Chapter 21
E&E: Escape and Evasion. All USAF Academy cadets go through a grueling three-week survival course after their freshman year, learning E&E.
It was a skill you never forgot.
McGriffin E&E’ed through the bunkers, running in a crouch, fanning his weapon around. He ran silently, moving quickly from shadow to shadow in a random fashion, never staying in one place for too long. Every few seconds he scanned the bunkers jutting up around him and tried to pick out movement, any hint that a sniper might be targeting him.
Once he E&E’ed around another bunker, he would reach the rendezvous point, south of where he had been dropped off. He ran up the crater, and although the slope was not steep, it still drained him of energy.
He almost threw his shotgun down — the weapon seemed heavier with every step he took. As he moved farther away from the terrorists, he grew more reckless in the E&E tactics. Soon he was running pell-mell out in the open.
Falcon One screamed overhead. Moments later the sickening explosion from the F-16’s demise turned his stomach. Then the sound of the stolen helicopter escaping Alpha Base made him vomit. He had to stop and puke out his guts as the HH-53 rose over the bunker and into the night.
How many deaths would he be responsible for? The nukes on board would certainly be used against American lives.
Stumbling into a clearing, he whirled to check his position. He couldn’t tell for certain, but it looked like the rendezvous area. He fumbled with his walkie-talkie. He drew in a breath and said weakly, “Manny.”
“Be there shortly.”
McGriffin pressed against a bunker. The stars burned serenely down, punching through the haze that permeated Alpha Base. The acrid smell was almost gone, but in its place rose the smell of something more macabre: burning flesh. McGriffin shivered, thinking about how many had died that night.
Manny’s 53 bore straight down on him. It was one thing to be on board during a combat landing; standing by the landing zone was another thing entirely.
The chopper fell out of the sky. With its landing lights off, it appeared as a dark blob, blocking out the stars. Just when McGriffin felt the wind from the blades, the helicopter lighted on the dirt.
McGriffin ducked and sprinted toward the craft. He swung a leg up and pulled himself on board.
Manny gave him a quick thumbs-up before taking off.
McGriffin pushed forward. The red cabin lights glowed dimly, outlining the instruments. He settled down in the right-hand seat and waited until Manny gained altitude before speaking.
“The F-16 didn’t stop them.”
“I saw. At least the pilot punched out.”
“Thank God for that. But what about the chopper?”
Manny was silent for a moment. “Your guess is as good as mine. I’m still in contact with Falcon Two — he lost him too.”
“What? How could he let the chopper slip away!”
“Conductive plastics, remember? The other HH-53 has a stealth coating just like us, so he’s virtually invisible.”
McGriffin mulled it over. “How about an update from the secure link? Have STRATCOM and the other agencies stopped squabbling yet?”
Manny glanced at the inboard digital clock. He worked his mouth wordlessly. “Another half hour and the DOE boys and girls should arrive from the Nevada Test Site. That’s about the time the rest of the fighters should start getting here. A satellite IR and radar search using national technical means has started, concentrating on all possible landing sites.”
McGriffin snorted. “Probably means they don’t know what the heck is going on, either. Anything else?”
“You’re still the on-site commander. Until they restore communications, and they’re able to get Colonel DeVries or someone else out here, you’re the senior ranking officer. The civil engineers are out patching the runway and access road — they should have it pretty well fixed up for the incoming crews. There should be enough security policemen to make a sweep of Alpha Base in the same time frame.”
“Crap.” McGriffin struck the console with a fist. “Still, what’s taking security so long to get there? I thought Alpha Base was supposed to be nearly invincible?”
Manny was silent for a moment before answering. “I’m not apologizing for them, or anything like that, Bill—”
McGriffin looked quickly up. He felt suddenly bad yelling at Manny; especially when the chopper pilot was the only sympathetic guy around for miles. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”
“S’all right. It’s just that I can’t really blame them. They did have half their force out there on Alpha Base, and with the other half in the dorms, you’d think with all communications out, there’d be some screw-ups. Hell, we’re lucky we were around.”
McGriffin settled back in his seat. “Right. But to think we can’t even find that helicopter. By the time DOE gets here, no telling where they’ll be.”
He looked out the cockpit. They flew a mile above ground level, making a slow sweep of Alpha Base. Below them everything seemed serene. The fires flickered low.
The smoke slowly cleared, bathing Alpha Base in a pastoral light. If it weren’t for who-knows-how-many nukes were missing, the setting would have been placid.
The idyllic sense of well-being lulled his memories back. Vikki — what was she doing there, and what did she have to do with it? Was she kidnapped? She couldn’t have anything to do with it!
Or could she?
McGriffin frowned. Something tugged at his mind. Things just didn’t make sense.
But what if she was part of all this? What if she had tried to learn everything she could about Alpha Base — and if so, then who else better to befriend than one of the Wendover command post commanders? What better way to ensure that the terrorists got all the information they needed?
But she couldn’t have been set up to meet him. No one knew where he was going that day they met, not even himself. And she didn’t get any information from him at all. Those times he was with her, she seemed above reproach.
But yet …
And then it hit him.
“Manny, how’s your fuel?”
“Uh, pretty good. No need to worry. With just two of us, we can stay up here another few hours, although I’m not used to flying this high.”
McGriffin set his jaw. “I have a hunch where those terrorists might have gone.”
“Say the word.”
“Head northwest for the mountains. There’s a clearing where they just might be able to resupply from.”
Manny looked puzzled. “The mountains? That’s the last place they’ll try. If you’re thinking of someone flying in there to get them out, the desert has a lot more flat spots to use as landing areas.”
“I know. And that’s why I hope I’m wrong.”
Manny stared at him for a moment before shrugging. “If you say so.”
He swung the craft from its pattern and started climbing; the mountains hit ten thousand feet, and he wanted to make sure the search didn’t ruin their day.
Harding kept his pistol trained on Koch the entire flight. The HH-53 pushed to make it over the mountains, straining to fly in the thin air. In the back, Vikki perspired from the heat and watched. Even with the cargo door open the stealth composite on the helicopter’s exterior made the inside of the chopper feel like an oven.
She studied Harding during the bumpy trip. Wind careening off the rugged peaks shot up and caught them in turbulence, bouncing the craft in random jolts. Harding’s face glowed red, reflecting the dials from the control console. He was a different man from when they first started. Possessed — caught up in the rush of control.