Terminal Connection

by Needles, Dan

  Three hours later, the mine encountered the second layer of the battle group’s defense. With the aircraft carrier still two hundred nautical miles out, a SH-2G Super Seasprite Helicopter passed by. It was the first helicopter qualified with the Kaman Magic Lantern airborne laser mine-detection system.

  Despite its long name, the system performed a simple function. Using blue-green lasers and specialized cameras, the system swept the ocean, probing deep, identifying enemy mines and submarines. It could locate, identify, and display almost any mine. Using GPS technology, the system would radio to a minesweeper the mine’s precise location. However, the Chinese mine was too deep and the helicopter was three miles to the west, too far for the system’s sensors.

  Twenty more minutes passed and a MH-53E Sea Dragon Patrol Helicopter flew over the mine’s position. The helicopter dragged a sled behind it, laden with sensors. The sled could detect and destroy most mines by defeating their triggering mechanism.

  Most mines used one of four types of trigger mechanisms: contact, magnetic, acoustic, and pressure. The sled could defeat all of these. Contact mines were the cheapest type of mine to build and thus the most common. However, they also were the simplest to destroy. Contact mines were spherical in nature, with long rods protruding from them. The rods were contact fuses. Once the sled struck one of these fuses, the mine would explode.

  The next kind of mine was the acoustic mine. Noise set off these mines. Most ships made noise, lots of noise. So did the sled. If the sled came near these mines, the mine would detonate.

  The third kind of mine was a magnetic mine. These mines contained small magnets, which would sense a large metallic mass passing overhead. Once a ship drew near, the magnets inside the mine would move, causing the mine to detonate. Acting as a large electric magnet, the sled could trigger mines of this type.

  The last type of mine was the pressure mine. This type of mine could sense the change in water pressure caused by the passage of a large, massive ship. These were the hardest mines to fool. Still, by sending a periodic pulse through the water, the sled could detonate most of these mines. Even with all these features, the sled passed overhead and the Chinese mine was not detected.

  It was safe. The Chinese mine did not fit into any of these four categories. It employed a much more complex trigger mechanism. So, without moving, the mine defeated the second layer of the battle group’s defense.

  Three more hours passed. The aircraft carrier was still one hundred nautical miles out when the first scout ship arrived. The U.S.S. Elliot, a Ticonderoga class, AEGIS missile cruiser came within one mile of the mine. The mine listened closely. It detected the subtle variances in the magnetic field. It sensed minute pressure changes in the water around it. Listening carefully, the mine recorded the U.S.S. Elliot’s engines, its props, even the sound it made as it moved through the water.

  The mine used the magnetic, pressure, and sound readings it took to compile a signature. Like a fingerprint, such a signature could uniquely identify any vessel. The mine compared this signature to what it was looking for. In a millisecond, without sending out one signal or moving one inch from its position, the mine determined that the U.S.S. Elliot was not its target. The U.S.S. Elliot sailed onward and the mine remained undetected.

  Three more hours passed before another ship was overhead. Again, the mine listened. This time the magnetic, pressure, and acoustic signature matched that of its target. Without moving, the smart mine had defeated all of the battle group’s defenses. Now it was time to strike.

  The mine rose quickly to the surface, honing in on the sound of the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln’s four gigantic screws, which propelled the colossal ship forward. Each of the carrier’s screws had five blades, weighing eleven tons each. Over twenty-one feet high, the screws, together with the ship’s two nuclear reactors, could push the ninety-five thousand-ton ship at over thirty knots. Yet, they were no match for the explosive power of the mine.

  The mine broke the surface and listened to orbiting GPS satellites. It calculated its final location and sent its second and final signal to the PLA, letting the Chinese military know where the carrier was. Then the mine dove and zeroed in on the middle screw, as it had been programmed to do.

  49

  Vinnie took another puff from his Marlboro and smiled at Allison from the back of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s van.

  “Thanks for sticking your neck out for me. I can’t believe Ed Davis gave me another chance,” Allison said, flipping open a metallic briefcase.

  “Neither can I,” Vinnie said.

  She pulled out the stock and silencer and assembled the assault AK47. “That’s not what I meant.”

  He laughed. “Jesus! We’re not going to war. We’re just detaining a few bad guys.”

  “Why do you think Davis did it?” She opened a box of cartridges and loaded one of the magazines.

  “Did you hear me? We need to drop them, not vaporize them!” He handed her the gun she had lent him several days earlier at the shooting range, but she did not take it.

  “Come on. This has less kick than that assault rifle and better aim at close range. Take it.”

  “I’ve done this before, Vinnie.”

  “But have you done it outside of VR?”

  “Vinnie …”

  “Whether it’s a small hole or a big hole, if you make your mark you’ll still drop ’em. Humor me.” He handed her the gun again.

  Allison put aside the magazine and took her gun. She was indebted to him. It would not hurt to humor him. He handed her the holster and she put it on. “As I was trying to say, I’m worried that Ed Davis gave me another chance.”

  “Why?”

  “When I interrogated Ron Fisher, I found something.”

  “Oh?”

