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R(RCE STRIKE ZERO-HOUR

of bit every scoured had sand and sun desert The .p. beat

-hand a like almost lc.X(k it making ,txxiy the from paint

exceedingly an by done ,car a of rnodel aluminum hammered

.raftsman. poor

radio the where and ,up tom all wa.S car the of interior ne

hanging wires ,le. gaping ,large a wa.S there ,been had

.X(se).

,wheel the behind slipped He .ignition. the in was key A

Thecar .key the tumed and ,times acoupleof gas the pumped

and smoothly over ticking engine the ,immediately started

.quietly

,house the tO back started had and ,out got ,off it shut He

in change The .courtyard the through come Joy saw he when

fixed had She .startling than less nothing was appeara.nce her

-light a wore She .akeup. some on put had and hair her

straw pretty a camed and ,sandals and dress summer colored

her over shawl a thrown had She .bag matching and hat

and chic very looked She .anaages. the cover tO shoulders

intelligence undercover an jike nothing certainly ,French

a torturing been had ago while shorl a who operative service

.infonnation. for man

.tion. his with delighted ,asked she "Surprised?"

.ked. he "feel? you do How"

fifty-yard the run tO want t' wouldn I but ,feet my on l'm"

".h.

,garage the into back went they and ,a.rrn her took He

the tO around went He .ar. the into her hel}kd he where

looked and out jumped then ,engine the started ,side s' driver

leaped he .traffic n•O wa.S there sure wa.S he When . outside

the down and garage the of out squealed and car the in back

.treet.

back coming finally ,left then ,right turned he comer the At

.a. Ras tO

civilian few a and vehicles military of lot a were There

CARTER NICK

the from direction om«site the in Carter directed Joy .ks

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CARTER NICK

the from direction opposite the in Carter directed Joy .ks.

wa.S hotel the where area downtown the to stadium

.ocated.

with trucks and emplacements gun machine

every in stationed tr tO seemed launchers nxket antiaircraft

.ield. open and lot parking empty

-mom early increasing the directing were mwntown,cops

glance second a Ford ancient the gave one no and ,traffic ing

wa.S which ,Sheraton the of biock a within tO carne they until

of lot a were lhere .uctureü. steel and glass ultramcxlern an

the throughout fcxn on soldiers a,S well a,S vehicles military

the tO waved were they ,hotel the tO led that avenue the At

a half parking and up pulling ,turned dutifully Carter and ,left

.way. block

of line a faced and blcxk the of middle the in was hotel The

.tore. department a and buildings office

went ,car the of out got he a.S jacket his buttoned Carter

the down they together and ,out Joy help tO around

acrOSS buildings the behind ra.n that alley service the tO block

.tel. the from street the

the down ducked they a.S attention any them paid one No

of rear the at platforrn service the mounted finally and alley

.tore. depanment the

that see could andhe ,todo trying was he what realized Joy

although together herself hold tO desperately trying wa.S she

on bl)k(d of amount small a was nere .in. some in was she

.eak. tO begun had wound her shawl; her

the tO inside went they and ,open wa.S dc«r rear lhe*

the Acmss .around wa,S one No .a. receiving arxi shipping

wide a into d)X(rs swinging the through went they ,room

the of end the At .ned. offices several which off ,corridor

no still and ,office vx«sting and billing large the wa.S comdor

rcx:(rn big the crossed they as attention much them paid one

their at busy rotrs Arab in men adozen least

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their at busy robes Arab in men adozen least containedat that

.sks.

another into emerged they rxx:(im the of side far the On

.itself store the of fl)X(r main the into led finally that corridor

were lights overhead lhe .tore. the in one no was lhere'

dmp white with covered were displays the of many and ,out

.loths.

.o'clcx•k seven after well was lt .atch. his at lmked Carter

offce were there and ,eight at tO due was store The

clerks? sales the were where But .back the in workers

way their threading ,floor main the crossed Joy and He

.ß(X). glass front the tO displays and counters the through

on mounted guns machine with jeeps Military

the across hotel the outside just stationed were backs the

the manning ,everywhere soldiers were There .Strect

it if as looked place lhe .emplacements gun sandbagged

country entire lhe .as. it way a in which ,siege under were

.was

-regu for closed been apparently had store department The

-delega American the theproximityof tRcauseof larbusiness

.ion.

.asked Joy "do? tO going we are What"

rnore not wa.S lt .entrance hotel the at across stared Carter

.way. feet hundred a than

with filled counters store department the at back looked He

.it. had he suddenly And .oods.

into back huried and turned he and ,said here,"he Stay"

veils with filled W&S that section women's the to ,store the

.ings. silk and

negligees designer of armloads great gathered quickly He

several grabbed he counter perfume the at then ,peignoirs and

was Joy where doors fmnt the tO back went then ,txyttles large

.im. for wide-eyed waiting

French the re' You" .rightly. asked Carter "S'Ready?

CARTER NICK

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CARTER NICK

.riday. man your l'm and ,tore. the for consultant fashion

@. .imself. Huntington •. by ordered has stuff This

".lobby the in US for waiting be will Sutherland

just it ,crazy SO lt•s" .treet. the at out back looked She

-AI" .back looked She .grinning ,said she ",ork. might

"!go Let's" .id. she ",lons

"!mademoiselle, i Ou"

the sure made ,Luger his for coat his inside reached Caner

-tR concealed totally wa.S it sure made and ,off was safety

the unlocked Joy .olding. wa.S he lingerie silky the neath

.tside. stepped they and doors front

urgently whispered answer,"Caner an for no take t• Don"

.uff. the off arui sidewalk the across stepped they a.S

-Car before and ,up sat soldiers half-dozen a lmmediately

to up rushed officer an ,hotel the tO halfway got Joy and ter

.em.

Go !ck. Go" .bic. in shouted he "is?. is What"

"!back

you do What" .l)X(k outraged most her him gave Joy

what only bringing a.re We" .rench. in asked she "mean?

let and aside Step .tobring askedus has Huntington Monsieur

".uspass

confused the at rx(inted Luger concealed the had Caner

.fficer.

waiting is Sutherland Monsieur .lease. ,thmugh us Let"

your is Who" .imperiously. said Joy ",lobby the in us for

"officer? superior

".. will We" .aid. officer the ",Come'.

and street the across way the of rest the them esconed He

.desk front the by there waiting wa.S Sutherland. hotel the into

tO mshing ,out cried erland,"Cafier. Monsieur ,Ah"

-Hun Monsieur see tO here are we that man this nell• .im.

".ington.

he as scrkets their of out bulging were eyes Sutherland's

FORCE STRIKE ZERO-HOUR

and lingerie of mountain a under half-buried .Carter

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and lingerie of mountain a under half-buried .Carter in ook

,swallowed He .ide. his at blonde attractive the and ,rfume

—right that's. . right SS1hat's .fficer. the at nodded en

".re. them asked Huntington cretary

Carter tO Sutherland from doubtfully looked officer lhe

will You" .ncxlded he Finally .again back then and ,Joy d

his on turned he Then .id. sir,"he ,them for responsible

,X(r). the out marched and l

acrOSS back them led he and ,said way,"Sutherland This"

-stand people several were There .levators. the tO lobby e

.taring. all were they and ,around ng

-Suther ,up started they doorsclosedand elevator the Once

didn't I ,Christ Jesus" .lief. of sigh deep a breathed land

".ll. tO trying were you what idea faintest the ave

Huntington tO us get Just"

,say tO started Carter".

collapsed she and her beneath buckled knees s' Joy hen

.all. a gainst

hit she trfore her grabbed and everything dm.M(r)pped Carter

. e

ГЛАВА ПЯТАЯ 5

apm(intees presidential the of one ,Sellkirk Roger

Carter time the By .llkirk. •. actually wa.S ,mission the on

.comfortably resting was she ,Joy left

she's if a,S l)X(ks it and ,lood. of lot a lost She's"

.id. doctor lanky ,tall lately,"the strain of deal great a under

.ed. Cafler "right? all be she'll But"

-some her gave I .St. little a needs just She .Absolutely'.

course a and ,pain the for something ,sleep her make tO thing

".ine. be She'll .tibiotics. of

out Sutherland with went he and ,id. 1hanks,"Carter"

suite master the tO corridor the down and suite s' doctor the of

their as designated had Hermande and Huntington which

.headquarters operational

lhe .orridor. the in out activity of deal great a was lhere

Saudis the ,floor top the over taken had delegation American

below floor the RedCross Swiss the and ,down floor next the

.that

.hotel e. mileof withinahalf allowed were journalists No

think SI' .aside Carter t)X(k Sutherland ,in went they Before

".is. at«ut ashell mad is Huntington that you tell better l'd

.thing. said Carter

screw tO damnedest your doing re' you convinced He's"

CARTER NICK

.how. ishis is% . talks

He'll

th V 62 (74 of 212) — + 110%

62 NICK CARTER up his best efforts at these peace talks. This is his show. He'll fight anything that takes it out of his hands." Carter nodded. "Thanks for the tip. Bob." "Just watch yourself. He's a powerful man just at this moment." They walked the rest of the way to the master suite in silence. Sutherland knocked once, and they went in. There was an ornately furnished sitting room, two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, and a tiny kitchenette. Huntington was on the phone when they came in. He looked up, said something that Caner couldn't quite catch, then hung up. Them was no one else in the suite. "Secretary Huntington, you may remember Mr. Carter," Sutherland said as they approached. Caner held out his hand, but Huntington ignored it. "I have been on the phone with the secretary of state, the secretary of defense, the Joint Chiefs, and just minutes ago, with the Vice-President. And I can tel you that no one likes what is happening here. You were sent here to aid our best efforts. So far, from what I can see, you have set about doing exactly the opposite. Can you explain that, Mr. Caner'?" "I think I can," Carter said. "Were you involved in the disturbance at the soccer stadium?" Huntington asked. He was angry, and he seemed atrout ready to explode. "I caused it . . or at least I was a part of the cause." Huntington just looked at him. Quickly Carter explained exactly what had happened from the moment the last of the crew left Air Force One until he and Joy showed up here, including the events at the stadium and the Libyan tetnmist's admission of the words "Zero-hour Strike Forth." For several seconds Huntington just looked at Carter, But

