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The meeting was adjourned and Hood asked Rodgers to stay behind. As Bob Herbert exited and shut the door, Hood came from around his desk. He sat in an armchair across from the general.

"It was pretty rough, wasn't it?" Hood asked.

"You want to know what's funny?" Rodgers asked. "I've been through rougher. It was more than just what happened over there that got to me."

"Care to tell me about it?"

"Yes," said Rodgers, "because it has to do with my resignation."

Hood stared with open surprise as Rodgers pulled a business envelope from inside his jacket. He leaned forward stiffly and placed it on the desk. "I was working on that when you called this morning," he said. "It'll be effective as soon as you find a replacement."

"What makes you think I'll accept it?" Hood asked.

"Because I won't be any good to you here," Rodgers said. "No, scratch that. I just think I'll be more good to the country somewhere else."

"Where?" Hood demanded.

"I don't want to sound apocalyptic, Paul," Rodgers said, "but the Middle East really brought this home for me. Amercia's facing a streetwise and very dangerous enemy."

"Terrorism."

"Terrorism," he said, "and the unpreparedness it preys on. The government is bound by treaties and economical concerns. Groups like Op-Center and the CIA are spread too thin. Airlines and companies doing business abroad and armed forces stationed in foreign nations can also only do so much to protect their people. We need more human intelligence instead of electronic and satellite surveillance, and we need a more effective way of acting on it--preventatively. I spoke with Falah, the Israeli Druze who assisted us in the Bekaa. He was semi-retired from reconnaissance work and didn't realize how much he missed it. He's ready to go back into action. I'll talk to allies in other countries, to some of Bob's contacts. Paul, I believe this more strongly than I've ever believed anything. We need a streetwise and equally dangerous force to fight terrorism."

Hood looked at him intently. "I'm going to try and talk you out of doing this."

"Don't bother," Rodgers said. "I'm determined."

"I know," Hood said, "and I know how you get. What I mean is, I'm going to try and talk you out of resigning. Why not set up this unit of yours at Op-Center?"

Now it was Rodgers who seemed taken aback. It was several seconds before he could answer. "Paul, do you realize what you're saying? I'm not talking about different uses for Striker. I'm talking about a dedicated unit."

"I understand," Hood said.

"But we could never get that into an amended charter."

"Then we don't."

"How would you get the financing?"

"We can learn from some of the mistakes Stephen Viens made," Hood said. "I'll find a way to finance it through here. Ed Colahan can be trusted with that. Hell, I think he'd enjoy it. The CFO's jealous of all your cloak-and-dagger stuff. We've also learned from our mistakes in Turkey. We can review the data, figure out how to use the ROC more efficiently. Keep it in the field permanently instead of only where it's needed."

"A mobile stealth operation," Rodgers said.

"With stealth warriors," Hood said. "It's got possibilities. And you've got the passion to pull it off."

Rodgers shook his head. "What about the actions themselves? I executed a terrorist in Lebanon. It was imperium in imperio, jackboot law. I judged him and I shot him. I'm not going to sit here and tell you for certain that I wouldn't do it again. The lives of innocent Americans come first."

"I know," Hood replied. "And I won't say that I disagree."

Rodgers snickered. "Really? That isn't you, Paul. You're not even for the death penalty."

"You're right, Mike, " Hood said. "But that's the thing you learn about managing a team like ours or a city like Los Angeles or even a family. It isn't about what you're for or against. It's a question of what's best. Mike, you're going to do this anyway. I've already half got a picture in mind of you in desert patriarch robes with a staff in one hand and an Uzi in the other, hunting down terrorists. That wouldn't be