Zero Option. Don Pendleton

on>

      

      Bolan slammed the M-16 across his adversary’s gun hand

      The crack of breaking bone was audible above the driving rain. Ryan roared in agony. He lifted his hand and stared at the split flesh.

      “Bastard!” he screamed.

      He saw Bolan staring at him, his own battered, bloody face glistening with rain. The look in the man’s eyes unnerved him. They were cold, devoid of compassion.

      “Lessons are over, Ryan. This is for keeps.”

      For the first time in his life Ryan really knew how it felt to look death in the eyes and understand what it meant.

      He turned to run, but there was nowhere to go.

      Other titles available in this series:

      Firepower

      Storm Burst

      Intercept

      Lethal Impact

      Deadfall

      Onslaught

      Battle Force

      Rampage

      Takedown

      Death’s Head

      Hellground

      Inferno

      Ambush

      Blood Strike

      Killpoint

      Vendetta

      Stalk Line

      Omega Game

      Shock Tactic

      Showdown

      Precision Kill

      Jungle Law

      Dead Center

      Tooth and Claw

      Thermal Strike

      Day of the Vulture

      Flames of Wrath

      High Aggression

      Code of Bushido

      Terror Spin

      Judgment in Stone

      Rage for Justice

      Rebels and Hostiles

      Ultimate Game

      Blood Feud

      Renegade Force

      Retribution

      Initiation

      Cloud of Death

      Termination Point

      Hellfire Strike

      Code of Conflict

      Vengeance

      Executive Action

      Killsport

      Conflagration

      Storm Front

      War Season

      Evil Alliance

      Scorched Earth

      Deception

      Destiny’s Hour

      Power of the Lance

      A Dying Evil

      Deep Treachery

      War Load

      Sworn Enemies

      Dark Truth

      Breakaway

      Blood and Sand

      Caged

      Sleepers

      Strike and Retrieve

      Age of War

      Line of Control

      Breached

      Retaliation

      Pressure Point

      Silent Running

      Stolen Arrows

      Zero Option

       Mack Bolan®

      Don Pendleton

      Justice is the constant and perpetual wish to render to every one his due.

      —Emperor Justinian, c.482–565

      When individuals believe they are above the law or beyond justice, they deserve a harsh lesson in reality.

      —Mack Bolan

      CONTENTS

       PROLOGUE

       CHAPTER ONE

       CHAPTER TWO

       CHAPTER THREE

       CHAPTER FOUR

       CHAPTER FIVE

       CHAPTER SIX

       CHAPTER SEVEN

       CHAPTER EIGHT

       CHAPTER NINE

       CHAPTER TEN

       CHAPTER ELEVEN

       CHAPTER TWELVE

       CHAPTER THIRTEEN

       CHAPTER FOURTEEN

       CHAPTER FIFTEEN

       CHAPTER SIXTEEN

      PROLOGUE

      Zero Platform One, Earth orbit

      Zero Platform One moved on its slow orbit against a background of star-dappled darkness, silent and seemingly dead. The exterior was composed of aluminum and titanium steel, the burnished surface dotted with antennae, signal and scanning dishes, targeting probes. Rings of sensors crisscrossed the platform.

      The upper section had a row of observational windows that ran the circumference of the dome. The lower, much larger dome could rotate on an internal rail system and held long-range missiles in multiple banks that jutted from the surface like so many metal blisters. Directly above the missile clusters were laser and particle-beam weapons. On the central ring of the platform sat a series of smaller missile pods. These were for the protection of the platform