and that the terrorists could be planning to actually use the weapons on a target in the Western Hemisphere. CIA is skeptical, but Admiral Walker allows Danny and Tuckson nine days of shore leave, during which they rent a private aircraft and systematically overfly the deserted islands in the Caribbean where the terrorists may have hidden the Tomcats. Meanwhile, there is dissension in the terrorists' ranks when one of their Mexican members, Juan, expresses his concern for collateral damage from the operation. In order to preserve cohesion within the group, the terrorists allow him to escape on a boobytrapped raft, thus Juan dies at sea far from the eyes of his friends. However, his body is found by Danny and Tuckson, who also find a message warning them of the IFARG's true plans. But one of the terrorist Tomcats appears and destroys their plane, along with all their communications equipment, leaving them stranded on a deserted cay and out of contact with the world. Fire From Heaven The novel opens with Danny and Tuckson being rescued from the cay by a Cuban :fr:Classe SO-1 corvette (patrol boat), which, made suspicious by the presence of American aviators in the area, takes them both prisoner. The Americans, in desperation, force a brig break and are rescued shortly thereafter by a helicopter from Guantanamo Naval Base. They are then put in touch with Admiral Walker of the Kennedy and report what they have learned. Walker orders them back to the ship and places it on nuclear alert, but the President is due to land in a few hours and the summit can no longer be called off. Reagan, once informed of the crisis, arranges for the media to delay news of his arrival by one hour; this allows the Kennedy to evacuate the leaders from Cancun, and to position its fighters to intercept the terrorist planes. When the IFARG, hiding in the Exuma islands, receive the delayed news of the President's arrival in Cancun, they launch the final phase of Operation Apocalypse, and release their F-14s carrying one nuclear bomb apiece. The F-14s approach Cancun by using Cuban airspace for cover, but are detected by an American AWACS. In reaction, they split up with one turning north to attack Cape Canaveral, and one continuing towards Cancun, forcing the Kennedys fighters to split up. Danny and the squadron's F-14s shoot down the first aircraft