"Good morning, Mr Briggs." "The man you're looking at is Ferenc Larya, the Prime Minister of Svardia, who has long fought to establish democracy and freedom for his people." "Larya is now gravely ill and hasn't long to live." "He has groomed Deputy Premier Pavel to succeed him and carry on his policies." "We know, however, that once in power, Pavel would set up a dictatorship and then purge the country of all opposition." "But Larya will not hear anything against Pavel." "The mission, if you decide to accept, is to keep Pavel from becoming Prime Minister." "As always, should you or any of your IM Force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions." "This tape will self-destruct in 10 seconds." "Good luck, Dan." " Yeah, sounds just right, Dan." " Good." "Have you had a chance to look over Larya's x-rays and cardiograph?" "Yes, and I can't be certain until I examine him, of course, but I don't think what you have in mind could hurt him." "The overlay." " It's perfect." " All right, Barney." " Where do you stand, Oliver?" " Just about ready." "Two of my men are trucking the equipment into Svardia now." "My cameraman made four trips on the Svardia-Bern Express" " filming the scenery." " Fine." "Now, let's get started." "See you later." "What about Dr Tieller?" "Well, he's on his way to consult with Dr Huss who's Larya's personal physician." "He changes planes at Vienna." " Everything set there?" " Everything." "He won't get to Svardia, but Dr Selby and I will." "What did you find out about Larya's travelling habits?" "Plane or train." "When by train, he always takes over the last car." " Is it always the last car?" " Yes." "Then you're ready." "That's it." "The overnight express to Bern." " When's it supposed to pull out?" " Just before dark, 5:32." "There's supposed to be a guard at this door." "Look around." "Right." "I cannot believe that these men are involved in this conspiracy you speak of." "Why, Milos?" "Why?" "Androv, why?" "Because of him." "They do not want me to succeed you, Excellency." "So they are gathering their strength." "Besides, they have heard rumours that..." "That I am dying?" "Yeah." "And revolutionaries know that any government is most vulnerable at the exact moment of transfer of power." " What have you done with them?" " They are crowding our prisons." "It probably will not be for long." "When I..." "When you are safely sworn into office, let them go." "They mean well." "Sometimes I feel I should simply resign to insure the peace." "You cannot." "You must not." "Milos, I trust you as if you were my own son." "I know you will continue my work for me." "I think perhaps you should rest now, Excellency." "It won't be long." "A few weeks at the most and he will be gone." "I want you to move faster than ever now." "Every man who opposes me must be behind bars before I take office." "The jails are bursting at the seams now." "They will be empty soon enough." " You relish the idea of killing?" " And you?" "It makes me sick." "If there were any other way, any way at all to rid my country of her enemies..." "But the decay goes too deep." "It must be cut away." "Dr Huss!" "Are you taking these people into the Prime Minister's suite?" " Why, yes." " And who are they?" "This is Dr Erich Tieller." "He's come from Switzerland to consult on the case." " Will the train trip hurt him?" " No." "There is nothing that we can do now that will either help or hurt him." "Then let us proceed." "In general, Dr Huss, I concur with your diagnosis of coronary heart disease." "However, I believe I have detected a faint murmur, barely audible on the stethoscope, which might indicate something else." "Therefore, I wish to proceed with some additional tests." "Stop!" "Do not move, anyone." "Stay where you are." "Put your hands behind your heads." "Put that gun away." "We have orders." "Orders to fumigate this place." "Do you want to explain to the yard commander why we haven't done our job?" "I had no orders regarding this." "And did you have orders to leave your post outside this building?" "In a few minutes, this place will be choked with hydrocyanide gas." "Is it your wish to die in here?" "This is what he was doing." "Perhaps it is you who should be reported, huh?" "I only left my post for a few minutes." "Very well." "Take your friend and get out of here." "Also tell the rest of the guards not to come in here until tomorrow." "All right, go on." "I have already forgotten I ever saw you here, all right?" "Yeah, it is as I suspected, a mitral insufficiency." "I can hear the left valve regurgitating blood." "Please." "I don't believe it." "You're right, of course." "I can't understand how I could have missed it." "And why it doesn't show on the x-rays." "In a mitral insufficiency, the valve