10.000 B.C. Post Ice Age lake Thompson encompassed several miles in what is now Antelope Valley of California. A small band of Indians set out in several canoes to dispose of the stranger and his many weird possessions. With some ceremony before they dump everything overboard, they chant and call upon the spirits to protect them and to oversee the strange human that had lived with them for some time.

In the spring of 1827 Jedediah Smith was crossing the Mojave Desert with his band of mountain men, including one Daniel Pitt. At one point everyone wonders whether they will ever find water. Jedediah Smith then comes up with a plan to send out two or three men in different directions for several miles to find some water. Daniel Pitt is directed to go north. Daniel Pitt goes several miles until he comes across a flat, dry lakebed in what is now Rogers Dry lake area (part of the ancient lake Thompson). After walking so far Daniel Pitt decides it's time to head back to his friends. Daniel turns around and after less than a mile he spies something shiny ahead of him. He walks up to the object and he turns it over in his hands several times wondering what the heck it is. He pockets it and heads back to join the rest of the men and eventually they all arrive at San Gabriel Mission, near present day Los Angeles where they find water and a place for rest before they head up north towards Fort Vancouver.

1910. Clifford and Effie Corum settle near the dry lakebed in Antelope Valley and establish a post that they name Muroc, a twist on their last name. They establish a decent home and spend most of their life there.

August 1926. After a long, hot day of exploring the pyramids of Chichen Itza in the jungles of the Yucatan, Matthew Pitt swims in the Xcaret underground river to where it empties into the caribbean. He swims to a nearby beach where he walks up to an American woman and what appears to be her latin lover type of guy. The latin guy introduces himself as Ramon Navarro and his lady friend, "Pancho" Barnes. Matthew introduces himself and then, "Yes, Mr. Navarro I recognize you from the films of Hollywood and Ms. Barnes I had the pleasure of meeting you when you were 15 years of age when I came to your father's house back in 1916 while I was in San Marino for some business".

1942. Muroc Bombing & Gunnery Range. George Pitt, and others are training to be naval flyers along with the Army Air Corps trainees. Many aircraft and pilots are coming and going at all hours. George, like everyone else head over to the Rancho Oro Verde Fly-Inn, run by the famous aviatrix, Pancho Barnes for refreshments and female entertainment. Pancho, upon seeing George recognizes the eyes of Matthew and declares, "My gracious lord! It's Matthew Pitt's boy!" and hugs George. George and Pancho get to know each other before he's shipped out to the Pacific theater.

1968. Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino after leaving boot camp, arrive at Edwards Air Force Base to learn to fly aircraft and sent over to Vietnam. While at Edwards they learn of the "heyday" of the 1940s and early 1950s when the pilots are treated by Pancho Barnes with tender loving care and some entertainment. Three weeks before they are to leave for Vietnam some other trainees take them out to where Pancho Barnes lives. At 67 years of age Pancho Barnes has slowed down but still has her sense of humour and a saltier language than ever. When she see's Dirk Pitt, she recognizes the eyes of the great Pitt line of men. "Oh, my graciousness, another in the line of the great Pitt men that I have met!!!" She hugs Dirk and tells him of meeting his father and grandfather. She says, "Hang on a sec! I have got to get something". She returns with a shiny object in her hands. "This was given to me by your granddad, Matthew Pitt. I want you to have it. According to Matthew, your great grandfather, Daniel, found this here in the Antelope Valley way back in 1827 and I think you deserve to have it for I am not long on this sweet earth much longer".

2001. In what was once the post-ice age lake bed on Edwards Air Force Base, Aviation Archaeologist Peter Moran, with his metal detector going crazy, kneels down and starts digging. After nearly a foot and a half down he comes across part of a skeleton and lots of shiny gold colored metal. Within two weeks a team of archaeologists are going over the area with a fine tooth comb with the permission of the military.

A month after the archaeological team has finished it's dig the military releases a statement to the press. "Unidentified Man from post-ice age found. Items found along with the remains are from the late 20th Century. An Enigma that has military stumped but reticent to reveal any further details on the items found. A special historical investigator is being sought to answer questions arising from the findings that have come to light. Peter Moran, aviation archaeologist for the Air Force Flight Test Center was the one to discover the remains along with the objects".

