Chapter 25
Empty Quiver
0830 hours, 3 February 2003, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Tony was sitting at his desk, trying to catch up on nearly a month's worth of paperwork that he'd missed. He was about a quarter way through the stack, when there was a knock on his open door. Tony looked up and saw Dr. Saybrooke leaning against the doorframe. "What do you want Major?" Tony asked, going back to his work.
"You wanna explain where you've been for the past month?" she asked.
"No, I really don't" Tony said as he put down his pen and took a sip of his coffee.
"I could pull rank on you" she said.
"No, you can't" Tony said. "We both may have oak leaves on our shoulders, but mine are silver, yours ain't" Tony said.
"I mean I could get Colonel Colleton to order you to do so" she clarified.
"You could, but then I would just get General Clark to tell him to shut up" Tony said.
"And how do you know that General of the Army Wesley Clark, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, would intervene on your behalf?" she replied smugly. Tony reached over and picked up the phone on his desk, and dialed. "Who are you calling?" she asked. Tony replied by holding up a finger.
"Hey, Uncle Wes, can you do that thing you do… thanks" Tony said as he held out the phone. "It's for you" he smiled as Major Saybrooke took the phone.
"This is Major Saybrooke" she answered. A few minutes later, Margaret finally hung up the phone.
"Satisfied?" Tony asked.
"Well then" she said. "If you'll excuse me" she said as she retreated from the office. Tony chuckled as he got back to work.
0900 hours, 3 February 2003, Oval Office, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
"So, have you decided on a new White House Counsel?" the President asked.
"Yes Sir, Lionel Tribby, he comes highly recommended from the most prestigious law firm in New York"
"Tribby?" he repeated. "He's so Liberal that he makes me look like a Nazi" the President said.
"I know sir, but no one can deny, he's one of the best lawyers in the world" Meg said.
"Alright, what the hell" the President said.
"Yes Sir" she replied.
"Also, someone told me that you came over to the dark side" he smiled. "Jared told me that both you, and now Rex too, have both left the Republican Party?"
"Yes Sir" Meg nodded. "As of last month, we are officially members of the Democratic Party" she confirmed.
"Well good for you both" the President smiled. Before they could continue, there was a knock on the door and Rex stepped in. "Mr. President, General Clark and Admiral Sandecker here to see you" he said.
"Send them in" the President said.
"Mr. President"
"Mr. President" they both said as they stepped into the Oval.
"Gentlemen, what's up?" the President asked. Both men waited until Rex had closed the door before speaking. "I take it from your delay that this is classified?" the President asked.
"Yes Sir" General Clark nodded.
"Mr. President, have you ever heard the term "Empty Quiver"?" Admiral Sandecker asked.
"Unless I'm mistaken, it refers to the loss of a nuclear weapon" the President said.
"Our of our Fast Attacks submarines, the USS Crawford, cannot account for 1 of its Mk-48 ADCAP Torpedoes" said Admiral Sandecker.
"What size warhead?" Meg asked.
"10 kiloton" Wes stated.
"Fuck" Meg said.
"So what do we do now?" the President asked. "Other than praying that this thing doesn't go off" the President said.
"We need to investigate, and we need to do it quickly and quietly" Wes said.
"Who conducts the investigation?" the President asked.
"Something like this is unprecedented. We don't know" said Admiral Sandecker.
"General Clark, your daughter, Lieutenant Commander Samantha Clark, is one of the best submariners we have. Surely she could make some headway in all this" said President Obama.
"Yes Sir, but at the moment, the Port Charles is in Persian Gulf, conducting recon on Iraqi underwater defenses off the Kuwaiti Coast" Wes replied.
"What about Colonel DiNozzo?" Meg offered.
"He's Army" said Admiral Sandecker.
"Really? I hadn't noticed" Meg replied. "He's Army, but he's a qualified deep-sea diver, which could come in handy" she said.
"It should also be pointed out that at the moment, Tony is one of the chief architects of our coming operations in Kuwait and Iraq" Wes said. "He's not exactly in a position to drop everything he's doing"
"No, he isn't" the President said. "But what about his son, Anthony III?" the President asked. "Rex once told me that his brother is also a qualified deep sea diver. Not only that, but he's shorter than his father, and more suited for submarine work" the President said.
"The Crawford's Captain won't be happy with a doggie investigating his boat"
"Considering he just lost a 10 kiloton warhead, he's in no position to complain" Wes retorted.
