Ryan managed not to flinch at the rebuke. But it wounded him, all the more so because the Judge was correct. Jack took a deep breath and nodded agreement.

James told me last week that he wants you to succeed him. I think you might be ready. What do you think?

Judge, I think I am fitted technically, but I lack the political sophistication needed for the office.

Theres only one way to learn that part of the joband, hell, politics arent supposed to have much place in the Intelligence Directorate. Moore smiled to punctuate the irony of that statement. The President likes you, and The Hill likes you. As of now youre acting Deputy Director (Intelligence). The slot wont be officially filled until after the election, but as of now the job is yours on a provisional basis. If James recovers, well and good. The additional seasoning you get from working under him wont hurt. But even if he recovers, it will soon be time for him to leave. We are all replaceable, and James thinks youre ready. So do I.

Ryan didnt know what to say. Still short of forty, he now had one of the premiere intelligence posts in the world. As a practical matter, hed had it for several monthseven for several years, some might saybut now it was official, and somehow that made it different. People would now come to him for opinions and judgments. That had been going on for a long time, but hed always had someone to fall back on. Now he would not. Hed present his information to Judge Moore and await final judgment, but from this moment the responsibility for being right was his. Before, hed presented opinions and options to his superiors. Beginning now, hed present policy decisions directly to the ultimate decision-makers. The increase in responsibility, though subtle, was vast.

Need-to-know still applies, Ritter pointed out.

Of course, Ryan said.

Ill tell Nancy and your department heads, Moore said. James ginned up a letter Ill read. Heres your copy.

Ryan stood to take it.

I believe you have work to do, Dr. Ryan, Moore said.

Yes, sir. Jack turned and left the room. He knew that he should have felt elated, but instead felt trapped. He thought he knew why.

Too soon, Arthur, Ritter said after Jack had left.

I know what youre saying, Bob, but we cant have Intelligence go adrift just because you dont want him in on SHOWBOAT. Well keep him out of that, at least isolated from what Operations is doing. Hell have to get in on the information that were developing. For Christs sake, his knowledge of finance will be useful to us. He just doesnt have to know how the information gets to us. Besides, if the President says go on this, and he gets approval from The Hill, were home free.

So when do you go to The Hill?

I have four of them coming here tomorrow afternoon. Were invoking the special- and hazardous-operations rule.

SAHO was an informal codicil of the oversight rules. While Congress had the right under law to oversee all intelligence operations, in a case two years earlier, a leak from one of the select committees had caused the death of a CIA station chief and a high-ranking defector. Instead of going public, Judge Moore had approached the members of both committees and gotten written agreement that in special cases the chairman and co-chairman of each committee would alone be given access to the necessary information. It was then their responsibility to decide if it should be shared with the committees as a whole. Since members of both political parties were present, it had been hoped that political posturing could be avoided. In fact, Judge Moore had created a subtle trap for all of them. Whoever tried to decide that information had to be disseminated ran the risk of being labeled as having a political agenda. Moreover, the higher selectivity of the four SAHO-cleared members had already created an atmosphere of privilege that militated directly against spreading the information out. So long as the operation was not politically sensitive, it was a virtual guarantee that Congress would not interfere. The remarkable thing was that Moore had managed to get the committees to agree to this. But bringing the widow and children of the dead station chief to the executive hearings hadnt hurt one bit. It was one thing to carp abstractly about the majesty of law, quite another to have to face the results of a mistakethe more so if one of them was a ten-year-old girl without a father. Political theater was not solely the domain of elected officials.

And the Presidential Finding? Ritter asked.

Already done. It is determined that drug-smuggling operations are a clear and present danger to U.S. national security. The President authorizes the judicious use of military force in accord with established operational guidelines to protect our citizens, et cetera.

The political angle is the one I dont like.

