

PeaceKeeper

A Novel of Hi-Tech Megalomania

By

J. Dee German

Foreward

The concept of a ground-based laser weapon with space-based relay mirror satellites has been studied by the U.S. Air Force for several years. Many of the component subsystems have been designed, built, and tested to demonstrate the feasibility of such a system. The major impediment to developing an operational system is the lack of sufficient long-term funding.

Most of the devices in this novel either currently exist or are within the reach of today's technology and can be found on the internet. The items purchased by the characters – guns, cars, campers, cameras, drones, etc. – are available products that can also be found on the internet.

The locations, highways, and descriptions of the locales are mostly factual. Tall Pines canyon exists but there are no coal mines in it. You can immerse yourself in the story by following the characters as they travel on Google.com/maps.

All of the characters in this novel are fictitious and are not intended to represent actual people.

For those readers who are grammar sleuths you will find many errors in my writing, mostly in the dialog. That's because I write like people talk, without paying much attention to grammatical details.

About the Author

J. Dee German, a retired physicist and engineer, spent much of his 43-year career developing laser systems, from high power weapons designed to destroy aircraft and missiles to low power medical and personal protection devices. Shortly before his retirement in 2008 he participated in tests to validate the ground-to-space laser beam relay concept.

After his retirement he worked as a part-time technical consultant, but searched for something else to keep his A.D.D mind running at full speed. So in 2015 he wrote his first novel, The Hermetrius Conspiracy, and published it as a digital E-book. Since then he has E-published four additional novels and two non-fiction books.

He has just started a new work of fiction titled The Priceless Linen about a historic artifact known as the Shroud of Turin, which could be the cloth used to cover Jesus as he was placed in the tomb after his crucifixion. He expects to publish it in the spring of 2019.

Dee currently lives on a lake in southwestern Georgia and divides his activities between part-time consulting, writing, and serving God.

E-Books by J. D. German

Fiction

The Hermetrius Conspiracy – Lynn and Jack Preston Series #1

The Forsetti Solution – Lynn and Jack Preston Series #2

Revenge, Inc. – Lynn and Jack Preston Series #3

The Malthus Strategy

Hostile Takeover

Peacekeeper

The Priceless Linen: A Fictional History of Christ's Burial Cloth

Non-Fiction

Christian Principles – Food for Thought

Random Thoughts of an A.D.D. Mind

The above books can be downloaded free from smashwords . com / profile / view / jdeegerman (no spaces). They are available in formats that can be read on a PC, tablet computers, and E-readers.

Key Characters (in Order of Appearance)

Dr. Alexis Nichole Tesla (Prolog) – 42 year old physicist, high-energy laser expert, hired by Edwin Elliott to head laser weapon development project..

Edwyn Elliot (Chapter 1) – Self-made billionaire, plans to enforce world peace with a space laser weapon, PeaceKeeper, he builds in an abandoned Colorado coal mine.

Dr. Derek Flynn (Chapter 2) – 53 year old engineer, expert in laser mirror design who was also enlisted for Elliott's laser project. Widower who lives on a lake in southwest Georgia.

Tom Norton (Chapter 2) – Director of the Gunnison River Valley Coal Restoration Project, discovers suspicious activity in the Colorado coal mine used by Elliott.

Terri Norton (Chapter 9) – Tom's wife. Inherited a gun store in Gunnison from her father.

PeaceKeeper Foundation (Chapter 9) – Members of Elliott's organization who are ardent supporters of an aggressive stance on U.S. supremacy in the world:

  * Director of the FBI, Adam Hamilton

  * Secretary of Defense Raymond McCauley,

  * Retired 4-star General Alan Aldridge,

  * Senator Kathryn Zapata,

President Arthur Chavez (Chapter 12) – Recently elected President of the United States.

Anton (Tony) Moretti (Chapter 16) – Elliott's Chief of Security and enforcer.

Dr. Eugene Sharpstein (Chapter 22) – Chairman of the JASON committee who leads the effort to find out who built the Peacekeeper laser.

Special Agent in Charge Kyle Casey (Chap 24) – FBI Task Force Leader pursuing Alex & Derek.

Dr. Dennis Howell & wife Anna (Chapter 31) – A retired surgeon who lives at Lake Seminole, GA, near Derek Flynn. Anna is a computer expert and a world-class hacker.

John Knox (Chapter 40) – Sheriff of Gunnison, good friend of Tom and Terri Norton.

Prologue

Spring 2017

Alexis was the kind of person who seldom got rattled. Even as a child she was the one who kept her head when others were running in confused circles about some overblown crisis. She was cool, calm, and self-assured – a natural leader in her job as a research and development (R&D) director for a large aerospace firm. After graduating from MIT with a PhD in laser physics and another in philosophy, she rose quickly up the promotion ladder until now, at age thirty-five, she directed the country's latest high-energy laser weapon development project – a ten megawatt monster that could destroy aircraft, missiles, and even satellites at ranges up to 150 miles. The project had encountered several setbacks, but for Alexis it was a challenging and exciting job – at least it was until she was fired two months ago.

The new American President had campaigned on a platform that included reducing unnecessary' expenditures on scientific research that didn't directly benefit the American people. One of the first cuts was the HELLEOS project – the High Energy Laser via Low Earth Orbit Satellites contract – the program she was in charge of. Because other Government work on big lasers had also been shut down over the past few years, Alexis was out of a job at the age of 48 in a field where jobs didn't exist anymore. The half dozen resumes she sent out had all received negative responses.

Finding a new research job wasn't about the money; she had plenty of that from the exorbitant salary the aerospace firm paid her. It was about keeping her creative mind busy. She was a Type A personality whose brain ran at ninety miles an hour so boredom and inactivity drove her crazy. She had just about given up hope when she received a letter from the PeaceKeeper Foundation requesting that she appear for an interview. There was no information about the position, salary, or work location; just an 800 number to call to set up an appointment. Mostly out of curiosity she called, and was now waiting for a car to pick her up at her home in Lancaster, California, twenty-five miles southwest of Edwards Air Force Base, where HELLEOS had been under development.

All she knew about the trip was that she would be flown to some location in Colorado for an interview. Her current state of unrest was due to the unknown details of the trip and the job to be offered. She didn't like this unusual feeling of not being in control. Her reverie was broken by a knock at the door. When she opened it a man in a suit announced that her car was waiting. She looked over his shoulder and saw a Mercedes Benz limousine parked at the curb.

Two hours later Alexis, or Alex as she preferred to be called, was in an Eclipse Aviation 550 business jet flying at thirty-four thousand feet above Grand Junction, Colorado. When she boarded the small lightweight plane she asked the pilot where they would be landing but he just smiled and asked her to please turn off her cell phone and put it in the metal box he held out for her. She hesitated, realizing this would be her last chance to change her mind about a trip that was getting weirder by the minute, but her curiosity about where it would lead caused her to hand over her only connection to the rest of the world. I should have told someone about this trip. I could disappear from the face of the earth and no one would know where to look. Of course I don't even know where I'll be, so what could I tell them, she thought.

She looked out the window at the beautiful Rocky Mountain peaks below and guessed they might be headed for Denver since that was the only major airport nearby. But twenty minutes later she felt the plane begin to descend. She looked out the window, expecting to see a city below, but there were only mountains and valleys with an occasional narrow highway. Her view seemed to zoom in on the sight below as they gave up altitude, which alarmed Alex. When she heard the wing flaps extend she hoped there was small local airport a short distance ahead or else they were going to hit a mountain. They were already below the surrounding peaks and giving up airspeed rapidly.

"Excuse me, pilot, but what's happening?"

When he ignored her she realized he couldn't hear above the engine noise, especially with headphones on. She heard him say something into his microphone and gripped the arms of her seat, bracing for the impending crash. The mountains were closing in on both sides . . . Then everything went dark.

Chapter 1 – Edwyn Elliott

When Edwyn Elliot dropped out of Cal Tech after his sophomore year his parents were devastated. They had hoped that his dislike of the education system would end if he was sufficiently challenged by a first-class university, but he was still smarter than all his teachers, just as he had been in high school. When he announced he had found a source of funding to pursue a new revolutionary idea his father's response was "Yeah, yeah. We've heard that before and this will end up in the garbage heap of useless technology just like all your other brainstorms. We're through supporting you – find a real job."

But their rejection hadn't dampened his creative energy one bit. The venture capitalist who was funding his project had the vision to realize the true potential of Elliott's idea. He provided the research facility and support staff needed to demonstrate that Elliot's idea not only worked, but could be easily adapted to a huge commercial market. His idea? A device that would connect the human mind directly to a computer. A keyboard, mouse, and trackball would no longer be needed to communicate with a personal computer, tablet, or smart phone. The user could just think what they wanted the device to do and it would do it! The slowest link in the human/computer interface had just been eliminated. A person could communicate with computer-based hardware at the speed of thought.

Elliott's investors immediately patented the idea and soon anyone with an electronic device and $650 to spare could put on a headband and join the new revolution – the fusion of the human mind with computer software. Within a few months, about the time he would have finished his senior year of computer engineering at Cal Tech, Edwyn Elliott was worth over two billion dollars from the sales of the NeuroLink product.

Like some of the recent technology geniuses before him – Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk – he used his newfound wealth to extend the frontiers of science and engineering. His first project was to develop an entirely new form of space launch vehicle – a high-speed aircraft that could transition from high-altitude Mach 6 flight directly into low earth orbit to deliver a satellite, and then return to earth to repeat the process – autonomously, with no humans on board. It took his select team of scientists and engineers less than four years to achieve that goal, and now his company, Earth to Orbit, was contracted by governments and private corporations to put a variety of satellite payloads into orbit. Although NASA researchers had been working toward the same goal, the bureaucratic bullshit that blocked their progress allowed Elliott's company to get it done before NASA could even get their design off the drawing board.

