Dragon (Dirk Pitt 10)

Pitt removed a Viking battle-axe from its brackets on a wall and returned to the video monitor room.

Stacy had already picked the locks on the chains confining Giordino and Mancuso and was working to free Weatherhill.

"What did you do with Kamatori?" Giordino asked, peering curiously around Pitt's shoulder into the trophy room.

"Mounted him with the rest of his collection." He handed the axe to Giordino. "Break up the robots so they can't be repaired anytime soon."

"Break up McGoon?"

"And McGurk."

Giordino looked pained, but he took the ax and smashed it into McGoon. "I feel like Dorothy trashing the Tin Man from Oz."

Mancuso shook Pitt's hand. "You saved our asses. Thank you."

"A nice bit of swordplay," said Weatherhill. "Where'd you learn it?"

"That will have to wait," Pitt said impatiently. "What's Penner's grandiose scheme for our rescue?"

"You don't know?"

"Penner didn't deem us worthy of his confidence."

Mancuso looked at him and shook his head. "There is no plan for a rescue mission," he said with an embarrassed expression. "Originally we were to be evacuated by submarine, but Penner ruled that out as too risky for the sub and its crew after reviewing a satellite photo of Suma's sea defenses. Stacy, Tim, and I were to make our way back through the tunnel to Edo City and escape to our embassy in Tokyo."

Pitt nodded at Giordino. "And the two of us?"

"The State Department was alerted to negotiate with Suma and the Japanese government for your release."

"The

State Department?" Giordino moaned between chops. "I'd sooner be represented by Monty Python's Flying Circus."

"Jordan and Kern didn't take into account Suma and Kamatori's nasty dispositions," said Mancuso cynically.

Pitt's mouth tightened in a hard bitter line. "You people are the experts. What's the next move?"

"Finish the job as planned and hot-foot it through the tunnel," answered Weatherhill as Stacy opened the lock and his chains fell away.

"You still aim to destroy the Dragon Center?"

"Not completely, but we can put a dent in it."

"With what?" inquired Giordino. "A homemade magnet and an axe?"

"No sweat," Weatherhill replied airily, massaging his wrists. "Suma's security forces may have taken our explosives kit during our capture and subsequent search, but we still have enough for a minor bang."

He sat down and pulled off his shoes, prying off the soles and incredibly kneading them into a ball.

"C-Eight plastic," he said proudly. "The very latest in explosives for the discriminating spook."

"And the detonators are in the heels," muttered Pitt.

"How'd you know?"

"Positive thinking."