Condor: an NTSB military technothriller (Miranda Chase Book 3) by M. L. Buchman

Author:M. L. Buchman [Buchman, M. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Buchman Bookworks, Inc.
Published: 2020-03-09T18:30:00+00:00

40

Drake blew out a hard breath.

He hadn’t seen that piece coming. Frankly, he’d been too busy being impressed at Jon’s plan. He’d come up with that solution with a Miranda-like speed. He should have kept better track of his nephew’s career.

“Okay, genius. How the hell are we supposed to do that?”

Jon just shrugged. Apparently he hadn’t thought through that part either.

Holly slouched down on the small couch without falling into the narrow aisle. She rested her boots on his chair arm.

“Well, mates, let’s start with who speaks Russian. Super fluently.”

Miranda and Jon both raised their hands.

Mike waved his hand part way, with an “sort of” waggle.

“And Holly makes three,” she continued. “Miranda, you’d be no help.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re not trained for this and we don’t want you ending up dead.” Holly turned to Jon, “You spent ten years flying a C-5 Galaxy. Care to take a crack at flying an Antonov?”

“What?” Drake knew he was shouting again but couldn’t seem to help himself. “You can’t just send him into Russia to steal a plane.”

“Oh, no, mate. I figure he’ll need a bit of protection.” She tapped her own chest.

“Holly! No!” Mike rested a hand on her arm as if he could restrain such a woman.

“It’s okay, Mike.” She patted his hand (rather than slapping it aside, which appeared to surprise him as much as it surprised Drake).

A mellowed-out Holly Harper didn’t fit his mental picture of her at all.

She continued, “We’re gonna keep this circle small enough to sit around a campfire. As you reminded me, this is the kind of thing I do.”

Jon was nodding slowly. “Takes four to fly an AN-124.”

“Grab a couple of boys from the 24th STS.”

Drake agreed with her suggestion on that at least. The combat controllers of the Air Force’s 24th Special Tactics Squadron were one of America’s three special mission units along with Delta Force and SEAL Team Six. They could run a multi-asset air battle—after three days of ground fighting to get there—and then manage air traffic for an entire captured airport from a handheld radio. Also masters at infiltration, they were the most capable people in the Air Force. If anyone could get a team into the heart of Russia, it would be them—and Holly.

“I’m not convinced yet, but let’s see what it will take to do.”

“Jeremy,” Holly called out.

“I’d look at tail numbers 69-0020 or 70-0448,” Jeremy spoke without rising from his chair.

Drake had completely forgotten he was there. Apparently he was a step ahead of everyone, just like Miranda.

“They’re the most recent additions to the inventory. They don’t make it easy to see the actual status…” The rattle of more computer keys. “Ah! 69-0020 is a better bet. Remote piloting controls aren’t too impossible a retrofit. We could fly it up to Boeing in Seattle for a paint job at Paine Field. That would also place it well on the way to Russia. They have this awesome paint shed and could easily make it match the blue-and-white pattern of a Russian Air Force AN-124.

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