out of the city on foot and by then affairs were beginning to take an
ugly turn. Food supplies were becoming exhausted and as long as the
military refused to budge nothing could be brought in, even their own
supplies. Once out of the city we took to the river. No one attempted to
stop us but neither did any official attempt to help their Chinese
comrades. The curious paralysis had spread. It was as if the entire
countryside was holding its breath, waiting for some positive sign of
authority. In Gorki, where there was less air-congestion, we managed to
steal a plane and flew it to Finland. The rest you know."

Peng's superior nodded. "Our Russian friends are losing their grip. That
is because they do not practice pure Communism. Upon China now falls the
mantle of leadership of the people's republics as we knew, long before,
it was destined to be." He rose from behind his desk. "Come, let us now
turn our attention to this strange American lieutenant and see how the
interrogation is proceeding."

As Peng and his chief stepped into the hallway, they heard a shattering
of glass and a cry of pain from a room at the far end of the hallway.

"It sounds like someone falling through a window!" Peng exclaimed.

His chief's face was shadowed with a momentary irritation. "If that is
another one of my men having a foolish accident--"

"What do you mean?" Peng inquired.

"Mean?" his chief repeated in exasperation. "I'll tell you what I mean.
Since this interrogation started four of my men have injured themselves
in silly, stupid accidents; like the captain who fell off his chair and
broke his leg. If I didn't know my men, I would swear that they had all
been drinking!"

There was a sudden, single shot. They hurried along the hall but before
they could reach the room at the end they had to drop to the floor to
escape the fusillade of bullets that whined down the corridor.

* * * * *

In the great Operations Room of the Pentagon, the uppermost echelons of
the American General Staff glared at Dr. Titus whose civilian presence
was defiling this military "holy of holies."

An admiral, sitting next to General Fyfe, banged his fist on the table
and almost shouted at Titus. "So you're one of the idiots who's been
advising the President not to let us commit our forces in Afghanistan.
Do you realize the Russians will--"

Titus appealed to the Chairman of the General Staff. "Do I or do I not
have the f