Red Cell

by Richard Marcinko

  Well, I hadn’t come up absolutely dry ay the Navy Yard. I had the NIS Foxhunter file with its pictures of Pinky in flagrante delicto buried below my kitchen floor. But this wasn’t the time to mention them. “You and CNO came up with this? Just the two of you?”

  “We’re the only ones we could trust.” He looked over at where Grant Griffith sat.

  “You’re the one who asked me to invite Joe Andrews to the war game,” Griffith said, looking at Pinky incredulously. From the expression on his face, it was obvious that Grant Griffith had underestimated Pinky even more than I had.

  Griffith stood up. There was still a hint of blood in the corner of his mouth. “This is all idle talk,” he said. “Nothing is going to happen.”

  Pinky looked at him. “Why is that, Grant?”

  Griffith played with his Roman ring. “Because I’ll never go to trial,” he said confidently. “Face it, Pinky, I know too much. I’m privy to too many secrets. I’ve got information about too many skeletons in too many closets. Even if I am indicted, the fucking president will pardon me—if he wants to be reelected. I have tapes. Files. Documents. I have all sorts of evidence I can use as leverage.”

  Pinky indicated the crates. “So do we.”

  Griffith’s expression grew contemptuous. “The missiles? They’re nothing more than one link in a chain. And you can’t display the entire chain without violating national security.” Griffith smirked. “Face it—the Pentagon and the State Department aren’t going to let you show what you have. Your ‘evidence’ would prove that the United States engages in covert operations. It would disclose sources and methods. It would demonstrate how you operate clandestinely in friendly countries without their permission. There’s no way you can do that—not in a million years. It’s not politically feasible.”

  He was right, of course. His leverage was blackmail—I had the computer disk to prove it. Our evidence was the nation’s secrets. And because he knew we wouldn’t be able to use them against him, the son of a bitch was going to buy a pass.

  This sort of realpolitik has always bothered the shit out of me. I hate to see people like Grant Griffith get away with murder and other nefariousness when, instead of passing go and collecting their $200, they should go straight to jail. Still, it always pays to be a realist, especially when politics is concerned.

  I looked at Pinky. “He’s probably right, you know,” I said.

  Pinky nodded. “I’m aware of the delicate political ramifications,” he said ruefully. He drained his gin. “So, what do you suggest?”

  There was actually nothing left to say. So I didn’t say anything. Instead, I withdrew the Walther PPK from my pocket, extended my arm, and put three quick shots into Grant Griffith’s head, and three into his chest, from a distance of six feet. It was real quick—like, pop-pop-pop, pop-pop-pop. The former SECDEF blinked once. Then he collapsed in a bloody heap without a sound. “That’s for my two men,” I said to Griffith’s corpse.

  I turned his body with my foot and was pleased to see that none of the bullets had passed through him. The Eleys had performed just as advertised. I could write a fucking testimonial. Maybe I would.

  “According to Navy regulations,” I explained to Pinky, “use of deadly force is approved when the safety of nuclear weaponry is concerned.” I pointed toward the Tomahawk crates. “And they ain’t fucking chicken liver.”

  Pinky’s face was white as chalk. But he managed to swallow, nod, then say, “You have a point, Dick. I accept it.”

  I wiped the Walther clean and tossed it on top of Griffith’s corpse. The phone rang. That would be Colonel McCarthy wanting to know what was happening. Explaining was beyond my pay grade. I plucked the receiver, covered the mouthpiece, and handed it toward Pinky.

  “Tell you what, Admiral. You clean this mess up—you’re the fucking flag-rank officer with his own bunch of Jarheads outside.” I thought about what I’d said, and what I’d done. Pinky had been awfully quick to endorse my deadly force justification. “You knew I’d kill the motherfucker, didn’t you?”

  “Moi?” He took the receiver from my hand. “Just a minute, Colonel, I have a final bit of business to conduct before you and your men can come in.”

  Now it was his turn to cover the mouthpiece. He gave me this innocent-as-the-day-he-was-born look. “When, Dick, have I ever been able to control you? You’re a renegade, the ultimate rogue—and everybody in the Navy knows it.”

  He was a conniving, sneaky, deceitful asshole, and at that instant, if I’d had another round, I would probably have shot him, too. But the gun was empty.

  Besides, the true implications of what I’d done were just beginning to set in. “Well, fuck me again, Pinky, you’re probably gonna get another star out of this.”

  He smiled his insipid smile at me. “I know. And I deserve it, too.”

