Peter Savage Novels Boxed Set

by Dave Edlund

  “Sure.” He lowered the dark glasses and went back to work.

  Peter removed one of the ceramic mortar and pestles and returned to the chemical storeroom where he quickly found potassium nitrate and powdered sulfur. Grinding first a quantity of potassium nitrate, he then cleaned the mortar and dumped in some sulfur for grinding. The yellow sulfur flour was combined with the potassium nitrate powder and carefully mixed before Peter poured a small amount of the concoction onto a paper towel. He spread the pale yellow powder into a long narrow line and then rolled the paper around it, like a long, thin cigarette. But no one would want to smoke this. He finished his handiwork with a twist and then a strip of clear tape to keep it from opening.

  With three of these long fuses made, Peter returned in time to see Dmitri blowing air into the glass tube, the far end a glob of orange molten glass surrounded by a yellow fireball. Dmitri’s cheeks puffed out as he forced air through the tube, expanding the fluid glass into a near-perfect sphere. Once removed from the torch flame, the glass ball rapidly cooled and Dmitri cut the tube stub with a file and an experienced snap.

  “I surmise you fabricated fuses,” Dmitri said, pointing to the twisted lengths of paper towel Peter laid on the counter. “But, you said we don’t have explosives. So what are we making—incendiaries?”

  Peter smiled. “Incendiary chemical weapons. We’re about to violate the Geneva Convention.”

  Chapter 21

  Washington, DC

  PRESIDENT TAYLER HAD JUST been briefed by Colonel Pierson. Present were Howard Hale, Paul Bryan, and General Hendrickson. At the suggestion of Secretary of Defense Hale, also participating in the meeting were Air Force General Collins and Marine Corp General Hopkins.

  “How confident is your assessment, Colonel?” President Taylor asked.

  “High degree, Mr. President. Based on the description by Dr. Savage—”

  “He’s one of the American hostages who escaped the group held captive, is that right?” Howard Hale asked.

  “That’s right. He’s been our eyes on the ground.”

  “Are you sure the information he’s feeding you is genuine, not misinformation provided intentionally by the Russians?”

  “As confident as we can be, Mr. Secretary,” Pierson said. “Voice print confirms it’s Peter Savage, and the information he’s provided regarding armor and missile batteries around the BSU campus is confirmed by satellite imagery.”

  “Please continue, Colonel,” the President interjected.

  “Yes, sir. I was saying that the description of the machine—the term used by General Gorev—suggests it is an aerosol generator, designed to disperse powdered materials into the air.”

  “Don’t you have any photos of it?” Bryan asked.

  “It’s night time, on an open roof, surrounded by hostiles. Tell me, would you want to be taking photos?”

  President Taylor stood and walked around the Resolute Desk, standing with his arms folded as he addressed the Secretary of State. “Never in my worst nightmares did I ever imagine President Pushkin would orchestrate such a heinous series of events.”

  “He’s an ambitious man, sir,” Paul Bryan said.

  Just then Colleen Walker was led into the Situation Room. “I got here as fast as I could, sir.”

  “It’s fine Colleen, have a seat.” She settled into one of the black leather chairs arranged around the large mahogany table.

  She didn’t look up at the faces gazing at her, choosing instead to open the file she carried and began reading. “FBI agents grilled Hanssen and Ames, but got nothing of value. And I have General Hendrickson’s assurances that no smallpox samples from Fort Detrick are unaccounted for. That leaves us with the CDC.”

  She turned a page, still not looking up. “Go on,” the President said.

  “This is where it gets interesting. In 1987 a sample of weaponized virus, a particularly nasty and lethal strain of hemorrhagic smallpox—lot number 87T-332, vial number two—was marked for destruction. It’s standard practice to incinerate biological samples to eliminate the hazard of accidental release. However, we cross-checked the records, and vial number two was not reported as destroyed. In fact, there are no subsequent records of this sample. It’s as if it just disappeared.”

  “So what happened to the sample?” Paul Bryan asked.

