Ancients

waiting for things to play out above. He also knew that the Coalition would not be content to wait things out--they were going to strike; and it looked as if Jack and his team wouldn't get to them in time to stop the Wave from unleashing its devastating effects.

On the large monitors placed at the four corners of the room, Marine Corps General Pete Hamilton was seen on a live feed from the USS Iwo Jima.

'Yes, Mr. President, the second assault wave is ashore. We have curtailed the Sea Harrier and Raptor strikes on the island for lack of viable targets. The civilian population has cooperated thus far, and I am using two companies of marines to safeguard the indigenous personnel. That will make the tunnel-assault force light, but we'll have to do it with what we have on hand.'

Every man in the room had been impressed with how the plan had unfolded thus far, but the real nut remained to be cracked.

'Any report from Operation Backdoor?' Niles asked from his seat away from the table.

'None. Since we have had no contact, as operational field commander, I must assume they have not reached their objective, dictating that we attack the front door with everything we have.'

Niles lowered his head in thought. Only he knew that Collins had never failed at a mission he'd set out to complete.

'Thank you, General. We had one last go at the Russians and Chinese and it looks like they'll have none of what we're selling. So, good luck and Godspeed,' the president said as he ordered the satellite feed terminated.

'What's the latest from Korea, General Caulfield?'

'Still just the one spearhead has crossed the border. We have learned that the commanding general has finally crossed with them and is leading the assault. We have a mixed bag of intelligence, some saying that this general,' Caulfield looked down at his notes, 'Ton Shi Quang, is acting alone and against orders from Pyongyang. Other intel says he is acting directly on Kim Jong Il's orders. In any case, his spearhead will meet up with the Second Infantry Division's armored forces ten miles north of Seoul. Satellite imagery has given us a grim picture of what's to come. The North could cross with thirty-five divisions at any time.'

'We all know I cannot let the South Korean government fall. The painful truth of the matter is that we are a prisoner of our own past. We would betray those that have died there in hot war and cold. Either we stop them any way that we can, or have those boys will be overrun.'

The faces around the room could not bring themselves to look at one another. Niles stood in frustration and paced.

'Admiral Fuqua, do we have a capable sub in the area?'

Fuqua stood up and looked from Caulfield to the president.

'Yes, sir, USS Pasadena.'

'She is carrying special ordnance onboard?'

'Yes, sir, she is.'

'She is to stand by for orders.' He looked at Niles and then back at his military advisers. 'But first, I want every fighter from Japan, the carrier groups, and Korea in the air. Before I commit to a nuclear option, I want to hit them conventionally with everything we have. Simultaneous with the air strike, I want the Second ID to advance to meet the spearhead. Make up the orders. I want them on my desk confirming a nuclear-strike alert.'

'Yes, Mr. President.'

Niles closed his eyes. The words nuclear strike were out in the open.

Jack Collins was their last hope for peace.

THIRTY MILES SOUTH OF THE DMZ, SOUTH KOREA

Major General Ton Shi Quang had just received the orders he had forced his Great Leader into giving him: 'Attack with all offensive forces under your command.'

The Coalition's bold plan for North Korea was finally becoming a reality and was going to pay off far better than they had ever thought. Now he would order his army forward to crush Seoul and he would be far away by the time the Americans were forced to do what he knew they had to do. Long before the mushroom clouds started to spread along the border, he would be a thousand miles away.

'Order the armored spearheads to advance at all possible speed; they will now be supported by the whole of the People's Army and air forces. Also inform my helicopter pilot I will be touring the advance from the air.'

After his aide left to give the order, the general looked around and was content. He nodded as he looked at the sand table once more as the small models of tank forces from both sides were very nearly converged.

'Too bad; I believe we would have had a fighting chance this time around,' he said to himself as he pulled on his gloves and walked away from the People's Army forever.

16

THE ATLANTEAN ACCESS TUNNEL

The last sandbag went on top of the eight-pound charge of C-4 explosive. The echo-sound machine that Sarah had insisted on bringing had shown a large cavity underneath the roadway, but it could not tell them anything other than that. The hollow spot could mean almost anything, and Jack knew it. Their entire participation in this attack depended on what was down there.

'Fire in the hole!' one of the SEAL team shouted.

Ryan and Mendenhall covered Sarah as the loud crump was somewhat muted by the pile of sandbags that directed the blast downward. The tunnel shook, and they feared collapse until it settled.

Collins shone a large light down inside the hole they had made and saw that there was indeed a bottom, and that was a start. He started peeling away equipment, but was stopped by Sarah, who had started handing off her own equipment to Mendenhall and Ryan.

'Excuse me, Colonel, but I think this is my area of expertise, remember?'

'Sorry, Lieutenant, I believe your job description is now that of an instructor in geology,' he shot back, knowing that Sarah had originally been trained as a U.S. Army tunnel rat--what the army euphemistically called a person dumb enough and small enough to wriggle into places where only bad things could be lurking.

'She's right, Colonel. And not only that, your going down first is a little off the beaten path for a command- type person such as yourself,' Ryan said as he, too, handed off his equipment to Mendenhall. 'And I believe this mission also calls for a gentleman of my ... uh ... limited stature.'

Jack looked at his two officers and then over at Everett.

'I hate to say this, and I really do hate it, but Ryan's right, Colonel.'

As Mendenhall accepted Ryan's field pack, a small CD player fell out along with several CDs.

'You didn't!' Will said, looking at Ryan.

'Yeah, the colonel's music; it brought me good luck back in Africa.'

The marine major looked at the five people in front of him and then turned to the SEAL lieutenant.

'Just who in the hell are these people?' he whispered.

'I don't think we want to know,' the SEAL answered.

Hands-free SEAL headphones and silenced MP-5 machine guns were issued to Sarah and Ryan along with four pounds of C-4 and several flares.

'Kind of reminds me a little of Arizona a couple of years back,' Sarah joked, but then she looked around and saw the serious faces of the others. Mendenhall looked downright angry at the comparison because they had all lost friends there and he didn't want to lose these two here.

'Just watch your ass, Lieutenant,' Jack ordered.

Sarah shone her light into the hole and started down the ladder into the darkness below. Will slapped Ryan on the back and then stepped back and allowed him to follow.

'Okay, Major, let's start getting our equipment off these trucks and get the men stripped down to something that'll allow them to fight in this heat. Upper-torso body armor only if they so choose,' Everett ordered, as Collins watched the two lights disappear down below.