The crewman/gunner sitting in the back of the plane was wistfully smoking a cigarette and looking forward to getting back on the ground. Why are we going around in circles? After the scary moments during the takeoff run, he was anxious to get through the landing phase of the mission. He had "enjoyed" all the flying he cared to experience for the rest of his life, especially with novice pilots.
Due to a hydraulic pump failure in the scheduled AWACS, an Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft was not yet covering the airspace over Lake Powell and Lake Mead. Air force fighters had been scrambled when the news about the Glen Canyon Dam reached Nellis AFB. Along with four F-16s from the New Mexico Air National Guard, the four Nellis-based F-16s proceeded to Lake Powell. They rendezvoused over Page, Arizona, with a KC-135 tanker and then split up in four sections to hunt for the illusive B-25S.
With the help of controllers who occasionally picked up a primary radar return from the bombers, the ANG fighter pilots from Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, were first on the prowl. Continuing reports from eyewitnesses in the air and on the ground matched what the controllers were observing.
Three other F-16s were now patrolling the skies over Nellis AFB and the nearby city of Las Vegas. The fighter pilots cast occasional glances at the jammed highways and streets, where panicked vacationers and gamblers scurried to get out of town. Dozens of emergency vehicles and law enforcement cruisers were racing to various accident scenes.
A large number of sport utility vehicles had gone off-road to get around the growing traffic jams. McCarran International Airport was in total gridlock, with nothing moving on the ground or in the air. Local law-enforcement agencies were providing the front line of security for the airport and its support facilities.
Although he didnt know it, Tohir Makkawi had been discovered. His bomber was being pursued by two New Mexico Air National Guard F-16s in afterburner — full blower and supersonic. Known as the Tacos, the ANG squadron was blessed with an abundance of talented aviators. The pilots chasing the B-25 were airline captains who had many years of experience in fighters.
Makkawi, in his quest for more speed, intentionally overboosted the radial engines. The heavily vibrating Wright Cyclones weren't going to last much longer, but Makkawi was not concerned. He only needed two more minutes of maximum power and his mission would be accomplished. The infidels remaining in Caesars Palace were in for the shock of their lives. The majority of the decadent sinners did not have long to live. Makkawi would soon be with Allah, and Khaliq Farkas would be proud of his successful trainee.
The crewman in the rear of the plane was wondering why they were flying so low and why the engine noise had increased so much. He guessed it was an evasive maneuver and lit another cigarette. They would soon be on the ground. He was looking forward to going back into sleep mode.
Makkawi s B-25 was making a heading change when Lieutenant Colonel Clay Yeatts, leader of the ANG section, screeched into position at the bomber's six o'clock. Taco One used his M61 20mm Vulcan cannon to blast the right rudder completely off the bomber's horizontal stabilizer.
Another barrage of shells ripped the right engine cowling to pieces, sending a thick stream of black oil flowing from the wing. The engine caught fire as Yeatts swung smoothly over to the left side of the plane and worked the left engine over. It lasted only a few seconds before a blazing streak of fire erupted from the cowling.
The right landing gear dropped out of its wheel well as the B-25 began a steep bank to the right. Yeatts continued to pour cannon fire into the burning plane as it slow-rolled onto its back and crashed nose first near the southern boundary of the Desert Rose Golf Course.
A foursome that heard the three planes approaching ran for cover and spread-eagled with their hands over their heads. They were only slightly injured by the flying debris that hurtled over them. They unanimously decided to adjourn to the nineteenth hole and have a round of Bloody Marys.
The fiercely burning wreckage of the bomber was lying in a crater seven miles from Caesar's Palace. The Tacos had come through with a grand slam, saving the lives of many unsuspecting tourists and hotel workers.
The news about the B-25 cras^ on the outskirts of the Las Vegas strip flashed through the city in a matter of minutes. With black smoke still rising into the sky, a second wave of visitors scrambled to check out of their hotels and leave the city. Only the hard-core gamblers remained. Most of the city's 128,000 motel and hotel rooms were now vacant.
The massive command center was a beehive of activity as hundreds of military aircraft filled the skies. General-aviation airplanes and airliners were again ordered to land at the nearest suitable airport. Sanitizing the airspace was a major priority for NORAD and the FAA.
With the surprising efficiency gained after September 11, there were soon hundreds of fighters, tankers, and surveillance aircraft airborne to protect the U. S. heartland from other deadly terrorist attacks. The tankers were quickly assigned to predetermined refueling tracks at strategic locations around the United States. No one had any idea where or when the next assault would take place. The frontline military aircraft were given whatever priority they needed to be in a position to protect the nation.
Navy E-2C Hawkeyes, air force E-3 AWACS, and U. S. Customs P-3 Orions were pressed into the surveillance role to detect, monitor, and assess anything airborne that might constitute a threat. They also helped to streamline the around-the-clock combat air patrols over major cities. The fighters were constantly cycling off and on the tankers until they returned to their bases to switch crews. Many other fighter aircraft at strategic locations were on ground alert.
Fifteen military transport planes were assigned to fly to various civilian airports to collect stranded airline pilots and return them to their military air guard units. During the interim, many guard pilots were flying double shifts or volunteering for duty at the nearest base. A host of retired military personnel of all ranks began showing up at bases to help in any way possible.
President Macklin was receiving the latest brief on the twin disasters in the Southwest. The U. S. director of homeland security, the head of FEMA, and many other directors of federal and state organizations were swinging into action. Macklin gathered his top advisers in a private conference room at NORAD. The mood was somber.
"Have a seat, gendemen," the president said. That he was outraged was clearly evident by the set of his jaw. "Pete, you and Les plan for multiple strikes on our primary terrorist targets, military targets first. Suppress enemy air defenses, airfields, tactical aircraft, triple-A sites, SAMS, weapons storage and assembly facilities, and command-and-control centers. Thoroughly neutralize them with cruise missiles first."
Hartwell Prost caught Macklins attention. "We should use carpet bombing to flatten every terrorist training camp on our list, including the new ones under construction and the ones they're currently rebuilding. The message for the terrorists and the leaders of the countries that support them has to be stunning — paralyzing."
"I agree," the president said. "The next phase needs to include the states' infrastructure — power plants, major dams, bridges, petroleum storage facilities, and main highways and roads. We are literally going to bomb them into submission. No peace talks, no compromises, no settlements, no bullshit — period!" The president turned to General Chalmers. "Les, which carrier do we have in the North Arabian Sea?"
"Stennis, sir."
"How soon can we have a second carrier in place?"
"Four days, maybe five. Washington has left Singapore, probably in the Strait of Malacca as we speak."