# The Mayan Connection4444444444

Лев Переводчик Шкловский

160

+ 110%

NICK CARTER

kov's heart. Barkov closed the door.

"You 've got the idea, " Carter said. "Now come over here

next to the general. "

The KGB man and the two women watched Carter as they

slowly returned to their chairs.

"How could you, Nick!" Linda cried.

"You killed Cacimero! " Agrafina accused.

'The boy in the hut?" Carter asked, then shook his head.

'*Santos did that. Barkov's orders. "

'*And Philip?" Agrafina said bitterly. s 'WIII you kill him,

"Sit down," Carter said irritably.

He took up a position next to Barkov's chair so that he

could watch the four conspirators and the front doors and

back kitchen door as well.

"Hand me your gun, Barkov."

Carter touched the muzzle of his rifle to the side of Bar-

kov's scrawny neck. Gingerly, Barkov lifted a Luger from

his inside pocket and handed it to Carter. He wasn't a

Carter slung the rifle over his shoulder and balanced the

Luger in his hand.

'Gocxi," he said. "Now yours, General. "

General Hiler pointed to the dueling pistol on the low table

in front of him.

That is all I need, " the general said, his eyes smoldering

with angry fire.

"Hand it to me, " Caner told Barkov, pressing the muzzle

of the Luger against his neck.

Barkov leaned for the pistol, the Luger's muzzle following

him. He handed the pistol to Carter. Carter withdrew the

Luger from Barkov's neck and rested it on his arm. He

unloaded the old pistol, then threw it on the dining alcove's

floor.

"My men will be back," Barkov said, rubbing his neck.

"You are a dead man."

"We've got time to talk," Carter said casually. "You

first, Barkov."

THE MAYAN CONNECTION

161


161

' 'You will have to be executed, of course, " General Hiler

nnounced from his chair. He gripped the arms of the chair,

•s knuckles white.

"Papa!" Agrafina cried. ' 'Don't upset yourself!"

'I have nothing to say to you, ' ' Barkov growled at Carter.

"Barkov is the one who should be executed, " Carter told

e general. "And for reasons you don't know. Barkov

bviously handles your money and equipment. Less obvi-

usly, he's responsible for killing your men. "

"Carter!" Barkov reared up, claws raised to strike.

Carter batted him down. The front door opened.

"Kill him!" Barkov shouted at the door. With men and

eapons, he was a giant.

Carter crouched, ready to fire.

Philip Tice walked in stiffly, his arm across the bandages

n his stomach. He closed the door. His face was white with

e effort.

"lheardanoise in the kitchen. . "hesaidand fell intoa

hair.

Agrafina rushed to him brushed the hair from his eyes.

' 'Don't fuss," he told her kindly. "l'm all right. "

She felt his forehead and looked into his eyes. *Ihere was a

ad smile on her face as she tended him. He didn 't know that

e loved her, and that hurt her.

"You're just in time, " Carter told Tice. "I was about to

escribe his good friend Maxim Barkov to General Hiler. "

' 'I'll kill you myself!" Barkov threatened.

Carter chuckled.

"Give me a gun," Tice said, looking at Barkov. "I feel

aked here. "

Carter handed him the rifle. The CIA man took it, held it

ith one hand, and put his other arm around Agrafina's

houlders. She nestled against him, and he smiled fondly

own at her,

"You were saying," Tice said.

"l was saying. Carter said, 'that Barkov has been pos-

ng as the general 's representative with the Indians. He gave

162


162

+ 110%

NICK CARTER

himself the name YOIite Jaguar and spread word that to obey

him was to you, General. "

"I have no objections, " the general said. "He understands

what I want. What I want is what he wants!"

"He knew through his Cuban connections that I was

caught in the old Mayan cave, " Carter continued. "He

the names Itzarnnå and Y'hite Jaguar to order the Indians

living nearby to ambush me and Tice." Carter watched

Barkov's thin lips curl into a snarl. "Save your breath,"

Carter advised Barkov. ' Then he alerted you that I was in the

area too, General, in case I escaped. Either way, he was

covered. The price of my capture was irrelevant. "

"Lies!" Barkov shouted. "All lies!"

' 'Mayan boys died because of that ambush, " Carter went

on. "Killed by Barkov. Barkov would've killed me here

himself, but he was afraid of crossing you, General Hiler.

You wanted to convert me. He was safe as long as the

survivors yod brought here from the died. That's

why he ordered Santos to kill Cacimero--the savage, inde-

fensible murder of an injured "

Barkov jumped to his feet.

"Capitalist murderer!" he shouted.

Philip Tice stretched out a leg and kicked Barkov 's feet out

from under him. Barkov fell into the chair.

'He used the same ruse to get your soldiers to attack Tice

at the corral," Caner said. "Ask them yourself. It's not

information they would think to give you. They assumed it

was your orders. "

The Indian soldiers from the attack on Tice were alive.

They would talk to the general. And, from the look on the

general •s face, Caner knew their leader would ask them.

Barkov watched General Hiler and came to the same

conclusion.

Barkov's lips stretched back over his teeth, a

animal, but not yet beaten.

"You cannot stop us! " Barkov snarled. "It's too late! The

United States and Russia will cave in tomorrow morning, and

THE MAYAN CONNECTION

163


163

we'll have Itzamnå---one of the richest countries in the

world. Oil from the Reforma fields! Natural gas! Coffee!

Gold! Big industries! I will make the country great! I will run

it with all the Western accouterrnents that Central America

can buy! This part of the world is used to dictators. I will be

the biggest arui best of all!"

' 'And what if the big powers don 't agree?" Caner asked.

"We will send the jets!" Barkov shouted. ' 'We have

nothing to lose!"'

'Basta!" the General said and leaped to his feet.

g 'Enough! I will not have Itzamnå birthed in evil blood! "

The massive front doors burst Oirn.

Soviet airmen filled the doorway, guns raised.


======================================


SEVENTEEN

There is a moment Erfore violence that stuns everyone.

Attacker or attacked, surprise at what is to come stops the

heart and fogs the mind. That is when training and intelli-

gence show. Killmaster Nick Caner knew exactly what to do.

He was a full fifteen seconds faster than everyone else.

Carter fired Barkov 's Luger through the throat of the first

Soviet airman.

Blasted the temple of the second.

