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Dr Wu struggled to join the pack, but the stronger guards pushed hi was not about to share the pocket of air with anyone He turned around, leaned his pistol over the back of the seat, and shot any man who tried to encroach on his space Within seconds, he had killed all his guards and was alone in the cabin

By then the weight of the water in the shuttle had shifted forward Its nose leveled out, and the shuttle began to sink to the bottoed into coht to keep his head up in the di around in the blood-stained water made it difficult As soon as he pushed one body out of the way, another body ca to take its place At one point, he was eye-to-eye with dead Dr Wu

More water ca air evenof the shuttle with only a few inches left As water filled his mouth and nostrils, he looked up, saw theoverhead, and, with his last, soggy gasp uttered:

“Austin!”

THE OWNER OF THAT NAME sat next to the Russian helmsman in the Typhoon’s control roo Ukrainian who had a natural talent for his job The captain stood by Austin’s side, relaying orders in Russian to the helmsman

Minutes earlier, the hel into the crater The sonar operator watched for the shuttle and alerted Austin when he picked up itsblip A monitor connected to a cahts approaching Austin gave the order for a full-speed raan to move forward The ambush was under way

After glancing off the shuttle, the Typhoon had continued into the crater and made a wide turn As the sub headed back toward the tunnel to finish the job, the caain Austin watched with pitiless eyes as it plunged to the bottom He felt no sense of triumph Not yet He was all too well aware that the Triad was a three-headed m

onster

CHAPTER 46

WHEN THE CONCORD FAILED TO HEAR FROM AUSTIN, CAPTAIN Dixon had moved the Navy ships under his command in closer to surround the atoll He stood on the foredeck with Song Lee, who had stayed by his side since Austin had set off on his mission hours before

The captain atching the atoll through binoculars in the dawn light, unaware of the draoon He was pondering what his next course of action should be when Lee pointed toward a boiling patch of water She grabbed him by the arm

“Captain Dixon, look!”

As they were looking, the h vertical rudder of the Typhoon broke the surface several hundred yards east of the atoll After a few ures appeared in the lofty tower and waved their arht his binoculars to his eyes

“I’ll be damned,” he said

He handed the binoculars to Lee