Plot

Some time in the future, East and West have stopped maintaining standing armies and nuclear weapons. Instead, to settle their differences they pit different teams of crack combat specialists against each other.

The United Nations and the Communist countries have come to an agreement that should prevent the outbreak of a Third World War. Each side puts together a team of soldiers that will compete in war games. These are televised as a reality show with great popular appeal. The military leaders of both sides bring brief cases that contain information about their troops and battle plans. The games, known as the International Peace Games, are held in a non-aligned country. In this case, the 256th games in the series, is set in Sweden. Game conditions and instructions are controlled by high tech computer systems by Swedish officials. The leaders all sit in a viewing room sharing tea and friendly conversation while the teams compete in life-and-death maneuvers. The Allied Forces are given the lead in this contest with the goal of getting at least one of their members through to the control room within two hours. The Communist Forces can do whatever they want to obstruct them. A trail of green lights is set up to help direct the Allied Forces to the control room's location. A second set of lights, red in color, give a shorter alternate route. It is three times shorter but is more difficult to navigate without being vulnerable to opposition soldiers. The Allied Forces are slow to started, but eventually manage to enter a large industrial facility. The troops manage to open a roof hatch that takes them to an upper level. There, they find one of the Communist opponents, a young female soldier. They make her a captive, electing not to kill her. Before long, she and a British soldier develop an attraction for each other. This upsets the top brass of both sides greatly.—Garon Smith