After this success Edwyn Elliott disappeared from public view, leading many to speculate that he was working on a new, secret program to revolutionize another field of technology. But the truth was that Elliott had launched an entirely new enterprise focused on one goal – to bring peace on earth.
Chapter 2 – Colorado Coal

Summer 2017

Tom Norton was the lead engineer on the Gunnison River Coal Restoration Project. The mines in the central mountains of Colorado had closed down over a decade ago, primarily because of the previous president's efforts to curb global warming by drastically reducing fossil fuel use. But when the new administration realized that fossil fuels played only a minor part in global warming and that unemployment in the mining industry was over forty percent, the old prohibitions were relaxed and legislation was passed to provide federal funding to bring coal mines back into operation all over the country. Tom's job was to visit the reconditioned mines in central Colorado to make sure that the new installations met current Government regulations. Tom worked for the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), a part of the Dept. of the Interior tasked with enforcing environmental standards for coal mine reclamation.

For the past month he had been spending most of his time at the Hi-Tech Mining Corporation's (HTMC) Tall Pines Canyon site. The company was bringing six underground coal mines surrounding the canyon back online using new technology to once again bring them to profitability. Soon several long trains of coal would leave the valley every day, shipping the high-quality, low-sulfur anthracite coal to power plants throughout the region. But for now the trains carried incoming building materials, heavy machinery, and rails for the coal haulers to bring the coal out of the mine. It was this last item that bothered Tom.

Modern coal mining techniques had discarded in-mine rail transport in favor of low-boy trucks with fat tires to haul out the coal. So why was HTMC going back to the old way of doing things. And the rails they were bringing in were heavy duty stuff usually reserved for large loads – six inches in height and width weighing sixty pounds per foot – four times the normal size rail for this application. He knew the federal regulations had no problem with such large rails, but he wondered why the company would go to the extra expense of larger rail.

The other thing that seemed strange was that one of the mine openings was being enlarged. The six-foot high by twenty-foot wide dimensions that used to be standard entrance dimensions for the old operation had been increased to ninety feet high by two-hundred feet wide. Why in the world would they need an opening that large? He added that to his list of questions for HTMC. He was on his way now to the mine site now to meet with Lucas, review the construction progress, and ask some questions.

Norton had another surprise when he encountered a security gate at the entrance to the valley. As he approached the lowered barricade a uniformed guard stepped out and held up his hand in the universal gesture for stop, then motioned for him to roll his truck window down. The tall, muscular man came with clipboard in hand came over to talk.

"Good afternoon, sir. May I see some identification please."

"What for? This is a public road and you have no right to block it."

"I. D. please."

Tom pulled his driver's license from his wallet and held it up for the sentry to see, but the man snatched it out of his hand and returned to the guard shack with it where he scanned it into a computer. After a few moments a printer spit out a visitor's badge with Norton's picture on it and a list of site areas he was allowed to visit.

"Here's your visitor's badge Mr. Norton. Keep it visible at all times. Mr. Lucas will meet you in front of the headquarters building over there." The man pointed to a two-story metal structure in the middle of the small valley. Norton drove into the parking lot by the main entrance and got out of his pickup. As he started walking toward the building another guard came through the door and ordered, "Stop where you are. Hold your hands out to your sides and kneel down."

"I will not!" Tom exclaimed as he started toward the door again.

The armed guard drew his sidearm and pointed it at him. "One more step and I will shoot! Get down . . . Now!"

Tom stopped where he was and started to kneel when Gerald Lucas ran out and told the guard to stand down. With his gun still pointed at Norton he replied, "This man is not wearing a visitors badge. I'm following procedure here."

Lucas looked at Tom. "Didn't they give you a badge at the gate?"

"Yes, but I left it in the car."

"O.K.. Go back to the car and get it. That's the only way this guard will back down."

The guard gave Lucas a dirty look but allowed Tom to retrieve his badge. After examining it the guard stepped aside and let him pass.

As soon as they were inside the building Tom started peppering Lucas with questions. "What the hell is going on here Lucas? A road block, armed guards, and security badges. What does any of this have to do with coal mining?"

"Calm down, Tom. I'll answer your questions in my office upstairs."

Lucas poured a liberal amount of Wood's High Mountain Bourbon over ice in two glasses and handed one to Tom. After they enjoyed their first couple of sips of the native Colorado whiskey he turned to Tom and said, "O.K.. Now I'm ready to answer your questions. But I have to warn you ahead of time that much of what we're doing here, our revolutionary high-tech mining techniques, are heavily guarded corporate secrets. With Elliott's help HTMC has invented ways of processing coal that almost doubles the productivity compared to other coal mining operations, and the company still has patents pending on the machines and procedures that make this possible. I cannot disclose any of this information. With that understanding, what's your first question?"

"Your incoming trains seem to be hauling a lot of materials and equipment for building and construction. I've never seen that much building done in a coal mine before. Why is that?"

"Ahh, that's an easy question to answer. Our new technology is based on preprocessing the coal inside the mine. We have washers and scrubbers to clear out the coal dust, and machines to crush the coal into the small pieces needed by power companies before we ever load it on the train to carry it out of the valley. These operations are usually done outside the mine, sometimes even after it's delivered. With our approach the train cars will be loaded inside the mine then delivered to the customers No coal company had ever done this before."

"I guess that answers my next question. I have seen steel rails delivered to your site that far exceed those usually employed underground. But if you're going to load the coal trains inside the mine then the larger rails are needed."

"Anything else I can help you with Tom?"

"Well, there is one other thing. I've seen on incoming flat cars what appears to be components of prefabricated buildings – and lots of them. What could you possibly be using those for?"

"That's another twist of our new mining process. All the employees will live in prefabricated dormitories built inside the mine, to keep them close to their work location and minimize time lost due to travel this far out in the mountains. We'll construct small towns underground. All of our mines are cut horizontally back into the mountain, not down mine shafts. Some of the work sites are as much as seven miles back into the coal deposit. We can move the portable dormitories right to where the latest coal mining is taking place."

"Wow, I had no idea your operation was this advanced. I can't wait to see it. When can I make my first inspection tour?"

"Um, that's a problem, Tom. Until our patents are approved by the Government we can't let any outsiders see what we're doing. It's all proprietary at this point. But once we have the patents locked down, then you can come in for a look."

"That won't work, Gerald. The regulations require that I make regular visits into the mines before I can certify them for operation. There's no way around that."

"We have lawyers working on that now, Tom, and expect to have it resolved soon."

Tom downed the last of his drink and rose to leave. "I see some problems here, Mr. Lucas, that will have to be dealt with before you can open your mines here. . . . Oh, and by the way, you have no authorization to block the road and restrict entry to he valley. This is public land."

"Actually that's no longer true, Mr. Norton. We have recently been granted a forty year lease from the Government for this entire valley. So yes, we do have to right to restrict entry to our leased land. Not only are we permitted to add a security gate at the entrance but we are in the process of installing a ten-foot high security fence around the entire valley."

Tom paused while he took this latest surprise in. "I don't think you have heard the end of this, Mr. Lucas. I'll be in touch."

"Have a nice day, Mr. Norton."
Chapter 3 – The Young Genius

Twenty-five years earlier - 1996

The young Air Force captain knocked on the office door of Col. Alice Benton, head of the Directed Energy Division at the Air Force Weapons Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her one word reply was loud and clear. "Enter."

He hesitantly turned the doorknob and peeked in. He had never entered a military officer's office before so he was uncertain of the protocol. He had been conscripted by the Department of Defense shortly after he graduated from MIT with a PhD in applied physics. He asked the captain who cornered him outside his apartment if he had a choice and was told, "Not really. The Air Force scholarship paid for your education and now we want to cash in on our investment. Here are your orders and an airplane ticket. Report Monday morning."

So here he was, halfway through Col. Benton's door, wondering if it was time to salute. Do I call her sir or ma'am? I wish they had given me some kind of orientation about military life. I feel like an atheist appearing before the Pope.

"Come in, Capt. Flynn. Have a seat." She motioned toward a chair perfectly aligned in front of her desk. He entered and was ready to sit down when he remembered. "When do I salute, sir . . . er . . . ma'am . . . . . . . Colonel."

"This is the scientific side of the Air Force, Captain. We're not big on formalities. Unless we're outside or have visitors from higher headquarters. Then you salute. Sit."

Derek replied "Thank you, ma'am," as he sat down and watched her study a file folder on her desk. After several minutes he started to feel uncomfortable. Did she forget I'm sitting here? He used the time to study her more closely. She was close to six feet tall, but it was hard to tell when she was sitting down. Light brown hair, deep blue eyes, a few wrinkles showing on her face, which meant that she was at least in her early forties. He looked at the wall behind her desk and saw a photo of a younger version of her standing in front of an F-16 fighter jet with a helmet under her arm. He reappraised her and realized that she had kept the trim figure from her flying days. He saw a glint that drew his attention to the diamond wedding ring on her finger.

Finally she looked up.

"You're probably wondering why you are here, Captain."

"Yes ma'am. When I accepted the Government financial aid for my education I didn't read the fine print . . . The part that said I would be drafted as soon as I finished."

"You weren't exactly drafted – the U.S. military doesn't do that any more."

"Then why am I sitting here instead of working for a high-paying Government contractor?"

Col. Benton paused as she decided how much to tell him. "Here at the Weapons Lab we are engaged in some top secret research to develop a directed energy device with the potential to destroy ballistic missiles. Looking at your file here you have some critical skills that are essential to the success of the program. To use a trite phrase, your country needs you."

Derek pictured one of the WW2 posters of Uncle Sam with the caption 'Uncle Sam needs you!'

"What if I refuse?"

"Then you can spend the next two years sitting at a desk shuffling papers . . . or you can spend it working in the latest state-of-the-art laboratory playing with technology you've never seen before."

Derek paused for a second or two then replied, "You said directed energy device. Does that mean lasers?"

"I can't say any more until your top-secret security clearance comes through."

"And when will that be?"

"It usually takes three or four months but I've had yours expedited. You should be cleared by the end of the week."

The following Monday Derek once again sat in Col. Benton's office, now fully cleared to hear all about the program.

"Good to see you again, Dr. Flynn. Let me give you a quick briefing on the research program then I'll send you down to the lab to see what I'm talking about. First of all, you were correct in assuming this project involves lasers – very powerful lasers. In fact, when it is finished it will be the most powerful laser ever built."

