by Saxon Andrew
Mike looked at Tilly, “Pick up their Uzis and let’s move to another room.” Tilly grabbed another Uzi and went through the man’s pockets and took out two clips. She threw it to Mike and he put it in his jacket and he grabbed the Uzi from the man he had just killed. They ran up the hall and went into a room close to the nurse’s station. “Oh, Mike.”
Mike turned around and saw a young blonde nurse lying on the floor with a bullet hole in her forehead. He waited and after ten minutes, a platoon of Air Force MPs came moving down the hall. Mike stayed in the room and listened, “Fan out and find the scum that did this.”
Mike yelled, “We’re in here; hold your fire.” The platoon scattered and brought their weapons up. “This is Mike Sanders and my wife. We have just survived an assassination attempt.”
The Lieutenant said, “Come out with your hands up.”
“I’m sorry, Lieutenant. I’m not going anywhere until the Base Commander comes here and tells me it’s safe. You got that!”
The Lieutenant looked at the two dead men in the hall and said, “I’ll contact him, Sir.”
“Do that.”
Tilly sat down heavily on the floor as the adrenaline rush started fading. Mike started toward her and she shook her head, “You need to stay there and make sure we’re safe.” Mike moved back to the door and wondered if a grenade was going to be thrown in. He glanced at Tilly and hoped she would be ok.
• • •
“Elle.”
“Yes Jess.”
“I’ve never been in love before. How do you know you’re in love?”
“I guess the simplest way is knowing that the happiness and well-being of the one you love is the most important thing in your life. Some will say it’s a physical feeling or emotions that run rampant through your body. However, I don’t think that is the real measure of love.”
“This is a completely new experience for me, but I love you, too.” Elle started to speak and Jess put his index finger on her lips. “Elle, I’m really not worthy of you.” Elle started shaking her head and Jess said, “Hear me out.” He moved his finger and Elle stared at him for a moment and then nodded. “I’m a high school dropout who’s lived in isolation in the desert. I have little or no social skills and I’m nowhere near your mental level. I just feel so inadequate and undeserving of someone like you.”
“Are you done?”
“I guess.”
“Peter.”
“Yes, Elle?”
“Does the ability to absorb the transfer of modules have anything to do with the mind of the person receiving it?”
“It does.”
“In what way?”
“Intelligence is a product of a brain’s ability to organize data and put it together in a meaningful relationship. The higher the intelligence, the easier the transfer will be.”
“You’ve just sent a large transfer to both of us. What can you tell me about the difference between our minds?”
“Jess is better at receiving the transfers.”
“Does that mean he has a higher intelligence than me?”
“It does.”
Elle looked at Jess who was shocked at the conversation, “I’m simply more educated. You have probably read more than I have and you’ve not had a professor to assist you with understanding the material. I saw pretty quickly that you’re smarter than I am.” Jess started shaking his head, “That doesn’t mean I’m not smart; it just means you’re smarter. Also, when you came to question me about my family’s disappearance, you were polite and considerate with my feelings. You weren’t pushy and allowed me to speak without pressure. I know you were dressed shabbily, but I saw you were quite striking. I think you’re beautiful. Don’t you dare think I’m getting the short end of this; I’m the lucky one to have you. I don’t know anyone that could have pulled off stealing a starship and getting away with it. That time in the desert prepared you for what’s happening now.”
Jess stared at Elle and after a moment he smiled, “I’m smarter?”
“Don’t get a big head; it would take away from your perfection.”
“I’m not perfect!”
“That’s the thing about love, Jess; I see you that way.”
“Then there’s no doubt about loving you, Elle. I thought you were absolutely perfect the first time I met you.” Elle hugged Jess and kissed him again. After a moment she broke the kiss and said, “I’ve learned most of the other systems on board but I need to transfer the others.”
“I could share that load.”
“I don’t think that would be the most effective way to do this. You know the Navigation, Communication, and Defense Systems. I have all the other systems that involve routine operation of the ship. I think one of us should have all the information on that transferred so there won’t be a gap.”
“That’s a good idea.”
Elle looked up, “Pete, how many more modules are there?”
“Seventy but their collective total is smaller than the Communication Module.”
Elle went to her Chair and reclined, “Send it to me.” Elle closed her eyes and Jess stared at her. She was so beautiful. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Pete, where is the weapon’s locker?”
• • •
The back wall of the bridge moved slightly as a section moved out and then went up revealing more than thirty different objects. “Pete, it looks like none of these have ever been used.”
“Information on the locker is at the end of the Defense Module and no one has ever looked at it.”
“You mean to say that your builders put these weapons on board and no one ever knew they were here?”
“They didn’t have to know if they had simply asked if I had other small arms available for their use. I think most thought the wrist controller was the only small arm on board.”
Jess shook his head and marveled at the array of weapons on the wall. He knew what every one of them could do and their limitations. He went and removed a hand blaster and pulled a small drawer out from the bottom of the wall and took out the holster that held it. He belted the holster around his waist and put the blaster on safe.
