"Just about the best storyteller in the business."

—New York Post

DIRK PITT® is…

that rarest of individuals without whom the world could not survive. He is a man of swift, decisive action who lives by his honor—forever standing watch on the front lines in the enduring war between good and evil. As the son of a U.S. senator, graduate of the Air Force Academy and special projects director for the U.S. National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA), his courage and cool under fire are matched only by his forceful nature and ferocious determination to do whatever is necessary. Pitt reports directly to Admiral James Sandecker, the cunning commander of NUMA, and is backed up by the tough, streetwise Al Giordino—a childhood friend and partner in undersea adventure for more than twenty years.

PRAISE FOR

CLIVE CUSSLER AND THE DIRK PITT® SERIES

"ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT DOWN."

—The San Francisco Examiner

"WICKEDLY ENGROSSING."

—Publishers Weekly

"BY FAR THE BEST."

—Tulsa World

"ENOUGH INTRIGUE TO SATISFY EVEN THE MOST DEMANDING THRILL-SEEKERS…An entertaining and exciting saga, full of techno details and narrow escapes."

—The Chattanooga Times

"PURE ENTERTAINMENT…AS RELIABLE AS PITT'S TRUSTY COLT.45."

—People

DIRK PITT® ADVENTURES BY CLIVE CUSSLER

Trojan Odyssey

Valhalla Rising

Atlantis Found

Flood Tide

Shock Wave

Inca Gold

Sahara

Dragon

Treasure

Cyclops

Deep Six

Pacific Vortex

Night Probe

Vixen 03

Raise the Titanic!

Iceberg

The Mediterranean Caper

DIRK PITT® ADVENTURES BY CLIVE CUSSLER AND DIRK CUSSLER

Treasure of Khan

Black Wind

KURT AUSTIN ADVENTURES BY CLIVE CUSSLER WITH PAUL KEMPRECOS

The Navigator

Polar Shift

Lost City

White Death

Fire Ice

Serpent

Blue Gold

OREGON FILES ADVENTURES BY CLIVE CUSSLER WITH JACK DU BRUL AND CRAIG DIRGO

Skeleton Coast

Dark Watch

Sacred Stone

Golden Buddha

NONFICTION BY CLIVE CUSSLER AND CRAIG DIRGO

The Sea Hunters II

The Sea Hunters

Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed

CHILDREN'S BOOKS BY CLIVE CUSSLER

The Adventures of Vin Fiz

To Amy and Eric,

long may they wave.

PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE

It was oven hot, and it was Sunday. In the air traffic tower, the control operator at Brady Air Force Base lit a cigarette from a still-glowing butt, propped his stocking feet on top of a portable air conditioner and waited for something to happen.

He was totally bored, and for good reason. Air traffic was slow on Sundays. In fact, it was nearly nonexistent. Military pilots and their aircraft rarely flew on that day in the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations, particularly since no international political trouble was brewing at the moment. Occasionally a plane might set down or take off, but it was usually just a quick refueling stop for some VIP who was in a hurry to get to a conference somewhere in Europe or Africa.

The control operator scanned the large flight schedule blackboard for the tenth time since he came on duty. There were no departures, and the only estimated time of arrival was at 1630, almost five hours away.