Blood gushed out of the first airman's throat and soaked

into his immaculate white scarf. He clutched his neck, an

amazed ICY)k on his face, and collapsed as the second air-

man 's blood, cartilage, and brains svewed into the air, a mist

of pink. The second airman keeled over like a felled tree.

Shooting their guns, Barkov's men leaped over their dead

comrades and scattered through the room.

Carter rolled and shot as the airmen's bullets bit into the

clay tile floor, sending chips into Carter's skin. He knocked

over a low mahogany table and set it on its side as a shield.

Linda crouched and ran. She picked up a rifle and skidded

to Carter's side.

"Want some help?" she asked as she aimed and fired.

' 'You are talented," Carter said.

' 'What's the plan?"

"Survival. Until tomorrow moming. "

166

165


166

+ 110%

NICK CARTER

He hit the arm of one of Barkov's Russians as the man

moved his rifle onto Linda. The arm snapped, and the rifle

fell. The airman stared in astonishment at his dangling arm.

"Stay here," Caner told Linda. "We're t(X) big a target

together. ' '

Carter crouched and ran. ne Russians had taken up posi-

tions behind chairs, tables, even a coat rack. Anything for

protection. Their gunfire thundered when they saw Carter in

the oper.

The coiled-spring body of General Hiler leaped onto the

table in front of his chair.

"No more deaths!" he demanded.

Carter slid behind a bureau and pushed it farther from the

wall.

Philip Tice got to his feet, confusion left over from his

illness on his face. He weaved uncertainly, a pale giant, then

seemed to gather himself. He let out a mighty roar, then

swung the butt of his rifle across the backs of the heads of two

of Barkov's renegade Russians.

The other airmen ignored the general and fired at Tice as he

dropped behind his chair and warily edged out to return the

fire.

General Hilerjumped off the table and pushed the shocked

Agrafina back against the fireplace. Incensed by what he

saw, he picked up a rifle from a fallen Soviet soldier.

Carter leaned out to fire. A bullet passed through his upper

arm muscle, and searing pain shot to his brain.

Carter fired into the nose ofhis attacker. The soldier's face

disappeared beneath a volcano of

"You've hit Carter! " Barkov shouted. g 'Now kill him"'

General Hiler pushed his rifle against Barkov's chest.

"Stop them!" the general ordered, pressing the rifle into

Barkov's thin ribcage. "Your Itzamnå is over! " The gener-

al's face was clear with sanity . . and relief.

"It's too late!" Barkov said. He shoved the general away.

"You're too late!" He raised a rifle.

' 'No! " Agrafina screamed, her hands to her face.

THE MAYAN CONNECTION

167


167

Suddenly the room was silent. Smoke clouded the air.

Bullet holes riddled the walls. Broken pottery, lamps and

furniture littered the room. The sharp, burning smell of

cordite permeated everyone and everything as the two leaders

faced one another.

All watched the Mexican general and the renegade Russian

KGB agent.

' 'This is wrong," General Hiler said, waving his rifle at

thc dead and injured men. ' 'It is not our plan. We use

international pressure to get our freedom. All we are doing

here is killing each other. " He looked slowly around the big

room. s 'I have seen enough death to last a lifetime. "

Barkov's hooded eyes flickered as he came to a decision:

the general was expendable.

Carter fired at Barkov. Click. He was out of ammunition.

Barkov fired four bullets into General Hiler's chest. They

were a tidy four holes, directly into the general 's heart. B10(xi

bubbled up and streamed down his neat fatigues.

"Papa! " Agrafina shrieked and threw herself across her

father's blocxi-drenched chest. She tried to prop him up, but

he slipped down between her arms, his features slack as the

life poured out of him.

'Sorry, compadre, " Barkov told him. "You're a liability

now." He took Agrafma's arm and pulled her up from

Hiler's body. "Agrafina will be better. Easier to control. "

"No, you don't! " Philip Tice said, stumbling to his feet.

In a sudden burst of adrenaline, the big CIA man slapped

Barkov back and pressed Agrafina to his chest. He stepped

toward the door. "Darling Agrafina," he crooned to her as

tears streamed down her face.

Barkov shook his head, disgusted that Tice had forgotten

his professionalism. Instantly he fired into Tice's back, sev-

ering the spinal cord and piercing the heart. Tice grunted and

jerked. Agrafina tumed, eyes wide with disbelief, as Philip

Tice collapsed, dead.

Carter lunged across the room. Barkov shoved the muzzle

of his rifle into Agrafina's weeping face.

168


****** Result for Image/Page 1 ******

168

(180 of 212)

168

+ 110%

NICK CARTER

' 'Quit, Carter," he said calmly, "or I'll kill her. "

Carter stopped and breathed deeply. He made his feet

stand still on the floor. Luck was with Barkov, this time.

Barkov needed Agrafina to keep the Indians with him, but

he'd still shoot her if he had to. To get Carter. And from the

icy hatred on Barkov 's face, Carter knew the Russian would

sacrifice his own mother if he had to. Barkov despised any

man he thought to be better than he.

Carter dropped his rifle.

' 'Nick?" Linda whispered.

Carter gazed at the bloodied bcxiies around the room. He

stared at Philip Tice's motionless, crimson back. Sormw

welled inside him. Ihe big man 's sandy hair was splashed red

with his own bloc:xi. His torso had fallen in an unnatural angle

across Agrafina's chest and legs. What only a few moments

ago had been a man full of healing, life, and love was gone

forever.

"Put it down, " Carter told Linda grimly.

She ncxided, laid the rifle on the flc»r, and stood up.

From the dcx)tway, Tiger Santos laughed as he in the

scene. He closed the door again,

'The natives outside are getting restless," he said to

Barkov.

'Tell the Indians that Caner killed General Hiler and the

CIA man Tice," Barkov said immediately, pleased with his

quick thinking. "They'll believe that! "

"l still want Carter," Santos reminded the colonel in a

deadly voice. Killing Caner would prove something he

didn 't IElieve himself—that he was a man.

"I won't forget," Barkov said, "I want him too."

Santos diPfEd his head in acknowledgment of his t»ss.

Theirs was an uneasy alliance. As long as Barkov had the

money and the men, Santos would obey.

"Now, my dear," Maxim Barkov said to Agrafina. He

stepped back and dusted imaginary specks from his clothes as

she wept. "You will do exactly as I say. As long as you do,

THE MAYAN CONNECI'ION

169


169

our friends Nick Carter and Linda Stone will live. Dis&y

e . and I will let Tiger Santos have them. You and I will

atch. " He laughed softly as he pictured the torture in his

ind.

