ASSASSINS MM

by NORTH OLIVER

• ISBN13: 9780061137648
• ISBN10: 0061137642
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2018-10-26
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

In 2007, soon after the sixth anniversary of the September 11th attacks on America, Jihadists attack multiple targets in Saudi Arabia, destroying oil pumping equipment, crippling pipelines, and assassinating most of the royal family. In the U.S., gas prices soar to over $6 a gallon along with hyperinflation across the world financial markets. "Nonbusiness travel" in the U.S. is limited to no more than 500 miles per week. The men responsible for this outrage cannot be allowed to go unpunished. The UN Security Council authorizes an international intervention force, and in a closed session of Congress the "Assassination Bill" is introduced. General Peter Newman is assigned to head a new "Threat Mitigation Unit," and is given authority to recruit and train up to 100 specialists for the ominous task at handto assassinate terrorists. When it's discovered that the terrorists are threatening attacks on major US cities, Newman and his team are dispatched and begin a mad chase across Europe and international waters to stop the threat before violent tragedy strikes again. But the terrorists are determined to strike on US soil, and their target is Washington, D.C.

Excerpts

The Assassins

Chapter One

Gathering Fury

Situation Room
The White House, Washington, DC
Sunday, 14 October 2007
0846 Hours Local

By the time the armored Cadillac entered the Southwest Gate, West Executive Avenue was already crowded with dark blue government sedans, glistening in the crisp, clear, early autumn air. As the car stopped next to the green awning, Army Staff Sgt. John Houston, jumped from the right front seat of the vehicle, opened the heavy right rear door and stood back. Dan Powers, the grim-faced Secretary of Defense, emerged first, said, "Thank you, John," and entered the West Wing. He was followed by Gen. George Grisham, USMC, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Immediately inside the door, a cheerless Secret Service agent placed their briefcases on the conveyor of an X-ray machine, and the two men were waved through an airport-type metal detector—despite the machine's muted electronic protest prompted by the ribbons and badges on the Chairman's chest and the four stars on each epaulet.

Powers and Grisham were quickly ushered into the White House Situation Room by the Senior Watch Officer. They stepped down into the small executive conference enclosure just as the Vice President was taking his seat at the foot of the table.

"Better get a cup of coffee," said the unsmiling Vice President. "It's going to be a long morning." But before Powers and Grisham could comply, the door they had just entered slid open again as the SWO announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, the President."

Powers and Grisham stood when everyone else rose and the President entered the now hushed room. Powers noticed that his hair was still wet—as though he had just toweled it dry. As the President moved past him, Grisham glanced at the digital clock over the plasma screen mounted in the south wall and thought, It's only 0852 . . . We're going to start eight minutes early. Good thing we were here on time. This guy could have been a Marine he's so punctual. I wonder if he's ever late . . .

Without preamble, the President removed his suit coat, draped it over the back of his chair, sat down, smoothed his tie, and said, "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. It doesn't look like any of us are going to get to church this morning so let's start with a word of prayer." Turning to the young man on his immediate right, he said, "Jeb, why don't you take this one?"

"Jeb" Stuart, National Security Advisor to the most powerful man on the planet, had been up since the SWO first called him at 0415. He had hastily shaved, showered, dressed, and raced to the White House. For the past four hours he had been furiously trying to assess the magnitude of what had happened in Saudi Arabia. Right up until a few minutes before coming to the Sit Room he was still assembling information and recommendations from State, Defense, the Director of National Intelligence, FBI, DHS, and the Departments of Treasury and Energy.

The National Security Advisor hadn't thought of starting the meeting with prayer, but with all that he'd seen since 0445 that morning, it seemed particularly appropriate. He and the others bowed their heads and Stuart said, "Lord, You are our hope and salvation. Please grant us wisdom. Guide our discussion. Help us to make sound decisions . . ."

As his National Security Advisor awkwardly paused, the President concluded the time of prayer with, "And God, please protect our country and keep our people safe from those who would do us harm and bring us evil . . . amen."

The Chief Executive raised his head and said, "Thank you, Jeb." Then he turned to the Director of National Intelligence and said, "All right, Perry, what do we know?"

Like the others, Perry Straw, the DNI, had been up since shortly after 0400. He had sped to his office at the Reagan Building on Pennsylvania Avenue and immediately ordered every possible collection resource pointed at Saudi Arabia. By 0530 he had directed a worldwide alert to all CIA and NSA bases and stations around the globe, called in all his deputy directors, and ordered preparation of an immediate assessment.

Straw picked up what looked to be a TV remote, pushed a button, and a map of Saudi Arabia came up on the plasma screen. As those in the room shifted in their seats, a series of red dots, more than seventy of them, appeared on the map as the DNI began his briefing. "Based on information about thirty-five minutes old, these are the places where we know some kind of violent action took place this morning. We don't have KH-13 imagery in from all of these yet, and there may be more that we don't yet know about. But what we do have looks very bad."

As the DNI spoke, a series of satellite "photos"—each with a Chyron-generated label identifying the location and time—appeared on the screen. There were more than thirty images—showing raging fires, burning oil facilities, and blown pipelines pouring oil into huge pools onto the sand.

"We don't know the full extent yet, but it appears that at about 1100 this morning Saudi time, a carefully coordinated attack was launched against the royal kingdom's entire petroleum production and distribution infrastructure," said the DNI. As the horrific scenes flashed on the screen he continued, "As best we can tell, the Abqaiq processing facility at Ghawar and the Yanbu installations have been taken out. The Qatif Junction manifolds, valves, and control center look to be wrecked. The Safaniya Offshore Pumping Station that delivers seawater to most of the Northeast Saudi nodes and controls the undersea distribution network in the northern Persian Gulf is simply gone. The only thing we can see there now is a burning oil slick."

No one said a word until the terrible "slide show" finished. When the screen went blank, the President said simply, "Casualties?"

The Assassins. Copyright © by Oliver North. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

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Excerpted from The Assassins by Oliver North, Joe Musser
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.