  “I can’t say definitively at this point in time,” she said. “But here’s the kicker. The genetic sequence was recorded, again standard procedure for purposes of tracking a possible release and infection. The genetic fingerprint of 87T-332 is a perfect match to virus samples from Georgia.”

  “Perfect?” General Hendrickson said.

  “As in identical,” she said.

  “My God,” President Taylor muttered and cast his eyes toward the ceiling.

  “Well, now we know where the virus came from,” Hale said. For a half minute the room was dead silent.

  “Do we know how it got into the hands of the Russians?” President Taylor said.

  “Not yet, sir. We’re still working on that. It will take some time. It’s possible we’ll never know.”

  The President lowered himself into the leather chair and pulled himself up to the table. “Does this revelation have any bearing on Bright Star?”

  General Collins glanced briefly at his boss. “Speak freely Bob,” Hendrickson said, confident he knew what his colleague would say.

  Bob Collins began flying in Viet Nam in 1972, F-4 Phantoms. He had been shot down once, but escaped capture by the Viet Cong. Later he commanded a B-1 Lancer—unofficially called the “Bone” by crew members, slang for B-One—in missions over Kosovo. He was well respected at the Pentagon and considered a brilliant strategist, extremely bright but also bringing combat experience in both fighter and bomber aircraft.

  “Mr. President,” General Collins began, “this information strongly suggests that this is a state-sponsored action, not a simple case of a local terrorist group holding civilians hostage. If the Russians are deploying biological weapons, then they are certainly in league with the NPA militia.”

  “What are the implications for your mission?” the President asked.

  “Our strike aircraft will be picked up on Russian radar long before they enter Belarusian airspace. There is a squadron of Su-27 fighters stationed in western Belarus. Those fighters are state-of-the-art. If I were the Russian commander, I’d dispatch those aircraft to intercept our B-1s and shoot them down.”

  “I thought our Raptor fighters would protect the bombers,” Taylor said.

  “The Raptors are flown by the best attack pilots in the world, and they can handle the Flankers—”

  Hale interrupted. “Su-27 fighters.”

  “I’m following,” President Taylor said. “Continue General.”

  “Our rules of engagement are to shoot back only if the enemy fires first. By the time those Flankers launch missiles, it’ll be too late. The electronic and other defensive countermeasures on the B-1 are good, but against a barrage of missiles there is a reasonable chance at least one gets through.”

  Feeling a huge weight on his shoulders, President Taylor considered the obvious solution: Change the rules of engagement to allow the Air Force to enter this mission on the offensive. But doing so would likely mark the U.S. as the aggressor, the party that fired the first shot in what could easily become a regional conflict, and possibly escalate to a European, if not global, war.

  “General Hopkins, what is your assessment?”

  First clearing his throat, the Commander of the Marine Corp answered, “I agree with General Collins’ assessment. I have over 200 Marines depending on those B-1s completing their mission and taking out the air defenses at the Minsk airport.”

  “The airport is heavily defended,” explained Hendrickson. “The Marines will be ferried in onboard Osprey transports—an easy target for missile and gun emplacements. Sir, we have to ensure the B-1 crews are able to drop their ordnance before the Ospreys are within range of the airport def
enses.”

  “And the SGIT team?” Taylor asked, addressing Colonel Pierson.

  “Alpha Team will insert from high-altitude and glide to the BSU campus. They will land on the roof of the chemistry building. That is the hostage location. It’s also where Peter Savage is. The insertion will occur simultaneously with the attack on the airport, drawing attention away from their lone aircraft and insertion. Once they secure the safety of the hostages, they will sit tight and wait for the Marines to arrive.”

  “Why not just send the Marines in right away to rescue the hostages?” the President said.

  “The BSU campus is only ten miles from the airport,” General Collins said. “The air defenses there easily extend that distance. We can’t get aircraft in until those missile batteries and AA guns are removed.”

  “You just lost me. What makes you think Colonel Pierson’s team can parachute in if the Russian missile defenses effectively extend over most of Minsk? Won’t his team be at risk of being shot down?”

  “No, sir,” Pierson replied. “Alpha Team is inserting by parachuting from high altitude. They can glide twenty miles using this technique and land on a pizza box. Their aircraft will never be in range of the air defenses at the airport.”

