The Return of the Manhattan

by Lee Ecker

“Gee, they didn’t have radar down this far last time I was here. I guess they are getting more modern all the time.”

  “A far cry from modern; it all sounds primitive to me. I’d better go back, and check on the patients and see how the crew is doing; they should be waking up by now.”

  Brad busied himself with checking over the new navigation equipment, comparing the computer-generated maps on the newly installed CRTs with the islands gently passing by far below them. The islands were some of the most beautiful in the world as seen from the air. The colors around the islands varied from deep blue to light shades of pale green looking inviting for scuba diving or sailing. They were beautiful and he thought he could watch them forever, but he was glad he was going home.

  Laura quietly returned, “They’re doing fine; your copilot Jon can’t understand why it’s so quiet back there.”

  “The C9s are normally quite noisy the closer you get to the engines near the tail compartment. If the engines are a little out of sync, the throbbing vibrations can get to you. I hope he doesn’t get too curious before we get to Andrews, and wonder why he’s not up here.”

  “Right now he probably couldn’t even force himself to stand. His mind is a bit sluggish, just beginning to function.”

  “A few more minutes and we’ll be over Bimini and from there on over Miami and back in the States.”

  “Wow! It’s beautiful down below. After four years without being able to look outside, I can’t get enough of it. Of course the Manhattan has viewing ports in the command center, but while traveling through time, it’s a blur.”

  “What did you do during those four long years?”

  “It didn’t seem that long; there was always something to do. I did a lot of studying with Dr. Dorn and Dr. Baker, a lot of exercise, and of course a lot of waiting. I’m sorry now I didn’t spend more time with my father.”

  “Tell me about your mother.”

  “Not much to tell, I don’t remember her; she died when I was two. My father says she was beautiful, and he’s always saying he never remarried because he could never find another woman that could compare. He did find someone though, but he hasn’t been able to convince her to marry him. She was my real mother.”

  “Sounds like your dad and I have a lot in common. There’s always something between us and the women we love.” Laura didn’t respond; he continued, “My mom and dad are living, but Mom is in pretty bad shape. She is completely dependent on Dad, but he has a pretty strong faith in God, believing that she will be completely healed someday.”

  “What’s her problem?”

  “She has a form of crippling rheumatoid arthritis which has kept her confined to a wheelchair for over twenty years.”

  “I’m sorry, that’s a long time to suffer. We don’t, I mean they don’t have that problem in the twenty-seventh century; Mom died during that long voyage I told you about. She was an astronaut and died during a pirate attack on her shuttle. My father won’t talk about it. I think he blames himself.”

  “Hey look out there, traffic at about eleven o’clock?”

  “It’s two aircraft flying in close formation. Are they ours?”

  “This close to Miami, I hope so; probably interceptors sent to check us out. I don’t think they mean any harm, but to be on the safe side, why don’t you get your dad to turn on the force field. I don’t want to be shot down before our mission begins.”

  She coordinated with the Manhattan, “Okay, it’s on.”

  The radio suddenly came to life, “Air Evac six eight one, Miami Center, you are being intercepted by two Air Force F15s; they request you come up on frequency three three five point two.”

  “Roger, Air Evac six eight one.”

  By the time Brad tuned in the UHF radio, the F15 Eagle fighters were clearly visible, making a slow turn to come up behind them. “Air Evac six eight one, this is Topper three one flight, how do you read?”

  “Five by.”

  “We have been ordered to look you over and escort you to Homestead Air Force Base!”

  Without hesitation, Brad came back, “Sorry, Topper, no can do. You’re welcome to look us over, but we will not land at Homestead!” His heart skipped a beat or two as he realized the critical nature of his position.

  The lead fighter edged a little closer but encountered too much turbulence as he approached within 500 feet of the C9 and could come no closer—stopped cold by the force field. The fighter pilot turned his camera on and pulled back coming alongside on the right. He could see nothing unusual and dropped back with the other fighter. “Air Evac, we had our look and insist that you follow us to Homestead.”

  “I can’t do that!”

  “Then we insist you turn around, and go back.”

  ‘Go back where?’ Brad was beginning to think he hadn’t communicated as well with his friend Bob as he thought.

  The silence was punctuated by cannon fire as the lead fighter fired a volley across the nose of the C9. “Air Evac, that was a warning; we mean business, and will not allow you to proceed any farther!”

  The C9 continued on its present course, as Brad had no intention of going back.

  “Final warning, turn back!”

  As Brad hesitated and didn’t respond, there appeared a large orange ball of flame, and all three aircraft vanished from Miami Center’s radar screen. The Sidewinder heat-seeking missile barely cleared the launcher before exploding upon contact with the protective shield surrounding the aircraft. The lead F15 was immediately engulfed in the fireball and destroyed, sending fragments of the aircraft falling into the sea far below, disappearing without a trace. The second F15 after colliding with the debris, tumbled toward the ocean surface out of control, leaving no opportunity for the pilot to eject.

  CHAPTER 28

  Brad glanced over at Laura who was as pale as a ghost, and visibly shaken, “Sorry, we lost the first round, let’s go back to the Manhattan, and initiate phase II.”

