Transfer of Power

“ROGER THAT.” Rapp climbed the steep concrete staircase that led to the Oval Office. When he reached the top, he pressed the latch and pulled the wall in toward him. He checked to his left first and then moved through the dining room and into the pantry. There he stopped and looked out at the door across the hallway.

“Whiskey Four, are you in position? Over.”

Harris and his three SEALS were crouched against the wall just outside the White House mess. Having gone through this drill together countless times, they fell into their slots. Reavers was number one, followed by dark, Rostein, and finally Harris-the same way they had jumped out of the plane.

‘ “We’re ready to go on your command, Iron Man.” Before moving, Rapp asked, “How does my Tango look, control?”

“No change in status,” replied Kennedy.

“Roger that. All right. Harry, let’s bag ‘em on three.

One…” Rapp moved across the hall.

“Two…” He placed his right hand on the doorknob.

“Three!” Rapp threw the door open and stayed in his crouch. The Tango looked up, and as he did so, the thick black suppressor of Rapp’s submachine gun coughed twice.

Downstairs Mick Reavers raced into the White House mess in a crouch and peeled to his left, sweeping his area for targets. A split second into the room-clearing maneuver, he found one. The Tango was standing with his weapon cradled across his chest. Reavers placed two rounds directly in the center of the man’s forehead and sent him to the ground The next three SEALS came in right on top of Reavers, each man peeling away and searching their area. Tony Clark, the number two man in the train, found his target thirty feet away and directly across the room The Tango was bringing his gun up to fire, but it never happened. Two bullets hit him right between the eyes and sent him back over a chair. As Jordan Rostein entered the room, he peeled farther to the right and came up blank. He fought the urge to sweep farther to his right and went back over his area again. Harris was right on his heels and pivoted ninety degrees to cover the area all the way to the right. No more than eight feet away, the snubbed muzzle of a shortened AK-74 was being brought to bear.

Harris was quicker and sent two rounds into the man’s face.

Reavers called clear, and he was followed in quick succession by the other team members. They heard Rapp’s call over their radios, and then several of the hostages began to cry out for help. The SEALS ignored them and kept their weapons up as they searched the mass of hostages for any Tangos that might be using them for cover. Harris ordered dark and Rostein to watch the hostages, and then he and Reavers moved out to secure the other areas of the room.