Hellfire

took your own missile out,” Pamela said. “But all the reports so far say that Montego Bay was hit from your side. How do explain the missile coming in on the right side when the carrier was to her left?”

“Missiles are very versatile, Miss Drake,” he said. “Right or left — it makes no difference. With the re- targeting capability of some missiles, they can loiter overhead for hours, waiting for the perfect target angle. Based on the trajectory, it appears that there was a flaw in the American missile guidance system. It went into re-attack mode, and found Montego Bay.”

“What sort of programming error?” someone behind Drake demanded.

The public information officer looked to the admiral, who shrugged. “It is speculation only, but the laser — perhaps it interfered with the missile. Such has been known to happen.”

“And your own experiments?” Drake asked.

The admiral smiled briefly. “You’ll understand if I do not answer in detail. But yes, it is well known that lasers and missiles do not mix. There can be mutual interference of this sort.”

“I’m passing out briefing packages,” the public information officer continued, after a nod from the admiral. “In those, you’ll find all the supporting data, including printouts of all of the critical moments you have just seen in this presentation. Flight schedules, watch schedules — it is all there. We understand that your intelligence people will no doubt want copies of all of this and we encourage you to provide them. Once you have studied the data, you’ll understand that there cannot be any other interpretation of what happened. The American cruiser committed a hostile act by targeting our ship with their fire control radar. When we responded, the cruiser launched the missile that hit the Montego Bay. America must take the responsibility for this unnecessary waste of life.”

Silence, as the reporters digested the information. Pamela glanced around the room and could see the war taking place inside each one of them.

Yes, they were reporters, dedicated to uncovering facts and breaking news. They saw themselves as hardheaded and unemotional, and above the political machinations of governments. Yet the vast majority of the reporters in that room were American by birth, American by education, and uniquely American in outlook. At some level, perhaps below conscious thought, they were fiercely protective of their country, and deeply resented the Russian’s conclusion that the Americans were at fault. But even as they dealt with that resentment, they had to face the facts. If they did not report the truth, the four European journalists would. And by not reporting it, they would be subjected to allegations of a cover-up.

“I will answer some questions,” the admiral said, stepping forward. “I remind you, if you need a translation, ask. I will do the same if I do not understand your question.”

“Admiral, could you compare to status of the Russian and American laser defense systems? Do you think the Americans have moved too quickly, taking chances they shouldn’t that resulted in this tragedy?” one reporter asked.

The admiral appeared to consider this for a moment. “The development, I cannot tell you. But moving too fast — yes, I think that is the case. My own people assure me that there is much benchmark testing and simulation prior to an actual firing. We have devoted a great deal of time and effort to studying the problem, and we are not yet ready to test our system at sea. Now, you may have heard that our engineers are simply not as good as the American engineers. This is not true. But we’re taking reasonable precautions to make sure that our system is dependable and controllable prior to deploying it at sea.

“Furthermore,” he continued, his accent growing stronger, “there are many who have doubts about your system. Some believe deployment will destabilize the entire balance of power between your country and mine. Again, we have not undertaken this of our own, but simply respond to America’s actions.”

Drake could hear the sincerity in his voice. The questions around her became more insisted, more probing. More and more often, the admiral sidestepped the question, citing security reasons. After ten minutes, the public information officer stepped to the podium and said, “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. And thank you, Admiral. Now, if you’ll follow your escort, there is time for a brief tour of our combat center and the flight deck before your return here for a meal and to meet some of our people. If you have any questions or any needs, please do not hesitate to ask.”

The reporters, acting on reflex at the familiar cue, gathered up their gear. The Russian escorts promptly rounded up their charges and eased them out of the room, half of the group heading for Combat, the other half to the flight deck.

Pamela’s own escort approached her and said, “Miss Drake, I suspect you have seen many combat centers and many flight decks. The admiral would like to provide a private tour for you — an exclusive, if you will.” The public information officer appeared behind him, nodding. “If you would come this way.”

“Thank you. Come on, Jeff,” she said, motioning to her cameraman, who fell into step behind her. The public information officer held up one hand.

“No pictures without my express approval. Agreed?”

“Of course. We’re used to covering military operations, Commander. We understand the game rules.”

He smiled. “Not everyone does. Your Miss Winston, for instance. This is why you were selected, and not the others.”

Does everybody in the world know about Cary Winston? What is he trying to tell me by letting me know they know about her?

Drake decided that discretion was the better part of valor. She smiled. “She is very young. With time, she may be all right.”

“Perhaps. But she will not be here.”

The two Russian officers led the way toward the stern of the ship, descending another two decks. Pamela followed, dividing her attention between the passageways and the complaints of Jeff behind her as he maneuvered his gear through tight openings.

Surprisingly, the passageways looked very much like they did on America’s carrier. The markings on the bulkheads were in Cyrillic rather than English letters and the compartment numbering scheme appeared to be slightly different. But there was the familiar sense of too many people crammed into too-small spaces and the odd combination smell of fuel and cooking that she’d noticed on the deck. They passed a few sailors, who pressed themselves against the bulkhead in order to let them pass, even though there was more than enough room. A few murmured polite greetings. All averted their eyes.

Finally, when Drake sensed that they must be near the stern, they went up three decks. They were just below the flight deck, and the motion of the ship was more pronounced than it had been amidships.

The public information officer tapped out the security code on a cipher lock, then stepped back to allow them to precede him into the room. Pamela walked in, and saw that the bulkhead was crammed with consoles. In the center of the room, a large, spotless steel-and-white setup extended through the ceiling overhead.

“A laser,” she said softly. She turned to face him, her excitement visible. “This is your system, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Tested extensively but not yet ready for live targets.” He held up one hand as the cameraman fumbled with his gear. “I’m sorry. No pictures. Not yet.”

“May I get a closer look?” she asked.

“Yes, of course.”

She walked slowly around it, trying to memorize the details. There was a large, clear cylinder in the center, with a maze of wires and connections at either end. Steel struts marked with calibration figures ringed it, holding it so perfectly in alignment that it looked unnatural.

In truth, there was not much to see. It looked remarkably similar to the one on board Jefferson. But she studied anyway, trying to memorize the details, counting the struts and supports with one part of her mind as the other worked out the wording she would use to describe it to her audience. “We are on the record?” she asked to confirm their status. “You know that term?”

“Yes. And I hope,” he continued, with what was apparently a burst of candor, “that you will tell the Americans that we are quite far along in our own program. Should they decide to deploy their laser system, we will not be far behind. Not far behind at all. However, I think that world opinion may have something to say about both systems. When the testing alone results in the deaths of innocent civilians, how much more dangerous would full- scale deployment be?”