“Merry Christmas,” Jack said.
Minutes later, he and the others were skimming across the surface of Lake Nasser, heading back for the western shore.
They hit land a few miles south of the massive statues of Abu Simbel, at a remote fishermen’s dock.
No sooner had the Zodiac slid to a halt on the decrepit boat ramp than a second parachute-equipped pallet from The Halicarnassus landed lightly on the desert floor a few hundred yards in front of them.
Sitting on the pallet was a compact Land Rover Freelander four-wheel drive—donated to The Halicarnassus by the British at Mortimer Island—stripped and modified for military work.
And sitting at the wheel was Stretch.
“Need a ride?” he asked.
The Freelander’s tires squealed as the little four-wheel drive shot off the mark.
Jack sat in the passenger seat while Stretch drove. Piled into the back were Astro, Alby, Pooh Bear, and Zoe—nestled amid a pile of guns and Predator rocket launchers that Stretch had brought along.
Jack tried his radio again, “Scimitar! Vulture! Come in!” No reply. They were meant to be covering the dock, Jack thought, but Wizard had made no mention of them in his report of the suicide attack. Scimitar and Vulture were suspiciously absent without leave.
The little Freelander sped across the desert, kicking up a dust cloud behind it, heading for the blacktop highway leading south.
On that highway, Jack and the others could see the chase at hand: Wizard’s lone white Suburban out in front of the convoy of Egyptian Army coaches, jeeps, trucks, and Humvees.
“If nothing else,” Jack said to Stretch, “we have to get that charged Pillar out of here safely. The knowledge on it is priceless.”
“What about getting us out of here safely?” Stretch asked.
“Only Lily matters. The rest of us are secondary. If we can’t get out ourselves, we have to get her away. She’s more important than any of us.” He offered Stretch a wry look. “Sorry, buddy.”
“Nice to know where I stand in the scheme of things.”
Jack nodded at the scene ahead of them: “See that last bus in the convoy, the one trailing behind all the others.”
“Yeah…”
“I want it.”
Wizard drove frantically.
He gripped the steering wheel of his stolen Suburban with white knuckles, anxiously swinging his eyes between three sources: the road in front of him, the convoy of pursuers behind him, and the passenger seat next to him—in which Lily lolled lifelessly, swaying with every bump in the road, her eyes closed, bloody scratches on her face.
The chase cars were catching up, filling his rearview mirror. Two fearsome-looking Humvees with gun turrets on their backs were about to pull up on either side of his Suburban.
“Sky Monster!” he yelled. “Where are you!”
“Here!”
Voooooom!
Without warning, the enormous black underbelly of The Halicarnassus thundered low over the top of Wizard’s car and landed on the highway in front of him, its rear loading ramp folding open as it did so…right in front of Wizard’s speeding car.
“OK! I’ll slow a little! Bring yourself on board!”Sky Monster’s voice called.
The big black 747 rolled along the desert blacktop at a cool 80 mph, its wings stretched out over the dusty shoulder, speeding out in front of the collection of cars on the roadway.
Wizard floored the Suburban.
It leaped forward, heading directly for the yawning rear ramp of the jumbo.
At which point, the two Humvees behind it opened fire.
Bullet sparks exploded all over the Suburban and the plane, even in the hold up inside the loading ramp.
The rear and side windows of the Suburban shattered. Wizard ducked, shielding his face.
But he remained focused on the ramp of The Halicarnassus.
The Suburban began to wobble and slide, but he held her tight and with a final thrust on the gas pedal, he took the plunge and lunged at the ramp…and hit it perfectly…and swooped up into the rear hold of the Hali where he slammed full tilt into the forward wall!
The Suburban jolted to a halt, safely inside.
“Oh my goodness, I did it…” Wizard exclaimed.
“Jesus, Wizard, you did it!”Sky Monster said.“Man, I thought you were going to miss by a yard! Nice driving, Fangio…”
Wizard turned to check on Lily, and he saw her eyes open weakly.
