Battlefield 4: Countdown to War Read Online Free PDF

Chinese land mass.’
    Garrison nodded. The sunrise was turning the glassy sea a spectacular pink.
    ‘Okay, I’m getting that. Keep going.’
    ‘It started at 0410 and lasted thirty seconds. There was another at 0550 from about half a degree south. They were bounced to a receiver fifteen hundred miles away into the Chinese interior.’
    ‘Okay, I’m receiving that. Any decrypt yet?’
    ‘That’s just the thing, sir. There’s no way into it. It’s like plain white noise. No contours.’
    ‘And the receiver?’
    ‘None that’s on our data. It could be it’s just come on stream, but it doesn’t show up as anywhere near any known military or intelligence facility.’
    ‘Can you – capture it?’
    Garrison wasn’t sure what you did with stuff like that, so he went for a familiar word.
    ‘That’s the other thing, sir. It won’t. It has no – it’s like a vapour trail. It just melts away.’
    ‘Nice analogy, Bale. Write it up and we’ll get our intelligence people on to it.’
    Garrison squeezed his shoulder. He didn’t want to squash the kid’s initiative, after all that was just what . . . Shit. His thought stopped in its tracks as another jumped into focus.
    ‘Where in China did you say?’
    ‘On the border with North Korea – a mountainous region with—’
    Garrison was on his feet.
    ‘Get me the exact coordinates – now .’

4
    Garrison moved swiftly through the ship, men stepping out of his path, saluting as he went. He nodded to each of them, because that was his custom, but right now they were almost invisible to him. He’d told Olsen to signal the minute they were clear. It was gone 0700 which meant Olsen was late, and there was nothing from Cutler. A satellite had picked up a suspected aviation fire close to their sector on the border. He needed answers.
    ‘It’s all ready for you, Commander. Langley’s China desk online and waiting and the Pentagon are listening in.’ Duncan held the door for him.
    ‘Thanks, Lieutenant. Afraid you’ll have to step out for this.’
    ‘Understood, sir.’
    Whatever he was about to hear he wanted to digest it alone first.
    He closed and locked the door. The room smelled stagnant. A month had passed since anyone had used it. Duncan had put out a pitcher of water and a glass and had fresh coff ee sent up. Too bad he had to do this without her in the room. He always behaved better when she was around. But he needed the others to level with him and they might clam up if they saw her alongside him. He patted his tunic and helped himself to something stronger from Jack’s silver flask. He typed in his personal code and hit Enter. Two screens sprang to life.
    ‘Sir, good day.’ It was Krantz on the China desk at Langley. ‘And we have Colonel Benskin at the Pentagon with us at this time.’
    ‘Hey, Roland.’
    ‘Hi, Brad.’
    It was all over their faces, thought Garrison. Krantz’s eyebrows were raised as high as they could go, desperately seeking upsides.Benskin looked more grizzled than ever, a desk warrior carrying twenty more pounds since they’d last spoken.
    Garrison sat and faced the screens.
    ‘Okay, gentlemen: give it to me.’
    Krantz launched in. ‘So here’s what we have so far, sir. We have ground reports China-side of a downed aircraft within the assigned corridor, plus thermo images confirming likely aviation fire smoke coming up through heavy cloud.’
    He looked at Benskin.
    ‘Doesn’t look good, Roland.’
    ‘That’s it from the Pentagon? “It doesn’t look good”?’
    The Colonel nodded gravely. How many times had they been here before? He’d lost count. He turned to Krantz. ‘Where’s Cutler in all this? It’s his show.’
    ‘He’s on it, sir. He’s talking to Beijing right now.’ Krantz picked up his cell. ‘Hold one minute, sir, I might have more for you.’
    ‘I don’t give a shit about Beijing. I want my men back.’
    God, how he hated covert action. The men loved it, loved the mystery, the bending or even