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FIDALGO ISLAND. DARS:
Rita does not recognize the phone number in the text message, but the code word ‘AD’ lets her know to make the call. Something is going on with the arctic device. She turns off the television special report about the arctic jet stream spreading across Europe, creating blizzard conditions as far south as Spain and Turkey.
She enters the number and it’s answered immediately. “What’s going on?”
“I’ve just learned that a third party is going after that Arctic thing. Her name is Mindy Sloan.”
Rita hasn’t told anyone about working with Janice on a few occasions. “Any idea when they’re going to start searching?”
“They’ll have a sub in the water by tomorrow afternoon.”
“All right. Thanks for calling.”
Rita walks out onto the covered deck, and stares through the deluge at the garden in the back yard. The rain is falling so heavily that the flowers are lying on the ground in large puddles of water.
She’s torn by indecision over what to do about the arctic device. After witnessing so many incidents, she knows Alex is right about their destructive capability. They cannot be controlled the way she had intended, and now the SV1 is changing the weather patterns on a global scale.
She realizes no matter what, she can’t let Sloan get her hands on the arctic device. The problem is, the only way she knows of to contact Cave is through Essex. According to Preston’s call from jail, the little man is with Cave on a secret mission. She remembers watching a video about a spaceship someone found in the arctic. That would be the type of situation Cave would be involved in, and Essex is the expert.
A lump wells up in her throat when she thinks of another scenario. It could be Essex’s spaceship. What if he and Cave took it up on a mission of some kind and it crashed with them inside?
She walks back into the house to get away from the roar of the rain beating on the roof, and enters Essex’s number. When he doesn’t answer, she leaves a message that it’s urgent she get in touch with Okana about the arctic device.
She stares through the window at the torrential downpour. According to the weather report, there is no end in sight. A thought suddenly occurs to her. Why did the idea of Essex’s death bother her so much? He isn’t the type of man she’s looking for. She just hopes he is alive and will get the message before it’s too late.
***
NAS FALLON:
In the parking lot outside the gate, rain batters the top of the vehicle. Jim Coburn stares through the sheet of water running down the front window while he waits for Essex. He’s glad to get away from the compound, but the annoying beeping from Essex’s phone is driving him crazy, and he doesn’t know the pass code.
A black sedan comes through the gate and pulls up alongside his SUV. He sees Alex roll down the driver’s side window. “Is everything all right?”
“Follow me.”
They drive to a covered bus stop waiting area, and when Essex and Alex climb out of the sedan, he climbs out to join them. “Hello, Mister Essex. You don’t know how glad I am to give this to you.” He holds out the phone. “The maid found it in your living quarters.”
Essex takes the phone and moves away, then enters his password. He recognizes Rita’s ID and listens to the message.
Jim holds his hand out to Alex, who accepts. He feels a slight tingling sensation in his fingers. “It’s good to see you again. Listen, I’m really sorry for letting Preston get away with the device. I heard all his people were killed in that freak storm the other day.”
“Preston is a resourceful man. Don’t worry about it.”
Essex turns to Alex. “Rita just left a message to call her. It has to do with the arctic device.”
“What’s the number?”
“No, I want to talk to her myself. I’ll put it on speaker.” He enters the number and holds it out so Alex can listen. “Hello, Rita.”
“Hi, John. I’m glad you called me back. I know you probably don’t want to talk to me, and I’m sorry, but this is extremely important.”
“I’m here with Alex. He’s listening, so tell us about the device.”
“Hello, Alex.” She waits but he doesn’t reply. “All right. Janice Sloan had a partner. Her sister, Mindy. She knows the location of the arctic device and she’s going after it.”
Alex knows it would be a waste of time asking her how she knows about it. “Do you know when?”
“My source said they will have a submarine in the water by tomorrow afternoon. That’s why I called. I know you’re right about their power, and I don’t want Mindy to get her hands on it.”
“Does she realize how dangerous it is?”
“I’m sure she saw the photos of it freezing and floating on the surface, so yes. She knows part of its potential, and given the similarities to the SV1, I’m sure she has a buyer lined up.”
“All right. I appreciate the call.”
Essex is surprised she’s being so forthright with the information, and thinks that perhaps she isn’t such a terrible person after all. “Listen, Rita. I need a co-pilot for my spaceship.”
“So the one discovered in the arctic wasn’t yours.”
“It was one of my prototypes that crashed. So what’s your answer? It could be dangerous.”
“It always is. When are you leaving?”
“As soon as you get here.”
“I’ll catch a flight to Reno, if you could pick me up.”
“I can do even better. Preston’s jet is still at my compound. I’ll send it to pick you up at your location.”
“I look forward to seeing you again.”
Essex puts his phone away. “It looks like I get to go into space again.”
Alex holds out his hand. “Good luck. It looks like Okana and I have a new obstacle to deal with.”
Essex remains standing as Alex climbs into the sedan and drives away. I just hope I can make this work.
Alex calls Donner to let him know about the attempt to disable the SV1 and the message from Rita. “Is the Navy searching the last known location?”
“Of course, but they can’t seem to find it. What about that new ultrasound system Mike Tanner uses for his explorations? From what you told me during the Cold Energy operation, that’s how they managed to locate the one off the coast of Washington.”
“That’s correct. I’ll contact him about it and get back to you.”
“Make it a priority. Good luck.”
***
Alex leaves the car in the parking lot and walks into the air terminal, then continues through the building out onto the tarmac. He sees Commander Ramey, Okana, and Jadin standing outside the jet and walks over to join them. He looks at Jadin. “There’s been a change of plans. Okana and I have to get to the Mystic right away, so we’ll need to find you another ride home.
