Nano Surveillance (Dave Henson Series Book 1)

by Mark Donovan

  “Dave come on in here,” yelled Ron. “We might have a defection.”

  Ten seconds later Dave came bounding into the lab area. “So you heard from Kolosky. What’s he have to say.”

  “He’s agreed to meet with us and hear us out,” replied Dana excitedly.

  “Fantastic,” responded Dave. “If we can get him to help us, we can wrap up this mission soon.”

  “So how should I respond to him?”

  “Hold on, I need to get one of my Canadian aviation sectional maps,” responded Dave.

  Dave ran out of the lab and returned a minute later with a sectional that covered the area of Canada northwest of Cut Bank, Montana. He unfolded the sectional and placed it on a lab bench to study. After reviewing the map for a few minutes, with Dana and Ron looking over his shoulder, he pointed to a small airport that was about 60 miles southeast of Calgary, Canada.

  “Here,” he said, as he tapped his finger on the sectional map suddenly. “We’ll meet Kolosky at Vulcan Airport (CFX6). It’s in the middle of nowhere but only 60 nautical miles from Calgary Airport and 114 miles from here. It also has no control tower. Jeff can fly into Calgary on a commercial airliner and then have a local pilot associated with the Calgary FBO fly him out to Vulcan.”

  “How will we get there?” asked Dana.

  “I have an old pilot buddy at Cut Bank Airport. He’s a bit of a recluse, but he was quite the man in his time. He graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1962 and flew F111s in Vietnam back in 1968. In that same year he was shot down and held as a POW at what was famously known as the “Hanoi Hilton”, for nearly five years until his release. He has a Cessna 182 Skylane. I’m sure he’ll let me borrow it for a day, with no questions asked.”

  “But how will we avoid being detected or deal with customs.”

  “We’ll scud run at treetop level to avoid detection by the Canadians.”

  “Isn’t that dangerous?” accused Dana.

  “Yes, a little. However, I’ve had my fair share of practice with scud running over my aviation career. We’ll be safe.”

  “When do you want Jeff to meet with us?”

  “Tell him to meet us on the ramp at Vulcan Airport at noon tomorrow. He can take a flight out of New York tonight to Calgary. He can spend the night at the Calgary airport and then fly into Vulcan tomorrow.”

  “You realize it’s almost 5:00pm on the east coast?”

  “Yes, and I also know there are three major airports in the greater New York Area that he can catch a flight out of. Email him a response back telling him to meet us at Vulcan Airport at noon tomorrow. Also make sure to tell him to come alone, other than the pilot that will fly him out there. Finally, give him a simple reminder that we have eyes and ears everywhere.”

  “You don’t have him bugged do you?” asked Dana questioningly.

  “No, but he doesn’t know that. We do, however, have a number of his buddies wired in, including his big boss Barbas as you know.”

  Dana typed up a quick response to Jeff and hit the send button. “Hopefully he gets this message soon,” she commented after sending the message.

  “Oh, I’m sure he will,” Dave responded. “I suspect he’s in near panic mode with the decision that he has already made, but still doesn’t quite yet fully realize.”

  “Well, hopefully it will become abundantly clear, and logical, to him when the two of you meet with him tomorrow at Vulcan Airport,” said Ron with a grin.

  As the three laughed at Ron’s obvious Star Trek Mr. Spock reference, Dana’s email inbox blinked with a new message notice.

  The response was from Jeff Kolosky.

  “Well that didn’t take very long,” commented Ron. “What’s your old boss got to say?”

  Dana opened up the email and read the short reply. “I will see you at noon tomorrow on the ramp at Vulcan Airport in Canada, and I’ll be alone.”

  “Excellent,” Dave commented as he stood up from the lab chair. “I guess I better go and pay a visit to my old friend out at the airport and confirm that we indeed have an aircraft for tomorrow. I’ll leave the rest of you to finish up preparing tonight’s video.”

