Kitabı oku: «Satan’s Tail»

DALE BROWN’S DREAMLAND
Satan’s Tail

WRITTEN BY DALE BROWN AND JIM DEFELICE

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Prelude: Lost Comrades

I Gimp Boy

II Xray Pop

III Territorial Waters

IV My Way or No Way

V Invaders

VI Paradise

VII Friends and Enemies

VIII Bloodthirst

IX The Glory of God

X Conspiracy Theories

About the Author

Also by the Author

Copyright

About the Publisher

DREAMLAND
DUTY ROSTER

LIEUTENANT COLONEL TECUMESH ‘DOG’ BASTIAN

The master of Dreamland, his ‘bark’ and ‘bite’ have won him many powerful Pentagon friends … and enemies.

CAPTAIN BREANNA BASTIAN STOCKARD

A woman in a man’s Top Gun world, she will stay on the attack and keep her cool when the fighting spins out of control.

CAPTAIN HAROLD ‘STORM’ GALE, USN

Commander of Xray Pop, a cutting-edge naval squadron, his ‘shoot first’ attitude puts him on a dangerous collision course with Washington and Dog Bastian.

CAPTAIN DANNY FREAH

War hero and potential future political star, Dreamland needs his bravery and his brilliance more than ever before.

JED BARCLAY

Barely old enough to shave – a science ‘whizz kid’ and deputy to the National Security Advisor – he is Dreamland’s link to the President and will be called upon to take the ultimate risk in the midst of crisis.

MAJOR MACK ‘THE KNIFE’ SMITH

An ace with more MiG kills than any flier since Vietnam, he was taken out of the game by a terrorist in Brunei … but nothing will keep him out of the fight.

Prelude:
Lost Comrades
Dreamland 2 November 1997 0610 (all times local)

The shock of light from the rising sun stopped Jennifer Gleason as she rounded the mountain. She raised her arm to ward off the glare, standing at the edge of the trail as her companion, Lt Colonel Tecumseh ‘Dog’ Bastian, continued to the pile of rocks. Dreamland – the United States Air Force High Technology Aerospace Weapons Center – stretched out before them on the floor of an ancient lake, its desert surface glowing as the pink fingers of the sun brushed back the shadows of the night. It was an awe-inspiring moment, the sort of thing that made you appreciate the enormity of creation and man’s small place in God’s scheme. Jennifer shuddered, humbled by the view.

The past few months had been a struggle for her, personally and professionally; they had shaken everyone at Dreamland. But standing here as the new day dawned, the scientist felt her hope and faith in the future renewed. She had come through a difficult storm, and if she was not the same person she had been before her troubles began, she was wiser and stronger in many ways.

She glanced upward, watching Dog scramble the last twenty feet to the monument they’d come to visit. It was a simple, polished stone, etched with the names of those who had died while serving at Dreamland. All were friends of hers.

Dog reached into his pocket for a small stone he’d taken from in front of his hut before they started their hike – a token, he said, of remembrance, not a fancy or formal thing, just a sign to the dead that he remembered their sacrifice. Important to him, which was what mattered.

Not a fancy or formal thing: That was Dog.

Jennifer watched as he placed the small stone in the pile at the base of the monument. His eyes had welled up, and she saw something she thought no one else in the world was privileged to see: a single tear slipping down his cheek.

Jennifer turned back to look at the base in case he glanced around and caught her staring. After a while he came over and put his arm around her waist.

‘Beautiful view,’ he said softly.

Jennifer went to the monument and paid her own respects, tracing each name with her finger. As they started down, they talked about breakfast and how hungry they were, but soon fell silent again. The long spells of quiet walking, both of them scrambling in the same direction, apart and yet together, were her favorite part of the trips they took.

When they rounded a curve about two-thirds of the way down, a pair of robot helicopter gunships undergoing tests at one of the test ranges a mile away roared into view. The small aircraft had stubby wings and counter-rotating rotors; at rest, they looked like miniaturized Russian-made Kamov Ka-50 Hokums, with wing-mounted small jet engines and a stabilizer a good distance forward of the rear tail. In flight, however, they looked like spiders with bird-shaped beaks, flitting over the desert. Because of their similarity to the Russian gunship, the aircraft had been dubbed Werewolves, the English translation of Hokum.

Dog pulled up behind her, scanning the horizon before realizing what she was watching. The aircraft began unleashing a coordinated attack on an enemy ‘tank’ – a plywood box in a dugout ravine. Rockets spit from the pods under their forward wings – ‘arms,’ as the designers called them. The tank disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

‘Good shots,’ muttered Dog.

‘Decent,’ said Jennifer, whose team had helped develop the attack programs. ‘I could have done better.’

‘You’re telling me you can beat the computer?’

‘As if that were an accomplishment,’ she said. ‘I wrote most of the program.’

‘Ray Rubeo says no human can beat it.’

‘That’s just Ray. I kind of like flying the Werewolf, to be honest,’ she said. ‘Maybe I should quit being a scientist and become a pilot full-time.’

He folded his arms and smirked. ‘Take real flying lessons first. Then we’ll talk about it.’

‘I may. Then that smirk will be on the other side of your face.’

His smile grew wider. He leaned forward and kissed her, then started walking again.

‘Good aircraft,’ he said. ‘Would’ve been useful in Brunei.’

Jennifer turned and followed him down the trail. She could tell he was brooding on the men he had lost, in Brunei and elsewhere.

‘You want to strangle the people who killed them, don’t you?’ said Jennifer when they paused for a rest.

‘Wouldn’t we all?’

‘Seriously, don’t you want to?’

‘Of course,’ said Dog. He swung his upper body left, then right, loosening up his back and shoulder muscles. ‘But I can’t. I don’t have the luxury of revenge.’

