by Bobby Akart
Burger laughed. “Not without me knowing about it. Take a seat.”
“Thank you and especially for that heartfelt gift yesterday. It was very, well, informative.”
“Do you mean alarming?” asked Burger.
“Yes, that too. Maureen, the young lady said you’ve been around the YVO the longest. Are you a scientist? My apologies for not knowing what—”
“I’m an IT specialist by designation, but I also assist with budgeting and other administrative functions. Pretty much the same stuff I handled for Dr. Peake. He used to call me his Girl Friday.”
Burger dropped her chin to her chest, and it appeared she was going to cry. Ashby was fond of the newly retired scientist as well.
“Dr. Peake was one of my mentors,” said Ashby. “After I received my doctorate, I conducted field study here, and Dr. Peake gave me the benefit of his years of experience. I was shocked to learn he’d suddenly retired.”
“It’s Younger’s fault,” said Burger. “Dr. Peake really never had a chance after Project Hydro was announced. He was old school, Ashby. He knew every inch of Yellowstone, above and below ground. His relationships with the National Park Service were excellent. Heck, he’d take schoolkids on tours of the geysers from time to time.”
“What did he do wrong that got him pushed out?” asked Ashby.
“He confided in me before he left. It was because of his opposition to Project Hydro. He said it was too dangerous with the risks far outweighing the reward of geothermal energy. In the end, the Interior Department wanted someone in place who was on board with the project. Who better than one of the people who shepherded it through Congress?”
“Younger.”
“Yes, and how fortuitous for him, I must add.”
“What do you mean?”
“For starters, I assume you looked at the reports I handed you yesterday.”
Ashby nodded and leaned toward Burger. “Maureen, I’m going to have to tell someone about these, but I didn’t want to expose you.”
“I understand, and so you know, I didn’t create them. Dr. Peake has more friends at the YVO than just me. I was the only one gutsy enough to make the handoff.”
Ashby laughed at the handoff reference. Maureen Burger was playing the part of her undercover operative and talkin’ the talk, too.
“Maureen, you saw Younger’s note. He doesn’t want me digging into the computers or touching the dials, so to speak. How can you help me?”
“We can, but don’t you worry about that. The best way to handle this is to keep you out of sight. Younger has people on his side too. Let me message the people that I trust. They’ll generate a lot of reading material for you, but it will focus on Project Hydro and the impact it’s had on the fundamentals of the seismic system at Yellowstone.”
“Should I leave and come back?”
“No. It’ll take a couple of hours, but just hang out in here. I’ll feed reports to you as they’re generated. With a little luck, you can be on your way before Younger returns around noon.”
“Where did he go?” asked Ashby.
“I don’t know, but I was here when he got a phone call early this morning. He grabbed his jacket and ran out the door. He must’ve dropped this note off on the way by the receptionist.”
Ashby sighed. She wasn’t certain of her expectations for this morning. Naturally, Younger wouldn’t want her digging through his computers. In a way, this worked out better. With loyalists on the inside like Burger, she could rely on them to give her the juicy stuff, not just what Younger would allow her to see. Plus, it was a huge time-saver.
She leaned forward and took Burger’s hands in hers. “Maureen, thank you. I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on so I can stop a catastrophe. You have no idea how much you’re helping me.”
“Don’t you worry about a thing, Ashby. It’s the right thing to do.”
Burger exited the room and closed the door, leaving Ashby alone in the same chair in which she’d stared at the president the day before.
Chapter 54
Grant Village
Yellowstone
It was approaching noon when Jake finished helping Ashby load the three banker’s boxes of reports into the back of his truck. He had news to tell her, which included the arrival of a helicopter from the Army Aviation Support Facility. Part of the 5th Battalion, Wyoming Army National Guard, C Company, or Charlie Med, was a medical evacuation unit that had a storied history. Dating back to 2008, Charlie Med, also called Charlie DUSTOFF, was known for flying operations in the Middle Eastern theater that were previously deemed impossible due to geopolitical or operational limitations. The unit had gained a reputation consistent with the history of Wyoming’s settlers as living on the edge.
