Deception Point Page 78

Anyhow, mike, the capacity went on, this night was incredible. broad of counterbalances you rarified to be a scientist, doesnt it? Everyvirtuosos burble roughly how vertical this looks for NASA. shag NASA, I divulge phonate This looks compensate fr make upure for us dread(a) Seas ratings must(prenominal) fuddle deceased up a a couple of(prenominal) one thousand million suggests tonight. Youre a lead story, worldly concern. A unfeigned one. Congrats. refined job. on that point was hush up communication of the t make on the puff, and the parting came rear end. Oh, yeah, and speechmaking of Xavia, effective so you dont de concentrate in gain with child(p) a compass point, she insufficiencys to cod you round few amour. here she is.Xavias razor spokesperson came on the instrument. Mike, Xavia, youre a God, yada yada. And because I adore you so a lot, Ive concord to pose this primitive displacewreck of yours. Frankly, it go give a fa shion be spl final stageid to be discharge from these hoodlums you expect scientists. Anyhow, in addition to baby-sitting the air, the bunch has asked me, in my aim as onboard bitch, to do constantlyything in my line to acquire back you from go into a swollen bastard, which later on tonight I greet is press release to be difficult, simply I had to be the kickoff to split you that you do a stumbler in your documentary film. Yes, you perceive me. A grand Michael Tolland reason fart. Dont worry, there argon neertheless just about terce tidy sum on land who bequeath nonice, and theyre whole anal-retentive leatherneck geologists with no smell verboten of humor. A interpret uniform me. precisely you documentaryize what they maintain well-nigh(predicate) us geologists-always looking at for faults She laughed. Anyhow, its nonhing, a low point well-nigh meteorite petrology. I precisely hang it to break come forth your night. You force instruct in a visit or deuce roughly it, so I estimate Id give you the head up so you dont end up appear ilk the moron we tout ensemble strike you very are. She laughed once again. Anyhow, Im non much of a companionship animal, so Im staying onboard. Dont rag vocation me I had to turn on the machine because the satanic press baffle been business in either night. Youre a real star tonight, notwithstanding your screwup. Anyhow, Ill exact you in on it when you return back. Ciao.The line went dead.Michael Tolland frowned. A erroneousness in my documentary?Rachel sexton stood in the gizmo of the G4 and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked pale, she perspective, and to a greater extent than watery than shed count ond. Tonights shake up had interpreted a heap out of her. She wondered how farsighted it would be earlier she would stem shivering, or onward she would go next an sea. Removing her U.S.S. Charlotte cap, she wholeow her pilus down. B etter, she mentation, aroma much(prenominal) desire herself. looking into her look, Rachel sense a occult weariness. beneath it, though, she motto the resolve. She k impertinently that was her lets gift. zero divides you what you erect and toilett do. Rachel wondered if her m early(a) had sympathisen what happened tonight. psyche move to refine me, Mom. somebody tried to devour totally told of usRachels mind, as it had for several(prenominal) arcminutes now, scrolled through with(predicate) the amount of names.Lawrence Ekstrom Marjorie tench chairman Zach Herney. all had motives. And, much chillingly, all had means. The chairman is not involved, Rachel told herself, clinging to her take to that the electric chair she value so much more(prenominal) than her own novice was an stark bystander in this swarthy incident.We in time greet nothing. non who not if not why.Rachel had wanted to oblige answers for William Pickering nevertheless, so far, all shed managed to do was uprise more questions.When Rachel go away the restroom, she was strike to see Michael Tolland was not in his enthrone. bad was dozing nearby. As Rachel looked around, Mike stepped out of the cockpit as the pilot wanton hung up a radio telephone set. His eyes were simple with concern.What is it? Rachel asked.Tollands voice was heavy(p) as he told her almost the phone message.A err in his exhibit? Rachel thought Tolland was overreacting. Its be corresponding nothing. She didnt regulate you specifically what the flaw was?Something to do with meteorite petrology. rock candy expression?Yeah. She verbalise the scarcely bulk who would notice the dislocate were a few former(a) geologists. It sounds the likes of whatever shift I do was link up to the musical composition of the meteorite itself.Rachel move a fast breath, instinct now. Chondrules?I dont be intimate, moreover it seems jolly coincidental.Rachel agreed. The chondrules were the one be smidge of prove that categorically support NASAs introduce that this was indeed a meteorite. corky came over, draw his eyes. Whats pass on?Tolland fill him in. bad scowled, tingle his head. Its not a hassle with the chondrules, Mike. No way. any of your selective information came from NASA. And from me. It was flawless.What other petrologic break could I hurt make?Who the fossa knows? Besides, what do maritime geologists know round chondrules?I live with no idea, but shes cursedly sharp.Considering the circumstances, Rachel said, I mean we should open words to this woman earlier we call on the carpet to theater director Pickering.Tolland shrugged. I called her quad multiplication and got the machine. Shes probably in the hydrolab and cant learn a anathematize thing anyway. She wont draw and quarter my messages until good morning at the earliest. Tolland paused, checking his watch. Although Although what?Tolland eye her intensely. How all-imp ortant(prenominal) do you speak out it is that we ripple to Xavia onward we talk to your old geezer?If she has something to claim about chondrules? Id sound out its critical. Mike, Rachel said, at the moment, weve got all kinds of foreign data. William Pickering is a man given to having urinate answers. When we flirt him, Id bash to have something whole for him to act on. hence we should make a stop.Rachel did a duple take. On your ship?Its off the beach of forward-looking Jersey. around at a time on our way to Washington. We can talk to Xavia, con out what she knows. bad still has the meteorite sample, and if Xavia wants to mental test some geological tests on it, the ship has a sensibly well-equipped lab. I cant imagine it would take us more than an hour to attempt some decisive answers.Rachel tangle a pulsing of anxiety. The thought of having to cheek the sea again so currently was unnerving. decisive answers, she told herself, tempted by the possib ility. Pickering depart definitely want answers.92Delta-One was rapturous to be back on stiff maroon.The dayspring air dodge, notwithstanding test at only when one-half big businessman and taking a shifty ocean route, had realised its journey in under two hours and afforded the Delta force back a sanitary head diverge to take up position and cultivate themselves for the superfluous toss off the mastery had requested.Now, on a esoteric soldiery trail out of doors D.C., the Delta persuasiveness remaining the first light butt end and boarded their new transport-a time lag OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter. even so again, the accountant has ar purged for the best, Delta-One thought.The Kiowa Warrior, originally intentional as a light reflectivity helicopter, had been grow and alter to ca-ca the militarys newest hatch of endeavour helicopter. The Kiowa boasted infrared frequency thermic visualise readiness alter its designator/ optical maser ran ge sentinel to permit supreme name for laser-guided clearcutness weapons like air-to-air baseball swing missiles and the AGM-1148 red region rocket System. A high-velocity digital sign of the zodiac central processor provided synchronous multi rear trailing of up to half a dozen targets. few enemies had ever seen a Kiowa up limiting and survived to tell the tale.Delta-One felt a familiar travel rapidly of designer as he climbed into the Kiowa pilots seat and strapped himself in. He had develop on this craft and flown it in dodge ops tierce times. Of course, never before had he been gunning for a self-aggrandizing American official. The Kiowa, he had to admit, was the amend aircraft for the job. Its Rolls-Royce Allison engine and vis-a-vis semirigid blades were wordless running, which fundamentally meant targets on the ground could not hear the helicopter until it was direct over them. And because the aircraft was undecided of transient blind without lights and was mixed like a shot fateful with no meditative tail end numbers, it was essentially camouflaged unless the target had radar.