"William W Johnstone - Ashes 33 - Enemy in the Ashes (txt)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Johnstone William W)

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Muhammad Atwa turned and shook hands with Herb Knoff at the Indianapolis
International Airport. He'd just checked three suitcases onto the
commercial aircraft he was taking to Mexico City. Two of them appeared
to be aluminum cases, but were in fact lined with lead on the inside,
and each contained twenty-five pounds of weapons-grade plutonium in an
inner casing. The third suitcase was more conventional in appearance,
being made of leather, though it too had a lead-foil coating inside to
hide its contents from any airport scanners. In it were various assorted
weapons arrayed for easy access once he reached his destination.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather use one of our military aircraft to
take you home?" Knoff asked as they grasped hands.

Atwa smiled grimly. "Would you also have me paint my forehead with a
sign saying I am on important business with the U.S.?" he asked gently,
so as not to give any disrespect to his new ally and friend.

"But will the ... cargo be safe flying commercially?" Knoff persisted as
he glanced at the bags being loaded into the cargo section of the plane,
along with dozens of others, by the baggage handlers.

Atwa shrugged. "If it is Allah's will, the bags and I will

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all make it home safe and sound. If we do not, then I am sure the people
I represent will send someone else to procure another supply of what we
need to bring the U.N. to its knees."

"I hope it doesn't come to that," Herb said. "I'm looking forward to the
operation you've planned. The U.N. and Ben Raines and the SUSA have been
a thorn in our sides for many years. It will be good to see them begging
for oil for a change."

"There will be many changes once we've gained control of the oil fields,
my friend," Atwa said. "I will send you a coded message to let you know
when I've arrived safely in our headquarters in Afghanistan."

"So long," Herb said, watching as Atwa walked toward the plane as if he
hadn't a care in the world.

Atwa, though a devout Muslim, didn't wear the beard of the true
fanatics, or the turban. He was dark-skinned and was fluent in many
languages, Spanish among them. He'd made his own flight arrangements,
flying under the alias Emilio Gonzales. Only he, El Farrar, and El
Farrar's second in command, Farid Zamet, knew his travel plans. Once he