They must be shock, or suffering from some type of stress reaction, she deduced, wishing she could sidle over to Dr. Toth and ask his professional opinion. Only then did she notice that the physician was sleeping, too. she deduced, wishing she could sidle over to Dr. Toth and ask his professional opinion. Only then did she notice that the physician was sleeping, too.

Unfortunately her bladder was too full for her to sleep. She had to go, and soon. At first Megan decided to wait for the other guards to return before making the embarra.s.sing request. Then she mentally kicked herself.

What the h.e.l.l is wrong with me? Do I have Stockholm Syndrome or something? I'm the victim here. Why make it easy on them?

Megan raised her hand. "Hey there. You. h.e.l.lo!"

Boca and the other guard glanced in her direction. "I don't know about these other people, but I need to use the ladies' room p.r.o.nto." p.r.o.nto."

Sneering, Carlos looked away.

"Hey, buddy," Megan cried. "I'm talking to you." you."

Face curled into a cruel sneer, Carlos Boca stood up, faced her. He slung his rifle over his shoulder and slowly approached the woman. Megan could tell he was angry. The closer he got, the more p.i.s.sed the Cuban looked. The other guard watched from the sidelines, snickering. The prisoners around her grew uncomfortable, upset she was rocking the boat. But Megan didn't care.

They're going to kill me anyway, she thought. she thought. At least I'll die with an empty bladder. At least I'll die with an empty bladder.

Tony had been observing the hostages for a few minutes. The guards were so far apart, Tony couldn't see how he was going to neutralize them without firing a shot. But then, thanks to the reliably annoying Dr. Reed, he got his best opening yet.

While Boca loomed threateningly over the defiant Dr. Reed, Tony gripped the cutting blade with both hands, raised it over his head and burst from hiding. With a powerful downward thrust, Tony split the snickering guard's skull from crown to jaw. The dead man dropped without a sound, blood pooling around Tony's sneakers. Unfortunately, the guard dragged the blade down with him - it had wedged so deeply in the Cuban's torso, Tony could not yank it free.

Carlos Boca was still a few feet away. Turning, the Cuban tried to drag the AK-47 off his shoulder to fire. But Megan Reed grabbed the a.s.sault rifle and hung on with both hands like a tenacious pit bull. With the strap tugging at his arm, Boca had no choice but to release the weapon. Still, the Cuban commando was not unarmed. Boca drew a long stiletto out of his high boot and lunged at Tony.

The man was an experienced knife fighter, so fast Tony did not completely sidestep the blow. The razor thin blade raked his ribcage. Tony howled. Shutting out the pain, he locked Boca's knife arm under his own and stepped around the helpless man. A quick jerk, and Tony felt the bone snap in Boca's arm. Tony used his elbow to strike the man three times. The first blow smashed Boca's nose. The second shattered his jaw. The third strike killed him.

He stepped back and the dead man pitched to the floor. Tony reeled as blood streamed down his flanks. Megan was instantly on her feet to steady him.

"Antonio? Is that you?" she cried, recognizing him despite the layers of grit and grease.

Tony took in the woman's pink Meow, Meow Kitty teddy and matching panties.

"That's a new look for you, isn't it Doc?" he grunted.

"You've been wounded!"

By now, the hostages were starting to rise. "Get down, stay in your places. At least until I close the hangar door."

Tony limped to the control panel and hit the switch. It took a minute for the door to come down. When it did, he visibly relaxed but did not slow down.

Tony tossed Boca's a.s.sault rifle to a young airman with dark hair and Hispanic features.

"Go stand in that doorway..." Tony pointed to a narrow door adjacent to the blast-proof steel gate. "...pretend you're a guard. The longer the bad guys think they've got us, the longer they'll leave us alone."

Dr. Reed kept her arms wrapped around Tony while he moved across the hangar. She clung so tightly Tony wasn't sure who was supporting whom. Tony opened the idle generator and reached under the hood. The Glock was right where he left it. With his fist around the familiar weapon, Tony felt complete.

Dr. Alvin Toth touched his arm. "You're bleeding, young man."

"I don't have time to bleed," Tony replied.

