Left Behind Series - The Remnant Part 13

Akbar laughed and was interrupted by the intercom. "Primary pilot is waiting, sir"

"Send him in."

As soon as Chang heard the sound of the door, the Brit started in. "Tell him, Uri. Tell him we didn't screw up."

"what?"

And the conversation began anew, Akbar blaming the failure on the pilots, the Brit protesting, Uri silent for the moment. "Excuse me a moment, gentlemen," Suhail said. The door opened and closed.

"Kerry," Uri said, "listen to me. I de's right. The "

"He's not right! I saw what I saw and I will never "

"Shh! Listen! You and I both know we launched perfectly. But I was there after you had gone. You heard my transmission. Those people survived the Blues and the Lance, lived through it all."

"Impossible!"

"Impossible but true."

"A miracle."

"Obviously."

"Then we must live with it, Uri. We must make the GC and the world face it. They are a more than formidable enemy, and unless we admit that, we'll never have a chance to defeat them."

"I agree. You heard me try to say it."

"They took you off the air! Now they want to make us the scapegoats. Demote us. Make us admit failure." "Not me" Uri Said.

"That's my man," the Brit said.

They traded encouragement.

"Be strong."

"Don't give in."

"Let's stick together."

Chang checked Akbar's phone.

Suhail had called the medical wing and asked for Dr. Consuela Conchita. Only the day before Chang had read the staff bulletin announcing her promotion to surgeon general of the Global Community. "Connie," Akbar said, "I need two heavy doses of sedative, the quick stuff. My conference room, ASAP. I'll have security here, in case the patients resist. And bring gurneys from the morgue."

"The morgue?"

"I want them cremated."

"You're asking for lethal doses?"

"No, no. I just want them out before they leave here, under sheets. The cremation will do the rest, will it not?"

"Kill them? Of course it will. You're asking that we execute two people?"

"This is from the top floor, Consuela."

A pause. "I understand."

Chang grimaced as he listened to the recording of Akbar trying to convince the fliers that he had asked for injections to help calm them. Both began scuffling and shouting, and Chang could tell they were held down and given the shots. And now they were gone.

Anyone who had seen either of them land in New Babylon and make their way from the hangar to the palace and to Akbar's office would never admit it or mention it. They had been shot down by the enemy, and that was that.

Chang checked on the planes again. Already their serial numbers had been changed. And the original numbers were marked as lost in action. Somehow the total number of operative GC fighter-bombers in New Babylon did not change.

The story that had scrolled across Chang's screen would broadcast around the world that night. No doubt Carpathia himself would express abject personal sorrow over the losses.

Chang checked the records in. Greece and found that Nelson Stefanich had forwarded location coordinates to "Howie Johnson's"

team. It was a couple of hours yet till nightfall, when Mac planned to pay the visit. Chang had time to confirm Mac's instructions to the crew at the Ptolemas airport to refuel the Rooster Tail and entered into the computer that Senior Commander Johnson had been cleared at the highest levels to fly it to New Babylon.

That done, Chang found Stefanich's cell phone number and called it in to Mac. "Got everything else you need?" Chang said.

"Well, I'd still like to know the disposition of the "Oh, I will. Hey, Chang?"

"Sir?"

"Who's better than you?"

"Thank you, sir."

Finally, Chang was able to check his other recordings from throughout the day. He located the one emanating from Carpathia's office and backed up to several minutes before Nicolae, his secretary Krystall, Leon Fortunato, Suhail Akbar, and Viv Ivins sat watching the feed from the c.o.c.kpit of the initial fighter- bomber. Suhail had just told the potentate he had arranged for him to watch live, and Carpathia had expressed excited antic.i.p.ation. Chang sped through several minutes of setup and of Nicolae welcoming the various ones into the room.

Then, pay dirt. Akbar informed Carpathia that the fighter-bombers were set for takeoff from Amman, and that he could bring that up on the monitor, "if you wi sh. "

"If I wish? Please!"

"Palace to Amman Command," Suhail said.

"Amman. Go ahead, Palace."

"Initiate visual coverage of takeoff."

"Roger that."

Several seconds of silence. Then Carpathia. "Suhail, these are fighter-bombers? Is it an optical illusion? They look huge. "

"Oh, they are, Eminence. They have been in service only a few weeks. Notice how high they sit off the ground. The gear is the tallest of any fighter ever. It has

"That is the bomb, underneath?"

"Yes, sir."

"Talk about huge. It looks ma.s.sive!"