Part 25 (1/2)

'My name is West. Jack West Jr. I'm here to offer you a one-time deal. We get you out of here, and you help us find the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and from them, the Golden Capstone of the Great Pyramid. What do you say?'

Any resistance Zaeed still harboured disappeared in an instant at the mention of the Wonders. In his wild eyes, West saw several things at once: recognition, comprehension and naked ravenous ambition.

'I will go with you,' Zaeed said.

'Then let's move-'

'Wait!' Zaeed shouted. 'They implanted a microchip in my neck! A locater! You have to extract it, or they'll know where you've taken me!'

'We'll do it on the plane! Come on, we've got to run!' West called above the sirens. 'Zoe! Rope!'

A rope was hurled into the hut from the hole in the roof, and together West and Mustapha Zaeed scrambled up it, out of the cell.

Over at the golf course, the two teams of Recon Marines arrived to behold the Halicarna.s.sus Halicarna.s.sus standing on the ruins of the shed that had once been their clubhouse, illuminating the area for a full 500 yards with a dozen outward-pointed floodlights. standing on the ruins of the shed that had once been their clubhouse, illuminating the area for a full 500 yards with a dozen outward-pointed floodlights.

Blinded by the dazzling lights, the Marines spread out around the big black 747, raised their guns- -just as a withering volley of gunfire erupted from the Halicarna.s.sus Halicarna.s.sus's four revolving gun turrets.

The volley of bullets slammed into the Recon Marines, sent them flying backwards through the air, slamming them into trees and vehicles.

But they weren't dead.

The bullets were rubber bullets, like those West and his team had used in the quarry in Sudan.

West's instructions to his team had been simple: you only kill someone who wants to kill you. You never ever kill men who are just doing their job. you only kill someone who wants to kill you. You never ever kill men who are just doing their job.

And as far as West was concerned, he had no quarrel with the Marine guards at Guantanamo Bay-only with their government and its backers.

The rubber bullets, however, had another effect on the Recon Marines-it made them think this was an exercise exercise, an elaborate surprise in the dead of night designed by their superiors to test their response.

And so they actually became less less lethal. They concentrated on surrounding and containing the plane, rather than destroying it. lethal. They concentrated on surrounding and containing the plane, rather than destroying it.

But then, to their surprise, the big black 747 started moving again, rolling around in a tight circle until it was pointed back up the 18th fairway of the golf course.

Then with its guns still blazing, the big plane's engines fired up. The roar they made was absolutely deafening in the night.

Then the great plane started rumbling back up back up the fairway, having unloaded not a single trooper, having done-seemingly- absolutely nothing. the fairway, having unloaded not a single trooper, having done-seemingly- absolutely nothing.

But then came the most amazing sight.

Two winged winged figures came shooting over the treetops from behind the Recon Marines-black-clad figures wearing carbon-fibre wing-sets-chasing after the fleeing 747, firing compressed air thrusters on their backs. They flew in a series of long swoops, like hang-gliders powered by the odd thrust of compressed air. figures came shooting over the treetops from behind the Recon Marines-black-clad figures wearing carbon-fibre wing-sets-chasing after the fleeing 747, firing compressed air thrusters on their backs. They flew in a series of long swoops, like hang-gliders powered by the odd thrust of compressed air.

And as the Marines saw the winged figures more closely, their hearts sank for they now understood that this hadn't been an exercise at all.

For one of the low-flying winged intruders carried a man man harnessed to his chest: a shaven-headed man still dressed in the bright orange coveralls of a Camp 3 detainee. harnessed to his chest: a shaven-headed man still dressed in the bright orange coveralls of a Camp 3 detainee.

This was a jailbreak ... ...

The two winged figures swooped in low over the right-hand wing of the rolling Halicarna.s.sus Halicarna.s.sus, where they landed deftly and ran inside an emergency door which swung shut behind them.

Then the Halicarna.s.sus Halicarna.s.sus picked up speed and thundered down the two fairways and just before it hit the woods at the far end, it lifted off, taking to the air. picked up speed and thundered down the two fairways and just before it hit the woods at the far end, it lifted off, taking to the air.

Three Black Hawk choppers followed for a short while, firing after it in vain, but they could never hope to keep up with the fleeing 747.

A couple of F-15 strike fighters would be dispatched 10 minutes later, but by the time they were in the air and on the right heading, the ghostly 747-defying their radar scans and transponder searches-was gone.

It was last seen heading south, disappearing somewhere over Cuba's nearest neighbour in that direction.

Jamaica.

An hour later, in another part of the world, a digital teleprinter printed out an intercepted radio transmission:

TRANS INTERCEPT:.

SAT BT-1009/03.17.06-1399.

A40-TEXT TRANSMISSION.

FROM:.

USAF SECURE FREQUENCY, ASWAN MILITARY AIRFIELD (EGYPT).

TO:.

UNSPECIFIED DESTINATION, MARYLAND (USA).

VOICE 1 (USA): The President is becoming increasingly anxious, Colonel. And his mood was not lifted by a report that just came in from Gitmo: someone broke a terrorist out of Camp Delta, a Saudi named Zaeed who we've discovered has connections with the Capstone project. The President is becoming increasingly anxious, Colonel. And his mood was not lifted by a report that just came in from Gitmo: someone broke a terrorist out of Camp Delta, a Saudi named Zaeed who we've discovered has connections with the Capstone project.

VOICE 2 (EGYPT): It was West. He's bold, I'll give him that. He must have hit a snag and decided he needed Zaeed. It was West. He's bold, I'll give him that. He must have hit a snag and decided he needed Zaeed.

VOICE 1 (USA): Does he? Do we need this Zaeed? Does he? Do we need this Zaeed?

VOICE 2 (EGYPT): No. We got all we needed from Mustapha Zaeed while he was under. No. We got all we needed from Mustapha Zaeed while he was under.