"I saw that movie, too," Toth replied with a sly smile. "I also have a First Aid kit right here. Let me fix you up..."

Tony nodded and leaned against the generator. He lifted his arm while Toth smeared a disinfectant on the ragged gash. Tony winced, sucking air.

"Be careful, Dr. Toth! You'll hurt him," Megan cried, arms wrapped around Tony's broad shoulders.

23

THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 10 A.M. AND 11 A.M. PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME.

10:06:22 a.m. PDT Hanger Five, Experimental Weapons Testing Range Groom Lake Air Force Base Yizi drifted through Hangar Five like a shadow. Ignoring the others, she approached Jong Lee. Her master had his back to the open door while he admired the sleek design of the experimental stealth helicopter. A few commandos were with him in the hangar. Many more had been deployed across the base, antic.i.p.ating a military response from the Americans.

"The jamming ceased approximately one hour ago," the woman reported in whispered Chinese. "I was able to re-send the emergency message to our base in Mexico. They acknowledged receiving it, but offered no timeline for our extraction."

Jong Lee frowned. He'd suspected the truth, but only now did he know for certain that he'd been abandoned by his own government. It was a stinging blow, but not unexpected after their setbacks. If Jong Lee were back in Beijing, he probably would have issued the same command.

"Very well," Lee said, his voice grim. "We still possess the only prototype of the Malignant Wave device, and the Blackfoot helicopter to carry it. It is time to retreat with what we have, rather than mourn what we have lost."

Lee called Captain Hsu to his side. "I believe an American counterattack is imminent. We will depart within the hour."

Pizarro Rojas watched the exchange, Stella Hawk by his side. The Colombian pulled away from the woman and strode over to the Chinese agent.

"You're leaving us, then," Rojas said bitterly.

Jong Lee did not reply. His face remained impa.s.sive.

"I don't need to understand Chinese to see what's going on," the Colombian continued.

"I must surrender to expedience," Lee replied. "Many valuable a.s.sets have been lost. There is only one way to achieve victory from this mora.s.s."

"You're not going run away without me," Rojas cried. He yanked the pistol out of his holster and waved it at Jong Lee.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Stella cried.

"This pig thinks he's going to fly away in that d.a.m.ned helicopter and leave us behind," Rojas cried. He pointed the pistol at Lee's head. "But if he thinks..."

His words were cut short. Pizarro Rojas suddenly grunted, and the gun tumbled from his grip. Stella screamed when she saw Yizi's three-bladed sai sticking out of the Colombian's throat, the dark, thick blood bubbling out of the wounds.

She rushed to the man, cradled Pizarro's head in her arms as he fell. With manicured fingers she tried to stem the tide of blood that flowed from a punctured carotid artery. Pizarro managed to smile up at her before life faded from his eyes.

"You b.i.t.c.h!" Stella screamed.

Fingers curled, she clawed at Yizi's throat, raking the Asian woman's cheek, drawing blood. Yizi slapped Stella several times, until the woman sank to the ground.

"Put her with the other hostages," Jong Lee ordered.

Two commandos grabbed Stella Hawk under each arm. Wailing loudly, she tried to cling to the dead man even as they hauled her away.

10:15:11 a.m. PDT Hangar Six, Experimental Weapons Testing Range Groom Lake Air Force Base When she saw the stranger emerge from the shadows, Dani Welles cried out. Everyone turned. Dr. Bas...o...b..moved quickly to shield the woman while he aimed a captured AK-47 at the intruder.

"Don't move or I'll shoot," the scientist snarled.

Untangling himself from the clinging Dr. Reed, Tony jumped to his feet. "Wait, Doc. Don't shoot. This man is on our side."

Dr. Bas...o...b..lowered the a.s.sault rifle. Tony stepped between them.

"h.e.l.lo, Jack," he said. "You look like h.e.l.l."

"I made it."

Jack Bauer's clothing was torn and scorched. Most of the hair on the right side of his scalp had been burned away when the helicopter exploded. He walked with a discernable limp, and Tony spotted a b.l.o.o.d.y bandage torn from his shirt wrapped around Jack's right calf.

