“So, what happened to that satellite? Short and sweet version, please.”
“It’s been re-aimed.”
Frost inflated his cheeks, filling them full and then exhaling the air out in exhausted frustration. “Ok. I know I’m gonna regret this … but the curiosity is killing this old puss here.” He steeled himself for the answer he knew was sure to make him furious. “Where did it get re-aimed to?”
“Mississippi.” Cee Tee closed his eyes tightly, waiting for Frost to go off behind him. “It’s zoomed in on a Wee-ball game in Biloxi.”
He sat tensed, waiting for the eruption that was sure to come. But after several long seconds, he was shocked to hear what he thought was an exasperated chuckle. This was followed by what was now pure laughter. He turned slowly to make sure his ears weren’t deceiving him. Behind him, his boss sat, shaking his head, laughing at the futility of it all.
“Tee,” Frost said as he rose from his chair and started toward the hatch. “If I ever get my hands on this hacker, I’m going to offer him a job … and if he takes it, I’m gonna fire your ass!”
“Yessir.” Somehow, that came as a relief to the comtech.
“Call me if you get my satellite back, please,” said Frost as he exited the vehicle.
***
“You dumb sonofabitch, you!” Ollie’s mouth curled into a contemptuous smirk beneath the Nite-Brite goggles as he watched the lone ship steadily coming straight for him. He couldn’t believe his luck. It had no idea what awaited it.
He stood in the middle of his pool patio, which overlooked the city. His pool was his magnum opus, his escape from work, his family, and the rest of the world. Set amidst vine-choked arbors and bracketed by matching gazebos, the pool deck offered privacy, while at the same time providing a stunning view from the mountain’s edge looking back west over the Valley. The oval-shaped beauty with a whirlpool set atop a concrete island in the middle of it also featured an eight-foot high waterfall on one end. But Ollie’s true pride and joy was the life-sized sculpture of a mermaid, lounging on a platform overlooking the water, her head high and proud, long hair seemingly blowing in a perpetual breeze coming off the water. Her arms reached out toward the water below, palms open and inviting, as if to beckon the hapless sailor. Ollie had made sure the sculptor had put just the right set of tits on her. Heavy and full, hanging long and low, bigger and rounder at the bottom, with nice round nipples, but not overdone. Her figure was curvy, with a sensuous navel set into a taut, flat tummy. Many nights he had stood in the pool, gazing upon her, trying to picture her suddenly coming to life, an aquatic Pygmalion, in love with his own statue. Beneath the water, his hand would work fervently, as he pitifully masturbated to a piece of stone.
He’d long ago banned his worthless wife and kids from ever setting foot in it again, installing a gate with a full-body sensor-scan. Nobody was allowed here anymore except for the pool guy and the garden boy. This was his refuge. Not even clients were entertained here.
Tonight, his refuge would be his command post.
Targeting data indicated the Gus was moving at minimum speed, barely staying in the air. Ollie surmised it might have mechanical issues. He silently prayed it was.
“This is going to be easier than I thought!” He cackled gleefully. He looked down and smiled at Churchill, who didn’t seem to share his confidence, as he gave a pitiful whimper and peed on the concrete.
“Pussy dog!” Ollie snarled in disgust. But he didn’t have time to worry about a neurotic canine now. He had bigger fish to fry.
Come on, you bastard! He willed his prey onward, as he activated the three, remote-controlled, twin-barreled, pulse cannons that he had installed at strategic points on his property. From their heavily camouflaged and concealed emplacements, they rose up out of the ground, like menacing wraiths from a cemetery. Their turrets rotated first one way and then circled back the other, as their scanners triangulated on the target coordinates Ollie fed into their controller. One by one, three white bullseye images floated toward the middle of screen, where a computer-generated image of Tiger’s Pegasus was centered. When the first bullseye locked in on the target, it immediately turned red and a tone emitted from the device. The second one overlapped the first and was absorbed into it, both now becoming one. Another tone sounded. The third fluttered around the screen and finally found its way to the center where it too became one with the other two. At this point, the single large red bullseye began blinking and the tone increased in volume. The target had been acquired and the guns were now locked on.
They won’t ever know what hit them! Ollie screamed out the Rebel Yell as he pressed the “FIRE” button.
***
Tiger would later agonize over whether his meditating had caused him to lose focus. Would it have mattered if he’d been paying more attention to getting over the hump of Monte Sano? Or would he’d have flown into the ambush waiting on him regardless? He would never really be sure. All he would later remember was that the night sky suddenly turned to day. The Pegasus became like a small boat on an angry ocean being tossed to and fro, as the fires of Hell, itself, were suddenly unleashed against his pitiful little band of desperados.
“Jesus!” Tiger was caught completely unaware, as pulse rounds battered the truck from all sides and below. He didn’t know who was firing on him or why. But he knew it wouldn’t be long before they would be disintegrated in midair with the rate of fire they were taking. The truck had already taken
