Now Longford was starting to get either edgy or annoyed. “Great. So you can figure out where it is. How do we knock it out? That freakin’ Star Wars program never worked. Our anti-satellite defense still can’t hit the broadside of a barn, much less a small metal ball moving at 10,000 miles per hour.”
Osborne interrupted. “That’d actually be 17,000 miles per hour Madame President.”
“George, unless you have something to contribute here, then shut the hell up.” Osborne turned beat red as Longford continued. “So, Chuck, what’s the answer? How do we disable these suckers?”
Chuck cleared his throat, hoping the president would calm down a bit. He did not want to become road kill under her eighteen-wheeler. “We do have another, uh, highly classified weapon.” He stopped, thinking this might be another unwanted surprise for the president.
Longford picked it up right away. “Chuck, I get that there’s a lot of operations or crap that I am not aware of. I’m new here. We’ll cure the boss-doesn’t-know-shit problem later. Right now we need anything and everything you’ve got. So lay it out.”
Chuck felt like he’d just been given a green light. “OK, here goes. You know that NASA built five space shuttles—right? Well actually, they built six. The sixth one is in a protected facility in Arizona with a crew on call 24x7.”
“What?” Longford said, more amazed than annoyed.
Chuck continued. “You don’t think we’d actually mothball our only successful way to get into space and rely on the Russians? Sorry, that was a rhetorical question. What most people don’t know is that the Space Shuttle program, while being great for science, was really built as our primary space weapon and defense. The sixth shuttle, named Voyager is sitting ready-to-go. It is equipped with our latest missile technology. We could be up in the air by tonight and shoot those fuckers down within twenty-four hours.”
Little had been taking this all in. “I’m not sure we have the time, but if we do, shooting them down may not be the answer. Would it be possible to have your guys get out there and bug the birds? Then wire them for shutdown before they pull the trigger?”
“Maybe. I’m not sure. Madame President, I’d recommend you authorize us to launch Voyager immediately. Then in the hours it takes to get it into position, we can plan either an attack or a manual override,” Hager added with some urgency.
“Do it!” Longford said. “But give Mr. Little and his civilian friends whatever they need to launch a cyber defense. Hopefully either Plan A or Plan B will work. They better work.”
“Will do, Madame President.” The meeting was over.
CHAPTER 28
THE SAME RIVER TWICE
LaSalam and his limo arrived at the Gorge. “Let’s sit here awhile. I need to think. Turn off the engine.”
He gazed out over the rushing water, stepped out of the car and walked to the river’s edge. I can see why he likes it here. Very calming, he thought to himself. He could either wait here for Sunborn to show up or pursue him at his known locations. “I’ll just wait,” he said to himself.
The sky was deep blue with cotton-ball clouds floating by. He could feel a cool breeze coming off the water graze his cheeks. It carried a not unpleasant aroma of wet soil and pine. “How did Allah make life so complicated?” he wondered. “Haven’t I stepped in this river before?” Then he remembered the ancient aphorism. “You never step in the same river twice.”
They had rivers where he came from, but they were bigger and brown with human waste and industrial chemicals. This river was so clear, he could see fish swimming at the bottom. Is it our destiny to pollute and destroy or is there a place and a time when men are good and kindness reigns, he wondered. But these were the thoughts of a soft man, and he had to harden himself for the tasks ahead. Nobody and no thing could stand in the way of his plan and his mission. Nobody.
What would he do when he met Sunborn? Just shoot him and be on his way? Interrogate him? Or invite him to tea? He smiled at the absurdity of the situation. Why didn’t he just hire a good assassin and be done with it. No, he had to do it himself. But almost more important, he had to meet this man. He had to admit he was intrigued by a civilian that could seemingly follow his moves. Who used the technology like a chessboard and attacked even while retreating. Maybe in another life, they would be friends. Who was he kidding? He had no friends. Maybe fellow soldiers—that was a possibility.
CHAPTER 29
COUNTDOWN
It was quite an imposing presence. The Atlas rocket was thirty-two meters tall and the stealth shuttle was mounted on its side. Unlike the other shuttles, Voyager was painted a dark blue on top and a cloudy off-white on the bottom. Like the drones or even a trout, the coloring was meant to hide its presence from view both below and above by blending in with the sky above and the earth below.
