In an early and desperate show of resolve, the terrorists kill one of the hostages, leading to the Swiss government's request for help from Rainbow. Not long after the establishment of Rainbow, a bank in Bern, Switzerland becomes the site of a hostage situation, eventually determined to be led by wanted terrorist Ernst Model.

The result is a highly effective and cohesive pair of squad-sized operational units, supplemented by in-house intelligence and technological experts. While Clark is not exactly thrilled at the idea of being a 'suit,' Chavez becomes quickly acclimated to the meticulous physical, tactical and weapons training that Rainbow field personnel go through. Neither man had been an officer during their respective military careers, so it is with a sense of irony that they accept their new rank and position. Clark has assumed the rank of at least Brigadier (1-star) General as Rainbow Six, and Chavez, as Team Two leader, assumes the rank of Major. Both are still technically under the employment of the CIA, but they have been given simulated military ranks appropriate to their positions within Rainbow.

Upon arriving at Hereford Base, Clark and Chavez are introduced to their new team. Immediately after landing at the nearest airport with the captured hijackers, the three leave the plane to take another flight before the media arrive, to avoid compromising the secrecy vital to Rainbow's future effectiveness. They foil an attempted hijacking of the plane by rather amateurish Basque terrorists a take-down made easier by their government licenses to carry concealed weapons on an international flight. In a prelude to the story, John Clark, Domingo Chavez, and Alistair Stanley (a former SAS operative and second-in-command of Rainbow after Clark) are on a plane bound for England. Fewer than a hundred people in Washington, D.C. Rainbow is 'blacker than black,' its American funding directed through the Department of the Interior by Congress, then through The Pentagon's Office of Special Projects, with no connection whatsoever to the Intelligence Community. Based in Hereford, England (real-life home of 22 SAS, the UK special forces unit), the team is led by John Clark (who had the idea for Rainbow), a recurring character in Clancy's novels. Several NATO countries have collectively organized an elite counterterrorist unit, composed of the best soldiers from the militaries of several nations, named Rainbow.

Rainbow six by tom clancy