Ancients

what is happening if it's right there before their eyes. Mr. President, if the Russians and Chinese really wanted to believe Kim or the evidence they have, they wouldn't wait, they would have hit us already. They want to believe us.'

The president snapped off the television.

'You know what's happening better than anyone. If I can get you into a room with the Russian and Chinese delegations and get a live feed to you, can you convince them? I mean really convince them?'

Niles removed his glasses and shook his head. 'I can sure as hell try.'

205 MILES INSIDE THE ATLANTEAN ACCESS TUNNEL

Jack looked at the mountain of rubble before him strewn with giant boulders, parts of the island and most of a city or small village comprising its bulk. As he examined the wall before him, he even saw three of four ancient wooden ships.

'Before you ask, Jack, we don't have enough explosive for a quarter of that thickness,' Everett said as he joined him at the blockage.

Collins looked at his watch. Forty-five minutes until the attack commenced. That meant that his element would not be able to relieve any of the pressure on the marines at the front door.

'I'm at a loss,' Jack finally said.

Sarah was staring at the massive roadblock. She examined the rubble that lined the tunnel from top to bottom, where most of one section of the island had crashed through the crust and into the bedrock of the seafloor. She then noticed one of the giant stalactites that hung from a massive broken column. She tilted her head as she watched the runoff of seawater from above as it added to the mineral deposit.

'I know that look. It says either you have to go to the bathroom or you have a serious thought,' Mendenhall said.

'Smart-ass,' she answered as she continued to watch the runoff above her. Her eyes went to the roadway and then followed the water as it disappeared somewhere ahead. 'Come on, funny man.'

Mendenhall followed Sarah until they came to the inside wall of the tunnel. Sarah bent over, then went to her knees as she ran her hand over the broken cobblestone of the roadway thirty feet from the start of the blockage.

'These were a highly advanced people,' she said.

'Yeah, advanced enough to blow their continent to hell.'

'These tunnels were designed to run under the Med. What would they have to have installed to control the leaking? I mean, no matter what, if you tunnel under a body of water, you are going to have leaks. Just look at the Chunnel; the French and the British have major flood control built in.'

'Yeah, but I don't get what you're driving at.'

'Jack!' she stood and called out.

Collins saw Sarah thirty feet away and he and Everett trotted over.

'Make it quick, Lieutenant. In case you hadn't noticed, we have a major problem here.'

'I think I'm aware of that. Carl, we have shape charges, correct?'

'No, but we have the training to create some conical charges, or directional explosions if that's what you need.'

'Can we blow straight down?'

'Easy; but why would we want to?' he asked.

'I want to because I have faith in the engineering of the Ancients,' she answered, looking from face to face of the men standing around her. 'What does every major city, every highway, have that controls water runoff?'

Jack smiled and Carl slapped his forehead.

'A sewer! These smart bastards had to control the leakage you have whenever you tunnel under a body of water. Jack, we go through the sewers! We don't go through but under the blockage!'

Everett slapped the SEAL lieutenant on the shoulder and got him moving to bring up the explosives they would need.

'I guess we'll have to thank the Atlantis Department of Water and Power,' Mendenhall said.

'Not bad, shorty, not bad at all,' Jack said to Sarah.

CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST THIRTY THOUSAND FEET OVER THE MEDITERRANEAN

The two B-2 stealth bombers made a wide turn to the south after their five-hour flight from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Their part of the mission would look as if the opening phases of the attack had originated in Aviano, Italy, a vital, imperative deceit.

'Casper One Actual to Casper Two, thirty seconds to launch point.'

'Casper Two, copy, starting the music at five, four, three, two, one, bomb-bay doors opening on automatic.'

Their bom-bay doors of the two giant aircraft, which resembled bats, opened to reveal a darkened interior. The automatic carriage that held each of the twelve Tomahawk cruise missiles started turning like a rolling lottery drum. At the bottom of each cycle, a BGM-109 Tomahawk Special radar-manipulation weapon fell free. As each engine ignited, the stubby wings and tailfin popped free of the outer body. A split second later, a strong signal started to pulse through the dark sky ahead of them. In all, twenty-four weapons shot through the thin air on a course for Crete.

'Casper One to Thunder One Actual, Heckle and Jeckle flight is now airborne. Casper One and Two, RTB at this time, good luck, Thunder One.'

USS IWO JIMA

Marine General Pete Hamilton received the message from the lead B-2 and watched the night sky around the Iwo. The ship was coming to life in the early-morning hours. Tilt-rotor craft abovedecks along with sixteen Seahawk helicopters were spooling up their engines and the marine assault force was in the process of loading.

Belowdecks, the sea-assault force was loading onto the Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC). This would be a lightning strike. The LCAC was loaded with four fully manned armored assault vehicles, while the four M1 Abrams tanks would be deployed from the USS Nassau.

The general looked from his wristwatch to the captain of the Iwo.

'Order Cheyenne to attack,' he said far more calmly than he felt.

One hundred feet below the surface of the Mediterranean, Captain Burgess received the extremely low- frequency message (ELF) from the Iwo.

'Weapons officer, you have permission to launch vertical tubes one through twelve, empty 'em out. Diving officer, after launch, take us down to four hundred feet, heading two-three-zero at six knots.'

CATAPULT FLIGHT

Flying at wave-top level, the flight of ten F-22A Raptors from Aviano, Italy, screamed over the Mediterranean at Mach 1.5. The internal weapons bay of each stealth fighter was full of air-to-ground munitions.

ATLANTIS

Tomlinson was personally overseeing the placement of the Atlantean Key. He was so excited that he could barely contain his feelings. He even looked kindly upon Caretaker and the other Coalition members as they watched the final parts being calibrated. His smile faded when he was handed a topside report.

'Twenty-four? I guess we don't rate any higher than that with all the trouble in the world. We were right: the Americans are spread too thin to adequately deal with us.'

'What is it, Mr. Tomlinson?' Dame Lilith asked.

'It seems we have become a nuisance to our American president after all. Radar has picked up a force of twenty-four fighters inbound from Aviano. They're not even bothering to hide their presence.'

'I see. And your plan for this is--'

Tomlinson looked at Caretaker and smiled. 'To destroy them, what else.' He turned away and raised his radio to his mouth, the whole time watching Professor Engvall install the Key. 'Commander, defend the island; defend it vigorously, please.'

Above, former Soviet Air Force General Igor Uvilinski lowered his radio and looked at the radarscope one