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Once again, Abu Nakba devoured every word.

Watched every video. Scoured every map and photo. He found himself impressed by the report’s length, breadth, and depth.

Sipping his tea, he focused on the report’s conclusion.

Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium is a good target, though not ideal.

Of the various sites we are assessing, it is the smallest. Originally, it was built to hold up to 75,000 people. Over the years, it has been modified a number of times. Local media reports indicate that with the staging being planned, event capacity will be only 64,000.

On the positive side, the stadium is an iconic American landmark. It is the home of the NFL franchise known as the Miami Dolphins. It has hosted six Super Bowls (football), two World Series (baseball), and numerous other major sporting events.

Also on the positive side: the roof is open, and our rockets would have nothing to penetrate.

However, there are four spires on the roof, one in each corner. If we do not fire accurately, some of our rockets could hit one or more of the spires, potentially knocking them off course and reducing or eliminating their lethal impact.

It should be noted that there are no skyscrapers or high-rise apartments or office buildings anywhere near the stadium. While my men have a great deal of experience with these kinds of rockets, you should be aware that they would not be able to shoot down into the stadium. While I assess the risk as minimal, it is possible the team could overshoot the stadium with some of the rockets, reducing the death toll inside an already-smaller facility with fewer attendees than other cities.

Regarding the airborne option, the stadium is only eleven miles from Miami International Airport.

Thus far, there have been no reports of plans to shut down the airspace over the event, particularly since President Hernandez and the First Lady are not expected to attend.

We do not believe that antiaircraft missiles will be set up to protect the stadium, though we expect federal, state, and local law enforcement helicopters to be in the air well before and during the event. Whether any of them would be armed with munitions capable of taking down the Dassault Falcon 900LX that the IRGC has acquired for us is not known, but we deem this unlikely.

Abu Nakba took another sip of tea as he watched drone footage and other video Farooq and his team had taken of the stadium and its surroundings. He still believed that outside of attacks on the White House and the Capitol Building—far and away his preferred targets—Yankee Stadium was the best available option. New York City was the media capital of America and arguably the world. Al Qaeda had taken out the Twin Towers because they lay at the center of America’s most populated, wealthy, and wicked city, the American Babylon, the beating heart of the Great Satan. Should not Kairos strike there, too?

Not according to General Entezam.

The IRGC commander was adamant that security in the so-called “Big Apple”—however rotten to its core—would be so tight that the first team would never be able to get the first shot off. Moreover, Abu Nakba had to admit that there simply was no airborne option in and around the New York–New Jersey region. Because of the annual opening of the U.N. General Assembly each September, among other events, federal, state, and local authorities had too many years of experience protecting high-level dignitaries in and around Manhattan. Keeping the pope safe would not be difficult for the New York authorities.

The old man finished his tea. He was certainly captivated by both reports. On balance, he found himself leaning somewhat toward Miami. But what about Chicago? They still had some time. There was still a window—however brief—to send some of his men to the Windy City, and he wondered if he should take the risk to see if the winds there might actually be blowing in Kairos’s favor.