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PROLOGUE
Uetendorf, Switzerland
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14TH, 1550 HOURS
The witnesses standing at the edge of the field were staring in horrified silence, too stunned to speak The scene that lay before theed up from some deep, dark depths of primitive man’s collective unconscious Each witness had a different reaction One fainted A second one voht: I’ to have a heart attack! The elderly priest clutched his beads and crossed hiainst this evil incarnate We have finally seen the face of Satan It is the end of the world Judgement Day has come
Areddon …
Sunday, October 14th, 2100 Hours
FLASH MESSAGE
TOP SECRET ULTRA
NSA TO DEPUTY DIRECTOR COMSEC
EYES ONLY
SUBJECT: OPERATION DOOMSDAY
MESSAGE: ACTIVATE
NOTIFY NORAD, CIRVIS, GEPAN, DIS, GHG, VSAF, INS
END OF MESSAGE
Sunday, October 14th, 2115 Hours
FLASH MESSAGE
TOP SECRET ULTRA
NSA TO DEPUTY DIRECTOR –
NAVAL INTELLIGENCE 17TH DISTRICT
EYES ONLY
SUBJECT: COMMANDER ROBERT BELLAMY
ARRANGE TEMPORARY TRANSFER THIS AGENCY,
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY
YOUR CONCURRENCE IN THE ABOVE IS ASSUMED
END OF MESSAGE
Book One
The Hunter
Chapter One
Day One
Monday, October 15th
He was back in the crowded hospital ward at Cu Chi Base in Vietna over his bed, lovely in her crisp, white nurse’s unifor, “Wake up, sailor You don’t want to die”
And when he heard the et his pain She was ing and he could not hear her clearly He reached up to pull her closer and his hands clutched empty air
It was the sound of the telephone that brought Robert Bella to let go of the dream The telephone at his bedside was insistent He looked at the clock Four a his dream interrupted “Do you knohat the hell time it is?”
“Commander Bellamy?” A deep, male voice
“Yes …”
“I have a e for you, Commander You are ordered to report to General Hilliard at National Security Agency Headquarters at Fort Meade at 0600 this e understood, Commander?”
“Yes” And no Mostly no