"Winners never quit... quitters never win." "When the going gets tough, I kick ass." "This is me." "This is my country." "These colors, my friend... these colors don't run." "September twelve, oh-eight hundred..." "paul Jeffries, USASF." "I am at position one, south west corner of the street." "Situation here has become increasingly difficult to monitor." "Pedestrian population up... awareness level in retrograde." "Less than twenty four hours after the second anniversary of the attacks... and still on a code yellow threat advisory." "These people might as well be picking flowers." "Location secure." "If not out of respect for the deceased... then at Ieast out of respect for the families..." "let's have the human decency not to use the anniversary of 9/11... for IiberaI-poIiticaI-maneuvering." "Thank you, God." "Thank you for bringing me home!" "To my own country." "It feels so remote, I've been away for so long." "Thank you!" "Come on, people!" "Work with me!" "Go for Harris!" "LA international Airport, position four-nine." "Copy." "LAX?" "Immediate dispatch." "Confirm twenty upon arrival." "Does that sound like a "soft target" to you?" "Nobody's going after LAX!" "We're now beginning our final descent into Los angeles international Airport." "The Captain has asked that you please fasten your seatbelts... and return your tray tables to an upright and locked position." "Ten-twenty." "North side of Palmetto." "I see an Arab." "Two very shady personages... having a conversation where they know they can't be recorded." "Two boxes are being held." "And the label reads..." "Borax?" "Two boxes of Borax." "In pursuit!" "Come on, baby..." "Come on." "Come on, you crap!" "Come on!" "Come on!" "Come on!" "Please!" "Damn it!" "Shit!" "Where the hell did he go?" "What is he, a magician or something?" "Some kind of an invisible man?" "Suspect fled on foot, advanced into the... maze of inner city structures underneath the Fourth Street Bridge." "Vanished temporarily." "Pursuing on foot." "Talk about bad luck." "You think you slipped away?" "Maybe for now, but not for long." "You ran into a truck-load of the worst luck you've ever had in your life... turban boy!" "Attention, travelers!" "You are not required to give money to solicitors." "Ladies and gentleman, your attention, please." "Swiss Line 41 is paging departing passenger Mr. paul Hingmus." "Lana?" "Hi!" "I guess you remember me, then?" "No, not really." "No?" "Good!" "Because I was a nerd back then and now I'm kinda cool." "You checked luggage, right?" "No!" "No, this is it." "That's it?" "All the way from Tel Aviv and that's all you brought?" "All my earthly possessions." "is that true?" "Shall we?" "while I flip through the pages of our wonderful "mainstream press"... as I'm doing right now... the most difficult thing for me personally to decide each morning... is which lie to address first, because they're all so enticing, quite frankly." "But, Iet's see what we have here." "AII right:" "ralph Nader has called for the impeachment of President Bush." "Now ralph has about as much Washington credibility as Pee Wee Herman... so I'm just gonna leave this alone." "I really appreciate what you're doing for me here." "What do you mean?" "You know what I mean." "Well, hey, whose life is it?" "Yours or your father's?" "lt's mine." "Well, then, there you go!" "You think he'll send me some hate mail?" "Well, he might." "But at least you don't have to worry about e-mail." "Cause he always says that the computer is an invention... that allows you to make more mistakes in a shorter period of time..." "Than every before in history." "So, you heard that one from him?" "l heard it from him, alright, yeah." "Eighteen hundred hours, El Monte airport." "No apparent security, no nothing... myself excluded." "I am observing approximately forty to fifty private aircraft... secured with padlocks." "Little kiddy locks!" "My bicycle in high-school was harder to steal." "You load these things up with lsopropylmethylphosphonofluoridate... hit any target in LA in less than five minutes." "Just one rat, that's all it would take." "Just one Mohamed Atta, one Ziad Jarrah..." "There are more homeless and hungry in Los Angeles County... than anywhere else in the States." "This is "The hunger capital of America"." "I just had no idea!" "I mean, the last thing that they're talking about in the West Bank is... is poverty in America." "The last thing they're talking about in the "West Wing"... is poverty in America." "is there no press?" "No, it's all on Iraq." "And if it wasn't that, they'd just find something else to spin in its place." "Everyone buys it." "One big lie after another." "We handed the tents out a few weeks ago." "Some wealthy woman bought a hundred of them and brought them down." "I wish she'd come back and bring some food." "It's just too many!" "We can't feed 'em all anymore." "How far are we from the mission?" "You're just about to film it." "Hey Chief!" "Who is the cutie?" "This is Lana." "I'll introduce you in the morning." "She's gonna be with us a while, so... she comes and goes whenever she wants." "Got it!" "See you tomorrow, Lana." "Night, Sherman." "God!" "That lock!" "This is the men's dorm." "Most of the drug dealers work the streets at night... so we lock them out and go to bed kinda early." "You're probably beat anyway?" "Yeah... I'm a little tired." "Come on!" "Are you hungry?" "No, not really." "Good!" "You'll do well here." "I like it." "Sure you do." "No, I really do." "You are going to do very well here." "Bathroom is down the hall." "And this key unlocks your door... our kitchen, and a few other things." "It would be bad to lose it." "We usually have tea around six." "That sounds good." "Okay." "Night!" "Good Night!" "Deedee mau!" "Copy." "That's it." "Keep it coming." "Just get out of my way." "On your left." "You got it!" "Keep it coming." "Get the fuck out of my way!" "You're veering!" "You're veering!" "Yeah, because of you!" "Watch the mirror!" "What would I do without you?" "There you go." "You got it." "More shredded