by Ricky Sides
They immediately found out that they had one serious problem with the vehicle, and that was the enormous size of the flying machine. It was so wide that it took both lanes of the typical two-lane road for them to utilize the road for travel. During their first hour of travel, Patricia had called for him to land while she tweaked the computer software to compensate. She’d then tweaked the algorithm so that the computer was constantly scanning ahead of the vehicle for any sign of an obstacle. The computer would then automatically raise the altitude of the ship to compensate. For the most part, the computer could do this early enough that the rate of climb was not outrageous and the ride then became much more stable.
She explained, “Logically we could just set the altitude to twenty or twenty-five feet and not be concerned about the occasional stalled car, or vehicular traffic. In this case, logic would be wrong. The energy consumption rates at that altitude are enormous. Of course, we could go off road if you would prefer that. The ship was designed for off road use.”
Tim shook his head and said, “There’s too great a risk of problems in the untested ship. I think we should stick to the roads as much as possible for now.”
“I do need to review the energy system with you a bit. The text regarding it in the book your father gave me is ambiguous at best.”
“All right, here’s how it works,” Patricia replied. “The energy system is solar powered. You know that already. What you may not know is that it’s the most advanced solar energy collection system ever devised. It can even generate power from starlight and moonlight.”
“You already know about the ability of the hull to withstand assaults because we have discussed that in the past. What we didn’t discuss is that the hull itself is the solar collector. It is the sensitivity of this material to light that allows it to generate electric current, which is grounded at the batteries. The batteries absorb that power and store it for later use. The hull of the ship and battery system can handle overloads of power. How much of an overload it can handle we don’t yet know. We do know that it can handle the power generated in a lightning strike. It has done so in the past. One of my colleges speculated that one lightning strike would fully charge the ship if it was completely depleted of energy. Once the batteries are fully charged the computer drains the excess energy being generated by adjusting the flight level. We’ll come back to that in just a moment.”
“The batteries are also advanced. Indeed, they are the most advanced batteries ever created. They incorporate organic components, retain energy, and transfer it very efficiently. The batteries can go from fully depleted, to a full charge in four hours on a sunny day. If you have to keep the ship operating, that time would be extended to fourteen hours assuming of course you operate the ship at peak efficiency.”
“Peak efficiency, for the sake of this discussion, is a flight level of ten feet, a cruising speed under one hundred miles per hour and no weapons discharges. Flight levels at maximum altitude drain enormous amounts of energy. You already know that, but so do the weapons. However the weapons drain power to a much lesser degree than the maxed flight level unless you are executing what the military calls a mad minute.”
Tim laughed at that point and nodded his head in understanding. He’d taken part in many such activities. In the military, when ordnance becomes outdated they tend to dispose of it by having the troops take it to the practice ranges and expend massive amounts in minutes. Hence, the term mad minute was used to describe the all out conflagration of firepower in a wasteful manner.
“The single most important factor to understand about the power consumption of the ship is flight level. To understand this, you need to comprehend what drives the ship through the air. The ship generates an electromagnetic field that permits it to lift upward over the ground. The higher the ship is lifted, the more energy is required to do that lifting because you are in effect extending that magnetic field. The weight of the load being lifted is also a factor, and in theory the ship could become overloaded to the point that attaining maximum velocity and flight level become impossible.”
Smiling she added, “But we didn’t want to have that issue crop up during field testing and a lot of effort went into ensuring that the ship would be able to operate at peak efficiency, even if ten percent overloaded. This was important to the military because one possible use of the ship was hostage retrieval and they needed the ability to haul away more than they went into action with, in terms of weight.”
“The ship moves forward when the devise that projects the electromagnetic field is tilted at an angle. When the pilot decides to stop he works the appropriate control which tilts the angle in the opposite direction of the momentum of the ship.”
“This explanation is an over simplification of the system, but it’s the explanation I was given. Sorry, all that technology is beyond me.”
“That’s all right. I never really understood electricity, but that never kept me from using the technology it ran.”
Laughing Patricia finished, “So in summation, the ship can travel at peak efficiency for days on a single full charge. However, in practical application it won’t work out that way because of the flight level variances we’ll be encountering. In addition, it should be noted that flight speed is also a drain on the system though not nearly as bad as flight level. On a clear day, assuming the power of the ship has been depleted, the ship can reach a sustained speed of one hundred-eighty miles per hour on the power being generated by the hull but at night that would drop to one hundred-twenty. So you see the ship is a complex system to operate. Much more complex than one might think at first glance.”
“All right, Patricia, you tweak the program to compensate for me and then we’ll get underway again. It’s a shame you can’t program it to make evasive maneuvers for us too. Then I could concentrate on activating the weapons more and worry about dodging the enemy less if and when we come under attack.”
“That’s actually a good idea. If we had a full crew, it wouldn’t be necessary but since we don’t have the support of a full crew anything that the computer can be programmed to do to assist us would be welcome. Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll add it to my
to-do list. But the communications is next.”
