Chapter 15 Chapter Thirteen Terrorist Attacks

After driving a car for more than 2,000 miles in a row, after arriving at the destination, it will not make people feel excited.There's a Holiday Inn less than a mile from State Route 64, and it looks pretty good, especially since it's next door to a Loewy Logis, less than a hundred meters uphill , and a Donkins Donuts shop.Mustafa went in, booked two connecting rooms, and paid for it with his credit card issued by the Liechtenstein Bank.Tomorrow, they will go to the scene to check, but now they have no such intention at all.It doesn't even matter if you have something to eat first or not.He drove the car to the first-floor room he had just booked and turned off the car engine.Rafi and Juhar went to open the rooms first, and then came back to open the trunk of the car.They went in with bags containing the four light machine guns still wrapped in cheap thick blankets.

Here we are, comrades.Mustafa entered the room and announced.This is a very ordinary hotel, not the more luxurious hotel they are used to now.Each room has a bathroom and a small TV.The connecting door between the two rooms has been opened at this time.Mustafa is lying on his back on his bed, which is a double bed but which is now all his.Still, there are some things that need to be prioritized. Comrades, the gun must be hidden at all times, and the curtains must be drawn at all times.We've gotten to this point and we can't screw it up so easily.He warned them that there were policemen in the city, not to think they were all fools.We are to enter heaven when we choose, not when we make mistakes.remember.Then he stood up and took off his shoes.I wanted to take a shower, but I was too tired, and tomorrow is coming soon.

Where is Mecca?Rafi asked. For this problem, Mostafa had to think for a while, and calculate a straight line, pointing to Mecca, pointing to the center of that city, that is, the black stone in the Kaaba, which is the very center of global Islam, they have to face every day It prays, and the verses of the Koran say that it must be prayed five times a day and on the knees. that direction.He pointed to the southeast, which was right across northern Africa to the holiest city of Mecca. Rafi unfolded his prayer rug and knelt down.His worship was late, but he had not forgotten his religious duty.

As for Mustafa himself, he whispered to himself, forget it for now!May Allah forgive him for being so tired at the moment.Isn't Allah merciful?Besides, it's not really a big crime at all.Mustafa took off his socks, lay on his back on the bed, and fell asleep within a minute. In the next room, Abdullah had just finished his evening prayers and connected his computer to the phone line.He dialed an 800 number and soon heard a high-pitched voice indicating that his computer was connected to the Internet.After a few seconds, I saw the letter in the e-mail box.Three in total, plus the usual spam one.He downloaded and saved the three emails, then logged out for a total of fifteen seconds online, another security measure they were all told.

Unbeknownst to Abdullah, one of those four emails had been intercepted and immediately partially deciphered by the NSA.The National Security Bureau personnel found Schayed's account number based on his account number only having a few letters and some numbers, but they only identified him as the recipient, not the sender. In fact, the Scheid team was the first to arrive at the destination.Their destination was Spring, Colorado, a city identified only by a code name. Upon arrival, they checked into a motel ten kilometers from the target.Shabawi, an Iraqi, is currently in Demond, the capital of Iowa, and Mehdi is in Provo, a summer resort in Utah.Both teams are also deployed and ready for action.It has been less than thirty-six hours since their mission began.

Abdullah will ask Mustafa to reply.In fact, the content of the reply has already been set, and the content is very short: 190.Two, refers to the 190th verse of the second chapter of the Koran.It wasn't really a declaration of war, just a reaffirmation of the belief that had brought them here.That verse means to perform a task. Brian and Dominic were in their room watching the History Channel on cable TV, which showed the facts about Hitler's massacre of Jews.The fact has been studied so thoroughly that there should be no incentive for anyone to discover any new material; nevertheless, some historians do so frequently.This may be partly due to the fact that the German Nazis left extensive records in the caves of the Harz Mountains, which may be the subject of study for centuries by scholars as the world continues to try to understand the ways in which such a heinous crime was first conceived and carried out. The thought process of these human demons.

Brian, Dominic, what are your thoughts on this? All it takes is a pistol bullet to prevent that, I think.The problem is, no one can predict that far into the future, not even gypsy fortune tellers.Hell, Hitler killed quite a few gypsies too.Why don't they escape? You know, Hitler had only one bodyguard with him most of the time.In Berlin, he lives on the second floor of the apartment, and the entrance is on the first floor, right?He sent only one SS soldier, probably not a non-commissioned officer, to guard the door.Just kill the guards and go upstairs to get rid of that son of a bitch.That would save a lot of lives, man.After Dominic finished speaking, he reached for his liquor.

Damn, you really think that? That's what the Secret Service taught.They sent a teacher to the FBI training center to teach that in every security class.This fact also surprised us.There are many problems here.The guy said you could pretend like you were on your way to the tavern and walk past the SS guard, like that.It's easy to get started.so easy.The point is that Hitler thought he would never die, that no bullet would try to kill him.Hey, we had a president who was killed on the platform while waiting for a train.Which one is it?Chester.Arthur, I think.McKinney was also shot by someone who, with bandaged hands, walked up to him and killed him.I think people at that time were a little too careless.

Damn, that would make it easier for us, but I still prefer to aim a long gun at 500 meters. You don't have the courage to take risks, Aldo? No matter how much they pay, it won't be enough for me to go on a suicide mission, Anzo.That has no future, you know? What about the suicide bombers in the Middle East? Different cultural backgrounds, bro.Don't you remember what the school taught you in second grade?Suicide is not allowed, because it is a great sin, and you cannot go to the priest afterwards to confess.Frances.Sister Mary made that very clear, I think. Dominic laughed.Damn, haven't thought of her in a while, but she always thought you were a good baby.

That's because I don't mess around in class like you do. What about in the Marine Corps? make trouble?Before I thought of that, I was dealt with by the monitor.No one dared to confront Master Gunner Sullivan, not even Colonel Winston.He watched TV for about a minute, you know what, An Zuo, maybe, sometimes, just one bullet can prevent too many tragedies from happening.If it weren't for people's connivance, Hitler would not have dared to do those bad things.But even a well-trained officer couldn't prevent tragedy by killing Hitler with a single bullet. The guy who put the bomb in the building must have thought everyone in the building was dead and didn't even go back to make sure.At the FBI training academy, they said it every day: Dude, the idea that something is bound to happen is the mother of failure.

