Oliver North - The Assassins

The Assassins

By: Oliver l North & Joe Musser

ears after the September 11th attacks on America, the world awakes one morning to the news that Islamic Jihadists have assailed multiple targets in Saudi Arabia, destroying oil-pumping equipment, crippling pipelines, and assassinating most of the royal family.

Inflation rocks the world's financial markets. The normal rules no longer apply.

In a closed session of Congress an "Assassination Bill" is introduced. General Peter Newman is assigned to head a new "Threat Mitigation Unit," and he is given authority to recruit and train up to 100 specialists for the ominous task at hand to assassinate terrorists.

Soon, intelligence shows Iranians are planning to attack America, and as Newman and his team are dispatched, a chase around the world ensues. But the enemy's backup plan involves hijacked airplanes with nuclear weapons targeting major American cities.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

OLIVER L NORTH is a New York Times best-selling author, the host of War Stories on the FOX News Channel, and a war correspondent for the FOX News Network. His novels are stories of international intrigue, political espionage, and military adventure drawn from his own experiences as a combat-decorated Marine and as the Counter-Terrorism Coordinator for the United States from 1983-1986.

JOE MUSSER has authored or coauthored more than forty books and twenty screenplays. He is also coauthor of Mission Compromised and The Jericho Sanction. m

Also available:

Mission Compromised ISBN-10: 0-8054-2550-0 ISBN-13: 978-0-8054-2550-5

The Jericho Sanction ISBN-10: 0-8054-2551-9 ISBN-13: 978-0-8054-2551-2

PRAISE FOR THE BEST-SELLING NOVELS

by Oliver North

MISSION COMPROMISED

"A Tom Clancy-esque tale of White House intrigue."

The New York Times

"Sends chills up my spine ... on target and current.... Couldn't stop reading it."

Pine Bluff Commercial

"Combines the suspense of Tom Clancy with the drama of Bkckhatvk Down, the complexity of Mission Impossible, the dogged morality of High Noon .... The result is a story that causes the reader to wake up in the middle of the night wondering how much of it is true."

Moody Magazine THE JERICHO SANCTION

"Another great read from Ollie North. I couldn't put it down." SEAN HANNITY, co host of FOX News' "Hannity & Colmes"

"Oliver North pens an exciting and highly readable tale of

courage, faith, and international intrigue all set within the

milieu of today's Middle East politics."

Crosswalk.com

"A lot of this reads like today's headlines,

and it makes for a very good read at that."

CD CD

2005 by Oliver L. North

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

13-digit ISBN: 978-0-8054-2552-9 10-digit ISBN: 0-8054-2552-7

Published by Broadman & Holman Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee

Dewey Decimal Classification: F Subject Heading: MYSTERY FICTION

TERRORISM FICTION

This is a fictional story. Use or mention of historical events, places, or names of public figures is done solely for the purpose of placing the story within a time frame or geographic region. Any similarity of the story line to actual events is coincidental.

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OLIVER NORTH

AND JOE MUSSER

The

Assassins

A NOVEL

bro adman & Holman Publishers

Nashville, Tennessee

For Betsy

And our adventures: past, present, and future

Contents

Acknowledgments viii

Glossary x

Prologue: In the Event of War 1

01. Gathering Fury.............................. 14

02. Know Your Enemy........................... 44

03. Pennsylvania Avenue......................... 70

04. Ultimatum................................. 95

05. "The Congress, in Secret Session Convened, : Does Hereby..."...........................\123

06. Prey without Ceasing.........................153

07. Dirty Bomb................................180

08. The Sky Is Falling...................v........203

09. Flames and Fury.............................224

10. Making a List and Checking It Twice.............248

11. Elevens Everywhere...........................266

12. Needles and Haystacks........................288

13. Dark Domain..............................320

14. In the Crosshairs.............................339

15. Running Away..............................362

16. Stay of Execution............................382

17. Running Out of Time.........................404

18. Blame America First..........................433

19. Approaching Fail-Safe.........................460

20. Veterans' Day........

21. Eulogy for a Brother..........................512

David Shepherd and his team at Broadman & Holman Publishers have once again proven that patience really is a virtue. I'm grateful for the understanding they have shown for the chaotic life that I lead and how it tends to sabotage deadlines. The whole B & H team was remarkably tolerant while awaiting completion of this third novel in our series.

Joe Musser, my friend and partner in this effort, made it possible to finish this book. Often, I left him and my indomitable assistant, Marsha Fishbaugh, waiting by a computer while I ran off to cover events in Iraq or Afghanistan for FOX News, where it's tougher than it ought to be to receive or return e-mails except in the middle of the night. I'm glad that neither have yet seen fit to put out a contract on me.

Because of my several protracted absences, copy editor Amanda Sauer had to read and edit this book a chapter at a time over many months. And on project editor Lisa Parnell's schedule, proofers George Knight, Mary Maddox, and Dean Richardson had to read and pray their way through a belatedly delivered manuscript.

Kudos also go to B & H Author Relations Manager Mary Beth Shaw, Marketing Director Paul Mikos, Sales Director John Thompson, Publicity Director Heather Hulse, Book Marketing Manager Robin Patterson, Creative Director Jeff Godby, Copywriter David Schrader, and Duane Ward of Premiere Speakers Bureau all performed "above and beyond the call of duty," for which I'm truly grateful. Thanks, too, for the resourceful maps by David Deis that help readers coordinate the geography about which this story revolves.

Of course there would be no "story" to tell without the encouragement and inspiration of my wife, Betsy, and our children and their mates: Tait and Tom, Stuart and Ellen, Sarah and Martin, and Dornin. Through their faith and affection I am reminded of God's love in my life for shaping my faith and giving me His guidance for this project.

Semper Fidelis, Oliver L. North

ix *

Glossary

Alpha radiation. A positively charged particle emitted from the nucleus of an atom during radioactive decay. Heavy dosage of alpha particles can be harmful if they enter the body through inhalation, ingestion, or open wounds.

Amn al-Khass. Iraq's Special Security Service (also SSS)

APU. Auxiliary power unit

ARS. Acute radiation syndrome, or radiation sickness, usually results when a person gets a high dose of radiation in only a few minutes.

ASDS. Advanced SEAL Delivery System, a submarine-mounted mini-sub used for Special Operations

ATE Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Department

AWACS. Airborne Warning and Control System; aircraft with long-range radars capable of locating and identifying other aircraft in the region and of relaying the information to its own air forces

BDA. Bomb Damage Assessment

Beta. Beta particles are ejected from a radioactive atom during decay. Beta radiation is smaller and faster than alpha radiation and can penetrate human tissue.