paper?" "Great!" "Can you reassemble it?" "All of it?" "Piece of... piece of cake." "You got some more water." "Where is it from?" "Read it!" "What do you know about Borax?" "Borax?" "Yeah." "It's a cleaning detergent, isn't it?" "I know it's cleaning detergent." "I wanna know what else you can do with it." "What do you mean?" "Like build a bomb?" "Just check it out." "Alright." "I'll run it on the net." "What?" "I was just thinking..." "You know, everybody's worried about a "dirty bomb"." "Wouldn't it be funny if it was made out of Borax?" "Let me know as soon as you've made it and we'II set up a chat time." "I'm going to Abu Dis with the I.S.M., and yes, with Itzhak... for a "stop the wall" vigil, but I'm back tonight." "Miss you, YaeI." "P.S.:" "If you're homesick check out the latest..." ""Better have Pains of Peace... than Agonies of War"." "I made it, but... it was one of the longest trips of my Iife." "When we chat I'II tell you about LA." "And you can tell me... about Itzhak." "You're ten hours ahead of me... so how is ten your time, midnight for me tomorrow?" "I Iove you and I miss you." "Lana." "Ten-twenty." "North side of palmetto." "I see an Arab." "Mom's letter." "God, help me deliver it after all these years." "help me do this for her." "help me find my uncle... wherever he is." "The strategy of the insurgents in and around Baghdad... has been labeled "the body bag syndrome"." "During the day the second floor is the real hub of activity, so... we usually leave this door closed." "Okay, got it." "Those are the women's dorms down there." "Martha's jurisdiction." "How you're doing, Marth?" "Hi, Henry?" "You know, they've been over capacity since, well... since the last time the fire marshal was here." "And we have a small room for reading and prayer in there." "And down here..." "l am sorry!" "Come down here." "This is my office." "And then, the real action is in here." "Café Maison." "How's it flowing, Big H?" "Good." "Sherman." "Yes." "This is Lana." "Hi." "Welcome to the mad house." "Thank you." "Help yourselves, fellows..." "Sherman is our operational manager." "And the chef." "And the janitor." "And the accountant." "Hello!" "No, wait, wait, turn his mike off, okay." "Look, this is my show, alright?" "These leftists can never answer a question." "Sir, I didn't ask you who started the UN." "I asked you if aside from invasion... should we always have the approval... of the United Nations before sending troops in?" "please, just answer that question, please." "absolutely." "Okay, thank you, Sir." "And for the record, Iet me tell you:" "You're a fuII-bIown and complete idiot." "But god bless you for tuning in." "hopefully you learned something today." "Afternoon..." "Elvin." "Afternoon." "This your van?" "Yeah." "Yeah, I like a little shade." "You PD?" "Nope." "But I was on a freedom bird with one of your its." "Zucker?" "Affirmative." "SSG Paul Jeffries, USASF." "You're working UC?" "I'm working." "Excuse me, good morning, good afternoon, whatever, but... can I help you?" "Hi. I am looking for my uncle and I have this address." "Your uncle?" "You got the wrong house." "Paul... his name is Paul Jeffries?" "No, no, no, never heard of him." "No!" "I've been overseas for a long time and I just got back into town." "And I'd really like to see him." "I kind of need to actually." "But the guy that lives here doesn't have any relatives." "Well, he does." "He has one. lt's me." "Yeah, I was chubby." "So is there a way that I can get in touch with him?" "Cause I'm staying at a homeless mission right now and I don't have a phone." "Look, you didn't... you didn't get this from me, right?" "Some little birdie told you." "Nineteen hundred hours, evidence secured." "Will transport water samples and report botulinum toxin analysis... as soon as it gets back from the lab." "Jeffries, out." "I'm good." "Damned!" "So if I see someone actively doing something suspicious... be he middIe-Eastern or not... well, I'm not just going to walk away." "This is my country, and if I want to take a closer look..." "I'm going to take a closer look..." "I don't think it's radical." "I think it's rational." "Bread of Life." "Bread of Life?" "Yeah, is that not what I'm supposed to say?" "How would I know?" "Well, I don't know." "What did they say the last time you called?" "Well, to tell you the truth, I don't remember." "well, this is the hall phone." "And I'm Lana." "Lana?" "Lana who?" "Lana Swenson." "What're your hours down there, Miss." "Swenson?" "Well..." "Your hours of operation?" "the food service and the sermons vary... but the mission is pretty much open all the time." "Is that right?" "Yeah." "Thanks." "I remember you, you know." "And I really wanna see you again, Uncle Paul, even if..." "Listen, I needed some information, okay?" "And you helped me out, I appreciate that." "If I can ever do anything for you, let me know." "Fuck!" "We went to the wall today." "They shot rubber bullets and some tear gas... but no one was hurt." "And get this... there were nearly as many israelis protesting the wall... as there we're PaIestinians." "Now that sounds promising!" "I wish there was more awareness here." "A Iot of people don't even know it's happening." "Which is why you're going to become a writer." "Why be just one more person trying to change the world... when you can write something that will cause a 1000 to try?" "Have you heard anything from my..." "And before you change the subject, I saw your Dad yesterday and he's totally fine." "He's back to his old cranky self, running the mission like a general... and I'm not supposed to tell you this part, calling Henry every day... to see how you're doing." "Thanks for the update." "You have no idea how good it is... to hear that." "And how about "ooh Ia Ia"Itzhak?" "Itzhak who?" "I've never heard of him." "Okay." "Yish-mor-cha ha-eI..." "Iove, YaeI." "God bless you too, Lana." "What's the matter, Jeffries?" "Napalm getting to you?" "Somebody get Polly here an APC for his god-damn menstrual cramps." "Don't you get sick on me now, Jeffries." "Charlie's not