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His destination, Bluefields, was Nicaragua's main Caribbean port, named after the infaoon near the city The population of the area was roup whose diverse ancestors came from Central America, Europe and Africa; the Creoles, who are the black descendants of colonial-era slaves; and the Mestizos, whose bloodlines are a mixture of Indian and Spanish

The econo the coast

The prie plant in town processed the fish for export while extensive maintenance facilities serviced, fueled and supplied the international fishing fleets

When he looked up from the report, the sky had turned as black as coal The drone of the propellers, the whine of the engines, took his ia The face he was seeing every er revealed the smooth skin he'd seen twenty-five years earlier without the craggy lines Tiht of the elements had taken its toll

As he stared through theinto nothingness, his un on that lonely stretch of beach at Kaena Point on the island of Oahu in Hawaii He was lying on the sand in the sun, gazing idly past the breakers out to sea, when he spotted a yellow cylinder floating in the water Swih treacherous riptides, he retrieved the cylinder and struggled back to shore Inside was thenuclear submarine From that moment on, his life took a new turn He met the woman who became his first love from the moment he laid eyes on her He had carried her vision in histhat she had survived, until Dirk and Summer showed up on his doorstep

The body had weathered time well, perhaps the muscles were not as hard as they once were, but his joints had yet to encounter the aches and pains that coe The black hair was still thick and wavy, with streaks of gray that was starting to spread on the teleamed with intensity His love of the sea and his ith NUMA still consumed his tihtmarish, and more than a few physical scars, had yet to fade with the years

His mind relived the many times he had cheated the old round river in search of Inca Gold, the fight in the Sahara against overwhelion fort, the battle in the Antarctic with the giant old snow of the Titanic The contentment and fulfillave him warm satisfaction, and made him feel his life had been hile after all

But it was the old drive, the lust of challenging the unknown, that had faded He had a fa down He turned and looked over at Giordino, who could enter a deep sleep in adverse conditions as easily as if he was in his own goose-down bed in his Washington condo Their exploits together had becoh they were not particularly close in their personal lives, once they faced what seeether as one, each playing off the physical and mental virtues of the other until they either won, or occasionally lost, which wasn't often

He s what a reporter wrote about hiained distinction "There is a touch of Dirk Pitt in every man whose soul yearns for adventure And because he is Dirk Pitt, he yearns more than most"

The landing gear dropped on the Cassa and pulled Pitt back from his reverie

The landing lights were reflecting off the water of the rivers and lagoons surrounding the city's airport when he leaned toward theand stared doard A light rain was falling as the plane set down and taxied toward the main terminal A fresh five- the air a smell of hu steps and was mildly surprised to find the temperature in the low seventies; he had expected it to be at least ten degrees higher

They hurried across the tarmac and entered the tere to appear on a cart Their instructions fro at the terminal entrance Pitt pulled two suitcases on wheels while Giordino shouldered a big duffel bag, heavy with diving gear They walked fifty yards up a paved pathway to the road Waiting for passengers were five cars and ten taxis, their drivers hustling for a fare Waving away the cabbies, they stood expectantly for a minute, before the last car in line--a battered, scratched and dented old Ford Escort--blinked its lights

Pitt walked up to the passenger's , leaned in and started to ask, "Are you waiting for"

That was as far as he got before going silent in surprise Rudi Gunn exited the driver's side and carinned "We can't go onlike this"

Pitt stared blankly "The admiral never mentioned you'd be in on the project"