tankrobably lost the whole tank. The left external B is still with us p but it's feeding too fast, faster than the right externals. It's probably dumping all that fuel overboard. 'He shut off the fuel transfer switch to the left external B tank. 'That means we're short about forty thousand pounds.'
He looked over at McLanahan, who was still staring at the mountain ridges sliding under the Old Dog's sleek black nose.
'Pat, check the hydraulics.'
McLanahan scanned die quarter-sized hydraulic gauges on the left control panel. At first he was diverted by the fancy schematics added on to the panel showing the direction and metering of hydraulic power from the six engine-driven hydraulic pumps.
'Well?'
McLanahan then noticed it. 'Pressure on the left outboard spoiler-tip gear is low.'
Ormack shook his head. 'Well, we're going to lose the left outboard system pretty soon. Make sure the standby pump switch is off.'
'It's off.'
'We're not going to try to emergency raise the tip gear,' Ormack said.
'The entire wingtip is probably smashed. We'd deplete the hydraulic system for nothing. 'He checked airspeed and altitude. 'Okay. We're airborne. Flaps coming up.
McLanahan watched the gauge closely. A half-minute la they indicated full-up.
'Well, something's finally working okay,' Ormack asked. 'Good job,' General Elliott said above the noise in the cockpit. Ormack and McLanahan turned in surprise. The general was standing between the two ejection seats, nodding approval. McLanahan looked at his leg. There was a large bandage and elastic cloth wrapped around the calf and thigh. 'How's your leg, General?'
'Hurts like hell, Patrick. Feels like something took a bite out of it.
But Wendy and Angelina did a fine job. Lucky we got so many first aid kits on board.'
'What the hell happened, General?Who were those guys that attacked us?'
'I'm not sure, Patrick. I was advised by intelligence of certain rumors, but I never thought… it looks like now there was a leak somewhere.
My hunch is that whoever authorized that attack expected those B-1s to be still in Dreamland.- Elliott cleared his throat. 'I'll take it now Patrick.
'You sure you feel up to it, General?Your leg-' 'I'll let John push on the rudder pedal if I need it, Otherwise I can handle this beast.
Get everyone else on belt and oxygen and stand by for a climb check.'
So saying, Elliott moved himself aside and let McLanahan climb out of the left side seat and pass around him to go downstairs. Then with help from Ormack, he settled himself into the pilot's ejection seat fastened the parachute harness.
'All right,' he said, readjusting the headset and placing his hands around the yoke. 'I've got the aircraft.'
'Roger, you have the aircraft,' Ormack acknowledg assuring positive transfer of control with a slight shake of the control column.
'Let's clean up the after takeoff checklist. Landing gear?''Gear up, indicating five up,' Ormack replied. 'Left gear is reading crosshatch.
Left outboard hydraulic system low and will probably fail soon.'
'Confirmed. 'Elliott rechecked the hydraulic gauges.
be okay for the time being. Flaps.
'Lever up and off, flaps up.'
'Throttles.
'Set for MRT climb. Nav, you up?'
'Nav's up,' Luger replied immediately.
'Outside air temp zero, anti-ice off.'
'MRT EPR two point one seven.'
'Throttles set,' Ormack said, checking the gauges.
'Start switches.'
'Off and FLIGHT' 'Air conditioning master switch.'
'Seven point four-five PSI, radar and defense, normal cooling air available,' Ormack said as conditioned air rushed from the cabin vents.
'Offense copies,' Luger replied as McLanahan buckled his parachute harness and rechecked his equipment.
'Defense copies,' Pereira said mechanically, watching as Wendy Tork secured herself into her seat. Angelina scanned her instrument panels, then opened her checklist and began to bring up her array of armament equipment.
'Slipway doors, open then closed. 'Ormack reached up and flipped the SLIPWAY DOOR switch to OPEN on the overhead panel — The green CLOSED AND LOCKED light went on. He flipped the switch to NORMAL CLOSED and the indicator came on again.
'Open then closed, check closed.'
'This beast climbs like an angel,' Elliott asked. 'We're past twelve thousand already. Crew, oxygen check. 'He glanced around his seat.
His helmet was nowhere in sight.
'Go ahead and check them in, John,' he asked. 'I'll check mine when I get leveled off. 'Ormack looked slightly embarrassed. He pulled the boom mike closer and said, 'Defense?'
'Uh… defense is not complete.'
'Neither is offense.
Elliott looked in surprise at his co-pilot. 'We don't 9' 'Nobody,' Ormack said.
'Nobody has an oxygen mask?No helmet?' Elliott said over the interphone.
'We didn't exactly have time to pack a lunch, General, McLanahan said.
'Goddamn it,' Elliott said. He checked the cabin altimeter on the eyebrow panel; it held steady at seven thousand feet.
'Cabin altitude is steady at seven thousand. How about any masks at all?Emergency masks?Anything?'
Ormack checked behind his seat. 'The firefighter's mask is in place,' he said, pulling the bag around and examining the mask. It was a full-face mask with a bayonet clip for the ship's oxygen system, designed for a crew member to plug into a portable oxygen 'walk around' bottle and battle a cabin fire.
'One oxygen mask,' Elliott asked. 'No helmets.''We'll just have to stay below ten thousand feet,' Ormack asked. 'We can't risk a higher altitude. A subtle loss of cabin altitude, the entire crew gets hypoxic-we'd be dead before we knew it.
'We can't do that,' Elliott asked. 'This aircraft is top secret.
We've got to get to a higher altitude and isolate ourselves until my staff or someone comes up with a suitable landing base.
Under ten thousand feet, too many air and ground eyes can watch us.' 'Then I'll just keep this thing on until we land, sir,' Ormack said.
'A few hours at best. I can handle it.'
'No,' Elliott asked. 'The mask restricts your vision too much, and there's no communications hookup. Okay, ladies and gents, listen up.
Until we get back on the ground, we're all in jeopardy. No one has any oxygen, at least not a safe supply.
You can stick your oxygen hose in your face and go to 'EMER' to get a shot of oxygen-as a matter of fact, we'll do that-but it's a real danger. We'll do station and compartment checks every fifteen minutes.
Check around more often. Keep alert for signs of hypoxia. The co-pilot and I will take turns with the fire mask. Check around your stations to see what else we're missing.'
'Does it matter, General?'
Wendy asked. 'We're going to land soon, aren't we?'
