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Call to Treason (2004)
Call to Treason (2004) Read online
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgements
ONE - Georgetown, Washington, D.C. Sunday, 9:22 P.M.
TWO - Washington, D.C. Sunday, 11:18 P.M.
THREE - Washington, D.C. Monday, 8:02 A.M.
FOUR - Washington, D.C. Monday, 8:20 A.M.
FIVE - Washington, D.C. Monday, 8:24 A.M.
SIX - Washington, D.C. Monday, 9:02 A.M.
SEVEN - Washington, D.C. Monday, 9:27 A.M.
EIGHT - Las Vegas, Nevada Monday, 7:43 A.M.
NINE - Washington, D.C. Monday, 10:59 A.M.
TEN - Washington, D.C. Monday, 11:00 A.M.
ELEVEN - Washington, D.C. Monday, 12:53 P.M.
TWELVE - Washington, D.C. Monday, 1:44 P.M.
THIRTEEN - Washington, D.C. Monday, 2:17 P.M.
FOURTEEN - Washington, D.C. Monday, 2:59 P.M.
FIFTEEN - Charlottesville, Virginia Monday, 4:18 P.M.
SIXTEEN - Washington, D.C. Monday, 5:22 P.M.
SEVENTEEN - Washington, D.C. Monday, 7:22 P.M.
EIGHTEEN - Washington, D.C. Monday, 8:30 P.M.
NINETEEN - Washington, D.C. Monday, 10:55 P.M.
TWENTY - Washington, D.C. Tuesday, 7:13 A.M.
TWENTY-ONE - Washington, D.C. Tuesday, 7:30 A.M.
TWENTY-TWO - Fallbrook, California Tuesday, 5:45 A.M.
TWENTY-THREE - Washington, D.C. Tuesday, 9:44 A.M.
TWENTY-FOUR - Washington, D.C. Tuesday, 10:00 A.M.
TWENTY-FIVE - Washington, D.C. Tuesday, 10:44 A.M.
TWENTY-SIX - Washington, D.C. Tuesday, 11:50 A.M.
TWENTY-SEVEN - Washington, D.C. Tuesday, 12:10 P.M.
TWENTY-EIGHT - Herndon, Virginia Tuesday, 12:11 P.M.
TWENTY-NINE - Washington, D.C. Tuesday, 12:25 P.M.
THIRTY - Washington, D.C. Tuesday, 2:18 P.M.
THIRTY-ONE - Washington, D.C. Tuesday, 2:37 P.M.
THIRTY-TWO - Langley, Virginia Tuesday, 3:44 P.M.
THIRTY-THREE - Washington, D.C. Tuesday, 4:10 P.M.
THIRTY-FOUR - Camp Pendleton, California Tuesday, 2:21 P.M.
THIRTY-FIVE - Washington, D.C. Tuesday, 5:43 P.M.
THIRTY-SIX - Washington, D.C. Tuesday, 6:31 P.M.
THIRTY-SEVEN - San Diego, California Wednesday, 7:01 A.M.
THIRTY-EIGHT - Washington, D.C. Wednesday, 11:33 A.M.
THIRTY-NINE - Washington, D.C. Wednesday, 11:54 A.M.
FORTY - Salt Lake City, Utah Wednesday, 10:17 A.M.
FORTY-ONE - Washington, D.C. Wednesday, 1:29 P.M.
FORTY-TWO - San Diego, California Wednesday, 11:53 A.M.
FORTY-THREE - Washington, D.C. Wednesday, 3:44 P.M.
FORTY-FOUR - San Diego, California Wednesday, 1:00 P.M.
FORTY-FIVE - San Diego, California Wednesday, 1:16 P.M.
FORTY-SIX - Washington, D.C. Wednesday, 4:42 P.M.
FORTY-SEVEN - San Diego, California Wednesday, 2:02 P.M.
FORTY-EIGHT - Washington, D.C. Wednesday, 5:47 P.M.
FORTY-NINE - Washington, D.C. Wednesday, 6:06 P.M.
FIFTY - San Diego, California Wednesday, 3:45 P.M.
FIFTY-ONE - Washington, D.C. Wednesday, 7:08 P.M.
FIFTY-TWO - San Diego, California Wednesday, 4:29 P.M.
FIFTY-THREE - San Diego, California Wednesday, 4:44 P.M.
FIFTY-FOUR - San Diego, California Wednesday, 5:15 P.M.
FIFTY-FIVE - Fallbrook, California Wednesday, 6:00 P.M.
FIFTY-SIX - Fallbrook, California Wednesday, 6:16 P.M.
FIFTY-SEVEN - San Diego, California Thursday, 8:33 A.M.
FIFTY-EIGHT - Washington, D.C. Friday, 8:22 A.M.
Other Books by Steve Pieczenik
THE BESTSELLING NOVELS OF
Tom Clancy
THE TEETH OF THE TIGER
A new generation—Jack Ryan, Jr.—takes over in Tom Clancy’s extraordinary, and extraordinarily prescient, novel.
