Shadow Command

“It’s too late,” Luger insisted. “I think we’ve missed it.”

“Then we’ll leave ’em with a little calling card in their rearview mirrors, if that’s the best we can do,” Patrick said. “Nail it.”

* * *

“He’s going to what?”

“You heard me, Leonid,” the President of the United States said on the “hot line” from Air Force One, just minutes after the connection was broken to the space station — he had to let loose a string of epithets for a full sixty seconds after the line went dead before he could speak with anyone else. “I think McLanahan is going to launch an air strike on a place called Soltanabad in northeastern Iran. He insists you have set up a mobile anti- spacecraft laser there and you used it to shoot down his Black Stallion spaceplane just a few moments ago.”

Russian president Leonid Zevitin furiously typed instructions on a computer keyboard to Russian air forces chief of staff Darzov while he spoke, warning him of the impending attack and ordering him to get fighters airborne to try to stop the American bombers. “This is unbelievable, Joe, simply unbelievable,” he said in his most convincing, sincere, outraged tone of voice. “Soltanabad? In Iran? I’ve never heard of the place! We don’t have any troops anywhere in Iran except the ones guarding our temporary embassy in Mashhad, and it’s there because our embassy in Tehran has been blasted to hell and Mashhad is the only secure place in the entire country right now, thanks to Buzhazi.”

“I’m just as flabbergasted as you are, Leonid,” Gardner said. “McLanahan must have flipped. He must’ve suffered some kind of brain injury when he had that heart flutter episode. He’s unstable!”

“But why does an unstable officer have control of supersonic bombers and hypersonic missiles, Joe? Maybe you can’t get your hands on McLanahan, but you can shut down his operation, can’t you?”

“Of course I can, Leonid. It’s being done as we speak. But those bombers may get off a few missiles. If you have any forces on the ground out there, I suggest you get them out pronto.”

“I thank you for the call, Joe, but we don’t have forces in Iran, period.” Still no reply from Darzov, he noticed — damn, he’d better get that laser out of there, or else their game was going to be over. “And we certainly don’t have some kind of magic super-laser that can shoot down a spacecraft orbiting Earth at seventeen thousand miles per hour and can then disappear like smoke. The United Nations investigated those reports last year and came up with nothing, remember?”

“I believe they said there were inconclusive results because—”

“Because President Martindale didn’t allowed them to interview anyone at Dreamland, and Buzhazi and his insane rebel insurgents didn’t allow them access to debris or the suspected site where the laser was supposedly set up,” Zevitin said. “The bottom line is that there is not one scrap of evidence out there pointing to some damned super-laser. McLanahan is obviously whipping up a lot of fear in Congress, in the media, and with the American public in order to keep his expensive and dangerous secret programs afloat.”

“Well, that’s going to be put to a halt real quick,” Gardner said. “McLanahan is finished. The bastard hung up on me and ordered that attack to continue.”

“Hung up on you?” That was perfect, Zevitin thought happily. Not only was McLanahan going to be removed, but he was going to be portrayed as a lunatic…by his own commander-in-chief! No way his supporters in the military or Congress were going to support him now! He choked down his glee and went on in a low, ominous voice, “That is insane! Is he crazy? You can’t allow this to continue! This unstable, insubordinate man has got to be stopped, Joe. You’re making a lot of folks real scared out here. Wait until the Duma and the Cabinet hears about another hypersonic missile attack in Iran. They’re going to shit their pants.”

“Convince them not to worry, Leonid,” Gardner said. “McLanahan is done for, and so is his private military force.”

“Shut it down, Joe,” Zevitin urged. “Shut it all down — the space station, those hypersonic missiles, the unmanned bombers with their EMP death rays — before it’s too late. Then let’s get together and present the world with a unified, peaceful, cooperative front. That’s the only way we’re going to ratchet down the tension around here.”

“Don’t worry about a thing,” Gardner insisted. “In case your Caspian Sea ships are in the vicinity, you might tell them that the bombers might launch high-speed missiles.”

