Crow's Gambit, page 21
part #1 of Sylphan Revelations Series
“I doubt that,” Cassie replied with a frown.
“Twenty destroyed drones would argue differently.”
Lizzy is going to be pissed she missed that.
Cassie pondered her next question. She had been wondering about Neil’s drinking for weeks now and while she thought to ask Darrow about it, maybe it would be better if she asked Walt, who seemed more open and closer to Neil.
“Walt, can I ask you a question? About something else?”
“You can ask anything, just try not to push your voice too much.”
“It’s about Neil. I don’t want to offend anyone, but... Well, the drinking? I’m worried, but no one else seems to be. Why?”
Walt didn’t look upset, although it took him a long time to reply.
“Ah. You’ve probably heard Neil used to work for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, right?”
She nodded.
“Well, when the decision was made to stage a counterstrike against the Sylph, it was determined the opportunity should be used to gather as much information as possible.”
“Yes, I know,” Cassie thought about the internal sphere images Darrow and Neil had showed her.
“Well to get that information they used the same methods they employed for the early nuclear weapons tests. They loaded sensors onto high altitude planes and flew them as close to the explosions as they could get. The theory was they could eliminate any atmospheric interference that way. The problem was, there wasn’t time to fully automate the sensors. They had to be calibrated and operated in flight.” Walt paused. “Are you familiar with any of the early nuclear weapons tests?”
She shook her head.
“The fear of an enemy developing a better weapon first made the military rash, or I guess it would be more accurate to say they were more accepting of risk than they should have been. The same thing was true here. To get the planes ready in time and to cut down weight so they could fly higher, there wasn’t much in the way of radiation shielding installed.”
“Okay,” Cassie wasn’t fully seeing what this had to do with Neil.
“Communications systems were strained at that point. They needed people who could not only operate the equipment but interpret the results and adjust on the fly. They called them ‘volunteers’ but honestly they were just the experts who were deemed more expendable. The other scientists, generals, and politicians stayed safely in their shelters on the ground while those lower on the totem pole were ‘volunteered’. Neil was one of those ‘selected’.”
“Couldn’t he have just said no?”
“He could have, but who would say no when the fate of the entire human race was on the line? The very thing that helped them get good data—low atmospheric absorption—also meant everyone on the flights picked up excessive doses of radiation. Including Neil.”
Radiation poisoning.
“So, he’s sick? How bad?”
“Pervasive cancer. They are still trying to find a treatment, but it’s considered terminal.” Walt stood and started to pace around the table. “The most obvious symptom is a constant pain in his bones and joints. The pain killers, at least those that help, also tend to hinder neural activity.”
“What does that mean?”
“They make him drowsy and confused. He refuses to take them because he wouldn’t be able to do his work. Alcohol on the other hand, seems to dull the pain and while it might slow his thinking down a little, he isn’t left as confused.”
Cassie sat in stunned silence. She had been thinking Neil simply had a drinking problem all along without knowing all the facts. Even though she hadn’t said anything to him she felt like she owed Neil an apology.
Walt read her mood.
“You didn’t know.”
“Did you know him? Back then?”
“Yes.” It seemed difficult for Walt to answer. He struggled with his emotions for a second. “I was the one who picked him for the mission. I was at JPL on leave from NASA and he was one of the scientists working under me.”
Well, that sucks.
“And, so you don’t have to wonder or embarrass yourself by asking, yes, Neil knows I selected him. He’s never held it against me or tried to make me feel guilty. Not that he would have to try hard. It’s a decision I live with every day and every time I see him.” Walt’s eyes were watery and slightly red. “He’s a good kid.”
Impulsively, Cassie stood and wrapped him in a hug. They held each other for a moment before Walt separated himself from her. “Now, let’s get you some more of those pain killers and some hot tea. That should help with the pain. After that, if you’re feeling up to it, there’s someone in the building who would like to meet you.”
Chapter 34
THE PAINKILLERS KICKED in swiftly. While they didn’t remove all the discomfort, they made it bearable and they didn’t leave Cassie disoriented or drowsy. The tea was a help, too. After a half hours rest, she could use her voice without flinching. She looked at Walt, who’d been sitting by her in contemplation.
“So, who wants to meet me?”
He didn’t answer, but simply looked her over carefully. “You really feel up to it?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“All right, give me a moment.” He left the room for five minutes and then returned. “Follow me.”
Walt led her to a part of the building she hadn’t visited before. She found herself in an atrium garden area within the building, open sky greeting her. A path formed a small loop around it, with benches for people to sit on. The flowers and plants were well cared for. There were even several varieties of small trees, some Norfolk pines, and Japanese maples.
They found a well-dressed, African American woman sitting on a bench. She was staring into a small pool with Koi in it. Her black hair had gray at the edges and was pulled back into a tight bun. When she looked up, Cassie could see a face filled with wrinkles, lines caused by a life of worry and stress. She’d seen plenty of faces marked with similar lines growing up. But the brown eyes that met hers were sharp and penetrating.