“Communications? We have a problem with our communications?”
“No, but I want to set the communications system to detect any communications in the area we’re traveling through. I’ll have it monitor all frequencies and search for keywords that would indicate an attack is underway. The computer would detect such keywords and sound an alarm. I could then listen to the message and determine if it is indeed an attack. If it were an attack, I would then let you know. We would be able to make a decision as to our reactions based on what we learned from the communications system.”
Smiling at his wife, Tim said, “You’re unbelievable. You’re gorgeous, and so smart that by comparison I feel like an idiot at times.”
Blushing at the compliment, Patricia thanked her husband and settled down to work on her projects.
***
Later that same day they arrived at an area of open flat land. Tim stopped the vehicle and let it hover above the ground. He called to his wife and said, “Patricia, do you want to join me up here and watch as I test the ship?”
“Sure I do,” she said in excitement and came forward to sit in the chair beside Tim.
“I’ll do the speed test first, and then we can test the weapons,” he said. He engaged the drive and the ship lurched forward at extreme velocity. Patricia felt herself being pressed into her seat. The open fields on both sides of the road were whipping by at an incredible speed. Within moments Tim said, “One-fifty, one-sixty, one seventy and One-eighty! We are now traveling at maximum speed.
The deep whine that Patricia had heard at the beginning of the test had softened in both tone and volume. She looked at the landscape streaking by them as they literally flew down the highway. “Do you think we should try to change altitude?” she asked.
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“Yes I do. We need to know what this thing can and can’t do. You never know when we may have to take evasive action and in a situation such as this, the only sane thing to do would be to change altitude a lot. At this speed, I wouldn’t want to try any more stringent course changes.”
For several miles, Tim altered the flight level of the ship multiple times. The test revealed a bug in the safety protocols. It was possible to bring the ship to within one foot of the surface of the road. At these speeds that was too close because even a hill could cause the ship to impact with the surface of the road before the computer corrected the flight level. Patricia made a note to raise the minimum flight level to three feet at top speed. Tim said, “That should give the computer time to compensate for the contour of the road.”
“This also makes me aware of the dangers of attempting to fly over ground traffic. The ten foot flight level should clear most vehicular traffic except the big rigs of course, but what if we’re over a vehicle and the contours of the road surface smash us onto the top of the vehicle before the computer adjusts our flight level?” he asked.
“That’s a very good point,” Patricia observed. “I think we should have a policy that we don’t fly over ground traffic at all except in an emergency. However, if you do need to fly over such traffic, you should do so in a manner that leaves plenty of clearance between the ship and the ground vehicle.”
“That will make my job more difficult, but I agree. I think it’s the only safe protocol that we can establish. I hope you can tweak the software so that the computer adjusts a bit earlier for contour changes though, just in case I’m slow in my maneuvers.”
Patricia agreed that the matter did warrant special consideration. She gave it a high priority on her to do list.
After running a thorough series of tests, Tim stopped the ship and said, “So much for the drive system. Now we need to test the weapons systems.”
“I knew you’d get around to that.” She looked thoughtful for a moment and said, “I saw a lot of limestone rocks and boulders about ten miles back up the road. Would they make suitable targets?”
Tim smiled in anticipation, and said, “I think that would do quite nicely.”
The couple arrived at the field of limestone rocks within minutes. “The big rock in the center will be my target,” Tim said. A moment later, he activated the weapons system and a blue light streaked out and touched the rock. Seconds after the light touched the rock; red pulses flashed down the blue beam and struck the target. The target rock had begun to smoke the moment the blue beam hit it, but when the red pulse rode the blue beam down to the target, the rock suddenly blew apart.
Tim smiled his satisfaction and said, “That was the main gun. Impressive, I’d say,” he said as they examined the rubble that was all that remained of the boulder. Tim spun the ship one hundred and eighty degrees putting the stern toward the targets to test the twin rear guns. He activated the smaller guns. Two green beams of light flashed out, struck two large rocks about two hundred yards from the ship, and then they deactivated. The targets remained where they were, apparently unharmed. Tim scratched his head in confusion and said, “According to the book they should have been destroyed.”
“Let’s go take a closer look at them,” Patricia suggested.
Shrugging Tim engaged the drive and flew near the two targets. He let the ship hover in front of the rocks and stared in amazement. There were neat holes in both targets. The holes were several inches deep and about two inches in diameter. “Impressive,” he said. Then he smiled at Patricia and said, “Why, these two guns alone would take out most tanks.”
“Let’s hope we never have to try,” she said with feeling.
“Well, that just leaves the belly gun to try out.” He spun the ship in a slow complete circle, searching for a target and then turned it twenty degrees to starboard. He said, “There’s a target that should do nicely.”
Patricia looked out the windshield in the direction he was indicating. For a moment, she didn’t see what he was talking about, but then she noted the abandoned van. “I wonder who left that van there.”
“I don’t know but it has been abandoned a long time.” He pointed out the broken windows and the flattened tires and said, “But it should make an excellent target to test the belly gun.”
