Pandemic

Clayton hit two more keys. Abdul Sabri's photo from his military record popped up on the screen. "Now, this guy is by far the most interesting character of the motley crew. The Egyptians have given us his file, and it's a doozy. As a major with their Special Forces, Sabri developed a talent and appetite for brutal operations. Massacres might be a better word. Some of the stuff he carried out…" Clayton shook his head.

"Don't be too jealous," McLeod said. "Your agency carries out more than its share of global atrocities."

Clayton shot him an annoyed glance, which lacked any sign of his earlier amusement "Even the Egyptian Special Forces eventually washed their hands of Abdul Sabri, declaring him too violent. But the most bizarre thing? Sabri used to torture and slaughter the same extremists he now works for. Makes little sense."

"Maybe the 'what' is more important than the 'who' for Major Sabri," Haldane said.

"Maybe." Clayton frowned skeptically. "Regardless, Sabri is one dangerous S.O.B. And the Egyptians are convinced that he was behind the murder of the policeman in Cairo. In fact, they believe Eleish jumped over his own railing to avoid Sabri's notorious torture technique."

"Poor man." Gwen shook her head in disgust. "Are we any closer to locating Kabaal, Sabri, or their lab?"

Clayton tapped a key. A map of Somalia, sandwiched between Ethiopia and the Indian Ocean, appeared on screen. Lines and colors divided it into various states and political allegiances. "We're still working under the assumption they're in Somalia." Clayton cracked his neck from side to side. "We have several leads, but.. He held up his hands and sighed.

"But nothing concrete?" Gwen asked.

"Problem is, Somalia isn't really a country in any traditional sense. It's just a hodgepodge of gangs, tribes, and secessionists. The northern region regards itself as an independent state called Somaliland. As does the middle region, Puntland. The south is in disarray. Political and ethnic parties compete with the warlords and other opportunists for every square inch."

Gwen leaned forward in her chair. "So it's impossible to, get any government cooperation with tracking these terrorists down?"

"To begin with, there's no government to cooperate with," Clayton said. "But a bigger problem is that there are so many people up to no good — smugglers, drug traffickers, and other terrorist networks — that we're finding all kinds of criminals crawling out of the woodwork. They know we watch from the skies with our satellites, so their movements are calculated to confuse." Clayton hit a key and a few points on the map flashed in red. "We have picked up some unusual hot spots of cell phone and Internet activity at a number of sites. One just south of Mogadishu in Marka. Another outside Kismaayo. And one a few miles north of Hargeysa. We're keeping a close eye on all of them."

Clayton tapped a key and the screen went blank. "We've put several more agents on the ground. I think the key to finding Kabaal and his lab will be human intelligence."

"Doesn't sound like there's much of that in the region," McLeod deadpanned.

Clayton ignored the remark. "Information is very cheap in Somalia. For twenty U.S. dollars many of the locals would sell out their own mothers. My gut tells me that's how we're going to find him."

Clayton nodded to himself and then, as if in afterthought, he pointed at Haldane. "Oh, yeah." He grinned. "We're bird hunting, too. See if we can find us some infected turkeys or something to lead us to the terrorists."

Just as Haldane was about to reply, Gwen touched him on the wrist and said to Clayton, "Alex, we scientists might surprise you yet with our usefulness."

GLEN ECHO HEIGHTS, BETHESDA MARYLAND

At just before 8:00 P.M., the limo pulled up to Haldane's colonial-style home in the middle-class Washington suburb.

Haldane had never formed much of an attachment to this house or any other place he had ever lived, but his heart pounded when he stepped out of the car. He took his suitcase from the driver and raced up the path to his front door, desperate to see Chloe though nervous at the prospect of facing Anna again.

The door opened before he reached it, and Chloe, dressed in her Snow White outfit, raced out to meet him. She jumped into her dad's arms while he swung her around in the air, stopping only to cover her face with kisses while she laughed gleefully.

Leaving his bag on the doorstep, he carried his daughter into the foyer where Anna waited. "Daddy's really home!" Chloe squealed, still wrapped around Noah's chest

There was an awkward moment when Anna leaned forward to kiss Noah, and it was clear that neither knew where her lips should land. They had once shared such physical synchrony, but now they experienced a clumsy moment as his nose bopped her chin before her lips brushed dryly against his cheek.