ZERO-HOUR STRIKE FORCE 63

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ZERO–HOUR STRIKE FORCE 63 then he shook his head in exasperation. "Are you trying to tell me that you suspect the Libyans of dropping the bombs on the Saudi oil fields?" "I'm telling you that a Libyan terrorist knew about it. And I do not think the Israelis were behind this." Huntington turned away a moment. "The Central Intelli-gence Agency had no business operating here, in a friendly country. No business whatsoever." Caner couldn't believe what he was hearing. "If the CIA had not been working here, we'd never have found out about the Libyan connection." "It 's hand to believe such a story! Execution squads? Rows of naked bodies at the soccer stadium? This is crazy!" The door burst open and one of Huntington's aides rushed in. "They've taken over the hotel! The Swiss and the Saudis below us have all gone. The soldiers . . . they 're downstairs right now . . ." Carter and Sutherland raced to the windows at the same moment. Below, on the street, there were three tanks, and the entire block was swarming with soldiers and civilians. The hotel was definitely under attack. "Why"' Huntington said. "Try the phone," Carter snapped, and Sutherland hurried across the room. "The phone is dead," Sutherland said. "Get everyone in here on the double. It won't take long for the Saudis to get upstairs. When they do, Huntington is to demand to speak to our President and to demand an explana-tion for what's happening." "What about you?" "No one has ever heard of me," Carter said. "You're going to have to somehow stall them on Joy's identity. If they find out she's CIA, they'll probably kill her Tell her I'm

se NICK CARTER

n V 64 (76 of 212) — + 110%

64 NICK CARTER following up the Kebir lead." "But how are you going to get cwt of here?" Sutherland asked as Caner headed out the door, With the Swiss delegation." "But they're gone!" "I know," Carter said He raced down the condo to the stairwell, threw open the door, and hesitated for just a mo-ment on the landing, listening. Them was a great deal of activity below. But it definitely sounded as if it was down on the ground floor. They were starting up. Taking the stairs two and three at a time, Caner raced down two flights, reaching the floor the Swiss Red Cross delegation had occupied just as the Saudi soldiers were com-ing up. The corridor was deserted as Carter raced away from the stairwell and around the corner toward the elevators. He pulled out his stiletto, quickly picked the lock of a mom just across from the elevators, and let himself in. The beds had not been made nor had the bathroom been cleaned. At the windows he looked down into the mar park-ing lot. It was crammed with soldiers and a shouting mob of civilians. Four tanks had been pulled up, their guns covering the back of the hotel. He turned and looked back toward the door. There was only one way he was going to get out of here. It would be a long shot. He went back to the door and opened it Then he mussed up his hair, pulled his tie half off, unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, pulled out his shirttail, and pulled off one shoe. I He staggered like that to the elevator, and pushed the button. Then he banged on the elevator door, "Was is, las?" he shouted in German. He punched the elevator button again, and the car that had been on the first

ZERO-HOUR STRIKE FORCE 65

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ZERO–HOUR STRIKE FORCE 65 floor started up. He banged on the door harder. "Was gibr? Was isi /os?" When the elevator doors opened, Caner stumbled back-ward as if he were half drunk. Four soldiers and an officer stepped out into the corridor. "Was warren Si,?" Carter demanded. "Where are my friends? What is happening here?" "You are Swiss?" the officer asked in German. "Of course I am Swiss, you idiot!" Carter shouted. "I am Red Cross," he said and reached inside his jacket as if going for his identification, but his fingers curled around the bun of his Luger. The officer shook his head in disgust. "Your colleagues are already gone. They left an hour ago. They are at the airport by now." "But ... what am Ito do?" Carter said, bewildered. The officer made some rude remark in Arabic to his men, and then he detailed two of them to eseon the drunken Swiss. 'They will take you to your people at the airport. We will radio ahead. Do not worry. We want you out of our country as badly as you want to leave." Carter staggered, and the officer looked past him through the open door of the room. "What about your luggage? Are you going to leave it here?" Caner looked back toward the room. "It is gone. They took it. I don't even have a clean shirt." The officer shook his head again. "Cot him out of here. I'll call the airport commander." Carter let himself be escorted onto the elevator, downstairs, and across the lobby. Them were soldiers everywhere, but no one paid them much attention. His escorts dumped him in the back seat of a jeep, and they

66 NICK CARTER

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CARTER NICK

,back looked He high at hotel the from away headed

and Huntington that realize tO feeling odd an him gave it and

,town across embassy the at Americans the plus ,others the

had force whatever ,moment any At beingheldhostage were

device nuclear a drop tO decide could fields oil the attacked

will U.S.forces .en•ible. be would toll death The. city this on

the allow can•t We .ought. Carter ,intervene tO have

the But ,n. depend we that resources oil /o takeover

might they and ,mind in ideas sa.me the had probably Soviets

.her intervene tO time it thought have also

and beginning possibly was what think tO shuddered He

.oment. this at was really EEace world fragile how just

,minutes twenty than less in airport the tO it made lhey

they and ,gate side a through admitted was jeep the where

Force Air . terminal the of side tlightline the tO around drove

main the of front in tam the beneath parked still wa.S One

,apron parking the of side far the on but ,entrance terminal

red-and-white the with 707 a was .way. mile half a about

symtk(l Cross Red lnternational the and tail the on flag Swiss

.txx\y the on

lhe .tairs. boarding the at people of knot a was lhere

waiting were they and ,takeoff for ready obviously wa.S plane

.him for

,him help could escorts his before and ,up pulled jeep The

and ,delegates Swiss the of one tO hurried ,out hopped Carter

.im. on fell half

Help !joumalist American an m l !Swiss m l think They"

.man. in urgently e!"Caner.

it what understcxxi Swiss the if a.S seem didn't it first At

-sa and up came soldiers the then But . wanted Carter was

.luted

"yours? of one man this ls€s

.prayed Carter ,on Come

FORCE STRIKE ZERO-HOUR

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Carter at looked .said Swiss ours,"the of one is he ,Yes"

"him? find you did Where" .isgustedly.

"!Drunk .otel. the at still wa,S He"

a and ,said Swiss the ",is. about SOITY terribly am I"

boarding the up him helped and Carter took others of couple

.in. a suppress barely could He .tairs.

I although ,clearance our have we if ,now leave will We"

"—have we treatment the protest vigorously must

.id. soldiers the of one ",sir ,a.r. at are We"

.napped. delegate Swiss the "whom? S'With

,jeep the into back got ,heels their on turnaj soldiers The

.way. drove and

jeep the watched delegation Swiss the tWO or moment a For

stairs the up came and turned they then and ,comer the round

.lane. the into and

.ts. rear the of one tO led been had Carter

in asked escorts his of one "you? are hell the who Just"

.erman.

Press AmaJgamated with journalist a l'm .arter. Nick"

".Washington,D.C of out Services Wire and

were engines the later second a and ,shut was hatch The

had who delegate lhe* .ressurized. was cabin the and started

.gry. seemed He .back came Carter for vouched

"about? all this is what and you a.re who just Now"

.over. service wire his explained Carter

"hotel? the into get you did How"

I And" .aid. sir,"Carter ,delegation American the With"

".e. helping for you thank tO want

there were you If .er. .. ,understand t' don I S'But

did why ,years in exclusive biggest the covering obviously

"Arabia? Saudi of out get to desperately SO want you

by seized wa.S hotel the ,left delegation your as soon As"

".ized. tEen also has embassy Our .ilitary. the

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CARTER NICK

-hos Tehran Another" .breathed delegate Gcxi,"the My"

situation?'i tage

".. tO managed barely just I .ir. ,SO afraid l'm"

down sat runway,andeveryone the theendof at were They

were they as soon As .ll. takeoff the for in strapped and

Carter but ,forvard staned and up got delegate the ,airborne

.im. after called

"Geneva? or Bern tO going we Are"

.im. tO going re' We .Neither'. .k. looked man ne

".ere. shop up set tO going We're

Egyptian the in blazed sun desert hot the and ,('nc:x:(l was lt

wa,S Carter .airo. in landed plane Cross Red Swiss the a.S sky

delegates Swiss the with customs Egyptian through passed

Ameriean his merely He .hed. being without

then and ,interest slightest the not elicited which ,passpofl

.is. for waiting outside were they

had who delegate the ",Carter •. ,you to luck Gcxxi"

.ands. shook They .aid. him for vouched

.id. Carter ",all us tO luck Good"

it make and cab a get tO Carter for hour an than more took lt

American the tO traffic impassible almost Cairo's through

a tO desk front the at passm«rt his showed He .mbassy.

