If the explosion breaks through the surface ...
Five ... perhaps six kilometers?'
Stern rose to his feet. 'If you all leave now,' he said loudly, 'you
should be able to reach minimum safe distance before the Libyans break
through the shields. I suggest you get moving.'
Hauer jabbed a finger toward the bomb cart. 'Stern, that dung must have
some kind of timing mechanism. Why not set it for thirty minutes and
get out with the rest of us?'
Gadi's face lit up. 'Uncle, that's it!'
Stern shook his head. 'In fifteen minutes the Libyans will be inside
this room. They're almost certain to have someone with them who would
know how to stop the timer.' Stern pulled Dr. Sabri to his feet.
'What kind of detonator does this weapon have? Is there a timing
mechanism?'
'A timer, yes! But not the kind you imagine. This is an air-burst
weapon. It's meant to be exploded above ground.
Once armed, its clock begins at a preprogrammed atmospheric pressure
level.'
'How long does the clock run?'
'This one is set for twelve seconds. But I could set it for much
longer!'
Gadi jammed the barrel of his R5 into the terrified Libyan's stomach.
'How do we know he's telling us the truth about the detonator? What if
you stay behind and the bomb doesn't explode?
You'll have thrown your life away for nothing!'
Stern turned to Sabri. 'Show me how the detonator works.
Be quick!'
While the Libyan bent, over the bomb casing, Hauer stepped up to Stern.
'Do you want to throw your life away, Stern? You have a real
alternative now. General Steyn is right-the South African air force can
easily shoot down the Libyans when they try to leave the country.'
Stern smiled wryly. 'And if someone in the South African air force
doesn't want to shoot them down?'
'Sir?' said Dr. Sabri, looking up from the weapon.
Hauer looked down. In the Libyan's hands, held as gingerly as if they
were coiled vipers, were four tricolored wires that led from a small
aperture in the bomb casing. Two exposed copper wire ends glinted in
the fluorescent light.
'Touch these together,' Dr. Sabri said hoarsely, 'and the bomb will
think it has reached the preprogrammed altitude.
The timing mechanism will run its course, and the detonator will
explode. A few nanoseconds later, nuclear fission will be initiated.'
There was dead silence in the room.
'Must the wires remain connected during the timer's entire run?'
Stern asked.
The Libyan nodded.
Before anyone could stop him, Stern seized the two wires, wrapped them
together, and closed them in his fist.
Ilse screamed.
Alan Burton dived under a soapstone lab table, as if it could somehow
protect him from a nudlear blast. Hauer and Gadi froze, mesmerized by
Stern's insane act. But no one reacted with the abject terror of Dr.
Sabri. Shrieking wildly, the Libyan grabbed Stern's wrists and tried
desperately to separate the two wires. But despite the great age
difference between the two men, Sabri failed. After what Stern judged
to be nine seconds-long enough for everyone in the room to stare death
in the face-he jerked the two wires apart.
'I think he's telling the truth, Gadi.'
Dr. Sabri fell to his knees and peered into the bomb's cess panel.
'There are only two seconds left on the clock!
the name of Allah, do not let the wires touch again!'
'Not until you're all safely away,' Stern promised.
Hauer half-smiled. 'Or until the Libyans break into this complex.
Right, Stern?'
'You'd better hurry,' Stern said tersely.
Gadi laid a hand on his shoulder. 'Uncle, please do not sacrifice
yourself. I am a soldier. I should be the one.'
'I am a soldier too.' Stern sighed deeply. 'An old one.
But it doesn't matter. I'm dead already.'
'What?'
'I've already been exposed to enough radiation today to kill me.
And if not enough to kill me, at least enough to make what little that
remains of my life quite unpleasant.'
Stern rubbed his eyes and sighed. 'I can barely see you now, Gadi.
Everything has a halo.'
'What are you talking about?' Gadi cried.
'It's true,' Ilse interjected. 'They did the same to me. Or they
pretended to.'
Gadi looked mystified.
Against the wall, Pieter Smuts shifted his body slightly away from Hess.
'X-rays, Gadi,' Stern explained. 'The same way I confirmed that Horn
was actually Hess. They strapped me down and dosed me with X-rays for
two hours.'
The young commando blinked. 'What? Who did that to you? Who!'
At that moment Smuts nodded almost imperceptibly.
Rudolf Hess slid silently to the floor.
'That man there!' Ilse shouted, pointing to Smuts.
As her accusing finger went up, the Afrikaner whipped up a Beretta
automatic he had slipped from an ankle holster and aimed it at the two
Israelis. No one had thoug t to searc him; now he had both Stern and
Gadi in his sights. From ten feet he could not miss.
With a short cry Gadi knocked Stern down with his left hand and jerked
up his carbine with his right.
The two men fired at the same instant.
Outside the front entrance of Horn House, one of Major Karami's
commandos leaned into the empty driver's compartment of the Armscor and
saw that the ignition keys had been removed. He craned his neck around
the seats just in time to see Captain Barnard's bloody face appear out
of the gloom like a ghost.