would be enlarged." "But you see it's perfectly normal." "Neither valve is distended." "Perhaps the insufficiency has developed since these pictures were taken." "I think I must make a new set of x-rays." "Yeah, I could not agree more." " Nurse, you will assist him, please?" " Yes, of course, Doctor." "It's there." "It's there." "No question." "It is a mitral insufficiency." "That does not sound good." "The point is, Excellency, it can be cured." "Mitral valvular disease can be corrected, Your Excellency, using the new open heart surgery techniques." "Gentlemen, I'm sure you realise how important this is to all of us." "Is there any possibility of danger in performing this operation?" "Well, there's always danger in this operation." "But it is His Excellency's only chance." "I see." "Very well." "Prepare for surgery immediately." "With your permission, of course, sir." "Dr Huss, you have here an open heart machine?" "No, we do not." "Well, then, in that case, His Excellency must be transferred immediately to my hospital in Bern." "I do not think His Excellency should leave the country at this time." "But we have no choice." "Excellency, if something should happen..." "Milos, the mountain cannot come to Mohammed, so..." "We will arrange for an aircraft at once." "But that is out of the question." "Under no circumstances can His Excellency be allowed to fly." "Hold one car on the night train to Bern." "Maximum security arrangements." " Anything yet?" " Nothing." "Stay out there, Willy." "Doctor." "I want you to tell me honestly." "What are his chances?" "Honestly, it is as I told you before." "The operation is his only chance." "But there are always risks." "I think that you should be with him at all times since he is the head of state, and you are his successor." "I understand." "Before you leave, sir, there's one other point." "I will need to know which is the railway car that you have reserved for the Prime Minister." "Why?" "Because I must go to the car before His Excellency is taken on board." "I cannot permit that." "We must maintain our security until his departure." "My dear sir, the Svardia-Bern Express crosses the Verick Pass at 3,000 metres." "I must have oxygen and resuscitating equipment ready if I am to take a heart patient over that route." "I'm sorry, Doctor." "We're holding the train in the yards." "I will arrange for clearance for you to enter whenever you wish." "Thank you." "Rollin." "This is the compartment that will be occupied by the Prime Minister." "It was my understanding that the Prime Minister's car" " would be at the end of the train." " Not this trip." "Orders from security." "They're putting him in the centre car." "He's not in the last car." "We're dead." "Take the last car as planned." "Get going." "Departure time's in 11 minutes." "What is going on here?" "We are preparing His Excellency's quarters." "His Excellency's car is always at the end of the train." " Oh, no, sir." "The orders..." " The orders." "The orders are wrong." "His Excellency always travels in the last car." " Get it ready at once." " But there is no time." "Then hurry." "Doctor, take your equipment and follow me." "The Prime Minister will be in drawing room "D." Open it, please." "Unlock it." "I would like to inspect each compartment before the Prime Minister arrives." "I gave specific orders that the Prime Minister's car" " was to be put in the centre of the train." " It will be, sir." "The other cars will be added after the Prime Minister and his party have boarded." "Very well." "Is His Excellency's room ready?" "Yes, sir." "Good." "I am all right." "Stop making a fuss over me." "His Excellency should rest now." "If you don't mind, gentlemen." "Go into the next car." "Report to the captain of the guard." "Tell him no one is to enter this car." "No one." "Board!" " I'm sorry, sir." "We're getting underway." " Right on time." "Your Excellency, the Deputy Premier would like to join you in a toast to your journey." " Is that all right, Doctor?" " Just one." "There is no tyrant like one's own doctor." "Yes?" "The Prime Minister would like you and General Androv" " to join him for a drink." " A drink?" "Doctor's orders." "It will help relax him." "We will be right there." "Open it up." "Get ready." "To a successful journey, Excellency, and long life." "That depends on the doctor, eh, Doctor?" "I will adjust that for you." "Now you will be more comfortable." "Roll them." "We are stopped." "Go and see why we've stopped." "What is happening?" "Why have we stopped?" "We're switching from the yard engine to the locomotive." "We'll be underway in about 30 seconds, sir." "Good." "The rockers are in position." "Ready Projector 3!" "Roll departure film!" "We are on our way." "This may be the last time that I will