Chapter 3 Chapter 1 Park

The small town of West Odenton, Maryland, is not really a town, except for a post office for those who live in the surrounding area, a few gas stations and a Seven Eleven People who drive to work in Washington, D.C., in the District of Columbia, Maryland, often need a fast food restaurant with a high-fat breakfast.Half a mile from the conservative post office building, there is a government building of medium height, nine stories high. On the open lawn in front of it, there is a huge gray brick building with no decoration. The silver letters, without any additional explanation, explain what kind of company Handley Corporation is.There are few other clues for judgment.The roof of the building was flat, made of crushed stone and asphalt over reinforced concrete, and there was a small room on the roof to accommodate the elevator hoist, and another rectangular building for no apparent purpose.It's made of fiberglass and has a white exterior that allows radio transmissions to pass through without hindrance.The buildings themselves are unusual in only one way: in a straight line from the NSA headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland, and the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, all but a few Apart from the tall old tobacco barn, this is the only building with more than two floors.Some entrepreneurs would also like to build a house on that line, but no one has ever gotten a building permit for many reasons, all of which turned out to be inaccurate.

At the back of the building was a small antenna field, much like the ones you might see next to a local television station: six six-meter-diameter parabolic dishes in a twelve-foot-high barbed-wire fence. Antennas, aimed at several different commercial communications satellites.The whole building complex is actually not so large that it can be regarded as a group. It covers an area of ​​fifteen and one-third acres. It is located in Hall County, Madanland. John.Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory has long served as a government consultant and function sensitive unit. To the general public, Handley's agency deals in stocks, bonds, and foreign exchange, but strangely, the firm rarely does business publicly, and no one has heard of any clients it has, but there are rumors It is said to be quietly involved in local philanthropic activities (the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is said to be the main recipient of large grants from the Handley Institute), but nothing has ever leaked to the local media.In fact, the company doesn't have a public relations department at all, but I haven't heard anything illegal about the company.Although well known, its chief executive, Glad.Paul.Handley II's background in the past was not pure, so he seldom made public appearances. Even in the few occasions where he made public appearances, he cleverly avoided the local media with a kind attitude until they stopped asking questions.Handley's employees were scattered throughout the region, mostly in the District of Columbia, and lived upper-middle-class lives, roughly like Beaver.Clifford's father, Ward, was equally brilliant.

Glad.Handley ran for public office when he was nearly forty years old, and was elected to represent South Carolina as a senator.Soon, he was known as a newborn calf in the legislative circle, avoiding the temptation of special interests and political donations, and embarked on a somewhat radical and non-partisan political path, especially inclined to liberal civil rights issues, However, he has adopted a conservative attitude towards defense and foreign affairs.He has never shied away from speaking his mind publicly, which has made him look good and attractive to the news media, and finally there are already rumors about his possible bid for the presidential nomination.

The end of his second six-year term was met with a personal tragedy.He lost his wife and three children in a crash on Interstate 185 outside Columbia, South Carolina, when their station wagon crashed into the bottom of a large container trailer.It was quite a blow to him.More misadventures soon followed, as his campaign for a third term began.Handley has never disclosed his personal investment content. He said that since he did not spend money from it on the campaign, he did not need to disclose his net worth other than general book figures. However, the New York Times revealed in an op-ed that he was involved with inside information Evidence of the transaction.His suspicions became clearer as newspapers and television dug in.While Handley contends that the SEC has never published guidelines for interpreting the legal implications, to some, he is using inside information about future government spending to benefit a real estate investment firm that will pay off. He and other investors brought in more than $50 million in profits.To make matters worse, Handley made two mistakes when responding to Republican candidates questioning his self-proclaimed integrity during the public debate: first, he raged in front of the turned-on camera; Two, he told South Carolina voters that if they doubted his honesty, then vote for the idiot who shared the stage with him.For a man who has never missed a step in his political career, that surprise alone knocked five percentage points off his electoral polls.His stagnant campaign has since slumped to a smattering of sympathy votes from people who remember the loss of his family.His Senate seat ended in a deep Democratic defeat, compounded by his biting defeat statement.He left public office for his own sake, and instead of returning to the ranch northwest of Charleston where he had lived before running for office, he chose to leave everything behind and move to Maryland.Handley's last explosive statement about the workings of Congress has cut off every possible path for him.