Linda looked at Carter. He shrugged and smiled reassur-

gly at her.

' *Take them away," Barkov ordered his airmen. "Put

m in a room and you guard them. No Indians this time. "

Surrounded by Barkov's renegades, Carter and Linda

alked to the door.

' 'May I help you up, my dear?" Barkov said to Agrafina,

hing out a hand.

As the two agents walked out the door, Agrafina's deep

obs followed them and joined the weeping of the Indians in

courtyard.

That night at Rancho Monte Vista was cold. ne chill wind

eeped in around the doorofthe hut built oftimbers. High up,

single window with iron bars caught the wind. It funneled

own cold on Caner and Linda where they lay huddled

gether beneath a thin blanket. The floor was of long wood

lanks that stretched unbroken the length of the prison hut,

bout eight feet. No one could tunnel out.

Tears ran down Linda's face. She rubbed her arm across

er eyes and sobbed.

"I thought he was right," she said. "Papa Hiler knew

verything. He was right about my mother. She didn 't love

at other man. She just . . . just wanted him. "

' 'We all make mistakes," he said soothingly. "I knew I

as low on bullets. I should've checked."

"We didn't have time!" she wailed. "I didn't think Bar-

ov would kill him-—and Philip, too' "

"Being an agent is a nasty business," Carter said. "You

am not to trust anyone. And Barkov has no ethics. He's

ore dangerous than any man with a dream. Your general

ad a great dream."

170


170

+ 110%

NICK CARTER

She ncxlded and sobbed into Caner's chest.

He held her warmth against him in the cold cell. Outsid

their Russian guards talked, their voices muffled by the thi

wooden walls. Ille two agents were completely surrounde

with no weapons or equipment. And the Russians were w

They knew better than to fall for any of the Killmaster

famous tricks. Carter was worried.

Linda moved against him, her b•cxiy liquid, flowing in

and over him.

She lifted her face and kissed his cheek.

"You're so wonderful," she murmured. "I know y

hurt. "

He held her to him, feeling the painful throbbing in

other arm. Ihe bullet had passed through. Once in the pris

hut, Linda had bandaged it with a strip from her co

huipile. There would be no medicine for Carter here.

He brushed her pale hair from her forehead and pressed h

lips against the warm skin.

' 'What will happen to us now?" she wondered.

He kissed her eyes where tears were drying.

"We'll work it out," he said. '*Do you know the 0th

preparations Barkov and General Hiler made for their plan?

'SMost of them," she said thoughtfully. "If the gove

ments say yes tomorrow morning, then there are Russi

and Indians throughout Central Arnerica who will begin

transition to a centralized Itzamnå government. They 'II ha

the airports ready to ferry out foreigners, and all foreign bo

and ships will be sent away. There are three big Cuban cam

with tanks and Gucks and gun emplacements. The Cubans

supposed to turn those over, too. "

"And if the governments say no?"

Linda sighed , a shudder trembl ing through her light body

"Then the jets go out," she said. ' "Ihey'll bomb as

general said, and they'll strafe the Cuban installations t

put them out of commission. "

'*'l thought so."

"It'll be a global war, won't it?" Linda asked.

THE MAYAN CONNECTION

"It could start one,yes. "

171


171

(183 of 212)

+ 110%

THE MAYAN CONNECTION

"It could start one,yes. "

171

"What will we do?" she ask4 her face solemn.

"I've been asking myself the same question. "

"If you're worried, then I'm terrified. I thought that

"You thought that I could solve all problems instantly.

Wish I could. " Carter smiled ruefully. "Right now Barkov

has all the cards. We need to get out so that we can steal a few

for ourselves. "

"There's no way to escape," Linda moaned.

'That's what worries me, " Carter said.

Tension thickened the cold air ofthe little hut. Outside , the

guards laughed, confident of their jobs and lives. They were

pioneers of a new country that would make them rich. Inside,

Caner and Linda held each other. The tension could drive

them apart, or it could bind them together, isolated against a

questionable future.

' 'I don't understand the world," Linda said softly.

don 't understand how gcxxl people like Papa Hiler get driven

to do such crazy things. "

"When we understand that, maybe it'll stop. "

"Maybe we can all just be happy together."

Linda moved her head back and looked into Carter's eyes.

He stared into hers, the lapis lazuli color black in the dim

moonlight from the high window. He remembered the color

as if he could see it now.

He kissed the eyes again , and she murmured and burrowed

against him like a small fragrant animal. She kissed his neck.

"You taste like salt, " she said, licking his skin. "What do

I taste like?"

She lifted her lips, and he kissed her.

Her mouth throbbed. His tongue found hers. The dark cell

was warrner, friendlier. She curled over him. He pulled her

huipile down over her shoulder and kissed her throat and the

warm hollow beneath. She trembled and slid a hand up under

his shirt.

His lips trailed over her smooth skin, down to her breasts.

172


172

+ 110%

NICK CARTER

She panted, her breasts hot.

"You taste like sex," he said huskily. "As good as you

did in that bathtub."

She moaned and pulled down his trousers. He slid the

loose white dress from her body. She fell on him, kissing his

body and caressing him in an explosive mixture of passion

and fear.

He turned her over, his eyes not leaving hers, and together

they the world.

Yvhen the door of the cell 0fEned, early morning light

streamed in. Carter was curled around Linda, his hand hold-

ing her naked breast. The bone-thin form of Maxim Barkov

st€xxi in the doorway, his hands on his hips. He smiled

without humor. He'd found just what he'd expected.

Casually, Carter pulled the blanket up to cover Linda.

She moved languidly , murmured, then her eyes.

"Good morning, Colonel," Carter said. "Have a good

sleep?

Linda stiffened beside him, now completely aware of the

cell and Barkov. She waited.

"Not' as eventful as yours," Barkov said and walked

arrogantly into the hut. He was pleased. He'd found a way to

be superior to a Killmaster. Barkov not only didn •t need sex,

he hated it. And now he could despise Caner as weak.

"A delightful night." Carter smiled.

He stocxi up naked in the brisk dawn air. Barkov turned his

back, disgusted, and Carter dressed.

"l came to offer you a business proposition," Barkov

said.

"I can't imagine what. "

Caner gestured for Linda to get up and dress while Bar-

kov•s back was turned. She and picked up her

clothes.

