Drone (31 page)

“I was thinking the other way around. Once we find the Bravos, maybe we’ll find your killer. So help us find them.”

“The Bravos aren’t my problem. I need to stay focused on hunting Ali.”

“You once told me that personal vendettas weren’t in your mission statement,” Myers reminded him.

“The mission statement got changed.”

“I need you to see the big picture here, Troy. If the Iranians are somehow involved in Mexico, it means we’re in a whole new strategic situation. I need your help.”

“To do what? Take out the Bravos? Then who comes after that? You can’t keep escalating this war tit-for-tat. It’s a losing game.”

“I have no intention of playing that kind of game. I’m going to overturn the whole damn board.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m going to change the government of Mexico.”

Pearce shook his head in disbelief. “You’ve got a pair on you, ma’am, if you don’t mind my saying. You don’t mess around, do you?”

“Not when it comes to the security of the United States.”

“Or anything else, I bet.”

She smiled, barely. “No, not really.”

She leaned in closer to the screen. “I can’t do this without your help.”

“I don’t see how you can pull it off.”

She gave Pearce the big-picture summary. He asked probing questions. Myers was impressed with the depth and breadth of Pearce’s grasp of Mexican politics and the geopolitical landscape.

“So, what’s the verdict?” Myers asked. “You think this will work?”

“On paper, sure. In reality? I’d say it’s a definite maybe at best. Who else is backing you on this?”

“My cabinet, mostly.”

“Is Greyhill still out of the loop?” Pearce asked.

“Yes.”

“What about congressional support?”

“We’ve put out a few feelers, but we can’t afford to tip our hand just yet. It’s better to hand Congress a fait accompli. If I open it up to debate, nothing will get done and the opportunity we have right now will be lost. But I’m still missing the most important piece of the puzzle.”

“What’s that?” Pearce asked.

“You. I still need your services to pull off the strike piece.”

“You’re in charge of the world’s largest killing machine. Use it.”

“Nothing’s changed on our end,” Myers said. “I still can’t put boots on the ground.”

“I can’t help you, either. My operations aren’t big enough to carry out the unmanned part of the mission. You need more assets.”

“Like the Pentagon?”

“For what you want to accomplish in the time frame you’re talking about? No. Check that. Make that
hell, no
. Not the way things are currently organized.”

“What do you mean?” Myers asked.

“Once you open the Pentagon door, you’re begging for trouble. First of all, you have army, navy, Marine, and air force units that all operate various drone and robotics systems. Many of those systems aren’t compatible and they certainly don’t all coordinate or communicate with one another, with the limited exception of the JCE, and that’s just the army and the air force and
that’s
just for UAVs. And then you have all of the command and control problems that come with the jurisdictional bullshit. But that’s just the beginning of your woes. Once you activate the U.S. military, they’re going to draw on other national intelligence assets like the NSA and all of the DoD resources. Once you’ve done that, you’ve triggered congressional oversight and micromanagement. There are over one hundred congressional committees that have jurisdiction on homeland security alone. Add in subcommittees on intelligence, defense, Latin America—you’re
just warming up the big brass tubas for a gigantic Hungarian cluster dance.”

Myers laughed.

Pearce had never heard her laugh before. He was charmed.

“I’m not much of a dancer, Hungarian or otherwise, so what would you propose?”

“Like many other areas of modern life, you should imitate the Germans. Go find your best war fighter and form a separate operational structure under him. Call it ‘Robotics Command’ or ‘Drone Command.’ Let him pick and choose the best weapons systems and the best operators wherever you find them. If they’re military, pull them out of their respective service hierarchies, at least temporarily, the way NASA does for their astronaut cadre. Keep everything lean and nimble. This can’t be about medals or pulling rank or promotions. It’s about getting the job done fast and efficiently.”

“How about you? You’d be perfect for the job.”

“No, thanks. Desks and paperwork make me itch.”

“Then whom?”

“Have Early contact Dr. T. J. Ashley. She’s the current assistant director of National Intelligence for Acquisition, Technology, and Facilities. She’s former navy with combat experience and has the technical chops for the job.”

“How do you know her?” Myers asked.

