tc.redstormrising-第2章

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　master　supervisory　control　board。　Tolkaze　looked　around　at　the　status　displays　to　orient　himself；　then　paused。
From　his　back　pocket　he　took　his　most　treasured　personal　possession；　half　of　his　grandfather's　Koran；　and　opened　it　to　a　random　page。　It　was　a　passage　in　The　Chapter　of　the　Spoils。　His　grandfather　having　been　killed　during　the　futile　rebellions　against　Moscow；　his　father　shamed　by　helpless　subservience　to　the　infidel　state；　Tolkaze　had　been　seduced　by　Russian　schoolteachers　into　joining　their　godless　system。　Others　had　trained　him　as　an　oil…field　engineer　to　work　at　the　State's　most　valuable　facility　in　Azerbaijan。　Only　then　had　the　God　of　his　fathers　saved　him；　through　the　words　of　an　uncle；　an　〃unregistered〃　imam　who　had　remained　faithful　to　Allah　and　safeguarded　this　tattered　fragment　of　the　Koran　that　had　acpanied　one　of　Allah's　own　warriors。　Tolkaze　read　the　passage　under　his　hand：
And　when　the　misbelievers　plotted　to　keep　thee　prisoner；　or　kill　thee；　or　drive　thee　forth；　they　plotted　well；　but　God　plotted；　too。　And　God　is　the　best　of　plotters。
Tolkaze　smiled；　certain　that　it　was　the　final　Sign　in　a　plan　being　executed　by　hands　greater　than　his　own。　Serene　and　confident；　he　began　to　fulfill　his　destiny。
First　the　gasoline。　He　closed　sixteen　control　valves…the　nearest　of　them　three　kilometers　away…and　opened　ten；　which　rerouted　eighty　million　liters　of　gasoline　to　gush　out　from　a　bank　of　truck…loading　valves。　The　gasoline　did　not　ignite　at　once。　The　three　had　left　no　pyrotechnic　devices　to　explode　this　first　of　many　disasters。　Tolkaze　reasoned　that　if　he　were　truly　doing　the　work　of　Allah；　then　his　God　would　surely　provide。
And　so　He　did。　A　small　truck　driving　　through　the　loading　yard　　took　a　turn　too　fast；　skidded　on　the　splashing　fuel；　and　slid　broadside　into　a　utility　pole。　It　only　took　one　spark　。　。　。　and　already　more　fuel　was　spilling　out　into　the　train　yards。
With　the　master　pipeline　switches；　Tolkaze　had　a　special　plan。　He　rapidly　typed　in　a　puter　mand；　thanking　Allah　that　Rasul　was　so　skillful　and　had　not　damaged　anything　important　with　his　rifle　The　main　pipeline　from　the　nearby　production　field　was　two　meters　across；　with　many　branch　lines　running　to　all　of　the　production　wells。　The　oil　traveling　in　those　pipes　had　its　own　mass　and　its　own　momentum　supplied　by　pumping　stations　in　the　fields。　Ibrahim's　mands　rapidly　opened　and　closed　valves。　The　pipeline　ruptured　in　a　dozen　places；　and　the　puter　mands　left　the　pumps　on。　The　escaping　light　crude　flowed　across　the　production　field；　where　only　one　more　spark　was　needed　to　spread　a　holocaust　before　the　winter　wind；　and　another　break　occurred　where　the　oil　and　gas　pipelines　crossed　together　over　the　river　Ob'。
〃The　greenskins　are　here！〃　Rasul　shouted　a　moment　before　the　quick　response　team　of　KGB　border　guards　stormed　up　the　staircase。　A　short　burst　from　the　Kalashnikov　killed　the　first　two；　and　the　rest　of　the　squad　stopped　cold　behind　a　turn　in　the　staircase　as　their　young　sergeant　wondered　what　the　hell　they　had　walked　into。
Already；　automatic　alarms　were　erupting　around　him　in　the　control　room。　The　master　status　board　showed　four　growing　fires　whose　borders　were　defined　by　blinking　red　lights。　Tolkaze　walked　to　the　master　puter　and　ripped　out　the　tape　spool　that　contained　the　digital　control　codes。　The　spares　were　in　the　vault　downstairs。　and　the　only　men　within　ten　kilometers　who　knew　its　bination　were　in　this　room…dead。　Mohammet　was　busily　ripping　out　every　telephone　in　the　room。　The　whole　building　shook　with　the　explosion　of　a　gasoline　storage　tank　two　kilometers　away。
The　crashing　sound　of　a　hand　grenade　announced　another　move　by　the　KGB　troops。　Rasul　returned　fire；　and　the　screams　of　dying　men　nearly　equaled　the　earsplitting　fire…alarm　klaxons。　Tolkaze　hurried　over　to　the　corner。　The　floor　there　was　slick　with　blood。　He　opened　the　door　to　the　electrical　fuse　box；　flipped　the　main　circuit　breaker；　then　fired　his　pistol　into　the　box。　Whoever　tried　to　set　things　aright　would　also　have　to　work　in　the　dark。