July 2001. Dirk Pitt returns to the states after a long project in the Indian ocean aboard the NUMA Ship, Delphos. Dirk sits down on his couch in the apartment above the hangar floor. Within minutes he is asleep. Silently, Loren Smith sneaks into the apartment thirty minutes later. She tip toes into the kitchen. "There's no food stocked in there Loren" the man mumbles, opening his green eyes and looking at the lovely Loren Smith. "How did you know I was home?" inquires Dirk. "Admiral Sandecker called me" replies the congresswoman. 'Normally, I would have the energy to attack you, Loren, but I am totally exhausted". "Is there anything in the kitchen?" inquires Loren. "I think there's a bottle or two of some liquor in the refrigerator". "That'll do" replies the silky voice of Loren. "So, what has my favorite congresswoman been up to since I was gone?". Loren sits down with two glasses partially filled with white zinfandel. She hands him one. "Trying to get the military to give me some details on an archaeological find at Edwards Air Force Base". Dirk looks at Loren quizzically and asks, "An archaeological find on a military base?". Loren drinks her wine and replies. "Yes, after you left back in April after the Atlantis discovery, an aviation archaeologist found the remains of a post ice age man along with some late 20th century technology in the Antelope Valley and a lot of questions are being asked, that has stirred up a lot of speculation of Aliens, UFO's, Time travels, and so on". Something takes note in the back of Dirk's mind about his days in training at the flight center at Edwards back in the late 60s.

Murdoc Gly stared at his computer screen, reading the news of the discovery about the man he had thought he had gotten rid of. He had been betrayed by his time-travelling co-conspirator, Varian, whom he thought he could trust. But after learning that Varian had sold the uranium that he had worked hard at obtaining to that Arabian devil, Osama Bin Laden. It had cost him a fortune that he spent on the uranium from the Russians. Now he was stumped at what to do about his plot. He could tip the intelligence community that Osama Bin Laden had uranium. It was an option.

Later, after Loren had left, Dirk went in search of the item that Pancho Barnes had said his great-grandfather, Daniel Pitt had found in Antelope Valley back in 1827. He held the yellow metal in his hand and then it dawned on him what he was holding. Uranium. Dirk began thinking about what he had learned from Loren. Something fishy was definitely in the air. He then called a friend in military intelligence and asked if there had been facial reconstruction of the man that was found back in early may of 2001. "I'm sure there was Dirk, but it is something that I may not be able to access that information". Dirk replies that maybe there should be a comparison of all missing persons and other records of today to compare pictures. "Thank you, Dirk. I will ask if they have done that". Dirk then calls Hiram Yaeger and asks for information on the post ice age lake Thompson and anything about that area over the years.

By dawn's early light Dirk got out of bed and sat at his computer and looked up the file on his family history. Matthew Pitt and his father had left a lot of written material for him and any children to come. Dirk swelled at the stories his father and grandfather recorded. Both had met a lot of well known people of their day. Especially Matthew who had lived to be 104. It seemed that grandpa Matthew was always at the right location and time to meet such people that one can find in the history books now. Dirk's father was a cop whose beat included Hollywood in the 1920s and 1930s. And grandpa Matthew knew lots of politicians, businessmen and journalists. Matthew had also written about his father, Daniel, a lot too. How he had served in the revolution at a young age then to go on and help build the national road, travel out west with some of the great fur trappers, mountain men and to go on to help create the Republican party. There was not much on Zeke Pitt, Daniel's father, other than that he had helped the surveyors Mason & Dixon, and had been a groundskeeper of a cemetery in the midwest. It dawned on Dirk that he needed to speak to someone of age who knew certain things about both his father and grandfather. But he could not think of any relatives or friends who were still alive. So he began looking online for someone who could still remember the first fifty years of the twentieth century.

With some effort and time, Dirk finally tracked down someone who remembered that time and had met both George and Matthew Pitt. His name was Andrew Vining, a former U.S. Marshal, Appeals court judge, and member of the Interstate Commerce Commission. At the age of 106 and still robust, Andrew accepted an interview from Dirk. "Yes, I have met your grandfather, and George. I remember them well. Matthew was full of life and had many experiences that left him well informed. Your father, George was an astute man himself. He understood things easily and rolled with what life brought him. Both of them had an amazing life. But then from what I have read over the years, Dirk, you too have had close calls and saved many lives and discovering a few things. So, what brings you along to my humble home?". "My great-grandfather found some uranium back in 1827 in the area that Edwards AFB now covers and recently an archaeological find on the base has obviously included some bits of uranium, certain pieces of twentieth century technology that has been dated back to just after the ice age. And certain questions of time travel has been speculated. Now, I am not going to speculate Mr. Vining but I would like to know if my grandfather had ever mentioned to you anything about my great-grandfather, Daniel, back then?". "I remember Matthew telling me a story of a certain family that came from South Africa and settled in Canada whose obsession was to gain power and use whatever they could find to do it with. Gly was the family name. Matthew told me this because he thought it necessary that someone in law enforcement should know. He said that certain people in the established powers of our country had some kind of connection, however tenous it was. The point that I am trying to make is that Daniel, having given Matthew that piece of Uranium unkowingly left your family a piece of evidence which your grandfather began an investigation that lasted until the day he died".

