hot fragment in the balls!'
Hauer laughed. The closeness of the sound inside the respirator gave
him a brief flush. Wearing a full suit of armor was disorienting. It
insulated a man from lethal projectiles, but it also isolated him from
the men around him.
Staring through his bubble eyeholes, Hauer wondered about the South
African CT troops. General Steyn had vouched for their loyalty, but
Hauer didn't count that for' much. Not when one of the general's own
staff officers had been on Phoenix's payroll. Hauer would have given
his pension for a German GSG-9 assault team to replace the South
Africans.
He'd have few doubts about success then. But it was no use wishing. You
fight with what you have.
He wondered if Jonas Stern calculated the same way. He could imagine
the dilemma the Israeli was struggling with now-if Stern was still
alive. If it came to a choice between detonating a nuclear weapon on
South African soil or letting it be captured by Arab fanatics sworn to
destroy Israel, Hauer knew Stern would not hesitate to turn this corner
of South Africa into a radioactive wasteland. If the choice were
between Germany and South Africa, he knew he would do the same. He only
prayed it wouldn't come to that.
Across the narrow aisle, the South Africans sat like Sphimes behind
their black masks. Hauer ' finally discerned the smoldering gaze of
Gadi Abrams through the bubble eyes of one respirator. Hauer stared
back, trying to read the message in the Israeli's dark eyes.
The best he could come up with was, 'I trust only you and me, and I'm
not too sure about you, ' before the young commando turned away.
Hauer felt exactly the same.
6.11 Pm. Horn House
This time Smuts did not meet the Libyans on the runway. He waited in
the relative security of the recept@,on hall with his master. If they
don't like being met by a kaffir he thought, to hell with them.
Hess sat in his wheelchair beside Smuts, wearing a gray suit-jacket and
black eyepatch. He had once again assumed the role of Alfred Horn.
Smuts peered through a window as his Zulu driver goosed the Range Rover
up the final crescent of the drive. When the Libyan delegation climbed
out, Smuts immediately noticed the ratio of four bodyguards to two
negotiators. On the last trip, he recalled, that ratio had been
reversed. He also noted the conspicuous absence of Major Ilyas Karami.
Smuts had expected something like this, and despite Hess's optimism, he
had prepared for treachery. He had two marksmen waiting in the
corridors on either side of the reception hall, and he had
reinforcements on the way. This morning, when Major Graaff had called
to report -that he had taken Dieter Hauer into custody, Smuts had
requested a contingent of NIS men to holster his own force. Graaff had
enthusiastically agreed. Smuts,hoped they would arrive soon.
He took a last look at his marksmen, then opened the great teak door and
stepped back.
Wearing flowing white robes, Prime Minister Jalloud swept into the hall
and threw his arms wide in greeting.
'Herr Horn!' he exclaimed. 'The historic day has come! Allah has
brought us here safely. May He smile upon our business!'
Hess nodded curtly. 'Guten Abend, Herr Prime Minister.'
Dr. Sabri and the four bodyguards stepped over the threshold.
'Where is Major Karami?' Smuts asked. 'I had hoped to see him again.'
Jalloud smiled. 'I'm afraid Major Karami was called away at the last
moment to attend to pressing military matters.
I'll bet he was, Smuts thought wryly, flexing his fists to channel off
tension. 'Sorry to hear it.'
'Would anyone like refreshments?' Hess asked. 'It is a long flight
from Tripoli.'
'I'm afraid Our Leader has forbidden any delay, Herr Horn,' Jalloud said
softly. 'He awaits our return with the utmost anticipation.'
'To business then. I assume you wish Dr. Sabri to verify.
the weapon's operational readiness before we load it?'
'If we might so impose,' Jalloud said timidly.
In that instant, inexplicably, Smuts decided that if trouble was coming,
Prime Minister Jalloud knew nothing about it.
The Afrikaner signaled his marksmen by touching his right eyebrow with
his right hand. He intended to trigger any treachery long before the
Libyans gained access to the basement complex.
'With all respect, Mr. Prime Minister,' he said, 'I must ask that your
bodyguards wait here. We allow no fiream the basement.'
Jalloud looked uncomfortable. 'But Our ]Leader provided these men to
assist with the loading of the weapon.'
'The bomb weighs more than a thousand kilograms,' Smuts replied.
'It must be loaded mechanically. In fact, I have my doubts about your
jet's ability to carry both the weapon and passengers. I had assumed
you would bring a cargo plane.'
'I see,' Jalloud said slowly, wondering why no one in Tripoli had
thought of this. Or perhaps, he thought with a shiver, someone did. 'By
all means,' he said. He turned to the bodyguards. 'You will wait here
while Dr. Sabri checks the weapon.'
Taken aback by this request, the soldiers hesitated. Their orders had
been to wait until they gained access to the basement before carrying
out their mission. But the Afrikaner had forced their hand.
Simultaneously reaching the same conclusion, Major Karami's four
assassins raised their Uzis as one.
Their faces showed even more surprise than Prime Minister Jalloud's when
Smuts's concealed marksmen opened fire with their R-5
assault rifles. The gray-clad-Afrikaners emptied their clips into the
line of assassins from eight meters away, blowing all four backward
against the great teak door.
'The elevator!' Smuts shouted. 'Everyone get inside!
Move!'
While Hess's wheelchair whirred toward the open elevator, Prime Minister
Jalloud and Dr. Sabri shouted ri-antic Arabic and crawled along behind
him. Jalloud took a bullet in the left arm, but in his panic he barely
felt it. Smuts had looked back to make sure that Hess was safe inside
