Gambit

by Karna Small Bodman

  “Yes, Mr. President. I’ll do that.” The secretary headed toward the door and the chief of staff stepped forward and checked his notes.

  “What else have you got?” the president demanded.

  “Dr. Talbot sent a memo to the vice president indicating that they’re getting started on the retrofitting of the F-16 out at Travis.”

  “And?”

  “And they’re having a few problems. She’s not sure the pod is going to fit right under the fuselage. They have to make it a bit smaller and lighter because they’re working with a tactical aircraft, not a big airliner.”

  “Oh Christ!”

  “But they’re working on it.” He looked down again. “And Jay also told me that the Japanese are taking their sweet old time agreeing to some preliminary language on the proposed mutual defense pact with Taiwan.”

  “But he’s scheduled to leave in two days,” the president said.

  “I know. He says he’s still going to fly out there on time and try to iron out the differences when he gets to Tokyo.”

  “And what about that Q-3 team from Bandaq? Is that at least on track?”

  “Yes, sir. Their CEO reports that they have all the equipment ready to go. They load and take off first thing tomorrow, refuel at Travis, pick up Dr. Talbot and head over to Taiwan to deploy the Q-3 defensive system.”

  “How long will it take them to get it up and running?”

  “Not sure. All I know is that the Chinese started their military exercises this morning.”

  “Already?”

  “Yes. They’ve started to move their ships into the Taiwan Straits, and we just got word that they’ve got a whole slew of amphibious landing craft ready to go.”

  “Go where?” the president asked, raising his voice.

  “That is the question of the day.”

  CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

  TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE

  “I hear the coffee’s pretty decent at Rickenbacker’s,” Cammy said as she and Sarah pushed open the door to the Air Force Lodging Hotel.

  “Hope it’s Starbucks,” his assistant said.

  “And I hope I don’t run into Hunt Daniels.”

  “What’s with you two anyway?”

  Cammy sighed. “It’s a long story. Let’s just say we were an item once.”

  “Once? Boy, if I ever had my hands on that hunk, I wouldn’t let go,” she said with a grin.

  “I wasn’t the one who let go,” Cammy said, walking up to the counter and scanning the menu posted on the wall.

  “Sorry about that,” Sarah said. “Oh look, they’ve got rolls and crumb cake and a lot of good stuff here.”

  “Right. I could use something good before we head over to that hangar and get more bad news.”

  “You really think those crew chiefs won’t be able to attach the pod and connect the systems?”

  “As of yesterday, all they were saying was that the system was FUBAR.”

  “FUBAR?” Sarah asked raising her eyebrows.

  “It’s a military term. ‘Fucked-up-beyond-all-recognition.’”

  Sarah burst out laughing. “At least they sound like they’ve got a sense of humor.”

  “They’ll need a lot more than that if we’re going to get the test flights on track. I’m supposed to be leaving for Taiwan this afternoon with my old Q-3 team.”

  “I know. When do they land anyway?”

  “Around five. They’re not taking a long break here. Just enough time to refuel and get going. We want to get there first thing in the morning and get started.”

  “You never get a break, do you?”

  Cammy straightened her headband and gave the clerk their order. “As things are going right now, I may not get a break at all.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “If we can’t get the pod on right and check the system before that first test flight tomorrow, I may have to stay, finish the job and figure out how to get to Taiwan later.”

  “But commercial planes aren’t flying. Then again, I’m not sure about all the international flights,” Sarah said.

  “I know. It’s a total mess.”

  At precisely 1705 hours, the C-5 Galaxy cargo jet made a smooth landing at Travis, taxied to a terminal and came to a stop. A sergeant driving her jeep turned to Cammy and said, “Those pilots have a pretty good on-time record.”

  “Yes, I can see that.”

  “Of course, they’re about the only planes flying these days.”

  “I know. It’s a complete catastrophe how our whole transportation system is down. That’s why it’s so important that we finish our job here.”

  “Yeah, I know.” He steered through a gate onto the tarmac and drove up to the C-5. Several people were coming down the stairs. Cammy jumped out of the jeep and ran over to her colleagues.

  “How was the flight? Everything get on board okay? Is everyone ready for this?”

  The questions kept spilling out before anyone had a chance to answer. She hugged two of the women who got off first, then four men as several crew members also came off the plane.

  “Hey Cam.”

  “Hi Dr. Talbot.”

  “Great to see you.”

  “How’s it going with the laser?”

  “Got it working yet?”

  Everyone was talking at once. After a frustrating day when some of her simulations didn’t seem to be working right, it was great to see these happy faces. Faces of young scientists and researchers now working on her invention, the Q-3 missile defense system. She had trained all of them. She was proud of the way they had taken over her division and expanded the production line so that the system could be deployed around the world to protect American troops stationed abroad.

  She was proud that this new technology actually could neutralize a cruise missile and save lives. She was proud of the fact that ever since her invention had been incorporated into the president’s system of layered defense, nobody had even fired a cruise missile near any of their forces. And the allies who had purchased Q-3 had remained safe from attack as well. What rogue state would shoot off a cruise missile if everyone knew it could be diverted and destroyed? What would be the point?