.lerk. harried

".bassador. the see tO need I"

".ir. ,moment the at Cairo in not He's"

".d'affaires écharg the Then"

the is ask I may What" .yebrows. his raised clerk The

"problem? your of nature

the where ,Riyadh Sheraton the from escaped just I"

State of Secretary Assistant by led ,legation. American

".ostage. held being is ,untington. Howard

th around came He .reathed. clerk God,"the Go•cxl"

.said he ",sir ,way this come Ptease" .ounter.

FORCE STRIKE HOUR -ZERO

to up then ,corridor the of end the tO him followed

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FORCE STRIKE HOUR -ZERO

to up then ,corridor the of end the tO him followed Carter

view a with office an into shown wa.S he where floor third the

.ity. the of

came hair graying with man middle-aged a later moment A

I StOIY this what's ,Now" .im. door the closing ,in

tx:(ther to Sorry" .indow. the by standing tEen had Carter

Stateside your of use the need l'll but ,sir ,this like you

-lm .ission. top-secret a for facility communications

".ediately.

.oment. a for there st)xxl just d'affaires écharg lhe

".. facility such no is There"

-voice your is which ,6-KO a either have You'll"

.letype. is which ,26-KW a perhaps or ,facility encryptcd

Force Air Ramstein through routed ll' they way Either

-distribu for Pentagon the tO there from Germany,and in Base

".ion.

".ir. ,paSSEX(rt your see better l'd think I"

can You" .id. ccxfes,"Carter routing the you give l*ll"

pen grabbed irst."He. access my verify and circuit the up set

that ccxies the out wmte quickly and desk the from and

.night or day ,AXE at Hawk David with him connect would

".ircuit. voice the prefer l'd" .éharg. the tO it handed He

the left and turned then slipof the l»x«kedat man ne

.igarette. a lit and window the to back turned Carter

had Swiss the ,flight eleven-hundred-mile entire the During

told Carter .el. the at situation the atx(ut nonstop talked

of none and ,stadium soccer the at goings-on the about them

-re claimed had activist lsraeli An .urprised. seemed them

the with anyone And .trike. nuclear the for scx«nsibility

.tcxl. been had sympathies lsraeli of hint slightest

days,"Carter tWO least at for on going txen had that SSBut

.protested

CARTER NICK

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CARTER NICK

-mark lsraeli had bombs the delivered that aircraft lhe"

the saw who away miles twenty witnesses were There .rngs.

".tetvard. desert the over low vety flying planes

Caner,"oneof .Mr ,it at«ut something todo tor will We"

promise cannot we But" .aid. had delegates other the

".uch.

Joy about thought he And .OW. tired wa.S Carter

protect tO Sutherland's within was it If .Makepiece

hated had he Yet .best his woulddo man the knew Carter ,her

i. her leaving

.ttitude. deferential highly a with back came écharg The

".y. is circuit Your .ir. ,waiting you kept have tO Sorry"

lifted and ,adrawer opened ,desk the behind around came He

up picked He .utton. red a with telephone black plain a out

tO it handed then and ,button the punched ,receiver the

.er.

".ir. ,anything need you if outside just be will l"

,gone wa.S man the until waited He .said Thanks,"Carter"

".ere. Caner" .hone. the up picked then

with LIP come YOIJ have and ,Cairo tO get you did How"

vety was lt .ff. voice his ,said N3?"Hawk ,yet anything

.Washington in moming the in early

CIA other the and Joy about explained Carter Quickly

the at incident the ,house safe the of out working operatives

,from exit his and ,tO entry their finally and ,stadium soccer

.otel. the

l'll and on Hold" .id. Force,"Hawk Strike SZero-hour

wa.S ith."He. up come can Archives what see Smitty have

"move? next your What's" .ment. a just for line the off

Makepiece .Ms'. .aid. sir,"Carter ,TriB(li tO going l'm"

.ieutenants. KaddafCs of one as Kebir el Edri this identified

".ething. it's but ,lead a of much not lt's

an runs Avorix Claude .assport. French your Use"

".iend. a He•s .ere. business import-export

FORCE STRIKE ZERO—HOUR

"Service? Secret S'French

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目

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ZERO-HOUR STRIKE FORCE

"French Secret Service?"

"Yes, SDECE," Hawk said. "Smitty's on. What'd you

find?"

"Nothing, and yet something, sir, " Smitty said over the

encrypted line. 'The term "Zero-hour Strike Force' has ap-

parently been flagged in our reference section."

"But?" Hawk prompted.

"The computer files have been erased."

SIX

The chargé d'affaires, F. Monkton Clarke, turned out to be

a bright, very capable man, and by four in the afternoon,

Carter was being piloted in a twin-engine Beechcraft up the

coast toward the Libyan border nearly four hundred miles

distant.

His pilot was Ben Sidirin, a former Egyptian fighter pilot

who now worked for the American embassy. For the most

part his job consisted of flying VIP guests around Cairo, up to

Alexandria, around the Pyramids, and up and down a

hundred miles or so of the Nile.

During the two-hour flight to the tiny coastal fishing town

of Salûm, which was just across the border from its sister

town El Bardi in Libya, Sidirin talked nonstop about his

relatives. It seems he had dozens of them who worked for

numerous governmental agencies in Cairo.

It suddenly occurred to Carter that Sidirin was spying on

the American embassy for his own government. But he was

so obvious it was almost laughable. Clarke had to know about

the man, but this flight really didn't matter. Egypt and Libya

were not on the best of terms. It wouldn't benefit the Egyp-

tian government to let Kaddafi know that an American had

been allowed to sneak into his country.

NICK CARTER

In fact, he thought, if Clarke and the embassy staff were on

the ball, they'd have fed Sidirin whatever information they

wanted the Egyptians to have, and held back on the rest. A

spy such as this, out in the open and in plain sight of

everyone, was certainly preferable to a deep-cover man, even

if the deep agent was suspect.

"Have you any relatives in Salûm?" Carter asked the little

pilot.

"Yes! Yes, of course," the man said. "I have a second

cousin on the fisheries board. He also runs a fleet of fishing

boats. Alas, they are doing so poorly now, they lately have

taken to smuggling.

Cigarettes and whiskey, don't you

know, up to Tobruk. "

"What is this cousin's name?"

Sidirin laughed. 'His name? We are friends, Mr. Carter.

Are you interested in the fisheries business, perhaps?"

'Let's just say I'm interested in getting to Tobruk without

the stupid formalities of a border crossing. It could be very

profitable for your cousin . . . and for you as well."

'American dollars? Perhaps five thousand for me, five

thousand for my cousin?"

Carter smiled. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled

out one of the packets of diamonds. He opened it and handed

it over to the pilot, whose eyes went wide. The plane dipped

down and slewed to the left before Sidirin regained control.

But he didn't spill one of the diamonds.

"They are real," Carter said. "And the manner of their

division between you and your cousin I will leave entirely to

you. I merely wish to be taken to Tobruk without fuss and

without questions."

"It will be as you wish, Mr. Carter, " Sidirin said. He

looked lovingly at the diamonds again, then carefully folded

the packet with one hand and stuffed it deep into an inside

pocket. "Indeed, " he said, smiling. "It will be as you ask."

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Carter leaned over a little closer. "One thing, Ben," he

said, his voice low.

Sidirin's eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't cheat you!" he

stammered in alarm.

'You will be a dead man should I not reach Tobruk safely.

But not by my hands. By your own government's hands for

taking bribes from an American spy."

Sidirin turned white. But he said nothing for the remainder

of the trip, making a beautiful landing at the government field

outside the small town.

They borrowed an ancient rattletrap of a Chevy van, and

Sidirin drove him into the tiny fishing village of about a

thousand people.

The sun was just going down on the western horizon when

they pulled up behind a collection of old, decrepit stone huts

with tin roofs about a hundred yards up from a stony beach. A

half-dozen heavy-looking open fishing boats rested on the

beach. Anchored fifty yards out was a much larger boat, a

dhow, its lateen sail furled and taken in for the night. A light

breeze ruffled the water, causing the big boat to bob gently at

her mooring.

"Good, they are back," Sidirin said, climbing out of the

van.

Carter followed him across to one of the huts, then waited

outside while the Egyptian pilot talked his "deal" with his

cousin.

It took less than five minutes, and Carter was invited

inside. There were four fishermen there, drinking very thick,

very sweet coffee. They invited Carter to sit, and another cup

was produced.

No one had poured Sidirin a cup, and after a few moments,

the largest of the men got up and went outside with him. They

were gone fifteen or twenty minutes during which time Carter

had two more cups of the vile-tasting coffee and listened to

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NICK CARTER

the fishermen tell stories about their day's catch, which

included him.

At length the big man came back, and Carter looked up

Sidirin wasn't with him.

"Ben is gone back Cairo. Fly back. We go in one hour. "

"How long will it take to get to Tobruk?"

"All night, all day, then late at night."

He had hoped for something a lot faster, but it could not be

helped now. He nodded.

"Good," the big fisherman said, slapping him on the

back.

Carter never learned the names of Sidirin's cousin or his

three crewmen, but at around eight o'clock, carrying their

provisions with them, they rowed out to the large dhow, set

sail, and traveled well out into the Mediterranean; Carter

guessed at least thirty miles, perhaps more. Then they turned

west with an increasingly strong northerly wind that shot

them like an express train over and through all but the very

largest of the waves.

He managed to get some sleep, forward under the over-

hang on the mostly open deck, one hand inside his jacket on

his Luger in case they tried to rob him and throw him

overboard. But they made no move against him.

By morning the seas had moderated somewhat, and the

crew made some hot tea to go with their meal of bread and

goat cheese, topped off by dates and figs.

