Hyori emerged from cover and tried to sight on the shooter, but panicked civilians ruled out a shot. The second Russian began firing toward Wu, and Hyori got a clear line of sight. From thirty yards he put two rounds in the man’s head.
Taking a prone position behind the motorcycle, Wu began returning fire. He got a clean shot, and in a ninety-degree cross fire the second Russian was cut down.
Both searched for other threats. Seeing none, they pocketedtheir weapons and ran down the street Clark had taken. Hyori transmitted, “Two has engaged. Two hostiles down, moving to rejoin!”
“One copies,” Clark replied. He had heard the unsilenced weapons, and the positive report was welcome. “Re-form on us. Three say posit.”
“Three is roughly five blocks east,” Bauer replied.
“Zero is breaking out of traffic,” Charlie interjected. “Need a rally point now!”
“Gamer copies, stand by…”
A pause on the Tangier end as everyone waited for Katie to make the call.
As much as Clark liked and respected Jack Ryan’s daughter, he knew she was in a suboptimal position. Urban combat was not her specialty. He hoped that during her time at the Naval Academy she’d done some joint training with the Army along those lines.
He also hoped she’d paid attention. The tenets of urban combat reflected a unique environment. Paramount was distinguishing enemy combatants from civilians in densely populated areas, a complication that demanded proportional use of force. The abundance of cover and concealment favored defenders over attackers. John Clark didn’t simply know these principles. He had lived by them until they were seared into his marrow.
But Katie? Could she adapt?
Clark shot a glance behind him. Wu and Hyori were again in position. He sensed a new mood amid the crowds on the sidewalk. A dangerous mix of caution and curiosity. Everyone had heard the gunshots, which wouldn’t be completely foreign here. A few shopkeepers had retreated into their stores, but others edged outside tentatively to see what the commotion was about. The intersection behind them had gone still and people wouldbegin gathering. Nothing drew a crowd like a crowd. The police had to be getting calls, probably dozens of them, and soon sirens would begin wailing.
Clark was reasonably sure he had his unit moving in the general direction of Bauer and Toussaint, but the streets were a labyrinth of diagonal alleys and curving boulevards. Once they had a rally point, he would have to stop to reference a map and coordinate on the radio.
Come on, Katie. Give us a vector!
The radio remained silent.
53
DIA Headquarters
Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling
Washington, D.C.
1102 Local Time
“Tell him I’ll call him back!” Katie snapped, her eyes locked on the big monitor.
Moose was holding out a secure handset like it was a holy relic. Kyle had already rejected taking the call.
“But he knows something is going down in Tangier,” Moose argued.
“Of course he does. Tell him I’m busy.”
“It’s the President of the United States!”
“No, it’s our dad. He would want us to take care of business first.”
Moose sat statue-like, the phone in his outstretched hand.
Katie finally tore her attention away from the screen and snatched the handset away. She put it to her ear and said, “I’ll get right back to you!” Without waiting for a response, she dropped the phone back in its cradle.
Katie took one last look at the monitor, adjusted her headset and mic, and keyed the transmit button.
The White House