sick hiding in that rat-hole." "There wasn't anybody sick in Boston on September tenth." "I can guarantee that." "In Washington and Newark... they weren't sick and tired." "They were preparing... god damn it!" "Go ahead and laugh, you fucking cowards!" "Come on, laugh, you fucking, lousy fucking Chuck." "You pull a box cutter on me, motherfucker!" "We'll see what happens." "Just one of those planes." "If I had just been on one of them..." "Where the hell was everybody?" "This country's been good to me." "This beautiful country..." "Oh, God!" "grateful to you" "You know how scared I am." "I'm way out of my depths here... yesterday I was still in the West Bank, and then... all of a sudden I'm here... in my own country, but... it feels so strange." "You gotta back me up on this one, God... even if I'm wrong... I know that I need help." "I know that I can't do it on my own." "Do what on my own?" "I don't even know why I'm here, in America." "To deliver a letter?" "There must be more to it, it's not just for Mom." "I don't have to be afraid." "I know that You're with me." "And I know that You're always there... with Your arms stretched out wide." "Thank You, God." "Thank You for this day... for this room... for my life." "Thank You!" "We're falling!" "We're falling!" "How is it going?" "Maybe we'll talk later." "Hey!" "How're you doing?" "What, you serve me a couple of meals and now we're supposed to be friends?" "Come on." "Sure, why not?" "But you don't even know my name!" "is that one of the rules of friendship?" "How can you be someone's friend when you don't know what to call them?" "Well... I don't know, but I bet you there's a way." "Charles, is this your drink?" "What's so funny?" "Nothing." "But you're standing there with your foot in your mouth." "So she knows my name." "Big deal." "Charles..." "How you're doing?" "How you're doing?" "l'm good." "They call me Dee Dee." "Dee Dee, it's nice to meet you." "I'm Lana." "Nice to meet you, too." "You got some meat in there?" "Right." "There." "Thank you, thank you." "This is no coincidence, this is a sign." "Yeah." "Or maybe... instinct." "Maybe is just pure instinct." "Thirteen-twenty six." "Suspect relocated:" "Bread of Life Mission." "Still inside. I remain in position." "I got all day, pal." "You take your time in there." "Enjoy that sandwich!" "Because that sandwich is gonna cost you." "Hello." "No free lunch in this country." "l'm Lana." "l'm Hassan." "Where are you from?" "My home is not a place... it is people." "Okay." "Here we go." "Thirteen-forty eight." "Suspect engaged." "Standing on the northwest corner of Winston and Los Angeles Street." "Under full surveillance!" "Lead the way, my little Pied Piper!" "Lead the way." "He's got some more borax?" "You got a lot of laundry, don't you?" "So, you've ever been on a camel?" "What?" "In Palestine, or wherever..." "No, they have cars now." "That's where you're from, right?" "Well, for the last couple of years." "I was born in Ohio, but I grew up mostly in Africa." "In Africa?" "My dad's a missionary." "So... you've ever been on an elephant?" "Suspect entered... the Nidal Chemical Bleaching Company... at 645 Imperial Street." "That's an awful lot of barbed wire for a bleaching company." "Bleaching." "Chemicals!" "Hey, Boss." "So, what'd you find out for me on Borax?" "Didn't you get the information I printed out for you?" "I put it in the envelope next to your seat." "I haven't had time." "You know those printer cartridges just aren't cheap!" "I got one report out of Trinidad." "There's an Islamic military group there, and they're threatening attacks... on the UK and The States." "Chemical attacks!" "And?" "And, wow, wow... well, they're playing around with a Iot of stuff." "cobalt." "Cobalt sulfate, but they're using... they're using Borax." "Borax is definitely part of the mix." "Is that right?" "Yeah, but I don't know if they use it or if they're boiling it down... for boron acid or what." "You know, there's four different kinds of boron." "Pentahydrate boron, dexahydrate boron... anhydrous sodium sulfate boron..." "Good!" "Good work, Jimmy." "I'll get back to you." "And there is one other kind of boron..." "Serge?" "If anything sounds fishy to you about a four-star general... who doesn't believe in the right to bear arms." "You're a busy little fellow, aren't ya?" "I don't really care about clark's politics, I really don't..." "And I'm on you like glue." "but I think this man should see a psychiatrist." "Do we need the wars, and the killing... and the exploitation of man by his fellow man?" "Does God... favor some people so he makes them rich and powerful... and we're the ones who have fallen out of grace?" "I wanna tell you right now, I have some very good reasons not to think so." "Cause when Christ lived with us... and he walked among us... he preferred your company!" "He would rather stay with the outcasts... and the whores and the underprivileged than the rich and the hypocrites." "In fact, when he sat at the table of the wealthy, he couldn't even take it." "It was an insult to him!" "And that is where... he told that story... of a certain beggar, a man called Lazarus... who was on his knees at the..." "at the gates of a mansion... covered in sores... asking for the crumbs that fell from a rich man's table." "This beggar was treated worse than that man's dogs." "But after his death he wasn't forgotten." "I know I'm missing critical information right here." "Goddamn it!" "I can sense it!" "Holy shit!" "Let's move, let's move." "Bring him over here." "Right here, come on!" "Come on!" "Hold on now!" "Hold on, my brother." "Come on!" "Let's go, put him right there." "Hold on!" "Hold on!" "Sherman, call an ambulance." "Ann." "Lord, help us!" "Ann, get me a towel, a bunch of them." "And water." "Hold on, my brother!" "Hold on!" "Hollow point forty-four." "What?" "The bullet explodes on impact." "It tears a big hole in you." "So, what do we do?" "You know CPR?" "Come on?" "Ambulance is on the way!" "Save me!" "Save me!" "Tell me who it was." "Anything you can tell." "Just