Herbert left to get his personnel set up and to obtain the map. Hood called Coffey and tore him away from Politically Incorrect. Since Coffey's home phone line was not secure, Hood could not tell him what the late-night meeting was about. All he said was that the title of the TV show pretty well summed it up. Coffey said he would be there as soon as possible.

Hood thanked Coffey. He fished a few more Wheat Thins from the box and sat back. There was still a lot to do before he would authorize this mission. For one thing, Stephen Viens had to find the cell. Without that information they had nothing. Then Hood and Herbert would have to decide whether to land Striker as planned and then chopper them near the cell or try to jump them in. Parachuting would be extremely dangerous in the mountains due to the cold, wind, and visibility.

Perhaps they could get Ron Friday out there first to plant flares. But landing would also present a problem since Striker was expected in Srinagar for an entirely different mission. It might be difficult to break away from their hosts as quickly as Op-Center needed them to.

Besides, Hood thought, the fewer people who came into contact with Striker the better it would be for security. Lowell or Herbert could come up with a reason for them to have parachuted in. The Indian air force would have to go along with that or face the mission being scrubbed.

Hood thought about Rodgers and his team. He was proud to be working with them too. Regardless of how this unfolded it would be brutally difficult for Striker if they went forward. Thinking about it did not make Hood's own problems seem less immediate or important. Relativity never worked like that. Harleigh was traumatized by what had happened at the United Nations. Knowing that other people had lost their lives there did not make it any easier to deal with her condition.

But it did do one thing. It reminded Hood what courage was. He would not forget that in the hours and days ahead.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX.

Washington, D. C. Thursday, 1:12 a. m.

"We may have something!" Stephen Viens declared.

Gloria Gold was leaning forward in her chair. The excitement in Stephen Viens's voice came through clearly on the computer audio link.

He was right. After methodically scanning the terrain for hours the cameras had detected a promising image.

"Hold on," Viens said.

"Bemardo is switching us to infrared.

The changeover will take about three minutes." "I'm holding," said Gloria Gold.

"Nice work," she added.

"Hold the back-patting," Viens said.

"It still could be just a row of rocks or a herd of mountain goats."

"That would be a flock of mountain goats," the fifty-seven year-old woman pointed out.

"Excuse me?" Viens said.

"Herds are domesticated animals," she said.

"Flocks live in the wild."

"I see. Once a professor, always a professor," Viens teased.