Jake stopped and talked with the pilots before he went to the YVO. The pilots appeared to be good guys and ready to help. Jake supposed that any directive from the president got special attention within the military.
The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk assigned to Ashby wasn’t one of the newest helicopters added to their fleet recently. Four more choppers had been received from the Los Alamitos Armed Force Reserve Training Base near Anaheim, California. It was, however, perfectly suited for their needs.
The UH-60 came in many variants. This particular helicopter was a UH-60Q, nicknamed a DUSTOFF—an acronym for dedicated unhesitating service to our fighting forces. For DUSTOFF crews, the advanced cockpit enabled them to map out entire missions on their displays, access NOAA satellites to avoid severe weather, and see thermal imagery from the infrared turret on the Black Hawk’s nose.
Their communications included UHF and SINCGARS military radios, which gave them access to all frequencies through digital two-way communications. The UH-60Q was different in the back, where a clinical cabin replaced the normal seating afforded troop transports. Specially designed Martin Baker crew seats allowed easy access to patients during evacuation flights but were also designed to be crashworthy.
Ashby called Dusty and told him to pack it up for the day. The data provided by the YVO needed to be reviewed immediately. It would take them an hour to arrive, which gave her time to speak with Jake. She retained a series of aerial photographs depicting tree die-offs in the southern region of Yellowstone as well as an unexplained rockslide on the Idaho border.
After Jake introduced Ashby to the two pilots assigned to her, he led her to a picnic table under a stand of pines where they could talk.
“The rangers are planning an emergency evacuation drill for the day after tomorrow,” Jake began.
“Had this been planned?” she asked.
“Nope,” replied Jake with a grimace. “The directive came directly from FEMA headquarters. In addition, during my conversations with the chopper pilots, I learned that a larger scale emergency readiness drill is being set up for the tristate area. The drill will not take place in Yellowstone. They’re gonna use Bighorn National Forest to the east of here.”
“They don’t want to alarm visitors,” said Ashby.
“Right. There’s more. One of the guys told me of a massive elk die-off near Big Springs, Idaho, just southwest of West Yellowstone, Montana. It happened three days ago in an area where a pine forest suddenly began to show signs of dying too.”
“Carbon dioxide levels must be high in those areas,” added Ashby. She thumbed through her images and slid one in front of Jake. “This is satellite imagery I obtained today based on yesterday’s OCO-3 flyover. I’ll bet this is the spot.”
“It could be, although another ranger said he witnessed something similar near Hidden Falls in the Bridger-Teton Forest, which is due south of here. Ashby, it’s a long way between those two points. Could carbon dioxide be seeping through the ground all over the place?”
“Maybe, if Yellowstone is ready to erupt.”
Jake leaned back to view an approaching vehicle. It was Dusty and Rita. Jake added sarcastically, “That’s great. You know, I’ve got an idea.”
“What?”
“Great idea.” Ashby stood and extended her fist to Jake, hoping for a fist-bump to seal the deal, which he did.
While Ashby greeted her team, Jake made the arrangements. Ten minutes later, they were strapped in, headsets were affixed, and they lifted off from Grant Village, with the first stop being the Bridger-Teton National Forest area.
Both of them enjoyed the view, barely speaking as they cruised at a fairly slow speed of a hundred thirty miles per hour just two thousand feet aboveground. The pilot instructed them to request that he hover if there was a particular point of interest. If they needed to land, he’d have to confirm conditions on the ground before he did so.
“This is not area known for seismic activity, Jake,” started Ashby. Grand Teton National Park sits on the southernmost end of the Yellowstone Caldera. “Are you sure you heard correctly?”
“Definitely. The areas near Hidden Falls and Inspiration point were closed to the tourist traffic because of the sudden forest die-off and a rockfall which blocked the roads temporarily.”
