The Boeing slid sideways. Bree fought it, saw the enemy’s tracers blazing across the sky, felt Gal rolling on her wing. “I have it,” she told Chris.
“Yup,” he said, broadcasting a general Mayday on the Guard frequency.
THE F-5Es SWARMED ON THE MEGAFORTRESS. ZEN pushed Three closer, nudging the throttle as the four planes dove. Another six were within two miles, homing in on the scent of blood.
With a cannon, they’d all be dead meat.
“Proximity alert,” flashed on the screen, C3 warning that he was within a hundred feet of the F-5E.
Jeff watched helplessly as the Brazilian lit his cannon. Tracers blazed across the EB-52’s tail section, gouging a large hole in the fin. Zen could feel the shock behind him.
For a brief moment, the chromium sun that had been part of his ANTARES metaphor returned. He felt a flash of heat and anger. Then he put his finger on the throttle slider, accelerating Hawk Four into the midsection of the Brazilian fighter.
THE SHOCK WAVE OF THE EXPLOSION HAD AN ODD effect on Galatica, actually helping Breanna stabilize her in level flight. Even so, there was no question that they were badly damaged. The emergency screens lit on the multi-use displays, and the computer flashed a warning on the HUD saying they had only forty-percent power capability in engines one and four.
“At least it’s symmetrical,” said Chris dryly.
The Megafortress’s twin-tailplane, which extended like a V at the rear of the plane, had been severely damaged. Breanna nudged the plane into a very gentle bank, testing her control.
“F-5’s have backed off. Zen got one,” said Chris. “He rammed it.”
“Hawk Leader?”
“I’m here, Bree. You guys okay?”
“For now,” she told him. “Can you give me a visual on our damage? Start with the tail.”
“Yeah.”
The image snapped into the screen on her lower left panel, which was preset to accept the Hawk feed.
“Looks like a half-eaten waffle,” said Chris. It was an apt description; much of the skin had been blown or burned off, leaving the honeycombed carbon-fiber guts exposed.
“We’re stable. I can turn somewhat,” Breanna told her husband. “We have to land ASAP, though. We’ve lost fuel, and we weren’t exactly full to begin with.”
“Your call,” said Zen.
“Boa Vista’s a hundred miles northwest,” said Chris.
“I don’t know.” Breanna began banking in that direction anyway.
“Okay,” said Chris, working the maps.
The plane bucked sharply.
“Fuel problem,” said the copilot, punching his instruments. “Management panel won’t come up for me.”
“I have it. Find us a landing strip—even a highway at this point.”
“Got an FAB strip five miles south of us. Primitive at best.”
“Jeff, there’s a strip at the edge of the jungle five miles south of here. Can you check it out?”
“Done.”
It didn’t much matter how long the strip was—they might not even make it that far. Two tanks had been shot out; the Boeing’s automated fuel-management system had isolated the tanks, but apparently they were leaking somewhere in the feed lines as well. As Bree stabilized the engines, the monitor warned she was dry.
She thought of saying something to Jeff—maybe apologizing for not accepting his apology before. But the words didn’t come and there was too much to do, keeping the plane steady.
“One of the fuel bags the system shut off sealed,” reported Chris. “I’m trying to get it back on line manually.”
“Give it a try.”
“How long did you say that strip was?” Zen asked. “Less than twelve hundred,” said Chris.
“Try five thousand,” said Jeff. “It’s long, level, and concrete.”
“Give me a vector,” Bree said.
“You’re nearly dead on. It’s hidden by the ridges there. Sharp drop. Check the low-light feed.”
The runway looked brand-new. Everything else—a few buildings, two hangars—looked ramshackle, even from Four’s orbit at five thousand feet. An old propeller transport sat off the ramp.
“No tower that 1 can raise,” said Chris. “Trying Guard. Trying everything.”
“There are people there,” said Zen.
“We’re landing one way or the other. We’re on final,” she added as the moonlit runway suddenly came into view over the mountain.
She blew a tire as they landed, probably because it had been damaged during the attack. Chris struggled with the crosswind readings at the last minute, and Breanna lost engine one completely when she applied reverse thrust, but she still managed to hold the runway. A wide ramp sat at the far end; she felt her body starting to collapse as she headed for it.
“So, what happens now?” Chris asked.
“We call home,” said Breanna.
“The question is, why did the F-5’s attack?”
“The country’s in the middle of a crisis,” said Jeff on the interphone. He landed the Flighthawk and taxied behind them. “There’s been a military coup.”
“Just what we need,” said Breanna.
“Shooting at us still doesn’t make sense,” said Chris. “Unless they thought we were on the other side.”
“Which side is the other side, though?” said Bree.
A jeep waited ahead. A soldier stood in the rear, waving at them.
“Looks like he’s smiling,” said Chris. “What do you think? Pop out and have a chat?”
“Think he’ll speak English?” asked Bree.
“Got me.”
“Those fuckers tried to shoot us down,” said Jeff.
“It wasn’t exactly these guys,” said Breanna. “Doesn’t look to me like the F-5’s came from this base. No support facilities.”
“We’re going to have to talk to them sooner or later,” said Chris. “It’s not like we’re at war with Brazil.”
“No?” said Jeff sarcastically.
The men in the jeep jumped out, waving and smiling. They weren’t carrying weapons.
“One of us is going to have to try talking to them,” said Breanna. “We have to at least get to a phone.”
“I don’t know, Bree,” said Jeff.
“Sitting here doesn’t make any sense,” said Chris. “I mean, if they want to, they can just blow us up. But those guys down there don’t look hostile.”
“I think I’ll go talk to them,” said Breanna. “What do you think, Jeff?”
She could practically hear him debating it, tossing his head back and forth the way he always did. If the attack had been a case of mistaken identity, then going out was the obvious thing to do. Chris had broadcast their position, but there was no indication that any American units had received it; even if they had, it would take hours or even days for them to be found. In the meantime, their radio’s range would be severely limited by the mountains.
On the other hand, the F-5 attack had hardly been a friendly gesture.
“I think our options are either to blow up the plane or talk to them,” Breanna said when Jeff didn’t answer. “And we don’t have anything on board to blow up the plane.”
“Blowing up the plane doesn’t make sense,” said Zen finally.
“I agree,” said Chris.
Breanna hit the console switch to automatically crack the hatch, lowering the ramp to the ground. Then she got out of her seat. “You and Zen stay with the plane,” she told her copilot. “I’ll go see what sort of donkey train we’re going to need to get help in.”
Breanna made her way to the ventral hatch without stopping to talk to Jeff in the Flighthawk bay. After so much time in the air, her legs felt a little spongy; she wobbled a bit as she put her boot on the pavement. Gal’s stilt landing gear disoriented her as well, and Breanna felt unbalanced as she turned toward the front of the plane, walking out from its shadow. A pair of two-and-a-half-ton trucks, canvas tops flapping, whipped out from behind the hangars and headed toward her.
Breanna paused to get her bearings. As she did, something large buzzed down from the air behind her, so close and sudden that she stumbled sideways and fell to the ground. The Megafortress and the ramp rumbled with the vibration.