  President Taylor nodded understanding. “But the Flanker fighters do represent a credible threat.” The President had caught up to the reasoning of his senior military advisors and was finding only one acceptable solution.

  “Very well, gentlemen. Thank you for your candor. I understand your concerns and agree that this new development strongly implies a deep involvement on the part of Russia. Given that, I cannot, in clear conscious, send our men and women into this conflict without allowing them every opportunity to prevail.”

  President Taylor brushed his hand across the mahogany tabletop as if he were brushing away imaginary specs of dirt, thinking through his decision one final time before voicing it. “I want each of you to understand that I am arriving at this decision reluctantly. However, I fail to see any acceptable alternative.”

  His eyes swept across those of his Secretary of Defense and Joint Chiefs. “As of this moment, I am altering the rules of engagement. All American military forces operating in Bright Star are authorized to shoot first if—in their judgment—imminent threat is encountered. That use of force will, however, be limited to Russian military and pro-Russian militia forces and assets.”

  “Yes, sir, thank you, sir,” Secretary Hale replied. He glanced at his watch. “The assault will commence in twenty minutes with aircraft stationed in Germany. The SGIT transport has been en route for several hours.”

  “Good. Keep me informed. Paul, do you think you can get Pushkin on the phone?”

  “Given the circumstances, I think so.”

  “Good. See what you can do.” Paul Bryan excused himself as he left the meeting.

  “Colleen, if the Russians have cloned a sample of smallpox from our laboratory, is there any proof we can find of their involvement? Any way we can prove they are the ones who actually dispensed it, not us?”

  “The best proof would be the contraption that Colonel Pierson’s inside man found on the roof of the chemistry building. If we could analyze its construction, I’d expect to find many telltale indicators that its origin is Russian.”

  “Colonel, odds that your team can retrieve the device?” President Taylor said.

  “If anyone can, they will.”

  President Taylor nodded.

  “Can we glean any evidence of Russian involvement from the samples from Georgia?”

  “Perhaps, Mr. President. I didn’t mention it before because the data is still preliminary. As you know the CDC is also conducting a detailed analysis of the samples. So far, they have nothing new to add to the report from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. However, in two samples there are traces of foreign impurities, anticlumping agents. These chemicals are formulated specifically to preserve the smallpox virus as a finely dispersed powder, even after sitting for months, perhaps years, in an artillery shell. There are also microscopic residues of the bursting charge.”

  “Bursting charge?”

  “Yes, sir,” General Hendrickson replied. “It’s a relatively low-power, low-heat explosive intended to shatter the shell casing and disperse the contents. In this case, the weaponized virus.”

  “And you’re saying the analysis suggests this anticlumping agent and bursting charge are of Russian origin?”

  “Yes, sir. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

  Chapter 22

  Washington, DC

  “THAT’S CORRECT MISTER PRESIDENT.” Although Paul Bryan had an amicable relationship with the Russian Foreign Minister, Viktorovich Denisov, he had failed to persuade his counterpart to wake President Vladimir Pushkin for a conference with President Taylor. “Mr. Denisov reminded me of the time in Moscow and said that I should call later at a more respectable hour.”

  “President Pushkin is going to get a rather rude awakening shortly. Perhaps then he’ll agree to speak with me.”

  “There’s still time, sir. I could phone Denisov and notify him that a joint NATO-U.S. training operation is about to commence over Belarus.”

  President Taylor shook his head and held out his hand to calm Howard Hale before he launched into a rebuttal. “Thank you Paul, but no. We’ve covered this and I won’t risk harm to our aircrew by alerting the Russians. No, we’re going to slug it out if that’s what it takes, in which case the element of surprise will be to our advantage. Any news from the administration of President Yatchenko?”

  “About five hours ago he spoke to the media from a heavily guarded police station. He and many of the elected representatives have vowed to resist what they have labeled as an invasion by Russian military troops. He also says he told Foreign Minister Denisov that Russia had 48 hours to withdraw all military personnel and machinery—most notably the half dozen Russian fighters stationed at Baranovichi Air Base. Since the Belarusian military has little power to enforce this edict, it’s more symbolic, but clearly signals his government’s displeasure with the Kremlin.”

