Fallout by James W. Huston Page B
Authors: James W. Huston
Tags: Fiction, Literary, General, Suspense, Thrillers, Suspense fiction, Espionage, Nevada, Terrorists, Fighter pilots, Pakistanis
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Popovich, then back at Petkov. “I don’t think you understand. It has already been decided. Tonight will be the first time. At three in the morning, my friends will be coming onto the base to complete one small transaction. You will make sure they are not bothered. Do you understand?”
“I won’t—”
“He understands perfectly,” Popovich said, glaring at Petkov.
Gorgov smiled his yellow smile and put his gloves back on. “Excellent. I knew you were a man of integrity.” He opened the door and turned back to Petkov. “If you do these things well, I have much bigger plans in mind for you.” He could feel Petkov’s resistance and knew where his temptations lay. “It will be very lucrative for you. I can get you out of this shithole. Perhaps even to the West.” Popovich held the door as they headed out. “If you do your job. Your
new
job. For me.” Gorgov walked to his Mercedes without looking back.
Petkov took a deep breath as he closed the door behind the two men. He felt as though he were suffocating. When dealing with the Mafia, you did what they asked or you ended up dead. He couldn’t see a way out of the downward spiral his life had become.
6
Luke looked down through his visor at the green, tree-filled terrain of central Ohio around Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. They had slapped tanks on their planes and flown cross-country from Fallon to Wright-Patterson. The Operations officer who had approved the cross-country flight felt that he owed Luke one last good deal. Everyone knew he was getting out. They all felt sorry for him.
“TOPGUN 23 cleared to break.”
“Roger,”
Luke replied. He checked the downwind leg for any other traffic he hadn’t already seen. He looked over at Thud flying tightly on his wing and started nodding slowly. He was counting, as he always did. Then he put his left hand up to his oxygen mask and kissed Thud off.
He pushed the stick slowly but steadily to the left, putting theF/A-18 into a slow left roll until it reached a ninety-degree angle of bank. He pulled back hard, and the Hornet bit into the air and turned sharply from the runway below him as he reduced throttle to slow down his jet. Thud counted to four, then put his own Hornet into an identical five-G turn behind Luke.
As Luke leveled out downwind, he lowered his flaps and landing gear. He waited until he was parallel to the runway and at its end. “
Tower, TOPGUN 23 at the 180, three down and locked
.”
“Roger, TOPGUN 23 cleared to land Runway 6. Winds 070 for four.”
“Roger,”
Luke answered as he continued his turn and steep descent. He landed perfectly on the runway. He turned off at the end of the runway and looked for the truck to guide him to the transient line, where he could park his jet and the Air Force would refuel it for him.
Luke and Thud taxied together and followed the directions of the ground crew who were waiting for them. They held their brakes while the Air Force men put wooden chocks by their wheels. They were finally in place, and they were given the signal to shut down.
Luke pulled his throttles around the stop to the off position and had a quick idea. As his engines wound down, he glanced at Thud, who was watching him, knowing he was going to think of it. Luke brought his head back slowly, then quickly forward. When he did, both he and Thud pulled the canopy lever back, and their two canopies opened as if linked together, a perfect precision canopy-opening exercise. It was what all Navy squadrons did after a fly-off, when they’d been on a cruise for six months, and they had flown back off the carrier to their home base as a squadron. Their families waited expectantly, and the pilots, with their stomachs fluttering and yearning to hold their spouses again, would all leave their radios on, and the skipper would signal for everyone to shut down their engines and open their canopies at the exact same time.
They climbed down from their planes and walked to the line
“I won’t—”
“He understands perfectly,” Popovich said, glaring at Petkov.
Gorgov smiled his yellow smile and put his gloves back on. “Excellent. I knew you were a man of integrity.” He opened the door and turned back to Petkov. “If you do these things well, I have much bigger plans in mind for you.” He could feel Petkov’s resistance and knew where his temptations lay. “It will be very lucrative for you. I can get you out of this shithole. Perhaps even to the West.” Popovich held the door as they headed out. “If you do your job. Your
new
job. For me.” Gorgov walked to his Mercedes without looking back.
Petkov took a deep breath as he closed the door behind the two men. He felt as though he were suffocating. When dealing with the Mafia, you did what they asked or you ended up dead. He couldn’t see a way out of the downward spiral his life had become.
6
Luke looked down through his visor at the green, tree-filled terrain of central Ohio around Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. They had slapped tanks on their planes and flown cross-country from Fallon to Wright-Patterson. The Operations officer who had approved the cross-country flight felt that he owed Luke one last good deal. Everyone knew he was getting out. They all felt sorry for him.
“TOPGUN 23 cleared to break.”
“Roger,”
Luke replied. He checked the downwind leg for any other traffic he hadn’t already seen. He looked over at Thud flying tightly on his wing and started nodding slowly. He was counting, as he always did. Then he put his left hand up to his oxygen mask and kissed Thud off.
He pushed the stick slowly but steadily to the left, putting theF/A-18 into a slow left roll until it reached a ninety-degree angle of bank. He pulled back hard, and the Hornet bit into the air and turned sharply from the runway below him as he reduced throttle to slow down his jet. Thud counted to four, then put his own Hornet into an identical five-G turn behind Luke.
As Luke leveled out downwind, he lowered his flaps and landing gear. He waited until he was parallel to the runway and at its end. “
Tower, TOPGUN 23 at the 180, three down and locked
.”
“Roger, TOPGUN 23 cleared to land Runway 6. Winds 070 for four.”
“Roger,”
Luke answered as he continued his turn and steep descent. He landed perfectly on the runway. He turned off at the end of the runway and looked for the truck to guide him to the transient line, where he could park his jet and the Air Force would refuel it for him.
Luke and Thud taxied together and followed the directions of the ground crew who were waiting for them. They held their brakes while the Air Force men put wooden chocks by their wheels. They were finally in place, and they were given the signal to shut down.
Luke pulled his throttles around the stop to the off position and had a quick idea. As his engines wound down, he glanced at Thud, who was watching him, knowing he was going to think of it. Luke brought his head back slowly, then quickly forward. When he did, both he and Thud pulled the canopy lever back, and their two canopies opened as if linked together, a perfect precision canopy-opening exercise. It was what all Navy squadrons did after a fly-off, when they’d been on a cruise for six months, and they had flown back off the carrier to their home base as a squadron. Their families waited expectantly, and the pilots, with their stomachs fluttering and yearning to hold their spouses again, would all leave their radios on, and the skipper would signal for everyone to shut down their engines and open their canopies at the exact same time.
They climbed down from their planes and walked to the line
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