give me a name." "Trona..." "Trona." "Trona?" "Okay." "Just give me a name!" "Any name!" "What did he say?" "is he going to make it?" "No." "What happened?" "It was a drive-by." "You look a lot like your mother." "What?" "Especially your eyes." "On my bed, at night I remember you." "And I think of you through the watches of the night... because you are my help." "I sing in the shadow of your wings." "My soul clings to you." "Your right hand upholds me." "Holy father, accept this soul into heaven... with all your divine mercy and love." "Amen." "Who's that man, Lana?" "Perpetrators approached the kerb in a black Humvee... at twenty-two hundred and twenty hours." "Conversation with the victim was unrecordable." "However, within the Hummer, I identified laughter." "Authentic laughter!" "That's not cia." "It's definitely not DHS." "That's a negative." "They wanted to make a statement, but not too big of a statement." "A hundred and twenty thousand dollar vehicle." "Now where'd that money come from?" "Saudi Arabia?" "Pasadena?" "Either way, it's an Op." "A small elite cell that was gonna start some trouble... that was gonna screw something up." "They didn't wanna work for Al Qaeda or Jemaah Islamiyah... or whatever the hell, so the big boys had to send them a message." "Yeah." "But the big question is:" "what is the big plan... that the small plan was gonna screw up?" "That laughter sounded Arabic." "Definitely Arabic." "Damn it." "What?" "paul, it's Lana." "Congratulations!" "What do you want?" "I wanna ask you a question." "Well, now is not a good time." "You shouldn't be even using this phone!" "It's for emergencies." "Who's Trona?" "What'd you say?" "Trona. I heard what that man said to you." "He said "Trona"." "I just wanna help." "That's why I'm asking." "Listen, there is a lot more to this than you think there is." "I met him in the food line today and he told me his name..." "Hassan." "Don't say anything else." "This is not a secure line, alright?" "I'll come to see you tomorrow." "Time to make the donuts!" "Now this is critically important." "Are you with me?" "Yeah!" "Okay." "Number one." "Crime scene?" "I'll explain it later." "But I need you to make a dub of this tape... and deliver to all four local networks by o-nine hundred." "Can you handle that?" "Of course, I can handle it." "Alright." "And then have this Arabic document translated and analyzed..." "ASAP." "I will do." "Consider it done." "Good." "By o-nine hundred." "O-nine hundred." "I want you all to listen to this again." "Neither death... nor life... nor rulers, nor powers... will separate you and me from the love of God." "You are loved." "When you're asleep out there in the streets... you are loved!" "When you're collecting cans for a nickel each, you are loved." "Wow!" "is this like your surveillance vehicle?" "It's one of them, yeah." "Up, I got it." "Thanks." "Stand by..." "September fifteen, eleven hundred o-six, Paul Jeffries, USASF." "Update on the situation." "Individual identified as Hassan." "Was that his first name?" "First name is Hassan." "You know his last name?" "No." "Further investigation needs to be conducted before determining last name." "Okay." "So, when you had this situation... this dialogue, do you remember exactly what was said?" "Yeah." "Okay." "So, just start from the beginning." "Tell me word for word." "It's very important." "I said "hello", and then he said "hello"." "Then I said "l'm Lana", he said "l'm Hassan"." "And then I asked him where he was from, because he looked middle eastern." "What did he say to that?" "He said "My home is not a place, it is people"." "What the hell does that mean?" "I mean, I don't really know." "That was it?" "Yeah, yeah." "Then he took his food and he walked away." ""My home... is not a place... it is people"." "That means... his home... is people." "Something like that." "Okay!" "ls this for the Agent Orange?" "What?" "Mom told me that when you were in Vietnam... that you had been exposed to Agent Orange." "Well, your mom was wrong." "It wasn't Agent Orange." "The Defense Department called it Agent Pink." "But then they probably realized it was too strong... so they watered down the dioxin and gave it a different name." "But I was around before they did that." "What did it do to you?" "Nothing, really." "Paul..." "Listen, someone needs to figure out who killed this guy." "It's extremely important to me." "I can't do it sitting around here." "You've done well, you've helped me." "I wanna keep in touch." "Hey, Alimi." "No one is available to take your call right now." "please leave a message after the tone." "Yeah, yeah." "Sure thing." "The "business" in question... does not answer their "business" phone... during normal business hours." "I'm going in!" "If I was paranoid, that would look suspicious." "Check for possible one-man-submarine, out." "Fertilizer..." "Oklahoma." "With the approaching election voters will have to decide... just how important the issue really is." "Reporting live from Sacramento, this is Stephanie Stevens... from CNB 4." "Back to you, Ron." "Thank you, Stephanie." "CNB 4 has obtained exclusive footage... of a downtown Los angeles killing... that has the police baffled." "The following footage is of a graphic nature." "The shelters were destroyed and one of the men was killed." "There are no suspects at this time... and the name of the victim is being withheld... pending notification of relatives." "It's being withheld because they don't know what it is." "They'll figure it out." "They'll have fingerprints or something." "I'd say at least half the homeless that die on the streets... are never identified." "What happens to them?" "They get cremated... tossed into a mass grave out at the county cemetery." "But he was murdered!" "The least that they can do for him is to find his family." "He deserves that much!" "The truth is... nobody really cares about him." "Bingo." "Hi boss, I got it!" "The name of the company is... lBC, lnternational Boron Chemicals." "They pretty much built the town of Trona themselves." "How far is