“INCREDIBLY ADDICTIVE.” —Daily Mail (London)
RED RABBIT
Tom Clancy returns to Jack Ryan’s early days—in an extraordinary novel of global political drama.
“AN OLD-FASHIONED COLD WAR THRILLER.”
—Chicago Sun-Times
THE BEAR AND THE DRAGON
President Jack Ryan faces a world crisis unlike any he has ever known.
“INTOXICATING . . . A JUGGERNAUT.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
RAINBOW SIX
Clancy’s shocking story of international terrorism—closer to reality than any government would care to admit.
“GRIPPING . . . BOLT-ACTION MAYHEM.”
—People
EXECUTIVE ORDERS
Jack Ryan has always been a soldier. Now he’s giving the orders.
“AN ENORMOUS, ACTION-PACKED, HEAT-SEEKING MISSILE OF A TOM CLANCY NOVEL.”
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DEBT OF HONOR
It begins with the murder of an American woman in the back streets of Tokyo. It ends in war.
“A SHOCKER!” —Entertainment Weekly
THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER
The smash bestseller that launched Clancy’s career—the incredible search for a Soviet defector and the nuclear submarine he commands.
“BREATHLESSLY EXCITING!” —The Washington Post
RED STORM RISING
The ultimate scenario for World War III—the final battle for global control.
“THE ULTIMATE WAR GAME . . . BRILLIANT!”
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PATRIOT GAMES
CIA analyst Jack Ryan stops an assassination—and incurs the wrath of Irish terrorists.
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THE CARDINAL OF THE KREMLIN
The superpowers race for the ultimate Star Wars missile defense system.
“CARDINAL EXCITES, ILLUMINATES . . . A REAL PAGE-TURNER!” —Los Angeles Daily News
CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER
The killing of three U.S. officials in Colombia ignites the American government’s explosive, and top secret, response.
“A CRACKLING GOOD YARN!” —The Washington Post
THE SUM OF ALL FEARS
The disappearance of an Israeli nuclear weapon threatens the balance of power in the Middle East—and around the world.
“CLANCY AT HIS BEST . . . NOT TO BE MISSED!”
—The Dallas Morning News
WITHOUT REMORSE
The Clancy epic fans have been waiting for. His code name is Mr. Clark. And his work for the CIA is brilliant, cold-blooded, and efficient . . . but who is he really?
“HIGHLY ENTERTAINING!” —The Wall Street Journal
Novels by Tom Clancy
THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER
RED STORM RISING
PATRIOT GAMES
THE CARDINAL OF THE KREMLIN
CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER
THE SUM OF ALL FEARS
WITHOUT REMORSE
DEBT OF HONOR
EXECUTIVE ORDERS
RAINBOW SIX
THE BEAR AND THE DRAGON
RED RABBIT
THE TEETH OF THE TIGER
SSN: STRATEGIES OF SUBMARINE WARFARE
Nonfiction
SUBMARINE: A GUIDED TOUR INSIDE A NUCLEAR WARSHIP
ARMORED CAV: A GUIDED TOUR OF AN ARMORED CAVALRY REGIMENT
FIGHTER WING: A GUIDED TOUR OF AN AIR FORCE COMBAT WING
MARINE: A GUIDED TOUR OF A MARINE EXPEDITIONARY UNIT
AIRBORNE: A GUIDED TOUR OF AN AIRBORNE TASK FORCE
CARRIER: A GUIDED TOUR OF AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER
SPECIAL FORCES: A GUIDED TOUR OF U.S. ARMY SPECIAL FORCES
(written with General Fred Franks, Jr., Ret.)
EVERY MAN A TIGER
(written with General Charles Horner, Ret.)
SHADOW WARRIORS: INSIDE THE SPECIAL FORCES
(written with General Carl Stiner, Ret., and Tony Koltz)
Created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: MIRROR IMAGE
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: GAMES OF STATE
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: ACTS OF WAR
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: BALANCE OF POWER
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: STATE OF SIEGE
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: DIVIDE AND CONQUER
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: LINE OF CONTROL
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: MISSION OF HONOR
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: SEA OF FIRE
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: CALL TO TREASON
TOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE
TOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: HIDDEN AGENDAS
TOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: NIGHT MOVES
TOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: BREAKING POINT
TOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: POINT OF IMPACT
TOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: CYBERNATION
TOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: STATE OF WAR
TOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: CHANGING OF THE GUARD
Created by Tom Clancy and Martin Greenberg
TOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: POLITIKA
TOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: RUTHLESS.COM
TOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: SHADOW WATCH
TOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: BIO-STRIKE
TOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: COLD WAR
TOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: CUTTING EDGE
TOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: ZERO HOUR
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents
either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously,
and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business
establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
TOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: CALL TO TREASON
A Berkley Book / published by arrangement with
Jack Ryan Limited Partnership and S & R Literary, Inc.
