Delta Green - [34]

“So,” Cross said, “we have one advantage. Any engagement in space leaves Delta Green practically unarmed. They’ll only be able to rearm with atmospheric ordnance.”

“Eventually, maybe,” Brackman said. “She’s still got three Wasp IIs, two Phoenix IIs, and a Chain Gun.”

Brackman walked back to the small conference table and sat down. He refilled his coffee cup from the Thermos pitcher in the middle of the table.

“That’s all we know for now, then?” Cross asked.

“Yes sir. McKenna will let me know if anything else develops. He’s trying to set up for an intercept if she comes out of orbit, but he doesn’t have much hope for it.”

“All right, then, back to the agenda.”

The agenda was short, and they had already covered the first item. The next day, at one o’clock, the SecDef, with the President’s concurrence, was going to the armed services committees of both houses to report the hijacking. Though both Mays and Brackman wanted to hold off for another two or three days, they had been overruled by the Secretary.

“Number two,” the admiral said, “the identity of the aggressor.”

“David Thorpe has talked to Lieutenant Colonel Pearson several times,” Brackman said. “She has a theory that whoever stole the bird must have had prior experience in it. Or at least in the Mako. She’s got it pinned down to about thirty possible names, with six that are highly suspect.”

“And those six are out of the Russian training program?” Mays guessed.

“That’s right, Harv. I think she’s probably on the right track.”

“I don’t read this program as the work of one maniac pilot,” Cross said.

“No, Hannibal, I don’t think so, either. There’ll be an organization of some kind. And there’s got to be some big bucks involved.”

“Political considerations?” Cross asked.

“I’ve talked to the people at Langley and to Defense Intelligence,” Mays said, “but they haven’t heard anything out of the ordinary. They say they’ll refocus their efforts toward obtaining data about any maverick political or criminal organizations that might have the capability of pulling this off.”

“What’s the geography the agencies are talking about?” Brackman asked.

“Right now, just because it took place in Borneo, they’re concentrating on Southeast Asia, the subcontinent, Africa, and South America.”

“The whole damned southern hemisphere,” Cross said.

“We don’t have much to go on,” Mays said.

“Anyway,” Brackman said, “I believe Pearson will point us in the right direction soon.”

“Okay,” Cross said. “We’ve got about as much as we can get right now. The SecDef will meet the honchos on the Hill tomorrow and give them the facts we have as of noon tomorrow. McKenna and Overton are on top of a search program. We have one sighting, and McKenna’s taking a stab in the dark at an interception. Pearson and Thorpe are narrowing the suspects. That about it on the MakoShark, Marvin?”

“That’s it.”

Cross waved his copy of the agenda at them. “The rest of this got shoved back from our regular meeting. Any reason why we can’t delay it?”

Brackman said, “I’d like to deal with number six, and I’d like to add one item.”

“Six? That’s yours. Del Cartwright?”

“I want him off Merlin Air Base. Yesterday would have been a good time for it.”

“Now, hold on a second, Marvin,” Mays said. “He’s a good commander.”

“For a wing, maybe. You foisted him off on me, Harv, and he’s not working out. He wanted to make his imprint on the base right away, and he changed programs and systems to make that imprint. Without analyzing them.”

“Like security?” Cross said.

“Like security. He approached Merlin as if it were Homestead or Randolph. It isn’t.”

“Where do I send him?” Mays asked.

“Frankly, Scarlett—”

“Who do we put in there?” Cross interrupted.

“Milt Avery. He’s got two years aboard Themis, and I should rotate him Earth-side. He’s also on next month’s brigadier list, though he doesn’t yet know that.”

Mays looked to Cross, who nodded. “Ah, hell. Okay, Marvin. Do it”

“What’s your new item?” Cross asked.

“Now I’ve just created a vacancy for deputy commander of USSC-1.”

“And you know who you want to put in it, naturally?” Mays said.

“Amy Pearson.”

“Ahhh,” Mays said.

“She’s just a little light on rank, isn’t she?” Admiral Cross said.

“We, that is, the Air Force, moved her up on both the major list and the light colonel list because of her demonstrated abilities. She’s already ahead of her peers. That’s because she can do the jobs we give her and do them damned well.”

“I don’t know her file that well…” Mays started to say.

“She’s at least two years away from consideration for full bird,” Brackman said. “I’d like to have the SecDef recommend her to the President.”

“Now, damn, Marv…”

“We’ve never recognized her for her role in the New Germany crisis,” Brackman argued. “She saved us a hundred billion dollars’ worth of satellite, gentlemen. On her own initiative.”

“If we promote her on the basis of initiative, we’ll have to make McKenna a general,” Cross said. “That wouldn’t go over well with some people.”

“McKenna would turn it down, I’m afraid,” Brackman said. “He won’t risk losing a seat in a fighter aircraft. We gave him and his squadron Distinguished Flying Crosses (DFCs), which is about all any of them would accept.”