by Jack L Knapp
The group waiting there were using their phones, most making calls but two appeared to be taking pictures.
“Inside, Miss Lina. I don’t know who those people are, but I don’t like it. There’s another of those planes. I’ve seen them before, the Marines used them in the Sandbox, but these don’t have Marine insignia. That first one is transitioning, getting ready to land. Just stay inside and take cover below the walls. Don’t stick your head up, it’s tempting but you’ll get it shot off. Stay down until we find out what’s going on.”
“All right. What about those men? They’ve got guns.”
“I know. I pushed the alarm button, our people will get here as soon as possible, but it will take a couple of hours. This will be over long before then.”
“What...what will you do?”
“What I get paid to do, Miss Lina.” The man’s face looked suddenly old. Funny...Lina had seen him dozens of times, but she’d never noticed those deep lines around his mouth.
The group outside the gate was breaking up, people running for their cars. The rearmost vehicle began backing, then swerved off the road. It hesitated for a moment as the wheels lost traction in the soft dirt, then jerked forward, heading away. Others followed, leaving only Lina and the guards at the gate that was still blocked by a car.
“We couldn’t have stopped the people from the helicopter, but we can’t even shut the gate now. You stay inside, and keep down!” The man racked back the charging handle on his M4, stripping a round from the magazine and loading it into the chamber. His thumb clicked something on the side of the weapon as he crouched by the building’s door. His companion had already loaded his weapon; he now took up a position on the opposite side, preparing a crossfire.
If they ever got a chance to use it.
The men spread out as they came around the corner of the fence, heading for the gate and holding their weapons at high port.
An Osprey roared in over the gate, hovered for a moment, then sank to the ground outside the fence. Dust puffed from beneath the huge rotors as men dressed in camouflage clothing and protective vests raced out the open rear hatch and spread to either side of the plane. They carried short black rifles that now pointed toward the line of men near the fence.
Even as the dust settled, the Farside rose through the open roof, impellers whining.
Inside the helicopter, General Stroganoff froze, pale. Where had the airplane come from? And what was happening at the large building? Was that sound coming from the antigravity device?
“General, they’re getting away! That craft is what we came for, and if we hurry we can still catch it! Pilot, take off now or I’ll shoot you myself! Get on top and force that thing down!”
The Skycrane revved its engine, huge rotors spinning faster. The cargo box jerked upward, finally locking in place as the big helicopter lifted off.
The Farside accelerated slowly, turning eastward and sinking until it was no more than twenty feet above the ground. Behind it, the helicopter took up the chase, abandoning the men that had flown in the cargo box. Flying eastward, the Skycrane accelerated after the fleeing Farside.
#
“What the hell was that?”
“I don’t know, captain, but that big chopper is after it.”
“You’d better call in for instructions. Nobody mentioned that thing, whatever it was. Did you see all those things hanging on the fuselage?”
“I saw something. You reckon it’s one of those flying saucer things? I didn’t see an engine exhaust or props. If it’s some kind of extraterrestrial, those could be weapons. Maybe missiles, maybe even lasers or some kind of ray. I’ll call in a sighting report.”
The pilot nosed down, picking up speed. Whatever was going on down on the deck, the other Osprey had it under control. This was more important. Could that helicopter really be chasing a UFO?
Maintaining altitude slightly above the Skycrane and the UFO, the Osprey began closing the distance. Ahead, the UFO appeared to be gaining speed, leaving the clumsy Skycrane behind. The Texas state line was just ahead...
“Fuck! I’ve got a threat warning light! Hang on, I’m evading to port.”
“What about the radar? Are we getting that UFO on radar?”
“I can’t tell, not enough separation between it and the chopper. I’m far enough now...okay, I’ve got two images. Better power up the Sidewinders, just in case.”
“Roger, power up...shit, what happened?”
“Fuck, they went off. They both launched. I didn’t do it, it just happened. Are they tracking?”
“I can’t tell yet. Hang on, I’ve got something. The exhaust trail is bending, they look like they’re tracking.”
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, we’re hosed. How the fuck did that happen?”
“Goddamned hangar queen, this bitch just came out of the avionics shop. Look, you can see, I never even selected missile. They just went off.”
“Okay, okay, calm down and fly the bird. I need to call this in.”
#
Across the Texas line, there was a different reaction. The pilot of the F-16 was flying lazy circles, thinking about his upcoming date. She looked like a sure thing, and for sure she was a stone fox. Suddenly a high-pitched tone sounded, warbling slightly. A female voice added to the confusion.
“Shit, I’ve got a missile launch! The bastards lit me up! Colonel, I’ve got a threat warning, Bitching Betty is going off, I’m heading for the deck!”
“Negative, grab some air. I’ve got four Falcons at angels twenty, join up on us after you evade. Was there a warning call?”
“No sir, nothing. But I’ve still got that threat warning.”
“Do you have visual contact?”
“Negative visuals. I’m climbing. Bitching Betty just shut down.”
