Hostile Fire Read Online Free PDF

pushed the pages into a shredder near his desk, and the machine turned the paper into a dozen different shapes and slices. “Now, you can breathe easier. There is no evidence.”
    “Yes, now that it is gone, I am feeling less vulnerable.”
    “I have a question,” President Kamil said. “You realize that our package is not as sophisticated as those of the West.It is larger than we thought it would be and heavier, but it works. We have tested them underground three times with perfect results. Will you use a ship or aircraft to transport the package?”
    “Our plans now call for an air shipment. It will be crated and camouflaged as medical MRI equipment to sustain the fiction of its size and weight. We have checked the limit on some of the cargo aircraft, and it will fit through the doors and meet all of their requirements.”
    “Is this the best plan? You said you couldn’t guarantee us New York or Washington, DC, or even Chicago.”
    “Mr. President, this is not a war-winning blow. It is a strike at the heart and soul of America. It is a psychological killer that will have the Americans running around like rats inside their borders looking for a safe haven. This one blow will set back the American economy five years. It will be so devastating psychologically that Americans won’t trust anyone again in the whole world. We expect that they will withdraw more than a half million troops that are now in place around the world. They will say they need them home to protect their borders from an invasion. They won’t even trust their elected officials who are supposed to be helping them.”
    “We are giving up one of our most treasured assets.”
    “We are well aware of that, Mr. President. We thank you, and the whole Muslim world thanks you. But you have told us that you don’t have the capacity to deliver the package where you want to. The only possibility would be a suicide aircraft, and you’re not sure that you could even get that over a suitable target. This is the best way to do the job. This is cooperation at the highest level between Islamic nations and groups. It is the way with which Allah will be pleased.”
    President Kamil took another drink from the glass. Fouad wondered if there was something more potent in the glass than just the lemon drink. He had been in the West long enough to know of the pull, the addiction, of strong drink. For a man who had everything, anything he wanted, the temptation of some form of alcohol would be overpowering. Fouad was partial to gin in his drinks. Partly because it could not be seen, and partly because of the sting, the bite, and the flavor of the redistilled alcoholic liquor.
    “I’m not worried about Allah. I’m more concerned how Omar Kamil will feel. How will I be affected? Will the West track the bomb back to me? I will be the prime suspect. The West, the savage Americans, do not yet know that I have a nuclear capability. What will they do once they learn of it? Invasion is a strong possibility. They could sweep in here overnight without the sanctions of the United Nations and wipe out our forces before we could get our aircraft into the sky. Would the Americans be that furious for losing one of their cities?”
    “They will be angry, yes, but cooler heads will prevail. The Americans tend to anger quickly, and to cool down fast. They will suspect you, but there is no way to prove where a nuclear weapon comes from. There is no residue, no telltale parts, and no fingerprint of any kind they could possibly use. Without hard evidence they would have to rely on their suspicions. Al-Qaida will at once take credit for the act and let the Americans speculate where we obtained the bomb. They will discuss and debate the question for days, and then weeks and then months and the sting will wither and the hot blood will cool, and they will take no action against anyone. They won’t be able to be sure where the bomb came from. There are thirteen nations in the world now with