it?" "How far is it?" "How far is it?" "It's... it's about a hundred eighty miles." "Anyway, the whole town is built on a dry salt lake... in Death Valley." "It says that the company is digging out all sorts of minerals and chemicals... from the salt flats and turning them into Boron products." "And get this." "They ship most of the stuff to China." "China?" "China." "You said China?" "That's what it says." "What else?" "Well... it says that the area was originally settled in 1870 by this guy John Searles." "His father was from Chicago and he lived there." "is the lake bed secure?" "is the factory secure?" "Have there been any reported break-ins?" "Do any of the names look Arabic in the telephone book?" "How they transport the Boron to the coast before it goes off to China?" "Well, this is just a preliminary report." "I was gonna get into all that stuff." "Good." "Because I'm going there in the morning." "is that stuff turning blue yet in the test tubes?" "That's gotta wait at least a half hour." "That's right." "You told me that." "Are you okay?" "What do you mean?" "I can see that your Agent Pink is acting up." "It's on your neck." "It comes and it goes." "I can't stop it, you know that." "Yeah, but I also know that when you get yourself too worked up..." "it just makes it worse." "l'm not "worked up"." "Alright." "I got you more meds through the Canadian deal." "They're in..." "We have a critical situation here." "We may be dealing with the major cell." "Our work could be saving thousands of lives, maybe more." "And you want me to be calm right now?" "Now is not the fucking time to be calm!" "Okay?" "Okay." "America needs us." "Jimmy, I'm gonna need you for my C  C on this one." "If I need tags pulled... if I need to have a background check or a favor pulled... I need you to..." "you need to stick by that phone." "If I have to reach out... I gotta know you're gonna be there." "Alright, I'll be your REMF on this one, Serge." "The phone will never ring more than once." "They're trying to destroy our country!" "They're trying to infect us!" "I am not gonna let 'em." "I am not gonna let them do it!" "Do you want a... a bottle of Tiger Piss?" "Yeah... that sounds good." ""Semper Fi." -"De Oppresso Liber."" "l got a case inside the house." "Good." "Did you know him?" "I am just trying to help find his family." "Okay." "Just a minute." "Excuse me!" "That was the drive-by killing on Winston Street, right?" "Right." "Still at the coroner's office." "He's been upgraded from a John Doe, though." "It says his name is Hassan Ahmed." "A-h-m-e-d?" "That's it." "Hassan Ahmed." "Thank you so much." "Any time." "You forgot your phone." "paul, it's Lana." "No, this is Jimmy." "We met the other day." "Hi, Jimmy." "is my uncle there?" "I need to talk to him." "No, he already, he already left." "Okay, well, how can I reach him?" "'Cause I... I have some information... regarding a case that he's working on." "Really?" "What case might that be?" "The murder, Jimmy..." "With Hassan and the Hummer." "So you know all about that?" "Yeah." "He already left for Trona and I guess he'd left his cell phone." "He left for Trona?" "Can you do me a favor?" "When you do talk to him, will you let him know that I know who the victim was... and that I need to speak to him?" "Alright. I'll tell him." "well, I appreciate it very much." "Thank you, Jimmy." "Yusuf..." "Sergeant?" "Paul?" "Shit!" "Give me a minute!" "No other listing?" "No, no, that's the only one that I can find and it's disconnected." "I think... I've got a number of a parish in Ridgecrest." "It's twenty miles from Trona, so maybe they can send someone over." "That'd be great!" "Yeah." "What day is it, anyway?" "Alright!" "Hi." "I needed to be somewhere today... instead, I'm talking to my twenty year old niece... who all of a sudden wants to become a private detective." "l'm just trying to help." "l don't need your help." "Where can we talk?" "Should we go on the roof?" "Good view point..." "Okay, so what's his name?" "His name is Ahmed." "Ahmed?" "Yeah, and I talked to his brother." "Excuse me?" "Well, to his half-brother, actually." "And that's his only living relative." "You contacted his brother?" "No." "The morgue did." "Well, a parish from Ridgecrest actually, but then the morgue, sort of." "And then he called..." "he called Henry." "Lana, what the hell are you talking about?" "Well, they need help." "The LA morgue e-mailed a photo of Hassan to Trona." "And his brother identified the photo, but he doesn't have a car." "And Henry has offered to pay for the burial... but he only has a truck and I don't think it's appropriate to... I, now wait..." "Who's Henry?" "He's the pastor from here." "You've entirely disrupted this investigation!" "I mean, you don't have a damn clue what's at stake here." "Okay, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disrupt anything." "Okay, I thought that this information would help you." "How's this supposed to help me?" "Well... the brother, I mean he might have some information that you could use..." "Yeah... and if we would'a take the body home... then that might be kind of a good cover for you." "A good cover?" "That's great!" "That's just... that's perfect!" "It all worked out." "Good." "Listen, I appreciate your help." "Likewise." "A lot of people wouldn't take the time." "No, they wouldn't." "So, what've you got there, a little flag?" "That's right." "So, you're looking after my niece?" "Well, I just gave her a room." "She's pretty good at looking after herself." "So, you're looking after her, then?" "Yeah, of course." "She's only twenty or so." "Over here!" "Wheel it in closer!" "ln there?" "Yeah, in here." "What'd you think?" "We're gonna tie him up on top?" "Okay, let's go!" "I've never seen a set-up like that before." "Excuse me!" "You got everything?" "No." "You're gonna need the coroner's report." "Did they put that in there?" "Yeah." "You're all set." "Alright, thanks." "Touch base, if you can." "Just give me a call." "God speed." "I guess, you probably think I'm... one of these vets... that got