{"product_id":"tom-clancys-splinter-cell-checkmate-isbn-9780425212783","title":"Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Checkmate","description":"\u003cb\u003eDON’T MISS THE UPCOMING NETFLIX ANIMATED SERIES \u003ci\u003eSPLINTER CELL: DEATHWATCH\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSam Fisher's skills and determination are put to the ultimate test in this pulse-pounding addition to Tom Clancy's bestselling series\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThird Echelon special operative Sam Fisher finds himself facing a race against time as a cargo freighter loaded with radioactive material hurtles towards the United States coast. With only minutes to spare, Fisher must disable the ship. Will he succeed in preventing a catastrophic disaster, or will he become a casualty of his own bravery?\u003cb\u003eTom Clancy \u003c\/b\u003ewas the #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of more than eighteen books. He died in October 2013.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eDavid Michaels\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of two novels in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series and several in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell series.\u003cp\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTitle Page\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCopyright Page\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 1\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 2\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 3\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 4\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 5\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 6\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 7\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 8\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 9\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 10\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 11\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 12\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 13\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 14\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 15\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 16\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 17\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 18\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 19\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 20\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 21\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 22\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 23\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 24\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 25\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 26\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 27\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 28\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 29\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 30\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 31\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 32\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 33\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 34\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 35\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 36\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 37\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 38\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 39\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 40\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 41\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 42\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 43\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 44\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 45\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 46\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 47\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 48\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 49\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 50\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 51\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 52\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 53\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 54\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 55\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 56\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 57\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 58\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 59\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter 60\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEPILOGUE\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE BESTSELLING NOVELS OF\u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE TEETH OF THE TIGER\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eA new generation—Jack Ryan, Jr.—takes over in Tom Clancy’s\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eextraordinary, and extraordinarily prescient, novel.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“INCREDIBLY ADDICTIVE.” \u003ci\u003e—Daily Mail\u003c\/i\u003e (London)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRED RABBIT\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eTom Clancy returns to Jack Ryan’s early days—\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ein an engrossing novel of global political drama . . .\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A WILD, SATISFYING RIDE.” \u003ci\u003e—New York Daily News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE BEAR AND THE DRAGON\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eA clash of world powers. President Jack Ryan’s trial by fire.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“HEART-STOPPING ACTION . . . CLANCY STILL REIGNS.” \u003ci\u003e—The Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRAINBOW SIX\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eJohn Clark is used to doing the CIA’s dirty work.\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNow he’s taking on the world . . .\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“ACTION-PACKED.” \u003ci\u003e—The New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEXECUTIVE ORDERS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eA devastating terrorist act leaves Jack Ryan\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eas President of the United States . . .