He pulled the blaster out of the holster and felt the edge of the barrel hang on the holster. He took the holster off and pulled a knife out of his pocket and cut a section out of the bottom. He put it back on and drew the blaster again. He shook his head and took it off to cut another piece. After six cuts, the blaster came out of the holster smoothly. Jess began pulling it out and returning it to the holster. He smiled after thirty minutes. It felt like there was nothing holding the blaster but air.
“You told me to anticipate anything you might want to know and there is something you should notice.”
“What is that?”
“There was a slight modification made to the blaster that isn’t in the module. The small slide on top, if pushed toward the rear, will turn the blaster off when it’s in the holder. This was done when two of the blaster’s engineers accidentally shot themselves in the legs pulling it out.”
Jess nodded, “It must have hung up on the holder.”
“That’s exactly what happened. Your solution to that problem was much easier than modifying the weapon.”
“I understand the slide on the bottom of the blaster determines whether it will stun or kill.”
“That feature has not changed.”
Jess thought for a moment, “How long will it stun the one it hits.”
“About two hours.”
“How do I set it to training mode?”
“Press the green button on the handle until it locks.”
“Is it possible to unlock if gripped tightly?”
“No; it will have to be depressed and held in place for ten seconds to unlock it.”
“While Elle’s receiving the transfer, why don’t you start the holographic training module?” Jess pushed the green button in and held it until it clicked.
The bridge changed and Jess found himself walking throu
gh a jungle. He swore it was real but saw his hand pass through a large plant. He smiled and walked down the small path. Suddenly, a green reptile jumped out of a bush in front of him and he drew the blaster and fired at it. He missed it completely. “Pause the training.” The holograph disappeared. “I need some targets to get this thing aligned properly.” A holographic image of thirty different sized shapes appeared across the bridge. Jess took the blaster and started firing the red beam at the targets. He stopped after he missed the first three and said, “I’m consistently high.”
“Blaster beams are not affected by atmosphere or wind.”
Jess nodded. He should have figured that out; a beam doesn’t drop. The sights should be set for no change in trajectory. He turned and sighted at another target and hit it in the center. He started slow and then picked up speed. By the time Elle woke from the transfer, Jess was no longer having to hold a sight picture to hit his intended target. It took him a week to teach Elle how to fire a blaster accurately. She didn’t have to ask why he insisted on teaching her; they would be needed during a prison break. Once she learned how to fire the hand and shoulder blasters, Jess put the force field on her belt and made her learn again. The field distorted the beams slightly and forced them to compensate a little. Jess was thankful the alien who died on Earth didn’t know that a personal force field was available. If it had known, none of this would have happened and Earth would be a dead rock.
Chapter Nine
“Mr. Sanders, I really wish you would reconsider.”
“Colonel, can you explain how those killers managed to get into the hospital and lay an ambush for my wife and I?”
“No, we’ve identified the ones that did it and there’s nothing about them that would indicate they were any different from all the other soldiers.”
“Where did they get the Uzis?”
“What do you mean?”
“Colonel, I flew here in a Raptor directly from Washington. I’m sure whoever set this up knew I would be coming to be with my wife. They managed to contact those soldiers, plan an attack, and get Uzis into their possession from off this base in less than four hours. Whoever has the clout to make this happen can easily do it again and there’s no way you can prevent it. I’m taking my wife to a place where she will be safe.”
The Colonel nodded as a Captain rushed up with a large handset, “The President would like to speak with Mr. Sanders.”
He handed the large handset to Mike, “This is Mike Sanders.”
“I’ve just learned about the two attempts on your life.”
“I was lucky, Mr. President.”
“I understand you’re taking a helicopter and leaving without a forwarding address.”
“I have to make sure Tilly is not in danger.”
“After all that’s happened, is that possible?”
“It is now, Sir. There aren’t any satellites to keep track of my movements. By the way, how is your cos?”
“My what?”
“It’s cold in Washington and you need to avoid catching a cos. It’s dangerous during the winter.”
“Take the handset with you.”
“It won’t operate where I’m going.”
“It’s a short wave radio that will operate in places that would amaze you.”
“How do I know it’s secure?”
“You don’t; however, it was made by my brother who teaches at MIT. He designed it for scientists that were in isolated areas to communicate with the outside world. He assures me it is encrypted and impossible to track. It was sent to that base by special courier to make sure you had it. I need your help, Mike.”
“I’ll contact you soon, Mr. President. Take care of that cos and be safe.”
Mike ended the call and took Tilly’s hand and went out to the two seat gunship. It didn’t carry rockets but did have six stinger missiles in two pods. It had a 30 millimeter chain gun and two 7.62 mini guns. The MH 6M was the Army’s smallest attack helicopter and was called Little Bird. It was developed from a recon model and proved to be deadly. This particular helicopter was fitted with an oversized fuel cell which gave it a range of fifteen hundred miles. The scout copter was silent until it was right up on you and extremely maneuverable. The radar mounted under the shaft could be shut down if stealth was required.
