by Dale Brown
“Why did you kill Leif Delamar, Andorsen?”
“You mean, the man spying on us yesterday morning?” Andorsen asked. “ Your spy? He deserved to die.”
“He was unarmed.”
“He was a spy and a traitor, and spies and traitors are executed — that’s the law of war.”
“Why did you kill all those members of the Knights of the True Republic?” Patrick asked. “More innocents murdered, by you .”
“They were cowardly sheep, betrayed by their leader into agreeing to come onto the air base for their so-called protection and assistance,” Andorsen said. “They are better off dead than surrendering themselves to the government!”
“So who else do you intend on killing with radioactive dirty bombs, Andorsen?” Patrick shouted. “What other innocents will die?”
“I never used dirty bombs on anyone!” Andorsen shouted. Now the assemblage was looking suspiciously at him instead of Patrick or the CID. “That’s a lie! Prove that I’ve ever used dirty bombs! Yes, I have explosives, and I’ve lashed out at enemies of this community! But I’ve never used dirty—”
“You’re a liar, Andorsen,” a voice shouted behind him. It was Michael Fitzgerald, pushing a cart carrying a large wooden crate with J. ANDORSEN CONSTRUCTION stenciled in black letters. “If you’ve never used dirty bombs, what’s this ?” And Fitzgerald kicked the crate open…
… revealing a large steel-and-concrete cask, marked with radioactive-material symbology.
“You planted that on me!” Andorsen shouted. “It’s a plant! You’re trying to set me up!”
“You murdered my friend right in front of my eyes, you lousy bastard,” Fitzgerald shouted. “You had me spy on my friends and inform on them to the FBI. All I wanted was a job, Andorsen — you turned me into a traitor.”
“No one’s going to believe you about anything, you stupid loser,” Andorsen said, “especially if you’re dead !” And he reached into his jacket for his Smith & Wesson.357 Magnum revolver…
… but Fitzgerald was faster. He pulled out a Browning M1911 semiautomatic pistol and fired three times before Andorsen’s revolver could clear the flying jacket.
“I may be a loser,” Fitzgerald said, “but I can draw and shoot better than you any day.” He stepped over the body, off the stage, and over to Patrick, Rob, David, and John. “I’m sorry, guys,” he said. “I told Andorsen about your surveillance, the Tin Man, the robot, and the backups, and he told the FBI. I was just trying to get into his good graces so he’d give me a job. I set up Leif with Andorsen’s guards, but I didn’t think they’d kill him! Then I helped the van get on base. Jesus, I really screwed up.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Patrick said. He turned to the crowd. “Go home, everyone,” he said in a loud voice. “Go home, hug your family, and try to trust the government again. It may not be perfect, but it’s ours. If you don’t like it — fix it. Don’t try to destroy it.” He looked up at the CID. “Let’s go, big guy.”
“Okay, Dad,” Brad said — and Patrick thought he could hear Brad’s own voice, not the electronic one.
Epilogue
I find no hint throughout the Universe of good or ill, of blessing or of curse; I find alone Necessity Supreme.
— James Thomson
Downtown Battle Mountain
Days later
Patrick emerged from the hotel hand in hand with Darrow Horton and walked to the hotel’s parking lot. “Are you sure you can’t stay one more night?” he asked. “I can fly you to Reno in the Centurion so you can catch your flight.”
“When you get a real airplane, Patrick, then I’ll fly with you,” Darrow quipped. “Anyway, the U.S. attorney has dropped all the charges, and they said they’d talk with the FAA about those sensor things you put on the airplanes. It looks like Civil Air Patrol is interested in installing them on all their planes.”
“Excellent,” Patrick said. “That’d be a nice little piece of business for Sky Masters.”
They were silent for a few moments; then: “Are you sure about all this, Patrick?” she asked. “You’re giving up the appointment to be the vice president’s space policy adviser?”
“Yes,” Patrick said. “I’ve been to Washington and the White House already, and didn’t really care for it.”
“But… I’m in Washington,” she said. “You and Brad could come and stay with me, and we could… take it from there?” He said nothing, which was all the answer she needed. “So what are you going to do?” she asked. “Go to Sacramento? Arizona? Las Vegas?”
“No — I’m going to stay right here,” Patrick said.
“Here? And do what? The base is closed. With the base closed, Battle Mountain will practically be a ghost town!”
“I’ve accepted a job,” Patrick said. “I’m going to be vice president of Sky Masters, Inc., taking over Jon’s position. And my first order of business will be to move the company to Battle Mountain.”
“What?”