“In 2007, Early was going to run an op in the Persian Gulf near Iranian waters and he’d requested one of the new UAV support teams for an intel assist, but the local commander turned him down.”

“But Dr. Ashley stepped in?” Myers asked.

“It was a good thing she did. Her drone disabled an Iranian patrol boat and saved the lives of Early and his team, but it nearly earned her a court-martial. She told Early she didn’t care because she thought she had done the Lord’s work. That makes her good people in Early’s book.”

“Mine, too,” Myers said.

“Early pulled a few strings and got her off the hook. In fact, he even got her promoted. But she resigned her commission right after that and took a research position with the University of Texas. That’s when I tried to hire her into my firm, but she turned me down. She’s a dyed-in-the-wool patriot and wanted to get back into government service.”

“Sounds like she’s the one,” Myers said.

“She won’t say no to Early.”

“Okay.”

“One more thing. Please tell me that Jackson didn’t turn off DAS.”

“You’d have to speak with him about that.”

“He needs to get Stellar Wind rolling, too, if it isn’t already. And we can’t keep pointing both of them in just one direction, if you catch my drift.”

“Stellar Wind?” She wasn’t expecting that. The libertarian in her struggled with the idea of using warrantless antiterror search technology on her fellow citizens, even the rotten ones.

“Dillinger said he robbed banks because that’s where the money was. A lot of the bad guys you’ll be hunting are running around up here.”

“You’re right. Still . . .”

“Something else bothering you?” Pearce asked.

“It’s ‘Big Brother’ technology. I just hate the idea of the government knowing everything there is to know about everybody.”

“You’ll hate not knowing where your targets are even more.”

“I’ll tell Mike I’m authorizing Stellar Wind. Thanks again for your help. Your country owes you a great debt.”

“Yeah, it does. Early still hasn’t cut me a check for the last job. So, how about that favor?”

Myers was caught between a rock and a hard place. She wanted to help her friend, but the nation came first. “How about a compromise? I can’t redeploy any of our intelligence assets away from our search, but I can give your people full access to everything we generate in the data stream. Will that work for now?”

“I’ll take what I can get. Thanks.”

“But it’ll cost you,” Myers said.

“Why am I not surprised?”

“I need you to talk to somebody for me.”

Myers posted Cruzalta’s name and address to Pearce.

Pearce read it. “In person, I take it?”

“I’ve found that face-to-face is always more effective.”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

She smiled coyly. “It worked on you, didn’t it?”

Pearce remembered his first meeting with Myers with a grin. “Apparently.”

She turned serious. “Just be sure you realize that without him, we can’t move forward.”

Pearce’s grin faded. “Yes, I believe I do.”

“Good. Because we’re totally FUBAR if you drop the ball on this.”

36

Boca de Tomatlán, Mexico

Just a quarter mile north of the sleepy little bay village was an open-air bar called El Pirata Libre. It perched on a collection of steps on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, its various palm-frond roofs jutting up at sharp angles. The place felt more Polynesian than Mexican despite the stone floors and round tiled tables. It was a favorite haunt of Canadian snowbirds and retired Americans who crowded the place every sunset to say good-bye to the great golden disc as it plunged into the sea. Cruzalta liked it because the booze was cheap and strong, and the endless tracks of Jimmy Buffett music were loud enough to drown out the mindless conversations taking place all around him. A perfect place for a middle-aged man to hide in plain sight.

Cruzalta wore the same gaudy tropical shirt, cargo shorts, and flip-flops that every other
güero
in the bar was wearing. It was the natural camouflage for the terrain. The only difference was that Cruzalta wasn’t cramming a beer-barrel gut beneath his Tommy Bahama shirt and his calves were sculpted like diamonds from his daily five-mile run.

Cruzalta stood at the far rail on the lowest level of the bar nearest the ocean, drink in hand, staring out at the purpling sky, the setting sun half submerged on the far horizon.

“Colonel Cruzalta, a word, please,” whispered in his ear.

Cruzalta’s first instinct was to reach for the pistol in his concealed holster, but the voice in his ear was distinctly American and he felt neither the point of a blade nor the blunt edge of a pistol barrel in his back.

