PROLOGUE: The Neutralizer (aka Ralph Arata) had been called in by the head fed, Dean Hickenlooper on a seek & destroy mission involving the Medina drug cartel trading 2 secret tunnels leading from Mexico to the US for heroin from the Taliban. The Taliban's chief operative, known only as Saladin, was in charge of transporting 2 dirty bomb from the south to the north.

The porous nature of America's southern border had always been an issue for the FBI but the President was forced to call in Dean's "special services" to deal with this significant threat!

CHAPTER 4: Dave Novak, The "Farms" computer genius, ID'd and tracked Saladin's black Mercedes on TX RT 67 back toward the Mexican border. The Neutralizer picked up Novak's satellite image on the MGB's navigation screen expertly installed on the B's console where the factory British Leyland radio would normally reside. The high visual density system was expertly installed by the Farm's electronics guru, Dino Perez. Arata saw Saladin's image and responded, "I got him Dave, thanks Arata out"! "Stay frosty over & out" was Novak's close.

Saladin's car appeared to be head to Ojinaga, Mexico but the big Mercedes left RT 67 onto RR 169 heading toward Big Bend Ranch a US State Park. The Neutralizer laid back watching the B's monitor. Just inside the state park Saladin's blip suddenly disappeared.
Tunnel #1 thought the soldier as he slowed the MG to a crawl and turned Dino's infrared heat sensing optics placed on each side of the B inside the front side lights. Almost instantly, the soldier picked up several heat signatures' less than 1/2 mile away. Arata pulled the B to a stop knowing its British Leyland Autumn Tan color would be the perfect camouflage.

The soldier exited the car carrying the Mac-10 Sub gun and added to the arsenal a Barrett .416 Sniper Rifle. The rifle weighed 20 lbs and was broken down into a easy carry knapsack. The soldier also carried a Leupold VX-6 HD 3-1844mm scope which slid easily on to the Barrett's 27 MOA Picatinny Rail scope mount.

The soldier jogged slowly using his hand held imager to within 500 yards of the target sight...this would be a hard probe. Arata quickly assembled the Barrett and attached the Leupold scope. Beside him was the Mac-10 and in his military black suit he carried frag and concussion grenades. Time to go to work!

There were 4 guards outside the tunnel...one way in and out! The Neutralizer lined up his scope on the first hard guy and took him out with a silent head shot. Working left to right he then took target 2, 3 and 4. Easy so far. A fifth guard came out finishing a cigarette and fell together with his "friends"! Time to move. The soldier left the rifle sat, snatched the Mac-10 and ran for the tunnel entrance.

500 yards was nothing to the battle tested warrior. The issue was covering the distance as fast a possible before any other of Saladin's men realized. The soldier was 80 yards from the tunnel entrance when 4 more hardmen emerged, probably the next guard shift. The MAC-10 was up and tracking stitching the first 2 in a figure 8 pattern. The third terrorist brought his Uzi just a nano second too slow as Arata let loose a second round of parabellums. The fourth one turned and ran into the tunnel. OK, cover blown. Go in fast and hard!

The soldier took out the fourth combatant and ran further to find 6 terrorists ahead of him with 2 holding suitcases - the bombs! He dropped the subgun and brought up the Beretta 93R from his quick draw shoulder hostler as not knowing the nature of the bombs care need be taken. One of the hard guys had a Heckler & Koch shot gun pointing at him so the soldier took him out first using the Beretta's 3 round burst selector. Right behind him was a gunman with one of the bombs spraying the area wildly with his Uzi. The Neutralizer took him down with a second burst. The other 4 gunman had made a b- line for the Mercedes and the powerful German machine launched toward him. The soldier threw his body to the side hitting the tunnel will and knocking the wind from his lungs.

Saladin was gone with the 2nd bomb. The MG a good 1/2 mile away, the Neutralizer would need Dave Novak's satellites again to find him. The soldier called the big fed, Dean Hickenlooper. "Dean need send a cleanup crew". "The tracer on the rifle I left is activated - will get them there". There's a "priority care package" in a black suitcase a tunnel to deal with and bodies. Need to run.

Next Chapter: Showdown!
NOTE: Previous chapters found in the March, May and July drivelines