  “Do you want me to come along?” asked Dana.

  “No. As I said earlier, my buddy is a bit of a recluse and is somewhat uncomfortable around people he doesn’t know, and particularly when it comes to women. Also, the fewer people who see us walking around the airport or town the better off we all are. No reason to bring any unnecessary attention to our activities.”

  “Okay, we’ll sit tight and make final preparations for tonight,” responded Dana. “How long do you think you’ll be gone?”

  “I shouldn’t be more than a couple of hours, assuming my buddy is around the airport, which 99% of the time he is.”

  “If you’re longer than that, then Joe and I will come looking for you,” said Ron half joking, but also very serious.

  “Sounds good,” said Dave as he walked out of the lab and into the kitchen to grab his car keys. As the others watched him walk out to the car Ron ran out after him. “Hey, you may need this.” He handed Dave the .44 Magnum handgun. “You never can be too safe nowadays,” he said with a slightly nervous laugh.

  Dave took the handgun from Ron and said, “Thanks. You guys watch yourself too while I’m gone.”

  The two parted with Ron returning to the building and Dave hopping into his S60 Volvo. As Dave drove down the long driveway away from them, Dana watched from the front door with a nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was all going just a little too smoothly.

  Chapter 71 (March 28, Thursday 3:30pm Mountain Daylight Savings Time)

  As Dave drove towards the airport a beige sedan was pulling up to the flight services facility, or FBO, at Cut Bank Airport. In the sedan were two men. Both had large hulking frames, and looked as if they may have been athletes in their earlier years. Though they looked to be in their early forties, they appeared extremely fit and polished. Each was dressed smartly wearing Giorgio Armani sports coats over stiff collared dress shirts. However, they were not FBI agents, and nor were they associated with the Department of Homeland Security. They had received a phone call two nights ago from someone in Washington D.C. tasking them with finding and terminating a Dave Henson and a few of his NSurv associates. They were also to retrieve any information or materials that were found with the NSurv personnel.

  Over the past thirty six hours they had searched the NSurv headquarters in McCall, Idaho, and had visited four airports that were northeast of McCall. So far they had come up empty. No one that they had spoken to had seen anyone that resembled the NSurv personnel or vehicle descriptions. It was as if they had vanished.

  The two men stepped out of the sedan, and while still standing next to their vehicle, did a quick survey of the airfield and buildings. The flight service center appeared open, and there was only one additional vehicle parked in the parking lot. A few additional hangars were aligned adjacent to the flight service center, and several small general aviation aircraft were tied down along the ramp near the hangers. There were also a few vehicles parked next to a couple of the hangars. Overall, the place looked like a ghost town as all the hangar doors were closed, and there was no sign of life around the airport. The two men proceeded to walk to the flight service center to speak with the attendant inside and to see if he or she might have any knowledge of any aircraft that may have flown into the airport recently.

  Two minutes after the two men walked into the flight service center, Dave drove into the airport’s entrance and passed the flight service center and FBO hangar. The two men that had just walked into the flight service center did not see him pass by as they were engaged in a conversation with a young blond female FBO attendant. Dave proceeded down to the hangar at the far end of the airport and pulled up on the back side of it and parked his car. As he drove by the front of the hangar he noticed his old friend’s beaten up Chevy pickup truck parked outside. “Well it looks like Ed Clemons is home,” he thought fo
rtunately to himself.

  Dave walked up to the side door entrance of the hangar and rapped on the door several times loudly. Ed had lost fifty percent of his hearing while serving in the Air Force and most of the time neglected to wear his hearing aids. After what seemed to be a five minute wait, the service door to the hanger opened up slowly. As it did, a rough old voice said, “Who the hell is banging on my door so loudly?” As he finished the sentence and his eyes adjusted to the bright sunshine he recognized Dave’s face. “Dave, well I’ll be dammed. I haven’t seen you in three months.”

