Part 1 (1/2)

SEAL TEAM SEVEN.

HOSTILE FIRE.

KEITH DOUGLa.s.s.

DESERT SKIRMISH.

”We're taking incoming,” Bradford said. ”We're coming over the side and into the hole.”

Just then an explosion rocked the fallen-in roof of the factory twenty feet behind...

”Come on in,” Murdock said on the Motorola.

”Yeah, getting a line on the shooters,” Gardner said. ”Look to be about a hundred yards north of us. Putting twenties on them now.”

Murdock stood in the opening. One more rocket came in. It went high overhead and hit in the middle of the fallen-in roof. Murdock figured it was a shoulder-fired rocket. He heard the twenties go off.

”Oh yeah,” Gardner said. ”We got them pinned with the twenties. Now Fernandez is picking them off using the thermal imager. We figure there were about ten of them. Not more than two or three left who can move. Get on with your work down there.”

”That's a roger, Gardner. Protect our backs here. Good work. See you soon.”

Dedicated.

To those Special Forces.

Who have carried.

The brunt of the fighting.

Against the worldwide.

Terrorist threat.

SEAL TEAM SEVEN.

THIRD PLATOON*

CORONADO, CALIFORNIA.

Rear Admiral (L) Richard Kenner. Commander of All SEALs. Based in Little Creek, Virginia.

Captain Harry L. Arjarack. Commanding Officer of NAVSPECWARGRUP-ONE, in Coronado, California. 51.

Commander Dean Masciareli. Commanding officer of Navy Special Warfare Group One's SEAL Team Seven in Coronado, California. 47, 5' 11”, 220 pounds. Annapolis graduate.

Master Chief Petty Officer Gordon MacKenzie. Administrator and head enlisted man of all of SEAL Teams in Coronado. 47, 5' 10”, 180 pounds.

Lieutenant Commander Blake Murdock. Platoon Leader, Third Platoon. 32, 6' 2”, 210 pounds. Annapolis graduate. Six years in SEALs. Father an important Congressman from Virginia. Murdock has a condo in La Jolla. Owns a car and a motorcycle. Loves to fish. Weapon: Alliant Bull Pup duo 5.56mm & 20mm. Speaks Arabic.

ALPHA SQUAD.

Elmer Neal. Senior Chief Petty Officer. Top EM in platoon and third in command. 34, 6' 1”, 200 pounds. Divorced. Fifteen years in Navy, four in SEALs. Expert chess player and good bowler. A buzz cut on his hair. Weapon: Alliant Bull Pup duo 5.56 and 20mm with air-burst round. Speaks German and French.

David ”Jaybird” Sterling. Machinist Mate First Cla.s.s. Lead petty officer. 24, 5' 10”, 170 pounds. Quick mind, fine tactician. Single. Drinks too much sometimes. Crack shot with all arms. Grew up in Oregon. Helps plan attack operations. Weapon: H & K MP-5SD submachine gun.

Luke ”Mountain” Howard. Gunner's Mate Second Cla.s.s. 28, 6' 4”, 250 pounds. Black man. Football at Oregon State. Tryout with Oakland Raiders six years ago. In Navy six years, SEAL for four. Single. Rides a motorcycle. A skiing and wind surfing nut. Squad sniper. Weapon H & K PSG1 7.62 NATO sniper rifle.

Bill Bradford. Quartermaster First Cla.s.s. 24, 6' 2”, 215 pounds. An artist in spare time. Paints oils. He sells his marine paintings. Single. Quiet. Reads a lot. Has two years of college. Platoon radio operator. Carries a SATCOM on most missions. Weapon: Alliant Bull Pup duo 5.56mm & 20mm explosive round. Speaks Italian and some Arabic.

Joe ”Ricochet” Lampedusa. Operations Specialist First Cla.s.s. 21, 5' 11”, 175 pounds. Good tracker, quick thinker. Had a year of college. Loves motorcycles. Wants a Hog. Pot smoker on the sly. Picks up plain girls. Platoon scout. Weapon: Colt M-4A1 with grenade launcher, alternate Bull Pup duo 5.56mm & 20mm explosive round.

Kenneth Ching. Quartermaster First Cla.s.s. 25, 6' even, 180 pounds. Full blooded Chinese. Platoon translator. Speaks Mandarin Chinese, j.a.panese, Russian, and Spanish. Bicycling nut. Paid $1,200 for off-road bike. Is trying for Officer Candidate School. Weapon: H & K MP-5SD submachine gun.

Vincent ”Vinnie” Van d.y.k.e. Electrician's Mate Second Cla.s.s. 24, 6' 2”, 220 pounds. Enlisted out of high school. Played varsity basketball. Wants to be a commercial fisherman after his current hitch. Good with his hands. Squad machine gunner. Weapon: H & K 21-E 7.62 NATO round machine gun. Speaks Dutch, German, and some Arabic.

