The StarSight Project

by S. P. Perone

  During this interval, Max had remained in the forward cabin, transmitting Shane’s passport photo. Completing this task, he re-joined Tony and Sarah. He took a seat across from them, on the aisle, directly facing Shane.

  “Tony…Sarah…do you mind if I call you by these names? I feel we will become well-acquainted during this trip.”

  Receiving no comment from Shane or Sarah, Max continued. “First of all, don’t try to hide anything from me. I’ve been watching your every move for most of the past year. I’ve seen all your e-mails; I’ve listened to many of your conversations at Livermore Lab; and I’ve tuned in to many of your meetings with Senator Moorhouse and Nathan Carothers. The lives of your colleagues have also been open books to me during this period.”

  Shane didn’t know where Max was going, but it was clear already that he was taking advantage of a rare opportunity to impress a captive audience of his extraordinary talents. Shane made a mental note that perhaps he could take advantage of Max’s ego somewhere down the line. At the same time, Shane was wondering how much of what Max had said was really true. If Carothers’ information was correct, Max had only been able to retrieve “bugged” conversations from Livermore Labafter the fact …in the evenings. And, he had not heard this morning’s conversation about the StarSight prediction of a major terrorist attack against the United States. Perhaps the fact that Max had struck today gave credence to the StarSight prediction. He wondered if Max had knowledge of the planned terrorist event, and if Shane could squeeze that information out of him. A wild plan, involving overcoming two armed professional agents, and using the sophisticated communications equipment in the forward cabin to contact Carothers with any information divulged by Max, flashed through his mind. He pushed the plan to the back burner, as he continued listening to Max.

  “I know that you have the StarSight system on the verge of working. In fact, I believe itis working now, and will provide whoever has it in their possession with an incredible defensive weapon. We all know that international terrorism is what the major powers fear more than anything else these days. It has finally dawned on the U.S. that they are hopelessly vulnerable to the covert efforts of literally dozens of terrorist groups. And, the DOE has funded you and your colleagues well to develop StarSight. I know their decision to accelerate your project was because they’re concerned about a major terrorist attack in the near future.”

  “So,” Shane interrupted, “is that why you tried to kill off the entire StarSight team? You’re part of the terrorist group?” Cursing himself, Shane wanted to bite his lip. He wondered if he had just let Max know that the explosion had failed completely.

  Smiling, Max looked into Shane’s eyes for a second, reading his mind. “Don’t worry, Tony, Salomé and I were informed earlier during this flight that the bombing attempt had failed. That fact actually played a part in my decision to spare your life. Leaving only one member of your team alive would have been an advantage for me; and left you as expendable…until I learned that the rest of the team had survived. So, I had to re-think my position, and you can be thankful that I now find it advantageous to keep both of you alive.”

  “What is it you want from us, Max?” Shane demanded. “Get to the point.”

  “It’s very simple, Tony. Yours is not the only country, which could benefit from this marvelous defensive weapon you’ve developed. I have a client who is willing to pay a great deal of money for the delivery of the StarSight package. And, we are on our way to make that delivery.”

  “But, what do you need from us?” Shane persisted. “It’s the software and the database that make up the StarSight package. Do you have that?”

  “Of course, I do. Windemere advised you that the Lab’s internal network was secure, and you foolishly left all the daily edits to the StarSight files on that system. What arrogance! The Lab has no idea that I penetrated that network.”

  Again noting Max’s smugness, Shane wondered if jolting that attitude might work in their favor. He pondered that option in the back of his mind.

  “As far as how you and Sarah will fit into this, surely you can figure that out,” Max continued.

  Although Shane was pretty sure what Max had in mind, he remained silent.

  “You and Sarah…and particularly Sarah…are the keys to interpreting the StarSight results,” Max continued. “It doesn’t work without you. It’s not a ‘turn-key’ system. So, if my client wants the StarSight technology, he will have to take the human element that goes with it. He has already agreed to accept Sarah. I assume he will take both of you, but we shall see.”

  Then, with a wry smile, he added, “I’m sure you won’t mind working for the country my client represents. I understand they treat their intelligence people better than any of the other countries in the Middle East. Of course, I don’t know what they will do when your technology becomes obsolete someday.”

  Max leaned back in his seat, grinning, enjoying the power he was holding over these two lives.

  Deciding that this was the right time to jolt Max’s ego, Shane said, “What makes you think that the StarSight package is working? And, what makes you think we didn’t know you were watching us and extracting information from our computers and your hidden ‘bugs’? You justthink you know what we’ve been doing. We’ve been feeding you crap for weeks!” Silently, Shane noted that, in fact, they hadn’t known Max had penetrated the “secure” internal network. That meant he probablydid have the working StarSight software.

  The grin disappeared abruptly from Max’s face, and he sat up, bringing his nose within an inch of Shane’s. “Don’t give me thatcrap , Shane. Don’t try to blow me off with fairytales. You guys haven’t beenacting this past month. I had too many independent taps. I would have known if you were making things up.”

  “All right, Max. Maybe you’re right,” Shane responded. “But can you be sure? What if the StarSight system isn’t really working? What if the only stuff we put on the network was junk software, that won’t do your client a bit of good?”

