"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."