\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“UNDOUBTEDLY CLANCY’S BEST YET.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDEBT OF HONOR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eIt begins with the murder of an American woman\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ein the back streets of Tokyo. It ends in war . . .\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A SHOCKER.” \u003ci\u003e—Entertainment Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe smash bestseller that launched Clancy’s career—\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ethe incredible search for a Soviet defector\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eand the nuclear submarine he commands . . .\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“BREATHLESSLY EXCITING.” \u003ci\u003e—The Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRED STORM RISING\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe ultimate scenario for World War III—\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ethe final battle for global control . . .\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“THE ULTIMATE WAR GAME . . . BRILLIANT.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Newsweek\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePATRIOT GAMES\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eCIA analyst Jack Ryan stops an assassination—\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eand incurs the wrath of Irish terrorists . . .\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A HIGH PITCH OF EXCITEMENT.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e—The Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE CARDINAL OF THE KREMLIN\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe superpowers race for the ultimate Star Wars\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003emissile defense system . . .\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003ci\u003eCARDINAL\u003c\/i\u003e EXCITES, ILLUMINATES . . . A REAL PAGE-TURNER.” \u003ci\u003e—Los Angeles Daily News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe killing of three U.S. officials in Colombia ignites the\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eAmerican government’s explosive, and top secret, response . . .\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A CRACKLING GOOD YARN.” \u003ci\u003e—The Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE SUM OF ALL FEARS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe disappearance of an Israeli nuclear weapon threatens the\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ebalance of power in the Middle East—and around the world . . .\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“CLANCY AT HIS BEST . . . NOT TO BE MISSED.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e—The Dallas Morning News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWITHOUT REMORSE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eHis code name is Mr. Clark. And his work for the CIA\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eis brilliant, cold-blooded, and efficient . . . but who is he really?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“HIGHLY ENTERTAINING.” \u003ci\u003e—The Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eNovels by Tom Clancy\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTHE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER \u003cbr\u003eRED STORM RISING \u003cbr\u003ePATRIOT GAMES \u003cbr\u003eTHE CARDINAL OF THE KREMLIN \u003cbr\u003eCLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER \u003cbr\u003eTHE SUM OF ALL FEARS \u003cbr\u003eWITHOUT REMORSE \u003cbr\u003eDEBT OF HONOR \u003cbr\u003eEXECUTIVE ORDERS \u003cbr\u003eRAINBOW SIX \u003cbr\u003eTHE BEAR AND THE DRAGON \u003cbr\u003eRED RABBIT \u003cbr\u003eTHE TEETH OF THE TIGER\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSSN: STRATEGIES OF SUBMARINE WARFARE\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eNonfiction\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSUBMARINE: A GUIDED TOUR INSIDE A NUCLEAR WARSHIP \u003cbr\u003eARMORED CAV: A GUIDED TOUR OF AN ARMORED CAVALRY REGIMENT \u003cbr\u003eFIGHTER WING: A GUIDED TOUR OF AN AIR FORCE COMBAT WING \u003cbr\u003eMARINE: A GUIDED TOUR OF A MARINE EXPEDITIONARY UNIT \u003cbr\u003eAIRBORNE: A GUIDED TOUR OF AN AIRBORNE TASK FORCE \u003cbr\u003eCARRIER: A GUIDED TOUR OF AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER \u003cbr\u003eSPECIAL FORCES: A GUIDED TOUR OF U.S. ARMY SPECIAL FORCES\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eINTO THE STORM: A STUDY IN COMMAND  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e(written with General Fred Franks, Jr., Ret., and Tony Koltz)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEVERY MAN A TIGER  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e(written with General Charles Horner, Ret., and Tony Koltz)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSHADOW WARRIORS: INSIDE THE SPECIAL FORCES  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e(written with General Carl Stiner, Ret., and Tony Koltz)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBATTLE READY  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e(written with General Tony Zinni, Ret., and Tony Koltz)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eCreated by Tom Clancy\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTOM CLANCY’S SPLINTER CELL \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S SPLINTER CELL: OPERATION BARRACUDA \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S SPLINTER CELL: CHECKMATE\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eCreated by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: MIRROR IMAGE \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: GAMES OF STATE \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: ACTS OF WAR \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: BALANCE OF POWER \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: STATE OF SIEGE \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: DIVIDE AND CONQUER \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: LINE OF CONTROL \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: MISSION OF HONOR \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: SEA OF FIRE \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: CALL TO TREASON \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S OP-CENTER: WAR OF EAGLES\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: HIDDEN AGENDAS \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: NIGHT MOVES \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: