Dan called Juanita telling her to return to the town as the second armed shuttle, with a Gray Panther security squad, flew above her on the return trip.
Scotch was surprised to hear through the grape vine that Juanita had been attacked and that the survivors of the hit team were about to be interrogated by Abdul. Scotch was sure he was as good as dead; Abdul’s reputation of interrogating Iranians during the war was legendary. Juanita was sure they were there to kill her because of her father, not even beginning to connect this with her discovery of the finances. Scotch told his secretary there was a family emergency and would not be back for a day or two and that he had his cell with him, if needed.
Grub decided to volunteer information for a change, instead of waiting to be asked. He contacted Dan and briefed him about Juanita's discovery, and then monitoring Scotch’s call to the contractors. He continued to report that $50 billion had been stolen. Grub was recovering the money. When Dan asked where Scotch was now, Grub reported that he was on a private plane headed for China. Dan quickly called Butch and asked him to turn around the plane. Butch had two shuttles launched immediately. The pilot of the private plane refused to recognize any authority of the shuttles, as they were intercepted over the Pacific, until the beamer was shot across the front of the plane, with the promise the next shot would shoot them down. The shuttles disrupted all communications, from and to, the airplane. They gave the plane navigation instructions including another warning shot once they were over land, and the pilot thought he could break contact. The shuttles forced the plane to land on a deserted stretch of road. Then let the crew of the plane walk away, telling them the plane would be left for them.
Dan waited for Scotch in Scotch’s own office. He was not sure how he wanted to proceed. He decided he would have let him go for stealing the money, but trying to kill Juanita has sealed his fate. Juanita saw him only as a threat to Dan and wanted him gone, permanently. Scotch had to be carried into his office as he stayed in a curled up ball bawling about how everything was unfair and he was innocent of any wrong doing. Dan listened and coaxed him into his chair, giving him a large glass of bourbon. Once relaxed, Scotch turned on the offensive saying he had enough information to close everything down and send everyone to prison. Dan laughed harshly and the man once again started to shrivel up. Abdul used this moment to give the thief a way out. Simply match the amount embezzled in the form of a fine to the company and he would be allowed to walk. Scotch looked up in hope, until they showed they not only knew what had been embezzled, but had already recovered it. Knowing he could not get the money he inched open the desk drawer and was amazed to see no one had taken his antique .357 revolver. Surprising himself, he had it in his hand covering the other three in his office before he knew it. Dan was the first to see what Scotch had accomplished. "I thought I ordered his office searched!" Dan roared, not like looking down the barrel of the revolver. Abdul just shrugged his shoulders, "Sorry boss, guess he got the drop on us." The look on Abdul’s face was priceless, and Dan could not help but laugh. Looking at Scotch one more time, his smile vanished and a hardness entered his eyes. "OK Scotch, I'll let you take the coward’s way out. I left the gun there for you. There is one live round; the rest is just used brass." Dan continued as he and Abdul closed in on the shaken CEO. "You can open the chamber and check, but we will be all over you if you do. You can shoot one of us, maybe even kill one of us, but I promise you on my word as a senior NCO, whichever one of us is left alive will strip you slowly of your skin and keep you alive for years until you go insane. You’ve been paid well for years for your decision-making abilities. You have five seconds, and we will be on you like stink on shit! One, two,.."
"You mother fucking sons of bitches!" Scotch cried as he raised the revolver to his head and pulled the trigger. The blast of the pistol was deafening as the smell of gunpowder mixed with the coppery smell of blood. The luckless CEO fell into his chair as his body gave one large convulsion. The body lost control of his bodily fluids adding the strong smell of excrement to the mix of smells.
Juanita collapsed to the floor as both Abdul and Dan nearly fell over from the shock. "Dan, why did you take the chance giving that crazy fucker a round to play god with?" Abdul muttered, as he started to shake. "I didn't give him shit. He had six shots. He just couldn't negotiate to save his own life." Dan said as he started to cover his face with a hankie, before giving it to Juanita, and helping her out of the room.
"Grub, did you record everything?" Dan inquired.