“Joe, I’m concerned about the backlash in Iran if those missiles hit that area,” Zevitin said. “The last I recall, that base was being used by the Red Crescent to fly in relief supplies, and by United Nations monitors—”

“Oh no,” Gardner moaned. “This is a damned nightmare.”

“If McLanahan blasts that base, he’ll be killing dozens, perhaps hundreds of innocent civilians.”

“Damn,” Gardner said. “Well, I’m sorry, Leonid, but McLanahan’s out of control for the time being. There’s nothing else I can do.”

“I have one radical suggestion, my friend — I hope you don’t think I’m crazy,” Zevitin said.

“What’s your—?” And then Gardner stopped, because he soon figured it out for himself. “You mean, you’re asking my permission to—?”

“It’s the only way, Joe,” Zevitin said, almost unable to contain his amazement at the direction this conversation was taking. “You know it, and I know it. I don’t believe even a stressed-out schizoid like McLanahan would ever dare launch missiles against a humanitarian relief airfield, but I can’t think of any other way to stop this madness, can you?” There was no response, so Zevitin quickly went on: “Besides, Joe, the bombers are unmanned, correct? No one will get hurt on your side, and we’ll be saving many lives.” There was a very long pause. Zevitin added, “I’m sorry, Joe, I shouldn’t have brought up such a crazy idea. Forget I said—”

“Hold on, Leonid,” Gardner interrupted. A few moments later: “Do you have jets nearby, Leonid?” he heard the President of the United States ask.

Zevitin almost doubled over with disbelief. He swallowed his shock, quickly composed himself, then said, “I don’t know, Joe. I’ll have to ask my air force chief of staff. We normally patrol this area, of course, but since our MiG was shot down by McLanahan’s bomber with the EMP nuclear T-wave thing we’ve pulled back quite a bit.”

“I understand,” Gardner said. “Listen to me. My National Security Adviser tells me that the bombers launched from Batman Air Base in Turkey and are undoubtedly heading directly to a launch point over the southern Caspian Sea. We can’t tell you any more because we simply don’t know.”

“I understand,” Zevitin said. He could scarcely believe this — Gardner was actually telling him where the bombers had launched from and where they were going!

“We don’t know their weapons either, but we’ll assume they have the same hypersonic cruise missiles they used before, so the launch point is a couple hundred miles from Soltanabad.”

“I agree with your assumptions, Joe,” Zevitin said, trying to disguise the surprise in his voice and stay calm and serious. “We can search for them where you suggest. But if we do find them…Joe, should I proceed? I think it’s the only way to avoid a disaster. But it’s got to be your call, Mr. President. Tell me what you’d like me to do.”

Another pause, but this one shorter: “Yes, Leonid,” Gardner said, obviously racked with great anger. “I hate to do it, but that bastard McLanahan has left me no choice.”

“Yes, Joe, I understand and agree,” Zevitin said. “What about the T-wave weapon? Will they use it again to attack our fighters?”

“You must assume they will, and launch your attack from maximum range,” Gardner said. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have any control over that, either.”

“I know it’s not your doing, my friend,” Zevitin said as solemnly as he could muster through his glee. Hell, now the guy was giving him suggestions on how to successfully attack his own people! “We’ll do everything possible to avert a disaster. I’ll be in touch shortly with an update.”

“Thank you so much, my friend.”

“No, thank you for the responsible notification, my friend. I don’t know if I can be in time, but I’ll do everything I can to avoid an embarrassing situation from getting worse. Wish me luck. Goodbye.” Zevitin hung up the phone…then resisted the impulse to take a little victory dance around the desk. He snatched up the phone again and asked to be connected immediately to Darzov. “Status, General?”

“We are moving as fast as we can,” Darzov said. “We are prioritizing the main components first — the radar, laser chamber, and adaptive optics. The fuel tanks and power generators will have to wait.”