He　was　done。　Ibrahim　saw　that　his　massive　friend　had　been　mortally　hit　in　the　chest　by　grenade　fragments。　He　was　wobbling；　struggling　to　stay　erect　at　the　door；　guarding　his　rades　to　the　last。
〃　'I　take　refuge　in　the　Lord　of　the　worlds；'　〃　Tolkaze　called　out　defiantly　to　the　security　troops；　who　spoke　not　a　word　of　Arabic。　〃　'The　King　of　men；　the　God　of　men；　from　the　evil　of　the　whispering　devil…'　〃
The　KGB　sergeant　leaped　around　the　lower　landing　and　his　first　burst　tore　the　rifle　from　Rasul's　bloodless　hands。　Two　hand　grenades　arched　through　the　air　as　the　sergeant　disappeared　back　around　the　er。
There　was　no　place…and　no　reason…to　run。　Mohammet　and　Ibrahim　stood　immobile　in　the　doorway　as　the　grenades　bounced　and　skittered　across　the　tiled　floor。　Around　them　the　whole　world　seemed　to　be　catching　fire；　and　because　of　them；　the　whole　world　really　would。
〃Allahu　akhbar！〃

SUNNYVALE；　CALIFORNIA
〃God　almighty！〃　the　chief　master　sergeant　breathed。　The　fire　which　had　begun　in　the　gasoline/diesel　section　of　the　refinery　had　been　sufficient　to　alert　a　strategic　early…warning　satellite　in　geosynchronous　orbit　twenty…four　thousand　miles　above　the　Indian　Ocean。　The　signal　was　down　linked　to　a　top…security　U。S。　Air　Force　post。
The　senior　watch　officer　in　the　Satellite　Control　Facility　was　an　Air　Force　colonel。　He　turned　to　his　senior　technician：　〃Map　it。〃
〃Yes；　sir。〃　The　sergeant　typed　a　mand　into　his　console；　which　told　the　satellite　cameras　to　alter　their　sensitivity。　With　the　flaring　on　the　screen　reduced；　the　satellite　rapidly　pinpointed　the　source　of　the　thermal　energy。　A　puter…controlled　map　on　the　screen　adjacent　to　the　visual　display　gave　them　an　exact　location　reference。　〃Sir；　that's　an　oil　refinery　fire。　Jeez；　and　it　looks　like　a　real　pisser！　Colonel；　we　got　a　Big　Bird　pass　in　twenty　minutes　and　the　course　track　is　within　a　hundred　twenty　kilometers。〃
〃Uh…huh；〃　the　colonel　nodded。　He　watched　the　screen　closely　to　make　sure　that　the　heat　source　was　not　moving；　his　right　hand　lifting　the　Gold　Phone　to　NORAD　headquarters；　Cheyenne　Mountain；　Colorado。
〃This　is　Argus　Control。　I　have　Flash　Traffic　for　CINC…NORAD。
〃Wait　one；〃　said　the　first　voice。
〃This　is　CINC…NORAD；〃　said　the　second；　mander…in…Chief　of　the　North　American　Aerospace　Defense　mand。
〃Sir；　this　is　Colonel　Burnette　at　Argus　Control。　We　show　a　massive　thermal　energy　reading　at　coordinates　sixty　degrees　fifty　minutes　north；　seventy…six　degrees　forty　minutes　east。　The　site　is　listed　as　a　POL　refinery。　The　thermal　source　is　not；　repeat　not　moving。　We　have　a　KH…11　pass　close　to　the　source　in　two…zero　minutes。　My　preliminary　evaluation；　General；　is　that　we　have　a　major　oil…field　fire　here。〃
〃They're　not　doing　a　laser…flash　on　your　bird？〃　CINC…NORAD　asked。　There　was　always　a　possibility　the　Soviets　were　trying　to　play　games　with　their　satellite。
〃Negative。　The　light　source　covers　infrared　and　all　of　the　visible　spectrum；　not；　repeat　not；　monochromatic。　We'll　know　more　in　a　few　minutes；　sir。　So　far　everything　is　consistent　with　a　massive　ground　fire。〃
Thirty　minutes　later　they　were　sure。　The　KH…11　reconnaissance　satellite　came　over　the　horizon　close　enough　for　all　of　its　eight　television　cameras　to　catalog　the　chaos。　A　side…link　transmitted　the　signal　to　a　geosynchronous　munications　satellite；　and　Burnette　was　able　to　watch　it　all　〃in　real　time。〃　Live　and　in　color。　The　fire　had　already　engulfed　half　of　the　refinery　plex　and　more　than　half　of　the　nearby　production　field；　with　more　burning　crude　oil　spreading　from　the　ruptured　pipeline　onto　the　river　Ob'。　They　were　able　to　watch　the　fire　spread；　the　flames　carried　rapidly　before　a　forty…knot　surface　wind。　Smoke　obscured　much　of　the　area　on　visible　light；　but　infrared　sensors　penetrated　it　to　show　many　heat　sources　that　could　only　be　vast　pools　of　oil　products　burning　intensely　on　the　ground。　Burnette's　sergeant　was　from　east　Texas；　and　had　worked　as　a　boy　in　the　oil　fields。　He　keyed　up　daylight　photographs　of　the　site　and　pared　them　with　the　adjacent　visual　display　to　determine　what　parts　of　the　refinery　had　already　ignited。
〃Goddamn；　Colonel。〃　The　sergeant　shook　his　head　reverently。　He　spoke　with　quiet　expertise。　〃The　refinery…well；　it