PRINTING HISTORY
Berkley edition / July 2004
Copyright © 2004 by Jack Ryan Limited Partnership and S & R Literary, Inc.
OP-CENTER™ is a trademark of Jack Ryan Limited Partnership
and S & R Literary, Inc.
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eISBN : 978-1-101-00370-1
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Acknowledgments
We would like to acknowledge the valuable assistance of Martin H. Greenberg, Ph.D.; Larry Segriff; Denise Little; John Helfers; Brittiany Koren; Victoria Bundonis Rovin; Roberta Pieczenik, Ph.D.; Carl La Greca; and Tom Colgan, our editor. But most important, it is for you, our readers, to determine how successful our collective endeavor has been.
—Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik
ONE
Georgetown, Washington, D.C. Sunday, 9:22 P.M.
Combat was not easy. But it was easier than this.
General Mike Rodgers stood with a Scotch in his hand, wishing it were a double and that he were free to slug it down. If he were in a dark saloon with Colonel August or one of his buddies from the Department of Defense, he would. Then he would nurse the sweet buzz with a beer chaser. But he was not with his colleagues. He was at a black-tie party in a three-story town house on N Street in the exclusive Georgetown section of Washington, D.C. The first-floor ballroom was crowded with nearly two hundred politicians and socialites, attorneys and foreign dignitaries, business leaders and television news executives.
They were all gathered in small groups. Though actively engaged with the people nearest them, each individual was also listening to what was being said in the groups around them. Rodgers could see it in the way their eyes moved. They always shifted slightly in the direction they were listening. Some of these silver-haired blue bloods possessed recon skills that would be the envy of CIA field ops.
On the battlefield, a man knew who the enemy was. At a party like this, alliances could be made and remade during the course of an evening. That was true throughout Washington, but the density of power brokers from so many arenas made it more likely here. In combat, a soldier knew when the fight was over. In Washington, the conflict never ended. Even at Op-Center, where Rodgers was deputy director, friendships were routinely tested by strong differences of opinion over high-stakes operations. Trust was frayed by competition for assignments. And loyalties were challenged and often destroyed by downsizing and bureaucratic squabbles.
The conditions at Op-Center were the reason Rodgers had come to this party. Since the disbanding of Striker, Op-Center’s rapid-deployment force that had been commanded by Rodgers, the general had been organizing an in-house human intelligence unit. He was not enjoying the work as much as he had hoped. Rodgers was a man of grapeshot and action, not observation and note-taking. The work was essential. It just was not for him. To make things worse, his efforts cut into the jurisdiction of Bob Herbert, Op-Center’s chief of Intelligence Operations. The strain on their relationship was subtle, but the impact was not. There was no antagonism; to the contrary, they were extremely cautious around one another, like outfielders going for a high fly ball and stopping short, letting it drop between them.
When an aide to Texas Senator Don Orr had called to say the senator was interested in exploring professional opportunities, Rodgers agreed to come. So far, the three-term, fifty-eight-year-old senator had not said much more than a big, “Hello, General! Thanks for coming,” before being swallowed by the party. The white-haired rancher-turned-politician said that to virtually everyone as he moved from group to group, shaking hands and kissing cheeks. All of them, Rodgers suspected.
Rodgers did not follow him, as several others were doing. Subtly, of course. They wanted to be noticed and introduced to people. They wanted to be legitimized, like made men at a meeting of the dons. Rodgers did not know any of these people, and so he stood near the wet bar, chatting with one of the two bartenders. As a grandfather clock tolled the half hour, a woman approached from the side.
“There is only one thing worse than being a Washington outsider,” she said as she asked the bartender for a Coke.
“What’s that?” Rodgers asked, glancing at her.
“Being a Washington insider,” she replied.
Rodgers smiled. There was a hint of Vietnamese in her strong, cultured voice, but the rest of her was pure Beltway insider.
“General Rodgers, I’m Kendra Peterson, the senator’s executive assistant,” she said, extending a slender hand. “I’m happy you could make it.”
Rodgers’s smile broadened as he shook her hand. The woman was in her mid-thirties and stood about five foot seven, with dark skin, exotic eyes, and straight black hair. She had the cool poise of someone who knew
things. She was dressed in a strapless navy blue satin gown with a wide, translucent sash. Her wardrobe was seductive, but her expression said she was not interested, whoever you were.
“I’m pleased to meet you,” Rodgers said. “I was beginning to wonder why I was here.”
“I knew there wouldn’t be much chance for you to talk to the senator, but I wanted you to get a feel for the kind of people we work with.”
“I see. Care to tell me why?”
“The senator is interested in you,” she said.
“But you’re not at liberty to tell me more,” Rodgers said.
She shook her head once.
“I’ve heard rumors the senator plans to make a third-party run for the White House,” Rodgers went on. “Are they true?”
The woman smiled evasively. “Would you be available to meet with the senator tomorrow afternoon?”
“I might be if I knew why,” Rodgers said. “I don’t like to go into situations unprepared.”