes, she is."

"Tell Maria her husband would like to speak with her," Rodgers said. He looked at his watch. He and Aideen had been on the phone just over a minute. Rodgers shot McCaskey a look. "He would like to speak with her for thirty seconds, tops," Rodgers added.

McCaskey got up quickly, and Rodgers tossed him the cell phone. McCaskey took it into the hall.

"That was nice," Hood said. "Thanks."

Herbert was visibly impatient. He was not usually sentimental. He was less so during a crisis. "Mike, what's happening out there?"

As Rodgers briefed the others, McCaskey returned. He lay a hand on Rodgers's shoulder and gently squeezed as he walked past. For a moment, all seemed right with the world.

Suddenly, Herbert glanced at the computer screen.

"Shit. They're changing course," the intelligence chief said.

The others gathered around Herbert's computer.

"See these two?" Herbert said. He pointed at a pair of blips. "They're moving southwest. That's the direction our people are headed."

"It could be just an exploratory thing," Coffey said.

"We could also have had the line open a little too long," Herbert said. 'They may have triangulated the call."

It was possible. They had gotten sloppy and complacent. McCaskey might have stayed on just a few seconds too long.

"There aren't a lot of vehicles out there at night," Herbert said. "And our guys don't have a big head start."

Rodgers took the phone from McCaskey.

"Ideas, anyone?" Hood asked.

"If the military catches our people with Dhamballa, they're going to be screwed," Coffey said. "Abetting a revolutionary is not going to play well in a Botswana court."

"They can't be caught," McCaskey said.

"They won't be," Rodgers said. He called Aideen.

"What are you thinking?" Hood asked.

"I'm thinking we can get this to work in our favor," Rodgers replied.