"That may be so, but James has a point. If the crew isn't cooperative, it'll make it that much harder to find the missing nuke. Send Three, but make him an "advisor" or something. Send someone from JAG to look into this" he ordered.
"So who do we send?" Wes asked.
"I think I have someone in mind" Meg said.
1300 hours, 3 February 2003, Norfolk Naval Station, Norfolk, Virginia.
"The torpedoes come from the depot on a flatbed, 4 fish to a load. The Tomahawks come in different vehicles" explained Lieutenant Ames, an officer from the base Munitions Depot. "The Sub pulls up alongside the here, and we use the cranes to load em on" he continued. "The bubbleheads are responsible for the rest" he finished.
"Has anything like this happened before? A missing torpedo?" Three asked.
"Not that I know off" the officer replied.
"What about the documentation?" asked Petty Officer 2nd Class Jenn Coates, JAG's representative and Three's girlfriend.
"The Weapon's Officer signs off on the manifest after all the fish are on board"
"And then you sign off on it too?" she asked.
"Yes" the officer replied. "8 copies, but don't ask me where they all go, my secretary takes care of that" he smiled. "We loaded 22 fish onto that boat. If they lost one after I signed off…"
"Lieutenant, this would not be the time to try and cover your own ass" Three advised.
"Excuse me, Staff Sergeant"
"You heard me" Three replied. Unlike the officer, both Three and Jenn were dressed in fatigues, something Jenn wasn't really used to.
"If you need me, I'll be in my office" the Lieutenant backed down and walked away.
Three and Jenn walked along the dock and discussed the case. "Who has jurisdiction over this base?" Three asked.
"Fleet Forces Command" Jenn replied.
"That's Admiral Robert J. Natter, right?" he asked.
"Yes, why?" she asked as Three pulled out his cellphone. "Who are you calling?" she asked.
"General Clark" he said. "This DiNozzo, authorization code Charlie-Lima-November-5-9-5" he said. "Patch me through to General Clark" he said.
"Clark" the General answered.
"General Clark, Sir, its Three DiNozzo" Three identified himself.
"What can I do for you Staff Sergeant?" he asked.
"The Munitions Officer we dealt with is trying to cover his own ass. Myself and Petty Officer Coates are going to head out to the Crawford, but it is possible that the item in question is still here on the base"
"What do you suggest?"
"Order Admiral Natter to move to the Base to Threatcon-Delta. At that level, anything entering or leaving the base will have to be searched by base MPs" he said.
"I'll take care of it. Good luck, Staff Sergeant"
"Thank you Sir" Three said before he hung up. "The General will handle things here" he told Jenn as a Navy CH-46 Sea Knight touched down on the helipad at the end of the pier. "That's our ride" he smiled.
1500 hours, 3 February 2003, USS Crawford (SSN-806), Atlantic Ocean.
After both Three and Jenn were lowered onto the Crawford, they were lead down to the Officer's Ward room, where the Sub's Weapons Officer, Lieutenant Michael Nichols was there to meet them. "Good afternoon, Lieutenant" Three said. "My name is Staff Sergeant DiNozzo, this is Petty Officer 2nd Class Coates" he said.
"I don't see why some doggie has to investigate this, or a women" he replied snidely.
"Well, since you lost a nuclear warhead this morning, you're in no position to care who investigates you" Three replied. "And if you make one more remark to or about the Petty Officer, I gonna stuff you in that empty torpedo tube, and shoot you into the Atlantic, do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal"
"Good" Three said.
"Look, this all has to be a mistake in the paperwork"
"You mean this paperwork?" Jenn said as she pulled a manila folder from her briefcase and placed it in front of Lieutenant Nichols. "The paperwork with you signature on it?" she asked. "You signed for 22 weapons, all of which left the depot. 4 of those were Mk-48 ADCAPs. Are you in a habit of losing nuclear weapons, Lieutenant?" she asked.
"Look, one of those fish never arrived"
"Lieutenant, you signed off on 22 fish, including 4 ADCAPs. Not only that, but the torpedo's log book is on board" Three said. "So are you telling us that you knowingly signed off on 22 fish, knowing that one, a Mk-48 ADCAP Nuclear Weapon, was missing?" he asked. "Either you lying, or you are one of the stupidest men I have ever met"
"It was a rush job, I guess I messed up"
"Oh, you did a little bit more than mess up" Three said. "Please excuse us" he said as he and Jenn stepped out into the corridor. "We have a problem" he said. "That missing fish wasn't in the depot either. Which means that somewhere between the depot and the time the boat shoved off, it went missing" he said.