"How did he know where to look or find out about the Gly family and what would be the connection to this piece of Uranium?" said Dirk. "Dirk, I can only tell you what he told me or left for me to judge on what he said. I can, however say that certain things had happened just before the great war that left Matthew questioning things. And he dug up information through his vast connection of friends, acquaintences and network of people he had business with. Somehow he had pieced together that the Gly family had been involved with munitions supplied to certain parties and had begun a concerted plan to corner certain metals and elements to be used in what would later turn out to be the ingredients for nuclear power. Somehow the Gly family had learned about this from the Zeulithan and Choteau family interests. I have no idea who these familes are but from what I gathered these people were dangerous. It was a dangerous time too because of what would happen that would change things forever".

Later, after meeting Andrew Vining, Dirk calls Al Giordino. They meet at Cafe Milano in Georgetown for an Italian dinner, where Dirk tells Al about his interview with Andrew Vining. Al Giordino orders Spaghetti with big meatballs and Dirk orders a lasagna. "So Foss' family is evil as well, no wonder he was that way" replies Al. "Some of them, at least!" comes back Dirk.

September 4, 2001. Murdoc Gly comes to the conclusion that he would rather see Osama Bin Laden fail at being able to use the Uranium and contacts his source in the CIA. After his meeting with his contact Murdoc goes back to his office and figure a way to get his hands on some more Uranium. September 8, 2001. An arrangement to have the Uranium handed over by Osama to an undercover American is only a partial success. The American agent manages to get the Uranium from a man who looked like Osama, however the unmanned flying drone that was to take out Osama as he left, killed the man who looked like him.

September 11, 2001. About the same time that the second WTC Tower collapsed Murdoc Gly was meeting an Iranian to buy some Uranium. After returning to his labs, Murdoc stored the Uranium and went online and saw the news about the WTC tragedy. Murdoc knew it had to be Osama Bin Laden, who was responsible for the act and felt a twinge that it was partly his fault for Osama striking back as he did. Murdoc's attempt to use the Uranium for similar purposes on foreign soil would have similar tragic consequences. It was going to have to be delayed because of the consequences of Osama's attack on America dominating the news. It would not do to have the news of Osama's attack dominating the news when Murdoc's plan is to have any effect.

Murdoc then set to work on the logistics of his plan to attack China. He already had his mode of entry to the country taken care of. It was in the placing of the nuclear device that was going to be tricky. As he wrote the plans out, he received a call from his contact in Asia. He answered and learned there were rumblings of news in the far east of Al Qaeda as the target of the United States' attack before the end of the year in the area where he was planning on his entry to China. Murdoc sat back after the call and weighed the risks. It was going to be nerve wracking avoiding U.S. Troops in the area. Then again, Murdoc thought, just maybe he could use Al Qaeda to give him support in his entry to China. Just maybe he could use them as a cover or diversion.

December 3, 2001. Murdoc, along with some Pasha guides, Al Qaeda troops, and an assistant manage to enter China through Pakistan. From there Murdoc, his assistant and the Pasha guides work their way to the western deserts of China. The guides return to the mountains after Murdoc is on level ground. Murdoc and his assistant head to north central China where they settle temporarily in Yumen. They are not far from the Chinese National Space Agency's Jiuquan launch complex. They begin their plan to infiltrate the launch complex sometime in 2002.

1956. Mao Tse-Tung wanted to join the space race after hearing that both the United States and the Soviet Union were both racing to develop space based technology and so he demands that a space agency be organized, and so the Chinese National Space Agency is created. The Chinese National Space Agency launches it's first successful launch of a satellite on April 24, 1970. In 2001 the new Vice Administrator for the CNSA is Sun Laiyan, a young engineer who is elevated to the high position. In March 2002 Murdoc Gly and his assistant, Chiai Soo Kyi, a former employee of the CNSA make their first penetration of the Jiuquan Launch complex.

September 14, 2002. Murdoc Gly and his assistant, Chiai Soo Kyi make their last penetration of the Jiuquan Launch complex. October 2, 2002. A defense communications satellite is launched from Jiuquan. Upon it's 24th orbit of Earth an Electromagnetic pulse knocks out all of China's satellites. The Chinese manage to trace the EMP to the United States. A declaration of war is implemented by the Central Committee of the Communist party. Within 28 hours two chinese submarines are racing towards the west coast of the United States. The first submarine collides with a small trawler about two hundred miles north of Hawaii and it's conning tower is damaged. The second Chinese submarine is picked up by a Los Angeles class submarine, the David Lee Whelchel. A coded communique from the President orders the David Lee Whelchel to destroy the Chinese submarine. Within forty minutes the Chinese submarine is destroyed. October 11, 2002. A mysterious explosion and fire destroys a large part of the Jiuquan launch complex. December 2002 an American Airlines paasenger jet mysteriously crashes in the Atlantic. Unknown to the public the United States Justice and Defense departments conclude that the Chinese government is responsible based upon evidence. January 13, 2003. A highly placed Chinese spy in the Singapore embassy in Washington, D.C. is arrested. Finally, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist party votes to end it's state of warfare with the United States.

