Brown, Dale - Independent 04 by Storming Heaven (v1.1) Read Free Book Online Page A

listened for the
autocheck tone again, and waited. Seconds later, he heard a cryptic “Tiger One,
go.”
                 Even
on an ultrasecure microwave datalink that was virtually untraceable and
eavesdrop-proof, Special Agent Russell V. Fortuna still liked using his old
Vietnam Recondo code name. “This is Sweeper One, on channel seventeen- bravo,”
Lassen replied. Although he disliked using all this code crap, he knew Fortuna
would not respond, especially during an operation, unless he used his code name
and confirmed the secure datalink channel in use. “What’s your location and
status, Russ? Over.”
                 There
was a slight pause, and Lassen could easily envision Fortuna, dressed in his Star Wars semirigid body armor that made
him look like an Imperial storm trooper from the movie, shaking his armored
head in complete exasperation. “Lassen, what the fuck do you want?” Fortuna finally
said. “You may have just blown this operation. You ever hear of communications security ?”
                 “We’re
on a secure datalink, Russ. Get off it. I need to know your status. Are you
moving against Fugitive Number One? Over.”
                 “Jesus,
Lassen, why don’t you just get on the PA and tell the creeps we’re coming?”
There was another short pause, then: “Yeah, we’re ten minutes out. We zeroed in
on his operation at Chico , and we’re moving in. Since we didn’t have time to coordinate this
strike, do me a favor, get hold of the administrator of the airport and the
sheriffs department, and cordon off the airport. Stay on the outside until I
give you the word. Over.”
                 “Russ,
we’ve got word that Cazaux has got heavy weapons and high explosives at his
location, enough to take out half the airport. SOG is about fifteen minutes
out, and we’ve got some Apaches and Black Hawk assault helicopters from the
California Air National Guard with us. We’ll back you up.”
                 “Assault
helicopters? Are you nuts?” Fortuna asked. “Cazaux will start shooting the
minute he hears one of those things overhead. Keep them away from the airport.
Who the hell gave you a warrant authorizing attack helicopters, anyway? Are you
going to seal off the airport for me or not?”
                 “Affirmative,
Russ, I’ll take care of that,” Lassen said, pointing to the VHF radio and
motioning for the chief of the Special Operations Group, Deputy Marshal Kelly
Peltier, to make the initial calls for him. SOG was the Marshals Service’s
assault and special weapons team, organized to capture the most violent and
heavily armed fugitives. “But hold off on your operation until we get closer,
and brief me on your plan of attack.”
                 “I
don’t have time for that shit,” Fortuna snapped. “You can monitor our tactical
frequency if you want, but do not, I repeat, do not overfly the airport. We might mistake your choppers as one
of Cazaux’s escorts and take a shot at it.”
     
             Special
Agent Fortuna was director of the southeast district of the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, and Firearms. Ex-Marine Corps, all-around weapons expert, and a human
dynamo, as gung-ho as any man in the Treasury Department, Fortuna was an expert
in small-unit assault tactics— at least in his own mind. He relied on the
elements of shock and surprise to overwhelm the bad guys. However, the shock
and devastation of his attacks, in Lassen’s view, made up for a lot of sloppy
investigative work. Judges gave him warrants regularly because he got results.
Lassen liked to gather his deputies, surround a suspect, and wait him out.
Although these standoffs took time and manpower, this substantially reduced the
risk to his deputies. Fortuna liked to form a strike team, plan an assault, and
attack head-on at night with heavy weapons blazing. The result was usually a
lot of wounded agents and dead