Alarico shifted in his seat impatiently but said nothing as Souris continued.

“Using Aura, I was able to see the Americans last night. But not with my eyes. And I was able to direct Valika and her men to capture them. All without moving from my seat in a Land Rover a half mile away. I traveled through Aura. And I saw them from my place in Aura.

“The best way to think of Aura is that it is a virtual field like a radio transmission that we can generate that is practically on the same frequency and amplitude as that of our thoughts. Thus we can travel outside of our heads into an Aura field.”

“What is she talking about?” Alarico couldn’t hold back any longer. “She babbles like a loco woman. And what is with her head? Those marks?”

Cesar spoke up. “Think of having access to a machine that allows you to be able to travel anywhere and see and hear what is happening without ever leaving where you are. Start imagining the potential. And it goes well beyond that. It can also be used as a weapon, as we did three days ago to wipe out the crew of an American Coast Guard cutter, allowing us to land one of the largest shipments we have ever sent.”

“A computer that kills?” Naldo was leaning forward.

“Yes,” Cesar said.

Naldo ran a finger across his upper lip as he considered that. “Interesting.”

“The computer is only one part of it,” Souris corrected. “What killed was the Aura field projected by the computer through a specially designed antenna system that I have developed.”

Alarico spit once more. “This is nonsense. You bring this loco scientist and your Russian whore here and you waste our time. Just as you have wasted millions of our dollars. I am tired of paying the Ring and getting nothing out. I can protect my own.”

Cesar ignored him. “Using Aura, Professor Souris was able to discover who gave up the time and location of Señor Naldo’s shipment and thus we were able to ambush the ambushers who sought to kidnap his son.”

Valika knew that was partially a lie. Souris had discovered the source of the leak that had initiated the planning for the location of the ambush, but the information about the timing of the deployment of the Task Force Six team had been given to her from one of her sources in Bogotá.

“This is ridiculous!” Alarico was on his feet.

Valika had spent thousands of hours on live fire ranges and negotiating close-quarter combat courses. Alarico’s hand was still reaching under his jacket when she had her pistol free of the holster. By the time his cleared leather, she was in a classic shooter’s stance, a bead drawn directly between his eyes. Her finger was a millimeter from the hair trigger as Alarico froze, his gun still pointing down, his eyes fixed on the muzzle of her weapon, his face flushed bright red.

“Drop the pistol.” Cesar had not even flinched during the encounter.

It fell to the ground with a clatter.

Valika edged around so she had a better field of fire. “Move back two steps,” she ordered, staying far enough away from him so he couldn’t reach her with a surprise move. Only amateurs pressed a gun up against a foe, negating the standoff advantage inherent in a pistol.

“If you do not do as she says,” Cesar added, “I will have her shoot you in your testicles.”

Alarico shuffled back, veins in his face bulging from anger. He was now about two feet from one of the atrium pillars.

“Turn around.” Valika waited until he complied. “Now grab that pillar without moving your feet. Lean forward and press your forehead against it. Now, remove your hands and place them behind your back.”

Alarico’s weight was now distributed between his feet and his forehead. He couldn’t move without falling unless he put his hands back on the pillar. She pulled a pair of cuffs from her belt and quickly snapped them around his wrists.

“Cesar, why are you doing this to me?” Alarico asked, his voice slightly muffled as it bounced off the pillar. Unnoticed by everyone but Valika, Souris made her way out of the courtyard, through a dark doorway, and into a descending staircase.

“Don’t treat me like I’m stupid,” Cesar said. “You made a deal with the Americans. You gave up the route of Naldo’s shipment as a sign of good faith on your end. You wanted his son dead or kidnapped. You were planning to give up all of us eventually and be the only one left standing. You should have had more patience. That was your father’s problem, which is why I had him killed. He died like the dog he was.”

“You bastard.” Alarico started to move and his forehead slid.

“Fall to the ground and you die,” Cesar said.

“You’re going to kill me anyway.”

“No, I’m not. If you admit what Professor Souris learned through Aura in front of the others, I will let you go. You are part of one of our tests of the system. I care more about that than I do about you.” He turned to the others at the table. “Professor Souris was in Bogotá two weeks ago. I had her follow Señor Alarico using Aura. She ‘saw’ him meeting with an American intelligence officer. He told them of the shipment and that Naldo’s son would be with the shipment.”

Valika had seen many face death, whether at her hands or others. Any opening was like placing a meal in front of a starving man. Brave men could resist so long, but eventually they all gave in and grasped for the opening, even if it was an obvious illusion.

“You’re old,” Alarico said. “Your time is past.”

“So it’s true,” Cesar pressed.

“Yes.”

“He’s yours,” Cesar said to Valika.

“You said you would let me go!” Alarico protested.

“I am,” Cesar said. He laughed. “All you have to do is get past my Russian whore and my loco American scientist and you are free to leave.”

“In handcuffs and with her having a gun?”

“You whine like a baby,” Cesar said. “Are you afraid of a woman?”

Valika stepped forward and uncuffed Alarico and quickly backed away. She put the guns on the table in front of Cesar.

Alarico pushed away from the wall, face flushed. He ripped off his suit jacket, then his shirt. Muscles bulged as he smacked one fist into the other hand. Valika knew he took steroids to supplement his weight lifting.

“I will break her, and then you,” he said to Cesar.

“Again, you have no patience,” Cesar said. “I suggest you concentrate on the immediate task.”

Alarico growled and dashed forward, arms outstretched, but Valika was already moving, dancing lightly to the left and snapping a waist-high turn-kick that caught the man in the midsection. As Alarico doubled over, she backed off and waited.

Alarico straightened up and glared at her. Valika smiled and raised her eyebrows in invitation. He came forward slower this time, like a wrestler looking for an opening. Valika gave ground easily. This wasn’t a fight about terrain. She knew men had a basic instinct that they had to move forward, never retreat, but it made no sense in a situation like this.

She stumbled on an uneven tile, right leg appearing to buckle, and Alarico pounced. Right into the toe of her left boot as she snap-kicked, completely airborne. He fell backwards. Blood blossomed out of his broken nose as Valika kept the momentum of her foot swinging, up over her head, and did a somersault, landing to the rear, on her feet, up on her toes, ready.

Like a wounded bull, Alarico shook his head, blood spraying. Valika could see the rage taking over and knew he was now both more dangerous and more vulnerable.

He charged, arms outstretched. Valika snap-kicked toward his groin, but he turned at the last second and the toe of her boot connected with his thigh muscle instead. As she darted back, the tips of his fingers caught her shirt, ripping material, as he scrambled to get hold of her. She jammed her right hand downward, fingers locked straight, right into his inner elbow on the hand that had hold of her shirt. The pain caused him to lose his grip and she moved back several steps. Alarico spit blood, moving his injured arm, regaining control.