"How do you know that to be true? Couldn't the Russians be working on an even bigger one?"

"No, not any more. After President Reagan drained their military budget with the Start Wars program, they were forced to abandon their laser weapon research."

"So what kind of laser is your group developing?"

"I was just getting to that. The device uses hydrogen fluoride (HF) for the lasing gas instead of carbon dioxide like the previous experimental devices. We found that the upper limit for CO2 lasers was about 300 kilowatts – not enough to achieve the long ranges we needed. The new HF technology puts out ten times that far at a wavelength that doesn't interact as much with the atmosphere."

"Wow! That's three megawatts . . . but what about the mirrors you need to generate the beam and direct it to the target? Even if you could make mirrors that were 99.9% reflective, the remaining three kilowatts would be absorbed and melt the surface."

"Aha. Now you see the problem – and why you were drafted, so to speak." She held up a two-inch thick bound document. "In your doctoral research, described in your dissertation here, you developed a new kind of multi-layer reflective mirror coating that absorbs only one-thousandth of one percent of the laser light – in our case that only leaves 30 watts for the mirror to absorb. We can easily protect the mirrors from that by adding cooling water channels behind the mirror surface."

"I still don't see why you need me. My recipe is in that document; you can coat the mirrors using my technique."

"What's the largest mirror you have ever coated?"

"I was using gold-plated aluminum mirrors three inches in diameter. If the samples were any larger we couldn't get the coating uniform over the entire diameter. Why? How large are your mirrors?"

"Twenty-four inches in diameter. And that's why I need you on my team."
Chapter 4 – The Retired Genius

Back to the Present – July 2017

Derek Flynn walked back to his small lakeside home in southwestern Georgia after retrieving his mail – three letters and four advertising flyers. The flyers were from local businesses advertising the usual July 4th picnic food and fireworks, while two of the letters were monthly bills for electrical power and cell phone service. The third one, with a return address he didn't recognize, was probably from a company trying to sell him insurance or get him to enter the latest sweepstakes.

He stopped on the porch, looked out over the lake, and once again gave God a quick thanks for providing this terrific retirement place. The house, surrounded by pine and live oak trees draped with spanish moss, was on a dirt road where on a busy day only five or six vehicles – mostly old pickup trucks – passed by. The grassy front lawn sloped down a hundred feet to the water's edge, where Derek had built a covered boat dock shortly after he moved in two years ago. His small pontoon boat, a vintage twenty-foot Riverside with a 1957 Johnson outboard attached, was good for leisurely rides on the lake and fishing, but it wouldn't break any speed records

As he opened the door he took one last look back at the lake, just in time to see an osprey swoop down to catch a fish, which promptly wiggled free and splashed back down into the water below. After getting a Coors from the refrigerator he sat down to read the mail. Since he wasn't planning to have an Independence Day picnic he tossed the flyers in the trash and opened the letters. No surprises in the bills – they were for the same amount every month – so he put them in the small basket beside his chair. He examined the third letter and thought about discarding it unopened, but it was addressed to Dr. Derek Flynn. He didn't get many letters that used his degree in front of his name because he generally didn't use it. He wanted to be called just plain old Derek, so he mostly kept it quiet, especially from the local folks around here. He had heard once that flaunting a PhD was a sign of insecurity, so he avoided using it. But the return address showed it was from someplace called The PeaceKeeper Foundation, an organization he had never heard of, so he opened it. It was from Dr. Alexis N. Tesla, Director of Research, PeaceKeeper Foundation.

Dear Dr. Flynn:

Let me introduce myself. I am Alexis Tesla, the chief scientist on a privately funded effort to develop the largest laser ever built. I am assembling a team of proven high-energy laser experts to design, build, and test this device, and I would like for you to join our team. Six engineers and scientists who have worked with you over the past several years and are now members of my team insist that you are absolutely essential to the success of our program. Some have even told me that, if we can't get you to join us, they will leave the project.

I have reviewed your professional experience and am amazed at the breadth and depth of your work with a variety of high-energy laser systems. Early in your career the mirror coating technology you pioneered made several Government laser projects a resounding success. You followed that up by developing adaptive optics mirrors – mirrors that can change shape to remove atmospheric distortion and create nearly perfect laser beam focus at ranges of hundreds of miles. I could go on, but the final project you directed just prior to your retirement – proving that with adaptive optics, a laser beam could be generated at a ground facility, beamed up to an orbiting satellite, then reflected from a mirror on the satellite to any location on earth – was your crowning achievement.

I would like to speak with you about joining our team, Dr. Flynn, as soon as possible. We will make the arrangements to fly you to our research facility in Colorado at your earliest convenience. Please call my assistant at 303-555-1256 to set up the arrangements.

Respectfully,

Alexis Nichole Tesla

Derek said to himself, "Dammit. Doesn't she realize that I retired from all that? The high-stress environment of managing a group of people is like trying to herd cats. I already had one heart attack and I don't plan to have another one any time soon." With that he added the letter to the flyers in the trash can.

Two days later he received a phone call from a Ms. Helen Spurlock, special assistant to Dr. Alexis Tesla.

"Hello. Is this Dr. Flynn?"

"No, this is Derek Flynn. What can I do for you?"

"I'm calling to see if you received a letter from Dr. Tesla regarding possible employment."

"Yes, I received the letter, and no, I'm not interested in working for anyone. I'm retired – look it up in the dictionary. Goodbye."

A couple of minutes later his phone rang again but he ignored it. Ms. Spurlock left a voicemail asking him to please call back as soon as possible, which Derek promptly erased. He repeated that procedure six more times over the next two days. Then the calls stopped. Finally, they got the message, he thought.

On the third day there was a knock at his door shortly after nine a.m., while he was having his second cup of coffee and enjoying the sound of rain on the roof. Who can that be. No one comes to visit me. . . . It must be some Jehovah's Witnesses. I thought I chased them away the last time when I asked them if they believed that Jesus was God in human form. They said no, that Jesus was the Son of God, not equal with Him. After I quoted John 14:9 and John 10:30 they said I was irredeemable and left in a huff.

Derek got up from his chair and opened the door to find a woman dripping wet with her hair sticking to her head.

She looked him up and down, making him aware that he was wearing only boxers and a tee shirt. "Please come in out of the rain."

She answered "Thank you," as she stepped inside. "I'm . . . "

"No, wait. Let me get you some towels. I'll be right back." He hurried out of the room, stopped by his bedroom to pull on a pair of Levi's over his boxers, and grabbed some large, thick towels from the linen closet. Then rushed back and handed her a couple of towels. After she patted her head and shoulders to remove the worst of the water she looked up at him. "Let me start again, Dr. Flynn."

He interrupted her. "No titles here, just Derek. . . . Go on."

"I am Alexis Tesla, Research Dir . . ."

"I know, you're the Director of Research for the Elliott PeaceKeeper Foundation. I read your letter. Then I threw it away. So what can I do for you?"

"Well, to start with you can stop being rude and hear me out. I flew a long way to have a conversation with you."

That caught Derek off guard. "I apologize, Ms. Tesla. I'm pretty much a hermit out here and I have lost touch with politeness."

She responded "Forget the Ms., I'm Alex," and reached out to shake his hand.

Derek reacted sheepishly as he took her hand and shook it. No soft hands here. She's a worker, he thought. "Please, come in and have a seat. I can get a fire going in a few minutes if you're chilled."

"No, with these towels wrapped around me I'm comfortable."

"How about a cup of coffee or tea Ms. . . . Alex."

"Tea would be nice, Derek."

After putting the tea kettle on to heat he sat down across from her. "O.K., I'll be a gentleman now and listen to what you came out here to say."

"Well, to start with, you have a beautiful place here. The lake, the surrounding forest, the wildflowers. Even the spanish moss adds to the charm. Do you see much wildlife?"

"Oh yes. We have deer, raccoons, bobcats, birds, and lots of fish around here. And of course the gators and water moccasins." He threw those last two in to see how she would react.

"We get a lot of rattlesnakes and an occasional bear or mountain lion out at the site. . . . Which brings me back to why I'm here.

"Our company, the Elliott PeaceKeeper Foundation, has built a facility in the Colorado Rockies, about a hundred miles southwest of Denver, to house a major research and development project. The goal is to design and build a high power ground-based laser, and a relay mirror satellite system, REMSAT, that can be used to force those who threaten peace anywhere in the world to cease and desist."

"And just how do you plan to do that?"

"We have access to intelligence sources, both from the United States Government and foreign governments, that will allow us to pinpoint the location of major threats to world peace. For example, if North Korea or Iran is about to launch a missile targeted at another nation, our laser relay system will be capable of focusing a high-energy beam on the missile and destroy it as it leaves the ground. Or if we learn that a nuclear weapon is being developed in a hostile country, we can use the laser to burn the facility down. . . . Or even if it's just an individual or small group of terrorists in a vehicle, we can destroy them. That's where the greatest advantage of a laser beam weapon comes in – it can pinpoint the threat exactly and destroy it with no injury to innocent bystanders."

"Won't the bystanders see the laser beam coming down from the sky?"

"No, the deuterium fluoride laser produces an invisible infrared beam. Anyone watching will just see the target burst into flames with no apparent cause."

"That's right out of the H. G. Wells novel 'War of the Worlds' written over a hundred years ago. The man was a real visionary. . . . It sounds like the person behind this project is also a visionary. Who is leading this crusade?"

"I can't reveal that to you – at least not yet anyway. But once you have joined the project I'll be able to tell you. In fact, you will meet him in person as soon as you arrive at our research complex. You will come, won't you?"

"Why do you think I have anything to offer the project?"

"Because you have done it before – sent a laser beam up to a satellite relay mirror I mean. I read your file."

"That was nothing like what you're planning to do. The low-power laser beam was only ten watts and the 'satellite' was a stabilized platform on a high altitude balloon. Your system will be orders of magnitude above that. In fact. I have my doubts that you'll be successful."

"I agree with you on that. We will probably fail . . . unless you join us. . . . Oh, and did I mention we have an unlimited budget?""

"I haven't made up my mind yet. But while I think about it we should get you out of those wet clothes."

