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Nothing was put down on paper or recorded on tape And only the men in this room knohy Senator Pitt flen to Punta del Este to confer with President Hasan"

"Dale's right," said Merger "We can come up with any number of excuses to explain away his mission"

The President unclasped his hands and rubbed his eyes tiredly "George Pitt hasn't been dead a day and already we're trying to cover our asses"

"That proble in Egypt and Mexico," said Nichols "With Hasan and De Lorenzo dead too, Egypt will go the way of Iran and be irretrievably lost for sure, Then with Mexico - - " He hesitated "We'll have a ti our own border"

"As my Chief of Staff and closest adviser, what est we take?"

Nichols's stomach was attacked by a cramp and his heartbeat quickened

The President and the two intelligence advisers see his eyes He wondered if the stress that isting his guts ca foreign catastrophe

"I propose ait for proof the Lady Flah and everybody on her lies on the bottom of the ocean

"And if no evidence is forthcoypt and Mexico, their leadersand presumed dead, arr taken over by Topiltzin and

Akhalomaniacs? What then?

What course of action is left to stop them before it's too late?"

"Short of assassination, none" Nichols's hand nervouslystomach "We can only prepare for the worst"

"Which is?"

"We write off Egypt," Nichols said gravely, "and invade Mexico"

A heavy rain soaked Uruguay's capital city of Montevideo as the small jet dropped from the clouds and lined up on the runway Soon after touchdown it swung away from the commercial terars flanked by rows of fighter jets