LITMIR.BIZ

      “T HOUGHTS ?” M C C ARTER ASKED his teammates.

      “Let’s look at what we know,” James said immediately. “We have an al Qaeda brainchild in the U.S., obviously sent by bin Laden to plan and coordinate some type of major attack.”

      “And to do that, he needs bodies,” Manning concluded.

      Encizo nodded. “There’s no question the guy they killed in that jail cell had information critical to their operations, otherwise they wouldn’t have risked a half dozen personnel to kill him when they already have a potential shortage.”

      “Right,” McCarter said. “This means they must have something up their sleeve they’re going to have to act on real soon.”

      “Maybe they’re planning to move the personnel,” Hawkins offered.

      “What do you mean?”

      The Southerner waved his arm for emphasis. “They have an operation they have to get off the ground soon. Something big and bold, maybe something nobody would even think about. We’ve all agreed they obviously need a certain capacity of bodies to complete this mission, otherwise they wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble to start with. Keep in mind they’ve probably been funneling personnel into the U.S. for months. But if they’re smuggling them in through Panama, they have to get them from one point to the next.”

      “He’s right,” James said, picking up Hawkins’s train of thought. “And the only way to do that is to utilize a network already established.”

      “Of course,” Encizo said. “It all makes sense now. We know they used the immigration problem to get their people into the United States, so why not funnel personnel through the Central American drug corridor.” He looked at McCarter and added, “Drug dealers are more than happy to enter into any transactions that help fund their operations, and they aren’t too particular about who they work with as long as the other side’s paying cash.”

      “So you think they’re running this human pipeline up through Central America via the powder trail,” McCarter said.

      All of the men nodded their agreement and the Phoenix Force leader had to admit they were onto something. Their theory didn’t explain everything, but it did happen to fill a lot of the holes. Maybe their prisoner had this information, maybe he just knew the route. Whatever the case, it was their first and best place to start.

      “Okay,” McCarter said. “If there are no other suggestions, we go with this and see where it leads us.”

      “Great,” Hawkins chimed in. “But where do we start?”

      A rap came at their apartment door and Encizo opened it to admit Robert Nativida. The interior secretary greeted each of them with a somber expression. Obviously he’d been in touch with his superiors, and they weren’t happy with the incident that had occurred earlier in the day.

      Nativida cleared his throat and walked straight to Manning. As he extended his hand, he said, “I am obliged to apologize for my…indiscretion, sir. I hope you will excuse the behavior.”

      Manning looked at the others in surprise and then shook Nativida’s hand. “No hard feelings.”

      Nativida nodded, then turned to McCarter. “My government wishes to extend its thanks for your assistance today. We have confirmed only the terrorists suffered casualties. All our people are safely accounted for and as such you are to be commended. I have been instructed to cooperate fully with you and to satisfy any request you may have.”

      McCarter smiled and then rose to stand in front of Nativida. “If it’s all the same to you, we’ll pass on the medals. But there is something I think you can help us with.”

      “And what might that be?”

      “Tell us about your drug-running problem.”

       CHAPTER SEVEN

      The first thing Able Team decided to do was to gather the scientists and other key personnel involved with End Zone into a secure location. The al Qaeda terrorists would consider the best chance of success lay in their ability to kill the designers and builders of the system. That meant Able Team had to act quickly to ensure their safety, and getting them out of Albuquerque and ensconced in a controlled, inconspicuous location.

      Government officials tried to discourage Able Team from taking the scientists away from the labs, citing their security as some of the best of the country.

      “I have no doubt about your security capabilities,” Lyons said. “But this isn’t a matter of keeping out your average bad guys. We’re talking about terrorists, and unless your people took some kind of intensive training I don’t know about, you’re not equipped to keep out al Qaeda operatives who are bent on killing these people.”

      Ultimately they were forced to acquiesce when a call from the Oval Office made it clear they were to cooperate fully.

      Two unmarked sedans with a detail of

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