ever see Svardia." " Nonsense, Excellency, you..." " A man feels these things, Pavel." " Are you all right, Excellency?" " Yes." "I am not afraid to die." "The land, the people, all I have built, will be in your hands." "If that is the way it must be, Excellency," "I can only say that I will try to act as I know you would do." "I hope you believe that." "Now, I feel it is time that Your Excellency rest." "I will be in the next compartment if you need me, Excellency." "Get Donovan over here fast." "What's the trouble?" "I don't know, but I think we're about to lose the selenium rectifier." " Get me one fast." " If it goes, we'll lose our sound." "I know." "Keep your eye on the console while I try to fix this." "This one's only gonna last another minute or two." "Get back to the projectors, Don." "You can't pull it out to replace it." "We'll go dead as soon as you take it out." "I know." "I'm gonna try to wire the new one in first before I cut the defective one out." "Doctor, will I ever see the sun set on Svardia again?" "Ja, Excellency, you will." "And now I think you should get ready for bed." "We will reach the Verick Pass soon." "You get the oxygen ready and prepare a hypodermic, please." "There's a soldering iron in the box." "Hand it to me." "Do you hear anything?" " Just a lot of train." " You sure that's all?" "That's all." "Then we're still in business." "Sir." " To the Prime Minister." " Excellency." "You are being a bit premature, my friend." "I am not Prime Minister yet." "And there is work to do, to prepare the country for the transition." "I will be in the forward car if you want me." " Will he sleep through it?" " He'll sleep till we wake him." "Then we can start the downgrade." " May I help you, General?" " I'm going to check on the..." "The other cars." "Where are they?" "What is going on here?" "The other cars." "What has happened?" "There is just the locomotive, sir." "The captain of the guard has ordered the full train to proceed ahead of us to make sure the tracks are clear." "Smart." "Good man." "He takes no chances." "Start the downgrade film." "The old fool wants to cut the defence budget." "Here, read his recommendations and prepare a rebuttal." "The defence budget should be doubled." "Get a good night's sleep, Androv." "We are moving very fast." "Good." "Perhaps we'll get to Bern on time." " Is he asleep?" " Yes." "Get the hypo-sprays ready." "All right." "It's loaded and ready." "Now, you don't have to worry about where you hit him." "The spray will go right through his clothing and still penetrate the skin." " Are you sure he won't feel anything?" " Absolutely nothing." "Let's go." " The brakes are gone." " We're going to crash." "Sit backwards." "Protect your heads." "I need help with the Prime Minister." "Help me!" "Let me go!" "We're going to crash." " Keep your head down." " You must help!" "Nurse." "What happened?" "Dr Tieller." "They do not expect him to live." "He has been in surgery all night." "No, I mean the Prime Minister." " Dead?" " Yes." "The car burnt before they could get to him." "Oh, it was terrible." "And Deputy Pavel?" "He is in there." "Pavel." "Pavel." "Excellency, wake up!" "The Prime Minister is dead." " What happened?" " The train crashed." "Oh, so his premonition did come true after all." "You are now Prime Minister, Excellency." "No." "No, not yet." "Not until I take the oath of office." "Administer it, please." "Should we wait until after the funeral?" "And leave Svardia without a Prime Minister?" "No." "Administer it, please." "Raise your right hand." ""Do you, Milos Pavel, swear to defend the Republic of Svardia" ""against all her enemies" ""and to uphold the Constitution as long as you are Prime Minister?"" "I do." "Congratulations, Excellency." "Now, first, the funeral." "It must be kept simple." "No sentiment." "I do not want the nation to waste a lot of time mourning that pathetic old fool who for so long has kept Svardia from taking her rightful place among the great nations of Europe." "I want the people to know that the old way went out with him." "There are to be no monuments, no mementos, no memories." "They will soon forget that he ever existed." "And the jails?" "Oh, yes, I did promise the old man that I would empty them of those misguided patriots who have for so long opposed me." "Would you see to it at once, please?" "The executions will begin at once." "I'm sorry, Your Excellency." "There was no other way to convince you." "To me he was like my own son." "Strike it." "I accept your resignation, Pavel." " Doctor." " Yes?" "My heart, there is no cure?" " We're sorry." " Do not be." "You have given me a gift even greater than life." "You have permitted me to..." "To see beyond my death." "Now," "I must choose my new successor."