Alexis gave him a shocked look, but actually felt a small thrill. "I . . . I don't know what you are proposing, Dr. Flynn, but I'm not that kind of woman!"

"Oh no, no, no. That came out all wrong. I didn't mean to imply that I would . . . that I'm interested in . . . you know what I mean."

She started to smile at his bumbling attempt to recover from his unfortunate choice of words, but decided to play it out a little longer. "If you have any ideas about a relationship, wash your mind out with soap."

He blushed deeply at this, mainly because he was starting to have some thoughts about her. Damn. I wish I wasn't red in the face. She will take that to mean that she hit a nerve with that comment.

"I apologize, Dr. Tesla. I had no intention of offending you. I merely wanted to offer you an opportunity to put your clothes in the dryer before you leave."

Alexis continued her strategy of making Derek as uncomfortable as possible. He's kinda cute when he's embarrassed, she thought. "I don't think I want to be unclothed in your home. I'll go to a local motel and take care of my personal matters there."

"Uh, there's a problem with that. We don't have any local motels around here. The nearest one is in Bainbridge, and that's forty miles away."

"I can't drive forty miles in soaking wet clothes!"

"Well, the only other option is the guest room in the back of the house. You can use it while your clothes run through the dryer in the laundry room."

"I guess I don't have any choice, do I Dr. Flynn."

"There are fresh towels in the bathroom, a robe hanging in the closet, and a lock on the door."

"Is this where your women friends spend the night?"

"No! No one has been stayed in that room since . . . I have no women friends."

Alexis realized she had invaded his private world and quickly backed off. "I shouldn't have said that, Derek. I'm sorry. I would grateful if I could use the guest room to freshen up."

"Apology accepted, Alex. Your tea must be cold. I'll brew some more."

"No, hot coffee would be nice."

"I'll have it ready when you are finished with your shower."

"Thank you. Now where is the guest room?"

Twenty minutes later Alexis sat on a stool beside Derek at the kitchen counter sipping hot coffee, wrapped in a plush bathrobe. "Ummm, that's good. The hot shower felt good but the coffee takes the internal chill away."

"I have some brandy if you would like some additional internal warming."

"Yes, that would be nice."

After he topped off both their coffee cups with a healthy dose of Hennessy Cognac he suggested that, now that the rain had quit, they could sit out on the front deck to watch the sunset. As they sat side by side on Adirondack chairs watching the sun slowly creep toward the horizon across the lake while the fish jumped to snatch insects on the lake's surface Alexis sighed and said "This is the most relaxed I have been in years. It's so peaceful here. You chose the perfect place to retire, Derek. No wonder you're hesitant to leave."

"That's why I built my home here. There's no place on earth that reflects God's creation more beautifully."

"When did you build this place? After you retired in 2015?"

"Yes, that's when I made the decision to live here."

"Why did you retire? You were at the peak of your career. Your were the world's expert in several technical fields related to high power lasers."

"I retired for personal reasons."

"I don't want to pry, but I need to know why you abandoned your career. Especially if it might affect your performance as the senior member of the PeaceKeeper development project."

"I would rather not share that information, but I sense you won't give up until you have the answer, so I'll tell you. . . . I retired because my wife, Charlene – Charlie – was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2014. I built this place so she could enjoy the beauty and peace during her last several months."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Derek. I shouldn't have pressed you for an answer. I had no idea. . . . Is that your wife's photo on the guest room dresser?"

"Yes, it is."

"She was a beautiful woman."

"Yes she was, both in appearance and spirit. . . . Her death six months ago was very difficult for me to deal with. That's why I value my solitude out here. It gives me time to recall our lives together and let go of my grief."

They sat in silence for several minutes after that, sipping their cooling coffee/brandy, each dealing with their feelings about what Derek had shared for the first time with anyone.

Alexis looked at Derek with tears in her eyes. "That's so sad. I'm sorry for making you bring those memories back up."

Derek quickly retreated behind the shield that men use to escape painful emotions. "It's over and done with. No need to apologize, Alex."

She was silent for a moment. "No, no it's not over. It's something you will have to deal with before you can move on with your life."

After he didn't reply she said "I need to be going."

"It's dark out there. You don't want to be on these dirt roads at night. Please, stay the night in the guest room. You can get a fresh start in the morning."

"I trust you now, so I will do that. . . . Good night, Derek."

"Good night, Alexis."

Derek stayed up for a couple of hours, sipping scotch on the rocks and reminiscing. He knew Alexis was right. He would have to find a way to leave the sadness behind. So far he had avoided relationships with women, even just friendships. One of the wives from the church he and his wife had attended tried to take him under her wing, bringing dinner over a couple of times a week and talking about things she and Charlene did together. He tried to respond civilly, but eventually she gave up her attempts to pull him out of his depression.

But maybe now it was time. He felt attracted to Alexis, but not because she was beautiful – she wasn't in the way most men find attractive. At five foot ten she was a few inches shorter than Derek. She was what is politely called 'large framed' but there was little fat on her – her 36 B bust was barely noticeable. The shiny black hair which she wore in a pixie style framed her olive-skinned face well. And in spite of her somewhat manly figure, femininity showed up in how she walked, in her hand gestures, and in her pleasant smile. It seemed like every muscle in her face was engaged when she smiled.

Back in the guest room Alexis lay awake recalling her conversation with Derek. He has a gruff demeanor, but that's just a defense to keep his feelings in check. It seemed like he was about to break down in tears if I had kept up my probing. I shouldn't have done that. I wish I hadn't. . . . No, I'm glad I did. He needs to talk about it more. But I need to be careful. I like him, but a close relationship with a fellow worker could jeopardize the project. I wouldn't do that. I'm not that kind of woman . . . am I?

Alexis awoke at 6 a.m. sharp like she did every morning – her internal alarm clock was second to none, even when she changed time zones. She only had to look at the time before she went to sleep to recalibrate her internal alarm. She hoped Derek was still asleep because she wanted to leave before they resumed last night's conversation. She put on the robe and went to the laundry room to get her clothes from the dryer but it was empty. As she entered the living room she saw everything neatly folded on the couch. When she went over to get them a voice from behind startled her.

"Good morning, Alexis. Did you slept well?"

She turned around to see Derek at the kitchen table drinking coffee. "Oh, I didn't know you were up yet."

"Who do you think folded your clothes?"

She looked back at the couch and saw that her delicates were on top of the pile. She reached out and snatched them up, tucking them into her robe. "You've got some nerve, handling my intimate things. Those are private."

"I understand, you're embarrassed about the dainty, lacy underwear you apparently favor. Are they for someone special – like a husband or sweetheart?"

"That's none of your business! You have no right to ask such questions"

"I opened up to you last night. It only seems fair that you share a little bit about yourself."

"I didn't ask what kind of underpants you wear."

"You didn't have to. You saw me in my boxer shorts when I greeted you at the door."

Alexis was silent for several seconds as she recalled what she had seen. Six feet one or two, gray eyes, muscular but with a little extra weight showing around the middle, sandy hair that hadn't been combed recently, a week-old beard. Not bad looking at all.

Derek cleared his throat to break her out of her reverie. She blushed and said, "I was just thinking of the pile of work waiting for me back at the complex."

He just smiled and nodded his head. "How about some coffee?"

Thankful the conversation had changed directions she answered, "Yes. I definitely need coffee."

He turned his back, reached into an overhead cabinet for a cup, and filled it from a high-end Cuisinart coffee maker.

In an effort to normalize the conversation she commented, "That's a pretty fancy coffee brewer. Are you a coffee connoisseur?"

"No, I got this for my wife. She was picky about her coffee. She ordered coffee beans sent straight from Columbia. . . . All I need is strong and black. Do you take cream or sugar?"

"No thanks. I like mine black also."

"Good thing. I'm out of both."

They sat silently, sipping their coffee and waiting for the other to say something. Finally Derek said "I've made up my mind. . . . I want to join the project. When do you want me and how do I get there?"

"I need you now and you can fly back with me."

"I'll need an hour or so to shower and pack a bag. What time does the flight depart?"

"Whenever I say so. I came in one of Elliott's private jets."

Suddenly a light went on in Derek's head. "It's Edwyn Elliott! That's who is bankrolling the project."

"Good work, Sherlock. Now lets get moving."
Chapter 5 – In Transit

Elliott's intercom buzzed indicating a call from his administrative assistant/body guard/enforcer, letting him know that Alexis was on the phone. Edwyn took his eyes off the blueprints of the last part of the complex to be completed, the giant Deuterium Fluoride laser. There were several drawings missing from the stack, simply because his scientists and engineers had hit a dead end. No one knew how to store and handle the DF gas, or how to make mirrors that could survive the tremendous power of the laser beam. They also hadn't come up with a way to bring the beam out of the mine to direct it up to a mirrored satellite in low earth orbit. His last hope was for Alexis to convince the laser genius from Georgia to come on board. He hoped this phone call was to tell him that Dr. Flynn has agreed to come. Before Alexis left he told her to use any means necessary to persuade Flynn, then gave her a exaggerated wink. They both knew what he meant by that. As he reached for the phone he wondered how far she had to go to convince him.

"Edwyn here."

"This is Alex. I have Dr. Flynn here on the plane with me. He's agreed to work for us."

"Splendid, my dear. When will you arrive?"

"We took off from Atlanta 45 minutes ago so that should put us at the complex in another three hours. Can you meet with us then?"

"Definitely. I'll clear my calendar. You did a great job, Alex."

Derek had been dozing until Alex's phone conversation woke him up.

"Who was that?"

"I called Edwyn to let him know we were in the air and on our way back."

"And what did he say?"

"He was happy to hear that you decided to join us. I have a meeting with him set up as soon as we arrive."

"I'm looking forward to getting a look at this complex you spoke of. Tell me more about it."

"The site is located in Tall Pines Canyon at the south end of the Fossil Ridge Wilderness, about twenty miles northeast of the town of Gunnison. There are six coal mines surrounding the valley, five of which will soon be producing more coal than before they were shut down ten years ago. The sixth mine, at the end of the valley – actually it's more like a canyon since the walls are so steep – has been enlarged to contain the entire research complex. That's where you'll be working."

