Selena across the face. The blow rocked her. Her cheek began to burn. At least he hadn't hit the side with the earpiece.
"You do not say the name of God," the man said. "In your infidel mouth it is an abomination. Look at you. Your hair uncovered, your legs and arms exposed for all to see. You are whores, both of you. But useful whores."
Selena wanted to rub her face where he'd hit her but wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of seeing how much it bothered her. She also wanted to kick him in the balls. Who is he ? she thought . Get him to tell you so Nick can find out. She looked him in the eye and said, "If you want me to write about you, I need to know your name."
"Why not? You may call me Omar." Omar gestured to one of his men. "Take them into the big room with the others," he said.
The man pushed them toward the ballroom. He wasn't gentle about it. Selena heard Nick's voice in her right ear.
"Good work, Selena. I'll get Harker on it. " He paused. "I'm right here, I'll get you out of there."
She almost answered and caught herself in time.
The ballroom faced out the back of the embassy onto the Chancery through a wall of tall windows. Many of the windows were broken, blown in by the attack. Glass and bits of stone and wood littered the room. Two Marines lay dead on the polished ballroom floor. The rest of the embassy staff clustered together against one of the walls, under a large painting of Admiral Dewey's flagship at anchor in Manila Bay. The Americans sat together. The Filipino staff formed their own group. Omar herded Selena and the ambassador over to the others.
Cathwaite's secretary got up and hugged the ambassador. "Margaret! Thank God you're all right."
"I'm fine, Helen. Is anyone else hurt except for our poor Marines?"
"Just cuts and scratches from the glass. Nothing serious. C armichael doesn't look good. I'm worried about him."
Matthew C armichael was the Commerce Department attaché. He was sitting to the side of the group, holding his hand against his chest and taking labored breaths. Sitting next to him was a blond haired man who appeared subdued. Selena figured him for the CIA spook. Carmichael's secretary sat huddled on the other side of her boss. The Filipinos looked frightened. They stared at the floor, avoiding eye contact with anyone. It wasn't the kind of group she would have picked to go up against a dozen terrorists.
Omar jabbed Helen in the ribs with the barrel of his AK-47. "You, slut, shut up. All of you, sit. Now, or I kill you."
Selena sat down next to Margaret.
For now, she was on her own.
CHAPTER 16
"How many inside the building?" Harker asked. She and Stephanie were in Elizabeth's office in Virginia, talking to Nick over the satellite link.
"Uncertain. Selena said six. There could be more. The terrorists took out the Marine guards. They're led by a man named Omar."
" That helps," Elizabeth said. "It's a common name but they're probably Abu Sayyaf. We'll look in the database." She paused. "Don't do anything stupid, Nick."
"If it's only six we can take them. But we have to get into the building. They're going to have people watching the entrances. Can you get plans of the embassy? Blueprints?"
"I can do that. Give me a minute." Stephanie's voice came over the link. In Virginia, she entered a string of commands on her keyboard. "I'm looking for them now," she said.
The Project computers were Crays. A search for the embassy building plans was child's play for their enormous power. The drawings were up on Stephanie's monitor within a minute.
" I'm looking at the plans," she told Nick. "The whole complex is built on an artificial extension into the bay. They sank six hundred concrete pillars into the bay floor and filled it in."
"How does that help?" Nick said. Stephanie heard impatience in his voice.
"There's an underground drainage system combined with a service tunnel for utilities serviced by a pumping station on the surface. The tunnel is big enough
"You do not say the name of God," the man said. "In your infidel mouth it is an abomination. Look at you. Your hair uncovered, your legs and arms exposed for all to see. You are whores, both of you. But useful whores."
Selena wanted to rub her face where he'd hit her but wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of seeing how much it bothered her. She also wanted to kick him in the balls. Who is he ? she thought . Get him to tell you so Nick can find out. She looked him in the eye and said, "If you want me to write about you, I need to know your name."
"Why not? You may call me Omar." Omar gestured to one of his men. "Take them into the big room with the others," he said.
The man pushed them toward the ballroom. He wasn't gentle about it. Selena heard Nick's voice in her right ear.
"Good work, Selena. I'll get Harker on it. " He paused. "I'm right here, I'll get you out of there."
She almost answered and caught herself in time.
The ballroom faced out the back of the embassy onto the Chancery through a wall of tall windows. Many of the windows were broken, blown in by the attack. Glass and bits of stone and wood littered the room. Two Marines lay dead on the polished ballroom floor. The rest of the embassy staff clustered together against one of the walls, under a large painting of Admiral Dewey's flagship at anchor in Manila Bay. The Americans sat together. The Filipino staff formed their own group. Omar herded Selena and the ambassador over to the others.
Cathwaite's secretary got up and hugged the ambassador. "Margaret! Thank God you're all right."
"I'm fine, Helen. Is anyone else hurt except for our poor Marines?"
"Just cuts and scratches from the glass. Nothing serious. C armichael doesn't look good. I'm worried about him."
Matthew C armichael was the Commerce Department attaché. He was sitting to the side of the group, holding his hand against his chest and taking labored breaths. Sitting next to him was a blond haired man who appeared subdued. Selena figured him for the CIA spook. Carmichael's secretary sat huddled on the other side of her boss. The Filipinos looked frightened. They stared at the floor, avoiding eye contact with anyone. It wasn't the kind of group she would have picked to go up against a dozen terrorists.
Omar jabbed Helen in the ribs with the barrel of his AK-47. "You, slut, shut up. All of you, sit. Now, or I kill you."
Selena sat down next to Margaret.
For now, she was on her own.
CHAPTER 16
"How many inside the building?" Harker asked. She and Stephanie were in Elizabeth's office in Virginia, talking to Nick over the satellite link.
"Uncertain. Selena said six. There could be more. The terrorists took out the Marine guards. They're led by a man named Omar."
" That helps," Elizabeth said. "It's a common name but they're probably Abu Sayyaf. We'll look in the database." She paused. "Don't do anything stupid, Nick."
"If it's only six we can take them. But we have to get into the building. They're going to have people watching the entrances. Can you get plans of the embassy? Blueprints?"
"I can do that. Give me a minute." Stephanie's voice came over the link. In Virginia, she entered a string of commands on her keyboard. "I'm looking for them now," she said.
The Project computers were Crays. A search for the embassy building plans was child's play for their enormous power. The drawings were up on Stephanie's monitor within a minute.
" I'm looking at the plans," she told Nick. "The whole complex is built on an artificial extension into the bay. They sank six hundred concrete pillars into the bay floor and filled it in."
"How does that help?" Nick said. Stephanie heard impatience in his voice.
"There's an underground drainage system combined with a service tunnel for utilities serviced by a pumping station on the surface. The tunnel is big enough
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