Rodgers took a long, deep breath. "The Mosquito goes in anyway," he said. "The nearest Agent-in-Place who could possibly sneak them out of Asia is in Hegang, Heilongjiang, about two hundred miles away, and I won't have them make that trip."

"In China?" Coffey said. "No one in Russia?"

"Our people in Vladivostok became repatriated when the Iron Curtain came down," Rodgers said. "We haven't had the resources to recruit others."

"What about lying low until things quiet down," Phil Katzen asked. "The terrain is survivable--"

"The Russians know Striker's there, dammit!" Rodgers said. "They've got satellites too, and they'll find them!" He looked at Hood. "Paul, the best way out of this is straight ahead, as planned."

"Straight ahead," said Martha, "to a showdown with Russian soldiers at a time when the country's a tinderbox waiting for a match."

"The only way you'd keep that quiet," Coffey warned, "is to kill everyone on the train."

"Is it better to let a war happen," Rodgers countered, "one that would suck in Europe and probably the Chinese? Why do I feel like I'm back in 1945, listening to all the arguments about why we shouldn't use the A-bomb to save American lives?"

Hood said, "Mike, the issue here is American lives. Striker lives--"

"Don't lecture me about Striker lives, Paul," Rodgers said through his teeth. "Please."

Hood sat quietly for a moment. "Fair enough."

Rodgers's hands were folded on the table. His thumbs were red and pressing down hard.

"You all right, Mike?" Liz asked.

He nodded and looked at Hood. "Sorry, Paul. I was out of line."

"Forget it," Hood said. "You and I could both use a movie and popcorn."

"Whew!" said Coffey. "Who's the family man here?"

Hood and Rodgers both smiled.

"All right," said Hood. "An R-rated movie."

"Hey, the guy's out of control," Coffey said. "Someone call the excitement police!"

Everyone but Ann was chuckling, and Hood tapped a finger on the table to bring them back. "What I was about to say a moment ago," he continued, "is that the diplomats haven't given up on solving this, and no one knows what President Zhanin will do. Do we jeopardize that by going ahead with the mission?"

"Whatever they do," Rodgers said evenly, "the crates on that train represent a lot of power for corrupt people. Even if it doesn't start a war, the cargo places influence in the hands of gangsters. Don't we have a responsibility to try and take that away?"

Coffey said, "Our first responsibility is to Striker and the laws we're all supposed to live by."

"Laws passed by your friends on the Hill," Rodgers said, "not moral law. You did what was necessary up there, but like Benjamin Franklin said, 'Necessity never made a good bargain.' " Rodgers looked at Hood. "You know me, Paul. Striker is dearer than my own life, but doing what's right is more important than both. And stopping that train is right."