Ghost Recon

Tom Clancy

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I Had Rather Have A Plain, Russet-Coated Captain That knows what he fights for, and loves what he knows, than that which you call a gentleman and is nothing else.--Oliver Cromwell

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Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundless-ness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate.--Sun Tzu

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Minimal consumption--use the least amount of combat resources sufficient to accomplish the objective.--Colonel Qiao Liang and Colonel Wang Xiangsui, Unrestricted Warfare

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PERSONNEL LIST

Ghosts

Operation War Wraith

Alpha Team

Captain Scott Mitchell

Master Sergeant Jose "Joe" Ramirez

Sergeant First Class Paul Smith

Sergeant First Class Alex Nolan

Bravo Team

Master Sergeant Matt Beasley

Sergeant First Class Bo Jenkins

Staff Sergeant John Hume

Sergeant Marcus Brown

Charlie Team

Sergeant Alicia Diaz

Ghost Command

Lieutenant Colonel Harold "Buzz" Gordon

Major Susan Grey, D CO. 1st BN. 5th SFG

General Joshua Keating, Commander of USSOCOM

Dr. Gail Gorbatova, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)

Spring Tigers

Operation Pouncing Dragon

Major-General Chen Yi (Target Alpha)

Colonel Xu Dingfa (Target Bravo)

Vice Admiral Cai Ming (Target Charlie)

Major-General Wu Hui (Target Delta)

Deputy Director Wang Ya, CMC Political Department

Captain Fang Zhi

USS Montana Control Team

Commanding Officer Captain Kenneth Gummerson

Lieutenant Commander Sands, Executive Officer

Master Chief Suallo, Chief of the Boat

SEAL Chief Tanner

SEAL Chief Phillips

Lieutenant Jeff Moch, Predator Support

Lieutenant Justin Schumaker, Predator Support

Chapter One.

BASILAN ISLAND

SULU ARCHIPELAGO, SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES

AUGUST, 2002

Master Sergeant Scott Mitchell blinked at the sweat in his eyes and pushed on through the rubber plants, their leathery leaves brushing against his boonie hat and cheek. Ahead lay a slight clearing in the otherwise dense, twilit jungle, and Mitchell used his M4A1's barrel to lift a thin branch as he hunkered down at the edge.

Captain Victor Foyte, his detachment commander, moved ahead beside an uneven stretch of wilting palm fronds still dripping from a storm that had rolled in several hours ago. "Ricochet, this is Road Warrior 06," the captain whispered into his radio. "Think I see something. And I hear some buzzing, like flies. Let's check it out, over."

"Right with you, Boss," answered Mitchell.

Although Foyte outranked him, Mitchell was the team sergeant, responsible for fighting all twelve members of Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 574. The captain and warrant officer coordinated with the twelve-man Filipino and Taiwanese teams they'd been cross-training with for the past two weeks.

Mitchell started forward as up to his right a snake coiled around an overhanging limb, its tongue fluttering. Special Forces operators ate bad guys for breakfast and snakes for supper; consequently, they weren't unnerved by either. Nevertheless, Mitchell grimaced and got out of there to join the captain.

Barely three steps later, a whoosh of musty air, a rustle of leaves, and the sharp crack of a rope sent lightning bolts through his gut. He looked up and gasped.

The captain had been moving toward a pole stuck in the ground. Atop that pole was a human head with long, brown hair flowing around it.

A twenty-one-year-old American missionary had recently been captured by Abu Sayyaf, the local pseudo-Islamist terrorist group affiliated with al Qaeda. Military and police forces had been combing the island, looking for her and for Abu Sayyaf's stronghold, hidden somewhere deep in the mountainous interior.

It seemed the captain had found the missing woman--and much more. A rope had snapped taut around one of his ankles, and now he was being hurled three meters into the air, screaming, "Ambush!"

Mitchell was about to get on the radio when the captain swung forward, a human pendulum heading straight for a tree impaled by rows of razor-sharp punji stakes now revealed as fronds strung up by more ropes fell away--all part of the carefully designed booby trap.

Captain Victor Foyte was only twenty-four years old, and in the next breath he slammed back-first into the punji stakes, the foot-long pieces of sharpened wood driving into his arms, neck, and torso.

The team had been operating light, forgoing body armor in the rainy, hundred-plus-degree jungle. Foyte shrieked and gurgled as the stakes grew slick with his blood.

Chief Warrant Officer 02 James Alvarado, who'd been positioned about a dozen meters behind them, burst forward crying, "Captain!" Alvarado cut loose multiple rounds below the tree where Foyte now hung, inverted and bleeding to death.

Again, Mitchell keyed his mike, ready to issue orders, but Alvarado's gunfire cut him off.

This was Mitchell's first live mission as a Special Forces operator. He was an experienced infantryman and team leader from an Opposing Force (OPFOR) recon unit at Fort Irwin. He already had an impressive resume and was hoping to make a name for himself in the Special Forces community--yet in a flash, he'd already lost his first CO.

A strange thumping noise sounded as Alvarado ceased fire and advanced into the clearing. The warrant suddenly clutched his neck, where a tiny dart extended from between his fingers. He screamed as he tugged it out.

Mitchell dropped onto his gut as more thumping sounded behind them. Alvarado wobbled forward then crumpled to the ground, poisoned and probably dead.

The team was, it seemed, being attacked by loinclothed savages whose traps and blowguns had ironically overpowered the men with their thunder sticks.

"Mitchell?" called the captain, his voice burred by the agony, his face now drenched in blood. "Mitch . . . ell?"

Unable to stare at Foyte any longer, Mitchell finally got on the radio. "This is Ricochet. Ambush! Ambush! The captain and warrant are down!"

Before he could continue, the terrorists somewhere out there, crouching in the wet foliage, revealed they were not the loinclothed savages of Mitchell's imagination but were, in fact, ruthless and modern killers.

So much automatic weapons fire blasted through the clearing that it sounded as though a thousand men with machetes were cutting apart the trees and fronds. Rounds from AK-47s and machine guns popped and boomed, wood splintered, and birds squawked and flew off as holes appeared in the leaves, the debris tumbling down on Mitchell as he rose to his elbows and spied his first pair of muzzle flashes.

At the same time, voices erupted over the radio:

"Ricochet, this is Rumblefish," called the team's weapons sergeant, Jim Idaho. "We're taking fire from both flanks! Can't get any shots from here! Need orders!"

"Ricochet, this is Red Cross. Got two men down," reported Lance Munson, the team's senior medic. "I need to evac these guys now!"

"Ricochet, I think we got incoming mortar--"

That last voice belonged to Rapper, one of the team's engineers, who was cut off as a flash lit up the jungle just northeast of Mitchell's position. A second later, the ground trembled, and a powerful explosion boomed across the landscape as showers of shrapnel and debris needled through the zone.

These terrorists were reckless, stupid, or insane, perhaps all three. They were laying down mortar fire on their own position. They didn't care how many of their own they took out, so long as they killed the Americans.

Willing himself not to panic, reminding himself of who he was and the countless hours of training he had gone through, Master Sergeant Scott Mitchell, twenty-six, took command of the ODA team. "This is Ricochet! Listen up! Rumblefish? You and the rest of Bravo Team get to those wounded men and fall back south to our first waypoint. Rutang, Rockstar, and Rino, regroup on me. Move out!"

The team had been operating as two six-man units: Alpha and Bravo, with all radio call signs beginning with the letter R. Mitchell would exploit their division in order to provide cover for evacuating the wounded.

Another whistle rose in the night, this time closer, and suddenly the next mortar exploded, gray smoke and more shrapnel hurtling up through the canopy.

"Ricochet, this is Rutang," called the team's assistant medical sergeant, Thomas "Rutang" McDaniel. "Me and Rockstar are good to go, but Rino is gone, man. Hit by that last mortar. No pulse!"

There wasn't time to tally up the dead. All Mitchell knew was that he needed support--ground, air, anything--and he needed it now. He acknowledged Rutang's call, then switched frequencies, calling up Captain Fang Zhi's Taiwanese team. They were much closer than the Filipino team and were working the grid on the other side of the creek. "Wushu 06, this is Ricochet, over."

He waited, listened to the sound of his own breathing, the withering gunfire booming somewhere nearby, the shrill hiss of yet another mortar round, falling, falling . . .

"Wushu 06, this is Ricochet, over."

Mitchell switched frequencies once more to call upon the Filipino Team. "Black Tiger 06, this is Ricochet, over."

Boom! That distant mortar finally detonated.

"Ricochet, this is Black Tiger 06. I've heard what's happening. We're moving to your location, but we're still pretty far. ETA about twenty minutes, over."

"Roger that, Black Tiger. I have a lot of men down. Need you ASAP." Mitchell fed the captain his current GPS coordinates, then added, "Don't be late."

"We are running, Sergeant."

"Good! Ricochet, out."

Captain Gilberto Yano, aka Black Tiger 06, was a member of the Philippine Army's elite Light Reaction Battalion (LRB), the Delta Force of their army and specifically trained in counterterrorist activities. Yano was well-liked by his men and the rest of Mitchell's team. Knowing Yano and his boys were already on the way felt good, but it was going to be the longest twenty minutes of Mitchell's life.

And quite possibly the last.

Again, where the hell was Captain Fang Zhi? Mitchell called once more. No answer. Was he back in one of the nepa huts, smoking a cigar, while men died out here in the jungle?

Rutang and Rockstar hustled up and dropped down beside Mitchell.

Rutang was a baby-faced assistant medic and competitive video game player. He'd even entered and won several national tournaments, though he rarely bragged and was, for the most, curiously insecure about himself and his skills.

Staff Sergeant Bennet "Rockstar" Williams was the assistant engineer, a hard-faced African-American who hated rock music but who had pissed off the company commander by insulting the commander's AC/DC collection. The incident had become infamous, and the call sign had stuck.

Mitchell eyed both of them, drenched in sweat like he was, eyes bugged out, breath ragged.

"We need to cut off these guys and buy Bravo some time to evac. I saw muzzle flashes on our flanks."

"Me, too," said Rutang. "No telling how many yet, damn."

"Don't worry," Mitchell said, pouring more confidence into his tone. "We'll swing around, come in from the west, and tag their asses. That simple. You ready?"

"Sergeant, are you sure about this?" asked Rockstar.

"Of course he's sure," said Rutang. "Shut up!"

"I'm just saying--"

"Rock, I'm sure," said Mitchell, putting some real steel in his voice. "Go now!"

Mitchell took point, and they began scissoring their way through the jungle. He clutched his rifle a little too tightly, and the chin strap of his boonie hat began digging into his skin. He took a sharp turn around two trees, and the sounds of gunfire grew louder, along with the trickle of running water out there, beyond the jagged tree line.

At the next cluster of palms he called for a halt and slid back his boonie hat. Then he dug out his binoculars and scanned the area.

Despite the growing darkness, Mitchell still picked out several men dressed in nondescript fatigues with bandannas tied around their heads. They darted south, back toward Bravo Team.

He issued hand signals to Rutang and Rockstar: Got three, there, let's go!

They charged off, with Mitchell once again taking point, Rutang and Rockstar on his rear flanks, Rockstar checking their six o'clock as they advanced.

The ground was muddy, sucking too loudly at their boots as they cut through the brush, came around several more trees and clusters of dark shrubs, and right into a swarm of malaria-carrying mosquitoes that had all of them swatting at their faces. He prayed the layers of bug spray and the vaccinations would do their job.

As Mitchell's vision cleared, he spotted the three guys, ten, fifteen meters ahead, still weaving forward, seemingly unaware they had been followed.

Mitchell bolted to the base of the next tree, whose reddish brown bark was alive with ants. He signaled the others to drop and prepare to fire.

"Got one in my sight," said Rutang.

"Me, too," Rockstar added.

"Fire!" Mitchell cried, breaking the silence, but it didn't matter, because their M4A1 carbines echoed like rolling timpani drums, hungry rounds chewing through the air until they caught flesh.

"Bang, bang, bang, they're dead." Rutang grunted.

He wasn't lying. They'd dropped the trio cleanly, efficiently.

"Move!" cried Mitchell, knowing that before they could blink twice, they'd draw incoming fire.

He was wrong. It took three blinks before the trees and ground exploded as they sprinted past the men they had killed. They moved onto a steep mound, then Mitchell descended and turned back. Rutang came up hard on Mitchell's heels.

A triplet of gunfire cracked too close for comfort as Rockstar reached the crest. The stoic-faced black man gasped and shook as more rounds tore through his chest a second before he collapsed right on top of Mitchell.

"Bennet!" cried Rutang as he pulled the man off of Mitchell, who was now lying flat on his back, the tiny speaker in his ear rattling with yet another voice: "Ricochet, this is Red Cross. I cannot fall back. Say again, I cannot fall back. We're pinned down. I count at least eight Tangos and two DP positions. Sounds like they got plenty of rounds for those machine guns, too. We won't last long here. I need support, now!"

"Aw, Bennet, man, come on." Rutang gasped.

Mitchell rolled over, took one look at Rockstar, and knew. That warm feeling on Mitchell's neck was Rockstar's blood.

Rutang wrenched his rifle around, his face twisted with the desire for payback.

"No, hold fire a second," said Mitchell as he got on his radio. "Black Tiger 06, this is Ricochet, over."

No response. He called again.

Finally, Captain Yano answered, though his voice was nearly drowned out by a firefight, that same gunfire thundering in the distance. "Ricochet, this is Black Tiger 06. We've been engaged by the enemy--at least twenty Tangos. We're cut off from your position. Cannot get to you at this time, over."

"Roger that. Clear that zone and get here, over."

"We'll try, but they're hitting us hard! I've already got one killed, two wounded, over."

"I'm not taking no for an answer, Captain. Ricochet, out." Mitchell cursed under his breath and switched frequencies. "Wushu 06, this is Ricochet, over?"

He waited. Repeated the call. Cursed again. "Move!" he ordered Rutang.

They burst from cover and sprinted off, rounds tearing into limbs and leaves behind them.

"Ricochet, this is Red Cross. Too late, man. We just lost another two. And I've been hit. I'm bleeding out pretty bad, Sergeant. I can't stop it. You need . . ."

The transmission broke off as Mitchell and Rutang found themselves running near a volley of machine gun fire hammering the trees a few meters ahead.

He and Rutang thudded hard into the mud as the Degtyarev Pechotnyi (DP) light machine gun rattled and brass casings jingled and plopped into puddles.

For the first time in his life, Scott Mitchell doubted if his courage, skill, and audacity were enough to carry him through. His eyes burned as the senior medic's voice broke once more over the radio. "Sergeant, I'm dying, man. Please . . ."

Chapter Two.

BASILAN ISLAND

SULU ARCHIPELAGO, SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES

AUGUST 2002

Captain Fang Zhi, leader of the Taiwanese team, was propped on his elbows and observing the valley below through a pair of night-vision goggles. He had taken his men away from the creek and into the mountains when the first shots had been fired.

Though frowning over his orders, his team had obeyed without question, and only now did Sergeant Sze Ma, thirty-three, the oldest and most experienced soldier among them, voice his concerns.

"Sir, I am not doubting you. But I am confused. Why haven't we answered their calls for help? Why have we moved up here, if not to prepare sniper positions?"

Fang lowered his goggles and regarded the man whose deep-set eyes widened. "You attended the briefing."

"Yes, Captain--"

"Then you heard what I said to Major Liang and the Americans and Filipinos."

"I did. And they said they cannot provide the air reconnaissance you requested."

"Because it is cheaper for them to use us as bait."

"But, sir--"

"Our morale is already far too low, our recruitment numbers dropping. I won't waste good men on an ill-conceived mission. We need a victory here, but the Americans have not planned one for us. They planned to sacrifice us to save a dollar."

"Sir, they will call us cowards."

Fang raised his voice. "We are not cowards! And we are not sheep! Do you think they care how many of us die?"

"But, sir . . ."

With his temples beginning to throb, his teeth gnashing, Fang rolled over and burst to his feet, reaching over his shoulder and into his pack. His gloved hand locked onto his sword cane, a one-of-a-kind weapon and family heirloom that had been passed down to him from his father, who had died last year.

The cane's wooden shaft was slightly longer than an Eskrima stick and had been hand-carved with a tiger-stripe pattern. The blade inside was much more than just a flat sword, its cross section forged to resemble the Chinese character representing a square, side, part, or scheme, but, more importantly, the Fang family name:

Although the sword's design prevented it from cutting in the traditional sense, whipping strikes produced distinctive welts. Repeated strikes resembled the tiger-stripe pattern of the cane itself. The ultimate signature was the puncture wound from multiple sharpened tips. Fang Zhi's great-grandfather, who had designed the weapon, had wanted his enemies to never forget the Fang name, whose bloodline could be traced to one of the premiers of the Tang Dynasty.

As he had risen through the ranks, Fang had employed the sword cane to keep his men in line, beating them with the wooden sheath for minor offenses, drawing the sword and whipping them to produce welts for larger transgressions. He reserved the thrusting signature mark for those he wanted to teach the ultimate lesson. Thus far in his career, he'd never had to do that.

Yet at the moment, his anger had bested him, and the sword slipped fluidly out of the cane. He clutched the round handle, the ornate steel pommel etched with the same character representing the Fang family name. Yes, he could easily bludgeon someone to death with that hardened globe, but it was the sword he raised above Sergeant Sze Ma's head.

The sergeant scrambled up, raised his hands in defense. "Captain, please!"

"How dare you question me!" Fang reared back and struck the sergeant in the side of the neck, even as Sze Ma ducked from Fang's advance. Fang followed up with two more heavy blows to Sze Ma's head, dropping him.

Then Fang stood there, panting, seething, listening to his sergeant whimper in pain.

Finally, he could take no more. "Get up!" he screamed at Sze Ma. "Get up!"

Rubbing his wounds, the bleary-eyed sergeant glanced at Fang and nodded. "Yes, sir." Sze Ma got to his feet, stood a moment, then collapsed.

Fang's breath vanished. He dropped to his knees beside the sergeant, checked his neck for a pulse. Nothing.

Sze ma. I didn't mean to kill you!

Then . . . there it was, a weak but steady pulse. Fang closed his eyes and sighed as Sergeant Gao called, "Captain? Has Sergeant Sze Ma been hurt?"

Fang opened his eyes, slowly craned his head toward Gao, who was staring in awe at the sword in Fang's hand. "Yes, Sergeant, he has. Get Sergeant Dong here right away."

Captain Scott Mitchell backhanded mud from his eyes and lifted his chin at Rutang. "I need you to get back to those wounded guys. I'll take out that machine gun. Wait for my signal."

"And if you don't signal?"

Mitchell just looked at him. "I will."

"Sergeant, if they close on us, we won't make it. What the hell happened to the Taiwanese guys? They were right there, just on the other side of the creek."

"I don't know. Maybe they got hit first. Booby-trapped, just like the captain. I don't know. Just wait for me."

And with that, Mitchell eased back on his hands and knees, then suddenly bounded off to the left flank, bringing himself around toward that machine gunner's position.

The jungle had grown considerably darker, every frond, trunk, and limb drawn in silhouette, with only the brief muzzle flashes from the machine gun to determine his path.

"Hey, is that all you got?" screamed Rutang. "I'm right over here!" He added a few curses in a rather lame attempt to piss off the machine gunner, who might not understand English.

"Rutang, this is Ricochet," Mitchell cried over the radio. "What're you doing?"

"Drawing his fire! Get in there and take him out."

Crazy bastard, thought Mitchell as he ran like a demon through the mud, slipped up behind the machine gunner's position, and drew an M67 fragmentation grenade from his web gear.

He pulled the pin, stole another glance to judge the distance, then hurled the frag.

For a moment, he watched the grenade arc through the air, tumbling with almost underwater slowness, as beyond it, the stars began shimmering beyond the broken framework of trees.

Perhaps it was the heat or his exhaustion getting the better of him, he didn't know, but for a few seconds that piece of metal passing through the sky looked . . . almost beautiful, excerpted from some hallucination.

The lone machine gunner broke fire, jolting Mitchell back to the moment, just as the frag struck the ground at his side.

Mitchell swore to himself. All the guy had to do was turn his head, grab the frag--which was right there--and pitch it away. Two seconds.

But hallelujah, he didn't notice it. Mitchell took in a breath before the man and his gun exploded in a cloud of mud backlit by fire and white-hot shrapnel.

"Rutang, go!" Mitchell shouted in his boom mike, although his order was easily loud enough for the assistant medic to hear without equipment.

The sound of another machine gun sent Mitchell back to his feet. He started toward a narrow passage between trees, picked up the pace, but suddenly tripped and hit the ground hard, losing his grip on his M4A1, though it was still tight in its sling.

He rose to his hands and knees and glanced back, wondering what the hell had caught his boot and guessing it was probably a tree root.

One of the terrorists stood there where the "tree root" should be, his AK-47 pointed at Mitchell's face. "Shoot me," Mitchell blurted out in surprise.

"No."

The guy was dark-skinned, gaunt-faced, and heavily bearded, with a black bandanna tied around his neck. His eyes bugged out as he opened his mouth once again to reveal a gap-toothed, evil grin. "Don't move, soldier."

This guy wasn't just Abu Sayyaf, Mitchell knew. His accent indicated he was the real deal, an Arab, a member of al Qaeda, on the island to help train Abu Sayyaf the way they were helping to train the Filipinos and Taiwanese.

Mitchell suddenly imagined his own head stuck on a pole, just like that missionary's. They would use him to send another message.

Mitchell's father, two brothers, and sister back home in Ohio would watch it all on CNN. His torture and murder would break their hearts.

And his mother, looking down from the heavens, would weep for her son, the boy she had left behind when he was only fourteen.

"Now . . . get up," said the Arab.

"You told me not to move."

"Get up."

Mitchell narrowed his gaze and bared his teeth. "No."

The Arab chuckled under his breath. "Whoa, you are a big man, huh? Big American? When I get you back to the camp--"

Mitchell rolled around, coming up with his rifle, knowing he'd be a second too late.

That was all right. They wouldn't take him alive. And they wouldn't take him without a fight.

He fired a half second after the Arab did.

However--and this was a big however--he was still coming around as the Arab fired, and only one of three rounds made contact.

That round pinched Mitchell's left biceps, just as he flinched and lifted his rifle a bit more, directing his bead across the Arab's chest, hammering the bastard with his third and fourth rounds.

The guy went down, groaning, and Mitchell silenced him with another salvo.

He sat there a moment, catching his breath, his hand going reflexively for his wounded arm. It looked like a clear entry and exit, not too much blood. But the wound was beginning to burn now, really burn.

Raging aloud, he got up, one-handed his rifle, and started toward the sound of that second machine gun.

He fought for more breath as he ran, the air growing thicker, more humid, and there was no dry spot on his entire body. He neared a long ditch where the rain coming down from a small hill had eroded the jungle floor. At the top of that hill came the rat-tat-tat of the second gun.

"Ricochet, this is Rutang, over."

Mitchell got onto his haunches, keyed his mike. "Go ahead."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, you in position?"

Rutang's voice began to crack. "Scott, it's freaking horrible, man. I think you and I are the only guys standing. Can't get anyone else on the radio. Billy and Carlos are here, and they're shot up bad. I can't do anything more with them. And it sounds like those Tangos are moving in on us. We can't stay. There's a hill about fifteen meters back, but I can't carry them--not with all the incoming."

"Tang, listen to me. Calm down. I'll get the other machine gun. When you hear the bang, grab Billy or Carlos and fall back to that hill. I'll get the other guy."

"Scott, I don't know."

"Tang, you know everything you need to."

"Uh, right. Roger that."

"Okay, stand by . . ." Mitchell tugged out another frag and started furtively up the hill as the machine gunner opened up, the racket like a jackhammer on Mitchell's brain.

In the distance, more gunfire echoed, and two more mortars dropped in succession, assumably in the Filipino team's zone. Mitchell wanted to check in with Yano, but there just wasn't time.

As the last mortar's explosion died off, the shouts rose, growing closer now. Mitchell recognized Tagalog and Arabic, and even a few taunts in broken English: "No prisoners! Only dead bodies!"

Most members of Abu Sayyaf were just poor Filipino kids who'd been lured away by the Arabs with the promise of money, women, guns, and fun--and really, what was their alternative? Poverty, disease, and the false smiles of foreigners pretending to help? They didn't spend much time mulling over that decision.

And while Mitchell entertained all of the hypocrisy in his head (after all, he was human), he never, ever let those thoughts affect his mission or his men. Striving to remain apolitical was, in his estimation, the best way to remain sane.

So if these kids chose to join a terrorist group, then they would suffer the consequences of that decision. There was nothing else to consider.

Mitchell hunched over as he ascended the hill, his boots sloshing even more loudly through the mud. He cursed at the noise. Slowing his pace didn't help much.

Consequently, he nixed the "sneak up behind the guy" plan and went for the blitz. He tucked the M67 back into its pouch and stomped forward with pain shooting through his wounded arm. His gaze reached out into the darkness, toward the shifting shadows just meters away, near two trees off to his right.

There he was. The machine gunner lay on his belly, cutting loose with another burst.

Mitchell sprinted toward him as the guy broke fire, turned his head, and saw the deranged, mud-covered specter who was about to end his young life.

Rounds leapt from Mitchell's M4A1 and drummed the gunner into cold, wet oblivion.

It took a few seconds for Mitchell to remember that Rutang was waiting for a frag to go off, the one Mitchell had tucked back into his pouch. He yanked it out, pulled the pin, and tossed it in the direction of more incoming fire from the grainy green tree line to the east.

Three, two, one. The frag burst apart, and Mitchell barked into the radio, "Rutang! MOVE!"

"On my way!"

Mitchell dropped onto his gut, while pulling out his night-vision goggles.

Down below, through a maze of palms and rubber plants and vines twisting down across the trees like spiderwebs, he spotted Rutang carrying one of their buddies on his back, swaying hard as he ascended a hill.

Rutang shifted around a cluster of shrubs but then drew a spate of fire from at least four gunmen positioned in the dense trees about twenty meters opposite him.

Mitchell ran to the enemy machine gun, took it into his hands, and released a fierce stream to cover Rutang.

But not thirty rounds into his fire the gun's muzzle began glowing red-hot and smoking, about to melt off. It seemed the terrorist had been firing way too much, not waiting for the barrel to cool between salvos, leaving Mitchell with a gun far too hot to sustain fire.

Mitchell abandoned the DP and, holding his breath, pressed the goggles to his eyes.

There was Rutang, still tottering forward, barely able to hold the man draped over his shoulders.

Suddenly, Rutang took a hit in the calf, and he and their injured comrade tumbled to the mud.

The terrorists broke fire and got on the move.

They were closing in to finish the job.

Mitchell came down the hillside like a barbarian from the days of ancient Rome, wielding a rifle instead of an ax but issuing a battle cry that was as bone-chilling as any member of those Germanic tribes.

Because he wanted all the fire directed on him, not Rutang. Because he was going to take them all down, if he had anything to say about it.

And because he only knew how to win a fight.

He glanced to his left, spotted the first guy coming from the trees, and cut him down with a vicious burst before the fool knew what hit him.

But the other three terrorists shouted to each other, and in the next heartbeat, Mitchell found himself in a hailstorm of incoming fire.

"Scott," Rutang hollered on the radio. "Get out of there!"

Chapter Three.

BASILAN ISLAND

SULU ARCHIPELAGO, SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES

AUGUST 2002

With Rutang's cry still ringing in his earpiece, Mitchell launched himself into the air and crashed into a long puddle at the base of the hillside, the water rushing over his head and blinding him for a moment until he came up, rolled onto his right side, and returned fire on the three men now emerging from the trees.

He dropped one, panned toward the second, but was surprised to watch that guy stagger back, his chest bursting apart.

Off to Mitchell's right, Rutang was on his gut and directing steady fire toward that guy, emptying his magazine.

Mitchell clambered to his feet, just as the third and final thug charged toward Rutang's position, knowing that Rutang was reloading. Mitchell rushed to the next tree, froze, tracked the man, and fired, the first burst catching him in the leg. The terrorist began limping, turned back to face Mitchell, opened his mouth to scream, and swallowed Mitchell's next volley.

"Rutang? Looks clear for now. Hold it there, over."

"Roger that."

Taking in a deep breath, Mitchell charged from the tree, racing hard and fast toward Rutang's position on the other side of the narrow valley. He wove a serpentine path, feeling the heat of imaginary fire--until he didn't need his imagination anymore. Another squad of terrorists targeted him from above, AK-47s popping, the trees and mud suddenly alive with fire.

"Black Tiger 06, this is Ricochet, over!"

"Go ahead, Ricochet," answered Captain Yano, his voice faint as gunfire boomed in the background.

"Stand by to receive my new GPS, over."

"Give me a minute, Ricochet! We're still taking heavy, heavy fire!"

"Roger that. I'll signal in a few minutes, out."

Nearly out of breath, Mitchell slashed through a path heavily draped in vines, then came up behind Rutang's position and cried, "Rutang, coming up!"

"Okay, Scott."

Rutang lay on his side just behind a pair of small palm trees. He was using the secondary blade of his Blackhawk Mark 1 knife to slice open his pants leg. In his other hand was a big trauma bandage that he summarily slapped on the wound with a gasp and groan. Then he cursed and said, "That hurts."

"I know, buddy." Mitchell turned his gaze just ahead. "Billy, how you doing?"

Billy Bermudez, the team's assistant weapons sergeant, lay bare-chested on his back, his young face creased in pain, his M9 Beretta clutched tightly in his hand. A small incision had been made between his ribs and a tube inserted to relieve the pressure. That tube now dangled from the bloody hole.

"Scott," Billy began after a labored breath, "I'm not so good."

"He's got a hemopneumothorax, but the tube will help for now," said Rutang.

Billy shifted his shoulders. "Don't move me again. It hurts too much, man."

"I know," answered Mitchell. "But you'll take the pain." Mitchell locked gazes with the man.

Billy hesitated, then nodded. "Give me more pain."

Mitchell grinned weakly, then regarded Rutang. "You're first. Before they get any closer."

Rutang nodded, and Mitchell slid Rutang's arm over his shoulder and hoisted the man to his feet. Rutang began to pant, as though being burned. He held his breath, tried to put weight on his wounded leg, then exhaled a string of epithets.

"Just let it out, man." Mitchell was dealing with his own wound, but he wouldn't allow these men to detect any sign of weakness.

"Scott, I can't use the leg." Rutang's eyes were blood-shot, his face screwed up in a tight knot. "I'm not kidding, bro. I'm not kidding."

"That's okay. Here we go." Mitchell hoisted the man across his shoulders and took off, his arm throbbing, his knees beginning to give out as he started up the hill, working at a forty-five-degree angle to alleviate some of the pressure on his legs. He concentrated on his rhythm, just marching, breathing, nothing in the way.

Automatic weapons fire raked the hillside as he turned up toward a large outcropping of rock shaped like an arrowhead and painted a deep brown in the darkness.

Mitchell eyed the puffs and splashes on the hill as the rounds struck. At the same time, he pricked up his ears, listening for the locations of those shooters.

In fact, every sense was dialed to ten, the stench of the jungle and his own salty sweat making him grimace as the earth sank under his heavy boots.

"Almost there," he told Rutang.

Just on the other side of the outcropping lay a wide crevice with a flat floor and backed by another wall of rock. The area made for an excellent defensive position. They would have the high ground.

But getting them all there . . . Mitchell didn't want to think about it.

Once in the crevice, he slowly lowered himself to his knees and began to let Rutang slide off his shoulders.

"I'm down," cried Rutang.

"All right. Crawl back up near the top here and give me a little suppressing fire."

"I'm on it, Scott."

As Rutang got into position, Mitchell took in a long breath, rubbed the corners of his eyes, then gripped his carbine. He made a quick call back to Black Tiger 06, relaying their new GPS coordinates.

Then, for just a second, he glanced up at the stars. Not much of a religious man, he figured it couldn't hurt to ask that big commanding officer in the sky to cut him a little slack.

And in that second, a surprising peace came over him. He would get Billy and Carlos. He would bring them back. He would make it.

"Scott, I'm set."

"All right. Here goes nothing."

Mitchell took off, came around the outcropping, and swept across the hill in a full sprint, assuring himself that every step was good, that no bullet could touch him.

Blood dripped from his wounded arm, but he ignored it, swept a little wider, as the mud-covered hill boiled with even more incoming fire.

The drumming of all those rounds, the clinking of brass, and the screams in Arabic and Tagalog all funneled into a steady hum that no longer bothered him. In fact, the hum drove him harder, faster, back toward his fellow operators.

Mitchell stumbled down on his heels through a little washout, fell backward onto his rump, and began sliding along with the streaming mud, landing with a sharp thud on a bed of broken rocks. He crawled forward, looked up, and found himself a few meters from a little ditch.

He blinked, saw three silhouettes in the distance, then his vision focused. He had just found three more of his men who had taken up a position some twenty meters west from Rutang's original spot.

The senior medic, Red Cross, lay in a pool of blood surrounded by soaked bandages. Rumblefish had taken multiple rounds in the chest and was propped up on a tree, his eyes vacant. Rapper, it seemed, had been dragged to cover after being hit by that mortar, his legs chewed down to the bone. He'd bled out quickly, his face gone gray in the half-light.

Mitchell wanted to close his eyes and remember their last moments together, but without a second to spare, he fought off the urge to gag and raced through the trees toward Billy and Carlos. In his haste, he'd forgotten to warn Billy he was coming, and as he rounded the last bush, a gunshot cracked on the tree to his left.

"Billy!" he cried.

"Geez, Scott!"

He reached the man and dropped to one knee. "Sorry, my fault. Thanks for having bad aim."

"Forget me. Go check on Carlos. I've been calling, and he's not answering now. He's right behind those palms."

Carlos Alejandro, the assistant communications sergeant, was arguably the most eloquent and scholarly member of the team. He spoke expertly on world politics, religion, and philosophy and could schmooze with majors, colonels, and even generals better than most officers Mitchell knew. And because of that, he wasn't one to ever go silent.

Mitchell found the man lying supine, his head turned to the right, as though he were listening to the ground. His eyes were wide open. "Carlos?"

The sergeant turned his head, looked up, his gaze slightly unfocused. "They're moving."

"You can tell?"

"Yeah, I just heard them scream."

"And you didn't hear Billy calling?"

"I figured if I didn't answer, he'd finally shut up."

Mitchell shook his head and smirked. "Ready? I'm carrying you back."

"Not in my lifetime."

Carlos had been hit at least twice in one leg and had taken a serious round in the shoulder. There wasn't a single white spot on any of his bandages.

"Don't give me any BS. You're coming."

Feeling guilty about having to lift the man but without another choice, Mitchell helped Carlos up to his feet, the man balancing on one leg and moaning softly.

Behind them, Rutang opened up on the men across the valley, muzzles winking from both sides of the jungle now.

And just as Mitchell pulled Carlos around and got him onto his back, a rocket-propelled grenade flashed and went streaking overhead like a falling star, casting harsh white light over the jungle as it headed toward Rutang's position.

Mitchell screamed into the radio, trying to warn the man, but his words were cut short by the explosion.

Smoke billowed, and rocks plummeted, as Carlos said through a shudder, "They got him."

"No," snapped Mitchell.

He started off with Carlos, heading directly toward that blast.

"They got Rutang," Carlos repeated.

"Don't believe it."

Yet Mitchell was back to losing hope himself. Was it all for nothing: the mission, his military career, his whole damned life? Would he get his men up to the high ground, where they would be slaughtered?

Where was the Scott Mitchell he knew? The guy who envisioned himself a Special Forces operator because he wasn't meant to live an ordinary life?

Where was the Scott Mitchell who pressed on, despite the odds, who never said quit?

Captain Fang Zhi had seen the RPG light up the sky and had zoomed in with his night-vision goggles to spy one of the Americans carrying another on his back, running straight for the smoke and burning fronds.

It was an act of heroism, no doubt, and for once Fang appreciated that team. Again, it was not the soldiers who should be blamed; it was their leaders. They couldn't help what their commanders had done to them. They were only victims, and it was a pity--a real pity--that they would lose their lives for their superiors' mistakes.

That was a very courageous man down there. Fang could not see his face clearly, but he thought the soldier might be the ODA team sergeant, a man named Mitchell, whom Fang had deemed one of the most serious and accomplished combatants among the Americans.

A few shouts from the hillside toward the east sent Fang's gaze to that position, where he spotted the terrorist who had fired the first RPG balancing the tube on his shoulder, ready to launch another grenade directly at the American.

Unsure of what had come over him, perhaps the respect he had for the American's courage, Fang set down his NVGs and lifted a brand-new assault rifle he was fielding, the T91 carbine with attached Leupold scope. The rifle wouldn't be available to the regular military until next year, but the ROC Army had issued several prototypes to its best marksmen, men like Fang who had scored in the top 5 percent of the entire ROC Army, which of course meant that if Fang wanted that terrorist with the RPG dead, he would make it happen with a single round.

Fang raised the rifle, drew in a long breath and held it, then sighted the terrorist with the RPG.

He had a clean shot.

And the terrorist was most certainly a moment away from firing.

Yet Fang knew that if he took the shot, he would give up his team's position.

He thought of the American trying to save his wounded colleague. He thought of his own men, of the hubris of the American and Filipino commanders.

And he literally shuddered with indecision, the target shifting left and right of the crosshairs.

Fang blinked hard, took another breath, and reached his decision.

Chapter Four.

BASILAN ISLAND

SULU ARCHIPELAGO, SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES

AUGUST 2002

The withering gunfire closing around Mitchell like a set of sharpened teeth began to taper off, and soon he heard only his breathing, his footfalls, and the soft groans coming from Carlos draped across his back.

He started up the hill toward the dust clouds still obscuring the rocks.

A single shot echoed across the valley, followed by the telltale whoosh of another RPG.

Mitchell whirled toward the sound. This was it. He took a last breath.

But the RPG arced wildly across the sky, raced over the trees, and vanished.

He frowned, spun back, and resumed his pace, reaching the shattered rock face where the outcropping had been. He came around the other side to find Rutang huddling deep in the crevice, illuminated by a penlight and inspecting an arm pinpricked by shrapnel.

"Oh, man, Scott." Rutang groaned.

"Hey, you're still alive. Don't complain. Turn that light off."

"Roger that. Just wanted see how bad it was."

"It's not bad."

"Feels bad."

Mitchell carefully set down Carlos. "Just hang on here, bro."

Carlos winced and nodded. "Somebody needs to go back for Billy."

Mitchell smirked. "Uh, yeah, that'd be me--and without covering fire this time. Aw, the hell with it . . ." He tugged out his M4A1's near-empty magazine and shoved in a fresh one as his earpiece buzzed:

"Ricochet, this is Black Tiger 06, over." Captain Yano's voice was freighted with tension.

Mitchell swallowed. "Go ahead, Black Tiger."

"We're still dug in pretty deep. You have at least ten Tangos moving toward your position, maybe more, and we can't cut them off from here. We've been calling for air support, but they're saying the zone is still too hot. You need to get out of there, over."

"Thanks for the heads-up. Ricochet, out."

Mitchell hadn't bothered calling for air support because he knew it would only come if the battalion commander was willing to risk those birds flying low over the jungle. The commander was no doubt monitoring all communications and knew very well what was happening.

Nevertheless, Mitchell made one last attempt himself, and to his utter surprise, Major Vic Zacowsky, the company commander, said he'd convinced the battalion commander to commit their three evac choppers to the fight. The Black Hawks were en route: ETA ten minutes.

Rutang and Carlos still had their headsets clipped on and had been listening to the channel. "They'll be late," said Rutang. "I just know it."

Mitchell nodded, keyed his mike. "Billy? I'm coming to get you, over."

"I hear that. Better run. I'm seeing movement out in the trees--those guys Black Tiger called about."

"On my way." Mitchell eased himself across the rocks, came around the other side, then rushed down the hill, a wave of adrenaline coursing through his chest.

Once again, he slid down the muddy stream, dropped onto the rocks, then stole his way past his dead teammates to reach Billy, who was right where they'd left him, M9 in hand, tube dangling from his chest. His breathing had become more labored, with blood now leaking from the tube.

Between labored breaths, Mitchell managed, "Hey, Sergeant. Time to go."

The man's face tightened in agony. "Okay."

"Here comes the part you won't--"

Mitchell cut himself off at the sound of a faint whoosh growing louder: an incoming mortar.

He dropped down over Billy, shielding the man's head and face as the mortar round blew apart the hill above them, the boom stinging Mitchell's ears.

As if cued by the burst, rounds scissored through the trees behind them, and Mitchell pushed himself in tighter against Billy. He knew if he returned fire they'd finish homing in on his position, despite his carbine's flash suppressor. If those Arabs had trained the kids right, they'd been taught to estimate enemy positions based on the telltale pops and cracks.

But Mitchell did have a couple of frags left. He reached into his web gear, drew one out, pulled the pin, then turned and hurled it toward the string of muzzle flashes, four, maybe five in all, festooning the rows of trees like Christmas lights.

"Okay, Billy, here we go," he said--a second before the grenade exploded.

He hauled the weapons sergeant onto his back and started off, leaving behind the shouts of the remaining terrorists and several incoming volleys of AK-47 fire.

"Ricochet, this is Rutang. I can see you. I know you can't talk, but they're moving in from your six. I can hear the choppers. I'll pop red smoke down there. Just keep running, Scott. Don't stop!"

The first mortar round had dug a crater surrounded by dozens of muddy pools, while rocks and split tree limbs now littered Mitchell's path. He circled around, but it was getting harder to see through the swirling dust. His right leg ached, and a warm, trickling sensation drifted down his calf.

Don't stop. That was right. No matter how he felt. No matter what he heard or saw.

But his legs just weren't capable anymore, every muscle blazing, his hips straining against the load until his boot rested squarely on a rock, and his ankle began to twist. He screamed and shifted his weight, getting off in time before the searing pain ripped through the ankle. He staggered forward, nearly fell, regained his balance.

"It's okay, Scott. Just put me down."

Another mortar exploded off to their right, maybe forty meters, followed by a fresh wave of incoming rifle fire.

"Hang tighter," he ordered Billy, then raging silently to himself, Mitchell poured everything left into his stride. He bounded up the hill, digging deeply into the mud, grunting through his teeth with every breath.

The fire in his legs had worked into his spine and fanned across his shoulders. He stooped over even more, about to drop Billy.

He had a dozen more steps.

Rutang appeared up top, reared back, and hurled his M83 smoke grenade, which landed far behind them and began to hiss . . .

Ten steps now. Six.

Four.

On the day he'd announced he was joining the army, Mitchell's father had told him, If you're going to be a soldier, Scott, then be the best.

A mortar whooshed down, somewhere directly behind him, and with the hairs on the back of his neck tingling, Mitchell threw himself and Billy around the rocks and into the crevice as the mortar exploded behind them.

They tumbled across the rocks and came to a bruising halt on the stone, arms and legs jutting into each other's faces.

Mitchell held his breath a few seconds more, then chanced a gasp, the stench of the explosion sending him into a fit of coughing. He pulled himself out from beneath Billy, then turned his gaze skyward at the spirit-lifting whomp of incoming Black Hawks.

Billy began screaming, the chest tube nearly wrenched from his body. Rutang was already attending to him while Carlos could barely keep his eyes open.

Above the drumming helicopters came shouts in Arabic, shockingly close now--right near the base of the hill.

Mitchell swung around his rifle to the ready position and hauled himself up, out of the crevice, wishing he hadn't looked back at his men. They were barely recognizable behind all the blood and mud.

He moved forward and shifted along the rocks, keeping his shoulder tight to the stone until he could hazard a look around the corner.

Two gunmen came charging up the hill.

Mitchell burst from cover and unleashed fire on the lead man, cutting him down.

The second guy dropped to his belly and rolled. Mitchell fired on him, but Rutang's red smoke began wafting back over the hill, blanketing the entire area.

Even as Mitchell squinted hard, rounds suddenly chewed into the rocks at his shoulder, ricocheting and sparking, sending him down low behind the rock. He swore and caught his breath.

One of the Black Hawks wheeled overhead, the door gunner leaning hard into his M134, rounds and tracers lashing out into the jungle like a phosphorescent tongue.

Mitchell came back around the rock, blasted by rotor wash and smoke, but even through burning eyes he spotted the thug below, who was running straight up at him to avoid the minigun fire stitching into his path.

All three of Mitchell's rounds punched into the guy's chest. He staggered back, fell onto his side, and rolled right into the door gunner's fire.

Before Mitchell's lips could even curl in a smile, something flashed from within a tree cluster across the valley.

And from that flash came a fiery streak of light, an RPG to be sure, arrowing straight for the Black Hawk.

In the time it took for Mitchell to crane his neck, the rocket struck the chopper and detonated inside the bay. Rapt by the surreal image, Mitchell just stood there a second as the bird pitched and turned erratically, trailing smoke and descending directly toward him.

One of the door gunners, his body engulfed in flames, bailed out, dropping some thirty feet to the ground.

Mitchell blinked--and the enormity of the moment took hold. He dove onto his gut as the Black Hawk wailed over him, passing within twenty feet, one of its landing skids scraping into the rocks behind him as the bird continued on, over the hill, then suddenly plunged down toward the trees.

He couldn't see the chopper, but he heard the rotors chewing into the limbs and the horrific whining of its engine until a series of smaller explosions and loud creaking of metal echoed away.

"Scott, this is Rutang, over? Scott, this is Rutang?"

"I'm here," he answered, picking himself up out of the mud. "Somehow."

"I'm up to the edge with the NVGs. I think I see Captain Yano's guys out there."

"Tell him he needs to help secure this area. I'm going over to the chopper to see if anyone made it."

"Don't waste your time. I can see it from here. Nobody survived that."

"I'm going anyway. Be right back, out."

Mitchell rushed down the hill, then worked his way through the trees toward the column of smoke.

The other two Black Hawks were off to the west, both door gunners hosing down the mountains, their laser beams of lead flickering in an eerie light show.

At the top of the next hill, Mitchell paused to survey the crash site with his NVGs, panning 180 degrees around the forest.

No sign of enemy activity yet. He started toward the downed bird, the stench of fuel hanging thick in the air.

Admittedly, no operator in his right mind would go in there. But there was always a chance that someone might still be alive, and Mitchell couldn't live with himself if he didn't have a look. Just a quick look, he assured himself.

So he held his breath and broke into a sprint.

The Black Hawk was listing to one side but still lay on its belly in a steaming trench. The tail and main rotors were gone, the landing skids ripped apart and jammed in mangled pieces behind the fuselage. Oddly, the cockpit panels were still illuminated.

As Mitchell neared the bird, waves of heat warmed his face, and he was forced to sneak a breath. The stench made his eyes tear as he stormed into the bay.

The charred crew chief lay in pieces on the floor, along with another of the door gunners. Mitchell nearly gagged as he made it to the pilot, who was barely conscious but alive. The copilot had caught several large pieces of shrapnel in the back of his neck, and Mitchell checked for a carotid pulse. Nothing.

"Captain, I'll get you out."

"I told them the damned zone was too hot."

"It's going to get hotter," Mitchell said as he unbuckled the man.

"Can't move my legs."

Mitchell tugged a penlight from his web gear, directed it into the pilot's lap, his legs showing no signs of injury.

But then he checked the back of the pilot's seat, which had been shredded by shrapnel. As he took the pilot by the shoulders and moved him forward, Mitchell noted bloodstains on the man's lower back. He had a spinal injury, no doubt.

Unable to get a good fireman's carry in the cramped quarters, Mitchell took hold of the pilot's shoulder straps and dragged him out of the cockpit, through the smoking bay, and outside, onto the ground, where he caught his breath.

From the corner of his eye, he caught movement among the twisted and severed trees.

He brought his rifle around and hit the deck.

The perimeter had come alive with the silhouettes of gunmen, shifting in and out from behind the trunks to get a bead on him.

One ricocheting round off the chopper's fuselage could ignite all that fuel that had spilled into the mud.

"Scott, this is Rutang, over."

"Rutang, stand by." Mitchell breathed a curse and braced himself for yet another gunfight.

Chapter Five.

BASILAN ISLAND

SULU ARCHIPELAGO, SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES

AUGUST 2002

"I won't lie here and die without a fight," said the pilot at Mitchell's side. He reached for his sidearm. "I'm taking one with me."

"Just hold up," Mitchell said, aiming at the nearest gunman leaning out from behind a tree, barely visible in grainy darkness. "Something's weird. They see us. They should've fired already."

"Ricochet, this is Black Tiger 06, over?"

Mitchell lowered his voice. "Go ahead."