‘It’s a luxury?’

‘Maybe that’s not the right word,’ he said.

‘Would you if you could? Take revenge?’

‘I don’t know what I’d do if I could,’ he said. He stared in the distance, gazing at the Werewolves; but probably not seeing them, she thought. ‘I’ve taken revenge at times,’ he added. ‘I’ve pulled the trigger on people. As a pilot. You go after someone who shot at your friend, your wingmate. That’s revenge.’

‘Is it?’

‘It’s not enough, that’s the problem,’ said Dog. ‘I could strangle each of the terrorists who fired the mortar that killed Kick, and it wouldn’t be enough. You can’t get enough. That’s the problem, Jen. You can strangle them and pummel them and blast them to bits. It’s not enough. That’s the thing that gets you in the end. It’s just not even – it’s still lopsided.’

He started walking again. Jennifer watched him, wanting to know more but sensing she couldn’t, or at least that she wasn’t going to learn anything more by asking questions. When they came to the ledge above the road where they’d parked, she waited as he climbed down ahead of her, watching as he found the foot- and handholds. He stared at the rocks intently, but his hands seemed to move independently, the fingers nudging into the proper spots by touch.

‘I love you,’ she whispered, before descending on her own.

I
Gimp Boy
Dreamland 3 November 1997 0801

‘Hey, gimp boy!’

Major Mack Smith stared straight ahead at Dreamland’s administrative building, known as the ‘Taj Mahal,’ ignoring the razzing. He’d expected this sort of greeting, and after considerable thought decided there was only one thing to do: ignore it. Still, it wasn’t easy.

Worse, though, was the indignity of being wheeled into the Taj by an airman who’d been detailed euphemistically as his bodyguard.

‘Can’t even push yourself up the ramp, huh? A wimp as well as a gimp.’

The concrete ramp to the entrance of the low-slung Taj had been poured in several sections, and there was about a three-quarter-inch rise between the first and second. It wasn’t the sort of thing someone walking would notice, but for someone in a wheelchair – especially if, like Mack, they weren’t used to it – three-quarters of an inch rattled the teeth. He grimaced as the wheels cleared the curb.

‘Sorry, sir,’ said the airman, so flustered he stopped dead on the ramp.

Mack curled his fingers around the armrests of the chair, pressing out his anger. ‘Not a problem.’

‘Sorry,’ said the poor kid, pushing again.

Mack’s tormentor, sitting by the door to the building, laughed. ‘Bumpy ride, gimp boy?’ he said as Mack neared.

‘Good morning, Zen,’ said Mack.

‘How’s it feel?’

‘It feels good to be back at Dreamland,’ said Mack.

‘How’s the wheelchair feel?’ said Zen.

The automatic doors flew open, but Mack’s airman, thinking that Mack wanted to talk to Major Jeff ‘Zen’ Stockard, remained stationary. Mack glanced back at the airman. Pimples and all, the kid was looking at him with pity.

He felt sorry for him.

Sorry for Major Mack ‘the Knife’ Smith, holder of not one, but two stinking Air Force crosses. Mack Smith, who had shot down more stinking MiGs than any man since the Vietnam War. Mack Smith, who had run a small country’s air force and saved Las Vegas from nuclear catastrophe.

Mack stinking Smith, now in a wheelchair because of some maniac crazy terrorist in Brunei.

A wheelchair that the doctors agreed he’d be getting out of any day now …

The kid felt sorry for him.

Sorry!

Well the hell with that.

‘I can take it from here, airman. Thank you for your time,’ said Mack. He put his hands on the wheels of his chair and pushed himself forward.

Just as he did, the doors started to close. For a moment Mack thought he was going to crash into them, which would perhaps have been the ultimate embarrassment. Fortunately, they slid back and he made it inside without a crash.

‘Don’t tire yourself out,’ called Zen after him. ‘I want to race you later.’

‘That was a bit over the top.’

Zen whirled his head around, surprised by his wife’s voice. Breanna had come out from the building while he was watching Mack make his maiden progression in a wheelchair.

Zen shifted his wheelchair around to face her. ‘Somebody’s got to put him in his place.’

‘You’re being way too cruel, Zen.’

‘Turnaround is fair play.’

‘He never tormented you like that.’

‘No, he just made me a cripple.’

Zen, controlling two robot aircraft as well as his own, had been engaged in a mock dogfight with Mack nearly two years before, when one of the robots clipped his wing at very low altitude. The ensuing crash had cost Zen the use of his legs. Technically, Mack had not caused the crash – but in every other way, he had, egging him on, doing much the same thing that Zen had just done to him, and cheating on the accepted rules for the engagement.

‘I never thought there would be a day when Mack Smith outclassed Zen Stockard,’ said Bree.

‘You going for breakfast?’ Zen asked, changing the subject.

Breanna frowned at him, but then said, ‘I have an hour to kill before prepping for my test flight. I thought I’d get some breakfast over at the Red Room. I haven’t had a good omelet since Brunei.’

‘I’ll walk with you. No, wait.’ He put his hands on the wheels and pulled back for a launch. ‘I’ll race you.’

Aboard DD(L) 01 Abner Read, off the Horn of Africa 3 November 1997 1902

Captain Harold ‘Storm’ Gale put the binoculars down and folded his arms across his chest. The sea ahead of Abner Read was mottled and gray; the sun had just set, and an unusually thick storm front sent a light mist across his bow, obscuring not just his sailor’s vision, but the long-range infrared sensors that were looking for telltale signs of ships in the distance.

Perfect conditions for pirates. And perfect conditions for hunting them.

‘Two boats,’ said the Abner Read’s captain, Commander Robert Marcum. He was looking over the shoulder of the petty officer manning the integrated imaging system on the bridge to Storm’s left. The screen synthesized data from several different sensors, presenting them in an easy-to-read format. ‘Just closing to five thousand meters.’

