Thus far they, whoever they might be, had outmaneuvered and outthought him. Been ahead of him at every stage. And that couldn't be allowed to continue.

He meshed his hands behind his back and paced the room, his teeth clenched, struggling to exert control over himself.

What was happening out there? And what was he going to do about it?

He figured the best way to start answering those questions, or trying to answer them, was by reviewing what he already knew--bad as it all was. The west gate was down, the most direct route there blocked by the fiery wreckage of his own chase vehicles. A group of heavily armed, well-trained men had penetrated the installation and were now rampant within its borders. And they had proven themselves capable of ruthless murder as well as sabotage.

He didn't yet know the size of their force. Nor could he know their ultimate goal. But it was a sure thing their plans extended beyond scattered attacks at the periphery of the compound.

No matter what they wanted, it would be in the core manufacturing and storage areas. Possibly even the living quarters--there were some very important members of the ISS scientific team on the facility. He had already ordered these areas sealed up tight, but did he have the manpower to maintain that seal against a concentrated strike?

Thibodeau stopped pacing and laid a hand on Delure's shoulder.

"How many people we got protecting the buildings?" he asked.

"Fifteen, twenty, sir."

"That'd be our full day and night details. Am I right?"

"Yes, sir. With the exception of the men in the cars and choppers. And whoever's off base."

Thibodeau nodded. A handful of Sword operatives and other staffers preferred the long daily commute from Cuiaba to the isolation of living on the compound.

He was silent a moment, his jaw tight. Ahead of me all'a way, those devils, while I been dancing like a turkey on hot coals.

He suddenly released Delure's arm, strode over to a steel supply cabinet across the room, and extracted a Zylon ballistic vest from inside it.

"You boys hold the fort down here," he said, and slipped into the vest. "I'm goin' topside."

The jeeps stopped briefly about ten meters after passing through the gap in the fence. Little blazing islands of debris were spread over the grass around them, casting dashes of light and shadow across the faces of their occupants.

The remnants of Blue Team and Orange Team were waiting there as arranged. They scurried into the vehicles.

Manuel climbed into Kuhl's jeep without assistance, but not without difficulty. He could hear droplets of his own blood splashing the rear seat as he settled into it beside Antonio.

"You performed well," Kuhl said. He sat perfectly still in front.

Manuel leaned against the backrest, breathing hard. It felt as if a thousand white-hot needles had been jabbed into his arm. "Marco was killed. Two men from Orange Team had to be left behind."