Deadly Payload. Don Pendleton

with computer software,” Manning added.

      “There’s no solid confirmation that those paratroopers went into the Lebanese heroin trade, yet,” McCarter said. “We’ll have to check on that once we make our rendezvous.”

      “The APC is moving,” Manning announced.

      “Headed our way?” James asked.

      “A straight beeline,” Manning said. “Give me a few moments. Move on ahead, I’ll catch up.”

      Phoenix Force took off while Manning took another stick of C-4 from his pack and divided it up, setting it on the fuel-filled jerri cans and replacing the gas cap to the tank. He wired them to one central detonator. There was a chance that the APC would hose down the truck with its machine gun at a distance, but either way, the explosion would erase any evidence of Phoenix Force presence in Lebanon.

      If militia men did inspect the truck, there was a better likelihood that they would disturb the cans in the back and set off one of Manning’s tripwires, removing another squad of gun-toting militiamen from the Lebanese conflict. Shouldering his sniper rifle, Manning took off after his friends. His long legs fell into a loping pace that ate up distance effortlessly. He slowed to accommodate the others once he caught up with them.

      Five minutes after leaving the truck, a fireball flashed, lighting the night behind them. The outline of the APC and two military-style jeeps appeared, backlit by the flowering blossom of their pickup. One of the jeeps flipped and bounced off the APC.

      “Seventy gallons of petrol will do that,” McCarter quipped.

      Manning knelt and surveyed the blast site with his rifle.

      “They tracking us?” Encizo inquired.

      “They’re dealing with wounded, “Manning informed them. “We’ll have plenty of time to get out of sight by sunup.”

      “Ground cover will obscure us after another two hundred yards, and it’s two hours until sunrise anyhow,” James mentioned.

      “That’s no reason to sit around discussing the weather,” McCarter said. “Let’s roll.”

      “A LL MANEUVERS GO according to plan,” Javier Cortez said. “At least until contact with the enemy. We’ve got activity in our Middle Eastern and Central American arenas.”

      “Someone’s noticed us,” Kovak said. “I see that Tel Aviv is still quiet.”

      “The fight was diverted.” Ling Jon spoke up. “An outside group of hackers broke into the network and commandeered the drones. We shut down on first notification, initiated defensive—”

      “Their system will have taken a beating from your defenses,” Kovak noted. “What about the other scheduled attacks?”

      Ling smiled. “The fuse is lit in the China Sea, and Kashmir is about to rock.”

      Kovak took a deep breath and glanced at Cortez. “You’re looking to start every war you can imagine.”

      “So many juicy-looking powder kegs,” Cortez answered with a grin. “We’re making a whole new world, Jason.”

      “There’s going to be enough of a planet left after China gets set off?” Kovak asked.

      “I’m fully aware of what plans Beijing has, and the West’s projected response,” Ling explained.

      “Beijing will take the attack as an excuse to make a move on Taiwan. The British and Australian navies will move to protect Taiwan, and of course the United States will throw in. One or two more Chinese ships sunk—”

      “And China will take a potshot at the Western navies,” Kovak concluded. “World War Three.”

      “Just like the chest-beating in South America,” Cortez said. “Colombia and Venezuela responded exactly as we wanted.”

      Kovak looked at the world map. The Engineers’ software was monitoring international tensions. Earlier that day, the Republic of Georgia suffered an attack from Azerbaijan The Azerbaijani government claimed innocence, but the city of Gardabani was hammered by HVAR artillery rockets and antitank missiles launched by unmanned drones. Muslim separatists took the opportunity to start riots across the city, killing police officers and soldiers.

      The Russian-controlled Commonwealth of Independent States, already on the edge because of infighting between ethnic groups in the region, was on full alert. The Russian president offered to send a few divisions of troops into Georgia to help enforce the peace, but the leadership in Tsiblisi remembered that Russian troops had swallowed the independent government in 1921. Leery eyes remained locked on Moscow, wondering if this was a ploy by hard-liners who wanted to rebuild the old Soviet empire. And now Beijing was being poked, the sleeping dragon baited with the jewel that was Taiwan. It was no secret that the People’s Republic of China lusted after the independent island nation, and had all forms of contingency plans to take the little country. Taiwan was ready to fight, but it knew that if its Western allies faltered, it would lose the battle and China would be reunited.

      With tensions in South America, the Middle East and the Commonwealth of Independent States, Britain and America would be stretched thin, making the road to Taiwan wide and ready. The projected spark of violence between India and Pakistan over Kashmir would leave the globe with a hair trigger.

      “This should confuse matters,” Cortez said. “Our previous two hot spots were major oil conflicts.”

      “Lebanon?” Kovak asked.

      “Syria and Israel border on major oil-producing nations who are members of OPEC. The start of an all-out war between those two would affect Egypt and Saudi Arabia, not to mention the potential of other OPEC states that dislike Israel to step in and join the party,” Cortez said.

      “Those countries tried that. Israel beat them down. And we have nukes now, remember?” Kovak reminded the man.

      Cortez smirked. “That’s part of what we’re counting on. We’re lighting the match on as many fuses as we can.”

      Kovak nodded, looking at the map. “And when the bombs go off, the topography of the world alters. Radically.”

      “The Old World, the New World, the Third World, everything breaks down into anarchy,” Cortez explained. “Barbarism and chaos run rampant. Riots infect the streets, governments crumble and, eventually, everyone will look to who has enough power to bring them peace and stability.”

      Kovak’s eyes narrowed. “The tank attacks on Israel, a while back. Utilizing Marshall Plan hardware…”

      “A test run. Now, we can see how the world responds to our operations, and we can anticipate them,” Cortez said.

      “This has been a long time coming,” Kovak noted.

      “We needed to build up supplies. The drones for bringing hostilities to the edge and pushing them over,” Cortez continued. “But we have other facilities. Storage areas, set up around the globe, stocked with the kind of firepower we’d need to emerge from the ashes of civilization as the new tomorrow’s government.”

      “And forcing nuclear, biological and chemical attacks across the globe thins down the herd you want to run,” Kovak concluded. “After all, you might have a fairly strong organization, but even you can’t rein in six billion humans.”

      “No,” Cortez admitted. He smiled. “I don’t blame you for feeling overwhelmed.”

      “It’s not every day someone sets the wheels of Armageddon in motion,” Kovak stated.

      Cortez chuckled. “Yes. The backup plan.”

      Kovak looked at Israel, specifically the Northern District. To many Christians around the world, this was to be the location for the battle of Armageddon, specifically in the Jezreel Valley, not far from the Golan Heights. Several historical battles of Meggido had been fought across the history of humankind.

      Jammed