all screwed up in 'Nam, right?" "On the brink of insanity, right?" "No." "Nope." "I'd love you anyway though..." ""Uncle" Paul." "You want me to tell you something about the Vietnam War?" "Yeah." "We won!" "The war?" "That's right!" "Metaphorically?" "No, in actuality." "It wasn't just the Vietnam War, you know?" "There was a little thing called the "Cold War", too." "Right." "We stopped the spread of Communism for ten thousand days." "We drew a line in the jungle... and eventually they crossed it, but when they did... they were already depleted." "They were completely exhausted." "It was a critical time." "A critical place." "We won!" "Uncle Paul... can I ask you a question?" "Sure." "What do you wanna know?" "How come you never wrote my mom back?" "She sent you all those letters over the years... can you just tell me why?" "I just never opened them, that's all." "Why?" "Well, it's hard to explain." "Listen, sometimes in life, you just can't sit there, you know." "Sometimes you have to make a break." "The only way to leave something behind... is to leave it all behind." "We didn't always see eye to eye, you know." "All that fanatic commie liberal stuff... and dragging you around to all those god-forsaken countries..." "But I guess she was a good mother." "She was." "She should have taught you what America means." "What it stands for." "She did." "She taught me everything that it's supposed to stand for." "I think that's the reason I came back." "Supposed to?" "We're in Trona." "Paul Jeffries, September eighteen." "Heading north on one-seventy-eight." "Now entering the town of Trona." "He lives in the trailer park." "But it doesn't say which trailer." "Excuse me, please." "We've arrived at position one, the trailer park." "Outskirts of Trona, California." "Greenwich Mean Time fourteen hundred hours..." "Fourteen twelve!" "What?" "It's actually fourteen twelve... I don't know if that matters." "General time frame is all I'm looking for." "Preliminary observation detects inconsistencies, right off the bat." "There are approximately twelve to fifteen dwellings in the compound... yet for some reason there are about forty mailboxes." "I'd like to see someone explain that one." "Paul... I was thinking that it might be best... if I went in and spoke to the family while you took care of the body." "If that's okay with you." "I just thought that it just might seem a little bit strange... driving there with him in the back." "lt's fine with me." "Okay." "So why don't we meet back somewhere over here... when you're done with the funeral home?" "Sure." "Okay." "Great!" "What do you think you're doing?" "What?" "What?" "Does this look like an amusement park to you?" "Do you see any roller coasters?" "I don't see any ferries-wheels." "I don't know what you mean." "Listen... don't get delusions or anything like that but... you're not an operative on this." "But anyway... I have some stuff here." "Police-issued pepper spray." "Don't point that toward your face." "You may need this." "Do you really think that I'm gonna need a flashlight?" "And this." "If you have to ditch everything, you do not ditch this!" "Alright, maybe you don't need that." "Okay, channel three." "It has a twenty mile range." "Now, you tell me you need me, I'm there." "I'm your uncle... but that part doesn't really matter." "You're on my Op." "Remember, okay?" "You got it?" "Got it!" "l said three, right?" "Channel three." "Channel three." "Okay." "Hello?" "What?" "I'm sorry, I don't mean to disturb you." "I'm looking for Mr. Ahmed." "What do you want?" "I'm helping out with a family issue." "He's expecting me." "What?" "What's the matter?" "Well, Mr. Ahmed, I'm just trying to find his home." "I don't know anybody like that." "No!" "is he dark-skin?" "Excuse me?" "The dark-skin guy lives in the last trailer up the hill." "The last trailer up the hill." "It's Paul Jeffries." "Fourteen hundred and twenty hours... one hundred and eighty miles from the epicenter of Los Angeles." "Striking distance, but a world apart!" "Trona." "Look at this place!" "A couple of pedestrians... a few stool pigeons sitting around without a clue." "But they're here!" "Sleeper cells." "I can feel 'em!" "Hello?" "Massive numbers of burned dwellings..." "Completely... charred, flamed to the ground." "At first pass I can determine no clear pattern... aside from arson." "Somebody lit these fires." "Probably to cover their traces." "I bet I'm being observed myself." "It's just like in 'Nam." "Burnin' the damn Elephant Grass." "They know I'm here." "Somebody does." "Mr. Ahmed?" "This is the body from Los Angeles." "Somebody is expecting it." "Me?" "I don't know." "Are you expecting it?" "We use a gurney for that." "Well, I don't really like gurneys." "And I'm on kind of a schedule." "What's the matter with you?" "You've never seen a dead body before?" "Put that thing over there in that room." "I'm watching you." "Hello!" "You are from the mission?" "With Henry?" "Yeah!" "God bless you!" "God bless you." "I am eternally grateful to you, whoever you are." "l'm Lana." "And I am Joe." "Nice to meet you." "lt's good to meet you, Lana." "Let's see... I have tea, water and some very bad vodka." "Tea sounds lovely." "We'll have tea." "Come, go!" "They just throw things out." "Perfectly good things." "Not in the mood for it anymore?" "Trash it." "I'm gonna take it." "What is that?" "Chemicals!" "Located... probable retired mobile... chemical and or biological manufacturing unit." "Going aboard." "Pistol targets!" "Wood stove!" "Strange green liquid." "Holy shit!" "It's Borax boxes!" "Who is this?" "Two new suspects approaching in van." "They're getting out." "They're loading the boxes!" "They're loading the boxes into the vehicle!" "Jesus!" "I go in for closer observation." "Observe, track and report." "I just hold off for now." "Never interrupt the enemy when he's making a mistake!" "Just lay chilly... wait it out." "Suspects fleeing." "I'm going for the van." "Got it!" "Alright." "Let's look at these..." "Who is that?" "This is my father." "And Hassan's