Sahara (Dirk Pitt 11)

General Hugo Bock arranged the maps and satellite photos on his desk and picked up an antique magnifying glass that had been given to him by his grandfather when he collected stamps as a young boy. The glass was highly polished without a flaw, and when adjusted to his eyes, enlarged the image it was trained upon without distortion around the circular edges. The piece had traveled with Bock all during his army career as a kind of good luck charm.

He took a sip of coffee and began examining the area inside the small circles he'd marked on the maps and photographs that indicated the approximate location of Tebezza. Though Pitt's description of the mine site, relayed to Bock from Sandecker by fax, was a rough estimate, the General's eye soon zeroed in on the landing strip and the vague road that led off through the narrow canyon splitting the high, rocky plateau.

This fellow

Pitt, he thought, was most observant.

The man must have memorized what few landmarks he had seen during his epic trek across the desert into Algeria and backtracked them in his mind's eye to the mine.

Bock began to study the terrain of the surrounding desert and did not like what he saw. The mission to rescue Gunn from the Gao airport had been relatively simple. Launched from an Egyptian military base near Cairo, the UN force had only to swoop in and seize the Gao airport, retrieve Gunn, and be on their way. Tebezza was a much tougher nut to crack.

Levant's team would have to land at the desert airstrip, travel nearly 20 kilometers to the mine entrance, assault and secure a maze of tunnels and caverns, transport God knows how many prisoners back to the airstrip, load everyone on board, and take off.

The critical problem was too much time on the ground. The transport was a sitting duck and invited attack by Kazim's air force. The time involved in a round trip of 40 kilometers over a primitive desert road considerably raised the odds of failure.

The attack could not rely purely on split-timing. There were too many unknown variables. Preventing any outside communication was critical. Bock could not see how the operation could be accomplished in less than one and a half hours minimum. Two could spell disaster.

His fist cracked the desk. "Damn!" he uttered harshly to himself. "No time for preparation, no time for planning. An emergency mission to save lives. Hell, we'll probably lose more than we save."

After looking at the operation from every angle, Bock sighed and dialed his desk phone. Hala Kamil's secretarial aide put him right through.

"Yes, General," she said. "I did not expect to hear from you so soon. Is there a problem with the rescue mission?"

"A number of them, I'm afraid, Madam Secretary. We're stretched far too thin on this one. Colonel Levant is going to need backup."

"I'll authorize whatever additional UN forces you require."

"We have none to spare," explained Bock. "My remaining forces are on security duty at the Syrian-Israeli border or performing civilian rescue operations during the unrest and rioting inside India. Colonel Levant's backup will have to come from outside the UN."

There was a moment of silence as Hala assembled her thoughts. "This is most difficult," she said finally. "I'm not sure who I can turn to."

"What about the Americans?"

"Unlike his predecessors, their new President is most reluctant to interfere in the problems of third world nations. As a point of fact, it was he who requested that I authorize you to save the two men from NUMA."

"Why was I not informed?" Bock asked.

"Admiral Sandecker could provide us with no intelligence as to their exact whereabouts. While waiting for leads, they escaped on their own, making any rescue attempt unnecessary."

"Tebezza will not be a swift and sure operation," Bock said grimly.

"Can you guarantee me success?" asked Hala.

"I'm confident in the ability of my men, Madam Secretary, but I cannot make any guarantees. If anything, I fear the cost in casualties will be high."

"We cannot sit back and do nothing," Hala said solemnly. "Dr. Hopper and his team of scientists are members of the UN. It is our duty to save our own people."

"I quite agree," said Bock. "But I'd feel more secure if we could count on a backup force should Colonel Levant become trapped by Malian military forces."

"Perhaps the British or the French will be more willing--"

"The Americans can mount a more rapid response," Bock interrupted. "If I had my way, I would demand their Delta Force."

Hala went quiet, reluctant to give a concession, knowing the Chief Executive of the United States would prove stubborn and noncommittal. "I will talk with the President and present our case," Hala said resignedly. "I can do no more."

"Then I shall inform Colonel Levant there is no room for misjudgment or error, and that he can expect no help."

"Perhaps he will benefit from luck."