by Dale Brown
"Admiral Sun Ji Guoming flew a Sukhoi-27 fighter right onto
Kadena Air Base and surrendered to the U. Air Force," Sec-
retary of Defense Chastain told him. "He then asked to make
a public statement on the international news. He said who he
was and said that he would reveal the government of China's
entire plan for the destruction and recapture of Taiwan unless
China agreed to a cease-fire and a prisoner exchange was ar-
ranged. Jiang Zemin agreed immediately."
They had done a brief stopover in Hawaii, where the three
ex-prisoners were examined by doctors and found medically
fit-there was no injury to Wendy and Patrick's child. Now
they were somewhere over the southwest United States, almost
home.
Everyone has pretty much backed off after your attack,"
- "
Chastain explained. "Of course, almost all of China's strategic
forces had been knocked out by you and General Samson's
bombers-all they had left were a few H-6 bombers and some
mobile medium-range missiles, nothing that could threaten the
United States and virtually nothing that could threaten its
neighbors. Even North and South Korea seemed to have
backed away from the DMZ, although things there and in the
Middle East are still pretty tense." He paused, then added for
r
472 DALE BROWN
about the sixth time since leaving the prisoner swap in Brunei,
"I'm sorry about General Elliott. He was a genuine American
hero."
Patrick wasn't thinking about where they were headed-he
assumed to a federal prison somewhere-but he was shocked
when the C-20H zoomed into a desert airfield. Although there
were no signs and no visible landmarks on the hazy late-
aftemoon horizon, Patrick knew exactly where they were: the
high desert of south-central Nevada, beside the dry lake turried
camouflaged airstrip at Groom Lake, at the secret U. Air
Force research base known as the High Technology Aerospace
Weapons Center, nicknamed Dreamland.
Well, Patrick thought, he should have known. HAWC was
not a military base anymore-it certainly made a good federal
prison, especially for suspects who broke the law as badly as
they did.
But when the C-20H pulled up to its parking spot next to
the old base operations building, he noticed that the buildings
had a fresh coat of paint. on them, there was a new mobile
control tower deployed on the dry lake bed, and the guards
waiting on the tarmac were not waiting to take him into cus-
tody-they were guarding Marine One and Marine Two, the
military VIP transport helicopters belonging to the President
of the United States.
President Kevin Martindale was waiting for Patrick, Wendy,
and Nancy Cheshir-e as they stepped off the airstair onto the
carpet covering the hot concrete parking ramp at Dreamland.
"Welcome home, Patrick, welcome home," the President said
warmly. They were all there: National Security Advisor Philip
Freeman, Air Force chief of staff General Victor Hayes, Air
Combat Command commander Steve Shaw, and Eighth Air
Force commander Terrill Samson. With them were Dave Lu-
ger, Jon Masters, Hal Briggs, Chris Wohl, and Paul White.
They all went inside the new base operations building to es-
cape the still-broiling heat of Nevada's desert summer sun.
"Patrick, you've done a great service to me and to the na-
tion, and I just wanted to greet you and tell you myself, II the
President said. "You and your fellow crew members have al-
most single-handedly averted a world war by your heroic ac-
tions."
"Sorry, but I don't feel very heroic, sir," Patrick said
"Because of General Elliott. I'm sony for your loss,'Pat-
FATAL TERRAIN 473
rick," the President said solemnly. "Brad Elliott was one hel-
luva warrior. He was stubborn, determined, and headstrong-
and he was one of the best I've ever met. He'd probably hate
what I'm about to do-and I feel damn good thinking about
him cursing my name for all eternity.- The President steered
Patrick toward a large covered sign on the wall, and he pulled
it off himself. The sign read: WELCOME TO ELLIOTT AIR
FORCE BASE, GROOM LAKE, NEVADA, HOME OF THE
HIGH TECHNOLOGY AEROSPACE WEAPONS CENTER
(USAF OPERATIONAL TEST AND EVALUATION CEN-
TER DET. I).
"Elliott Air Force Base?" Patrick exclaimed. "But ...
how? I thought. .
"Yeah, my predecessor closed down HAWC-I just opened
it back up again," the President said. "Meet HAWC's first
new commander-Lieutenant General Terrill Samson. We're
still closing down Eighth Air Force, but Terrill has the same
fire in his belly that you and Brad Elliott have, so he's the
new boss here-and heaven help us. I have a feeling that the
ghost of Brad Elliott will be walking this place for many years
to come."
The President withdrew something from a pocket. "I've got
to get going-I'm going to spend a weekend of relaxation in
Las Vegas before going back to Washington to continue the
fight against Senator Finegold and her attack dogs. But I have
one last request for you first before I go."
The President of the United States shook Patrick's hand,
pressing something into his palm. "Let me know soonest,
okay? Be good, and congratulations on your new baby. A boy,
I believe, am I right?" He gave Wendy and Nancy Cheshire
a kiss, tumed, and departed, followed by his national security
advisors. The roar of the engines on the Marine transport hel-
icopters could be heard seconds later.
Patrick opened his hand and found a pair of silver stars
nestled in his palm.
"I need a director of operations here at HAWC, Patrick,"
Terrill Samson said proudly. "I could think of no one else
suited for the job but you. You get brigadier-general's stars
and a command of your own, and you get to work with the
hottest jets and the hottest weapons coming off the drawing
boards. Dave Luger-Lieutenant Colonel Dave Luger, I
should add-has agreed to sign on as a senior engineer and
mm
474 DALE BROWN
senior project officer here. What do you say?"
Wendy slipped her arm around Patrick's waist and hugged
him close. He looked into her shining, proud eyes, but could
not find an answer to the question he was silently asking-
only the continued promise of love and support for whatever
he chose to do.
Patrick's eyes then unconsciously searched out and found
Jon Masters. Ile young scientist and businessman-of-sorts was
drinking his ever-present squeeze bottle of Pepsi. He gave him
a wink and a smile.
"Patrick?" General Samson urged him. "What do you say?
Be my second in command. In three years, this will be your
base, yolgr command."
Patrick McLanahan caught a glimpse of Hal Briggs. The
young commando motioned outside, where his Humvee was
waiting.
"I'll
let you know, sir," Patrick said with a broad smile.
"I'll let you know." He took Wendy by the hand, led her out
into the warm Nevada evening into the waiting Humvee, and
they drove toward the crimson sunset-out into the future.
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