Steam and gas were already pouring out the thrusters at Atlas’s bottom. Neil Armstrong III and his crew were buckled in, awaiting lift-off. Little did Armstrong know that his mission might be more important to the future of the world than his famous grandfather’s walk on the Moon.
CAPCOM: Voyager, this is Mission Control. Radio check, over.
Commander: Roger, out.
PAO # 2: Radio communications between Launch Control, Mission Control, and the Orbiter have been checked at T - 5 minutes to liftoff.
CAPCOM: Voyager, this is Launch Control. Ready abort advisory check.
Lab # 1: Roger, check is satisfactory, out.
PAO # 1: Launch Control has lighted the abort light on the front instrument panel.
PAO # 1: The ground crew has closed and secured the hatch. Medical Officer Control, this is Voyager. We show normal cabin pressure, over.
CAPCOM: Roger, out.
PAO # 2: Both cabin vent switches have been closed. We are now at T - 4 minutes to liftoff.
Lab # 1: Control, this is Voyager. Boiler control switch ON. Nitrogen supply switch ON, over.
CAPCOM: Roger, out.
PAO # 2: The Commander has confirmed boiler control switches 1, 2, and 3 are now ON; nitrogen supply switches 1, 2, and 3 are now ON.
Pilot: Control, this is Voyager. General purpose computer, backup flight system complete.
CAPCOM: Roger, out.
PAO # 1: The main flight software and its backup have been loaded at T - 3 minutes to liftoff.
CAPCOM: Voyager, this is Control. Ground crew is secure, over.
Commander: Roger, out.
PAO # 1: Control has confirmed that the cabin pressure has decreased.
Commander: Control, this is Voyager. Commander’s voice check, over.
CAPCOM: Roger, out.
Lab # 1: Control, this is the pilot; voice check, over.
PAO # 2: The commander and pilot have conducted voice checks with Mission Control Center. The vent valves have been closed. The pilot will now load flight plan OPS-1 into the computer. We are now at T - 2 minutes to liftoff.
Pilot: Control, this is Voyager. Flight plan is loaded into the computer, over.
CAPCOM: Roger, out.
PAO # 2: Mission Control has cycled the ABORT light - bright, dim, then off, three times.
Meteorologist: M.E.1, do you copy? What is your status?
M.E. 1: We are orbiting AZ Site1 at 54,000 feet, over.
Commander: M. E. 1, this is Voyager. What are the current weather conditions over AZ Site 1? Over.
M. E. 1: Voyager, this is M. E. 1. Temperature is 65 degrees Fahrenheit, 18 degrees Celsius. Humidity is at 43 percent. Winds are out of the north, northeast at 10 mph, gusts to 15 mph. Barometric pressure stands at 30.62 inches, and the weather is partly cloudy, over.
Pilot: M. E. 1, this is Voyager. We copy, out.
PAO # 1: Weather conditions are nominal at T - 1 minute to liftoff.
Medical Officer: Control, this is Voyager. Event timer started.
CAPCOM: Roger, Voyager. Out.
Pilot: Control, this is Voyager. Prestart complete. Powering up APU’s, over.
CAPCOM: AP
U’s look good, out.
CAPCOM: Voyager, this is Control. Main engine gimbal complete,
CAPCOM: Medical Officer, report on the condition of the crew, over. Medical Officer Control, this is Voyager. The crew is in excellent condition and is eager to go!
CAPCOM: Roger, Voyager. Out.
CAPCOM: Voyager, this is Control. H-two tank pressurization OK. You are go for launch, over.
Lab # 2: Roger, go for launch, over.
PAO # 2: The external tank hydrogen vents have been closed, and liquid-hydrogen tank pressure is building up for flight at T - 30 seconds to liftoff.
CAPCOM: Voyager, this is Control. APU start is go. You are on your on-board computer, over.
Lab # 1: Roger, out.
Flight Director: 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 . . .
PAO # 2: The solid rocket boosters have ignited, and we have LIFT OFF!! The Voyager has cleared the tower.
CAPCOM: The tower has been cleared. All engines look good. Beginning roll maneuver.
PAO # 1: 120 degree roll into “heads down” position starts. We are now at T + 1 minute after launch.
CAPCOM: Roll maneuver complete, Voyager, you’re looking good.