"Any word on your demands yet?" Carter asked.

' 'We don't the answers for a few hours, " Barkov

THE MAYAN CONNECTION

173


173

said, glancing over his shoulder. Carter and Linda were

dressed. He turned, a small man whose flesh clung tight arui

hard to a wiry frame. He was dressed now in a beige tropical

suit. His were white patent leather. A flashy red,

yellow, and blue silk scarf cascaded from his suit jacket

pocket.

' 'What atyjut breakfast?" Caner said.

"You're hungry. G0(xi," Barkov said, then slipped a

hand inside his jacket and pulled out Carter's gold cigarette

case. Would you care forone? " he offered, the case.

Carter and Barkov chose cigarettes.

"Allow me," Carter said, taking the lighter from Bar-

kov's hand. He lit the cigarettes.

"I was stationed in Los Angeles for a while," Barkov

said. s 'An interesting city, but there were many cars, too

many restaurants, and too many tourists looking for movie

stars. What a waste. "

' 'Power is the trst aphrodisiac?" Carter commented.

'The symtx)ls are meaningless," Barkov agreed. He

paced the length of die room, counting his steps. Then he

paced the width. "A disgrace to end your days in a hole like

this. "

' 'It's better than selling out, " Carter said.

' What is your offer?" Linda asked. Her face was bland,

without expression. Her sexuahty was gone, erased by will.

She knew it would have no effect on Barkov.

The renegade Russian agent smiled coldly but with new

respect.

"You are interested, my dear? Go«xi. " Barkov smoked.

"l need someone to replace Hiler. It's very simple. "

'Hiler had gocxi relations with the United States, " Carter

said. "You need sorneone who can deal with them. A front

'SA partner, " Barkov corrected. "l'll give you a

age. You have been an agent a long time, Carter. I know how

it wears. The physical and mental exhaustion. The emotions

174


174

+ 110%

NICK CARTER

constantly under control. Never enough ürne to rest, to enjoy

the good things in life. Always taking orders. "

"I chose it, " Carter said. "It's what I wanted, what I still

want. "

s 'I was born in the United States," Linda said. "l have

relatives in Texas. "

Barkov smoked and studied her thoughtfully.

"ltzamnå is an idea whose time has come, " Barkov said ,

addressing them both. 'The United States and Russia are

tired of the chaos here, the drain on their resources. They

would like a solution they can live with. A neutral country

that would continue io supply them from its resources. With

both a Russianand an American running Itzamnå, they could

save face and feel some assurance about the future. "

"What atX)ut the Maya?" Carter asked. S *What will they

think? lheir idea is to be rid of dictators. "

"Nonsense. " Barkov waved his cigarette in the air. "All

they want are the little things. Land, a home, work. Their

glory is history."

' 'Agrafina's been giving you trouble," Carter said.

Barkov walked to the door, then returned.

"Some, " he admitted, ' 'but she will come around. E.S1r-

cially if you—-and Linda—join us. She trusts you. She still

has the Itzamnå dream. "

'But you're not part of it," Linda said. "I am. I want to

see her. "

' 'Your woman has good sense, i' Barkov said. He ground

the cigarette out on the floor. "If she joins n•r, I

won't need you, Carter. " He gestured Linda to the door.

'Think about it, Killmaster. "

It was Carter's turn to smile.

s 'If I refuse, you can kill me with impunity, Caner said.

' 'It's what you want anyway. What kind of partnership

would that make?"

'The best," Barkov said. "We each know where we

stand. No illusions, just business. Think of the power we

would have—ruling our own nation! "

THE MAYAN CONNECTION

175


175

That's not power, " Carter said. S Vlhat's self-destruction

for all of us, living that inhumane way."

Barkov shrugged and followed Linda to the doorway.

'Think about it, Carter. You have an hour. " He pulled the

wristwatch off his ann and threw it to Carter. "Count the

minutes. Then I will kill you. Myself. " He laughed in his

high, feminine voice, and for a moment Carter saw the

unveiled hatred in Barkov's eyes. Barkov hated what he saw

in Carter, a real man with deep beliefs, a man he couldn't

understand, couldn't buy, and could never be. But Barkov

could kill him, the eyes said, and for the Russian that was the

ultimate power. Barkov nodded curly and strode out the

door.


====================================


EIGHTEEN

Nick Carter watched out the single high window of his cell

s Maxim Barkov and Linda Stone walked toward the ha-

ienda. It was eight o'clock, and the sky was already a

izzling blue as if to deny the cold front that had passed

uring the night. Soviet airmen walked slowly around the

rison hut, their rifles resting on their anns.

Two of them stopped and Icx»ked up at Carter.

"Look!" one of them said in Russian, grinning up at

ere "Snow White and had a baby! "

' 'fie great Killmaster doesn't look so great behind bars! '

e other said alki laughed.

' 'You 're educated enough to go see cartoons?' ' Carter said

Russian. "Next you'll tell me you know how to read and

s 'He SIEaks Russian! " the first airman said, surprised.

'Insults work better when you speak the language, " Car-

er commented. g 'Otherwise they're just the rambling in-

ities of a coward."

The Russians looked at one another, then glared at Carter.

"You'd better get back to work," Carter suggested.

'Barkov doesn't like idlers. He can't fire them, so he kills

hem."

"l h0fP you fry to escape, capitalist pig," the second

ard spat. He aimed his rifle at Carter and looked through

e site. "Please fry to

178

177


178

+ 110%

NICK CARTER

The airmen hcx)ted and resumed their walk around the hut.

Carter sat on the floor and looked around the small woode

cell. ne walls were made of timbers, the bark old

peeling near the ceiling. Below, it been stripped off b

prisoners with too much time and not enough to do. Initial

and messages in Spanish and Mayan were carved on

timbers.

Carter felt around the walls, looking for loose logs that h

could pry out to make a hole. The walls were solid. H

jumped on the floor planks. Also solid. He had no equi

ment, no way to escalk on his own.

He lay down on the mat he and Linda had shared,

stared up at the ceiling. Flies crawled across the beams,

swooped down to land. He waved them away.

Outside he heard the ranch noises of animals and people

work. Gildren shouted at play. The day's sounds of nor

malcy were misleading. Jeeps and trucks rumbled across

ranch's valley. They would be can-ying supplies and men

readying preparations either for war or for a new natio

delivered by the United States, Russia, and Cuba.

