He almost laughed, but the ache in his ribs cut it short. This was not the cool and composed Claire Phillips seen by millions on nightly television. She looked as if she’d been flung through a hedge at fifty miles an hour, rolled like a bowling pin down a hillside, then dumped in a briar patch.
Which, as he thought about it, was pretty much what happened.
She caught him watching her and flashed a smile. Despite the stinging in his arm and the ache in his ribs, he felt a warm glow settle over him.
So much had happened these past weeks, some of it good, much of it bad. Seeing Claire Phillips smile at him, dirty face and all, made it all okay. He had the sure sense that life was about to get better. Much better.
CLASSIFIED MATERIAL — TOP SECRET
Note: The enclosed evidence was recovered from the personal effects of Dr. Raymond Lutz, suspect in Groom Lake Research Facility security breach. Access restricted to FBI Director, Deputy Director, and designated members (list attached) of Counter Espionage Section, Las Vegas Field Office.
/s/ Special Agent Frederic R. Swinford, Chief of Section.
Contractors: Lockheed Martin/Northrop-Grumman
Power Plant: Two General Electric F-404-GE-F1D2 engines
Wingspan: 41.7 (12.7 meters)
Length: 36.2 (11.0 meters)
Height: 9.15 feet (2.8 meters)
Speed: High subsonic
Ceiling: 50,000 feet (15,152 meters)
Takeoff Weight (Typical): 46,000 pounds (15, 263 kilograms)
Range: 750 nautical miles (1390 kilometers)
Armament: Cannon, air-to-air missiles, internal bomb bay
Payload: 5,200 pounds (2359 kilograms)
Crew: Two
Unit cost: Approximately $1.157 billion
TOP SECRET
*NOFORN*
About the Author
ROBERT GANDT is a former naval officer, international airline captain, and a prolific military and aviation writer. He is the author of thirteen books, including the novels The Killing Sky and Black Star Rising and the definitive work on modern naval aviation, Bogeys and Bandits. His screen credits include the television series Pensacola: Wings of Gold. His acclaimed account of the Battle for Okinawa, The Twilight Warriors (Broadway Books, a division of Random House) was the winner of the 2011 Morison Award for Naval Literature. He and his wife, Anne, live in the Spruce Creek Fly-In, an aviation community in Daytona Beach, Florida.