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Chapters (53)
  1. BALANCE OF POWER
  2. Acknowledgments
  3. About The Creators
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY

Perspiration collected on McCaskey's upper lip. The law was collapsing. He wished there were some way he could get the two women out of there. He looked over at his companion. Luis's eyes were moving quickly without focusing on anything. He was anxious too.

"Luis," McCaskey asked thickly, "what about the police chopper?"

"It's still there-"

"I know. But can you get permission for it to go in?"

Luis lifted his hands helplessly. "Even if I could, I doubt they'd go. The soldiers might suspect a familia ruse."

A strong military offensive and paranoia. It was a combination that caused leaders to shut themselves off from all but their closest advisors. It was also a mix that could turn soldiers into indiscriminate executioners. McCaskey wished that Striker were here instead of over the Atlantic, hours away.

No one spoke for a long moment. McCaskey continued to regard Luis. There were three options. The women could stay where they were; they could try to get out; or they could attempt to surrender. If they tried to sneak away and were spotted, they'd probably be cut down. If they attempted to surrender they might also be shot. The safest course seemed to be to stay where they were and use their fake ID's if they were discovered. McCaskey wondered if Luis were going to make the call for them. The Interpol officer was big on taking responsibility for his people's actions and then taking any heat those actions generated. But this wasn't about blame or credit. This was about lives.

"María," Luis said into the speaker, "what do you want to do?"

"I've been wondering about that," María said. "I don't know what the attackers are after. We're seeing prisoners coming out now. Dozens of them. But we have no idea where they're going to be taken. Possibly to be interrogated. I wonder-"

"What do you wonder?" Luis asked.

There was muted conversation on María's end. Then silence except for faint gunfire.

"María?" Luis said.

The conversation stopped. There was only gunfire.

"María!" Luis repeated.

After a moment Aideen came on. "She's not here."

"Where is she?" Luis asked.

"On her way to the factory with her hands raised," Aideen replied. "She's going to try to surrender."

TWENTY-THREE

Monday, 10:45 p.m.

Washington, D.C.

The phone call from National Security Chief Steve Burkow was brief and surprising.

"The President is considering a radical shift in Administration policy toward Spain," Burkow informed Paul Hood. "Be at the White House situation room at eleven-thirty tonight. And would you please have the latest intelligence on the military situation sent over?"

It was less than an hour since the conference call with U.N. Secretary-General Manni. It had been decided, then, that the status quo was going to be maintained. Hood had been able to lie down and take a short nap. He wondered what could have changed since the call.