His current home is a historic farm built in the 18th century, where he raises horses and lives the life of a farm gentry; horse riding and golf are his only hobbies.He works in the park for seven or eight hours every day, and the driver drives him to and from get off work in a stretched Cadillac. He is fifty-two years old, tall and thin, with silver hair. What is known is his unknown, and there may be some sporadic deeds of his past political career. You do really well in the mountains.Jim.Hardest said, motioning the young Marine to sit down. Thank you, sir.You're doing well, sir. Captain, if you walk in the front door after it's over, it means you did a good job.I learned this phrase from my training instructor about sixteen years ago.Jim.Hardest added.

Captain Caruso calculated in his mind that Hardest looked younger than his actual age.He was a captain in the U.S. Army Special Forces and then sixteen years in the CIA, and he should be closer to fifty, not forty.He must work hard every day to keep his figure in shape. So, the officer asked, how can I help you? What did Terry tell you?the intelligence officer asked. He told me that I would first talk to a certain man named Peter.Talk to someone in Alexandria. Peter went on a business trip suddenly.Jim.Hardesty explained. The officer appeared to accept this explanation.Well, anyway, the general said you CIA guys are doing some scouting because you don't want to develop your own talent.Caruso answered honestly.

Terry was a nice guy, the best Marine ever, but his vision was a little narrow. may be!Mr. Hardesty, when he takes over the 2nd Marine Division, he's going to be my boss, and I've got to make a good impression on him.You haven't told me why you want me here. Do you like Marine Corps?the intelligence officer asked.The young Marine officer nodded. Yes, sir, they don't pay me that much, but that's all I want.And the people I work with are the best. Well, the guys that went with us in the mountains were great, how long have you been with them? all?About fourteen months, sir.

You train them very well. That's what the military pays me for, sir.In fact, they must also be batched with good materials before I can train them. You also executed that small combat operation very well.Hardest spoke thoughtfully as he recorded the less enthusiastic responses. Caruso was not modest enough to call that combat operation a small operation. The bullets flying around alone were real enough, and it was enough to call that operation a big operation.But he found that his training was working just fine for the time, as his officers had told him in all his lessons and field coaches.That was an important and quite a satisfying discovery, because fuck, the Marines are really good at teaching.

Yes, sir.That was all he could answer, and he added at the end: Thank you for your assistance, sir. I'm a little old for those things, but I'm glad to see I still know how to do them.That's quite enough, Hardesty didn't say that.Combat belongs to young people, and he is no longer young.Do you have any thoughts on this?captain.he continued. Actually no idea.Sir, I have handed over my operational report. Hades had read that report early on.Did you have nightmares or something? The question startled Caruso.nightmare?How could he have nightmares?No, sir.A look of perplexity was evident on his face as he answered.

Any qualms of conscience?Hadest continued to ask. Sir, these people are waging war in my country, and we're just fighting fire with fire.If they can't afford it, they shouldn't start this war.I'm sorry for them if they have wives and children, but you should know when you go off on someone and they will come back and get justice from you. It's a cruel world, isn't it? Sir, it's like, if you don't have a plan for the tiger's teeth, you better not kick the tiger's ass. No nightmares and no regrets.Hades thought to himself.That's the way things are supposed to be, but the benevolent, good-natured United States of America rarely makes its people think that way.Caruso is a fighter.Hardest sat back in his chair, taking a good look at his visitor before continuing.