"Could it somehow still be onboard the sub?" she asked.
"I honestly hope so, although I don't see how. If it ain't, then that means there's an unsecured 10 kiloton nuclear warhead somewhere out there" Three said ominously.
2115 hours local time, 3 February 2003, Office of the United States Ambassador to the Compact of Democratic States, CDS Headquarters, Dublin, Ireland.
Despite the late hour, the Ambassador was still hard at work behind her desk. She was going over the latest whip count on the NATO Assembly's upcoming vote on use of force against Iraq, when the phone rang. She didn't pick it up, her secretary would get it. "Madam Ambassador, you have a phone call from the White House" said her secretary over the intercom. She then picked up the phone.
"Put it through" she said. "This is Ambassador Quartermaine" she said.
"Madam Ambassador, settling in ok?" asked a familiar voice.
"Yes Mr. President, hard a work already" Liz smiled.
"What's the latest whip count?" he asked.
"Well, with Turkey's admission to the CDS late last year, that means there are now 10 member states, meaning we'll need an addition vote for a majority" she said.
"Any voices in decent?" he asked.
"Not officially, but the French are raising hell on the international scene" she said. "The fact that Quebec, Ireland and the UK followed us in expelling the French Diplomats didn't make them any less hostile. As of now, we have 5 confirmed votes on our side: Romania, the UK, Ireland, Quebec, and us, obviously" she said.
"What about the rest?"
"Portugal could be persuaded if we were to increase our military presence there and in Gibraltar to help combat the threat posed by Spain" she said. "Germany, Poland and Norway aren't exactly thrilled about the idea of committing more troops to the Middle East. They seem to think it'll be a rollover like it was last time" she said.
"And what do you think"
"I think Saddam has spent the past decade rallying his people around him in his cult of personality. Oh we'll win, but it'll be a hell of a lot more costly, for both sides" she said.
"What about the Turks?" the President asked.
"The Turks are in a tough position. On the one side, they are the only CDS Country that shares a border with Iraq, and thus is within range of Saddam's Air Force and SCUD Missiles. However, 18% of their population is Kurdish, and the Kurds overwhelmingly supported President Sezer in the 2000 elections. Without their support, he would have been defeated"
"Do you think that we can count on their vote?" he asked.
"No" Liz said.
"I'll put in some calls to the German Chancellor and Portuguese President in the morning. If we get the Germans, they'll bring the Poles and Norwegians with them. After we get the Portuguese with us too, the Turkeys won't want to be left alone"
"The vote is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 1100 hours" she said.
"I'll make sure I call them before then" the President assured her. "You just keep whipping votes. The UN will never get behind us; we need the CDS support" he said.
"I'm working on Sir" she said.
"Good, very good" he said.
"Goodnight Sir"
"Goodnight Mrs. Quartermaine"
1755 hours, 3 February 2003, DiNozzo Residence, Base Housing, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
For Tony, it had been a long boring day. He finally finished all of his back paperwork and was finally home. He slipped off his black leather jacket and tossed it on the couch. He then walked into the kitchen, yanked open the fridge and pulled out a beer, a Budweiser. He popped it open and took a long pull. Tony had effectively been living alone for the past 5 years now. Sure, Three still lived with him, but more often than not when he wasn't pulling weekend duty, he was up in DC with Jenn. And during the week, they rarely saw each other.
While they had been in desert, Kate had finally filed the divorce papers. Because they were married in New York, it would take at least 6 months for it all to be finalized, even if Tony signed the papers now. But he didn't. It wasn't that he and Kate didn't love each other, because they did. At least, Tony thought they did. Until Three was 16, Kate had given up her life goals and raised their son while Tony was off saving the world. Sure, when Three was younger, she had been quite content being an Army wife. But evidently that wasn't enough, and neither was not knowing if her husband was ever going to come home when he left for work in the morning.
Another reason why Tony wouldn't sign the papers, and more importantly wouldn't tell anyone about them was Chester and Meg. Meg had once told him that he and Kate were the Unit's rock. When she and Chester got married, she cited Tony and Kate as evidence that a marriage to a Unit Operator wasn't doomed to fail. And it was plain as day that Chester and Meg were head over heels in love with each other. And while Three and Liat had been conceived via a one night stand, Chester and Meg's son, John Randall Martin, was conceived out of love. Tony himself had 5 children, 3 with Kate and 2 with Bridget, 3 of those 5 being adopted.