"I've got my Bravo Team at the chopper crash site. They see you but are holding to continue recon, over."

Mitchell sighed deeply. He got up onto his haunches. "Hold fire!" he cried to the men on the perimeter. "Fall back on me!"

The gunmen came dashing from the trees, and they were, in fact, Yano's men.

"Ricochet, the last of the Tangos is on the run," the captain continued. "Let's regroup on the pickup zone, over."

"Roger that. I need help with my wounded."

"My medics are on the way, out."

Mitchell shifted over to the pilot. "Captain, it's time to go. I'll try to take it easy on you."

"Well, it's not like we can fly. In fact, I'll never fly again. You know that."

Mitchell wasn't buying into the pity party, and maybe he could relight the man's hope. "Sir, we don't surrender--ever."

"That rocket just ended my career. My life. Leave me here."

"No, sir."

"What's your problem, soldier? I said get away. That's a direct order." He raised his pistol.

Mitchell took in a long breath. "I guess you'll have to shoot me." He slapped the man's gun away and lifted him over his shoulders as the Filipino guys arrived. "I got him," he said, waving off their offers to help.

"What's your name, soldier?" asked the captain, his tone as threatening as they came.

"Mitchell. Scott Mitchell."

"I'll remember that."

"I'm sure you will." Mitchell shuffled away from the chopper, fighting to keep his balance.

Every operator they could locate was transferred back to the pickup zone, but Mitchell's team still had five unaccounted for and presumed dead. The search for their bodies would begin at daybreak. The row of bodies was too hard to look at.

As they rested on their packs, being attended to by Yano's medics and waiting for the choppers to land on a broad field bordering the jungle, Mitchell tried to call Captain Fang Zhi. He even went on to ask for any member of the Taiwanese team to respond, but none did.

Rutang shared the grim news passed on by one of the Filipino medics: Carlos had passed away. To the best of Billy's knowledge, only himself, Rutang, and Mitchell had survived the ambush.

Mitchell backhanded sweat from his brow, threw back his head, and closed his eyes.

Welcome to the Special Forces . . .

He was exhausted enough to sleep into the next century and so emotionally drained that he felt only a deep emptiness in his chest, accompanied by a low hum, like Gregorian monks chanting, their voices carried on the breeze. His thoughts began swirling, moments flashing from the distant to the more recent past.

He was a teenager in Youngstown, lying on his back beneath an old Ford Mustang and learning how to do his first oil change on a car . . .

He was wearing his neatly pressed uniform and saying good-bye to his father and siblings before he shipped out for the first time . . .

He was shaking Captain Foyte's hand and grinning broadly over being selected for ODA 574 . . .

A commotion began at the edge of the field, and Rutang tugged on Mitchell's shoulder. Mitchell stirred, looked up, and saw the entire Taiwanese team emerging from the trees: all twelve of them, looking exactly as they had upon entering the jungle, perhaps a little sweatier.

His first thought was, Why aren't they all dead? Dead men tell no tales--or answer radio calls.

Mitchell sprang off his pack and jogged toward them, his bandaged arm and leg stinging again. He spotted Captain Fang near the back of the group.

Fang's English was pretty good, though he'd asked on several occasions for people to speak more slowly around him.

Well, Mitchell was happy to oblige, and his question, voiced entirely out of breath, was simple: "Captain, where . . . were . . . you?"

Fang brought himself to full height, and although he was several inches shorter than Mitchell, his muscular form and penetrating eyes offered ample intimidation. "Sergeant, I am sorry for your losses."

"You were listening?"

"Yes."

"You heard my calls for help?"

"I ordered my men to fall back."

"Excuse me, sir?"

Fang's team was beginning to gather around them, along with Captain Yano and his men.

"You heard me, Sergeant Mitchell."

Yes, he had, and the news made Mitchell nauseous.

"We weren't brought here to cross-train with you. We were brought here to be sacrificed--and I won't allow that to happen. Not to my men. Not for you. Not for anyone."

Mitchell began to tremble in rage. "Captain, what have you done?"

"I made a decision. And I stand by it."

"Captain Yano lost four men. I lost nine. You're insane." Mitchell took a step closer, coming within inches of Fang, getting directly in the captain's face. Mitchell raised his voice. "How could you walk away from the fight?"

"Step back, Sergeant."

"Answer my question!"

"Step back!"

Mitchell took another step forward, thrusting his bare chest out into Fang's and shoving the officer backward. "I will not step back! You should have stepped up! You're a coward! You're a traitor! You abandoned us! You left us to die!"

One of Fang's men shouted something, and Mitchell craned his head to Captain Yano, who quickly translated: "He says the American is right. We are cowards. We wanted to fight. But you wouldn't let us."

Even as Yano finished the translation, Fang spun around, reaching into his pack and unsheathing a strange, sticklike sword with many edges.

He started toward his man with the weapon, but Mitchell grabbed Fang's wrist with one hand and latched onto the sword's handle with the other.

Suddenly, Fang tripped Mitchell to the ground, wrenched free his sword hand, and struck Mitchell on the side of the head with the blade.

The blow sent Mitchell's head jerking to one side, and he literally saw stars for a moment before he sat up, blinking hard, checking his head for blood. He should've been cut badly but wasn't.

Meanwhile, Fang turned back toward his man, raising the sword over his head.

Yano raced in to try to block Fang, but the rest of the Taiwanese team rushed to intercept, seizing him and beginning to drag him away.

That's when an all-out brawl erupted, guys shouting, fists coming down while above the choppers swooped in, pivoted, and made their final descents.

Mitchell rose, started toward Fang, screaming his name.

Fang spun back, lowering the sword to make his thrust toward Mitchell's chest.

Still dizzy from the blow to his head, Mitchell tried to grab the sword before it dug into his abdomen, but the metal slid through his sweaty fingers, and the sharpened tips penetrated his flesh. He gasped and groaned as Fang was ripped away by Yano, who had freed himself and now drove the man to the ground, straddling Fang.

Mitchell stood there, blood dripping from his chest, the wound resembling an odd pattern of lines. "Captain Fang," he shouted. "You're a coward!"

The chopper crews rushed forward, weapons drawn, just as a third chopper landed.

Between the roar of engines and the hollering men, Mitchell couldn't hear anything, save for a single voice in his head repeating three simple words: Oh my God.

One of the Filipino medics came over to Mitchell, lifted his voice above the din. "Let me see that wound, Sergeant."

"What?"

"Your wound."

"Oh, it doesn't feel that deep."

"Deep enough for a good scar, though."

Mitchell shrugged and pushed past the medic, watching as the COs from all three teams began shouting and breaking up the riot. It was a scene unlike anything Mitchell had ever witnessed in his military career. But then again, none of them had ever hiked through this little corner of hell.

Fang's CO, a stout, hard-faced major named Liang, began reprimanding him, then raised his voice even more and slapped Fang in the face--in front of all the men. Liang then seized Fang by the back of the neck and escorted him toward the chopper.

Fang's gaze met Mitchell's for just a second, and all Mitchell could do was shake his head in disgust.

After being flown back to the outskirts of Isabella City, where Camp Iron Horse was located, Mitchell, Rutang, and Billy were transferred to the field hospital, and by morning, all three were lying in beds, patched up and drugged up, scheduled to be shipped back to the States within forty-eight hours.

"I just don't believe what that guy did," said Rutang.

Mitchell sighed and rubbed his still-swollen head. "You've said that three times. Said it three different ways."

"You're not surprised?"

"There's more to it than we know."

"You got that right. It's just not like them. It's not in their culture to act like that. Am I wrong? You'd think just the opposite. While we were training, he seemed like he'd send those guys to their deaths and not think twice about it."

"He still cared about his men. Maybe too much. Who knows? He wasn't shy during the briefing. He's got politics--and they interfered with his ability to lead. It is strange."

"Strange? Damn, I'm in a state of shock."

"I just keep wondering what would've happened if he'd answered our call. Who'd still be alive? And who died because of him?"

"If I had my hands around his neck right now . . ."

"I think his CO will do the job for us."

"What was going through his mind?"

"We'll never know, so stop obsessing on it."

In truth, Mitchell couldn't take his own advice. At least not at the moment. He already knew he'd be playing out a thousand different scenarios in his nightmares, and night after night, revenge would be exacted brutally, efficiently, with extreme prejudice.

On a warm, sunny afternoon, the army held a ceremony for Scott Mitchell at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The following was read aloud:

The President of the United States of America, Authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, has awarded the Silver Star to:

MASTER SERGEANT SCOTT MITCHELL, United States Army

For gallantry in action: Master Sergeant Scott Mitchell, Team Sergeant, Operational Detachment Alpha 574, is awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action on 18 August 2002 in the vicinity of Basilan Island, Southern Philippines. On that date his detachment was ambushed by Abu Sayyaf rebels who killed ODA 574's commanding officer and executive officer at the onset of battle. Despite intense mortar, automatic weapons, and small arms fire, Master Sergeant Mitchell, with forceful leadership, reorganized his men, saving the surviving team members from being overrun. Inspired by his heroic conduct and absolute fearlessness, the detachment successfully held off a numerically superior force until rescued. Master Sergeant Mitchell was wounded during this attack. The gallantry and inspirational leadership displayed by Master Sergeant Mitchell reflect great credit upon him and the military service.

The digital cameras flashed as the medal was pinned on Mitchell's uniform. Behind him glowed a huge screen displaying the PowerPoint slides of the battlefield on Basilan Island.

Like Rutang, who also received the Silver Star, Mitchell told the crowd that he was just doing his job. He wasn't being falsely humble. He had done what he'd been trained to do.

Mitchell found out much later that sitting in the back of the room were two officers who had a lot to say about his potential as a Special Forces operator.

They were part of an elite, highly covert organization known as the Ghosts.

Chapter Six.

KAOHSIUNG CITY

SOUTHERN TAIWAN

MAY 2007

Five years after the ambush on Basilan Island, Fang Zhi stood on a street corner, smoking a cigarette and reading his newspaper in the late-afternoon glare. Yellow taxis lined the curb, and across the street, near the Toyota dealership, Fang's man, Yeh Chun-chang, sat parked in his gray sedan, waiting for a cell phone call from Fang.

In less than thirty minutes, a man would die.

And not just any man.

This individual represented the primary obstacle between Fang and his future life. It was not the man's fault. He was simply a victim of his own skills.

With car horns resounding in the street and the wind of a passing bus buffeting him as it roared by, Fang tried to calm himself. Nothing could go wrong. He had spent too many hours planning it all, waiting, watching, determining exactly what he must do.

Nearby, a small group of middle-aged Americans obviously on vacation were marveling over the cans of Coca-Cola they had just bought, cans imprinted with Chinese characters. Fang wanted to strangle the smiles from their faces.

Their country provided the model of arrogance, wealth, and self-indulgent lifestyle that had poisoned Taiwan's government. Officials routinely exploited their citizens to benefit themselves and gain American support. In doing so, they had created a culture of haves and have-nots, just like in America.

The Republic of China (ROC) Army in Taiwan, taking its cue from the government, behaved the same way. They would march Taiwanese troops into the fire if it would please the United States.

The more Fang thought about it, the shallower his breath became.

He scowled at the tourists as they walked by, then his gaze shifted to a man standing on the corner.

Fang did a double take. It was Sze Ma! Old Sergeant Sze Ma from Fang's last mission as an army officer. He was dressed in civilian clothes but still wore a crew cut, suggesting he might still be in the army. Fang tucked his newspaper under his arm, ditched his cigarette, and approached the man.

Sze Ma, who was simply waiting for the light to change, glanced up. His lip twitched as he recognized Fang. Probably out of habit or reflex, he blurted out, "Captain."

Fang's voice came coldly. "Sergeant. What are you doing here?"

"I came to look at a car across the street."

"How have you been?"

Sze Ma frowned. "Captain, years have passed, but I will never forget that night. That terrible night. And now, seeing you here again . . . I don't know what to say."

Fang bared his teeth, slapped a hand on Sze Ma's shoulder, shocking the man, and said, "Do you think I deserved what happened to me?"

"It doesn't matter what I think."

"I want to know."

"I'm sorry, Captain."

Fang grabbed Sze Ma's arm and tightened his grip. "Are you married now? Do you have a family?"

"Yes, one little girl."

"And does she know that she would not exist were it not for me and what I did to save your life?"

"You beat me with your sword. You refused to let me fight. I have not changed my mind about such things."

"You would be dead. And for what? To please the Americans?"

"Let me go. Because if you don't--"

"What will you do to me that they haven't already done? Strip me of my rank, my duty, everything I worked so hard for? Years spent in Fengshan at the academy? All for nothing!"

"Captain, I'm sorry. I need to go."

"So do I," said Fang. "So do I."

With that, he released the man, who hurriedly crossed the street before the light changed.

Sze Ma reached the opposite corner and stole a worried look at Fang, then he started toward the car dealership.

With a start, Fang was struck by what he was supposed to be doing. His gaze probed the street. He checked his watch and cursed.

Even as he reached for his cell phone, it began to ring: Yeh Chun-chang was calling.

"I saw him," said Yeh. "He crossed the street just like you said he would. He was wearing the jacket. I saw you talking with that other man. I could have done the job, but you told me not to go until you called."

"I'll call you back."

Fang broke into a sprint, reached the corner, turned left, then raced down the sidewalk, past rows of buildings, looking for a man wearing a white athletic jacket with red sleeves. The jacket bore the 2008 Olympic Games logo, along with a dragon wrapping around its side.

The jacket belonged to Kao Ku-ching, the man who was supposed to die, the man who was now gone.

Fang reached the corner, shot looks both ways up the alleys, then glanced forward to an old apartment building where Kao lived in a modest one-bedroom on the third floor.

Through an open window Fang saw a television flick on, and he knew Kao had made it home safely. Fang called Yeh and said, "We'll need to wait until tomorrow."

"I will need to be paid for today."

Fang sighed in disgust and said, "Yes. Same time tomorrow."

"Very well. You should pay attention because this can become very expensive for you."

"I will. And you will receive your final payment only after the job is done. Remember that."

That night, Fang lay in bed, staring at the ceiling of his ramshackle apartment.

He was a soldier who had been born to fight. He would continue to fight, no matter what they said. When they had removed him from the army, they had thought he had no spirit, that he had no will to fight.

He tensed over the thought, then relaxed, turned his head toward his nightstand upon which his sword cane leaned, its tiger patterns coming alive in the darkness.

Years spent apologizing to his forefathers had amounted to nothing. Now he railed against even them, deemed them as victims of the American poison, and only he, Fang Zhi, could set the family on a new and more honorable course.

The next afternoon, Fang stood once more on the same street corner, smoking his cigarette and reading his newspaper. A front had moved in, and in a few moments the black clouds would finally empty themselves. The weather provided a perfect excuse for Fang to wear his rain jacket and hood, which would, of course, help conceal his identity.

Across the street was the gray sedan.

Any moment now, Kao would reach the corner and enter the crosswalk as he had every weekday for the past month.

Without exception.

Fang shifted his weight from one leg to the other, backhanded the sweat from his brow, and breathed in the warm, humid air. He shivered in anticipation.

Then he took a last drag of cigarette, ditched it in the road, and glanced across the intersection as it began to rain.

Kao was right there, only today he was not wearing the Olympic jacket, just a blue sweatshirt.

Fang had told Yeh Chun-chang back in the sedan to take care of the job as soon as he saw Kao, but Yeh was looking for that Olympic jacket!

Where was Fang's cell phone? He fumbled in his pocket, dialed the number.

Across the way, Yeh lifted his phone to his ear.

"Yeh, it is me," Fang cried. "He's in a blue sweatshirt! "Go now."

At the intersection, Kao was holding a backpack over his head and waiting for the light to change. The rain grew heavier.

Yeh revved the sedan's engine.

Fang remembered the many hours he had spent with Kao. They had actually become friends. He had even consoled Fang when the final scores had been revealed.

Fang's heart began to race.

And for a few seconds, Fang thought of running to the corner and calling it all off. But he couldn't. He might have doubts, but he'd already made the decision and was beyond the point of return.

The light turned green.

Kao, along with a half dozen other pedestrians, rushed into the crosswalk, a few wrestling with their umbrellas.

A terrific thunderclap echoed off the buildings.

Yeh, still parked at the corner, held back until the last possible second, then he roared into the street, coming directly at the pedestrians, who swung their heads.

Fang flinched as screams rose from the street.

And then, strangely enough, the whole event unfolded before his eyes as though in slow motion.

Two women dove out of the sedan's path.

One man was struck in the leg and went spinning to the asphalt, his umbrella carried off by the wind.

Yeh rolled the wheel and screeched toward Kao, who looked up and had no time to move.

Another young man, about Kao's age, who was now within a meter of the car, reached out to grab and save Kao, but the sedan came between them.

It was almost too much to watch, but Fang couldn't help himself. His gaze was riveted, and, with a horrid fascination, he stood there as Yeh struck Kao head-on before the other man could reach him.

The sedan's front bumper slammed into Kao's legs and hips, sending him knifing over the hood and up, onto the windshield, which shattered as he rolled over it, across the roof, then went tumbling down onto the street, limbs flopping, head lolling and scraping across the pavement.

The other man had been sideswiped by the sedan, and he now lay in the street, as Yeh screeched off into the rain.

Other pedestrians who'd been gathering at the corner began running into the street, crying for help.

Fang stared in shock a moment longer, seeing that Kao was not moving, his arms and legs twisted at improbable angles.

Suddenly, a powerful chill ripped through him, and he shivered and realized he needed to get out of there, couldn't be identified at the scene.

He ran off, but then remembered that running would draw too much attention, so he slowed to a brisk walk as his cell phone began to ring.

Yeh was calling about his payment.

Two weeks later, Fang Zhi received the phone call he was waiting for. He took a cab down to the National Sports Training Center in Tsoying, where Tsao Chin-hui, Fang's coach, had his office.

Tsao, who had won several Olympic medals himself, greeted Fang with a broad grin. "I'm sure you know why you're here."

"I feel terrible and excited at the same time."

"I understand. Kao was a fine young man and an excellent marksman."

"I have been busy with other things," said Fang. "And I haven't followed what's been happening. Have they caught the driver of that car?"

"No, they found the vehicle. I heard that the driver might have fled to China."

"A tragedy. He was probably a drunk driver like they said."

"Probably." Tsao's gaze narrowed. "Kao had many friends, no enemies."

"That is true. The police asked me many questions."

"Kao beat you by only a few points to make the team. Of course they would suspect you, but I told them you were a great sportsman and the last person who might do something like this."

"Thank you."

"Well, then, you will take Kao's place. I am sorry it had to be this way for you, but welcome to the team."

"I am honored."

Fang left the office and hailed another cab. On the way back to his apartment, as the driver navigated through the congested streets, it finally struck Fang.

He was going to Beijing. He would compete in the Olympic Games as a marksman.

Yes, the competition would be thrilling. But more so was the notion that after the games, he would not return home.

He would finally turn his back on the country that had abandoned him.

Fang Zhi would defect to China, and the chance to do that was worth even more than being an Olympic athlete.

It was worth Kao's life.

Chapter Seven.

FORT BRAGG

NEAR FAYETTEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

JUNE 2007

Scott Mitchell took a deep breath and grinned in satisfaction over the scent of fresh-cut pine. He was out at the storage garage he rented, just fifteen minutes off the base, where he'd set up his woodworking shop.

Although it was only ten A.M., he was already soaked in sweat. He tugged off his T-shirt and used it to wipe away the perspiration running down his chest and over the scar on his abdomen. That curiously shaped mark often drew questions that he avoided in an effort to bury the past. He got back to work on the table saw, cutting his next piece.

Some Special Forces operators went hunting or fishing in their off time, and Mitchell did a little of both. He'd bagged a few nice deer in his day and could tie on a Texas-rigged worm to bass-fish with the best of them, but it was the woodworking that gave him both a perfect release of stress and an incredible sense of accomplishment when he finished a piece.

While he was hardly as accomplished as those woodworking hosts on TV, he had designed and built some very intricate and ornate pieces: writing desks, curio cabinets, gun racks and display cases, and even a large entertainment center that he had sold to the battalion commander, whose wife had ordered Mitchell to do so.

His current project was a little different. One of the warrants of an ODA team in his company was a breeder of African and South American tortoises: sulcatas, leopards, and redfoots, respectively, and Mitchell had been hired to build several tortoise tables upon which the critters would roam and live indoors when the weather did not permit them to graze outside.

So he'd come up with some rather simple but attractive designs for these enclosures and was hoping to finish the first table and have it ready for stain by the end of the day, because he'd be quite busy that evening.

Ah, yes, the smell of fresh-cut pine in the morning. Better than napalm any day.

The party was supposed to be a surprise, but Mitchell knew all about it. So when he walked into the banquet hall, he mouthed a Wow then delivered the broad grin for which they'd been waiting.

They had even strung a banner across the wall:

CONGR ATULATIONS

CAPTAIN SCOTT MITCHELL

Getting promoted to captain was a pretty big deal. When someone referred to the "detachment commander," they'd be talking about him. That would feel a little weird.

Moreover, the joke was that captains were just the token officers on ODA teams, coming in to spend six, nine, maybe even twelve months, after which they'd be shipped out and go on to lead companies and battalions. They were sometimes treated a bit coldly by the NCOs, especially those younger captains fresh out of school who lacked real-world experience. The team sergeants often said that the best captains were the ones who knew how to take orders--from them.

A few of Mitchell's colleagues led him up to a podium and screamed, "Speech, speech!"

They'd already become sloppy drunk while waiting.

His cheeks warming, Mitchell eyed the sixty or so men and their spouses and girlfriends seated at the tables. Damn, they'd even hired a DJ. Yes, these were his people, his family, and he couldn't have felt more proud.

"Uh, I'm so surprised."

That drew a few laughs.

"And you'd think as Special Forces operators, you'd be able to plan something like this without me finding out. But, you guys, you know you're the best of the best. Unconventional warriors. But as party planners? You suck."

Now the whole room broke into laughter.

"Seriously, thank you so much. I really appreciate this."

Out of the corner of Mitchell's eye he spotted a familiar face and immediately got choked up.

It was Rutang, seated there, now sergeant first class and senior medic who'd just come back from a tour in Iraq. Mitchell had kept in touch with him, but he'd had no idea the man would be present.

They shook hands, banged fists, then Mitchell took a seat next to him and was handed a beer as the DJ announced that the party had begun and fired up a heavy-hitting remake of Iggy Pop's "Gimme Danger."

"You flew all the way here for this?" asked Mitchell.

"I wouldn't miss it, man."

"How's Mandy doing?"

Rutang rolled his eyes. "Pregnant again. And she's sorry she couldn't make it."

"Wow." Mitchell chuckled. "Congratulations."

"I keep telling her to stay away from the FedEx guy."

"So now you'll have two kids, a beautiful wife . . . that's a good reason to come home. I got a woodshop."

Rutang took a sip of his beer and barely smiled.

"What's wrong? You come to my promotion party, and you look like someone died."

"I don't know--"

Rutang cut himself off as Chris Hobbs, the warrant who kept the tortoises, approached and apologized for interrupting. "We'd like to take a couple of pictures before we get too drunk."

He dragged Mitchell away, and for the next fifteen minutes, Mitchell was subjected to camera flashes and slaps on the back, and shots foisted into his face until he managed to stagger back to Rutang's table, where his friend was still seated, getting drunk alone.

"Sorry, man."

Rutang shrugged. "It's your party. Don't apologize."

"Iraq? Is that what's bothering you?"

"I wish."

"What can I do?"

"Scott, I still don't sleep, man."

Neither did he. "Sleep's overrated."

"I've been going to a new shrink. You know what she told me? She said I need to cut old ties and start fresh."

"What does that mean?"

"She says I shouldn't talk to you anymore. You believe that?"

Mitchell snorted. "Sounds like you need a new shrink."

"Maybe if you and I talked."

"Tang, that's just . . . What happened wasn't our fault. We did our jobs. We move on."

"And it's that easy?" Rutang held up his hand. "Wait. Don't answer that. I'm a selfish bastard. I come here and dump my problems on you. Hell, let's get drunk!"

Mitchell leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. "See, Rutang? There's no problem that can't be solved with sufficient quantities of gunpowder and alcohol."

They clinked beer bottles and took big swigs. But behind Mitchell's grin was a world of guilt and sorrow that he would not share with anyone.

Writer Tim O'Brien had written that famous story, "The Things They Carried," a story Mitchell had read over a dozen times. As a soldier, Mitchell knew he must be able to shoulder so much more than just his pack. As the load got heavier, he needed to become stronger.

Now a living example of that commitment to overcome was rolling directly toward him with a hand extended. Marc Entwhiler was the Black Hawk pilot who had been shot down and paralyzed back on Basilan Island.

In the months following the accident, Entwhiler had sent Mitchell several e-mails thanking him for the hope, inspiration, and courage to go on.

Mitchell took no credit for that. It was Entwhiler's indomitable spirit--a spirit that had allowed him to shoulder the load of his accident--that gave him hope and inspired so many others, Mitchell included. Entwhiler was now working as a civilian consultant, teaching other Black Hawk pilots and engineers the skills he'd learned through a joint partnership between the army and the Rockwell Collins Simulation and Training Solutions facility in Huntsville, Alabama.

"Scott, congratulations, man!"

"Thanks, Marc."

"Sorry I'm late. Couldn't get my damned wheels to spin any faster."

"You might remember Sergeant McDaniel?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." They shook hands.

After sharing a few jokes, Entwhiler updated Mitchell with news regarding his personal and professional life. The details weren't as important as his tone. The guy was a nuclear reactor, and when he rolled off to say hi to a few other colleagues, Mitchell glanced over at Rutang, who just looked at him and nodded.

As the night wore on, and Mitchell was twice dragged onto the dance floor to jump and scream along to AC/ DC's "Shook Me All Night Long," he spotted a tall, slender woman with short blond hair seated alone in the back of the room. He'd never seen her before. The woman's black dress fit her like a coat of paint, and her simple pearl necklace seemed to rise up from the perfectly smooth planes of her neck.

Feeling bold and no pain, he drifted back to her. "Hi, there."

Her eyes lit on him. "Hi."

"Hi," he repeated, then realized what he'd done.

"You're pretty friendly."

"Uh, well, it's my party. You're alone?"

"Yes. And I've been waiting to talk to you."

Mitchell grinned and turned back to his friends still on the dance floor. "Oh, man, oh, man. Those guys put you up to this?"

"I'm not a prostitute--if that's what you think."

"No, no, no, I meant--"

"What did you mean?"

He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry I bothered you."

She snorted. "I said I wanted to talk to you. Have a seat."

"Uh, okay."

He sat and tried to keep his gaze from her cleavage. Mission failed.

"I'm here at the request of Lieutenant Colonel and General Keating."

"Excuse me?"

She offered her hand. "I'm Captain Susan Grey."

He took her hand. "Lieutenant, I mean Captain Scott Mitchell."

She made a face. "I know."

"I drank a little too much. Sorry."

"We've been watching you for a while, and we like what we see."

He wanted to answer, So do I, but instead said, "Who are you? And why have you crashed my promotion party?"

"Sorry about that. My schedule is incredibly tight, and this was the only opportunity I could find before I ship out tomorrow."

"Where you headed?"

"Classified."

"Sounds . . . pretty classified."

"You're cute, Captain, but only half as witty. I'll cut right to the chase before your mouth gets you in any more trouble. You're a captain now, getting ready to lead an ODA team. Well, we've got something else in mind."

"Again, who are you?"

"I'm sure you've never heard of us, and we prefer to keep it that way. We're D Company, First Battalion, Fifth Special Forces Group."

"So you're just another company."

"Mitchell, I think you'd be surprised over the differences between us and the average ODA team."

"Oh, really? You guys saying you're better than us?"

"I already did."

Mitchell grinned crookedly. "Prove it."

Grey stood, reached into her purse, and withdrew an envelope. "We will. In here you'll find everything you need."

"Are you making me an offer?"

"Enjoy the rest of your party. See you soon." She wiggled her brows, then quickly left.

"Who was that?" asked Rutang, arriving at Mitchell's side.

"The most conceited woman I've ever met."

"You get her number?"

Mitchell glanced down at the envelope. "Sort of."

Chapter Eight.

OLYMPIC VILLAGE

BEIJING, CHINA

JULY 2008

People's Liberation Army Captain Xu Dingfa dropped his duffel bag in the apartment's entrance foyer, didn't bother closing the door, and collapsed onto one of the beds. He rubbed his eyes and ran fingers through his crew cut.

The elevator had been so crowded that Xu opted to hike up all six flights of stairs to the top floor of his building. As an Olympic gymnast and specialist on the rings and pommel horse, he possessed considerable upper body strength, but he had also worked hard to improve his legs, turning them into sinuous sticks of solid rock. Consequently, all those stairs should not have posed a problem. Yet even he was exhausted, in part from all the adrenaline and anticipation.

Xu was billeted in one of twenty such apartments constructed in the western part of the village dubbed the Residential Quarter, where another twenty buildings rose to nine floors. More than sixteen thousand athletes and officials were staying there, and Xu had encountered at least a half dozen languages within the first ten minutes of arrival.

In two weeks the opening ceremonies would commence, and until then all of the athletes could spend time training and familiarizing themselves with their new quarters--and their new roommates.

Xu's roommate had yet to arrive. The man was from Taiwan and competing on their shooting team, but that was all Xu knew about him.

Taiwan . . . Of all the countries his roommate could have been from . . .

Xu's first thought had been to seek a new room or at least swap rooms with one of his teammates, but in the spirit of the Olympic Games, he thought he would at least give the man a chance. Perhaps they could engage in some interesting political debates.

However, just mentioning Taiwan made Xu's breath grow shallow and his chest tighten. He would never forget the bitterness of his father and the lament of his mother as they spoke of the land they only referred to as Formosa.

He rose from the bed, went to the window, gazed down at the forest that stretched out between the buildings. Hundreds of people milled about down there, with knots of athletes and reporters conducting interviews on nearly every corner.

"Hello," came a voice from the doorway.

"Oh, hello."

A muscular man with short black hair and a fiery gaze stood in the doorway. He would have resembled any other Taiwanese man, were it not for those eyes.

Xu shifted to the man and offered a light handshake. "You are Fang Zhi?"

"Yes, and you're Xu Dingfa."

He nodded. "This is our apartment."

"Yes."

Their exchange was cold, formal, and Xu hoped it might remain that way. Perhaps the less they said to each other, the better.

Fang shifted inside, noted the wrinkles on the bed Xu had chosen, then carefully moved to the other bed. "I will sleep here?"

"Yes."

"So you are in the army? So was I."

Xu frowned. Why had Fang's tone lightened? First those eyes, which suggested he would be anything but friendly, and now an attempt at casual conversation?

"Fang. I must be honest. I was not happy to learn that I would be sharing a room with someone from--"

"I understand. But on the contrary, I was happy to learn I would be sharing a room with you."

"You were?"

"Yes, you are a military officer for whom I have the utmost respect."

Xu drew back his head in disbelief. "I have only known you five minutes, and already you are an interesting man, full of surprises."

Fang's eyes widened. "Yes."

For the next two weeks, Xu trained hard with his team and spent most of his free time with them. However, in the late evenings, when he returned to his room, he would find Fang sitting up in bed, reading Sun Tzu's The Art of War or a biography about Confucius. Fang spent little time socializing with his teammates, it seemed.

On the eve before the opening ceremonies, when Xu came home after a night of drinking a little too much, he found Fang, once again, sitting up and reading.

"Tomorrow the games begin--and you have done nothing to celebrate?"

Fang glanced up from his book. "My celebration will come afterward."

"You are that confident of a medal? The Taiwanese team has no reputation for victory. But the Chinese, well, we have done quite well for ourselves in the shooting events."

"I was not referring to the games." Fang set his book on his lap. "Tell me something, Xu. You tolerate me, yes. But there is something more there. Hatred. Why is that?"

Xu took a seat on his bed. "Do you know why I joined the army? The real reason? To liberate your country."

"Why does that matter so much to you?"

"It simply does."

"Would you be shocked to learn that I feel as you do?"

"As I said, you are full of surprises. But I am confused, hearing this from a former army officer such as yourself."

"I did not resign from the military."

"I see. And now you are angry with your country."

"You have no idea."

"Well, I am angry with your country, too."

Yes, the alcohol, which he had been forbidden to drink by his coaches, had taken effect, and Xu felt quite loose with his tongue, so he decided to share the story.

"You see, Fang, my parents once lived in Taipei with my two sisters and one brother. They were outspoken Chinese sympathizers, and one night, during a massive sweep by the military, they were arrested and deported to China with no chance to take my sisters and brother with them."

"So what happened?"

"My sisters and brother had to live with my uncles and aunts. My parents were forced to find work and live here in China, where I was born. For my entire life I have heard this story, and I have never met my siblings. But that is not as important as reuniting my parents with them. They are getting old now, and they want more than anything to be with their children--before they die."

"And you thought joining the army would help? You are a dreamer! A fool!"

Xu bolted from the bed and seized Fang by the neck, tightening his grip. "It will happen!"

"No, it never will. The Americans will always be in the way."

Realizing what he was doing, Xu released Fang and tried to catch his breath. "There will come a day. I promise you."

Fang rubbed his neck a moment, then said, "Maybe I am wrong, Xu. Maybe your parents will see their children again. And maybe . . . I can help you."

Xu cocked a brow. "Why?"

"As repayment for the help you will give me."

"What help?"

Fang leaned in closer and lowered his voice, as though they were being watched. "After the games, I am not going back to Taiwan."

Xu's mouth opened. "I see."

"If you help me, I will do everything in my power to help you and your parents. You have my word."

Xu took a deep breath. Perhaps it would not take much to help Fang. Perhaps if he did, Fang would become an ally for life, a fiercely loyal friend who would, indeed, help Xu attain his goal. How he would do that was not yet clear, but harnessing Fang's energy made Xu feel less like a victim and more like a warrior.

"Fang, I will have to think about this."

"I understand. But it does seem we share a common goal."

"Maybe. But I still do not trust you. Tell me what happened to you in the army."

Fang closed his eyes and bared his teeth. "We were working with the Filipino and American Special Forces teams. The Americans came up with a plan and marched us into the jungle to be slaughtered. I would not allow that to happen. And, for saving my men, for doing the honorable thing of rejecting an unconscionable order, I was rewarded with disgrace and discharge. My family name has been ruined. The news made my mother ill. She is near death. And now there is only one thing left to do."

"Yes," Xu answered slowly. "I understand now. You are right. We do share a common goal."

More than just firsthand knowledge, Fang had direct experience with American and allied Special Forces operations and tactics. This news excited Xu. Fang would be an easy sell to Xu's superiors, and Xu's aiding and abetting Fang's defection would be looked upon as a great deal, an asset to the cause. Perhaps Xu could even help Fang get a commission in the army.

Fang's audacious military cunning, fueled by unbridled hatred and an unquenchable thirst for revenge, would be welcomed by Xu's inner circle of friends, men who thought like him that they must "inspire" the government and military to act more swiftly, more aggressively.

"Yes," Xu confided to Fang. "A select group of my peers has need of a man with your knowledge and talents. You will not be leaving China."

Chapter Nine.

NORTHWEST WAZIRISTAN

AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN BORDER

JANUARY 2009

Captain Scott Mitchell, Ghost Team leader, lay prone on a ridgeline approximately fifty meters south of three mud-brick houses standing in sharp relief against a frozen hilltop. Smoke wafted from stone chimneys and fluttered like pennons before dissolving into the night air.

Somewhere in the valley below, within the snow-covered alleys between dozens more homes, a dog howled and firelight flickered from more windows. Then . . . it grew eerily quiet.

Up ahead, Staff Sergeant Joe Ramirez and Sergeant Marcus Brown shifted furtively toward the houses, following a gully that ran up near a lone, leafless tree.

Sergeant Alicia Diaz, the team's marksman, had darted off west toward the opposite hill overlooking the houses to select her sniper's perch.

Mitchell cleared his throat and tapped a button on his earpiece with integrated camera and microphone. "Cross-Com activated."

Attached to that same earpiece was a monocle that curved forward and glowed with screens displaying his uplink and downlink channels, icons representing his support elements, and his rifle's targeting reticle, among other bits of data. While the three-dimensional images seemed to appear in his head-up display (HUD), they were actually being produced by a low-intensity laser projecting them through his pupil and onto his retina. The laser scanned vertically and horizontally at high speed using a coherent beam of light, and all data was refreshed every second to continually update him.

In order to accomplish that task, the Cross-Com system connected via satellite to the entire military's local and wide area networks (LAN/WAN) so that in effect the commander in chief could see exactly what he was doing and speak to him directly on the battlefield. That level of network-centric warfare--all part of Mitchell's Integrated Warfighter System (IWS Beta Version)--was as significant as it was unnerving. No mistake ever escaped his superior's attention.

He thumbed a button on the wireless controller in his hand and switched his HUD to a view captured by the UAV3 Cypher drone hovering two hundred feet over the houses. The ring-shaped drone with central rotor and multiple cameras and imaging systems was small, barely two meters, and newly rigged to operate much more quietly than earlier models.

With his gloved finger, Mitchell shifted the controller's joystick, steering the drone toward the target while switching between infrared and thermal modes in an attempt to identify how many occupants were in each house.

Mitchell grinned in awe.

During the past eighteen months he had fielded some mind-blowing gear while serving in the countries of Georgia and Eritrea, and he never ceased being impressed. Now, not only was he on a mission of utmost importance, but he had been chosen to field-test an early beta version of the Cross-Com system, a program whose funding was already in jeopardy. Despite that, he had made the stern argument that every operator on his team should be fitted with the devices, cost be damned. He thought it invaluable to have all Ghosts equipped with the best technology to have total situational awareness, not just the team leader. He'd won his argument.

Indeed, Susan Grey had been right about the Ghosts. They got what they wanted because they produced results.

Originally formed in 1994, the Ghosts were better funded, better trained, and better equipped than all other Special Forces companies because they had to be. They were the spearhead of all American Special Forces, a quick-response team, first in and last out. While the cliche "the best of the best" made Mitchell wince, it was undeniably true. Every operator had been handpicked, and the organization's existence was classified, compartmentalized. The army did a damned good job of keeping that secret, too, disguising them as just another unit. Mitchell had been in the service a long time, and he'd never heard of the Ghosts until Grey had crashed his party.

It had been an eventful and enlightening eighteen months to be sure, yet of all the missions he had run thus far, this one was arguably the most difficult--for multiple reasons.

Earlier in the evening, the wind speeds had been increasing, nearing the limit, and they shouldn't have jumped at all, but Mitchell wouldn't allow weather to stop them. No way.

So they had bailed out of a perfectly good C-130 and had made a hair-raising high-altitude, low-opening (HALO) insertion into the mountains just west of a town called Miranshah, where for the last three years the Taliban had established several bases of operations, including public offices--an act that had continually outraged the locals. The team had been given full drone support; otherwise, they were on their own until they rallied back on the pickup point one kilometer due east of their current position. They were dressed and armed like Taliban insurgents, save for the suppressors on their AK-47 rifles. Even Diaz was toting along a Dragunov sniper rifle instead of a silenced SR-25 or some of the other rifles she preferred.

For his part, Mitchell had offered his people the requisite sarcastic welcome to the tribal lands of Waziristan, the most hostile part of the entire country, a wild west ruled by local leaders or maliks (kings) who had either made deals allowing the Taliban to live and train within their territory or who had been coerced into making deals. Over the years, over two hundred maliks had been slaughtered trying to stand up to the Taliban.

Despite that legacy of death, Mitchell had no reservations about taking on the mission, especially when he'd learned about who was involved.

He maneuvered the drone to the farthest house, descended a few meters, centered the reticle and grid overlay, and whispered to himself, "Come on. Be there."

The drone hummed quietly. Mitchell's breath steamed. He sniffled, tensed, waited.

Abruptly, three brilliant green diamonds flashed in his HUD, along with three familiar names and their blood types. The diamonds zoomed in on the locations of each man in the house.

He'd found them! And he repressed the desire to shake a fist in the air.

Signals coming back from specially modified "Green" Force Tracker Chips under the skin of each man had allowed the computer to discern them as friendlies.

The GFTCs were part of a sophisticated and fine-tuned Identification, Friend or Foe (IFF) system that functioned much faster and more accurately than laser-based predecessors. Implanted chips were less cumbersome and more secure than external, radio-like identifiers. Additionally, the GFTCs were equipped with two security systems: (1) a DNA identifier so that the chips couldn't be used by enemies and still function, and (2) rolling encrypted signals to avoid enemy interception. Mitchell also had the command authority to update those rolling codes at his discretion.

The drone was beginning to get too close to the house, blowing snow from its roof, and Mitchell swore and guided it back to gain altitude.

The other individuals inside, four in all, were located via thermal infrared imagers and designated as "soldiers" with red numbered diamonds that also flashed and zoomed in on their positions. Mitchell could change those designations with a voice command override, should an enemy turn out to be a friendly or a civilian. "Target Three is Green," he might say.

Calming himself now, he flew the drone even higher, all of its data transmitted in real time over the entire network.

The drone picked out eight more targets, including a heavily bundled-up man posted outside each door.

They were only outnumbered three to one. Mitchell liked those odds.

"Ghost Lead, this is Brown," called the gunner. "I'm in position."

"Ghost Lead, this is Ramirez. I'm moving up. Almost there." The rifleman and communications expert aka commo guy had shivered through his words as he fought for breath.

The Cross-Com's security measures gave Mitchell and his teammates the luxury of using their own names over the radio, though he was identified as Ghost Lead in most cases. Sometimes he missed the old call signs, all starting with the same letter on an ODA team: Rockstar, Rapper, Rutang . . .

He took a deep breath. "Ghost Team, this is Ghost Lead. Check your HUDs. You can see our package of three is in the last house. Looks like we have twelve Taliban here. Note their positions. I'm sighting the first guard. Talk to me, Diaz."

Membership in the elite gun club better known as the army's Special Operations Forces was closed to women who wanted to participate in combat roles.

Therefore, Sergeant Alicia Diaz could not possibly be a Special Forces operator.

She could not possibly be crouched on a mountainside in Pakistan, peering down the scope of her rifle, about to whisper her report to her team leader.

But she was.

It had taken the open-minded leadership of the Ghosts brass to recognize that a woman who had won the Service Rifle category of the National Long-Range Rifle Championship at Camp Perry, Ohio, for an unprecedented two years in a row belonged on a Special Forces team, U.S. Army doctrine notwithstanding.

And Diaz wasn't the only female Ghost, either. She'd crossed paths with now Major Susan Grey, Lindy Co-hen, Jennifer Burke, as well as a few others. However, she was the only female marksman within the company, a distinction that had garnered her much respect.

She had joined the army to prove that she could perform as well if not better than any man in any situation. Those were strong words, and she had done everything within her power to back them up. Admittedly, she'd been taken down hard during her combatives training, and there was that incident in Kabul back in '05 when she'd almost been knifed to death, but she had learned to use cunning to compensate for her size.

The fact remained that when Sergeant Alicia Diaz was lying on her belly and clutching her rifle, she was the queen of the battlefield, and they would all bow willingly--or unwillingly--as these men were about to do.

"Ghost Lead, this is Diaz. I'm in position. I have your first target."

The captain's reticle floated over the guard at the last house, and his IWS sent an automatic request to Diaz's HUD to take out that target.

She held her breath, ready to fire.

The perfect sniper is 100 percent certain he will hit the target before he squeezes the trigger. He is convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Yet in all her years of practice, being that certain still eluded Diaz. There was always 1 percent of doubt. Just one, but it was there, reminding her that she was just a twenty-eight-year-old tomboy from a ranch in Lubbock, Texas. She was just a girl who liked to play with guns. Hell, it seemed like yesterday that she was aiming at tin cans on fence poles, aggravating her brothers because she'd outshoot them every time.

And the strange thing was, it never got old. The same thrill she'd felt as a teenager still gripped her heart every time she got behind a weapon and sighted a target.

However, the thrill now was tempered by a healthy dose of fear; because if she missed, the entire operation could go south in a heartbeat.

She studied her target. He was seated and had fallen asleep on the job. Awake or asleep, he'd never know what hit him. He had an AK balanced across his knees, his head lowered. Her angle was perfect so that the round would not penetrate the house after traversing his skull.

Diaz had considered the wind speed and direction, automatically displayed in her HUD. She had her range, which was decreased by the specially modified 7.62 mm subsonic ammunition she fired to dampen her rifle's report. She'd already accounted for the force of gravity, the bullet drop.

This was the math every good sniper knew, not unlike the math they'd tried to sell you in high school: "Hey, kids, if you ever become an Army Special Forces sniper, you'll need this stuff." Perhaps they would have had more luck gaining students' attention if they had framed it like that.

And this was the math that had cost Diaz most of her romantic relationships with men. She could never tell them what she actually did in the army, and the lies never added up.

Besides, what man in his right mind would want a crazy woman like her, who would kite off on a whim to Europe to learn foreign languages when she wasn't shooting bad guys? Most of the men she had dated wanted a woman who was into pizza, beer, and sports, not a woman who watched PBS on TV.

But this was the math. And all of her calculations were, at the moment, complete.

Her reticle floated over the target and froze. Perfect head shot.

Her trigger finger came down slowly, gracefully, followed by a muted thump and puff of smoke.

The round struck the guard's head, took most of it off, and left him slumping sideways. No piece of him had struck the door. Even Diaz couldn't believe she'd killed him so cleanly.

"Nice," said the captain. "That's one."

"Stand by," she said, hearing the voices of her brothers like she always did when trying to take aim:

"Come on, girly girl, shoot it! Bet you'll miss!"

I don't think so, Carlos.

"She ain't going to hit it."

Watch me, Tomas. Just watch me.

The second guard had stirred and was now looking up. Diaz didn't have much time. She checked the readings in her HUD, adjusted her aim, and found the guard's head.

Her brothers were screaming now.

And the round cut loose from her rifle.

The guard joined his comrade, spilling blood onto the snow, dying silently.

"Last one," said the captain.

"I have him," answered Diaz.

"Brown, Ramirez, stand by to move," warned the captain.

"She ain't getting this one," said Carlos.

"Maybe," said Tomas. "She ain't missed one yet!"

A gust of wind ripped over the mountain, blowing snow across Diaz's field of view. She cursed and readjusted her position.

Particles of ice had gathered on her scope. She wrenched her microfiber cloth from a pocket and quickly cleaned the lens, then settled back into position.

"Diaz, what are you waiting for?" called the captain. "Come on."

"Wind burst. Stand by."

She could barely hold the rifle steady. Snow cut across her cheek, and her lips were sore and chapped.

In came another gust, and the guard was shaken awake. He rose, yawned, extending his arms in the air, then leaned forward, glancing up to the next house to spot his dead comrade in the snow.

Diaz sighted him, gnashed her teeth, and willing herself into a being of pure steel, frozen, unmoving against the wind, she squeezed the trigger.

Chapter Ten.

NORTHWEST WAZIRISTAN

AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN BORDER

JANUARY 2009

Staff Sergeant Jose "Joe" Ramirez had his eye on the remaining guard, whose head snapped back as he tumbled to the snow. The last thing that had gone through the guard's mind was 7.62 mm long, weighing 21.8 grams, and Ramirez gaped over Diaz's outstanding shot.

Captain Mitchell barked his order to move out, and Ramirez and Sergeant Marcus Brown sprang up from the snow like thawed zombies and charged toward the houses.

It felt good to run. For a while Ramirez thought his legs and a few other more important parts were going to freeze and crack off.

They reached the door of the farthest house, and Ramirez dragged what was left of the guard's body out of the way so that he and Brown could position themselves on either side of the warped wooden door.

Captain Mitchell would join them in a minute, while Diaz was booting her way through heavy snow to reach her secondary position.

The houses were only about four meters apart, so if they made any serious noise, the Taliban guys next door were sure to come out--or at least begin writing letters to their homeowners' association complaining about the noisy neighbors firing all those guns. This was the part about being a Ghost that frustrated Ramirez. If they could just blow the other two houses while simultaneously raiding the last one, they'd only have four bad guys to deal with. However, most of the really fun explosives tended to be a little noisy, and the team was supposed to get in and out without drawing attention. If they could change their name to Big Loud Badasses, they could awaken the pyromaniac in every operator. He'd even pitched the idea to a few colleagues who'd smiled, said they liked the name, and told him he was a fool.

As a kid growing up on the streets of North Hollywood, California, he'd had ample opportunity to get into trouble and develop a taste for blowing things up.