BREAKING POINT \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: POINT OF IMPACT \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: CYBERNATION \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: STATE OF WAR \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: CHANGING OF THE GUARD \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: SPRINGBOARD \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE: THE ARCHIMEDES EFFECT\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eCreated by Tom Clancy and Martin Greenberg\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: POLITIKA \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: RUTHLESS.COM \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: SHADOW WATCH \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: BIO-STRIKE \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: COLD WAR \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: CUTTING EDGE \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: ZERO HOUR \u003cbr\u003eTOM CLANCY’S POWER PLAYS: WILD CARD\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP\u003c\/b\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished by the Penguin Group\u003c\/b\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePenguin Group (USA) Inc.\u003c\/b\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA\u003c\/b\u003e  \u003cbr\u003ePenguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada \u003cbr\u003e(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) \u003cbr\u003ePenguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England \u003cbr\u003ePenguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) \u003cbr\u003ePenguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia \u003cbr\u003e(a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) \u003cbr\u003ePenguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India \u003cbr\u003ePenguin Group (NZ), Cnr. Airborne and Rosedale Roads, Albany, Auckland 1310, New Zealand \u003cbr\u003e(a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) \u003cbr\u003ePenguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, \u003cbr\u003eSouth Africa\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePenguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTOM CLANCY’S SPLINTER CELL®: CHECKMATE\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA Berkley Book \/ published by arrangement with Rubicon, Inc.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePRINTING HISTORY \u003cbr\u003eBerkley edition \/ November 2006\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCopyright © 2006 by Rubicon, Inc.\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll rights reserved.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group, \u003cbr\u003ea division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., \u003cbr\u003e375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eeISBN : 978-1-101-00374-9\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBERKLEY® \u003cbr\u003eBerkley Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group, \u003cbr\u003ea division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., \u003cbr\u003e375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. \u003cbr\u003eBERKLEY is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. \u003cbr\u003eThe “B” design is a trademark belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eACKNOWLEDGMENTS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe name on a book’s cover rarely tells the whole story of its birth. Many thanks to the following for their energy and input. Couldn’t have done it without you . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJulie, who was with me every step of the way. As always.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe steadfast Tom Colgan and all of the good folks at Penguin Group (USA) Inc.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVanessa, for her dedication and creativity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMichael, for the vision and the opportunity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003ePROLOGUE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHANGHAI, CHINA, 2003\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIN\u003c\/b\u003e retrospect, he would find it an astonishing way to start a war.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut then again, he didn’t start this war.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe meeting, and the information it had subsequently revealed, came to him purely by chance. Synchronicity, the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung had called it. A confluence of seemingly unrelated events that have meaning—albeit hidden to all but the most discerning. It was a sophisticated concept, especially for a Western mind, Kuan-Yin Zhao thought.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOf course, there were corollaries in his own life. Xiangqi, one of his passions, was an exercise in manipulated synchronicity. At its heart, the mastery of Xiangqi, and its lesser cousin, chess, was nothing more than recognizing  the patterns your opponent was trying to hide, and creating patterns your opponent will fail to see until too late. Great Xiangqi players never move a single piece. On the board, it may be a \u003ci\u003epao\u003c\/i\u003e moving five squares, but in the mind of a master, it is the \u003ci\u003epao\u003c\/i\u003e’s move, combined with the myriad moves available to his opponent, combined with a countermove, and so on until victory or defeat.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThough pleased that Xiangqi might inspire a solution to his dilemma, he was also unsurprised. All he’d needed was the hint of an opening move, and now he had it. From there his mind would expand across the board—or in this case, across nations.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIF\u003c\/b\u003e not for an underling’s father who had left China thirty years earlier to find greener pastures, he would have never found the linchpin of his plan. Like the rest of the world, he’d believed the public stories, but of course public stories were usually generated by governments, and governments weren’t known for their forthrightness—especially the Russians, whose natural gift for deception was second only to that of Beijing’s politicians.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA coal mine in Evenki collapses, killing hundreds, and the world knows nothing about it; a Russian submarine sinks to the bottom of the Kara Sea with all hands, and it simply ceases to exist; a Russian death squad sneaks onto Chinese soil, breaks into a man’s home, and murders him in front of his children and it’s called war.