Moore chuckled. Neither will the people from The Hill. So we have to keep it all secret, dont we? If the President goes public to show that hes really doing something, the opposition will scream that hes playing politics. If the opposition burns the operation, then the President can do the same thing. So both sides have a political interest in keeping this one under wraps. The election-year politics work in our favor. Clever fellow, that Admiral Cutter.

Not as clever as he thinks, Ritter snorted. But who is?

Yeah. Who is? You know, its a shame that James never got in on this.

Gonna miss him, Ritter agreed. God, I wish there was something I could take him, something to make it a little easier.

I know what you mean, Judge Moore agreed. Sooner or later, Ryan has to get in on this.

I dont like it.

What you dont like, Bob, is the fact that Ryans been involved in two highly successful field operations in addition to all the work hes done at his desk. Maybe he did poach on your territory, but in both cases he had your support when he did so. Would you like him better if hed failed? Robert, I dont have Directorate chiefs so that they can get into pissing contests like Cutter and those folks on The Hill.

Ritter blinked at the rebuke. Ive been saying for a long time that we brought him along too fastwhich we have. Ill grant you that hes been very effective. But its also true that he doesnt have the necessary political savvy for this sort of thing. Hes yet to establish the capacity needed for executive oversight. He has to fly over to Europe to represent us at the NATO intel conference. No sense dropping SHOWBOAT on him before he leaves, is there?

Moore almost replied that Admiral Greer was out of the loop because of his physical condition, which was mainly, but only partly, true. The presidential directive mandated an extremely tight group of people who really knew what the counter-drug operations were all about. It was an old story in the intelligence game: sometimes security was so tight that people who might have had something important to offer were left out of the picture. It was not unknown, in fact, for those left out to have had knowledge crucial to the operations successful conclusion. But it was equally true that history was replete with examples of the disasters that resulted from making an operation so broadly based as to paralyze the decision-making process and compromise its secrecy. Drawing the line between operational security and operational efficiency was historically the most difficult task of an intelligence executive. There were no rules, Judge Moore knew, merely the requirement that such operations must succeed. One of the most persistent elements of spy fiction was the supposition that intelligence chiefs had an uncanny, infallible sixth sense of how to run their ops. But if the worlds finest surgeons could make mistakes, if the worlds best test pilots most often died in crashesfor that matter, if a pro-bowl quarterback could throw interceptionswhy should a spymaster be any different? The only real difference between a wise man and a fool, Moore knew, was that the wise man tended to make more serious mistakesand only because no one trusted a fool with really crucial decisions; only the wise had the opportunity to lose battles, or nations.

Youre right about the NATO conference. You win, Bob. For now. Judge Moore frowned at his desk. How are things going?

All four teams are within a few hours march of their surveillance points. If everything goes according to plan, theyll be in position by dawn tomorrow, and the following day theyll begin feeding us information. The flight crew we bagged the other day coughed up all the preliminary information we need. At least two of the airfields we staked out are hot. Probably at least one of the others is also.

The President wants me over tomorrow. It seems that the Bureau has tumbled to something important. Emils really hot about it. Seems that theyve identified a major money-laundering operation.

Something we can exploit?

It would seem so. Emils treating it as code-word material.

Sauce for the goose, Ritter observed with a smile. Maybe we can put a real crimp in their operations.

Chavez awoke from his second sleep period an hour before sundown. Sleep had come hard. Daytime temperatures were well over a hundred, and the high humidity made the jungle seem an oven despite being in shade. His first considered act was to drink over a pint of waterGatoradefrom his canteen to replace what hed sweated off while asleep. Next came a couple of Tylenol. Light-fighters lived off the things to moderate the aches and pains that came with their normal physical regimen of exertion. In this case, it was a heat-induced headache that felt like a low-grade hangover.

Why dont we let em keep this fucking place? he muttered to Julio.

Roger that, mano. Vega chuckled in return.