But it hadn't gone down that way. Not at all. His parents had immigrated from Mexico and had held fast to the old ways. He couldn't relate to them or to the kids running the streets. So he retreated into himself, got into ham radios, and talked to people all over world.

During high school he flourished on the ever-growing Internet but lacked the social skills to have any close friends. By the time he graduated, he was part of a hacker community that, well, got him into a little trouble. Petty stuff, initially, but his "skillz" soon implicated him in a case of identity theft that left him staring into the eyes of a North Hollywood detective, Ms. Roberta Perez, who took him under her wing, got him off of some serious charges, and suggested that he join the army before he did something even more stupid.

Perez's brother Enrique was in the army, and he sat down with Ramirez to explain that the military wasn't just for people who couldn't hack it in society like Ramirez had thought.

Ramirez wouldn't lie and say that the army didn't have its share of dummies and criminals (like most government-run organizations), and he had encountered a few of those exceptional individuals during boot camp. But his time in boot was life altering. His drill sergeant, Paul "Papa" Montgomery, had taken a liking to him, and, after driving him to within an inch of death, Montgomery had practically ordered Ramirez to apply for Ranger School.

Long story short, he was accepted and served two tours right here along the border and had already won the Purple Heart and a Silver Star--all while working on his undergraduate degree in history.

And then some administrators at Officer Candidate School got the bright idea to offer him a desk job.

Were they kidding? They'd advertised it like a promotion, even hinted that he was getting a little old for the battlefield. He was now only thirty-one.

Ramirez had tried to be polite, saying what an honor it was to be offered a desk job after engaging in some of the most exciting, adrenaline-pumping operations known to mankind. Yes, what an honor it would be to replace ink-jet toner cartridges and squint at applications files stored via outdated software instead of thwarting the efforts of those who wanted to terrorize and control others.

All right, so maybe he wasn't exactly polite. His wiseass attitude and keen sense of humor were the products of years of living in the field and contending with the great ironies of life. The high school introvert had finally grown up.

It was Lieutenant Colonel Harold "Buzz" Gordon himself, a member of one of the first Ghost teams and now a legend, who had rescued Ramirez from the world of simulated wood grain and stress balls. While some called Gordon "the old man," Ramirez was more fond of "O-G," not for "Original Gangsta" but for "Original Ghost." Lieutenant Colonel Gordon, the O-G, was a man of impeccable taste and unparalleled foresight, in Ramirez's humble opinion.

And Ramirez felt certain that Captain Mitchell had picked him for this mission because of Gordon's recommendation and because of his Ranger experiences in the region. Ramirez was intimately familiar with the people and the terrain. While his Dari and Pushtan weren't bad--never as good as Diaz's--his Arabic was pretty impressive. He even knew a little slang that could incite some folks.

He glanced over at Marcus Brown, who, despite being a burly African-American rising some six feet four inches, appeared lean and white, his face half obscured by his breath.

Seeing how intense Brown was made Ramirez want to lower his weapon and start unzipping his fly--but he thought better of trying to get a laugh now. Sometimes he took the humor too far.

The captain stole his way toward them, then hunkered down behind Ramirez as Diaz, with her mild Texas accent, cut in over the radio, "Ghost Lead. I'm in my secondary. Good to go. Waiting for you."

They were seconds away from initiating the raid, and in his mind's eye, Ramirez went over the interior of the house one more time.

The structure was rectangular, single-story, just a thousand square feet if that. The door was positioned on the left side, forcing them to move deep into the house, past a partitioning wall to get to their package.

Two of the four Taliban were lying in the forward room, near the fireplace, while the other two were in back, in the colder part of the house with the hostages.

This complicated things. They couldn't ram through the door, shoot the first two guys, and hope the guys in the back wouldn't kill the friendlies.

They had to get into the house quietly, dematerializing and walking through the walls, then returning to normal inside.

Damn, it'd be nice to have that power.

Instead it was up to Ramirez to kneel down, fish out his tool pouch, and begin picking the lock.

And no, the door was not unlocked. He always checked that first.

"Ghost Lead, this is Diaz. I got one coming out of the back house. He's stopping, lighting up a cigarette."

In five seconds that guy could round the corner and spot them. Ramirez almost had the lock.

"Diaz, can you take him out?" asked the captain.

"It's not clean. He's in a bad spot. And he seems a little weird now, might be getting ready to look for his buddy. I don't have a shot. No shot."

"Brown, go get him," ordered the captain.

Although Sergeant Marcus Brown was born and raised in the windy city of Chicago, he and cold weather still had a hate-hate relationship. The blood had never thickened, he liked to say. He was a rebel to the core, battling against his parents, nature, and the entire universe. He wouldn't have it any other way.

Swearing over the subzero breeze, he skulked around the back of the house, drawing his Russian-made Tula Tokarev (TT-33) with silencer.

Brown wasn't fond of the old pistol, which was once a status symbol among the Taliban in Waziristan. He preferred the more accurate, more reliable, more-of-everything Px4 Storm SD, thank you. Still, familiarizing yourself with as many weapons as possible, especially those of your enemies, was part of every Ghost's training.

Brown unsheathed his Blackhawk Masters of Defense Nightwing and took it into his left hand in a reverse grip. He wasn't expecting to use it, but you never knew. The fixed blade had a fiberglass nylon handle with wing-walk inserts, a black tungsten diamondlike carbon (DLC) finish, and a serrated spine, giving him a secondary edge for back cuts and draw cuts. The blade was 5.9 inches of pure death, and he considered it the American Express card of knives--because he never deployed without it.

Some of the Ghosts teased Brown about his affection for the knife. Everyone carried one type of folder or fixed blade for utility purposes; you wouldn't find a soldier who didn't. Odd thing was, Brown had earned his reputation not as a knife-wielding martial artist but as a gunner carrying the heavy Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) and its variants through the deserts of Africa during his early Special Forces assignments.

Prior to that he'd served with the Second Infantry Brigade in Iraq, and he rarely shared the story of that night in Fallujah, when his squad had been ambushed while on dismounted patrol--and his knife had kept him alive.

They'd been moving through an alley toward several residences where a suspected insurgent and his brother were living. They never made it. Withering gunfire came from everywhere, it seemed.

Brown pulled three wounded squad mates to safety and continued to hold off at least a half dozen insurgents for fifteen minutes until he'd run out of ammo and couldn't reach his fallen brothers' packs. Then, before his backup arrived, the bad guys moved in.

He could have panicked. He could have done something rash like trying to evacuate the others, one by one, but he knew that would only get him shot.

So he did something desperate, something he thought only worked in the movies. He'd had no choice.

Brown instructed the others to play dead, and he did likewise.

The first guy drew up on him in the dark, leaned over, and that's when Brown sat up and punched him in the heart with his Nightwing.

As the guy fell back, Brown seized the man's weapon, finished him, and reengaged the others. The ensuing firefight lasted another five minutes before his backup arrived, and Brown was twice wounded.

From that day forward, the Nightwing never left his side. Even in a world of high-tech warfare, cold, hard steel could never be replaced, and neither could a warrior's will to survive.

He always grimaced when he thought about being nominated for the Silver Star for his actions that night, not because the nomination made him feel awkward but because his parents had offered only a halfhearted acknowledgment.

Brown imagined them sitting in their million-dollar home in Lake Forest, cursing over the fact that he had thrown it all away, dropped out of the University of Illinois, abandoned his position as a defensive lineman on the Fighting Illini to what? "Join the army? Have you lost your mind?" his mother had said.

His father had screamed at the top of his lungs, "I was the first man in my family to earn a college degree! A graduate degree! We're creating a new legacy for our family, for our people! In a few years I'll be running for mayor of this city! You have a great future ahead of you in public service--and now you want to go backward!"

But Brown had just wanted so much more out of life than a business or a law degree could offer. He never saw himself sitting in meetings with city council members, discussing community issues. His methods of effecting change were much more aggressive.

Consequently, the guard who'd come out of the mud-brick house for a smoke never stood a chance.

Brown put a silenced round in the man's forehead and caught him before he hit the snow and made too much noise. After lowering him to the ground, Brown sheathed his knife and dug under the guy's arms to drag him round the side of the building, out of sight. That done, Brown crouched low near the corner to catch his breath, relief flooding through him like a warm cup of coffee. He issued his report to Captain Mitchell.

As confident as Brown was, there were more than a million ways you could screw up any mission, and he liked to joke that he had already discovered at least seventy-two of them.

Mitchell lifted his chin at Ramirez, who nodded and tucked away his tool kit. The door was open.

"Diaz, what do you see?"

"All clear now, Captain."

After taking one more look through the eyes of the drone and reconfirming the positions of every combatant, Mitchell waited as Brown returned and got into position.

Ramirez would take left, Brown right, and Mitchell would come in low, on his belly--an unconventional choice to be sure, but that's the way he rolled. Ramirez and Brown would draw first attention should the guys in the front room awaken, and that would give Mitchell his chance to fire from his elbows.

It would all happen in gasps and whispers, fingers of mist pulling triggers and hearts stopping. They would float in and float out with their package, leaving cold, still death in their wake.

That dog in the valley howled again.

Mitchell braced himself. "Ghost Team, attack!"

Chapter Eleven.

NORTHWEST WAZIRISTAN

AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN BORDER

JANUARY 2009

Picking the lock was one thing. Getting the door to swing open quietly was another, and Mitchell flinched as Brown placed his gloved hand on the icy wood and drove the door forward.

Ramirez wore a smirk of confidence, thoroughly convinced that their entry would be smooth and soundless. After picking the lock, he had sprayed the corners of the door with his own custom blend of lubricants that he insisted would seep down, get into the metal, and eliminate what he called those "Haunted-house-Michael-Jackson-'Thriller'-type door squeaks."

The hinges, of course, were located on the inside of the door, so Mitchell remained dubious about the amount of lubricant that had actually reached them from the outside. But lo and behold, the door glided open. However, the cold wind rushed in, a wind they had no control over. The two men lying in small wooden beds on either side of the fireplace stirred, and one lifted his head.

Before Mitchell could fire, Ramirez and Brown put their pistols to work, sending both men back to eternal rest, blood pooling on their pillows.

Mitchell bolted to his feet and moved inside, closing the door behind them.

A voice came from the other room: a guy complaining in Pashto about the door being open.

Mitchell shifted around the partitioning wall toward the voice and took in the scene at once: another two beds, two guys, hostages in the corner. One guy rolling over.

Mitchell directed his own silenced pistol at the first guy and cut loose a round, hammering him in the chest.

Continuing in one fluid motion, he turned to his right and targeted the second guy, who was reaching for the rifle propped beside him. The guy's head twisted as Mitchell shot him.

But now the first guy was moving again. Mitchell rushed up to the bed and finished him with two more rounds. One would have been enough, but his frustration got the best of him. "Clear," he grunted into the radio.

"Who are you?" someone called.

Mitchell stepped around a beat-up dresser, piles of wool blankets, and a half dozen or so crates of ammo to reach the man who had called out to him.

Agent Thomas Saenz, code name Mongoose, was a longtime field operative for the CIA who had spent the past eight years in Afghanistan. With a ruddy complexion, long beard, and matted, shoulder-length hair, Mitchell could barely distinguish him from his Taliban captors. His hands were bound behind his back with a pair of heavy police cuffs.

Beside him sat Agent Erik Vick, code name Viking, a broad-shouldered, stocky man with a shock of chestnut brown hair and a wiry beard. He, too, could easily be mistaken for an insurgent and had spent the past three years working the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and the tri-border area to the west.

And the third man, well--Mitchell could barely breathe, and a dull ache came into his eyes. It was Rutang, all right, his old friend who had gotten back on the horse, deployed to Afghanistan, and been making a new name for himself for the past couple of years as a top-notch Special Forces medic. The last time Mitchell had seen him was at his promotion party.

Rutang's face was mostly purple, his left eye swollen, and they'd obviously drugged all of the men to keep them docile. Mitchell's penlight revealed dilated pupils.

"Diaz, here, sir. Got another guy coming outside the center house. Better hurry."

"Roger that. Ramirez, keep covering the door. Brown? Get in here, now." Mitchell glanced over his shoulder as the gunner entered. "They're cuffed. I need keys."

"I'm on it."

"Tang, can you hear me?"

"Who are you?" asked Saenz.

Mitchell regarded the man with a weak grin. "We're the guys getting you out of here." He faced Rutang once more. "Come on, bro, you with me?"

"Scott, is that you?"

"Yeah." Mitchell swallowed and steeled himself as Rutang began to cry. "You're all right, Tang. Stop." They had beaten him so thoroughly that Mitchell feared picking him up.

"Keys," said Brown, after wrenching them from the nearest insurgent's pocket. He crossed around the bed and began opening Saenz's cuffs. Then he worked on Vick's.

"Captain," called Diaz. "The guy outside is moving around the back. He'll spot the bodies. I have a shot."

"Take it!"

Rutang cleared his throat. "Scott, I let everybody down again."

"No. The cache was blown. You stayed alive."

Three days ago Rutang's ODA team had been tasked with entering Waziristan based upon intel provided by Saenz and Vick. A pair of arms dealers with Chinese connections had arrived with a massive shipment of Chinese-made small arms, and the team's mission had been to kill the dealers and destroy the cache before it was delivered to the Taliban insurgents. Those small arms would undoubtedly be smuggled across the border into Afghanistan and could even reach Iran and Iraq. Those arms would no doubt be used against American and coalition forces in the region.

Part of a split team operation, Rutang and the rest of his six-man group, along with the two CIA agents, had served as the outer cordon, providing security and overwatch while the other six moved into the small village to take out the dealers and blow the cache.

What happened after that only Rutang and the agents could tell. Signals Intelligence had picked up a beacon in a snow-covered saddle about a quarter kilometer east of the houses, and further investigation of the site via satellite and Green Force tracking revealed that at least five members of the team were there, although all five GFTCs indicated no pulse.

The weapons cache had been destroyed, and higher assumed that Rutang, Saenz, and Vick had tried to hide the bodies then escape across the border into Afghanistan. Somewhere along the way they were captured.

"They got us because of me, Scott," Rutang said through a groan. "Because of me."

"No time to worry about that."

"Listen. First team got taken out in the explosion. But the others . . . We couldn't just leave 'em there."

"Tang, forget it."

"We planted a beacon on the site so higher could bring 'em home."

"Higher knows about the marker. They'll send in a recovery team. Don't you worry, brother. Nobody gets left behind."

Brown finished removing Rutang's cuffs, just as Diaz's voice broke once more over the radio. "Captain, I got him. But the bodies are piling up out here--you'd better move!"

"Roger that. We're getting them out right now. Ramirez, they're drugged. I need help."

Ramirez rushed back into the room, helped Saenz to his feet, draped the guy's arm over his shoulder. Brown assisted Vick, while Mitchell got Rutang to his feet--and it was now even more clear that he'd been the worst beaten of the group.

"Get some jackets, hats, gloves, whatever you can find. Bundle them up and get 'em ready to move," Mitchell ordered.

Ramirez and Brown got to work, and within minutes they had all three dressed and ready to face the weather.

"Buddy, I have to lift you," Mitchell told Rutang.

"I know."

Mitchell hoisted Rutang over his shoulders. "Just like old times, eh?"

"Yeah."

"At least you're lighter than the last time I carried you."

"I've been on the Taliban diet. Lose ten pounds in three days, guaranteed."

"Great. Now shut up and let me rescue your ass. Diaz, are we clear to move?"

"Affirm--wait, negative, negative! Another guy from the middle house, heading right for your door! He looks unarmed, but he's too fast for me."

"Captain, he's mine," said Brown, who carefully brought Vick to the bed, then rushed to the front door, drawing his Nightwing.

Mitchell put a finger to his lips, warning Brown.

The gunner nodded, eyes growing wide with an intensity that nearly lit the room.

The door swung open, and in stepped the guy, much shorter than the others, wearing a tan and black shemagh over his head and face. His voice came muffled: "Who stole my cigarettes? I want to know right now!"

Brown rolled away from the door. And the rest happened so quickly, so efficiently, that Mitchell could only mouth a curse in utter awe.

Like a bolt of lightning, Brown got behind the insurgent and slid his arm beneath the guy's chin, locking his jaw shut while simultaneously driving his blade into the man's heart.

With the blade still jutting from the man's chest, Brown released his hand, loosened his grip on the guy's neck, and began stuffing the guy's shemagh into his mouth.

The insurgent was still alive, beginning to bleed to death, and it could take a minute more before he lost consciousness. Knife wounds did not produce instant death the way they were portrayed in films and on TV, and Brown knew exactly what he was doing to keep the man quiet until blood loss took its toll.

"All right, let's go," Mitchell ordered.

Brown freed his knife, then hustled back to Vick, who slung his arm over Brown's shoulder, and they fell in behind Mitchell.

Ramirez and Saenz led the way out into the bitter cold and a more powerful wind that stung their cheeks.

They started down the hill, rallying back toward Diaz's position, but Mitchell found a little section of hill where a pair of snow-covered boulders provided exceptional cover. "Set 'em down here."

"Scott, what now?" asked Rutang, slurring his words.

"Just making sure we're not followed. Brown's staying with you. We'll be right back. Diaz, you reloaded and set?"

"Yes, sir."

Mitchell stole a moment to pull up intel from the UAV3 Cypher drone. He brought the drone back over the houses to confirm that of the twelve insurgents, only three remained. Two guys were in the center house, one in the first house.

"Drone's confirmed their positions. You seeing this?"

"Roger that," said Diaz.

"Got it, sir," added Ramirez.

"Okay. Ramirez and I got the center house. Diaz, cover that door of the first. That guy comes out, he's yours."

"Standing by."

Mitchell loaded a fresh magazine into his pistol, then said, "Ramirez? Move out!"

Boots digging deep in the snow, they drove up the hill and reached the middle house, entirely out of breath. They weren't wasting time with the lock now. Ramirez drew back and kicked in the door.

Mitchell rushed in, knowing that their targets were on the left side, near the fireplace. Both men had rolled over, sat up, and began screaming at Mitchell, who shot the first one even as Ramirez cried, "Shut up!" and silenced the second.

Diaz had the option of aiming via the reticle in her HUD or choosing the traditional method of sighting the target via her rifle's attached scope. The choice came into play now because the IWS allowed her to zoom in on the target and actually see him behind the door.

A flashing red outline appeared, indicating the insurgent's exact position despite the wood between him and Diaz. She had range, wind speed, and direction--and most importantly--the talent and desire to drop the very last man standing between them and completing the mission.

She wouldn't give him the luxury of opening the door and taking a last cold breath. Holding hers, she squeezed the trigger. The Dragunov thumped, the sound echoed by a distant crack from the door as her round penetrated the wood and pierced the man behind it.

The red outline turned white. "Ghost Lead, this is Diaz. Third guy is down."

"Roger that. We're out of here. Fall back on me."

Diaz rose and tried to shudder off the chills. Her blood felt icy, and her joints ached. She was beginning to lose sensation in her toes. "The cold is my friend," she muttered, resorting to survival school mantras drilled into all operators.

Shouldering her rifle, she picked her way down the hill toward the others, their position glowing in her HUD. She smiled to herself as Carlos and Tomas shook their heads in disbelief over what she had just accomplished.

Carlos was now helping run the ranch with Dad, and Tomas had gone on to become a distinguished professor of agriculture at Iowa State. However, whenever they got together, Diaz would gaze into their eyes and always see the jealous twelve-year-old still lurking inside.

She reached the bottom of the hill, just as Captain Mitchell called their chopper: "Black Hawk Two-Niner, this is Ghost Lead. En route to pickup zone. Terrain's rough. ETA twenty, thirty minutes, over."

"Ghost Lead, this is Black Hawk Two-Niner. Roger that. We're on our way."

Carrying an approximately 180-pound man about a hundred meters to the next hill was within Mitchell's capability. Carrying the same man a full kilometer over rocky, snow-covered terrain in subzero temperatures, in the wind, was being unrealistic, but Mitchell gave it a shot nonetheless. Because it was Rutang, his friend.

Mitchell lasted about three hundred meters before he had to stop. He and Diaz unrolled one of their portable stretchers, velcroed Rutang into it, then sought the smoothest paths they could follow while dragging him through the narrow pass, utilizing the stretcher's built-in harnesses.

The delay only lasted a couple of minutes, but Saenz and Vick appreciated the break.

When they reached a large boulder to their left, marking the top of the pass, they paused to recon the barren valley below, where their Black Hawk would land. Now Mitchell paused a moment to bring in the UAV3.

As the drone whirred overhead, Mitchell zoomed in with the cameras, and suddenly red diamonds began to appear in the hills. There were two at first, then three, four, a dozen--maybe more now--all moving along a trail leading directly toward them.

"Ghost Lead, this is Black Hawk Two-Niner," called the pilot, who was no doubt observing what Mitchell saw via the network. "Hold position. The zone is hot."

But it was already too late for a stealthy escape by the pilot and his crew.

They'd been swooping down and immediately drew a storm of small arms fire from the insurgents on the ground.

"Get them back," Mitchell ordered the others. "Back behind the rocks." Then he called to the pilot. "Black Hawk Two-Niner. Zone's too hot! Pull out. We'll need more support, over."

"Sorry, Captain. None available. We're all you got. And we didn't come all this way to leave you behind."

Chapter Twelve.

NORTHWEST WAZIRISTAN

AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN BORDER

JANUARY 2009

The MH-60K Black Hawk was the Special Forces variant of the army's front-line utility helicopter and designed to take ODA and Ghost teams on long-range missions deep into enemy territory. In order to do that, a pair of 230-gallon external fuel tanks had been mounted on either side of the fuselage, beneath the rotor, and at the moment, Mitchell watched as those tanks were being targeted by the insurgents below.

With the awe-inspiring grace of its namesake bird, the pilot throttled up the pair of General Electric engines and banked hard out of the line of fire. He made a complete circle then dove, bringing his chopper to bear on the targets below. The pair of M134 7.62 mm mini-guns mounted in the crew doors wailed and stitched blazing, tracer-lit paths through the snow as the Taliban fighters dove for cover.

Those gunners continued putting serious steel on target, but one carefully aimed rocket-propelled grenade from the bad guys could end it all, as it had back on Basilan Island. Their pilot was taking one hell of a risk for Mitchell and his team.

"I don't believe this," cried Ramirez. "The zone can't be hot!"

"Bad intel," said Brown. "After all that. Bad intel."

"Ghost Lead, this is Black Hawk Two-Niner. I'm heading for a ridge just west your position, twenty meters. I'll hover there."

"Roger that, Two-Niner."

The Black Hawk came out of its dive and made a climbing turn to the south as the gunners broke fire.

All along the mountain trail ahead, muzzles winked, as though a long cord of short-circuiting wire had been stretched over the rocks and ice.

"Everyone, listen up," snapped Mitchell. "Those guys weren't waiting for us. They're on a rat line, coming back from A'stan. They were probably in the caves till now. We just got bad timing. Diaz, you and I help out those door gunners. Brown? You and Ramirez get 'em on board. Ready people? Here he comes!"

As the Black Hawk roared by, and a fresh wave of gunfire pinged off its fuselage, Mitchell craned his head and realized that Ramirez and Brown were taking the CIA agents. "No!" he cried, pointing at Rutang still strapped into the stretcher. "You get him first."

"Roger that," hollered Ramirez.

"That how it is, Captain?" shouted Agent Saenz. "You decide who lives and dies?"

Mitchell gave the man a look, then regarded Diaz. "Move out."

He sprang from cover and broke left, with Diaz right behind. They picked their way along a stretch of broken boulders and snow, then dropped behind a narrow spine of mottled rock, able to prop up on their forearms.

Mitchell's HUD began to light up with so many targets that he thought the IWS had crashed. He estimated near thirty now, and who knew how many more to come.

"I'm hunting for the RPGs," announced Diaz, ready to shoot any Taliban fighter shouldering a rocket meant for the chopper. "Got one. Taking the shot!"

Were it not for his HUD, Sergeant Marcus Brown would not have seen a thing through all the whipping ice and snow. Superimposed over those gray curtains was the green, glowing outline of the chopper, its ID flashing: Black Hawk 29.

He and Ramirez hauled Rutang up and over a few rocks, then fought their way through gusts tugging hard on their shoulders, threatening to topple them.

The chopper was just ten meters away now, its gear floating precariously a meter over the spiny ridgeline. There was no level spot to land, and the pilot had come in as low as he dared, with his nose pitched up, his main rotor slicing the air just a few meters away from the mountainside. The scene reminded Brown of that YouTube video he'd watched of a Black Hawk crashing on Mount Hood, and now those whomping rotors began to seriously unnerve him.

As they reached the chopper, the door gunner, who had already ceased fire, lowered a harness, and Brown and Ramirez rushed to get Rutang fitted. If the pilot had been able to descend just a little more, they could have avoided the delay, but you played the hand you were dealt, and once they had Rutang buckled up, they gave the gunner the signal. Rutang rose via winch toward the open bay.

Brown and Ramirez headed back for the CIA agents. One down, two to go. While there was no time to discuss it now, Brown wanted to speak with Ramirez about the captain's decision to take Rutang first. Brown and Ramirez could have evacuated both agents in one shot, then come back for the medic. It wasn't a big deal, but if something happened in the interim, it was better to save two than just one.

Or was it more important to save your friend than a couple of CIA agents, who they all knew could turn on you in a heartbeat if that furthered their agenda?

Brown had worked with Mitchell before, yet this was the first time the captain had revealed personal bias during a mission. With Mitchell it was always cut-and-dried: the mission and the team came first. Brown called that professional bias. Still, Mitchell could have ordered Brown to take Rutang and Ramirez to grab one of the agents. Brown could have dragged the medic, albeit slower than two guys could. But Mitchell was all about them double-teaming his buddy. Even the CIA guy had called him out on it. Interesting.

Diaz's round hit the Taliban insurgent squarely in the chest, and it appeared as though he had swallowed a grenade. The RPG he'd been shouldering hurtled away like a boomerang, trailed by what was left of him.

People often asked if the grim nature of her job ever got to her. They'd ask about how the military prepares you for killing people. She didn't talk about that. She just did her job like she'd been taught. She removed targets and did everything she could to detach herself from the emotions. She thought of the operators to her left and right, her friends. She ignored the fact that the men she killed could have families they'd be leaving behind.

But was it possible to kill with no guilt, no remorse? Maybe for some.

It was Diaz's subconscious that got the best of her. There were always demons who rose from the bogs of night and marched through her quarters, dripping blood and growling that they'd returned for revenge.

She'd bolt awake, chilled and soaked in sweat. But she knew that this came with the territory. Adapt and move on, she always said.

Diaz probed the mountain once more, spotted a second guy lifting his RPG.

At the same time, Ramirez reported that he and Brown were nearly at the chopper with the two CIA guys. That was good, but if Diaz didn't tag this next guy . . .

As she homed in, the din of gunfire and helicopter engines narrowed into her breathing, only her breathing, as though she wore scuba gear and was back at the reef in Cozumel.

Right now, as far as she was concerned, there were only two people in the entire world, and she would reduce that number by exactly one.

The reticle hovered over the guy. He wore a heavy woolen pakol pulled down over his ears. He was turning toward the Black Hawk when Diaz took her shot.

At the very least she anticipated a puff of smoke from his chest, perhaps a small amount of blood.

Nothing. She had missed.

What the hell?

Carlos and Tomas screamed with glee in her ears.

A cold panic rushed up Diaz's spine as she resighted the man and fired, but it was already too late. Yes, he died, but his RPG was already airborne.

Ramirez glanced away and grimaced as Agent Vick, who was seated in the snow next to his partner Saenz, finished coughing and puking.

"Glad you came back," said Saenz. "We know where we stand with your captain."

"We evac the most seriously wounded first," Ramirez said through his teeth.

Saenz grinned and snorted. "Whatever you say, soldier." He regarded Vick. "Look at him. All this running around and the drugs . . . we're getting sick."

"And you're getting out of here," Brown said, hauling Saenz to his feet.

Ramirez got behind Vick and struggled against the big guy's considerable girth. "Promise me something," he said in the agent's ear. "You won't throw up on me, will you?"

Vick began coughing again.

"Oh, man," moaned Ramirez, guiding the man forward. "Here we go."

The captain and Diaz, along with one of the chopper's door gunners, did an outstanding job of keeping the insurgents along the mountain busy while Ramirez and Brown ushered the agents out of there. The pilot had pulled off his spot and now wheeled overhead to engage the enemy. But once he saw them nearing the ridge, and Ramirez gave him a shout to confirm that, he swung around and descended.

With the Black Hawk in its deafening hover, they seized the harness and line. Vick got buckled in and went up first. Saenz followed, and even as he was halfway up, just a meter from being pulled in, he took a round in the shoulder, making Ramirez curse and holler for the guys up top to move faster.

Then a flash came from the corner of Ramirez's eye: one of the Taliban fighters had launched a rocket-propelled grenade.

Ramirez screamed over the radio for the pilot to lift off.

As the engines roared, he and Brown dove from their little ledge, dropping at least two meters into a huge snowdrift below.

Just as Ramirez was swallowed in all that white, the RPG hammered into the mountainside, heaving up fountains of rock and shrapnel.

And yet the snow kept coming, shielding Ramirez at least a little, large pieces of snow and ice resembling foam rushing over his head as he slid down several more meters and came to a jarring halt.

Brown stopped with a blast of snow beside him.

Ramirez flailed his arms, relieved that he was buried only a quarter meter deep in the snow. He sat up as the chopper arced overhead through the starlit night, with Saenz just now being hauled into the bay.

Brown crawled next to him, his face barely visible behind his new camouflage suit of snow. "We're supposed to be dead."

"Ghost Lead, this is Black Hawk Two-Niner. I have your package on board, coming back around to pick you up."

"Negative, negative," replied Mitchell. "It's getting even hotter down here."

"Roger that. I got another valley directly east of your position. Got it marked on your tac map."

"Stand by." Mitchell ducked behind the rock and with a voice command pulled up his tactical map so that it filled his entire HUD. He spotted that second valley indicated by the pilot's flashing green designator. He zoomed in, saw how the more level ground provided a good LZ and that it put a hillside between them and the oncoming Taliban fighters. "Black Hawk Two-Niner, put down in that valley, and we'll rally on you."

"On our way, Ghost Lead."

"Okay, people, we're pulling out," Mitchell said over the radio. "Fall back on me." He glanced over at Diaz, who was just rising from the rock, getting ready to move.

Out past her, a figure rose from the ridge about thirty meters off, lifting his rifle at Diaz as a red diamond and outline appeared around him.

Mitchell cut loose with silenced rifle fire directly over Diaz's shoulder, dropping the guy as she turned and gasped. "Whoa. I owe you big time, Captain."

"I'll settle for a beer."

"You got it."

They charged off along the hillside, meeting up with Ramirez and Brown, then all four started up through the rocks, threading their way to the top. Sporadic fire tore into the ground ahead.

A brilliant yellow square lit up in Mitchell's HUD, indicating the chopper's new position in the landing zone, and he turned left, taking them along a much steeper embankment, the snow giving way beneath his boots.

Ramirez, pulling up the rear, opened fire and cried, "They're closing on us!"

Mitchell picked up the pace. The hill led them toward a pair of lone trees, then it would drop off again and roll out into the valley and the helicopter beyond.

He aimed for the trees, wary of every step.

Suddenly, Brown cried, "Diaz!"

Mitchell craned his head, just as Diaz, who'd lost her footing, went tumbling down the hill. She'd been smart enough to tuck her arms into her chest, but while that helped avoid a break, it made her a more streamlined barrel, and down she went for more than a dozen meters until she finally stopped, facedown, unmoving.

Reflexively, Mitchell started toward her, ordering Ramirez and Brown to hold position and cover him. Twice he nearly dropped himself on patches of ice hidden beneath the snow.

He reached her, fearing the worst. Slowly, he took her by the shoulders, rolled her gingerly onto her back.

She blinked, began coughing.

Mitchell sighed in relief. "Now you owe me two beers," he said, then seized her hand, helped her to her feet. Together they started back up the hill, with Ramirez and Brown above them.

They forged onward, back toward the trees, the snow deepening to shin height and topped with a thick ice crust.

Mitchell's calves and hamstrings soon burned. He thanked every PT instructor he'd ever had for forcing him to go farther than he ever thought possible. That kind of training paid off in spades during combat.

They began making better time and came within a stone's throw of the trees, but then Brown reported enemy contact: "I see six at the top of the hill. Make that seven! They're following!"

"Alicia, I'm not kidding now," said Mitchell. "We need to move!"

"Yes, sir!"

They charged together for the trees. Once there, they paused to catch their breath.

"We need you now," he said, cocking a brow.

She took up her rifle and inspected it for damage from the fall. "I'm good."

"Take out the first guy, and that'll get 'em thinking twice."

"Watch me."

Being on the wrong end of a well-coordinated sniper attack was most soldiers' worst nightmare. Men simply died, as though plucked from this earth by the hand of God. As they dropped, so did morale, while the paranoia grew to a fever pitch.

Mitchell took aim but held his fire, watching through his crosshairs as Diaz fired her first shot.

The lead Taliban fighter hit the snow, sending the others to their bellies and wishing they had ice picks to dig cover. They shouted about a sniper, and one gave orders for them to get up, but several others protested.

"Ramirez? Brown? Get to the chopper!" Mitchell ordered.

"Sir, even with the suppressor, if I fire again--"

"I know, they'll spot us. Once they're back up, I'll need one more shot."

"Roger that."

Mitchell stole a few seconds to consult the drone's intel one last time before he sent it flying back toward the border, where it would be retrieved by support personnel.

"Oh, man," he said aloud. Ignorance was bliss. He wouldn't even tell Diaz how many insurgents were about to reach the hilltop.

"Looks like they're getting ready to come up," said Diaz.

Mitchell crouched down beside her. "The second you fire, we're gone. Ready?"

"Yeah, hang on. Almost have the shot. Almost . . ."

A muffled bang came from Diaz's rifle, and the subsonic round traversed the hillside before the Taliban fighter in its path could blink again.

He toppled. Mitchell and Diaz wasted no time breaking from the trees.

"That all you got?" Diaz asked, jogging alongside him. "Move it!"

Mitchell smiled to himself. "That's three beers. Last one for the insult." He picked up the pace, boots now slipping across those hidden rocks and sheets of ice.

Near the bottom of the hill the grade grew steeper, forcing them to sidestep down to reach bottom.

Mitchell stole a look back over his shoulder.

What he saw left him breathless.

Finally, they started across level ground and into a field of scree, the broken and eroded rocks creating yet another challenge. Mitchell slowed to avoid several larger stones to their left.

"Come on, sir, we're almost there," hollered Diaz.

"I hear you," Mitchell answered. "Just don't look back."

Chapter Thirteen.

NORTHWEST WAZIRISTAN

AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN BORDER

JANUARY 2009

"Oh my God," said Diaz.

"I told you not to look back," said Mitchell.

"Saying that made me look back."

"Me and my big mouth." Mitchell tightened his grip on her wrist.

The Black Hawk, outlined in green on Mitchell's HUD, was churning up a storm that quickly enveloped them, ice particles needling into Mitchell's nose, ears, and cheeks.

He'd take the pain, because all that rotor wash helped conceal them. The Taliban fighters in pursuit, who'd come in a long stream across the top of the hill like a Roman army, had just lost sight of their targets.

But in a last-ditch effort, they fired anyway, rifles popping and echoing behind them as Mitchell and Diaz shifted to the left, around the external fuel tank and reached the open bay door. Brown was there to accept Diaz, and Mitchell spun around and returned fire until Brown called, "Captain!"

Mitchell turned back, just as one of the minigun operators collapsed forward on his gun, blood pooling down his face and neck. "Portside gunner's down," Mitchell cried.

"Captain, get on that gun," snapped the pilot.

With rounds sparking and clinking off the chopper as he climbed aboard, Mitchell cried, "Go! Go! Go!"

Brown and Ramirez had already unbuckled and were lifting the wounded gunner from his seat, and Mitchell immediately slid into his place, two-handing the Gatling gun and utilizing the AIM-1 laser pointer as he guided the six barrels back onto the hillside. He shifted his aim once more, easing the weapon left as the chopper pitched forward and gained altitude.

Showtime. He began hosing down the insurgents as they leapt forward, crashing onto their bellies to avoid his bead. Tracer rounds flashed from the spinning barrels like glowing arrows fired from a hundred bowmen until they burned out at 900 meters.

At the same time, all those hot brass casings were funneled out from the gun through a tube mounted on the fuselage, and as the pilot brought them around, they left long trails of clinking and tumbling brass in their wake.

The gun's reverberation sent chills rushing up Mitchell's spine. It was hard to imagine that he was firing roughly fifty bullets per second. He needed to carefully select his targets, too, since he only had 4,000 rounds of linked ammo in the box before he'd have to reload.

But the pilot didn't seem to care about that. "Come on, Captain, keep up that fire!"

Mitchell obliged, sewing a jagged seam in the hill, his HUD and the AIM-1 putting him on those red diamonds that quickly turned white as his hailstorm of fire left behind walls of flying dirt and snow and death.

As he and the other gunner maintained fire, Ramirez and Brown worked on Saenz and the wounded guy, though they were probably using hand signals since the racket inside the helicopter made voice communication impossible.

Reminding himself of all the good people who had been lost in Waziristan, Mitchell kept the minigun on target, drawing more lines through hordes of fighters before the Black Hawk rolled right and descended over the hill, on a course due east for the border.

He released his white-knuckled grip on the gun and slumped in his seat. Every muscle ached. He could sleep for a year.

A hand came down on his shoulder. It was Ramirez, who pointed to the wounded gunner, then to Saenz, and flashed a thumbs-up; both guys would make it.

Mitchell nodded and, as Ramirez returned to his seat, directed his attention to Rutang, still barely recognizable beneath his swollen face. The medic had been through several lifetimes' worth of combat, and Mitchell had been proud of his comeback after his battle with depression and stress. He'd gotten off the propranolol and was managing to be a good father. Mandy had had that second baby, a boy, who Rutang had said definitely resembled the FedEx guy.

As Mitchell sat there, growing numb from the cold and exhaustion, he wondered what would happen to his friend. Could Rutang bounce back yet again?

The Black Hawk set down on a small, deiced pad on the outskirts of Bagram Airbase in Kabul, Afghanistan. Mitchell asked Diaz if she would stick with Rutang, and they, along with Saenz, Vick, and the door gunner, were transferred to HMMWVs and driven off to the army field hospital. Mitchell took Brown and Ramirez with him to be debriefed by Major Susan Grey and the company commander, Lieutenant Colonel Harold "Buzz" Gordon.

They met inside a drafty, dimly lit Quonset hut used to store aircraft parts and loaned out to the Ghosts by the air force. Grey, bundled up and red-nosed, welcomed them with an uncharacteristically warm smile and led them over to a cluster of desks cast in the burnt orange glow of portable heaters positioned on the floor.

Lieutenant Colonel Gordon was leaning back in a chair, a notebook computer balanced on his lap. He squinted in thought and spoke softly into a boom mike with attached earpiece. He was speaking with the man himself, General Joshua Keating, whose gritty voice crackled all the way back from the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) in Tampa, Florida, and was loud enough for even Mitchell to overhear. Gordon was polite to the general, who was gunning to become commander of all of USSOCOM, but near the end of the conversation, his tone turned a little dark as he said, "Your patience is appreciated, sir."

Mitchell liked Gordon, whose white crew cut was trimmed weekly because being squared away was, in his words, the way God intended him to be. Mitchell appreciated Gordon's old-school tactics and belief that people made the difference. Technology only enhanced their skills.

There were some in the Special Forces community who were beginning to argue that putting boots on the ground had become too risky, too damaging, and too wasteful.

Gordon would refer to them by certain body parts and brush off their further assertions like lint from his sleeve. He was fifty-four years old and liked to say, "I was too old for this crap twenty years ago. You can imagine how much I'm enjoying it now."

The colonel said his good-byes, then suddenly bolted from his seat and shook each of their hands, saying, "Gentlemen, excellent work out there. Excellent. Please, have a seat."

"Sir, if you don't mind, I'll stand," said Mitchell as Brown and Ramirez flumped into chairs.

Gordon frowned. "I know, Scott, you're pissed about those insurgents at the pickup zone."

Mitchell shrugged. "I assumed they were on a rat line, holing up in the caves."

"We're still working on that, but you're probably right. We didn't pick them up until you were already at the zone. More air support would've turned it into a fiasco."

"What about the recovery mission? Still on?"

The colonel winced. "It's been delayed until those insurgents are out of there. On top of that, we got another front moving through. Wind speeds are too high. We'll need to wait till that passes--at least eighteen, maybe twenty hours."

"I'd like to be on that team."

"I know you would, but that maniac Wolde in Ethiopia has got his eyes set on Eritrea, and I suspect higher will want you there. I already want you there."

"Guess we're sleeping on the plane--again."

"Captain, we appreciate you helping field-test the new Cross-Com," said Major Grey. "We'll need your evals ASAP, though I hear we're still three to four years out before full implementation."

"That's a shame, because that's a damned fine system and a great piece of equipment."

"Yes, it is--for many reasons. Now, Captain, I do have a question. I was playing back your HUD recordings, and I noticed you corrected the sergeants when they were evacuating agents Vick and Saenz."

"That was our fault," Ramirez blurted out. "The medic was the most seriously wounded. We should have evaced him first."

Grey barely turned toward Ramirez, who was already swallowing and lowering his head. "Sorry, Major. Just thought you should know."

"I already know."

"Uh, to answer your question, Major, yes, I did correct them," said Mitchell.

"Why?"

Mitchell thought a moment. He could answer carefully, or he could get it all off his chest. "Let's back up a moment. I fought to be assigned to this mission. It was no secret that one of my best friends was out there. You knew I'd bring him home, and to be honest, I was going to make sure he got on that chopper--first. He was the most seriously wounded, and I didn't see a problem with that."

"Even though agents Vick and Saenz might have intelligence that is far more helpful than anything Sergeant McDaniel might have gathered? They've been operating along the border for a long time--much longer than your . . . friend."

"That's speculation. Those spooks might have nothing. And even if they have--"

"Once they've been treated, they'll be questioned."

"Yes, but they'll only give you so much. We all salute the same flag, but don't forget their paycheck--and bonuses--come from Langley."

Lieutenant Colonel Gordon sighed in disgust. "Major Grey, to be quite frank, I don't give a rat's ass what order the captain used for his evac plan. In my book, that's trivial. Point is, they all got out. End of story. And to be honest, I would've done the same damned thing."

"Thank you, sir." Mitchell narrowed his gaze on Grey and thought a curse.

Grey quirked a brow. "I just find it curious."

Outside the hut, on their way back to the field hospital, Mitchell stopped and turned to Ramirez and Brown. "You guys think I made a mistake?"

"Absolutely not," said Ramirez. "And don't let Howitzer get to you, sir. She was born pissed off."

"What about you, Marcus? You don't look so sure."

"I don't think it was a mistake, but . . ."

"But . . ."

"You know they're breathing down our necks, watching everything we do. If you show any bias at all, they know about it. That's all I'm saying. We've always been clear where we stand with you, sir."

Mitchell nodded. "It's the old reminder: don't let it get personal. I know. And if it were anybody else . . ."

"You did the right thing, sir," Ramirez said. "You heard the colonel. And what the hell did they expect? If they were so worried about you showing bias, they would've denied your request to lead this mission. Come on."

"Yeah. Well, there's no love lost between us and the CIA, and this didn't help. I think that's Grey's problem. I've put her in an awkward position."

"Like you said, we're all on the same team," said Brown. "Those spooks will figure that out. And they'll get over it."

It took another fifteen minutes to reach the hospital, and once there, Brown and Ramirez went off with Diaz to grab something warm to drink while Mitchell checked on Rutang.

To his surprise, Rutang was sitting up in bed, awake, an IV already in. A nurse there said they'd already drawn blood and that they'd had him scheduled for X-rays because of the blunt trauma to his head and face.

"Yo, Tang, what's up?" asked Mitchell in his best spirit-lifting tone.

"Scott, I think I'm done. Stick a fork in me."

"Whatever they drugged you with is wearing off. Your eyes look good."

"Don't change the subject. I told you, I'm done."

"Done with what? Filling your bedpan?"

"Between this and the Philippines . . ."

"Uh, let's see, you've had two missions that went south out of what, a hundred? It's like plane travel. You only hear about the crashes."

"That's what my cousin keeps telling me. The bastard just made colonel, too."

"Good for him. But we're talking about you."

He closed his eyes. "When they were beating me, I just kept thinking about Mandy and the kids, about how selfish I am for wanting to do this and how they were going to lose me--when this is the time they need me most. Everybody warns you about having a family."

"That's a cop-out."

He snapped open his eyes. "Then why is everybody single or divorced? Look at you."

Mitchell made a face. "Rutang, this isn't the time for career decisions. You focus on recovery."

"Yeah, whatever." He glanced away.

"Listen to me, bro. They'll come in here tomorrow, and they'll ask you a million questions. And can you do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Just don't be a wise guy. Answer the questions. The people I work for are not very patient."

"Who do you work for?"

"Those very impatient people."

Rutang rolled his eyes. "I won't embarrass you. And there is something I need to tell them. It's small, but you never know. When the captain's team got close to the arms dealers, they got out the big ear and eavesdropped on a conversation. They heard 'em say 'Pouncing Dragon' a couple of times."

"Well, that's something. Probably the code name for their operation. Maybe the intel people can trace it."

"I hope so. We died out there trying to stop those bastards."

"Your guys didn't die in vain--thanks to you."

"I ain't no hero, Scott."

"God, I hope not. You'd give us all a bad name."

Rutang shook his head. "Your cheering-up skills? You should work on those."

Mitchell smiled. "You work on getting better."

Chapter Fourteen.

MITCHELL RESIDENCE

FIFTH AVENUE

YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO

OCTOBER 2011

Mitchell parked the rental car outside the old house, making sure he was at least six feet ahead of the mailbox. Then he got out and opened the trunk to fetch his duffel bag.

Dad's blood pressure would rise because Mitchell had rented a foreign car instead of a GM. Dad had spent thirty years at the General Motors Assembly Plant in Lordstown, working his way up to foreman. He had taught Mitchell his fierce sense of loyalty to people, products, and ideas.

But Mitchell had a coupon, and he was decidedly more loyal to his own wallet. While Ghosts did receive bonuses and special allowances for clothing and food, keeping the world safe from terror and destruction still paid less than 60K a year. Sure, he had few expenses and a nice nest egg and retirement, but being frugal in an unstable economy was just plain smart.

However, none of those arguments would work on Dad.

Mitchell shut the trunk and checked his watch: 16:30 hours. He was thirty minutes past his ETA. Blame it on the airline. He drew in a long breath through his nose. Clean air. It was good to be home.

He had made a quick stop back in '09 for the holidays, feeling good about seeing everyone and about his work in Eritrea, and then there had been Cuba in the following year, with missions against those narco-terrorist Colombians. Mitchell had earned himself yet another Silver Star and had chosen to remain a Ghost Team leader, despite being slated for promotion and the promise of more pay. He'd forgo the money and remain behind a weapon instead of a computer. And when it was time to step off the battlefield, he'd return to Fort Bragg to become an instructor. He'd already done a few stints of that, was scheduled to instruct again, and enjoyed paying it forward.

Earlier in the year his missions in North Korea and Kazakhstan had gone exceedingly well. While he continued to keep himself out of the politics that threatened the security and success of nearly every deployment, it still frustrated him when the Ghosts scored a win that could never be shared with the public.

He started up the long walkway toward the house, a two-story Colonial Revival-style home built in 1920 with white shingles and a large American flag flying beside the garage door. This was Mitchell's boyhood home, and the older he got, the smaller the house seemed. It did have four bedrooms, with that second bathroom that Dad had added over twenty years ago. And most recently, Dad had erected a white picket fence around the entire property. Dad was a small-town boy with small-town sensibilities that would never change. "Now I'm living the dream," he'd said, marveling over the fence.

Mitchell mounted the steps to the porch and, with his attention focused on the sounds of the TV coming from inside, he nearly fell on his rump as he tripped over a radio-controlled car that he assumed belong to his little nephew Brandon, who at seven was unaware of Dad's strict policy regarding guest parking.

Mitchell gently booted the car aside, yanked open the screen door, then pushed in the heavy wooden one and yelled, "This is the United States Army. Put down your alcohol and come out with your hands up!"

He stepped into the entrance foyer, immediately accosted by the incessant ticking of Dad's tall grandfather clock and that smell, a cross between wood chips and wool, that always permeated the house.

His sister, Jennifer, who preferred Jenn, came rushing down the hall from the kitchen with her arms extended, crying, "Scott!"