Tony took another sip of his beer as he leaned against the counter. He was trying to decide to what to do for dinner, when his cellphone rang. "Go for DiNozzo" he answered.
"Hey T" said Liz's voice.
"Hey" Tony smiled. "What time is it there?"
"Oh, about midnight" she said.
"Shouldn't grab some shuteye? Isn't there an important vote in the morning?" he asked.
"Yeah, you're probably right" she said. "Is your mom having any problems with the kids?" she asked.
"Are you kidding? My mom thinks of you as a daughter, she loves your kids" he told here.
"Are Allen and Molly getting along?" she asked. "Tony…" she added when he didn't answer.
"They aren't fighting if that's your concern" he said. "I mean come on, it's your son and my daughter, how can't they get along?" she asked.
"You're daughter scares him"
"She does not" Tony replied.
"She's aggressive, and you know what that's gonna translate to when she's older…"
"Not another word… Winnie" he said.
"Don't call me that…" she said.
"Then can we please change the subject" Tony asked.
"Fine" Liz said. "What's the tentative date on the operations?" she asked, switching form best friend to Ambassador.
"Mid-March, that's what we've got it narrowed down to so far" he told her.
"Nothing more specific? Our British cousins are getting curious" she said.
"That's all we have for now. And tell their Ambassador that to cool it, it'll be mostly US forces anyway" she said.
"I'll pass that along" she said.
"Good luck Liz" he said.
"You too Tony" she said as they both hung up.
1900 hours, 3 February 2003, USS Crawford (SSN-806), Atlantic Ocean.
"Ok Petty Officer Ackermann, take me through it" Three instructed. "From the beginning, its 0900, the torpedo room is empty. The 1st fish comes down"
"Yes Staff Sergeant, down through the hatch" he said. "We got it in and down, and then we secured it in the skids. Once Lieutenant Nichols recorded the serial numbers, we transferred it to a port or starboard skid. After that we stored it in the tubes. We store the 1st 4 fish in tubes, it makes it easier for us to arrange the weapons the way the skipper wants em"
"At this point the guidance wire is not attached"
"Yes Staff Sergeant"
"And the torpedo is just resting in the tube"
"Yes Staff Sergeant"
"And you hang a tag that says…"
"War shot loaded" he said. Three walked over and examined one of the tags. On 1 side it read "War shot loaded". On the reverse it read "empty".
"If the guidance wire is not attached, then the weapon doesn't register on the fire control system"
"It does not, Staff Sergeant" the young Petty Officer confirmed.
"So, in reality, at that point, the only one who knew the torpedo was here, were the 3 of you in the torpedo room…" Three said.
Three ran through everything with the other members of the Torpedo Room crew, Petty Officers Spencer, O'Neil and Duval. They all said the same thing. So did Master Chief Petty Officer Connolly. After that, Three made his way back to the Officer's Ward Room, which had been cleared out to allow Three and Jenn a place to work. "All 4 Petty Officers and Chief Connolly said the exact same thing" he told her.
"You think it's rehearsed?" she asked.
"If it was civilians, I would say yes, but, with bubble boys…" he paused.
"What about the water slugs?" she asked. "Could they have marked the tubes wrong, and dumped the fish into the harbor?" she asked.
"I don't know" Three said. "But that is a good theory" he said. "Call it in to General Clark, I'm going to get the skipper to turn around for Norfolk" he said.
A few minutes later Three came back. "The Skipper wasn't happy about it, but we're headed back to Norfolk" he said. "He's gonna surface and we'll be picked up by helo" he said. "Any luck with the General?" he asked.
"He's gonna have a SEAL Team choppered in from Little Creek. They're gonna start a sweep of the harbor" she said. "Just think, this all could have been avoided if they'd bothered to pay attention to what they were doing" she said.
"They were loading for 19 hours straight without sleep" he said. "That isn't just bending regs, that's breaking them" he said as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
"Sometimes, easy is the only answer" she said.
"We're not talking about Mrs. O'Leary's missing cat, we're talking about a 10 kiloton nuclear torpedo" he said. "In my experience, nothing comes this easy" he said.
"What do you think happened?" Jenn asked.