  They all trooped into the terminal to take a break. The women headed to the Ladies Room, the men went off on their own to hit the snack bar and coffee machines.

  “So, Cammy, where’s your luggage? We’re leaving in less than an hour,” one young scientist said.

  “Well, that’s the problem. Now I can’t go with you.”

  “What? But we need you. I mean, to set up, to get organized, to show the Taiwanese …”

  “I know. I know. I thought I could be ready, but I can’t. Not yet. The processor has been over-heating and going into a soft fail. It needs to cool down. It just isn’t responding the way it did back in the lab. Right now I’m calling it a faith-based initiative, if there ever was one.”

  One of the woman laughed as Cammy continued. “Back in Rockville, I thought I had everything lined up right, but now I seem to be stuck. I feel kind of like a fly in amber.”

  Her colleague shook her head and grinned. “Aw c’mon, I’m sure you’ll nail it.”

  “Sure hope so. Guess I just need a little more time.”

  “How much time?”

  “Hopefully just one more day,” Cammy said. “I figure if I can work on this thing all day tomorrow, I found out that there is a flight out of San Francisco tomorrow night. Direct to Taipei. At least some of the international flights are operating. I’ve got all the numbers of where you guys are staying, who your contacts are. So you go on ahead. Start getting set up. It’ll take a while to get the satellite and radar functional anyway.”

  “Yes, but we thought …”

  “I thought so too. It’s just that I don’t have any choice. But hey, it’s only one day. This all just came up at the last minute. I had already packed a few things and was working on the F-16 this afternoon when I realized it was still screwed up. I can’t leave. Not yet.” />
  The scientist pushed into the ladies room with Cammy and another girl in tow. “Well, okay. I can see how you’ve probably got your hands full out here. By the way, it’s really hot right now. Is it always like this?”

  Cammy laughed. “At Travis? Oh yeah. The summers can be pretty brutal. It’s almost like being in the desert. And with all of this open concrete around, I mean with the runways and all, they reflect the sun all the time.”

  “And it doesn’t rain much, right?”

  “Right. On the other hand, we’re only about an hour away from San Francisco, when anybody can get away that is. And that city is blessedly cool this time of year.”

  “So I’ve heard. So you’ll get to go there tomorrow and catch your flight, huh?”

  “Yes. If I can wrap things up here, or at least get it all hooked up for others to test. I figure I’ll leave a little early, stop and see my mom on the way … she lives in the city … and then catch that flight tomorrow night.”

  They all freshened up, washed their hands, brushed their hair and the scientist commented, “I don’t know why I’m trying to look good right now. As soon as I’m back on board, I’m going to have to try and get some sleep. Once we get to Taiwan, it’s going to be crazy.”

  Cammy put her brush back into her shoulder bag, swung the purse over her shoulder, and the women headed back out to the snack bar area. They sat and chatted with the other members of the Bandaq staff and told stories about how the company got its name. Cammy told the newest staff members the story about the two guys who were bare-boating down in the Caribbean and how they came up with ideas about some new technologies. They were drinking Banana Daquiris at the time. Voila. “Bandaq.”

  Then Cammy and her colleagues talked about how they had to deal with various foreign governments when they set up their system overseas, and speculated on how long it would take them to get Q-3 up and running over in Taiwan. One man said he heard the Chinese had started their military exercises, and he wondered if that’s why the Taiwanese were so nervous all of a sudden.

  “Yes,” Cammy answered. “Jayson, uh, the vice president told me that China is going through their usual saber-rattling routine, but whenever they do this, Taiwan gets pretty upset. And it’s especially bad now because there are several factions within Taiwan’s government who are talking more openly about bringing up another vote on independence.”

  “Good luck on that idea,” one man replied.

  Cammy glanced at her watch and got up. “And good luck to you all on this mission. I’ll call and let you know if I make that flight tomorrow night.” She went around the group, gave each person a hug, and they all walked back out to the huge cargo plane.

  “Looks like they’re through refueling,” one young man said. “Better get on board.”

  “Okay guys, do a great job. See you soon.”

  Cammy waved as she watched them board the plane. She turned and walked over to the Jeep that was parked nearby. As she got in she said to her driver, “What a great group. I loved working with them, and I’ll have a chance to be with them again in Taiwan. There’s one scientist who used to work for Sandia National Labs. She’s got a lot of patents to her name. I’m really impressed with her.”

  “Brainy bunch, huh?” the sergeant said. “Say, do you wanna watch the big one take off? It’s quite a sight. Sometimes when I see those babies on the runway, I wonder how they ever get enough lift, but they always do.”

  “Sure, let’s do that.”

  The sergeant started the jeep and drove back toward the gate. He turned the steering wheel and lined up perpendicular to the runway. The sun was still pretty high in the sky, and her friends would be heading west. Cammy poked around in her bag for her sunglasses, put them on and watched as the huge jet taxied out.

  She heard the roar of the engines as it headed down and gathered speed. Then she saw the plane gently lift off and soar toward the heavens. It kept going higher and higher. Cammy shielded her eyes and craned her neck. “You’re right,” she said to the sergeant. “It’s quite a sight.”