Pilot: Control, this is Voyager. Main engines at 75%, over.
CAPCOM: Roger, out.
PAO # 2: The Voyager has reached Mach 1 (the speed of sound), and the space shuttle main engines have been throttled down from 100% to 75%. We are now at T + 2 minutes after launch.
Commander: Control, this is Voyager. Max Q, over.
CAPCOM: Roger, Voyager. Out.
PAO # 1: Maximum dynamic pressure has been reached, and the space shuttle main engines have been throttled back up to 100%.
Pilot: Control, this is Voyager. We have SRB burnout; ready for SRB sep, over.
CAPCOM: Roger, out.
PAO # 2: The computer has reported that the solid rocket boosters have burned out at T + 4 minutes.
Commander: Control, this is Voyager. We have SRB sep, over.
CAPCOM: Roger, we can see that, Voyager. Out.
PAO # 1: The solid rocket boosters have separated from the Orbiter at T + 6 minutes.
CAPCOM: Voyager, you are negative return. Do you copy?
Lab # 1: Roger, Mission Control. Negative return, out.
PAO # 2: Mission Control has reported that a return-to-launch-site abort is no longer possible at T + 9 minutes.
PAO # 1: The commander has reported that the Voyager can reach orbit even if two main engines fail.
CAPCOM: Voyager, this is Control. Main engine throttle down, over.
Pilot: Roger, out.
PAO # 2: Mission Control has instructed the pilot to throttle down to keep acceleration less than 3 g’s.
CAPCOM: Voyager, this is Control. Go for main engine cut-off over.
Commander: Roger, Main engine cut-off on schedule, out.
PAO # 1: The three main engines have shut down.
Pilot: Control, this is Voyager. We have OMS cut-off, over.
PAO # 2: The orbital maneuvering system burn has stopped.
CAPCOM: Voyager, this is Control. Coming up on OMS-two, over.
Lab # 1: Roger, OMS-two.
PAO # 2: The orbital maneuvering system burn number two has been initiated. We are now at T + 18 minutes after launch.
Pilot: OMS-two cut-off. We have achieved orbit, over.
CAPCOM: Roger, Voyager, out.
PAO # 1: The pilot will now enter OPS106 on the keyboard to change the computer program. We are now at T + 22 minutes.
CAPCOM: Voyager, begin on-orbit operations.
Commander: Roger, Control. Out.
Voyager now moved out of visual range from the ground. Armstrong had his orders. Intercept Orbiter X126 somewhere over the Indian Ocean.
CHAPTER 30
WHO’S THERE
I’m not sure there was anything more I could do until Bart and Killer finished their programming and until I heard back from Little. The target was moving and our tactical plan was unclear, but other than that we were in great shape. Not. I had a half hour and thought I’d take a mental break. So I hopped in my Jeep and headed down to the Gorge. It was a beautiful sunny morning and a bit cooler than usual for late June. The coolness reminded me of a fond memory. I remembered the occasional fishing Evan and I did on warmer winter days, dropping our flies into holes in the ice. The fish would be semi-comatose from the cold but still moving slowly and eating if the food came to them. It was so exciting the one time I hooked a brown trout in February. I couldn’t believe it.
Today there would be no fishing, but a short walk along the trail beside the river would do me good. I needed to clear my head and calm down. My shoulder still ached from the bullet wound so I hobbled a bit on the trail. I wondered what Monica was doing at home. I should call, but I didn’t want my voice to betray the fear I felt. She could read me so well. But what if it was our last call? I’ll call. I will, I thought at the time.
I had pulled the Jeep into a narrow clearing beside the trail. Curiously, there was a black SUV limo about 100 yards away. Seeing a limo in the Gorge was like seeing a shark in the river. It just didn’t happen. Something didn’t feel right, so I decided to get back in my car and observe for a bit. You learned from a lifetime of fishing to sit very still and observe. A good fisherman can see disturbances in the water that are beautiful trout that the average person can’t see. I recalled taking a friend to fish, who had not been before. I kept pointing at a trout undulating on the bottom of a deep pool. “Look! Look there—do you see it?” For the life of him, he could not see it.
There was a man with a swarthy complexion standing by the bank. He was staring at the sky and occasionally, gently dragging his shoe through the stones along the bank. His shoe was a fine leather. Another thing out of place. Then I saw it. He pulled a 9 mm gun out of his pocket, chambered a round and put it back in a holster hidden behind his jacket.