The reason you're here, Captain, you've read in the papers, is that we're dealing with all the problems that have arisen from the latest outbreak of international terrorism.There have been many turf feuds between the CIA and the Bureau, and usually it's not a problem at the operational level, and it's not that much trouble at the command level; Director Murray of the FBI is a solid fighter, he's in London When I was a legal counselor, I got on pretty well with our people. But the problem is the discord among mid-level officials, right?Caruso asked.He'd seen it in the Marine Corps too, where staffers would spend a lot of time yelling at other staffers that their bosses could kill other people's bosses, a phenomenon that could go all the way back to Greco-Roman times. That's right.Hadesty agreed and said, "You know that this kind of thing can only be done by God himself, and even if it is him, he may have to find an auspicious day to succeed."The bureaucracy is just too entrenched.Things might not be so bad in the military because everyone is stuffed into a position and pulled out, everyone has a mission, and everyone works to accomplish a mission, especially if the mission When it is possible to help each of them get promoted quickly.So, if the person who takes you is more cautious, the more you will pay attention to the details.We're looking for someone who pays attention to detail. What is the task? Identify, locate, and counter terrorist threats.The intelligence officer replied. deal with?Caruso questioned. Get over the shit.Let's just say, kill those bastards if necessary and the situation allows.Collect information about the nature and severity of threats, etc., and take any necessary actions depending on individual threats.This job is basically intelligence gathering, and the CIA has too many restrictions on what it can do, but this particular small unit does not. Really?That was quite surprising. Hardest nodded solemnly: Really.You wouldn't be working for the CIA, you could use the resources of the CIA, but that's about it. So, who am I working for? Before we get to that, there are a few little things that need to be done first.Hades picked up a document that should be in the personnel file of the Marine Corps and said, your intelligence scores are among the top three percent of all officers in the Marine Corps, with perfect marks in almost every test.Your language skills are particularly impressive. My dad is American, I mean he's sort of native American, but my grandfather immigrated by boat from Italy and still runs a restaurant in Seattle.In fact, my father grew up speaking Italian, and my younger brother and I learned 80% to 90% of it.I took Spanish in high school and college, and while I can't pass myself off as Spanish, I can generally communicate. Majoring in engineering? That's also because of my father's relationship, it's written in the file.He worked as an aerodynamic engineer at Boeing, designing wings and control surfaces.You know it's on my mother's file as well, a stay-at-home mom, but also doing something at the nearby Catholic school, because now Dominique and I are grown up. Your brother is in the bureau? Brian nodded: That's right, after he got his law degree, he entered the Bureau of Investigation to wipe out scum. It's just been in the newspaper.After Hardest finished speaking, he handed him a fax from the Birmingham newspaper.Brian read it quickly.Well done, Dodo.Captain Caruso said softly when he saw the fourth paragraph, which made the master's intelligence officer feel happier. It is almost a two-hour flight from Birmingham to Reagan International Airport in Washington, Dominic.Caruso walked to the subway station and jumped on the subway to the Hoover Building at the intersection of Tenth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.The employee ID he wears keeps him from going through metal detectors, Bureau agents carry guns, and he can already carve a notch into the grip of his automatic pistol. Kill a man, just put a notch on the butt of the gun) Of course, no one really does it, but FBI agents sometimes joke about it. Gus.Deputy Commissioner Weiner's office was on the top floor, overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue.The secretary waved him to go straight in. Dominique had never met Gus.Weiner.Weiner is tall and thin. He is an operator with a lot of practical experience. He has been a marine. He looks and behaves like a monk.He is in charge of leading the FBI's hostage rescue team and two field services. At this time, he is facing a choice, either retire or be taken over by his good friend Daniel. E．