  “I’ve been pretty busy lately and haven’t been able to get up here as often as I’d like to. I’ve really missed getting in some backcountry flying.”

  Ed reached out and gave him a hardy handshake and said, “Well come on in. It’s great to see an old friend.”

  Dave walked into the hangar and saw the Skylane he was hoping to borrow sitting in the back of the hangar. Toward the front of the hangar was a Cessna 172 Skyhawk that was pulled apart.

  “Don’t mind the mess,” said Ed as he led Dave around the disassembled aircraft and to an office area in the back of his hangar. “I’m in the middle of an annual inspection on this 1977 Skyhawk.”

  “Is that an N-model Skyhawk?”

  “Yes, indeed it is. It flies as well as any of Cessna’s other Skyhawk models, but that 0-320-H2AD engine needs constant pampering. The guy that owns this one apparently forgot to use the right fuel additive. He’s not going to be too happy when I tell him that his camshaft is shot.”

  When they made it to the back office Ed offered Dave a cup of coffee from a filthy coffee pot that looked like it hadn’t been washed in years. Nevertheless, Dave accepted the offer to be polite.

  As Dave stirred in some powdered cream and sugar into his coffee, Ed cleared off some stacks of aviation parts list catalogues from a couple of old stuffed fabric chairs so the two men could sit down.

  “So what brings you out to Cut Bank today?” asked Ed as he sat down with his cup of black coffee.

  “Well, I came up to do some maintenance work on my hangar and to take the Piper Super Cub out for some backcountry flying.”

  “Ah, you can’t go wrong in a Cub. They’re a fantastic aircraft. I flew that plane for years after I got out of the Air Force. I did contract work for oil companies and ranches inspecting pipe lines and counting cattle herds with that aircraft. They are fun planes.”

  “Agreed, however, I was looking for a favor from you,” responded Dave.

  “Tomorrow I need to pick up a woman friend of mine in Spokane, Washington and she has quite a bit of luggage.”

  “You’re a lucky man Dave.”

  “I know, but I find myself in a bit of a bind. My Super Cub is too small to go pick her up with and the Citation is overkill for the mission. I was wondering if you’d let me borrow your Skylane for the day. Of course I’d compensate you for the use of the aircraft.”

  Ed laughed and took a sip of his coffee. “No problem whatsoever Dave. Just fill her up when you’re done is all I ask.”

  “Thank you Ed. I should have her back by late afternoon.”

  “I’m not going to be here tomorrow morning as I have a doctor’s appointment to check out my bum knee again. I’ll also probably not be around when you get back with your woman tomorrow evening. So just tie her down on the ramp and I’ll put her in the hanger in the morning.”

  Dave looked over his shoulder at the Skyhawk. “With that Skyhawk out there in pieces, would you like some help pulling out the 182?”

  “No, don’t sweat it. I’ll put her out tonight before I leave and make sure her tanks are full and the oil topped off. I’ll leave her keys under the doormat outside the hangar. Just put them back there when you’re done with her tomorrow.”

  “Will do, and thanks again Ed. I much appreciate it.”

  “No problem. It’s good to know I’m still appreciated.”

  “So other than your knee how’s the rest of your health.”

  “At my last flight physical the doctor said my heart is strong and I still don’t need to wear glasses, though my hearing is pretty well shot. But other than the knee and ears I can’t complain. Still passing the physicals and that’s all that counts at my age.”

  “Well you’re an inspiration to me Ed. I hope I still have the energy and health that you have when I get to your age.”

  “Oh, knowing you, I am sure you will,” laughed Ed.

  Dave stood up from his seat and said, “I better let you go now so that you can get back to your work.” He went over and rinsed his coffee cup in the sink. Ed stood up and continued to chat with him as the two walked out of the office and across the hangar floor. Though Ed was a recluse, if he liked someone, he couldn’t stop talking to them. It was another five minutes before Dave was able to separate himself from Ed and get into his car and head back to the NSurv facility.