‘Adjust our course,’ said Storm. He walked from the window at the front of the bridge to the holographic display, where data from the Tactical Warfare Center – his ship’s version of a combat information center – was projected, showing the Abner Read’s position and that of the oil tanker they had been shadowing. The holographic display presented a real-time view of the ocean created from ship’s sensors, complete with a computerized version of the surrounding geographic features and a rundown of threats within sensor range. The display could show everything from standard chart data to the range and likelihood of one of the Abner Read’s Harpoon missiles hitting a target; it was one of three aboard the ship, allowing the group commander to choose whether to be in the Tactical Warfare Center or on the bridge during the engagement. (It also allowed the Navy to designate a ship’s captain as overall group commander, a plan contemplated for the future.) Storm spent most of his time in Tac, which would have been the ‘traditional’ place for a group warfare commander to station himself; tonight, the lure of the hunt had drawn him here so he might actually see his prey.

Storm studied the three-dimensional image, gauging his location and that of the other ships. The contacts were identified by the sensors as fast patrol boats – small, light ships equipped with a deck gun, grenade launchers, and possibly torpedoes. They were the modern-day equivalent of the PT boats that America had used to help turn the tide in Guadalcanal and other fierce, shallow-water conflicts in the Pacific during World War II.

The question was: Whose boats were they? One of Oman’s or Egypt’s accompanying local merchants, in which case they were friendly? One of four known to be operated by Somalian fanatics turned pirates, in which case they were hostile? Or one of the half dozen belonging to Yemen, in which case they were somewhere in the middle?

The three other vessels in Littoral Surface Action Group XP One were several nautical miles to the south, too far away to help if these turned out to be the pirates he was hunting. This was the Abner Read’s fight to win or lose.

Storm reached to his belt and keyed his mike to talk to Lt Commander Jack ‘Eyes’ Eisenberg, who was in the Tactical Warfare Center one deck below the bridge. His wireless headset and its controller were linked to a shipboard fiber-optics network that could instantly connect him not only with all the sailors on the Abner Read, but the commanders of the vessels in the rest of his task group. With the touch of a button, he could click into one of several preset conferenced channels, allowing all of his war fighters to speak to each other and with him in battle.

‘Eyes, what do we have?’

‘Two boats. Roughly the size of Super Dvoras. They should be our pirates.’

‘If they are, there’ll be at least two more.’

‘We’re looking. Should we go to active radar?’

‘No, let’s hold off. No sense telling them we’re here.’

Past experience told them that the small boats could detect radar; more than likely they would run away, as they had several times before.

The contacts had been found by a towed array equipped with a passive sonar system to listen to the sea around it. Designed for use in the comparatively shallow waters, the system compiled data on surface as well as submarine vessels. Like devices such as the AN/SQR-18A (V) Sonar Tactical Towed Array System – used on the Knox-class frigates from the late 1970s on – the Littoral Towed Array System, or LITAS, was built around a series of hydrophones that listened for different sounds in the water. These were then interpreted and translated into ship contacts.

In theory, LITAS could hear anything within a twelve-mile radius of the ship, even in littoral waters where sounds were plentiful and easily altered by the shallow floor of the ocean. But like much else aboard the Abner Read and its companion vessels, the new technology still needed some adjustments; five miles had proven the average effective range thus far on the voyage, and the presence of a very loud vessel such as the oil tanker tended to mask noises very close to it. The approaching storm would also limit the range.

The four-ship war group Storm headed was as much about testing new technology as she was about catching the pirates. And the Abner Read was the centerpiece of both the task group and the tests. Named for a World War II destroyer that fought bravely in the Pacific until being sunk by kamikazes, the new ship had all the spirit of her predecessor but looked nothing like her. In fact, though she was called a destroyer, she bore little resemblance to other destroyers in the U.S. Navy – or any other navy.

It had often been said that the U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke destroyers represented the culmination of nearly one hundred years of warship design. Truly, the Arleigh Burkes were the head of the class, in many ways as powerful as World War II battleships and as self-sufficient. The Abner Read showed what the next one hundred years would bring. Indeed, there were many who hadn’t wanted to call her a destroyer at all; proposals had ranged from ‘littoral warfare ship’ to ‘coastal cruiser.’ The Navy might be ready for a radical new weapon, but a new name seemed too much of a break with tradition, and so she was designated a ‘destroyer, littoral’ – or DD(L) – the first and so far only member of her class.

At 110 meters, she was a good deal shorter than the Arleigh Burke class, closer in size to a frigate or even a corvette. Where the Arleigh Burkes had a bulky silhouette dominated by a massive radar bulkhead, a large mast, and thick stacks, the Abner Read looked like a pyramid on a jackknife. A pair of angled pillboxes sat on the forward section of the deck, which was so low to the water, the gun housings were generally wet. Her stern looked like a flat deck; the section over what would have held the rudder on another ship was open to the ocean, as if the sea wanted to keep a finger on her back. The ship didn’t have one rudder – it had several, located in strategic spots along the tumbleform hull. The rudder and hull design made the Abner Read extremely maneuverable at low and high speed. And while the exotically shaped underside and wet deck took a bit of getting used to, the Abner Read had remarkably good sea-keeping abilities for a small ship. It didn’t so much float across the waves as blow right through them. Stormy ocean crossings were almost comfortable, certainly more so than in a conventional ship of the same size, even though the vessel had been designed primarily for shallow coastal waters.

The screws that propelled the ship were located almost amidships, recessed in a faceted structure that helped reduce their sound. They were powered by gas turbines whose exhausts were cooled before being released through the baffled and radar-protected funnel. The engines could propel the Abner Read to about forty knots in calm water. More important, she could sustain that speed for forty-eight hours without noticeable strain.