Sergeant Chavez wrenched himself to a sitting position, shaking off the cobwebs as he did so. He rubbed a hand over his face. The heavy beard hed had since puberty was growing with its accustomed rapidity, but he wouldnt shave today. That merited a grunt. Normal Army routine was heavy on personal hygiene, and light infantrymen, as elite soldiers, were supposed to be pretty troops. Already he stank like a basketball team after double overtime, but he wouldnt wash, either. Nor would he don a clean uniform. But he would, of course, clean his weapon again. After making sure that Julio had already serviced his SAW, Chavez stripped his MP-5 down to six pieces and inspected them all visually. The matte-black finish resisted rust quite well. Regardless, he wiped everything down with oil, ran a toothbrush along all operation parts, checked to see that all springs were taut and magazines were not fouled with dirt or grit. Satisfied, he reassembled the weapon and worked the action quietly to make certain that it functioned smoothly. Finally, he inserted the magazine, chambered a round, and set the safety. Next he checked that his knives were clean and sharp. This included his throwing stars, of course.

The captains gonna be pissed if he sees them, Vega observed quietly.

Theyre good luck, Chavez replied as he put them back in his pocket. Sides, you never know. . . . He checked the rest of his gear. Everything was as it should be. He was ready for the days work. Next the maps came out.

That where were goin?

RENO. Chavez pointed to the spot on the tactical map. Just under five klicks. He examined the map carefully, making several mental notes and again committing the details to memory. The map had no marks on it, of course. If lost or captured, such marks would tell the wrong people things that they ought not to know.

Here. Captain Ramirez joined the two, handing over a satellite photograph.

These maps must be new, sir.

They are. DMAhe referred to the Defense Mapping Agencydidnt have good maps of this area until recently. They were drawn up from the satellite photos. See any problems?

No, sir. Chavez looked up with a smile. Nice and flat, lots of thinned-out treeslooks easier than last night, Capn.

When we get in close, I want you to approach from this angle here into the objective rally point. Ramirez traced his hand across the photo. Ill make the final approach with you for the leaders recon.

You the boss, sir, Ding agreed.

Plan the first break point right here, Checkpoint SPIKE.

Right.

Ramirez stuck his head up, surveying the area. Remember the briefing. These guys may have very good security, and be especially careful for booby traps. You see something, let me know immediatelyas long as its safe to do so. When in doubt, remember the mission is covert.

Ill get us there, sir.

Sorry, Ding, Ramirez apologized. I must sound like a nervous woman.

You aint got the legs for it, sir, Chavez pointed out with a grin.

You up to carrying that SAW another night, Oso? Ramirez asked Vega.

I carried heavier toothpicks, jefe.

Ramirez laughed and made off to check the next pair.

Ive known worse captains than that one, Vega observed when he was gone.

Hard worker, Chavez allowed. Sergeant Olivero appeared next.

Hows your water? the medic asked.

Both a quart low, Vega replied.

Both of you, drink a quart down right now.

Come on, doc, Chavez protested.

No dickin around, people. Somebody gets heatstroke and its my ass. If you aint gotta piss, you aint been drinking enough. Pretend its a Corona, he suggested as both men took out their canteens. Remember that: if you dont have to piss, you need a drink. Damn it, Ding, you oughta know that, you spent time at Hunter-Liggett. This fucking climatell dry your ass out in a heartbeat, and I aint carrying your ass, dried-out or not.

Olivero was right, of course. Chavez emptied a canteen in three long pulls. Vega followed the medic off to the nearby stream to replenish the empty containers. He reappeared several minutes later. Oso surprised his friend with a couple more envelopes of Gatorade concentrate. The medic, he explained, had his own supply. About the only bad news was that the water-purification pills did not mix well with the Gatorade, but that was for electrolytes, not taste.