"Yes sir. When I saw what was happening I put one of the monitors in the corner so it would look like the camera was on the shelf. I already sent it to your computer and took the liberty to save a copy I thought you would want as evidence on a media block. Sir, you have jurisdiction, but I recommend you have the Maricopa Sheriff be allowed to investigate the shooting. I further recommend I be allowed to edit Mr. Scotch's personal files and emails. I can go in and do a two-week history to show he has just been left by an illegal alien who has stolen from him and left the country. I have extensive examples to model from since downloading the entire contents of the internet." Dan gave a face and began to say you could not download the internet before remembering who he was talking to. "The entire internet Grub?" Dan asked.
"Yes sir, including any computers connected at the time I was researching."
"OK, just get it done. And from now on if you have any information you think is of any importance tell Juanita immediately. For an artificial intelligence, I expect a hell of a lot more. Juanita could have been killed. That bastard almost got away, and you let him embezzle a shit load of money!"
"Sir, my proper place is to provide what you ask for, whether material or information. I can't bother you with every petty matter,” Grub replied.
"You damn well will start now. Juanita, Grub just became your responsibility. You will anticipate anything you think I want to know and ensure Grub has an answer, like how long before we all die!"
"Sir I anticipate that will be approximately five weeks from now. Asteroid, 1999 RQ36, will hit Earth at that time. National governments have been meeting in secret. They are not positive if it will happen or not, but it will happen. The US government is trying to take an X337b shuttle and make it mission ready with nukes but is having problems with a launch platform that will safely get it into orbit in time. The Enterprise, with its beamer, along with 20 shuttles tractoring the debris away can safely do the job."
"Grub have you been working on a sense of humor?" Dan asked as he sat down, looking on the shocked faces of those around him.
"No sir. While I understand humor to a degree, I'm afraid it still eludes me. Do you want me to tell you a joke?" Grub answered.
“No I don’t want you to tell me a joke. I want you to be proactive and let us know things that you think we might like to know, like possibly dying, crime, status of equipment, and production. Do I need to spell it out further, or do you get the idea?” Dan willed himself not to shout.
“Yes sir, I understand the new parameters, and appreciate the responsibilities. I have found 50 new locations that have numerous deposits of precious metals if you wish to pursue them. The areas, they are located at would also be good locations to produce sand-steel. At the same time, spreading out the manufacturing and cutting down on shipment distance, while, as you wished, creating more jobs. I have sent the information to Ms. Jorge for her review. I have expedited the final updates for the AI Nike on the Enterprise. I have included the same directives you have given me. Nike will be much more human than me in her interaction with the crew. Although the Enterprise is not intended strictly as a war ship, I studied your mythology and the Goddess of Victory seemed appropriate, especially since she represents victory in war and peace.”
"Grub, you are now on the ball, good job." Dan replied beaming. "Abby call the sheriff’s department so we can get this mess cleaned up. Grub, inform Butch of the new updates regarding the Enterprise. I also want to change the name of the ship from En
terprise to Nike. Inform the commander also about the end of the world. God I want a drink bad."
The team that investigated the suicide was more interested in the rare old .357 than anything else. The security footage made it appear that Dan and Abdul were trying to get the gun away from Scotch for his own good. The overworked coroner took one look at the body and confirmed it as a suicide, case closed.
San Diego, California
18 December 2127
“The engines have been tested. The crew has put through every simulation we can think of. The last of the equipment has been delivered and stored. The entire crew has started to come together and work cohesively. We are ready for our initial shakedown cruise. We are going to cruise to Hawaii. If no problems are detected, we will then go to stage two and go for low earth orbit. Third stage will be to go for an orbit around the moon, then return to Earth. If the authorities are unhappy with our achievements, do we have a back-up location to call homeport?” Butch asked at the end of his abbreviated status report.
“We have arrangements made with the government of Brazil. So, if uncle sugar tries to interfere with us we have a safe port. We were going to have the ship registered with the Liberians, but could not bring ourselves to do it. The Nike will have US registry,” Dan continued.