The three smaller craft that had accompanied the Abner Read to the Gulf of Aden looked a bit like miniature versions of her. Officially called Littoral Warfare Craft, or LWCs, they were designed from the keel up to work with the DD(L). Not only did their captains receive orders from a commander in the DD(L)’s tactical center, but the ship received sensor data as well – each had an integrated imaging system on her bridge identical to the one on the Abner Read. The vessels were crewed by only fifteen men, and in fact could be taken into combat by as few as five, though the mission had shown that a somewhat larger complement would be more comfortable. About 40 meters long, they were roughly the size of a coastal patrol boat and needed only twelve feet of draft at full load displacement. The vessels had a 25mm gun on the forward deck, a pair of multipurpose missile launchers – loaded, in this case, with Harpoon antiship missiles – toward the stern, and below-waterline torpedo and mine dispensers. Smaller than the Abner Read, they had a correspondingly smaller radar signature. Their long, knifelike bows and finlike superstructures had led inevitably to a warlike nickname: Shark Boats.

XP Group 1 – better known as Xray Pop – was one of twelve proposed integrated littoral warfare combat groups that would eventually combine surface warfare ships with unmanned helicopters and aerial vehicles, small submarines, and Marine combat teams. But like Xray Pop, the littoral warfare concept was still very much a work in progress. The Navy had said ‘XP’ stood for ‘extended patrol.’ The sailors who manned the ships knew it actually meant ‘expect problems.’

Storm firmly believed littoral warfare was the Navy’s future. The teething pains he suffered on this maiden mission would help shape warfare for the next fifty years. He’d freed Xray Pop from the engineering spaces and Pentagon offices and dragged littoral warfare out into the real world, and he meant to show it would work.

Which meant sinking the bastards in the little boats.

‘One of the unidentified patrol craft is heading in our direction,’ said Eyes.

‘Do they see us?’

‘Not sure.’

Storm moved back to the window of the bridge. The UAVs designed to operate off the ship’s fantail were running nearly eighteen months behind schedule. Without them, the Abner Read had no beyond-the-horizon capability and in fact had a very limited weapons range. Storm hadn’t intended on operating completely without airborne cover – a pair of P-3 Orions from the Seventh Fleet had been moved up to Kuwait to provide reconnaissance during his operation. But the P-3s had been pulled out for higher priority missions in the Philippines, and the promised replacements had not materialized. And while he had been offered helicopters, these were still back in Pearl Harbor, as near as he could determine.

Not that he would have wanted them anyway. They were too big for the Abner Read’s low-slung hangar area, which had been designed for the UAVs. They’d have had to be lashed to the helipad.

‘More contacts,’ said Eyes. ‘Two more patrol boats. I think these are the Somalians, Captain.’

‘They’re a bit far from home,’ said Storm, feeling his heart beginning to pound. ‘Are you sure these are not Yemen craft?’

‘We’re working on it.’

Storm could hear the voices of the others in the background, ringing out as more information flooded the sensors. The Tactical Warfare Center was a Combat Information Center on steroids. A holographic display similar to the smaller one on the bridge dominated the compartment. Synthesized from all of the available sensor inputs on the ship, as well as external ones piped in over the shared Littoral Warfare Network, the display showed the commander everything in the battle area. It also could provide scenarios for confronting an enemy, which made it useful for planning. Tac also held the Abner Read’s radar, sonar, and weapons stations.

Two more contacts were made, then a third: Storm felt the adrenaline rising throughout the ship, the scent of blood filtering through the environmental system – the Abner Read was on the hunt.

‘Two more boats. Small coastal craft.’

‘No markings.’

‘Deck guns on one.’

‘Another contact. Something bigger.’

‘Storm, we have an Osa II,’ said Eyes. ‘Definitely a Yemen boat – what’s he doing out?’

The Osa II was a Russian-made missile boat that carried Soviet-era SSN-2A/B ‘Styx’ surface-to-surface missiles. A potent craft when first designed, the Osas were now long in the tooth but packed a reasonable wallop if well-skippered and in good repair. The Yemen ships were neither.

Storm studied the tactical display. The Osa II flickered at the far end of the hologram, about five miles away.

‘Looks like they’re getting ready to attack the tanker,’ said Commander Marcum.

‘Good,’ Storm told the ship’s captain.

‘Gunfire! They’re shooting across the tanker’s bow!’ Eyes paused for only a second, gathering information from one of the crewmen manning the high-tech systems below. ‘The oil tanker is radioing for assistance. They are under attack.’

‘Weapons,’ said Storm.

‘Weapons!’ repeated the captain, addressing his weapons officer.

‘Weapons,’ bellowed the officer on duty in the weapons center, Ensign Hacienda. The ensign’s voice was so loud Storm might have been able to hear it without the communications gear.

‘Prepare to fire the gun,’ said Marcum.

‘Ready, sir.’

‘At your order, Storm.’

The gun was a 155mm Advanced Gun System, housed in the sleek box on the forward deck. The weapon fired a variety of different shells, including one with a range of nearly one hundred miles that could correct its flight path while on course for its target. At the moment, the Abner Read carried only unguided or ‘ballistic’ ammunition, which had a range of roughly twenty-two miles – more than enough to pound one of the boats firing on the tanker.

‘Eyes, give them fair warning,’ said Storm.

‘Aye, Captain.’ The disdain for the rules of engagement was evident in his voice. Storm shared the sentiment, though he did not voice his opinion.

‘No acknowledgment. Attack is continuing. We –’

Eyes was nearly drowned out by a stream of curses from one of the men on duty in the Tactical Center. Storm knew exactly what had happened – the computer had gone off-line again, probably as they attempted to transmit a fresh warning in Arabic using the computer system’s prerecorded message capability. It was one of the more problematic modules in the integrated computing system. It would take at least a full minute to bring it back.

