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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

"I and my comrades are planning to give Spain back to its Castilian people," Adolfo said. "After a thousand years of repression, we intend to reunite the body of Spain with its heart."

"There are other means with which to accomplish that goal," Norberto said. "Nonviolent means."

"They've been tried," Adolfo said. "They don't work."

"Our Lord never raised a sword nor took a life."

Adolfo lay a hand on his brother's shoulder. "My brother," he said as he looked into Norberto's tear-glossed eyes, "if you can arrange for His help, then I will not take another life. I swear."

Norberto looked as if he wanted to say something but stopped. Adolfo patted his cheek and smiled. Turning, he opened the door and stepped out. He stopped and lowered his head.

Adolfo believed in a just God. He did not believe in a God who punished those who sought freedom. He couldn't let his brother's beliefs affect him. But this was Norberto, a good man who had worried about him man and boy and cared for him and loved him whatever he did. He couldn't leave him in pain.

Adolfo looked back. He smiled at his brother and touched his soft cheek. "Don't pray for me, Norberto. Pray for our country. If Spain is damned, my salvation will be unhappy-and undeserved."

He drew on the cigarette and hurried down the steps leaving a trail of smoke and his weeping brother behind him.

EIGHT

Monday, 4:22 p.m.

Washington, D.C.

Paul Hood took his daily late-afternoon look at the list of names on his computer monitor. Just a few minutes before he had put his thumb on the five-by-seven-inch scanner beside the computer. The laser unit had identified his fingerprint and had asked for his personal access code. One point seven seconds later it brought up the closed file of HUMINT personnel reporting to Op-Center from the field. Hood used the keyboard to enter his wife's maiden name, Kent. That opened the file and the names appeared on the screen.

There were nine "human intelligence" agents in all. Each of these men and women was a national on Op-Center's payroll. Beside the names were their present whereabouts and assignments; a summary of their last report, which had been prepared by Bob Herbert (the full report was on file); and the location of the nearest safe house or exit route. If any of the operatives were ever found out, Op-Center would look for them at those places and make every effort to extricate them. To date, none of the agents had ever been compromised.