She was the youngest of the four children, only twenty-nine, and Mitchell recoiled as he saw how much weight she had lost. The last time he'd seen her, just after baby Lisa had been born, she was at least thirty pounds heavier. While growing up, she had always been a bit mousy, avoiding eye contact when she could, and at barely five feet tall, it was easy not to notice her. Yet after the baby had been born, it was as if a new mother had been born, one who was loud and outgoing.

Now she was even thinner than before getting pregnant, and he barely took her in before her bear hug threatened to expel the airline peanuts from his gut.

When she released him, she pulled back and traced a finger over his sideburn. "Is that gray hair?"

"Ah, got some paint on me or something," he muttered.

"You're getting old, Scott."

"Thanks for the tip. Hey, uh, I almost killed myself out there on Brandon's car."

"Oh, that's not Brandon's. It's Gerry's."

Mitchell snorted. Gerry was Jenn's husband, a software designer who made serious money. They lived in Northern California in an 8,000-square-foot multimillion-dollar home. Despite his keen business sense and remarkable work ethic, Gerry obviously still liked his toys, big boy and little boy. "So where is the geek?" Mitchell asked. "I'll have him arrested for attempted murder."

"Shut up, you idiot. Hey, everybody! Scott's here!"

He followed her into the kitchen, where, as he had expected, Tommy and Nicholas were seated at the long bar nursing beers while watching a Buckeyes game on Dad's little thirteen-inch TV because Dad had the new plasma screen mounted in his bedroom.

Nicholas, who was now sporting a pair of trendy, plastic-framed glasses, had earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in mechanical engineering and had secured a tenure-track teaching position at the University of Central Florida.

Tommy was no good with the books and had always worked with his hands. For a while, he and Mitchell had both worked as assistants at the same auto repair shop in Youngstown, one now called Mitchell's Auto Body and Repair and owned by Tommy himself.

"Ten-hut," shouted Nicholas, who was second oldest behind Mitchell. "Knucklehead on deck!"

Mitchell came around the bar and gave his brother a firm handshake and what they liked to call a "man hug," not too close, buddy. "And there he is," Mitchell began as Tommy, just thirty-one years old, rose and offered his hand. "The last American bachelor and grease monkey."

"That was never me," said Tommy, giving him a slap on the back. "That's you."

"I married the army."

"Well, I have to tell you, Scott, my wife-to-be is a whole lot prettier than yours."

"Yep, lured away into the world of diapers and mini-vans, and all it took was a woman who'd actually have sex with you!" Mitchell slapped Tommy's newly soft gut.

That drew a big laugh from Nicholas and Jenn as Tommy frowned and shook his head. "Get a haircut," was all he could say; then he returned to the game.

Mitchell's hair was high and tight, as always. "Where's Dad?" he asked Jenn.

"He's out back in the shop."

"Hey, what time do we have to be there tomorrow?"

Tommy snorted, interrupting Jenn. "Why do you ask? You got plans? Too busy to see your brother get married?"

"If you want to know the truth, it was pretty hard to fit you into my schedule . . ." Mitchell's tone softened. "But I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Well, best man, you need to be at the church by eight thirty."

"Oh eight thirty. I'll be there. So you didn't tell me where Gerry is. And where's Angela?" he asked, the latter being Nicholas's wife of five years, also a scholar who refused to answer questions about when they were having kids.

"Angela's cooking, so they went to get stuff for dinner while we waited for you. We're having pot roast."

"I thought you were vegan."

"I am--three hundred and sixty-four days a year."

"You're a trip." He grinned and turned as Nicholas pushed a beer into his hand.

"It's great to see you, Scott." Nicholas was getting choked up.

"You, too. I'm going to go say hi to Dad."

Nicholas snickered. "Good luck. He's kind of cranky today."

"Today?" Mitchell winked and headed out past the sliding glass doors. He walked across the long backyard, the brown, gold, and orange leaves crunching underfoot.

Dad's woodworking shop was actually a two-car garage he'd had built about a year after Mom had died. Dad had spent many weekends cutting, routing, sawing, and sanding, and everyone said it was good therapy for him. Mitchell was only fourteen when Mom had died, and her loss was devastating to them all. She had been born in Latvia, in the Saldus district, and Mitchell could still hear her thick accent: "You must do your homework. You must study. You must not throw away the great opportunities of your life!"

She had worked hard to become a pharmacist, and when she had passed, Mitchell had taken on the role of rearing his younger siblings because Dad worked overtime to support them. But Dad still managed to teach Mitchell a strong sense of leadership that he passed on to his brothers and sister.

Mitchell crossed around to the side door, which was cracked open. "Dad?" He pushed open the door.

His father, William David Mitchell, had donned a pair of denim overalls, and his sizable gut tented up the central pockets. He had a flat-sided carpenter's pencil behind his ear and was staring down the edge of a long piece of pine he had balanced on one of his tables. Dad glanced up, a thin layer of white stubble rising from his jaw. "Well, well, well, the prodigal son returns home in his foreign-made rental car."

"You haven't been here the whole time?"

"Nope. I saw you pull up."

"And then what? You came running out? You trying to avoid me?"

"You?" He chuckled under his breath. "You know I hate all that hello crap. Damn house is so noisy with everybody here."

"Nice to see you, too. What are you making?"

"A tortoise table."

Mitchell's mouth fell open. "A what?"

He grinned. "Just kidding. Your sister forwarded me a couple of your e-mails way back when. All those weekends out here with me, and you're not even building furniture anymore? Doghouses and turtle houses?"

"I just finished up a real nice piece for my company commander. It's a custom footlocker for stowing military mementos. I even engraved it."

"Yeah, well I'm working on a nice box myself. Figure I'll save you kids a lot of money once I croak."

"What do you mean? You're not . . . you're building your own coffin?"

His eyes widened. "Absolutely."

"Dad, is there something you want to tell me? I thought the stress test went okay."

"It did."

"So what are you doing? Tommy's getting married tomorrow. Does marriage make you think about--"

"No. It makes me think about your mother. About missing her. That's all. I'm happy for your brother."

"You don't think this is weird?"

"It's morbid, yeah. But weird? Nah. It's smart. We'll save a lot of money, and I'll go out in style, in a box I made. You can't beat that."

"Whatever you say." Mitchell shifted up to his father and gave him an awkward hug. "They're making a pot roast."

"I know. I say we eat, get drunk, and you can tell us all about your missions. You got any juicy stuff? You meet any beautiful frauleins who are double agents?"

Mitchell chuckled. "Dad, it's all pretty boring."

"Uh-huh. And speaking of frauleins, you know Tommy's fiancee just hired an accountant--and she got invited to the wedding."

"And I should care because . . ."

"It's Kristin."

Mitchell slumped. "Oh, man."

"You haven't seen her in a long time."

"And I don't think she'd mind a few more centuries."

"Whatever happened between you two is water under the bridge. She's still single, and she teaches one of those kick-step whatever classes at the gym, too."

"How do you know? You've been talking to her?"

"She did my taxes this year. Gave me a good deal."

"But Dad, you know how it is. It never works out."

"One day it will. And I guess I'm just selfish, Scott. What can I tell you? Maybe you can fall in love with her, quit the army, and come back home so your old man can enjoy a few more years with his firstborn son."

"That's your plan?"

Dad wiggled his brows, then he frowned as his gaze lowered to Mitchell's bottle. "You come all the way out here with just one beer?"

"Take a break, Dad. Come on. You can build your coffin another day."

"Okay, but at the wedding, just don't ignore Kristin. Dance with her. Talk to her."

Mitchell gave a reluctant nod. "I'll try. Hopefully she won't draw blood."

Chapter Fifteen.

MITCHELL RESIDENCE

FIFTH AVENUE

YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO

OCTOBER 2011

The dinner conversation focused mainly on Tommy, who had been wise enough to have his bachelor party the weekend before his wedding. It had taken him three days to recover, Mitchell had learned. At least he hadn't come home with any new tattoos, just a world-class hangover.

Afterward, they'd had coffee and a triple-layer chocolate cake that, according to Jenn, weighed over five pounds. Mitchell had fended off their questions about his work, saying only that it was not as glamorous as they imagined.

Finally, they retired early for the evening. Mitchell would sleep in his old bedroom and, as expected, Dad still hadn't changed a thing. The dog-eared and fading Metallica and Michael Jordan posters still hung from the back wall; the Atari 2600 game console still sat atop Mitchell's dusty old Zenith; and the Uncle Sam poster--I Want You for U.S. Army--was still tacked to the wall above Mitchell's bed.

In fact, Dad had left all of the kids' bedrooms untouched. Mitchell assumed that all the memorabilia made Dad feel less alone. Jenn had been arguing with him for years to get rid of everything, sell the old house, and get a nice little house in The Villages, Florida. Dad would have none of it. He still had a few more years to go before retirement, and with work and his woodshop, he was "too busy to even think about that."

Even Mitchell's comic book collection still sat in plastic milk crates inside his closet. He thumbed through the stacks, pulling out an issue of DC's Sgt. Rock and another, Marvel's The 'Nam, both among his favorites. He brought them back to the nightstand.

After stripping down to his T-shirt and boxers, he sat on the bed and looked around. He could never have imagined that the little boy sleeping in this tiny room would, years later, travel around the globe. He was just a small-town kid who had joined the army because he couldn't afford college and had planned to use his GI Bill benefits to help pay for tuition once he got out. He and thousands of other guys had the same idea.

But army life suited Mitchell. The camaraderie, the loyalty, and the pride he felt were unlike any he had experienced in civilian life.

One night at the hospital, just a few days before the cancer had taken Mom, she had held his hands and said, "Scott, just remember, you are a very special boy. You were not born to live an ordinary life. Do everything you can to make the best of it. I know you will make your father and me very proud."

He never forgot those words, and he often thought that his mother somehow knew what would happen to him.

Mitchell shut off the main light, flicked on the small reading light on the nightstand, and settled down for a good read before turning in.

There were two things about the wedding that Mitchell dreaded, and he was about to get past the first.

He stood in his dress blues beside Tommy and his new bride, Rebecca, along with over one hundred guests in the banquet hall. With a flute of champagne in one hand, a microphone in the other, best man Mitchell cleared his throat.

"All right, everybody. I'm Scott, Tommy's older brother, and for those of you who know me, I'm not much of a speech maker. We soldiers leave that to the politicians. But I did want to share a little story with you." Mitchell pulled from his breast pocket a few index cards and stole a glance down for his prompt. "When Tommy was in third grade, he used to get a lot of homework. And he'd sit at the kitchen table and start crying about it."

That drew aws from the women and a big roll of the eyes from Tommy.

Mitchell continued: "Nick and I used to make fun of him, but then we started talking, making him realize that he spent so much time crying about the homework that he could have finished it in that same time. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Tommy's always been the most emotional one. Dad likes to call him high-strung. And maybe he does wear his heart on his sleeve, but no matter what he does, he always puts his heart in it. That's why I know that he and Rebecca are going to have a great marriage. We Mitchells do everything to the best of our ability, and Rebecca, I'm sure you already know that, otherwise you wouldn't be marrying this knucklehead. And while it's true that Tommy still hasn't stopped crying--but now it's over bills instead of homework--he's become a great man who will make a great husband. Tommy? Rebecca? Here's wishing you all the love and happiness in the world."

Mitchell had barely finished his champagne when the music suddenly returned and a hand locked onto his wrist. "You bastard, you made me cry."

He glanced up into Kristen Fitzgerald's watery eyes. One dreaded duty down, one dreaded encounter to go.

"Dance with me," she demanded, hauling him out on the floor before he could set down his empty flute. She wrapped her arms around him.

Thankfully, the DJ was playing a ballad. All he had to do was rock back and forth while becoming intoxicated from the champagne and Kristen's perfume.

He had been avoiding her all night, despite Dad's nagging, and she'd done the same.

But a breakdown was, of course, inevitable.

Because in Mitchell's expert opinion, she was as spectacular as ever. Her strawberry blond hair curved back into an elegant bun, and her diamond stud earrings flashed brilliantly. The maroon gown with shawl complemented every angle of her athlete's body.

"You smell good," she said.

"I took a shower."

"I hate you," she suddenly blurted out.

"I know."

"Don't step on these shoes. They cost me over a hundred bucks."

"Okay. You're trembling."

"Shut up." Her gaze dropped to his medals.

"What are you looking at? They're just a bunch of medals."

"Right." She came in closer, put her head on his chest. "Feels like we're back at the prom."

"Yeah, I slept in my old room last night. And, uh, can I ask you something? Why are you being so nice to me?"

"I don't know."

"Well, I like it."

"Really? Don't get used to it."

"Look at my father over there. He's watching us like a hawk."

"He's a good guy."

"I'm worried about him. He's building his own coffin."

"He's an eccentric."

Mitchell nodded. "You know, if we stay out here any longer, they're going to start talking about us."

"I know. When are you flying out?"

"Tomorrow morning."

She lifted her head and locked gazes with him. "After this is over, you're coming home with me."

"I am?"

"You questioning my orders?"

"No, ma'am."

"Then be quiet and listen to me complain. I can't believe after all these years you still haven't learned to dance."

They were tipsy but hardly drunk by the time they left the banquet hall. Kristen drove them in her little white sports car back to her condo, a two-bedroom affair that was also home to her two cats.

She had lots of big, country-style furniture and had an affinity for plaid. The place felt homey and clashed with her sophisticated gown and hairstyle.

"I need to be back to the house by oh seven thirty," he said. "I have to get to the airport, return my rental car, and make my flight."

"Tomorrow's Sunday. Don't worry about it. I'll get you there."

"Kristen, I shouldn't be here. All we're doing is torturing ourselves."

She pulled her hair out of the bun and shook free her long curls. "No. It's not like that at all."

An hour later, they lay in silence, just watching the shadows shift across the ceiling as headlights filtered in through the long windows.

She leaned over and began tracing the scar on his belly. "What happened here?"

"Stupid accident in my shop."

"It's a strange-looking scar, like one of those Asian tattoos or something."

"Why aren't you married?"

"I don't know. Maybe the same reason you aren't."

"Your job takes you all over the world for years at a time?"

She hissed. "You know what I mean."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. It's our luck."

"My dad thinks I'll fall back in love with you, quit the army, and stay here."

"I don't think that's what he wants for you."

"Oh, yeah it is."

She shook her head. "Back in April, when I went over to the house to drop off his taxes, I caught him out in the shop, staring at a picture of you. He's got it hung on the wall above his workbench."

"There's no picture there."

"There was. Your dad showed me a red, white, and blue ribbon on your uniform. He said it was the Silver Star. He said you had to do something very special to earn that."

"So that's why you were looking at my medals?"

She nodded. "We have a saying around the office. Do you know why J. Edgar Hoover hired only lawyers and CPAs when he formed the FBI? Because of our meticulous attention to detail, our curiosity, and our persistence."

"What are you really trying to say?"

"I'm saying that after I talked to your dad, I went online to the Silver Star registry, saw your name there twice."

"Yeah?"

"Then I clicked on the citation block."

"Really?" Mitchell began to tense. Had the army actually left that door open? Impossible.

"Yeah, and all they said was 'classified.' "

Mitchell relaxed. "Everything's classified."

"You should be recognized with much more than just medals."

"It's not about recognition. It never was."

She leaned over and ran her fingers along the side of his face. "Scott, I've had a lot of time to think about what happened to us."

"Me, too. More than you know."

"I always asked why, and then, last April, when I talked to your dad, I finally got my answer."

"Really?"

"Yeah, that's why I brought you here. Not to torture us." She took his hands in hers.

"Aw, man, please don't cry."

Her voice cracked. "I want you to know that I get it. I used to think you were selfish. You loved the army more than me. But that's not it at all, is it?"

His own eyes burned. "Sometimes I wonder, if I don't do it, who will?"

"I know. Those that can--do."

"Yeah."

"Most people have no idea what duty really means. I never did."

He nodded. "Sometimes it's so hard."

"I can't even imagine." She squeezed his hands. "But listen to me. You can't stop. Because we need you."

She dropped him off at the house by 0710, and before heading inside to wake up everyone and say his good-byes, Mitchell skulked his way back to the workshop, Special Forces style, and went inside.

He crossed over to Dad's main workbench, saw a nail in the brown wall and a rectangular square where the paint looked darker and was not coated by a layer of dust.

Indeed, a picture had hung there. Mitchell opened one of the bench's side drawers and found it.

So Dad had remembered the picture at the last minute and had rushed out to the shop to hide it. He was proud of his son but too self-conscious to show it.

Mitchell slipped the frame back into the drawer and smiled. Kristen had given him much more than she knew.

This was a homecoming he would never forget.

Chapter Sixteen.

THIRTY-FIRST GROUP ARMY HEADQUARTERS (NMR)

SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES OFFICES

XIAMEN, CHINA

FEBRUARY 2012

Special Operations Forces of the Nanjing Military Region of China were code-named the Flying Dragons, and consequently People's Liberation Army Colonel Xu Dingfa had suggested back in 2008 that the operation be called Pouncing Dragon, since colleagues from his old Special Forces group would play a key role in the attack on Taipei. The name had remained unchanged for all that time.

At the moment, he was seated in his office, sharing a cup of morning tea with his most esteemed colleague, Major-General Chen Yi, commander of the entire region. Only a select few were aware of Chen's visit, and Xu understood why the general did not want to discuss matters electronically or over the phone.

"As you predicted, the time is drawing near," Xu said, lifting his chin at a copy of the Beijing Daily resting on his desk. "They completed their negotiations yesterday morning."

Chen smiled knowingly, his lazy left eyelid barely moving. "Spring comes early this year."

Taiwanese officials had announced that they had reached an agreement with the United States to forgo three diesel submarines for one new-conversion Ohio-class SSGN. The Ohio SSGN was capable of ripple firing 154 Tomahawk Cruise Missiles. No modifications were needed to Chingshan, Taiwan's recently completed secret submarine pen carved into a mountainside on the east coast. This was the first nuclear submarine the U.S. had ever considered selling to a foreign government, though Xu knew that the sale was subject to ratification by Congress.

If all went well, their government would deem the sale a provocative act and deploy additional ground troops to its military facilities from Shanghai to Xiamen.

Live-fire and force-on-force concentration exercises, along with aggressive amphibious operations exercises would commence immediately.

Moreover, the country's Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA)--the phrase coined to outline the military's desire to build a smaller, more technologically advanced force--had resulted in the creation of many more high-tech units designed to target enemy communications and computer systems as well as jam the guidance systems of precision-guided munitions.

These smaller, better-equipped units, along with Xu's Special Forces teams, were exactly what the Spring Tiger Group required to initiate the first stage of its plan.

Tigers born in spring were on their own after the second year, the third spring, but Xu and his group had been waiting much longer than that to exact their will when others in Beijing were too cowardly to do so. The time had drawn near for the East and West to vie for supremacy in the Pacific.

"General, we will continue to monitor the situation very closely. I trust you will notify me when it is time to prepare for the final session."

"I will send the usual courier." Chen's attention turned to the photograph on Xu's desk. "And you may tell your parents that it will not be long now."

Xu nodded. After a long night of drinking, he had, quite regretfully, shared that most intimate story with the general, whose own lifelong frustration with the government motivated him to act. Chen stood. "I have a very busy day and a plane ride this afternoon. I will be meeting with the deputy director tomorrow."

Deputy Director Wang Ya of the Central Military Commission's General Political Department advised one of the most senior members of the PLA. Wang was a zhengzhi junguan (political officer), a graduate of the Chinese Academy of Military Science, a member of the State Council appointed by the National People's Congress (NPC) at the thirteenth National Congress. Chen would speak with the group's most powerful ally in the compound in western Beijing. From the beginning, Wang had offered his strong but silent endorsement of the Tigers' activities. When the time came, Wang's influence would be invaluable.

"General, thank you for coming. I will await your message."

"Excellent. And remember, when the time comes, we will need to move very quickly."

"I understand, sir."

As he showed the general out, Captain Fang Zhi was waiting for him in the outer office.

Fang hurriedly entered and said, "Have you heard the news?"

Xu grinned. "Hours ago, my friend."

"Do you think the time has come?"

Xu hesitated.

During the past four years he and Fang had become close friends. Neither of them had performed very well at the Olympic Games, but it was there that they had forged a relationship.

Once Xu had managed to secure a commission for Fang in the PLA, he had very slowly, very carefully, introduced Fang to his colleagues. Fang had, indeed, shared intimate knowledge of American and allied Special Forces operations and tactics. But Fang had still come from Taiwan, and Xu had been warned by Chen and others that Fang should never be fully trusted.

Consequently, Fang was quite aware of the group's existence and its membership, but he was not part of its inner circle and unaware of the exact nature of its plans. His task, as always, would be to lead the security teams whenever the group convened.

Xu finally answered, "Has the time come? I don't know. It's true we've been waiting for a long time, but conditions must be perfect. Don't forget the other opportunities that have come and gone. We must be patient."

"I understand."

"However, I would like you to go up into the mountains, meet with those elders, and see if we might secure that meeting place we discussed."

"Do you have an exact day and time?"

"Not yet. But I want you to see how quickly they can accommodate us."

"I will take care of it immediately."

With his heart pounding, Fang Zhi left Xu's office and climbed into his Brave Warrior, a new four-wheel-drive off-road vehicle that resembled a smaller version of the American Hummer and was painted olive drab. He left the Group Army Headquarters, heading east for the inland mountains.

Soon the paved roads turned to dirt, and he rumbled past the cold streams and brown forests that would soon warm and return to their lush green. In some areas where the houses were completely shaded by trees, the only signs of civilization were the power and phone poles lining the path.

The road grew steeper, more tortuous, with large limbs overhanging the truck. Fang had only visited the site at night, and he took a moment to marvel over the beautiful countryside. This was his home.

His only wish was that Xu would finally trust him. He sensed the secrets in his friend's tone, and for the past four years, Fang had bided his time, hoping he would eventually be allowed to join the Spring Tigers as an equal partner. He might lack the higher rank of the others, but he was and would continue to be a valuable consultant on the enemy's tactics, techniques, and procedures.

Fang knew he shouldn't resent Xu if that never happened. His friend was under the pressure of his colleagues, and so it was up to Fang to continue to prove his worth and loyalty.

He drove for nearly two more hours, heading down into a remote valley where a lone Hakka castle, surrounded by steep mountains and thick forests, sprang up from the earth like a quartet of nuclear missile silos: rings with hollow centers.

The Hakka people had, over the course of centuries, migrated from Northern China to settle in the south. They had a long and rich history, and most notably, a unique form of architecture: round, earthen castles constructed of clay, ash, and bran. These structures rose as high as four or five stories, and some had been in place for over one thousand years.

As Fang neared the castle, the four round buildings with mushroom-shaped rooflines grew more distinct, along with a central square structure that also contained a courtyard. Nearly one hundred people lived and worked around the castle. The ground floors were reserved for storing food, cooking, eating, and socializing, while the upper floors were used as living quarters. The youngest people resided on the top floors.

The main entrance was through a central gate, similar to the castles of Europe, and what Fang appreciated most about this particular castle were the tall wrought-iron doors that offered added security.

It had been Fang's suggestion to work out a deal with the Hakka to borrow their castle for meetings. The location was remote, easy to secure, and should the worst ever happen, the group would be surrounded by civilian shields, which could give an enemy pause.

Additionally, the Hakka, who were well paid for allowing them to use their facility, treated every member of the group like emperors. Most importantly, they were discreet, which had been a difficult challenge at other locations.

As Fang drove up the long path, then turned down the road, children playing along the embankment stopped and ran after his truck.

By the time he reached the gate, he'd drawn a small crowd of little ones, and one of the fourteen village elders, Huang, a gray-haired stick of a man whose pants were buckled high above his navel, shooed the children away and came toward Fang as he climbed out.

"Is this new?" asked Huang, his eyes widening as he ran fingers over the Brave Warrior's hood.

"You like it?"

"Very much."

"Perhaps I can get you one."

"No. I don't believe it."

"Believe it."

"All right. Now come inside for tea. You have no choice." Huang smiled tightly.

Fang followed him through the open gates and into the central courtyard. He glanced up at the women pinning clothes on lines strung between the curving balconies.

"I assume you've come to plan another meeting?" asked Huang as they crossed the yard.

"Yes."

"Well, the other elders have grown squeamish about all this. And the helicopters make too much noise."

"So your price has increased?"

Huang paused, turned back. "Yes, it has. And I will need one of those trucks."

Fang tensed. "I'm sure we can reach an agreement."

They turned into a narrow hallway that took them into a modest-sized eating area with wooden tables and fireplace.

But before Huang could fetch them tea, Fang glanced back, making sure they were alone.

Abruptly, he drew the sword cane he kept buckled to his side, reared back, and struck a solid blow to Huang's shoulder, knocking the old man to his knees.

Huang gasped, one hand going to his wound. "Fang! What are you doing?"

Fang lifted the sword, balancing it a hairsbreadth away from Huang's nose. "I'm reminding you, old man, that we are not to be threatened. We've made you a generous deal. And I will get you that truck, but our price is the same."

"All right. All right."

"You tell the elders that they should remain squeamish, because if they change their minds, I am unsure what terrible things will happen here."

"Fang, you don't have to do this."

"It would seem I do. Now then, I won't be staying for tea. Tell the others we will be coming soon." Fang pulled a cell phone from his hip pocket and placed it on the ground beside him. "Keep this turned on. Keep it with you at all times. I will call. Be ready. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

Fang's sword hissed as he slid it back into the cane, then he offered a hand to Huang, who glanced at it, then finally accepted. "You see?" Fang asked with a broad grin. "Everything's better now."

Chapter Seventeen.

CENTRAL MILITARY COMMISSION (CMC)

MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE COMPOUND

BEIJING, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Captain Zuo Junping, the twenty-eight-year-old military attache to Deputy Director Wang Ya, crawled out from beneath his stack of intelligence reports and greeted the leonine Major-General Chen Yi. The general had flown up from Xiamen three times in the past month and had remained in Beijing for a week, meeting daily with the deputy director.

That one commander from a single military region could gain so much of the deputy director's attention might have struck outsiders as odd were it not for recent events.

Since the U.S. had announced the sale of that submarine to Taiwan nearly thirty days prior, the entire Nanjing region had been at the highest military alert, and the office had been flooded with intelligence. The PLA's "training" exercises in the Taiwan Strait, along with the repositioning of troops, had resulted in the U.S. deploying a second carrier task force to the area as the American president continued to rattle his saber and caution the Chinese government about making any moves against Taiwan.

In response, China's air force had repositioned fighter and aircraft bomber squadrons, and on recommendation of Deputy Director Wang, the commander of the PLA Navy had ordered two Shang-class nuclear fast-attack submarines from its North Sea Fleet at Qingdao to the East Sea Fleet. That action doubled the number of Shang-class subs under operational control of ESF Vice Admiral Cai Ming, a fact quickly publicized online via the PLA Daily English News.

And just today, after a long month of uneasiness, the president, vice president, and premier of Taiwan, obviously threatened by China's significant show of force, had agreed to declare martial law. Chinese agents and sympathizers were being rounded up and imprisoned while the government and the Pan-Green Coalition--composed of the Democratic Progressive Party, the Taiwan Solidarity Union, and the Taiwan Independence Party--now threatened to declare Taiwan's independence from mainland China.

The Americans had a metaphorical term for such a situation; they called it a powder keg.

Zuo showed the general into the deputy minister's office, closed the door, then returned to his chair. He wrung his hands and thought of slowing his pulse. It was just another day. Nothing to worry about. When it was over, he would return home to his little apartment and relax with a bottle of Tsingtao and a pack of cigarettes.

Life had been much easier back in the United States. Zuo had done his undergraduate work at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, earning an engineering degree. The following year he had enrolled in a joint program with Drexel University in Philadelphia to earn his graduate degree.

While in the United States, he had stayed with a host family whose son was an army captain, and they had developed a strong friendship. Moreover, Zuo's perceptions of America and American culture were transformed during his four years of study. A country he had once described in a school paper as the home of the corrupt and selfish had become something very different.

His home.

Knowing that Zuo would return to China to perform his "sacred duty" as a citizen and serve in the military, representatives of the U.S.'s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) had recruited him as an operative with the promise that if he worked for them for no less than six years, they would help him defect and become an American citizen.

Zuo had agonized over the decision for months, but finally he had agreed.

After returning to China, he had assumed his military duties and also taught classes at the Chinese Academy of Military Science, where Deputy Director Wang had discovered him teaching the Citizen-Soldier in American Society course. Wang had been impressed by Zuo's scholarship, public speaking abilities, and keen sense of humor. Despite Zuo's youth and lack of experience, Wang had taken him under his wing and become his mentor. Wang's own ego was bolstered with every success that Zuo achieved.

Indeed, Zuo's remarkable ascension in the PLA was beyond his American employers' wildest dreams, and they had made him offers to extend his contract for another four to six years (he had already worked five). It seemed the higher Zuo rose, the less chance he would have of actually leaving the country.

Consequently, he had turned down their offer and had responded with one of his own: begin plans to get him out of the country immediately. If they did so, he would turn over intelligence he had gathered for the past two years on an operation known as Pouncing Dragon, one the DIA had queried him about in 2009, when they had first heard the phrase in Waziristan.

Zuo told them he had names, dates, and a forthcoming meeting day and time, but he would not deliver them unless they got him out of China. He was waiting for their reply.

As much as it pained him to abandon his post and leave his mother and ailing father behind, Zuo knew that the United States was where he belonged.

And he knew that if he remained at his post much longer, the deputy director would eventually discover his activities and, on a cold, dark night while Zuo was sleeping, a man would come into his apartment. They would call it robbery.

The deputy director clearly had a lot to hide, and Zuo's eavesdropping had yielded some puzzling blanks in his routines that left Zuo even more unnerved about the boss's connections and influence.

On the third Tuesday of every month, at exactly one in the afternoon, Wang made a phone call to a number in Geneva. And at least twice per month he took a clandestine lunch meeting outside the office.

Zuo wondered if the deputy director, like Zuo himself, had his own agenda. Zuo had considered asking the DIA if Wang was actually working for them. How ironic that would be, but no, that was hardly the case.

With a shivery sigh, Zuo returned to sorting and compiling his reports. In two hours he would need to brief the deputy minister on what was currently happening in the Taiwan Strait. However, Wang would only be half listening as he watched CNN via satellite and interrupted Zuo to decry the inaccuracies of the American media.

That night, as Zuo returned home to his apartment in a heavy rainstorm, he spotted a man in a dark blue raincoat huddled in an alcove across the street from his building.

Zuo hesitated a moment to squint through the storm and realize that his DIA contact was waiting for him.

Lo Kuo-hui was about Zuo's age, and he, too, had been an international student studying in the United States and had been recruited by the DIA.

Zuo crossed the street and reached the alcove, where he lowered his umbrella to shield them both from the wind. "I thought it would take longer."

"Not with what's happening now," said Lo.

"So?"

Lo grinned weakly. "They have accepted your offer. But they need your intelligence first."

"What guarantees do I have?"

"None, unless the intelligence is good."

Zuo reached into his pocket, withdrew his wallet, and produced a small flash drive the size of his thumb-nail. He handed it to Lo. "Tell them to review this. They can verify the GPS coordinates by satellite. The data is current as of today. Any changes that occur are beyond my control, but I will update them as I learn more."

"Very good. I hope this all works out for you."

"What about you?"

"I leave tonight. My work for them is finished."

"And they are getting you out?"

"Yes."

Zuo sighed. Maybe he could trust the DIA after all. There had always been lingering doubt. "Who will I meet next?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure they will send someone. Good-bye, Zuo." Lo turned up his jacket's collar and rushed off into the rain.

Chapter Eighteen.

ROBIN SAGE

" PINELAND "

NEAR FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA

APRIL 2012

Captain Scott Mitchell tucked himself tighter into the underbrush as the sputtering whine of a diesel engine broke the morning silence. The mud road just ahead wove away like a rusty red bloodstain through the forest.

A moment later, the old truck with a tattered tarpaulin covering its flatbed rounded a cluster of pines and jostled forward, trailing rooster tails of clay.

Mitchell, dressed in black civilian clothes with a black shemagh on his head, clutched the paintball gun replica of a Beretta Cx4 Storm rifle.

Today Mitchell's name was Jawaad, and he was the local guerrilla chief, or G-chief, in this part of "The People's Republic of Pineland," a fictional country whose unassuming name suggested a land of trailer parks rather than a war-torn nation. For the past six months, insurgents from OpForland, a country of political and religious unrest, had been smuggling themselves across the border to terrorize Jawaad's village. They had killed his father and two brothers.

Jawaad was here to strike back at the insurgents, liberate his country from oppression, and send a message to the enemy. He was here for revenge. To that end, he and his guerrillas, or Gs, had linked up with Operational Detachment Alpha 927, a twelve-man team of American Special Forces soldiers who had armed and been training them for the past two weeks.

In point of fact, the entire scenario was part of Robin Sage, a nineteen-day field training exercise (FTX) and the final phase of the eighteen- to twenty-six-month-long Special Forces Qualification Course taught at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center at Fort Bragg. The name Robin Sage was derived from Robbins, a nearby town, and from the man who had developed the exercise, Colonel Jerry Sage, one of the school's original commanders.

The exercise was conducted throughout fourteen counties and put operators through a grueling series of unconventional warfare situations in which they had to rely upon every aspect of their training, from mission planning to execution. Robin Sage was the final exercise before graduation and assignment to one of the operational Special Forces groups. To the men taking the course, passing the exercise meant everything.

But they had to make it past Scott Mitchell first.

Being the G-chief, Mitchell had already made it clear to the detachment commander, Captain Fred Warris, and the warrant officer, CW2 Baron Williams, that this was his show, and those guys had initially argued over that. Out there in the real world you sometimes had to trust the local chief you'd only known for a month, because if you didn't, you'd never get the job done. What's more, sometimes you had to let him lead because it was his fight and his honor at stake. That was difficult for many operators to accept, men who thrived on being in control.

Robin Sage training also incorporated the experiences of real-life soldiers like Mitchell, who had designed this particular scenario based upon an experience he'd had in Eritrea. The young Captain Warris was about to be overwhelmed.

Mitchell's breath grew shallow. The truck was about twenty meters from the trigger line now.

Close enough.

He burst from cover, ran onto the road, and began firing wildly at the vehicle, screaming at the top of his lungs, "For my father! For my brothers!"

Behind him, Warris began hollering, "Jawaad, what the hell are you doing? Come back!"

Mitchell kept firing, his paintballs exploding on the windshield of the truck.

Warris hollered even louder, "Jawaad, get back here!"

The truck's driver threw it in park and hopped out, along with a passenger: both OpForland soldiers armed with rifles. They dropped to their bellies and began returning fire, paintballs whirring past Mitchell, who was grinning to himself.

G-chief Jawaad had screwed up the entire ambush.

The ODA team and the guerrillas were supposed to lie in wait until the truck hit the trigger line, at which time one of Jawaad's men would toss a smoke grenade while a simulated claymore exploded, tearing apart the vehicle's front end.

Mitchell had, in his own way, just welcomed his students to Unconventional Warfare 101, where no battle plan survived the first enemy--or friendly--contact.

He continued running at the truck, taking fire from the enemy soldiers, paintballs striking his thighs and chest. He squeezed off a few more rounds and staggered forward, shouting once more about revenge until he dropped to his knees in the mud, fired again, then fell and rolled onto his side, crying, "Help! I've been hit! I'm hit!"

Now it was up to Warris and Williams to gain control of the chaos.

Mitchell lay there and watched as, across the path, one of the team's evaluators, Captain Simon Harruck, rose from the scrub to watch as the sergeant assisting him lifted his small camera to digitally record the event.

Warris ordered his engineers who'd been standing by on the claymore to circle around to the vehicle's rear, while everyone else opened fire on the truck, paintballs thudding and fountaining across metal.

Within five seconds the two enemy soldiers were "dead," and Warris called a cease fire. His engineers were the first on the vehicle and began unloading and busting open crates containing Meals, Ready-to-Eat and weapons caches.

Mitchell got to his feet. "ODA team? Guerrilla team? The exercise is terminated. On me right now!"

It took several more minutes for everyone, nearly thirty in all, to rally around Mitchell in the middle of the road. He shook his head at Warris. "You got two medics. Couldn't spare one to save my life?"

The captain furrowed his brows in confusion. "You ran at the truck, blew the whole ambush. You looked like you were trying to commit suicide."

"And now every G here is pissed off at you for letting me die."

"But you killed yourself."

"No, I was getting my revenge. And maybe that was more important to me than my own life. Or maybe I was trying to show my men how important their cause is. I was trying to teach them how to fight to the death."

"By running into fire."

"Maybe I martyred myself." Mitchell sighed and adopted a more conversational tone. "See, you don't know what these guys will do when it comes down to it. You always have plan B, which involves them betraying you or doing something crazy, like running into the road."

Warris nodded. "But we still accomplished the objective. Truck stopped, cargo seized."

"Maybe not. You put so much gunfire on that truck that you blew it up. Everybody should have held fire. You send out your medic and put your snipers to work to pin down the bad guys."

Warris swallowed, and Mitchell knew that every decision the captain had just made would weigh heavily on his mind. He was already wondering if his career was in jeopardy.

So Mitchell let him off the hook and added, "I know that one second could make the difference between living and dying, but you need to take that second and think, okay, I got a guy running at the truck. He's stopped the truck--which was what the claymore was supposed to do. We got no smoke, but the G-chief has all their attention. Let me get my marksmen on target. And yes, I know you need to make that assessment in one second. But we're not out in the woods because we're afraid of challenges. And for what it's worth, I did the same thing you did--just put tons of steel on target. I never sent the medic. The guerrillas turned it around and blamed me for his death. It took me a long time to win back their trust."

Warris considered that, muttered a "Whoa," then added, "Captain, I appreciate your honesty."

Mitchell offered his hand. "Lessons learned. So now that I'm dead, you need to figure out if you can still negotiate with my Gs and who's in charge--and sometimes even that can be a real headache. And oh, yeah, the Gs are going to loot those bodies, then after that, they might want to chop off their heads and put them on poles. How do you feel about that?"

Warris's eyes grew wide.

Mitchell gave a short nod to Captain Harruck, who began barking new instructions to the group as up ahead, an HMMWV came rolling forward and stopped. "Hi, I'm looking for Captain Mitchell," said the young PFC at the wheel.

Mitchell drew his head back. "Really, because I've been looking for you, Private"--he read the woman's patch--"Morgan."

"Sir?"

"Yeah, I haven't had a hot shower in two weeks. Can you take me to the nearest hotel?"

The private grimaced. "I'm sorry, sir."

"Yeah, I smell. You'll get over it. Just get me to a shower."

"I mean, I'm sorry, sir, they sent me up here to get you. I've been waiting back at your FOB all morning. Just got cleared to come up. I have orders to drive you back to Bragg--no detours."

Mitchell frowned. "Great." He climbed into the Hummer and collapsed into the seat, mud and paint splashing all over the floorboard. "Sorry about the mess."

"That's okay, sir."

He closed his eyes, hating that his driver, the pretty young PFC Morgan, could be Kristen's twin.

When they reached Bragg, Lieutenant Colonel Gordon and Major Grey were waiting. Gordon said they had the general breathing down their necks. Apparently, misery loved company. They ushered Mitchell directly into the nondescript Ghost offices and practically shoved him in front of the video monitor.

On the screen was General Joshua Keating calling from USSOCOM. The general's conservative haircut and tinted glasses belied his history as a Special Forces operator back in Vietnam and during the first Gulf War, where he'd earned drawers full of medals. He had degrees in history and business and had already penned a successful book about the history of Special Forces operations. He was even a graduate of the Harvard Executive Education Program's National and International Security Managers Course, and for the past decade had served in more command positions than even he could probably remember. Earlier in the year he had finally taken over as commander of USSOCOM, his dream post, Mitchell knew.

While some loathed and feared Keating, Mitchell got along with him just fine, in part because the general was a hands-on officer who understood the unique nature of Special Forces operations and considered it his duty to keep in close contact with his men on the ground. Sure, he was an impatient taskmaster, but he was also a straight shooter who never held back a punch. Mitchell found that refreshing.

Keating leaned forward, his breast full of ribbons standing in sharp relief against his starched and pressed class As, the new blue army class uniform having replaced the old green in 2011. "Mitchell, you look like crap."

He pawed self-consciously at the mud on his face. "Thank you, sir. I had another word in mind."

To Keating's right hung dozens of screens displaying maps, intelligence reports, satellite imagery, and live video streams from operators in the field, all of it coming together in a pixilated mosaic fluctuating with a life of its own. Over the general's left shoulder loomed a four-meter-tall, three-dimensional map of the Chinese coast and Taiwan, with green overlays and flashing grid coordinates drawing Mitchell's attention to several locations.

"Don't be a wise guy, Mitchell. I dragged you back from Robin Sage because we got a situation."

"Sir, I've been out in the woods for a couple of weeks. Haven't been online or seen a newspaper . . . but my fortune cookie tells me it's got something to do with that submarine sale to Taiwan."

"You bet it does."

"I see you got China on the big map."

Keating glanced over his shoulder. "Damned right I do, because our little standoff in the Pacific is about to go south real fast."

The general shifted his position to allow a smartly dressed woman in dark blue to appear on the screen. She was in her late forties, with brown hair streaked with gray and a pair of green-framed glasses slipped down to the tip of her nose.

Keating went on: "Mitchell, this is Dr. Gail Gorbatova of the DIA."

"Hello, Captain."

"Ma'am."

"The general wanted me to brief you on an intelligence report we recently received from one of our operatives inside the Chinese government. It concerns an operation called Pouncing Dragon."

"I haven't heard that name in a long time."

"Not since Waziristan, I presume?"

"Yeah."

"We've been tracking that lead for over three years now, and its finally borne fruit."

General Keating, already out of patience, jumped back in: "Mitchell, the DIA's mole has uncovered a group of Chinese commanders calling themselves the Spring Tigers. They got itchy fingers and their sights set on Taiwan. Our intel indicates they'll use this standoff to launch their own attack."

Mitchell shrugged. "Call China. Tip off their president."

"We can't trust them to handle this," said Gorbatova. "The deputy director of the political department is a silent partner. And the Chinese could allow it to happen, then simply blame it on this cabal of renegades. We can't give the Chinese that opportunity."

"Let me ask you something, Doctor. How reliable is your intel?"

"Our operative was recruited years ago. He's one of the best we have inside."

"Well that's good, because I assume when this conversation is over that I'll be staking my life on the accuracy of the information he's given you."

"We have no reason to believe otherwise."

The general jumped back in. "Mitchell, we have a list of every Spring Tiger. We also know they've scheduled a final planning meeting exactly nine days from now--and we have the time and location of that meeting."

Mitchell knew where this was going. "What's the dress? Casual? Or do I have to wear a tie?"

"Oh, it's a formal affair, son. Black tie only. You'll crash that party . . . and Mitchell, we need a clean, surgical strike. No prisoners. Do you read me, soldier?"

"Yes, sir."

"All right, pick a team, get an outload manifest ready, and get to Subic Bay ASAP. We'll have an ISOFAC set up, and by then your target intel package should be updated and ready."

When the general said "black tie," he meant black operation sans paper or electronic trials. They would literally wear black and carry nothing that could identify them as U.S. soldiers. No one would claim responsibility for their actions. Who could? The Ghosts did not exist.

Their Isolation Facility or ISOFAC would allow them to engage in the planning phase of their mission without interruption.

Finally, their target intelligence package, or TIP, would contain timely, detailed, tailored, and fused multisource information describing a host of elements related to the mission.

However, Mitchell didn't need to review their TIP regarding the infiltration phase. Their Black Hawk pilots would be sitting this one out. Mitchell and his people were going to Subic Bay to board a submarine, because that's the only way they could infiltrate the Chinese coast while armed for bear, or in this case, tigers.

Gorbatova's tone turned grave. "Captain Mitchell, I want to remind you that our operative took a huge risk to retrieve this data."

"What's he get in return? You helping him defect?"

"As a matter of fact, we are. I just hope you and your people can make it all worthwhile."

Mitchell nodded, then regarded Keating. "General, I'm wondering why you don't want SEALs on this one? With a sub infiltration, this sounds like a job for them."

"Are you kidding me, son? You don't want the job?"

Mitchell stiffened. "Sir, I didn't say that."

"You implying that I might be biased? That I picked an army unit to prevent World War III because I'm an SF operator myself?"

"Sir--"

"Well, you're damned right I did. You'll have two SEALs to assist with infil and exfil, and a couple of CIA agents to help you get closer to the target; otherwise, it's your show, Mitchell. And do me a favor--don't you get yourself killed on my watch. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then why are you sitting there? Get cleaned up and get the hell on a jet! I'll update you once you're in the Philippines."

Mitchell bolted from his chair and saluted the general. "On my way, sir!"

The screen switched to the computer's desktop, and Mitchell glanced wearily at Gordon and Grey. "Call the president. Tell him to hold up on World War III until after I've had a shower."

Grey smiled. "Speaking of calls, as soon as you have your list, send it over. A lot of operators are out on R & R, and we'll need time to get them back."

Mitchell nodded. "You got a pen? I already know who I want."

Chapter Nineteen.

TOWN OF BIG VALLEY

MODOC COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

APRIL 2012

Sergeant First Class Paul Smith, Ghost Team rifleman, was home in rural Northern California for a few weeks, and it was not two days into his R & R that his boyhood friend Hernando Alameda called to say that he could use a hand loading about two hundred bales of alfalfa hay onto some flatbed trucks. Hernando had taken over the farm from his recently deceased father, and Smith knew that he was shorthanded, so he couldn't say no to his old buddy.

Hernando was twenty-seven, a few years older than Smith, and he'd been complaining all morning about the difficulties of finding good help. He worked out his frustration on the bales of hay, loading twice as fast as Smith did, both of them sweating profusely. Soon the conversation turned to women, as it always did, and Smith asked about Hernando's longtime girlfriend, Vicki, who had sweet-talked him into financing a brand-new pair of boobs.

"She just dumped me last week," Hernando said between breaths.

"How many times is that?"

"Three."

"You don't need her."

"Nope."

"But you'll be calling later."

"Yup. I'm calling in the loan."

Smith grinned. "Damn that woman."

"Hey, your dad told me he's retiring next year."

"Yeah, I can't believe it. He's been sheriff of this Podunk county for thirty years."

"You ought to take over."

Smith laughed. "I joined the army to get away from all this horse dung."

"You hate us that much?"

"No, but come on, bro, you know my parents. Dad wanted me to be a rocket scientist. And they're both still mad about the whole college thing. But I have my own life now."

"And the army's that much better? You never thought about quitting?"

Smith shrugged. There had been a time, near the end of his fourth year as an infantryman. The service hadn't been as glamorous or challenging as he'd thought. He'd spent the better part of his life outdoors, hunting and fishing. He was a bushman at heart, and a lot of guys from the city used to say he had a sixth sense. They always put him on point, like a bloodhound. And that was great, but he'd grown bored.

"There was a time when I wasn't going to re-up," he told Hernando. "But then I met this Special Forces officer, and things changed."

"He gave you the sales pitch."

"No, he just came in to do some combatives and martial arts training. The guy was amazing. He told it like it was, and to this day I still remember his training philosophy."

"Which was?"

"Well, he thought the mental advantage was just as important as firepower. He told us our training should always be mission-specific. It had to be short, and it shouldn't require us to be flexible like gymnasts. And even though he was shorter and lighter, he dropped me like a bad transmission every time. He was the most professional soldier I'd ever met."

"No kidding. You never told me this story. I thought you just did it. But I was right. He convinced you to re-up."

Smith nodded. "After working with me, he said I was Special Forces material. What he didn't tell me was how the Q-Course would kick my ass, especially Robin Sage at the end. I thought I would die out there."

"What was the guy's name?"

"Captain Scott Mitchell." Smith's cell phone began to ring. He set down his next bale of hay and checked the screen. "Sorry, buddy, I need to take this."

7-ELEVEN CONVENIENCE STORE

DETROIT, MICHIGAN

APRIL 2012

Deciding to pick up a newspaper and a cup of coffee, Master Sergeant Matt Beasley, proudly sporting his dark blue Pistons jacket, climbed off his Harley Sportster and started across the rain-slick pavement.

It had been two years since he'd visited the old neighborhood, and he remembered hanging out at this very store, keeping tabs on the motley crew of characters with nicknames like Old Man Freddy, Busted Head Bob, and Wayne the Wimp.