"So the entire research facility is located underground? Why would Elliot do that?"

"I can't tell you all the details yet, but what Edwyn has in mind must be kept entirely secret. The mine provides cover from aircraft and surveillance satellites."

"How many people work there?"

"Currently about two hundred, but as we approach full operational status the development team will leave and the number will fall to about fifty."

"How can you keep two hundred people driving out to the canyon and back everyday for work a secret? The satellites could easily pick that up."

"Except for Edwyn and a couple of his management staff everyone lives in underground apartment buildings located in the complex. That's where you will be living."

"What! I didn't know that was part of the deal!"

"It's not as bad as it sounds. The complex includes a shopping section, a movie theater, and dozens of opportunities to socialize. It's kind of like the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos where the scientists and their families lived while they developed the first nuclear weapons."

"Do you live in the apartments?"

"Yes, I do. In fact I'll be living just down the hall from your apartment." Why did I add that? He might think I'm chasing after him.

"That's great. We'll be neighbors. Does your husband live there with you?" Damn, I didn't mean to say that. She'll think I'm interested in her. . . . Am I?"

"No, my ex-husband lives with my sister. The two of them were having an affair for a year before I figured it out."

"Sorry, I shouldn't have been so nosy." But I'm glad I was.

"We'd better get some sleep. We'll be really busy once we get there."

As the plane approached the front range of the Rockies the pilot came on the intercom. "Time to wake up back there. ETA to the complex is twenty-two minutes."

"Thanks, Jeff. When we get there would you fly us around the rim of the valley so I can show Derek what's down there?"

"Yes ma'am."

Alexis turned to Derek. "Tall Pines Valley is what they call a box canyon, with an opening at one end only. The canyon surrounds an oval-shaped valley floor three and a half miles long by two miles wide. The entrance is at the south end – the north end is part of Fossil Ridge, a twelve thousand foot escarpment made of limestone and embedded with all kinds of prehistoric sea creatures. Some of the workers climb up there on their free time to hunt for fossils, but it takes a good set of lungs because of the altitude."

"What's the altitude of the valley floor?"

"It's at about eight thousand feet, so you will be out of breath a lot until your body acclimates to the thin air. . . . Look to your left. We're coming up on the canyon entrance now."

"Is that a gate and guard post down there? Your complex is looking more like the Manhattan project every minute."

"Of course it does. We're developing the most revolutionary weapon since the atomic bomb."

"I haven't thought of it from that perspective."

"We're flying along the east rim now. You can see some of the mine entrances along the other wall."

As the plane continued its loop around the valley Derek could see the enlarged opening at the head of the canyon. "Is that where the research facility and housing are? Why is the opening so large?"

"You'll see in a minute. Jeff, take us down."

The plane banked and headed south, toward the Gunnison airport Derek presumed. But after a couple of miles the pilot banked again and headed straight toward the open end of the canyon, loosing altitude as he went.

"What are we doing Alex? I didn't see an airstrip down there."

"You'll see. It's a surprise."

Like Alex's first arrival Derek saw the canyon walls close in around the plane. He looked up front through the pilot's window and saw the large mine opening looming before them. He had just enough time to shout "You can't be serious!" before the black coal walls of the mine replaced the mountains in the windows. The pilot touched down gently – easy to do since there was no wind or turbulence in the mine – and rolled to a stop in front of small building. "I'll be damned! There's a landing strip inside the mine."

As soon as the stairs were lowered Derek poked his head out and looked around. He saw two other business jets parked off to the right and a small car in front of the building. He climbed down the three steps to the ground and turned to offer Alexis a hand. She politely refused his help, but pointed to the car. "This is our ride.'

The car wasn't a model he was familiar with so he walked up to examine it more closely.

"I see it was built by Tesla, so it must be electric, but I've never seen one like this before."

"Mr. Elliott asked Elon Musk to build a custom design for here in the mine. We don't want gas powered cars polluting the air down here. We have two dozen of these electric vehicles now with several more on the way. Get in and I'll drive."

When they were both seated and buckled in Alexis said out loud "This is Alex. Take us to Edwyn's office please." The car responded instantly with no further input from the driver and sped along a roadway deeper into the mine.

"The cars are autonomous, controlled by a central computer that ensures they never crash into each other, or anything else. They aren't assigned to anyone. They self park at several locations around the complex and whoever needs one takes it. When we get out this one will return to the aerodrome and plug itself into a charging station."

"Aerodrome?"

"That's what we call our flight facilities. It's a term from World War One military airfields."

A few minutes later the car parked in front of a large four-story building and the car doors opened automatically. Derek surveyed the building structure. The style was modern but utilitarian. "It has no windows," he mumbled to himself.

"Not much scenery to look at down here so windows would be an unnecessary expense. Come on, let's go meet Edwyn Elliott, then I'll take you to the laser R&D lab."
Chapter 6 – The Complex

As Derek and Alexis were ushered into Elliott's office he began sizing Elliott up. Five seven, stocky build, pale complexion, thinning hair, and an attitude that screamed 'Napoleon Complex' – overcompensation for being short. He was dressed in a custom grey suit, a red and white striped power tie, and a red pocket square – all which spoke of his attempt to exude superiority and power as a cover-up for his inherent insecurity.

After the usual opening round of chatter – 'pleased to meet you,' 'Me too, I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Elliot,' 'Oh please, call me Edwyn, Dr. Flynn,' 'not doctor, just plain Derek,' 'Have a seat, can I have my assistant get you something to drink, coffee, tea, something stronger?' 'no, no thanks,' 'then let's get down to business', Elliott started firing questions at Derek. He was puzzled for a couple of minutes since none of the questions had much to do with lasers, then Derek realized that Elliott was testing his I.Q. I could have saved him the trouble, it's in the high one fifties. This is the human version of dog sniffing dog to check each other out. Well, I'm not playing the game, I won't return his opening volley. He just wants me to ask him questions so he can show off his I.Q. I don't need to, I checked it out online. He's in the high one seventies. No need to get into a pissing contest with him.

But when Elliott launched into a long list of his awards and achievements Derek realized his mistake. If I had just asked a few questions he wouldn't feel the need to convince me how brilliant he is.

Derek interrupted him. "I think we have both done our homework, Edwyn, so I see no need to swap bona fides. Tell me about your plans for weaponizing space with lasers and mirrors."

"Well, technically we're not 'weaponizing space' since the laser will be down here, and you can hardly call putting mirrors in orbit weapons, but here's my plan in a nutshell. Oh, wait. I have to get you sworn to secrecy first."

Elliott called a legal assistant who showed up with a sheaf of papers for Derek to sign. They basically prohibited him from talking to anyone, anywhere, anytime about the project for all eternity. Before signing Derek looked up at the legal assistant. "What if I'm questioned by the FBI and have to swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? What do I do then."

The assistant looked at him as if to say 'Is this guy for real?' "Well, I suppose you would have to tell the truth . . . "

Elliott responded, "Nonsense! If that ever happens, and I don't expect it will, we will provide lawyers to answer the questions."

The legal assistant nodded his head – repeatedly. He was glad to get off the hook, because he didn't have an answer.

Derek sat back and laughed. "Relax. I was only kidding. . . . I just wanted to see how Mr. Elliott would react."

Elliott glared at him. O.K.. I found out what I wanted to know. He doesn't like to be jerked around.

The glare continued for another few seconds before he resumed his discourse about how he was going to stop aggression and bring peace to the world with his laser relay system. After he was finished Derek spoke up.

"I see several issues we have to deal with here. As you have explained it to me, every time there's a new threat to deal with you will launch a new relay mirror satellite –a REMSAT. Why not just put a few of them in orbits that pass over high threat areas and use the same REMSATs over and over."

Alexis intervened. "Two reasons, Derek. First, reflecting multi-megawatt laser beams is really hard on a mirror. If we have to design a mirror that can take, say 100 shots, before it's damaged, it will be very expensive, very heavy, and extend our development time by a couple of years. Second, if the satellites are in permanent orbits there are several countries, the United States included, that can send up attack satellites and take REMSATS out within days."

"Couldn't you add maneuvering rocket engines to keep them moving around."

"Yes but that would increase the complexity and development time of the REMSATs Besides, they would soon run out of fuel. But if we design cheap, disposable REMSATs that can be used once or twice for a single engagement those problems disappear."

Derek nodded his head and went on. "That brings up my next question. It wouldn't be long before there would be dozens of your REMSATs added to the space junk that's already up there. The world can't just keep throwing stuff out there and leaving it. There will be a major collision before long – let's just pray it isn't with the International Space Station."

"The answer to that is for us to do what the cell phone companies do."

"Cell phones? What do they have to do with this?"

"Are you familiar with the concept of 'burner phones'; cheap throw-away phones that are used by criminals everywhere? Well, our REMSATs will be 'burner' devices. When a particular mission is over an on-board reentry rocket will fire, sending them into the atmosphere to burn up."

"It sounds like you folks have thought of almost everything. But I have one more issue to bring up. The extremely high power of your ground-based laser means that even the slightest atmospheric disturbance will defocus the beam and bounce it around in space. You won't be able to stabilize it enough to hit the relay mirrors. I don't see any way to solve that problem on a beam of that power."

Again Alexis provided the answer. "Ninety percent of atmospheric distortion happens in the lowest few thousand feet of the atmosphere, where the air is more dense. . . . Have you had any trouble breathing yet Derek?"

"Yeah, a little. Especially when we climbed the steps. . . . Oh, I see! We are at about eight thousand feet altitude here in the valley, so the beam won't pass through the lower atmosphere where most of the distortion occurs. That's why you chose this location, Edwyn."

"You catch on quick, Derek. I like that in a mind. And that brings us to the subject of why you are here. The remaining ten percent of distortion is still far more that we can tolerate. We need your expertise in adaptive optics."

"I know a lot about adaptive optics, probably more than most optical physicists in the field, but to do this with a beam that powerful may be impossible."