It took a few minutes for Tony to bring his boss up to speed on recent developments. Bauer didn't exhibit surprise when he heard the Air Force was willing to blow the base up.

"It's a smart move. I'd do the same thing," Jack declared.

"Right now, the Chinese think we're still prisoners. But as soon as someone comes through that door they're going to find out the truth."

Jack nodded. "On the way over here, I noticed a lot of activity in the next hangar."

"That's Hangar Five," Tony said. "There's an experimental stealth helicopter in there, designed to elude radar. Once it takes off, the Air Force won't be able to find it."

"It's a two man craft," said Jack. "That would mean they're leaving most of their strike team behind."

"There's an experimental weapon installed in that helicopter, Jack. It called Malignant Wave and it's a real b.i.t.c.h. If the Chinese escape with the prototype, it would be worth any sacrifice."

Jack's eyes narrowed into slits. "Then we have to get inside that hangar. Stop that helicopter from taking off."

"That's going to be tough," sighed Tony.

Dr. Reed heard their words and stepped forward. "There's a back door to that hangar..."

"I tried it, doc," Tony said. "It's locked, and it's made of reinforced steel. If we try to break in, they're going to hear us."

"Beverly Chang gave me a copy of the key," she replied. "It's over there, in my locker..."

The airman guarding the door interrupted them. "Someone's coming," he hissed. "Two soldiers with a prisoner."

"Everyone get down," Tony cried, racing for the entrance. Jack was already there. They positioned themselves on either side of the open doorway, waiting to pounce the moment the soldiers entered.

When the commandos reached the narrow door, they shoved Stella through first. Then the first commando stepped over the threshold. Tony seized the man, pummeled him to the ground with the b.u.t.t of his Glock.

Stella recognized Jack.

"Jaycee!" she cried, stepping between Bauer and the commando he was supposed to take down. Jack thrust the woman aside, but it was too late. The soldier turned and raced across the tarmac, screaming a warning. Jack aimed his Glock with both hands and fired once. The commando's cries abruptly ceased.

Jack stepped away from the door. "They know we're free now," he shouted. "Everyone who isn't armed, take cover!"

Stella Hawk wrapped her arms around Jack Bauer's neck, tight as a boa constrictor. Mascara ran down her cheeks and her face was swollen and bruised. But her lush lips rained kisses on his lips, his cheek, his neck.

"I knew you'd rescue me," she sobbed.

Jack's eyes met Tony's. "Get her off of me," he snarled.

Outside, commandos burst from Hangar Five when they heard the warning cry. Tony picked up the dead soldier's AK-47 and fired on the men as they scurried across the runway. Three commandos dropped, the others turned around and bolted for cover.

Tony heard shouted commands, saw the soldiers begin to regroup outside of Hangar Five.

"Here they come," Tony warned. Legs braced, he stood in the doorway and fired another burst.

10:52:56 a.m. PDT The Tank Farm Groom Lake Air Force Base Nina rolled the sandrail into a prefabricated storage shed hidden among a sea of aviation fuel tanks. She and Curtis climbed a steel ladder to the top of the tallest tank, to observe the situation at the hangars.

Before they finished their ascent, they heard the sound of gunfire in the distance. Scrambling to the top of the tank, Nina focused her mini-binoculars on the hangars.

"It's a firelight, not a ma.s.sacre," Nina said, squinting through the lens. "It looks like some people are holed up in one hanger. They're putting up a good fight, but the raiders are rallying for another attack..."

"Another attack?"

"I count four dead men on the tarmac," Nina said, handing Curtis the binoculars. "The Chinese have tried to take that hangar at least once before."

Curtis frowned. "The commandos just drove a tow tractor out of the hangar with the weird aircraft inside. I think the Chinese are planning to use the tractor for cover in an attack on the other hangar."

Nina moved to the ladder. "We've got to get down."

Curtis followed her to the edge. "What's your plan?"

"I haven't got one," Nina replied.

"Look over there," Curtis said, pointing to a small tanker truck parked about a hundred yards away. "I think I have an idea..."

24

THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 11 A.M. AND 12 P.M. PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME.