<br /><br />The Fortress: Prologue - Talien's Tower<br />

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Sunday, October 26

The Fortress: Prologue

MIAMI, FL—“Let me get this straight,” said the Special Agent in Charge of the Miami Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration. “You CIFA boys want to horn in my operation for what reason again?”

“Terrorists,” Jim-Bean said with a slow smile. “Tang Chasa is on our wanted list for drug trafficking and money laundering for a terrorist organization known as Al-Hazzan.” They were sitting in Trouville’s office, who was none too pleased to see them. “The profits made from drug trafficking here in the U.S. are being used elsewhere—“

“In Iraq,” chimed in Hammer.

“Iraq?” asked Trouville skeptically. “We’ve seen some trafficking in Vietnam, with Tang being half-Vietnamese, but—“

“That’s right,” corrected Jim-Bean. “The drugs funnel through Vietnam and then the money is laundered in Iraq.”

Trouville sighed. “All right. Fine. Our agency will do everything we can to help. But you have to do something for me.”

“Name it,” said Jim-Bean.

“I want full military support. We’re going to move on Chasa, but when we move I’m going to need serious backup. They don’t call the hotel he’s holed up in ‘La Fortaleza’ for nothing. It really is a fortress.”

Jim-Bean nodded and tapped a few keys on his cistron. “You’ll have it.”

“Good,” said Trouville. He handed out dossiers to the three agents, looking askance at Caprice’s rapper/drug-dealer getup. “These are the profiles of the people you’re dealing with.” He tapped the picture of Chasa. “You already know the leader, known as Machete on the street. He’s fond of hacking people up with his gold-plated knife.”

“Charming,” said Jim-Bean. [MORE]