Edge of Battle (34 page)

“Do not lecture me on what is ‘appropriate,’ Mr. Conrad, after what the United States has done over the past few days!” Maravilloso snapped. “You are certainly in no such position!”

“Madam President, we have information that one of our Cybernetic Infantry Devices—the man-piloted robot—and the commander of Task Force TALON, Jason Richter, were taken at the same time,” the President said. “Obviously the danger in having one of those robots in the hands of a terrorist mastermind like Yegor Zakharov is clear. We request…”

“Zakharov?
Yegor Zakharov?
” Maravilloso looked in shock at the others in her office. “I know nothing of Zakharov being involved in this! This is…this is not possible…!”

“Madam President, there’s no time to waste,” the President said. “We request immediate assistance from the Mexican government and military to recover Major Richter and the CID unit, and to help bring the terrorists involved to justice.”

Minister of Internal Affairs Felix Díaz entered the president’s office and stood before her desk, his hands calmly folded in front
of him, smiling slightly—a smile which completely enraged her. She took a deep breath, paused, then went on: “I agree, our commanders should have foreseen this and made the proper notifications. At this time, Mr. President, I can offer nothing more than my sincerest apologies and my offer to do whatever I must to discover the truth.”

“In light of our recent terrorist attacks and the continued threat posed to military and civil locations, the United States requests that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Navy Judge Advocate General take the lead in this investigation,” President Conrad said. “We are ready to provide the best forensic and investigative tools available to assist your investigators.”

“Very well, Mr. President,” Maravilloso said after a slight pause. She looked at the faces of her advisers in the office with her. “Mexico stands ready to receive your investigation teams, and we will cooperate to the fullest extent possible. Again, sir, I deeply apologize for this terrible incident.”

She hung up the phone, then pulled a cigar from a humidor on her desk but tossed it back impatiently—she wasn’t going to waste a good cigar now. “All right,” she said finally to the advisers with her in her office after rubbing her eyes and temples wearily, “someone explain to me what in hell
really
happened this morning!”

“It was as I already reported, Madam President,” Alberto Rojas said. “I received an urgent request from Minister Díaz to help locate and interdict a group of warring drug gang members who were driving eastbound on Federal Highway 2 from Mexicali. He said they had sophisticated military weapons with them and requested counterinsurgency aircraft, including jet fighters.”

“Jet fighters—against drug smugglers, Minister Díaz?”

“I admit I may have reacted instinctively, as a former Air Force officer, Madam President,” Minister of Internal Affairs Felix Díaz said, “but I felt time was of the essence, and I believed a strong show of force might take the fight out of the gangsters. The heli
copters might have been sufficient, and certainly should have avoided overflying U.S. territory, but I made a judgment call. It turns out the jets were needed—the gangsters did indeed have antiaircraft weapons and were lying in wait for whoever might pursue them.”

“I want it made perfectly clear that the Ministry of National Defense bears no responsibility for this incident,” Rojas said hotly. “On his urgent request, and against my better judgment, I made the decision to turn over tactical control of the engagement to Minister Díaz, and he accepted.”

“Minister?”

“It is true, Madam President,” Díaz said, “and I accept full responsibility for what has occurred. The downing of that Marine Corps helicopter was an unfortunate error, an accident. In retrospect, the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ helicopters from Mexicali probably would have been sufficient for the job, but it was unsure if they could have arrived on time to catch the gangsters before they escaped, or withstand their attack if they did. I made a decision, and I stand by it.”

“You were afraid that helicopters just a few miles away wouldn’t have arrived in time,” Rojas pointed out in confusion, “so you requested help from fighter jets based almost
five hundred
miles away? That doesn’t make sense!”

“Thank you for taking advantage of twenty-twenty hindsight and criticizing a last-second decision I made to safeguard lives and property, General,” Díaz shot back. “My staff discussed all options for dealing with these criminals and decided to call on the jets from Mexico City. I never thought we would actually
use
them. But when the helicopters failed to respond in time, we had no choice but to use the first assets available. If I had tanks and armored vehicles, I would have used them too.”

