Gage Renner made his final inspection of the large drone called Queen. The sky blue drone sat perched on a long steel beam that angled up from inside deck number two of the Nucleus. The solid beam rose at forty-five degrees and terminated at a large opening in the main deck above.
Gage asked Rugmon, “Can you think of anything we haven’t thought of?”
The bald man in the white lab coat shook his head.
“We’ve been over the check list three times. It’s good to fly.”
Renner knew that this step was critical, because once they had launched the drone there was no turning back. The only way to retrieve the machine would be to splash it down next to the ship and use the crane to pick it up out of the water and set it back on deck. That would kill their schedule.
Rugmon looked at his watch. He pointed the face of his watch toward Renner and tapped on it with his finger.
“Tick, tock,” Rugmon reminded Renner.
Renner made one more loop, walking the entire way around the big drone.
Connected to the top of the large drone, was a smaller drone with the given name of Blondie. The top of the smaller drone was flat, making it easier for Rugmon to fabricate doors that could open and close remotely. Blondie was referred to as a parasitic drone; meaning that it clung to its host until it was time for action, similar to a parasite. Blondie was the heaviest parasitic drone that the Hail team had ever launched. And since Blondie was so heavy, it would be released and then flown to its landing zone as a glider. Flight was nothing more than math. Making sure Blondie could complete the task was a relatively simple equation of weight, lift, drag and distance. If all those variables were constants, and weather was not a factor, then an unmanned computer could glide Blondie to its target. But they would use Alex Knox instead. He was almost a computer when it came to flying.
Renner touched Queen and ran his hand up her smooth frame until he felt the connection between the aircrafts, two thick metal hooks that would be retracted when Blondie was released.
Rugmon thought that Renner’s actions were foolish. Touching the machine did nothing except it made Renner feel as if he was in control of the situation. But the real trick wasn’t the release or the even the flight to the landing zone, the real trick was the launch. In order to prepare Queen for launch, the drone had been placed upside down on the launch rail. The launch system was not designed to accommodate a parasitic drone attached to a mother drone. Therefore, Blondie was actually attached to Queen’s belly and Queen was lying on her back on the rail. Trying to fly Queen with that much weight on its back would have been impractical. Physics would dictate that the aircraft would want to roll until the weight found its gravitational center; hence Rugmon turned Queen upside down for launch and had placed Blondie on top of Queen. Once both aircrafts were shot from the rail, Knox would have to execute a half roll to put the bundle into its proper flight orientation.
Rugmon waited patiently for Renner to make his final round. When Renner appeared from behind the tail of the drone, Rugmon asked him again, “Are we good to go?”
“I guess so,” Renner said. “Go ahead and charge the field.”
Rugmon walked over to the wall and opened a panel. Inside the panel he pushed a big button that simply read CHARGE. He watched a red light start blinking. A hum began to vibrate the room as if a large microwave oven had been switched on.
Renner took a few steps back from the drone. There was no need to retreat any further. He just had to get out of the way of the wings and tail apparatus. When Queen left the rail, those protrusions would cut him in half if he was standing in their path. There would be no jet or rocket emissions that would burn him or cause alarm. The launch system was similar to the way they got new roller coasters moving. The long steel beam had a series of stators and rotors mounted in a line, which produced a linear force with no moving parts. Once the charge was released, the launch of the drone was nothing more than powerful magnets opposing and attracting one another in perfect synchronization. The action culminated in the launch of the drone from zero to flight speed in than less than three seconds. The angle of the launch beam sent the aircraft upwards at forty-five degrees, straight out the hole in the deck and up into the night sky.
Rugmon watched the blinking red light turn to a solid green.
“We’re charged,” he told Renner.
Renner ran through the check list in his head one last time. He then walked over to the wall and picked up a phone. He dialed a six-digit number that connected him to the ship’s mission center.
“Are you ready, Knox?” he asked the pilot.
Renner set the phone back on its cradle and then told Rugmon, “Launch the drone.”
Rugmon lifted a red protective switch cover labeled LAUNCH and flipped the switch underneath.”
The hum of the microwave oven cracked violently as if its electrical cord had been cut with metal scissors. A hundred decibel shriek of electromagnetism ripped the drone off the steel beam and out the hole in the deck so quickly that when Renner blinked, it was gone.
Renner looked at Rugmon and Rugmon shrugged nonchalantly.
“Close the deck,” he told Rugmon.
The bald man pressed another button and the sound of metal, gears and electric motors rumbled to life.
Both men looked up and watched a thick metal hatch slide into place and block out the view of the bright moon on the cloudless night.
Hailed knocked lightly on the steel door.
A moment later, Kara Ramey answered her stateroom door.
Hail made the same T using his fingers as Kara had made when she had knocked on his door.
“Truce?” Kara questioned, looking at his symbol.
“Time to work out,” Hail corrected her.
Kara looked him over for a second.
“I see you’re wearing underwear,” she commented.
“You said you were used to guys wearing underwear, so I thought this would make you feel more comfortable.”
Kara huffed.
“Hey, I am wearing my underwear on the outside of my gym shorts in case you felt weird about it.”
Kara couldn’t help but laugh.
“Do you really want to work out?” she asked Hail.
“Yeah, I have a bunch of nervous energy and I need to run it off.”
