Day of the Cheetah

by Dale Brown

ery of the semiconductor. It is important that we try again.

  But this time you must try to ignore the electrical charge when

  it happens."

  "And how am I supposed to do that?"

  "There's no training manual for this . . . you must maintain

  theta-alpha through the interface process. I'm really not sure

  how to tell you to do that. Think of something else, try to shut

  out the pain. After a while the system will help you, but you

  must be able to endure the first wave of it until the system can

  learn how to help - "

  "What about drugs?"

  "Drugs would interfere with the neurological impulses in

  your system. Besides, this program is based on creating an

  aircraft that responds to thought commands. We can't very well

  go around drugging all our pilots before sending them into

  combat. "

  The full realization of what was happening finally hit him.

  "You really intend to put this system on an aircraft. You say

  you can control an aircraft just by thinking?"

  "Exactly. We already use sophisticated computers to fly our

  jets. But with ANTARES, we've developed the most powerful

  computer of all-the human brain. It's a thousand times more

  44 DALE BROWN

  powerful, a hundred times faster, and a million time s more

  reliable than any computer ever conceived or conceivable.

  " You've flown Colonel McLanahan's F-15 ATF-imagine

  putting all this on a plane like Cheetah. Or a plane more so-

  phisticated than Cheetah-you've seen the plans for the new

  fighter they're developing, the X-34. Imagine the speed and

  power of your mind going into the X-34. It would be all but

  invincible, more powerful than a squadron of F-15s. It would

  rewrite most everything we know about fighter combat."

  Carmichael paused. "And you would be the first pilot."

  Maraklov was stunned. This was miles beyond anything he'd

  hoped or bargained for. Carmichael was serious. They actually

  were going to move ahead with plans to put all this on an

  airplane.

  "But how can all this gear go into an aircraft?"

  "Ken, this is a laboratory. We do everything on huge scales

  because we have the room to spread out. But in the real world

  we'd miniaturize all this. With new microchips and supercon-

  ducting technology, most of the computers in this lab can be

  miniaturized to the size of a -steamer trunk. In three years that

  trunk-sized computer could be the size of a toaster. By the turn

  of the century it could be down to the size of a walnut."

  He relaxed and smiled for the first time since entering what

  he had once thought of as Carmichael's chamber of horrors. It

  sounded far-fetched, but they could really be on the verge of a

  massive technological breakthrough. If they were, then Ken

  James, alias Andrei Maraklov, a newly promoted major of in-

  fantry in the KGB, was to be the principal, the key actor in a

  remarkable scientific discovery.

  "All right," he said. "Fire it up again."

  Carmichael signaled to his technicians.

  "But make sure you spell the name right in the history books.

  It's-".

  "I know," Carmichael said. "J-A-M-E-S."

  No, he said to himself, beginning his deep breathing exer-

  cises, starting from his toes and consciously ordering every

  muscle to relax. Spell it M-A-R-A-K-L-O-V.

  DAY OF THE CHEETAH 45

  The Kremlin, Moscow, USSR

  Thursday, 6 December 1994, 1451 EET (0551 EST)

  "In summary, then, General Secretary," General Boris Cher-

  kov, Chief of Staff of the military forces of the Soviet Union

  concluded, "we still command a substantial lead in both con-

  ve ntional and nuclear forces in Europe and Asia, and we should

  be able to maintain that superiority through the rest of this

  century. I am ready to take questions."

  No one in the Kollegiya raised any; few ever did during

  these briefings. The men and women who made up the lead-

  ership of the Soviet military, intelligence and state bureaucracy

  sat mute, nodding to Cherkov as if congratulating him on his

  presentation-the same one he had given during the past three

  years, and very similar to the one that the General Secretary

  had heard since assuming the office. Now he turned to Vladimir

  Kalinin, chief of the Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti,

  the KGB. "Do you have a comment?"

  "Just this. How is it possible that we are so superior? With

  respect, sir, I question the conclusions made here this after-

  noon. Since the late eighties and in this year of 1994 as well,

  the Americans have begun a steady increase in levels of con-

  ventional forces all over the world, including western Europe.

  We know they have a space-based strategic defense system in

  place that is more sophisticated than our ground-based one.

  Intermediate-range nuclear forces have been eliminated, our

  strategic nuclear forces have just been cut in half, and biolog-

  ical weapons have been eliminated. We have been forced to

  draw down the size of all our forces to help relieve our budget

  problems and promote perestroika. How can we be maintaining

  such a large advantage over the United States and the NATO

  forces-? "

  "Because of our continuing five-to-one numerical advantage

  and our increasing technological achievements," Chief-of-Staff

  Cherkov broke in. "For the first time we have an aircraft car-

  rier force that rivals the Americans'--

  "We have three carriers. The Americans have seventeen.