Chief Murray convinces him to take on a new job.Counter Terrorism Operations is a drag on the much larger scale of crime and overseas counterintelligence, but its importance is growing day by day. Find a seat and sit down.Weiner pointed, then went on to end his call.Within a minute, Weiner put the handset back on the phone and pressed the do-not-disturb button. class.Harding faxed this to me.Weiner held up a report on the previous day's shooting.How did things go? It's all in the report, sir.Dominique spent three hours racking his brains to write the whole thing down in the official language of the FBI.It was strange that an action that took less than sixty seconds to execute took so much time to explain. Is there anything that hasn't been written down?Dominic.Accompanying the question was the most penetrating gaze this young operator had ever seen in his life. No, sir.Dominic replied. Dominique, we have some really good shooters in our bureau and I'm one of them.Three shots, three to the heart from a distance of fifteen feet, Weiner told his guests, was a very good shot.For someone who just stumbled on the coffee table, it was nothing short of miraculous.class.Harding didn't see how remarkable it was, but Chief Murray and I could see that Daniel.Murray is also a very good shooter.After he read the fax last night, he asked for my opinion.Murray has never shot a suspect before. I have, and three times. Twice was with the hostage rescue team. Mongolian.That was also a kidnapping case and I witnessed what he did to two of the victims who were young boys and you know I really don't want some psychologist to tell a jury that the suspect was a child abuse victim , it's really not his personal fault for committing this kind of crime, such bullshit you will hear in a noble court.All the jury could see were the photos, and if the defense lawyers could convince the judge that the photos were too inflammatory, they might not even see the photos.So, you know what's going to happen?I had to play the role of the law, not enforce it, write it, or interpret it.On that day, twenty-two years ago, I played the law myself, God's vengeful sword.You know, it feels so good to do it. how do you know? How do I know that guy is the one we're after?Because he will leave souvenirs.head.There were eight heads in his trailer home.So, no, I don't have any doubts in my mind.He happened to have a knife by his side, so I told him to pick it up, and he picked it up, and I shot him four times in the chest from ten feet away.I have never regretted doing so.Weiner paused for a moment. Few people knew the story, not even my wife.So, you don't have to tell me you pulled out your Smith.Wesson pistol, then stand on one foot and send three bullets into the suspect's heart, okay? Yes, sir.Dominique replied vaguely, Mr Weiner Call me Gus.The deputy director corrected him. sir.Dominique insisted on calling it that way, and it made him nervous to address elders or officers by their first names.Sir, if I told a story like that, I'd be admitting to murder.So, in the official government documents, he did pick up the knife, he did stand up and face me, he was literally ten or twelve feet away from me.At Quantico, they taught us that this would be considered an immediate and mortal threat to our lives.Yes, I shot.That's exactly right, in line with FBI regulations for the use of deadly weapons. Weiner nodded and said: You have a law degree, right? Yes, sir.I have passed the bar exam in both Virginia and DC, but have not yet taken the Alabama bar exam. Well, just forget for a minute that you're a lawyer.Weiner suggested that it was a well-judged shooting.I still have the revolver I killed that bastard, a Smith.Wesson 66 4" revolver, sometimes I even wear it to work.Dominic, you did what every operator dreams of doing once in their career, and that was to bring justice to you.There is no need to feel uneasy about this. I won't, sir.Dominique assures him, that little girl, Penelope, there's nothing I can do to save her, but at least that bastard can't do that anymore.He looked Weiner straight in the eyes and said, you know exactly what that feels like. yes.Weiner stared at Dominique, and you sure you won't regret it? I slept an hour on the plane coming over, sir.Dominique declared meticulously. A smile appeared on Weiner's face.He nodded and said: You will receive a formal commendation order from the director's office.There will be none from the Office of Professional Responsibility. The Office of Professional Responsibility is the FBI's internal discipline investigation unit. FBI agents, although widely respected by the public, are treated equally in the eyes of the Office of Professional