Alexis broke in. "That's why I recommended you to Edwyn. I believe if anyone can do it, it would be you. Just think, unlimited funding, mirror manufacturing facilities right here in the complex, a staff of . . . of well, as many as you want."

"I guess I need to see how far along you are with the optical design so I can come up with a schedule."

Elliott spoke up. "I already set the schedule, and I need a working prototype in six months and an operational version three months after that – by March of next year."

"How can you build the laser system that quickly?"

"Well, first," he nodded at Alexis, " I have the top world expert on chemical lasers working for me. She ran the Air Force HELLEOS program before it was shut down. And second, when they dismantled HELLEOS and sold it for scrap metal, I bought it all. Alex's team just had to reassemble it, scale the power up by a factor of ten to 30 megawatts, and add some finishing touches."

Derek slowly shook his head. "I'll see what I can do, but that time frame doubles the impossibility of making this happen."

"I have confidence in you, Dr. Flynn."

Hmmm. Back to the doctor stuff. He's letting me know who's in charge.

As he and Alexis left the meeting with Elliott she looked at him and smiled. "You handled him very well, Derek. Not much gets past you. I agree with Edwyn; I like a mind like that." And the body that goes with it isn't so bad either, she thought.

"He's a really brilliant person, although his ego could use a dose of humility. But he's the billionaire and I'm not, so who am I to judge."

Alexis laughed at that, the first time he had heard a genuine laugh from her. Such a beautiful laugh. She just keeps piling up the points with me.

They went out of the building and climbed into one of the electric transport vehicles. "Take us to the Optics Development Lab," Alexis ordered.

"What do you call these little cars?"

"Robocabs. And we have personal names for each of them. The one from the aerodrome is Felicity. If I call transport and ask for Felicity, that's the taxi that will respond."

"Why name them? Aren't they all identical?"

"Are all people identical?"

"Of course not."

"Well, all the taxis aren't the same either. They each have their own personality, with a unique voice and vocabulary. They will carry on a conversation with you and remember what you were talking about last time you rode in them. It helps keep things from getting boring."

The Robocab pulled into a parking place in front of the O. D. Lab where the two of them got out and walked to the main entrance. Derek reached for the door handle but Alexis said "Not yet. The eye scanner has to look at the color pattern of my irises to make sure I'm authorized to enter. I'll take you to the security office later and have your eyes added to the database.

After passing several doors labeled with the laser system parts being developed there Alexis stopped in front of one designated as the Adaptive Optics Lab. She looked into the scanner beside the door and it unlocked to allow them to enter. After passing through an airlock that blew high speed air down on them to remove any outside dust particles clinging to them, Derek got his first look at the huge high-ceilinged room. His eyes got big, like a kid's on Christmas morning. "I've never seen so much high-tech equipment in one place. Some of the stuff is so new I don't recognize it. I guess that's what an unlimited budget can get you."

Alexis took him to an optical assembly table that had air suspension legs to keep floor vibrations from affecting the alignment of the optical equipment. He looked at the dozens of optical components and measurement devices covering the table before his eyes alighted on something he recognized – a mirror fitted with adaptive optic actuators. Each of the actuators could push or pull on a small portion of the mirror to correct the effects of the atmosphere on the laser beam. When all twenty four of the mechanisms worked in unison the mirror face took on just the shape needed to cancel out the distortions and produce a perfectly focused laser beam at the target to create maximum damage. And the actuators could change the mirror shape one hundred times a second to keep up with the constantly changing atmospheric distortions.

Alexis came and stood beside him. "This is a twelve-inch subscale model of the mirror we'll need for the PeaceKeeper system. That one will be 200 inches – sixteen times larger than this model – and you will be in charge of creating it, Derek."

"I'm not sure that's possible, Alex. How many actuators will it need?"

"You tell me. It's your job to figure that out.
Chapter 7 – First Date

Four Months Later

Derek, Alex, and the rest of the team had been working eighteen hour days seven days a week for the past four months, but it was paying off. For the first time it looked like they might have the completed system ready for testing by the end of the six months mandated by Elliott. Derek would have liked to find time to get to know Alexis better but they worked different schedules so they were never off at the same time. And even if they had found some time to talk both would have fallen asleep before the conversation was over.

Today Elliott was making his weekly surprise visit to the lab complex to check on everyone's progress. He had each project leader brief him on their progress and explain how they intended to catch up for the unavoidable delays. If he didn't like the answer he fired them on the spot and elevated the next in line to leader status. It was effective at keeping the schedule from slipping, but everyone working at the complex was stressed over the possibility that they might make a mistake and lose their job, which didn't make for a very friendly workplace environment.

But he wasn't a total tyrant. If one of the project leaders was ahead of schedule he sometimes gave their team an afternoon off to go into Gunnison to shop and let off steam. Because he didn't fully trust them not to talk about the project he had several spies planted around town who would strike up a conversation and ask some questions about what was going on up at the old mines. If the employee gave away even the slightest information the local sheriff's deputies, who were also on Elliott's payroll, would hustle them into a squad car and take them away, presumably back out to the complex. But when the rest of the group got back the offender was gone.

No one was really sure what happened to those who were fired, but the prevailing theory was that that were sent back where they came from. Wherever it was, no one on the project ever heard from them again. It had occurred to Derek that because these people knew secrets about the project they would be a security risk if they were set free, but he didn't think even Elliott would hold them somewhere against their will. Still, he wondered about it.

When Elliott inspected the work Alexis and Derek had completed in the past week he complimented them both – something he rarely did. In fact, he was so pleased he gave them both the next afternoon off to leave the valley. It was only a six-hour pass so they couldn't go very far, but they welcomed the time off. Derek found a minute later in the day to speak to Alex.

"I don't know anything about the town of Gunnison. Could I tag along with you to learn where to have fun there?"

Alexis was surprised by his request. He hadn't shown the least bit of interest in her since he arrived. She hadn't really expected him to, but it would have been nice if he had.

"Sure, O.K.. I'll take my favorite Robocab. Meet me in front of the apartment building at noon."

"And what have you named your favorite Robocab?"

"Wonder Woman."

Derek laughed. "Of course you did. I'll see you tomorrow."

At 11:45 the next morning Derek was pacing back and forth in front of the building where they lived. He knew he was early, but he didn't want to miss her. She might leave early to avoid me. I'm as nervous as a teenager on my first date, he thought. What if we don't hit it off – can't find anything of mutual interest to talk about. She might not even be attracted to me. I thought she might find time for us to be together, in spite of the work schedule, but there was nothing. No, this trip is probably a bad idea. I should go back to my room and get some sleep.

Just then an empty Robocab pulled into the loading zone. "Oh, there you are Wonder Woman." Alexis said from behind him. "You ready to go Derek?"

"Yep, all set. Am I dressed appropriately?"

Alex looked him up and down and laughed. "You Georgia country boys don't dress western enough for 'round here. We'll have to find you some clothes that fit in with the local cowboys. Hop in."

Thirty minutes later they walked into the Western World clothing store at the edge of downtown Gunnison. Derek was wandering around without much purpose, looking at an assortment of western apparel. Alexis watched him for a few minutes, then picked out a pair of jeans and a shirt that she thought would work for him. "Here. Go try these on, cowboy."

When he emerged from the dressing room she walked around him slowly, eyeing the fit, then nodded her head. "Yeah, those look good on you. But there's a problem."

"What's that?"

"They're new. You look like someone pretending to be a cowboy. Let's go over to Goodwill and see what they have in pre-worn jeans."

At the Goodwill store they repeated the exercise – she picked out jeans and a shirt and he went into the dressing room to try them on.

When he came out he struck a pose like a cowboy in a Marlboro billboard. "How do these look?"

"Much better."

"Are you sure. The pants feel a little snug in back."

She glanced at his backside and said, "You're right, they are tight. . . . And that's just how they're supposed to be if you want the women at the saloon to notice you."

"I don't want the women at the saloon to notice me. . . . Saloon? Who said anything about a saloon."

"That's where we're going next, cowboy."

"But what about a hat. Don't cowboys wear hats?"

"Only in the movies, Derek. But let's find some boots. You need to complete the look."

With a well-worn pair of cowboy boots on his feet they left the store and got back into the Wonder Woman Robocab. "Take us to the Wapiti Ridge Saloon, Diana."

"I thought her name was Wonder Woman?"

"You're not big on DC Comics trivia, are you."

"No, I grew up reading the science fiction masters – Arthur C. Clark, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury. Those are what made me want to be a scientist."

"Well, Wonder Woman and Super Girl fed my ambition to be an Amazon. Fortunately it didn't last."

"Diana is the Robocab's alter ego. Diana Prince was Wonder Woman's identity was when she wasn't being a superhero."

The Robocab dropped them off at the door of the saloon, which looked every bit like a cowboy saloon from the old western movies – swinging half-doors at the entrance, loud music coming from within, and cowboys dancing with cowgirls to the beat of western swing.

Alexis turned to Derek. "Now when you go in, try to walk like John Wayne."

"Who?"

"You're hopeless!"

They found a table in the back, ordered some beers, and sat back to watch the band and the dancers.

Alexis talked loudly over the music, "Can you dance like that?"

"I learned to square dance in fifth grade. Does that count?"

She laughed. "Not hardly. Come on, let me show you a few steps."

"Are you sure? I have the proverbial two left feet."

"I'll lead. Just follow me."

Derek was a fast learner. A short time later he and Alex were matching steps with the best of the locals. Then the band struck up their rendition of Anna Murray's 'Could I Have This Dance for the Rest of My Life' – a slow waltz. Alexis froze for a second, then said "Let's sit this one out," as she turned back toward their table. Derek decide to be bold and replied, "No let's not. I'm good at waltzes," and pulled her back onto the dance floor.

They were a little hesitant at first, keeping their distance as much as possible without looking prudish, but as the song went on they moved closer. She moved her hand from his waist up to his neck as his arm encircled her tighter. By the end of the song they were both feeling a new level of intimacy as they separated and applauded the band.

Derek looked in her eyes. "That was nice. . . . Very nice."

Alexis blushed a bit and answered, "Yes, it was. Let's go get another beer."

