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"She's outlived her usefulness"

"I don't understand," said Pitt "She looks perfectly sound"

"She's been what is called in the spy trade 'compromised,' explained Cabrillo "The Chinese are wise to her facade Within days every intelligence service around the world will be on the lookout for her No, I'atherer of classified information are over"

"Does thatto dissolve the corporation?"

Cabrillo sat up, his eyes gleaovernment has already offered to refit a new ship with state-of-the-art-technology, bigger, ines and a heavier weapons systee, but the stockholders and I are not about to close down operations"

Pitt shook the chairman's hand "I wish you the best of luck Perhaps we can do it again sometime" Cabrillo rolled his eyes "Oh God, I hope not" Giordino took one of his ars and slipped it into Cabrillo's shirt pocket "A little so in case you tire of your smelly old pipe"

They waited as the attendants transferred Cabrillo to the gumey and lifted him inside the ambulance Then the door was closed and the vehiclefor a moment until it disappeared onto a street lined with palm trees when a man came up behind them "Mr Pitt and Mr Giordino?" Pitt turned "That's us"

A ray hair and beard, held up a leather-encased badge and identification He earing white shorts, a flowered silk shirt and sandals "I've been sent by my superiors to take you to the airport An aircraft is waiting to fly you to Washington" "Aren't you a little old to play secret agent?" said Giordino, studying the stranger's identification

"We oldies but goodies can often pass unnoticed where you younger guys can't"

"Which way to your car?" asked Pitt conversationally The senior citizen pointed to a small Toyota van painted in the wild colors of a local taxi "Your carriage awaits"

"I had no idea the CIA cut your budget so drastically," Giordino said sarcastically

"We ot"

They piled into the van, and twenty o jet As the plane rolled down the runway of Guam's Air Force base, Pitt looked out theand saw the senior intelligence agent leaning against his van as if confir that Pitt and Giordino had departed the island In anotherabove the often overlooked island paradise of the Pacific with its volcanic le waterfalls andcoco palms The Japanese swarmed into the hotels and onto the beaches of Gua down as the plane passed over the turquoise waters inside the reef surrounding the island and headed out to sea

As Giordino dozed off, Pitt turned his thoughts to the United States, sailing so terrible was in the works, a terrible threat that only one man on earth could prevent But Pitt kneith crystallized certainty that nothing, except perhaps an unti from his purpose

The world may be a place that is scarce of honest politicians, white buffalo, unpolluted rivers, saints and e of depraved villains Some, like serial killers, iven financial resources theywho possessed enormous affluence could hold themselves above the law and hire homicidal cretins to do their dirty work for theeneral who felt re a thousandwas a cold-blooded sociopathic ne and eat a hearty dinner after conderants, many of theid waters of Orion LakePitt was co whatever the consequences, whatever the cost, even killing him if the occasion presented itself He was drawn in too deeply to struggle back over the edge He fantasized what it would be like if they ever met What would the circuhterer?