“Don’t panic. You know what to do. We’ll orbit until you join up. What happened to your wingman?”
“Uh, sir, he didn’t make it. I took off without him.”
“You did what?”
“Sir, it’s not the first time. We’ve had maintenance issues, not enough money in the budget to stock spare parts. This is not the first time we’ve been short when the order arrived. This time, the governor himself ordered the sortie.”
“Roger. Okay, what about the threat warning?”
“It’s off. Let me check...okay, bulb checks good, no damage, no sign of a hostile track.”
“Roger. Join up, we’re pulling back. We’ll orbit north of here, farther away from the border. If the governor wants a close patrol of the border, let him fly up here with us.”
“Uh, colonel, should you be saying that on the air?”
“Son, I’ve just decided this is a good year to retire. I’ve got my time in, there are a lot of bass in Lake Livingston I haven’t caught yet. I’m getting too old for this stuff.”
#
“The wing commander is not happy, lieutenant. Nothing to do, though. He wants to know what happened to the helicopter and the UFO.”
“The helicopter is on the ground, about a mile ahead. I can’t tell, there might be damage. The UFO, there’s no sign of it. I lost it in the ground return. Let me check the radar...nope, no sign of it. It just vanished.”
“Damn. Half of me hopes we hit it, the other half is scared shitless. Suppose we shot it down? What if they get pissed and show up like that Independence Day movie?”
Chapter Thirty-Two
The caravan returned two days later, escorted by a sheriff’s department SUV. The gate guard exited the gate and closed it behind him. Approaching the first car, he nodded at the driver.
“This facility is closed to the public, sir. May I ask your business here?”
“I represent the Federal Aviation Agency. I have business with the owner.”
“Do you have an appointment, sir?”
“No. I attempted to gain an appointment with a Mister Fuqua, who I’m given to believe is the owner of record.”
“I’ll need to check the log book, sir, bu
t I don’t believe Mister Fuqua is here.”
A second, then a third man had exited the other cars and come forward to join the conversation. One of them asked, “Where is Mister Fuqua?”
“I don’t have that information, sir. All I can tell you is that we keep a log, and he is not here.”
A uniformed deputy stood by, listening. His expression was bland. Perhaps his eyes twinkled behind the sunglasses; it was impossible to tell. Local police. as a rule, tend to dislike federal agents of any type. This might have to do with a tendency of federal enforcement officials to respond with arrogance when dealing with those they see as hicks.
“I don’t see anyone here. Are there other people inside? Is anyone working?”
“I’m not allowed to make statements about company affairs, sir. I must ask you to leave; you do not have an appointment, and the person you’re seeking is not here. I can’t help you, gentlemen. As I said, this facility is closed to the public.”
“By God, I’ll get an injunction and I’ll be back! You people have a lot of explaining to do!”
“Yes, sir. I’m not sure what you’re enjoining or why that might affect me, but I’m sure you’ll tell my replacement when you return. I’m a contract employee charged with maintaining security, so I have nothing to do with what happens inside. I’ll also be going off duty soon, so I won’t be here when you return.” The guard opened the gate, went inside, and locked the gate behind him. There was a folding chair by the building’s door, and he sat down to wait.
A short meeting took place outside the gate.
“This is a stall, I’ve seen enough of them to know one when I see it!”
“Maybe, but there are no cars here, no sign that anyone is working. I can’t hear anything, and if they’re really manufacturing something in that big building, we’d hear them working. I’ve never been to a factory that didn’t sound like...well, like a factory. There are always motors running, banging noises, people talking and moving around. This place is as silent as a tomb. Maybe, when those others were arrested, they decided to shut down.”
“Maybe. What happened to them? Deputy, do you have those other men in custody?”
“No, sir. They’re not in local or state custody. I have no information whether they’re still being detained, or if they are, who might be doing it.”
“I can’t believe this. Armed men, approaching this place, and a standoff between them and military forces? And you don’t know where the are?”
“No, sir. I spend most of my time out in the field, so perhaps the sheriff can answer your questions. It wasn’t mentioned during the briefing when I reported for duty this morning.”
Fuming, the men got back in their cars and left. The deputy waved casually at the guard, then turned his car and followed the federal vehicles.
#
Frenchy telephoned Colonel Ponder. The abortive raid of a week ago wasn’t mentioned.
“Morning, colonel. If you’re still interested, I’m prepared to provide the lift units we discussed and the engineering staff to operate and maintain them. I will, of course, require the initial payment on the contract before I ship the units to White Sands.”
“I understand. Mister Fuqua, I mean no offense, but I’m told your plant is shut down.”
“It is. I may reopen it at some point, once the legal matters are resolved, but your units won’t be built there.”
“I see. Permit me to ask, are you building them in-house?”
“Not completely, no. I’ve subcontracted some of the work. The frames are being manufactured in Mexico. They have quite adequate facilities for such work. The passenger modules, which are really no more than racked seats, are being made there too. As a matter of fact, they can build those cheaper than I could. Final assembly will be done at a satellite factory. I’m not at liberty to tell you where that is.”