Everything should be double-checked, yes.Anyone worth shooting is worth shooting again. Amen!Dominic feels the same way. It's gotten to the point where even little Jack wakes up and watches the morning news on public television expecting some dire news coverage.He guessed that this was because after reading so many original intelligence materials, he had no way to judge what was hot news and what was not hot news. Although he doesn't know that much, but what he knows is not just worrying.He has put all his attention on Uda.Bing.Shari, probably because Shari was the only member of the organization he knew more about.He had to get to the bottom of the bird, because if he didn't, he might be asked to find another job.He hadn't seen that possibility until now, because in the intelligence industry, failure to meet this requirement was a poor prospect.Of course, his father had spent a long time finding him a job that he was good at.In fact, it was nine years after he graduated from Boston University, and less than a year since he received his diploma from the Georgetown Institute.So, can he get good grades in the park?In the park, he is the youngest, and even the secretaries there are all women older than him.Damn, he hadn't thought of that before. For him, Shari was a test, and perhaps an important one.Does this mean that Tony.Wells has figured out the details of Sha Li, and the information he is trying to find has actually been fully analyzed?Or does it mean he has to go through with the task and, having come to his own conclusions, sell it quickly?It's the big question on his mind as he stands in front of the bathroom mirror with his Philips electric razor.This is not still in school.If you can't get a passing grade here, it means failure, and this life is over?No, no, not that bad, but not too good either.This has to sit in the kitchen, grab a cup of coffee, watch CNN, and think about it. To buy breakfast, Juhar walked up the hill and bought two boxes (twenty-four in total) of donuts and four big cups of coffee.America is such a crazy country.There are so many natural riches of forests, rivers, spectacular roads, incredible prosperity, but it's all in the service of these idolatrous pagans.And here he is, drinking their coffee and eating their donuts.Truly, the world is crazy, and if there is a plan going on, it is God's own plan, which even believers cannot understand.They simply have to follow instructions written on paper.Back in the hotel, he found that both televisions were tuned to CNN News, the global news station.Of course, this is a pro-Jewish TV station.It's a pity that Americans don't watch Al Jazeera, at least it speaks for Arabs, but he thinks his eyes have caught the American disease. Breakfast, Juhar announced loudly, and drinks.One box of donuts was delivered to his room, the other to Mustafa's.Mustafa was still rubbing his sleepy eyes after eleven hours of snoring. did you sleep well broAbdullah asked the group leader. It was a wonderful experience, but my feet are still numb.Reaching for the mug of coffee, he grabs a maple frosted donut from the box and bites off most of it in one bite.He rubbed his eyes and watched TV, wanting to see what was going on in the world today.Israeli police shot another jihadist martyr before he could detonate a bomb strapped to his body. idiot.Brian criticized, is it that difficult to just pull a lead? I wondered how the Israelis would have figured out that he was the bomber.You have to suspect that they bought insiders inside Hamas.For their police, it must have been a top-secret case, with a lot of money allocated to them, and their intelligence agencies helping. They torture prisoners too, don't they? Dominic thought for a while, then nodded.Yes, this should have been supervised by their court system, but when they interrogated, they were a little rougher than us. is that useful? We discussed this in school.You put a hunting knife on someone's dick and I bet he's going to think it's smart to confess, but nobody really wants to do that.I mean, yeah, in theory, it's even kind of funny, but if you have to do it yourself, it's probably not very enjoyable, you know?Another question is, how good information can really be obtained by doing this?The guy being tortured can say anything, just want to get that hunting knife off his dick, or make the pain stop, that's about it, those bastards are great liars, unless you know more than them.Anyway, we can't do that.You know, the constitution, human rights and all that stuff.You can threaten them with long jail terms and yell at them, but even then there are certain boundaries that cannot be crossed. Will they also deceive prisoners with sweet words? Do it often, interrogation is an art.Some guys are good at asking questions.I haven't had many opportunities