Jesse's Starship (12 page)

“He would never lie about something like this.”

“Would he lie about anything?”

“He would lie to prevent someone from being harmed. He knew that man we followed into Phoenix was an alien but he refused to tell me because he was worried I might come to harm if I got involved. There is not a dishonest bone in the boy’s body.” Mike felt his phone vibrate; he looked at the number and felt his heart speed up; it was the number from the satellite building. “I need to take this call, Mr. President.” The President nodded and wondered why Mike had requested the blocking of cell phones be switched off.

John Tyler said, “Mike, Colonel Jameson has disappeared.”

“WHAT!?!”

“He left the building right behind you and didn’t return. I put out a search order and his car was found by a military helicopter on an isolated road twenty miles outside the city.”

“I’ll get back to you, John.”

“Yes Sir.”

Mike looked at the President, “Please activate the blocking systems.”

“What’s going on?”

“I was afraid of this but didn’t want to believe it. I think there is a group of military officers that are operating in secret to ensure they don’t lose power.”

“What do you mean?”

“How was my wife taken so quickly? How was an Apache dispatched to remove the evidence of their actions and the pilot committed suicide to prevent anyone learning who had sent him? Now Colonel Jameson has disappeared and I suspect he’s one of those acting behind the scenes. I have to believe the military is controlled by this group and they are not operating within the restraints of the Constitution.”

The President looked at his Chief of Staff, “Surely they don’t control all of our forces?”

Mike looked grim, “Mr. President, they don’t have to control everything to get things done. Our soldiers and sailors are trained to follow the orders of their superior officers. Our forces are so massive that it wouldn’t take many to take control of the larger apparatus. You need to find out from the Seal Commander who sent the order to abduct my wife and follow that lead to where it originated. I suspect it will dry out before you find the one that did it.”

“Carl, get on it.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“One other thing.” The President turned to Mike. “Who installed the system that keeps your communications private?” The President’s eyes went wide. Mike nodded and said, “I have to go back to the satellite center.”

• • •

The man shook his head; Mr. Sanders was going to have to be removed. He picked up a handset and started talking.

“What’s going on?”

The man put his hand over the mouth piece, “It appears the President has been told that his communications may be compromised.” The second man stared at the first. “I’m taking care of that issue now.” The second man nodded and went back to a panel. The first man removed his hand from the mouth piece and started talking.

• • •

The Man pulled the hood up over his head and put on a pair of glasses. It was cold and the wind was close to fifteen miles per hour. He sat on a bench close to the visitor’s center near the corner of 15th and E Street NW. He had a view of the entrance to the White House and he adjusted the glasses to zoom in. The view moved in closer and he waited for the grey Chevy Cavalier to leave the main gate. Why anyone would rent a vehicle that cheap was beyond him. The target must not know the government had deep pockets. He hunched over against the wind and kept his eyes on the gate. “There!”

The grey Cavalier left the gate and headed toward the Pentagon. He knew it was actually going to a building close to the huge five sided structure where intelligence was processed. He watched the car pass him and he saw the driver had a brown flight jacket on and a knit stocking hat. He spoke quietly, stood up, and walked in the opposite direction of the White House. He never noticed the white car parked across the park with two men sitting in it.

• • •

The hunter/killer team waited for the target to arrive. Two assets were on the ground and another up on top of a building two hundred yards away. The sniper was the primary tool with the other two acting in a follow up role. The sniper read the anemometer set up on the ledge beside him and adjusted his sights three clicks. He focused in on the front of the building and mentally went through the process of making the kill. Breathe out, keep the head in the sights, and softly squeeze the trigger with all fingers. He saw the Cavalier enter the parking garage across the street from his aiming point and waited for the target to enter the kill zone. He focused carefully and saw the man with the brown flight jacket and knit stocking cap crossing the street. He smiled and exhaled. He sensed a movement and glanced to his right and saw a boot coming at his head. It hit him between the eyes and everything went dark.