He refused to glance at the watch. He passed die tim

quietly, letting his body absorb the rest that it badly needed

He waited for Linda. She was new to her work, but she w

devious. If he'd capitulated to Barkov, he would have

surrounded by the Soviets at work. At least he had few

guards here.

One of the skills a Killmaster leams is to care for his bcxiy

an important piece of equipment. In past missions, Carter h

catnapped in the branches of trees, in trenches half-filled wit

water, and under fire waiting to do reconnaissance work

Now he willed himself to relax his tense muscles. He cl

his eyes and allowed the drifting sensations of sleep to over

whelm him.

ne softplop of cloth hitting wood awoke him. His bac

pack through the window. He heard Linda's voi

THE MAYAN CONNECI'ION

179


179

outside, cheerfully offering coffee and rolls to the Russian

guards beside the door to his prison hut.

He opened the backpack. Inside were Wilhelmina, clean

socks, and a roll of what looked like striated tape. Carter

laughed softly to himself, picked up the tape, and went to the

window.

The guards were nowhere in sight. In the distance, the

Indian villagers went about their work among the huts and

tiendasj weaving cloth, carrying water, tending to children.

Quickly Carter wrapped tape along the tops and bottoms of

the three window bars. He rubbed his nail along the tape. lhe

iron under the tape sizzled. The hot stench of metal burned

his eyes.

He pulled the bars into the room and put on his backpack,

then jumped up and balanced himself on the windowsill.

Carrying Wilhelmina, he somersaulted back onto the

ground and flattened himself against the hut's timbers, slip-

ping to the edge of the wall.

Linda's head was thrown back; she was laughing at a

soldier's joke.

He saw her eyes flicker in his direction, surprised. She

held the reins of a horse. The three Russians were laughing

with her. She laughed again.

Carter lunged. Knæked the butt of Wilhelmina against

one Russian's head. Kicked the tElly of a second.

Linda lashed out a foot and tripped the third airrnan.

Carter punched the airmen out. They would uncon-

scious long enough.

Carter grabbed the horse 's reins and leaped into the saddle ,

then reached a hand down for Linda. She picked up one of the

Soviet guards' rifles and mounted behind him.

As he wheeled the horse away, Indians watched in the

distance, then ran for the hacienda.

"I thought I was going to have to break you out, " Linda

exclaimed breathlessly as they ga1101Ed toward the east

mountain. "How did you get past those bars?"

180


180

+ 110%

NICK CARTER

s 'One of AXE's new inventions, ' ' Carter said and smiled.

"It's nine o'clock and we've got work to do!"

ney raced through the sunlight toward the green jungle.

Carter tumed once and saw Barkov run out of the courtyard,

trailed by a swarm of Soviet airmen and Indians. They were

heading toward jeeps and trucks parked nearby.

"Watch the west! " Carter said as they galloped on.

They glanced over their shoulders. Sudden firestorms shot

up among the trees to the west, billowing fires that sputed

orange flames brown smoke that towered high above the

jungle trees.

When Carter and Linda reached the wall of green brush

that marked the beginning of the eastern jungle, they turned

to ride the edge.

Barkov's posse was in an uproar. Indians peeled away on

horses and in pickups toward the fires that looked as if they

could spread and destroy the ranch.

Thank Gcxi the Indians have open fields, ' ' Linda said as

they rode and watched.

"Dry and wet tinder make good fire and smoke, " Carter

added. "Enough to scare any rancher."

The renegade Russians watched briefly as the Indians left,

then they turned their vehicles to chase Carter and Linda.

Barkov stood upright in the lead jeep. He held onto the

windshield with one hand. The other hand waved fuHously

above his head as the vehicles roared off in pursuit.

Carter and Linda raced to the road that climbed the east

mountain and dipped into the valley beyond.

Ahead of them on the road was a jeep loaded with crates of

supplies. The Soviet driver glanced at his rearview mirror,

then seemed to leap out of his seat with surprise. He lowered

his head, hunched his shoulders, and the jeep put on a burst of

srEed.

Still galloping, Carter took Linda's rifle, aimed carefully,

and fired.

The back of the driver's head explcxied. He pitched for-

ward onto the wheel, the pulpy mass of his head steering. The

THE MAYAN CONNECTION

181


181

jeep crashed left into the thick trunk of a trec and stalled.

Carter Linda sped toward it. Far behind them, the

Soviets' jeeps and pickups sent brown dust clouds into the

air. They were gaining.

Carter reined in the horse and jumped off at the jeep. 'Ihe

horse snorted and blew white lather off its mouth. Linda

stroked its neck and leaned fonvard to murmur into its ear.

Caner shoved the bloody driver across the seat. He started the

jeep and backed it up over the road so that no other vehicles

could pass. He tumed it off, leaped out, and yanked spark

plugs from under the hood.

He and Linda galloped on, up the winding mountain road.

The jungle sun beat down. the heat creating watery mirages

ahead on the dirt track. Behind them, towering flames licked

the blue sky above the westem mountains. When Carter and

Linda reached the top of the mountain, they tumed.

Barkov 's men had stopped. Ihe vehicles formed a snaking

line behind the disabled jeep. Soldiers circled the jeep and

finally decided to push it off the road and into the brush.

"A great idea, Nick!" Linda said and laughed as they

watched Barkov.

The KGB man in his tropical suit stormed among the

soldiers, pounding backs arui yelling with frustration that

they couldn't move the jeep faster.

'Let's see whether the Cubans were able to get over here

too," Carter said and urged their horse to a gallop.

They tore down the rough road, past trees and brush and

small animals ducking back into their holes. Down below,

Carter could see the jets, now uncovered and gleaming in the

sun. A few pilots and mechanics wandered among the planes,

checking wheels and gas gauges. ney were waiting for the

amval of more pilots and orders to take off on the bombing

mission for Itzamnå that could start a worldwide holocaust.

*lhere were no Cubans in sight.

"What will we do?" Linda asked.

' 'Get to the Westwind," Carter said, his Luger ready.

They raced on in the heat of the sun. Jungle smells filled

182


182

+ 110%

NICK CARTER

the air.. The thick foliage of trees and plants brushed their

sleeves as they came out onto the valley floor.

The sentry was waiting; he had heard their horse. He'd

expected jeeps and u•ucks. His rifle was high, aimed.

But it was another horseman who got him.