The tanker’s running lights were visible in the distance. Storm picked up his glasses and scanned the horizon. They were still too far from the small patrol boats to see them, even with the infrared.

‘Missile in the air!’

The warning came not from one of the men on the bridge or the Tactical Center, but from the computer system, which used a real-language module for important warnings. Talking wasn’t the only thing it did: In the time it took Storm to glance down at the threat screen on the Abner Read’s ‘dashboard’ at the center of the bridge, the computer had managed to identify the weapon and predict its course.

A Styx antiship missile.

‘Well, we know which side he’s on,’ said Storm sarcastically. ‘Countermeasures. Target the Osa II.’

The ship’s captain moved to implement the instructions. He didn’t need Storm to tell him what to do – and in fact he wouldn’t have been ship’s captain of the Abner Read if he weren’t among the most competent commanders in the Navy – but he also knew Storm well enough to realize the captain wouldn’t sit in the background, especially in combat.

‘Computer IDs the missile as a type P-20M with an MS-2A seeker,’ said Eyes.

The MS-2A was a solid-state radar that featured the ability to home in on the electronic countermeasures – or ECMs – being used to jam it.

‘Is he locked on us?’ asked Commander Marcum.

‘Negative. Trajectory makes it appear as if he fired without radar, maybe hoping we’d go to the ECMs and he’d get a lock.’

Or it was fired ineptly, which Storm thought more likely. Nonetheless, they had to act as if it were the former.

The holographic information system projected the missile’s path – a clean miss. As Eyes said, the missile was aimed well wide of them; it would hit the ocean about a half mile to the south.

‘Belay ECMs,’ said Marcum. ‘Repeat: no countermeasures. Target the missile boat with our gun.’

Storm nodded. Marcum really understood how to fight these guys. He’d make a good group commander down the road.

‘Missile is on terminal attack,’ warned the computer.

The Styx missile slid downward, riding just a few feet above the waves, where it was extremely difficult to stop. One of the Phalanx 20mm Gatling guns that provided close-in antiair coverage rotated at the rear of the ship, tracking the antiship missile as it passed. A yellow cone glowed in the holographic display, and the gun engaged, obliterating the missile at long range, even though it wasn’t a threat.

A problem with the program of the automated defensive weapons system, Storm noted. It tended to be somewhat overprotective – not necessarily a bad thing, but something that could stand a little tweaking.

‘Torpedoes!’ sang the computer.

‘Toward us or the tanker?’ Storm demanded.

‘Not sure,’ said Eyes, who was scrambling to make sense of what was going on.

‘Who fired the torpedoes? The missile boat?’ said Marcum.

‘Negative – they must have come from the patrol craft. That’s a new development.’

The patrol craft were relatively small, and until now had not been seen with torpedo tubes on their decks. Storm decided this was a compliment, in a way – after a week of running off, they’d decided to change their tactics.

The tanker was about three miles off their port bow, with the attacking pirates slightly to starboard. This was not the usual pattern of attacks – ordinarily four or five fast patrol boats and a few small speedboats would charge a slow-moving, heavily laden ship, fire a few dozen slugs to get its attention, and then send a heavily armed boarding party aboard. The ship’s captain would be persuaded to phone his company headquarters and have a transfer made to an offshore account specially set up for the night. Once the transfer was made – the amount would be about ten thousand dollars, relatively small considering the value of the cargo – the tanker would be allowed to go on its way. The small ‘fee’ charged helped guarantee that the pirates would get it; most multinational companies considered it a pittance, cheaper than a port tax – or trying to prosecute the perpetrators.

‘Those torpedoes are definitely headed in our direction,’ said Eyes. ‘We don’t have guidance data.’

Marcum ordered evasive action. As the helmsman put the Abner Read into a sharp turn, the ship’s forward torpedo tubes opened, expelling a pair of small torpedo-like devices. They swam about a quarter of a mile; at that point, the skin peeled away from their bellies and they began emitting a thick fog of bubbles. The air in the water created a sonic fog in the water similar to the noise made by the ship. The destroyer, meanwhile, swung onto a new course designed to minimize its profile to the enemy.

‘They must have guessed we’d be nearby,’ said Marcum. ‘I think they homed in on our radio signal when we tried to warn the oiler and threw everything they had at us. Rules of engagement, Captain. They make no sense.’

‘Noted for the record,’ said Storm.

And wholeheartedly agreed with.

‘Tanker captain says he’s been fired on,’ reported communications. ‘Asking for assistance.’

‘Inform him we intend to help him,’ said Storm.

The ship took a hard turn to port, still working to duck the rapidly approaching torpedoes.

‘Steady, now, Jones,’ Marcum told the man at the helm as the ship leaned hard toward the water. The helmsman had put a little too much into the maneuver; the Abner Read’s bow tucked well below the waves as she spun. The ship forgave him, picking her bow up and stabilizing in the proper direction.

‘Torpedo one has passed. Torpedo two has self-destructed,’ said the computer.

‘They’re running for it,’ said Eyes.

‘They can’t run fast enough,’ answered Storm. ‘Full active radar. Target the missile ship. I want him for dinner.’

Dreamland 3 November 1997 0901

Dog looked up at the familiar knock. Chief Master Sergeant Terrence ‘Ax’ Gibbs appeared in the doorway, head cocked in a way that indicated the chief wanted to talk to the colonel in confidence for a few moments. Bastian might be the commander of Dreamland – the Air Force’s secret high-tech development facility in the Nevada desert – but Ax Gibbs was the oil that made the vast and complicated engine run smoothly.

‘Chief?’