  Sitting back again, Max smiled. “Well, I would say that that would beyour problem, Tony. Yours and Sarah’s. You’d better pray you can convince my client that your system is working…or you might find yourselvesexpendable .”

  “You mean your client will pay you for a system that isn’t working? Give me a break, Max.”

  Still smiling, Max replied, “Tony, I have to give you credit. You’re trying to get to me. That’s good. But, you should just save your breath.”

  Although she had been silently listening to this conversation, Sarah was pretty sure she knew what Shane was trying to do. Believing she could help out, she said, “Tony, perhaps you should tell Max how we fed him the stories we made up. Maybe then he’ll believe you.”

  Glancing furtively between Sarah and Tony, Max waited for Tony to speak.

  “Thanks for reminding me, Sarah. That’s right, Max. We knew exactly how you were recording our conversations at the Lab. We knew about the recording ‘bugs’ you had hidden in our briefcases. We made sure they were with us whenever we wanted to feed you some bullshit.”

  Max’s hazel eyes turned dark, and his jaw set in a grim threatening line, as he stared deeply into Shane’s blue eyes, trying to discern truth from bluff. Momentarily, without another word, he arose and walked back to the forward section and seated himself next to Salomé, out of sight.

  Shane and Sarah looked at each other, smiling silently, each of them shrugging their shoulders to indicate they did not know whether this tactic would gain them any benefit. But, they felt there was nothing to lose. If they could knock Max off balance, perhaps an opportunity to escape would present itself.

  The deeply submerged nuclear submarine,Skibirsk , was immobile; hovering silently among the British naval vessels dedicated to the maneuvers off of Bermuda in the Atlantic Ocean. This tactic had provided some protection from detection by the U.S. submarine surveillance technology. Now, it was time to generate quickly, but silently, some separation from the
British fleet. Captain Kirschnikov would be giving the order to surface in an hour, and would be commanding the launch of the EMP nuclear missile shortly after that, at nine o’clock in the evening on the U.S. East Coast. He understood that the missile would reach its apex within twenty minutes, high over the northeastern U.S. The timing had been designed so that the nuclear EMP pulse would occur during the expected peak in airline activity over the East Coast. It was expected that at least a couple hundred thousand passengers would be in the air across the country at that time, and that about half of those would be in the air over the eastern third of the United States.

  Kirschnikov shuddered at the thought of the human terror and horrific death and destruction that would be inflicted by this strike. It was not something he believed in…terrorist tactics. But, he had made the decision to betray his country and his service. He had no regrets. He and his fellow officers in the Russian Navy had been serving under duress for years now. They had not been paid in months. And, theSkibirsk and her sister ships were in desperate need of repairs. They were underwater death traps. Carbon dioxide filters were unreliable. Maintenance of the nuclear reactors had been delayed; radiation levels were up. It was a matter of time before the entire submarine fleet self-destructed.

  Kirschnikov was prepared to communicate with the Bear. He had packed the special satellite-based transceiver in his bag. It required about a minute to set up. He had planned how he would have his men placed when they surfaced. Only Seaman Kurik would be nearby, and he would be out of sight, as the Captain would assume the conning tower alone. He was assured that the Bear would be awaiting his transmission, and that response would be immediate. Although he had not previously spoken with him, he was assured that only the Bear could receive this transmission, and respond. Accordingly, in the interest of saving precious time, no identification protocols had been established. He would use his excellent English to ask if the mission was a “Go”; and the Bear would respond with a “Go” or “Abort” response. When the “Go” signal was received, he would immediately order his second-in-command, Captain Second Rank Anatoly Vladimirov, to carry out the launch. Because the officers and crew were unaware that a live nuclear missile and a new trajectory had been substituted for the training projectile with a dummy warhead, Vladimirov could initiate the launch.

  The Captain did not anticipate an “Abort” command, but he was prepared. Because he had already defied his official orders, and theSkibirsk was presently way out of position, he could not return to Murmansk with his crew. After advising Vladimirov to abort the launch, he would execute the rest of the operation as planned, including his escape via the approaching Greek helicopter. The Bear had agreed that Kirschnikov would still receive the full four million-dollar fee and the new identity in Argentina as promised.

  Chapter 21

  Crunch Time.

  She lay on her right side, staring at the wall and the flickering shadows cast by the fireplace. The cool, silk sheets were pulled tightly over her shoulder and across her breasts, while Ahmed’s warm body clung to her from behind, his left arm reaching around, over the sheets, and pulling her close. The heavy, regular breathing told her he was asleep, and she wanted desperately to jump out of the bed and into the shower so that she could scrub her body clean. Never had she felt so wretched. She wondered if she would ever be able to put this experience out of her mind. And, she wondered if her relationship with Gerry would ever be the same.

  Most of all, she feltguilt …not because she had gone to bed with Ahmed, but because she hadenjoyed it. The alcohol and intimate talk had lowered her defenses, and allowed her to respond to his advances in the sitting room, but she had become cold sober as soon as she found herself on Ahmed’s bed, and felt him unzipping her dress. Her mind had worked feverishly, trying to find a way to slow his advance. She had given him every reason to believe she wanted to go to bed with him, and any resistance now would require some explanation. Above all, she could not arouse his suspicion that she was with him for any other purpose but the physical joining that he was pursuing relentlessly.