Maravilloso studied Díaz’s face for a moment, nodded, then glanced at Sotelo and then at Alberto Rojas. “Are you satisfied, General Rojas?” He nodded, glaring at Díaz, who ignored him. “Very well then. I assure you that the Ministry of National De
fense will be absolved of any responsibility in this matter. Please stay for a moment, General Rojas. I would like your advice.”

“Gladly, Madam President.”

Maravilloso stood behind her desk and affixed an angry gaze at Díaz. “This had better be good, Felix,” she said seriously, “because you have just made up for everything the Americans have done to us over the past several days, and much more. It looks like a retaliation, plain and simple, and now the Ministry of Internal Affairs has taken full responsibility for it. What is the
real
reason for the overflight? What in hell is going on?”

“Are you sure you want to know, Carmen?” Díaz asked.

“What do you mean, Felix?” she demanded. That was the first time, Maravilloso thought, that anything Felix Díaz said ever scared her. She had always assumed that this handsome, wealthy, and very powerful man had his own personal, business, and political agendas, but he had never before given any indication of what they were, or that they might be contrary to
hers
. For the first time, she felt a shiver of vulnerability in her own office. Even Rojas’s face fell in surprise at Díaz’s simple question. “What is going on here?” Díaz hesitated again. “Tell me, Felix.
¡Ahora!
”

Díaz glanced once at Rojas, silently asking Maravilloso if she was sure she wanted the Minister of Defense to hear what he was about to say; when she remained silent, he said, “We found out that Task Force TALON had found Ernesto Fuerza—‘Comandante Veracruz.’”

“¡Mi Díos!”
Maravilloso gasped. “Fuerza was in the United States?”

“He was organizing workers up in the Imperial Valley of California—building a resistance force, raising money, recruiting supporters, even gathering weapons,” Díaz said. “TALON was going to capture him at any moment, and I seriously doubt if the Americans would have notified us of the capture for a long time. I made a decision to snatch him before TALON could close in on him, and I dispatched the
Sombras
…”

“The
Sombras
…inside the United States…?” Rojas gasped.

“The
Sombras
have operated many times inside the United States on officially sanctioned clandestine missions, Alberto—you know it as well as I,” Díaz said. To Maravilloso, he continued: “When I found out that TALON was involved, and they had called in U.S. Marines from El Centro Naval Air Facility to assist, I called in the jets.”

“You requested our fighter jets to attack U.S. military aircraft to rescue a
drug smuggler?
Why?”

“I was hoping the jets would create enough confusion and allow helicopters to come in and snatch Fuerza,” Díaz said. “Fuerza himself destroyed two helicopters, but that only succeeded in bringing more and better-armed helicopters—they weren’t going to be chased away. I ordered the pilots to attack.”

“This is incredible!” Maravilloso retorted. “This is a disaster!” She sank into her chair behind her desk as if all of her muscles had gone weak at once. “My God, Felix, what have you done?” she muttered, shaking her head. “At the very least, that’s an international incident of the most serious order—at worst, it is an act of
war
. And Conrad says that Yegor Zakharov was somehow involved, and that Zakharov has one of Task Force TALON’s robots and its commander captive.”

“I know nothing of any of this,” Díaz snapped. “It sounds to me as if Conrad is threatening to enflame American and world public opinion against us by yet again mentioning Zakharov’s involvement. This is nothing but a fairy tale. I have Fuerza—that’s all.”

Maravilloso remained silent…but only for a moment before finally asking, “So, is he…?”

“Vivo,”
Díaz said proudly. “He is in a safe house in Hermosillo getting medical treatment, and then I will bring him here to meet with you.”

“Is he…is he badly hurt?”

“It appears TALON and the Border Patrol tried to torture him to reveal information,” Díaz said. “He is injured, but he will make a full recovery.”

Carmen Maravilloso momentarily forgot about the border incursion and attack, thinking only of meeting Fuerza. “It was even better that TALON and the Border Patrol were involved, since they are the spearhead of this new anti-immigrant
pogrom
.” She looked at Díaz seriously. “But there is the question of explaining the initial story about the incident, especially to the Council of Government…”

“Just tell the council exactly what I have already told you, Carmen,” Díaz said. “We can show plenty of pictures of dangerous drug dealers and explain how we are doing everything in our power to stop them, even if it means crossing the border. Let me get together with the Ministry of Information and present you with a plan on how we should deal with the press.”

