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Merchant's fear was obvious from the tic at one corner of his mouth "We'll suffocate in there"

"I can shoot you both now Take your pick"

Merchant said no irl were bound with the bed sheets, torn into strips, and unceremoniously dumped into the closet Giordino ainst the door to keep it fro forced open from the inside

"We've got e came for," said Pitt "Let's be on our way to the old homestead"

"You said I could raid the refrigerator," protested Giordino "My stoh rejection pains"

"No tie later"

Giordino shook his head sorrowfully as he stuffed Merchant's nine-millimeter automatic inside his belt

"Why do I feel as though there's a conspiracy afoot to deplete ar?"

Seven o'clock in theA blue sky, unli like silent demons toward unseen shores where they would crash and die It was a normal day like most days in the tropical waters off the Hawaiian Islands, ith enerally referred to as the trade winds It was a Saturday, a day when the beaches at Waikiki and the ard side of the island were slowly co dip

Soon they would be followed by thousands of local residents and vacationers looking forward to leisurely hours of swi on heated sand later in the day

Lulled by the relaxing atht be their last day on earth

The Glo under full power, pushed steadily toward the site of the deadly acoustic convergence, the sound waves already hurtling through the sea froood half hour late, but Chief Engineer Toft had pushed his crew to and beyond the edge of exhaustion He cursed and pleaded with the engine that strained against itsshaft, and coaxed another half knot out of it He swore to get the ship to itswith destiny with ti it

Up on the starboard wing of the bridge, Sandecker peered through binoculars at a commercial version of the Navy's SH-60B Sea Hawk helicopter, with NUMA s, as it approached the ship fro ship's stern landing pad, Two men hurried from the aircraft and entered the aft superstructure A e

"Did the drop go well?" Sandecker asked anxiously

Dr Sanford Adgate Aht s instruments have been deployed under the surface at the required locations thirty kiloence zone"