‘Couple of things, couple of things,’ said Ax, sliding into the office.

Dog knew from the tone in the chief’s voice that he was going to once again bring up their chronic personnel shortages. He reached to his coffee cup for reinforcement.

‘Need a refresher?’ asked Ax.

‘No thanks.’

‘I’ve been looking at head counts …’ Ax began, introducing a brief lecture that compared Dreamland’s overall workforce to a number of other Air Force commands and facilities, as well as DARPA – the Department of Defense Advanced Research Program Agency – and a number of private industry think tanks. The study was impressive for both its breadth and depth. Ax’s numbers not only compared overall positions, but broke them down to real-life instances, such as the number of people sweeping the floors. (Dreamland had exactly two people doing this, both airmen with a long list of other duties. The men had been drafted – to put it euphemistically – into the service when budget cuts eliminated the contract civilian cleaners.)

‘… and we’re not even considering the fact that a good portion of the head count here is also involved in Whiplash,’ added Ax. He was referring to Dreamland’s ‘action’ component, which included a ground special operations team, headed by Danny Freah, as well as whatever aircraft were needed for the mission.

‘Preaching to the converted,’ said Dog.

‘Yes, but I do have an idea,’ said Ax. ‘Congresswoman Kelly.’

‘Congresswoman Kelly?’

‘Congresswoman due in next week on the VIP tour,’ said Ax. ‘She has a staffer who has a brother in the Air Force. If a nonclassified version of the report were to find its way into the staffer’s hands …’

‘No thank you,’ said Dog curtly. He reached for some of the papers Ax had brought in.

‘Colonel –’

‘I don’t want to play Washington games.’

‘With respect, sir.’

Dog put down the papers and looked up at the chief. Ax’s lips were pressed together so firmly that his jowls bulged.

‘Ax, you know you can speak freely to me any time,’ said Dog. ‘Hell, I expect it. None of this “with respect” shit. You want to call me a jackass, go for it. You’ve earned it.’

‘Colonel… Dog.’ The chief pulled over the nearby chair and sat down, leaning forward with his elbows on the desk. ‘Your people are really busting. Really, really busting.’

‘I know that.’

‘We have to get more people here. And that’s true everywhere. Dr Rubeo was saying –’

‘Ray could find a cloud over the desert, and does so regularly.’

‘Even the scientists are overworked. Jennifer has what, five different projects going? She’s been the main test pilot on the Werewolves after Sandy Culver and Zen. Did you know that?’

‘Did I?’ Dog laughed. ‘She brags about it all the time.’

‘Well, now I like her a lot, but she has other things she’s gotta do. And the rest of the people here, hell, they’re as bad or worse. Civilian scientists, military officers, and enlisted – they’re all overworked workaholics. Problem is, Colonel, sooner or later the people who can leave will leave. Sooner or later, when you haven’t had a chance to sleep in a week, it catches up to you.’

‘Who hasn’t slept in a week?’

Ax rose from the chair.

‘I’ll do what I can, Ax,’ said Dog. ‘But I’m not sneaking through the back corridors of Congress to get what we need.’

‘Yes, sir. Major Smith is outside, reporting for duty.’

Ax opened the door before Dog could say anything else. Mack Smith was sitting in the outer office, flirting with the secretary.

‘Mack,’ said Dog, getting up. ‘I thought you were in rehab.’

‘I am,’ said Smith. He turned awkwardly in his wheelchair and rolled toward the doorway. Even though the door had been widened after Zen returned to active duty, it was a tight squeeze. It took Mack a few seconds to maneuver through the doorway.

‘Major Mack Smith, formerly of the Brunei Royal Air Force, reporting for active duty,’ said Smith.

‘I thought we agreed you would use the facilities here but wait to get back to work until the doctors gave you a clean bill of health.’

‘Ah, the doctors say I’m fine.’

‘The doctors said there’s no reason you won’t get your legs back. That’s not quite fine.’

‘What do the doctors know? Besides, Zen didn’t wait.’

‘Zen’s circumstances were different,’ said Dog.

‘Sure. He had a high-powered lawyer read the Air Force and the DoD the riot act,’ said Mack. ‘And he was related to the base commander.’

Dog bristled. Zen was his son-in-law, but he had had nothing to do with his reinstatement.

‘Zen was posted here before I arrived,’ said Dog.

‘Look, Colonel, the thing is – I’m bored out of my skull, right? I’m going through rehab. I have to come onto the base every day. Might as well put me to work, right?’

‘It’s not that I don’t want to put you to work, Mack.’

‘I can get a high-priced lawyer if I have to,’ said Mack. ‘I hear Zen’s is available. Us gimps have to hang together.’

Dog felt his face flush at the word ‘gimps.’

‘You’re worried that I won’t do the crap work, right?’ added Mack. ‘You’re looking at a new man, Colonel. Brunei taught me a lot.’

‘One of the things it taught you is that you don’t like administrative crap work,’ said Dog. ‘You told me that yourself. Several times.’

‘I don’t like it, but I’ll do it. Same as you. We’re not that different, you and me, Colonel. We like to have our sleeves rolled up,’ he added.

God help me, thought Dog, if I have anything in common with Mack Smith. ‘All right,’ he said. ‘There are a lot of things that need to be done. None of them involve flying.’

‘Who’s flying? Bring them on.’

‘The Piranha program needs a liaison. Someone who can work with the Navy people to help them move it to the next phase.’

‘Right up my alley,’ said Mack. ‘A big part of my job in Brunei was interfacing with Navy people.’

He was referring to his position as head of the Brunei air force, which had in fact required him to work with members of the country’s other military services. From all reports – including Mack’s – it had not gone well.

