Luke walked straight to Thomass side. He took the cap off the syringe, turned Thomass left arm, found the thick vein at the crook of his elbow, and gave him the injection.

Ritalin, huh? Ed said.

Luke shrugged. It brings people right out of general anesthesia. Not exactly FDA approved, but it works like a charm.

He stepped back. Shouldnt be long.

A minute passed, then two minutes. Halfway through the third minute, Luke thought he saw a slight flutter in the eyelids.

Eldrick, he said. Wake up.

Eldricks eyes slowly opened. He blinked. He looked very tired. He looked like he was a hundred years old.

My chest hurts, he said, his voice rising just above a whisper. He glanced slowly around without moving his head. Where am I?

Luke shook his head. It doesnt matter where you are. You were in New York last night. You stole radioactive materials from Center Medical Center. You were working with Ken Bryant and Ibrahim Abdulraman. They were both murdered. So were two security guards.

Memory flooded into the mans face. He barely moved a muscle. He seemed so weak that he could die any minute. But his eyes were hard. Cops? he said.

Luke nodded. We need to know where and when the bomb goes off.

Eldrick Thomas looked at Ed. He made a gesture with his head toward Luke. Hey, bro. Get this white devil pig out of here.

He closed his eyes slowly, then opened them again. After that, Ill tell you whatever I know.

*

Luke waited in the hall, fifty yards down from the wall of cops. It wasnt long before Ed came out. He walked quickly.

Come on, man. Lets go.

Luke walked fast, keeping up with Eds pace. Whats up?

I think he had a heart attack, Ed said. Maybe the Ritalin was too much for him. I dont know. I hit the alarm before I left.

Did he say anything?

Yeah. He did.

What was it?

I dont know if I can believe it.

Luke stopped. Ed stopped, too.

We need to keep walking, Ed said.

Luke shook his head. Whats the target?

Above their heads, the hospital intercom came on. A womans voice, calm, mechanical, almost robotic. Code Blue, Code Blue. Third Floor, Room 318. Third Floor, Room 318. Code Blue… Frantic doctors and staff ran past them in the halls, bumping shoulders.

Its timed for the start of Ramadan in Iran. 8:24 p.m., which is 10:54 a.m. here. He looked at his watch. Just over one hour from now.

Where? Luke demanded.

Ed stared back grimly. For the first time, Luke saw despair on Eds face.

The White House.

Chapter 21

10:01 a.m.

The skies between Baltimore and Washington DC

The pilots were bad-asses.