During the silent, behind the scenes war between the two superpowers there were numerous shootouts between spies of both nations and their elite military squads worldwide, in Europe, Asia and the Far East. Murdoc Gly, with his contacts worldwide was satisfied but grumbles that it was not an open and total war between the two superpowers. It was in February 2003 that the National Reconnaisance Office agency looks over some old satellite images of the jiuquan launch complex, when a couple of analysts spy the two mysterious people making their penetrations and some of their activities can obviously be seen. A report is sent to the Presidential Assistant for National Security, Connor Reese.

February 25, 2003. Admiral James Sandecker and Dirk Pitt are called to the oval office. Connor Reese welcomes the two men and then lets the President make his introductions. All of them sit down and the President says to Dirk Pitt, "Mr. Pitt we are aware of your investigation of Murdoc Gly and your past involvement with a relative of his in the past. Let me show you a file we have on Murdoc Gly". "Wow, you certainly answer some questions and confirm several things that I have been able to learn about the man. And the secret war is most shocking and obviously I must keep this under my hat. What is it you want from me that you can't obviously do yourselves?". "Mr. Pitt, we do not want an official or unofficial executive decision on this and we are asking you, if you would handle this yourself?". "Maybe, but I would need to know where the man is located and what I might be going up against". "Mr. Pitt, this is a dangerous decision and I want you to think about it. When you do make a choice, you can call a certain number that I will give you". The President stands up and Admiral Sandecker and Dirk Pitt stand up and say their goodbyes.

March 2, 2003. Dirk Pitt calls the number that was given him by the President and learns where Murdoc Gly is located and some details that could help him in his plan. He calls Al Giordino and asks if he would like to participate. Al, with a woman asleep beside him in bed reluctantly chooses to help his best friend in what could be a dangerous task. He slides out of bed admiring her form and showers, shaves and puts on his clothes. He writes a note and leaves. Dirk gets out his colt and a box of ammunition and leaves his hangar apartment and chooses a not so antique car to drive, just in case something unforseen happens to the automobile.

"So what's the plan, Dirk?" asks Al Giordino as they sit in the car watching the building where Murdoc is located. "I'm thinking of just going up to the door and ringing the bell" replies the man who has fought a number of baddies. The green eyes looked at Al with humor. Dirk gets out of the car and starts walking towards the building. Al hurries to catch Dirk, flustered at the lack of no plan. Dirk bangs on the door. Two minutes later the door is opened by Murdoc Gly. Murdoc, not unaware of the history of his cousin, Foss, recognizes the face of Dirk Pitt. A grin appears on the edges of his mouth.

The three men stare at each other for what seems like an eternity. Finally, "Come on in Mr. Pitt and you too Mr. Giordino". "I am glad to meet the man who killed my cousin Foss. Mr. Pitt, I am not surprised that we have finally met, because I knew one day it would come to pass. My sincere apology for any lack of courtesies considering the circumstances between us. As you may imagine, I too have desires like my cousin to destroy what others consider most important. So, what has brought you to my doorstep Mr. Pitt?". "Recently I saw the file on your activities and the war that you precipitated with your visits to the Jiuquan launch complex in China. I am here to bring you in, of course". Murdoc Gly grins at he two men. "You really expect me to cooperate?" "It would be easier" replies the steely green eyes looking at Murdoc Gly.

Within seconds, six guards surround Dirk and Al. "How many can you take, Dirk?" asks Al. "Two, maybe three" comes back Dirk with a broad smile...............

Al feinted to the guard in front of him, grabbing the rifle with lightning fast reflexes and then swung out his left leg, tripping the guard to his left, crashing the rifle over the man's head. He fired a couple of shots at the guard on his right. Dirk had managed to bowl over the guard in front of him and shot both guards that were on his left and right, only injuring them. In less than three minutes two guards were still standing with Dirk and Al aiming the rifles at them. Murdoc was shocked but tried to stay calm despite what just happened. Murdoc was inching toward a drawer when Dirk shot at Murdoc, missing the man within an inch. Al started rummaging through papers and found what he believed was enough evidence of Murdoc's guilt. Dirk forced Murdoc to tie the two guards to a couple of chairs. They forced Murdoc into Dirk's car, with Al holding his gun on Murdoc and headed to the FBI. THE END.