It was pleasantly warm and peaceful on the water as the sun

climbed higher into the sky at their backs. Once, sometime

before noon, they saw the trails of four very high-flying jets,

and twice in the afternoon they saw large ships well beyond

them out to sea, racing fast to the east.

"It is the American Navy, " one of the fishermen said

"They are on their way to Israel. "

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So close, Carter mused, and yet so very far away. It was

peaceful out here, but now they were offshore of Kaddafi's

Libya. And well out to sea were American naval war vessels.

It was somehow incongruous.

The wind died completely in the early afternoon, and the

four of them took turns sculling the heavy dhow through the

flat, calm sea.

At about four o'clock, however, the wind came up again,

and within a half hour, they were once again roaring across a

sea studded with whitecaps in every direction.

There was no compass on the boat, and when the sky

clouded over and night fell, Carter was certain they'd have to

turn toward shore. But the big fisherman did not alter his

course until nearly ten, when he finally turned toward what

Carter took to be south and the Libyan shore.

The glow of Tobruk showed up on the horizon within a half

hour, and by 11:30 they were picking out individual lights as

well as the blinking red lights on the radio tower.

"We put you ashore west of city," Sidirin's cousin

said. "There is good beach there and not so many lights."

"How far to the highway?" Carter asked.

"Not far," the big man said. "Five hundred meters. Is

good?"

"Is very good," Carter said.

It was well after 2:00 A.M. by the time they stopped just

offshore and a small dinghy was lowered over the side.

Carter shook hands all around. "Thank you," he said.

"You have paid well," Sidirin's cousin said, and Carter

climbed down into the rowboat with one of the other men.

Five minutes later the rowboat was heading back to the

dhow, and Carter stood on Libyan soil. As an American he'd

be shot on sight if he were discovered. He was going to have

to be very careful.

He lit a cigarette and, cupping the lit end in his hand,

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trudged up from the beach over a series of dunes, walking

across a wide field of low brush, then up a steep embankment

and finally onto the surface of the paved highway.

Tobruk was not a very large town; it had less than twenty

thousand people. But there was nothing else along the coast

for a long way in either direction, so its lights ten miles away

lit up the night sky. A few miles up the highway was the

rotating green and white light of an airport.

Carter looked in the opposite direction down the long dark

highway. It was more than six hundred air miles from here to

Tripoli, and because of the way the coast curved, perhaps

half again that far by highway. He had wasted too much time

on the dhow. He was rested. Well fed. It was time to move

fast now.

He turned and started down the highway toward the air-

port. One way or another, he was going to be in Tripoli before

lunch.

A wide, well-paved road led from the main coastal high-

way back to the airport, which turned out to be a small

commercial field. In this Carter felt lucky. Had there been

any military stationed at the field, security would have been

tight.

The small terminal building was open but deserted when

Carter walked in. He went across to the door that led out onto

the field and looked outside.

The taxiway and runway lights were off; only the rotating

green and white light atop the terminal building gave any

indication that this was a working airport. To the left were

three large hangars. Attached to the side of the nearest one

was what appeared to be an office. A light was shining in the

window.

He stepped out of the terminal and headed down the

parking apron to the office. He knocked at the door and let

himself in.

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An older man, who appeared to be American or European,

was sitting back, his feet up on a battered wooden desk,

sound asleep. He had long, dirty gray hair, wore boots and

khaki trousers, and a scuffed leather jacket was thrown over

his shoulders. He obviously had been drinking. The tiny

office reeked of booze.

Carter took out a packet of diamonds, opened it, and laid it

on the desk. Then he lit a cigarette and sat down.

The nameplate on the desk said Arbogast. Carter reached

forward and shoved the man's feet off the desk.

"Monsieur Arbogast?"

The man's feet hit the floor, and he sat up sputtering.

"What the bleedin' hell..." He realized he was not alone

and reached for the desk drawer.

Carter sat forward and grabbed his wrist. He smiled. "I

don't especially like Brits, you know,

" he said in English

with a heavy French accent.

"But if you will look on your

desk you will see the present I have brought you."

Slowly the man's eyes left Carter's, and he looked down

at the open packet of diamonds. His eyes widened, and he

licked his lips.

Carter released his wrist and sat back. With shaking hands

the man examined the diamonds a little more closely, finally

looking up. Sweat had beaded on his upper lip.

'Who do you want me to kill, Monsieur ..."

"My name is of no consequence. And I do not require that

sort of work."

"What then? Smuggling?"

"Don't be tedious,

" Carter said in French, then switched

to English: "My automobile is in town. Completely ruined.

It is something with the motor... seizing or something

because of the heat."

Arbogast nodded. He glanced at the stones. 'You want me

to take you somewhere? Crete, maybe?"

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NICK CARTER

"Tripoli."

Arbogast's eyebrows came up. "You surprise me. I've not

heard of you.

. of a Frenchman doing business in To-

bruk."

"Nor have I heard of you. I do not need introductions. I

need a pilot."

"When?"

"This morning. I wish to be in Tripoli certainly no later

than noon."

Arbogast looked at his watch. "It'll be light in a few hours.

We'll go then."

"Why not now?"

"The generator for the runway lights has gone bad. Be-

sides, we've lost our clearance for night flights. We can leave

in the morning as soon as it's light enough to see.

"We will be there before noon, with no interference?"

'Guaranteed," Arbogast said. 'We'll have to make two

stops to refuel-one at Benghazi and the second one at

Misurata across the Gulf of Sidra. "

Carter nodded. Arbogast folded the packet of diamonds

and pocketed them.

"I have two airplanes, a very good DC-3 and a small

DeHavilland. We'll take the small plane. It will attract less

attention."

The DeHavilland was a very old Otter, the same kind of

cargo-carrying light plane that Canadian and Alaskan bush

pilots used. It was a little after 5:00 A.M. when they went out

to it, and Arbogast made a brief walk-around inspection

before they climbed inside and strapped in.

They had talked through the morning. Carter had learned

that Ralph Arbogast had been born in Liverpool, but after

some trouble with the law in London -which he did not go

into he had come here to North Africa to fly anybody or

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anything for a price. Here he had remained, finally ending up

a few years ago in Tobruk after some trouble in Algiers.

"I have to stay away from the big cities, " he explained.

"Too much trouble there for the likes of me.

He called the military base east of town on the radio for

flight clearance, and then they were airborne, climbing up

into the brilliantly clear air, the startlingly blue Mediterra-

nean to their right, and the faded brown desert to their left.

It was nearly seven-thirty when they landed at the sieepy

Benghazi airport to refuel, which took nearly forty-five min-

utes. It was well after ten when they again refueled at Mis-

urata, getting airborne at quarter to eleven.

At exactly noon they touched down at Tripoli's large

airport, military aircraft parked in long rows across the field

from the terminal.

n, and it was disgorgin

ts passengers as Arbogasi saxid over to the business ain

tion terminal.

"Will I be required to go through any customs check?"

Carter asked

"No. In fact you won't even have to go over to the main

terminal. Someone here at the business terminal will take you

into town if you like."

"Thanks, " Carter said.

"You've made me a rich man. I should thank you,"

Arbogast said, bringing the plane to a halt but not cutting the

engines.

"You're not coming in?"

He shook his head. "Big cities are trouble. Tripoli now for

me, with my new sparkling pals, here,

" he said, patting his

pocket,

"would be disastrous. No, I'm going back to Tobruk

where it's a damn sight safer."

They shook hands, and Carter got out of the plane and went

into the business terminal, where he hired a taxi to take him

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NICK CARTER

into town. He was just leaving the airport area a half hour

later when he looked back and saw the DeHavilland taking

off.

Tripoli was alive with people and traffic, so it took the

better part of an hour to make it into town and to the water-

front district. They drove past Avorix Import/Export, housed

in a large warehouse on the quay, and stopped a couple of

blocks later at a small hotel.

When the taxi was out of sight, Carter walked back to the

warehouse and entered by a side door marked Office.

The place was a madhouse. A large French cargo vessel

was being unloaded. A dozen forklifts scurried back and

forth, and twenty or thirty men swarmed on and around the

ship.

Carter was directed to a glassed-in suite of offices on a

balcony in the back. He went up the stairs, knocked, and

went inside. An attractive young woman sat behind a desk.

She looked up from her typewriter.

"Monsieur?"

"I am Marcel Mentoir. I am here to speak with Monsieur

Avorix.

"He is very busy, but I will see if he can spare you a

moment, " the girl said. She was dark, with high cheekbones

and a fine, delicate nose. She picked up the phone. "Claude,

there is a Monsieur Mentoir to see you." She paused a

moment, looked up in surprise, then nodded her head

"Oui," she said and hung up the phone. "Please go in," she

said, pointing toward a door. "He will be right up.

"Merci," Carter said with a smile, and he entered Av-

orix's tastefully furnished, air-conditioned office. The far

wall was mostly window, and Carter looked out on the ship

and down at the workmen on the docks. It was a spectacular

view.

He lit a cigarette and watched what was going on below for

a few minutes. Soon the door opened behind him, and a

short, pudgy, balding man breezed in.

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"I can see what is happening on my docks from there," he

said. He came across the room and pumped Carter's hand. "I

trust there was no trouble making it here?"

Carter told him about Arbogast.

"I know him. Not a bad sort, but he can't pay his gambling

debts. There are a number of unsavory characters in Algiers

who would like to talk to him."

Avorix poured them both a cognac, and they sat down.

"How secure is your office?" Carter began.

"Very," Avorix said.