“I’ve always said that this place has a lot going for it — wide-open space, good people, isolated but central to a lot of big-city talent, fresh air, and low costs,” Patrick said. “All this place needed was a commitment . I tried it with the air base — now I’m going to try it with Sky Masters. I’m going to hire the best young minds in the country and build the next generation of bombers, space systems, weapons, satellites, or whatever the newest technology will be, right here in the ‘Armpit of the World.’ In ten years, this will be the space and technology capital of the world.”
“Unbelievable,” Darrow said. She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Well, if anyone can pull it off, you can. Good-bye, Patrick. Call if you need me.” And she drove off without looking back.
Patrick drove the Wrangler to his rented trailer about a mile away, down a long dirt road and up a short rise. In the fading light of sunset, he looked at the excavation for the foundation of his new home. It would have a great view of the growing city and the soon-to-be bustling airport, and plenty of room for visiting sisters and their families, dogs, maybe horses — and grandkids, of course. He couldn’t wait to get started.
Patrick went inside and poured himself a Balvenie on the rocks. It was when he sat down and activated his intraocular monitor that he noticed he had an e-mail message… from Gia. It read: I heard you were going to Washington and would be in the White House. I can’t go to that place. I’ll get better and try to build a life here out west, and when you are ready to settle down, please call me. Love, Gia.
Patrick immediately hit reply and began to compose a message, telling her that he wasn’t going to Washington, that he loved her and wanted her back with him and was going to stay right here… but he erased the message. Gia needs to get better, and I’m not quite ready to help her do that, he thought. When we’re both ready, maybe. He answered e-mails — including irate ones from President Phoenix and Vice President Page — finished the drink, and went to bed early.
* * *
Later that night, a four-door crossover SUV drove up the dirt road toward the trailer, then backed up the rise so the car was pointed back down the road. All of its lights were extinguished. Two men silently got out of the vehicle and dashed for the trailer, guns drawn, wearing night-vision goggles and bulletproof vests; two more men stayed in the car, on guard. With expert ease the two assassins broke into Patrick’s trailer, made their way to the bedrooms, and began firing at the beds. They turned and dashed back out the front door, getting ready to arm an incendiary grenade to burn down the trailer…
… and ran headlong into a lone, dark figure standing at the base of the stairs.
“Hello, kiddies,” Wayne Macomber said, dressed in the Tin Man armor. “Fancy meeting you here.” When the assassins raised their weapons to fire, Whack reached out, grabbed their gun hands, and squeezed. The assassins screamed and dropped to the ground, clutching masses of bone, blood, and tissue mixed with crushed metal.
When they heard the screams, the two assassins in the car shoved
the vehicle in gear and hit the gas…
… and ran headlong into a twelve-foot-high robot that had appeared out of nowhere right in front of them!
“Hello, kiddies,” Brad McLanahan said. “Fancy meeting you here.” On the robot’s radio, he asked, “How was that, Uncle Wayne?”
“Come up with your own taglines, kid,” Whack said.
“Okay. How about… I’ve got a crush on you guys.” Brad reached across the width of the SUV, putting a hand on the doors on either side, then brought his hands together. The SUV’s sides crushed together like a paper cup, pinning the screaming assassins inside.
“C’mon, you guys — now the cops have to clean all his stuff up,” CIA operative Timothy Dobson complained. “You guys were just showing off.”
“No, I like it,” Patrick said, emerging from his hiding place with another glass of Balvenie on the rocks in his hand. “Good job, boys — good job.”
Acknowledgments
Thank you to Jan and David Bellville, Rob and Shari Spara, and Janet and John de Carteret for your generosity.
Thanks to my fellow members of the Douglas County Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, Minden, Nevada, for their help and encouragement, especially to former squadron commander and my instructor pilot Arden Heffernan; instructor pilot and deputy commander of cadets Russ Smith; Mike Allgaier, a tireless and dedicated CAP member who taught me a lot about mission-scanner and mission-observer procedures; and Brad Spires, squadron commander and my mentor in guiding me through the process of getting mission-pilot qualified.
Author’s Note
Your comments are welcome at [email protected]! I read all e-mails and reply to as many as I can.
Although I am a member of and mission pilot in the Civil Air Patrol, this novel has not been endorsed or approved by the U.S. Department of Defense, the Air Force, or the Civil Air Patrol.
The C-182 Skylane, C-172 Skyhawk, and P21 °Centurion are products of the Cessna Aircraft Company, Wichita, Kansas. The G36 Bonanza is a product of the Hawker Beechcraft Corp., Wichita, Kansas. The MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper are products of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, San Diego, California.
About the Author
DALE BROWN is the author of numerous New York Times bestsellers, starting with Flight of the Old Dog in 1987. A former U.S. Air Force captain and a current mission pilot in the Civil Air Patrol, he often flies his own plane in the skies over the United States.
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