High flight kirk mcgarve.., p.37
High Flight (Kirk McGarvey 5), page 37
part #4 of Kirk McGarvey Series
Kiyoda picked up the ship's comms. "Weapons, conn. Load tubes one, two,
and three with standard HE torpedoes, and load tube four with a Harpoon."
Weapons Control Officer Lieutenant Shuichiyo Takasaki repeated the order.
"Yo-so-ro. "
Kiyoda turned and smiled. His officers were watching him expectantly.
"Now let's see what the Americans are made of," he said. "Come right
nine-zero degrees to new course two-
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six-five. Make our speed two-five knots. Give me a continuous firing solution on the target." "Hai, kan-cho, " Minori said, his eyes glittering.
Two thousand five hundred feet above the surface, the Lockheed P-3C Orion ASW patrol aircraft was flying a grid pattern at one hundred eighty knots. She'd been in the vicinity at the beginning of her patrol when the Thorn asked for help. "Have you got him yet?" the pilot asked.
"I can count her rivets," the ELINT officer, Ensign Carl Gifford, reported.
"We picked her out with the MAD on the first pass. Very clear picture.
She's about two hundred feet down, but she's accelerating and turning
inboard toward the Thorn. Skipper, unless I miss my guess, that sub-driver
is setting up for an attack."
MAD was their Magnetic Anomaly Detector, which never missed. It was one of
the more powerful ASW tools aboard the Orion.
"Their chopper should have it," the pilot, Lieutenant Fred White, said. He
hauled the big plane around for another pass. "Call the Thorn and tell them
what we're showing. Recommend that they break off until we can get a
reading from Fleet." "Aye, aye, Skipper."
White turned to his co-pilot, Lieutenant j.g. John Littlemore. "Call
Operations and lay it in their laps. I for one don't want to get into a
shooting match with the Japs. I think that sub-driver is nuts."
Seventh Fleet Northern Patrol Duty Officer Captain Walt Townsend put down his telephone and studied the big board across the room. An electronic map showed an area twelve hundred miles in diameter with Yokosuka at the center and Okinawa at the extreme south. For some reason the crazy bastard conning the Sarnisho wanted to prove a point by heading south. MSDF Submarine Fleet HQ was silent, and the buck had been passed back to Operations. Was it worth an incident like the one up in the strait
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with the Russians, he asked himselP Not likely. Leastways not just yet.
He called Communications. "Send a flash designated message to Mike
Hanrahan aboard the Thorn. Tell him to break off immediately. He's to
follow the Samisho and report her movements. Nothing more."
"Come left to new course two-one-zero. Make our speed ten knots."
"Smart move, Captain," Ryder said after he'd relayed the orders. "He'll
know that we no longer want to provoke him but that our intention is to
follow him if he wants to continue south."
Hanrahan shook his head in irritation. "Ninety days, Red. That's how long
we could be playing cat and mouse with that bastard." "Never happen."
"You're damned right it won't, because every chance I get I'm going to
lean on him."
Ryder started to object, but Hanrahan held him off with a scowl. "I'll expect your support, X. Completely."
The comment stung, but Ryder nodded tightly. "You've got it, Skipper."
He didn't add You've always had it.
"He's turning away, and his blade count is coming down."
Minori keyed the comms. "Which way did he turn, Nakayama?"
"Tori-kaji, " to port, the sonarman reported. He sounded excited. "Yes,
his new course is two-one-zero. I'm estimating he's making turns for ten
knots."
Minori turned to Kiyoda. "Kan-cho, it looks as if they do not wish to
take the bait."
"Very well, secure from battle stations. Make our course two-one-zero,
our speed eleven knots."
"I suggest we initiate a shallow-angle dive to three hundred meters,"
Minori said. "Negative," Kiyoda replied mildly. "That destroyer
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was inbound to Yokosuka. My guess is that her patrol was complete and she was going home. But now she has had a change of orders. She will follow us, and I have no wish to lose her." In one respect Kiyoda was almost sorry that the American warship had broken off the engagement. The Russian frigate had been easy, but a Spruance-class destroyer was a far more sophisticated weapons system. The challenge would have been interesting. And if he had sunk or damaged the American vessel the reliercussions Kamiya-san had predicted would certainly have come to pass. But much sooner than he thought. So it was better that no shots had been fired. But for more than one reason. This was neither the time nor the place, and the American captain was too fresh, too alert, too much in control. In the right waters, at the right time, and after repeated provocations, the situation would be different.
"Shall we unload the torpedoes from one, two, and three, and the missile
from four?"
"No," Kiyoda said. He felt dreamy, as if he could envision everything
that would occur over the next thirty-six to forty-eight hours. He felt
as if by dreaming the future he could make it so. It was powerful. "Hai, kan-cho, " Minori said.
Kiyoda focused on his executive officer. "The weapons will remain in
place." "Very well.' "We are not finished, Ikuo. We have only just begun."
"I'll need to present a good front when I get to Tokyo," McGarvey said. "I'll have to do my homework."