father." "Where was that picture taken?" "This is in Pakistan." "Look at his pants." "Funny, huh?" "They're pulling out of town!" "Going south now on one-seven-eight." "They're baiting me." "They think they're luring me in." "That'll be the day, my friend." "You back me into a corner... and you'll rue that day, Chuck." "You'll rue that day for a long time!" "He's turning left into the side road." "Suspect vehicle parked in front of isolated house." "That's perfect!" "It's a perfect sleeper hide-out." "Probably goes underground." "Probable chemical weapons containers... being transported into what is most likely Trona headquarters." "Suspects out of view." "This is it!" "You've done your job." "You've done your job well." "Every time I told you to be patient... and you wouldn't listen." "Well this is why." "You stick to your game plan, you stick to your strategy... and you never fluctuate." "And then you find yourself here." "These are the moments that define your life." "My father and his brother... at his brother's wedding." "And here is my mother." "Look at her!" "This is a picture of Hassan and me together, at his wedding." "Suspects loading full chemical containers into cargo van." "License plate has been recorded, clear photographs had been obtained." "lndividuals leaving the scene." "I will not continue surveillance of the vehicle." "Repeat, vehicle is free of observation." "SSG Jeffries, SSG Jeffries." "Copy?" "SSG Jeffries, come in." "I'm sorry." "SSG Jeffries, SSG Jeffries, copy?" "That's my uncle." "SSG Jeffries, SSG Jeffries, come in." "SSG Jeffries." "Copy?" "This is L. Swenson reporting." "Do you have my cell phone number in your possession?" "Over." "Copy." "Yes, I have it." "Listen to me very carefully." "If you do not hear from me within the next twenty minutes... I want you to call that number." "It will be forwarded to an operative." "And he'll make arrangements for you." "Over." "What do you mean?" "What arrangements?" "In the event I become indisposed, he will transport you back to base." "To your mission." "Over." "If you become "indisposed" in the next twenty minutes... I'm supposed to call a number that will be forwarded to an operative?" "Affirmative." "No fucking way." "What?" "No!" "Tell me where you are and what the hell you're doing?" "You watch your mouth, young lady." "Wait, Uncle Paul, please... I am not at liberty to disclose this information." "And I also strongly suggest you refrain from addressing me in that manner." "This is simply a precautionary procedure." "Out!" "Wait, Uncle Paul..." "This is Staff Sergeant Paul Jeffries, US Army Special Forces." "It is seventeen hundred hours, September eighteen." "I'm going in!" "First of all, I want to thank you all for coming." "It warms our heart." "It's a big crowd." "We're honored." "The last two and a half years, our nation has acted decisively... to confront great challenges." "You dress funny." "But I guess you could say the same thing about me." "I came to this office to solve problems, not to..." "Whatever is left to pack is back there in the corner." "There should be some boxes." "For two months, no one has been able to fix this." "I've been stuck on the same channel!" "I can only control the volume!" "Terrorists declared war on the United States of America... and war is what they got." "As you know, our buddy has won $1 7,000..." "Thank you, friend." "You're welcome." "You're in the shit?" "No. I checked it out." "Those people are the wrong people." "A subdivision, maybe." "Look, I got some critical information." "You wanna call me from a secure line?" "No." "Go ahead." "They made an arrest on the Humvee drive-by." "Names?" "Nothing yet." "They brought in two suspects, that's all I know." "And I'm waiting for a call from Zucker." "I'II have something in less than an hour." "You call me immediately." "alright." "will do." "And paul?" "What?" "Your niece called me on my line." "It was forwarded from your phone so I answered it." "I know how to handle that..." "You know when to call me." "I'II have something in less than sixty." "Hi." "Are you okay?" "Paul, this is Hassan's brother, this is Joe." "You brought my brother home." "I am always grateful to you." "Well, you're welcome." "Well, we're... drinking some really bad Vodka." "Will you join us?" "Sure." "Alright!" "Come, go!" "Come in, come in, come in." "Paul, make yourself at home." "Please, have a seat on the couch." "Paul?" "It has been a long... discussion in my family... whether "Aristocrat's Choice" or lighter fluid... is easier to swallow." "And lighter fluid lost, but not by much." "Cheers." "How long has it been since you talked to your brother?" "Yes..." "Really, it'd been a long time." "You don't have a telephone?" "No." "Not any more." "How do you communicate from here?" "There is one pay phone adjoining the gas station." "But I get no calls." "Except from Henry." "Paul..." "Paul?" "What have you been doing all this time?" "What do you think I've been doing?" "I've been trying to learn some... stuff about Hassan." "I'll help you." "Anything I can tell you." "Anything I know." "Okay, well... who'd wanna kill him?" "No one." "No one?" "No, if anyone knew Hassan, had met Hassan... they would wish him no harm." "Poor fellow had no possessions." "Nothing to eat... nothing to steal..." "He took a hollow point forty-four right straight to the chest." "And that doesn't exactly sound like... a case of mistaken identity." "Paul, can I talk to you for a second?" "Look, if you... you need to give me something." "If you want me to help you... we can't play this little game of riddles... okay?" "What was he making with the Borax?" "Borax?" "Money!" "He was trying to make money to eat." "Okay, well that, good!" "I can understand that." "He was trying to turn a profit so... I'm gonna need to know the source... and I'll need to know the buyers." "When the old factory shut down... I was able to borrow a truck." "And I loaded it with many boxes of borax." "Remind you, I did not have permission..." "Go on!" "And Hassan... he... he found a company in Los