"I don't know exactly" he said. "We really won't know anything until the SEALs pull the torpedo out of the harbor" he said. "If they pull it out" he said.
0200 hours, 4 February 2003, Norfolk Naval Station, Norfolk, Virginia.
By the time Three and Jenn arrived SEAL Team 2 was already on station, working their way through the harbor. "Uncle Nathan" Three called out as he and Jenn walked up.
"Three" Nathan yelled back as he walked over. Unlike his men, who were dressed in wet suits as they were conducting the search, Nathan was in his blue service uniform, complete with Officers cap and bridge coat.
"Petty Officer 2nd Class Jennifer Coates, allow me to introduce my Uncle, Lieutenant Nathan Westbourne. Uncle Nathan, allow me to introduce my Girlfriend, Petty Officer 2nd Class Jennifer Coates" he introduced them both. Jenn snapped to attention and saluted, but Nathan waived her off.
"If you're with Three, you're family" Nathan smiled as he and Jenn shook hands.
"I think I remember you. You were there, in Chechnya, when Three rescued me" she said.
"Oh" Nathan realized as he glanced over at his nephew. "This is her" he said, a little… ok, very surprised.
"Yeah" Three nodded.
"So, are you really Three's Uncle, or are you like everyone else I've met, where you some old friend of his father and he calls you "Uncle" Nathan?" she asked.
"No, I'm really his Uncle" Nathan said.
"Nathan is my mother's brother" Three clarified.
"And I take it from the look on your face, you've yet to meet my sister" Nathan said. "In all honesty, that's probably a good thing" Nathan said.
"I wouldn't know, I haven't spoken with her in quite a while" Three said.
"Really?" Nathan asked.
"Look, as much fun as this has been, we still have a missing nuclear warhead somewhere out there" Three said. "What your people found anything?" he asked.
"No" Nathan said. They're starting out at the end of the pier and are working their way back" he informed them.
"You didn't search under the pier?" Three asked.
"No, why?"
"Because water slugs are generally fired before the sub gets underway. If the torpedo was lost when they fired the slugs, it would be about 5 fathoms below our feet" he said.
"I'll have my men move the search" Nathan said.
"No, wait, don't bother" Three said. "I'll go down" he said. Nathan gave him a look. "What? I'm qualified" he said.
"All right" Nathan said as he held up his hands. "Petty Officer Lament!' Nathan called out. "Bring the Staff Sergeant here a wet suit and diving gear" he ordered.
A few minutes later, Three, now dressed in is gear, made his way over to the ladder. "Hey Three, watch out for the cold" Nathan said.
"Oh fuck you!" Three called back as he slipped on his mask and rebreather, and then flipping off his uncle as he descended into the dark, freezing water. Once he was under, he switched on his flashlight and began his search.
"You find anything yet?" Nathan asked over the radio.
"Yeah, ya know, because I've been down here a whole 10 seconds. I'm that good" Three replied snidely.
"The sooner you find it, the sooner you can get out of that freezing water"
"The sooner you shut up, the sooner I'll be able to found it" he replied as he floated down. "Ok, I'm on the bottom" he said as he began moving around. "Hey, just found something"
"The torpedo?" Jenn asked.
"A Coke can" Three said as he tossed it away. "Jenn, you wanna inform Admiral Natter that his people are littering" he joked as he kept moving along the dark floor. He shined the light around, and still found nothing. He kept moving around, trying to find the goddamn thing. Then, his light beam caught something. "Hang on, I think I found something" he said.
"Another soda can?" Jenn asked, humor in her voice.
"Not unless it's a radioactive brand" Three said. "Nathan, confirm this number, 3-5-5-4-8-1" he said.
"Confirmed" Nathan said after checking.
"Drop the hooks baby, we got ourselves a torpedo" Three smiled.
15 minutes later…
Three was changing back into his fatigues as the SEALs raised the torpedo from the water. He was dressed, except for his shirt, when Jenn stepped inside. "How was the water?" she asked as Three slipped on his white t-shirt.
"Brisk" Three smiled and he and Jenn leaned in for a kiss.
"Still think it was too easy?" she asked after they broke the kiss.
"Yes" Three said as he slipped on his camo jacket, leaving it unbuttoned.
"Well, I'm going to go inform General Clark, I'll be sure to pass on your theory" she said as he walked away. Meanwhile, Three stepped outside and watched as SEALs lowered the torpedo onto the waiting flatbed. Three walked over, next to his uncle.
