Don Pendleton - Meltdown

Parsons bent to grab hold of the other end of the roll. The woman was heavier than he had expected. She had seemed so frail lying next to Reynolds.

The two men struggled up the narrow stairwell.

Back in the kitchen, they lowered their unconscious package to the floor. Glinkov reached back to turn off the cellar light.

"What about Reynolds?" Parsons asked.

"We needn't concern ourselves with him any longer. There is nothing to connect us with this place. It will be weeks before anyone finds him, if then. And by that time we will long since have accomplished our purpose. Let's go."

They hoisted the canvas roll again, Parsons grunting under the unaccustomed exertion. They dumped the woman in the trunk, but as Parsons moved to close the lid Glinkov stopped him.

"I think we better make sure she can breathe. Our cargo is rather valuable."

"Why..."

"I'll explain while we drive." Glinkov tugged at the canvas, pulling it down and away from the woman's face.

"Christ. It's Rachel!" Parsons rasped.

Glinkov laughed. "You must miss her on these cold winter nights."

Thunder Mountain was the largest reactor complex in the American northeast. Three nuclear reactors, each capable of generating two thousand megawatts, were nestled in the woods high above the Hudson River. Right from the beginning, the plant had drawn opposition, both from local residents and environmentalists. Construction of the project had been marked by riots and sit-ins. The first day the plant had gone on line, three hundred people had been arrested during a riot. Police records proved that few of those arrested lived in New York State. Thunder Mountain was a national concern.

Security measures at the plant were strict.

The entire complex was fenced in. Armed guards patrolled the perimeter twenty-four hours a day.

But things had been relatively quiet until Three Mile Island had had its accident.

Hordes of media people had descended on the plant, and the news reports had been full of footage showing the earlier unrest. Unlike many of the nuclear installations around the country, Thunder Mountain was located relatively close to a major urban center. Its public relations problems were tricky, and its attention to safety more scrupulous than most.

It had been cited by the NRC for its exemplary conduct in dealing with potential accidents on three separate occasions. That was about to change.

In the heavily wooded area behind the plant, Peter Achison went over his plans one final time. Timing, he kept reminding his small assault team, was everything. The first attempt might be the only attempt. If they failed to breach security and gain entrance to the grounds, the ball game would be over before it began.

The twenty-five members of the team had been divided into squads of three to five, each with a specific task. The greatest burden would fall on the initial attack team. All were heavily armed.

Each man carried a Kalashnikov assault rifle. Several of them also carried grenades stolen from a U.S. Army depot two years before.

"Any questions?" Achison asked as he looked from one member of the team to another. He had been drilling them for weeks and didn't expect any questions. He wasn't disappointed. "Everybody should be in position in twenty minutes. The first team should be inside ten minutes later. We'll open the rear gate and let the rest of you in."

Achison felt a rush of excitement. He hadn't felt like this since Vietnam. An Australian by birth, and trained in the Australian military, he had been assigned to U.S. forces for three different tours. Each time he had kept his eyes open and his mouth shut. But much of what he'd learned had been wasted. Until now.

"Remember. No shooting unless absolutely necessary. In order for this operation to succeed, we need hostages. Let's move it."

The assault team broke up and each squad moved quickly to take up its assigned position. Achison would lead the initial attack.

The others, including a backup team assigned to crack the rear access gate if the frontal assault failed, were led by Eli Cohen. The remaining members of the team would wait until access had been achieved. Achison led his men through the woods, circling toward the front gate. They kept well back from the fence, which was regularly patrolled by two-man guard teams in Jeeps.

The perimeter of the plant was large, and the four teams made continuous circuits, passing a given point at half-hour intervals. The main gate was well lighted and guarded by six men at all times.

Security had gotten somewhat lax after the Three Mile Island incident had died down, but Achison knew his task wasn't an easy one. Surprise was crucial.

As they moved through the woods, Achison kept an eye on the fence. He wanted to get a fix on the sweep cycle kept by the patrols. A fifteen-foot strip of cleared land ran along the inside of the fence to allow passage for the Jeeps.

On the inside of that strip were more woods, and beyond that, the buildings of the reactor complex. As they neared their goal, one of the buildings vented steam in a huge cloud. The noise was nearly deafening.

"Shit, no wonder people don't like these things," one of the men whispered. "I wouldn't want to hear that in the middle of the night, either."

"That's why we're here, asshole," somebody laughed. "We're gonna shut it down."

Achison kept silent. Only two other members of the team knew the actual purpose of the raid. It was one of Glinkov's cardinal rules that information be parceled out jealously on a need-to-know basis. Even Parsons had no idea how big the operation was. But that didn't make any difference, Achison thought, because Parsons would soon be out of the picture. He had served his purpose.

"All right, let's slow it down. We're getting close."

Achison held up his hand.

"I'm going to move in for a look. Wait here."

He slipped into the trees, making a wide arc to his left. Ahead, he could see the glow of the lighting at the main gate. The next ten minutes were critical. They were so close. He didn't want a mistake now. Worming his way through the trees, he cursed as snow, dislodged by his passage, cascaded down his open collar.

Fifty yards from the access road, he could see the guard station. The main gate appeared to be closed but unlocked.

All six men on duty were present. It was best to know where everyone was. Achison had seen perfectly ordinary missions fall apart because someone had gone off and returned at an inopportune moment. That would not happen tonight.

Achison returned to the rest of his team and filled them in. His intention was to vault the fence and come on the gate from the inside. It would be easier to control the guards and reduce the possibility of a confrontation.

"Look, the next patrol is due in four minutes. When they pass, we'll wait another five. That will give us plenty of time before the next unit comes in. Remember the TV cameras. Louis, I want you to take one out. But just one. Anything more than that will attract attention. Get it now, but keep your eye out for the Jeep."

Louis moved away and headed toward the fence. An electronics specialist, the surveillance camera posed no problem for him. He was back in three minutes, grinning.

"Man, this is gonna be a piece of cake." He rubbed his hands together in satisfaction. "I'm almost disappointed, man. I thought we were gonna have some excitement."

"You want some excitement, just screw up. I'll show you more than you can handle," Achison warned.

"No sweat, man." Louis laughed.

So far everything was going like clockwork. Achison checked his watch. Eli should be in place now, he thought. He hoped his second-in-command didn't have to hit the back door.

A rumble in the trees alerted the men. The next patrol Jeep was making its pass.