There were murmurings to that, and Stu gave an inward smile, knowing he’d made each and everyone of the men aware of the dangers of this weapon, and the need to obliterate anything holding one.
“Tell them about the highest position,” Mark pressed.
Stu frowned, but shrugged and pointed at the smallest button on the flash gun, and also the one closest to the top.
“This is the kill button, or more aptly, the vaporize button. It’ll leave nothing more than a small, barely discernable pile of black dust and ash where the person or thing was just standing.”
No one said anything to that, just gulped a bit and hoped they’d never be on the receiving end.
Part III
21 — The X-22
The X-22 was quite the bird, if you wanted to call it that. The first thing anyone noticed were the huge tilting ducted fans, two on the forward 22-foot wings and two on the rear 39-foot wings. Together the four three-bladed propellers gave the plane vertical and/or short take-off and landing capability, or V/STOL as it was called. The X-22 achieved that by synchronizing a wave-interconnection system with four gas turbines that were also located on the rear wings. When the turbines fired the plane could lift off, and steering was achieved by tilting the propeller blades in conjunction with the elevators and ailerons of the thrust system. Each of the turbines could produce 1,267 hp, allowing the X-22 to travel at 254 mph, or just over 400 km/h… a lot less than the 326 mph she was supposed to get by design.
Not that that mattered to any of the men standing there in awe of the craft, which looked like something most had never seen.
“The X-22 program was cancelled in 1966,” a voice said from behind them, and the men turned to see Captain Mark Richards approaching, “although that was just the official version, of course.”
“So that’s what we’ll by flying into the port in, huh?” Turn asked.
“Aye, and flying out in too… if you’re lucky.”
Mark gave the flight engineer and mission commander a hard stare, then nodded. “We can manage.”
22 — Before the Attack
Ellis looked on as the men got into the X-22, his son leading the way. At least with Charlie, Walter and Donlon leading the three land-force CATs the men knew what to expect, the Dutchman thought to himself. Each of the men had been tested in battle and they knew their teammates well — they’d often been beside them there in the thick of it, and some had even fought as a team in Montana. The third CAT team, however, the one that his son would be leading and which the entire success of the mission depended upon, would be blazing the trail for the larger Fast Action Team and Clean Up Team coming in on their tail, would be attacking under the command of a man most had never fought beside, but whom most had heard about.
Mark Richards was nearly as much a legend as his old man, and some said more so. The Dutchman's son was well-known in black ops circle and two things were beyond question: the younger Richards had proven himself in combat, and he’d never asked his men to do anything he wasn't ready to do. More importantly, he’d never left a man behind.
While his missions had almost always been so top secret that nobody knew details, the rumors and trail of evidence was more than clear to any in the know. What’s more, it was rumored that he’d been off-world, perhaps even to a distant alien planet. When it came to the Richards’, anything was possible.
The only problem for the command chain was Richards’ reputation for being something of a loose cannon when it came to following orders that he didn't think were in the best interest of his men or the mission — a fact that just made him more popular with his men.
Few of those things were going through the younger Richards’ mind as he climbed into the X-22 cockpit and settled behind the controls. Turn was beside him and Andy and Billy just over his shoulder. It seem the appropriate time for a prayer.
“I am a Commando,” he began, “as my brother Commandos before me, I am proud to step into history as a member of the Air Force Special Operations Command.”
“I will walk with pride with my head held high, my heart and attitude will show my allegiance to God, country and comrades,” the other men joined in from behind. “When unable to walk another step, I will walk another mile. With freedom my goal, I will step into destiny with pride and the Air Force Special Operations Command.”
Mark glanced over at Turn out of the corner of his eye and smiled, then powered up the X-22, gave the order for the helicopter to follow, then pushed the strange tilt-rotor aircraft to its flight limits in a wild high speed bank over the runway that impressed the hell out of the troops still on the ground… not to mention set the tone for the mission.
“Woo-hoo!” Billy shouted from the back seats as they shot into the air, already going 180 mph according to the instruments just past Mark’s fingertips.
Over the earphones and speakers came first his voice, then the voice of the team members with him in the X-22, singing the Air Force hymn. In the Puma helicopter on the ground, Moses and the rest of the men of the CUT team started into the song as well.
“Up and away, into the wild blue yonder!” the men shouted as they saw the X-22 shoot forth into the dark night, toward the Archuleta Mesa and the secret underground Dulce base.
“We can’t very well let that bunch smash open the Gates of Hell without the rest of us being right behind them,” shouted Moses as he lifted the helicopter off the ground, the X-22 nearly out of sight already.
“Damn right we can’t,” Aaron said beside him. “Fire this bird up — we’ve got some aliens to kill.”
23 — Down in the Tunnels
Down in the lower levels of Blue Lake base Combat Assault Teams (CAT) 1, 2 and 4 stood outside the double-side platform where the tube train was set to arrive.
“Looks like a damn subway station in New York!” Second Lieutenant David Tish grumbled, something the other men had come to expect was all that was possible from him (they’d yet to see him in combat, after all).
“It’ll take you to New York,” Donlon said as he checked his M16 assault rifle for the tenth or so time.
“So don’t tell me—”
Jake’s words were cutoff as ‘wooshing’ sound could suddenly be heard in the distance, coming from behind them. Everyone turned to see the light of a train coming, and then a moment later they turned around to see one coming on the opposite side of the platform.
“Tube 1 is you guys, Walter,” Donlon said to Captain Walter Leathers with a nod, then raised his arm toward Tube 2 across the way and looked to his own men, “and we’ll go this way.”
Everyone nodded and gathered their things and started to board the trains.
“There’s no one driving!” Bobbie said with a laugh of surprise when the train finally stopped and he was able to see into the main engineer’s compartment.
“They’ve been fully-automated since they were installed,” Walter said, ushering him onto the train, which was really nothing more than two cars pulled by the main engine, if you even wanted to call it that.
“Thing looks more like a bumper car to me,” David grumbled as he got onto Tube Train 2.
“Won’t feel that way when it starts moving,” Robbie said, “not if they go Mach 2 like Colonel Donlon said in the briefing.”
David just frowned to that, but got onto the train and settled down. Across the way the men of Walter’s team did the same.