Tiger Santos, lips stretched back over his teeth, barreled

out of the jungle on his horse and trampled the Russian

sentry.

' Caner is mine! " he shouted as the man writhed on the

road.

Santos hurled himself off his horse, wrarpi his amus

around Carter, and pulled him to the ground.

Bullets exploded on the road around them as Linda tried to

get a clear shot.

Santos pummeled Carter with his fists, short sharp jabs

that broke the skin on Carter's face and shot red-hot streaks of

pain through his injured arm.

Carter leaned back fast, tElted Santos in the then

leaped to his feet.

Santos scrambled up, his face pinched in hatred.

Carter blasted a fist to Santos's jaw.

ne Nicaraguan was an intuitive fighter. He ducked, and

the blow scraped along his head.

Santos kicked high but missed. He spun to face Carter

again.

Carter knicked Santos 's shoulder with one fist, then waited

for Santos to

As predictable as night following day, the intuitive Santos

dodged, and Carter smashed him square in the face.

Santos grunted, stared amazed at Carter, then crumpled

into the dirt.

High on the mountain road above them, Barkov's vehicles

thundered toward them.

"What are you going to do with Santos?" Linda asked.

"He'll be after us again. "

"He may be useful later," Carter decided.

He grabbed the reins of Santos's horse and threw them to

THE MAYAN CONNECTION

183


183

Linda. He heaved Santos's over the saddle, mounted

behind him, and they rode toward the planes. Alerted Soviet

soldiers were running for their rifles. Soon shots rang past

Carter and Linda. -mey leaned low over their saddles, gallop-

ing through the jets toward the Westwind.

There a line of airmen knelt, crouched in their green

uniforms like a row of beetles. They fired their rifles in a

continuous barrage of bullets. It was a lethal wall. To bridge

it head-on meant certain death.

Carter and Linda raced into the nearby jungle. Bullets

whizzed after them, ripping leaves and tearing branches. The

two agents leaped off their horses into the underbrush. The

sweating horses tore away, snorting in fear. Carter dragged

the unconscious Santos t'Eneath a tree and tied him there with

the lariat from his saddle. The jungle foliage covered him like

a green mouth. Caner took the Luger from Santos 's belt. He

and Linda knelt the bushes and out.

The renegade Russians had spread flat in a line, making

small targets. Their eyes searched the jungle, concentrating

on where Carter and Linda had ridden in.

They shot judiciously, üying to draw Carter and Linda's

fire.

'There are so many of them, " Linda whispered. "Do we

have enough ammunition?"

"I hope so," Carter replied ' 'Here they come!"

As Barkov 's jeeps and trucks roared into the valley, three

Soviet soldiers started crawling toward the jungle where

Carter and Linda waited.

Carter aimed slowly, then fired.

One of the crawling soldiers shouted and his

shoulder.

Linda shot, hitting another in the arm.

lhe Russians fire.

Linda cried out and bit her lip. oozed from her arm.

' 'Damn!" she breathed, looking at the ann.

They fired at the soldiers who crawled toward them at a

steady pace.

184


184

(196 of 212)

184

+ 110%

NICK CARTER

"How bad is it?" Carter asked her as he fired.

Linda shook her head and almost smiled. "I 'II be okay. "

She fired her rifle at a soldier who crawled with his ass in the

air. He fell flat, his buttocks bleeding.

Carter held up his hand. His keen ears heard twigs snap and

branches rustle inside the l*rimeter of the jungle.

Linda looked at him. She heard the sounds too.

'SOh, hell!" she cried. "We're surrounded"'

Maxim Barkov's jeeps and bucks skiddd to stops arnong

the jets. His loyal soldiers and airmen poured out of the

vehicles. They knelt and fired over the heads of their com-

rades, their tuiies rigid with training and determination.

Linda shot at the sounds of crawling men in the jungle.

"Stop! " Carter warned her as he blasted away at the men

in the clearing.

She stared at him, surprised.

' 'Ahi Nicky! You do have all the fun! " ne voice floated

to them through the leaves and branches.

S Careful, Cecil," Carter called softly.

' 'Cubans?" Linda wanted to know, turning to fire again at

the Russians.

"You Ixt! i' Carter said and grinned. "Reinforcements!"

The Russians filled the landing field before them, and their

bullets back at Carter and Linda. Ihe jungle rocked

with gunfire.

"Wouldn't have one of your fine bumers on you, would

you, Nicky?" Cecil Young asked as he crawled through the

jungle toward Carter and Linda. His scratched faced beamed

with accomplishment.

"Sorry," Carter said. "Barkov confiscated them. " He

looked again at the old gentleman as he knelt on the moist

ground. "Where'd you get the shiner?"

Young fired and hit a distant airman in the side ofthe head.

ne old agent grinned broadly at Caner, his left eye swollen

red and purple.

"A love spat, my boy," Cecil Young explained.

THE MAYAN CONNECTION

185


185

S'He deserved it!" Felicia Santos said. S 'Lecherous old

astard! "

Felicia squatted beside the men, then looked curiously at

inda in her soiled white huipile and sandals as a dozen

bans crept around them in the jungle and lined up low to

e on the Soviet soldiers in the clearing,

"She fights with you?" Felicia asked Carter.

"She's Carter said.

Felicia nodded, pleased. Ignoring the bullets whining past,

he shook Linda 's hand and introduced herself.

"What now, Nicky?" Cecil Young asked, "We're out-

umbered. Still want to follow the plan?"

"It'll work," Carter said. "We've got a trump card. "

"What?" Cecil and Felicia asked in unison while Linda

miled.

"Your brother. "

Felicia's eyes narrowed, she looked amund her.

'Tiger?"

Behind the group, resting under the brush so that only his

loody face showed, the tied-up Tiger Santos lay glaring at

m in his filthy black jumpsuit.

Felicia drew away, lips curled.

"He'll never help us!" she said. "He's sold his soul to

arkov! "

' 'He doesn't have a choice," Carter said. "Here's what

e'll do. "

Ihe jungle steamed with heat. Animals and birds

anished. The Cubans and Russians continued to fire, slowly

•cking one another off as Caner told Cecil, Linda, and

elicia the plan.

Dunng a lull, Felicia crawled back to Santos.

' 'Do you hear me, tigre?" she said.

He closed his eyes in disgust.

'Tigre! Tigre! Papa knows about the cat. He's going to

hip you! i'

Santos blazing eyes.