The crowds around the San Diego dry dock were in the thousands. Many old style navy uniforms identified past crewmembers of the Enterprise in the crowd. The VIP stand was filled with past commanders of the Enterprise, eagerly looking over the ship noting the many changes. Government dignitaries looking bored, but wanting to have their name associated with the event because of all the money the reconstruction of the Enterprise had contributed to the local community. A band played a medley of patriotic songs, as visitors continued to arrive. The sky turned gray as clouds closed out the sun, and rain was thick in the air. The wind picked up as the crowds continued to wait in anticipation. Butch looked out at the crowds and the weather and thought it was going to be an outstanding day.
Dan began to address the crowd as the crew of the Nike marched by in stiff formation. All the members were dressed in gray jumpsuits; a Gray Panther on their right arm, and on their left, a patch of Nike, a half-naked woman with wings. The crew ended their march when they assumed their positions on the deck of the ship. Dan finished his speech as he received the message the ship was ready. Taking Juanita to the edge of the ship, he handed her a bottle of champagne to break over the bow. The bottle shattered as the noise of the ship’s thrusters could be heard. The crowd did a collective gasp as the ship rose up, instead of sliding into the water. Dan and his close associates laughed hilariously watching the crowd as the Nike, after lifting 20 feet into the air, maneuvered over the bay.
Butch watched the crew around him as they worked like a well-oiled machine. The excitement was contagious. “Continue reverse motion, begin turn to port,” Butch ordered.
“Continue reverse motion, begin turn to port, aye,” the pilot parroted, acknowledging his orders.
“Full stop ahead five knots, then make for open water. All crew prepare for acceleration, clear the decks,” Butch ordered as he watched the crew hurry to get inside the ship. The bridge, instead of having windows, had special monitors with smart technology. When a person looked at the screen, they saw what was outside the ship in that direction from their viewpoint. Anyone not knowing this in advance would never notice.
“Sir, decks are clear, ship is ready for sea. No local traffic,” the XO informed the captain, a smile plastered to his face.
“Pilot, assume direct heading for Hawaii, increase climb 30 degrees until we are at 1000 feet then level out and increase speed to 500 knots,” Butch ordered, as the outside of the ship seemed to tilt. The grav plates continued to do their job making everyone feel like they were straight and level, with no sense of motion detected.
“Ship’s crew. This is the captain. We are under way to Hawaii.” From throughout the ship a loud roar could be heard as the crew cheered for their ship.
“Well I’ll be danged. The ship is flying,” Dan spoke into the microphone as the crowds watched the ship climbing as it grew smaller in the distance. The occupants of the VIP stand began to cluster around Dan. There was renewed interest in the ship, as Dan apologized and left them with his press secretary, as he and Juanita escaped toward the limo.
Two hours later Dan started to receive news from the office that the Navy, and a half dozen other government agencies were placing enquiries with Gray Panther Enterprises. Dan laughed as he wondered which ones would be the best example of idiocy. His lawyers had ensured the ship was registered as both a ship and experimental aircraft. On board the ship, in addition to the crew was a team from the FAA, to certify the ship as airworthy. The pilots, captain, and XO all had commercial airline pilot licenses; in addition, the captain and XO had their Master Mariners License Unlimited Tonnage. Unlimited Masters Certificates, as did half the senior officers.
“Captain, we seemed to forget something,” the XO announced to the captain.
“What would that be Mr. Erickson?” the captain asked back, hiding his puzzlement.
“The crew from the FAA is still in your cabin waiting to be told when we launch,” Red laughed.
“We’ll go around them and bring them to the bridge. I have a feeling they will not be happy,” Butch answered.
The FAA chief, having gone over the specs of the ship for weeks did not believe the ship was airborne. He knew that the windows were in fact monitors, and assumed they were running a simulation.
Butch looked at the adamant bureaucrat. “Pilot bring us to a stop; hold position, hold altitude,” Butch ordered. The Pilot confirmed the order coming to a full stop. “Mr. Murphy, it is a little breezy outside but you have my permission to go out on the deck sir,” Butch said, a smile on his face, yet no humor. "XO, if you will do the honors please."