  “He told me one of the intelligence agencies set this up, pitting the Chinese military, the PLA, against Warscape by exploiting the defect.”

  “Really?” He smirked. “You know, I’ve never believed in conspiracy theories. Conspiracy people assume ‘A,’ that government is competent and ‘B,’ that it cares about them, but we both know the truth. We work for the government.”

  “You’re missing my point. How did Ron know about the defect, the use of Nexus in Warscape?” She shook her head. “He knew too much. Someone told him.”

  He got quiet. “What do you think?”

  “Davis could be the mole.”

  Vinnie laughed. “Old Edward! You cannot be serious! Why would he do such a thing?”

  “I think the CIA had the most to lose from the President’s plan. They must have placed him in our organization.”

  He stopped laughing. “You are serious.”

  “How else do you explain it?”

  He shook his head. “It doesn’t change anything. If you’re right and the terrorists are planning on taking down Warscape, then we have a war to stop.”

  “I want to alter the plan. We need to detain one of them, flush out this mole, but we can’t tell Davis.”

  Vinnie stared at her for a long time and finally nodded. “Okay. I’m willing to go along with this, but we’re going to have to go in my way.”

  “Meaning?”

  He put out his Marlboro, grabbed a uniform stashed to one side of the van, and put it on.

  It was a Pacific Gas and Electric uniform. She was exasperated. “What are you planning to do? Just knock on the door and say hello?”

  “Essentially, yes.”

  She looked at him in disbelief.

  “I checked up on their phone records and PG&E meters readings. That house was hopping until just a few hours ago when suddenly everything went dead. I’m thinking we’ll pose as PG&E guys. If they are there, they won’t think anything of it. Remember, these guys have the profile of a bunch of techno-nerds.”

  She noticed a large bulge in one of the coat’s pockets. “What’s that?”

  Vinnie shrugged. “I always drink a bottle of Coke after a successful mission. Now get dressed.”r />
  A few minutes later, they crossed the Street to a single story home.

  He knocked on the door. “Hello, anyone home?” The door was ajar. Vinnie knocked once more. Nothing. Pulling out his gun, he pushed the door open another inch.

  She grabbed his arm. “This is bad. We should wait; call for backup.”

  He turned to her, annoyed. “Yeah, right. Wait for what? We don’t have time. Remember, you agreed to my rules.”

  “Okay, but you follow me.” She pushed past him and stepped through the door into a hallway. It was dark. She motioned for Vinnie to follow. They put on their infrared sensors. Waiting a few seconds, their glasses calibrated and they could see.

  The hallway dead-ended into a large, empty living room. Heavy blinds covered its windows. There were no signs of life, no movement. To the right was a hallway.

  She advanced slowly, hugging the wall, until she was at the mouth of the hallway. Glancing back, she found Vinnie right behind her. She peeked around the corner and down the hallway. It was clear, with doors to either side. A door at the end of the hall was ajar.

  A knot grew in the pit of her stomach. This didn’t feel right. Something was wrong, but she could not place it. Despite the feeling, she advanced quickly and silently down the hall. She took up station to the right.

  Vinnie quickly followed her lead. He took position left of the door.

  She pointed at him and motioned to the left. Then she pointed at herself and motioned right.

  He nodded.

  She motioned with her fingers: one … two … three.

  Stepping into the room, she swung right and leveled her gun.

  Vinnie followed.

  She saw people and equipment everywhere, but immediately she could tell something was wrong. Through her infrared goggles she scanned the room once more. Cold bodies. Cold machines. They were all dead and had been for some time. She counted twelve people sitting in chairs, wearing Nexuses. She ripped off her goggles. One of the men was Xi Quang.

  “What do you make of this? Vinnie?”

  There was a sharp pop.

  She died instantly, collapsing at his feet.

  Vinnie put down the gun he had placed behind her ear. He removed the piece of duct tape, securing a small plastic Coke bottle stuffed with cotton to the gun’s muzzle. He placed the gun and the spent silencer in his pocket.

  He liked revolvers but knew they were too loud for this kind of job. All that gas escaping out of the cylinder made a terrific racket. The Browning was the choice of professional hit men worldwide, when it positively, absolutely, had to be done closeup. No muss, no fuss, and low noise.

  “Nice and clean.” He was pleasantly surprised. Her instincts should have alerted her. Of course, it would not have mattered anyway. He had disabled her gun.

  Everything was finally coming together. Allison would be painted as the mole, just one more victim added to the list of villains taken down an hour ago by the CIA’s special task force.

  Still, he had many minor details to work out. A forensic team could still find traces of fibers, discrepancies of body temperatures or any number of details. It would take time for his CIA buddies to scrub the crime scene clean, but he knew he was finally in the clear.

  Stepping on her shoulder, Vinnie pried her gun from her hand and felt a tinge of guilt. He regretted killing her; but she had fingered the mole in DARPA. With Allison, Ron, Quang, and the PLA operatives all gone, every loose end was tied up.

  Finally, this whole embarrassing China fiasco would be behind him. Operation Dragon Fire was a success. The President’s plan was dead. He had preserved the CIA’s autonomy and thus the safety of the nation at large.

