“Fay,” Morgan said, “where did you get that?”
“Tyler gave it to me. You didn’t think I would be the only one to come here unarmed, did you?”
Grant supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised that she’d want her own weapon after the way she handled that shotgun in New Zealand.
When Moline hesitated, Fay poked him with the Glock. “Don’t make me shoot you.”
Moline nodded at the other officer, who unlocked Morgan’s cuffs and then Grant’s.
“What do we do with them?” Morgan said, retrieving their weapons and the officers’ guns as well.
Grant looked around and saw a row of Port-a-Potties on the other side of the food court. “Over there.”
As inconspicuously as possible, they put the two officers into the potties and locked the doors with the handcuffs. The men might scream for help, but it would take time for anyone to get them out.
“Good job, Fay,” Grant said.
“I had to do something. Tyler and Jess are on that plane.”
Grant and Morgan looked at each other in confusion, then back at Fay.
“Are you sure?”
Fay nodded. “They were wearing spacesuits, so when I was watching them get out of the shuttle bus, I thought they were the crew. But then I saw the shorter one put up her hands in the ‘V for victory’ sign.”
“I don’t get it.”
Fay’s words came out in a gusher. “In New Zealand if you do the sign palm-out, it means ‘victory’. But if you do the sign palm-in, it means ‘screw you.’ You know, like giving the finger. Well, the shorter one gave the palm-out version to the crowd, but then she definitely gave the palm-in version to the two men on either end. Then when I saw the taller man put his hand on her hip to escort her to the plane, I recognized their walks. It was Tyler and Jess. Now they’re on board the plane with that madman. You have to help them!”
“They must have the Killswitch on board,” Morgan said. “How long until they launch the spaceplane from the carrier?”
Grant had read up on the Skyward on the flight there. “If the pilot climbs hard, they can be in launch position in fifteen minutes.”
He could see Morgan doing mental calculations. She shook her head. “Not enough time. The closest air base is in Madison. Unless they scrambled right now, they won’t be able to get here in time to …” She glanced at Fay. “… to force them down.”
Grant shook his head. “You’re right. Who knows how long it’ll take to convince them that there’s enough of a threat to send up the fighters.”
“What about the fighters here?” Fay said, pointing at the T-38, whose portable start cart was already attached. “They could go up and find the spaceplane.”
“No good,” Morgan said. “The T-38 is a trainer. It’s unarmed. All the planes here are. Besides, without orders from their chain of command, they wouldn’t do it.”
“You could,” Grant said.
“Me?”
“You were a fighter pilot. Can’t you fly that?”
Morgan looked at the T-38 again and then back to Grant. “You’re serious?”
“What other choice to do we have?”
Morgan pursed her lips in thought before she finally nodded. “You’re right. Come on!”
She sprinted toward the T-38, leaving Grant to pull Fay along behind her.
The trainer’s pilots were standing next to the jet talking to a patron. Morgan pushed the man out of the way.
“Captain, I’m a federal agent. I’m commandeering your airplane.”
The baby-faced pilot smiled at her and then started laughing hysterically. He turned to his subordinate, a lieutenant. “Hudson, did you put this pretty lady up to this?”
The puzzled lieutenant joined in the laughter and shrugged.
“I don’t have time for this,” Morgan said, pulling out her pistol.
The pilots got quiet fast.
“I’d listen to her,” Grant said.
“What the hell is this?” the captain said.
“I don’t have time to explain, and you wouldn’t believe me anyway. Give me your helmet.”
“The hell I will.”
She looked up the stairs leading to the cockpit. “That’s okay. It must be in the cockpit. Is your plane prepped and ready to fly?”
“You’re taking my plane over my dead body.”
Fay pulled her pistol and pointed it at him. “That might happen, son. Because my granddaughter is a hostage on the spaceplane that took off. Now give this woman the keys or whatever she needs, or I’ll shoot you myself.”
“This is truly a matter of national security,” Morgan said. “There is an EMP weapon on board the spaceplane. If it reaches launch altitude, the entire US infrastructure could be destroyed. I’m a former F-16 pilot, and I’m going to bring them back down before that happens. Understand?”
“What’s your call sign?”
Without hesitation, she said, “Buster.”
Despite the situation, Grant couldn’t help a slight smile. He was quite sure that Buster stood for “Ball Buster”.
The captain frowned at her. “I’ll fly up myself if I get confirmation about this.”
“No time. Fay, keep an eye on them.”
Morgan ran up the stairs. Grant dogged her footsteps. At the top she turned to see him right behind her.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m coming with you.”
“No, you’re not.”
“What if you get vertigo up there? I’ve got a helicopter license. I can’t take off in one of these things, but I could keep the stick steady if you black out.”
“I’ll handle it.”
“Are you willing to bet the future of the country on that?”
She pursed her lips.
“I know what you have to do up there,” Grant said. “If they won’t land, there’s only one other way to bring them down.”
“That’s why I don’t want you there.”
“That’s my best friend we’re talking about. If you have to ram them, I want to be there to make sure Tyler doesn’t die in vain.”
She paused, wrestling with the decision, but he could tell she knew he was right.
“Okay,” she said grudgingly. “Get in the front seat. I’ll fire up the start cart.”
As Grant climbed in and squeezed into the pilot’s helmet and parachute, she ran back down the stairs and gestured frantically at Fay, who waved her gun at the two pilots when they didn’t respond quickly enough. Morgan ran back up the stairs and got in the rear cockpit seat.
“I told Fay to get the pilots to release the start cart once the engines are powered up. She’ll also get them to retract the stairway.”
They closed the canopies and strapped in. Grant kept his hands off the controls. The instrument panel was ten times more complicated than the light helicopter he flew.
The engines rumbled to life. He cranked his head around. The APU was pulled away, as were the stairs and wheel chocks. He gave the V-sign to Fay, palm out. She returned the gesture.
Grant thought they didn’t build them that tough any more and had to correct himself. The woman sitting behind him was the real deal, too.
Morgan released the brakes.
“Time to intercept?” Grant said.
