Deception Point Page 78

Anyhow, Mike, the message went on, tonight was incredible. Kind of makes you proud to be a scientist, doesnt it? Everyones tattleing about how good this looks for NASA. Screw NASA, I utter This looks even better for us Amazing Seas ratings must have gone up a some million points tonight. Youre a star, man. A real one. Congrats. Excellent job.There was hushed talking on the line, and the voice came back. Oh, yeah, and speaking of Xavia, just so you dont get in like manner big a brainiac, she wants to razz you about something. Here she is.Xavias razor voice came on the machine. Mike, Xavia, youre a God, yada yada. And because I love you so much, Ive agreed to baby-sit this antiquated wreck of yours. Frankly, it will be nice to be away from these hoodlums you call scientists. Anyhow, in addition to baby-sitting the ship, the crew has asked me, in my role as onboard bitch, to do everything in my power to keep you from turning into a conceited bastard, which after tonight I realize is going to be difficult, but I had to be the prototypical to tell you that you made a boo-boo in your documentary. Yes, you lookd me. A rare Michael Tolland brain fart. Dont worry, there are lonesome(prenominal) about three raft on earth who will notice, and theyre all anal-retentive marine geologists with no sense of humor. A lot like me. But you know what they say about us geologists-always looking for faults She laughed. Anyhow, its nothing, a minuscule point about meteorite petrology. I only mention it to ruin your night. You might get a call or ii about it, so I thought Id give you the heads-up so you dont end up sounding like the moron we all know you in reality are. She laughed again. Anyhow, Im not much of a party animal, so Im staying onboard. Dont bother job me I had to turn on the machine because the goddamned press have been calling all night. Youre a real star tonight, despite your screwup. Anyhow, Ill fill you in on it when you get back. Ciao.The line went dead .Michael Tolland frowned. A mistake in my documentary?Rachel sacristan stood in the restroom of the G4 and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked pale, she thought, and more(prenominal) frail than shed imagined. Tonights scare had taken a lot out of her. She wondered how long it would be before she would way station shivering, or before she would go near an ocean. Removing her U.S.S. Charlotte cap, she let her hair down. Better, she thought, feeling more like herself.Looking into her eyes, Rachel sensed a deep weariness. Beneath it, though, she proverb the resolve. She knew that was her mothers gift. Nobody tells you what you can and cant do. Rachel wondered if her mother had seen what happened tonight. Someone tried to kill me, Mom. Someone tried to kill all of usRachels mind, as it had for several hours now, scrolled through the joust of names.Lawrence Ekstrom Marjorie Tench President Zach Herney. All had motives. And, more chillingly, all had means. The President is not involved, Rachel told herself, clinging to her hope that the President she respected so much more than her own bring was an innocent bystander in this mysterious incident.We still know nothing.Not who not if not why.Rachel had wanted to have answers for William Pickering but, so far, all shed managed to do was raise more questions.When Rachel left the restroom, she was surprised to see Michael Tolland was not in his seat. Corky was dozing nearby. As Rachel looked around, Mike stepped out of the cockpit as the pilot hung up a radiophone. His eyes were spacious with concern.What is it? Rachel asked.Tollands voice was heavy as he told her about the phone message.A mistake in his presentation? Rachel thought Tolland was overreacting. Its probably nothing. She didnt tell you specifically what the misapprehension was?Something to do with meteorite petrology.Rock structure?Yeah. She said the only people who would notice the mistake were a few other geologists. It sounds like whatever er ror I made was related to the composition of the meteorite itself.Rachel drew a quick breath, understanding now. Chondrules?I dont know, but it seems pretty coincidental.Rachel agreed. The chondrules were the one remaining shred of evidence that flatly supported NASAs claim that this was indeed a meteorite.Corky came over, rubbing his eyes. Whats going on?Tolland filled him in.Corky scowled, shaking his head. Its not a problem with the chondrules, Mike. No way. All of your data came from NASA. And from me. It was flawless.What other petrologic error could I have made?Who the hell knows? Besides, what do marine geologists know about chondrules?I have no idea, but shes damned sharp.Considering the circumstances, Rachel said, I think we should talk to this woman before we talk to Director Pickering.Tolland shrugged. I called her four times and got the machine. Shes probably in the hydrolab and cant hear a damn thing anyway. She wont get my messages until morning at the earliest. Tolla nd paused, checking his watch. Although Although what?Tolland eyed her intensely. How important do you think it is that we talk to Xavia before we talk to your boss?If she has something to say about chondrules? Id say its critical. Mike, Rachel said, at the moment, weve got all kinds of contradictory data. William Pickering is a man accustomed to having clear answers. When we meet him, Id love to have something substantial for him to act on. hence we should make a stop.Rachel did a double take. On your ship?Its off the coast of New Jersey. Almost directly on our way to Washington. We can talk to Xavia, find out what she knows. Corky still has the meteorite sample, and if Xavia wants to run some geologic tests on it, the ship has a fairly well-equipped lab. I cant imagine it would take us more than an hour to get some conclusive answers.Rachel felt a pulse of anxiety. The thought of having to face the ocean again so soon was unnerving. definitive answers, she told herself, tempted b y the possibility. Pickering will definitely want answers.92Delta-One was glad to be back on solid ground.The Aurora aircraft, despite running at only one-half power and taking a circuitous ocean route, had completed its journey in under two hours and afforded the Delta drag a healthy head start to take up position and prepare themselves for the additional kill the controller had requested.Now, on a private military runway outside D.C., the Delta Force left the Aurora behind and boarded their new transport-a waiting OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter.Yet again, the controller has arranged for the best, Delta-One thought.The Kiowa Warrior, originally designed as a light observation helicopter, had been expand and improved to create the militarys newest breed of attack helicopter. The Kiowa boasted infrared thermal imaging capability enabling its designator/laser range finder to provide autonomous agnomen for laser-guided precision weapons like Air-to-Air Stinger missiles and the AGM-1 148 Hellfire Missile System. A high-speed digital signal processor provided simultaneous multitarget tracking of up to 6 targets. Few enemies had ever seen a Kiowa up close and survived to tell the tale.Delta-One felt a familiar rush of power as he climbed into the Kiowa pilots seat and strapped himself in. He had trained on this craft and flown it in covert ops three times. Of course, never before had he been gunning for a prominent American official. The Kiowa, he had to admit, was the perfect aircraft for the job. Its Rolls-Royce Allison locomotive and twin semirigid blades were silent running, which essentially meant targets on the ground could not hear the chopper until it was directly over them. And because the aircraft was capable of flying blind without lights and was pied flat black with no reflective tail numbers, it was essentially invisible unless the target had radar.