Ramirez assembled his men just at sundown, repeating the nights brief already delivered to the individual guard posts. Repetition was the foundation of claritysome manual said that, Chavez knew. The squad members were all dirty. The generally heavy beards and scraggly hair would enhance their camouflage, almost obviating the need for paint. There were a few aches and pains, mainly from the rough sleeping conditions, but everyone was fit and rested. And eager. Garbage was assembled and buried. Olivero sprinkled CS tear-gas powder before the dirt was smoothed over the hole. That would keep animals from scratching it up for a few weeks. Captain Ramirez made a final check of the area while there was still light. By the time Chavez moved out at point, there was no evidence that theyd ever been here.

Ding crossed the clearing as quickly as safety allowed, scanning ahead with his low-light goggles. Again using compass and landmarks, he was able to travel rapidly, now that he had a feel for the country. As before, there was no sound other than what nature provided, and better still, the forest wasnt quite as dense. He made better than a kilometer per hour. Best of all, he had yet to spot a snake.

He made Checkpoint SPIKE in under two hours, feeling relaxed and confident. The walk through the jungle had merely served to loosen up his muscles. He stopped twice along the way for water breaks, more often to listen, and still heard nothing unexpected. Every thirty minutes he checked in by radio with Captain Ramirez.

After Chavez picked a place to belly-up, it took ten minutes for the rest of the squad to catch up. Ten more minutes and he was off again for the final checkpoint, MALLET. Chavez found himself hoping that theyd run out of tool names.

He was more careful now. He had the map committed to memory, and the closer he got to the objective, the more likely that hed encounter somebody. He slowed down almost without thinking about it. Half a klick out of SPIKE he heard something moving off to his right. Something quiet, but a land creature. He waved the squad to halt while he checked it outVega did the same, aiming his SAW in that directionbut whatever it was, it moved off heading southwest. Some animal or other, he was sure, though Ding waited another few minutes before he felt totally safe moving off. He checked the wind, which was blowing from his left rear, and wondered if his pungent odor was detectable to menprobably not, he decided. The rank smells of the jungle were pretty overpowering. On the other hand, maybe washing once in a while was worth the effort. . . .

He arrived at MALLET without further incident. He was now one kilometer off the objective. Again the squad assembled. There was a creek less than fifty meters from the checkpoint, and water was again replenished. The next stop was the objective rally point, picked for its easy identifiability. Ding got them there in just under an hour. The squad formed yet another defensive perimeter while the point man and commander got together.

Ramirez took out his map again. Chavez and his captain turned on the infrared lights that were part of the goggle-sets and traced ideas on the map and the accompanying photos. Also present was the operations sergeant, appropriately named Guerra. The road to the airfield came in from the opposite direction, looping around a stream that the squad had followed into the rally point. The only building visible on the photo was also on the far side of the objective.

I like this way in, sir, Chavez observed.

I think youre right, Ramirez replied. Sergeant Guerra?

Looks pretty good to me, sir.

Okay, people, if theres going to be contact, itll be in this here neighborhood. It is now post time. Chavez, Im going in with you. Guerra, you bring the rest of the squad in behind us if theres any trouble.

Yes, sir, both sergeants replied.

Out of habit, Ding pulled out his camouflage stick and applied some green and black to his face. Next he put on his gloves. Though sweaty hands were a nuisance, the dark leather shells would darken his hands. He moved out, with Captain Ramirez close behind. Both men had their goggles on, and both moved very slowly now.

The stream theyd followed in for the last half a klick made for good drainage in the area, and that made for dry, solid footingthe same reason that someone had decided to bulldoze a landing strip here, of course. Chavez was especially wary for booby traps. With every step he checked the ground for wires, then up at waist and eye level. He also checked for any disturbance of ground. Again he wondered about game in the area. If there were some, it, too, would set off the booby traps, wouldnt it? So how would the bad guys react if one got set off? Probably theyd send somebody out to look . . . that would be bad news regardless of what he expected to find, wouldnt it?

Lets be cool, mano, Chavez told himself.

Finally: noise. It carried against the breeze. The low, far-off murmuring of talking men. Though too sporadic and confused even to guess the language, it was human speech.