Beasley had been a latchkey kid with decent grades, though he spent most of his time on the streets, just watching people, occasionally tipping off the police when he saw something that shouldn't be happening in his neighborhood. There had been plenty of opportunities to get involved with drugs and gangs, but Beasley had avoided those invitations. He'd seen too many of those punks get their faces shoved down onto the hoods of police cars. Those same punks often referred to him as the weird guy who never talked. That was fine with him. He was a student of human nature.

Beasley grinned as he locked gazes with a freckle-faced kid about sixteen or seventeen seated on the window ledge, hands jammed into the pockets of his dirty pull-over, black ski cap pulled down over his ears. His long, reddish brown hair wandered down past that cap, and he repeatedly backhanded his runny nose.

He was Beasley, half a lifetime ago.

The kid just looked at him, then averted his gaze. Beasley stepped inside, announced by the store's familiar ding-dong, and went to the coffee machine.

An elderly African-American couple stood at the counter, bickering with the heavyset clerk over their expired coupon for milk; otherwise, the store was empty.

Beasley finished making his coffee, grabbed his paper, and by the time he reached the counter, the old folks were gone. The clerk rang him up, and he left the store.

The kid was still there, watching. Beasley thought of asking why he wasn't in school but decided not to hassle him. Beasley had been on the other end of that conversation way too many times. Nearly slipping on the wet pavement, he crossed to his bike.

And just as he tucked his newspaper under his arm and was about to fish out his keys, something thudded against the back of his head. He glanced ever so slightly over his shoulder, saw the kid standing there, his arm extended.

"This ain't no toy gun. Your keys! Now!" The kid shoved his pistol harder into Beasley's skull.

"Easy, buddy. I was just pulling them out."

"You hand them to me. And you don't turn around."

"Okay."

Beasley drew in a long, slow breath to calm himself. He reached into his pocket, felt the keys, but he didn't grab them. He visualized his move . . . then made it.

Whirling and wrenching his hand from his coat, Beasley struck the kid's forearm with his own, then slid his hand down and ripped the gun from the kid's grip.

Dumbfounded, the kid gasped and stepped back, turned, about to run, then slipped in a puddle.

Beasley shook his head in disgust. "Better stay down, buddy."

Breathless, the kid rolled to face Beasley, tears forming in his eyes.

Beasley gritted his teeth. "What are you doing?"

"I don't know."

"What are you doing with your life? Throwing it away trying to jack me?"

Beasley wanted to tell this punk he was capable of so much more. He wanted to say that he'd sat on that very window ledge, yet he'd gone on to become a Ranger and even a team sergeant with the Ghosts. He wanted to scare this kid straight. But he already sensed his little speech would fall on deaf ears.

Abruptly, his cell phone beeped with an incoming text message, and the kid exploited the diversion to burst to his feet and take off.

Beasley was about to start after him, but something told him to check the phone. He took one look at the screen and muttered, "Whoa."

GOLD'S GYM

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA

APRIL 2012

Sergeant First Class Bo Jenkins had just finished his weight training routine and had decided to take a group cycle class. At six foot five, 280 pounds, he knew he looked a little ridiculous on the bike, but that had never stopped him from joining in the fun.

In fact, he always turned the class into a party, hooting and hollering as the instructor, Marcy, played her classic rock songs and his fellow riders, mostly middle-aged housewives, released their stress and angst over living in a place that was dark for way too many months a year.

Marcy was in her late thirties and liked to touch Jenkins's high-and-tight crew cut. He'd once told her that if he applied enough mousse, he could balance a full bottle of water on his hair, and the bottle would never touch his scalp.

She'd grinned. "You are definitely husband material with talent like that."

"Hey, you know, women are always looking for skills."

Now, as he was about to enter the class, his phone rang. It was Aunt Judy.

"Bo, you'd better meet me at the hospital. They've admitted your dad again."

His heart sank. "I'm on my way." He raced to the locker room to grab his bag.

After his parents had gotten divorced when he was fourteen, Jenkins had gone to live with his father in Anchorage, where Dad had become a commercial fisherman. Dad had spent most of his life on boats, and all that hard work and hard drinking had taken their toll. He had liver problems and a host of other issues that were steadily growing worse. And if it weren't for Aunt Judy, who had helped raise Jenkins, he wasn't sure how he'd get through now.

Watching his father slowly wither away was far more difficult than all those missions in the Philippines, Indonesia, Eritrea, and Cuba. They were nothing compared to standing in that hospital room and holding Dad's hand, remembering that he was the one who'd said, "Bo, I think you should join the army. You need focus. They'll give it to you."

Jenkins was the most physically imposing member of the Ghosts, joking that he sprinkled brass casings on his cornflakes instead of blueberries, but he wasn't strong enough to handle this. Not this.

He could barely breathe by the time he left the gym and headed out to his car. The phone rang again. It wasn't Aunt Judy. And Jenkins's heart sank even more. "No, no, no. Not now. Come on, not now!"

MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

APRIL 2012

"Alex, I really appreciate this. Just thought it'd be nice to see another life."

Sergeant First Class Alex Nolan smiled and lifted a thumb to shove his spectacles higher on his nose. It was a nervous habit that occurred every time someone embarrassed him or made him feel awkward. Even a sincere thank-you like the one Hume was offering could trigger the response. "Hey, man, it's cool. And don't feel bad. I didn't get to go here, either."

Nolan's buddy John Hume was a staff sergeant, anti-tank gunner, and demolitions expert with the Ghosts. He'd been in the Fifth Infantry Brigade in Iraq, had been an engineer sergeant on Special Forces teams, had fought in the Philippines and spoke fluent Tagalog, and was one of the first guys to befriend Nolan when he had been selected for the Ghosts as a senior medical sergeant. They were both a handful of years older than the average Ghost and had become fast friends. Hume had opted to spend the first few days of his R & R with Nolan in Nolan's hometown of Boston.

Hume had asked if they could visit MIT, and, after walking the campus, they had headed inside the museum to check out the Robots and Beyond exhibit featuring the work done at MIT's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

Despite all the fascinating displays, Hume couldn't hold his attention on anything for very long. His brother Billy had called from San Francisco to say he was upset that Hume hadn't come straight home to see their mother. It seemed that Hume's brother had become the caregiver for their elderly mom. Hume had made a rather terrible faux pas by opting to spend a few days with his buddy first. Nolan could tell his friend was upset and had even let him off the hook by saying it was fine if he had to leave.

However, Hume needed to see MIT. After high school, he'd been accepted and never been more proud of that, but his father had had a stroke, and he'd been forced to take over the family farm in Salt Lake City and had given up on his dream. But then his father had passed on and, after a few years, he'd met an old buddy from high school who'd joined the army and had presented an entirely different path for Hume to consider.

Hume raised his chin at the crowd watching a demonstration of a haptic interface that allowed robots to simulate a sense of touch. "Hey, Alex, these robots are going to take over the world. If they replace me with a robot, then you can forget about your certification and residency, forget all about being a hotshot combat doc and saving guys like me. You need to be a robot repairman."

"No, they'll invent robot medics. You know, we trained with one of those unmanned ground vehicles a few years back. They call them SUVGs. Thing was small but nasty."

"Yeah, I've seen those. I'd like to blow one up--just to say I did."

Nolan chuckled. "You were the kid who stuffed fire-crackers in the frog's mouth."

"No, actually, Dad and I put on some world-class fireworks shows. People came from all over to see them." Hume's voice grew thin. "Dad would've loved to have seen this place, too."

Nolan's phone began to vibrate, just as Hume's began to ring. They checked their screens.

Hume sighed. "My brother's really going to flip out now."

"Dude, we have to be in Subic Bay, and they're timing us," said Nolan, already breaking into a jog. "Come on!"

Chapter Twenty.

USS MONTANA (SSN-823)

SOUTH CHINA SEA

THREE HUNDRED NAUTICAL MILES SOUTHWEST OF

SUBIC BAY, PHILIPPINES

APRIL 2012

The crew of USS Montana, a Virginia-class nuclear fast-attack submarine, was bound for Sasebo, Japan, after a week's monitoring of supertanker traffic through the Malacca Strait linking the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Passage through the strait was the shortest sea route for India, China, and Indonesia, and the key choke point in Asia. To bypass the strait added 944 miles to any ship's transit.

"Emergency deep," ordered Captain Kenneth Gummerson.

Montana's control team immediately initiated a full-power dive toward a depth of 150 feet--deep enough to avoid collision with the bottom of any modern supertanker yet shallow enough to recover from flooding should a collision ensue.

"Worked perfectly, Captain," reported the chief petty officer copilot. "Touch screen control all the way, no need to go to minimum electronic mode and joystick control."

This fourth drill in the last twenty-four hours reassured Gummerson that a computer module swap-out had indeed tweaked the digital interface between the stern plane actuators and the sub's fly-by-wire (FBW) computer.

Gummerson, a twice-divorced forty-seven-year-old victim of long separations and short reunions, had tacked on silver eagles during this operation, but the promotion meant giving up his command. All hands knew their relief commander would be waiting on the pier in Sasebo. Change of command was a bittersweet event for all concerned.

"Incoming flash traffic, CO eyes only, Captain," reported the duty radioman.

Gummerson nodded. "Bring it back to my stateroom after it's logged in."

Minutes later, in the privacy of his quarters, Gummerson carefully studied his new orders:

100938ZAPR2012 FLASH FM: COMSUBPAC TO: USS MONTANA SSN-823 INFO: COMPACFLT USSOC SUBJ: OPORDER 2012-0410-TS-001 TOP SECRET //BT// 1. Upon receipt, terminate current ops, proceed Subic Bay. Arrive NLT 1000 local, 1204082. On arrival Subic onload dry stores, fresh provisions, thirty (30) day deployment.3. Offload Advanced Seal Delivery System (ASDS) and embarked SEAL DET minus two (2) qualified Lock Out instructor/operators.4. Inventory/update all nautical charts, aids to navigation, emphasis littoral east coast China, Taiwan Strait, and environs.5. Embark US Army SPECOPS team, rig for one (1) female rider.6. All traffic FLASH precedence action COMSUBPAC, info COMPACFLT, USSOC.7. Advise originator ASAP any/all mission degrading equipment/personnel concerns.8. Report ready for sea NLT 0001 local, 1504089. Mission details to follow.10. Acknowledge receipt this msg via SLOT11. Admiral Hendricks sends//BT//

Gummerson reread the message, signed for receipt, then smiled broadly. He hoped his relief had decent accommodations in Sasebo, because the man would be waiting a little longer before he could steal Gummerson's boat.

GHOST TEAM ISOFAC

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT ZONE, PHILIPPINES

APRIL 2012

When U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay was shut down back in 1992, the area was slowly converted into a tax- and duty-free zone not unlike those in Hong Kong and Singapore. Despite the naval base's closure, American warships continued taking advantage of the deep, natural harbor in order to resupply and provide their crews much-needed shore leave.

The Freeport Zone was operated by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, and it was with this organization that USSOCOM had negotiated to borrow an old navy office building currently under renovation to become a souvenir shop.

Captain Scott Mitchell stood near the door of what was once a conference room. Beside him sat piles of lumber, table saws, and sheets of drywall. He gazed out through the dust at the eight other operators who, like him, were hot and exhausted but eager to learn more about Operation War Wraith, the Ghosts' answer to Pouncing Dragon.

Other than the jet lag, the sore muscles, the blood-shot eyes, and the pounding headache, Mitchell felt great. His people felt likewise and lied about it exactly as he had.

He and Ramirez (now a master sergeant) had already set up the computer and projector so they could begin discussing the target intelligence package they had downloaded a few hours earlier. He began with the Situation Report.

SITREP: Chinese cabal about to escalate war in the Pacific.

Task: Conduct direct action mission to infiltrate into China and terminate Spring Tiger Group at Hakka castle location.

Purpose: Disrupt Spring Tiger Group attack plan, Pouncing Dragon.

Method: Infiltrate into China via submarine, link up with CIA operatives of Chinese descent who will help recon and get into position in and around castle where the cabal members plan to meet on 22 April at 0800.

"Sir, once we're onshore," began Diaz, "how far inland is the target?"

Mitchell brought up a series of satellite photos of the Hakka castle, with its four silolike buildings and single rectangular structure. "We'll cover all the details of our infil. But for now, have a look. These castles are scattered throughout the region. At least the Tigers picked one that's only a three-hour drive into the mountains. We've got good cover through the outer cordon. High-rising mountains to the west, and some nice hog-backs and saddles to the east. Forests look pretty dense, too."

Brown raised his hand. "Sir, the photos show lots of civilians."

Mitchell sighed. "Yeah, they do. The TIP confirms at least a hundred or more individuals living and working in the castle."

That drew a chorus of groans.

"There is a chance the Tigers will move out the civilians for their meeting--maybe for security reasons, but frankly, I doubt that."

"We do have at least one asset to help us deal with collateral damage," said Ramirez. He worked the computer's mouse and brought up a surveillance photograph of a skinny, gray-haired guy with pants hiked up to his belly button. "This is Huang. He's one of the village elders at the castle. Our two CIA guys have already gotten to him, and he'll be our eyes on the inside."

"That's right," added Mitchell. "We assume most of the Tigers will fly in, probably the night before the meeting. They'll be put up in various rooms. My problem with the initial OPORDER was we were being tasked to find these guys, who could be in five different buildings. That'd waste time and leave us too vulnerable. If Huang comes through for us, he'll indicate exactly where each commander is sleeping before we hit the place."

"And if he doesn't?" asked Beasley.

Mitchell snorted. "Then it's going to be a long night. Anyway, let's take a look at the targets."

Ramirez brought up another photograph depicting a cherub-faced, fifty-year-old Chinese man wearing thick glasses and a dark suit.

"The TIP suggests that this guy won't be at the castle, but he's the top dog. Deputy Minister Wang Ya from the Central Military Commission's political department. His military attache is the DIA operative who got us this intel."

"I like his haircut," said Nolan, referring to the sheen on Wang's bald pate. The medic was always good for a wisecrack, and Mitchell allowed him his fun--to a point.

"Next guy in line is this individual, Major-General Chen Yi. He's a graduate of the Army Command Academy and commander of the entire Nanjing Military Region."

Chen was a few years younger than Wang and had a lazy left eye. He offered a solemn stare in a clearly staged photograph with the Chinese flag in the background.

Mitchell continued, "When the Tigers meet, Chen runs the show. And then there's this guy . . ."

Ramirez brought up a picture of a dark-haired young man with a broad nose, long neck, and solemn stare who stood near one of the Chinese Army's new four-wheel-drive vehicles. "He's Colonel Xu Dingfa, a graduate of the Communication Command Academy in Wuhan. Xu was actually a member of the '08 Olympic gymnastics team. He didn't earn any medals, but let's make sure he doesn't cartwheel his way to escape."

That drew a few chuckles. Mitchell eyed Nolan, who raised his thumb and nodded.

The next photograph depicted a short but muscular man wearing a robe and slippers and holding the leash of a small dog. Behind him rose a lush garden.

"Say hello to Vice Admiral Cai Ming. He's the commander of the East Sea Fleet in the NMR. Here he is taking his dog for a dump near the HQ in Ningbo."

"I like his dog," said Nolan. "That's a Pekingese. They go good with a nice Cabernet."

"I prefer a Pinot Noir," said Diaz, smirking at Nolan.

"And last but not least, we have Major-General Wu Hui. He's a graduate of the Air Defense Command Academy in Zhengzhi."

Wu had just climbed out of a fighter plane and removed his helmet. He wore a scowl made famous by martial artists like Bruce Lee. Of all the Tigers, he seemed like the real badass, in Mitchell's humble opinion.

"So once again, we have four primary targets: Chen, the NMR commander; Xu, our army commo guy; Cai, our admiral; and Wu, our top gun. For simplicity and communications purposes we'll designate these guys as Targets Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta respectively."

Ramirez brought up a slide depicting all four men with target designations superimposed over the photos:

"Sir, y'all mean to say that these four guys can start World War III?" asked Paul Smith, scratching his head.

"Four guys? Only takes one with his finger on the trigger," said Nolan.

"Paul, these guys have been working on this Pouncing Dragon plan for years, and they have feelers spread through the entire military," said Mitchell. "The Politburo makes the ultimate decision about war in China, and their boy Wang is plugged in pretty well there. Once the ball's rolling, the Chinese government can't stop it."

"What's their strike plan?" asked Diaz.

"That's not part of our TIP, and higher may not know. But back to your question Paul, yes, these four commanders can light the fuse."

"Sir, we've mentioned the civilians," said Beasley. "What about threat force composition and disposition?"

"You mean bad guys guarding the place?" asked Brown, poking fun at Beasley's formality. The team sergeant didn't talk much, but when he did, it was always by the book.

Mitchell cleared his throat, and that quickly silenced those chuckling. He lifted his chin at Beasley. "Matt, we can assume the Tigers will bring their own security force. The larger that force is, the more attention they'll call to themselves, so we expect they'll limit that team to two or three squads, hopefully no more than twenty. I've requested streaming video of the castle so we can make an accurate threat assessment, assuming the security team will arrive before the Tigers do. If all goes well there, we'll run a split team op." Mitchell nodded to Ramirez, who brought up the personnel list:

ALPHA TEAM Mitchell (team leader and rifleman) Ramirez (asst. team leader, commo, and rifleman) Smith (asst. operations sergeant and grenadier) Nolan (medical sergeant and SAW gunner)

BRAVO TEAM Beasley (operations team sergeant and rifleman) Jenkins (engineer sergeant and grenadier) Hume (engineer sergeant, demo, heavy support) Brown (commo and SAW gunner)

CHARLIE TEAM Diaz (marksman/sniper)

"Alpha Team will be the inner cordon, tasked with infiltrating the castle and terminating the targets. Matt? You guys will be outer cordon, taking out security, removing any chances of escape from the AO. Alicia, you're on your own to clear Alpha Team an entry point."

Jenkins raised his hand, his expression dubious.

"What do you got, Bo?" asked Mitchell.

"Sir, I don't doubt Bravo can secure the outer cordon. But even with our guy on the inside to help locate the targets, you'll be going through multistories, probably got animals running around to make noise, old guys getting up in the middle of the night to use the outhouse, and a thousand other things that can go wrong to blow your cover."

"You mean it's just another day at the office."

"All I'm saying, sir, is if we recon the place, and it looks too hairy, why don't you let Johnny and me cut loose with some rockets. We'll be standing off and take down the entire castle."

"Sounds like a plan to me," said John Hume, who would always vote yes for explosives.

"I agree, that's safer," said Beasley. "But if the general wanted it big and loud, he wouldn't have called us."

"That's right," said Mitchell. "But I understand your reservations, Bo. And I hope you don't mind me acknowledging your sacrifice to be here. Bo's father was admitted to the hospital just before he got the call. His dad's stable, but he didn't even get a chance to say good-bye. Bo, I speak for everyone when I say thanks for being here."

Jenkins averted his gaze and nodded.

Ramirez glanced up from the computer. "Sir, we have a call from General Keating."

Mitchell exhaled in frustration. "I thought he wasn't calling until later. Put him through."

With that, everyone sat up.

"Mitchell, good to see you soldiers arrived on time."

"Thank you, General. And we'll be happy to stop breathing in the asbestos and ship out ASAP."

"Roger that, soldier. We just received word from your CIA contacts they've procured their trucks and boat."

"We were just getting ready to cover the infil in detail."

"That's good. No other changes to report. Your request for live stream on the target has been sent up the pipe. I've also put in a request to the DIA to call upon their operative one last time, should we need him during the exfil. I have a feeling that when all hell breaks loose, we'll need every asset we have."

"General, it is my intention to infiltrate that castle, take out those targets, and be back home before they know what hit them."

"I like your style, son."

"Yes, sir."

Keating raised his index finger. "Now, Ghost Team, I'm depending on you to pull this off. Those maniacs plan to invade Taiwan, and if they do, the U.S. will go to war with China. Millions will die, the U.S. economy will be ruined, and God forbid they raise a Chinese flag over the White House."

Mitchell steeled his voice. "Sir, we understand what's at stake."

"Good. Now, I want a clean operation. No blood trails. I've made sure all your ammo comes from our friends in Texas, so you'll field your best weapons. That brass is unmarked, untraceable--and that's a good thing, because I don't want you people packing Chinese water pistols on this operation. Oh, and by the way, if any one of you dies without permission, you're going to piss me off. And worse, you'll piss off your buddies, because they'll need to carry you home. No one--dead or alive--gets left behind. Do you people read me?"

Everyone answered in unison, "Sir, yes, sir."

"Very well then. The XO from Montana will be contacting you once they arrive at the pier. Send additional intel requests my way. That's all for now. Make us proud, people."

Mitchell answered for all of them: "We will, sir. Thank you, sir."

Ramirez cut the link. Every pair of shoulders slumped.

"Geez, no pressure at all," said Smith. "He sounded worse than my old man."

"But he's not nagging us to go to college or take over as sheriff," said Mitchell, hoisting his brows.

Smith gave a reluctant nod.

"All right, let's break for a drink. When we come back, I'll walk you through the infiltration. And whatever I don't cover, the SEALs will later on."

As the group filed out toward the door, Ramirez lingered behind, looking more than a little concerned. "Sir, this ain't Europe. This ain't the 'Stan. This is China."

Mitchell repressed a shudder. "I know what you mean, Joey."

Chapter Twenty-One.

THIRTY-FIRST GROUP ARMY HEADQUARTERS (NMR)

SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES OFFICES

XIAMEN, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Colonel Xu Dingfa had just spent a few days with his parents, and it had been exceedingly difficult not to tell them they would soon be reunited with their children. All he could say was that he had a great surprise and that they would know more joy than they'd had in many, many years.

His father, well aware of the current escalation of forces between the United States, Taiwan, and China, had warned Xu, "I hope, dear son, you are not talking about war."

Xu had not answered.

He wished he could have shared the Spring Tigers' great plan. He and his colleagues had waited far too long to set the dragon free.

In the days to come the Third and Sixth Destroyer/ Frigate Flotillas would set up a naval blockade of all Taiwan's principal cities, disrupting the flow of food and oil. The Tigers assumed that Washington would not sanction attacking a Chinese man-of-war patrolling in international waters. Moreover, those carrier commanders could not divert screening assets away from their carriers to shadow the Chinese warships, because that would leave antisub, antiair, and antisurf gaps in the screens protecting them. U.S. officials would be enraged, but their own rules of engagement precluded any military response as a viable option.

Once surface elements from the Third and Sixth were in place, air units from the Fourth and Sixth Naval Air Division would carry out surgical strikes on Taiwan's airfields, command and control centers, and those newly erected Patriot missile sites. This one-two punch would sever Taipei's communications with its U.S. protectors and eradicate the island's fledgling missile defense system.

At the same time, Xu's Special Forces already on the ground in Taipei near the Datong District would link up with two more companies of Chinese sleeper-cell forces and continue with direct-action missions to destroy radar facilities and further disrupt command and control as they moved south to capture the presidential office building.

At this juncture the pendulum could swing either way. The Americans could step up or Taipei could step down. Xu envisioned the inhabitants of the Pacific Rim watching, waiting. Only diplomacy could keep the pendulum motionless, but Xu had allowed for even that.

Those four Shang-class nuclear attack submarines from the Twenty-second and Forty-second Submarine Flotilla would, under Vice Admiral Cai's command, assume key positions in the Taiwan Strait, with their primary objective the two U.S. carriers.

Major-General Chen had argued that if those subs could damage or sink just one carrier, the loss would be catastrophic, and the U.S. Navy would have to retaliate with lethal force to save face. The Americans would hunt down the four Shang-class subs, while Major-General Wu ordered the launch of Dong Hai-10 Land Attack Cruise Missiles (LACM) with 900-mile ranges from the NMR into Taiwan, targeting major seaports.

Those LACM's would inflict even greater pressure on Taipei to capitulate while upping the ante on the U.S. to stand and deliver. The U.S. would have to launch a direct attack on mainland China to neutralize Wu's missiles, drawing both countries closer to nuclear confrontation. In his mind, Xu saw the entire world holding its breath.

And if the Tigers wanted their dragon to pounce even harder, they could launch even more missiles at the U.S. Air Force bases in Yokota, Kadena, and Misawa, Japan, as well as those in Kunsan and Osan, South Korea--all five within the Dragon's Lair, a term coined in a Rand Corporation report made several years prior. A translated copy of that report sat on Xu's desk.

Indeed, the U.S. would have to fight an all-out war with China or give up Taiwan.

However, the U.S.'s ongoing war on terror had stretched military personnel and its defense budget to the breaking point. What's more, the American public was still screaming for an all-out withdrawal from the Middle East and continued to be abnormally sensitive about military casualties. Officials seeking reelection would not vote for war.

Thus, the Spring Tigers had concluded that the United States could not afford to be challenged on its promise to defend Taiwan.

And once Pouncing Dragon was completely under way, the Chinese government could not afford to stop it, whether they took credit or not.

Finally, the plan cleverly avoided the use of large-scale amphibious landing forces, which all Tigers had agreed were far too predictable, far too cumbersome, and far too complicated to communicate with and support.

After finishing his tea, Xu left the office and took a drive out to a training field behind the base to see how Fang was doing with their security force, two eight-man squads who would be leaving tomorrow afternoon, bound for the Hakka castle.

The training field included an obstacle course with bridges and barbed wire, wall climbs, and a few other training challenges. At the far end of the field stood several buildings used for close-quarters combat training, and it was there that Xu spotted a circle of men.

As he drove closer, he realized Fang was in the middle of the group, and another man, one of the soldiers, was lying on the ground, head pulled into his chest as Fang struck him repeatedly across the back with his unsheathed sword cane.

Xu parked, climbed down from his Brave Warrior, and approached the group. The soldiers immediately snapped to attention, and Fang glanced up in midswing, then lowered his sword.

"What do we have here, Captain?" asked Xu, flicking his gaze down to the soldier, who chanced a look up at Xu, his face covered in blood.

"We have a discipline problem, sir," answered Fang, trying to catch his breath. "This soldier is not comfortable with my leadership."

"What do you mean?"

"Apparently, and I'm unsure how, a few of them learned that I was born in Taiwan. Sergeant Chung here has already referred to me as a spy."

Xu leaned down and got into the bleeding man's face. "Is that true, soldier?"

"I am sorry, sir."

Frowning, Xu faced the men. "Captain Fang's loyalty is without question. Is there any man who disagrees?"

The men stood, statues dressed in camouflage.

"Excellent. Carry on, Captain. You have less than twenty-four hours to be ready."

"Yes, sir!"

As Xu climbed back into his truck, a chill woke at the base of his spine. Fang Zhi's anger knew no bounds, but he would earn the respect of his new force.

Still, that rage could turn into something uncontrollable. Xu would continue to watch the man.

As Xu left the field, his cell phone rang. One of his smugglers in Pakistan was on the line. Another arms shipment had been successfully sold to the Taliban. Xu congratulated the man. The Tigers had turned their gunrunning operation into a most profitable venture. They used the money to buy the silence and fierce loyalty of many more military commanders within the region, men who, while not part of the group, would do as they were told when the time came.

HAKKA CASTLE

XIAMEN, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Buddha stood on the ridge overlooking the castle, watching as Huang ascended the dirt road winding back and forth like a brown snake--or better still, a noodle, the thought of which made Buddha's sagging gut growl.

Buddha's real name was Hsieh Chia-hsien, but over the years he'd actually come to prefer his CIA moniker. He had been working for the agency for more than two decades, recruited at the ripe old age of forty-one. He'd had a full head of hair when the Americans had come calling, and Bill Clinton had been in the White House.

Yes, times had surely changed. Now the agency had paired him up with some college kid. Both the CIA and the DIA had been hiring too many of these Boy Scouts, as the Americans called them, and twice Buddha's cover had nearly been blown by them.

As an expression of his disdain, he'd dubbed his new partner, the baby-faced Chan Chi-yao, as Boy Scout, and that would be his code name, whether he liked it or not.

Boy Scout wore a perpetual scowl that he thought concealed his inexperience. At twenty-four, what he knew about the world could fit in a teacup. But oh, he wasn't afraid to tell you how smart he was, in case you forgot. Poor boy. It might take him fifty years, but he would realize what a young fool he'd been and that he should have had more respect for his elders. This new generation had been raised by wolves.

Buddha fished out his handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his brow, then shoved up his spectacles. The temperature was mild, but that didn't matter. He seemed to sweat no matter what he was doing.

Boy Scout glanced over at him, shaking his head. "Have you considered a diet?"

They spoke in Mandarin, but occasionally Buddha would throw an English phrase at the kid to test him, like he did now: "You wanna play, you pay. That's the way it is, kid. And I'm way too old for a diet."

The kid frowned. Nope, he didn't quite understand that one. But hadn't the kid said he was an expert on American slang? Uh-huh . . .

Their inside man Huang finally reached the ridge, and Boy Scout gave a slight whistle. The elder moved into the dense stand of trees and nodded to them.

"How did it go?" asked Buddha.

After a slight shrug, Huang answered, "Okay, I guess."

"What you mean, old man?" snapped Boy Scout. "Did you tell them or not?"

"I told them, but they still want to meet you. They don't trust me."

"Quiet for a moment," Buddha ordered the kid. "Huang, all they need to do is stay out of the way. You keep telling them that those men coming tomorrow night are drug smugglers working with the army. You tell them the secret police will be coming to arrest them, and that everyone should remain in their rooms. And when we're finished, I promise you that those men will not bother you or your family ever again."

"I want to believe you."

"Just do as we say. And when you know exactly where each man will be staying, you will call us with that information."

"And if I don't?"

"Then we'll--"

Buddha slapped a palm over Boy Scout's mouth. "Then we'll assume you're dead. If you want to save your village, help us."

"But you are not with the secret police, are you?"

"What makes you say that?"

Huang flicked his glance to Boy Scout. "He is too young and too stupid."

Buddha smiled. "I agree. But the police are desperate these days, and we need anyone we can get."

"Okay, but remember our deal. The man I told you about?"

"Yes, Fang Zhi?" said Buddha.

Huang nodded. "You will kill him."

"Of course. Better go now. Fang will be calling you soon. And so will we."

For a moment, Huang just stood there, looking at them, and Buddha pitied the man. He was just a simple farmer caught up in something far more dangerous than he could possibly imagine.

Fang Zhi was assumably one of the Spring Tiger Group's cronies, a guard or security chief who meant nothing in the grand scheme. His name was not even worth mentioning to the Special Forces team coming ashore, and while Buddha had promised to kill him, that was only to satisfy Huang.

Buddha regarded his partner, then tipped his head toward the path. "Back to the car, little one."

Boy Scout's eyes widened. "You will not say that again."

"I see your parents have been neglectful, and the Americans have poisoned away what was left of your respect. But that is okay. You will do as I say, or I will strangle you until you are blue then white then dead. And then I will communicate the unfortunate accident to Langley." Buddha narrowed his fiery gaze, and Boy Scout withered where he stood.

Then, abruptly, Buddha threw his arm around the kid and chuckled. "We're going to have a lot of fun in the next couple of days. Let me ask you something. Other than in training, have you ever been shot at?"

"No."

"That's not good."

"Why should I be worried? This is an assassination, nice and quiet."

Buddha chuckled again. "My dear boy, when the Americans are involved, nothing is ever quiet."

Chapter Twenty-Two.

PIER 3E

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT ZONE

PHILIPPINES

APRIL 2012

Captain Scott Mitchell drove one of the team's two SUVs around some cargo pallets, then he and Ramirez, who was at the wheel of the other truck, slipped beneath a row of six-inch-thick hawsers secured to the bollards of a supertanker on the opposite end of the pier. They drove farther out, then finally parked alongside the submarine, whose hull glistened like the black skin of a killer whale in the moonlight.

Their weapons and other gear were packed in more than a dozen heavy load-out bags and stowed in the cargo areas of each truck. Jenkins and Smith began unloading, but Mitchell told them to hold off until they talked to the crew.

"Captain Mitchell," called a tall, broad-shouldered man coming forward.

"That'd be me, sir."

"I'm Lieutenant Commander Sands, the XO, and this is Master Chief Suallo, chief of the boat. We call him COB."

After shaking the XO's hand, Mitchell turned to the shorter, stouter man with the forced grin and did likewise. "Master Chief."

"Captain."

"Glad to have you aboard, Captain," added Sands.

Mitchell gave a little snort. "I appreciate that, sir, but you'll be happier once we're off your boat."

The XO chuckled then raised his voice to address the entire team. "Okay, listen up. Welcome aboard Montana . Master Chief Suallo will issue each of you a thermoluminescent dosimeter, like the ones he and I are wearing." Sands reached down to his belt and gestured to a device slightly smaller than a deck of cards. "The dosimeter records your total radiation dosage while on board, and it must be worn at all times. Once COB assigns you one, you'll be escorted down this after hatch, through the lock-out trunk, and into the galley on the upper level."

"Damn, we get to eat first thing," Ramirez whispered in Mitchell's ear.

"I doubt it."

"Question, Captain Mitchell?" asked Sands.

"No, sir."

"Good. You'll be briefed about spaces that are off-limits, certain ship routines called rigs, and most importantly, how to flush the commode."

Mitchell and his Ghosts chuckled.

But Sands wasn't kidding. "While that's happening, a working party will finish unloading your gear and move it below. It'll be waiting for you in the torpedo room."

Turning to Mitchell, Sands added, "Captain Gummerson would like to see you in his stateroom at your convenience."

"I'm at the captain's disposal," replied Mitchell. "Lead the way. But I guess I'll grab one of those Geiger counters first."

After yelling, "Down ladder," as instructed, marksman Alicia Diaz studied the twenty-five-inch-wide black hole, grasped the hatch knife edge, and lowered herself down, rung by rung, right behind Master Chief Suallo.

She, along with Smith, Hume, and Suallo, gathered outside the hatch at the bottom, waiting for the others.

"What's that smell?" asked Hume.

"It's Smith," said Diaz with a laugh. "He tries to cover up that body odor with cologne, but he smells even worse."

Smith drew his brows together in mock seriousness. "You kidding? That's my natural musky odor, and it drives women wild. You must have a cold, Alicia."

COB rolled his eyes and recited an explanation he had obviously provided before. "What you're smelling is a mixture of high-voltage ozone, diesel and lube oil, and a derivative of ammonia called amines from our atmospheric system. You'll get used to it."

"What's that ringing in my ears?" asked Smith.

The chief grinned. "That's the 400-hertz electronic buzz that turns us into wonder sub. All our computer systems are processed using 400-cycle power instead of 60-cycle. That higher frequency means everything is smaller, lighter, more accurate, and runs a whole lot cooler. Don't worry. The buzz will go away, too." He glanced to one of the mess tables. "Why don't you folks grab a seat while we wait for the others."

Diaz complied, and Hume, who dropped beside her, leaned over and said, "You're the only woman on this entire sub. You know that, right?"

"So what?"

"It's just . . . we'll keep an eye out for you."

"Gee, thanks, Johnny." She showed him her ugliest face.

"I'm just saying--"

"Too much," she finished.

Mitchell entered the captain's stateroom, which was much smaller than he had imagined. In one corner stood a tiny fold-down desk, but the bulkheads were barren, along with the rest of the quarters.

Captain Gummerson came forward, beaming, his graying hair as mottled as granite, his voice deep and resonant. "Evening, Captain. Ken Gummerson, welcome aboard."

"Thank you, sir. Please call me Scott." Mitchell offered a firm handshake.

"Forgive the empty room. I'm all packed up. We were on our way to Japan to pick up my replacement when we got the call. This may be my last operation on Montana ."

"Well, I'm hoping you don't go out with a bang, sir."

"Me, too."

"And I have to say, I've been around, sir, but this is my first time aboard a Virginia-class sub. Pretty amazing."

Gummerson grinned and nodded. "I've been riding boats for thirty years, but Montana still makes me a little bug-eyed." The captain motioned to a seat near his bed. "Relax a minute. I need to run through a few things, and I need to get radio to bring in your message board. You have some update traffic from your boss. Once submerged, the radio messenger will come to you with that message board whenever you have incoming traffic."

"Okay, sir."

"Scott, right now we're situated on the midlevel deck. I call it Main Street. Forward of my stateroom is the control and attack center. Aft of this space is a head that I share with the XO, the XO's stateroom, and aft of him is the VIP stateroom. Aft of that is a bulkhead with a hatch accessing the reactor compartment tunnel. From that hatch aft is off-limits to all but engineering personnel." Gummerson paused.

"Uh, understood, sir."

The captain grinned. "Don't lie. Even I don't remember what I just said. But you'll be taken on a tour."

Mitchell returned the grin. "Good idea."

"I've kicked the ops officer out of the VIP stateroom to turn it over to Sergeant Diaz."

"No need for that," Mitchell assured him. "Sergeant Diaz digs her own latrine just like the rest of us. We never offer her special treatment."

"I appreciate that, but Montana is a twenty-first-century machine crewed by stubborn geeks following the old naval traditions. Hell, until these guys got to sub school in New London, they never heard of Rick-over. They thought Jules Verne was the father of the atomic submarine. You don't think Verne was the father, do you?"

Wearing a grin, Mitchell shook his head.

"Whew. Now, once we're under way, we don't adhere to any specific dress code, meaning we're pretty lax on what we wear--and don't wear--especially in the berthing compartment area. Diaz will share the head with the XO and me. We'll work out a schedule for the three of us."

"I understand, sir. If we can address this issue as subtly as possible, I'd appreciate it."

"No problem." Gummerson glanced at his notepad before continuing. "The lock-out trunk has a nine-man capacity, which means you and your team can lock out in one evolution, but you'll need training and help from my SEALs, as I indicated to General Keating."

"No arguments here, sir."

"You'll get with SEAL Chiefs Tanner and Phillips between here and China. We'll work in two drills, once with lights, once in total darkness."

Gummerson was about to go on when the radio messenger knocked and entered with two message boards. "A good place to stop," he said. "Let's step back to the wardroom, get some coffee, introduce you to the other officers, and plow through some of this latest traffic."

"Sounds good." Mitchell rose. "And, sir, is it true you guys have the best food in the navy?"

"Oh, don't worry, Captain, you'll find out for yourself."

Damn Ramirez. He had Mitchell thinking about chow.

Once he'd met the other officers, Mitchell retired in privacy to a computer terminal. He accessed a prerecorded video message from General Keating, who confirmed that their satellite surveillance of the Hakka castle was now in place and that their two CIA agents had already been observed meeting with their inside man earlier in the day.

The general also indicated that there was a lot of activity in and around missile sites located within the Nanjing Military Region and that the situation in Taiwan was growing far worse. The declaration of martial law had resulted in numerous cases of human rights violations by Taiwan's military and police, and demonstrators were still picketing and being arrested in front of the presidential building. Images of bludgeoned and bleeding civilians flashed across the screen.

Of course, Mitchell could have bet a year's pay that the general would repeat that it was up to him, that everything came down to the Ghosts stopping the Spring Tigers from initiating their plan. Mitchell finished watching the transmission and growled, "Yeah, I know. It' all up to me."

A second message from the Red Cross caught him by surprise. Bo Jenkins's father had passed away. Last report was that he'd been stable, but he'd taken a sharp turn for the worse. Part of Mitchell wanted to hold off telling Bo so that the man's head would be in the mission. The other part said that wasn't fair and that Bo deserved to know immediately.

Then again, given what was at stake, Mitchell needed every Ghost operating at peak performance.

He sat there a few moments more, putting himself in Bo's place.

And that got him thinking about his own father, who was probably back home, using his router to round off the corners of his casket.

A young lieutenant with what Sergeant Alicia Diaz called a Cocoa Beach crew cut--bleached blond with highlights--watched her leave the VIP stateroom opposite the wardroom. She smiled perfunctorily, noting the gold wings above the lieutenant's left breast pocket. He was cute, so she asked, "Are you a pilot?"

"I'm a naval aviator. There's a difference." He offered his hand. "Jeff Moch."

She took it. "Mach, as in Mach Five?"

"No, it's spelled with an O."

"Be cooler with an A, as in my name: Alicia Diaz."

"That's pretty smooth. I heard something about you guys trying to defect to the navy."

"Vicious rumors." She hesitated, unsure of what to add, then suddenly blurted out, "So, Lieutenant, what is the difference between a pilot and a naval aviator?"

He snickered. "Naval aviators get shot off the front end of aircraft carriers. We use tail hooks and arresting wires to land. Pilots just kind of float in."

"Okay . . ."

"Naval aviators have to figure out where their landing field went after they fly away. Or worse, if it sank. Pilots know their landing field's right where they left it."

"Not a big fan of the air force, then, huh?"

"I didn't say that. But I've never met an air force pilot who could stop a train without using guns or bombs."

"Stop a train? What do you mean?"

"You got time for a story?"

Diaz looked around. "I'm stuck here for twenty-something hours till we reach the strait."

"Right. Okay, so once you solo at Pensacola, the unwritten rule is you got three days to stop a train. You can't do it before you solo because it ain't legal, and up till then you always had some hard-ass instructor riding along."

"So how exactly do you do this?"

"Well, if you never noticed, Florida's flat, so it's easy to find a nice twenty- to twenty-five-mile stretch of railroad track to watch. And here he comes, Seaboard Coast Line's seven ten P.M., running late."

"But you're right on time," she said with a smirk.

"You bet. Now I have to come in high to clear the pines. At the last minute I slip down, opposite rudder to aileron--drops my bird like a rock--and I turn off my navigation lights, bleed off speed to just 120 knots--flap speed--and swoop in twenty feet over the track."

"Is this where I go, whoa . . . ?"

"Let me finish. Then, and only then, I turn on my landing light. Now it's just me and that train, two lights coming right at each other."

"You really did this?"

He nodded. "The engineer sees that single light coming at him and he's wondering, Did the traffic coordinator screw up? Switchman error? Is it another one of those crazy kids from Pensacola? He hits the brakes, can't take the chance. As he's listening to his whole train rumble and screech, I thunder right over his head, gone, UFO style, beam me up, Scotty."

Moch was only half as cute now. It was hard to see his eyes within that swollen head. "There's no way you guys get away with that."

"You're right. I got a letter of reprimand, which got pulled when I graduated, because the navy saw I was crazy enough to get shot off an aircraft carrier."

"So as a reward they put you on a sub. Yeah, they really like you." She wiggled her brows.

"No, I'm here because of you. Lieutenant Schumaker and I are flying the Predator. I'm telling you, she's one badass little bird."

Diaz had worked with all sorts of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in her career, and none were what she'd describe as badass. That was a phrase she reserved for people, not machines. She shrugged and said, "Uh, we've packed our own UAVs. As a matter of fact, the captain's going to field a brand-new drone on this mission."

"I heard that, but our Predator still has greater speed and range than your drones. We launch right from the vertical tube. Subs rigged like this have ten-thousand-foot periscopes, so to speak. Trust me, you'll be glad we're up there. Now what's your story?"

Diaz adopted a singsong tone, deciding she would have a little fun with this jock. "Well, sir, I certainly don't have the talent to be a naval aviator, but I like playing around with ranges, working numbers in my head for projectile drop and wind compensation. I like slowing my heart rate, taking a deep breath, letting half out, and squeezing off the round between beats. I like listening to old Bee Gees songs and watching some bad guy's brains splatter over a fifty-foot area from the kinetic energy imparted on impact. I call that a woman's touch."

Moch blinked hard. "Alicia, why don't you step into the wardroom, fill a chair, and let me buy you a cup of our fine navy coffee?"

She chuckled under her breath. "You don't have any bourbon?"

Mitchell found Jenkins in the torpedo room, along with Beasley, Hume, and Smith. The men were doing another inventory of the gear and double-checking batteries.

"Bo, can I speak with you?"

"Yes, sir."

They crossed over to one corner of the room, where Mitchell leaned on the bulkhead and said, "So it's the future, and you're captain of your own Ghost Team."

Initially, Jenkins was confused, but finally his brain caught up to the moment. "Okay, sir, but, uh, I made it through college?"

"Yeah."

"Damn, that's good."

"Play along. So you're captain, and it's the day before a huge operation. You know that you need every guy with a clear head. You know you can't afford any distractions. But you also know that there's news from home that will affect several members of your team. What do you do? Do you give them the news? Or do you wait until after the mission?"

Jenkins swallowed, took a deep breath, and he could no longer look Mitchell in the eye. "I don't say anything, sir, because the mission is more important. The news can wait."

Mitchell thought a moment, then slowly nodded. "Bo, I'm not trying to take myself off the hook."

"I know. I had a dream about him last night. Do you believe in the afterlife?"

"Haven't made up my mind yet. But for now, we're the only ghosts I believe in."

"What about fate?"

"Bo, we have to believe that what we do matters. I don't think it was all figured out for us. I could've stayed home, worked on cars, built furniture, but I decided to change things. I did that. Not fate."

"Yeah, but maybe there are all these doors in our lives, and we're moving through them. Some close behind us, and some don't. Sometimes we control them. Sometimes not."

"Who knows, Bo."

"When I left Alaska, the door closed all the way, and I knew my father was going to die. He was sick for a long time. I'm okay."

"You're sure."

"If anything, sir, when I go out there, it'll be for him. I wouldn't be a Ghost if it weren't for him."

Mitchell slapped his hand on Bo's massive shoulder. "You're a good man, Bo. I'm sorry about your loss."

"Thank you, sir." He nodded and turned off, heading back to the group.

Mitchell closed his eyes and sighed, still wondering if he had made the right decision.

Chapter Twenty-Three.

USS MONTANA (SSN-823)

EN ROUTE TO TAIWAN STRAIT

SOUTH CHINA SEA

APRIL 2012

Montana's fly-by-wire system hovered the 377-foot submarine at exactly one hundred feet as Mitchell and his team flooded, exited, reentered, and blew out the lock-out trunk with lights on and in total darkness. The drills were completed within the first six hours after leaving Subic Bay, while still in warm seas.

It was, admittedly, unnerving to stand in that trunk in total darkness while the water rose. All Mitchell could think about in those last few seconds was an accident and the warnings offered by the two SEALs.

The twenty-one-hour trip to Xiamen Harbor was otherwise uneventful. Mitchell and his Ghosts listened to stories, shared some of their own, and the lies per nautical mile grew to astronomical proportions.

As they neared the harbor and the end of their journey, Montana "rigged for ultraquiet," with the sub's interior bathed only in red light. All nonwatchstanders remained in their bunks, and television or other leisure activities were prohibited. Even the galley was closed.

The captain told Mitchell that they were sweeping the entire harbor, their fathometer and minesweeping sonar actively probing under and around the sub with impunity because of the horrendous day and night noise level of numerous small craft and shipyard construction activity.

The sun had just set, and under the cover of darkness, the captain extended a photonic mast to photograph and measure laser IR ranges for potential drop-off sites.

Using those pictures, Mitchell and Gummerson met to determine a location, choosing a spot near the southeast tip of an unnamed and uninhabited sand spit.

"Looks good," said Mitchell.

"Yes, and don't worry. I'll get us in within a thousand feet so you won't have far to swim, and I'll still have about two hundred fifty feet of water around me."

The captain went on to say that hovering with her keel at one hundred feet would still keep the tip of Montana 's sail at forty-eight feet below the surface. He said he hadn't seen any ship in the harbor that drew that much water, fully laden.

"You must live right, Scott," he finally added. "We're at high tide, and it's a spring tide."

"So that's good?"

"It's excellent. Spring tides are really high or low when the sun and moon are lined up, and we get their combined gravitational pull. You get to swim in a little closer to the beach, and I get a few more feet under my keel."

"Great."

"And one more thing. Sunrise is at oh five twenty-four. If you're not in the water before then, we'll return every night, same time, until the National Command Authority gives me a direct order to terminate the operation. I'm not in the habit of leaving personnel behind."

"Neither am I, sir. And I appreciate that. But if you have to bail on us, we'll just highjack a rickshaw and head west."

The captain grinned. "I'm sure you will. Now I'll have our drop-off point forwarded to your higher, and they'll get it to the agents you'll link up with onshore."

"Thank you, sir."

Within fifteen minutes, Mitchell and the other eight members of his team were standing in the cold metal confines of the lock-out trunk. "Everybody good to go?" he asked.

Eight thumbs lifted.

They had donned wet suits and goggles and had buckled on their Draeger LAR-Vs, which were worn on their chests.

The LAR-V was a self-contained breathing device specifically designed for covert operations in shallow water. Mitchell and his Ghosts would breathe 100 percent oxygen, and their exhaled breath would be recirculated in the closed-circuit system through a filter that removed the carbon dioxide. Consequently, the Draegers allowed them to swim without the bubbles produced by conventional scuba gear.

