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concourse. The security people always got nervous when anyone carried a sidearm onboard an airliner, even if the passenger was an FBI special agent.
    Wickham, who flashed his identification and stated that he too was carrying a concealed weapon, also went around the metal detector, then rejoined Callaway in the concourse. They boarded the United Airlines jet and went to the last row of first-class seats that were reserved for them. No one was assigned to the two seats directly in front of the agents or across the aisle from them. , Steve and Marcus opened their magazines and began to leaf through the pages. A minute later they gave their beverage orders to the flight attendant and then noticed a last-minute passenger ease into the seat across from them. The scrawny Japanese senior citizen was wearing a wrinkled suit and his bow tie hung askew. Wickham thought he looked like a retired civil servant traveling on a mileage-plus upgrade certificate.
    Callaway waited until the aircraft taxied from the gate before he leaned closer to Wickham. "Steve, have you been briefed about the terrorist attack in Osaka?"
    "Not by the Agency," he explained and paused while the flight attendant checked to see if their seat belts were fastened. "I caught the gist of what happened while I was packing my bags this morning."
    "The Chukaku-Ha has taken credit for the attack," Callaway announced. "Are you familiar with the Chukaku-Ha?"
    Steve nodded and lowered his voice. "Oh, yeah. They're the most powerful terrorist faction of the Japanese New Left. From what I know, they have worked hard to abolish the constitutional democracy and do away with the monarchy, then scrap the U . S .-Japan Security Treaty and toss the American military out of Japan."
    "Toss every American out of Japan," Marcus declared with a concerned look. "If you count all the organizations in the New Left, which we believe consists of twenty-four factions, you'll find approximately forty thousand radicals, including their sympathizers. They are definitely a growing threat--a deadly threat, as we've just witnessed."
    Wickham glanced at the wingtip for a brief moment before he turned to Callaway. "So you think the Chukaku-Ha decided on swift retaliation for the attack at Pearl Harbor, even though no one knows who was flying the helicopter."
    "They hate Americans," Marcus quietly explained while the pilot stopped behind the other airliners waiting for clearance to take off. "They are convinced that it had to be an American, especially after all the witnesses agreed that the pilot appeared to be a Caucasian."
    Steve cast a look at Callaway, noting the fire in his eyes and the anger in his voice.
    "This was vintage Chukaku-Ha tactics," Marcus stated harshly. "They've used front-mounted flamethrowers on trucks to attack everything from the political party headquarters to the Israeli Embassy to the Kansai International Airport in Osaka. It's one of their favorite weapons."
    "Marcus, how do you stop a bunch of fanatics who have an irrational attachment to a terrorist group?"
    "It's very simple. You can't stop them."
    Wickham shook his head. "Terrorism is replacing Communism as the world's greatest threat."
    "True," Callaway continued sadly. "And here's another example of how they use their technical proficiency to obliterate a busful of retired couples from California and the poor Japanese tour guides."
    "It's just the beginning," Steve added.
    "I'm afraid so," Marcus admitted with a touch of irritation. "The Chukaku-Ha is well funded, well organized, and they have continued to concentrate on overthrowing the political system and philosophy they abhor."
    "Dedicated, they are," Steve agreed blandly. "Some of our people believe that the Chukaku-Ha has ties to major players in the Japanese political hierarchy."
    "I've heard the same thing," Callaway confided and leaned closer. "We have firsthand information linking the group to the internal rebellion and the corruption scandals that tore the