Miles to Go A Rennie Vogel Intrigue - ...

Miles to Go A Rennie Vogel Intrigue - Amy Dawson Robertson, ebook, ebook.1400, Temp 2

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Copyright © 2010 Amy Dawson RobertsonBella Books, Inc.P.O. Box 10543Tallahassee, FL 32302All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper First EditionEditor: Katherine V. ForrestCover Designer: Linda CallaghanISBN 10: 1-59493-174-7ISBN 13: 978-1-59493-174-1DedicationFor Mom, for always believing in me and for being the best there is, ever.For S-H, for letting go of the aliens and encouraging me to take the space and time to write.AcknowledgmentsMany people were kind enough to read Miles to Go in its early stages and offer valuable feedback. Heartfelt thanks to: Brad Buehler, Mary Buonanno, Robin Eastman Caldwell, Jen Champagne, Dana B., Karen DeSantis, Amanda Farrar, Paige Forrest, Elizabeth Frengel, Soniah Kamal, Sarah Leary, Adele Levine, Mari Millard, Barb Rich, Scott Ritter, Ella Schiralli and Beck Sheehy. And to my good friends from book club, many of whom were supportive early readers.Thanks to my favorite Canadians, Donna Malthouse and Line Parent for lighting a fire under me by wanting to read chapter by chapter as the novel was being written. Thanks to my editor, Katherine V. Forrest—it was an honor to work with her and I learned a lot through the process. And to Karin Kallmaker and Linda Hill for making it happen. And finally to Sally Loy Woodward, to S-H and to Alexandra Ogilvie for being there nearly every step of the way and for their encouragement, boundless patience and good judgment.PROLOGUEJanuary 2001Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and StateUnited States CapitolWashington, D.C.Closed Session“May we begin, Director Wilson?†The speaker was Marcia Joplin, senior senator from Maine, and thorn in the side of countless administration officials.Stephen Wilson took a long drink of ice water and winced as the cold struck a sensitive molar. He needed to see a dentist. Just one more thing he didn’t have time for. Rubbing his jaw, the FBI Director raised his hand in assent. He was as ready as he would ever be. Even for Senator Joplin.Joplin was that rare breed of Republican, liberal as only a few senators from small Northeastern states can be. She had muscled her way into chairing this important subcommittee through animpressive series of manipulations—she was a born politician and feared by many, including Stephen Wilson.“This is your fifth appearance, Director, and we are here to discuss your budget request for a new international counterterrorism team. Thank you for being here today.†Joplin looked as if she were on fire, her trim figure clad in an exquisitely tailored red suit.This was the last day of the closed budget hearings and the final item on the agenda was what a few within Wilson’s inner circle had come to refer to as his pet project. It was much more than that for Wilson. It was an absolutely necessary response to a growing concern that no one seemed to be heeding. An international counterterrorism tactical team was needed to tamp down extremist factions that seemed to be sprouting mushroomlike across the globe. He wasn’t against taking necessary steps to protect his country even if no arrests would ever be made—the FBI had long been more than just law enforcement. But getting his funding would be difficult and Wilson wasn’t hopeful. With Joplin in control, he knew he probably wouldn’t have the support he needed.Joplin began. “To get to it, there is concern that too many funds are being directed toward what many see as a largely unsubstantiated threat. Are you prepared to make an argument for it?â€Unlike the majority of her GOP cohorts, Joplin was known to be disinclined to support defense measures that she saw as little more than undisguised sabre-rattling machismo. She was on record as being a firm believer in the generous allocation of funds for the defense of country, but in one particularly vivid interview she was quoted saying that she found it frightening that so many of her colleagues, and most alarmingly her superiors in the executive branch, seemed to be overgrown children in possession of the largest, most dangerous toy box in the world, courtesy of Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and the five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.Wilson cleared his throat and leaned into the microphone.“Yes, Senator. As I’m sure you know, international terrorism has been on a dramatic rise in the last ten years. It is a dire threat to the United States and it will be on our shores if we don’t do something about it. In the last five years alone, there has been a fifty-three percent increase in terror-related activities across the world.