  It was poetic justice. I wear nothing but scars, and assholes like Pinky get to wear stars. I felt like kicking him in the balls.

  But frankly, I didn’t have the energy. I was tired. Bone tired. I needed Rogue Manor, with the sauna and the Jacuzzi and the Bombay gin. “I’m going home,” I said. “I’m taking my men and I’m going home.”

  I looked at Wonder, Cherry, Nasty, Duck Foot, Half Pint, Pick, and Nod. I looked at Pinky. He wasn’t equal to their piss. “Let’s go get shit-faced,” I said, and started down the long hallway.

  “Don’t stray too far off the reservation,” Pinky said. “We might need you again.”

  “Fat fucking chance of that.”

  Pinky waved a manicured finger in the air. “Never say never, Dick.”

  The son of a bitch was actually whistling “I Did It My Way” as we went out the door.

  It didn’t bother me in the least. I have his fucking NIS file.

  Glossary

  ACMEL: intel camera for carrying on clandestine missions.

  Admirals’ Gestapo: what the secretary of defense’s office calls the Naval Investigative Services Command

  (See: SHIT-FOR-BRAINS).

  AK-47: 7.63 by 39 Kalashnikov automatic rifle. The most common assault weapon in the world.

  Amerikajin: (Japanese) American.

  APC: Armored Personnel Carrier.

  APU: Auxiliary Power Unit.

  ARG: Amphibious Ready Group.

  ASW: AntiSubmarine Warfare.

  A-Team: basic Special Forces unit of ten to fourteen men.

  ATF: AntiTerrorist Task Force, or Ambiguous (amphibious) Task Force.

  Atsugi: the air base closest to Yokosuka.

  BDUs: Battle Dress Uniforms. Now that’s an oxymoron if I ever heard one.

  BIQ: BitchIn-Question.

  BLACK TALON: State of the art lethal hollowpoint ammunition made by Winchester.

  blivet: a collapsible fuel container, often used in SEAL missions.

  Blowning: single-action 9mm pistol obtained in Japan.

  Boomer: nuclear-powered missile submarine.

  BTDT: Been There, Done That.

  BUPERS: BUreau of PERSonnel.

  C-130: Lockheed’s ubiquitous Hercules.

  C-141: Lockheed’s ubiquitous StarLifter aircraft, soon to be mothballed.

  C-4: plastic explosive. You can mold it like clay. You can even use it to light your fires. Just don’t stamp on it.

  C-9: Military designation for the McDonnell Douglas DC-9.

  C2CO: Can’t Cunt Commanding Officer. Too many of these in Navy SpecWar today. They won’t support their men or take chances because they’re afraid it’ll ruin their chances for promotion.

  CALOW: Coastal And Limited-Objective Warfare. Very fashionable acronym at the Pentagon in these days of increased low-intensity conflict.

  cannon fodder: see FNG.

  CAR-15: Colt’s carbine-size .223 assault weapon.

  Christians in Action: Spec War slang for the Central Intelligence Agency.

  CINCLANT: Commander-IN-Chief, AtLANTic.

  CINCLANTFLT: Commander-IN-Chief, AtLANTic FLeeT.

  CINCPA
C: Commander-IN-Chief, PACific.

  CINCPACFLT: Commander-IN-Chief, PACific FLeeT.

  CNO: Chief of Naval Operations.

  CNWDI: Critical Nuclear Weapons Design Information.

  cockbreath: SEAL term of endearment used for those who only pay lip service.

  COD: Carrier-On-board Delivery.

  Combatmaster: palm-size .45-caliber pistol made by Detonics, often used during undercover assignments.

  CONUS: CONtinental United States.

  CQB: Close-Quarters Battle—e.g., killing that’s up close and personal.

  CT: CounterTerror.

  DDS: Dry Dock Shelter. The clamshell unit put on subs to deliver SEALs and SDVs.

  DEFCON: DEFense CONdition.

  Dickhead: Stevie Wonder’s nickname for Marcinko.

  diplo-dink: no-load cookie-pushing diplomat.

  dirtbag: the look Marcinko favors for his Team guys.

  do-itashi-mashite: (Japanese) you’re welcome.

  doom on you: American version of Vietnamese for “go fuck yourself.”

  Dortmunder: great German beer.

  Draeger: great German rebreathing apparatus.

  DTSA (pronounced DITSA): Defense Technical Security Administration—the guys who try to keep complex, dual-use technology out of the bad guys’ hands. They are often stymied by State Department diplo-dinks and Commerce Department apparatchiki.

  du-ma-nhieu: (Vietnamese) go fuck yourself

  (see DOOM ON YOU).

  dweeb: no-load shit-for-brains geeky asshole, usually shackled to a computer.