"It's swept daily. Hawk got a

message to me about you. I understand you know something

of the nuclear attack on the Saudis.

"Perhaps," Carter said. "But I am going to need your

help. There may be a connection here, to Libya."

"With Kaddafi?"

Carter nodded.

Avorix laughed. 'You Americans have become paranoid

over our ludicrous colonel. But how do you think he is

involved in this?"

Very briefly Carter described to Avorix what had hap-

pened at the soccer stadium in Riyadh, including Kebir's

name and the Zero-hour Strike Force.

Avorix sat back in his chair, deep in thought for several

moments. "Kebir in Riyadh," he said. "It could not simply

be a coincidence. And yet.

"And yet what?"

"Libya has no reason to attack Saudi Arabia, even if she

did have nuclear weapons."

•The Saudis are friendly with the U.S."

Avorix shrugged. "There are other, more enticing targets

if that is the criteria. No, it is something more than that. And

then this business of the Zero-hour Strike Force. I have not

heard of it before, but it sounds ominous."

''There's no possibility that Kaddafi could have gotten

hold of four nuclear devices? They weren't very large."

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'The Israeli planes and ground equipment, yes, easily.

But the nuclear weapons? I have worked here for ten years-

ten active years —and I have found no evidence that he has

managed to come up with a nuclear force. He has tried. He

does have the money. But no one trusts him.

"We have to find out very soon. War will erupt unless we

can come up with proof that the Israelis did not do it."

"Are you so sure they didn't?"

'Yes, " Carter said.

"Very well, what is it I can do to help?"

"Who did Kebir work for?"

"Kaddafi."

"I meant, who was his direct boss?"

Avorix shrugged again. 'I do not know, for certain, al-

though I have my suspicions."

"I want to get to the man, whoever he is. Immediately.

Tonight if possible.

"To do what? Kill him?" Avorix asked. "You would

never get out of Libya."

"To talk with him. Kebir knows of this Zero-hour Strike

Force, whatever it is. And he was in Saudi Arabia. His boss

should know more."

"Yes," Avorix said thoughtfully. "And then what, when

you have your information. What will you do with it?"

"Act on it."

"You mean bring the proof back to Riyadh with you?"

"Possibly that."

"Or? Perhaps you discover it was Kaddafi's doing."

"I would kill him," Carter said.

"Isee," Avorix said. He got up and came around the desk.

'You will have to remain here. I will have Marie bring you

something to eat later this afternoon. For now there is cognac

and wine, and there are cigarettes. Please help yourself. I will

be gone for a while... probably several hours.

ZERO-HOUR STRIKE FORCE

"We have to do this tonight."

'I will have something arranged for tonight. Meanwhile,

do not leave this office. There is no need to expose yourself

until it is absolutely necessary."

SEVEN

Marie, Avorix's secretary, brought Carter his lunch at

around 2:30, then hurried back out of the office as if she

thought he might bite her. She had brought him a couple of

bottles of ice cold beer, some bread, cheese, and several

different kinds of sausage; all of it was very good

Before he had gone out, the little Frenchman had shown

Carter where the shortwave receiver was located and how it

operated, so that he could listen to some Western news

programs. But he warned Carter not to snoop around the

"I mean it when I say this, Monsieur Carter. I have many

secrets here, and they all are wired with some very nasty

surprises . . . all of them fatal. "

"I'll be careful," Carter had said. And he had been.

Before lunch he

had found the plastique and trigger

mechanisms for the desk drawers, for the shortwave transmit-

ter cabinet, and for three of the four hidden file cabinets. He

had gotten through two of the last file cabinet's interlocking

trigger mechanisms, and he knew there'd be more. Avorix

had many secrets, but his most cherished were evidently in

the final file drawers.

Avorix called in at three o'clock and told Carter that

NICK CARTER

progress was being made with his deal, but that it would take

a little longer than expected. He said he'd be back sometime

after dark.

Carter attacked the man's office with a vengeance then,

finding three more trigger mechanisms for the file cabinet.

For just a minute he had the urge to cross-connect all the

devices, but then he had to remind himself that Avorix was a

friend, not the enemy.

The file cabinet, after all of that, contained little of value.

There were a number of diagrams of various Libyan military

establishments, the wiring and encoding diagram for a

Russian-built automatic identification unit that was installed

in all Libyan Air Force planes, and the transcript of an

interrogation Avorix conducted of a Sicilian Mafia leader

working a drug-smuggling deal here in Tripoli.

Disappointed, he replaced the files in their proper order

and reset all the trigger mechanisms, then poured himself a

drink and went to the window.

The off-loading of the ship had progressed very fast, and

from what Carter could see, it was nearly finished

He stood by the window for at least an hour watching the

comings and goings of the dock crews until finally they began

leaving, waving good night to each other.

By 5:00 the docks were fairly quiet up and down the quay,

and by 5:30 nothing moved below. Suddenly Carter was

feeling very exposed. There was no reason for him not to trust

Avorix, and yet...

He looked at the door, then back down at the dock.

Everyone had gone for the day. If the police came and

arrested him, no one would know. Avorix could claim he

knew nothing——he was off doing the American's bidding—

and sooner or later it would all blow over.

There was no reason for him to suspect anything of the

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sort, nor was there anywhere in the city he could run to and be

reasonably safe. But this place was very definitely getting on

his nerves.

He finished his drink, then turned on Avorix's answering

machine to the record-message mode. "I'll contact you here

at ten, " he said, and he rewound the tape and set the machine

to answer the incoming call. If someone other than Avorix

called, they'd not understand the message. There was a slight

risk involved, but not a big one.

At the door he listened for any sounds from the outer

office. It was quiet. He shut off the lights, opened the door,

and stepped out. Avorix's secretary was seated at her desk

reading a French fashion magazine. She looked up, startled,

her eyes wide, just as surprised at seeing Carter as he was of

seeing her.

"Good evening," he said.

"Monsieur," she replied in a small voice.

"You are to

remain in the office."

"I think not," Carter said. He went to the windows that

looked down into the warehouse. The girl jumped up.

"Please, monsieur, it means my job.

The warehouse was deserted. Only a few small nightlights

were on. He turned back to the girl. "You were supposed to

watch me? Make sure I didn't take off?"

She nodded uncertainly.

Carter smiled. "Fine. I'm getting out of here, and you can

come along and watch me. Any ideas where I might go to

wait for Claude?"

'You are supposed

.. to stay here

"I'm not going to stay here. I am leaving. You may come

or you may stay,

" Carter said. If Avorix was on the level

after all, Carter would make sure the girl did not lose her job.

If he wasn't—if he were playing a double cross—- then the girl

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would be much better off not working for him.

He went to the door, opened it, and looked downstairs. He

glanced back. "Coming?"

She looked around wildly, then grabbed her sweater, her

purse, and the magazine, and followed him out the door,

locking it behind her.

Carter went down the stairs and started for the side door,

but the girl called after him.

'Monsieur Mentoir, "

Carter turned back.

''Do you know Tripoli? Do you have an idea where you

would like to go, to wait for Monsieur Avorix?"

"No," Carter admitted. 'But I won't stay here.

"May I ask why?"

Carter shrugged. "I don't trust your boss. Not fully. I

would prefer to wait somewhere for him that he does not

control."

Marie smiled. "I understand, " she said. "Then come with

me. My car is in the back. " She turned and headed toward a

back door.

"Where are we going?" Carter asked, starting after her.

"My apartment," she said over her shoulder.

Her car was a small Renault, clean and well maintained.

They headed off the quay and went a dozen blocks through

town, then pulled down a side street and parked at the rear of

a high-rise apartment building that overlooked the sea. It

wasn't the most luxurious of neighborhoods, but like the girl

and her car, it was neat and very well maintained.

Her small apartment was on the corner of the fifth floor.

From one side she could look across the city of a quarter of a

million people, and from the other, across the harbor to the

blue Mediterranean beyond.

ZERO-HOUR STRIKE FORCE

'Very nice," he said, standing in the middle of the living

room. "You live here alone?"

She nodded. 'There is wine in the kitchen. Please help

yourself while I change my clothes."

She disappeared into the bedroom, and Carter went into

the kitchen where he found several bottles of good red wine in

the cabinet, and a few bottles of a nice Pouilly-Fuissé in the

refrigerator.

He opened one of the bottles of red wine, and brought the

bottle and two glasses back into the living room, where he

had spotted a stereo and a rack of LPs. They were mostly

classical. He put on a Brahms concerto and poured them each

a glass of wine. Then he pulled off his jacket, stuffed his

Luger and holster into a pocket, kicked off his shoes, and sat

down on the carpeted floor, leaning back against the couch.

She came out a few minutes later, her long, jet black hair

flowing down her back. She was wearing an old, faded

T-shirt and a pair of denim shorts, a highly unusual, very

Western outfit for this part of the world.

She smiled. "Needless to say I don't go outside dressed

like this," she said to a surprised Carter in accent-free En-

glish. She came across the room and took the glass of wine he

had poured for her. "Thanks, " she said, and she went into

the kitchen.

Carter remained where he was, bewildered, staring at the

doorway. This young woman was more than she seemed to

be.

She was back a few minutes later with a small tray of hors

d'oeuvres, which she placed on the coffee table. She sat

down cross-legged on the floor next to him.

"My name is Marie Arlemont. My parents were French,

but I was born and grew up in Philadelphia. I spent my

summers in France with grandparents and went to college in

NICK CARTER

Paris at the Sorbonne. When I graduated I joined my parents

who had moved to Monaco. I was hired by the SDECE five

years ago, and I've been out here working with Avorix for the

past eighteen months."