Responsibility.There's an old saying inside the Bureau: If a guy abuses animals and wets the bed at night, he's either a serial killer or a professional office guy. (Annotation: Office of Professional Responsibility, OPR, equivalent to the inspector's office in the establishment of the Taiwan Bureau of Investigation.) Weiner picked up Dominique's file and said: It says that you are very smart and have good language skills. Are you interested in being transferred to Washington?I'm looking for people who know how to think independently to work for my organization. Next step.This is special operator Dominic.What Caruso heard. Gray.Handley is not a person who pays too much attention to formal etiquette. Even if he wears a suit and tie to work in the office, within fifteen seconds of arriving at the office, the suit jacket will be hung on the coat rack.He had a very good executive secretary, like himself, a native South Carolinian named Helen H.Connolly.After checking her itinerary for the day, Handley picked up the Wall Street Journal and checked the front page headlines.He skimmed through the day's New York Times and Washington Post to get an idea of ​​what was going on in politics, and muttered, as usual, why they never figured out what the real situation was.The electronic clock on the desk told him that there were still twenty minutes before the first meeting, so he turned on the computer and watched the early bird briefing service system in the bureau, which was a news clipping and compilation service for high-level government officials.He reads the early bird briefing to see if he's missing anything in the morning's main headline.Not much, except for an interesting report on the annual Fletcher Symposium in the Virginia Navigator.It was the annual seminar exchange held by the Navy and Marine Corps at the Norfolk Naval Station, and they were going to talk about terrorism, in a pretty smart way, Handley thought.This is usually the case with this group of people in military uniform, unlike those elected government officials. We overthrew the Soviet Union, thought Handley, and we expected everything in the world to settle down, but didn't see first that these crazy people with AK|47s from the Soviet Union, they were either punished. Formal chemistry education is, at best, merely willing to risk one's own life to trade one's life with one's identified enemy. Another thing they haven't done is prepare the intelligence community to deal with these people, even a president who has experienced the dark world firsthand, and the best CIA director in the history of the United States can't figure out a way to make it all accomplish.Now they plan to add more personnel. Adding 500 people to a unit of 20,000 people doesn't sound like much, but it is already doubling the manpower of the Operations Department.Although this made up for half of the CIA's lack of personnel in previous years, it was still seriously insufficient.Moreover, as a result of doing so, Congress has further strengthened supervision and restrictions in order to reduce the number of civil servants that form the backbone of the government.They will never learn it.He himself has said it countless times to his colleagues in the most powerful men's club in the world (Annotation: Refers to the U.S. Congress), and while some agree with him, some still don't listen at all, and others Still wavering.People who pay too much attention to editorials in newspapers, often papers that don't even know the state of their constituency, foolishly think that's what the American people think .Perhaps it was as simple as that: Any newly elected official would be lured into the same game Cleopatra used to keep Caesar at bay.He knew that the game was for staffers, professional political acolytes, to guide their bosses on the right path to the election that had become the coveted holy grail of public office.There is no class ruling class in America, but there is a sizable body of people who are happy to guide their bosses on the right path into the pantheon of government. In this system, some jobs just can't be done. So, to get anything done, you have to be outside the system. by means outside the system. Even if anyone noticed, let's just say he's out of politics anyway, isn't he? He spent the first hour discussing with some of his staff the financial matters upon which the Handley Agency depended to make money.As a futures trader, as well as a foreign exchange trader, he was ahead of the pack almost from the start.He can feel the instantaneous price difference, which he usually calls the variation value, which is caused by psychological factors, or some speculations that may