to learn this trick, but I've seen a few guys do it myself.The most common way is to call the suspects brothers and sisters, saying something, like that little girl is really flirty, she asked for it, didn't she?It makes you feel like throwing up afterwards, but the real purpose is to get that bastard hooked.When he is in prison, his cellmates will take good care of him.In prisons, the worst sufferers are those who sexually abuse children. I believe it, Anzo.Your friend from Alabama, maybe, you did him a real favor. That depends on whether you believe in hell or not.Dominic replied.In this regard, he has his own ideas. Wells came early today.When little Jack came in, he was already in his seat.You came earlier than me, just once. My wife's car is back from the garage.Now she can take the kids to school for me, he explained, and come early to see what's coming in from Fort Meade.He pointed with his finger. Little Jack turned on the computer, sat and waited for it to turn on, then entered his personal password, connected to the network within the bureau, and downloaded files from the computer room downstairs. The electronic file at the top is an urgent telegram marked as urgent, which is the highest priority, sent by Fort Meade of the National Security Agency, and sent to the CIA, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security at the same time, and one of them A unit will certainly brief the President on this this morning.Oddly enough, the telegram has almost no content, just a digital telegram, consisting of a string of numbers. How about it?asked little Jack. Well, it could be the chapter numbers of the Koran.The Koran has one hundred and forty chapters, and each chapter contains several verses.Even if this is a number representing a chapter, at first glance, the text of this chapter may not immediately appear to be anything unusual.Better go check it out and see for yourself, okay? Little Jack clicked the mouse.that's all? Wells nodded.In this way, Meadebel thinks that such a dry message may refer to something else, and it is a very important message.When those spies convey important information, they will use words with negative meanings. Oh, great!You tell me this because it doesn't seem to matter at all, but maybe it matters?God, Tony, you can make observations like that about anything!Did they find anything else?network?Where did this guy get online, stuff like that? It was a European network, privately owned, with several sets of 800 numbers all over the world, and we knew some bad guys would use this network, but we couldn't see where those numbers connected to the Internet. Well, then, number one, we don't know if this message is of any importance.Second, we don't know where the message came from.Third, we have absolutely no idea who read this message and where these people are.In short, we don't know anything, and yet everyone makes a fuss about it.what else?Sender, is there any information about this person? He, or she, we don't know yet, but may be a member of the group. Which group do you belong to? guess.The NSA analyst said the guy's grammar showed that Arabic appeared to be the man's native language, based on past correspondence.Experts at the CIA also agree with this view.They had also previously intercepted the bird's emails.He occasionally says nasty things to bad guys, and has a temporal connection to some other really bad stuff. Is it possible that the message he sent has something to do with the bomber arrested by the Israeli police earlier today? It's possible, yes, but not very likely.As far as we know, the sender has no connection to Hamas. But we don't really know, do we? Nothing is 100% sure about these guys. So, we're back to where we started.Somebody, somewhere, is planning some kind of action, but we have absolutely no idea what it will be. Herein lies the problem.In this bureaucratic system, it is better to call wolf and then prove wrong than to keep silent when the big wolf runs off with a sheep in its mouth. Little Jack leaned back in his chair.Tony, how long have you been in the CIA? several years.Wells replied. How can you stand it? The veteran analyst shrugged.Sometimes I feel weird myself too. Little Jack turned to the computer and checked the rest of the messages from this morning.He decided to take a look at Shali's unusual behavior in the past few days.He did this just to protect himself and prevent any important information from being missed.While thinking this way, John.Patrick.Wren II was beginning to think like a bureaucrat, without even noticing it himself. Tomorrow, things will be a little different, Alexander tells the twins, Michelle is your target, but this time, she will be in cross-dressing.Your task is to identify her and follow her to her destination.Oh, and I must