"The sooner you make your move the sooner they'll react," Kennedy replied
tiredly. They were a few minutes from Portland International Airport.
Socrates was sound asleep, and McGarvey envied the man for it. "I'll need a carte blanche from you."
"I think the only thing you don't know about us yet is our bathroom
habits."
"I need to know everything there is to know about the 2622."
336 DAVID HAGBERG
Kennedy managed to smile. "Maybe you can sell a few for us while you're
at it."
Linda went back to wake Socrates so that the engineer could strap in for
landing. McGarvey watched her lithe movements. She reminded him of his
daughter Elizabeth. Maybe after this was over he would retire.
The world had indeed changed. And, he supposed, in some measure he'd been
and continued to be an instrument of that change. The fact was such
thoughts did nothing to dispel his bleak mood. What was he looking for,
he asked himself? What?
FIFTEEN
Let me introduce you to Arimoto Yamagata." Kennedy shook hands with the Japanese. "You're with JAL, aren't you?"
"That's right," Yamagata said. "I've spoken with Mr. McGarvey. A very
sharp individual. I thought I'd come out here to see Portland for
myself."
Their host, Marvin Saunders, was one of the heavyhitters in real estate
development in the PortlandVancouver area. He'd put up two major downtown
office buildings with mostly Japanese money. He'd been involved with the
Japanese businessman who'd tried to buy into the San Francisco Giants.
And he'd built four separate neighborhoods in and around the city that
catered to Guerin middle- and upper-level managers. He'd invited the
Kennedys and a dozen others to his palatial Lake Oswego home to meet
someone he said was interesting. Given Saunders's connections with the
Japanese, MeGarvey thought it would be worthwhile for Kennedy to accept,
but Yamagata had come as a surprise. "I wonder if you know that David was one of our top
HIGH FLIGHT 337
astronauts before Al Vasilanti lured him out here to build airplanes?" Saunders said.
"Yes, of course." Yamagata smiled. "In addition to baseball cards, Japanese
schoolchildren collect astronaut cards. Yours is still a favorite." "I didn't know that," Kennedy's wife Chance said.
"And this lovely lady is David's wife, Chance Kennedy."
Yamagata turned his complete attention to her, his smile softening. "I'm
very pleased to meet you. Your name is rare, isn't it?"
"My mother wasn't supposed to have children. So when I came along my father
said I was 'one chance in a million."'
"Charming," the Japanese said. "Do you work in the industry alongside your
husband?"
Chance shook her head. "No." She was a slightly built woman with large
round eyes and a lot of blonde hair. She looked unhappy. "One in the family is enough," Kennedy said.
"Perhaps that's wisest," Yamagata said. "Did Mr. McGarvey come with you?" "No," Kennedy said. "Will you be sending him to Tokyo after all?"
The question was startling because of its directness. "Yes, we think so.
But it may not be for another day or so. We're a little busy at the moment
because of the crash." "I understand."
"Don't tell me that Guerin is finally going to start selling in Japan,"
Saunders said. "Move over Boeing."
"Something like that," Yamagata replied before Kennedy could say anything.
"Which is why I'm in Portland. I was told to come here and be charming-"
Saunders laughed. "He wasn't here fifteen minutes and my wife wanted to run
away with him. I'm going to have to watch her like a hawk. But seriously,
I think it's a damned good idea that's been on the back burner too long.
We're in a global economy whether we like it or not. And with the Japanese
offer of a free trade
338 DAVID HAGBERG *
agreement-hell, I don't see any other choice for Guerin except to expand to the east. It'd be a great partnership."
"We think so," Yamagata said. "At least in principle. Of course there
would be many obstacles to overcome." "How do you see that?" Saunders asked.
"It's a matter of trust-on both sides of the Pacific. After the
unfortunate incident a few days ago in Yokosuka, and the demonstrations
in Tokyo, I'm told that antiJapanese sentiment is building in America."
"Not in this house," Saunders said heartily. A few of his other guests
gathered closer. They nodded their approval. The Kennedys were the only
Guerin executives here tonight, but the other guests were influential in
Portland's business community.
"The American Northwest has traditionally understood Japan," Yamagata
said. "It is why so many Japanese emigrate to this region. But that
understanding may not be entirely shared in New York or Washington."
"I think the attitude in the White House will change after the Tokyo
Economic Summit next month. This President seems to be committed to
working with your government." Saunders turned to Kennedy. "The big
surprise is Al Vasilanti's about-face. About time, I'd say."
"It may be premature to talk about any sort of a deal between us,"
Yarnagata cautioned. "We're still in the very early exploratory stage."
"Mr. Yamagata is right," Kennedy said tightly. "It's too early to be
making any announcements."
"Not to worry, David. You know the house rules: No journalists allowed
within a hundred yards, and absolutely nothing said here gets repeated
outside."
"A sensible set of rules," Yamagata said, smiling directly at Chance.