or may not come true. He does all this anonymously through overseas banks. These banks like to have large cash accounts, and no one will be too picky about how the money in the account comes from, as long as it is not obviously dirty money.His money is certainly not dirty money, but just another way to stay outside the system. It's not that every transaction he makes is absolutely legal, but it's because of Fort Meade's communication interception records that the game is much easier to play.In fact, it's completely illegal, let alone business ethics.Still, the damage done by the Handley Institute on the world stage has been minimal.The game can be played in different ways. The Handley Organization is just playing according to the existing game principles, just like a pig has to be fed, and a pig can be killed when it grows up. I ate a little bit of it.Beyond that, there simply is no real jurisdiction for crimes of this scale and type.And in a safe in the company vault, there is also a pardon signed by the former US president. Tom.Davis walked in.As the nominal head of bond trading, Davis has a background somewhat similar to Handley's.He is stuck in front of the computer all day long, not worried about security at all, all the walls of this building have metal barriers, so that all emitted electronic signals are blocked inside the building, and all computers are protected from electromagnetic storms Influence. What's the news?Handley asked. Let's put it this way, Davis replied, we might have two new recruits. Who is it? Davis slid the two files across Handley's desk.The executive picked up the file and opened it. They are brothers? twin.fraternal.Their mother must have ovulated two eggs that month, not one.Both were impressive.Brilliant brains, mental acuity, standard size, all complementary talents, plus language skills, especially Spanish. This one speaks Pashto (editor's note: the language of a certain tribe in Afghanistan)?Handley raised his head in surprise and asked. Enough for him to find the toilet.He spent about eight months in that country, took some time to learn the local dialect, and according to reports, he did quite well. Do you think they are the kind of talent we need?Handley asked.This kind of person would not walk into the company's door to apply for recruitment, which is why Handley has deployed a small group of very low-key recruiters in various government departments. We'll need to test them further, Davis admits, but they do have the talent we like.On the surface, both are trustworthy, stable, and smart enough to understand why we exist.So yes, I think they deserve a closer look. What will happen if they come again? Dominique will be transferred to Washington, Gus.Weiner wanted him to join the counterterrorism office, and he might start with a desk. He was a bit young for the counterterrorism team, and his analytical skills had not yet been recognized.I think Weiner wanted to see how smart he really was first.Bryan would fly to Camp Lehoun and go back to work with his company of brothers.I'm surprised the Marines didn't transfer him to intelligence.He's an obvious pick, but the Marines seem to really like their officer, and he's doing well at home in Camel, and will be making Major soon, if my sources are right.So, the first step, I will fly down to have lunch with him, feel it, and then go back to Washington, and feel Dominique as well.Weiner had an excellent impression of him. Gus had always had a good eye for people.ex-senator reminded. That's right.Davis agrees, so anything new? Fort Meade was buried under a mountain of materials, as usual.The biggest problem with the NSA is that they intercept so much raw material that it would take the entire Army to sort it out.Computer programs can help them find keywords and such, but almost all they find are irrelevant chats.Programmers are forever trying to improve keyword capture programs, but giving computers human intuition has proven impossible, although they're still trying.Unfortunately, the really talented programmers are all working for computer game companies.That's where the money can be made, and talented people usually follow the money.Handley couldn't complain about it, as he himself had been doing the same thing from his twenties to his mid-thirties.Therefore, he often went to see if there were any rich and very successful programmers. For those people, chasing wealth had become a boring and redundant thing.Handley's call-ups are usually a waste of time, though, because those computer geeks are usually greedy bastards.They're like lawyers, but not as cynical as lawyers.I saw five or six interesting communications intercept