military district commander's armored vehicle and several dozen light tanks and heavy armored personnel carriers were stationed outside the gate, weapons trained inside. More tanks and armored vehicles were spread out all along the perimeter-the Night Stalkers were suddenly sealed up tight.
'Dave, we got trouble,' Patrick radioed to Luger. 'We got a company of armor outside the fence. They're not coming through the fence, but they've got us surrounded pretty well.'
'I can have a FlightHawk and a couple Wolverines with SFWs overhead in about four hours,' Luger said. 'We'll have to reprogram the weapons from the Benina strike, but that'll only take a few minutes.'
Patrick thought quickly; then: 'Find a safe orbit area for the Megafortress and the tanker,' Patrick said, 'and have them stand by as long as possible. We're just hours away from getting our guys back-I don't want to do anything to piss off the Egyptians now. But I want the strike aircraft available in case we have any trouble getting our folks out.'
'We've only got one refueling aircraft available,' Luger reminded him, 'and it's been on the go for two days straight. If we send the Megafortresses into holding orbits, that means less fuel for the strike package, less fuel reserves for the tanker, and more flying hours. Those guys will be wiped.'
'That can't be helped,' Patrick said. 'We've got to fly those planes hard until our guys are rescued. The tankers will just have to keep cycling as best they can. Contact Martindale and see if he can get us some more tanker support.'
'Okay,' David said. 'Remember, we have that escape tunnel we found as a backup.' In the first few hours after occupying the bunker, which was an old security outpost protecting the southern part of the base, the Night Stalkers found an emergency escape tunnel, which ran several hundred meters west. 'I'll send some guys out to cheek to see if Ouda is covering it.'
'Roger,' Patrick said. 'Cancel the strike meeting and have everyone get ready to bug out-we might have to move in a hurry.' He switched to the Egyptian liaison radio frequency: 'Vice Marshal Ouda, this is Castor,' he said in his battle armor's radio. His battle armor's communications computer made the translation from English to Arabic and back again for him. 'We have heard about the prisoner exchange between Libya and Egypt. We will not interfere. Once our men are returned to us, we will depart.'
'The prisoner exchange will take place tomorrow morning,' Ouda said via the computer datalink translation. 'You are to stay here. No one will be allowed to leave this compound.'
'Where will the prisoners be taken?'
'Here, by bus,' Ouda replied. 'They will be inprocessed, identified, examined by doctors, and questioned first. Then the Egyptian government will contact representatives from the various governments and they will be allowed to take their citizens with them. The airfield will be available for their use if needed. The government of Egypt is doing everything we can to facilitate this exchange-we do not want you or your men to interfere.'
'We will not interfere,' Patrick said. 'I request permission to allow one of my men to accompany the foreign government representatives to see the prisoners.'
'Denied,' Ouda said quickly. 'Not one of you is allowed to leave. If you try to leave, I will order my men to attack.'
'Very well. We will comply with your orders, sir. I wish to speak with Mrs. Salaam or General Baris.'
'They are not available.'
Patrick could hear Ouda's real voice underneath the electronic translation, and his skin instantly tingled-there was something ominous about the way he said that. 'Very well, sir. We will stay. Please ask Mrs. Salaam or General Baris to contact me immediately when they return to the base.' Ouda made no reply before the connection was broken.
Patrick returned to the briefing room downstairs. 'There's something else going on here,' he told everyone assembled there. 'I think Salaam and Baris are either dead or under arrest, and Vice Marshal Ouda sounded to me like he thought they were already dead, or soon would be.'
'Maybe part of the deal to release the captives was to eliminate Salaam and Baris,' Hal Briggs said.
'Or maybe Khan found out that she's been helping us, and he's convinced the military that they're traitors,' David Luger said.
'In any case, I think our days remaining here are down to hours-maybe only minutes,' Patrick said. Just then, Chris Wohl, in full battle armor and exoskeleton, entered the room with one of the Night Stalkers. 'Did you check the emergency tunnel and exit, Master Sergeant?'
'Yes, sir,' Wohl replied. 'No guards on the other side. The closest Egyptian forces are about two hundred meters away, facing toward the compound-we'll exit behind them. More units are inbound-I think they have another armored company almost in place.'
'It's hard for me to believe they've forgotten about that tunnel,' Hal Briggs said. 'Not guarding that exit could be a ruse. If they catch us sneaking out, it could give them an excuse to attack us.'
'They don't need an excuse,' Patrick said. 'If we've lost our patrons and if they want us, they'll go in and get us. We need to be gone by then.' To Wohl, Patrick said, 'Get your men together and evacuate the compound, Sarge.' He referred to a map on the wall of the base. 'Assemble here, at this oil well complex south; then we'll disperse and go to exfiltration points. If the oil well complex is not secure, we'll head southwest toward these oil well complexes and disperse. Avoid contact with the Egyptian military if possible, but avoid capture at all costs. Questions?'
'Are you coming with us, sir?'
'I'll stay here, just in case Ouda wants to talk-I want him to think we're still here,' Patrick said.
'How many men do you want here with you?'
'Zero,' Patrick said. 'Everyone else will depart and go to the exfiltration points.'
'I don't think that's wise, sir.'
'Chris, I think the Egyptians are no longer our friends,' Patrick said. 'I think they'll come for us first thing in the morning, when they've built up their forces to maximum. But I still don't want to get into a firefight with the Egyptians. I can stall them until you are safe.' Wohl nodded. 'Get moving.' Wohl barked an order, and the Night Stalkers got on their feet and headed out to get their gear and evacuate.
Hal Briggs and David Luger stayed behind. 'What are you thinking about, Muck?' Luger asked. 'Why stay?'
'I'm afraid that if Khan or Ouda have Wendy and the others, they'll use them to get to us,' Patrick said. 'If we bug out completely, they'll hold them hostage to get us back.'
'So you intend on staying here and getting captured?'
'It's the only thing I can think of to keep all our bases covered,' Patrick said. 'But I need you guys out so we can organize a rescue. When they realize you guys have disappeared, they'll be less likely to hurt us-they know what you can do.'
Hal Briggs shook his head. 'I sure hope you know what you're doin', Muck,' he said. He held out a hand, and Patrick shook it. 'We'll stay in touch. Keep your head down.'
'That's what I do best.'
'Since when?' Luger asked with a smile. He shook hands with his long-time partner. 'I don't want to lose another McLanahan, my friend. When it's time to get out, give us a call, and we'll come in and help get you out.'
'I'll be right behind you. Now get moving.' He and Briggs headed for the tunnel. 'Hal?'
'Yeah?'
'Set some mines on that emergency exit after you get clear,' Patrick ordered. 'If the Egyptians try to come in that way, I want it sealed.'
'You got it. Be careful.'
Director of Central Intelligence Douglas Morgan entered Secretary of Defense Goff's office, holding a thin imagery file marked 'CONFIDENTIAL.' He held it up, a questioning look in his eyes. 'Here's the data you asked for,' he said. 'What's up?'
'Our friends might be at it again,' Goff said, waving him to a seat. Already seated at the meeting area in front of Goff's desk was Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Richard Venti. 'The general has some data to show us, but he needed your latest overheads to nail it down. What did you find?'
'Satellite imagery from over north Africa,' Morgan explained. 'Infrared detectors picked up four large blasts in