The Faraday cage was completed and in place around the heat monitor/alarm subassembly. No stray electrical or electromagnetic impulses would emanate from the device, nor would any-signal from outside penetrate the protective screen. Louis Zerkel had studied the connec-
HIGH FLIGHT 339
tions for the engine mount for several hours, trying to puzzle out what he was seeing with his own two eyes versus what he knew he should be seeing,
"Something's wrong," he muttered. A second supposedly spare pin on the
replacement module in the subassembly was connected through a small
amplifying circuit not to one of the engine-frame sensor plugs but to the
frame ground. It made no sense. A signal was spit out by the module, its
strength amplified, and it led to ground.
"is something the matter with the unit?" Mueller asked.
"No," Zerkel said, looking up, "I don't know. Something doesn't add up." "A manufacturing mistake?"
Zerkel interrupted. "Not likely. InterTech doesn't work that sloppy. This
was designed this way. But I don't know what they meant by it. Could be
crucial, but maybe not. Perhaps if the output signal were modulated maybe
the frame itself could turn out to be resonant. But again, for what
purpose? Why energize the frame?
"If it were possible to get the frame and harness I could isolate the
module and pull it apart to see just what they were aiming for. Either
that or run it through the mainframe circuit analyzer. But there's no
going back. I haven't looked at the television all day, but I'm pretty
sure that my face is plastered over every newscast as a killer and
saboteur. The question is are they making the connection between me and
the crash right here in our backyard? Because if they are then it's going
to get real hot around here." Zerkel looked up at Mueller. "And you know
what? If none of that part has hit the news then we're in even bigger
trouble than I thought. Because it'll mean that the Japs are looking for
me.
"The real problem here is that I don't know diddly squat about
Rolls-Royce jet engines. The board says an overheat caused the fan blades
to disintegrate, which means they're homing in on Rolls. But in order for
me to understand what they're talking about I have to know
340 DAVID HAGBERG
engines, and that's not possible, So I'm going to come up with another approach.
11 The idea is to bring down a bunch of airplanes all at the same time,
or near enough the same time so there's no chance the fleet will be
grounded before we're done. But if they're guarding the back door as well
as the front, and you really don't know what's inside, then there's only
one thing left to do, and that's tear the house down. What do you think
about that?"
"I don't understand you," Mueller said. "Can you do this thing or not?"
Zerkel grinned, his eyes wild. "Hell, yes, I can do it. But it's going
to be crude, nowhere near as sophisticated as I wanted it to be. It's
simple lack of data, or even access to data. I could get into the Rolls
engineering computer, but I'd have to educate myself on engine design
parameters. Not that I couldn't do it, but it would take time. I don't
think we've got much time." "What is it you're going to do?" Mueller asked.
"I'm pretty sure that there's nothing wrong with the jet engines on those
airplanes. The triggering device is definitely integral to the heat
monitor system. But until I understand completely what's going on, I'm
going to back off from trying to trigger it. It's -lust a feeling, but
for now I've got something else to do ' " "Distributing the trigger signals?" Mueller prompted.
"Right on." Zerkel keyed up a map of the United States on one of the
computer monitors. The areas around most of the major metropolitan
centers were shaded in red. "Washington, New York, Atlanta, Chicago,
Denver, Los Angeles, they're all designated TCAsTerminal Control Areas-by
the FAA. Any airplane flying under a certain altitude within those TCAs
must be equipped with a transponder and an encoding altimeter." "Continue."
"When an airplane shows up on an Air Traffic Control radar screen, its
transponder sends an identifying signal to the ground that tells ATC its
exact type and tail
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number. The encoding altimeter tells the scope dope the airplane's exact altitude."
"Yes, I know this," Mueller said. It was the same in Europe.
"That means ATC computers and airplanes within every Terminal Control
Area in this country talk to each other electronically," Zerkel said
brightly. "What do you think about that?" "The signals go both ways?"
"Exactly. When the time comes for us to strike, the triggering signals
will be sent out by the Air Traffic Control centers on orders from
InterTech's mainframe." I 'How?"
"It'll be up to Mr. Reid how many centers you want to hit. But in each
Terminal Control Area's ATC facility someone is going to have to install
a repeater."
"There'll be risks," Mueller said softly. He didn't like what he was
hearing.
"There are risks for all of us, but I'll make it easy. The repeaters that
I'll build will be about the size of a package of cigarettes. You won't
have to make any electrical connections, or anything like that. Just hide
the units behind the computers or radar consoles. When they receive the
signals from InterTech, my repeaters will pass them through to the
outgoing radar signals. Every airplane within the TCA will get the extra
spike, but only Guerin's airplanes will know what to do with it." Zerkel
chuckled.
"But this has to be blamed on the Japanese," Mueller said.
Zerkel's grin broadened. '-'InterTech will send out the trigger pulse on
electronic orders from Tokyo Bank's computer center."
"Will he continue to follow us?" Lieutenant Minori asked. He and his captain were hunched over the chart table at the forward end of the cramped attack center.