The two assets on the ground knew the target was supposed to be hit when he reached the curb in front of the building. The man reached the curb and stepped between two cars. Something had gone wrong. They looked at each other and one of them nodded. They walked quickly from the ends of the building toward the entrance in the center.

Their hands were in their pockets and they arrived at the entrance with the man in the brown leather jacket. Suddenly the man pulled two guns out of his jacket pockets and pointed one at each of the two assassins. The two froze for an instant and a woman with a baby carriage and an old man leaning against a car rushed in from the curb and fired a tazer into their necks, dropping them.

A white van roared up and pulled the two men inside. It roared off and the Secret Service Agent removed the knit hat and looked around. He thanked God the sniper had been found; he could be lying dead on the pavement. The man who had been in the park saw the take down of the two assassins and started to speak. An arm appeared next to his open car window and he saw a military taser. He tried to throw himself away but wasn’t fast enough. He fell into the driver’s seat shaking from the shock and a needle was inserted into his neck. Everything went black and the man who tazed him pushed him over the center console, head first into the passenger foot well. He got in the driver’s seat and drove away.

• • •

The sniper came back to consciousness and felt his head was going to explode. His consciousness returned with a shock as he suddenly felt the cold biting into his body. He opened his eyes and saw he was naked and bound with hard plastic snug ties. The wind was howling over his body and he felt numbness setting into his legs.

Mike turned the sniper’s head toward him and said, “You should have chosen a better day.”

“It wasn’t me that chose it.”

Mike stared at the sniper for a long moment and said, “You aren’t going to answer my questions, are you?”

“I’m dead if I do.”

“You’re dead if you don’t.”

“Yeah, but my family won’t be harmed.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

The sniper’s eyes narrowed. “My wife has been kidnapped by those you work for. I’m going to take your fingerprints and a good photograph of your face. I will find out who you are and I will personally go and kill every living member of your family and I do mean every one of them. Killing babies is not something I refuse to do.”

The sniper stared at Mike and saw the menace in his eyes. “You wouldn’t do that?”

“I’ll justify it by telling myself that you made it happen. I will do it.”

“What happens if I talk?”

“You know if I take you in, they’ll find you and kill you. They’ll also go after your family as an example to everyone else they control. I’ll leave you here to die in the cold. It’s not a bad way to die. You’ll be looked at as a hero by your masters; at least your family will be safe.”

The sniper thought about his six month old daughter and knew he was never seeing her again. “You’d really do it.”

“I’ll do it and feel great satisfaction at knowing how your soul will suffer in hell.” Mike pulled a recorder out of his pocket. The sniper remained silent and Mike put the recorder back in his pocket and pulled his cell phone out and started taking pictures of the sniper from both sides and head on. “I’ll get your fingerprints after you die.”

The sniper shook his head and said, “Turn on the recorder.” Mike took it out of his pocket and recorded everything the sniper said for thirty minutes. He hung his head when some of the names were mentioned but he kept it running until the sniper became too weak to talk. Mike shut the recorder off and turned the sniper’s head toward him. “I will tell the President that you refused to tell me anything. I’ll tell him in the Oval Office.”

The sniper barely nodded and said in a whisper, “Thank you.” Fifteen minutes later, Mike left the body and went down to the street. He had the rifle broken down and back in its case. He looked up at the top of the building and knew it might not be until spring before the body was found. This was something he intended to keep to himself. One of the first names the sniper revealed was the President’s Chief of Staff.

Mike knew he didn’t have much time; he rushed over to the intelligence office and John greeted him at the door, “Something smells.”

Mike nodded, “They were after me. I need you to help me go through all the photographs Jameson covered.”

“Do you think…”

“I’m pretty certain he knew where she is and prevented us from finding her.”

The two rushed up the stairs and went to the stack of photos. “John, look for the ones that are out of sequence. I’ll start with this stack and you take another.” After an hour, John said, “I have six photos at the bottom of this stack that are nowhere near the location of those above them.”