Hawk hadn't known about her, or he hadn't considered her

important enough to mention. "Is Avorix on the level?"

"Do you mean, is he a double? I don't know. That's why I

was sent out here. Once upon a time he was the very best. His

stuff lately is less than grade four."

"And me?" Carter asked. "What do you know?"

'Your real name is Nicholas Carter and you work for U.S.

intelligence, although for which branch I couldn't find out.

State Department, I'd guess. Certainly not the Company."

Carter had to smile.

"I've been able to get through everything except his A

source file. Did you find anything?"

"You watched me?"

"Everything in there is silently alarmed."

"Nothing that sophisticated. Just a tape recorder. " She

drank some of her wine. "So now you're looking for the man

who ran the infamous Edri el Kebir. Then what?"

"That depends on what he has to say to me."

She thought about that for a moment. "You do realize that

once you approach Kebir's control, no matter what is said or

done, the clock will begin running on you at that moment.

Kaddafi's people are pretty efficient in this. You'll have to

leave Libya tonight. And so will I. Avorix is not a stupid

man. He will know what has happened and who helped you. I

will have to go."

Carter was beginning to like this woman. She seemed very

self-sufficient. She seemed to know exactly who she was and

what she was all about. "You have a bolt hole?"

She nodded. 'I have hidden a helicopter outside of the

ZERO-HOUR STRIKE FORCE

city. Not too far from here. It has sufficient range to make

Sicily, which is about three hundred miles."

Carter sat up. "A helicopter? How in hell did you manage

that?"

"It wasn't easy, let me tell you. It took a lot of money,

three months of work, and a lot of nervous nights. But it's

there."

"You have a pilot?"

She laughed. 'I'm the pilot, of course."

She fixed them a light dinner, and afterward Carter took a

quick shower and laid down to get some rest before he

telephoned Avorix.

It was a couple of minutes before ten when she came into

the bedroom, sat on the side of the bed, and shook him

awake.

"It's time to call Avorix," she said. She had evidently

taken a shower. Her hair was up in a towel, and she was

wearing a bathrobe. She smelled of perfumed soap.

Carter looked at his watch.

"Go ahead and dial his

number. I'll talk with him."

She did, then handed him the receiver. Avorix answered

on the first ring

'What did you find out for me?" Carter asked.

"That was a very stupid thing you did, Monsieur Carter.

Where are you telephoning from?"

"What have you got for me?"

"Come here to my office."

'No. Someplace else.

"What is the matter with you?" the Frenchman shouted

"Don't you trust me?"

'I don't trust your office. It's probably being watched

Where can we meet, away from there?"

Avorix was silent. Marie had pulled out a dark pullover

NICK CARTER

and dark slacks from her closet and laid them over a chair.

'The main highway toward Zwara. Do you have transpor-

tation?"

"Yes."

"Five miles outside of the city. Just past the oil storage

tanks. I have a Mercedes. Tan. It will be parked at the side of

the road."

'When I pass I will blink twice, and you can follow me,"

Carter said. 'What time?'

Avorix sputtered, but finally he calmed down enough to

tell Carter he would be there at midnight. Earlier would be

too dangerous..

Carter hung up and was about to get out of bed, when

Marie opened her bathrobe and let it fall from her shoulders to

the floor. She undid the towel from her hair, then came over

to the bed and helped Carter out of his clothes.

"It's been a long year and a half here, Nick, " she said

huskily as she came into his arms...

Before they left Marie bound her breasts tightly against her

chest. and pinned her hair up so that when she pulled her

black watch cap low on her forehead, she could be mistaken

for a slightly built man or a boy.

At the door to her apartment she hesitated only a moment

to look back. There was nothing personal here, she had told

Carter. No photographs, no letters or favorite books, nothing

that would tell anyone she was anything more than the secre-

tary to the owner of a French import-export firm.

It had been an empty life for her these last eighteen

months. When she turned and they headed downstairs to her

car, her step was light. Carter was sure she was happy to be

leaving here.

No one was on the back streets, but when they made it

downtown there still was some traffic. Carter drove in case

ZERO-HOUR STRIKE FORCE

E FORCE

they were stopped. He figured he would more easily pass a

police scrutiny than she would.

The night was cool, and within a few minutes they had

made it to the outskirts of the city; beyond, they could see the

lights outlining the tank farm.

Carter pulled his Luger out of his holster, checked to make

sure there was a round in the firing chamber, and laid the

weapon beside him on the seat.

Marie had a little .380 Beretta automatic.

She levered a

round into the chamber and held the weapon below the level

of the window.

Just beyond the oil tank farm, parked at the side of the

highway, was a tan Mercedes 300D. As Carter passed, he

blinked the headlights twice.

The Mercedes's lights came on, and the car pulled out onto

the highway. If there was going to be any trouble, it would

happen now, Carter thought. But there were no other vehicles

behind or ahead of them, nor was there anything in the air.

Avorix was evidently playing it straight. Or at least he hadn't

brought anyone with him.

About five miles farther up the coast, Carter slowed down

and pulled off to the side of the road. He left the car running,

grabbed Wilhelmina, and hurried back to Avorix who had

pulled up just behind him.

The Frenchman seemed very nervous. "I don't understand

why suddenly you no longer trust me,

" he said.

"What have you got set up for me?" Carter asked, a hard

edge to his voice. He made no effort to conceal the Luger.

Avorix kept glancing nervously at it.

"That is my secretary's automobile,

" Avorix said. He

seemed disappointed. He looked up again at Carter. "I have

arranged a very private meeting tonight for you."

"With whom?"

"Captain Waddam. He is in the Air Force, but more

NICK CARTER

96 (108 of 212)

一十 110%

NICK CARTER

importantly he is an assistant minister of defense."

"What kind of a meeting?" Carter snapped.

"Captain Waddam, I have found out, has, shall we say,

certain peculiar tastes for his recreational activities."

'He's gay?"

"A sadomasochist. I told him about you. About your

looks. Your build. He insisted on seeing you tonight."

"Alone."

"Naturellement."

"We will follow you," Carter said, and Avorix nearly

jumped out of his skin.

"Marie.. is with you?"

'Yes, " Carter said. 'But we won't be there long. She can

remain out of sight in the car. "

"If he has guards tonight, they certainly will not let a

woman into the compound at this hour of the night."

'They won't know she's a woman, " Carter said. "We'll

follow you. " He turned, went back to the Renault, and got in

behind the wheel.

Avorix pulled back up to the highway and headed down the

road. Carter followed him.

"What has he set up?" Marie asked.

"I'm the blind date of an assistant minister of defense."

EIGHT

On the way out, Carter explained to Marie what Avorix

had set up for him, and she laughed.

"'He 'll be very surprised when he finds out what's in store

for him. But that means Claude's position here will be ex-

posed. "

Carter had been thinking about just that. "He's planning

something. He'll either kill the man, or-"

"He'll kill you and save the day for Waddam, thus

solidifying his position with the Libyans, " she finished.

"It's a thought, " Carter said, glancing over at her. Their

eyes met and she smiled nervously.

"At any rate, the helicopter is not far inland from here. We

at least came in the right direction."

The Mercedes turned off the highway and continued

slowly along a narrow paved road that led over a series of

sand dunes toward the sea. Carter followed, and within a mile

they came to an area of huge estates, all facing the Mediterra-

nean. Each was fenced ff from the road, and although some

apparently were secured only by locked gates, Avorix pulled

up at one where the main gate was manned by an armed

guard.

The guard came up to the Mercedes, and he and Avorix

NICK CARTER

spoke for a minute or so. Once the guard looked up, switched

on his flashlight, and pointed it back at the Renault. Finally

something changed hands, and the guard sauntered to the

gate and slowly swung it open.

Avorix drove the rest of the way inside, and as Carter

passed with the Renault, the guard looked in at him. There

was a disgusted expression on his face.

Inside, the road curved to the left, then up to the huge

house. Avorix parked his Mercedes in front of the entryway,

and Carter parked behind him but with the Renault's hood

angled out; if they had to get out in a hurry, they would not be

blocked by the Mercedes.

"I'm not going to be long," Carter told Marie. 'I want

you to get behind the wheel and be ready to take off the

minute I come running."

Avorix had gotten out of the Mercedes.

"Be careful, Nick, " Marie said. "Remember, we have a

date in Monaco."

He got out of the car and went up to where Avorix was

waiting for him. The Frenchman was out of breath.

"You are going to have to kill him when it is over. And

then you are going to have to take that foolish girl with you

out of Libya. Immediately!"

Avorix might have been a very good operative at one time,

but now he was a frightened little man, apparently more

concerned about his own welfare and his position in Tripoli

than the work he was supposed to be doing.

"You've been here before,

" Carter said

Avorix nodded after a hesitation.

"I bring him boys,

mostly from our ships, and he gives me information."

"Edri el Kebir is a big name here. Why hadn't you gotten

something on him earlier?"

"I didn't know until a week or so ago that Waddam was

Kebir's control officer... and lover. I swear it. "

ZERO-HOUR STRIKE FORCE

Carter looked up at the imposing mansion. "Any guards

inside?"

"No," Avorix said. 'They come in shifts from the army

base just outside the city. There are staff in the house,

though. Cook, a couple of servants, a gardener."

"Let's get this over with," Carter said. He and Avorix

went up the walk, and the Frenchman let them in the front

door.

Just inside, they found themselves in a huge entry hall,

dimly lit from above by recessed lighting. Water flowed from

a fountain set in the middle of a lush tangle of plants at the

center of the entry hall.