Who was this? Why was he here? I opened my glove compartment and removed the Beretta Al had given me. Where was freakin’ Al when you need her? I could have just driven away. I had the gun. I called Al. She wouldn’t have had to run it up the chain of command to get off her butt and do something.
“Al, it’s me.”
“Where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you.”
“Listen, I’m at the Gorge and there’s a Middle Eastern looking guy here with a gun.”
“What? Where are you in the Gorge?”
“I came in the south end. I’m at the first turn off. He’s about seventy or eighty yards up from me. He just showed his gun.”
“Has he seen you?”
“I don’t think so and I’ve got the gun you gave me.”
“I’m on my way—maybe ten minutes out. Stay where you are. Don’t confront him. If he comes your way, duck down out of site. Last thing you want to do is get in a gunfight, unless you have absolutely no choice.”
“Got it, but this is scary shit.”
She clicked off.
CHAPTER 31
INTERCEPT
Commander: We have visual on Object X.
Flight CAPCOM: Standby…Space Shuttle Voyager, you are clear for intercept.
Commander: Roger that, we are coming in.
Commander: Easy as it goes. Reducing speed by firing forward thrusters.
Just then, a small piece of space debris rams into the shuttle.
Commander: Did you see that? I think we’ve been hit by something. Nav, please report!
Flight CAPCOM: I saw what happened, Voyager. A small object, about two feet square, hit our forward compartment. It just came out of nowhere. It looked like an antenna mount. I don’t see any damage.
Shuttle Commander: But it looks like the collision has nudged us out of position for the intercept.
Flight CAPCOM: Yes, our sensors confirm that. You are about six inches off center. I suggest you abort the dock. If you are not accurate to within one centimeter, you will damage the Object. Directive is to se
cure but not destroy.
Commander: Don’t worry, I have it. Firing left thruster—correcting trajectory.
Commander: Steady…steady…I have it! Canadarm will retrieve object.
CAPCOM: Outstanding, Voyager. Open Bay Doors and secure Object.
Commander: Bay Doors open. Canadarm moving Object into bay.
CAPCOM: Secure Object. Close bay doors.
Commander: Object secured. Closing bay doors.
CAPCOM: Send EVA team to affix remote control device to Object.
Commander: Roger that. Team deploying.
CAPCOM: After remote is in place, we’ll need to test communications before release back to orbit.
Commander: Roger that. Standing by.
CHAPTER 32
ACCIDENTAL TOURIST
The Leopard’s reverie ended as his focus came back to the task at hand. He turned to the left and saw a Jeep parked downstream. Could it be? He knew his target owned a Jeep. His killer instincts kicked in. This was no friend, no fellow soldier. This was the enemy.
He got back in the car on the passenger side. “Get out,” he said to the driver.
“This is my car. You have no right to tell me –”
LaSalam pulled his gun and tapped one off into the driver’s forehead. “I don’t have time for this.” He got out, came around, opened the driver’s door and dragged the body down to the riverbank. He ran back and jumped in the driver’s seat and punched the gas pedal. The wheels spun, kicking up gravel, and the car lurched down the road toward Sunborn.
Sunborn saw all this happening like he was watching a movie. He ducked down in his seat. As the Leopard raced toward him, another car was approaching, lights flashing from the other direction. This was a one lane road. More of a trail really, with three cars and a madman all converging.
LaSalam approached the Jeep, opened his passenger side window and fired off six rounds into the Jeep as he passed. Al’s Crown Vic was speeding head-on toward the Leopard in a deadly game of chicken. Al, like a woman who has handled many dangerous situations, started to see everything in slow motion despite the fact that she had only a split-second to act. A head-on collision might stop the madman but could be deadly for both of them. A side-swipe. That was it. Al veered left taking the uphill side of the trail with two wheels about three feet up the bank putting the car at a thirty degree angle to the road. Clearly his adversary was making his move. LaSalam veered to his left toward the river but still half on the road. As the cars collided, both drivers turned their wheels toward the other. The screech of metal and broken glass sounded like an explosion followed by sounds of skids and bangs.
Not So Dead: A Sam Sunborn Novel Page 8