remind you, she's a master of drag. She'll take the invisibility pill, won't she?Brian asked. That's her job.Alexander explained. Will you send us magic glasses so we can see through her drag? Even if there is such a thing, I won't give it to you.Actually, no. What kind of good friend are you!Dominic commented grimly. At eleven o'clock that morning, it was time to check the target. Shalosville Fashion Plaza Shopping Center is located only a quarter of a mile north of U.S. National Highway 29, with convenient transportation. It is a small and medium-sized shopping center that mainly serves local middle- and upper-class customers, as well as nearby Vigi student at the University of Nea.At one end of it is the well-known JC Penny chain department store, at the other end is Sears department store, and in the middle is the famous Baker men's and women's department store.Surprisingly, it doesn't have a food court per se.The people who came to investigate earlier, no matter who they were, must have not taken things seriously.That's disappointing, but not too unusual.The leading investigation teams dispatched by the organization are often only found temporarily. For them, this kind of investigation mission is like going out for an outing.However, as Mustafa walked into the shopping mall, he found that this was actually not too much of a problem. This mall does have an atrium plaza that leads to all four of the mall's great corridors.There is a help desk that even provides a map of the mall's layout, detailing where each store is located.Mustafa looked at it in detail.A six-rayed Star of David leaped from the paper into his eyes.The synagogue, here?is it possible?He went over at once to have a look, and hoped very much that it was so. But it wasn't, in fact, it was just the guardhouse of the mall, and there was a male employee sitting at the door, wearing a uniform of light blue shirt and dark blue trousers.On closer inspection, the man was not wearing a gun belt.This is great.He did have a telephone, which must have been used to communicate with the local police.Then, this black man will be the first target to be solved.Having made this decision, Mustafa turned and walked in the opposite direction, past the toilets and the Coke machine, then turned right, past the men's clothing store. He found that this place was a good target.There are only three main entrances, standing in the atrium square, with a very open shooting range.Each store is mainly rectangular, with doors opening in corridors.Tomorrow, around this same time, there will be even more crowds.He estimated that there were about 200 people within his line of sight. Although he had always hoped to have a chance to kill maybe a thousand people on the way to this city, as long as there were more than 200 people, it would be considered a major victory.There are a variety of shops here, and unlike malls in Saudi Arabia, both men and women shop on the same floor.There are also many children.Four stores are marked on the map that specialize in selling children's products, and there is even a Disney store!It was something he didn't expect, and it was wonderful to be able to attack one of America's most precious icons. Lafite came to his side and asked: How is it? This target may be a bit big, but its configuration is almost perfect for us.All shops are on the same floor.Mustafa replied calmly. Allah is always merciful, my friend.Lafite said that he couldn't hide his excitement. The crowd is constantly moving.Many young women push their babies in prams; Mustafa discovered that they can be rented at the counter next to the hair salon. Had to go and buy something.Mustafa did all his shopping at the Radio House electrical store next to Cyrus Jewelry.I bought a total of four radio walkie-talkies and batteries, with a simple radio operation manual attached, and paid in cash. In theory, they should be able to find better targets, but they don't want to target busy city streets in the first place.Also, there are bound to be policemen with guns on the streets, which would interfere with their mission.Therefore, people always like to sacrifice bitterness for sweetness in life, and there is a lot of sweetness here, enough for the four of them to taste together.All four of them bought good pretzels at Aunt Anne's Bakery, passed JC Penny's, walked out of the mall, and back to the car.The official planning will take place in their hotel room, consuming more donuts and coffee, of course. Jerry.Lanz's ostensible position was head of strategy at Handley's firm.He excelled in the role, and would have been a big name on Wall Street if he hadn't chosen to be an Air Force intelligence officer after graduating from Penn.The military even paid for his tuition, giving him a master's degree from the Washington School