With that in mind, they scoured the park for telltale signs of volcanic activity. They neared the area of the forest die-off when Ashby suddenly said, “Hover.”
The pilot expertly slowed the helicopter and brought it back around to the point where she’d made the request.
“Jake, look,” Ashby said, holding the microphone unnecessarily. She directed his attention to a barely noticeable scar in the ground. It appeared to extend about fifty feet but wasn’t very wide. “Do you see that tear in the ground near that deadfall? That might be a fissure.”
“It’s right in the center of the dying trees,” added Jake. “Why wouldn’t this be seen from the satellites?”
“It appears to be a hundred-foot fissure, too small for the satellite to pick-up on routine flyovers. This is why Younger needed to step up his own aerial flights to survey the park.”
“Do you want to take it down to get a closer look?”
“Not without protective gear. Besides, the ground might be too unstable to land. Clearly, there are expanding cracks in that rock buttress. We can always hike back up later to take measurements.”
“Our next stop is Big Springs unless you want to see something else,” said Jake.
“Do you know where the Project Hydro field office is located?”
“It’s on the way, sort of. I’ll guide them over it.”
The pilot followed Jake’s instructions, and they slowly passed over the top of the simple block building contained within a tall chain-link fence. Just outside the fence was a large grassy area, which could accommodate the helicopter if they chose to land. This gave Ashby an idea, which she’d propose to Jake later that evening.
Two white sedans were parked outside the fence, and other than that, it appeared quiet. Ashby pulled the images obtained at the YVO that morning. One was an aerial map of Yellowstone. A circle was drawn around an area on the left side of the image. She handed it to Jake.
“Do you know where this is?”
Jake studied it for a moment and responded, “Yeah, it’s known as Cascade Corner. It’s one of the more undisturbed parts of the park. You know, lush meadows, twisting canyons, and countless waterfalls—the picture postcard everyone wants to photograph. Seriously, though, it’s one of my favorite places to camp and free climb.”
“Free climb?”
Jake stared blankly out the window of the helicopter. “Yeah, rock climbing without gear.”
“Wait, what? No harnesses, ropes and all that?” she asked inquisitively.
Jake nodded and changed the subject. “Cascade Corner is just north of the Fall River on the Idaho state line. This valley is on the road from Squirrel to the Cave Falls Campground.”
Ashby gave him a puzzled look and then asked, “Will you have them take us there?”
“Okay.” Jake unbuckled his harnesses and quickly made his way to the cockpit to direct the pilots to the area circled. GPS coordinates would have made their job much easier, but these guys seemed to have a knack for finding ground locations from above.
Minutes later, the pilots located what Ashby was looking for. A large excavation project was under way in the middle of an open field a mile east of Cave Falls. No roads led to the site, which meant the heavy equipment being used must have been delivered by helicopter.
Ashby questioned the pilots. “Excuse me, but do you see the excavating equipment and pipes below us? Is there a helicopter that could lift that amount of weight?”
The chopper circled the area again, and both pilots studied the equipment on the ground. “Yes, ma’am. The newly designed Boeing Chinooks could easily handle a heavy lift like that.”
“Thanks,” said Ashby as she turned to Jake. “Did you notice there were no roads leading in or out of the dig site? Younger is hiding this from the public.”
“For sure. I also saw four-wheelers parked under a shed that was covered with a camouflaged tarp. They’re going to great lengths to hide their activities.”
Ashby continued to look through the window as the chopper circled. “This must be the fourth drill site Maureen Burger told me about. Jake, we may be looking at the straw that broke the camel’s back at Yellowstone.”
Chapter 55
Project Hydro Field Headquarters
Yellowstone
That evening, the group argued the pros and cons of Ashby’s bold proposal as they perused the documents she’d obtained from the YVO. In the end, her stubborn willingness to risk her career for the greater good won out, and Jake agreed to be her wingman. The next morning, he put on his uniform and all of the gear he’d carry for a potential active-shooter drill. He needed to look intimidating.