Contact.

Chavez turned to look at his captain, pointing to the direction from which it seemed to come and tapping his ear with a finger. Ramirez nodded and motioned for the sergeant to press on.

Not real smart, people, Chavez thought at his quarry. Not real smart talking sos a guy can hear you a couple hundred meters away. You are making my job easier. Not that the sergeant minded. Just being here was hard enough.

Next, a trail.

Chavez knelt down and looked for human footprints. They were here, all right, coming out and going back. He took a very long step to pass over the narrow dirt path, and stopped. Ramirez and Chavez were now a tight two-man formation, far enough apart that the same burst wouldnt get both, close enough that they could provide mutual support. Captain Ramirez was an experienced officer, just off his eighteen-month tour in command of a light-infantry company, but even he was in awe of Chavezs woodcraft skills. It was now post time, as hed told them a few minutes earlier, and his were the greatest worries of the unit. He was in command. That meant that the missions success was his sole responsibility. He was similarly responsible for the lives of his men. Hed brought ten men in-country, and he was supposed to bring all ten men out. As the single officer, moreover, he was supposed to be at least as good as any of his menpreferably betterin every specialty. Even though that was not realistic, it was expected by everyone. Including Captain Ramirez, who was old enough to know better. But watching Chavez, ten meters ahead, in the gray-green image of his night goggles, moving like a ghost, as quietly as a puff of breeze, Ramirez had to shake off a feeling of inadequacy. It was replaced a moment later with one of elation. This was better than command of a company. Ten elite specialists, each one of them among the best the Army had, and they were his to command. . . . Ramirez distantly realized that he was experiencing the emotional roller-coaster common to combat operations. A bright young man, he was now learning another lesson that history talked about but never quite conveyed: it was one thing to talk and think and read about this sort of thing, but there would never be a substitute for doing it. Training could attenuate the stress of combat operations, but never remove it. It amazed the young captain that everything seemed so clear to him. His senses were as fully alert as they had ever been, and his mind was working with speed and clarity. He recognized the stress and danger, but he was ready for it. In that recognition came elation as the roller coaster rolled on. A far-off part of his intellect watched and evaluated his performance, noting that as in a contact sport, every member of the squad needed the shock of real contact before settling down fully to work. The problem was simply that they were supposed to avoid that contact.

Chavezs hand went up, Ramirez saw, and then the scout crouched down behind a tree. The captain passed around a thicket of bushes and saw why the sergeant had stopped.

There was the airfield.

Better yet, there was an aircraft, several hundred yards away, its engines off but glowing on the infrared image generated by the goggles.

Looks like we be in business, Capn, Ding noted in a whisper.

Ramirez and Chavez moved left and right, well inside the treeline, to search for security forces. But there were none. The objective, RENO, was agreeably identical to what theyd been told to expect. They took their time making sure, of course, then Ramirez went back to the rally point, leaving Chavez to keep an eye on things. Twenty minutes later the squad was in place on a small hill just northwest of the airfield, covering a front of two hundred yards. This had probably once been some peasants farm, with the burned-off fields merely extended into the strip. They all had a clear view of the airstrip. Chavez was on the extreme right with Vega, Guerra on the far left with the other SAW gunner, and Ramirez stayed in the center, with his radio operator, Sergeant Ingeles.

The Curtain on SHOWBOAT.

VARIABLE, THIS IS KNIFE. Stand by to copy, over.

The signal off the satellite channel was as clear as a commercial FM station. The communications technician stubbed out his cigarette and keyed his headset.

KNIFE, this is VARIABLE, your signal is five by five. We are ready to copy, over. Behind him, Clark turned in his swivel chair to look at the map.

We are at Objective RENO, and guess whattheres a twin-engine aircraft in view with some people loading cardboard boxes into it. Over.

Clark turned to look in surprise at the radio rack. Was their operational intel that good?

Can you read the tail number, over.