Forged in Honor (1995) (52 page)

McCoy had watched Josh's eyes as he responded and had seen what he was looking for. "Okay," he said after a long pause. Then he nodded to his three assistants. "Go down to my room, and make it look good. I'll be there in a few."

Fletcher and the women picked up the beer and walked toward the door. At the door they began laughing, then walked out into the hallway. Josh heard their raised voices even after his door had closed.

McCoy faced Josh. "Listen very carefully. We've got the equipment to knock out the TV cameras once the ..."

Scowling, Tan stormed into the DDSI operations center.

The waiting operations officer grimaced and spoke quickly.

"General, I'm sorry I had to awaken you, but--"

"Tell me what they reported! And what you're doing about it!" Tan ordered.

The colonel held out a report form to his irate superior.

"Our informers at the university reported a meeting tonight, and--"

Tan snatched the paper from the trembling man's hands.

His face flushed as he read the words of the three informants.

"A march? Who are the organizers? What is their intent?" he barked impatiently.

"No leaders took charge of the meeting. The informers reported that it seemed to be spontaneous--many students spoke in support of the march. I notified all of our on-duty teams to check with the informants to confirm their reports.

So far they have learned nothing new. Should I call the prime minister?"

Tan reread the report and shook his head. "No, not yet. We don't have enough to justify waking him. It may be just what it looks like--a protest march. But I want all of the standby teams called in. Also, have some of these students brought in for questioning. Place the Strike battalion on alert and notify the Defense Ministry command center duty officer. Have him place the army units on alert. Tomorrow morning I want a the students. In the meantime, have the police establish barricades to block tomorrow's march."

The colonel bowed his head and strode over to a bank of phones and three waiting captains. Tan ran his eyes over the report once again, whispering, "What are you trying to do?"

Chapter 27.

0830 Hours, 19 July, Martyrs' Day.

The lead bus turned onto Aungsan Street, the single artery leading to Burma's government complex. Sitting in the second bus, Josh looked out the window as his vehicle made its turn. Like a majestic king, the People's Congress Hall sat on a rise at the head of the street, looking down the mile-long avenue lined with Burma's government buildings. Set back a hundred yards from the road, the white, four-story, prewar Congress Hall stood alone and empty. Forty-five years before, the Hall had been the most powerful building in the nation. The stately office structure was surrounded by a lovely park and a six-foot brick wall. Ten acres of parks on both sides of the road separated the Congress Hall from the rows of other government compounds that served the new generation of politicians. Like fast-food restaurants on a busy strip, the other buildings were built closer together. Only by the signs could anyone distinguish them--the ministries of Trade, Finance, Resources, Information, and Commerce.

Halfway down the street, Josh's bus stopped at the iron gate of the Ministry of Defense compound. Squat (only two stories) and made from brick, it looked like a prison, its high walls crowned with concertina wire. Josh glanced at a third compound, which was four hundred yards farther down the road--the Ministry of Security, home of the infamous DDSI.

Unlike the other buildings, which needed paint and repair, the As the bus rolled into the Defense compound, Josh felt the first tremor of fear begin to build within him. The fear wasn't for himself but for the assault force that would soon be in a tunnel directly below him.

Sitting beside Josh, McCoy offered his hand. "Surprise me and don't do anything stupid." He sighed and smiled. "Good luck, Hawk."

Josh shook his hand without speaking and took his bag out of the overhead compartment. Seconds later he stepped down from the bus and, with the other media representatives, was escorted toward the main entrance. Glancing around the compound, he noticed that the security was very low profile. Except for the two guards at the gate, not a single soldier was visible. Instead, leisure-suited men wearing sunglasses and bad-news expressions stood around in pairs trying to imitate Secret Service agents. They weren't even close. They looked and dressed like what they were-hoods-with ducktails, tight-fitting pants, and white socks. Josh counted at least five pairs before he entered the building.

The interior of the building was like the sketch he had seen a hundred times, but bigger and in color. The huge, double-height lobby ran the entire length of the building to the rear entrance, which was identical to the front, all glass doors and a big portico. A white marble floor and teak paneled walls made the hall look something like a church.

Josh followed the throng of reporters and television crews to tables covered with fresh fruit and pitchers of tea and coffee. The ever-smiling media officer stood behind the center table and raised his hands.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy our hospitality. The main conference room is behind me. Please get all your equipment set up now and take your seats by 9:45. Please refer to the seating charts available on the table. The prime minister's announcement will start at precisely ten. Thank you."

Josh slung his bag over his shoulder and poured himself a cup of coffee. He strolled toward the other end of the lobby.

On the right a wide, white marble staircase led UP to the portraits of former military leaders hanging on the paneled walls until he reached the stairs leading to the basement. Taking another sip of coffee, he glanced down. At the bottom of the steps were double doors marked by a large sign reading Military Command Center.

He continued on to the rear entrance and noticed another security team just outside the glass doors, standing by some huge flowerpots. Turning around, he strolled back to get one more hit of caffeine. He was pouring himself a fresh cup when Fletcher and McCoy strolled up to him.

McCoy held up one of the seating charts and nodded toward the conference room. "Shall we take a look?"

The three men stepped inside. McCoy gestured to his left.

"I'll be on the raised platform with the rest of the photographers and the TV crews."

Josh ignored him and walked down the aisle toward the flower-covered stage. He walked up the stage steps to a side door, opened it, and stepped into a hallway. A security team stood a few paces away and immediately waved him back inside.

"I'm looking for the men's room," Josh said as if desperate.

One of the guards stepped forward. "Please go back inside.

Rest rooms are in main lobby."