"Follow me," Avorix said, leading Carter to a grand

stairway to the second floor. They walked down a long,

plushly carpeted corridor, then Avorix knocked at a wide,

ornately carved wooden door and shoved it open.

Waddam's master suite was huge and was open to the

Mediterranean breezes along the entire front of the house

except for a wall of sheer silk curtains that moved softly,

almost as if they were alive.

"Is that you.. Claude?" someone asked in French

from across the room.

"Oui," Avorix said. "I have brought someone to meet

you."

"Good."

Avorix and Carter moved across the vast suite to a huge

bed covered with black satin sheets and which faced the sea.

In the center of the bed, nude, was a huge man, rolls of fat

cascading down his body from massive double chins to

elephantine thighs. His hands looked more like ham hocks

than human limbs.

Waddam was grinning broadly. "Isn't he a lovely one,"

he said, slurring his words. He had been drinking red wine

and some of it had dribbled down his chin onto pendulous,

100

NICK CARTER

hairy breasts. "Come a little closer. I won't hurt you..

yet."

Carter's stomach was churning. He stepped closer, then

pulled out his Luger, which he pointed directly at the obese

man's head.

Waddam moved much faster than Carter would have sup-

posed possible for this whale of a man, rolling over and

reaching out for a telephone console beside the bed.

Carter lunged forward, smashing the barrel of the Luger

across the man's fingers. Waddam cried out in pain, fell

back, then looked up as Carter knelt on the bed, the Luger

pressed against his skull.

"And now we will talk, " Carter said in French.

Waddam's eyes darted to Avorix. "Is this your doing? Are

you scaring me too? Tell me..

Avorix had turned away and was going toward the bal-

cony.

"Edri el Kebir," Carter said softly.

Waddam's eyes went wide, and his complexion turned

pasty.

"He is dead in a tunnel beneath the soccer stadium in

Riyadh. I was with him when he died. We talked. "

Waddam was whimpering.

"We talked about the Zero-hour Strike Force."

Waddam tried to press back farther into the bed. "I know

nothing! Why do you come to me? Who are you?"

"You were Edri el Kebir's lover. You were his control.

You sent him to Riyadh. Why? What was he doing there?"

'You are an Israeli? A Zionist?"

"Why did you send him to Riyadh? Was it to coordinate

Colonel Kaddafi's nuclear strike on the oil fields?"

'No! No! You have it all wrong! It was not Libyans who

made the attack. It was someone else. Kebir was just observ-

ing for us."

ZERO-HOUR STRIKE FORCE

101

"What was he doing in Riyadh?"

"He had not yet reported back.

"You didn't know your man was in the Saudi capital?"

Carter pressed. "You'll have to do better than that. "

Waddam looked around in desperation, his eyes rolling,

sweat forming all over his grossly bloated body. "I knew he

would be going there. But I didn't know he had arrived."

'Where had he been before Riyadh?"

"Tehran," Waddam said fearfully.

"Tehran?" Carter said. He had been there a few years ago

on another assignment.

"What was he doing there?"

Waddam said nothing.

"What was he doing there?" Carter repeated. "What's the

connection between Riyadh and Tehran?"

Still Waddam held his silence.

'What did Kebir find out for you in Tehran? And what

made you send him there in the first place?'

"Not there first. He followed someone there."

"Who?"

"I don't know. He didn't know."

"What was his starting point? What did you send him out

after? What did you want to know?"

'He was in Muscat, then Doha, and Abu Dhabi first."

They were the capital cities of Oman, Qatar and the United

Arab Emirates. All oil kingdoms. "Why there?"

"We had heard rumors, " Waddam said. "I sent Kebir to

find out what he could. "

'What is the Zero-hour Strike Force? What does that

mean? Whose force is it?"

'No!" Waddam screamed. He batted the Luger aside and

with a powerful thrust shoved Carter off the bed. He rolled

the rest of the way across the satin and grabbed the phone, but

before he could bring it to his lips Avorix had come from the

balcony, a silenced pistol in his hand. He fired one shot,

102

NICK CARTER

blowing the back of Waddam's head off, blood, bits of bone,

and white tissue spraying up against the wall and the leather-

covered headboard.

Waddam flopped forward, knocking his face against the

front of the telephone console.

Avorix pulled the receiver from beneath the dead man and

brought it to his ear. Apparently no connection had been

made, because he pulled out his handkerchief, wiped his

fingerprints from the instrument, and set it back in its cradle.

Carter had picked himself up and held the Luger loosely at

his side. The safety, however, was off.

Avorix turned to him, the silenced pistol pointing in Car-

ter's general direction. In the dim light Carter could see that

the hammer was not cocked. It would take the man a crucial

split second to cock the weapon before it would be ready to

fire.

•You have caused a great deal of trouble, Monsieur

American Intelligence Agent, " he said

"I will kill you long before you fire your weapon, Avorix.

Please believe me, " Carter said.

Something flashed in the man's eyes and Carter started to

bring up his Luger, when Avorix's head snapped back, his

right eye disappearing in a splash of blood at the same instant

the sharp crack of an automatic came from the doorway.

Carter was around in a crouch, his Luger up and ready to

fire before Avorix hit the floor.

Marie stood just within the doorway, her .380 Beretta in

her right hand. She too stood in a crouch, a very slight smile

on her lips.

Carter swore softly to himself.

He looked back at Avorix, but it was obvious the man was

dead

A siren started up below in the compound. The shot must

have been heard by the guards on staff.

ZERO-HOUR STRIKE FORCE

103

102

NICK CARTER

blowing the back of Waddam's head off, blood, bits of bone,

and white tissue spraying up against the wall and the leather-

covered headboard.

Waddam flopped forward, knocking his face against the

front of the telephone console.

Avorix pulled the receiver from beneath the dead man and

brought it to his ear. Apparently no connection had been

made, because he pulled out his handkerchief, wiped his

fingerprints from the instrument, and set it back in its cradle.

Carter had picked himself up and held the Luger loosely at

his side. The safety, however, was off.

Avorix turned to him, the silenced pistol pointing in Car-

ter's general direction. In the dim light Carter could see that

the hammer was not cocked. It would take the man a crucial

split second to cock the weapon before it would be ready to

fire.

•You have caused a great deal of trouble, Monsieur

American Intelligence Agent, " he said

"I will kill you long before you fire your weapon, Avorix.

Please believe me, " Carter said.

Something flashed in the man's eyes and Carter started to

bring up his Luger, when Avorix's head snapped back, his

right eye disappearing in a splash of blood at the same instant

the sharp crack of an automatic came from the doorway.

Carter was around in a crouch, his Luger up and ready to

fire before Avorix hit the floor.

Marie stood just within the doorway, her .380 Beretta in

her right hand. She too stood in a crouch, a very slight smile

on her lips.

Carter swore softly to himself.

He looked back at Avorix, but it was obvious the man was

dead

A siren started up below in the compound. The shot must

have been heard by the guards on staff.

ZERO-HOUR STRIKE FORCE

103

"Cover the door!" Carter snapped, and he leaped to Av-

orix's body, searching the man's pockets until he came up

with the keys to the Mercedes. The Renault would be too

light to crash through the heavy steel mesh gate outside, and

it was too slow if and when the Army decided to come after

them.

Marie was halfway down the stairs when Carter emerged

from Waddam's suite in a dead run, skidded, and nearly

tripped on the thick carpeting, then raced headlong down the

stairs.

The guard from the gate burst through the front door, his

rifle at the ready.

Without pausing, Carter brought his Luger up and fired

twice, the first shot catching the man in the throat, the second

in his chest, slamming him backward out the door and onto

the walkway.

'The Mercedes!" Carter shouted as he and Marie leaped

over the guard's body. Carter raced around to the driver's

side and had the car started as Marie climbed in.

He slammed it in gear and spun the wheel around, then

jammed the accelerator to the floor. The powerful car shot

around the curved driveway and back to the main gate, the

siren rising and falling behind them.

'Brace yourself!" he shouted just before they hit the wire

mesh gate. They burst through it, cracking the windshield

and badly shoving the front of the car inward.

Fluid from the radiator immediately began to leak out as

the car accelerated toward the highway.

"How far?" he asked.

'About five miles, " Marie said, looking over her shoul-

der back toward Waddam's house. There were a lot of lights

coming on in the other compounds along the road. It

wouldn't be long before the Army would be out here in full

force.

104

NICK CARTER

Five miles. It would be a testimony to Mercedes engineer-

ing if the car made it.

At the main highway Marie directed him to turn left, back

toward Tripoli, and he did so without appreciably slowing

down, the car slewing way to the right, nearly off the road,

before he regained control.

The speedometer crept upward toward the two-hundred-

kilometer-per-hour mark, and within a mile the temperature

gauge was already climbing up into the red.

"There's a tumoff to the right just before the oil tank

farm, " Marie said.

Carter glanced in the rearview mirror. No one was follow-

ing them yet. If the Army were already on their trail, he did

not think he would have enough lead time for Marie to get the

helicopter ready for takeoff.

The oil tank farm came into sight in the distance, and

Marie motioned for Carter to slow down. "Just beyond the

power lines. To the right. The road runs parallel to them."

Carter jammed on the brakes, the big car slowing to less

than fifty, and he made the turn onto the narrow dirt track.

Immediately he accelerated, then turned off the head-

lights. For a few seconds he couldn't see a thing, but then he

could make out the road stretching ahead of them as the

temperature gauge continued into the red, the needle finally

pegging, steam coming out of the ruins of the radiator.