  EC-130: electronic warfare-outfitted C-130.

  ELINT: Electronic INTelligence.

  EOD: Explosive Ordnance Disposal.

  FIS: Flight Information Service.

  FMR: ForMeR, as seen on TV screens during interviews, e.g., Grant Griffith, FMR secretary of defense.

  FNG: Fucking New Guy.

  See CANNON FODDER.

  Foca: Italian minisub built with SpecWarriors in mind.

  four-striper: captain. All too often, a C2CO.

  FUBAR: Fucked Up Beyond All Repair.

  gaijin: (Japanese) foreigner.

  Glock: Reliable 9mm pistols made by Glock in Austria. Great for SEALS because they don’t require as much care as Sig Sauers.

  goarfuck: what the Navy likes to do to Marcinko

  (see FUBAR).

  Grock: reliable 9mm pistol in Tokyo.

  GSG-9: Grenzchutzgruppe-9. Top German CT unit.

  HAHO: High-Altitude, High-Opening parachute jump.

  HALO: High-Altitude, Low-Opening parachute jump.

  HK: ultrareliable pistol, assault rifle, or submachine made by Heckler & Koch, a German firm. SEALs use HK MP5-K submachine guns in various configurations, as well as HK-93 assault rifles, and P7M8 9mm pistols.

  Huey: Original slang for Bell’s AH-I two-bladed helicopter, but now refers to various UH configuration Bell choppers.

  HUMINT: HUMan INTelligence.

  Hydra-Shok: extremely lethal hollowpoint ammunition manufactured by Federal Cartridge Company.

  IBS: Inflatable Boat, Small—the basic unit of SEAL transportation.

  ichiban: (Japanese) number one.

  IED: Improvised Explosive Device.

  Incursari: Italian Frogman unit based at La Spezia.

  Japs: bad guys.

  Jarheads: Marines. The Corps. Formally USMC, or Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children.

  JSOC: Joint Special Operations Command.

  KATN: Kick Ass and Take Names. Marcinko avocation.

  KH-11: NRO’s spy-in-the-sky satellites, now superseded by KH-12s.

  kimchi: fermented cabbage made with lots of garlic and hot peppers and the reason Koreans, who make and eat the stuff by the ton, have no sense of humor. In Marcinkospeak, any Korean.

  KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid. Marcinko’s basic premise for special operations.

  krytrons: precise timers used in making nuclear detonators.

  Lacrosse: latest-version eye-in-the-sky NRO spy satellite with upgraded capabilities.

  LANTFLT: AtLANTic FLeeT.

  M16: basic U.S. .223-caliber weapon, used by the armed forces.

  MagSafe: lethal frangible ammunition that does not penetrate the human body. Favored by some SWAT units for CQB.

  MDW: Military District of Washington.

  Mod-I Mark-O: basic unit.

  MRE: Meals, Ready to Eat. Combat chow packed in waterproof containers.

  MTBFR: (Dweeb-speak) Mean Time Between Failure Rate.

  NAVAIR: NAVy AIR Command.

  NAVSEA: NAVaI SEA Systems Command.

  NAVSPECWARGRU: NAVaI SPECial WARfare GRoUp.

  Navyspeak: redundant, bureaucratic naval nomenclature, either in written nonoral or nonwritten oral modes, indecipherable by nonmilitary (conventional) or military (unconventional) individuals during normal interfacing configuration conformations.

  Nexis: private database.

  NIS: Naval Investigative Service Command, also known as the Admirals’ Gestapo

  (see: SHIT-FOR-BRAINS).

  NRO: National Reconnaissance Office. Established August 25, 1960, to administer and coordinate satellite development and operations for the U.S. intelligence community. Very spooky place.

  NSA: National Security Agency, known within the SpecWar community as No Such Agency.

  NSCT: Naval Security Coordination Team (Navyspeak name for Red Cell).

  NSD: National Security Directive.

  OBE: Overtaken By Events—usually because of the bureaucracy.

  OOD: Officer Of the Deck (he who drives the big gray monster).

  OP-06: deputy CNO for plans, policy, and operations.

  OP-0604: CNO’s SpecWar briefing officer.

  OP-06B: assistant deputy CNO for plans, policy, and operations.

  OP-06D: cover organization for Red Cell/NSCT.

  OPSEC: Operational SECurity.

