A Japanese cargo ship cruises the eastern Atlantic near the Azores--then it bursts into flames. A gang of pirates speeds to take advantage of the disaster--then their boat explodes. As Kurt Austin, Joe Zavala, and the rest of the NUMA Special Assignments Team rush to investigate, they find themselves drawn into the extraordinary ambitions of an African dictator, the creation of a weapon of almost mythical power, and an unimaginably audacious plan to extort the world's major nations. (Men's Adventure)