Piranha was one of several Navy projects being developed under contract at Dreamland. An underwater robot probe, it could be controlled by ship, submarine, or aircraft and operate for several weeks without needing to be refueled. The technology that guided it was similar to the technology used in the Flighthawks, which was one of several reasons it was being developed here. Dreamland had used Piranha to halt a nuclear war between India and China.

‘What else do you want me to do?’ asked Mack.

‘Let’s start there. Remember, you’re a liaison, not the program director.’

‘I’m the idea guy,’ said Mack. ‘Got it.’

‘Not exactly.’

‘Don’t worry, Colonel. I have it. Listen, I really appreciate this. I won’t forget it, believe me. I’m happy to be back. Like I said, Brunei taught me a lot. This is a new Mack Smith you’re looking at.’

As the major rolled out of the office, Dog struggled to keep his opinion of how long the new Mack Smith would last to himself.

Aboard the Abner Read 3 November 1997 1942

‘We have a lock on the Osa missile boat,’ reported Weapons.

‘Marcum, he’s yours to sink,’ said Storm.

‘One of the patrol boats is turning toward us,’ warned Eyes.

‘Torpedo in the water,’ warned the computer.

‘Fire,’ said Commander Marcum.

A deep-throated rap from the front of the ship drowned out the acknowledgment as the number one gun began spitting out shells, one every five seconds. The holographic display did not delineate every hit – the designers thought this would be too distracting – but the target flashed red as the barrage continued.

‘Direct hit,’ reported Eyes. ‘Target demolished.’

‘Evasive action,’ said Marcum. ‘Evade the torpedoes.’

The crew sprang to comply. One of the torpedoes stayed on target with the Abner Read despite the countermeasures, and the lithe vessel swayed as the helmsman initiated a fresh set of maneuvers. The torpedo finally passed a hundred yards off their port side, detonating a few seconds later.

‘Close the distance on the patrol boat that fired at us,’ Marcum told the man at the wheel.

The helmsman pushed at the large lever that worked the computer governing the ship’s engines. They were already at full speed.

‘UI-1 is about a minute from Yemen waters,’ reported Eyes. ‘Outside of visual range. The others are well beyond him.’

‘I have a lock on target designated as UI-1,’ said the weapons officer.

‘Captain, it’s my responsibility to report that the target ship is approaching Yemen territorial waters,’ said Commander Marcum. ‘Our rules of engagement prohibit sinking a vessel outside of neutral waters.’

‘Are you giving me advice?’ Storm asked.

‘Sir, I’m operating under your orders. I was to notify you of our status prior to engagement …’ Commander Marcum paused. ‘I want to sink the son of a bitch myself.’

‘Noted. Sink him.’

‘Weapons: fire!’

‘Firing.’

Both guns rumbled. Within thirty seconds the patrol craft had been obliterated.

The three other pirate vessels had disappeared. Relatively small contacts, they were easily lost in the clutter near the irregular coast. The computer generated approximate positions from their last known citing, rendering them yellow clouds in the holographic projection. They were well inside Yemen territorial waters – out of bounds.

Storm turned his attention to the three Shark Boats. He directed One and Two to sail westward, hoping to catch the patrol boats if they went in that direction. The third would remain to the east, in case they went that way. The Abner Read, meanwhile, would search for survivors from one of the two vessels they had just sunk; if recovered, he might be persuaded to share what he knew.

Storm clicked his communications channel into a public address mode that allowed him to communicate not just with all personnel aboard the Abner Read, but with everyone in the combat group.

‘All hands, this is Captain Gale,’ said Storm. ‘The DD (L) 01 Abner Read has sunk its first enemy combatants in action this November 3, 1997. I was privileged to witness the finest crew in the U.S. Navy undertake this historic mission, and I commend everyone, from Commander Robert Marcum to Seaman Bob Anthony – Bobby, I think you’re our youngest crewman,’ he added. Storm turned and saw Marcum grinning and nodding. ‘It was a hell of a job all around. Xray Pop has been christened, ladies and gentlemen. Now look sharp; there’s still a great deal to be done tonight.’

Humboldt County, northwestern California 3 November 1997 1205

Lieutenant Kirk ‘Starship’ Andrews got out of the car he had rented in Los Angeles and walked across the gravel parking lot toward the church. He could hear the strains of an organ as he approached; he was late for his friend’s memorial service.

He was thankful, actually. He felt he owed it to Kick to be here, but didn’t particularly want to talk to anyone, Kick’s parents especially. He just didn’t know what to say.

The music stopped just as Starship came in through the back door. He moved quickly toward the last pew in the small church, eyes cast toward the floor. The minister began reading from the Second Book of Chronicles, a selection from the Old Testament of the Bible concerning the bond between Solomon and God: ‘“Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people.”’

The passage spoke of wisdom and riches; the minister used it as a starting point as he asked God for the wisdom needed to accept a young man’s death. The reverend spoke frankly of the difficulty of comprehending the loss. ‘Lieutenant James Colby was a hero,’ he said. ‘But that does not make his loss any easier for us to take.’

Was Kick a hero? wondered Starship. He was a decent pilot and a hard worker; he’d been brave and seen combat. But was he a hero?

Kick had died in the line of duty, caught in a Megafortress when it crashed during an aborted takeoff in Malaysia after guerrillas had seized the kingdom of Brunei. Starship had been on the aircraft himself, strapped in next to Kick on the control deck for the Flighthawks. The fact that he was here and Kick wasn’t, he thought, was just a matter of dumb, stupid luck. Bad luck.

If he had died, would he be a hero?

Starship listened as the service continued with different friends recounting their memories of Kick. He’d gotten his nickname not from the high school football team – which was the story Kick had told – but from peewee soccer. It came during his first game as a six-year-old, when he scored a goal. The nickname had stuck from there, becoming widespread in high school, where he’d switched to football and set a county scoring record booting extra points and field goals.

