'The alarm,' she repeated slowly. 'It's stopped. We're landing.'
He perked his ears. It had indeed stopped. And so had the rocking. But what had those thumping noises been about?
Suddenly the intercom crackled to life.
'Everyone, I'm sorry for the jostling. There was a little problem releasing the landing gear, but our wheels are down now and we're fine,' he heard Gordian say, as if in answer to his unvoiced question.
'Landing gear,' he muttered.
'What?' Megan said. 'Couldn't hear you.'
He looked down at where she was still holding his arm, and smiled.
'Just saying I love you, too, babycakes,' he said.
Chapter Twenty-One
FROM AN ASSOCIATED PRESS WIRE REPORT:
Washington, D.C. — UpLink International Chairman Roger Gordian and a group of core supporters have arrived for a news conference at the Washington Press Club scheduled to coincide with tomorrow's White House enactment of the Morrison-Fiore cryptographic deregulatory bill. It is thought Gordian will restate his well-known opposition to the bill, a stance which has drawn criticism from many quarters of the government and high-tech industry.
The stakes are high for Mr. Gordian amid reports of mounting and widespread stockholder discontent, and Monolith Technologies' recent bid for a large voting share of his corporation. Questioned by reporters soon after his self-piloted Learjet touched down at Dulles International Airport, the besieged defense and communications titan gave no comment on rumors that his press conference will include a surprise announcement of his resignation as CEO of UpLink.
President Ballard and his media aides, meanwhile, have chosen to downplay the crypto bill's significance, wishing instead to emphasize the President's visit to Asia later this week for the signing of the SEAPAC maritime defense treaty, an event to be held aboard an advanced nuclear submarine in Singapore's coastal waters.
FROM THE STRAITS TIMES:
Body Found by Coastal Villagers
Banda Aceh, Indonesia — Local police authorities have reported the discovery of human remains by fishermen operating off Lampu'uk, a remote village at the nation's northernmost point, near a frequently traveled sea lane where the Straits of Melaka open into the Indian Ocean.
There has been no official word about the body's condition, nor any indication whether its identity has been established. However, eyewitnesses present when the corpse was found describe it as belonging to a male who had apparently been afloat at sea for some days.
A forensic examination to determine the cause of death is said to be pending.
While little else about the case is known, the International Maritime Bureau and other regional investigatory agencies are said to have been contacted. It is routine procedure for the 1MB and ASEAN law-enforcement groups, who maintain close cooperative links and shared databases of persons reported missing or lost at sea, to consult when handling incidents of this type.
Gordian remained at the field after the others had gone ahead to their hotel rooms and, accompanied by a couple of Pete Nimec's security aces, met with the airframe and power-plant mechanic at UpLink's leased hangar.
Minutes after being told what had happened to the gear, the shocked A&P man was under the Leaijet's wing on a wooden creeper.
'No sign of exterior leakage, and the fittings seem to be intact,' he said now. 'Wait, hold it a second, I want to take a closer peek at something.'
The mechanic ran the tips of his index and middle fingers over a spot at the bottom of the fuselage, closely holding a flashlight on it with his other hand. Then he rubbed the fingers against his thumb and sniffed them.
'Got a whiff of Skydol, and there's some on my finger from outside the actuating cylinder.'.' He pulled his head out from beneath the plane to look up at Gordian. 'Can't tell anything from that alone, though, since you're always going to have some minor fluid loss. I'm going to need to get in and check the whole circuit. From the sequence valves to the main system line.'
Gordian squatted down beside him.
'I want to know what went wrong, Mike,' he said. Then, thinking about Max Blackburn, he decided to follow a hunch. 'Do me a favor and check for any signs of tampering, will you? Four people almost lost their lives today because of me. Four of my dearest friends.'
Mike turned off the flash, rolled out from beneath the plane, and stood, wiping the fluid residue from his hand with a rag.
'Maybe this is only a groundhog's way of seeing it,' he said, 'but from what you told me a couple minutes ago, I'd say it was you who saved their lives, sir.'
Gordian shook his head.
'It isn't a matter of perspective,' he said tersely. 'Federal aviation regulations state the pilot in command has ultimate accountability for the aircraft. And for the safety of its passengers. Makes no difference whether they were jeopardized because of a sloppy preflight in San Jose, a mechanical failure in the air, my own judgment, or a combination of factors. I am responsible for everything that happens in the air.'
Mike looked at him without speaking.
'I got lucky, Mike,' Gordian said, his face tight. 'You understand? I just got lucky.'
Mike swallowed and gave him a slow nod. 'I won't leave this hangar till I've combed over the bird from top to bottom,' he said.
Gordian briefly patted his arm. 'Thanks. It's appreciated.'
He turned to the pair of Sword ops.
'I'd like you to stick around here with Mike. Give him any help he needs.'
The two security men exchanged glances.
Gordian could see they were unhappy with his order, which was understandable. Lean and serious and zoned-in, they were professionals whose effectiveness hinged on rigorous discipline. Their assignment was to protect him, and it went against everything in their training and mental conditioning to ease up.
'It's okay, I'll be fine,' he assured them. 'I'm heading straight to my hotel room and plan to stay there all evening.'
'Sir, we received direct orders from Mr. Nimec to stay with you,' one of them said.
Gordian nodded. 'I know, Tom,' he said. 'But if you don't tell him you left my side for a few hours, I won't either.'
The bodyguard looked pensive.
'It would be best, sir, if we could check in with you over the phone this evening,' he said.
'Certainly, but please try not to reach any premature conclusions if I don't answer,' he said. 'It's been a rough day, and I need a long shower and some sleep.'
The bodyguard hesitated a moment, and Gordian resisted a smile. He'd suddenly remembered his paternal angst when Julia was a teenager going out on dates, and found himself amused despite his tension and lowering fatigue.
'Gentlemen, my car's waiting, and the driver must be getting impatient,' he said. 'I'll see you later.'
Tom was quiet another moment, and then nodded, his expression a mixture of chagrin, worry, and vague
