"We’d never make it." I glanced over at two soldiers who had pulled up beside us in their jeep. Both were well-armored, and the one in the passenger seat wore night-vision goggles and carried a lethal-looking assault rifle. I made the mistake of flashing him what I’d intended as a reassuring smile. It must have clued him to that fact that I wasn’t a local. He sat up straighter in his seat and began to turn the barrel of his rifle toward me . . .