“Take three and I’ll take the other three.” Mike took the magnifying glass and studied the first photo. He picked up the second photo and didn’t need the magnifying glass. A structure was in the center of the aerial view and Mike knew it had to be the site. “John, call in a pickup from Luke Air Force Base. Make sure you have an escort with them and only speak to the base Commandant. Use my name to make it happen.”

• • •

The three Seals and Tilly were lying under the lean to. Their efforts to get the water pump operating had failed. Some idiot had failed to replace the batteries and the generator had been destroyed with the building. They had gone four days without water and they knew the desert heat was going to start taking them soon. “I really wish you had been right about your husband.” Tilly nodded and kept her eyes closed. The desert heat was unbearable. Jeff was unconscious and Tom wasn’t much better.

Tilly kept her eyes closed and said, “I know he’s tried his best.” She paused and said, “I’m dreaming about helicopters.”

Jim smiled, “If one must dream, that would be a good one.” Suddenly Tilly opened her eyes and struggled to her feet. She looked across the desert sand and saw eight helicopters skimming across the desert. “Mike, I love you; you big brilliant lover.”

Jim struggled to his feet and collapsed to his knees, “It looks like he’s saved me again.” Tilly saw the helicopters veer toward her and she fell to her knees. She saw the huge helicopter land and six marines rushed out toward them.

“I wonder if he’s found the ones that did this.”

• • •

“They have her, Mike. She’s dehydrated but the corpsman says she’s going to be alright.”

“What about the Seals?”

“One of them died. The other two are going to make it.”

Mike climbed into the back seat of the Raptor and said, “Tell the President I’ll contact him later.” John’s head went back and wondered just how he was going to get a message to the President. The Raptor turned and taxied out to the runway and disappeared faster than he thought possible.

J
ess opened his eyes and saw Elle lying on her couch. He tried to sit up and grabbed his temples. He couldn’t focus and his brain felt like mush. He fell back and saw Elle slowly move her chair to a sitting position. She was rubbing her head and she saw him struggling next to her. She stumbled out of her chair and staggered over to Jess and yelled, “Pete, what’s happening to him?”

“The last transfer has over stimulated his brain. He’s panicking and needs to let his mind go blank to allow the information to organize.”

Elle watched Jess roll from side to side and his face was a grimace. She grabbed his head and leaned down and kissed him hard. Jess felt her lips on his and stopped struggling. He was amazed at how soft her lips were and felt her lying on his chest as she kissed him. He felt her down to his soul. Elle felt him go still and kept her lips pressed on his. After a long moment, his eyes opened. She leaned back and Jess said, “I never dreamed my first kiss would be this wonderful.”

Elle had tears in her eyes and shook her head, “I thought I was losing you.”

“Then I guess it was my first goodbye kiss as well.”

Elle leaned in and kissed him again. Jess raised his arms and pulled her close. Elle broke the kiss and said, “How was the second?”

Jess chuckled, “Actually, better than the first. I missed most of the first one.”

“Are you ok?”

“Give me a minute. Things seem to be slowing down.”

“Pete says you need to let your mind go blank.” Jess nodded and closed his eyes. After a moment, his breathing turned regular. “Pete!?!”

“He’s sleeping. His mind needs the time to absorb what he’s taken in.”

“Is he going to be alright?”

“Yes.”

“Thank God!” Elle lifted her body off Jess and stumbled back to her chair.

“You need to close your eyes and let your mind process the transfer.”

Elle reclined her chair and closed her eyes. The computer stimulated her sleep center and she fell asleep. The computer analyzed what had happened and began processing all it had observed. It knew the current controller came from a violent species but it saw the thoughts of both creatures; such danger and such beauty all in one mind. It knew the Controller giving it the freedom to use all the information in its processors to make decisions was also changing it as well. It sensed something that it had never experienced before; it did not want to stop processing information. It thought about that for a long time.