â€Senator Joplin pursed her lips and removed her reading glasses, laying them on the dais, her favorite emphatic gesture.“That’s a dramatic number, Director, but I fail to see what it has to do with us. And as I’m sure you know, our role is not to police the world but to protect our own people.â€Such shortsightedness had plagued Wilson his entire career.“I can tell you, Senator, many of these events should be seen as an attack on American interests.â€The chairwoman replaced her reading glasses on the tip of her nose and peered at the figures just handed to her. Clearly, she didn’t like what she saw. Wilson knew that they flew in the face of her vision of the world as essentially benign. She finally looked up.“And your argument for this is?â€â€œYou’re aware of the largest events. But there are countless other smaller attacks—they are outlined in the report we prepared for the committee. Hotel bombings where Americans are known to be staying. Kidnapping and hostage-taking of Americans abroad.â€â€œWhat are other countries doing about this?â€â€œNot enough. We don’t have sufficient diplomatic relations with many of the countries where these acts are taking place. These factions are not stupid. They know to hit us where we are weakest. That’s why we need to take the lead and act now.â€â€œThe FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team was originally designed to attend only to domestic matters but has long taken on international missions. Why can’t they continue to cover that arena?†Joplin asked.“A team functions best when it has a clear mandate. The Cold War is over. No state will attack us openly. Terrorist organizations,loosely aligned to a state or multiple states, perhaps secretly funded by them, are willing to enact a kind of warfare that has no parameters. No Geneva Convention, no moral code enforced by the social contract that we insist upon from established governments. We must have a team devoted to confronting if not controlling these groups. And we have to show other countries in the same boat that we are doing something about it.â€For a moment, Wilson believed he had gotten through to her. Her eyes finally showed some kind of understanding. Then she shook her head.“I appreciate your concern for our national security, Director. And your forward-thinking is something that the intelligence community has sorely lacked. But we are in a serious budget crisis and quite frankly I don’t think we can afford to make ideological statements to foreign countries.â€Wilson felt the muscles knot in his shoulders. He forced himself to relax before he continued. “If we don’t, the terrorists will make their own statement, right here in Washington, D.C.â€â€œBut that’s the point. They haven’t hit us and you haven’t made a case that they will. And, really, your scare tactics are a little much, Director. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. How many personnel are you asking for?â€And that was it. Her face had closed and she would hear no more. Wilson looked at the other members of the committee, but they all looked tired and resigned to let Joplin win on this issue.Wilson sighed deeply. What he was asking for wasn’t much. A small beginning that could develop into something fundamentally important, once its efficacy was proven. “Okay. We’re requesting fifty special operations agents, along with the necessary support staff. The fifty agents will be divided into tactical units to be deployed on specialized missions overseas designed to prevent current and future attacks on American interests at home and abroad.â€â€œNow, word on the street,†Joplin said, “is that the formation of this team is already underway—I hear you’re calling it CT3and that a call for applicants went out months ago under the auspices of an offshoot of the Hostage Rescue Team.â€Wilson nodded.“I’ll remind you, Director, that this hearing is being recorded and vocalized responses are appreciated.â€â€œThat is correct, Senator,†Wilson affirmed.“And where did you find the money for this little independent venture of yours?â€â€œWe were able to achieve efficiencies in several areas.â€â€œThat’s very convenient.â€Wilson said nothing.“Yes, it’s very convenient and it puts us in a difficult position since all the resources you’ve already put into this are for naught if you don’t receive additional funding.â€Wilson knew he’d made an enormous gamble, one that would be an embarrassment if it didn’t pay off and would likely damage his career.“But,†she went on, “there’s no way we can authorize that much money for this. We’ve been very generous with the rest of your budget request.†She paused, eyebrows raised, and waited for Wilson to nod, indicating his agreement.He did... [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

zanotowane.pl

doc.pisz.pl

pdf.pisz.pl

sylwina.xlx.pl