The Weapon of Night

A series of unexplained power outages and air and water pollution incidents affect many parts of the United States.

AXE agent Nick Carter is contacted by Hakim Sadek – his collaborator on a previous mission (described in Safari for Spies) - reports that a German surgeon has performed cosmetic surgery on 9 individuals for no purpose other than to alter their normal appearance.

Carter learns that Valentina Sichikova – his collaborator on a previous mission (described in The 13th Spy) is visiting the United States to inspect the West Valley Reprocessing Plant, which was close to the origin of the Northeast blackout of 1965 and to follow up the disappearance from Moscow of nine Chinese scientists.

Carter, Valentina and Julia Baron (Carter's collaborator on several earlier missions Run, Spy, Run, The China Doll, Fraulein Spy, Danger Key) visit the West Valley Reprocessing Plant and are given a guided tour by the plant's senior management.

Searching the room carefully, Carter discovers a secret entrance leading to a small underground chamber.

Carter breaks into the headquarters of a secretive group and discovers one of the nine communicating with operatives around the country via Morse code transmitter.

The saboteurs are using sophisticated projectors to simulate UFOs and various concentrated chemicals to trigger smog, tainted water and other forms of pollution to cause mass hysteria and civil unrest.

Under interrogation, one of the 9 spies reveals that Judas and a Chinese General planned the operation to demoralize the population with pollution scares, radiation sickness and power outages; to be followed by a massive power cut and an invasion of the US accompanied by an unspecified secret weapon.