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The entry door was closed and sealed, and the craft, secured by a large sling, was lifted by a crane into the center of the iven the descent signal by Cabrillo Then, slowly, the large craft was lowered into the black water As soon as she settled, divers re balcony by the crane

“Radio check,” said Seng “Do you read me?”

“Like you’re in the same room,” Linda Ross assured him

“Are we clear?”

“No shipout to sea At thirty feet, you should stay well below their keels and props”

“Keep the coffee on,” said Seng

“Bon voyage,” quipped Cabrillo

“That’s easy for you to say,” Seng came back

r />A few hts inside the Nomad blinked out and it vanished into the dark water of the harbor

THE pilots of the sub relied on their Global Positioning System to set them on an exact course for the section of the city docks that was their destination Detecting the pilings by their lasersystem, they were able to slip between the stern and bow of two container ships unloading cargo and s Once under the wharves and out of sight froap using a laser night-penetrating ca beneath the pilings

“Floating maintenance dock dead ahead,” announced the chief pilot

There was no hard check of weapons or survival gear Though they all carried concealed handguns, they wanted to look like a s designs on the citizens Their only inspection was to make sure their uniforms looked neat and presentable The combat members of the team had all been members of the Special Forces They were under strict orders not to commit mayhem unless it was absolutely necessary in order to save lives Seng himself had served on a marine recon team and had never lost a man

No sooner had the No, followed closely by his team, exited the sub and headed up the stairs to a little house that sheltered the dock and maintenance workers’ tools and small equip, with only a brief look to see if anyone was standing nearby, silently motioned everyone to follow him

The lights of the cranes and the ships they were unloading lit up the dock like daylight, but luckily the exit door was opposite and the team for in cadence, Seng led them to the end of the dock and around the warehouse

His watch said 9:36 Exactly twenty-four ate of the prison They found the truck nine ht beside the warehouse Seng recognized it as a 1951 Ford delivery van that looked like it had passed the two-loo in a fancy red script on the side of the fourteen-foot cargo body It read GONZALES FOOD PURVEYORS in Spanish The driver was visible only by the glow of his cigarette