  In the end she had been unable to resist his advances. He had made love to her, tenderly at first, but then roughly, in ways she had never before experienced. Although she had been a passive partner to his lovemaking at first, she soon found that, despite herself, she was becoming aroused. Ultimately, she had become a willing, even ecstatic, partner, unashamedly enjoying many new sensations. And, when they had collapsed finally from exhaustion, he had again become the tender, caring lover, warmly embracing her as he drifted off to sleep.

  Now, after going over these events in her mind, Ellen knew it was something that would live with her forever. She didn’t know what she would tell Gerry. There would be no denying that she had gone to bed with Ahmed. It was a foregone conclusion that it would happen if Ahmed’s expected phone call did not come through early. It was an unspoken understanding between her and Gerry that she would do whatever was necessary to stay in Ahmed’s suite until the phone call came. The reality of it, though, might always remain between them. She knew she could never tell Gerry the whole truth. She would have to let him believe that she had been an unwilling sex partner…and that was not untrue. But, she could never hint that there had been any indulgence on her part, unexpected as that had been. There was no question of her love for Gerry. She had never been unfaithful; and didn’t consider what had happened tonight to be an infidelity. But, she had had an experience that she could not erase from her memory. It would always be there; and it would forever alter her as a woman. She prayed that Gerry would never know.

  Suddenly, Ellen was startled by a loud buzzing sound. She lifted her head to see if she could tell where the sound was coming from. Simultaneously, Ahmed released his hold on her, whirled around, grabbed his robe, and strode towards the door to the hallway. On the way he slapped the clock on the bureau, and the buzzing stopped. Reaching the doorway, he turned his head and said over his shoulder as he exited, “I have a phone call to make back to the States, dear one. Please excuse me, I’ll only be a few minutes.”

  Quickly, Ellen slipped out of bed, retrieved her dress, and moved to the doorway to see where Ahmed had gone. She caught a glimpse of him entering his office, whose doorway was on the long hallway that led down to the other end of the suite housing the kitchen, dining, and front room. Also, through the front room was the main entrance, and she knew she had to get down there quickly to let Gerry and Nathan in. Slipping on her dress, and looking in the mirror, she realized her disheveled appearance would be a stark revelation of her recent lovemaking; but she had no choice. There was no time to freshen up and “get decent”. Glancing at the clock as she hurried out of the bedroom, she realized it was five minutes to three in the morning…nearly nine o’clock Wednesday evening back in New York. She rushed down the hall, but walked very quietly past the office door. It was closed tightly, probably locked.

  Rushing through the front room and reaching the front door, she unbolted it and threw it open, expecting to see Carothers and Gerry standing there. Shocked, at first, that no one was there, she then realized they could not have been standing out in the corridor all night. Confirming her thought, she saw Carothers and then Gerry burst out of the doorway about fifteen feet away. In seconds they were inside Sharif’s suite, with Carothers signaling that she should keep quiet but lead them to Sharif. Quickly, she led them down the hallway, and pointed to the office door on the left. Carothers turned to the Senator and firmly signaled that he should take Ellen and get out of there. At first protesting silently, the Senator shrugged, and whisked Ellen back towards the exit from the suite. Along the way, she picked up her shoes, purse and coat. As they exited, the last thing they saw looking back was Carothers testing the office door.

  Pulling out an amplified listening device, Carothers stuck it up against the office door, and placed the headphones on his head. There were no voices, but he heard several clicking sounds, like switches being thrown. He listened patiently, waitin
g to hear the beginning of the expected conversation between Sharif and the submarine captain. His response then would have to be quick, but he had to hear something that would allow him to take over the communications.

  He had already tested the door, and found that, surprisingly, it was unlocked. After only a minute or two of listening, he heard Sharif say: “Hello Captain. This isthe Bear .”

  This was it. Carothers moved the lever down, feeling the door unlatch. Taking a breath, and steeling himself, he burst into the office, rapidly scanning the interior. Holding his weapon with both hands, he swept around until it was pointed directly between Sharif’s wide, startled eyes. His arms went up. Carothers could almost hear the wheels turning as Sharif considered how he would respond to this unexpected intrusion. He didn’t know Carothers. Didn’t know for sure what was happening.

  Carothers didn’t waste time. Noting the obvious communications equipment in front of the man, and the headphones with attached miniature microphone on his head, he said, “Take those headphones off and back away from that table. Keep your hands behind your head, and move over against that wall.”

  “Who are you, and what do you want?” Sharif asked, not moving from his post.

  “Goddam it, man, don’t give me any lip, and do what I said.Now! Or you’re a dead man.Now!Move! ”

  Slowly, defiantly, Sharif complied, and backed away to the far wall, his hands behind his head.

  Shifting the weapon to his left hand, Carothers moved over to the table vacated by Sharif, and placed the headphone/microphone set on his head. Keeping an eye on Sharif, he listened.