State Of Siege (1999) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Acknowledgements

  ONE - Paris, France Monday, 6:13 A.M.

  TWO - Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland Sunday, 12:10 A.M.

  THREE - Paris, France Tuesday, 7:32 A.M.

  FOUR - Chevy Chase, Maryland Friday, 9:12 A.M.

  FIVE - New York, New York Saturday, 4:57 A.M.

  SIX - New York, New York Saturday, 6:45 P.M.

  SEVEN - New York, New York Saturday, 7:27 P.M.

  EIGHT - New York, New York Saturday, 7:30 P.M.

  NINE - New York, New York Saturday, 7:34 P.M.

  TEN - Bethesda, Maryland Saturday, 7:46 P.M.

  ELEVEN - Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland Saturday, 8:37 P.M.

  TWELVE - New York, New York Saturday, 9:01 P.M.

  THIRTEEN - New York, New York Saturday, 9:33 P.M.

  FOURTEEN - Quantico, Virginia Saturday, 9:57 P.M.

  FIFTEEN - New York, New York Saturday, 10:08 P.M.

  SIXTEEN - Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland Saturday, 10:09 P.M.

  SEVENTEEN - New York, New York Saturday, 10:11 P.M.

  EIGHTEEN - New York, New York Saturday, 10:29 P.M.

  NINETEEN - New York, New York Saturday, 10:30 P.M.

  TWENTY - New York, New York Saturday, 10:31 P.M.

  TWENTY-ONE - New York, New York Saturday, 10:39 P.M.

  TWENTY-TWO - New York, New York Saturday, 11:08 P.M.

  TWENTY-THREE - New York, New York Saturday, 11:11 P.M.

  TWENTY-FOUR - New York, New York Saturday, 11:28 P.M.

  TWENTY-FIVE - New York, New York Saturday, 11:29 P.M.

  TWENTY-SIX - New York, New York Saturday, 11:30 P.M.

  TWENTY-SEVEN - New York, New York Saturday, 11:31 P.M.

  TWENTY-EIGHT - New York, New York Saturday, 11:32 P.M.

  TWENTY-NINE - Washington, D.C. Saturday, 11:33 P.M.

  THIRTY - New York, New York Saturday, 11:34 P.M.

  THIRTY-ONE - New York, New York Saturday, 11:35 P.M.

  THIRTY-TWO - New York, New York Saturday, 11:36 P.M.

  THIRTY-THREE - New York, New York Saturday, 11:37 P.M.

  THIRTY-FOUR - New York, New York Saturday, 11:42 P.M.

  THIRTY-FIVE - New York, New York Saturday, 11:43 P.M.

  THIRTY-SIX - New York, New York Saturday, 11:48 P.M.

  THIRTY-SEVEN - New York, New York Saturday, 11:49 P.M.

  THIRTY-EIGHT - New York, New York Saturday, 11:50 P.M.

  THIRTY-NINE - New York, New York Saturday, 11:51 P.M.

  FORTY - New York, New York Saturday, 11:55 P.M.

  FORTY-ONE - New York, New York Saturday, 11:57 P.M.

  FORTY-TWO - New York, New York Sunday, 12:00 A.M.

  FORTY-THREE - New York, New York Sunday, 12:01 A.M.

  FORTY-FOUR - New York, New York Sunday, 12:04 A.M.

  FORTY-FIVE - New York, New York Sunday, 12:05 A.M.

  FORTY-SIX - New York, New York Sunday, 12:06 A.M.

  FORTY-SEVEN - New York, New York Sunday, 12:07 A.M.

  FORTY-EIGHT - New York, New York Sunday, 12:08 A.M.

  FORTY-NINE - New York, New York Sunday, 12:11 A.M.

  FIFTY - New York, New York Sunday, 12:15 A.M.

  FIFTY-ONE - New York, New York Sunday, 12:16 A.M.

  FIFTY-TWO - New York, New York Sunday, 12:18 A.M.

  FIFTY-THREE - New York, New York Sunday, 12:21 A.M.

  FIFTY-FOUR - New York, New York Sunday, 12:25 A.M.

  FIFTY-FIVE - New York, New York Sunday, 12:51 A.M.

  FIFTY-SIX - New York, New York Sunday, 7:00 A.M.

  FIFTY-SEVEN - Washington, D.C. Sunday, 10:00 A.M.

  FIFTY-EIGHT - Washington, D.C. Sunday, 11:45 A.M.

  FIFTY-NINE - Washington, D.C. Sunday, 12:08 P.M.

  SIXTY - Los Angeles, California Sunday, 3:11 P.M.

  Other titles by Steve Pieczenik

  THE BESTSELLING NOVELS OF

  Tom Clancy

  RAINBOW SIX

  Clancy's shocking story of international terrorism--closer to reality than any government would care to admit.

  "GRIPPING . . . BOLT-ACTION MAYHEM."

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  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." --Seattle Times

  DEBT OF HONOR

  It begins with the murder of an American woman in the backstreets of Tokyo. It ends in war . . .

  "A SHOCKER CLIMAX SO PLAUSIBLE YOU'LL WONDER WHY IT HASN'T YET HAPPENED!"

  --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 . . .

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  RED STORM RISING

  The ultimate scenario for World War III--the final battle for global control . . .

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  PATRIOT GAMES

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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!"

  --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!" --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!"