186


186

+ 110%

NICK CARTER

"Bitch!" he hissed at her.

my brother," she said. s 'Papa didn't believe

about the cat. He may never believe your treachery h

either. But we know. You 'II do as we say, or you 'Ildie! " S

slashed her hand across her neck and rolled her eyes.

Santos glared at her and at his former Cuban comrades

stared back hard-eyed, then shot again at the Russians.

"You'll shout to Barkov that you've killed me, "

said, pushing his Luger against Santos's heart. 'That's yo

part. And then you'll drag me out. Understand?"

Santos lifted his head and saw the Soviet soldiers filling

clearing.

S' You are he said. "I don't have to do a thin

Barkov will kill you himself!"

'Perhaps, little brother, ' ' Felicia Santos said, ' 'but you '

die before you see that! "

' 'No one loves you here, Santos," Carter said. "If y

don 't do what you 're told, you won't live another five

utes."

Santos looked at Carter, at Felicia, at the Cubans, and th

back to Felicia. She grinned at him and stroked her rifl

Santos was suddenly a little boy backed into a comer.

S Okay," hé mumbled.

"All set," Caner told the Cubans.

They passed the word down the line.

The Cubans, Felicia, Cecil, and Linda dropped flat on

ground. ney quit firing. It would take a few seconds for

Russians to realize the gunfire from the jungle had st

The first thing they would think was that Carter and

friends were slipped away to escape through the wilderne

Carter untied Santos, then motioned for the Nicaraguan

crawl with him to the jungle's edge. As Santos passed

Felicia whisJrred to him.

'My rifle will be on your heart every second, ' ' she warn

him. sone mistake, and you're dead!"

Carter saw the pain in her eyes as she spoke. Santos mis

it, not that he would have cared.

THE MAYAN CONNECTION

187


****** Result for Image/Page 1 ******

187

(199 of 212)

+ 110%

THE MAYAN CONNECTION

187

Carter stretched out on his back behind a bus. On the other

side were the jets and the Russians. Santos crept to Carter's

shoulders. Carter held Wilhelmina close to his side wherethe

airmen in the field wouldn't be able to see it.

The Russians stopped firing. They listened and watched

womedly. Soon they would shoot again to protect them-

selves as they closed in on the jungle to investigate.

"Now! " Carter commanded Santos softly.

Santos didn't move.

-s 'If Felicia doesn •t you by the time I count to three,

will!" Carter snapped. ' One . .

"Barkov! " Santos shouted across the opening. "It's me,

Santos! I have killed Carter! The others have gone!"

Silence.

Through the bush, Carter watched Barkov try to decide

what to do. Two soldiers turned to him, questions on their

faces. He waved them off.

"Again!" Carter told Santos, fingering the Luger.

'Should I bring him out? " Santos shouted. His young face

was twisted with a child's uncontrollable fury and hate.

"Yes, dammit!" Barkov yelled in return. He couldn't

resist the tempting offer. "Bring him out!"

Barkov motioned to the soldiers to follow him, their rifles

aimed at the jungle.

Santos picked up Carter's shoulders and dragged him into

the clearing. ne Cubans crawled away along the jungle's

perimeter. They would try to encircle Barkov's men.

Once in the full heat of the sun, Carter started sweating.

Barkov and his men closed in. Carter shut his eyes.

"How did you get him?" Barkov asked, his footsteps

moving steadily near.

"Back, " Santos said in a tight voice. "Straight through to

the heart. "

' man," Barkov said. Carter heard the satisfied

smile in his tones.

Gunfire blasted the stillness.

g 'It 's a trick! " Santos screamed, falling to the ground, his

188


188

+ 110%

NICK CARTER

arms around his head. "It's not my fault!"

Carter rolled a.s the Cubans fired into the group of stunned

Russians. Barkov's narrow face twisted with lethal bitter-

ness, this time directed at Santos, not at Carter.

'Traitor! " Barkov accused.

Carter dashed through the soldiers whose only thought was

to protect themselves from the Cubans' accurate bullets.

'No! No! ney did it! Ihe Cubans! My sister! " Santos

begged, now on his knees.

"Slime! Scum of the earth!" Barkov shouted and shot

Santos might through the heart.

As blood ran into a lake around Santos's chest, Carter

leaped to the Westwind's door.

' 'Tigre!' ' Felicia's mournful voice rang above the gunfire.

Carter slammed the door aryl raced for the controls. While

the Cubans Russians fought outside, Carter started the jet

and taxied it toward the runway.

Barkov chased the plane on foot, cursing, firing a rifle

wildly.

Carter's turbojet soared into the hot morning air. He cir-

cled quickly over the west mountain where faint plumes of

smoke marked the dying fires that the Cubans had set in

plowed fields. Indians sto«xi around the smoking earth, hcrs

over their shoulders as they watched the last embers die.

Carter checked his gauges and conu•ols for the General

Electric miniguns. He flew back over the landing field built

on Agrafina's inheritance. Some of the Soviet pilots were

warming up their jets. Others were lined up on the airsüip as

first one plane and then a second flew into the air.

Carter dipped his wing, then soared over the lined-up jets.

He strafed them with a continuous, revolving stream of

bullets. Jet engines and fire once again shot up into

the mountain air.

The two jets that had made it into flight tumed and SIEd

toward Carter. Carter saw one of the pilots. Barkov!

Carter dipped his other wing and turned, firing off it

straight into the other pilot's face. The pilot fell forward,

THE MAYAN CONNECTION

189


189

blood splattering the broken window, and the plane spiraled

down. It explcxied in thejungle, tall flames jutting toward the

cloudless sky.

Barkov 's jet passed over Carter and angled behind it, then

shot into the Westwind's tail section.

Carter flew straight up, then twisted.

Barkov followed. His was bad. ne bullets

streaked by Caner's windows.

Carter circled back down, then looped to the left.

Barkov sped after him, bullets Carter's wings.

Carter felt his turbojet shudder. lhe plane couldn 't take

much more.

Carter dropped frie nose, pulled back on the throttle, then

angled sharply right.

Barkov flew past, unable to follow Carter's intricate ma-

neuvers.

Caner swung the other jet and looked directly into

Maxim Barkov's hate-twisted face. Perverted rage blazed

from his eyes as he shot his guns at Carter.

Carter dipped his bullet-pocked wing and fired at Barkov.

Barkov pounded the window as the bullets crashed

through. His shoulders and head explcxied into a b10(xiy,

unrecognizable mass.

