POINT OPTION: A Time-Travel Military Thriller
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Fleming hoisted a flight bag to his shoulder, winked at his wife, and Susan winked back.
EPILOGUE
Seven months later – The following July 4th
The morning of July 4th found Fleming cradling his newborn daughter in front of the large screen TV, his full attention directed to the sleeping child. The announcer’s sudden change in tone made him look up.
“We now turn to our CNN correspondent in Tokyo for an update on a very bizarre story coming to us from the South China Sea. What new information do you have, Lindsey?”
“Josh, this is getting stranger by the hour, but here’s what we do know. Twelve hours ago, the British luxury liner, SS Princess Royal, vanished with all 1800 passengers and crew. The ship was en-route from Da Nang in Vietnam to Manilla in The Philippines. The last radio contact with the Princess Royal was a routine ship-to-shore satellite call to the company’s home office in London. She reported localized heavy fog, and said she was encountering minor intermittent failures with some of the ship’s radar, navigation, and communications systems. However, the captain said he expected everything to be back to normal within a few minutes. And, now, nothing has been heard from her since.”
Fleming silently handed the sleeping child to Susan and stood transfixed in front of the TV.
“Coast Guard assets from all of the countries in the region have been alerted, and a search is already underway. We’ve been told that Admiral Christensen, he’s the Chief of Naval Operations in the U.S., has taken a personal interest in this. He has ordered the Seventh Fleet to dispatch the Ford Strike Group sailing in the area to render all assistance by using its very impressive resources. Let me conclude by saying there is no suspicion of foul play, at least not for the moment, but it’s worth mentioning that tensions between Great Britain and China have been close to a boiling point since early June. And one final note. A Qantas Airline pilot flying at 38,000 feet in the area at the time, reported seeing an extremely bright green flash on the horizon, but no one is suggesting there is a correlation between that and the disappearance of the Princess Royal. Josh, I will be staying with this story and update our viewers as more information becomes available. Now, back to you in New York for the rest of the news.”
“Are you OK, Dave?” Susan Fleming asked as she switched off the TV, her voice reflecting genuine concern. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Did you know anyone aboard that ship?”
Fleming shook his head. “No, no, I didn’t.” He stared at the darkened screen for several seconds while conjuring up a vivid picture of the Princess Royal sailing alongside the LBJ for several carefree minutes a year earlier in the Med. He now wondered if maybe some sort of a cosmic fusion of time and space had been exchanged during that encounter.
An ashen-faced Fleming turned to his wife. “I’m getting some really bad vibes about what we just saw and heard, babe. I’m afraid the Princess Royal is never going to be found.”
THE END
Thank you for reading my book. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. Would you please consider leaving a review at Amazon? Even just a few words would be helpful to other readers.. Warm regards, and thank you in advance. Ian A. O’Connor
About The Author
Ian A. O’Connor is a retired Air Force colonel who has held several senior military leadership positions in the field of national security management. His novel, The Twilight of the Day, was a military-themed thriller which received high praise in the Military Times for its realism and chilling story line. The book was awarded a Bronze Medal by the Military Writers Society of America.
It was soon followed with the first printing of The Seventh Seal by Winterwolf Publishing Company, which introduced Ian’s readers to retired FBI agent Justin Scott.
Both books were re-released in May 2015.
His second book in the Justin Scott thriller series, The Barbarossa Covenant, was first printed in August 2015.
The next novel, The Wrong Road Home, was published by Pegasus Publishing & Entertainment Group in March 2016.
Ian is the co-author of SCRAPPY: A Memoir of a U.S. Fighter Pilot, published by McFarland & Company in April 2008 to rave reviews.
Colonel O’Connor also holds an FAA commercial pilot’s certificate with single engine and multi-engine ratings.
He is a member of the Air Commando Association, an associate member of The Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association, the Mystery Writers of America, and lives on Florida’s Treasure Coast with his wife, Candice.
Visit Ian at: www.ianaoconnor.com
Contact Ian at: ianaoconnor@ianaoconnor.com
Pegasus Publishing & Entertainment Group