Each operator also carried an equipment pack, a Px4 Storm SD pistol, and a rifle or two of his or her choosing.

SEAL Chief Tanner, a blue-eyed being of pure muscle, stood outside the hatch and lifted his thumb. "Remember, Captain, slip that beacon in one of your rebreathers on the beach. Chief Phillips and I'll be about ten minutes behind you to pick up the gear."

"Roger that, Chief."

Tanner sealed the hatch and signaled to flood the lock-out trunk.

The water rose and wasn't too cold at twenty-four degrees Celsius. They slipped the rebreathers into their mouths, and once submerged, the hatch opened, and they swam out into fluctuating curtains of darkness.

During the brief crossing to the beach, Mitchell remembered Chief Phillips's instructions to spread out, putting about twenty meters between themselves, so that they didn't surface as a group but as individuals. He also said to try to stagger their dashes from the water.

So they'd given each operator a number, beginning with Jenkins and ending with Mitchell. He slowly lifted his head as his knees scraped bottom and watched as, one by one, his team made it onto the barren shoreline, according to the preplanned sequence.

Behind them, to the southeast, lay the resort island of Gulangyu, its multicolored lights winking in the haze. Mitchell slid his mask onto his forehead and grimaced over the water's nasty stench. He dragged himself closer and removed his fins, leaving on his wet shoes, and rushed onto the shoreline.

There, he and the others stripped out of their gear, piled it up for the SEALs, then Mitchell set the beacon and gave the hand signal to move out.

They hustled off, heading west through a fairly dense forest toward the opposite end of the spit, where a long pier jutted out into the channel between themselves and the mainland.

A lone wooden fishing boat, lights off, was roped up at the end of the pier and idling loudly, its engine exhaling plumes of black smoke. The boat could barely accommodate six people, let alone nine or ten.

Mitchell gave another hand signal, and the team bolted from the forest and out, onto the pier, keeping low.

Once at the boat, a bald, bespectacled Chinese man with a sizable paunch lumbered up to the gunwale. He raised his voice above the coughing inboard, his English surprisingly good: "Everyone come aboard. Quickly now, quickly. And who is Captain Mitchell?"

"I am," Mitchell answered, climbing over the rail and cramming onto the deck.

"Hello. They call me Buddha. I'm taking you across the channel to a small pier used only by the fishermen. We have two trucks waiting. You will change in the trucks."

"Outstanding. And that's a good name you have."

"I think so." Buddha moved to the wheel, shouted to Nolan and Hume to get the ropes, then he throttled up and steered them away from the pier.

They sat below the gunwale, out of view, and Mitchell dug out his Cross-Com earpiece/monocle from his pack. He slipped the unit over his left ear, tapped the Power Up button, and issued the voice command: "Cross-Com activated." In three seconds he was on the network.

The screen glowed to life, and he immediately issued several more voice commands, bringing up his first support asset, that streaming satellite video from the castle itself, and even as the image sharpened from static to an overhead, night-vision-enhanced picture of the four silos and single rectangular building, Mitchell watched as a lone helicopter landed in an adjacent field. "Right on time," he whispered.

The trip across the channel took but fifteen minutes, and as they neared the fishermen's pier, Buddha cut the throttle way too late. They slammed so hard into the pylons that the rail actually cracked.

"Sorry," Buddha said. "I'm a lover, not a sailor."

"Dude, you need some lessons," said Nolan as he helped tie up the boat.

A young man, probably in his mid-twenties, stood waiting for them by the trucks. The guy ditched his cigarette and cocked a thumb at the tarpaulin-covered flatbeds.

"Oh, you have to be kidding me," said Brown.

"Just get in," snapped Mitchell.

The trucks' engines didn't sound much better than the boat's, and judging from their large fenders and big, round headlights, they were probably built in the '50s or '60s.

"They couldn't get anything better than these?" Ramirez asked as he passed Mitchell.

"I don't know. I'll ask."

As the others piled in, Mitchell pulled Buddha aside and voiced his question.

"Captain, these old Jiefangs are not uncommon along the mountain roads and more rural areas. The PLA sold a lot of them to the farmers. A brand-new SUV would call much more attention."

"But will they make it up the hills?"

"I think so."

"We can't be late."

Buddha's eyes widened. "Then why are we talking?"

Mitchell nodded and started back for the truck, but Buddha called after him, "Captain, if we are stopped, be sure everyone is wearing their masks and that no one talks. We are the secret police. I have all the paperwork. And oh, yes, my partner's name is Boy Scout."

"All right."

Mitchell reached the tailgate and hoisted himself inside, where he found Diaz, Nolan, Smith, and Ramirez donning black, nondescript uniforms over their wet suits and black balaclavas to conceal all but their eyes.

"How're we doing?" he asked.

"Good, sir," said Diaz. "My uniform actually fits."

"Excellent. Welcome to China, everybody."

USS MONTANA (SSN-823)

SOUTH TAIWAN STRAIT

SOUTH CHINA SEA

APRIL 2012

Five miles offshore, Captain Gummerson plugged into a secure satellite tactical feed and watched as nine green dots inched across his screen.

And twelve time zones away, Gummerson imagined the most powerful man in the free world sitting alone, studying those same green dots.

"Captain, the Predator is ready for launch," said the XO with a slight hint of resignation in his voice.

"Very well. We need to time this just right so Mitchell and his people can bleed every second out of that bird."

"Yes, sir. And, sir, I'm still concerned about detection during launch."

"As well you should be, XO. We've got time to push out another twenty miles. Can't do much to minimize the glare from the Predator's booster propellant, but there's no need to wake the neighbors."

"You read my mind, sir."

"We'll both sleep better knowing we got plenty of water around us. Last thing we need is some sharp-eyed merchant's lookout spotting our big ear."

"Aye, aye, sir. And, sir, for what it's worth, Captain Mitchell was a true professional."

"Agreed. He would've made an excellent submariner. We can't afford to lose a guy like that."

"Yes, sir. If they can do their part, we'll do ours. That's a very capable team he has."

Gummerson narrowed his eyes on the screen. Sometimes being capable was hardly enough.

HAKKA CASTLE

XIAMEN, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Captain Fang Zhi had just received radio reports from his three-man teams posted outside the north, south, east, and west buildings of the castle. They were in position. No issues to consider, other than one man had been bitten by a dog while trying to assume his post.

Fang was still waiting to hear from the two-man team inside the central building, where the Spring Tigers were just now gathering to welcome Vice Admiral Cai, the last to arrive. Fang himself was up on the fifth floor of that same building, where he could quickly access the roof to view the entire castle, and he wasn't the only guard with that vantage point.

Two snipers had been posted in the hills, one along the eastern ridge, the other along the steeper banks to the north. They had been first to communicate with him and would check in every fifteen minutes throughout the night.

Fang had warned his entire team to sleep as much as they could throughout the prior day, but even he had found it difficult to take his own advice.

He'd spent most of the day reliving the incident on Basilan, taking himself back through his disgrace, back through the moments when they'd told him he was being discharged, that they had no use for a coward like him. And all of the old wounds were reopened and infected with his rage.

Now, on the eve of justice, he yawned deeply then finally listened to a report coming in from Sergeant Chung, the fool who'd accused him of being a spy. "This is Tiger Twelve. All clear here."

Fang was about to speak into the boom mike at his mouth when he turned, nearly knocking into someone.

"Sorry, Captain, but I came to tell you that they have all gone to the dining room. The meal has been prepared exactly as you'd asked."

Huang stood there, a man beaten and broken. Perhaps one day his time would come. But this day . . . this day was Fang's.

"Thank you, Huang."

"And, sir, not to alarm you, but the power company has been upgrading the transformers for the past two weeks. They will shut down the power sometime within the next few hours, but we will only be in the dark for less than thirty minutes."

Fang frowned. "Why didn't you tell us about this sooner?"

"I had not thought it very important."

Fang sighed through his teeth. "Everything is important. Still, you have served us well. After the meeting tomorrow, I will be leaving behind my truck. It will be yours."

Huang lowered his head and scampered away.

Fang wished the man had put up a greater fight, for only then would he truly respect Huang.

As it was, Fang had no intention of leaving behind his truck--or leaving Huang alive.

Chapter Twenty-Four.

EN ROUTE TO HAKKA CASTLE

XIAMEN, CHINA

APRIL 2012

The old truck made a gurgling noise then began to slow. Mitchell brought up the tactical map in his HUD, studying the tortuous mountain road glowing green and leading up to the castle, marked with the requisite yellow square and the words Primary Objective.

They had come to a fork in the road, and the truck carrying Bravo Team, driven by the guy named Boy Scout, was veering right for the 1.7 kilometer trek to the transformer station.

"Ghost Lead, this is Beasley. We're heading up now. I'll contact you once we're set at the secondary objective."

"Roger that."

"Captain?"

Mitchell reached down to the cell phone with walkie talkie function that Buddha had given him. "Go ahead."

"Good news awaits on the road ahead."

"You getting philosophical, or do you know something we don't?"

"I have a little surprise."

"Really? Bring it on. Just hope it's a good one."

"I think you will be pleased."

"You hear that?" Mitchell called to the others. "He's got a surprise."

Diaz shook her head. "I hate surprises."

"Me, too," said Ramirez.

Mitchell nodded. "When we stop, everyone look sharp."

Sergeant First Class Bo Jenkins hadn't told the others about his father, and neither had the captain. That was fine by him. No sense in any of them doubting his abilities or feeling awkward around him. He was a professional and well understood the importance of keeping every emotion in check.

But sitting in the truck and waiting was dangerous. At any moment he would slip into the past, into a day out with his father as they cut wood for the fireplace, into a night when Dad had tried to explain why he and Mom were getting divorced.

Jenkins shuddered and glanced at all the charges they'd been preparing. C-4 for you, C-4 for me, C-4 for everybody--over fifty pounds in all. Buddha and his little buddy had supplied the materials; now it was up to Jenkins and Hume to call upon their old engineering training to create a glorious diversion, should the need arise.

The transformer station was located at the base of a curving row of foothills in a heavily wooded area at least a quarter kilometer from the nearest house. Their CIA driver, who was running with lights out and wearing a pair of night-vision goggles, parked them about a hundred meters south.

Jenkins's pulse rose. Time to rock 'n' roll.

Beasley and Brown leapt out first and charged off to secure the area. Jenkins and Hume loaded the bags with C-4, hoisted them onto their shoulders, and waited.

"Breakers on the left. Remember," said Hume.

"No problem."

Within three minutes Beasley gave the signal. Jenkins led Hume out of the truck, and they rushed up a dirt road and reached the chain-link fence crowned with barbed wire. Beyond stood the transformer station, rising out of the ground like the exposed bowels of some slain electronic beast, poles like intestines, cables and wires like arteries and veins spanning the gaps between large metal organs.

Brown had already cut the lock on the gate, so Jenkins followed Hume inside.

A schematic of the entire transformer station with its switching, connection, and control equipment was already being displayed in their HUDs, and the two of them got to work, first setting up the small and carefully placed charge that would trip the breakers and cut the power to the castle and the surrounding area, then rigging up the larger charges to destroy the entire transformer station and darken an even larger portion of the province.

Meanwhile, Jenkins knew that Beasley and Hume were relieved to lighten their equipment packs. They had been carrying the team's Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle (SUGV), a tracked recon robot equipped with thermal infrared and digital cameras, along with a loudspeaker system. After opening the bot's waterproof packing, they began assembly. The SUGV was barely larger than a kid's radio-controlled tank, with rubberized tracks supporting the folding camera neck. Although armed only with smoke grenades to delay an oncoming adversary, the SUGV would stand watch over the transformer station and ensure that no one could tamper with the charges. Beasley controlled the bot and would be automatically alerted should it detect movement, heat sources, or any other signs of entry within its target discrimination hemisphere, which was adjustable by the operator.

When Jenkins and Hume were finished with their charges, the SUGV was already powered up and online, and any member of the team could call up its camera images in their HUDs. Jenkins did so and glimpsed panning images of the fence line, as captured by the bot.

Brown slipped a brand-new lock on the gate, one nearly identical to the original, while Beasley used the wireless handheld controller to position the robot into a cover position beside two large poles where it could still maintain good surveillance. Once they got out of range, commands to the robot would then be routed through the network, although the SUGV would respond more slowly because of the satellite delay.

From start to finish the entire operation took 19.45 minutes, and Beasley signaled the captain that they were leaving the area and heading for the castle.

"We'll cut the power on your order, sir," he added.

Back inside the truck, Jenkins removed his Cross-Com earpiece/monocle and tugged off his balaclava to palm sweat from his face and massage his tired eyes.

"You all right, Bo?" asked Hume.

"Yeah, why?"

"You just look tired."

"I'm not. Let's get up there and get this done."

Mitchell took a deep breath. "Here we go."

The truck had turned off the road and driven through a narrow path between the trees. Then Buddha had stopped and said, "We are here. Everyone out."

He led them farther into the adjoining forest, where they found two vehicles: late-model four-wheel-drive SUVs, both black and parked under camouflage netting.

"We ride up in crap for a good disguise. But we ride out fast and in style," said Buddha.

Mitchell grinned. "Good surprise."

Buddha winked. "We take no chances for our escape. Now check your map. The castle is right over the next hill. I will hide the truck and remain here, waiting for you, along with Boy Scout, after he drops off the other team. If you need us to come up, okay, but I would rather not. And I warn you, my partner is a rookie."

"So a good surprise comes with a bad one," Mitchell said with a groan. "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

"No, Captain. I am just a fat man with two cars." After a lopsided grin, Buddha trudged off.

"All right, let's go to our eye in the sky," Mitchell said as he waved them on and started back toward the road, reaching up to his earpiece. "Cross-Com activated."

Live streaming video from the castle revealed dozens of lights shining from the windows of all five buildings, and Mitchell zoomed in on each structure, noting the men posted outside. They were only silhouettes, and it was hard to positively distinguish between them and the several dozen civilians still milling about. Occasionally he would spot the end of a rifle barrel. The place was a cluster of anthills, with their targets hidden deep inside.

Once they reached the edge of the tree line, Mitchell led them up the hill, and near the crest, they tucked themselves deep into the underbrush and set their own eyes on the valley, a rolling, dark green mat speckled with a cluster of yellow diamonds.

"It looks a lot bigger in person," said Diaz.

"No kidding," Smith added. "And those buildings do look like missile silos from up here."

"Paul, get the drone ready for deployment," ordered Mitchell, cutting off the small talk.

"You got it, Boss."

Paul Smith dug into Mitchell's pack and withdrew the MAV4mp Cypher, a newly designed man-portable drone not much larger in diameter than a Frisbee and even quieter than the UAV3.

While Mitchell continued studying the satellite images, Smith activated the drone via its controller, then announced that it was ready for launch.

"Bravo Lead, this is Ghost Lead," Mitchell called over the radio. "Stand by to cut power."

"Roger that," answered Beasley, whose truck had just stopped to let off his team. "And we're inbound for the choppers and vehicles."

Mitchell switched views to his Situational Awareness Tactical Display showing the four green diamonds--Bravo Team--heading toward the north side of the castle, where two choppers were parked in the field, along with two more trucks. The map was color-coded, with hostile terrain glowing orange, secured terrain in blue, and inaccessible areas in gray. Bravo Team would quietly ensure that none of those rides remained operational. If any Tiger tried to escape, he'd be doing it on foot.

Abruptly, the uplink channel window crackled to life with the image of a young man with bleached blond hair impaled by a headset. "Captain Mitchell, this is Lieutenant Moch, sir."

Ah, yes, Mitchell had met him briefly and heard more about him from Diaz. "Go ahead, Lieutenant."

"Sir, we had a clean launch, and you'll have Predator support in one minute, thirty seconds, sir."

"Roger that. And just remember to keep that flying lawn mower on the perimeter. You scan for outside threats and complement the satellite. We've got the AO covered from here."

"Uh, roger that, sir."

Mitchell grinned to himself. The "aviator" wasn't happy, but he had admitted on the sub that the Predator's engines could blow everyone's cover. Still, having the drone provide additional surveillance of the mountains was certainly welcome.

"Ghost Lead, this is Bravo Lead. We have drivers and pilots posted near their vehicles, and we're in position. Waiting on you, Boss."

"Roger that." Mitchell glanced at the time in his HUD. "Still a little early."

He then stole another look from the satellite images, waited a moment more, then switched to the Predator's thermal infrared sensors just as the drone came online.

He immediately spotted the two snipers posted in the hills, red diamonds flashing.

"Diaz, check your HUD. Predator's got two out there."

"I see them. All right, sir, they're mine."

"Alicia, when that power goes down and I signal, you'll need to work faster than you've ever worked before. Snipers, then main gate sentries. Then you move again."

"I understand, sir." She backed out of the brush and darted off into the woods across the path.

Mitchell unclipped the cell phone from his waist and called Buddha. "Okay, where are my targets?"

"Sorry, Captain. He has not called back yet."

"What's the delay?"

"I don't know."

"Then call him!"

"Too risky. We must wait. He will call."

"What if he has second thoughts?"

"I have read this man correctly. He is scared, but he will help. He wants the best for his village."

"Buddha, I got air assets, I got people waiting."

"Captain, you may launch your attack now, but it seems there are still people awake at the castle, and I can't promise how soon that information will come."

Mitchell thought a curse. "Understood."

"Sir, do you want to launch the drone?" asked Smith.

"No, we'll wait till we cut power--but I was hoping to have our targets pinpointed before then, damn it."

Of course, if they didn't, they'd be searching for four needles within five haystacks. Yet for every second they remained in position, the odds of them being spotted increased.

Below, a few more castle windows darkened.

The uplink channel in Mitchell's HUD switched to a view from the tiny camera mounted on Diaz's headset. "Captain, I got a bead on our first sniper. I'll have to move to get the other guy."

"Hold."

"Holding."

"Captain, we're still waiting here," called Beasley from his position in the forest near the choppers and trucks.

"I know, I know. Just sit tight."

Inside the castle grounds, Huang held the leash of his dog and started toward the main gate.

"Where are you going?" asked one of Fang's men posted there.

"For a walk," Huang snapped.

The guard frowned. "Walk him here."

"He will not go here. I take him to the field."

"No."

"Do you want me to call Captain Fang?"

The soldier swallowed. "You know him?"

"I'm going to walk my dog." Huang turned around, moved to the gate, unlocked the door, then started outside, deliberately leaving the gate open.

Once he reached the bottom of the path and was turning toward the field, he tugged the phone from his pocket and nervously made the call.

Forty-three minutes later, Colonel Xu Dingfa was lying in his quarters inside the central, rectangular-shaped building. Fresh flowers had been arranged in vases, and the beds had been made with clean and sweet-smelling linen. Captain Fang had made all the arrangements for the "comfort girls" who had recently arrived, and one of them was already giving Xu a deep and erotic massage. The other three Tigers were, assumably, enjoying their own nights of pleasure before turning to much more grave business in the morning.

When they had planned the meeting, Xu had suggested that they gather immediately within the first hour of their arrival, but his impatience had been summarily quashed by the older Chen, who considered the "event" a long weekend and chance to work, celebrate, and unwind. Consequently, Xu had arranged for the girls and the banquet-style meal.

In the morning, they would establish the chain of command, finalize their timetables, and clearly identify the individual types and numbers of ships and aircraft involved. Call signs would be issued, as well as operating area assignments. Chen would distribute the communication encryption key cards for secure communications on what he had dubbed the Pouncing Dragon Primary Tactical Network (PDPTN).

Xu sighed as the girl dug her soft hands a little deeper into his shoulders.

The lights suddenly flickered a moment, then went out.

The girl gasped.

Xu rose, fumbled in the dark for his radio, found it, and called Fang.

The captain sounded irritated. "Sir, Huang tells me they are working on the transformers every night. The power should return within thirty minutes. It is no worry."

"I don't like this, Fang. Security is your mission. Do not fail us."

"I will not."

Xu thumbed off the radio and thought of calling Major-General Chen to give him the news. Then again, Chen could already be asleep. Why alert him to something that he might never discover?

Xu rolled over and grabbed the girl, who giggled.

Chapter Twenty-five.

HAKKA CASTLE

XIAMEN, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Master Sergeant Matt Beasley was ordinarily a patient man. All those years as a student of human nature had taught him to be still like a predator, always looking and listening.

But the lights had just gone out. And the captain had ordered them to do . . . nothing.

They were waiting ten more minutes to give the Tigers' security team time to check in with each other, time enough to give them all a false sense of security.

Hitting the castle directly after the power went down was much too conventional, and they would be tense, despite whatever story the CIA's inside man told them about the outage.

And that explained why Beasley, Brown, Jenkins, and Hume continued lying on their bellies within the ditch at the edge of the woodland. The pair of small, two-man civilian helicopters were less than a hundred meters away.

Images of those choppers had been captured by Beasley's camera and uploaded to the network. Within a minute the helicopters had been identified as Brantly B-2Bs manufactured by a Texas company that had been bought out by the Chinese. A detailed set of schematics and even a suggested sabotage point within the cockpit focusing on the bird's electronics systems accompanied the intel.

Parked near the choppers were a pair of jeeplike SUVs identified as the new Brave Warriors, and Beasley didn't need the geeks back home to tell him how to sabotage them.

Out there, a few hundred meters beyond the vehicles, lay the castle, growing even darker as swollen clouds descended like enormous zeppelins to blot out the stars. From one window came the faintest trace of a flashlight being switched on.

Beasley returned his gaze to the helicopters. He'd hoped that the Tigers would have chosen much larger birds so that the Ghosts could've revised their exfiltration plan to include a swift chopper ride back to the coast courtesy of a Chinese pilot held at gunpoint.

But as Murphy and logic would have it, the Tigers had chosen to be discreet and flown in via those smaller civilian birds.

A few drops of rain struck the ditch, followed by a few more. Beasley hoped the captain didn't wait much longer, because once the storm really kicked in, their targets would seek cover in their vehicles, making them even harder to pick off.

The two chopper pilots and two drivers had gathered near the open tailgates of the trucks and were drinking, smoking, while one was engrossed in a small, handheld computer game.

Beasley had already played out Bravo Team's raid a half dozen times in his head. He'd initially considered a standoff attack, dropping each guy quietly like snipers and taking full advantage of the camera mounted on his Modular Rifle--Caseless (MR-C) to peek around the vehicles. However, once those men had gathered in close, he'd realized that the raid must be more swift, that all four needed to go down at once.

And to ensure success, Beasley knew they had to get in close. Very close.

"Well, that's ten minutes," whispered Jenkins over Bravo Team's radio channel.

"Ghost Lead, this is Bravo Lead," called Beasley on the main channel. "Still waiting on you, Boss."

"Uh, yeah. Sit tight."

Something ominous had crept into the captain's tone.

"What the hell's he waiting for?" asked Brown.

"The captain knows what he's doing," Beasley retorted, only half buying the assurance.

"I know he knows. Wish he'd share it with us."

"He sounds distracted," said Jenkins.

"We're all distracted," Beasley snapped.

"I think something's going down," said Brown.

"Yeah, it's called Operation War Wraith," Beasley finished.

"Uh, I don't know. This . . . this ain't right," said Hume. "Every time we work with the spooks, there's always something they don't tell us--and I got a feeling the captain just got a piece of intel he definitely doesn't like."

Beasley sighed. The longer they waited, the more paranoid they would become.

Huang used the small penlight to lead the village elders into their usual meeting room. Eleven of the twelve men stared worriedly at him as he spoke. "Everyone is in their rooms. The gate door is open. Our visitors are asleep, and Fang and his men remain at their posts. I'm told there will be four men, dressed all in black. We need only stay out of their way. It will all be over soon."

One of the other elders, a ruddy-faced man named Pan who had never liked Huang because of a dispute between their sons, both now grown, widened his eyes. "I will say it again. I'm outraged that you've made this deal with the secret police. If anyone is hurt, I will blame you, Huang. You."

"What is worse? Dealing with the police or being forced to open our doors to these criminals? Tonight, our problems will end once and for all. Go now to your posts. Keep low. And watch. I am told it will happen soon."

Pan held up his index finger at Huang. "I know he's agreed to give you his truck, but you'd better not accept it. That is, as you say, a gift from a criminal."

Huang glowered at Pan as the man passed by.

Interestingly enough, Fang had driven his truck inside the central building and parked it in the courtyard, beneath a long row of canvas awnings, out of sight. He'd certainly made it appear as if he were leaving it behind.

As Huang stepped outside, he glanced at the truck then up past the balconies to where Fang now stood on the sloping roof, his cane a dark slash mark across his hip.

Huang grew rigid, and his breath became shallow. His need for revenge or baochou had been carried down through the ages and was necessary because there was no god, no law, no earthly power that would carry it out for him.

Exacting baochou was the only way Huang and the elders could save face, so Huang had decided that if the secret police did not keep their promise, then he alone would kill the man. The blemishes must be wiped clean.

There was no other way.

Frowning over the drizzle, Diaz checked her Cross-Com's downlink channel for a weather report. Damn, the radar indicated it would only get worse, and the wind speed was picking up, the direction shifting more to the southwest.

Her target didn't like the weather either. He had twice wrestled with his position, his Type 88 rifle resting steadily on its bipod. She found it curious that he wasn't toting a more powerful weapon. Still, she knew that the 88 had only been issued to the PLA in small numbers. Perhaps it was one of his personal favorites.

Diaz's own DSR 1 subsonic sniper rifle had been manufactured by the German company AMP Technical Services, and the rifle had been adopted by the GSG 9 counterterrorism group and a few other elite European agencies. DSR stood for Defensive Sniper Rifle, but in Diaz's hands, it was nothing but offensive.

The rifle had a bullpup design, meaning the action and magazine were located behind the trigger. The design increased the barrel length relative to the weapon's overall length, saving weight and increasing maneuverability. The bipod was mounted on upper rails, and the adjustable front grip was mounted on lower rails. Diaz had already made slight adjustments to the buttstock and cheekpiece, and she had inserted a spare four-round magazine into the holder in front of the trigger guard. The extra mag sitting right in front of her hand made reloading much faster and kept her gaze locked ahead on the target zone. The rifle's bipods were firmly planted on her carrying bag, which doubled as a shooter's mat, and the bag sat atop a long, flat rock.

Additionally, the DSR had a rack-and-pinion fully adjustable monopod jutting from the bottom of the buttstock; as a result, the rifle was fully seated on the firing surface by bipods up front, monopod in the back.

Diaz's subsonic variant had been adjusted to incorporate the 7.62x51mm NATO rifle cartridge instead of the more overt .338 Lapua Magnum, and while she preferred the latter ammo, the mission dictated more stealth and those unmarked shell casings provided by the general and friends in her home state.

She blinked hard and returned to her night-vision scope. He was still there, all right, and at any moment he would begin speaking into the microphone covering his mouth. As soon as he did, Diaz would tip off the captain that her man had just made his radio check.

USS MONTANA (SSN-823)

SOUTH TAIWAN STRAIT

SOUTH CHINA SEA

APRIL 2012

Captain Gummerson asked himself for the second time, What is Mitchell waiting for? He's got the lights out, rain coming in, and he has the location of his targets.

Gummerson stood under the control room's crimson lights, ears pricked up for the next message. Montana's electronic countermeasures (ECM), electronic intelligence (ELINT), and Sonar teams were probing a three-dimensional battle sphere--air, surface, and subsurface--for any hint of enemy counterdetection.

Meanwhile, the OE-538 multifunction masts that were Montana's "big ear" continued to track each Ghost while monitoring all exchanges between them. Total situational awareness via mutually shared information in a common tactical picture was the epitome of network-centric warfare.

"They move in yet?" asked the XO as he entered the control room.

Gummerson shook his head. "No. All Mitchell's done is step up to the plate."

The XO shrugged. "Sometimes you wait for your pitch."

Gummerson cocked a brow. "And sometimes you strike out looking."

UNITED STATES SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE

TAMPA, FLORIDA

APRIL 2012

While it might be the wee hours in China, it was twelve hours earlier at USSOCOM, and General Joshua Keating strode past banks of screens displaying network data, from satellite intel all the way down to the camera mounted on Captain Scott Mitchell's earpiece.

At the moment, Keating couldn't understand why Mitchell was taking so much damned time to analyze the pictures captured by his portable drone.

Keating was, in fact, a few seconds away from getting on the horn and blasting Mitchell for his delay.

But he liked Mitchell. Wanted to trust him. Wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Dr. Gail Gorbatova of the DIA, who was seated beside one of her intelligence analysts, rose from the desk and approached him. "General, we are wondering--"

"About the delay," he finished, drawing in a deep breath through his teeth.

"Our colleagues at the CIA are wondering the same thing and have no explanations from their people. And we have our mole standing by."

"Excellent. Now we're still gathering intel, so if you would, Dr. Gorbatova, just have a seat."

Keating returned to his computer and keyed up the intel coming in from Mitchell's Ghost Team: grainy green pictures of the castle, the helicopters, the trucks, and even Diaz's point of view as she balanced her crosshairs over one of the two Chinese snipers. Everything looked perfect.

Come on, son. Give the order. Move out!

A voice echoed through the room: "Ghost Lead, this is Bravo Lead. Our targets will take cover from the rain any second now. Captain, we need to move now!"

"Ghost Lead, this is Diaz. Wind speed is getting worse and can really mess up my shot, sir."

Give the order, Mitchell!

"Bravo Lead, this is Ghost Lead," said Mitchell. "Stand by. And Diaz, hold."

"Captain Mitchell? This is Lieutenant Moch, Predator support, sir. We've identified a power company truck en route to your transformer station. ETA approximately ten minutes, sir."

Keating clenched his fist and imagined himself screaming at Mitchell: What's the holdup, son? I need those Spring Tigers taken out now!

Despite his frustration, Keating knew that senses and intuition captured in real time by a commander on the ground far outweighed any digitized picture transmitted over thousands of miles.

Special Forces truth: Human beings were more important than hardware. What's more, Mitchell's own tactical assessment could be very different than what they viewed at USSOCOM. If the captain were waiting for something, then he had a damned good reason.

However--and this was a big however--he'd made no attempt to explain himself, and that was highly unlike him.

Damn it, Mitchell! Attack!

HAKKA CASTLE

XIAMEN, CHINA

APRIL 2012

More voices echoed in Mitchell's earpiece, and more faces appeared in his HUD, but he just lay there, mouth hung open.

At the moment the power had been cut, Mitchell had ordered Smith to launch the MAV4mp Cypher. In the minutes that had followed, Mitchell had navigated the drone high above the central building and had been able to identify the positions of every guard posted there: three at each of the silos, two at the central building with one on the roof, and the two snipers. His threat assessment, replete with flashing red diamonds, was complete and available to his people.

Mitchell steered the drone as low as he dared, and just as he had tapped the joystick, ready to fly the Cypher home, the guard on the roof turned to reveal a cane fixed to his belt.

With jittery hands Mitchell zoomed in with the drone's camera, trying to pull up a more detailed side view and muttering to himself that no, it couldn't be, that these kinds of Escrima sticks or canes or other martial arts clubs were commonplace among military men, that after ten long years, there was no way in hell that this guy, on top of this roof, in China of all places, could be Captain Fang Zhi.

But the camera's zoom worked remarkably well. And Mitchell knew that cane. That face. Those eyes.

Was it a remarkable coincidence? Fate? Was Mitchell being forced back through an open door that had never closed?

What the hell was Fang doing in China? Had he defected? Mitchell had lost track of the man--and purposely so--because he'd had to go on with life. That was the advice he'd given Rutang, and that was the advice he'd lived by.

But he'd never forgotten Fang's cowardice, or Captain Foyte impaled on those punji stakes, or Warrant Officer Alvarado clutching that dart in his neck, or poor Carlos bleeding out and telling him to go back for Billy. Mitchell would never forget that row of bodies lying on the field.

Twelve men had entered the jungle on Basilan Island, and only three had come out, thanks, in part, to Fang Zhi.

The scar on Mitchell's chest burned anew.

And now he was back on that field, squaring off with Fang, only this time Fang had no chance to draw his sword. This time, Mitchell had a pistol jammed into Fang's forehead, and when he squeezed the trigger, all he heard was Beasley crying in his earpiece, "Captain, we have to move--now!"

Chapter Twenty-Six.

HAKKA CASTLE

XIAMEN, CHINA

APRIL 2012

With a gasp, Mitchell was back, hot-wired to the moment, his senses flooded with input.

"Ghost Lead, this is Bravo Lead," Beasley called again. "Don't forget about us, Captain! I need that order!"

As chills raced up Mitchell's spine, he checked the downlink channel now showing Beasley's camera, zoomed in, and enhanced. Bravo Team's targets were seeking cover.

Instincts honed by years of combat experience took over. Mitchell began processing information and issuing orders with cool, calm efficiency:

"Bravo Team, attack."

"Roger that," Beasley answered in a stage whisper. "Moving up to attack."

"Diaz, snipers, then main gate, fire now."

"Roger that, Captain. Sighting my first target."

"Smith? Police up the drone, then fall in behind us. Ramirez? Nolan? Move out!"

Mitchell burst from cover, and Ramirez was already a few steps ahead of him and took point, his MK14 EBR rifle with attached silencer held at the ready as they raced along the road, then started down toward the castle, picking their way through streams of rainwater washing down the mountain.

Nolan was hard on Mitchell's heels, carrying his P90 SD Belgian-designed submachine gun with suppressor because, as many medics argued, the best form of preventative medicine was superior firepower.

"Got the drone," Smith reported, then hustled up behind them with a Modular Rifle--Caseless (MR-C). The MR-C fired caseless ammo at 900 rounds per minute, and while the regular army did not field the rifle, the Ghosts endorsed it wholeheartedly.

They had guns, all right. Lots of them.

But only four shots really mattered: one in the head of each Spring Tiger.

Or was it five shots?

Mitchell considered shouting to the others, The guy with cane? He's mine!

However, he could not reveal his personal bias and immediately undermine his command. The mission and his people came first. He knew that. They knew that. If Fang were killed in the crossfire, then so be it.

But who was he kidding? He wanted to fire that shot more than anything else in the world. His anger had grown talons that ripped apart his gut, and over and over he watched himself squeezing the man's neck and firing that shot. Mitchell gasped, shuddered off the thought, and hustled on.

Beasley sprinted along the edge of the forest, then he broke into a Motor City madman dash across the field, coming toward the choppers and trucks from the left flank.

Two of the men, the drivers, had pushed themselves deeper into the back of one truck, leaving the tailgate open. The other two guys, the pilots, had sought refuge inside the other Brave Warrior's cab.

Those drivers they could reach. But the pilots in the cab were already giving Beasley a headache.

He signaled for Jenkins and Hume to get low on the driver's side of the pilots' truck, while he and Brown rushed up to the other truck with the open tailgate, their pistols clutched tightly in gloved hands.

One of the pilots was about to light a cigarette. The other was lifting his glass to take a sip.

Brown shot the drinker in the head. Thump!

But Beasley opted for two shots into the smoker's chest--because the man would become helpful, even in death. He rushed forward, caught the guy before he slumped forward, and whispered to Brown, "Help me stand him up!"

"What the hell are we doing?"

"Marcus, trust me. And we have to move. I need to check in with the bot. That power crew will be there any minute."

"Okay. I think I get it now."

The captain's firing order had come so abruptly that it took Diaz's brain a moment to catch up to her ears.

Holding her breath, she made the slightest tweak to her aim before squeezing the trigger.

While she doubted the click from her rifle was loud enough to be detected by the guards posted around the castle, that second sniper might've heard it. She squinted and observed a blood cloud envelop the first sniper.

Clean kill.

Using the knife edge of her firing hand, she worked the bolt effortlessly and ejected the spent case. After chambering the next round, she clambered to her feet, grabbed the firing mat, and stole off along the ridge.

She needed to cross just ten, fifteen meters to the west to get a more direct bead on the second sniper on the north side. She already envisioned herself in place and taking him out.

The rain was torrential now, and the first jagged seam of lightning ripped through the sky, backlighting the gnarled and dripping limbs in her path.

Just a little farther, she assured herself, her boots thumping, her breath growing shallow.

She was at once scared out of her mind and riding an adrenaline high unlike any she'd ever experienced. She'd been in a lot of foreign countries before, but none held the mystery and foreboding of China.

Too bad she didn't have time to sightsee. She was here to meet exotic people, and, like the old bumper sticker said, kill them.

In fact, Captain Mitchell and the rest of Alpha Team were already heading to the gate, and they needed those entrance guards taken out, so every second counted. Every last one. But she hadn't found her next firing position yet.

She sighed loudly in frustration and gritted her teeth. The balaclava, with a small hole cut out for her Cross-Com earpiece, was soaking wet and beginning to itch. She cursed and reached up, removed the earpiece/monocle, then grabbed the balaclava, tore it off, and kept running.

"Come on, come on, come on," she whispered.

Within a minute Diaz finally settled into her next spot, the balaclava now tucked behind her belt, the Cross-Com back on her ear.

The cold, wet rifle felt perfect against her cheek. She homed in on the second sniper.

Time for him to check out.

But damn it, he was already moving, the red diamond IDing him sliding across her HUD.

She breathed another curse, dragged herself back up, and got moving again.

Mitchell, Ramirez, Smith, and Nolan worked their way across the field, the mud rising to their ankles.

With the rain and their black uniforms, they should be near impossible to spot. Still, sharp veins of lightning printed the sky negative, and the ground rumbled with racing cracks of thunder. During any one of those flashes, a keen-eyed guard could turn his head in the right direction, make his radio call, and open fire. Surprise party over.

A long, earthen wall about four feet tall extended from both sides of the wrought-iron gates, and Ramirez was first to reach it, followed by Mitchell, Smith, and Nolan.

Crouching in the shallow mud puddles, Mitchell activated his MR-C's gun cam, then he rose and slid the rifle over the wall top while peering into the camera's display, which flipped open like a portable video camera's. The screen allowed him to shoot around corners and over the tops of walls, but for now he exploited its recon possibilities. He panned right, then left, and despite the grainy image, he saw enough to elicit a huff of frustration. The two guards posted outside the rectangular building were still at their posts, so Mitchell and the others would have to risk moving in closer to ensure single-shot, clean kills. And the question lingered: what had happened to Diaz?

He slid back down and shook his head at the others, then he checked his HUD, switching to an image coming in from Diaz's camera: she was on the run.

"Diaz, SITREP."

"I lost the second sniper for a minute. Got him now in my HUD. I'm moving position. Can you wait for me?"

"Negative, I need my guards down now."

"Roger that. Stand by."

The truck's schematics had given no indication if the windshield and side windows were bulletproof, and Beasley couldn't take the chance of allowing Jenkins and Hume to make a firing attempt through the glass.

Time for plan B, as in use an enemy body to your advantage. Beasley and Brown kept low behind the dead driver, bringing him over to and propping him up near the truck. Hume, who was hunkered down near the driver's side rear door, moved up and knocked on the driver's window. The guy at the wheel turned.

Between the pouring rain and the darkness, the guy would fail to get a good look at his dead colleague--and that's what Beasley was counting on. The window lowered, and the second it did, Beasley and Brown let the body fall back, giving Jenkins, who was positioned near the truck's front tire, room enough to slide up and direct his pistol into the cabin. His Px4 Storm SD thumped twice. Blood began dripping down the side windows. Jenkins reached in and opened the truck's door.

"Outstanding," grunted Beasley. "Now start with the choppers while I take care of the bot." He opened the truck's rear door and climbed inside, out of the rain. He called up the SUGV's main camera in his HUD and worked the wireless controller to pan that camera toward the main gate. Headlights grew brighter in the distance.

He steered the drone away from its cover spot and began launching all six smoke grenades, positioning them all over the station. The new lock and the threat of an electrical fire, as evidenced by the smoke, should delay that crew a little longer.

By the time he finished and returned the bot to its position, Hume signaled that all vehicles were inoperable and rigged with more C-4, should they choose to create yet another diversion.

Now it was time to move in toward the castle and take out as many guards as they could before falling back to cover Alpha Team's exit. Beasley updated the captain, then ordered Bravo Team to move out toward the building on the castle's west side.

Diaz's attention was divided between the sniper running along the opposite mountain to the north and the two guards below. She had to adjust her damned firing position three times before she finally had her bead on the first guy.

But the rain. All that damned rain. The best she could do was make her adjustments . . . and fire.

The first guard went down, tumbling beside one wall, out of sight. The second guard, standing just around the corner from him and shivering under the overhanging roofline, turned his head, as though he'd heard something.

He began speaking into his radio.

Diaz waited until he was finished. Then, without warning, a burst of wind came in hard--just as she took her next shot.

The round exploded into the wall just above the guard's left shoulder.

Her brothers began screaming in her head as she reloaded in one smooth motion and the guard dropped to his belly, seeking cover.

But she still had him in her sights. And as he crawled forward, her second shot caught him in the middle of his back. He did not move again.

"Captain, this is Diaz. You're clear!"

Mitchell and Smith jogged forward toward the main entrance of the central building, while Ramirez and Nolan broke right toward the long, curving wall of the east building and its rows of rectangular windows. Once they drew closer, they'd have two guards to pick off before they moved inside.

According to the CIA's inside guy, Colonel Xu was in the central building, while each of the others were staying in the south, east, and north buildings, respectively. Their locations had been assessed by the Ghosts' intelligence analysts and sent to Mitchell's HUD so that he and the others need only follow the intel indicators to find the men.

Admittedly, Mitchell had chosen to take out Xu because he knew Fang had been stationed on the roof of Xu's building. Fang had come down when the rain had picked up, and Mitchell assumed that the bastard was somewhere inside.

Ramirez crawled on his hands and knees through the muck as he neared the first guard, who was sniffling and huddling beside the door, his weapon pointed at the ground. Ramirez needed him to turn his head a bit more, so he issued a curt, "Hey!"

The guard looked down, up, didn't see Ramirez. He frowned, blinked, and then . . . he finally spotted him and made that turn.

One silenced round to the head ended his surprise and discomfort.

Ramirez waved on Nolan, and they kept tight to the wall, racing around to the opposite side of the building, where the second guy was posted near the other door.

They got down as they approached, and Nolan drifted out a bit from the wall, lifted his pistol, just as the guard raised his head and looked at them.

The shot kicked him onto his back.

Ramirez rose and raced to him. Clean head shot. He glanced back at Nolan, raised a thumb. They tried the door: locked. Ramirez fished out his tool kit and got to work, while Nolan covered him.

They still had one more guard in their way. He was, of course, posted outside Admiral Cai Ming's door.

Nolan breathed a curse and suddenly fired. Ramirez turned his head to watch a guard posted outside the south building tumble to his death.

"He was just coming around," Nolan explained. "And can you hurry up? It's not like bad guys are trying to shoot us or anything."

Ramirez jabbed one of his tools into the lock. "I'm an artist, bro. Patience."

Huang peered out his window and saw the dead guard lying beside the central building. It was happening now, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

They were in the west building, on the fifth floor. He glanced over at his wife, who slept soundly, the candle-light playing over her face.

A knock came at the door. Huang frowned and answered it.

There stood Pan, a flashlight in one hand, a pistol in the other. "Step out here onto the balcony," he said.

"Pan, what is this?"

"You know what this is."

"No, I don't."

"I went back to my quarters and began thinking, and I realized that your little deal with the police has given me the perfect opportunity."

Huang shook his head. "I don't believe you."

Pan raised the pistol even higher. "They will think you were accidentally shot by the police or by one of Fang's guards. Your family has no money for an autopsy. There will be no investigation."

"Pan, listen to me. If you fire that gun, everything will be ruined. Is killing me worth that much to you? Think of your own sons. And remember, if you didn't have doubts, you wouldn't be talking to me."

Pan stepped forward, the pistol poised over Huang's forehead. "This is the only way I can save face with the council."

"No, it's not. When this is over, I will leave, okay? There is no reason to shoot me."

Pan's breathing grew labored, and Huang could almost hear the gears grinding in the man's head.

"Pan, go back to bed."

Fang stood outside Xu's door, his flashlight beaming at the floor. The row of fifth-floor balconies was otherwise dark. He tried to get in touch with Sergeant Chung, who'd once more failed to respond. What was that fool doing now? Huddling inside to smoke a cigarette? Fang was a few seconds away from going down there to beat the man with his cane.

He checked his watch. The power should be back up soon, and that was good. The rain, thunder, and lightning strained his eyes and made his bones ache. Just across the balcony, the building's roof sagged as chutes of water funneled down and tumbled five stories to the muddy courtyard below.

After calling once more into his radio, Fang decided to check in with his snipers. No response from the first.

But the second man's voice came tight with exertion: "Captain, I think I've spotted someone along the south ridge. Another sniper, maybe. Need time to confirm, over."

"You find out who that is."

"I will, sir."

Fang immediately called out to his first team of guards in the east building. After a long pause, only Sergeant Keng, the guard posted outside Admiral Cai's door, responded. Fang demanded to know what was happening with the others, but Keng was not sure. He could only see the courtyard from his vantage point.

Fang rushed along the balcony and toward the staircase. He ordered one of Sergeant Chung's men to come up and assume his position, but again, his order was met with static.

It took incredible force of will for Mitchell to crouch there, peering from behind the cracked door as Fang Zhi jogged right by him.

Yes, Mitchell could have chanced an interception. But any noise, even the slightest, could alert Colonel Xu--and he was the true target.

Behind Mitchell, Smith held the young village man and his wife at gunpoint, his finger to his lips after he'd ordered them to be quiet in Mandarin.

For a long moment, Mitchell remained there, just breathing, his thoughts lost in another decade, in a moment that turned his blood cold.

"Boss? We ready?"

Mitchell stared through the sergeant. Only one fact registered: that he had allowed Fang to walk away.

"Boss?"

"Yeah. Come on. Three doors down. Let's do it."

Mitchell stood, slid over his Cross-Com's monocle, then he and Smith reached into their packs and tugged out their lightweight enhanced night-vision goggles (ENVGs). Their eyes had adjusted to the outside, but they wouldn't take chances within the darker confines of Xu's room. The straps fit firmly over their heads.

Mitchell opened the door and returned to the balcony. He skulked along the wall with Smith in his shadow. They reached Xu's door and took up positions on either side. Mitchell gave Smith a terse nod.

As the sergeant's size-thirteen foot connected with the warped wood, a gunshot rang out in the distance, leaving Mitchell confused as the door swung open and he dropped to the floor, with Smith coming in above him.

In a bed on the opposite side of the room lay a screaming woman pulling blankets up to her neck. Next to her, on the side nearest Mitchell, was the young colonel, who rolled over toward a small nightstand, where his sidearm sat in its holster.

Chapter Twenty-Seven.

HAKKA CASTLE

XIAMEN, CHINA

APRIL 2012

After more than an hour's worth of dizzying passion, Colonel Xu Dingfa had fallen onto the bed, breathless and relaxed, with the comfort girl's head resting gently on his chest. He had vowed in the morning to ask her name and make arrangements to see her again.

He'd thought he'd been dreaming when the door had smashed inward, the faint light from the candle near the bed illuminating two figures, their faces concealed by masks, their night-vision goggles protruding like antennae from their heads. One was hunkered down, one stood, and as Xu's eyes had opened wider, he'd spotted their guns.

The reach for his own weapon was instinctual, worthless, really, but he couldn't just lie there.

Now, as the girl screamed and the first silenced rounds finished her, Xu wondered who was responsible for his death. Who had betrayed him? Fang? Had the man been lying in wait for these past four years, a tiger himself? No, it couldn't be. Could it?

The shots ripped through Xu's chest, and it took another second for the pain to register like a claw shredding his gut with slow, even strokes. He coughed, and his mouth immediately filled with blood.

Xu felt no sorrow for himself, only for his dear mother and father, whom he had failed. They would not see their lost children, and that was the greatest tragedy.

As the men rifled through his belongings, Xu thought of raising his fist in one last act of defiance, but the room had already grown dark around the edges, and there was only the strength for one final breath.

As Huang and Pan had stood facing each other on the balcony, Huang had realized that Pan was not going to leave and had every intention of shooting him.

So Huang had lashed out, seizing Pan's wrist to shift away the gun. Pan had fought against Huang's grip with one hand while clubbing Huang in the head with his flashlight.

Even as the blow seemed to reverberate through Huang's head, the gun had gone off, the round tearing through Huang's shoulder.

Pan gasped, muttered his disbelief that he had fired, and the gun slipped from his grip. Huang kicked the weapon away and shoved Pan against the railing with so much force that the warped and rotting wood cracked and gave way.

Pan flailed his arms and screamed as he fell back into the chutes of rain, plunging five stories to splash hard to his death.

