Blackmail

62 VALDEZ, ALASKA

Staff Sergeant Stu Nelson studied the display on his control console as he pushed forward on his joystick, directing the small dual-track robot toward its destination two hundred feet away — the terminus of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. Minutes earlier, the Commanding Officer of Nelson’s explosive ordnance disposal unit had received the word: the disarm code had been transmitted.

The small robot closed the distance, stopping a foot away from the explosives attached to the pipeline. The initial indication was favorable. The detonator pressed into the claylike C-4 had gone dead; the red blinking light had been extinguished. Placing both hands into the control mitts, Nelson activated the robot’s claws, reaching forward with one arm. After opening the claw, he slid it over one edge of the detonator, digging the claw’s bottom finger gently into the C-4 explosive beneath. He slowly closed the claw until a firm grip on the detonator was obtained. Shifting to the other arm, Nelson repeated the process, ending with both claws clamped on to the detonator.

Nelson glanced at the unit’s Commanding Officer, Captain John Brown.

“Remove the detonator,” Brown said.

Nelson slowly pulled the robot’s claws back, gradually extracting the detonator from the explosive. His eyes focused on the detonator panel, looking for a reaction. It remained dark. Once the detonating probe cleared the claylike C-4, Nelson put the robot in reverse, quickly opening the distance from the explosive.

Once the robot was safely away, Nelson let out a deep breath. It could not have gone smoother.

Captain Brown spoke into his handheld radio, sending orders to five other units of his explosive ordnance disposal company, which were deployed at other points along the pipeline where explosives had been discovered.