  Even the British have more than we do."

  "We have an unrivaled worldwide cargo-transport capabil-

  ity. In each and every area we-"

  "If we commandeer every civilian-passenger jet in Aero-

  46 DAIE BROWN

  flot," KGB chief Kalinin interrupted, "not counting civil

  transports, the Americans still have more airlift capacity. We

  can juggle numbers, but the fact is that we have lost the ad-

  vantage. The Americans have fielded two new types of fighters

  in Europe in the past ten years; we have fielded one. The

  Americans have launched two new aircraft carriers in the past

  ten years and equipped each one with new F-31 fighters. We

  still have one carrier of equivalent size in sea-trials, with

  fifteen-year-old fighters on board. In every area except armor

  and total manpower we have either lost our advantage or suffer

  a real lessening of whatever advantage we retain."

  "Times have changed," Minister of Defense Andrei Tovo-

  rin said. "Our security is no longer based exclusively on mil-

  itary strength. We have treaties and agreements with many

  nations. We have mutual verifiable cuts in strategic and tactical

  nuclear weapons, beginning with the INF treaty . . . "

  "But we do not agree to roll over and accept domination by

  the West," Kalinin said. "Sir, you will be on American tele-

  vision in one hour, smiling at their cameras, saying how de-

  lighted you are at the progress that has been made since you

  signed the INF Treaty seven years ago. But, sir, the peace and

&n
bsp; security of our nation still depends on the strong arms and

  backs of our people, rather than on pieces of paper. Those

  treaties will be the first things to be set on fire in a major

  conflict-"

  "Are you saying that this nation is in danger because we

  have agreed to reduce the number of nuclear weapons pointed

  at us?" the General Secretary asked. "Are you saying that we

  are in greater danger of destruction as a nation now than ten

  years ago?"

  "I believe we were more secure ten years ago, yes," Kalinin

  said. "Then I knew that we had the military capability and the

  national resolve to defend ourselves against any attack. Now,

  I am not so sure. For the first time in my career I wonder

  whether we could resist an invasion of western Europe or hold

  off a NATO invasion of western Russia. I question the security

  of our cities and military bases. And yet I see American stores

  and American hotels being built in Moscow. Where is all this

  taking us?"

  "Into the future," General Cherkov said. "The truth is we

  DAY OF THE CHEETAH 47

  are a richer, more secure nation than ever. We also are a mem-

  ber of the world community, no longer the ugly Russian bear. "

  Kalinin said nothing. The General Secretary, probably the

  most popular Soviet leader in history, was a formidable enough

  opponent in the government. But along with Cherkov, the mil-

  itary veteran and hero of Afghanistan and Africa, the opposi-

  tion was all but overwhelming.

  "This meeting is adjourned," the General Secretary said,

  and accepted the handshakes and good luck wishes from the

  Kollegiya members. Kalinin stayed behind after the rest of the

  members, except Cherkov, had left.

  "I apologize for spoiling the mood of the meeting, sir, but

  I feel I have a duty to express my opinion-"

  "You are correct," the General Secretary said. "I encour-

  age such discussions; you know that."

  "Yes, sir." The General Secretary was getting ready to leave

  for the new Kremlin press office for his interview. "Sir . . . I

  need your authorization for additional manpower on an ongo-

  ing project. I need ten more men for five years overseas."

  The General Secretary straightened papers in his briefcase.

  "Overseas? "

  "The United States. Deep cover operation on an American

  military-research base."

  The General Secretary paused, glanced at Cherkov, then

  shook his head. "It sounds like a major escalation. Ten people

  on one base?"

  Kalinin tried to control his irritation. The General Secretary,

  it seemed, had already decided in the negative but wanted to

  pump his KGB chief for information before saying no. "In one

  city, actually," Kalinin pushed on. "Perhaps two or three on

  the base itself, one or two on a separate research center

  nearby. "

  "This perhaps refers to Dreamland?" General Cherkov

  asked. "More activity there?"

  "It is Dreamland," Kalinin admitted. The old than was well-

  informed. The crafty Chief-of-Staff's small but hig ly e cient

  cadre of internal investigators were still very much hard at work

  spying on the KGB for the General Secretary. "We have re-

  c6ived information on a new American project that I believe

  should be of great interest to us."

  "Obviously," the General Secretary deadpanned. "Ten new

  7-

  48 DALE BROWN

  operatives in one area at one time is a lot. Is there a danger of

  discovery? "

  "There is always that chance, sir. But this project is so im-

  portant I feel the additional manpower is absolutely vital."

  "Wasn't your young pilot assigned to Dreamland? " Cher-

  kov asked. "The deep-cover agent that you managed to help

  transfer from their Strategic Air Command?"