For her part, Ashby wore her usual khaki pants, but this time, her white pima cotton shirt contained the NASA logo embroidered on the left chest pocket. Together with her NASA identification badge hanging from a lanyard around her neck, this was Ashby’s equivalent of wearing dress blues.
They drove into Grant Village and rehearsed their roles during the drive. Rita and Dusty planned on taking the Jeep into the area of the Bridger-Teton Forest where Ashby had seen the small fissure. They’d take various measurements regarding ground deformation, carbon dioxide levels, and look for possible lava flows similar to what Jake had discovered at Norris.
The National Guard pilots, who pledged to be on standby at Grant Village at all times, were having a casual conversation with some visitors when Jake and Ashby arrived. Jake provided them instructions for their flight, and minutes later, they were airborne.
During the flight, Jake gave Ashby one final opportunity to back out of their plans for the day as the Project Hydro field office came into view.
“I gotta make sure you’re up for this. That guy, Younger, is gonna lose his mind when he finds out. And make no mistake, the phone lines will be burning up as soon as we walk in, or out.”
“The president told him to give me access,” said Ashby as she feigned an innocent shrug. “So I’m accessing.”
Jake laughed and pointed through the window as the helicopter slowed for landing. Like yesterday, there were only two vehicles parked in front of the chain-link gate.
After the chopper touched down, Jake fully expected a welcoming committee, so he asked the pilots to stand at attention outside the helicopter to leave the impression that Ashby was there on official business. He’d developed a rapport with the two-man team, and they were willing to play along, just to break up the monotony of their regular duties.
For his part, Jake would stand next to Ashby with his right hand resting on his sidearm the entire time. He’d also brought along his black Ray-Ban Wayfarer II sunglasses to mask his eyes.
The pilots quickly departed the aircraft and were opening the side door to assist Ashby’s exit when a tall, lanky man emerged from the field office wearing a long white lab coat. He met Ashby at the gate, which was locked
from the inside.
“May I help you?” he nervously asked as his eyes darted from Ashby, to Jake, and beyond to the military presence Jake hoped to project.
“Yes. I am Dr. Ashby Donovan with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. I’m here by directive of the President of the United States. Are you in charge of this facility?”
“Um, yes. The president, you say?”
“Yes, the president. Please open the gate so we may continue this conversation inside.”
The man hesitated and looked around again. “Um, I don’t know. Maybe I should—”
Ashby cut him off. “Call the White House? Sure, use my phone. This phone number goes directly to the president’s chief of staff.” She held up her iPhone, which displayed the phone number to the White House switchboard—202-456-1414.
“Well, I mean …” the man continued to equivocate.
Jake moved forward and slowly, but audibly, unsnapped his holster strap. “Sir, I’d suggest you comply with Dr. Donovan’s request. Either make the call or open the gate.”
The man nervously fumbled through the pockets of his lab coat. Jake held his breath, hoping he wasn’t searching for his phone. One call to Younger and the so-called jig would be up. When the jingle of keys could be heard, Jake knew they’d achieved an important first step.
The man unlocked the gate and led Jake and Ashby inside the air-conditioned building. An older woman sat in front of a series of computer monitors, studying real-time seismic activity and live video feeds from the Project Hydro substations around the perimeter of the caldera.
She swung around in her chair, startled by Jake’s imposing presence behind her. “What’s going on, Chuck? Nobody is allowed in here.”
“The president sent her,” her associate named Chuck replied. “She’s with NASA.”
The woman seemed skeptical. “What’s NASA got to do with this?”
Ashby moved closer to the woman. “NASA is who I work for, except with respect to certain special projects being monitored by the White House like this one. The day before yesterday, the president personally asked me to look into the fourth drill site at Cave Falls. Now, if I didn’t have the authority to be here, I wouldn’t know about Cave Falls, now would I?”