of Business before he was promoted to colonel.This allowed him to hang his accidental master's degree on the wall to show off, and it also gave him an excellent excuse to join the industry. To the chief Air Force analyst, it was even a fun runway switch.But throughout this process, he found that even being a good ground man could not compensate for being classified as a second-class citizen of the Air Force, because he has been unable to wear the silver wing badge of the US Air Force pilot, and this service is completely controlled in the United States. In the hands of those who really fly across the sky, even if he alone is smarter than the twenty other pilots in the same office put together.After coming to the park, he has indeed greatly expanded his vision in many ways. How's it going, Jerry?Handley asked. Those at Fort Meade and across the river had just received exciting news.While Lanz answered, he handed over several documents. The former senator took a minute to go through the emails before handing them all back.In that split second, he already knew that he had seen most of it before.how? Well, this time, they might be right, boss.I've been paying attention to the background information.It is worth noting that the message exchange between these known members has been greatly reduced, and then this email suddenly appeared.During my years in the Defense Intelligence Agency, I paid special attention to such coincidences.This is one of them. Well, what do they do about it? Starting today, airport security will be slightly enhanced.The FBI will also send a group of agents. Didn't the TV report it? Well, those ladies and gentlemen of the Department of Homeland Security have become smarter about TV commercials.That kind of free advertising is counterproductive.You can't catch a mouse by yelling at it.If you want to catch it, you have to get something it wants, let it look at it, and then take the opportunity to grab it and break its neck. Or, maybe find a cat and jump on it unexpectedly.Handley didn't say it.But if you want to do that, it will be much more difficult. What can we refer to?Handley asked instead. nothing now.It's a bit like seeing a front strike.Severe storms and rains are possible, but there is nothing at hand to stop them. Jerry, do we have any reliable information about the guys who are in charge of the planning, the guys who are giving orders to the bad guys? Some are pretty good.But they are really just conveying orders, not the ones giving them. What if they suddenly hang up? Lanz immediately nodded to express his deep sympathy.Now you're getting to the point, boss.In this way, those really important people will stick their heads out.Especially if they don't know there's a storm heading their way. For now, what is the biggest threat? The FBI was worried about a car bomb, or maybe someone had dynamite hidden in his overcoat, like in Israel.It's possible, but from an operational standpoint, I'm not sure.Lanz sat down on the chair at the motion of the senator.It's one thing to hand someone a pack of explosives and put him on a bus to get him to his destination, but in our case it's a lot more complicated.It was more complicated to bring the bomber here, to arm him, that is to say, to prepare him with explosives.Then, let him get acquainted with the target, and then send him to his destination.The bomber would then be required to maintain his aggressive will to attack while staying away from his support group.It's hard, and there are so many things that can go wrong, which is why covert operations have to be as simple as possible.Otherwise, why go all the way and ask for trouble? Jerry, how many real targets do we have?Handley asked. all?about six.Of course, four of them are true and not a joke. Can you give me those places and information? anytime. Then Monday.There's no reason to think about these questions on weekends.He has two days to review all plans.He is entitled to an occasional break of a day or two. Got it, boss.Lanz stood up and turned to leave, but he stopped at the door.There's a guy at Morgan Steel, in the bond department.This guy is dishonest. He spends some of the client's money and messes around. The amount is about 150.00.He was talking about $150 million. Is anyone watching him? No, it was me who was following him.I met him in New York two months ago, and the guy wasn't acting right, so I started spying on his PC.Want to see his record? That's not our job, Jerry. I know, I'm faking a deal with him to make sure he's not messing around with our funds, but I think he probably knows it's time to walk away, maybe go abroad and never come back.Someone should take a look.Maybe, Gus.Weiner? I have to think about it.Thank you for reminding me. knew.Lanz disappeared through the door. Well, we'll just stalk her