  P-3: Orion sub-hunting and electronic-warfare prop-driven aircraft.

  Phideaux: Cajun junkyard dog (or junkyard alligator).

  poontang: capital idea anytime.

  Pyongyang: capital of North Korea

  (see KIMCHI).

  retarded: Marcinkospeak for “retired.”

  RHQ: Regional HeadQuarters.

  RPG: Rocket-Propelled Grenade.

  SAS: Special Air Service. Britain’s top CT unit.

  SATCOM: SATellite COMmunications.

  SCIF: Special Classified Intelligence Facility. A bug-proof bubble room

  SDV: Swimmer Delivery Vehicle.

  SEAL: SEa-Air-Land Navy SpecWarrior. A hop-andpopping shoot-and-looter hairy-assed Frogman who gives a shit. The acronym stands for Sleep, Eat, And Live it up.

  Semtex: Czecho C-4 plastique explosive. Used for canceling Czechs.

  SERE: Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape school.

  SH-3: versatile Sikorsky chopper. Used in ASW missions and also as a Spec Ops platform.

  shit-for-brains: any no-load, pus-nutted, pencil-dicked asshole from NIS.

  SIGINT: SIGnals INTelligence.

  Simunition: Canadian-manufactured ammo using paint bullets instead of lead.

  SLUDJ: top-secret NIS witch-hunters. Acronym stands for Sensitive Legal (Upper Deck) Jurisdiction.

  SNAFU: Situation Normal—All Fucked Up.

  SOCOM: Special Operations COMmand, located at MacDill AFB, Tampa, Florida.

  SOF: Special Operations Force.

  SOSUS: SOund Surveillance System. Underwater detection system for finding submarines.

  SPECWARGRU: SPECial WARfare GRoUp.

  SpecWarrior: one who gives a fuck.

  SSN: nuclear sub, commonly known as sewer pipe.

  STABs: SEAL Tactical Assault Boats.

  SWAT: Special Weapons And Tactics police teams. All too often they do not train enough and become SQUAT teams.

  TAD: Temporary Additional Duty (SEALs refer to it as Traveling Around Drunk).

  Tailhook: the convention of weenie-waggers, gropest
ers, and pressed-ham-on-glass devotees that put air brakes on NAVAIR.

  TARFU: Things Are Really Fucked Up.

  TECHINT: TECHnical INTelligence.

  tiger stripes: the only stripes that SEALs will wear.

  Trijicon: maker of the best radioactive night-sights for SEAL weaponry.

  UGS: Unmanned Ground Sensors. Useful in setting off claymore mines and other booby traps.

  UNODIR: UNless Otherwise DIRected. That’s how Marcinko operates when he’s surrounded by can’t cunts.

  wannabes: the sort of folks you meet at Soldier of Fortune conventions.

  weenies: pussy-ass can’t cunts and no-loads.

  WIA: Wounded In Action.

  Yokosuka: joint U.S./Japanese naval base, south of Tokyo.

  Yongbyon: main site of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program development, comprising eight major buildings and dozens of secondary structures according to current intelligence estimates.

  Zulu: Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) designator used in formal military communications.

  Zulu-5-Oscar: escape-and-evasion exercises in which Frogmen try to plant dummy limpet mines on Navy vessels, while the vessels’ crews try to catch them in bombus interruptus.

  Index

  Abu Nidal, 8, 53

  airport security, 3–34, 286

  Akita Maru (tanker), 292, 293, 299, 340

  Red Cell assault on, 303–28

  Allied National Technologies (ANT), 41, 44

  ambush, 120–21

  Andrews, Joseph, 44–52, 4–69, 87, 90–91, 96–97, 111, 114–15, 116–17, 119, 347

  and Grant Griffith’s party, 127–29, 131–32, 168, 189

  Aristide (deposed president of Haiti), 164

  Aschenbrenner, Harold, 63–64

  Atlantic Ocean, 314

  Barrett, Everett E. 32, 35, 46, 56, 65, 101, 115–16, 195, 201, 234, 281, 307

  Beckwith, Charlie, 92

  Blynken (Carl), 166, 173–74, 177, 212–13

  death of, 273, 274

  disposal of remains of, 276–83

  and Tomahawk disappearance at Seal Beach, 216

  Boehm, Roy, 64, 78, 296

  booby traps, 116–20, 122–25

  Brannigan, Major Thomas Boyd “Buckshot,” 91–96, 99, 105, 323–24

  and Centurions International, 254, 257, 279

  BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL) training, 53–54, 63–64, 317