“I know you’re going after the arctic device, but why the sudden urgency?”
“Sloan’s sister, Mindy, is going after the arctic device and will arrive tomorrow.”
“I thought General Taylor was taking care of it with the U.S. Navy.”
“They can’t find it. The Mystic has the only viable way to locate it.”
“All right. Anything else I can do to help?”
“Not really. Just keep trying to locate Pandora.” Jadin gives him a conspiratorial grin, and he smirks at her. “You already know something.”
“Christa and David said they’re picking up the tracking signal from the new software in her spaceship.” Her grin slips away. “Nothing on Pandora herself. Essex is right. It does sound a little awkward differentiating the ship from the woman.”
“I know what you mean.” He runs his tongue across the cut inside his lip, which is developing into a permanent ridge. Of all the times his lips have been battered to a pulp, none of them had left this type of scar on the inside of his mouth. “If you find her, call me first.”
“I will. What do you suppose she means by you and Pandora being united. Is she talking sexually? Because that would be interesting, having sex with an alien.”
He grabs her elbow and guides her away from the men. “No. No way. It’s not going to happen.”
“At least you won’t have to worry about commitment issues. That is your new vow of celibacy, isn’t it? You might have to break your vow, because the fate of our race might depend on you getting it on with Pandora.” It’s the first time she’s seen him blush. “It may not be that bad. She is beautiful after all.”
Alex looks away. He does find her alluring, except when the ship is in charge. He turns and walks back over to Ramey. “If you could get Jadin to Las Vegas, she can get a ride home from there.”
“I’ll make it happen. What about your secret box?”
“Could you keep it here for a while longer? We can’t take the chance of moving it until we solve another issue.”
“No problem. I have two Marines guarding it twenty-four-seven.”
Alex reaches out to shake the Commander’s hand. “Thanks for all the help.”
Ramey smiles. “Not a problem.” When he lets go, he feels a slight tingling in his fingers. He ignores it and brings out his phone to call the control tower.
Okana waves at Jadin as he follows Alex up the stairs into the jet. “Sloan has a sister in the same business? It’s like déjà vu all over again. I wonder if she’s as ruthless as Janice.”
“I hope we don’t have to find out. Call Mike Tanner and tell him what’s going on, and ask if we can borrow the Mystic.”
***
NEVADA:
Rita sees Essex waiting at the bottom of the stairs when she steps out of Preston’s jet. She smiles and walks down to greet him. “I’m glad you decided to give me another chance and invite me to come along with you. I wanted to tell you in person how sorry I am for not telling you everything about the devices.”
“We all have our secrets, Rita. That’s in the past now though. The first thing we need to do is decide on the best way for us to disable the thruster control system on the SV1. The crew will take care of your luggage, so let’s go play with my spaceship.”
Now Rita remembers why she is attracted to him. He is driven by his love for outer space and willing to take risks to get there. Unlike her other relationships, he is also a good man. She bends down and gives him a soft kiss. “You’re the boss. Let’s get started.”
Essex drives them to the rail hangar, and they climb up onto the platform. Essex reaches inside the cockpit and presses the button to raise the doors on the nose of the spacecraft, then looks inside. “I believe there’s an access panel on the SV1 within reach of these mechanical arms.”
Rita looks into the compartment. “Yes, but you can never open it with those pinchers. The best way to shut down the thruster control system is to plant an explosive charge and get the hell out of the way.”
Essex paces across the platform, staring up at the ceiling. He has an idea and walks back to the nose, then bends over the front edge to look inside at the frame. He stands and looks at Rita. “Are there any places the arms can grab to hold us in place?”
“There are four nylon bands around the device, with thick rings for moving it around on earth. The pincers will have a solid grip on any of them. The two middle bands also hold the control system in place.”
Essex stares at the manipulator arms for a moment, then looks up at Rita. “I promised Alex that I would get the device back to Earth so it can be locked away with the others. I keep my promises, but you’re not going to like what I have in mind. Help me replace one of the arms with a tow strap.”
“You’re right. That’s a crazy idea. First, you and I both know if the device activates while we’re nearby, we’ll lose control. Second, we have limited fuel for our rockets. If we use it for dragging the SV1, we won’t have any for re-entry. We’ll burn up with it on the way down.”
“I did say it would be dangerous. Besides, the device won’t burn up in the atmosphere. Alex told me that one of them survived being buried in magma.”
“And what about us?”
“All we have to do is slow it down so if falls out of orbit. We need to do that for our own re-entry anyway. Did I mention that it is in geosynchronous orbit above Iceland? That means we’ll need to reach orbital velocity just to catch up with it. Nearly one quarter of our fuel will be used just to reach it.”
“Well, this plan just keeps getting more exciting. I wouldn’t take odds on our success.”
Essex grins. “Neither would I.”
“Did you work for NASA?’
“Oh, no. When they heard about my new rockets, they wanted me to sell them the plans and the patent rights. They said it was to make sure no other country could build them. I told them they didn’t have to worry. No one will see my design. Not them, and not even you.” He studies her eyes for a reaction and they suddenly look miserable.
“You have every right not to trust me, John. I don’t blame you. I may never get that back, but I’m willing to try. I’m here to help, so let’s continue.”
“Fair enough. We need to install a hook to the inside frame and be able to release it manually from the cockpit. My workshop is on the other side of the hangar. Let’s go see what’s available to work with.”