As Brodie tried to wrap his head around the implications of this, the others were gaming out how to deal with this new hostage situation.
General Morgan said, “We give them what they want, on the condition that Angela is traded for me. As for Saltsberg, he gets a free ride home.”
Colonel Howe said, “Sir, we cannot trust anything those things say, let alone allow a single D-17 unit to leave Camp Hayden. It is too dangerous.”
Morgan looked at his subordinate officer, who only a day earlier had stripped him of command before herself being deposed and arrested by the Rangers. The battle lines moved quickly at Camp Hayden. The general thought a moment, then sighed. “You’re right, Colonel. I’m not thinking clearly because it’s my wife. New plan. I swap with her, then you threaten to blow up the house. If my initial distrust of Mr. Saltsberg was warranted all along and he’s somehow behind this, he won’t let that happen. And if he’s innocent, well, I’m sure he won’t mind taking one for the team.”
Brodie wasn’t sure about that. He watched Corporal Reyes and his crew securing the EMP bomb in the back of the Humvee. He nodded toward them. “We could use that.”
Taylor shook her head. “The tin men’s sensors will pick it up, just like they did when it was deployed for the training exercise.”
Brodie said to her, “When you guys took out the cell tower, it really scrambled their brains. So maybe one of them senses the electromagnetic signature from the device, but how quickly is it able to tell the others? That’s time we can use. Their comms don’t work at machine speed anymore. Also, how easily can they now be distracted?”
Colonel Howe asked, “Distracted by what?”
“Acoustic bombardment. In Fallujah we used Iron Maiden. We need an iPod or something, and preferably an LRAD. Long-range acoustic device.”
General Morgan looked grim. “We are wagering my wife’s life on the diverting power of rock music?”
Brodie said, “Heavy metal, sir. Some might even say extreme metal. I mean, have these things ever evenheardmusic? Is it played in the Vault? The battlefield? The load-out?”
Morgan and Howe considered that. Then Morgan said, “I doubt there’s any music played outside the barracks and occasionally the mess hall.” He nodded. “Okay. Good enough.”
Brodie walked over to Reyes. “Corporal, what’s your plan for that?”
Reyes turned to him. “Going on a hunt, sir. See if we can locate a cluster of them. We only have juice for one blast.”
“Can I interest you in five tin men shut in a house?”
He told Reyes the plan, and the corporal grinned. “We’ve got an LRAD in the barracks basement. Used it for a prank once. And a bunch of guys have iPods since we can’t have our phones. Maiden might be a little too Eighties for these guys to have. The Nineties are more in now.” He called up to the driver. “Decker, you got your iPod with you?”
The young PFC behind the wheel nodded. “It’s a Sony.”
“Whatever. Got something heavy? Mr. Brodie pitched Iron Maiden.”
“Don’t have it. But I’ve got something maybe more appropriate.” PFC Decker looked out the window and smiled at Brodie. “Rage Against the Machine.”
CHAPTER 55
TWO HUMVEES ROLLED DOWN THEasphalt road toward the cul-de-sacs of houses. Brodie sat shotgun in the front vehicle next to PFC Decker. Corporal Reyes was in the back with PFC Tom Greer, who’d requested to come along. The EMP bomb sat in the open-topped rear of the vehicle, and the LRAD, which resembled a thick flattened radar dish, was attached to the Hummer’s central crossbeam. Howe, Morgan, and Taylor followed in another Humvee along with two more Rangers.
Brodie heard distant automatic gunfire coming from somewhere to the east. He hoped that was the sound of an M2 shredding titanium.
As they continued driving, Brodie spotted something up ahead across the road. It was the blackened husk of a burned-out car.
Decker said, “What the hell is this?”
Brodie noted that both sides of the road were lined with buildings, and there wasn’t a big enough shoulder to get the Hummer around the car.
Decker started to slow down, and Brodie said, “Don’t ease up. This might be an ambush.”
Reyes asked, “You mean this whole hostage thing is bullshit?”
“Maybe. Or maybe the right hand’s not working with the left anymore. A group of them are trying to get out, and another group is trying to kill us.” He looked back at Reyes and Greer, who were each holding a loaded RPG launcher. “Get ready to fire.”
“What?” asked Reyes.
“You heard me.” Brodie looked out the windshield as they spedtoward the wrecked car. He said to Decker, “Next place to turn left, you take it.” He got on his walkie and said, “Might be an ambush. We’re going around. Follow our lead.”