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhy would this secret be any different? \u003ci\u003eAll the better,\u003c\/i\u003e  Zhao thought.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat better way to begin the greatest game of his life than with a move no one would ever see?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003cb\u003eIT’S\u003c\/b\u003e there, I tell you,” the old man said.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“You’re sure of this? You’ve seen it with your own eyes?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe old man nodded. “I was there, with a shovel like all the rest.” The old man took a gulp of tea and timidly held out his cup for a refill. “It’s a cursed place, I can tell you that.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Why do you say that?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“It’s haunted. I saw things . . . strange things.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eZhao tried not to suppress a smile. The old man was addled. Even so, his background had checked out; he was who and what he said he was. “How easy is it to find?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“As easy to find as your own toes. It might take a little work getting to it, but it’s there.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Tell me this: You did this for how long?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe old man scratched his scalp. “I lived there for twenty years. When I got sick, I wanted to come home, to be buried in Chinese soil—not that garbage over there.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Why did you remember this one detail? Out of everything you’d been through, why this one?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Because I watched them do it and I thought how stupid they must be. I’m a simple man—not a smart man—and even I couldn’t believe what they were doing.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Who else knows about this?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe old man pursed his lips, thinking. “Many, I imagine, but many are dead as well. Those that remember probably do their best to forget. Besides, who would want it?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eWho indeed?\u003c\/i\u003e Zhao thought.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Who have you told?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“No one!” the old man said, stiffening in his chair. “My son, no one else.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“That’s not quite true, is it, old man? You’ve told me.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“That’s different. It’s my granddaughter, you see—”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Yes, yes . . . very sick—you told me that, too.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“She’s all I have. I convinced her to join me there. I wanted her to go to school, make something of herself. Instead . . . They’ve done things to her. Drugs. Men. She can’t get away from them.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eOf course she can’t,\u003c\/i\u003e he thought. The teenage prostitution market had always been profitable, and in the right country a petite Chinese girl would bring thousands. Drugged or sober, the clientele didn’t care. In fact, drugs made them easier to handle.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I heard you were a decent man,” the old man said. “I don’t believe the stories. They’re all liars. You’re a decent man. You can help her.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe refilled the old man’s cup. “And I will. You’ll have your granddaughter back before another month passes. But first, you’re going to draw me a map, aren’t you?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe old man nodded vigorously.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e1\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e39°00’ NORTH, 74°01’ WEST\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSIXTY\u003c\/b\u003e miles and thirty thousand feet above Washington, D.C., the MC-130H Combat Talon began its second hour of circling in the dark night sky. Designed to covertly insert special operators into sensitive areas, the Talon could fly in rain, snow, high winds, pitch darkness, and radar-saturated environments.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe lone man in the black Nomex bodysuit sitting in the cargo bay was worried about none of these things. He’d ridden, jumped from, and in some cases flown, the Talon dozens of times into dozens of hot spots, and it had always delivered him safely. Of course, “delivery” usually meant being dropped into a denied area full of heavily armed bad guys only too happy to kill him. It came with the job.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTonight what Sam Fisher was worried most about was death by boredom.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe shifted his body on the bench seat, trying to find a position that didn’t put either his legs or butt to sleep, and wondered if the Talon’s designers had gone out of their way to find the most uncomfortable seats they could find. Either way, they’d succeeded.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe glamour of special ops,\u003c\/i\u003e he thought, extending his foot and stretching his calf.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBetween missions and looking to keep his skills honed, he’d volunteered to test one of DARPA’s newest gadgets, in this case an extended-range radar-absorbent HAHO (High-Altitude, High-Opening) parafoil code-named Goshawk. Not only was the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency the Pentagon’s ultrasecret think tank for all things military, but it also supplied Third Echelon with much of the gadgetry and weapons that made Fisher’s job easier—and survivable. If nothing else, when the Goshawk finally went into service, he’d be assured of its reliability. Providing it didn’t kill him, of course.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe two-hour wait was courtesy of a malfunctioning radar station on Rhode Island that NORAD had set up to track—or hopefully fail to track—Fisher’s descent on the Goshawk. If the stations failed to detect him, the Goshawk would go operational as the first stealth parachute, capable of dropping soldiers 150 miles outside a target area and allowing them glide in, invisible to radar.