“I see. But you’re handling the assembly, and in any case, you’re responsible for the quality of the units?”
“Of course. They’ll be thoroughly checked out before shipment.”
“Contract as we discussed? No change in unit pricing?”
“Yes. Payment to our corporate account, as specified originally.”
“I’ll get right on it, Mister Fuqua. And the delivery date, you won’t need a delay?”
“No delay. You do your part, I’ll do mine.”
“Nice talking to you, Mister Fuqua.”
#
“Mister Goldman, Senator Byington’s office is on the phone. Shall I put the call through?”
“Find out if it’s Byington himself or one of his staff. I don’t have time for them. Byington I’ll talk to, but interrupt me in five minutes. I don’t want to listen to him hit me up for more money.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll call you in five minutes.”
“Sol, how are you?”
“Doing reasonably well, senator. What can I do for the government today? This is not about that committee subpoena, is it? I’m busy, I don’t have time to spend days listening to your colleagues posture for the media. I’ve got a business to run.”
“No, and I’ll do what I can to make sure your visit is short and as pleasant as possible. I was calling about that question we discussed before. You were concerned with the possible economic effects that fellow Sneyd might cause. Sneyd died a couple of months ago. No public mention was made, but there was a coroner’s report. He’s definitely gone.”
“Too bad. What about the rest of the people involved?”
“Shut down, Sol. They built a factory, but it’s locked and the employees were laid off. Most of them, anyway. They filed for unemployment insurance payments through New Mexico, although the numbers don’t add up. Some may have already found other jobs, about half of them I’m told. Anyway, I don’t think you need worry about that little problem.”
“Excellent, Senator. I’m very glad to hear that. Did this have anything to do with that dustup on the Texas border?”
“That’s not clear. I can check on that if you’d like.”
“It probably doesn’t mean anything. I’d have heard if there was a connection.”
“Probably. Thanks for calling, Senator. Was there something else?”
“Now that you mention it, Sol, there was one thing...”
#
The captain glanced over his copilot’s uniform, found nothing that needed correcting, and led the way into the conference room.
“Be seated, gentlemen.”
The speaker was an Air Force major general. He was flanked by four other officers, the lowest ranking one a lieutenant colonel. All wore pilot’s insignia.
The general waited for the two men to be seated, then picked up a stack of papers that were on the table in front of him.
“I’ve chosen to keep this informal. We’re interested in facts, and whether those facts warrant a full investigation is yet to be determined. Are you clear on this, Captain? Lieutenant?”
“We understand, general.”
“I need to hear it from the lieutenant too. Do you understand, lieutenant?”
“Yes, sir.” The lieutenant had already decided to keep his mouth shut as much as possible. The brass across the table were fellow pilots, but that didn’t mean they were friends. Lieutenants were easily made into scapegoats, disposed of as readily as used office supplies.
“Let’s begin by laying out the facts as I understand them. You correct me if you believe the report is in error. Is that understood? If there are no objections to the report’s conclusions, I’ll consider the facts to be as stated. I should mention that the officers on this panel supervised preparation of the reports, based on what was said during the engagement, and subsequent inspection of the avionics installed in the plane you were flying on the date in question. Do you understand that this is your last chance to challenge the facts in the report? Failure to do so will indicate that you agree with what’s stated.”
“Yes, sir,” the captain replied. The lieutenant echoed his agreement.
“Sir, I can’t attest to that. I believe that to be the case, but I can only say that the flight on the day in question was the first time I had flown that particular aircraft.”
“Lieutenant?”
“No sir, first time for me too. I believe it was deadlined, awaiting parts for the avionic system, prior to our being assigned to fly the mission. The aircraft was considered airworthy but not combat ready. I understand the delay was caused by not having the part immediately available, due to funding constraints.”
“We’ll avoid mentioning the exact mission, I don’t want classified information in this report. It’s my understanding that a review of this sortie and other events that took place during the exercise are being looked at by the Department of Defense.
“Have you heard the aircraft referred to as the ‘hangar queen’, Captain.”
“Yes, sir. I’ve heard that.”
“To your knowledge, was a test flight conducted before the aircraft was returned to operational status?”
“I believe such a flight was made. Whether a full exercise of the avionics was conducted, I have no knowledge of that.”
“So perhaps the pilot took the plane up, ran through a set of standard maneuvers, and returned it to service?”
“I have no knowledge beyond what I’ve stated, general.”
“Tell me, captain, are flight standards different in special operations units?”
“I don’t know how to answer that, general. I’m not familiar with what other wings do.”
“I see. Very well, let’s move along. During the flight, had you armed any of the weapons systems prior to the time that the accidental launches occurred?”
Thank Christ, they were calling it an accident, not pilot error! “No, sir. It was a routine flight until we observed the helicopter pursuing the unidentified flying object.”