  --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

  INTO THE STORM: A STUDY IN COMMAND

  (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

  SPLINTER CELL

  Created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik

  TOM CLANCY'S OP-C
ENTER

  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 OP-CENTER: WAR OF EAGLES

  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

  TOM CLANCY'S NET FORCE: SPRINGBOARD

  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

  TOM CLANCY'S POWER PLAYS: WILD CARD

  THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

  Published by the Penguin Group

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  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: STATE OF SIEGE

  A Berkley Book / published by arrangement with Jack Ryan Limited Partnership and S & R Literary, Inc.

  PRINTING HISTORY

  Berkley mass-market edition / July 1999

  Copyright (c) 1999 by Jack Ryan Limited Partnership and S & R Literary, Inc.

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  eISBN : 978-1-101-00365-7

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  Acknowledgments

  We would like to thank Jeff Rovin for his creative ideas and his invaluable contribution to the preparation of the manuscript. We would also like to acknowledge the assistance of Martin H. Greenberg, Larry Segriff, Robert Youdelman, Esq., and the wonderful people at Penguin Putnam Inc., including Phyllis Grann, David Shanks, and Tom Colgan. As always, we would like to thank Robert Gottlieb of The William Morris Agency, our agent and friend, without whom this book would never have been conceived. But most important, it is for you, our readers, to determine how successful our collective endeavor has been.

  --Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik

  United Nations--The Security Council put the final touches yesterday on a written demand that Iraq cooperate with international arms inspectors--but threatens no force if Baghdad fails to comply.

  --Associated Press,

  November 5, 1998

  PROLOGUE

  Kampong Thom, Cambodia 1993

  She died while he held her under a brilliant dawn. Her eyelids closed softly, a faint breath rose from her delicate throat, and then she was gone.

  Hang Sary looked down at the pale face of the young woman. He looked at the grass and dirt in her wet hair and the cuts in her forehead and across her nose. He felt revulsion when he saw the red lipstick on her mouth, the rouge that had smeared across her cheek, and the charcoal-gray mascara that had run from her eyes to her ears.

  This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Not even here, in a land where the concept of innocence was as foreign as the dream of peace.

  Phum Sary should not have died so young, and she should not have died like this. No one should die like this, lying in a windy rice field, the cool water muddy-red with their blood. But at least Phum had died knowing who it was that held her in his arms. At least she didn't die as she'd probably lived most of her life, alone and uncherished. And though the search that Hang had never quite abandoned was over, he knew that another was about to begin.

  Hang's knees were raised and his sister's head was in his lap. He lightly touched the cold tip of her nose, the fine line of her jaw, her round mouth. A mouth that always used to smile, regardless of what she was doing. The girl felt so small and fragile.

  He pulled her arms from the water and laid them on the waist of her tight blue lame dress. He cuddled her closer. He wondered if anyone had held her like this in ten years. Had she lived this horrible life the entire time? Had she finally had enough and decided that death was preferable?

  Hang's long face tightened as he thought about her life. Then it exploded in tears. How could he have been so near and not have known it? He and Ty had been in the village, undercover, for nearly a week. Could he ever forgive himself for not having seen her in time to save her?

  Poor Ty would be inconsolable when she learned who this was. Ty had been in the camp reconnoitering, trying to find out who was behind this. She had radioed Hang to let him know that one of the women had apparently tried to escape shortly before sunrise, when the watch changed. She'd been chased and shot. Phum had taken the bullet in the side. She'd probably run, then walked until she could no longer move. Then she must have lain down here to look at the waning night sky. Phum used to look at the sky a great deal when she was a little girl. Ty wondered if that sky, the memories of a better time, had given his little sister any peace at the end.

  Hang slipped his trembling fingers through his sister's long, black hair. He heard splashing in the distance. That would be Ty. He'd radioed his partner that he'd spotted the girl and saw her go down. She said she'd be there within a half hour. They had been hoping, at least, that she could give them a name, help them break the monstrous union that was destroying so many young lives. But that didn't happen. Seeing him, Phum only had the str
ength to say his name. She died with her brother's name and the hint of a smile on her bright red lips, not the name of the creature who had done this.

  Ty arrived and looked down. Dressed like a local peasant, she stood there with the wind whispering around her. And then she gasped. She knelt beside Hang and put her arms around him. Neither of them moved or spoke for several minutes. Then, slowly, Hang stood with his sister's body in his arms. He carried her back toward the old station wagon that served as his field outpost.

  He knew they shouldn't leave Kampong Thom now. Not when they were so close to getting what they needed. But he had to take his sister home. That was where she should be laid to rest.

  The sun quickly warmed and then baked his damp back. Ty opened the back of the station wagon and spread a blanket amid the cartons. Inside the boxes were weapons and radio equipment, maps and lists, and a powerful incendiary device. Hang wore the remote trigger hooked around his belt. If they were ever caught, he would destroy everything in the car. Then he would use the .357 Smith & Wesson he carried to take his own life. Ty would do likewise.

  With Ty's help, Hang placed the body of his sister on the blanket. Gently, he folded her inside. Before leaving, he looked out across the field. It had been made sacred with her blood. But the land would not be clean until it was washed with the blood of those who had done this.

  It would be. However long it took, he vowed that it would be.

  ONE

  Paris, France Monday, 6:13 A.M.

  Seven years ago, during training for service with UNTAC--THE United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia--brash, adventuresome Lieutenant Reynold Downer of the 11th/28th Battalion, the Royal Western Australia Regiment, learned that there were three conditions that had to be met before a United Nations peacekeeping operation could be sent to any nation. It wasn't something he'd ever wondered about or wanted to be a part of, but the Commonwealth of Australia felt differently.