Kara paused for a moment.
“Isn’t it kind of close to mission time?” she asked.
“Yes it is,” Hail said. “Matter of fact we already launched Queen.”
“Queen?” Kara asked.
“The delivery drone,” Hail said.
“Of course,” Kara said, making no effort to let Hail into her room.
“Why are all the drones named after 1980s rock bands?” she asked.
Hail thought about it for a moment, and then responded, “Because the other suggestion was to name them after candy bars, and I thought rock bands sounded cooler. I mean, which do you think is cooler? Blondie or Snickers?”
Kara thought about it.
“Come on, let’s go,” Hail said.
“I already worked out, but I’ll do something light, maybe.” Kara informed Hail.
“Areosmith or KitKat?” Hail asked when they were in the hallway.
“Areosmith,” Kara answered.
“Whitesnake or Butterfinger?” Hail asked.
“Whitesnake,” Kara responded.
“Rush or MilkyWay,” Hail continued.
“I don’t know about that. I kind of like MilkyWay.”
“OK, Hail agreed. “Just for you, our next drone will be called MilkyWay.”
“You are so good to me,” Kara said.
When they reached the gym, Hail climbed up onto a treadmill and started off at a slow run.
Kara, who wasn’t really dressed for a workout, wearing jeans and a classic plaid flannel shirt rolled up at the sleeves, selected a slower speed and walked on her treadmill next to Hail at a normal pace.
To Hail, Kara looked a little depressed. Her face, which was always beautiful, was not as beautiful tonight.
“What’s the matter?” Hail asked her.
“I don’t know,” she said, somewhat surprised that Hail had zeroed in on her mood. “Maybe it’s being on the ship.”
“You don’t like the ship?” Hail asked.
“Sure, what’s not to like,” Kara responded respectfully.
Hail was quiet.
A moment later Kara said, “I don’t think this is really for me.”
“What, you mean the ship?” Hail asked.
“No, I think it’s all the push button stuff. You know? Death from afar. All the drone stuff you guys do.”
Hail responded immediately, “How could that be bad. Even on the worst day, none of the good guys get hurt. Sure we might lose some equipment, which equates to money, but we don’t lose lives.”
Kara hesitated and then said, “I don’t think you could understand unless you’ve been out in the field. You know, where you have something at risk other than equipment and money.”
“I’m not sure what you are talking about?” Hail said.
“Do you ever hear people talk about their kids?” Kara asked. “You know, they tell kid stories and the only people that truly understand how they feel are other parents who have kids?”
“I guess so,” Hail said, “But I’ve had kids, so I guess I don’t understand.”
“Well I do,” Kara said. “Some of my colleagues back at the CIA talk about their kids and the problems they have with their kids and to me is just doesn’t compute, because I don’t have any. The closest I can come to that situation is I once had a cat. After my house staff left, I think the cat got hungry and ran away.”
“OK,” Hail agreed with her for the sake of argument.
“It’s the same with me and you. This revenge kick you’re on…”
“Retribution,” Hail corrected.
“Whatever. It’s not the same as being out there and having something at risk, like your life.”
“I don’t know about that,” Hail responded confidently. “It felt pretty good to me when we took out Kim Yong Chang remotely.”
“I think that’s because it was your first,” Kara said. “But you need to trust me on this. It’s nothing like having some skin in the game. It’s nothing like being there. It’s not nearly as rewarding.”
“If you say so,” Hail said. “I wouldn’t know.”
Kara added, “And I think that’s what I’m feeling. I don’t think I miss being in the field, I just think I can be more effective out there instead of lounging around on this ship. After all, we both have our own agendas and we both feel we are under a time constraint; for whatever weird reason.”
“So, after this mission, do you want to leave?” Hail asked.
“I don’t know. Let’s see how things go and if I can be of any help.”
Kara looked at the time on her phone and thought she should check in with Pepper back at CIA headquarters. She calculated the time in Washington and guesstimated it should be early afternoon back in that part of the world.
“I should make a call and update my boss,” she told Hail.
Hail didn’t respond. Two thick lines of perspiration were meandering down each side of his face. He was breathing hard. At least harder than he should for the amount of effort he was putting out.
“I am really out of shape,” he finally responded, not looking very happy with himself.
“Is there anything you don’t want me to discuss with Pepper?” Kara asked.
Hail scrutinized her question and did his best to determine why she would ask such a thing. On one hand, she was showing him a measure of respect by asking if there was a subject that he felt was off-limits and shouldn’t be shared with her intelligence agency. But on the other hand, any subject that Hail told her was off limits would immediately be something that the CIA would be very interested in investigating, only because Hail had told her it was off-limits. Either Kara was very crafty or Hail was very paranoid, or maybe a little of both.
“I can’t think of anything,” Hail told her. But he was thinking of something. He was thinking about the dangerous backup plan that the Washington officials had developed. He wondered if Kara knew about it as well. Once she had conversed with her boss and Hail had a chance to listen to the recording, he might discover that answer.
Kara switched off her treadmill and told Hail, “I’m going up top to make a sat call.”
“All right,” Hail said, dabbing one side of his face into the sleeve of his shirt. “Why don’t you meet me in the mission center in about thirty minutes?”
“Will do,” Kara said.