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd Third Echelon would probably get the first working model.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs a subdivision of the National Security Agency,  Third Echelon was tasked with handling covert missions either too sensitive or too risky for traditional entities, such as the CIA or standard special forces. Like all of Third Echelon’s operatives, Fisher was known as a Splinter Cell—a self-contained and lone operator. How many other Splinter Cells existed Fisher had no idea, nor did he wish to know. Third Echelon was about invisibility. Deniability. Zero footprint. Only a handful of people knew where Splinter Cells went and what they did.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA voice crackled to life in Fisher’s subdermal: “Incoming traffic for you, Major.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs far as the Talon’s crew knew, Fisher was a major in the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment out of Fort Benning, Georgia. Not that they cared; given the nature of their work, Talon crews knew how to not ask questions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Patch it through.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Roger. On your button five.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFisher’s communications system was a far cry from the traditional headset he’d worn in his pre-Third Echelon days. The two-part system was comprised of a nickel-sized subdermal receiver implanted beneath the skin behind Fisher’s ear. The subdermal bypassed the route normally traveled by sound waves—through the outer ear to the tympanic membrane—and sent vibrations directly into the set of tiny bones within the ear (known as the ossicles), or the hammer, anvil, and stirrup, which then transmitted the signal to the brain for decoding.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor speaking, Fisher wore a butterfly-shaped adhesive patch known as a SVT, or Sub-Vocal Transceiver, across his throat just above his Adam’s apple. Learning to use  the SVT had required a skill Fisher likened to a cross between whispering and ventriloquism.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTogether, they allowed him a virtually silent communications system.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFisher tapped his subdermal to switch channels, then said, “Up on button five.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Standby for Xerxes,” a tinny voice said in Fisher’s ear, followed by a few seconds of clicks and buzzes as the encryption scrubbers engaged. Xerxes was Fisher’s boss and longtime friend, Colonel Irving Lambert, Third Echelon’s Director of Operations. Lambert’s voice came on: “Change of plans, Sam.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Let me guess,” Fisher said. “We’re going to fly around until the wings come off.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“As of now, you’re on-mission.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs if on cue, Fisher felt the Talon bank sharply to starboard. The drone of the engines increased in pitch, going to full throttle.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Your OPSAT’s being updated now.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFisher pulled back the cuff of his jumpsuit and pressed his thumb to the OPSAT, or Operational Satellite Uplink, screen, which glowed to life:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\/\/ . . . BIOMETRIC SCAN ENGAGED . . .\u003c\/b\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e. . . SCANNING FINGERPRINT . . .\u003c\/b\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e. . . IDENTITY CONFIRMED . . . \/\/\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere was a flash of static, and then the screen resolved into a gray-green satellite image. The biometric scan feature was an upgrade to the OPSAT, designed not  only to prevent prying eyes from using it, but to keep an inadvertent bump of the touch screen from changing modes. During his last mission, Fisher, on the run, had found himself suddenly staring at a map of downtown Kyoto, rather than the schematic of the Nampo shipyard he was trying to escape.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“What am I looking at?” he asked.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnna Grimsdottir, Lambert’s chief technical guru, replied, “Real-time feed from an advanced KH-12 Crystal. You’re looking at the Atlantic Ocean, about six miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. See the highlighted blip?” A tiny football shape in the top right corner pulsed once.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I see it. Cargo freighter. So what?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Here’s the infrared side.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe OPSAT screen shimmered, then resolved. The freighter had turned into a bloom of red and orange. “That’s hot,” Fisher said. “Somebody forget to change the antifreeze in the engines?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLambert said, “We wish. The radiometric signature makes the source nuclear. We’re trying to nail it down right now, but something on that ship is radioactive. And it’s headed toward our coast.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Radio contact?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“She’s ignored all hails. At current speed and course, she’ll run aground in twenty-two minutes.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWITH\u003c\/b\u003e a minimal load-out for the training jump that didn’t include weapons, Fisher had to improvise. He  made his way to the cockpit, where he found the crew had already gotten Lambert’s order. The pilot handed Fisher his personal sidearm, a Beretta model 92F 9mm, along with an extra magazine.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“How far?” Fisher asked him. Two minutes had passed since Lambert’s message.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“We’re thirty miles out; I’ll drop you at five.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Cutting it close.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLambert was listening in. “Close calls are what you’re good at, Sam.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"G.P. Putnam's Sons","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302917624037,"sku":"NP9780425212783","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780425212783.jpg?v=1767742783","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/tom-clancys-splinter-cell-checkmate-isbn-9780425212783","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}