A maverick Federal Rail Inspector reluctantly teams with an ambitious FBI agent, race against time, distance and shadow agents to foil the insidious plot of an American military junta using freight trains as weapons of mass destruction as the catalyst for the Second American Revolution.

SYNOPSIS:

Nate Crow, Federal Railroad Administration Inspector, is teamed up with FBI agent Bridget Moore to investigate a series of train derailments that appear to be malicious mischief. There is chemistry between Nate and Bridget.

The Guardians of Liberty, led by fanatical David Schmidt, are dedicated to the overthrow of the government at any cost. They will use any means possible including weapons of mass destruction. An anonymous benefactor, Mr. Wynn, provides their funds and weapons. The Guardians have devised an insidious method of causing a train derailment. They will use liquid nitrogen to freeze the rail. The rail disintegrates when the train rolls over it. Their plan is to have the deadly payload derail in the cities of Atlanta, Omaha, and DC. Nate and Bridget's investigation leads them to suspect an organized militia. They run into interference at the higher levels of government. The interference is due to a high-level secret investigation of China. They learn of the plan from a former colleague, Ian, a CIA double agent. He follows them, acting as a dark guardian angel. Ian tells them that the Guardians are involved. Nate and Bridget begin to act on their feelings.

The Guardians meet their benefactor, Wen Tu Sun, not an American patriot but a man with a vendetta against SXL and America. David decides to play Wen to achieve his goal. David doesn’t suspect Wen's real motive for his support.

The pressure of the investigation causes the budding relationship of Nate and Bridget to falter. Nate is sent on “vacation” and Bridget is told to follow the obvious leads. Separately Nate and Bridget go to Savannah following their own leads, the entry point for Sun Industries imports and the beginning of the SXL Railroad line. Their relationship gets back on track and they vow to stop the Guardians. Finding shipments of porcelain dolls headed to Atlanta, Omaha and DC, with a stop to add additional cars that carry the ingredients to cause a massive explosion to each train , they split up; Nate will hop the freight train to look for the detonator and explosive needed to trigger the explosion and Bridget will go back to Atlanta to search for the derailment point. Nate jumps on the train with the deadly payload. He works with the ATF to find the payload. Nate finds the detonator.

Bridget finds the strike point but is found out by the Patriots. Jesse, who is a mole for the CIA and works with Ian, saves her. Nate and Bridget contact the FBI and ATF, who meet the train in the Atlanta rail yards. The ATF quickly secures the detonator and thermite. Nate and Bridget go along with the FBI and Army Rangers on the raid of The Shelter, capturing David. Wen Tu Sun escapes to Seattle to watch for the news of the derailment but is followed and taken by Ian. With the case solved Nate and Bridget decide they are a great team, in solving riddles and in living life.

PAYLOAD