“Cassie McIntyre, may I introduce Senator Winthrop, Chair of the Senate Committee on Science and Research.”
Cassie shook the Senator’s hand. The grip was very firm.
“I’ll leave you two to talk,” Walt excused himself.
The senator didn’t say anything just motioned for Cassie to sit on the bench.
“I wasn’t informed you were injured last night.” She gestured at the marks on Cassie’s face and throat.
“It’s just some bruising. I’ll be fine, senator.”
“I was informed you handled yourself well, though. Tell me, what do you think of all ... this?” She spread her hands and looked around her, indicating the entire building.
“Crow Research? I think there are some good people that work here. They’re talented. A little eccentric sometimes but it seems like they ... might make a difference?”
The senator studied her face. “And what do you think of the XS-9E project?”
Cassie weighed her answer carefully. She didn’t know was anything about the senator or why she was here. She didn’t know how much she knew. “I think it’s an interesting piece of history. The technical issues are challenging, but I think it’s well worth the effort. Or was.”
The senator watched her with an expressionless stare for a moment. “Let’s cut the bullshit, McIntyre. Do you think there is a way to get the XS-9E off the ground and into orbit?”
“Yes,” Cassie answered without hesitation, adapting quickly to the fact the senator was likely the “part” of the government supporting the project. “From the data I just saw, I think it should be possible to design a flight path that gets the XS-9 to low earth orbit and then hide it from the Sylph.”
“Twenty years of government and public efforts to get things off the ground again only for it to be a barnstormer from Minnesota who figures out how to do it,” she chuckled.
Cassie felt her anger rise, but the senator continued before she could respond. “From all the reports I’ve received and the footage I’ve seen of your flying, you have an overconfidence that is tempered with a sharp mind. And from recent events, it’s clear you don’t back down from a challenge or run. You choose to fight. You would have made a good fighter pilot.”
“Excuse me?” Cassie was slightly confused about the purpose of this conversation, or the senator’s presence, yet she was still strangely flattered by the comment. When she had been young, she used to pretend to be a fighter pilot playing with Grandpa. Of course, that was after all the military fighters were gone so the dream didn’t survive to adulthood.
“A long time ago, I was an officer in the Air Force. You would have fit in fine with the pilots I flew with. The rash, slightly over-confident ones, mind you.” She smiled at Cassie again. “But I digress, which I’m sure is making this conversation confusing from your end. I understand you have been approached by individuals who think trying to fly the XS-9 is a bad idea. I’m not going to tell you what to do, but I would like to give you more information and maybe provide you with a unique perspective.”
“You aren’t the first person to say those words to me, senator,” Cassie replied with skepticism, thinking of the general warning her she didn’t have all the information she needed.
“Please, call me Tish. I’m sure you have gotten the Darrow sermon about reclaiming mankind’s future in the skies and I’m sure from others, you’ve heard the fear mongering lecture about bringing down the wrath of the Sylph. My reasoning is slightly different.”
Cassie couldn’t hold back her surprise. “You’re working with Darrow. I’d think you’d be on the same page.”
The Senator tilted her head. The lopsided smile on her face said more than her words. “Darrow is a dreamer. Dreamers have their places and their uses. Let’s face it, society wouldn’t have survived Net-Day without them. I, however, am not a dreamer. I am a realist.”
Cassie remained silent, waiting to hear more.
“In the Sylph we have an opponent who clearly outmatches us. Not even my Medusa F-40 jet with its nano-reflective skin could hide from them. They have no regard for our existence. They’re here for a reason though and we apparently don’t play a part in that. So far, we’ve been mostly ignored.”
“After the last few days I think I can live with that.”
The Senator’s lopsided smile indicated she didn’t believe Cassie any more than Cassie did.
“The problem with being an ant is sooner or later there’s a boot.” She leaned back with a sigh. “The Sylph don’t even have to intentionally destroy us. They could just decide to do something that causes our species to die. Maybe they increase the cloud cover and plunge us into a never-ending ice age? Change the composition of the atmosphere so we can’t breathe? Any small change for any unknown reason might be the end of us.”
Cassie considered that a moment. It was a bleak outlook, but it wasn’t too different from Walt’s. Walt thought mankind or the Earth itself would bring about an extinction level event. The senator simply thought the Sylph were capable of it, in fact they may even unintentionally do so. But what did the Senator want to do about it? “So, what’s your solution then?”
The Senator tapped her lips with one finger. “Sun Tzu would say know your enemy. Well that’s tough when they’re in orbit and no one has seen one of them. Attack or defense? Again, next to impossible when you can’t reach them. Hell, we can’t even run away. We’re trapped on this small ball of rock now. I’d like to at least have the possibility of an option for survival.”
“You want an escape route—a possible evacuation from Earth?” Cassie was thoughtful. “Couldn’t we just hide in the oceans?” Cassie knew the theory had been proposed before.
