Filter Attack Team and Aaron’s Clean Up Team to come in and aid you.”
“And I’ll be flying you out,” Captain Moses Cochrane said, the first time many had heard the tall black man with the gaunt face speak up.
The men had turned back in their chairs to get a better look at Command Sergeant Aaron Haney, Cochrane, and the third man on the CUT team, Sergeant Jerry Carol. All were regular Air Force, and looking at them, Turn wondered if they were going to be able to hold their own. They better, he thought.
“What could go wrong?” Carl said with a smile, drawing the men’s attention back to the front of the room and the huge map that was there. “What could possibly go wrong?”
10 – An Assignment
“Do they know?” the Dutchman asked as they exited the conference room, he and Carl and General Anderholt taking up the rear. The general had come back just an hour before, on orders from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs himself, and was pleased with what he’d seen so far…at least that’s what Ellis hoped.
Anderholt shook his head. “Not yet, and that job will fall to you men.”
“To us?” Carl said, though it was closer to a gasp. “Why us?”
“Half your team already knows, the astronauts,” Anderholt said without skipping a beat, “have them train ‘em.”
Carl sighed but Ellis jumped in before the frumpy astronaut could get a word in.
“We’ll handle it, sir. We’ve been training them all week and they’re good, not a man is flinching from the responsibility.” He paused, then pressed on. “But sir…the men are bored, and unless we send them out soon, well…”
Ellis trailed off as they reached the doors that led back outside, Anderholt’s parked Jeep sitting there waiting for him. He spun to face the two men.
“Bored, huh? Well, we’ll see how they’ll feel after the sortie I send you men on tonight.”
“Sortie?” Ellis said. This time it was his words coming out as nearly a gasp.
“In Montana,” Anderholt nodded, “a nest of Gray’s that’s been up there looking at the ICBMs near Malmstrom Air Force Base a little too closely as of late. I want you men to go in and take ‘em out before the bastards get it into their big heads to switch off our nukes again.”
“But…sir…we…”
“We can handle it,” Ellis said with a grin and a hand on Carl’s shoulder to stop his stammering.
“Right,” Anderholt said, then turned, got into the Jeep, and was soon speeding down the road.
“ Montana ?” Ellis said, turning to Carl as the twenty-seven men of their team headed next door to the larger classroom building of Blue Lake.
Carl shrugged. “Beats the hell out of ‘Nam again.”
Part II
11 – Under the Big Sky
Between Lakeport and Hopland, Montana
Tuesday, May 22, 1979
The Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma four-bladed, twin-engined helicopters sailed through the night, their twin-bladed rotors making nary a sound. Inside the ten troops made barely any either.
Ronnie smiled that ivory smile and gave a deep chuckle at Chargin’ Charlie’s expense.
“What the hell?” he said.
“You look like you got a bur the size of Texas up your ass.”
“I don’t like helicopters,” Charlie replied with a distasteful look, one that caused Ronnie to laugh all the harder.
“Are we really going in to kill…aliens?” Fred said for the third time since the helicopters had taken off from the Blue Lake base.
“Should be a nest of five of ‘em,” Ronnie said, a bit of his earlier mirth gone, though not all.
“Still don’t believe it, huh?” Tommy said, that mischievous smile of his out full force.
“Well…no, no I don’t.”
Several of the others laughed at that, and even Fred joined in a moment later, his sandy-blonde hair nearly brushing down into his eyes as he finally loosened up.
There were ten of them flying in the single Puma helicopter. Captain Frank Burchak was at the controls and next to him was Sergeant Paul Carson. The
“And I’ll be flying you out,” Captain Moses Cochrane said, the first time many had heard the tall black man with the gaunt face speak up.
The men had turned back in their chairs to get a better look at Command Sergeant Aaron Haney, Cochrane, and the third man on the CUT team, Sergeant Jerry Carol. All were regular Air Force, and looking at them, Turn wondered if they were going to be able to hold their own. They better, he thought.
“What could go wrong?” Carl said with a smile, drawing the men’s attention back to the front of the room and the huge map that was there. “What could possibly go wrong?”
10 – An Assignment
“Do they know?” the Dutchman asked as they exited the conference room, he and Carl and General Anderholt taking up the rear. The general had come back just an hour before, on orders from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs himself, and was pleased with what he’d seen so far…at least that’s what Ellis hoped.
Anderholt shook his head. “Not yet, and that job will fall to you men.”
“To us?” Carl said, though it was closer to a gasp. “Why us?”
“Half your team already knows, the astronauts,” Anderholt said without skipping a beat, “have them train ‘em.”
Carl sighed but Ellis jumped in before the frumpy astronaut could get a word in.
“We’ll handle it, sir. We’ve been training them all week and they’re good, not a man is flinching from the responsibility.” He paused, then pressed on. “But sir…the men are bored, and unless we send them out soon, well…”
Ellis trailed off as they reached the doors that led back outside, Anderholt’s parked Jeep sitting there waiting for him. He spun to face the two men.
“Bored, huh? Well, we’ll see how they’ll feel after the sortie I send you men on tonight.”
“Sortie?” Ellis said. This time it was his words coming out as nearly a gasp.
“In Montana,” Anderholt nodded, “a nest of Gray’s that’s been up there looking at the ICBMs near Malmstrom Air Force Base a little too closely as of late. I want you men to go in and take ‘em out before the bastards get it into their big heads to switch off our nukes again.”
“But…sir…we…”
“We can handle it,” Ellis said with a grin and a hand on Carl’s shoulder to stop his stammering.
“Right,” Anderholt said, then turned, got into the Jeep, and was soon speeding down the road.
“ Montana ?” Ellis said, turning to Carl as the twenty-seven men of their team headed next door to the larger classroom building of Blue Lake.
Carl shrugged. “Beats the hell out of ‘Nam again.”
Part II
11 – Under the Big Sky
Between Lakeport and Hopland, Montana
Tuesday, May 22, 1979
The Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma four-bladed, twin-engined helicopters sailed through the night, their twin-bladed rotors making nary a sound. Inside the ten troops made barely any either.
Ronnie smiled that ivory smile and gave a deep chuckle at Chargin’ Charlie’s expense.
“What the hell?” he said.
“You look like you got a bur the size of Texas up your ass.”
“I don’t like helicopters,” Charlie replied with a distasteful look, one that caused Ronnie to laugh all the harder.
“Are we really going in to kill…aliens?” Fred said for the third time since the helicopters had taken off from the Blue Lake base.
“Should be a nest of five of ‘em,” Ronnie said, a bit of his earlier mirth gone, though not all.
“Still don’t believe it, huh?” Tommy said, that mischievous smile of his out full force.
“Well…no, no I don’t.”
Several of the others laughed at that, and even Fred joined in a moment later, his sandy-blonde hair nearly brushing down into his eyes as he finally loosened up.
There were ten of them flying in the single Puma helicopter. Captain Frank Burchak was at the controls and next to him was Sergeant Paul Carson. The
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