The lights overhead had been shot out long ago, and the hangars hulked like metal ghosts, giving the airstrip a creepy feel. The smell of oil and gunpowder mingled with the stench of garbage, toxic waste, and urine. As Ryan approached, quietly and quickly, he picked up the muffled rumble of a GMC Bulldog stepvan just beyond the gate, and more faintly, the discreet sound of an automatic weapon’s safety sliding off.