Huang's wife was crying and rushed up beside him. Down in the courtyard, one of Fang's guards ran up to Pan's body and checked for a pulse. Then he gazed up at Huang and screamed, "I heard the shot! What's going on here?"

Clutching his bleeding shoulder, Huang was about to answer when a click sounded from below, and the guard's head snapped back before he toppled.

Huang gasped as a fresh volley of automatic weapons fire rattled loudly through the courtyard.

Buddha sat in the idling SUV, chomping on a chocolate bar and staring at the streaming video of the castle being fed to his laptop. Boy Scout was doing likewise and issuing his banal and obvious commentary on the action.

That first shot had been barely audible from their range, but Buddha had pricked up his ears and now leaned out the window, grimacing over a lot more gunfire.

"You were right," came Boy Scout's voice from the phone on the seat.

"About the noise, yes," Buddha answered. "I was hoping I would not be."

"We should get in closer. The cowboys will need us soon."

"We stay here."

"That's a mistake, old man."

"Shut up. Do what I say." Buddha wiped his hands on his jeans and stared at Boy Scout's SUV, just ahead.

If the kid acted rashly, he would not live to regret it.

Beasley had shot the guard who'd run into the courtyard, then he'd paused and frowned. There were two bodies lying there. He glanced up, saw an old couple staring down at him from the fifth-floor balcony, the railing busted away.

The other two guards had come in from the north side entrance of the building, and one of them had begun firing at Jenkins and Hume, who were about ten meters behind Beasley, close to the wall.

"Damn it, Jenkins, he sees you!" cried Beasley. "Move up and take him out!"

Just then Lieutenant Moch got on the Cross-Com with an intel update from his Predator: the power crew was at the fence, working on the gate, and yet another truck was inbound.

The news prompted Beasley to call the captain. "Ghost Lead, this is Bravo Lead. I'll need to blow that transformer within the next couple of minutes."

When Mitchell and Smith reached the south building, only one guard had remained outside, thanks to Nolan. Smith had just tagged the other guy with an impressive shot, and the main door had split under Mitchell's foot as though it'd been made of balsa, thanks to years of martial arts training.

Now, as they headed up the staircase, en route toward Major-General Wu's quarters and the remaining guard there, Mitchell drew in a long breath and spoke evenly over the radio, responding to Beasley's call: "Hold off on the fireworks as long as you can. Looks like Chen's on the move in the north building. Change of plan. You move in and take him out."

"Roger that. On our way."

"Diaz?" Mitchell called. "Help him out."

"Roger that," she said.

Mitchell and Smith reached the fourth-floor balcony. They crouched near the wall, taking about a dozen more steps toward the major-general's door.

Suddenly, that door swung open, and one of the guards hurried out. Behind him came Major-General Wu Hui himself, wearing only boxer shorts and brandishing a pistol. Both men thundered directly toward them.

Their expressions changed as they spotted the two men crouched near the wall, but they were already too late.

Smith got off the first shot, striking the guard just as he was lifting his rifle.

Mitchell cut loose with his MR-C, hosing down the balcony with suppressed rounds and sending the muscular Wu to the wooden floor.

As Mitchell dove forward himself, Wu began squeezing off rounds and hollering obscenities in Mandarin.

Smith issued a half-strangled cry as Mitchell kept firing until Wu's pistol fell silent.

"Paul!" Mitchell rolled onto his side, sat up, where Smith was clutching his right biceps.

"Stings bad."

"I'll tie it off quick."

Mitchell reached into his pack for his medical kit. Every Ghost carried one except Nolan who, as medic, toted the full medical bag.

Within two minutes Mitchell had Smith's arm tied off and a big trauma bandage slapped in place.

"Let's go take a look," said Smith, lifting his chin at Wu's quarters.

Mitchell nodded, and while Smith double-timed ahead, Mitchell rushed over to Wu, his blood spreading across the floor like a dilating pupil, dark and oily. He lifted the man's head, making sure the folks back home got a good picture of his face. Then he rose. "Ghost Team? Targets Bravo and Delta terminated. Two more to go!"

"Captain, we got more stuff," called Smith from behind Wu's open door.

They had already seized several flash drives and two portfolios of documents from Xu's room.

"Take it all," grunted Mitchell.

All that gunfire below left Diaz struggling to do two things: get a bead on that remaining sniper and get control of her breath.

Even as she sighted him, he was sighting her brothers in arms around the castle.

Although he had yet to fire, she could already hear the crack of his rifle in her mind. The bastard was set up on another rock, unflinching in the rain, as though he'd been there for a hundred years, calmed by the spirits of his forefathers and waiting for the perfect shot.

The rain tapered off, just a little, the forest growing more silent, as Carlos and Tomas began to voice their doubts.

Not now!

She blinked hard then took in a long breath and held it. The reticle rested squarely over the sniper's head.

Adios. She fired. And gasped. He fell away, pieces of him hurtling end over end.

She swung her rifle around, positioning herself to face the north building, where the two guards posted outside had gone inside, presumably to defend Major-General Chen Yi, the NMR commander with the lazy left eye.

Despite the thick, earthen walls, Diaz could still see those guards as red diamonds superimposed over the building and rising as they mounted the staircase.

Both men drew nearer the wall. She could take them, but there was only one round in her chamber, and the magazine was empty.

After estimating the first guard's angle of ascent, she lined up, took the shot, firing right through the wall, striking him dead-on. The red diamond winked out. Chills spidered up her spine.

Beautiful.

No more time to celebrate.

She worked the bolt, ejected the spent case, dropped her firing hand back two inches, ejected the cold magazine, reached forward, and seized the hot magazine, slapped it home, reloaded, and sighted in on the next target, all within three seconds.

She had him.

But an odd, tingling sensation worked across her face, and the hairs stood on the back of her neck.

Abruptly, static filled her HUD as a bolt of lightning struck not five meters to her left.

The HUD flickered back to life, now showing a green diamond where the red one had been.

Two more green diamonds appeared just below the first.

Oh my God! NO!

Diaz had been so startled by the lightning strike that she had pulled the trigger, the thunder coming a half second after the click of her rifle.

Sergeant Marcus Brown had led the way up the staircase, and with a hand signal, he had told Beasley and Jenkins to hold.

The guard ahead had just rushed up a few more steps toward his buddy, whose ass had been tagged by one of Diaz's insanely accurate sniper shots.

Brown had charged up behind the guy, quads burning like they did back on the gridiron. He had leveled his MK48 light machine gun, a powerful and beautiful weapon used to preach the good word of democracy. He had fired a quick burst that pummeled the guard to the steps.

Then he had sighed, waved up the others, reached the dead guard, and was just stepping over him, when the wall exploded behind, pieces crashing into his head.

Then . . . nothing.

As Ramirez and Nolan neared Admiral Cai's door on the fifth floor of the east building, they smelled something burning.

There it was: smoke wafting from the admiral's half-open door.

Ramirez raced across the balcony, past the partially opened doors of frightened civilians peering at him.

He reached the door, which was hanging half-open, booted it in, and moved into the room, squinting and lifting an arm against the heat.

Flames shot up from the bed and licked the blackened ceiling. It seemed the admiral had burned his classified documents and other materials and had fled, but where the hell was he now?

Nolan, it seemed, already had the answer. "Joey! Down there!"

Ramirez rushed outside and glanced over the railing, where below one of the guards and another man, presumably the admiral, dashed across the courtyard.

Nolan's P90 submachine gun issued a quiet rattle as he tracked the pair, but his bead fell short, and they vanished beneath the awnings.

Ramirez was about to get on the radio and call for help, but Beasley was already reporting that Brown had been hit. Ramirez waited a second until his teammate finished, then cried, "Ghost Lead, this is Ramirez. Got even more bad news. My target is heading out of the east building through the south side door. I say again, he's heading out the south side!"

Fang Zhi had gone down to check on his men and had found their bodies. Seized by panic, he had sprinted back up to alert Xu, who was not answering his phone.

Now Fang stared in shock at the bodies of Xu and the comfort girl as the radio reports from his screaming men--what few remained--rattled in his ears.

It was over. And he might have called the other Spring Tigers, helped them escape, but he had never been given their phone numbers, only Xu's. They had kept him just outside their circle, and their lack of trust would cost them their lives.

There was only one thing left. The Brave Warrior was parked under the awning below.

Would he yet again be branded a coward because he chose to escape rather than stand up and fight to the death?

And what would happen to him now? His only allies in this country were dead or about to die.

Fang stepped out of the room and eyed the rain. Ying Long was the most famous Chinese dragon and god of the rain. Fang asked him now to bring an even greater storm to the mountains, one that would ensure his escape.

Sergeant John Hume had been sent to cover the north side staircase in the event Major-General Chen attempted to use that route. The rickety wooden stairs rose about five meters, then turned up to the next landing. Hume climbed as furtively as he could, keeping a two-handed grip on his pistol, ENVGs lighting his path. The Zeus T2 radio-guided missile launcher that he usually packed was inappropriate for a stealthy job like this. Too bad. The element of surprise was gone, and he could use a nice explosion to lift his spirits.

A clatter of feet came from above.

He stopped, thought he saw a head jut out from above. Then a flashlight's beam suddenly blinded him.

He fired, wood splintering.

Something clattered down the steps: a grenade!

Hume turned and threw himself headfirst down the staircase, just as the explosion catapulted him against the far wall.

As shattered pieces of the staircase tumbled on top of him, he rolled over and pressed his back against the wall, as two figures came down through the lingering dust.

Despite his lost breath and the biting pain in his arms and legs, he thought, No, I don't die here.

Gritting his teeth, Hume squinted and emptied his magazine into the oncoming men. He broke into a scream as they collapsed and rolled down the stairs, falling at his feet.

The he reached forward, lifted one man's head. It was him, Major-General Chen.

Only semiconscious now, he tugged off his ENVGs and called out to Beasley. "Bravo Lead, this is Hume. Target Alpha terminated. One more to go. Need help here. Staircase. Please."

Chapter Twenty-Eight.

TRANSFORMER STATION

XIAMEN, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Maintenance Supervisor Tang Chia-jun coughed and squinted through the thinning clouds of smoke rising around the transformer station.

Once he and his men reached the breakers that he assumed were the problem, he took one look at the damage, and his mouth fell open.

Supervisor Tang had been working for the power company for over twenty-two years. He knew his job.

And he knew sabotage when he saw it. That new lock on the gate and the smoke had been the first signs of something much more than a routine repair.

Now his flashlight's beam shot up through the smoke like a laser and caught three gray bricks attached to the main lines. His breath grew shallow.

Just then, Tang's assistant supervisor shouted from the other side of the station.

Tang rushed over and found that the man had removed his hard hat and he, along with three others, stood near a small, robotlike camera humming softly.

Suddenly, the camera turned, jarring all of them. It rolled forward on its treads and seemed to stare at them, its "head" panning right and left.

"What is this?" asked his assistant.

Tang gaped at the thing. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" asked another of the workers. "Is this some new equipment?"

Tang turned back to the bricks on the main lines, then faced the robot.

He began to tremble.

HAKKA CASTLE

XIAMEN, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Roughly three kilometers away, inside one of the north building's stairwells, Beasley frowned at the Chinese power crew in his HUD. Were they about to run off? He wasn't sure, but he needed them gone now. A data bar in the right corner of his HUD displayed a preprogrammed list of commands in Mandarin that he could issue through the SUGV's loudspeaker. He chose the obvious: Go away. Fast!

"Kuai Zou! Kuai Zou! Kuai Zou!"

The men slowly backed off. All right, they were beginning to get the message.

Beasley pressed a button on his wireless controller, and a detonation clock glowed and flashed on his screen: 00:00:20, 00:00:19, 00:00:18 . . .

Not only would the rest of the station blow, but the SUGV was also rigged for detonation with chemical charges that would melt its components beyond recognition.

"Ghost Lead, this is Bravo Lead. Charges at the station have been activated. But I have two men down."

TRANSFORMER STATION

XIAMEN, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Tang's mouth finally worked. "Run now! Run!" He sprinted toward the gate, his men following, screaming their questions as a series of ear-piercing explosions came from behind them.

His heart hammering, his breath all but gone, Tang neared the fence when the concussion lifted him into the air for a moment, then slammed him into the gate.

The rest of his men joined him there, and they all turned back, breathless, staring in awe at the fireballs.

HAKKA CASTLE

XIAMEN, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Diaz ignored the muffled booming from the northeast as she targeted that door Ramirez had indicated.

Three of the four Spring Tigers were already dead. If she could nab this guy, Admiral Cai, designated Target Charlie, the mission was over.

But poor Marcus. Had she killed him? She was too damned scared to ask.

And Beasley wasn't saying a word.

She began to pant and could almost hear the rattle of her nerves as the door swung open, and there he was.

No, that wasn't him. That was his guard. There he was, just behind, turning now to the right.

She gave him just enough lead.

"Yeah, you didn't just miss the bad guy, Alicia. You killed one of your friends!"

Shut up, Tomas!

She took the shot, but the round erupted in the earth at Admiral Cai's feet. She cursed as she threw back the bolt and reloaded, never taking her eye off the admiral.

He dropped and began crawling around the building's edge, out of sight, though the red diamond IDing him glowed over the wall.

A green diamond suddenly floated into view.

"Diaz, Ghost Lead here. Hold your fire! I got him."

Mitchell and Smith had just emerged from the south building and dove forward onto their guts. They had a perfect bead on the admiral, whose guard had dropped in behind him. Mitchell held his breath, about to fire.

But Smith reacted first, cutting loose with his MR-C. The guard and the admiral shook violently as Smith's rounds drummed them into unceremonious death.

"Nice," gasped Mitchell.

Smith groaned and replied, "Thanks."

Mitchell called up Beasley's camera in the HUD, which showed the sergeant dashing across the castle grounds. "Bravo Lead, I need a SITREP."

"I'm here, Captain. Brown's down, but he's alive, unconscious. I'm en route to Hume's position. Not sure about him yet. Bo's got Marcus."

"You need help?"

"I think we're good."

"Roger that. Everybody else? All targets have been terminated. Fall back on the SUVs! Move, move, move!"

"Yeah, that's easy for him to say," griped Jenkins.

Sergeant Marcus Brown was still lying in the staircase. Diaz's round had missed him by a fraction of an inch, but debris from the wall had struck him in the head. That, along with tumbling down a dozen wooden steps, had knocked him out cold.

Jenkins had already checked Brown's pupils to see if they were equal and reactive to light, which they were, and he had already checked Brown's ears for any fluids; they were clear. In a perfect world, they would immobilize Brown's neck and haul him out on a portable litter.

In Jenkins's world, he was charged with carrying his buddy on his back, pack-mule style.

He carefully lifted Brown and started down the stairs, the wood creaking and bending with every step. Between Brown's massive physique and his weaponry, it took a blinding amount of force to bring him down.

Outside, Jenkins sloshed forward as more wind whipped through, carrying a fresh wall of rain. Despite all those hours in the gym, the load was now too much. He collapsed to his knees and lowered his buddy to the ground. "Ghost Lead, Jenkins here. I have Brown, but I need help."

"I'm going down to get them," said Boy Scout over the phone, beginning to gun the SUV's engine as though he were about to drag race.

Buddha bit back a curse. "They're coming up to us. Don't move, you fool! We keep protected. We have the only rides out!"

"If they all die down there, they will not need us. Let's get in there and get them out."

"You heard what I said."

"Sorry, old man. We don't play it safe."

Suddenly, Boy Scout threw his SUV in gear and roared off ahead of Buddha, who wrenched open his door, climbed out, leveled his pistol, and began firing at the kid. The SUV's rear window took several holes, glass splintering, but the vehicle headed up and over the hill, gone.

"What are you doing?" cried the kid. "Stop firing!"

Buddha screamed into the phone, "Get back here! Now!"

"No, you fat cow. You come with me!"

Throwing up his arms and screaming, Buddha returned to his SUV and threw it in gear.

After sending off Smith to check on Beasley and Hume, Mitchell sprinted off to help Jenkins.

As Mitchell headed north, a vehicle--one of those Chinese Brave Warriors--suddenly raced through the central building's main entrance and crossed into the path, heading east out of the castle. Unsure who might be in that truck, Mitchell held fire and called over the radio. "This is Ghost Lead. There's a vehicle heading east! Where the hell did that come from? Who's in it?"

"Ghost Lead, this is Diaz. I'm en route to the rally point. See your truck. Must be that last guard, the guy who looked like the security team leader, the one that had the cane. Not sure where he hid the truck."

"Roger that."

"And, sir, looks like our SUVs are coming down the mountain."

"What?"

"That's right, sir. They're coming down."

Mitchell swung around and watched as Fang Zhi's truck roared up onto the east road, directly toward the first oncoming SUV. "Diaz, you see that other truck."

"I got him."

"Fire!"

"I'll try, sir, but he's moving fast!"

"Just try. Ramirez? Nolan? Get to Jenkins. Help him get Brown out of there.

"You got it, Boss," answered Ramirez.

Boy Scout cut his wheel to the left, trying to run the oncoming truck off the road, but the driver, whose window was down, thrust his arm and head out the window and began firing his pistol.

The first shot exploded into Boy Scout's windshield as he reached for his own weapon.

He never brought it to bear.

Just as the two vehicles passed each other, with the truck to Boy Scout's left, the driver fired once more. Boy Scout's neck snapped back as he thought a curse, fell forward onto the wheel, and all sensation vanished.

Buddha rolled his wheel and drove as far off to the right as he could, bringing his SUV high onto the muddy embankment, even as he fired upon the escaping truck.

That driver returned fire, then accelerated up and over the hill, gone.

Beasley picked his way through the shattered staircase and found Hume sitting up against the wall, his legs and right arm pinpricked by dozens of pieces of shrapnel. Opposite him lay a guard and Major-General Chen.

"Johnny, it's me, Matt. Getting you out of here, buddy."

Hume did not move.

Beasley removed the sergeant's earpiece and balaclava, then directed a small Gladius tactical light to the side of Hume's head, checking his ears and eyes. They looked all right. He examined the wounds on Hume's extremities.

The sergeant stirred and said, "Matt, I think I'm going to puke."

"Your ears ringing, too?"

"Yeah."

"You got a little shrapnel, little head injury. Ain't nothing. Let's see if you can put some weight on those legs. Ready?"

Beasley rose, got in beside Hume to dig his arms into Hume's pits and haul him to his feet.

Hume hadn't been kidding about feeling nauseous. Just as he leaned over, about to hurl, Smith came rushing into the stairwell, took one look at them, and said, "Guess you got it covered here, Matt."

"Hold on, cowboy. Get back here, police up his gear, and help me get him out. Let's go!"

Seeing that the first SUV was barreling down the road, out of control, heading directly toward the east building, Mitchell raced toward it.

There was, however, nothing he could do as metal screeched and the vehicle crashed through the gate, heading straight for the curving brick wall. At least the gate had helped to slow the SUV so that once it struck the wall with a low boom, the bricks slid back a quarter meter or so, but the vehicle did not bust through and sat there idling, its black hood draped in dust and rocks.

Gasping, Mitchell reached the SUV, swung open the driver's side door, and grimaced. Their young CIA contact was gone and had bled all over the seat and wheel. He shifted the lever into park and turned as Diaz came sprinting up.

"Sir, I'm sorry, I just couldn't get a bead," she said, gasping herself, her face drenched, the Cross-Com's power light glowing like a small jewel near her ear.

"It's all right. Help me get him out. You take the wheel. I want to stop that other truck."

"You got it, sir. He's following our route, which is good, but he's got one hell of a lead."

Mitchell sighed in disgust. "I know."

As they dragged Boy Scout out of the seat and toward the back of the SUV, Diaz cried, "Wait a second. There might be a way to slow him down."

Chapter Twenty-Nine.

LEAVING HAKKA CASTLE

XIAMEN, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Mitchell ordered the others to load Brown and Hume into his SUV. Nolan climbed into the back to better assess their wounds and treat them while en route back to the coast. Hume was in and out. Brown was just coming around.

They raced off, while Ramirez, Beasley, Smith, and Jenkins climbed into Buddha's SUV.

As Diaz took them up onto the slick mountain road, struggling with the wheel, Mitchell just happened to glance in the side-view mirror.

Buddha's SUV had yet to pull out of the courtyard. A man was running toward the truck, waving one hand.

"Ramirez, this is Ghost Lead. What's going on down there?"

They had been screaming for Buddha to get the hell out of there, but the fat man had spotted someone running across the courtyard and had cried, "Wait!"

Ramirez, who was sitting up front, swung his pistol around and aimed at Buddha's head. "Drive!"

"No, that's Huang, our contact. Just wait one second!"

"Get moving now!" shouted Ramirez. "This place'll get hot soon. Come on!"

Buddha faced him with widening eyes. "Patience."

"Get out of the car!" screamed Beasley from the backseat. "Out, fat man! I'm driving!"

"Huang?" shouted Buddha, ignoring Beasley. "What is it?"

Huang waved and continued running toward the SUV, where he saw Buddha turn back and once more scream at the men inside. The pistol was tucked into Huang's pocket.

He had seen Fang escape in the Brave Warrior that was supposed to be Huang's.

He had watched the men climb into Buddha's truck and knew he was going to drive away, leaving Huang with nothing.

Fang had lied and made false promises.

Buddha had lied and broken his promise to kill Fang.

Huang must save face. He must.

"Buddha! Wait! I have something for you."

The exhaustion, lack of sleep, and the high humidity had all taken their toll on Buddha, who was slow to realize what was happening.

Huang did not have some last bit of information for him.

He had a bullet.

The scrawny old man reached into his pocket and produced a pistol.

Buddha reached for his weapon, even as the back door slammed open and one of the Ghosts burst outside.

But it all happened too fast for old Buddha. And there was a strange sense of resignation that took hold, that feeling just before he fell asleep after a long day.

Huang's pistol flashed.

The first round sliced through Buddha's neck just as Ramirez fired past Buddha's face.

The second round struck Buddha in the head, and while he should have died quickly, there was, it seemed, just enough time for a final thought, nothing profound, just a simple line from the Dhammapada, one he often repeated to calm himself: "Here shall I dwell in the season of rains, and here in winter and summer."

Smith flinched over his wounded arm, but he still managed to leap from the SUV, and, one-handing his MR-C, cut down the scarecrow with the pistol.

"Get Buddha out of that seat! Get him in the back!" shouted Ramirez, who then added. "Jesus, I'm hit, too!"

Beasley and Jenkins were out of the truck, rushing to the driver's side to haul out Buddha and load him into the cargo compartment. Smith figured they'd call higher to find out what they wanted to do with the bodies of the CIA guys, but it'd be unwise to leave them behind.

Mitchell was still calling for a SITREP over the radio, and Beasley filled him in while Smith ran back around the truck to check on Ramirez, who had been lifting his arm when that first shot had passed through Buddha's neck. The round had continued on to strike him in the right shoulder, near his upper chest.

"Hey, least you got shot by a bad guy," groaned Ramirez. "That old man got me."

"Yeah, kind of embarrassing."

Ramirez snorted. "Shut up."

"Kidding." Smith checked for an exit wound, found one. "All right, it passed right on through. I know it hurts. We'll tape you up for now."

Ramirez's face screwed up into a knot, and he cursed.

"Joey, if you can get in back, we'll treat you," said Beasley. "Jenkins, you take the wheel."

"Come on," said Smith, reaching out to help Ramirez down from the passenger's seat.

"Bravo Lead," called Mitchell. "Get out of there and light up those choppers."

"Roger that."

Once the last door had slammed shut and Jenkins was wheeling them around, Beasley issued a curt, "Three, two, one," and set off the C4 packed tightly into the helicopters and trucks behind the castle.

The idea, of course, was to keep any military or police response focused inland--and between the castle explosion and the one at the transformer station, Smith figured they had done a convincing job of baiting the hook.

He craned his head and stared back at the castle, water streaming off the rooflines like melting wax as four magnificent fireballs rose skyward and swelled into orange mushrooms behind it. The explosions cast the place in an otherworldly glow, and as they rose higher into the mountains, the valley shone once more in the flicker of lightning.

It was an unforgettable sight, a painting from ancient China coming alive before his eyes,

As Smith turned back and settled into his seat, window down, rifle at the ready, he thought of his parents back home, wished they could've come along with him on this mission. They might realize once and for all that giving up his position as a Ghost to become a small-town sheriff would be like playing in the major leagues and then deciding to coach weekend softball games.

Maybe one day, when he slowed down, but not now. Not when his blood coursed like a million volts through his veins.

While Diaz coaxed the SUV through torrents of rain and mud, Mitchell sat beside her, about to check his HUD to home in on Fang's current location.

However, his downlink channel screen crackled to life with an image of General Keating in the command center. "Mitchell, great work out there, son. Now it's time to come home. But we have a problem. Either your infiltration at the coast went south and you were spotted or that power outage has really spooked them."

The image on screen shifted from Keating to a three-dimensional, rotating graphic of a Chinese patrol boat with accompanying identification label and detailed specs: Type 62C Shanghai-II-class gun patrol boat. Length: 38.78 meters. Top speed: 28.5 knots. Crew: 36. Armament: two twin-barrel 37 mm antiaircraft artillery (AAA) guns and two twin-barrel 25 mm AAA guns.

The general continued: "Two of these Shanghai-class patrol boats are en route to Xiamen Harbor. Most of the newer gunboats of the East Sea Fleet are up in Ningde, but apparently, the older 62Cs were being transferred to other seaports, which accounts for this pair."

"Sir, you trying to make me feel better by saying they're older boats? Their guns are big, and I bet they work just fine."

"You're right. But hang in there, son. We're working some angles from our end."

"Sir, I've got four wounded. Getting back to the sub will be hard enough without those patrol boats breathing down our necks. I need them gone."

"I hear you, Mitchell. Just stand by."

Fang Zhi rumbled down the winding mountain road, spinning out in the mud as he cut curves too sharply. He had no choice but to keep the headlights on and squint through the heavy rain pelting his windshield. His thoughts continued to leap out ahead of the truck, to his destination--his future.

When they discovered all the bodies, and the investigations began in the morning, it wouldn't take long before they located him, questioned him, tortured him into saying what they wanted. Someone would have to take the fall for this. The rage filled his gut and finally erupted from his mouth.

He screamed at the droning wipers. He screamed at the Spring Tigers for failing him.

Yes, it was their fault. There had been a huge breach in security, and if they had placed more faith in him, given him responsibilities at the strategic level, he might have discovered it. One of his guards had called to say that he'd heard the attackers speaking English with American accents.

Fang beat his fist on the steering wheel. How many of his lives could the Americans ruin? And where was he going, except away? He couldn't stay in China. He would never return to Taiwan.

Maybe he could get to the Philippines. He knew two men who could help him do that. They smuggled out women for the sex trade. He could pay them for help. That was it. He would go back to the base, gather all of his belongings, and be gone before daylight. His life would come full circle. He would return to the place where all his trouble had begun.

As he rounded the next corner, the road grew considerably wider, the forest drifting back another twenty meters from the embankment. Suddenly, a single headlight came out of nowhere and raced toward him. He narrowed his gaze and reached over for his pistol, sitting beside the QBZ-95 assault rifle on his seat.

Calm down, he ordered himself. It was probably some old farmer with one busted headlight or some punk on a scooter or motorcycle. He accelerated and kept to the right, but the headlight veered and came straight at him.

UNITED STATES SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE

TAMPA, FLORIDA

APRIL 2012

General Joshua Keating had just finished sharing the good news with the President of the United States. Targets terminated. Ghost Team exfiltrating. Keating had carefully omitted the news of the Chinese patrol boats. No need to worry the president just yet. Keating ended the video call and was about to reach for his bottle of water when Dr. Gorbatova stepped over to his desk.

"General, our mole has just arrived at his office, but I'm afraid there's been some misunderstanding. He was under the impression he was flying out now. We instructed him that he had one more task to complete, but he is very nervous."

"Poor boy. Maybe if he was out there with my Ghosts, he'd have something to be nervous about."

"General, I'm unsure if we can count on him. I don't think he trusts us anymore."

"I don't want excuses, Doctor. I've got wounded men out there. You've got two dead. You tell your boy lives are depending upon him."

CENTRAL MILITARY COMMISSION (CMC)

MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE COMPOUND

BEIJING, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Captain Zuo Junping had rushed past the building's perimeter guards, telling them there was trouble in Xiamen and that they should prepare for more arrivals.

He had used his key to enter Deputy Director Wang Ya's office. Now he sat at the director's desk in the dim LED light of Wang's computer screen. He needed to send off the proper e-mails, then he would make the calls. The DIA had charged him with ensuring that the military response was focused inland, and so Zuo, acting as the deputy director, would send those requests up through the CMC. Moreover, there were two patrol boats headed toward Xiamen Harbor, and Zuo had been ordered to send them ten miles north to investigate smuggling activity at the Gaoji Seawall.

Zuo had given away or sold off everything he owned. Back at his apartment were a blanket, a pillow, and two packed suitcases.

After his fellow agent Lo Kuo-hui had left with the good news that the DIA had honored their deal with him, Zuo had finally believed that the agency would help him, too. But this last-minute mission left him sweaty and breathless.

He hit the Return key, reached for the phone.

The door swung open, the lights switched on, and in rushed the deputy director himself, bald pate gleaming, eyes narrowed behind thick glasses. Behind him came two security guards, their rifles trained on Zuo, whose hand went for the pistol holstered at his waist.

"Hands on the desk," barked Wang, as the guards moved in closer.

Zuo raised his palms and gently returned them to the keyboard.

"I am deeply hurt," Wang continued. "I know you used my phone to call Geneva. Who are you working for? The Ministry of Public Security or State Security?"

Zuo swallowed, tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come at first. At least Wang didn't know he was spying for the Americans. He assumed he'd been betrayed, a breakdown in guanxi, in connections. Wang was involved in something even bigger than the Spring Tiger Group's plan, but Zuo wasn't sure what. There'd been no answer in Geneva, but he had passed on that number to the Americans.

Wang shook his head in disappointment. "I haven't slept in two days. I was thinking about meeting you at the academy, about how you've become my son. I have grown sick. Is this what a son does to his father?"

Zuo averted his gaze. "No."

"Then what shall I do with you?"

"Please, sir. I am not working for anyone. I was just curious. Stupid."

Wang crossed around the desk. "Stand up!"

Zuo complied.

Wang reached down, removed Zuo's pistol, and handed it to one of the guards. Then he shook his head and abruptly smacked Zuo across the face. "I have no tolerance or forgiveness or mercy for spies."

With his cheek on fire, Zuo lowered his head and flexed his fingers. This was it. Wang would have him die in a robbery or an accident--nothing to arouse further investigation by State Security. There would be no new life back in America. No freedom. All of the spying he had done for the Americans had been for nothing.

Nothing!

Slowly, he raised his head, looked Wang straight in the eye, then he threw himself forward, wrapping his fingers around the director's throat. He drove the man onto the floor and began digging his fingers into warm, flabby flesh, just as the guards seized his arms and wrenched him off.

One guard reared back and punched Zuo in the temple. He rolled back, across the floor, the room spinning.

"Get him out of here," Wang cried. "Back down to my car. Hurry now!"

They hauled Zuo to his feet, dragged him out the door as he struggled to remain conscious.

LEAVING HAKKA CASTLE

XIAMEN, CHINA

APRIL 2012

The vehicle with the single headlight barreled toward Fang, its engine growing louder and issuing a strange and rhythmic whine. He thrust out his hand, firing his pistol until the magazine was empty.

But the thing kept coming.

He reached over, seized his rifle, propped the barrel on the side-view mirror, and unloaded the ten bullets left in the magazine. He let the rifle fall away, just as he cut the wheel to the right, veering sharply off the road.

With a violent jostle that threw him up from the seat, he hit the embankment, and the truck suddenly dropped a meter and began rolling onto its side.

His gaze flicked up to his left, and he couldn't believe what came roaring by.

Chapter Thirty.

USS MONTANA (SSN-823)

SOUTH TAIWAN STRAIT

SOUTH CHINA SEA

APRIL 2012

Captain Gummerson approached the two naval aviators just as Lieutenant Moch shook his fist and muttered, "Yeah."

They were in the control room, and Moch and his copilot, Lieutenant Justin Schumaker, had been a study in sheer determination as they'd piloted the Predator over the twisting mountain road. Once they'd located a swath of ground wide enough to permit the Predator's wingspan of 14.8 meters, they had descended hard and fast through the rainstorm, putting the bird on a direct intercept course with Mitchell's fleeing guard.

Gummerson had listened to the initial request, which had raised a few brows on Montana.

"Predator support, this is Diaz," called one of Mitchell's Ghosts.

"Hey, Alicia. Go ahead."

"Jeff, remember that story you told me? Well, I need you to stop a train."

"Are you kidding me?"

"No. It's up to you, Mr. Naval Aviator."

"Roger that. Sit back and enjoy the show."

Now Gummerson leaned over Moch and said, "I assume you stopped your train--or is it a truck?"

"Oh, yeah, sir. All he saw was our headlight before we ran him off the road." Moch pointed at one of his monitors with thermal images and pairs of reticles superimposed over several data bars. "Check it out. You see the look on his face?"

"Wow. But he did see the bird."

"True. But he won't be around long enough to tell."

Gummerson nodded and glanced over at Lieutenant Commander Sands, who appeared equally impressed.

Moch's copilot began speaking quickly over his radio as flashing red circles appeared along a three-dimensional rendering of the drone's fuselage.

"What now?" groaned Moch.

"Looks like some hydraulic and engine damage, and a small fuel leak from all that gunfire," said Schumaker. "Sensor operators back home confirm."

"Lieutenant, I need you to take her back over the harbor before you ditch. Can you still do that?" asked Gummerson.

"We'll sweet-talk her into one last pass, sir."

"Focus on the gap between Haicang and Gulangyu Island. That zone concerns me the most."

Moch gently shifted the joystick controller. "On our way."

Gummerson faced Sands. "XO, are the SEALs ready?"

"Standing by."

"Excellent. Tell 'em it won't be long."

"Aye, aye, sir."

LEAVING HAKKA CASTLE

XIAMEN, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Satellite imagery relayed to Mitchell's HUD indicated that Fang was out of his ride, but he had not fled. He was trying to use the truck's forward winch to drag the vehicle from the embankment and, perhaps, tip it upright. If he could utilize a few trees and rig the tow line at the proper angle, he could get back on the road.

They were about five minutes away from his position, and Mitchell knew that if they roared up on him, he'd bolt into the woods.

A pang of guilt woke deep in Mitchell's gut. The mission and his people came first, yes, but this was a chance to slam shut one of the most painful doors of his life. Could he justify taking time out for revenge?

Maybe Fang had seen the Predator. Maybe he'd alert the PLA that the attack had come from Americans.

And didn't General Keating need more time to get those patrol boats away from the harbor?

He could rationalize it all he wanted, but the guilt still clawed at his neck and began robbing him of breath. He turned to the backseat. "Nolan, how're we doing?"

"A whole lot better," replied the medic.

"Hey, sir," said Brown, moving his lips as though tasting something very bad, a symptom of a head wound. "I'm okay."

"Me, too," said Hume.

"Marcus, I'm so sorry," said Diaz.

"Forget it. I know if you wanted to kill me, you wouldn't have missed."

"We'll talk more later," she said.

Mitchell tensed. "All right, listen up. We'll be on that last guard in a minute. He's rolled over and is trying to free his truck with a winch. I don't want to leave any loose ends--particularly a military witness like this guy, so I plan to take him out."

"Sounds good to us, sir," said Nolan.

"There's something else, something you have a right to know. That guard's name is Fang Zhi. He's from Taiwan. He was a captain in their army, and I worked with him in the Philippines, doing some joint training back in '02. We got ambushed, and he wouldn't order his team to attack. He said our orders were unconscionable. I lost a lot of good men because of that man."

"Sir, are you serious?" asked Diaz.

"I am. When the drone was deployed, I got a good look at him."

"Whoa, what the hell's he doing here?" asked Hume.

Mitchell sighed. "I heard he got busted out of the army. He must've defected to China. But that doesn't matter. All I'm trying to say is, you guys come first."

"Sir, the rumors have gone around," said Diaz. "He's the guy who gave you that scar, isn't he?"

"Yeah."

"Then, sir, you tell me where to pull over." Diaz's tone darkened. "We'll go down there and take care of business."

"No. I won't risk you guys for that. You give me five minutes. If you don't hear from me, I'm dead. You come down, get my body, and get to the coast. All right, this is close enough."

As Diaz slowed, she shook her head and raised her voice: "Sir, we have no intention of collecting your body. You're going to kill that bastard. And maybe you don't want us with you, but we can still help."

Mitchell climbed out of the SUV, gave her a curt nod. "Okay. Stay in touch."

When Fang's Brave Warrior had slammed onto its side and skidded down into the mud, he'd just sat there, stunned. He'd thought, That drone . . . it has to belong to the Americans.

After snatching up his rifle and loading his last magazine, he'd slung the weapon over his shoulder and had crawled his way out of the truck through the back door.

Once on the ground, his gaze had swept across the dark sky for the drone. Was that its engine humming lowly in the distance? Maybe. Maybe it was retreating.

He'd surveyed the embankment. The road had become more narrow again, and trees with thick, talonlike limbs rose on a slope just off to his left. He'd draped the heavy tow line over two thick branches and, after hooking it back over itself, he'd run back to the truck and switched on the winch. The truck slid forward, plowing up mud, but the angle was no good. The line simply dragged the truck forward and did not, as Fang had anticipated, lift it upright.

Suddenly, one limb cracked, the tow line fell slack, and the truck stopped. Fang raged aloud and rushed back to the truck to switch off the winch. He would try once more; then he would abandon the truck and take off on foot.

As he leaned forward toward the winch, something nicked his shoulder. He rolled over, felt the sharp stinging, then looked down at his uniform shirt. A small amount of blood had soaked through the fabric.

He desperately reached back for his rifle, came up with it, and began easing forward on elbows and knees, keeping tight to the truck, calculating where that shot had originated. The wound began to throb, the blood beating in his ears.

Where are you?

A shadow shifted up on the slope to his left, near the trees.

Fang swung his rifle around and opened fire, laying down a vicious salvo while screaming through the rattling and pouring rain.

The second he ceased fire, he rose, got around the truck, and charged across the road and into the thicker knots of trees and waist-high shrubs.

Mitchell knew he'd struck Fang, but the perfect head shot had turned into a slight shoulder wound, damn it. Even with the IWS's aiming assistance, he was no Diaz. He'd been shifting toward the next tree when Fang had returned fire. He crawled forward now, checking his HUD. Fang had retreated into the opposite woods.

"Ghost Lead, this is Diaz. We heard the shots. I have your position. Target is heading north, but there's a big rock wall in his way. He probably doesn't see it yet. Follow him in. You can trap him there."

"Roger that," said Mitchell, already jogging away from the slope. He stomped past Fang's truck and splashed across the road, heading toward the forest.

"Ghost Lead, this is Bravo Lead. Our ETA is two minutes. You want us to hold back with Diaz?"

"Negative. You guys take point and head on to the coast."

"Roger that, Boss."

Mitchell pushed through the weeds and grass, shifted around the next few trees, then the slope grew rockier, steeper, and he reached the next tree and crouched down as he studied the satellite image in his HUD. Fang was close.

The rain fell harder, sifting through the thick canopy, the heaviest drops tapping on Mitchell's shoulders like a nervous buddy trying to get his attention. That buddy began whispering in his ear: "He's over here. No, he's over there. Check that tree. That bush. No, that one." The gun cam's screen glowed softly, and Mitchell wiped off the rain and used it to peer around the next trunk.

No movement. He switched off the camera now, lest its light give up his position.

He took a huge breath and darted from the tree, ascending along mud-covered stone toward the rocky wall ahead. He veered left toward the last few trees.

The satellite image set his pulse racing even more.

Fang was on top of him. Literally. He whirled--and at that moment the grave error he had made finally, inevitably dawned on him.

Mitchell threw himself forward as Fang, who had just climbed a tree and was positioning himself on the lowest, heaviest limb, opened fire.

A round tore into Mitchell's right arm, just above his elbow, and another sparked off his MR-C as he slid forward and rolled, raising the rifle to unleash a volley up through the trees, even as Fang continued firing, seemingly bent on unloading his entire magazine.

Mitchell rolled again, releasing another burst.

Fang screamed, but his voice broke off into a gurgling sound.

Smoke wafted up from Mitchell's barrel. He lay there struggling for breath, the million taps of rain on limbs and leaves droning on.

He squinted up, saw Fang's arm just dangling over the branch.

It was over. Finally over. And Mitchell's only regret was that Fang had not known his killer.

"Diaz, this is Ghost Lead. Bring the truck down. I'm hit, but I'll be there in a minute."

"Roger that. How bad are you?"

He moved his wounded arm. At least he could do that. "We'll see. Just come."

Before Mitchell could get to his feet, something thumped into the mud not a meter from his feet.

He blinked hard through the pain.

The object was a wooden shaft hand-carved in a tiger-stripe pattern: Fang's cane. But there was only the empty sheath. It must have slipped off the sword on its own.

Or had it? Mitchell looked up.

Fang had balanced himself on the limb and drawn the sword high above his head in a reverse grip, tip down. A guttural cry exploded from his lips as he launched himself off the limb.

He came down toward Mitchell like a tiger baring its fangs, and no force in the world could stop him.

With a gasp and a violent shudder, Mitchell reacted, his thoughts shutting down, his muscles taking over.

He rolled out of the way, his Cross-Com falling off his ear just as the man hit the mud and his sword impaled the mire, burying itself to the hilt.

Diaz's voice buzzed from the earpiece/monocle lying on the ground, "Captain, we're in position. Why are you still up there?"

As Mitchell turned to bring his rifle to bear, Fang wrenched free the blade and with both hands batted away Mitchell's weapon, even as Mitchell squeezed the trigger, the rounds going astray. The sword's metal edges struck Mitchell's support hand with such force that he reflexively released that hand from the weapon and held his breath in extreme pain.

Exploiting that opening, Fang dropped to his knees, releasing one hand from the hilt and placing it near the sword's tip. He now used the weapon to drive Mitchell's rifle back into the mud as he straddled Mitchell.

With his still-throbbing free hand, Mitchell struck a roundhouse to Fang's chin, stunning the man into releasing some pressure on the sword.

Now Mitchell pushed forward, driving Fang's sword back just enough to slip his hand free of the rifle.

Seeing that, Fang came back up, and now one-handing the sword, drew back in, preparing for a thrusting blow to Mitchell's heart.

Because only the sword's tip was sharp, Mitchell locked bare hands onto the wet metal shaft, and, with eyes tearing through the excruciating, throbbing pain from his wounded arm, he drove the sword up, over his shoulder, as Fang made his thrust and once more impaled the mud.

Then Fang wrenched the sword back so quickly that it slipped through Mitchell's fingers.

Holding the weapon once more in a reverse grip, Fang reared back, his face contorted in a mask of sharp, inhuman angles, his eyes dark voids that narrowed as he issued an ear-splitting war cry and brought down the sword.

Chapter Thirty-One.

LEAVING HAKKA CASTLE

XIAMEN, CHINA

APRIL 2012

What Fang did not realize and could never truly appreciate was that Captain Scott Mitchell was not alone.

His father, mother, brothers, and sister were with him.

Kristen was with him.

His Ghosts were with him--as was every Special Forces operator with whom he had ever served.

Maybe it was their presence that Fang detected. Or maybe it was something else.

But as the man came down for the kill shot with that sword whose tip was already familiar with Mitchell's flesh, there was a moment of recognition in his eyes, as though maybe, just maybe, he realized who was behind the balaclava covering Mitchell's face.

It was only a second of hesitation.

But it was enough.

Mitchell slammed his knees into Fang's back, even as he reached out and knocked the sword to the left while throwing Fang back, over his head. He rolled and clawed frantically through the dirt, toward his rifle, Diaz's voice still rattling from the earpiece/monocle, the rain turning torrential and blown sideways through the trees.

Mitchell seized the MR-C, rolled back onto his rump, and took aim at Fang, who was coming at him once more, clutching the sword in both hands like a baseball bat.

Fang froze. He had a decision to make.

Mitchell blinked the rain from his eyes and wondered if Fang would drop the sword.

Fang was no doubt wondering why Mitchell hadn't already fired. He'd find out in a second.

Slowly, Mitchell got to his feet, as Fang held his ground, his chest rising and falling, his mouth twisting as he flinched from his chest wound.

Holding his rifle in one hand, Mitchell ripped off his balaclava, shoved it into his pocket, and stepped toward Fang, whose eyes widened in shock.

"You . . . you are Mitchell. Master Sergeant Mitchell," Fang said in English. He was unaware of Mitchell's promotions since then, unaware of so much.

"That's right," Mitchell answered. "Let's talk before I put a bullet in your head."

"You will never have that pleasure."

In a blur of movement, Fang adjusted his grip on the sword and turned the tip on himself, ready to plunge the sword into his chest.

Mitchell fired a single round into Fang's abdomen, blood spraying as Fang twisted and fell onto his back, the sword tumbling from his grip.

As Fang turned onto his side to retrieve the sword, Mitchell splashed past him and kicked the blade out of the man's reach.

Then he set down his rifle and seized Fang by the collar, hauled him back into a sitting position.

Fang's head lolled back as he threatened to lose consciousness.

"Fang, look at me!" cried Mitchell. "Look at me."

Fang felt the blood seeping into his chest and lungs. It would not be long now. He'd wanted to deny Mitchell the satisfaction of killing him, but that wouldn't happen.

As he gazed up, past the man's shoulder, he saw eleven sweaty soldiers carrying M4A1 rifles, the rain dripping from their boonie hats.

Was he dreaming? Hallucinating? Had he already died?

Fang remembered some of their names and their call signs all starting with the letter R. Rutang, Ricochet, and Rockstar stood there among the others. And there was Fang's American counterpart, Captain Victor Foyte, shaking his head and glowering at Fang.

Mitchell rose, picked up Fang's sword, and faced Fang as the other men formed a semicircle behind him. "Only Billy, Rutang, and I made it. Everyone else is dead. Did you know that? Do you care? You should have been a politician--because you're not a soldier. We're all brothers in arms no matter where we come from. But you don't get that."

The other eleven men pushed past Mitchell and came toward Fang. The rain began washing the skin from their faces, leaving grinning skulls and bulging eyes. They opened their mouths and shrieked, the noise sending shock waves through Fang's body. He closed his eyes and screamed against them. No! I didn't mean for it to come to this! We would not be pawns. We were soldiers! I am a soldier!

Mitchell shook Fang again, and the man's eyes flickered open. Mitchell held up the sword. "You see this? It's mine now. You have nothing." Mitchell shoved Fang into a puddle.

With a grimace, Mitchell got to his feet, retrieved the sheath, and slid the sword home. He tucked the cane into his pack, took one last look at Fang, lying there, dying, then picked up his earpiece/monocle and started down the hill, just as Diaz, pistol in hand, came running toward him. "Captain!"

Fang knew that if he lost the sword, his spirit would not be in harmony with his ancestors. The sword represented that harmony, and it had been destined for the hands of Fang's own son, the child he'd yet to have. He should have been less focused on his career. He should have found a woman in China and had that son. Now Fang had nothing left, save for one more breath.

"Diaz, I'm right here," Mitchell called, wiping off the earpiece/monocle and slipping it back over his ear. He was too exhausted to feel vindicated, justified, or anything else.

As she approached, her gaze lifted past him. "Nice work, Captain."

Mitchell shook his head. "It should have never come to this. Never . . ."

"Let me see that arm." She tugged out her rescue knife with its secondary blade for cutting past uniforms.

"No time. Nolan will look at it. Let's go." He started forward, lost his balance, and Diaz grabbed his good arm, draped it over her shoulder.

"It's okay, Captain. I got you."

USS MONTANA (SSN-823)

SOUTH TAIWAN STRAIT

SOUTH CHINA SEA

APRIL 2012

"And there she goes, twenty-six million dollars of pure fun," said Lieutenant Moch, as the Predator's onboard camera showed an image of the dark, roiling waves before the screen went blank.

Captain Gummerson turned his attention to Moch's playback monitor. "Show me that fuel barge and that crane one more time before I talk to Mitchell."

"Rewinding now. And there they are, sir," said Moch, rapping a knuckle on his screen.

As Gummerson studied the infrared images, he pointed his finger at one heat source and said, "What is he still doing there?"

"I don't know, sir," said Moch.

Gummerson glanced back over his shoulder. "XO? Tell the SEALs we may have a change of plan."

"Aye, aye, sir."