The Colonel watched it lift and head north. He watched it disappear and went back to his office. He took a phone out of his desk drawer and dialed a number. “He headed north until I lost sight of him….no, he had the transponder removed and the mechanic was ordered to stand by the copter until he arrived. There was no way to place a tracker on it.” The Colonel ended the call and pulled a forty five out of his side desk drawer and chambered a round. He put the barrel to his head and pulled the trigger. The blonde nurse that was killed was his daughter. He didn’t know she had taken a friend’s shift and was in the hospital. He wasn’t going to allow his other children and wife to be used as hostages to prevent his taking revenge.
• • •
The President looked at the phone and replayed the conversation in his mind. He knew Sanders was trying to tell him something. He knew Mike was brilliant but he kept mispronouncing cough. That wasn’t like him. A cos could be dangerous. COS could be dangerous. Chief of Staff. The President looked across the Oval Office and saw Carl Davis on one of the phones. Surely not Carl! He raised his hand and motioned Carl over, “Please ask Mr. Henderson to come here. Then order a Limo for a trip to the Capital Building. I’d like you to go with me.”
Carl hung up the phone and the President pulled out a sheet of paper and started writing. When Bill Henderson arrived the President handed him the sheet of paper and said, “I want you to go with me to the Capital.”
Bill was reading the document and he looked up at the President with shock on his face. The President nodded and he said, “I’ll notify the detail.”
Bill left the room and the President didn’t want to believe what Mike had indicated. However, he was taking no chances.
• • •
The President went to the line of Limos and walked to the third one. He looked at Carl and smiled, “You go in the last one and I’ll meet you inside.”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
Bill Henderson opened the door for Carl to enter the limo and touched his hand as he put it on top of the door. Carl felt a small sting and looked at the back of his left hand. He saw a small dot of blood and then things started spinning and darkness took him. The Limo pulled out of the convoy and drove across Washington to a brownstone house. The gate opened in front of the house and the limo disappeared behind a tall brick fence. The CIA operatives came out with a stretcher and took Carl out of the limo and rolled him into the building. He was injected with a hypodermic needle before he regained consciousness. When his eyes opened, he heard a voice ask, “Who are you working with behind the scenes?
Carl smiled broadly, “Oh, they’re such great patriots and an example for all of us to follow.”
“Who are they?”
Carl started talking and Bill Henderson began to feel sick. He looked at his best friend and shook his head. The CIA operative was not a friend of the Military. He watched his friends lie in the Mideast when the Military refused to send help when their embassy was attacked. He stayed on task and collected more information when Bill was certain there was nothing left to learn. “Is he going to be alright?”
“No, he’s going to have a severe stroke.”
“WHAT?”
“I’ve recorded this; what do you think is going to happen when this traitor regains consciousness? He’s going to notify his handlers what’s happened and they’ll go after the President. You need to take him straight to Georgetown University Hospital. Tell the press you were taking him to Congress with the President and he started complaining about feeling bad. Say you left the motorcade to drive him home but before you arrived, he collapsed.” The operative stuck a needle into a bottle of clear liquid and withdrew three cc’s. He injected i
t under Carl’s big toe nail and said, “You need to hurry.”
Bill knew he had just witnessed a murder. But he had the recording and he knew the current situation called for desperate measures. He called the hospital and told them he was bringing in the President’s Chief of Staff who had collapsed in the limo. The emergency team of physicians met him at the emergency room and rushed Carl into an operating room; they were able to keep him alive with a respirator.
The President was notified and he was rushed to the hospital. Bill opened the President’s door and gave him a hand out of the Limo. The President felt something in his palm and he closed his hand around it. Bill stayed at the limo as the President rushed to the hallway outside the operating room. He sat down and opened the slip of paper and read one word…traitor. The President closed his eyes and felt extreme sorrow at the betrayal of his lifelong friend. Who could he trust? He left the hospital when Carl’s wife chose to turn off the respirator. He had to pull it together to give a speech about the long and illustrious career of someone who was a traitor. He chose to ride in Bill’s limo and Bill stuck out his hand and said, “I’m sorry of his loss, Mr. President.” The President shook Bill’s hand and shook his head. “Thank you for doing all you could to save him, Mr. Henderson. I’m sure his family will want to thank you as well. The President stepped into the limo and saw he was holding a micro recorder. He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief leaving the recorder in his pocket. Three of the Secret Service Agents assigned to his personal unit watched the President closely but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. The electronic listening devices in the limo didn’t hear anything spoken during his ride back to the White House. The one riding in the front seat with Bill reported that he just stared out the window all the way back without saying a word. Bill knew his partner was a traitor but he gave no indication he knew. He blew out a loud sigh and the agent looked at him, “I wish I had taken him directly to the hospital.”