Treasure (Dirk Pitt 9)

"The helicopter explains why the Arab hijackers deserted the ship and left the Mexicans to fend for themselves."

"And the chopper was their transportation from the mine," Gunn added.

Hollis asked, "Where are the others?"

"Last I saw of them before Pitt sent me to rescue his father and these people, they were under siege inside the crushing mill building."

"The four of you took on close to forty terrorists?" Dillenger asked incredulously.

"Pitt and the others kept the Arabs from escaping as well as creating a diversion so I could rescue the hostages."

"The odds were better than ten to one against them," stated Hollis.

"They were doing a pretty good job of it when I left," answered Gunn solemnly.

Hollis and Dillenger stared at each other. "We'd better see what we can find," said Hollis.

Senator Pitt came over. "Colonel, Rudi has told me my son is up at the mine. I'd like to tag along with you."

"Sorry, Senator. I can't permit it until the area is secure."

Gunn put his arm around the old man's shoulder. "I'll see to it, Senator. Don't worry about Dirk. He'll outlive us all."

"Thank you, Rudi. I appreciate your kindness."

Hollis was not so confident. "They must have been wiped out," he muttered under his breath to Dillenger.

Dillenger nodded in agreement. "Hopeless to think they could survive against a heavy force of trained terrorists."

Hollis gave the signal and his men began moving like phantoms through the mine buildings. As they neared the crushing mill they began to find the litter of dead awesome. They counted n bodies crumpled in rag-doll positions on the road and ground outside.

The crushing-mill building was riddled with hundreds of bullet holes and showed the splintered results of grenades. Not a single pane of glass was left intact anywhere. Every entry door had been blown into splinters.

Hollis and five men cautiously entered through holes blown in the walls while Dillenger and his team approached from the shattered opening that was once the front main entrance. Small fires burned and smoldered everywhere, but had not yet joined to build a major conflagration.

Two dozen bodies were heaped about the floor, several stacked against the front of the ore crusher. The helicopter stood amazingly clean and pristine with only its tail section in mangled condition.

Three men still lived among the carnage-men who looked so smokeblackened, so bloody, in such awful shape, that Hollis couldn't believe his eyes. One man was lying on the floor, his head resting in the lap of another, whose hand was held in a gore-stained sling. One stood swaying on his feet, blood streaming from wounds on one leg, the base of his neck where it met the shoulder, the top of his head and the side of his face.

Not until Hollis was only a few meters away did he recognize the battered men before him. He was absolutely shocked. He couldn't see how those three pitiful wrecks had kept the faith and won out over fearsome odds.

The Special Operations Forces grouped around in silent admiration. Rudi Gunn smiled from ear to ear. Hollis and Dillenger stood there wordlessly.

Then Pitt painfully straightened to his full height and said, "About time you showed

up. We were running out of things to do."

PART IV

October 27, 1991

Washington D.C.

Dale Nichols and Martin Brogan stood waiting on the White House steps as the President stepped from his helicopter and walked swiftly across the lawn.

"You have something for me?" the President asked expectantly as he shook hands.

Nichols could not contain his excitement. "We've just received a report from General Dodge. His Special Operations Forces have retaken the Lady Flamborough intact in Southern Chile. Senator Pitt, Hala Kamil and Presidents De Lorenzo and Hasan were rescued in good condition."