On the way back to the complex they talked their past relationships – Derek with humorous stories from his relationship with his deceased wife and Alex with the story of her husband running off with her sister. Although they didn't realize it consciously, they were reminding each other they were available. But things were getting a little too close for Alex, so she changed the subject.

"So now that you've been here awhile, do you have any questions that haven't been answered?"

His mind wanted him to say "When do I get to kiss you?" but he knew it was too soon for a question like that. He thought for a minute, then brought up the thing that had been bothering him.

"Yeah, I do. Your last name – Tesla – are you related to Nicola Tesla, the Serbian genius who made A.C. electrical power possible for every home in the America?"

"Yes I am. He was my great grandfather. My middle name is Nichole.'"

Derek nodded his head. " I guess that's where you get your intelligence from."

"And my dark complexion and black hair. All Serbian heritage. . . . Do you have any other questions?"

"I've noticed that when people leave the job here in the complex we never hear from them again. I know some of them must have close friends here they want to talk to, but they never get in touch. Do they just go home – back to where they came from – or does Elliott move them to other projects he's got going somewhere?"

"I don't know, Derek. I never thought about it. There was a woman engineer working for me last year and we got to be good friends. When she screwed up on some calculations that delayed the project he fired her. She didn't even have time to tell me goodbye. After a couple of months when I didn't hear from her I called her parents, but they didn't know how I could get in touch with her. They said she was working on secret project out west somewhere."

"Do you think they meant this project? Maybe she didn't want to tell them she was canned."

"I don't know. But it's been over a year and I haven't heard from her. . . . Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you ask that question?"

"It's just something I've wondered about. I thought Elliott might not want them back out in the world because they were security risks."

"What! Do you think he puts them in prison or something?"

"No, I'm sure it's nothing as sinister as that. Hey, it looks like we're back."

The gate guard looked at their I. D. and made sure their thumb prints matched their identity records. When he was convinced they were who they seemed to be he opened the gate. Diana/Wonder Woman took them to their apartment building and dropped them off. They didn't speak as the elevator took them to their floor. It was that uncomfortable time at the end of a date when both parties were thinking of a graceful way to part – do we hug? – or kiss? – or just shake hands? What should I say?

Derek didn't need to worry about it because as they walked down the hall Alexis looked at him with a smile and said, "I really enjoyed that Derek. We'll have to do it again sometime."

"Me too. And thanks for picking out some western duds for me."

"You're welcome. Goodnight." With that she entered her apartment and closed the door behind her.
Chapter 8 – Interlude

It was quite awhile before they had time to "do it again sometime." As they approached the first test of the laser system that would demonstrate that the subsystems and components could be integrated into a unified laser system, Alexis and Derek were so focused on their responsibilities they barely saw each other. The schedule had two extra days built in at the end to handle last minute problems, but there weren't any – at least none that concerned the two of them – so they finally had some free time.

The day before the test Derek double checked the final targeting coordinates, then headed for the cafeteria for a late lunch. Once he had his tray loaded he looked for a table and saw Alex sitting by herself, so he went over to her.

"Is this seat taken?"

Alexis liked her privacy so, without looking up, she mumbled "No, but please sit somewhere else. I'm thinking."

Derek was stung by the rejection but turned to find another table. That's when Alex looked up. "Derek! I didn't realize it was you. Come, please sit with me."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to disrupt that beautiful mind of yours." Did I really just say that? How stupid. That could sound like a back-handed compliment. Or she might think I was trying to come on to her.

"Yes, I'm sure. I like your company, gratuitous comments and all."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it the way it sounded."

"It sounded like a compliment."

"Then I did mean it the way it sounded. . . . I just get a little tongue tied around you."

"Why. Do you have a crush on me of something?" Now I sound stupid – like I'm fishing for another compliment.

"Well, not a crush really, but I do enjoy being with you."

Alexis smiled to ease his discomfort. "I like your company too, Derek."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, each concentrating a little too hard on their food. Finally Derek said, "Well, tomorrow is the big day. The day Edwyn starts his quest for world peace. Let's hope there are no unintended consequences."

"There are always unintended consequences, but let's hope they aren't big ones."

After they finished eating they took their trays to the collection station and walked back toward the apartments. As Alex was opening the door she stopped. "You know, I have no more work to do before tomorrow's event. I think I'll take the rest of the afternoon off."

"What do you plan to do?"

"I don't know. . . . Maybe I'll go for a hike up the mountain. I haven't been all the way to the top of Fossil Ridge yet. The view from there should be incredible."

"Would you like some company?"

"I thought you would never ask. I'll put some wine and glasses in a backpack and meet you in five minutes."

Alexis led the way since she was familiar with the trail but she had to slow down now and then to let Derek catch up. He had finally gotten acclimated to the thin air at the 8,200-foot compound, but now they were climbing toward the tallest peak on Fossil Ridge – 12,440 feet – and he definitely wasn't prepared for the extreme lack of oxygen at this altitude. A thousand feet below the summit they crossed the snow line and now were trudging through half a foot of white powder. Derek was about to suggest they stop here and give up their quest for the summit when Alex announced "O.K., this will do."

"Thank God. I wanted to stop a ways back, but I couldn't destroy my image as the 'me Tarzan you Jane' kind of guy. Why did you want to stop here?"

"The snow. We can put the wine in it to chill."

Derek laughed. "Always the practical thinker, Alexis. I'm glad we wore our parkas though. It's getting a bit chilly."

"Yes. We shouldn't stay too long. Once the sun goes down the temperature will drop below freezing."

"Maybe we should go ahead and drink the wine, enjoy the view for a few minutes, then head back down."

"Yeah, it took a little longer to get up here than I expected."

"My fault. I slowed you down."

"No it's like my divorce – no fault. Fault finding is a waste of emotional energy."

Alexis took the two wine glasses, a corkscrew, and the fine Chablis from her backpack and poured the wine. "A toast to . . . a successful elimination of threats to world peace."

They clinked glasses and sipped the wine as they took in the beauty of the snow-capped Colorado Rockies. They sat there next to each other for almost thirty minutes until the wine was gone.

Alexis wrapped her arm around Derek's bicep and squeezed. "This has been really nice, Derek. Once we get PeaceKeeper working I hope we can spend more time together."

"Me too, but we better get going. I see some dark clouds moving in from the west."

"Uh oh. These late spring snow storms can get pretty bad at this altitude. There might even be some snow down at the complex tonight."

They put the wine bottle and glasses in the backpack and started down the mountain at a brisk pace. They were almost down to ten thousand feet when the blizzard hit them. Within a few minutes the visibility dropped to only a few feet and they lost sight of the trail. Derek leaned over and shouted into Alex's ear, "We have got to find cover. Lets move south along the cliff and see if there's some protection."

Alex nodded her head and grabbed his hand. "We can't get separated. Hang on."

Derek moved left along a wide ledge with his back to the cliff wall. He had to feel ahead with his feet to make sure the ledge didn't come to an end. The ledge got narrower, but it was their only hope so he continued on. After about fifty feet his shoulder bumped into something protruding from the cliff that almost knocked him off balance, but he got his feet back under him. He felt the shape of what he had run in to and found it was a small tree, probably a pinon pine, growing out from a break in the rock face. He took a step to the left, then lifted Alex's hand to let her feel it so she could duck under it..

He took three more steps before he felt an opening behind him. He reached back to see how deep into the cliff it went but couldn't touch the back of it. As he felt around he decided it was big enough to give them both shelter from the blizzard. He gave her hand two quick squeezes, trying to signal her that he had found something.

Alex had begun to give up hope of finding shelter when Derek pulled her hand up to what felt like a small tree trunk. She understood that she had to be careful not to run into it. Then he squeezed her hand twice. He must want to talk to me, she thought. So she turned her body to put her ear next to his mouth. That's when she lost her footing. She felt herself falling over backwards. As she started into a free fall she knew this was it. The end of her life. But after flailing in the air she was suddenly jerked up short.

As Alexis had leaned over toward him Derek saw her falling backwards, over the cliff. He didn't think, he just reacted. His left arm hooked around the tree trunk as his right hand shot out to grab her. When it closed on some fabric he gripped it and held on tight. When he felt it starting to slip out of his grasp he willed his hand to close like a vice on the only thing that kept him connected to her. No! No! No! Don't fail me now hand. Don't let go no matter what.

Alexis realized that her parka hood has caught on something. She reach back up over her head and felt a hand – Derek's hand – holding on to the hood. Oh my God! I'm going to pull him down with me. I can't let that happen. She tried to pry his fingers loose to save him, but they were like steel claws. So instead, she grabbed his wrist and started climbing up his arm. First to his elbow, then to his shoulder, then with her arms around his neck.

As he felt Alex's arms close around his neck Derek knew he had saved her. He contracted the muscles of the arm holding the tree to raise her up until she could stand on the narrow ledge. As she stood up he wrapped his free arm around her and held her tightly to him. Then he eased his way into the opening he had found in the cliff side.

The two of them collapsed back into a deep hollow in the rock and moved back as far away from the edge as they could. When Derek was sure they were safe he wrapped both arms around her and pulled her to him, their faces almost touching. They were both crying, sobbing with their tears mingling on their touching cheeks. They lay like that for several minutes until the cold started closing in around them.

Derek looked up and said "Thank you, God, for giving me the strength to save her." Then he took stock of where they were, looking for a way to keep them from freezing to death. The hollow they were in was actually the opening to a mine extending back into the cliff. Someone in the distant past had mined it for gold, digging back into the mountain. Derek leaned over to Alex's ear and said "I'm going to explore how far back this goes. We need to be deeper into the hollow to get out of this blizzard."

Alexis nodded her head, then pulled him down and kissed his cheek. "Thank you." Was all she said.

Using his cell phone flashlight to illuminate his way Derek wiggled through the narrow opening for about ten feet before it opened into a larger tunnel. There was plenty of room for the two of them and the temperature was well above freezing. He crawled back to the front and told Alexis to follow him. When the two of them were at the back of the tunnel, out of the noise and wind of the blizzard, she put her arms around his neck and pulled him tight against her. The crying started again as she said, "I thought I was going to die. . . . Then I thought I was going to pull you down too."