BRAVO SQUAD.

Lieutenant (J.G.) Christopher ”Chris” Gardner. Squad Leader Bravo Squad. Second in Command of the platoon. 28, 6' 4”, 240 pounds. From Seattle. Four years in SEALs. Hang glider nut. Married to Wanda, a clothing designer. No kids. Annapolis graduate. Father is a Navy rear admiral. Grew up in ten different states. Weapon: Alliant Bull Pup duo 5.56mm & 20mm explosive round. Alternate: H & K G-11 submachine gun.

George ”Petard” Canzoneri. Torpedoman's Mate First Cla.s.s, 27, 5' 11”, 190 pounds. Married to Navy wife Phyllis. No kids. Nine years in Navy. Expert on explosives. Nicknamed ”Petard” for almost hoisting himself one time. Top pick in platoon for explosives work. Weapon: Alliant Bull Pup duo 5.56mm & 20mm explosive round.

Miguel Fernandez. Gunner's Mate First Cla.s.s. 26, 6' 1”, 180 pounds. Wife, Maria; daughter, Linda, 7, in Coronado. Spends his off time with them. Highly family oriented. He has family in San Diego. Speaks Spanish and Portuguese. Squad sniper. Weapon: H & K PSG1 7.62 NATO sniper rifle.

Omar ”Ollie” Rafii. Yeoman Second Cla.s.s. 24, 6' even, 180 pounds. Saudi Arabian. In U.S. since he was four. Loves horses, has two. Married, two children. Speaks perfect Farsi and Arabic. Expert with all knives. Throws killing knives with deadly accuracy. Weapon: H & K MP-5SD submachine gun.

Derek Prescott. Radioman Second Cla.s.s. 23, 6' 3”. Comes from a small town in Idaho. Expert marksman. On the Navy rifle team before SEALs. Played college football at University of Idaho as a tight end. Is an expert kayak man who does ocean runs when he has a chance. Unmarried. Speaks good j.a.panese. Weapon: H & K G-11, which fires caseless rounds.

Jack Mahanani. Hospital Corpsman First Cla.s.s. 25, 6' 4”, 240 pounds. Platoon medic. Tahitian/Hawaiian. Expert swimmer. Bench-presses four hundred pounds. Divorced. Top surfer. Weapon: Alliant Bull Pup duo 5.56mm & 20mm explosive round. Alternate: Colt M-4A1 with grenade launcher.

Wade Claymore. Radioman Second Cla.s.s. 24, 6' 3”, 230 pounds. Unmarried. Played two years of Junior College football. A computer whiz. Can program, repair, and build computers. Shoots pistol compet.i.tively. Lives in Coronado. Weapon: Alliant Bull Pup duo with 5.56 & 20mm explosive round.

Dexter M. Tate. Second Cla.s.s Electrician's Mate. 23, 5' 11”, 190 pounds. An African-American. Computer literate, loves to dive on old s.h.i.+pwrecks. Rides a motorcycle. Weapon: Alliant Bull Pup duo 5.56mm and 20mm lasered air-burst round.

*Third Platoon a.s.signed exclusively to the Central Intelligence Agency to perform any needed tasks on a covert basis anywhere in the world. All are top-secret a.s.signments. Goes around Navy chain of command. Direct orders from the CIA and the CNO.

1.

Haifa, Israel.

Asrar Fouad eased back from the table at La Scalla, the best restaurant in town, and touched a linen napkin to his mouth. Steak and shrimp, one of his favorites, and excellently prepared as always. Too bad it would be one of the last servings for some time here at the Twenty-First Century Hotel. He had paid his bill with a Bank America credit card and added a ten-dollar tip. Whoever owned the card would be surprised at the price of the meal as well as the tip. He smiled, his light brown complexion now shaved smooth, his brown eyes pleased. His features were understated and refined, all polish and poise. His suit had cost four hundred dollars at the best men's store in Haifa. He would return it that afternoon as unsuitable. He smiled at the pun. Fouad took one last drink of his coffee, kept brim full and hot by an attentive waiter, then stood and walked out of the hotel's famous dining room and into the street.

He turned left and strolled up Shalom Street. He had plenty of time, almost a half hour. The stores were busy, and the usual Arabs and Israelis were hard at work keeping the mundane activities of their lives in motion. All that would change soon. He walked four blocks, admiring the stores and their goods. One day every Arab nation in the world would have such luxurious merchandise. He turned and retraced his steps, going into the alley a half block down from the Twenty-First Century Hotel. Here even the alley was kept remarkably clean.