“The Atlanteans? That think tank who wants to rebuild society under the water?” she scoffed. “I’m afraid moving everyone to the bottom of the oceans is going to be a little harder than they think. Trust me. We know. Regardless, I’m not saying we should run away.” The Senator’s expression was taut. “I’m saying I want options. If one of those turns out to be running away, well, that still sounds better than extinction to me.”
Cassie could agree with that. But what about the largest worry, the one the senator had so casually dismissed? “And if you’re wrong? If doing this causes the Sylph to take more notice of us?”
“I’ve done the risk-reward analysis and made peace with my decision.” She fixed a predator’s gaze on Cassie. “My impression is you’re also a realist. Do you really think there is a future for us with the Sylph here?”
Cassie wasn’t ready to answer that question. So, instead, she asked another.
“Darrow mentioned something about factions before and you referenced ‘others’ too. What’s actually going on? Who keeps trying to kill me? And why does a part of the government, if that’s who it is, think they can get away with it?”
The Senator studied the ground for a moment.
“Sometimes our democratic system gets out of balance. People feel so strongly about their views, they decide the means justifies the ends. The rules get bent and sometimes broken. Like last night. The possibility of an XS-9 flight has some people irrationally scared. Scared of what the Sylph might do and scared of losing their power.”
“It sounds like you think this is going to get worse before it gets better.”
“I think those of us who support the project are fully committed to seeing it through. I also think those who oppose it are willing to do anything to stop it at this point. One way or another, we are at an inflection point in history. However, I must admit things have gone farther than I would have expected. Someone is very scared you’ll succeed.”
“And why me, specifically? Why not Darrow, Neil, or the rest of the team? Or even Walt? I’m not one of the big players; I’m just one tiny piece of the puzzle.”
“Perhaps, but you are the one piece of the puzzle everyone is focused on, because you are the one piece of the puzzle that is making everything else work. You are the tipping point.” The senator looked at her with an expression of sympathy. “I believe the decision to try or not try to fly the XS-9 will at some point come down to you and you alone. And the success or failure of that flight will depend on your skill and determination to see it through.”
Cassie watched the fish swim leisurely around the pool. There was a pattern emerging in the people she was working with. So far, she had met people involved with the project who used to work for NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Secret Service, and now the Air Force. Darrow had said it was the National Security Agency that had originally sent people after her, but it sounded like they were taking orders from someone else.
General Belle had specifically said the Army was sitting this argument out. And it seemed like the FBI was taking orders from both sides.
Who does that leave?
The Central Intelligence Agency came to mind but given everything was happening within the borders of the United States, this didn’t seem like their thing. Besides, if they managed to reopen low earth orbit, the United States would have an early monopoly on the restoration of remote sensing data. That seemed like something the CIA would want.
The Department of Transportation? They would have an interest in all this, but the resources for assassinations didn’t seem to be in their area of expertise.
Cassie turned to look at her. She had been patiently watching Cassie think. “It’s the Navy, isn’t it? The Department of the Navy is the big player on the other side?”
The Senator made a non-committal shrug that gave Cassie her answer. “The man at the concert. That might have been a Navy uniform he was wearing.”
The Senator’s eyes popped up. “Someone else spoke to you? What did this man look like?”
“Tall. Skinny. Dark hair.” Cassie shrugged. She had been more focused on the possible danger than memorizing his features.
“Was his name by any chance Sanchez?”
Cassie nodded at her.
“Admiral Forrest’s errand boy. The sniveling little weasel.”
Tish stood and took a few short steps before turning back to Cassie. “After Net-Day, all international shipping and transport shifted back to the seas, which required a stronger navy to protect it. The only effective methods of force projection for the U.S. government was putting troops on the ground or naval bombardment. Ship-based artillery and rail guns became almost as effective as planes had been in the past.”
“So, the Navy is afraid it won’t be needed as much if we succeed?”
“Not exactly. They will be needed, but they might be afraid of how the power will shift. See, when the Sylph arrived, they shifted the balance of power around the globe. The way politics, business, and even war had been conducted for almost a century was shifted overnight. Some people and organizations lost their power when they found there wasn’t a place for them in the new world.”
“Like the Air Force?”
“Yes, like the Air Force,” her expression softened, and she continued. “Alternatively, other people found they were uniquely situated to take advantage of the changes brought on by Net-Day.”
“Like Darrow?”
“In a way. But unlike Darrow whose power and wealth are now independent of the Sylph, there were others whose new power derives from the fact the Sylph are here. If they ever leave, or their influence wanes, these groups will lose their newfound influence. The U.N.’s status quo policy is being backed by certain industry sectors which have business models based on the absence of air travel, and certain countries in Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East who became the dominant regional powers when the U.S. couldn’t deploy air power any longer.
“And the Navy?”
“There are agencies within our government who gained more responsibility with the elimination of our space and air resources, not to mention intelligence gathering resources. On Capitol Hill, the Navy is the big dog right now. Out of all the agencies, departments, and programs they get the largest piece of the federal budget. They could be afraid of losing their carte blanche status and having funds start to be shifted to other programs, like aerospace research and development.”