"There they go," Marie said. She was looking back

toward the highway.

Carter glanced in the rearview mirror in time to see a dozen

sets of headlights racing down the highway from Tripoli.

There were more in the distance, coming from town. It

wouldn't be long before they began a search pattern, which

would include this road. And if they suspected that Wad-

dam's assassins had escaped by air, they'd send up their

fighter-interceptors.

ZERO-HOUR STRIKE FORCE

105

The odor of burning oil was becoming very strong in the

car, and their speed was noticeably dropping, when Marie

pointed out a collection of low, fallen-down stone buildings a

few hundred yards off the dirt road

Carter turned that way, the Mercedes slamming over the

heavy ruts and deep sand.

Something deep within the engine suddenly began to

screech loudly, the speed dropped off, and suddenly the car

bucked three or four times, coming to a stop. It was the end of

the line.

Marie was out of the car and racing across the desert to the

largest of the buildings of what apparently at one time had

been some sort of military compound. Possibly from World

War II

Carter caught up with her as she got to the building and

began pulling large pieces of corrugated metal from its side

wall.

Immediately Carter could see the gleam of new metal

inside, and of plastic. Within a minute he could see that it was

a helicopter, a fairly new design by Dessault, the French jet

aircraft manufacturer. How she had gotten it here was a

complete mystery, despite what she had told him back at her

apartment.

It took them another five minutes to get all the corrugated

metal away from the wide opening, then they ducked inside

where Marie pulled the cocks out from the wheels, and the

machine began to slowly roll outside. It had been put up on a

small incline so that it would roll easily out into the open. She

had thought of everything.

Once the machine was clear of the building, Marie untied

the straps holding the rotors in place, then pulled several

thick foam rubber plugs out of the various air intakes and oil

cooler orifices.

Carter pulled the protective tarp off the plastic bubble

106

NICK CARTER

windshield and tossed it back inside the building. As Marie

climbed into the chopper to get it ready for takeoff, Carter

shoved the sheets of corrugated metal back in place so that no

one coming by here would know that anything had been taken

out recently. Not unless they stopped, pulled the tin aside,

and looked in.

By the time he was finished, the rotor blades were begin-

ning to spin, the engines catching. He climbed aboard and

strapped himself in. Marie had one earphone on, and she

looked over at him and winked.

'The Air Force hasn't been called out yet. All we need is

ten minutes, maybe fifteen, and we'll be clear.

Gradually she brought the throttle up and eased the rotor

pitch so that the big blades bit deeper into the cool desert air.

They lifted off gently, and at about fifty feet they turned

toward the north, Marie bringing the machine to full throttle,

just skimming the desert.

Carter was about to ask her if she remembered the power

lines, but they were already over them. She skirted to the

west of the tank farm before dropping down again and head-

ing north. Soon they were out over the water.

Marie stiffened in her seat and glanced over at Carter.

"They asking about us?" he guessed.

She nodded. 'Tripoli Military Control is demanding us to

stand down. They've lost us—we're too low. "

"They'll be coming out after us," Carter said, looking

over his shoulder, back the way they had come. The lights of

Tripoli were spread out to the east.

'How far will they come out?"

'Twelve miles, maybe more. Hard to tell after our Navy

shot down their planes in '81. But they'll be coming after us

with jets."

"We'll see just how good they are, " Marie said, and she

dipped the helicopter down in a sickening lurch to within a

ZERO-HOUR STRIKE FORCE

107

few feet of the waves, which, as far as Carter could tell, had

built into eight- and ten-footers. They were skimming just

over the tops of them, leaving a spray behind.

The machine was doing well over a hundred miles per

hour, and Carter estimated they were not more than ten or

twelve feet above the tops of the highest waves: Marie was

much better than a good pilot, he realized. She was one of the

best.

"They're on their way, " she said suddenly, not looking up

from what she was doing. "A pair of fighter-interceptors.

They're coming after us with orders to shoot us down if we

don't turn around. "

Carter alternately watched her and the sky overhead. For a

long time there was nothing except the drone of the helicopter

engine and the waves shooting past just beneath them.

"One of the pilots thinks he's spotted us," Marie said.

"They're coming down to take a look. " She immediately

slowed the machine down and came around into the moving

trough of one of the waves. For half a minute or more she

jockeyed the controls back and forth until she had the chopper

settled into the wave trough, moving sideways in line with it.

A jet fighter flashed overhead at about five hundred feet,

then screamed out toward the horizon, making a wide loop-

ing turn to the east.

Instantly Marie popped up out of the wave trough, cranked

in full throttle, and they accelerated toward the north

Sweat shimmered off her brow as she concentrated. "He

couldn't find us, " she announced triumphantly. 'He's mak-

ing another pass."

Once again she dropped down into a wave trough, but this

time she stabilized the chopper's speed and drift much more

quickly.

The jet screamed overhead, lower than the last time, but

Marie held her position, the waves at times towering over

NO CATC

108

NICK CARTER

them. If one of the crests broke, or if she miscalculated by the

slightest amount, tons of water would come cascading down

on top of them. They'd never know what hit them.

The jet screamed past them about a half mile to the north.

Marie maintained their position, but finally she broke out

into a grin and pulled the helicopter up out of the trough, this

time turning to the northwest.

When she had gained enough altitude that her control

wasn't so critical, she looked over at Carter and pulled off her

earphones and the attached microphone.

"I hope you know someone aboard the Forrestal," she

said, handing the headset to Carter.

"Our aircraft carrier?"

"She's out there, and she's scrambled four of her fighter-

interceptors to see what our Libyan friends were up to."

Carter took the headset and put it on. He could hear the

chatter between the Libyan pilots and their controller. But in

the background he could hear the American pilots speaking

with their ship.

"Red leader, this is Red Dog one. We pick something

coming up out of the clutter bearing one-seven-niner."

"Heading out?"

"That's a roger, Red leader. Slow. . . hold one... it's

a chopper, I think. "

Carter keyed the microphone. 'That's affirmative, For-

restal. This is Commander Nick Carter aboard a Dessault

helicopter. We'd appreciate a little help."

"Did you copy that, Red leader?"

"That's a roger, Red Dog one. Keep tracking, we're

checking. "There was a silence until the Forrestal was back.

"Did he say Commander Nick Carter?"

"I think so, " one of the pilots said.

"Affirmative," Carter said into the mike. "Request per-

mission to land aboard. "

ZERO-HOUR STRIKE FORCE

109

109 121 of 212)

一十 110%

ZERO-HOUR STRIKE FORCE

109

"Permission granted, Commander. Do you need vec-

tors?" the Forrestal radioman asked.

Carter was about to say yes when he spotted the lights of

the gigantic aircraft carrier on the horizon. Swarming over-

head were the lights of four fast-moving jet fighters.

'That's a negative, Forrestal. We have you in sight,"

Carter said. "I'll turn you over to my pilot for landing

instructions.

"Roger."

Carter handed the headset back to Marie, who pulled it on.

"I've never landed on an aircraft carrier before," she said

"There's a first time for everything, " Carter said with a

grin.

NINE

Carter and Marie were escorted immediately up to the

admiral's quarters just below the bridge deck, where Admiral

Richard Brewster himself was waiting with his executive

officer, Captain Howard Baker.

They were both astounded that the helicopter's pilot was a

woman, but they were even more surprised to learn that she

had been born in America, was now a citizen of Monaco, and

worked for the SDECE.

"This is just a bit unusual, Commander Carter," the

admiral said.

"But we were told you were in the area and

were alerted to provide any assistance we could if and when

the need arose. We were not told about a woman.

"I'll need to use your crypto facilities, and I'm sure

Mademoiselle Arlemont will want to report to her

superiors, " Carter said

'We'll set up a circuit for you, Commander, " the admiral

said, "But Miss Arlemont's message will either have to wait

until she returns home or will have to go through the State

Department. Policy, I'm afraid."

"TIl wait, " Marie said. She turned to Carter. "Just tell

111

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NICK CARTER

your people exactly what happened, especially regarding

Avorix. They'll pass that along to Paris.

Carter nodded. "Where is this ship bound, Admiral?" he

asked

'Nowhere in particular. We're merely here to show our

nuclear presence in case something heats up, " the admiral

said. 'We can get Miss Arlemont to Athens if she wishes to

get to Paris. That would be the quickest way.

'That's fine, " Marie said

"And you, Commander?"

"Tehran, I think. "

The executive officer started to say something, but the

admiral cut him off. "Shall we go up to communications?"

"Yes," Carter said. He turned to Marie. "I'll see you

later. "

Captain Baker escorted Marie to her quarters on level five

while the admiral went with Carter up to the bridge deck,

where aft they were admitted through a series of security

checks and finally into the tiny encrypted communications

center, off the main comm facility.

There were four teletype crypto units along with one fac-

simile device, all linked by satellite to the Pentagon. On the

admiral's orders, the operator cleared out, and Carter

punched in the routing codes that within a few minutes

connected him with Hawk on Dupont Circle.

As quickly and succinctly as possible, Carter explained

how he made it from Riyadh to Tripoli, his connection with

Claude Avorix, the help Marie Arlemont had given him and

her suspicions about Avorix, and the events at Waddam's

estate. He typed:

PLAN TO PROCEED TO ATHENS FROM

THERE DIRECT ON GREEK AIRLINES TO

TEHRAN. COVER MARCEL MENTOIR,

ZERO-HOUR STRIKE FORCE

113

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