Starship’s mind drifted as the service continued. If the luck had run differently – if he had been the one who got the freak piece of shrapnel, and the sudden shock that combined to do Kick in – what would people be saying about him?

Smart kid – number three in his high school class and in the top five percent at the Academy.

Should have chosen a few more gut classes and got top honors.

Won an assignment to Dreamland on the cutting edge of aviation.

A mistake. He was flying robot aircraft, glorified UAVs. The computer did most of the work. It was like sitting at a desk all day.

‘I’ll bet you’re Starship.’

Starship turned and saw that a woman had come into his pew from the side. Maybe five-two, with dark hair and green eyes, she looked a lot like Kick.

‘Alice,’ she whispered. ‘Kick’s sister.’

‘Hi.’ He stuck his hand out.

‘We’re glad you could come.’

‘Yeah, um, I’m sorry.’

‘I know.’ Distress flickered across her face, but then cleared. ‘We’re having – my parents are inviting people over later. You should stop by.’

‘I kinda gotta get back,’ Starship lied.

‘Well, OK. But say hello to them on the way out.’ She smiled – this time with visible effort – and then slipped out of the pew. Starship watched as she slid into another pew farther up. Somehow this made him feel better, as if he hadn’t been singled out, and when Kick’s parents asked him at the end of the service if he would stop by ‘just for coffee,’ he agreed and got directions.

Dreamland 1231

Mack felt the muscles in his shoulders tense into hard rocks as he lowered himself into the pool. He had to relax if he was going to do the exercise, but relaxing on command was just about the most difficult thing in the world to do. He lowered his gaze to the surface of the pool and concentrated on breathing slowly, very slowly, as slowly as he possibly could, taking long, deep breaths, as one of the physical therapists at the hospital had recommended.

‘All right now, Major, you want to start with a nice, easy breaststroke,’ said Penny Hartung, treading water next to him.

‘Yeah, that’s what I’m going to do,’ he said. But he didn’t let go of the rail, afraid that he would sink into the water like a stone.

Which was impossible, since he was wearing a life preserver. But fear wasn’t necessarily rational.

‘You all right?’ asked Frank DeLia, the other therapist. Frank was kneeling above him at the poolside.

‘Oh yeah, I’m good,’ said Mack, finally pushing away. He fought against the impulse to paddle madly, moving his arms out slowly as he’d been told.

‘Legs now. Legs,’ said Penny, hovering beside him.

Yup, legs, Mack thought. Legs, legs, legs.

The large beam that had fallen across his back and legs after the terrorist blew himself up had temporarily shocked his backbone. The medical explanation was somewhat longer and more complicated, but the bottom line was that he had temporarily lost the use of his legs. The thing was, no one could say how long ‘temporarily’ was supposed to be. He’d already seen several specialists; he got the impression they all thought he should be walking by now.

Not that he didn’t agree.

Mack pushed his arms out and willed his legs to kick. He didn’t feel them move. He thought his hips wiggled a little.

‘Legs,’ repeated Penny. ‘Legs.’

He got a mouthful of water as he started to lose momentum. He had his whole upper body working, and thought his legs must be working as well.

‘Push, push,’ said Penny.

‘Doing it.’ Mack checked his position against the far side of the pool. He’d gone maybe five feet. ‘Legs,’ he said himself, deciding he might do better if he gave himself a pep talk. ‘Legs. Let’s do it.’

There was a tremendous splash on the other side of the pool: Zen, who worked out here regularly.

‘Come on, gimp boy. That the best you can do?’

Mack ignored Zen, keeping his head toward the other side of the pool room. He sensed Zen swimming toward him. Determined to ignore him, he concentrated on doing a sidestroke, or at least as much of a sidestroke as he could manage.

‘Your arms are punier than Olive Oyl’s,’ said Zen.

Legs, Mack thought. Legs.

‘Use your damn legs,’ said Zen.

‘I’m trying,’ said Mack between his teeth.

‘Not hard enough.’

‘Yeah. I am.’ The burn in Mack’s arms was too much; he stopped and took a breather.

‘Don’t be such a damn wimp,’ said Zen. He plunged beneath the water, stroking away.

It occurred to Mack that swimming underwater when you couldn’t use your legs to help must be – was – extremely difficult. But then, just about everything you did when you couldn’t use your legs was extremely difficult. And Zen didn’t complain or ask for help – hell, he got mad when people tried to help him.

Which Mack understood. He’d thought after Zen’s crash that Zen got mad only with him, because he held a grudge. Now he realized Zen got mad with everyone. The reason was simple. Most of the people who wanted to help you – not necessarily all, but most – were thinking, You poor little baby, you. Let me help you.

For someone like Zen or Mack, being treated like a baby, being pitied – well the hell with that!

But you needed help sometimes. That was the worst part of it. Sometimes you just couldn’t drag yourself up a full flight of stairs, not and bring your wheelchair with you.

‘Ready to start again, Major?’ asked Penny.

‘Oh yeah. Starting,’ said Mack, pushing.

‘Ten laps, gimp boy!’ yelled Zen from the other side of the pool. ‘You owe me ten laps.’

‘Right,’ muttered Mack.

‘I’m going to do twenty in the time it takes you to do one.’

‘It’s not a race,’ said Penny.

The others liked Zen, so they wouldn’t tell him to shut up, Mack thought. And he wasn’t going to tell him to shut up either, because that would be like saying Zen had won. No way. Let him be the world’s biggest jerk. Great. Fine. Just because you couldn’t walk didn’t make you a stinking hero or a great human being. Zen was a jerk before his accident, and he was a jerk now.

A bigger jerk.

‘Legs,’ said Penny.

‘Yeah, legs,’ grunted Mack.