Red un-dogged the first hatch and opened it. While opening the second hatch he almost lost his grip on it as a gust of wind tried to take it from him, and the wind swirled into the bridge. Murphy headed toward the hatch then realized he was not the victim of a prank as he saw out. The initial shock gave way to humor, induced by his love of all things flying. "This is fantastic," Murphy nearly shouted as he tried to grab his companions to go out on the island with him.
Butch and Red smiled at each other knowing they had the FAA official on their side, for the sheer love of flying. Murphy appeared on the monitors looking back at the bridge, a huge smile on his face as he nearly danced. Returning to the bridge he laughingly thanked the captain, and apologized for doubting him. The engineering officer approached to give the FAA officials a tour of the ship while underway. Before leaving, Murphy confided in Butch that most of his team had volunteered for the extraordinary step of coming along on a test ride. Their willingness had nothing to do with their jobs, but instead a free ride to Hawaii. He then lowered his voice and said that if everything continued to look good he would ensure the Nike passed in all categories. His one last question noting the present altitude was what the ceiling was for the ship. Butch initially withheld the first reply that came to his mind, which was the moon.
"Well Mr. Murphy we had not planned to attempt it on this trip, but if it makes your job easier, I believe we can take her up to the ceiling for you, but no walks on the promenade,” Butch grinned as he answered. Murphy was infected by the smile and simply said, "Let's see what she can do." The entire bridge crew tried hard not to appear listening as they followed every word, then grasped what would come next.
Butch grabbed the microphone, "Attention. This is the captain. We are looking good, we have been asked to see what the Nike can do, so we will be going to our ceiling, and perhaps some maneuvering. That is all. How are we looking XO?"
"Captain, we have no traffic to our South recommend course of 180 true, and climb 45 degrees, speed 1000 knots until we get to 125,000 feet. Then resume our heading for Hawaii at 300 knots as we do a slow descent,” Red answered.
"Very good, pilot. Did you get that?" Butch asked.
"Sir, course of 180 true, climb 45 degrees, speed 1000 knots until we get to 125,000 feet. Then resume our heading for Hawaii at 300 knots as we do a slow descent,” the pilot replied.
"Very good, engage now,” Butch ordered.
The ship again felt no sensation of movement as the ship climbed at 45 degrees. Mr. Murphy again began to think it was a joke until he looked at the instruments. Amazement once again overpowered him as he thought of the size of the ship and the maneuvers it was doing now. "Mr. Murphy, I believe we should make this more interesting for you. XO, when we get to the ceiling let’s launch a shuttle. The crew has not had the opportunity to do that in negligible atmosphere."
"Yes captain. I'll notify the Shuttle section to prepare to launch two shuttles. I suggest we offer our guests the opportunity to be part of flight history,” Red replied.
"Very good idea Red. Would you care to escort Mr. Murphy to the launch bay, and take command of the mission? Simple launch, then 20 minutes loiter, then return to ship."
Smiling Red had Murphy accompany him to the launch bay as the rest of his group met there. They quickly strapped in as the crew chiefs reviewed the shuttles with the pilots before being informed they would come along for the ride and sit with the FAA passengers. There was only an initial clunking sound as the shuttles started engines then, turning on the passenger-viewing screen, giving the passengers the same forward view as the pilots. The launch bay had been evacuated as the elevator lowered, depressurizing the bay. Red followed the blinking white lights until instructed to stop and lower the shuttle onto the elevator. The grav plates pulled the shuttle firmly as it rose up. Once on the deck the grav plate released its hold on the shuttle as Red waited for permission to launch. The Nike was already at 125,000 feet and cruising at 300 knots. Red received the call. "Hammer one, Hammer two in place ready for launch." Red then requested permission to launch. As part of the short mission brief, they had decided to launch at immediate 800 knots, going vertical then looping down under the Enterprise, then dropping to the deck and then back to the ship. The launch, thanks to the inertial dampeners combined with the grav plates reduced the flight to no sense of movement at all other than watching the viewing screen as many of the passengers stared in wonder.
Gray Panthers: Battle for Earth Page 12