  “Brad, how many more lives will be lost before we convince them we are serious? And how long will it take?”

  “I don’t know. But, this mission is far too important to stop now! The bigger question might be; how will the death of those interceptor pilots alter the future chain of events in your life? Could one of those pilots be your ancestor? It’s incredible; I can’t believe they would fire on an unarmed aircraft with the red cross emblazoned across the tail. I should have turned around instead of disregarding their orders. Maybe we should have landed at Scott AFB, it would have been much easier.”

  “Don’t blame yourself, Brad. The easiest course is not always best. What’s done is done; we can’t change that. At least I don’t think we can.”

  Brad began to suspect something else was bothering her, “What’s wrong, your concern is not for our safety is it?”

  “No, it’s my father and his crew. This may delay them until it’s too late.”

  “I’m sorry. We may have to resort to more drastic measures. Hey, chin up! I’m learning to place a lot of faith in Roger; he’ll take care of your father and the crew.”

  “I hope so,” but she didn’t sound convinced.

  As soon as they were back aboard, David announced, “Good news! Roger has been refining the computer program that creates the prediction profile. We have more time. He says we will return in about ten years. Roger has seldom been wrong before, and his ideas are sound, although his calculations are sometimes off. By the way, you shouldn’t be too concerned over the loss of those interceptor pilots. Our computer search revealed those same two pilots were lost in a mysterious accident in about the same time frame.”

  “Does that mean we can’t change history?”

  “It might confirm that we on the Manhattan are no longer the original chicken! But, let’s get started on phase II; Brad, we are going to reconnect you with the president. Your task won’t be any easier, but you
have more ammunition. Your first priority hasn’t changed, and that is to convince him, you must reenter the United States, land at Andrews Air Force Base, and speak to him in private.”

  The atmosphere was tense inside the Oval Office; the president was furious, taking out his frustrations on his staff. General Williams, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was giving them a brief rundown of the events surrounding the C9 incident. “Sir, we don’t know for sure; I’m sorry to admit, but we think our interceptors shot them down.”

  “They did what?”

  General Williams squirmed uneasily in his chair, “Sir, according to Miami Center’s tapes, the C9 was ordered to follow the interceptors to Homestead Air Force Base, and refused. They were given the option of turning around, and disregarded that order also.”

  “Who authorized you to shoot them down?”

  “I had no such authorization. We simply don’t know why they fired!”

  “What do you mean; you think they were shot down?”

  “We lost both fighters, but have no word on what happened to the C9 after all three aircraft vanished from radar. The Navy responded looking for any evidence of a downed aircraft, but has found nothing.”

  “I did approve your plan to escort them to Homestead, and now maybe that’s the end of it. Get back to the Command Post at Scott, and see if you can put a lid on it. I suppose the major networks are already broadcasting the full story.”

  “I clamped down on Miami Center, and information has been sketchy for the networks as a result. Since it happened over international waters, it’s easier to keep secret. I don’t know how long we can continue to do so though.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, it’s too close to Cuba! You know how we broke the news to the world when the Soviets shot down that Korean airliner. We don’t know how much the Cubans were monitoring.”

  “That’s just great! Any suggestions?” The silence that followed was interrupted by the president’s intercom. He answered with agitation, “I told you I didn’t want to be disturbed!”

  “I’m sorry Mr. President, this is Major Anderson, and I urgently need to talk with you.”

  “It’s him!” Surprise and alarm showed on his face as he began ordering his staff, “Get this traced!” He turned back, “Major Anderson, why didn’t you follow those interceptors, and land at Homestead?”

  “I’ve already told you this is a matter of national security, and I need the protection of the aircraft as well as an opportunity to speak with you privately.”

  “I couldn’t allow that, and now as your Commander in Chief I demand that you tell me where you are, and what the devil is going on!”

  Brad replied with calculated reckless anger and contempt, “What would you do if I told you? Send more interceptors to finish what they started! You have jeopardized the lives of far too many people who are trying to help us, and now you have committed one of the most despicable acts imaginable. You ordered the shooting down of an unarmed aircraft with the international symbol of the hospital red cross, and you demand to know what’s going on! I’ll tell you what’s going on! You have sent two innocent pilots to their death. At what point will you see reason, and meet with me. That’s all I ask!”

  “Major Anderson, calm down, I didn’t order your aircraft shot down, and you are way out of line! You disobeyed a lawful order and those pilots had no other choice!” He turned to his aides. “Have you got this call traced?”

  “No, Sir; we can’t trace it beyond this room!”

  “Major Anderson, what do you have in mind?” He didn’t know what else to do or say, except to keep him talking in hopes that further trace action might help.

  Brad forced himself to speak with a calm and restrained voice, “All right Mr. President, for now I accept the fact that you didn’t order us shot down. I am planning to land at Andrews, and will do so with your cooperation tomorrow morning at 1000 hours. I’d like the aircraft hangered, and guarded until after I meet with you.”

  “I’d rather you landed at Homestead, and then we will talk about it.” This was a compromise he hoped would be accepted.

  “Mr. President, I can’t do that. I wish I could, and I’m sorry, but I can’t explain.”

