Read Online The Hostaged Island by Don Pendleton, Dick Stivers - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Don Pendleton, Dick Stivers
Tags: Fiction, General, Mystery & Detective, det_action, Bolan; Mack (Fictitious character), Santa Catalina Island (Calif.)
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they had experimented with the weapon. He was checking it thoroughly, cleaning it like it had been violated.
"Maybe on a boat," Gadgets pondered. "But hardly the mainland. No way."
"So we have some mastermind floating offshore directing this horror show..." Lyons said. "You think all this could be a grab at those six scientists? By commies, terrorists? Except that that guy speaks perfect English. He couldn't be foreign."
"Too perfect," Blancanales said. "Remember, those eggheads are here by chance. They wanted a quiet place, this was close. They could've gone to Lake Tahoe. The man talked about 'the seizure of the island, and about money. If he only wanted those six, why not grab just them? Why take everyone on the island?"
"Yeah, very curious." Gadgets fast-forwarded the tape, stopping to listen to snatches of conversation.
"What else you got?" Lyons asked.
"I don't know. Been kind of busy, haven't had a chance to listen..."
He caught another snatch of the calm, educated voice. "...I can't help you there, Horse. Do what you think is necessary."
Gadgets rewound the tape and found the beginning of this later conversation. "Any developments, Horse?"
"Yeah, more trouble with heroes. I've lost a couple of men to local crazies."
"Your men can eliminate the opposition. Has there been any attempt yet to land security forces?"
"I don't know. There was nothing on the radar, but one of my men says they've got a commando over on the other side of the island."
"Is that in fact true? If the authorities have ignored your stipulations..."
"We'll know soon enough. I'm going to, ah, put the questions to him myself. I've sent some men to bring him here. If he's a cop..."
"You will need to impress the authorities. If he is one of these local residents, I suggest you make an example of him."
"Oh, yeah!"
"I'll call you again..."
"Wait, sir. I need to be able to call you."
"Please don't. There is no privacy here. You could compromise me."
"Yessir, I'm sorry sir."
"Speak with you again in an hour."
They heard Horse again: "Blackie. Come in! You got that commando? Blackie!"
Lyons now wore the biker's black leather jacket. "Sorry, Horse. Blackie is Missing In Action," he said under his breath.
Finished with the Beretta, Blancanales field-stripped and cleaned the captured Heckler and Koch G-3. "As long as they don't identify us," Blancanales reasoned, "we don't have to worry about the bikers taking it out on the hostages."
"What do you make of what he said?" Gadgets asked suddenly. "He said, 'There is no privacy here. You could compromise me.'"
Lyons counted off the points on his fingers. "One, he isn't alone. Two, the people he's with don't know what he's doing. Three, he isn't a resident. He used the words, 'one of these local residents,' right? He said it like he thought they were a lower life form. Four, we don't have time for a mystery. I say we hit the airport, the radio station, and every Outlaw patrol and outpost we can find. What do you two think?"
"Why the airport?" Blancanales asked. "He's got the place radar tight, nothing can come in."
"It gives the Feds and the LAPD an option. If we don't make it, they could land assault squads if things got desperate..."
"If we took out the radar!" Gadgets pointed to Mount Black Jack on Blancanales' map. "Right there. The radar station's in town, but the actual scanning equipment's up on top of this mountain. We hit that equipment, he's blind."
"Can't do it." Lyons shook his head. "Assault units would be a desperate, last-chance gamble. And hitting the radar wouldn't help. He'd pull in his men, kill the hostages before the assault teams got into town.
"And another problem. We are not making informed decisions. We won't be able to devise a real plan until we know what's out there. Time to move."
"Time to forward all this information to Brognola," Gadgets added. "Maybe Stonyman and the LAPD can work out a plan."
Lyons paced the dirt road while Gadgets prepared his
"Maybe on a boat," Gadgets pondered. "But hardly the mainland. No way."
"So we have some mastermind floating offshore directing this horror show..." Lyons said. "You think all this could be a grab at those six scientists? By commies, terrorists? Except that that guy speaks perfect English. He couldn't be foreign."
"Too perfect," Blancanales said. "Remember, those eggheads are here by chance. They wanted a quiet place, this was close. They could've gone to Lake Tahoe. The man talked about 'the seizure of the island, and about money. If he only wanted those six, why not grab just them? Why take everyone on the island?"
"Yeah, very curious." Gadgets fast-forwarded the tape, stopping to listen to snatches of conversation.
"What else you got?" Lyons asked.
"I don't know. Been kind of busy, haven't had a chance to listen..."
He caught another snatch of the calm, educated voice. "...I can't help you there, Horse. Do what you think is necessary."
Gadgets rewound the tape and found the beginning of this later conversation. "Any developments, Horse?"
"Yeah, more trouble with heroes. I've lost a couple of men to local crazies."
"Your men can eliminate the opposition. Has there been any attempt yet to land security forces?"
"I don't know. There was nothing on the radar, but one of my men says they've got a commando over on the other side of the island."
"Is that in fact true? If the authorities have ignored your stipulations..."
"We'll know soon enough. I'm going to, ah, put the questions to him myself. I've sent some men to bring him here. If he's a cop..."
"You will need to impress the authorities. If he is one of these local residents, I suggest you make an example of him."
"Oh, yeah!"
"I'll call you again..."
"Wait, sir. I need to be able to call you."
"Please don't. There is no privacy here. You could compromise me."
"Yessir, I'm sorry sir."
"Speak with you again in an hour."
They heard Horse again: "Blackie. Come in! You got that commando? Blackie!"
Lyons now wore the biker's black leather jacket. "Sorry, Horse. Blackie is Missing In Action," he said under his breath.
Finished with the Beretta, Blancanales field-stripped and cleaned the captured Heckler and Koch G-3. "As long as they don't identify us," Blancanales reasoned, "we don't have to worry about the bikers taking it out on the hostages."
"What do you make of what he said?" Gadgets asked suddenly. "He said, 'There is no privacy here. You could compromise me.'"
Lyons counted off the points on his fingers. "One, he isn't alone. Two, the people he's with don't know what he's doing. Three, he isn't a resident. He used the words, 'one of these local residents,' right? He said it like he thought they were a lower life form. Four, we don't have time for a mystery. I say we hit the airport, the radio station, and every Outlaw patrol and outpost we can find. What do you two think?"
"Why the airport?" Blancanales asked. "He's got the place radar tight, nothing can come in."
"It gives the Feds and the LAPD an option. If we don't make it, they could land assault squads if things got desperate..."
"If we took out the radar!" Gadgets pointed to Mount Black Jack on Blancanales' map. "Right there. The radar station's in town, but the actual scanning equipment's up on top of this mountain. We hit that equipment, he's blind."
"Can't do it." Lyons shook his head. "Assault units would be a desperate, last-chance gamble. And hitting the radar wouldn't help. He'd pull in his men, kill the hostages before the assault teams got into town.
"And another problem. We are not making informed decisions. We won't be able to devise a real plan until we know what's out there. Time to move."
"Time to forward all this information to Brognola," Gadgets added. "Maybe Stonyman and the LAPD can work out a plan."
Lyons paced the dirt road while Gadgets prepared his
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