  As he drove away from Ed’s hanger, two men were walking out to the beige sedan parked outside the FBO office. Passing by them, they seemed to fixate on his vehicle. They didn’t look like official law enforcement, but they seemed to be in search of someone. Dave slouched down deeper in his car seat and looked straight ahead as he passed by them. They turned away from him as he passed.

  The two men looked at each other questioningly before one said to the other, “Did he look like Henson?”

  “I couldn’t get a good read on him, but I don’t think so. Based on what that blond just told us it seems like this airport’s yet another dead end.”

  The other man continued to look at Dave’s vehicle as it exited the airport and drove east down the road. A sixth sense was going off in his head, but he had no real information to corroborate it with. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Let’s continue on to the next airport on our list.”

  The two men jumped into their car, with the one man questioning his sixth sense getting behind the wheel. He started the car ignition quickly and gunned it out of the parking lot and airport entrance. Like Dave, he turned east after exiting the airport. Due to the fact that the road was straight as an arrow, and the adjacent land was not very wooded, he could see down the road nearly a mile. In the distance he could see Dave’s car make a right hand turn. The two men continued down the road with the driver still trying to reconcile his feelings with the vehicle that had just left the airport and turned off the road ahead of them.

  As he neared the intersection where the S60 Volvo had turned right, he came to the conclusion that there was no supporting evidence to make him want to pursue the vehicle any further. With the decision made, the two men continued on down the road they were on to their next airport destination.

  Chapter 72 (March 28, Thursday 7:00pm Mountain Daylight Savings Time)

  After returning from the airport and briefing everyone on his meeting with his old buddy Ed Clemons, the team finished their preparations for tonight’s video. This evening’s video would feature the President and the Speaker of the House, courtesy of the bugged Chief of Staff who had participated in the meeting. Tonight’s video was critical. The Speaker of the House had to be removed and replaced by someone in Congress that was not, in effect, an administration lackey. Without the removal of the current Speaker of the House the President would not be impeached. So tonight’s video featured not only the most damaging parts of the conversation between the President and the Speaker of the House in the Oval Office the other day, but also a montage of public domain video news clips recorded over the years showing the close and friendly relationship between the two men.

  While the team had broken for dinner an hour earlier, Dave had pulled Ron aside and mentioned that he had seen a couple of suspicious looking men at the airport. He suggested to Ron that they both keep their handguns on their persons at this point, just in case the men happened to pay a surprise visit. So far, however, the video sensor alarms along the length of the driveway had been silent.

  At 8:00pm sharp NSurv interrupted national television broadcast services
again, and hacked into the three major internet news aggregator websites, to broadcast their video of the recent conversation between the President and Speaker of the House. As the nation watched, they saw the two most powerful elected political figures in the country, and arguably around the world, discussing blackmailing and extorting other elected federal congressmen to achieve the President’s end goals. The statement from the President telling the Speaker of the House that “All that video did was show how the executive and legislative branches of the government have always operated,” was the most damning. The collective sound of disgust could be palpably felt around the nation, in every home and business, when the President uttered those words from their television and computer screens. Effectively this is the way our country is run was the collective conclusion. By a polluted process of our own elected officials extorting and blackmailing one another, and by extension, the people that they represent.

  When the video ended and normal broadcast and internet services were restored, the majority of the nation’s public who had just observed the video sat or stood in their homes, at bars and restaurants around the country, or in business offices, stunned into a momentary silence. All were quickly coming to the same conclusion that they had been duped by the President himself and the news media. That this man, along with the Speaker of the House and many of the other politicians in Washington, were rotten to the core and had to go. And that they were not representing the public and the nation’s best interest, but instead their own.

  After the initial stunned response, people around the entire country began to leave their homes and businesses and gather in their local streets. Mob protests began to break out in many of the major cities with protesters shouting and demanding the immediate impeachment and removal of the President and the Speaker of the House.