"Jenn was telling me your theory about this being too easy" Nathan said.
"I do" Three said as he crossed his arms across his chest. Then he thought of something. "Nathan, get me a drill" he said.
"Why?" he asked.
"I hope I'm wrong, but if I'm not, we have a lot bigger problems than a missing torpedo" he said.
Meanwhile, Jenn was pulling out her cellphone to update General Clark when something caught her eye. It was Lieutenant Ames, an officer from the Munitions Depot. She remembered something the Lieutenant had said.
"8 copies, but don't ask me where they all go, my secretary takes care of that"
When was the last time an officer called his yeoman a "secretary" she thought. She watched the Lieutenant walk in between 2 of the buildings and she decided to follow him and investigate further. She made her way in between several buildings, following the Lieutenant.
Meanwhile, Three continued to use the drill to unscrew the warhead from main body of the torpedo. "You wanna tell me exactly why you're unscrewing the warhead?" Nathan asked.
"Like I said it was too easy" Three said as he undid the last screw and placed the drill down. "And" he paused as he tugged at the warhead, easily removing it. "Because we have bigger problems that a missing torpedo" he said as tossed the warhead over to Nathan.
"Oh God" Nathan said as he held the warhead, the contents missing. "How much is supposed to be in there?" he asked.
"145 kilograms, that's roughly 320 pounds of weapons grade U-235 Uranium" Three said.
"So what happened to it?" Nathan asked. Then, it hit Three like a freight train. The same thing Jenn realized only minutes earlier. What Lieutenant Ames had said to them when they 1st questioned him.
"8 copies, but don't ask me where they all go, my secretary takes care of that"
"That son of a bitch" Three said. "He said that his "secretary" took care of the paperwork, when was the last time you heard a Naval Officer, let alone a railroad bar Lieutenant, called his yeoman, his secretary?"
"I spoke with him when I arrived, everything he said was standard naval jargon and nautical terms" Nathan said.
"Ok, so maybe he was in the Navy, but it wasn't the US Navy" Three said.
"So what, he sneaks in here, but why? The Uranium?"
"Most likely" Three said. "He probably stole the Uranium and figured that the theft wouldn't be discovered until it was far too late"
"Ok, but how will they get it out?" Nathan asked. "They were counting on the theft not being discovered, not the torpedo itself going missing and sending the base on lockdown" he said. "So with the base on lockdown, how do they get it out?" They both thought it over.
"The Water!" they both realized.
Meanwhile, Jenn had followed Lieutenant Ames to an old seaplane hangar, where the Lieutenant had a speedboat waiting. Jenn stopped outside the door, and drew her sidearm, a P-226 Sig Sauer. She took up position beside the door, and listened in. She couldn't tell what he was saying, but it definitely wasn't English, it was Italian; Three had spoken it to her enough times that she recognized it when she heard it. She was going to move in, when she felt something jab into her back. "Move" someone growled, jamming a gun into her back. Another man, one she hadn't seen. The man pushed her inside, where she saw that "Lieutenant Ames" or whoever he was, had changed into civilians closes. The man holding the gun yelled something Jenn didn't understand to the would-be Lieutenant.
"Well, well, well" the "Lieutenant" said, his voice now heavily Italian accented. "What do we have here?" he asked.
"Whatever you're planning, you'll never get away with it" Jenn said.
"We shall see" Ames smiled. "Open the doors, we leave now!" he yelled to his men in Italian. The doors to the dry dock opened as Ames started the engines on the small speedboat.
As the doors opened, lights flashed on, blinding everyone. "What the hell!?" Ames yelled as rifle shots rang out, killing 2 of Ames' men. The lights went out as 3 Zodiac boats, operated by the SEALs, entered the Dry Dock. At the same time, Three and Nathan, their weapons drawn, rushed in from back. Three opened fire, killing Ames' other 2 men, including the one who was holding a gun on Jenn.
"Hangs in the air, Ames!" Three yelled as he took aim. Ames tried for his weapon, and Three quickly fired, the round striking Ames in the head. He then rushed forward, kicking Ames' gun away. "Clear" he yelled. He then quickly searched the boat. "I got it!" he yelled as picked up a yellow, lead-lined case. "Nathan get hazmat in here" Three said.