  President Taylor turned to General Hendrickson and wondered how it could be that his uniform always looked immaculate, even after a long day.

  “General, remind me again of the timetable.”

  General Hendrickson cleared his throat. “Very shortly two B-1 Lancers will enter Belarussian airspace, accompanied by three flights of Raptors. Russian medium-range radar will pick up the B-1s but they won’t detect the F-22 escorts, six in total, due to their low radar cross section. Simultaneously, a dozen Typhoon fighters from the Royal Air Force are approaching from the north, over Lithuania, and four F-16s will launch from Lask Air Base in Poland just ahead of the B-1s. The mission of the F-16s is to draw out the air defenses at the Minsk International Airport and destroy them with anti-radar missiles.”

  “You said medium-range radar. Are you implying that long-range Russian radar will detect the aircraft sooner?”

  “Yes, sir; I expect they are already tracking our aircraft,” replied Hendrickson. “An experimental over-the-horizon radar and tracking system can detect the Lancers, probably also the conventional fighters, anywhere over Eastern Europe. This system is code-named ‘Container’. But in order to achieve this range, the radio waves are bounced off the ionosphere, greatly reducing resolution.”

  “Very well. Continue please.”

  “We have two tankers loitering over Poland to gas up aircraft as necessary to keep them on station for as long as needed. One Air Force E-3 surveillance and tracking aircraft has also been deployed over Poland. The tankers and the E-3 are protected by the Typhoon fighters. Data from the E-3 is being streamed through the Joint Air Operations Command and Control center at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany.”

  “Any word yet on those Russian Flankers in Belarus?”

  “No, sir, not at this time.”

  President Taylor nodded, but he felt his gut tightening. Men and women wer
e flying into conflict, and the outcome was far from certain.

  Chapter 23

  Minsk

  “OH, THAT SMELLS AWFUL!” Dmitri said, almost gagging as he helped fill the glass balls with a mixture of the chemicals.

  “Butyric acid and cadaverine, or pentamethylene diamine. Mixed with some hexane for flammability,” Peter replied.

  “It’s awful—smells like dog feces and rotten meat.”

  “That’s the point. I selected these compounds based on a modern theory of non-lethal crowd control. Odors that cause a gag reflex. It’s instinctive in humans to avoid these smells which signal toxicity, and they elicit a strong response that’s hard to overcome.”

  “How do you know these things?” Dmitri asked.

  Peter shrugged. “In my business, it comes with the territory.”

  Dmitri frowned but decided not to probe further.

  “Why the hexane? Why not just fill the glass balls with the butyric acid and cadaverine?”

  “The hexane is my special modification. As the hexane burns, it will heat the other chemicals and spread the putrid odor faster. Plus there’s the natural fear of fire.”

  Peter was taping two-inch lengths of fuse to each glass ball after Dmitri sealed the glass stub with the torch. “Just light the fuse and throw. Pretty simple.”

  s

  Two hundred miles to the west, two Lancers were about to enter Belarusian airspace, only two minutes behind four F-16 Falcon jets. The B-1s had been gaining on the Falcons for the last 200 miles, ever since they went supersonic. The bombers were under the command of Major Lorraine Doyle, a career Air Force officer, graduate of the academy in Colorado Springs, and with 23 years in the service of her country.

  The U.S. offensive would be under the direction of Golden Eye, the E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system aircraft (AWACS). Circling above Poland, its radar coverage extended all the way into western Russia.

  Major Doyle’s mission objectives were clear: destroy anti-air defenses at the International Airport and provide close air support to the Marines who would be deploying into what was assumed would be a very hot landing zone (LZ). Although the B-1 was initially imagined to be an intercontinental strategic bomber, its offensive role had evolved considerably, in part due to a change in U.S. doctrine concerning the deployment of nuclear weapons, and in part based on the aircraft’s successes in Iraq and Afghanistan in the fight against the Taliban.