A few moments later, Tim maneuvered the ship until it hovered over the van. He hit the switch that activated the belly gun. At first, he thought nothing had happened, but then he saw fire at the edges of his vision. He eased the ship around and moved away from the van. When he judged the ship far enough away from the target to see the results of the test, he spun it around once more to face the van. As soon as Patricia saw the burning van she said, “My god!”
Tim could appreciate her reaction. He was stunned himself. An area of several feet all around the van was burning, and the van itself was a raging inferno.
Tim turned to his wife and smiled. “I don’t think we’re going to have to worry too much about Marauders as long as we’re in the ship and able to use our weapons,” he said.
Chapter 34
When Pete saw that the man coming toward him was Bill Young, he got up from his place of concealment. He waited until Bill was only a few feet away before he spoke to him. He said, “I hope you made sure no one followed you.”
“I was careful,” the man said, frowning noticeably. Then he asked, “What’s going on, Pete? Why are you suddenly so set on secrecy?”
Pete didn’t say a word. He just handed Bill a letter. Knowing Pete well by now, Bill knew better than to question Pete about the letter. He just unfolded it and began to read.
Pete watched Bill’s face intently. He wasn’t surprised when Bill snapped his head up and asked, “Do you know who wrote this letter?”
“If I did, he’d be a dead man and we wouldn’t be standing in this corridor having this conversation.”
Bill was shocked. He couldn’t believe that a man in the group was willing to sell out the entire group to Reggie. He was about to ask another question but Pete held up his hand for silence and said, “There’s more. Read the rest.”
Bill did as he’d been told and read the rest of the letter. When he finished reading the correspondence, he stared into space for a few moments digesting the contents, and what the information contained in the letter must mean. “There must be two of them,” he said.
Pete smiled coldly at Bill as he said, “That’s the impression I got when I read it.” He leaned back against the wall and sighed. “The only thing that we can do is try to get everything ready ahead of schedule. That way, we can leave a few days early and hopefully avoid any traps that Reggie is no doubt planning to arrange for us.”
Bill nodded his agreement, but then his face turned hard and he asked, “Just who can we trust?”
“No one, Bill. From here on out we trust no one.”
Bill nodded his head in agreement. Pete looked at the man whom he had come to consider his best friend in Chicago and said, “You watch your back from now on, Bill. You never know when one of Reggie’s buddies might try to stick a knife in it.”
“I will, Pete, and you do the same.” Bill noticed that Pete hadn’t let down his guard. Even though he appeared to be relaxing, his eyes were constantly scanning the tunnel behind his lieutenant. He shifted his body slightly so that he could see the tunnel behind Pete’s back. He didn’t miss the knowing look of approval on Pete’s face when he did this.
Nodding his head in approval Pete said, “Good. You haven’t forgotten your lessons.” Frowning, he added, “If you want to stay alive, I suggest you remember all of your lessons. I’d say you are number one or two on someone’s hit list.
“I’ll do my best,” Bill said quietly. Now that he was in full combat mode, his senses were sharper. He could smell the damp air of the tunnel that was impregnated with the oddly metallic smell of the red and black bricks, which lined the passageway. “How did you come across this letter?” he asked his mentor.
Pete slowly let his gaze shift from the tunnel to Bill’s face and then back to the tunnel again. When he answered, he kept his voice low pitched so it couldn’t carry far down the tunnel. He said, “As you know, yesterday I was outside checking out the area. I went out the new escape tunnel that was completed a few days ago. While I was outside, I decided to check the ventilation shafts to see if the Marauders had discovered them. When I arrived at the number four ventilation shaft, I saw a red flag tied to a stick. The stick was shoved into the ground right beside the ventilation shaft. The letter was tied to the stick.”
“I waited for Reggie to show up. When he didn’t show up by nightfall, I decided to return to the shelter and see what I could do to minimize the damage that might have already been done.”
“Since you intercepted the letter we shouldn’t have any problems should we?” Bill asked.
“We have to assume that Reggie has some way to get in touch with these two men. How would he know where to pick up their messages if he weren’t already in contact with them?” Pete asked.
“I see your point,” Bill said nodding his head. “So we get ready early and pull out a few days prior to the assumed date.”
“That’s the best option as of now. That could change of course. Anything’s possible,” Pete responded.
“Well, we could go the other way and postpone the trip for a month. That would give us a month extra to ferret out the traitors.”
Pete shook his head and said, “We know what they’re planning right now. If we delay our departure, they would just make other plans. I prefer knowing what their plans are so that we can devise contingency plans to cope with their attacks.”
“I understand that, but haven’t you already tipped off Reggie to the fact that you’re on to the traitors?”
“No, not yet. I plan to put the note back where I found it tonight. I don’t think Reggie actually knew when the traitors would get the information to him. He has probably had the air ducts staked out for quite some time. My guess is he checks them daily. Maybe he’d already checked it yesterday before the accomplices left the note.”