Even in death, Barkov was angry. His fist continued to

pound the air where the glass had been as his jet nose-dived

into a cluster of undamaged, immaculate Russian jets trying

to take off.

A giant fireball shot up from the crash, ne explosion

rocked Carter's Westwind, and he rcxie the controls away

from the flames.

Carter let out a long breath. He was covered with sweat.

He balanced the Westwind and flew back over the airfield.

Barkov was dead, and his soldiers no longer had a leader to

rally them. The men threw down their weapons and raised

their hands as Cecil, Felicia, and Linda led the Cubans out

from the jungle.

The guerrilla band moved the Russians into a tight knot

190


190

+ 110%

NICK CARTER

and picked up their guns. ne triumphant fighters raised the

rifles above their heads, and waved and cheered Caner. He

stared down, smiling, and watched the only figure in

white-—Linda-—as she danced victoriously on the land ofthe

Maya. Itzamnå was over.


====================================


NNETEEN

Mexico City sprawled and throbtHi under a cloak of

smog. Horse-drawn carts rolled in the streets among Buicks

and Fiats. People with destinations down the

sidewalks, carrying briefcases and packages. Homs honked.

Friends talked. And vendors on streetcomers called their

wares: ' 'Flowers' " ' 'Peaches"' "Avocados"' "The finest

pottery in all Mexico! "

Nick Carter and Linda Stone sat at one of the tables outside

the Acapulco Café near Mexico City's great square, the

Zbcalo. They drank Dos Equis tEer and watched the bustle of

the largest city in the world.

"Nothing's changed," Linda said.

"Did you think it would?" Cater smiled.

She wore a skimpy silk camisole top with narrow straps

that showed her exquisite shoulders, and a short skirt to

display her long legs. Her arrn was bandaged in white. Her

blond hair was brushed back, glossy and sleek, over her

shoulders. With her big dark sunglasses and dangling gold

eamngs, she looked like a tourist even in her own city.

"I it's like when you lose your virginity," she

said. "You expecteveryone tonoticeyou're different. When

they don't, you hope that at least they'll seem different to

you.

"You're no longer a virgin agent."

192

191


192

+ 110%

NICK CARTER

'I suprx)se I'll never feel like this about it again. ' ' She hid

a stricken look on her young face.

"Probably not," Carter said and grinned. S 'There are

worse things. "

Carter was freshly shaved and showered, and was dressed

in crisp clothes tailored to fit him. He'd had two days of

regular meals and two nights of Linda. A real vacation.

"What's it like for you?" she said curiously.

"Being an agent?" he said. "Satisfying. nie work is

important to me."

That 's one of the reasons you 're so gcxxi at it, " she said

with a smile. 'Was your superior with your report?' '

*'Relievai," Carter laughed. even called during office

hours-—-sony, private joke. He's c«ie-named it White

Jaguar, just to annoy the KGB. "

They laughed together and drank their beers. Ihe air

smelled of tacos, tortillas, fried shrimp, and fried pork

skins. A waiter carried a tray to a nearby table. He set down

tall sherbet glasses filled with fruit ices.

' 'Where do you suppose they are? ' ' Linda asked, looking

up and down the sidewalk.

' 'They'll come when they•re ready."

Linda ncxlded, and her gold earrings jingled.

"I love the Zöcalo, i' she said. Her gaze moved across the

great square. "When I was a little girl, the buildings around

here like magic. They 're so tEautiful, so intricately

designed and painted. But they're suspended on the ooze of

an old lake—Lake Texcoco. See how they're tilted and

sinking? They could fall over any minute, those big build-

ings. But they never do. ' ' Her voice was childlike, filled with

awe. "I thought people were as reliable."

"You're a real tough agent," Carter said, amused.

e 'I will be!" she declared. g 'I won't make the same mis-

take I did at Monte Vista. I'll never let personal feelings

interfere with my work again. "

' Gocxi girl, " Carter said and reached across the table to

hold her hami.

THE MAYAN CONNECTION

193


193

"Do you think Agrafina will all right?" She at

"She's where she wants to IE, living the life she loves.

at's all any of us can ask."

"But her father's gone . and Philip. "

Her hand was small and long-fingered. She wore three

•ngs-—an emerald, a filigreed gold band, and a ruby—two

n the right hand and one on the left. He held both hands in

"Agrafina knows Philip loved her," Carter said. 'That

elps. "

' 'He sacrificed himself, " I inda said softly, looking at her

ds and then up at Carter. g 'I'll miss you. "

"You have your work now," he said.

"Will it be enough?"

"It has to be. "

She wore a perfume so light that he could only catch whiffs

f it. It was as subtle as she, and as changing.

'You have the Barkovs of the world to stop now, ' ' Carter

ent on gently. "As long as there are crople, there'll

gades and scavengers who live off others. Some will

w so powerful that they'll threaten our civilized way of

ife.. Your job is to help stop them. "

' 'That's a lot for just one prson."

"You're not alone," Caner said. He lifted her small

ands, unfolded them, and kissed the palms. "I'll miss you

' he said. "Very much. "

' 'Geerio, children!" Cecil Young called.

Carter and Linda smiled at each other and looked up.

' 'Been waiting long?" the British agent said. "We've had

uite a day!"

He and Felicia Santos strode toward Carter and Linda's

ble:

"He buys me everything!" Felicia said gaily. She depos-

ted an armload of bundles trside her chair, then sat down

d fanned herself with her hand. "Clothes, toys, books! For

children! "

194


194

+ 110%

NICK CARTER

S 'Arab oil money," Cecil said m(xiestly as he sat trsi

Felicia with even more bundles.

She looked at Carter and Linda.

"We've come too early," she announced. ' 'They sti

want to alone. "

"They've been alone enough," Cecil said. He pull

Felicia to him and kissed her mouth. She leaned into him

' 'We want to be alone too!" he said.

The quartet laughed, full of the joy of their successfu

mission aryl the past two days of leisure. Carter waved for th

waiter to bring menus. As the sun filtered through overhang

ing pepper trees onto the patio, they ordered their farewel

lunch. 'Ihey talked and told jokes, and Nick Carter felt

familiar stimng along his shoulder blades. He watched th

streets and sidewalks pulse with people, old and young

poorly and elegantly dressed, with faces showing gocxi

evil. Any one of them could be his next assignment; any on

of them could want to kill him.