UNITED STATES SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE

TAMPA, FLORIDA

APRIL 2012

"All right, son, what am I looking at?" said General Keating to the young intelligence officer seated before the wide-screen display.

"Here's Xiamen Harbor. Right here is the first patrol boat, heading up to the seawall. From what I can tell, sir, the DIA's mole got off that order to the patrol boats, but only one's heading up. The other captain has either been ordered to remain behind, or maybe he didn't receive the second order. Bottom line is we still have one Shanghai to deal with. See him, right there, running along the gap between Haicang and Gulangyu Island."

"And there's no way my Ghosts can exfiltrate with that guy patrolling the gap."

"It would not be easy, sir."

"And what do we have here?" Keating pointed to a window that had just opened on the display.

"That's video from the Predator, sir. It just hit the network a few minutes ago."

Keating watched as the bird flew up the long, L-shaped pier jutting out from the sand spit where the Ghosts had made their infiltration.

Only now there were two large heat sources down there, and the image zoomed in to a fuel barge tucked up alongside the pier and a floating crane out near the end.

"They just moved those in," said Keating.

"Yes, sir."

"Get the satellite over them. And get me Montana's commander."

"Yes, sir."

EN ROUTE TO XIAMEN HARBOR

XIAMEN, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Nolan had already jabbed a needle into Mitchell's arm, numbing the area, and the medic was now in the process of removing the slug with a pair of straight forceps while Brown and Hume balanced dim lights over the incision.

It wouldn't be the first time Mitchell had lead plucked from his flesh, though he hoped it'd be the last. Nolan repeatedly urged Diaz to avoid the bumps in the dirt road as he pushed the forceps into the wound, and she did the best she could, saying they'd reach paved ground pretty soon.

"Almost there, Captain," said Nolan. "I see it."

"That's nice. Just get it out of me."

"And there it is," said the medic, holding up the slug. "I'll save it for you."

"Don't bother. Just stitch me up, thanks."

"It's a one-stop shop, Captain."

The Cross-Com's uplink channel flickered with an image from Beasley's camera. "Bravo Lead here, sir. We just hit the paved road, still heading to the coast. Lights are still out down here."

"Roger that," replied Mitchell. "Check the map. Once you get on the shore drive, look for that overpass we discussed. We'll see you there."

"You got it, Boss."

Brown, who was now up front with Diaz and had donned his night-vision goggles like her, pointed to the road ahead and said, "There's the turnoff."

As she took the left fork, Mitchell's Cross-Com once more flashed with an incoming transmission from the downlink channel. General Keating thumbed his glasses higher on his nose and lifted his voice, "Keating here, Mitchell."

"Go ahead, General."

"Our DIA mole managed to draw off one of those patrol boats, but the other's still out there, running up and down the harbor."

"Sir, he'll tag us in a second."

"And Montana can't take a shot at him without the risk of being tagged herself, but intel from the Predator has presented some interesting possibilities."

"I'm all ears, sir."

"Intel believes that the patrol boats were put in place by one of the Spring Tigers himself, Admiral Cai. He added harbor security prior to their operation. You got lucky those boats didn't arrive before your infiltration."

"I hear that, sir."

"Cai also ordered in a refueling barge to support the boats, and he called in a crane to load pallets of fuel onto the pier for additional support elements. Have a look."

Mitchell studied the rotating graphic of the eighty-foot-long, self-propelled barge with a squared-off bow and a small control house. A tower with a boom jutting out in a V pattern rose just past amidships. Attached to that boom was a large refueling hose ready to be extended down and outward. The data bar indicated that the barge had a crew of six.

Next appeared the floating crane seated atop a rectangular, rust-laden barge not unlike its land-based counterpart. The crane's boom rose some 120 feet into the air, and written in English on the side of the operator's cabin was the company name: Wuhan Noontide Industries, Inc. The crane had a main operator and an assistant.

"Now Mitchell, I've just gotten off the horn with Captain Gummerson, and we're running this a couple different ways to help get you out of there. With all the injured you have and the two CIA casualties, Gummerson is willing to surface at the last possible second to get you aboard, but he won't do that unless you make it past the gap."

"Which takes us back to where we started."

"Not exactly. Now pay attention, son. We have a lot to discuss."

Chapter Thirty-Two.

SHORE DRIVE OVERPASS

XIAMEN, CHINA

APRIL 2012

While Ramirez was technically the assistant team leader, the shooting pain from his gunshot wound made it difficult to think straight, so he'd placed Beasley in charge. Smith, who'd been hit himself, had done a fine job of taping up Ramirez and fitting him with a makeshift sling, but Ramirez had refused painkillers. He'd wanted his head to be clear. Maybe he'd have Nolan inject him with a local anesthetic when the medic arrived.

Ramirez and Beasley remained inside the idling SUV while Jenkins and Smith had gone down to the docks and loading ramp, just fifty meters ahead to secure the boat.

All of Haicang up to the Xiamen Bridge was still dark, but just across the harbor, Xiamen Island remained brightly--and unnervingly--lit.

Ramirez checked his watch, then pulled up the tactical map in his HUD and zoomed in on Mitchell's SUV. "They should be here by 0410 hours."

"And the sun comes up at what, 0524 hours," said the team sergeant. We need to move."

"Yup."

"You know something, Joey? I don't like this plan." Beasley grinned.

"Neither do I."

They banged fists, the words and act a little ritual often repeated during exfiltration.

Headlights shone behind them, and Ramirez whirled. "Captain's early? But I just saw him on--"

"No," grunted Beasley. "That ain't him. Get down!"

Beasley, who was in the driver's seat, shut off the engine and lowered the window, pistol in hand.

Ramirez clutched his own pistol and hit the window button as the headlights drew nearer.

"Ghost Lead, this is Bravo Lead."

"Go ahead."

"Boss, we might have a problem."

Jenkins had found the fishing boat's engine key in Buddha's pocket, and once down at the boat, he and Smith had climbed aboard, and Jenkins had inserted the key. He didn't start the engine. Not yet. Beasley had ordered them to lay low until he signaled.

"This thing's a piece of crap," said Jenkins. "We'll sink before we're saved."

"And this water is a freaking biohazard."

"You're not kidding. And hey, what if she doesn't start?"

"Dude, don't jinx us."

A flash of light on his peripheral vision stole Jenkins's attention. "Maybe I already have."

"Bro, there's a four-by-four up there," said Smith. "You see him? That ain't the captain! That looks military!"

"Matt, this is Bo," called Jenkins. "What's going on up there?"

Chances were high that the four-by-four belonged to the army and that the Spring Tigers had ordered patrols out during the predawn hours as part of their larger plans. Ramirez held his breath as the truck pulled up behind them and stopped.

The side-view mirror reflected a green truck not unlike the Brave Warrior but with a canvas top and large windows. Two armed soldiers got out and came toward them, pistols drawn.

Ramirez looked at Beasley, whose gaze was trained on his side-view mirror.

"Here we go, bro," Beasley whispered.

Suddenly, more lights wiped across the overpass, and the two soldiers whirled to face yet another military truck turning off the road and coming down toward them.

The second truck rolled to a stop behind the first, and the soldiers turned to face it.

"Joey, now!" stage-whispered Beasley.

In unison they bolted up, hung out their windows, and shot both men, who dropped, even as a third soldier was emerging from the second truck.

Before he could get back inside to take cover, and before either Ramirez or Beasley could fire, the soldier's chest blew outward, and he slumped below his open door.

Ramirez detected movement in the passenger's seat. Yet another troop.

As he shifted his aim, a thump came from the canvas window in back, and blood clouded the windshield.

"Bravo Team, this is Diaz. You're clear now. We're coming down."

"Roger that," said Beasley.

Ramirez turned back into the SUV and slumped in his seat, taking long, slow breaths. "She could've told us they stopped," he snapped.

Beasley frowned. "She does that." He opened his door and started out of the SUV.

"So much for the quiet exit," said Ramirez, joining Beasley outside. They grimaced over the dead soldiers, the fourth lying in a pulp inside the other car.

The sight of death hardly bothered them. The ramifications of those deaths did. "They've lost contact with their unit."

"Yep. We have their attention," said Beasley with a groan. "Give me a hand with these bodies."

Ramirez snorted and gestured with his sling. "One is all you're getting."

SAND SPIT PIER

XIAMEN HARBOR, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Montana had slipped in under the patrol boat, gliding into the pass between Haicang and Gulangyu Island. She had headed northeast, coming around to the east side of the spit, where SEAL Chiefs Tanner and Phillips locked out and swam ashore.

Tanner had thought it was high time that he and his blond, freckle-faced colleague got more involved in the Ghost Team's exfiltration, and after the captain had briefed them on the mission and asked if they had questions, Tanner had answered, "Sir, SEAL Chief Phillips and I have just one question."

"And that is?"

"We don't understand why Mitchell and his team didn't join the navy."

Gummerson had grinned and dismissed them.

Now they sprinted up from the beach and reached the woods, where they wove a breathtaking path through the trees and neared the pier, just as Gummerson called to say there'd been trouble back at the boat dock. Four soldiers dead. More undoubtedly on the way. The Ghosts were loading up now, but they couldn't sit at the dock. They'd have to putter down the coast a thousand yards or so, slip up to another pier, and wait there, while hell broke loose behind them.

So Tanner and Phillips had even less time to get the job done. Wearing a pair of NVGs, Tanner studied the ferry and crane, just as the operator lowered a pallet of fifty-five-gallon fuel drums onto the pier under the watchful gazes of three members of the barge crew.

Tanner gave Phillips the signal.

They moved in.

FISHING BOAT

XIAMEN HARBOR, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Mitchell had ordered Jenkins and Beasley to haul Buddha's body onto the fishing boat and lay him along the rail. Boy Scout lay beside him. The DIA had been emphatic about returning the bodies and not allowing them to remain in China, where they might provide clues that could topple an even larger network of spies still in the country, some of whom also worked for the National Security Agency.

Mitchell remained on the deck at the stern, monitoring the SEALs' progress via his HUD, while Jenkins took the wheel. They chugged slowly away from the pier, everyone down low, weapons at the ready. Dark waves thumped and lapped at the hull, and their foamy wake was quickly swallowed back by the harbor.

About a kilometer ahead, to the southwest, the pier jutted out from the sand spit, and Mitchell barely made out the silhouette of the crane with his naked eye.

"Well that didn't take long," said Diaz, pointing toward the stern.

A pair of headlights came down the shoreline road, and the vehicle appeared, another military truck turning toward the boat docks.

"Jenkins, throttle up a little bit," said Mitchell.

"You got it, Boss."

"Joey, how are you doing?" Mitchell asked, raising his voice over the engine's higher-pitched gurgles and whine.

"Alex gave me that shot," answered Ramirez. "Arm's numb."

"The dragon didn't pounce on Taiwan, but it stepped on us pretty good, eh?" asked Mitchell.

"Yes, sir. But it was worth it."

"I agree," added Diaz. "In more ways than one." She pursed her lips and nodded at Mitchell.

"Captain, I can see the patrol boat," said Jenkins. "And I'm not sure, but I think she sees us."

"Get up close to that pier!" shouted Mitchell. "Now!"

Mitchell brought up his tactical map and studied the patrol boat, red diamonds flashing over its dark outline displayed in his HUD.

A flickering light emanated from the end of the pier, and Mitchell zoomed in on that area, even as Jenkins said, "Fire on the pier, Captain."

"All right, everybody. Stand by. Let's see if they take the bait."

SAND SPIT PIER

XIAMEN HARBOR, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Tanner and Phillips had used a small amount of C-4 to set off one of the fuel pallets on the pier before dropping back into the murky water. Tanner swam toward the crane, while Phillips worked his way around to the fuel barge.

The patrol boat was already en route to investigate. If Tanner were the captain of that Shanghai, he, too, would want to know why his gas station was on fire.

Tanner swam around the crane's floating platform, keeping the crane between him and the oncoming patrol boat. The crane operator and his assistant had run down to the edge of the barge for a better look at the fire, allowing Tanner to climb up onto the platform and race across it to the crane's cabin, where he placed his C-4 then dove into the water, swimming hard and fast back toward the pier.

A minute later he came up under one of the pilings and stole a breath.

He waited another thirty seconds, then began to grow tense. Abruptly, Phillips's head popped up a few meters behind him. "We're all set. Come on!"

Together they swam along the pier, and by the time they reached the shore and huddled beside the first pair of pilings, the patrol boat was drawing up on the crane and barge.

"Ghost Lead, this is SEAL support. Get ready for a big salute to the Chinese who invented gunpowder!"

Tanner knew he'd catch hell for his glib remark over the radio, but he didn't care. He glanced over at Phillips, who was studying the patrol boat through his binoculars.

"They're almost lined up," said Phillips.

"Good."

"Don't move," screamed someone in Mandarin.

Tanner glanced directly up into the eyes of a man, presumably a member of the fuel barge crew, who was pointing a pistol down at them. Where the hell had he come from? How had he been so quiet?

Though his Mandarin was rudimentary, Tanner knew enough to get by. "All right, we will come with you."

"No, you don't move." The man glanced up and began screaming to those still aboard the fuel barge, something about him catching thieves who might be trying to hijack their shipment. He couldn't tell in the dark that they were Americans, especially while they wore their dive suit hoods.

Tanner exchanged a look with Phillips.

FISHING BOAT

XIAMEN HARBOR, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Mitchell realized with a start that a third individual was at the end of the pier with the two SEALs, and his attempts to contact SEAL Chief Tanner went unanswered.

He got on the network, reported the news, and General Keating chimed in, "Mitchell, trust those SEALs to get the job done. Just get out of there, son! Move!"

"Jenkins, hit it! Everything she's got!" Mitchell ordered.

"But, Captain, they haven't--"

"I know. Just do it!"

"Sir," called Diaz, who was wearing her own ENVGs. "The patrol boat's slowing, and they've launched a Zodiac with six guys. They're heading for the pier. What the hell are those SEALs waiting for?"

"There's a third guy. Don't know who he is. But we're out of time."

"Mitchell, Keating here," cried the general. "Remember those soldiers you took out? Well, we got new intel. Those guys were part of Admiral Cai's defense plan. And I got more bad news. Seems there's an R44 police chopper in the air--but there's a catch. We've intercepted their communications. Montana tells us it's being manned by Cai's special ops people. He sent his attack choppers up north as part of Pouncing Dragon, so these guys must've commandeered this bird. This isn't the local puppy patrol, Mitchell. These are hardened Chinese fighters up there. ETA to your location: two minutes."

Chapter Thirty-Three.

SAND SPIT PIER

XIAMEN HARBOR, CHINA

APRIL 2012

SEAL Chief Tanner wouldn't let some punk with a cheap pistol ruin his night. Phillips's eyes said likewise.

In unison, they squeezed the triggers on their remote detonators and rolled under the pilings, out of the barge worker's aim.

The guy fired, the shot ricocheting off the rocks behind them, just as the first pair of detonations resounded so loudly that even Tanner, a veteran of blowing stuff up, was awed by the initial cacophony and blast wave, which threw him and Phillips back against the rocks.

It was the fuel, all that fuel, whose sound and detonation Tanner could not have anticipated.

Then came the reverberation ripping through the pier like an earthquake, tearing up the farthest planks in succession as he and Phillips got back to their feet, dashed below the pier, and came up the other side, where the barge worker had turned to face the dozens of fireballs lighting up the entire spit.

Tanner summarily shot him, then he and his partner raced back into the woods, their backs warmed by fires.

After jogging a few dozen meters, Tanner stole a look back, saw some of the patrol boat's crew members jumping ship and swimming toward the shoreline, even as the Zodiac motored away from the explosions.

Tanner swore and hurried to catch up with Phillips, who had already found their secondary position and was ready for the next detonation.

FISHING BOAT

XIAMEN HARBOR, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Mitchell's mouth fell open, and he found himself clambering to his feet for a better look.

Fifty-five-gallon drums burst apart, catapulting others into the air, all part of a hellish fountain swelling up from the pier to spew orange and red showers of burning diesel fuel. Dozens of smaller bursts mushroomed up before walls of black smoke as the stench of fuel and hot metal finally reached them across the water.

SEAL Chief Tanner had been right about the gunpowder remark, but it was the Chinese who had also invented fireworks, and this display rivaled anything Mitchell had ever seen--in combat or otherwise.

The fuel barge itself finally went up in a single, massive blast, the intense, near-white light coming first, followed by a boom that made everyone aboard flinch as it echoed off the opposite shoreline.

Thousand of pieces of flaming debris shot high into the air, like a swarm of bottle rockets, then tumbled down into the dark water, immediately extinguished, the hissing steam fanning out in ringlets as the bow of the barge suddenly appeared behind the flames. That bow tipped up and began sinking, the rest of the boat either gone or simply unseen behind the raging fires.

The crew aboard the patrol boat, which had been gliding up toward the barge, was scrambling on the deck, the boat beginning to turn away from the catastrophe off their port bow.

But then the crane cabin tore apart in yet another thunderclap, shards of metal slicing through the air like throwing stars that tore into the patrol boat's hull and pilothouse as a dragon's breath of fire spread over the deck, igniting crew members who staggered to the rails and threw themselves overboard.

Tanner's placement of the C-4 was sheer artistry. While the debris continued slamming into the patrol boat, the crane's massive boom blew loose from its support fitting and slowly came down with a screech and groan as piercing as it was foretelling.

And if timing was everything, then Tanner's delay had been intentional, because that boom caught the forward corner of the patrol boat's pilothouse like a sledgehammer on a loaf of white bread.

Metal peeled back amid flurries of sparks and flames licking along the surfaces, but the boat's twin diesel engines kept on, dragging and bending the boom with it, waves suddenly rising up over her sides under all that added weight. Suddenly, her bow became entirely submerged, the water streaming up to her antiaircraft guns.

"Captain, I know fireworks," cried Hume. "And the navy's putting on one hell of a show!"

Not a second after Hume finished, the ammo stored in ready lockers on the patrol boat's stern deck began cooking off in dozens more pops, cracks, and bangs that lit up the shattered boat like a rock concert.

The bursting of more fuel drums on the pier, the roar of the still-burning fuel barge, and the creaking of the toppled crane, along with the patrol boat's exploding ammo, combined to form a brilliant beacon of devastation easily seen and heard for kilometers, especially by those situated along the powerless coastline.

And those in the air.

"There he is!" cried Diaz, as they sailed directly opposite of the burning pier. The marksman had already taken aim with her secondary rifle, the Cx4 Storm SD.

"Got him," replied Mitchell, spotting the helicopter, whose doors had been removed to allow gunners to hang out either side.

The chopper's searchlight painted a gleaming puddle in the harbor as thick smoke wafted through its beam. Mitchell squinted as the light momentarily blinded him.

And then, just as the beam shifted, two helmeted soldiers lifted their rifles.

"Weapons free, fire!" ordered Mitchell, cutting loose with his own MR-C, Diaz's weapon rattling a second after his.

The pilot reacted immediately, banking hard left and pulling up, the chopper's belly gleaming with ricocheting rounds for a few seconds until the pilot finally ascended out of the fire.

"Give him more lead, more lead," cried Mitchell, seeing how much faster the chopper was than his team had anticipated.

Jenkins, who was still at the wheel, turned the boat left, bringing them past several long piers crowded by old sampans and a few junks with crimson sails waiting to be unfurled. A trio of more modern ferries was moored behind them. Jenkins made one more turn, now heading directly toward the gap between Haicang and Gulangyu Island.

"He's not coming back," said Smith, lowering his rifle. "What the hell?"

The downlink channel appeared in Mitchell's HUD. "Better step it up, son," warned General Keating. "Remember, Montana won't surface till you get past that gap. And she won't surface with that chopper up there." The general turned away from the camera. "What is it? Hold on, Mitchell."

"Can't you go any faster?" hollered Beasley.

Jenkins shook his head.

"Aw, man, look at that!" cried Ramirez.

As Mitchell turned toward the bow, Keating appeared once more in the HUD. "All right, Mitchell. You don't have one chopper to deal with--you got two."

And Mitchell didn't need that new intel now. The second bird swept in behind the first, and now both soared back toward their boat, noses pitched forward, gunners taking aim.

If the Ghosts survived this, there was a great lesson to be learned: Never bring an old fishing boat to a helicopter battle.

He cursed then shouted, "Alpha Team, target left chopper. Bravo, take the right. Diaz, go for the pilots. And Smith? Hold fire and deploy my drone!"

Smith dove to the deck and sloughed off his pack. He withdrew the MAV4mp Cypher and tossed it hard like a Frisbee over the side, while the others began firing at the choppers.

Mitchell took control of the drone with his wireless controller and steered it directly toward the chopper on the right.

"Keep up that fire!" he ordered as both helicopters swooped down to strafe them.

Shifting the drone's camera to a forward view, Mitchell took the UAV into a dive, then came right up toward one of the gunners leaning out his open door.

The gunner looked up, frowned, as Mitchell throttled up and slammed the drone directly into the guy's head, even as he continued on, bringing the Cypher inside the chopper.

"Zai jian," Mitchell muttered.

He thumbed a button.

The drone exploded inside the chopper with a small flash and subsequent puff of smoke. Despite the relatively small charges, the self-destruct was still powerful enough to take out both gunners and blind the pilot, who suddenly pulled up, breaking off in an erratic turn.

"Put your fire on him!" ordered Mitchell.

But he'd failed to realize that the second chopper had dropped like a hawk, talons extended to snatch a fish from the water. Streaking now off their port side, the chopper edged closer, the gunner opening fire as Beasley and Smith answered in unison with their MR-Cs, while Diaz released a salvo at the cockpit window.

Ramirez, one-handing his MK14, directed his bead at the smoking chopper, automatic fire chewing into glass and metal.

"Joey!" shouted Smith.

Mitchell craned his head as Ramirez took a round to his left side, near his waist, a round that punched him back, over the gunwale, and into the waves.

"We lost Ramirez!" cried Beasley, his words nearly drowned out by the chopper off their port side, the gunner there now dead, the pilot wheeling off hard to the right.

SAND SPIT

XIAMEN HARBOR, CHINA

APRIL 2012

SEAL Chief Tanner lay on his belly near the last cluster of trees before the long, sandy beach washing out behind them. Phillips was at his side.

The six sailors from the Chinese patrol boat who had launched in the Zodiac must have either spotted them or decided that the infiltrators had used the spit for their exfiltration, because all six of them, armed with pistols and rifles, had come ashore and were combing the forest.

Tanner imagined what must be on their minds. They had just witnessed the destruction of their beloved patrol boat. They had watched their comrades die. Their hearts were hard and aching for revenge.

And damn, Tanner wished he didn't have to confront them, but he and Phillips had no choice. Tanner had thought that they could don their Draegers and simply hide in the waves while these men searched the spit, but if Mitchell was going to double back and bring the fishing boat around to the east side of the spit to pick them up and take them past the gap (well beyond their own swimming capabilities), then these Chinese sailors needed to die here and now; otherwise Mitchell would have yet another firefight on his hands.

Of course, given the radio transmissions Tanner had been monitoring, there was a good chance that Mitchell and his Ghosts would not make it, stranding the two SEALs.

At that point, the best Tanner could hope for was to kill the Chinese sailors, don their gear, and swim out till they ran out of oxygen.

Higher's insistence that nothing be left behind to indicate this was an American operation worked in their favor. However, Captain Gummerson would still ultimately decide whether a security breach was worth risking his crew and his multimillion-dollar submarine.

Phillips lifted his chin, then gave Tanner a hand signal: movement ahead.

Tanner tensed as two Chinese sailors eased forward, not a meter apart, just three trees away.

Tanner gave Phillips another hand signal.

Phillips nodded slowly and raised his pistol.

Taking in a long breath and holding it, Tanner rolled away from his tree, aimed at the sailor on the left, and fired.

FISHING BOAT

XIAMEN HARBOR, CHINA

APRIL 2012

"Jenkins, turn around!" screamed Mitchell. "We're going back for Ramirez."

Even as Jenkins rolled the wheel, throwing all of them to the rail, Beasley and Smith shifted their fire to the smoking chopper, whose pilot was still trying to regain control.

Suddenly, a new trail of smoke unfurled from the chopper's tail rotor, and a fire appeared there as Beasley and Smith whooped and reloaded.

"Get him!" cried Mitchell as they came back toward Ramirez.

Jenkins released the wheel, turning it over to Mitchell, then dove into the water as Mitchell killed the throttle.

Meanwhile, the now-burning chopper began spinning and wobbling away from the boat, and Hume cursed that he didn't have a rocket to finish her off. But it didn't matter. The chopper rolled hard onto its side, the main rotor now perpendicular to the water as Mitchell brought the fishing boat around once more, trying to slow up near Jenkins and Ramirez.

The chopper's rotors began slicing into the water, and it suddenly turned once more as it made impact, the rotors snapping like twigs, the cabin slapping hard, waves of white water cascading up around the craft.

"Got that one, sir!" shouted Smith.

At the same time, the remaining chopper and its single gunner came back around for another pass, and that pilot had all the time in the world to get his gunner on target. Now their searchlight swept up, across Mitchell's wake, and found the two men in the water.

"Jenkins, come on!" cried Mitchell.

Chapter Thirty-Four.

SAND SPIT PIER

XIAMEN HARBOR, CHINA

APRIL 2012

The moment the second sailor collapsed with a bullet lodged in his head, SEAL Chief Tanner and his partner wove back through the woods, heading west to circle around and come in from behind the remaining men.

Tanner and Phillips now held their pistols in one hand, their SOG SEAL knives in the other, the seven-inch blades powder-coated to conceal glare.

They darted to the edge of a slight clearing and crouched in the brush.

Just ahead, one sailor shouted to another, giving up his position--his last mistake.

With their predator's instincts finely tuned on the forest ahead, Tanner and Phillips moved in for the kill.

FISHING BOAT

XIAMEN HARBOR, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Diaz sat cross-legged on the deck and propped one elbow on the gunwale, sighting the oncoming chopper pilot. He roared down at a forty-five-degree angle, lining up on their stern and interrogating them with his searchlight.

Mitchell hollered as the rotor wash finally hit the boat, whipping up a mist that, in the next few seconds, would ruin Diaz's shot.

The chopper's gunner opened fire, and it was Brown who, despite his head injury, held a steady bead on the bird with his light machine gun. He quickly adjusted fire, and the gunner slumped after firing a salvo that stitched across the deck, missing Diaz by an arm's length.

Brown glanced back at her. "You're clear, Alicia! Take him out!"

It was the least she could do for the man she had almost killed.

Diaz froze and tuned out every noise, jostle, and vibration of the boat. She ignored the cuts, stiff joints, and bruises, and even the searchlight's pulsating glare.

Carlos and Tomas were strangely silent, as though she'd finally convinced them that she was their equal. Oh, that was hardly the case, but maybe they, too, were wondering in rigid silence if she could really pull this off.

Her crosshairs lined up, and just like that, she took a shot, squeezing off a second before thinking about it.

Both rounds punched through the canopy and struck the pilot in the chest and shoulder, respectively, blood darkening the side window as the man fell back, then slumped forward.

To her left, Beasley and Mitchell hauled a bleeding Ramirez back into the boat, and Jenkins climbed aboard himself while the chopper continued to descend.

"Oh my God," Diaz whispered, lowering her rifle as the enemy bird pitched even more, engine and slicing rotors blaring, speed increasing.

The deafening noise stole everyone's attention, Diaz knew, and it was Mitchell who vocalized their thoughts: "It's going to hit! Everybody out of the boat!"

SAND SPIT PIER

XIAMEN HARBOR, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Tanner had holstered his pistol when he'd realized he'd had the perfect kill. He called, "Over here," in Mandarin and got the sailor to turn around and come toward him. As the young man passed the tree behind which Tanner huddled, Tanner came around, covered the kid's mouth with one hand while punching his blade into the man's aorta.

The sailor would not die instantly, Tanner knew, so he'd kept his hand over the guy's mouth and withdrew the blade. He drove the sailor forward and came down with a second strike to the spinal cord.

That finished him.

Tanner carefully lowered the body to the ground and stood upright to catch his breath and wipe off the blade on his thigh.

Phillips, who'd slipped off to their right to take out the dead man's partner, called to say his guy was down, but his transmission broke off at the sound of gunfire.

"Phillips?"

He didn't answer. A hollow pang seized Tanner's gut. He cursed and bolted toward his partner's position.

FISHING BOAT

XIAMEN HARBOR, CHINA

APRIL 2012

They had just finished hauling Ramirez into the boat when Mitchell grabbed him and threw himself and the assistant team leader back over the side.

He wrapped an arm under Ramirez's chin and swam as hard as he could until the horrible sound of the chopper's rotors slashing through the fishing boat made him cry, "Joey, hold your breath!"

Mitchell dragged them underwater as a fireball swept over the water and lit up the waves with a surreal, flickering light, as though he were staring at a fireplace through warped glass.

For a moment, time slowed, and nearly all of Mitchell's senses shut down, but then the muffled cries of his Ghosts and the reverberating chomp, chomp of the rotors as they snapped off wrenched him back to reality and drove him to paddle deeper.

His thoughts reached out to the others, to what would happen to them now as his legs burned with exertion and his wounded arm twinged.

Ramirez began to struggle. He could no longer hold his breath, and Mitchell turned and kicked harder, heading back up.

They broke the surface just a few meters outside a large pool of burning fuel that had leaked from the chopper and boat as both had begun to sink.

Mitchell's earpiece/monocle was still attached to his head, and although the device was waterproof, he only got static.

He spotted Diaz treading water off to his right. "Alicia?"

"I'm all right," she answered. "I see Marcus, John, and Alex. They're okay."

Something thumped into Mitchell's head. He shifted around, saw Boy Scout's body floating facedown. Just a few meters off lay Buddha, faceup.

Mitchell wanted to shake his fists at the universe. They'd been so damned close--and now the ultimate failure. Operation War Wraith would be pinned on the United States because he and his Ghosts had failed to exfiltrate. They would be captured, tortured, paraded in front of the media, then spend the rest of their lives rotting away in a Chinese prison. It was hard to suppress those thoughts while floating in the harbor beside a pool of fire.

Beasley and Smith kicked toward him, clinging to a long piece of the fishing boat's hull. Beasley grabbed Ramirez, who was still conscious but barely moving, and pulled him up, onto the wood.

"Got nothing on the Cross-Com," Mitchell told them.

"Me neither," said Beasley.

SAND SPIT PIER

XIAMEN HARBOR, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Tanner returned fire, nicking the corner of a tree trunk. One of the sailors behind the tree kept rolling out and firing, while the other was on the ground, wailing over his wounded thigh.

Phillips had shot that man, but not before taking a round in his neck, another to the chest. Now he just lay on his back, breathing slowly.

Tanner crawled to his side. SEAL or no SEAL, it took incredible force of will for Tanner to remain composed with his partner and friend lying there, dying.

A pale orange shimmer out in the harbor caught his attention, and he fished out his binoculars. He gasped over floating wreckage, a wall of fire lifting from the black water, and the Ghosts floating at the edge of it all.

Tanner steeled himself. "We're getting out of here, buddy. Time for plan B."

Phillips nodded. "I'm ready."

A round blasted dirt in Tanner's eyes, and he rolled, faced that tree trunk, and returned fire. His second shot was echoed by a groan.

With that, he rose, hauled Phillips into a seated position, then, with the inhuman strength fueled by a massive adrenaline rush, he lifted the stocky SEAL over his shoulder, turned, and double-timed off, back toward the pier.

Only ten steps into their escape it dawned on Tanner that they'd shot five sailors. The sixth was still out there, and that fact sent a chill coiling up his spine.

USS MONTANA (SSN-823)

SOUTH TAIWAN STRAIT

SOUTH CHINA SEA

APRIL 2012

Gummerson stood in the control room, flinching as every new piece of information came in.

The XO came over, his expression souring. "Captain, SEAL Chief Tanner reports that SEAL Chief Phillips is seriously wounded. Tanner also says he's lost contact with the Ghost Team. We just got some streaming vid from the harbor. The two choppers are down, but the Ghosts are in the water near burning fuel. They've lost their boat."

Gummerson frowned, then studied the images and map overlays on the screen before him and shook his head. "They're still too close. We can't risk surfacing there."

"Agreed, but, sir, how will they get out of the harbor?"

"I want to talk to SEAL Chief Tanner. I bet he's already got a plan."

FISHING BOAT WRECKAGE

XIAMEN HARBOR, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Mitchell clung to another piece of the hull, along with Diaz and Smith. All of them floated there, coughing and spitting salt water as the fires began to die. Beasley had made sure that the bodies of the CIA agents were secured to another piece of wood in the event that some miracle happened and Captain Gummerson decided to risk it all and bring his boat into the harbor and surface.

Hijacking a rickshaw and heading west seemed a real possibility and a not-so-amusing quip now.

All right. The team was looking to him for orders, perhaps his final order as a Ghost Team leader. He would instruct them to paddle toward the piers along Haicang. Xiamen Island to the east was twice as far away. They had no other choice.

He took a deep breath. "Everyone, listen up."

"Captain, wait," said Diaz, staring through her binoculars. "Got a small boat coming from the sand spit. Looks like that Zodiac launched by the patrol boat. One guy on board."

"Who?"

"Can't see him well enough yet."

"Beasley? Jenkins? Target that boat. Get ready to fire."

"Roger that," said Beasley, trying to balance his rifle atop the shattered piece of hull he was lying across.

"Diaz?" called Mitchell.

"He's turned again, coming right at us. Wait. I see him now, but something's wrong. Aw, no."

Chapter Thirty-five.

ZODIAC

XIAMEN HARBOR, CHINA

APRIL 2012

Tanner began to lose consciousness as he piloted the Zodiac toward the Ghost Team across the harbor. The puddles of burning fuel blurred into a sheet of darkness painted with shimmering stars.

At the moment, the outboard's vibration was the only thing keeping him awake--that and the idea that he was the only guy left who could get the team home. He had to hang on for a little longer. He turned slightly, saw one of the Ghosts watching him through a pair of binoculars.

Behind them, the night sky was already washing down from mottled black to purple and pink. They were nearly out of time.

Tanner came within a hundred meters of the group and cut the throttle.

Only five minutes prior he'd loaded Phillips onto the Zodiac. His friend was already dead, and just as Tanner had fired up the outboard, that last Chinese sailor, the one he'd been concerned about, ran onto the beach and began shooting.

Tanner had taken a round in the back but was able to whirl fast enough to tag the sailor before he fired again.

Grimacing in pain and barely able to move, Tanner had levered himself into the Zodiac and had launched.

Now, as he drifted toward them, he tried to raise his hand and wave but instead swam forward into the darkness.

FISHING BOAT WRECKAGE

XIAMEN HARBOR, CHINA

APRIL 2012

"It's Tanner!" cried Diaz, pushing free from the section of hull she'd been clinging to and swimming out to meet the Zodiac.

Mitchell had, over the years, voiced his criticism of SEALs, Force Recon Marines, and air force combat controllers. Army Special Forces were, in his not-so-humble opinion, the most accomplished warriors in the world.

But as he watched the Zodiac drift forward, he choked up with a newfound respect for Tanner and all his SEAL brothers. Tanner's escape from the sand spit was an act of sheer will, determination, and courage in the face of utter defeat, and Mitchell knew all too well what it took to find that courage when all seemed lost.

He spat again, smacked his lips, and rattled off his orders: "All right, Nolan, get in there, see how he is. Beasley, tie up the bodies to the sides, then we help the wounded into the boat. Everyone else hangs off the side. Smith, you take the outboard!"

"Roger that!" he cried. "But you're wounded, too, Captain. Up in the boat."

Within two minutes they were sputtering across the harbor, unable to gain any real speed because of their added weight and friction. The Zodiac had been designed for six, not nine Ghosts, two SEALs, and two CIA agents.

Being dragged through the water was beginning to take its toll on all of them. Mitchell, who was jammed up near the heavy rubber bow, continually checked his HUD and finally got a good signal to the network and picked up a message from General Keating: "Mitchell, if you can hear me, we'll have you out of there in a few minutes, son."

"I hear you, sir!" he shouted over the outboard. "But where's Montana?"

The image glowing on his tactical map confused him; it appeared that the submarine, outlined in yellow with green ID diamond, was on their position as they finally cleared the gap between Gulangyu Island and Haicang.

"Son, she's closer than you think: forty-five meters straight down."

Mitchell almost laughed with relief. "How long's she been there?"

"Too long. Captain Gummerson's taking one hell of a risk, Mitchell. When the drink tab comes, I suggest you buy."

"Roger that, sir. Can't wait to get home."

USS MONTANA (SSN-823)

EN ROUTE TO SUBIC BAY

SOUTH CHINA SEA

APRIL 2012

The transfer from the Zodiac to the submarine was handled with speed and practiced efficiency, a testament to Gummerson's first-rate crew. The bodies of Buddha, Boy Scout, and SEAL Chief Phillips were taken away by corpsmen for processing, while the wounded were escorted to sick bay and given additional treatment, including Mitchell himself.

Tanner and Ramirez were both stabilized, their blood replaced by volunteer crew members with matching or universal blood types. Montana then sailed at maximum speed in the open South China Sea. Captain Gummerson called ahead to have doctors choppered out to meet them once they were in international waters.

As they headed out toward that rendezvous point, the captain came to sick bay to see Mitchell and shake hands with every Ghost, save for Ramirez, who was sedated. "Congratulations, Captain."

"Thank you, sir. I'm sorry about SEAL Chief Phillips."

"We all are."

"Chief Tanner saved us all. I hope I get a chance to thank him before I leave."

Gummerson nodded. "Glad I got my chance to thank you. Outstanding job, Captain." He frowned over a thought. "And what was that stunt you pulled with the Predator?"

"My marksman came up with that one, although she said one of the pilots inspired her."

"Ah, that would be Lieutenant Moch, whom I would not describe as inspirational, but I'll accept that." Gummerson offered his hand. "It was an honor, Captain."

"Thank you, sir. Good luck with your promotion."

Gummerson glanced fondly at the bulkheads and overhead, then pursed his lips and headed out.

KEATING RESIDENCE

NEAR MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE

TAMPA, FLORIDA

MAY 2012

Two weeks after the operation in China, Mitchell was invited over to the general's house for a Sunday dinner hosted by Mrs. Keating (who didn't actually do the preparations; her housekeeper from Venezuela was an excellent cook, according to the general).

They sat on Keating's second-story back porch, overlooking the kidney-shaped swimming pool with adjoining spa and rock waterfall. The mosquitoes were kept at bay by a colossal screen room behind which stood a towering wall of palm trees sashaying in the breeze.

Keating leaned back in his ornate patio chair, puffing on his Cuban cigar. Mitchell, who didn't smoke, sat beside him, clutching the drink the general had thrust into his hand after pouring two.

"You know, sometimes this job lets me slip home to a quiet dinner, then I sneak out here for a drink: Glenfiddich single malt Scotch whisky, to be exact."

"I've never had it."

"Then you haven't lived."

Mitchell breathed in the Scotch, took a gulp, then savored the intense burn until he embarrassed himself and coughed.

Keating chuckled under his breath.

"It's good, sir," Mitchell said, holding back tears.

The general removed his cigar and grinned. "So Congress failed to ratify that sub deal with Taiwan."

"Money talks. We can't afford war right now."

"Me, I would've made it happen. Force the issue in the Pacific, play it out. But then again I'm army. The navy sees things differently."

"Yes, sir. And, sir, I've been wanting to thank you. I understand you caught hell for our noisy exit out of China."

"Damned right I did. But I told the president that regardless of the noise or body count, if who done it remains a mystery, then the mission is a success. The Chinese have already done an excellent job trying to cover it up; there're no answers forthcoming when you're in the right pew but the wrong church."

"Yeah, I saw the story about the patrol boat accident. Haven't heard a word about the castle."

"And you won't. They've already gone in, cleaned out the whole place. Witnesses there are saying the secret police did it, not Americans."

"Good."

"Yeah, but it's not all good. That intel you brought back from the Tigers suggests they had a lot more going on than just taking Taiwan. There's a North Korean connection and a number of links to cybernetic and neuro-science research facilities all over the world."

"Taiwan was just the beginning for them . . ."

"And Defense Intelligence isn't telling us the whole story either, but we do know that DIA mole was killed in an apparent robbery. Gorbatova said he was a good kid."

"He was good to us."

After an uncomfortable moment, Mitchell hazarded another sip of Scotch, then added, "Well, thanks again for the invite. It's not every day us lowly captains get to hang out with generals."

"You can't play that card forever, Mitchell. You need to take that promotion. And by the time you're my age, you'll be dining with lowly captains."

"With all due respect, I prefer to wait."

"Don't wait too long. There's talk of restructuring, and people like you can advance faster than anyone else who's ever come through the military."

"That's good to know. I'm just not ready to leave the field."

"Neither was I."

"All right, boys, come on down," called a female voice from behind them.

"Yes, dear," answered Keating. He cocked a brow at Mitchell. "On your feet, soldier. Chow time."

MITCHELL RESIDENCE

FIFTH AVENUE

YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO

MAY 2012

Mitchell stood in his father's workshop, breathing in the heavenly scent of sawdust and longing to get back to some of his own woodworking projects. At the same time, though, he couldn't wait to get out of there because Dad had insisted upon showing him his recently finished coffin, which was propped up on a pair of saw-horses, its waxed surfaces gleaming in the light.

Dad lifted the smaller, left-side door. "She's a beauty, eh, Scott? I used both mahogany and cherry. Look at these inlays."

Mitchell shook his head and sighed. "Dad, I think we should talk about this. I mean, are you all right?"

"I feel great."

"You know what I mean. Jenn told me about all those new appointments. One of my men just lost his father."

It was Dad's turn to sigh. Then a thought took hold, and he grinned and wiggled his brows. "Let's just say I wouldn't trade that secret for all the tea in China."

Mitchell stiffened. "That's an interesting choice of words."

"They had a special on CNN last night about all those Chinese big shots who got whacked."

"Here we go again. You think I had something to do with that?"

He shrugged. "I'm just saying I can keep secrets, too, if I want."

"But if you're sick, we have a right to know."

"It ain't the big C word, if that's what you're thinking. C'mon, you're taking me out to lunch."

Mitchell frowned. "You're a stubborn old bastard."

"And this is news?" He threw his arm over Mitchell's shoulder and led him out of the workshop.

THE LIBERATOR SPORTS BAR AND GRILLE

NEAR FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA

MAY 2012

Major Harry Hogan was a former Special Forces operator from Boston, Massachusetts, who had been running the Liberator for over twenty years. The bar's name was inspired by the Special Forces motto: to liberate the oppressed, but by no small coincidence back in 1831 another Bostonian by the name of William Lloyd Garrison founded an abolitionist newspaper aptly titled the Liberator.

With clusters of plasma TVs suspended from the ceiling and sports and military memorabilia adorning the walls, the place was a requisite hangout for those who fought hard and played even harder. Interestingly enough, near the front doors stood two mannequins in full combat gear and armed with rubber rifles. They often startled newcomers.

Consequently, Mitchell watched with a grin as SEAL Chief Tanner stepped anxiously into the bar and raised his brows at the sentries who never got tired, hungry, or thirsty.

"Hey, over here," called Mitchell, rising from one of the benches in the waiting area.

"What's up, Captain?" said Tanner, offering his hand.

They shook firmly. "Thanks for coming."

"You sure I'll survive?" Tanner eyed all the army personnel clustered around the bar.

"Well, we've only had a handful of SEALs drop in over the years, but like I tell the young pups, we all belong to the same brotherhood of stars and stripes. We senior guys get it. Takes them a little longer to learn."

Tanner chuckled. "Roger that."

Mitchell tipped his head over to the circular bar constructed of oak and adorned with sandbags, like a massive machine gunner's nest. His Ghosts stood with beers, and as they drew closer, Mitchell recoiled over a night-marish site: Bo Jenkins stood there, shirtless, wearing a bra whose black straps dug deeply into his shoulders.

"All right, pipe down, he's here!" cried Mitchell, gaining their attention. "But before I make my little speech, Bo, I have to ask . . ."

Jenkins blushed. "Uh, sir, I've been trying to find something to enhance my full-figured beauty."

With that, the entire group burst out laughing, and money immediately changed hands. Jenkins had obviously lost a bet, and others had bet upon whether he would go through with the prank.

"All right, give it back," hollered Diaz. "And don't get the wrong idea! It's just a loaner."

"Makes you wish you hadn't saved us, huh?" Mitchell said in Tanner's ear.

At the same time, Smith shoved a tall glass of draft beer into the SEAL chief 's hand and another into Mitchell's.

"Okay, quiet down, you dirty apes. I'm making a toast." Mitchell raised his glass, and the group suddenly fell silent.

In fact, a hush fell over the rest of the bar, and one of the waitresses cut off the sound from the TVs.

Mitchell went on, "So we all know the army-navy rivalry will live on in infamy, especially on the gridiron. But that doesn't mean we can't give credit where credit is due. Tonight we raise our glasses to all those SEALs who serve and all who gave their lives to protect our great country, especially SEAL Chief Phillips. And we're honored to say thank you to SEAL Chief Tanner, who's with us today." Mitchell beamed at the man. "Welcome to our bar. It's your party, Chief. Do you have any orders?"

"As a matter of fact I do, Captain," said Tanner, lifting his voice and his glass. "Bottoms up!"

MCDANIEL HOME

NEAR FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA

MAY 2012

The morning after Tanner's party, Mitchell drove to Rutang's place to find out why his friend hadn't come.

Mandy answered the door, and her face looked more drawn than usual, her long black hair wired with new strands of gray. She gave Mitchell a hug, then said, "He's in the office."

Before Mitchell could move, Mandy grabbed his wrist. "Scott, this is it. You know?" She was shaking, and the tears came quickly. "He was good for a while, but now nothing's working. I have two kids. It's just too hard. I don't know if there's anything we can do. Like I told you, when you guys went to the Philippines, he never came home."

"I know."

She released him, then shuffled off into the kitchen, wiping her eyes.

Mitchell started tentatively into their home office and found Rutang in his chair, checkbook out and paying some bills. "Yo, Tang. What's going on?"

"Hey, Scott." Rutang barely looked up.

"Why didn't you come last night?"

"I don't know."

"You've been sick a lot."

"Yeah."

"I'm worried about you, buddy."

Rutang shrugged. "I'm up and down, Scott. I can't do the medication anymore. Mandy's already talking to a lawyer."

"You can't let her go."

"I don't blame her. I'm just another screwed-up soldier, a freaking medic who can't save himself."

"So you've just given up? Going to sit here and feel sorry for yourself?"

"Scott, what do you want? You pissed off because I didn't come to your little party? Hey, man, it ain't all missions and glory for some people, you know? I don't sleep. I still don't sleep! What part of that do you not understand!"

Mandy appeared in the doorway. "If you're going to start screaming, then get out. Just get out." She stormed off.

"Get up," Mitchell ordered. "We're going outside."

Rutang threw up his hands and rose.

Mitchell led him out onto the driveway, and they leaned against Mitchell's Hummer, basking in the warm morning light. "It's going to be a great day."

Rutang laughed bitterly.

"What happened to us wasn't our fault, right?" asked Mitchell.

"R ight."

"But you still feel guilty about it."

"How do you not? I can't tell you how many people have looked me straight in the eye and said, 'Get over it. Get a life, you loser.' But they weren't there. They have no idea. No idea!"

Mitchell nodded. "I used to feel like they died for nothing. I used to think that there wasn't any justice in it, and the guy I wanted to blame just walked away."

"Captain Fang," Rutang said through gritted teeth.

Mitchell crossed around to the passenger's side, opened the door, and lifted the sword cane from the seat. He brought it back to Rutang, whose eyes widened in shock and perhaps even a tinge of horror.

Rutang swallowed. "Where did you get that?"

Mitchell unsheathed the sword, tugged up his shirt, and showed Rutang his scar alongside the blade tip to confirm the match. "It's his, see?"

"Scott . . ." Rutang's lip quivered.

Mitchell returned the sword to its sheath and handed it to his friend. "I want you to hang on to this. It's ours now. That bastard can't hurt us anymore. But listen to me. Revenge doesn't help. It's having the courage to get past what happened, man. That's what we're doing now. We're making a pact. We're blood brothers. We all need you. All right?"

Rutang took the sword cane in trembling hands. He turned away and wiped a tear from his eye. "Scott, I don't know why I've been this way."

"But not anymore. We own the sword. We own him. We own the situation. Okay, we can't change what happened. But we can change what'll happen to us."

"You're right."

Mitchell rested a palm on Rutang's shoulder and spoke more softly. "Tang, we can sleep now. We're home. Mission complete."