0500 hours-
At little while later, Tony arrived at Norfolk. He didn't like being awakened by a phone call at 0200, but was used to it nonetheless after over a decade of phone calls in the wee hours of the night. He pulled up and stepped out of his '67 Mustang and walked over to where his brother-in-law, Navy SEAL Lieutenant Nathan Westbourne was waiting. "Lieutenant Westbourne, you should know that I really don't like be awoken at 0200 hours; this had better be important" Tony said as he threw on his over coat and officers cap.
"My apologies, Colonel" Nathan said. "But myself, as well as Staff Sergeant DiNozzo thought you needed to see something" he explained.
"And what, pre tell, did you and my son find?" Tony asked as he pulled out his cigarette case and lit on up.
"I take it you were briefed about the empty quiver"
"I was" Tony said as he took a few puffs and blew out a puff of smoke.
"We found the torpedo, but the warhead was missing. We tracked it to this warehouse and…"
"Did you get any of em alive?" Tony asked.
"No" Nathan said.
"Of course you didn't" Tony said. "Did you at least get the materials?"
"Hazmat has em now"
"Ok, so why call me?"
"Three wants you to take a look at something" he said.
"This better be good, I wanted to catch Liz's speech" she said.
"It's 0500" Nathan said.
"Not in Ireland" Tony said as he snubbed out the cigarette under his heel. Tony stepped inside. He saw Three and Jenn on the boat that was still in the water. "Ok jackass, what am I taking a look at?" he asked.
"Over here" Three waived his father over. "Take a look at this tattoo on the guys arm" Three pointed. Tony slipped on a pair of black leather gloves and climbed up one the boat.
"Well, well, well" Tony said as he looked it over. It was a small silver skull with a red rose in its mouth. Beneath the skull was a large, red Roman numeral X.
"You recognize it?" Three asked.
"The Decima Mas" Tony said. "The Italian Navy's underwater commando unit" he said. "It was very active during World War II, but it was deactivated after the war"
"So what's this guy got its logo tattooed on his arm for?"
"It was rumored that the unit was reactivated some years ago" Tony said. "But that still doesn't explain what they were doing on US soil" he added. "It was just these 5?" he asked.
"As far as we can tell" Three said.
"Ok, stay on it" Tony said. "Get these bodies over to the Bethesda Morgue" he said. "Nate!" he yelled.
"Yes Sir?" Nathan replied.
"Have Britt do the autopsies on all 5 bodies, see if we can learn anything" he said.
"I'll see to it" Nathan said.
"Good" Tony said as he jumped off the boat and made his way out.
1130 hours local time, 4 February 2003, Council Chamber, CDS Headquarters, Dublin, Ireland.
"The Chair recognizes the distinguished Representative from the United States" said the General Secretary as Liz rose to her feet. This was it, her time was now.
"Thank you" Liz nodded as she cleared her thought. "Gentlemen, ladies, distinguished Representatives, we all know why we are here today. Before you is Compact of Democratic States Resolution number 14, the use of military force against the Ba'athist Iraqi Republic. Much like they did 12 years ago, Saddam Hussein has once again invaded the neutral and sovereign Kingdom of Kuwait. Once again, he has defied the world to stop him. As you all know, at present, the United States is at war with Iraq. However, we cannot do it alone. Over the past century, America has been criticized for "acting as the world's police"" she paused and smiled. "We'll I think their right, as the Super Powers of the world, it is the duty of United States to protect and preserve freedom across the world. If allow Saddam Hussein to continue his murderous rule over Iraq, we will be sentencing millions of people to death. How long before he moves against Jordan? Saudi Arabia? Israel? Or, yes, Turkey? No matter what, we will inevitably be drawn into this conflict. But the time to act is now. The time to strike is now. We must show the entire world that Compact of Democratic States does not back down in the face of tyranny and evil. We must show the world that we can band together, and fight our common enemy: the forces of evil. Therefore I submit to you today a resolution that would permit us to do exactly that" she concluded.
"Very well" said the Secretary General. "Do I hear a 2nd?" he asked.
"Aye" said the Ambassador McKenna of the Irish Republic.
"Very well, the resolution will be called via vote" said the Secretary General.
5 minutes later, the resolution passed 10-0.
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(Zander's voice)- Next time on "28 Seconds: Walk in Hell"-
As Tony and Chester begin formulating a plan for Iraq, Tony and Colonel Colleton go at it over an event planned for a week before the invasion. Meanwhile, As Sonny pays the President a visit, his staff begin the search for a new White House Press Secretary. And finally, Erica Jane makes a shocking announcement.