“Why not?” Cruzalta said.

Cruzalta turned around. He didn’t recognize the fortysomething-year-old man standing in front of him, but he had the poise of a fighter in repose, completely relaxed and yet able to strike at the blink of an eye. There was a fierce, welcoming intelligence behind the man’s clear blue eyes as well.

“You must be Pearce,” Cruzalta said. “You travel fast. I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow.”

“My pilot has a lead foot,” Pearce said. He was referring to Judy Hopper, of course. She’d flown Pearce down in the company HondaJet and was getting the plane refueled at that very moment. “What’s good to drink here?”

Cruzalta held up his whiskey glass. “Anything without an umbrella. Follow me.”

Cruzalta slipped into the gray-haired crowd, brushing past the wide asses and veiny legs peeking out of too-short shorts. They made their way to the bar at the top level and ordered a couple of Johnnie Walker Blacks.

“Cheers,” Cruzalta said as he clinked glasses with Pearce. They both tossed back their drinks.

“Another round,” Cruzalta barked in Spanish to the barkeep. Two more were set up. Two more tossed down.

“You’re the man who took out our friend Castillo, aren’t you?” Cruzalta asked.

“Me and my team.”

“Impressive. You did more in one day against Castillo than I was able to do in twenty years. I just wish you’d done it earlier.” Cruzalta picked up a third whiskey and knocked it back. Pearce didn’t touch his.

“You tired of feeling sorry for yourself, Colonel?”

Cruzalta’s face hardened. “How would you feel if it was your soldiers who were burned to death?”

“For what it’s worth, I think you ran the operation as well as could have been expected, given your orders.”

“I did what I was told to do. That was my error. A good commander takes initiative. I should have disobeyed my orders. Taken more precautions.”

“Soldiers are supposed to obey orders. Your reward was to be treated dishonorably. But then again, what else should one expect from a dishonorable man like Barraza?”

Cruzalta cursed. “Politicians. They’re all the same, no?”

“I used to think they were. But I’ve recently learned that a few are capable of doing the right thing for the right reasons.”

The Marine snorted. “Like your Myers? She’s just another gringa
with a gun pointed at our heads.”

“No, she’s not. In fact, that’s why I’m here. She wants me to ask you a question.”

Cruzalta blinked his bloodshot eyes. “Ask me a question? What question?”

“Is there somewhere else we can talk?”

“My brother’s place, up on the hill.”

“Does he have a satellite dish?”

—

Cruzalta pulled a couple of cold Tecates out of the fridge.

Pearce was on his cell phone as he flipped through several satellite television channels until he found an unused station.

Cruzalta set Pearce’s beer on the table and fell onto the couch. He popped open his bottle and took a swig.

Pearce thanked whoever was on the other end of the call and clicked off. He picked up his beer and opened it.

“So your president wanted you to come down here to show me movies, Señor Pearce?”

“Not exactly. Cheers.” He took a sip.

The TV channel acquired a signal. An empty chair appeared on-screen. A portrait of Winston Churchill hung on a wall behind the chair. A moment later, Myers stepped into the frame and sat down.

Cruzalta instinctively stood up.

“Colonel Cruzalta. Thank you so much for meeting with me. Please, have a seat.”

Cruzalta glanced at Pearce, confused.

Pearce grinned. “We’re pretty casual north of the border. Relax.”

Cruzalta sat down. He realized he still had the beer in his hand and set it down on the table.

“Colonel, let me speak directly. We need your help. We have reason to believe that the Iranians have partnered with one or more of the drug cartels and that this alliance poses a strategic threat to both the United States and Mexico.”

Cruzalta shook his head. “There have always been such rumors. Where is the evidence?”

Pearce clicked a button on a remote. A new image appeared. It had the point of view of a hidden handheld video camera. It was tracking Cruzalta’s doomed convoy heading for the tunnel on the way to pick up the Castillo boys. As the vehicles raced down the highway, the image came in and out of focus as the automatic focus feature engaged.

The blood drained out of Cruzalta’s face.

The camera swung up into the air to catch Cruzalta’s helicopter. One of the camera operators chattered in Farsi.