The Prometheus Deception (77 page)

“Sir,” Metcalfe began.

But Corcoran was not to be deterred. “Civilization as we know it is being engulfed by Hitler's devouring maw. The Nazis have conquered Norway, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and now France. They forced the British to turn tail at Dunkirk. They're bombing London to pieces. The man has the whole sandbox to himself. Good God, young man, this may be the end of the free world. And you—you're unlacing
bustiers,
for God's sake!” He pulled out a roll of Pep-O-Mint Life Savers and popped one in his mouth.

Metcalfe, meanwhile, snatched the papers from the cot, brandished them at his boss and mentor. “Sir, I've just laid my hands on the top-secret plans for the German strategic naval base on the Atlantic coast, at Saint-Nazaire—”

“Yes, yes,” Corcoran interrupted impatiently, crunching on a Life Saver. “The German improvements to the water locks that control entry to the submarine pens. I've already seen them.”

“What?”

“You're not my only agent, young man.”

Metcalfe flushed, unable to suppress a surge of indignation. “Who got this for you? I'd like to know. If you've got multiple agents covering the same turf, we risk stepping all over each other and blowing the whole thing.”

Corcoran shook his head slowly, tsk-tsked. “You know better than to ask me that, Stephen. One of my agents never knows what the other's up to—that's an inviolable law.”

“That's also crazy … sir.”

“Crazy? No. It's prudent. The almighty principle of compartmentation. Each one of you must know only what's strictly necessary about your assignment, about your colleagues. Otherwise, all it takes is for one of you to be captured and tortured and the entire network is compromised.”

“That's why we're all given cyanide pills,” Metcalfe objected.

“Yes. Which works only if you have sufficient notice. But what if you're taken suddenly? Let me tell you something: one of my agents—whom I'd managed to place in an important position in the Compagnie Française des Petroles—was picked up by the Gestapo a week ago. Haven't heard from him since. This is a fellow who knows of the existence of this place right here.” Corky waved his hands around, indicating the Cave. “What if he talks? What if he's turned? These are the sorts of questions that disturb my sleep.”

A moment of silence passed. “Why are you here, sir?”

Corky bit his lower lip. “Your code name, Stephen. It's Romeo, is that right?”

Metcalfe rolled his eyes, shook his head in embarrassment.

“I often find myself despairing at your lack of restraint when it comes to the fairer sex.” Corky chuckled dryly and munched at a candy. “But once in a while your trail of broken hearts actually benefits our cause.”

“How so?”

“I'm referring to a woman with whom you had a dalliance a while ago.”

Metcalfe blinked. That could describe any number of women, and he didn't particularly feel like guessing.

“This woman—this old flame of yours—has taken up with a very important Nazi official.”

“I don't know who you're talking about.”

“No, there's no reason you should. It was six years ago. In Moscow.”

“Lana!”
Metcalfe whispered.

Titles by
Robert Ludlum

The Ambler Warning

The Tristan Betrayal

The Janson Directive

The Sigma Protocol

The Prometheus Deception

The Matarese Countdown

The Apocalypse Watch

The Road to Omaha

The Scorpio Illusion

The Bourne Ultimatum

The Icarus Agenda

The Bourne Supremacy

The Aquitaine Progression

The Parsifal Mosaic

The Bourne Identity

The Matarese Circle

The Gemini Contenders

The Holcroft Covenant

The Chancellor Manuscript

The Road to Gandolfo

The Rhinemann Exchange

The Cry of the Halidon

Trevayne

The Matlock Paper

The Osterman Weekend

The Scarlatti Inheritance

The Bancroft Strategy

Outstanding Praise for
THE PROMETHEUS DECEPTION

“Readers will remain in the dark right up until the explosive climax.”

—the
San Francisco Chronicle

“Reading a Ludlum novel is like watching a James Bond film … slickly paced … all-consuming.”

—Entertainment Weekly

“Ludlum's latest is a spy thriller that should keep even the most experienced readers guessing … The pace is fast, the action plentiful … a must-read.”

—Booklist

“Ludlum delivers again another top-notch international thriller sure to please … heart-pounding chase scenes, devastating double-crosses, gut-wrenching twists, fast-paced action, fierce confrontations, pressure that ratchets up to an explosive conclusion, and, as always, authentic international locales, high-tech gadgetry, and sophisticated spycraft.”

—Library Journal

“If true mystery—mystery in the plot and mystery as to the true nature of principal characters—is the measure of a great mystery writer, then Ludlum just proved himself one of the best.”

—Austin American-Statesman

“A dead-on picture of contemporary corporate strategy.”

—The New Yorker

“A
1984
for the new millennium … a fast-paced cloak-and-dagger tale. By the end the reader will be left with the chilling feeling that just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you.”

—The Commercial Appeal
(TN)

“Robert Ludlum continues to jolt his readers with fresh juice … a page-turner of nonstop action that should leave his fans begging for more.”

—New York Post

 

Overwhelming Acclaim for the Novels of
ROBERT LUDLUM

“Ludlum is light years beyond his literary competition in piling plot twist upon plot twist, until the mesmerized reader is held captive … [He] dominates the field in strong, tightly plotted, adventure-drenched thrillers. Ludlum pulls out all the stops and dazzles his readers.”

—Chicago Tribune

“Ludlum stuffs more surprises into his novels than any other six-pack of thriller writers combined.”

—
The New York Times

“Welcome to Robert Ludlum's world … fast pacing tight plotting, international intrigue.”

—The Plain Dealer

“Robert Ludlum is the master of gripping, fast-moving intrigue. He is unsurpassed at weaving a tapestry of stunningly diverse figures, then assembling them in a sequence so gripping that the reader's attention never wavers.”

—The Daily Oklahoman

“Don't ever begin a Ludlum novel if you have to go to work the next day.”

—Chicago Sun-Times

“If a Pulitzer Prize were awarded for escapist fiction, Robert Ludlum undoubtedly would have won it. Ten times over.”

—Mobile Register

“An exciting medical-military thriller that moves at a rapid pace to its climax … an exciting new series.”

—Midwest Book Review

“A pop hit … that should bounce right up the bestseller lists.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“Gripping … robust writing and a breakneck pace.”

—Boston Herald

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

THE PROMETHEUS DECEPTION

Copyright © 2000 by Myn Pyn LLC.

Excerpt from
The Tristan Betrayal
copyright © 2003 by Myn Pyn LLC.

All rights reserved.

For information address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 00-062585

ISBN: 0-312-94336-9

EAN: 978-0-312-94336-3

St. Martin's Press hardcover edition / November 2000

St. Martin's Paperbacks edition / March 2001

St. Martin's Paperbacks are published by St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

eISBN 9781429906661

First eBook edition: October 2013