Clive Cussler - Sacred Stone

SACRED STONE

C LIVE C USSLER and CRAIG DIRGO

BERKLEY BOOKS, NEW YORK

The explosive first novel of the Oregon Files was hailed as “honestly fabulous” ( Kirkus Reviews). Now, Clive Cussler, creator of the bestselling NUMA ®and Dirk Pitt ®series, continues the adventure and intrigue with enigmatic high-seas action hero Juan Cabrillo and his high-tech spy ship, the Oregon…

In the remote wastes of Greenland, a young scientist has unearthed an artifact hidden in a cave for a millennium: a 50,000-year-old radioactive meteorite known as the Sacred Stone. But the astounding find places him in the crosshairs of two opposing groups who seek the stone for themselves.

One is a group of Muslim extremists who have stolen a nuclear device. With the power of the meteorite, they could vaporize any city in the West. The other group is led by a megalomaniacal industrialist who seeks to carry out the utter annihilation of Islam itself.

Caught between two militant factions bent on wholesale slaughter, Juan Cabrillo and his crew must fight to protect the scientist and the Sacred Stone—and prevent the outbreak of World War III…

Contents

Cast of Characters

Prologue

Part One

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Part Two

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Epilogue

Postscript

DIRK PITT ®ADVENTURES BY CLIVE CUSSLER

Trojan Odyssey

Valhalla Rising

Atlantis Found

Flood Tide

Shock Wave

Inca Gold

Sahara

Dragon

Treasure

Cyclops

Deep Six

Pacific Vortex

Night Probe

Vixen 03

Raise the Titanic !

Iceberg

The Mediterranean Caper

DIRK PITT ®ADVENTURES BY CLIVE CUSSLER AND DIRK CUSSLER

Treasure of Khan

Black Wind

KURT AUSTIN ADVENTURES BY CLIVE CUSSLER WITH PAUL KEMPRECOS

Polar Shift

Lost City

White Death

Fire Ice

Serpent

Blue Gold

OREGON FILES ADVENTURES BY CLIVE CUSSLER WITH JACK DU BRUL AND CRAIG DIRGO

Skeleton Coast

Dark Watch

Sacred Stone

Golden Buddha

NONFICTION BY CLIVE CUSSLER AND CRAIG DIRGO

The Sea Hunters II

The Sea Hunters

Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed

CHILDREN’S BOOKS BY CLIVE CUSSLER

The Adventures of Vin Fiz

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

SACRED STONE

A Berkley Book / published by arrangement with Sandecker, RLLLP

Copyright © 2004 by Sandecker, RLLLP.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

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ISBN: 1-4295-9964-2

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SACRED STONE

C AST OF C HARACTERS

JUAN CABRILLO:

Chairman of the Corporation

MAX HANLEY:

President of the Corporation

RICHARD TRUITT:

Vice President of the Corporation

THE CORPORATION TEAM (OPERATIVES)(in alphabetic order)

GEORGE ADAMS:

Helicopter Pilot

RICK BARRETT:

Assistant Chef

MONICA CRABTREE:

Supply and Logistics Coordinator

CARL GANNON:

General Operations

CHUCK “TINY” GUNDERSON:

Chief Pilot Fixed-Wing

MICHAEL HALPERT:

Finance and Accounting

CLIFF HORNSBY:

General Operations

JULIA HUXLEY:

Medical Officer