and keep her from knowing, shall we?Brian asked. This is your task.Alexander said. How close do you have to be? as close as possible. You mean, close enough to hold a gun to the back of her head?asked the Marine. Close enough to see her earrings.According to Alexander, this should be the most polite way of saying it.It's even true, because Mrs. Peters has very long hair. In this way, we will be easily found.Dominique demurred. So, put on more or less makeup!Be a little creative.The trainer suggested tentatively. When will we know what this training is for?Brian asked. soon. You keep saying that, man. Look, you can drive back to North Carolina anytime you want. I have thought about it.Brian said to him. Tomorrow is Friday, think about it this weekend, okay? That's fair.Brian calmed down for a moment.Such training becomes a bit out of place, which is not what he actually wants.It's time to think about retreating.It's not that he doesn't like Alexander.It's that he doesn't know what's going on at all, and he doesn't like what he sees.Especially with women as imaginary targets.Harming women is not in line with his beliefs.Not children, for which his younger brother had been pissed off before and had shot a child murderer; Brian applauded him for doing so.Suddenly, he wondered if he would do the same, and then he told himself, yes, he would do the same, just not quite sure.After dinner, the twins cleaned up, then sat downstairs in front of the television, drinking and watching the History Channel. In the next state, the situation is much the same, Jr. Jack.Ryan drank a glass of Lime Coke, held a remote control, and went back and forth between the two channels of history and international history, occasionally stopping in the section of biographies of famous people. At that time, a two-hour biography of Stalin was being broadcast.What a bloodless bastard this guy is, thought Little Jack.He even forced his good friend to sign an arrest warrant to arrest his wife and put him in prison.Oh shit.But how could this inconspicuous man exercise such a powerful control over his own compatriots?What power does he have over other people?Where do these powers come from?How does he maintain this power?Little Jack's own dad was pretty powerful, but never controlling like that.Probably not even thinking about it, much less killing people just for fun.Who are these people?Does such a person still exist? Yep, they have to exist.In this world, the one thing that never changes is human nature.Cruelty and brutality still exist.It's just that the current society no longer encourages these things like the Roman Empire did.The popular killing performances of ghost warriors in ancient Rome have made people accustomed to accepting tragic death, and even regarded it as entertainment.The dark truth about this is that if Jack Jr. could get into a time machine, he'd probably love to go back to the Colosseum to see a show like this, just for once.But that's purely human curiosity, not a genuine enjoyment of bloodshed.I just want to get an opportunity to absorb historical knowledge, to see it on the ground, and to experience a culture that is somewhat related to his own but different.He might even throw up, or not.Maybe his curiosity was really that strong.But what is certain is that if he did return to ancient Rome, he would bring a friend with him, such as a Beretta .45.In particular he has been to Mike.Branon trained as a teacher and learned how to use this weapon.He was also wondering how many people would take part in such a time travel besides himself.There may be several people.male.Will not be female.Women have to cooperate with many social conditions before they want to go to this kind of performance.But what about men?Boys grew up watching movies like Silverado and Saving Private Ryan.Men want to know how good they are at handling this kind of thing.So, no, human nature has not actually changed.Society punishes cruelty, and since humans are creatures of reason, most people avoid behavior that would land them in jail or the death row.So, one learns the lesson over time, but the basic urge may remain the same; so, while you wait for sleep to fall, you feed on the fantasies, books, and movies that lurk deep within your consciousness Evil little beast.Perhaps the situation with the police would be better.They can use a little of this basic human nature to deal with criminals who behave deviantly.Doing so can be rewarding because you're feeding your inner little beast while protecting society at large. But if the bestiality still lives in the human heart, then, somewhere, there will be someone who does not make good use of the will to control their bestiality, but wants to use whatever talents they have as instruments of personal power.Such people are called bad people.If they are not successful, they are called sociopaths.If successful, it will be called president. What did all this tell him?Little Jack was lost in thought.After all, he's still a kid, even if he doesn't admit it, and legally, he's an adult.Do adults stop growing?Stop thinking and asking questions?No longer seeking information, or as he was thinking, no longer seeking truth? 