  “Okay, land at Andrews, and then we’ll talk.” The phone went dead in his ears before he could continue; he turned to his staff, “He will try again tomorrow at ten. Let’s get together on another plan.”

  CHAPTER 29

  Early in the morning, the C9 launched over the Atlantic two hundred miles east of the Delaware coastline. As they approached the FIR (New York Flight Information Region) Brad checked in, “New York Center, this is Air Evac six eight one requesting entry clearance at point Champ.” They were 150 miles east of the ADIZ (Air Defense Identification Zone) expecting to be delayed at least that long in getting a clearance to proceed.

  “Air Evac six eight one, we have no flight plan on you. State your destination and type aircraft.”

  “New York Center, our destination is Andrews Air Force Base and we are an Air Force Charlie nine alpha. Contact Andrews Air Force Base for our flight plan and authorization.”

  “Roger, squawk code six eight one two, and standby east of Lynus.

  “Roger, we will hold east of point Lynus.”

  They didn’t have long to wait before two more F15 fighters appeared on their radar coming from the southwest. “Laura, let’s get the shield back on and see what’s up.”

  “Okay, it’s on.”

  “Air Evac six eight one, Washington Center, contact Bearcat one two on three three five point eight.”

  “Roger, Air Evac six eight one.” Brad tuned in the UHF radio, “Bearcat one two, Air Evac six eight one.”

  “Air Evac six eight one, this is Bearcat one two flight, we have been instructed to escort you to a landing at Langley Air Force Base. Follow us please.”

  “Unable Bearcat, we are landing at Andrews.”

  This time the fighters didn’t wait, but began firing their cannons directly at the C9. Promptly, the Manhattan crew flipped the switch, and the C9 vanished from sight.

  Brad turned to Laura, “I guess this means phase three.”

  Back aboard the Manhattan, David sadly commented, “I had a hunch that wouldn’t work. But, the next phase should convince him. By the way, Roger has informed us we have about thirty days to spare to return safely within the parameters as planned.”

  “I’m glad to hear that, Dad.” Laura hugged him tightly.

  That evening at 8:03 Eastern Standard Time, every television satellite channel broadcasting to the nation instantaneously went blank for thirty seconds, with the sound replaced by a steady high-pitched tone. Immediately following, a broadcast emanating from the Manhattan began as a picture of the C9 filled the screen. “We interrupt this program to bring you this special news bulletin.”

  “This United States Air Force C9 aeromedical airlift aircraft was reported missing three weeks ago. The C9 is no longer missing, but the crew experienced a strange encounter that could best be described as one out of the ‘Twilight zone.’ Yesterday, just before noon, the scene you now see occurred off the east coast of Florida as the crew attempted to return to Andrews Air Force Base.”

  The picture changed, showing the entire sequence of the C9 being intercepted by the two F15 Eagle fighters. The images, clearly and dramatically showed the missile being fired from the lead F15, and both fighters destroyed while flying through the fireball—the explosion of the missile occurring long before reaching the DC9. The voice continued,

  “These two fighters and their pilots, under the knowledge, if not under the direct orders of President Dugan, were lost while firing a missile at an unarmed hospital aircraft, with the red cross clearly visible on the tail. Why? Ask President Daniel Dugan. Again this morning the same aircraft was fired upon by two more fighters as depicted here.”

>   The screen showed the two F15 fighters firing cannon shots, and the C9 disappearing from sight.

  “This morning, the fighters fired without warning after President Dugan gave his assurance that he did not give the order for the aircraft to be shot down. We must ask: Why? I say, ask President Dugan!”

  The screen went blank and after twenty seconds of steady tone, the regular programming resumed.

  President Dugan’s anger became a scalding fury as he shouted, “Why? Who prepared that damn broadcast? Why? I’ll have someone’s head for this! General Williams, I specifically gave you orders to escort that aircraft to Langley, not shoot it down!”

  “Sir, I don’t know why they fired, except the C9 crew must have refused to follow the fighters. Obviously, someone disobeyed orders!”

  “That broadcast reported the aircraft was fired upon without warning!”

  “I have no way of knowing if that’s correct. Maybe they heard of yesterday’s disaster, and wanted to be sure they succeeded.”

  “I told you; I specifically gave orders not to shoot it down! I want to know who changed those orders!”

  The buzzer sounded on the president’s desk, “Yes, what is it?”

  His secretary in the outer office nervously replied, “Sir, the switchboard is lit up like a Christmas tree, and Senator North is here demanding to see you.”

  “Send him in—“

  Senator North of Illinois, Chairman of the Armed Forces Committee barged in demanding, “What the hell is going on around here? You of all people, after what I heard you say at Scott Air Force Base a couple of weeks ago. You damn well better have a good explanation!”

  “Calm down, John, I’m as baffled as you are, and I sure as hell didn’t order that aircraft shot down.”

  “Then why are all the major networks broadcasting that story?”

  “John, yes, I knew what happened yesterday morning, and yes I spoke with Major Anderson last night, but I swear to God I had nothing to do with it being shot down. General Williams, here, better have some answers.”