Angeles to keep it." "And he would try to sell it... to other businesses and the company would get some free boxes." "Free boxes to do what?" "To clean their carpets." "They imported these carpets." "So... how was he... what was he... to get... expecting from the other companies that he sold to?" "I don't know." "Whoever would give him a few goddamn dollars." "It's easier than selling cans." "What is that?" "It's just a photo of Hassan." "Excuse me, please!" "Hassan." "Will you please tell me what's happening?" "I don't know." "I'm just..." "I'm not... I can't follow the right leads." "You're okay?" "I can't control it all, anymore." "My things, these things that..." "You don't have to." "Thanks." "Yeah." "Go ahead?" "Go ahead." "It's not what we thought." "Did you copy?" "Yeah, I heard you." "It was kids, I just confirmed it." "Completely non-related." "What do you mean, kids?" "Zucker said they got a legit confession." "Some random act." "A couple of white kids." "A couple of white kids?" "Affirmative." "Where did they get the Hummer?" "Parents." "They also got a match on the gun... and Zucker said they tested positive for Crystal Meth." "And one of them for Crack." "Just bad kids, on drugs." "What should I do now?" "Listen. I got to... I'm working on something." "I'll contact you later." "Yeah." "Okay." "Good work, Jimmy." "Thanks, paul..." "Serge." "I can't believe the situation here." "Paul." "My God, Uncle Paul!" "Come here!" "Are you okay?" "Just, minor injuries." "l'll take a butterfly stitch." "l'm getting you a wash cloth." "Leave the quack in the tent." "He couldn't stitch a baseball." "Shit!" "That is..." "it's probably the worst day..." "We're hot!" "We got hit on the left!" "Left side!" "Left side!" "Uncle Paul!" "Pull it up, pull it up." "Little John!" "Pull it!" "Pull it up, little John!" "Pull it up!" "We're gonna fucking dive!" "You wanna mess with me?" "Okay, let's go!" "Let's go, you fucking..." "You fucking gooks!" "Let's go!" "Come on, you fucking little gooks!" "No, my God, we got flamed!" "We got flamed in the bird." "What?" "We're in deep shit!" "In deep shit!" "Rip the belt!" "No!" "God!" "Don't!" "No, don't." "We're jumping." "Please, don't, don't, don't." "help us, God!" "help us!" "help us in our helplessness." "help my uncle in all his pain and suffering." "Grant him peace!" ""Dear paul." "If for nothing else, I hope you can forgive me for this letter." "I have found myself in an African hospital, away from my home... and all attempts to reach you have been unsuccessful." "The doctors here tell me that I am dying and I believe they are right." "We each have our last day on this earth and I have always been okay with that... but of course, I wish I had more time." "Enough, at Ieast, to come find you." "Since that doesn't seem possible, I am giving this letter to Lana." "She has grown into a beautiful human being and reminds me of Mom... more and more each day." "She seems to have gotten the best parts from all of us and... hopefully none of the bad." "Aside from her father, you'II soon be her only living relative." "So when she brings you this, there is one thing I ask of you..."" "You had a horrible dream last night." "It really scared me." "I'm sorry." "You said that you were falling." "Do you remember?" "That was the Huey I went down in." "We all fell." "Only two soldiers walked away." "I was one of 'em." "It's a gift." "A gift?" "I'm not so sure about that." "It is to me." "That dream went away for a long time." "And then, when that plane hit the tower... and then a second one... but they were still there." "I was watching that shot of the New York Skyline... with those beautiful towers." "They were burning inside... but they just kept holding on." "Right there." "I knew it was bad." "Over two thousand gallons of fuel... two seven-sixty-sevens... but I thought they could handle it." "They took the blow and they were standing strong... and I thought..." ""They're refusing to fall!" "They're too proud"." "But then... that dream just started coming back." "I was so far away that it was night time... when the towers fell." "And at first, I didn't... I didn't know what was going on." "I just heard people... cheering." "Cheering?" "There was a crowd gathered out in the street." "Close to where we lived." "Terrorists?" "No." "No, I think that that's the part that hurts the most." "They weren't..." "they were just... just ordinary people." "Well, why in the hell were they cheering?" "Because they hate us." "And because they hate America." "And it came from such an honest place... and from so many people that... I just, I knew that something had gone wrong... and... and that's... that's become my nightmare." "Over three thousand civilians were killed on that day... they were innocent people!" "Yeah." "And... and it's their voices that I need to hear." "'Cause I really don't think they'd want any more people killed in their name." "Aside from her father, you'II soon be her only living relative." "So when she brings you this, there is one thing I ask of you." "Something I fear her father will not be able to provide." "She is as courageous as a woman her age can be." "But you and I both know life has a way of changing that." "You, more than anyone... know how everything can turn upside down in a single moment." "I worry about the times we live in... and the world Lana will face when she'II be our age." "One day, I know, she will need real courage... the kind of courage and strength that only you may be able to teach her." "I'm so sorry I let our petty differences come between us." "only now do I realize how absurd I've been." "I Iove you and I've always loved you, paul." "And when the day comes that I see you again, I will beg for your forgiveness." "until then, please watch over your niece." "I'II be watching over both of you." "My deepest love, your sister Virginia"." "You seem disappointed." "I thought it'd be different." "Like what?" "Something more!" "I don't know... not just a construction site." "Let's just be quiet!" "Let's just try and listen..."