但是，一旦追查到真相，又打算如何應用呢？他還不知道，也許這是他必須學習的另一件事。當然，他也跟他父親一樣，擁有同樣的學習慾望，否則為什麼要收看這個節目，而不去看看那些不用花腦筋的喜劇影集？也許他應該去買一些討論史達林或希特勒的書。歷史學家最會挖掘舊資料。問題是，他們往往會在發現的這些資料上加進個人意見。他可能真的需要找精神醫師幫他看看。他們當然也有自己的意識形態和偏見，但至少他們的思考過程會有專業化的精神。這很令小傑克苦惱，因為他每晚入睡時，都會有很多想法未得到解決，或是有些真相尚未找到。但是，他猜想，這大概就是所謂的人生吧！ 他們全都在祈禱。全都沒有發出聲音來。阿布都拉喃喃默念著可蘭經經文。穆斯塔法也在自己的腦海裡默念相同的可蘭經經文。當然，不是所有的經文，而只是能夠支持他們明天行動的部分經文。要勇敢，要記住他們的神聖任務，要毫不心軟地完成任務。慈悲是真主的事。 萬一我們沒死呢？他問自己，並且很驚訝自己竟然有這種想法。 當然，對於這一個可能，他們也有計畫。他們會開車回到西部，並且試著自行找路回到墨西哥，然後回家去，受到其餘同志的歡呼和歡迎。事實上，他並不期待這種情況發生，但人們總是不會完全放棄希望，儘管天堂可能在招手，但人世間的生活才是大家真正了解的。 這種想法也令他震驚。他剛剛表現出對自己信仰的懷疑嗎？No, it is not.不是那樣，真的。這只是隨便想想而已。除了真主，別無神明，穆罕默德則是真主的使者，他在心中如此默誦，這是在展現他的念功，因為這是回教的基礎之一，也是所謂的回教四功五法之一。不行，他現在不能否定自己的信仰。他的信仰把他從世界的另一頭帶到這兒來，來到他即將殉教的地點。他的信念培養與滋潤他的生命，引導他長大成人，忍受父親的怒氣，帶他來到這個唾棄回教及助長以色列人聲勢的國度，讓他在這兒重新肯定對自己生命的信念，以及對自己死亡的信念，也許吧！這幾乎是已經確定的事，除非真主本人有別的安排。因為生命中所有的事情，都是真主親手寫下的。 鬧鐘在即將六點的時候響起。布萊恩跑去敲他弟弟的房門。 起來，大幹員。我們浪費了大好的陽光。 Really?多米尼克從走廊的另一頭打量屋外，今天一定跑贏你，阿爾多！這倒是第一次聽到他這樣說。 那麼，我們就來比賽個高下吧，安佐。布萊恩回答，他們一起走向屋外。一小時又四十五分鐘後，他們回到屋內，坐下來吃早餐。 美好的一天，充滿生氣。布萊恩喝了第一口咖啡後，忍不住這樣說。 陸戰隊一定替你洗腦了，老哥。多米尼克喝著他的咖啡說。 沒有，只是腦內啡發揮作用了，人體就是會這樣欺騙自己。 你們的表現愈來愈好了，亞歷山大告訴他們，你們已經準備好到購物中心裡小小運動一番了嗎？ 是的，班長，布萊恩笑著回答，我們要帶蜜雪兒吃午餐。 但你們必須先追蹤到她，而且不被發現。 在森林裡會比較容易，你知道嗎？我受過這種特殊技巧的訓練。 布萊恩，你想，我們是在這兒幹什麼的？ 哦，是這麼回事嗎？ 首先，買雙新鞋子。多米尼克如此建議。 是的，我知道，這雙鞋子快完蛋了。鞋子上半部的帆布，已經和下半部的橡膠底脫離，而鞋底也快磨光。他很不願意就這樣換掉這雙鞋子。他穿著這雙鞋子已經跑了好幾哩路，男人對這種事情反而會覺得傷感，但他們的配偶卻常會對這種行為感到苦惱。 我們先到購物中心的鞋店去，那就在租嬰兒車櫃檯的隔壁。多米尼克如此提醒他的哥哥。 好的，我知道，沒問題，彼特，關於蜜雪兒這件事，你有任何建議嗎？布萊恩問，你知道的，我在陸戰隊時，每次出任務之前，他們通常都會對我們進行任務簡報。 這問題問得好，上尉。我建議你去維多利亞的祕密內衣店，看看她在不在那兒。那家內衣店就在蓋普對面。如果你們能夠很接近她而不被發現，那你們就贏了。如果在十呎外就被她喊出你們的名字，那你們就輸了。 這真的很公平，多米尼克指出，她知道我們長什麼樣子，特別是身高和體重。真的壞人不會讓別人知道這些資料。你可以假扮成更高，但無法變矮。 還有，我的腳踝不能承受高跟鞋，你知道嗎？布萊恩接著說。 你反正也沒有美腿可以秀，阿爾多，亞歷山大揶揄道，誰說這工作很輕鬆？ 只是我們仍然不知道，這項工作到底是幹什麼的，布萊恩沒有反駁，只是改口說：很公平，我們視實際情況而定，先適應問題，然後再加以克服。 你現在是幹什麼的，大警探？多米尼克喝完咖啡，如此問道。 如果在陸戰隊裡，他會是我們最喜歡的老百姓，老弟。也許會是很好的槍械士。 尤其是配上他那把點四四史密斯。 那款手槍聲音太大。拿在手上也太大了點。馬格南自動手槍也許最合用，曾經拿這種槍射擊過嗎？ 沒有，但我在聯邦調查局的槍庫裡拿過一次。真是大傢伙，應該用拖車拖著到處走，但我敢打賭，一定可以用它轟出一個大洞來。 沒錯，但如果你想把它藏在身上，那你最好是個大壯漢。 我聽說了，阿爾多。事實上，在實際行動時，為了攜帶槍枝方便，他們會在腰上繫上腰包，但這並不能把槍械隱藏得很好。任何一位警察第一眼看到時，馬上就會知道那是什麼，但一般老百姓很少人能一眼看出。這對雙胞胎這時各自繫上腰包，裡面各裝一把上膛的手槍，外加一個備用彈匣。亞歷山大要他們今天如此做，只是為了讓他們很難在跟蹤蜜雪兒時不被發現。算了，訓練官最會搞這種把戲。 同一天，在五哩外，假日旅館的這些人也開始了他們一天的活動。這一天，不同於別的日子，他們全部攤開了禮拜毯，同聲祈禱，因為他們預料將是這輩子最後一次的祈禱。祈禱只花了幾分鐘時間；接著，所有人進行梳洗、淨身，準備執行任務。朱哈爾甚至花了很多時間修剪新長出來的鬍子，希望帶著整潔的儀容進入永恆，直到完全滿意了，他才換上衣服。 一直到所有人都準備完畢，他們這才發現，距離展開行動的時間，已經不到幾個小時。阿布都拉走上小山坡，來到唐金斯甜甜圈店買早餐和咖啡，這一次，他甚至還帶了報紙回來，並且在兩間房間裡傳閱，大家則一面喝著咖啡，一面抽菸。 敵人可能視他們是狂熱分子，但他們其實也是人，眼前的緊張氣氛也令他們覺得不愉快；而且，隨著時間的過去，愈來愈難過。他們喝下的咖啡，只是把更多的咖啡因注入體內，讓他們雙手發抖，瞇著眼睛看電視新聞。他們每隔幾秒就看看手錶，希望時針能夠走得更快一點，但事與願違；接著，他們又灌下更多咖啡。 我們現在也跟著興奮起來了嗎？園區裡，小傑克問威爾斯。小傑克在自己的座位上用手指了一指。這裡面有什麼是我沒看出來的嗎，老兄？ 威爾斯往椅背一靠。這是好多事情湊在一起的。也許是真的，也許只是巧合。也許只是專業分析師在腦海中的構想。你知道要如何才能看出什麼是真的嗎？ 等上一個星期，再回頭瞧瞧，看看是不是真有什麼事情發生？ 這已經足夠逗得東尼．威爾斯哈哈大笑。小子，你真的學會了情報界這一套把戲了。老天，我在情報界看到預測錯誤的次數，遠遠多過在平里柯舉行的普瑞尼斯賽馬會的預測。do you know?除非你真的知道，否則就是不知道，但從事這一行的，並不喜歡這樣想。 我記得小時候，我老爸有時會心情不好 他是在冷戰時期加入中情局。那些頭頭老是要求做些沒有人能夠真正完成的預測，至少不是有意義的預測。你父親通常會挺身而出說：等一陣子，你自己就會知道我的預測對不對。而那真的會令他們暴跳如雷。但是，你知道的，他的預測通常都是正確的，而且在他的監測範圍裡，從來沒發生過大災難。 我會不會也跟他一樣厲害？ 是有很大的希望，小子，但你永遠不會知道。你能來到這見就已經很幸運了。至少，參議員知道，我們不知道是什麼意思。這表示他手下的人都很誠實，而且知道自己不是上帝。 是的，我也在白宮那兒得到這樣的教訓。我總是覺得很奇怪，在華府，竟然有那麼多人真的以為他們是上帝。 多米尼克負責開車。從山上到城裡只有三或四哩，開起來很愉快。 維多利亞的祕密？你想，我們會不會逮到她正好在買睡衣？布萊恩突發奇想。 我們只能做這個夢了，多米尼克一面說，一面左轉駛進里歐路，我們來早了，先買你的鞋子？ Makes sense.停在貝克男飾店前吧。 遵命，隊長。 Is it time?拉菲問。過去的三十分鐘裡，他已經這樣問過三次。 穆斯塔法看看手錶，十一點四十八分。Very close.He nodded. 各位好朋友，收拾好東西吧。 他們的武器並沒有組裝完成，而是放在購物袋。如果組裝起來會太龐大，也太明顯。每個人有十二個裝滿子彈的彈匣，每個彈匣有三十發子彈，每兩個彈匣用膠帶綁在一起，因此一共有六組彈匣。每一把武器都用膠帶綁著一個大大的滅音器，準備到時候鎖在槍管上。這樣做的目的並不全然是為了減低槍聲，而是想增加重量，增加槍枝的穩定度。他記得在墨西哥的時候，胡安告訴過他。這些武器射擊時會偏離目標，會向上和向右偏。但他已經和他的朋友們討論過這些武器的問題，他們全都知道應該如何射擊，而且當初拿到這些武器時，全都曾經實際射擊過，因此應該都很清楚射擊時會發生什麼狀況。此外，他們即將進入的是美國大兵所謂的有很多射擊目標存在的豐富環境。 朱哈爾和阿布都拉拿著旅行袋走出房間，把袋子放進租來的福特轎車後行李廂。穆斯塔法想了一下，決定把槍也放進去。因此，他們四個人全都拿著自己的購物袋，魚貫走出車子，把購物袋直立放在後行李廂裡。放置完畢後，穆斯塔法坐進車內，下意識地把房間鑰匙放進自己的口袋。車程並不遠，肉眼已經可以看到目的地。 跟一般購物中心一樣，這處購物中心的各個入口都有停車場。他選擇西北入口，緊臨貝克男飾店，因為這樣可以把車子停得很靠近入口。停好車後，他關掉車子引擎，念了他今天早上最後一次禱告。另外三人也跟著同樣做，然後大家下車，繞到車子後。穆斯塔法打開後行李廂。他們距入口僅五十公尺不到。嚴格來說，並沒有必要這樣隱藏武器，但穆斯塔法謹記著安全守則。想要避免警察的注意，一定要一開始就這樣做。因此，他告訴大家，還是把武器藏在購物袋裡。於是，他們用左手提著袋子，走向入口。 今天是星期五，購物人潮不像星期六那麼多，但已經多得足以滿足他們的目的。他們走進去，經過眼鏡大師眼鏡店，這家店的顧客很多；這裡大多數的人今天可能可以免去一死，這倒是很可惜，但主要的購物區在前面。 布萊恩和多米尼克逛進足保險箱鞋子專賣店，但布萊恩沒看到他喜歡的鞋子。隔壁的大步走專賣童鞋，所以，雙胞胎繼續往前走，轉向右邊。美國鷹裝備店肯定有東西，也許是皮鞋，可能還是高筒鞋，穿起來腳踩應該比較舒服。 穆斯塔法向左轉，往中庭廣場走去，一路上經過一家玩具店和好幾家服飾店。他兩眼快速掃過這區域。在他視線範圍內大約有一百人，而且，從K*B玩具店的人潮來判斷，零售商店區一定擠滿人。他經過太陽眼鏡屋後右轉，向著警衛室走去。那兒的地點很方便，距廁所只有幾步遠。四人一起走進男廁所。 有幾個人注意到他們。四個打扮相同的外國人一起出現，確實有點不尋常。但美國的購物中心本來就像是人種動物園，所以人們不太會去注意這樣有什麼不對勁，更別提是否會注意到有什麼危險之處。 