Flame Out by Keith Douglass

Author:Keith Douglass [Douglass, Keith]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Technological, General, Action & Adventure, Espionage, Fiction
ISBN: 9780515109948
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
Published: 1992-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 14

Thursday, 12 June, 1997

0917 hours Zulu (0917 hours Zone)

Viking 704 Northeast of the Faeroe Islands

“Sonobuoy away. Come right to three-five-zero.”

Magruder banked the Viking in response to Lieutenant Commander Meade’s order, trying to get the feel of the aircraft’s controls. The S-3B’s handling was entirely unlike a Tomcat’s. Both were responsive and graceful in flight, but where the F-14 was a sleek racehorse the Viking was more of a predatory bird, swooping low over the water on outstretched wings. Today Tombstone was having less trouble with the technical end of flying the plane—he knew the layout of the controls now, and was less awkward in making the aircraft do what he wanted—but he was still finding it hard to adjust to the difference in style and pace. In a Tomcat slow loitering and circling were anathema. Aboard the Viking everything went at a slower pace.

“Contact! Contact!” Curtis chanted. “Jezebel five is hot.”

“I’ll take her, Commander,” Harrison announced from the pilot’s seat. He put his hands on the yoke. “I have control, sir,” he added formally, but with a sidelong grin at Magruder.

His reply was just as formal. “I relinquish control, sir,” he said, feeling relieved. For a moment he’d been afraid the ASW men would require him to handle the Viking all the way through. Right now he preferred the job of observer.

“Punching in new coordinates now,” Meade said. “Jezebel five is at bearing one-two-four, range twenty-five.”

“One-two-four, range twenty-five,” Harrison echoed. He looked at Magruder. “Always best to know the target even if the computer is supposed to steer you,” he said.

Tombstone nodded. “So is this an attack run?”

Over the ICS, Meade laughed. “Hell, no. Jezebel five is one of the omni-directional sonobuoys we’ve been laying. An SSQ-41. They use passive sonar sensors to pick up underwater noise.” He chuckled again. “Nope, the fun is just getting started, Commander. We know about where the bad guys might be, but now we’ve gotta find the bastards.”

“And of course while we’re closing in they’re still moving,” Harrison added. “That means the area we have to cover as we hunt gets larger as time passes. We’ve got a nice long time to go before we start shooting at anything.”

Magruder settled back into his seat, trying not to betray his disappointment. It looked like it would be a long, boring morning.

0918 hours Zulu (0818 hours Zone) Air Operations Center Keflavik, Iceland

“Vampires! Vampires! Missiles inbound!”

Major Peter Kelso could feel the tension thick within the command center. “What’s the status on the runways?”

“Four Eagles to go, sir,” someone said. “Then the Orions.”

“Damn,” he muttered to himself. “Not fast enough. Damn!” Each passing second brought a wave of missiles closer and closer to the air base. Outside, klaxons continued to blare warning, but everyone he could see on the field below was staying at his post, trying to get those last few airplanes off the ground.

“Christ Almighty, will you look at that!” someone yelled. “Captain Blackwell just nailed two of the vampires with Sparrows!” That raised a

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