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“Thank you, sir. You won’t regret it.”
“Hell, I already regret it. Three or four days, no more. And you’ve got to agree if the pressure becomes too great, you’ll get on the next transport and leave without hesitation.”
“Yes, sir, that’s fair enough. You tell me to go and I’m gone.”
63
10:04 A.M. (EASTERN STANDARD TIME), NOVEMBER 3
THE OVAL OFFICE, THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON, D.C.
The usual group had gathered. It was obvious from their relaxed movements and upbeat tone that the dark clouds of the previous weeks had disappeared.
“The casualties were heavy, Mr. President, but Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are secure,” the secretary of defense said. “And it looks like they’re going to stay that way. The Iranian army’s been defeated and the Iraqis have run back inside their own border. Nearly half a million dead litter the sands of northern Saudi Arabia. At least we’re fairly certain there are that many. The fires from the burning armor are masking the battlefield. It’s impossible to know what it actually looks like on the ground. Even so, one thing’s for certain. The fighting’s stopped.”
“Fantastic, Mr. Secretary. I can’t think of anything better than knowing the Saudi and Kuwaiti oil fields are safe.”
“And according to our radio intercepts, they’re going to stay that way.”
“How so?”
“The Iranians had a huge relief column rushing our way in a desperate attempt to save their army. That force ran into the fleeing Iraqis. An Iraqi retreat when thirty-three of their elite divisions were being slaughtered didn’t sit well. To say they were upset is putting it mildly. Skirmishes had begun when the Iranian prisoners we’d released arrived on the scene. When they did, and their countrymen got word of the Iraqi treachery, the fighting began in earnest. At this moment, there’s an immense battle going on in southeastern Iraq between the two countries. It’s spreading along the border between them. It could blossom into a full-scale war before the week’s out. The last struggle between the two took ten years and ravaged both countries with neither side gaining a thing from their misguided efforts. This one shows the potential to be as devastating. So while they’re killing each other, they’ll be too preoccupied to bother either Saudi Arabia or Kuwait. Even so, we’ll need to keep a decent-size force at the Iraqi border for the foreseeable future. But we figure all our guys will need to do is sit back and watch the Iranians and Iraqis go at it.”
“That’s wonderful news. I can’t wait to tell the press at my three o’clock briefing. I’ll bet after I announce the oil fields are safe, gas prices drop five dollars within the first hour.”
“That’s not the only thing, Mr. President,” the chairman of the Joint Chiefs said. “While we’re still fighting in Egypt, things are going well there, also. In the north, the Marines and the British armored divisions have won significant battles in the past twenty-four hours. Our advance elements are within forty miles of Cairo and getting closer each day.”
“When do you estimate they’ll reach the Egyptian capital?” the president asked.
“Four or five days at the latest.”
“What’s the word within Cairo itself, General Greer?”
“Not much different than yesterday. The Pan-Arab assault’s in its fourth day and neither side’s given an inch. Hour after hour, the fighting has raged. A conservative estimate is the Mahdi’s losses in this battle alone are over one hundred thousand dead with three times as many wounded. There have been a few successful crossings by the fanatics followed by tank engagements. But we’ve beaten each one back. Every time the enemy gets a toehold we’ve been able to respond.”
“So can I tell the press Mourad’s attack has been a total failure?”
“I wouldn’t call it a failure yet, sir. But it hasn’t been a success. And unless something unanticipated happens, it won’t be. Don’t get me wrong, the Chosen One could still wear us down and win this thing. But at this point it’s not likely. He’s running out of time. If he doesn’t take Cairo in the next day or two, he never will. There’ve been rumors his army’s about to break. Desertions, surrenders, and retreats are becoming commonplace. The prisoners we’ve taken are quite dejected. They’re sick of all this, and the Mahdi’s fanciful promises are losing their rapturous appeal. And it’s only going to get worse from here.”
“In what way?”
“The 4th Infantry and 10th Mountain arrived in Egypt this morning. Both have off-loaded. The minute they did, they took off across the desert. As of an hour ago, the 10th Mountain had reached the Nile about seventy-five miles below Cairo. With night approaching, we thought it would be prudent to keep our forces where they are until morning. They’re consolidating their positions. Bridging equipment is moving forward. By morning we’ll have half a dozen spans over the river and both divisions will cross in force.”
“Once they’re across, Mr. President,” the secretary of defense said, “we’ll put into action the plan we talked about a few days ago. The two divisions will cut off the Sudanese. After that the 10th will turn south, destroy everything in their path, and secure Egypt’s border. The 4th will head up the western bank of the Nile to attack Mourad’s forces in Giza. With the British and our Marines hammering him from the north, and the 4th Infantry’s M-1s and Bradleys coming at him from the south, he won’t know which way to turn. Unless massive Pan-Arab reinforcements reach the battlefield, which isn’t going to happen, I wouldn’t be surprised if his army collapses in the next few days.”
“What’s the latest word on his reserves?” the president asked.
“Sudanese have arrived in fairly significant numbers,” General Greer said. “But we’ll put an end to that tomorrow. We won’t have to worry about further reinforcements from the south. The Marines on the Libyan border continue to be hit by waves of conscripts. We’ve suffered significant losses. But our Hornets have been great in providing support. Our guys are holding on and only a handful of the enemy’s gotten through. We estimate less than five percent have been successful in breaching our lines. And that’s certainly a number we can live with.”
“Excellent, General.” The president was all smiles, but there was one item with which to deal before concluding the meeting. He turned to the director of the CIA. “Well,” he said, “what’s the word on Mourad?”
“It’s confirmed, Mr. President. As unbelievable as it sounded when the initial reports came in, the information’s true. Mourad’s headquarters are in the Great Pyramid.”
“Are you certain, Chet?”
“Yes, sir. We were skeptical at the time, but further prisoner interrogations supported the intelligence we received from our Special Forces. Once we had that information, we started pinpointing radio transmissions to see what we could find. Apparently, a few days earlier we’d eliminated Mourad’s main communication center on the Giza Plateau. But the Pan-Arabs quickly replaced everything we’d destroyed. That alone was sufficient evidence to investigate further. There was enough high-level radio traffic going into and out of the pyramid complex to heighten our suspicions. So we slipped a covert team into western Giza. They spent last night watching what was going on at the plateau. They didn’t see the Chosen One, but signs of his presence were everywhere. Mourad’s personal armored division surrounds the hilltop. And when our team spotted his mujahideen patrolling outside, they knew we’d found the right place.”
“Too bad they didn’t spot him. They could have taken care of things then and there.”
“Yes, sir. That’s what we had in mind. But no such luck. And it wasn’t like they could stay around hoping for a shot at the old bastard. Still, they did provide valuable information.”
“No chance Mourad’s set up an elaborate ruse and he’s really somewhere else?”
“We don’t think so. His mujahideen are never far from him. And they were crawling all over the place.?
?
“Are you sending your team back in to get him?”
“No, sir,” the director of the CIA said. “Once was enough. They came close to being discovered more than once last night. We don’t think we can press our luck any further.”
“If his army is near collapse, we need to be working on getting our hands on him. I don’t want to chance him escaping in the confusion that will follow when the war ends.”
“We’re working on it, Mr. President,” the secretary of defense said. “But as long as he’s got his best armored division securing the area, I don’t know how much luck we’ll have in killing him without one hell of a fight.”
The president looked at them. “Find a way, gentlemen. You’ve got two days to come up with a plan to eliminate him once and for all.”
64
4:25 P.M., NOVEMBER 4