進了男廁所，他們全都從購物袋裡取出武器，將它們組裝完畢。槍機向後拉開。彈匣插進手槍握把。每個人都把剩下的五組彈匣塞進褲袋。有兩個人把長長的滅音器鎖到槍管前。穆斯塔法和拉菲沒有這樣做，他們很快思索了一下，接著下定決心，他們還是比較喜歡聽聽槍聲。 大家都準備好了？小組領導問道。所有人僅以點頭代替回答。 那麼，我們將會在天堂裡一起享用羊肉大餐。各就各位。聽到我開了第一槍後，你們接著動手。 布萊恩正在試穿一雙短筒皮靴。跟他在陸戰隊時穿的並不完全一樣，但樣子不錯，感覺也很舒適，並且很合腳，好像是量腳訂製的。還不賴。 要不要用盒子把它們包起來？女店員問。 布萊恩想了一下，做出決定：不必，我打算穿著走。他把那雙已經穿得破破爛爛的耐吉球鞋交給女店員，而她把它裝進皮靴的盒子裡，然後帶他來到收銀台。 穆斯塔法看著手錶。他估計，再過兩分鐘，他的朋友們就可以各就各位。 拉菲、朱哈爾和阿布都拉這時正向中庭廣場走去，手裡提著武器，並且盡量放低，出乎他們意料之外的，竟然沒有一位購物者注意到他們，大家只是匆忙走著，只管自己的事情。 分針走到十二的位置時，穆斯塔法深深吸了一口氣，走出男廁所，左轉。 警衛坐在櫃檯後面，正在翻閱一本雜誌，櫃檯桌面的高度剛好到他胸部。在警覺到櫃檯桌面突然落下一個人影後，這位警衛抬起頭，看到一位橄欖膚色的男子站在櫃檯前。 有什麼事嗎，先生？警衛很有禮貌地問。但在問完後，他已經沒有時間做出任何反應。 真主慈悲！對方的回答是這樣的一聲大叫。接著，出現了一把英格倫衝鋒槍。 穆斯塔法只把扳機扣住一秒鐘，但在那一秒裡，九發子彈全部射進這位黑人警衛的胸膛。九發子彈的撞擊力將警衛向後推了半步，接著倒下，死在磁磚地板上。 那是什麼聲音，搞什麼鬼？布萊恩立即問他的弟弟；因為身邊只有他一個人。同時，所有的人都把頭轉向左邊。 拉菲聽到槍聲時，就在雙胞胎兄弟右前方只有二十五呎處，該是他動手的時候。他馬上半臥倒在地，舉起他的英格倫，向右對著維多利亞的祕密。那裡的顧客應該全部都是沒有道德觀念的婦女，竟敢去看那種像妓女穿的衣物，也許，他心裡這樣想，其中幾個可能會到天堂服侍他。他把槍口對準那兒，扣下扳機。 槍聲震耳欲聾，極其嚇人，像是一連串的巨大爆炸。三名婦女被擊中，立即倒地。其餘的站著發呆了一秒鐘，她們張大眼睛，露出驚恐與不敢置信的神情，忘了採取任何行動。 拉菲本人也覺得意外，他射出去的子彈，一半以上未射中任何目標。這把平衡感極差的武器剛剛在他的手中跳了一下，使得子彈掃向天花板。彈匣射空後，槍機自動鎖上。他低頭看著它，十分驚訝，接著退出空彈匣，把它反轉過來，再迅速裝回槍把裡，開始尋找新目標。大家現在才開始驚慌逃竄，於是他把英格倫衝鋒槍的槍把抵住肩膀。 他媽的，布萊恩大罵一聲。What exactly is going on?他在腦子裡如此大叫。 他媽的，沒錯，阿爾多。多米尼克把腰包從屁股後面拉到肚子前面，把線解開，露出雙層拉鍊的內層。一秒之後，他兩手分別握著史密斯．Wesson pistol.掩護我後面！他向哥哥喊道。那名槍手距他只有二十呎，就在珠寶店的另一頭，正好背對著他，但這兒並不是道奇市，怎麼面對罪犯並沒有規定。 多米尼克單膝跪下，兩手握著他的自動手槍舉起，射出兩發十公釐的中空彈，全部打進那人的背部中央，按著，又射出另一發子彈，射進那人的後腦中央。他的目標立即倒下，從第三發子彈造成的血紅爆炸來判斷，他不用再浪費另一發子彈。這位聯邦調查局幹員跳向倒在地上的屍體，把對方的槍踢掉。他立即檢查了一下，發現屍體褲袋裡有多餘的彈匣。他腦中立即想到的就是，哦，糟了！接著，他聽到左手邊傳來更多的槍聲。 他們還有同伴，安佐，布萊恩說。他來到弟弟身邊，右手握著貝瑞塔手槍。這傢伙掛了。How to act? 跟在我後面，掩護我！ 穆斯塔法發現自己置身一家廉價珠寶店裡。他看到六名婦女，分別在櫃檯前後。他把武器靠在腰側、射擊，把第一個彈匣的子彈全打在她們身上，看到對方一一倒下後，感覺到暫時的滿足。他停止射擊，退出空彈匣，換個面，裝回去，打開槍機。 雙胞胎挺直身子，開始向西移動，不快，但也不慢，多米尼克在前帶路，布萊恩緊跟在兩步之後，他們的眼睛主要望向槍聲傳來的那方向。布萊恩受過的所有訓練，現在全部如潮水般湧回到他的意識裡。盡量利用掩護把自己藏匿起來。找出敵人，予以消滅。 就在這時候，一個人影從凱伊珠寶店出來，由左向右移動，手中握著一把英格倫衝鋒槍，向著他左邊的另一家珠寶店掃射。購物中心現在充滿尖叫聲和槍聲，人們全都盲目向著出口奔跑，而沒有先看清楚那個地方才是危險的。很多人被射殺倒地，大部分是婦女，一部分是兒童。 但雙胞胎對這些全都視若無睹。他們眼中甚至看不到任何受害者。現在沒有時間管這些，他們以前受過的訓練現在全部控制著他們。他們眼中看到的第一個目標，就是站在那兒，對著珠寶店掃射的那個人。 To the right.Brian said.他朝那個方向衝去，低著頭，同時朝著他目標的方向望過去。 布萊恩差點因此喪命。朱哈爾這時正站在克萊爾名店前，剛剛把整個彈匣的子彈射向店內，然後轉過身。突然之間，他不確定要往那個方向前進，於是向左轉，看到一名男子，手中拿著手槍。他小心地把槍抵住肩膀，扣下扳機 兩發子彈射出，但沒擊中目標，接著就沒了。他的第一個彈匣射光了，他想了兩、三秒才想到這一點。接著，他退出空彈匣，轉過面，再把彈匣裝回去，再度舉槍瞄準 但那人不見了。Where did you go?找不到目標，於是他向後轉，以謹慎的步伐走進貝克女裝店。 布萊恩躲在太陽眼鏡屋裡面，從右邊向外窺探。 那兒，那人正向左移動。他把貝瑞塔交到右手，扣了一下扳機 但那發子彈從目標頭邊滑過，只差了那麼一點點，那人馬上臥倒。 damn it!布萊恩罵了一聲，站起身，兩手同時握住槍柄，飛快地連開四槍。四發子彈全都射進對方胸膛，就在肩膀下方一點點。 穆斯塔法聽到槍聲，但感受不到被擊中的感覺。他的身體正處於極度亢奮，在這種狀態下，身體完全感受不到疼痛。過了一秒，他咳出血來，讓他大吃一驚。更糟的是，當他想要向左轉時，身體竟然不聽頭腦的指揮。這種困惑只持續了一、兩秒，接著就 多米尼克對第二個目標舉槍瞄準。他再度開槍，如他所受過的訓練，向著目標物中央射擊，他的史密斯是單發點放，於是他連開兩槍。 他射得極準，第一槍就擊中目標的武器。 英格倫衝鋒槍在穆斯塔法手中跳了一下。他幾乎握不住，但接著，他看到了他的攻擊者，於是很小心地舉槍瞄準並扣下扳機｜但什麼也沒發生。他低頭一看，看到英格倫的鐵板上有一個子彈孔，就在槍機上。他再花了一、兩秒，才明白自己現在已被解除武裝。但他的敵人仍然在他前面，於是他向著對方跑過去，即使他的槍已經壞了，他還是希望拿它當棍子使用。 多米尼克有點兒吃驚。他親眼看到至少有一發子彈擊中對方的胸膛，另一發子彈則射壞了他的武器。為了某種原因，他沒有再開槍。相反地，他拿起他的史密斯．威森，用力敲在這個王八蛋的臉上，然後繼續前進，向著傳來更多槍聲的方向前進。 穆斯塔法感到兩腿無力。即使身上所中的那五槍並不覺得疼，但臉上這一擊則確實很疼。他想要轉身，但左腿使不上力，承受不住他的體重，他倒了下來，臉朝上仰臥在地上，突然，他覺得呼吸很急促。他想站起來，甚至翻個身，但他的腿支撐不住，他的身體左側已經無用了。 已經幹掉兩個，布萊恩說，接下來呢？ | 尖叫聲已經減少，但還是有很多人在大叫。還有槍聲繼續傳來，但槍聲有點不一樣。 阿布都拉很高興他在槍上裝了滅音器。他的射擊比原先希望的準確得多。 他正在山姆古迪音樂店，裡面都是學生。這家店後面也沒有出口，因為它太靠近最西邊的入口。阿布都拉滿臉微笑地走進店裡，一面走一面開槍。他看到的臉孔全都露出一副不可置信的神情，好笑的是，他突然告訴自己，不相信真主就是槍殺他們的原因。他很快就射光了第一個彈匣，沒錯，裝上滅音器的結果，讓他的一半子彈都能擊中目標。男男女女，應該是年輕男孩和女孩，都尖聲大叫，在最初的珍貴、致命的幾秒裡，很多人都站著不動，相互對望，接著就開始四處逃跑。但在不到十公尺的範圍內，很容易就能擊中他們的背後，而且他們真的無處可逃。他只是站在那兒，槍殺整個店裡的人，讓目標自己送上來。有些人跑到CD架的另一頭，企圖從大門逃出去。當他們經過他面前時，他就射殺他們，距離不到幾公尺。在幾秒鐘裡，他已經射完第一組的兩個彈匣，將它們退出、丟棄，從褲袋裡掏出另一組彈匣，插進槍內，打開槍機。但店內後面牆上有面鏡子，他從鏡子裡看見了 老天爺，又有一個！Dominique said. OK.布萊恩撲向入口另一邊，靠牆找好位置，舉起他的貝瑞塔。這使得他和這位恐怖分子處於相同的走廊中，但這樣的位置對慣用右手的射擊者毫無幫助。他必須選擇用他較不習慣的左手來射擊；他本來就應該好好練習左手射擊，但練習得不多。現在，他可能必須讓自己的身體暴露出來，才能進行還擊，這樣子是滿危險的。但在他身為陸戰隊員的腦海中，有個聲音說：操它的！於是他不顧一切，向左跨出一步，兩手握往手槍，高高舉起。 阿布都拉看到他露出身體來，臉上露出微笑，把武器架到肩上或者，他本來就企圖這樣做。 布萊恩連開兩槍，打進目標的胸膛，發現好像沒有效果，於是把彈匣裡的子彈全都射光。十二發子彈全射進那人的身體 阿布都拉感受到全部的子彈，每一發子彈射中時，他都覺得自己的身體猛然扭動一下。他開槍還擊，但全都沒擊中，接著，他的身體再也不受控制。他向前倒下，企圖恢復平衡。 布萊恩退出空彈匣，從腰包裡取出另一個彈匣，插進槍內，鬆開側保險栓。他現在要用自動射擊模式。那混蛋還在動！該是一舉解決的時候。他走到倒下來的那個人身邊，把他的槍踢到一旁，對準他的腦後補上一槍。對方頭顱裂開，鮮血和腦漿爆開來，濺到地上。 老天，阿爾多！多米尼克叫道，來到他哥哥身邊。 damn it!那兒至少還有一個。我只剩一個彈匣，安佐。 我也是，老哥。 令人感到驚訝的是，倒在地上的大部分人，包括中槍的那名槍手，都還活著。地板的鮮血多得就好像大雷雨降下來的雨水。但兩兄弟都太疲累，看到眼前的景象，已經沒有力氣覺得噁心。他們向購物中心內部後退，轉向東。 這兒的大屠殺景象更可怕。地板上有好幾灘血。有人尖叫，有人哀號。布萊恩經過一個也許三歲大的小女孩身邊，她站在她母親的屍體旁，兩手像小小鳥般上下揮動。沒有時間，沒有該死的時間來幫她做任何事。他真的很希望藍道士官長這時候就在這兒。他是很棒的醫護兵。但即使是藍道士官長這樣的老鳥，也一定會被眼前的景象嚇壞了。 前面繼續傳來槍聲，是裝上滅音器的輕衝鋒槍發出的。就在貝克女裝店那兒，在他們左手邊。從槍聲來判斷，距離應該不遠。自動武器射擊的聲音很特別，沒有別的聲音跟它一樣。他們分開來，每個人各走一邊短短的走道，分別從經濟小館咖啡和波士頓人鞋店繞過去，向著下一個戰鬥區前進。 貝克女裝店一樓是香水和化妝品。跟先前一樣，他們朝著槍聲跑過去。有六名婦女倒在香水專櫃前，另有三位倒在化妝品專櫃前。有的很明顯已經死亡，有的很明顯還活著，有的在呼喊求救，但沒有時間管這些。雙胞胎再度分開，槍聲正好在這時候停止。本來是在他們的左前方，但現在不在那兒。那名恐怖分子逃走了嗎？或者，只是剛剛把彈匣射光？ 地板上散落著好幾個空彈匣，是九公釐的黃銅彈殼，他們看出來了。這小子在這兒過足了殺人的癮，多米尼克看得出來。貼在內部牆柱上的所有鏡子，幾乎全部都被打得粉碎。以他受過專業訓練的眼光看來，這名槍手從前門走進店裡，一看到人全是婦女就一陣掃射，然後退出店內，左轉，可能去尋找他認為最合適的目標。可能只有一個人，布萊恩如此告訴自己。 好吧，我們所要面對的，究竟是什麼樣的人？多米尼克心裡很好奇。他會有什麼反應？會怎麼思考？ 對布萊恩來說，事情簡單得多。你在哪兒，狗娘養的王八蛋？對這位陸戰隊員