  "Major Andrei Maraklov, yes, and he is the one who has

  reported on a new American project that I must track very

  closely.

  "And this project?"

  Kalinin hesitated-he didn't expect to be grilled like this. As

  reported to him so far, the new project was so unusual that he

  didn't fully understand it; it was going to be very difficult ex-

  plaining it to the General Secretary. This was another chango

  from practices of ten years ago-back then, the government

  was so large and, more to the point, so bureaucratically com-

  partmentalized that sending ten or even fifty new agents to the

  United States was relatively easy. Now all personnel move-

  ment, even covert or so-called diplomatic transfers, were ap-

  proved in advance. "I'm talking about a project begun by the same research '&

  center we obtained the short takeoff and landing data from,"

  Kalinin said. "Maraklov has been assigned to a project study-

  ing . . . thought-controlled fighter aircraft-"

  " Thought-controlled aircraft? " The General Secretary

  quickly looked down at the small stack of papers on his desk-

  apparently stifling his skepticism.

  "Maraklov reports they've had significant success with this

  project," Kalinin said, stiffening. "I feel it is very impor-

  tant . . . "

  The General Secretary shook his head. "I am sorry, but ten

  men for such a project is too much. I can authorize two in the

  Los Angeles consulate, and this must be coordinated with the

  foreign minister."

  "But, sir, I was going to use two men as handlers for Mar-

  aklov. The handlers are very important. Maraklov's move-

  ments are carefully monitored and more than one contact is

  essential. If I only have two new men and use them as handlers

  I will not have any for inside duties at the research center.

  DAY OF THE CHEETAH 49

  "I have another meeting, Kalinin," the General Secretary

  said, snapping shut his briefcase. "I am scheduled to be in Los

  Angeles in one month. It will not look well if a large-scale

  deep-cover ring is discovered. I can't risk that. Two men only,

  Kalinin. If more information on this project comes in, I may

  reconsider. Now I must go."

  As the General Secretary moved around his desk to leave,

  Kalinin quickly stepped toward him, not blocking his way but

  obviously wanting to hold his attention a moment longer. "Sir,

  I assure you, this is most urgent."

  The General Secretary looked directly at his KGB chief. He

  was shorter than Kalinin by several centimeters and at least

  twenty years older; Kalinin had a full head of dark brown hair,

  the General Secretary was bald except for graying temples.

  The older man was solidly built and only recently giving way

  to fat; Kalinin was lean, as athletic as a career bureaucrat from

  Leningrad could manage.

  Yet as they stood face-to-face, the General Secretary exuded

  a power that was considerably more than physical. He had a

  presence, an aura, an intensity that had all but mesmerized

  heads of government around the world. His eyes were espe-

  cially effective in seizing and transfixing.

  "Vladimir, the KGB has been well supported by this gov-

  ernm
ent. I have given you my support. I did so even when the

  Politburo believed I had made a wrong decision in appointing

  you to head the KGB. I believed the KGB needed a strong

  young leader for the future, and I chose you. I know that you

  look to something greater than merely the head of the world's

  largest intelligence organization-perhaps minister of defense

  or even General Secretary. Your ambitions are your own affair.

  But do not accuse me, Vladimir. I do what is in the best interest

  of our country and this government, including the KGB. "

  1 Kalinin saw the understated power in those blue eyes. After

  eight years in power, he was still considered by many to be

  the most influential man on the world scene. With glasnost now

  an important part of Soviet life, the General Secretary was

  much more visible in the eyes of the world. Kalinin realized

  confrontations at this time were pointless and even dangerous.

  But the man was getting older. Older and more cautious.

  Nearly every decision involved weighing how it would look in

  the eyes of the world. Kalinin didn't much care about the eyes

  so DALE BROWN

  of the world-he cared about Russia, her security, based on

  her strength. The Soviet Union was not just another member

  of the world community-she was, or should be, its leader.

  The General Secretary studied the younger man's eyes for a

  moment before moving toward the door. Cherkov, once the

  General Secretary's mentor and now his submissive guard-dog,

  followed him out.

  The General Secretary might be, as some said, a visionary,

  Kalinin thought, but right now he was being dangerously short-

  sighted. Forget him this time, Kalinin told himself. This was

  a KGB project-it would remain a KGB project.

  And if there was any way for this strange new American

  technology to advance his own position in the government,

  then let it happen.

  Air Force High Technology Advanced Weapons

  Center (HAWC)

  Wednesday, 10 June 1996, 0430 PDT (0730 EDT)

  AIR FoRCE LIEUTENANT Colonel Patrick S. McLanahan watched

  Captain Kenneth Francis James preparing to mount his "steed."