  Just as the plane climbed to an altitude that made it seem like a tiny toy, it suddenly exploded in a fireball that rivaled the sun.

  Cammy screamed. The sergeant jumped out of the jeep and dozens of enlisted men and officers poured out of the hangars and nearby terminal to stare at the horrible sight as the plane broke apart and separate pieces of flaming wreckage rained down in a hail of flares and twisted steel.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

  THE WHITE HOUSE

  “Mr. President,” the press secretary careened through the door to the Oval Office and without preamble almost shouted, “Another one. The C-5 Galaxy. Travis Air Force Base. The Bandaq team. The missile defense system …”

  “What?” The president said, jumping up from his chair and coming around the edge of his desk to face the young man. “You mean the cargo plane on the way to Taiwan?”

  “Yes sir, right now, shot down, right after take off.”

  “Oh my God!” He grabbed the phone that automatically rang on his secretary’s desk when he lifted the hand set. “Get the vice president in here, and the chief of staff. No, wait, get the DNI on video conference in the Sit Room and the SecDef. Get the base commander at Travis on it too if you can. We’ll head downstairs right now.”

  He turned back to his press secretary. “I can’t believe this. A military plane shot out of the sky? They have certain systems on board that can detect an attack.” He shook his head and pointed to the notebook the press secretary had in his hand. “Don’t say anything. Not yet. We need a coordinated statement here. I’ve got to get the facts from that base commander. We’ve got to find out if the Tower saw or heard anything, anything on radar this time. I’ve got to have a complete list of all those on board and, God, I’ve got to make calls to their families. This was a mission that we ordered and now all those bright young scientists and engineers are … oh, what the hell!”

  The press secretary made some notes and stared at his boss. “I’ll try to hold off for a little while, sir, but you know how it is. Press is screaming. It’s already a complete madhouse back there.”

  “I know. I’m sure. But it’s very important that we handle this right. Taiwan was counting on those people to protect them if the Chinese decide to do something stupid. Now we’ve got to figure out how to calm them down and …”

  “Calm down the nation?”

  “Yes. That too. And the vice president is scheduled to head over to Japan but now with this … Look, I’ve got to get downstairs. Why don’t you come down with us? Stay out of the press room for a while. We’ll draft a statement in the Sit Room when we figure out what the hell happened out there.”

  Jayson Keller raced down the carpeted steps to the basement level of the White House and headed toward the door to the Situation Room. When the agent sitting outside the door saw him coming, he swiveled around and punched the numerical code into the key box and held the door open so the vice president could head in without breaking stride.

  As Jay got to the door of the conference room, he saw the president, the press secretary and chief of staff gathered inside. “I just heard,” Jay said. “I can’t believe this. Cammy was on board that plane,” he announced to the small group in a forlorn voice.

  “We know,” the president said. “This is the worst God damn nightmare I could imagine. We send over the best and most dedicated work force, and they get blown out of the sky by these maniacs. And for what? For what, I want to know.”

  A technician came in and began the video conference. “Sir, I have the director of national intelligence and the secretary of defense, but we’re still waiting on the Travis Base commander. I’m afraid he’s not in a position to …”

  “Well, stay on it,” the president ordered. “If you can’t get video, just get him on the damn telephone. Let us know as soon as he’s in position. We need his take on this God damn disaster.”

  Jay’s face was a ghostly grey as he sat down to
the right of the president and put his head in his hands. “She’s gone,” he muttered. “I can’t believe she’s gone.” He raised his eyes and he added in a halting voice, “And I sent her over there.”

  The chief of staff put his hand on Jayson’s shoulder. “Look, Jay, it’s not your fault. She volunteered for this assignment. She knew how important it was. Or rather, how important it could be.”

  Jay pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and blew his nose. “Uh, sorry, Mr. President. It’s just that …” his voice trailed off.

  “Take it easy. We’re all over wrought about this thing.” He glanced up at the screen as images of the DNI and the SecDef focused in. The president addressed his defense secretary first. “So what do we know? Anything yet?”

  Iggy looked down at some notes and then said, “First reports are that there was no indication on radar in the tower that a missile of any kind was heading toward that cargo plane. But the sensors on board the plane did sound an alarm. The pilots radioed that they believed they had been targeted. They tried to deploy decoys that had been installed on their fleet just recently, but they evidently had no effect.”

  “Obviously!” the president murmured. “Anything else? How high was the plane?”

  “We’re still getting details on that. But they believe it was pretty high. Much higher than any type of old shoulder-fired missile that we’ve seen in the past could reach.”

  “Then what the hell was it?”

  “We still don’t know, sir.”

  “Well, see what else you can find out,” the president said. “Now what’s the latest on China’s military exercises and the situation in Taiwan.”

  “Taiwan is on full alert, sir. The exercises are underway and we’re monitoring every missile launch site that we know of at this point.”

  The president eyed the DNI on the screen and asked, “Anything new on these bastards?”

  “We may have a line on some communications to a group in San Francisco. They’ve been sending and receiving a series of encrypted messages embedded in photographs that we’re working on.”