Rojas looked at Díaz suspiciously, but nodded. “You may have to submit to questioning by the Supreme Court, perhaps even resign your post,” Rojas said.

“I will not resign my post, General Rojas,” Díaz said. “I was acting in my capacity as Minister of Internal Affairs and as chief border security and anti-drug officer of the Mexican government. The president expressed her desire to meet with Fuerza, which would have been impossible if he was captured or killed. Need I remind you that the man is wanted in Mexico for drug dealing and gun smuggling as well?”

“The American government will want to question you,” Rojas said, “and they will not like it if we refuse.”

“I’ve got plenty of bodies of dead drug smugglers to show the Americans—and if I don’t have enough, I’ll get some more,” Diaz said. “I can handle the Americans. They like Mexicans who are tough on crime and drugs. If necessary, I will apologize profusely and offer my resignation.” He looked at Maravilloso and added, “It will be refused, of course.”

“Of course it will, Felix,” Maravilloso said. “But what about Fuerza? What should we do with him? After what has just happened, can he help us convince the American Congress to address the immigration problem without causing a deluge of refugees back to Mexico?”

“He is a complete unknown, Carmen,” Rojas said. “We know of him only by rumor and legend, and most of the legend is not favorable. A drug smuggler turned so-called nationalist and self-proclaimed ‘patriotic freedom-fighter’ is still a drug smuggler. He is damaged goods, Carmen. If he is wanted in Mexico for any crimes, he should stand trial for them. Otherwise, he should be sent to a remote part of the country and placed under close scrutiny, perhaps even house arrest, to be sure he doesn’t make any more of those ridiculous videotapes and stir up the people…”

“The people
listen
to him, Alberto,” Maravilloso said. “They
like
him. He is dashing, energetic, inspirational—”

“You are too obsessed with the media image, Carmen—that may not be the real man at all,” Rojas said. “You are a much more influential person than he. Do not be sucked in by his cult of personality. Send him to a prison in Durango or San Luis Potosí state and make sure he never leaves.” Maravilloso fell silent, trying but failing to come up with a better argument than her most trusted adviser’s.

“Fuerza’s power lies in his popularity,” Díaz interjected in the silence. “His message has attracted the attention of many progressives around the world.” He noticed Rojas’s warning expression and said: “If the people of the world are attracted to Fuerza, perhaps we should take advantage of that.” He looked at the president of Mexico carefully. “You two,
together
—you form a very powerful, very direct, and—to use your own emphasis—very photogenic duo.”

The Minister of National Defense looked at Díaz as if he was going to tell him that he had no right to speak. “The president of Mexico
will not
appear in the electronic media with this man, this…this
criminal!
” Rojas retorted.

“We do not know who he is, Alberto—we know only what the media says about him,” Maravilloso said.

“That is very often enough—you have said so yourself many times, Carmen,” Rojas pointed out. “The people know what the media tell them, is it not so?”

“I want to meet him,” Maravilloso insisted. “I want to see if this man can provide the spark to ignite a revolution in border and émigré matters between our country and the United States.”

“Carmen, I think it would be a grave mistake,” Rojas said. “If you align yourself with such a man, you may never be taken seriously again by any nation. It could ruin relations with the United States for a generation…”

“Relations have
already
been ruined, Alberto, but not by me,” Maravilloso said. “I will not allow the immigration debate to be steered by men like Bob O’Rourke. My position as president of Mexico prohibits me from doing much to stir the debate…but this Comandante Veracruz may be able to do what I cannot.”

She turned to Díaz. “Felix, do not worry: I will keep to your initial story—be sure you do everything you need to do to procure as much evidence as you can to back your story up. Mexico will shield you from prosecution for abuse of power…
this
time. Next time, inform this office before you pull such stunts again, or I can guarantee you no such protection.” Maravilloso thought Díaz was going to argue with her—she saw a brief flare of defiance and untold strength in his features—but instead he lowered his eyes and nodded. “And I want to meet with this Ernesto Fuerza. Set it up right away. You are dismissed.”