reports today. like what?Davis asked.As the company's main recruiter, he is also an experienced analyst. this.Handley handed over a folder.Davis opened the file folder and quickly scanned the page. Um.was his only reaction. It would be scary, if anything.Handley speaks his mind. True, but we need a little more intelligence.It's not earth-shattering news, they always need more information. Are we doing anything there?He should know, but Handley suffers from the usual bureaucratic sickness: the inability to keep all the information in his head. now?Ed.Castilano is tracking the cartel in Bogotá, but he's hiding under a very covert cover.Very secretive.Davis reminded his boss. You know, Tom, the business of intelligence can be so nasty sometimes. Have fun, Gray.It's fucking better paid to do it, at least for us subordinates.He added with a wry smile.His white teeth contrasted sharply with his bronzed skin. Yeah, it must be scary being a sharecropper. At least the master will let me go to education, teach me how to read and so on.Days may get worse, but I don't need to pick cotton now, Master Gray.Handley rolled his eyes.In fact, Davis got his degree at Dartmouth, where his dark skin was treated better than in his hometown.His father, who grew corn in Nebraska, voted Republican. How much does a harvester like yours cost now? Are you joking?It's more than 200,000 to 300,000.My dad bought a new one last year and still complains about the price to this day.Of course, this one would cut down an acre of corn like a battalion of rangers would kill an enemy, and last until his grandchildren passed away rich and prosperous.Davis thrived at the CIA as a field agent and eventually became an expert in tracking the flow of money across borders.He found at the Handley Agency that his expertise was also very useful in business, although of course he never lost sight of what his real mission was.You know, this FBI guy, Dominic, on his first field assignment, did some pretty interesting work in Newark investigating financial crimes.One of these cases developed into a major investigation into a multinational bank.He knows how to sniff out problems, which is pretty good for a rookie. All this, plus his ability to catch criminals who took the bait.Handley agreed. That's why I like this kid, Gray.He can make decisions while acting, with the sophistication of a man ten years his senior. Brother files, interesting.thought Handley, his eyes falling on the file folder again. Maybe it's a family background.Their grandfather was also a homicide cop. He was in the 101st Airborne before, so I know what you mean.Tom, well, go find out what the intentions of the two of them are, and we will be busy soon after we come here. Do you think it looks like this? Things haven't gotten any better.漢德雷對著窗子揮了揮手。 他們坐在維也納的一個路邊咖啡座，夜晚已經不再那麼的冷，這間店的客戶正忍受著寒風，在寬廣的路邊享受著晚餐。 你和政們有什麼共同利益？帕布羅問道。 我們兩者之間的利益有個交集，穆罕默德回答道，隨即說明，我們擁有共同的敵人。 他把視線移開。路過的女子穿著正式的服裝，本地的流行服飾幾乎可說是十分樸素。四周傳來街上交通的噪音，尤其是那些有軌電車，以致任何人都不可能聽到他們的交談。對不經意的路人或是專業的觀察者來說，他們只不過是兩個從其他國家來的外國人，安靜且友好地在談生意，在這個帝國的城市裡有很多這類人。即使是說著英語，也不會顯得不尋常。 是的，這倒是事實。帕布羅不得不同意，單就敵人這方面來說是沒錯。這有什麼共同利益呢？ 你們擁有對我們有用的資產，我們也擁有對你們有用的資產。回教徒耐心解釋。 I understand.帕布羅在咖啡裡加了奶精攪拌。他很驚訝這咖啡竟然跟自己國家的咖啡一樣好。 穆罕默德預期與對方達成協議的速度會很慢。他的客人並不如期望中的那麼資深，但他們共同的敵人在對付帕布羅的組織上，比對付他自己的組織成功多了。這一直讓他很驚訝。帕布羅那邊擁有充分的理由來執行有效的保安措施，不過那些動機出自金錢的人馬，就是比自己這邊的同志們缺少了目標的純正性，也因為如此，就顯得脆弱多了。但穆罕默德並不會笨到認為對方因此應該臣服於他，話說回來，幹掉一個以色列間諜不會讓他成為超人。顯然他們擁有充分的專業經驗，但總有個限度，就像他自己的人也有極限一樣，除了阿拉本人以外，每個人都有極限。在有了這種了解以後才會產生比較實際的期望，就算事情搞砸了，也比較不會那麼失望。一個人不能容許情緒介入生意裡面，就像他的客人可能誤解了自己的神聖目標一樣。但他是在跟一個不信奉真主的人打交道，所以給對方留點餘地總是應該的。 你能夠提供些什麼給我們？帕布羅露出貪婪的神情問，正如穆罕默德預期的一樣。 你需要在歐洲建立起一個可靠的網絡，對不對？ Yes.帕布羅的組織最近在美國碰上了一些麻煩。歐洲的警察單位就不像美國警方那樣有一大堆綁手綁腳的限制。 我們擁有這樣的網絡。一般認為回教徒在毒品交易上並不活躍，或是根本不參與，譬如說毒販就常在沙烏地阿拉伯丟掉腦袋。 你要什麼樣的回報呢？ 你在美國有個非常成功的網絡，而且你有理由不喜歡美國，對不對？ That's right.帕布羅同意。哥倫比亞政府在對付卡特爾組織於帕布羅祖國山區那些難纏的意識形態盟友上，已經開始有進展了。哥倫比亞武裝革命軍（譯註：Fuerzas ArmadasRevolucionarias de Columbia, FARC，是哥倫比亞最久、最大、也最有實力的馬克斯主義叛軍）遲早會因為壓力而俯首認輸，這時他們就會把他們的朋友，其實該用同夥這個泛稱，當做進入民主程序的入場券，到那個時候，卡特爾組織的安全就會受到嚴重的威脅。雖然南美洲政治上的不安定性對帕布羅他們非常有利，但終究不是長久之計。對穆罕默德那邊來說，情況也一樣。帕布羅考慮著，這的確能讓兩者因此結成盟友。說得更清楚一點，你需要我們哪方面的協助？ 穆罕默德告訴了他，但並沒有強調不會用金錢交換卡特爾組織所給予的協助。而穆罕默德的人將會幫他們把貨護送到希臘？是的，那可能是最容易的地方，第一批貨將足夠讓這個合作就此敲定，不是嗎？ that's all? 朋友，重要的是我們所帶進去的思想，而不是實質的物體。我們需要的少許物資都非常小，如果需要的話，都可以在當地取得。我毫不懷疑你們能在旅行文件上提供必要的協助。 帕布羅差一點被咖啡嗆到，是的，那不過是小事一件。 所以還有什麼原因會讓這個盟約無法敲定？ 我必須先和我的上級討論，帕布羅小心翼翼地說，大致上看起來，我不覺得有任何事情會讓我們產生利益上的衝突。 好極了，那我們要怎麼樣做進一步的溝通呢？ 我老闆喜歡跟那些要跟他做生意的人見上一面。 穆罕默德通盤地想了一下。旅行會讓他和他的同夥感到緊張，但看起來這一趟是無法避免了，他手中有足夠讓他走遍世界各大機場的護照，加上他還有必要的語言能力。他在劍橋所受的教育並不是浪費時間，這要感謝他的父母。此外，還要感謝他的英國母親帶給他的外表和藍眼睛。除了中國和非洲以外，他可以在任何國家混充當地人，他殘存的劍橋口音也不會對他造成任何妨礙。 你只需要告訴我時間和地點。穆罕默德答道。他把名片遞給對方，上面有他的電子郵件地址，那是有史以來所有發明裡，對隱密通訊最有用的工具。透過現代空中旅行所創造的奇蹟，他能夠在四十八小時以內到達地球上的任何地方。