Day oneMonday, October 15He was back in the crowded hospital ward at cu chi base in Vietnam and Susan was leaning over his bed, lovely in her crisp white nurse’s uniform, whispering, “ wake up, sailor. You don’t want to die.” And when he heard the magic of her voice, he could almost forget his pain. She was murmuring something else in his ear, but a loud bell was ringing, and he could not hear her clearly. He reached up to pull her closer, and his hand clutched empty air. It was the sound of the telephone that fully awoke Robert Bellamy. He opened his eyes reluctantly, not wanting to let go of the dream. The telephone at his bedside was insistent. He looked at the clock. Four A.M. he snatched up the instrument, angry at having his dream interrupted. “Do you know what the hell time is?”"Commander bellamy?" A deep, male voice."Yes-" "I have a message for you, commander. You are ordered to report to General Hillard at National Security Agency headquarters at Fort Meade at oh six

Ottawa, Canada2400 HoursHis code name was Janus. He was addressing twelve men in the heavily guarded room of a military compound."As you have all been informed, Operation Doomsday has been activated. There are a number of witnesses who must be found as quickly and as quietly as possible. We are not able to attempt to track them down through regular security channels because of the danger of a leak.""Who are we using?" The Russian. Huge. Short-temperde"His name is Commander Robert Bellamy.""How was he selected?" The German. Aristocratic. Ruthless."The commander was chosen after a thorough computer search of the files of the CIA, FBI, and a half dozen other security agencies.""Please, may I inquire what are his qualifications?" The Japanese. Polite. Sly."Commander Bellamy is an experienced field officer who speaks six languages fluently and has an exemplary record. Again and again he has proved himself to be very resourceful. He has no living relatives.""Is he aware of the urg

The limousine was waiting at the river-entrance parking lot. "Are you ready, Commander?" Captain Dougherty asked. As ready as I'll ever be, Robert thought. "Yes."Captain Dougherty accompanied Robert to his apartment so he could pack. Robert had no idea how many days he would be gone. How long does an impossible assignment take? He packed enough clothes for a week and, at the last minute, put in a framed photograph of Susan. He stared at it for a long time and wondered if she were enjoying herself in Brazil. He thought, I hope not. I hope she's having a lousy time. And was immediately ashamed of himself. When the limousine arrived at Andrews Air Force Base, the plane was waiting. It was a C20A, an Air Force jet. Captain Dougherty held out his hand. "Good luck Commander." "Thanks. I'll need it. Robert walked up the steps to the cabin. The crew was inside finishing the preflight check. There was a pilot, a copilot, a navigator, and a steward, all in Air Force un

The first piece of the puzzle lay in the tour bus, and Robert drove to Talstrasse, where the buses departed, as though it might reveal some hidden clue. The Iveco bus was brown and silver, small enough to traverse the steep Alpine roads, with seats for fourteen passengers. Who are the seven, and where have they disappeared to? Robert got back in his car. He consulted his map and marked it. He took Lavessneralle out of the city, into the Albis, the start of the Alps, toward the village of Kappel. He headed south, driving past the small hills that surround Zurich, and began the climb into the magnificent mountain chain of the Alps. He drove through Adliswil and Langnau and Hausen and nameless hamlets with chalets and colorful picture-postcard scenery until almost an hour later, he came to Kappel. The little village consisted of a restaurant, a church, a post office, and twelve or so houses scattered around the hills. Robert parked the car and walked into the restaurant. A waitress was

Later that day a press conference was held inGeneva, in the austere offices of the Bundesgasse, the Swiss Ministry of Internal Affairs. There were more than fifty reporters in the room, and an overflow crowd outside in the corridor. There were representatives from television, radio and the press from more than a dozen countries, many loaded with microphones and television gear. They all seemed to be speaking at once.“We’ve heard reports that it was not a weather balloon …”“Is it true that it was a flying saucer?”“There are rumours that there were alien bodies aboard the ship …”“Was one of the aliens alive?”“Is the government trying to hide the truth from the people …?”The press officer raised his voice to regain control. “Ladies and gentlemen, there has been a simple misunderstanding. We get calls all the time. People see satellites, shooting stars … Isn’t it interesting that reports of UFOs are always made anonymous? Perhaps this caller really believed it was a UFO, but in actu