  50

  Ed Davis opened a portal and returned to Warscape. The Admiral was there, talking to one of the analysts. Ed looked at the map beneath him. It was all clear. He floated to the Admiral.

  “An explosion?” The Admiral asked the analyst.

  He nodded. “I think so, perhaps a mine, but I don’t know how we could’ve missed a mine.”

  “Couldn’t we have hit a cay or something?”

  The analyst shook his head. “We’re in deep blue here.”

  “How bad is the damage?”

  “We can move at maybe 4 or 5 knots—that’s it. Two of the four screws are gone, and three of the five blades on a third screw are damaged. We’ll know more after we’ve had a better look.”

  “Damn!”

  “Sir, we were lucky. If it was a mine that hit us, it was a small one.”

  That got Ed’s attention. “How small?”

  “One thousand pounds, maybe less. It couldn’t be more than three feet in diameter.

  “It might be a Japanese-made stealth mine. They’re very hard to detect,” Ed said.

  “Perhaps the intent of the mine all along was to locate the carrier and disable it,” the analyst said.

  The Admiral spoke up. “But why? I still don’t get it. It’s not like the Chinese to take pot shots. If they’re going to hit someone, they follow the old Soviet book, ‘Hit ’em hard with everything you’ve got’. So if it was the Chinese, what in the hell are they waiting for?”

  Out of the corner of his eye, the Admiral saw a shadow. He turned toward it. Lingering at the fringe of Warscape, a figure levitated. How long had he been there? The figure was just a shadow, indicating whoever he was, he could not see into Warscape.

  Obviously, he was trying to break in. Probably the media, the CINCPAC thought. The Admiral shouted at one of the analysts. “Seaman, are we linked into the Internet?”

  “Yes, sir!”

  “Christ! Do you think you could cut him off?” the Admiral said, pointing to the figure.

  “Yes, sir!” The analyst floated to a panel where he could break Warscape’s Internet access. Abruptly, the analyst stopped and stared at a panel.

  “Any day, seaman!”

  “Sir, you better come see this,” the analyst said.

  “What now?” the Admiral grumbled, floating to where the analyst was. Ed followed behind him.

  The analyst stared at a hologram. He turned and faced the Admiral as they approached. “Sir, this was playing when I got here.”

  It was the Internet news feed from CNN. Along with MSNBC and FBIC, CNN was one of the staples of intelligence gathering. Apparently, the link had been left on. A 3D image of Jamie Hwang spoke. “ … after witnessing firsthand the vicious attack at the Children’s Hospital, CEO Steve Donovan has announced he is recalling the Nexus Transporter. Here is his statement recorded earlier today.”

  Ed’s mouth dropped as a 3D picture of Steve in the lobby of Nexus Corporation replaced the image of Jamie.

  “In today’s competitive, market-driven world, a company’s survival rests in its ability to ensure customer satisfaction and provide quality products. The late CEO of Nexus, Austin Wheeler, put it this way, ‘If you take care of the customer better than your competition, the business will take care of itself.’

  “We here at Nexus Corporation are committed to bringing you flawless products and services. Today we discovered a defect that affects less than one in a million units. In extremely rare cases, this defect can result in injury or possibly even death.

  “In front of you is a list of vendors that can replace the faulty component in the Nexus. Simply press on the link and an appointment can be made on your behalf. Nexus Corporation will cover the cost of these repairs but unfortunately, this is NOT a software update; physical access to your Nexus is required.

  “Here at Nexus we are committed to your safety. We will continue to monitor and test our products to ensure your safety and the quality of our products. Thank you for your patronage and loyalty.”

  The Admiral turned to Ed and said sarcastically, “You better pray to God that the Chinese aren’t watching this.”

  The report was on CNN. Everyone watched CNN.

  “Sir, the map!” the analyst said.

  They turned.

  “Christ!” the Admiral sa
id. Above Hainan Island, the map lit up with pink markers.

  “That’s Yangpu’s airbase,” the analyst said.

  More pink blips appeared above Hainan.

  “Oh, god,” the analyst gasped.

  “Talk to me, seaman. What’s going on?” the Admiral asked.

  “We’ve got activity at Haikou, Lingshui, and Yulin airbases and on Hainan as well. That’s no exercise!”

  Ed remembered his interview with Jamie. The Chinese were certainly not going after a few University Students with several squadrons of planes.

  It started as a tug. Ed Davis could see they were drifting off their position above the map. He turned. They were moving toward a black orb in the center of the map.

  “What’s going on?” asked the Admiral.

  Someone screamed. Ed turned. The analyst next to him was sucked into the orb. Out of the orb someone appeared—a man with pale skin and green eyes.

  “Exit Warscape!” Ed yelled as he pressed his own exit button. He was lucky. It worked.

  51

  Inside his virtual office, Steve glanced at the platinum wall, displaying Allison’s email.

  Steve,

  In the hospital, I meant to tell you there is more than one Syzygy. They are concurrently online and have been for some time. The last site listed is an alias for Nexus Corporation. I’m sure Ron is involved.