Josh nodded thanks and retraced his steps to the conference room. He had learned what he needed. Behind the security men he had seen a landing with a staircase going down to the basement, plus another staircase leading up to the second floor. Josh felt a rush of confidence. His quick recon had confirmed everything the Burmese deserter had sketched out a week before. As far as Josh could tell, everything was exactly like he said it would be. If all went well, Swei would leave the conference room and go down into the basement, where Stephen and Xu Kang would be waiting.

McCoy strode up and asked angrily, "Where the hell did you go?"

Josh shrugged. "Tried to find a bathroom. Where do I sit?"

McCoy looked at Josh suspiciously for a moment, then nodded toward the front of the room. "The first row of chairs is for the prime minister's cabinet and military chiefs. The second and third rows are for the ambassadors and visiting dignitaries. The rest of the seating is for the press. I saved you an aisle seat so I could keep an eye on you. Fletcher will sit next to you."

"And the frauleins?" Josh asked.

"They'll be right behind our ambassador to keep him covered. Anything I should know, Hawk-like what the fuck is going on?"

Josh glanced at his watch. He walked back toward the lobby and said over his shoulder, "Any of you guys want fruit?"

Outside, the two buses that had delivered the press were parked side by side in the parking lot. Behind the darkened windows of the buses, the drivers unlocked the doors of their rear bathroom compartments, which had been labeled "Out of order." Two Shan marksmen stepped out of each of the bathrooms holding sniper rifles with fat sound-suppressors attached to the barrels. The first driver opened his side window and nodded to the second driver, who raised a small radio to his lips and whispered, "Base, bus teams are in position.

Over."

Colonel Banta, positioned in the park behind the Congress Hall, pushed the sidebar of his radio. "Roger, wait for the order. Out."

Stephen pulled up in a van to the gate of the Congress Hall compound. Smiling, he showed his pass to the guard. "Greetings, Sergeant. I see you too have to work on this holiday."

The sergeant recognized Stephen and shrugged his shoulders. "Yes, we are all on duty. I haven't seen you in some time, U Kang. What happened to your face?"

"A car accident. I am blessed to be living. Did you just come on duty?" Stephen asked casually.

"My shift just came on an hour ago. It will be a long eight hours, U Kang, but we are blessed. The others at the Defense Ministry will be on their feet for most of their shift. You may park in the back as usual. We're shorthanded due to all the other activity, so there are only two men at the rear security desk. One will escort you to the basement and unlock the tunnel entrance."

Stephen glanced in the rearview mirror and made sure there were no cars or people coming before lifting a silenced pistol from his lap. "If you move or speak, Sergeant, I will put a bullet in your forehead. Listen very carefully and you will live. Tell the other guard to come over and meet me.

Now."

Shaking, the wide-eyed sergeant slowly moved his head while keeping his eyes on the pistol and called out toward the guard shack. "Corporal Naik, come and meet a friend of mine."

The corporal strolled out of the shack and approached the van. Stephen opened the door and leveled his pistol. "Move and you die."

The van's rear doors burst open and two men dressed in guard uniforms jumped out and pushed the two trembling men toward the guard shack. Stephen raised a handheld radio to his lips. "Front gate secure. Out." He lowered the radio and spoke over his shoulder to the four men left in the back of the van while he drove up the banyan-tree-lined road toward the Congress building. "There are only two guards inside. Once I'm in, give me thirty seconds before sending in backup. Team two should open the rear gate and let the assault force in from the park."

The two team leaders acknowledged his orders with silent nods. Stephen parked in the back lot, put his pistol in his briefcase, and got out. He walked up the back steps to the huge teak doors and strolled inside to the security desk.

Both seated guards looked up as he entered. The senior of the two, a corporal, stood with a smile and offered a pen to the man he had seen many times. "It has been many weeks, U Kang. Bless Buddha, what happened to your face?"

Stephen set the briefcase down, opened it, and pulled out the pistol. "If either of you speaks, you will both die."

Sitting in his office in the DDSI underground command post, Tan lowered the phone handset. Shaking his head, he glanced across his desk at his operations colonel. "He's not taking calls or seeing anyone. He must be going over his speech a final time."

The colonel's facial muscles tightened. "The prime minister has to know."

Tan drummed his fingers on his desk for a moment before leaning back in his chair. "It's probably just as well. If we told him of the student problem, he would be distracted. We will handle the matter ourselves. What is the most recent update?"

"We have confirmed that the students are massing in the university park," the officer said. "Their numbers are growing by the minute."

"And what did we learn from those we picked up last night?" asked Tan.

Obviously uncomfortable, the colonel shifted in his seat.

"They were very stubborn and required our most convincing methods. One died during the interrogation. The others did not tell us very much. The student meetings last night were rallies for the march this morning. Their intention is to march to the Defense Ministry while the media is there and demand that Prime Minister Swei step down and give control to a caretaker government. They want free elections within two months."

Tan clenched his fists. "Today ... today of all days they come to pester us." He shook his head slowly, thinking. A moment passed before he asked, "And the police? Are they erecting barriers as I instructed?"

"Yes, General. I talked to the chief of police last night after our meeting. He has every available man and vehicle blocking the roads around the university. The students won't be able to leave the park."

Tan glanced at his watch. "Then they won't be able to ruin the press conference. Swei speaks in twenty-five minutes. Label them communist agitators for the benefit of the press who hear about their gathering."

The colonel was still concerned. "General, the barricade drains off all of our police resources. No units will be available if other problems should arise."

Tan frowned, displeased with the lack of confidence his subordinate was showing. "What other problems? We have thought of every contingency. You increased the security around the prime minister, didn't you?"