"So that's why you were trying to pull my fingers loose?"

"Yes. I figured I was already as good as dead and I didn't want to let you die just to save me."

"That's the most flawed logic I've ever heard. I would give my life for you any day."

"I know that now. And . . . and I love you for it."

"I feel an incredibly close bond with you, Alex. And I think I'm falling in love with you."

Alexis looked up at him, pulled him to her, and kissed him. There's nothing more tender than a kiss from a crying woman, he thought, and returned the kiss. It wasn't a passionate kiss, but one that held the promise of passion to come. They fell asleep, emotionally exhausted, in each other's arms, sharing the body heat that would keep them alive through the night.

They woke with sunlight streaming in through the entrance to the tunnel opening. Derek crawled out to look around and saw that the blizzard had passed and the temperature was warm enough to start melting the thin layer of accumulated snow. He eased himself out and stood on the ledge that they had followed here last night. It was wet but he didn't see any ice or snow on it. After relieving himself over the side of the cliff he waited a few minutes to give Alexis time to do likewise. Then he yelled "I'm coming back in."

She paused several seconds then answered "Come on in."

They ate some energy bars from the backpack and left the old mine to go back down to the complex below. "Quite a view from up here." Derek commented. "I can see the entire valley. Look at all those semi trucks parked behind that ridge. It looks like some men are unloading them and taking the cargo back into that mine next to the complex entrance. Are those supply trucks?"

"Yes. They come in at night, empty their cargo the next day, and they leave that night. Doing it in the dark keeps locals from getting curious."

"I see two tanker trucks. What are they carrying?"

"That's fuel for the space planes and the laser. We store both in huge underground tanks that hold enough fuel for dozens of missions. . . . speaking of which we'd better get down there before they start the countdown for today's test. Once the clock starts ticking everything is in lock down. No one can enter or leave the complex."

"Lead the way, Alexis"

Chapter 9 – First Light

The two of them got back inside the complex in time to shower, grab a bite to eat, and report to their test stations. Alexis would oversee the crew operating the laser while Derek kept a close eye on the adaptive optics system that would focus the beam on the target. The code name for the trial run was 'First Light', marking the first time the laser would generate the full-power beam. Rumor had it that Elliott had stocked several cases of champagne in the cooler for a post-test party. No one wanted to think about what Elliott would do if the test failed.

Everyone held their breath as the final ten seconds were counted down and the Test Director gave the order "Commence operation!" For the first second nothing happened, then the laser roared to life, producing a low rumble, like a rocket engine. Derek watched the infrared cameras as after several seconds the beam filled the giant sixteen-foot mirror and shot it skyward, where it bounced off the satellite's shiny Mylar mirror and was redirected to a target in the Arctic Ocean.

Eight seconds later the laser shut down, leaving the control room quiet enough to hear the sound of everyone letting out their collective breaths. Everything at the complex had worked perfectly, but did it reach the target? A surveillance satellite launched two days ago to provide video of the target was prompted to download its data to a giant screen TV on the control room wall. The digital elapsed time display in the top left corner showed time since the laser beam was turned on, and at 5.32 seconds the target was destroyed. A huge cheer went up in the room, and elsewhere in the complex where others watched on smaller wall monitors.

Derek left his station to join Alex and give her a big hug. She beamed at him and shouted above the cheers, "We did it! I never thought it was possible, but we made history!" Derek leaned over and spoke in her ear, "Too bad we have to keep it secret. A ticker-tape Parade down New York City's Fifth Avenue would be nice."

"It wouldn't begin to match the feeling of personal satisfaction we get from what we did."

"Yeah, you're right. I was trying to say something funny and missed again."

The picture on the screen switched to a close-up of Edwyn Elliot with a huge smile, a facial expression rarely seen here in the complex. He raised a microphone to his mouth and spoke to everyone on the team.

"You all have done something amazing today, something that has never been done before. But I never had any doubts about your capabilities. I hand-picked you all and drove you hard. But I knew it would be a success because no project I have ever undertaken has been a failure. As you know, I don't tolerate failure in anyone who works for me.

"Now there are rumors that I planned a celebration for this occasion, but as I'm sure you know, that's not how I do things. . . . Usually. . . . But tonight's an exception! Join me in the gymnasium in an hour and there will be champagne and food for all. I even brought in a country and western band to provide entertainment. See you in an hour." He made this last comment sound like a command, which it may have been.

Derek and Alexis went back to their rooms to change into western garb, then joined each other to head down to the party. She slipped her arm into his and pulled him close. She no longer cared who knew of their developing relationship. Alone in the elevator he pulled her close and kissed her. After a few seconds he pulled his head back, not wanting to be too forward, but she put a hand behind his neck and pulled him back for more. Unfortunately the elevator reached the lobby sooner than they hoped it would and they had to disengage.

Alex's favorite Robocab dropped them off at the Gym and they joined the throng of other scientists, engineers, technicians, managers, and support personnel waiting to enter. Once inside the crowd broke up into groups of friends who claimed a table or two. The round tables had eight chairs around them, but the larger groups were already pulling two and three tables together so they could chat, laugh, and imbibe in some social lubricant. There was an open bar at one end of the room and a small stage at the other, where the band was tuning up.

"Where do you want to sit, Alex?"

"Let's wait until most of them are seated then decide."

Within a few minutes things had settled down and they saw a table with only one other couple, so they joined them. As they walked up Derek reached out to shake the man's hand.

"Hi, I'm Derek Flynn and this is Alexis Tesla. Is it O.K. if we join you?"

The two looked surprised, but invited them to sit down. "I'm Tom Norton and this is my wife, Terri."

There was a brief embarrassing silence while each figured out how to start a conversation, but Alex spoke first. "I don't recognize either of you – what division do you work in?"

Terri looked at Tom as he cleared his throat. "Actually I don't work here in the complex. I run of the Gunnison River Coal Restoration Project for the Department of the Interior."

"I haven't heard of the project. What is it about?" Alex asked.

"We oversee the re-opening of the coal mines around here to make sure they follow the latest safety and environmental regulations."

"And how are the mines here in the valley doing in that regard?"

Tom shook his head. "I'm not sure. High Tech Mining is using some revolutionary technologies developed by Edwyn Elliott and it's not clear how to apply the rules and regs. I'm having to revise them as I develop an understanding of the new techniques. . . . And there are things other than mining going on, especially here at the complex. So what do you guys do here anyway?"

Alex didn't miss a beat and rattled off the official line for public consumption.

"It's a new project Mr. Elliott is developing under the name of The PeaceKeeper Foundation. Our goal is to explore new ways to contribute to peace around the world."

"But why build it inside a mine?"

"A mine is a great place to live and work because the temperature is always sixty-eight degrees. He's saving thousands of dollars a month in heating and cooling costs with absolutely no pollution impact on the atmosphere."

"But why does the complex need such a huge opening to the outside?"

"I can't really talk about that, Tom. It's proprietary corporate information. He doesn't want the Chinese or other countries to hijack his ideas."

"I guess that sounds reasonable."

Aware that Terri had been left out of the conversation Alexis turned to her. "I'm going to the bar and get some of that Champagne. Want to join me?"

Terri looked relieved and smiled. "Sure. Can we bring some back for you guys?"

Derek said, "I'm not really a champagne kind of guy, but you could bring me a Coors."

"Me too," Tom added.

While the women were waiting for their drink order Alexis asked, "So what do you do, Terri?"

"I own the only gun store in Gunnison."

"Really! How did you get into that business?"

"I inherited it from my father. It doesn't generate much income except during hunting season, but it supplements Tom's pay check so we can get by."

"Do you have kids to support?"

"No, our two girls live in Denver now with their own families. Fortunately they both married men with successful careers, so their children have it better than they did growing up here in Gunnison."

"Where do you and Tom live?"

"Where my parents did – above the store. But dad remodeled it before the cancer took him so it's really pretty nice."

"With the firearms business are you and Tom hunters?"

"I like to hunt now and then. Dad taught me to shoot when I was young. Tom was an Army sniper in the Iraq war. He says after shooting people killing deer doesn't hold much excitement for him."

The bartender slid a small round tray across the counter with their drinks. Alexis picked it up and they returned to the table.

While they were gone Tom and Derek struck up a conversation of their own. "You and Terri seem to be the only couple in the place sitting alone. Not many friends?"

"We're outsiders to this crowd. Besides that, I've been asking too many questions about what High Tech Mining and Elliott's project are doing to the valley. Especially since they put the guard gate up. This used to be public land but Elliott pulled some strings in Washington and arranged to lease the land for the next forty years. Who knows how much damage they can do in that much time. At least I won't still be around to see it."

When the women returned they fell into a comfortable friendship, talking about their lives, the ups and downs, how they met, and what their plans were.

Chapter 10 – Target Alpha

Rodriguez Rojas left his small house on the slopes of the Cauca highlands of Columbia at sunrise, hooked up his donkey to a wooden cart, and headed out to the small plot of land that he drew his subsistence from. The bushes grew fast here on the eastern slopes of the northern Andes mountains because of the right balance of abundant rainfall, volcanic soil, and equatorial sunlight. He could harvest leaves from the bushes as much as nine times in a good year. He staggered his harvesting so there were always leaves to cut from the magical crop for him to take to the village processing center.

Rodriguez gathered leaves from his plants Monday through Friday, then bundled them up for the trip to the village on Saturday. He was paid on the spot for his product, the equivalent of fifteen U.S. dollars on a good week, so he would shop for the food needed to get him, his wife, and his six children through the next week. On weeks when the downpour came every day and lasted all day he couldn't buy any food, so the family chewed on the coca leaves to stem their hunger.

His oldest son, Carlos, worked in the processing center for fifteen thousand pesos, five U.S. dollars, per week. So on a good week Rodriguez and his family earned the equivalent of twenty dollars per week for a product that sold in the U.S. for $30,000 per kilogram. Such were the realities of the cocaine trade.

Throughout Columbia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru there were thousands of small coca farmers like Rodriguez, who harvested their crop regularly, took it to small village processors to be turned into a concentrated product, and collected $1.50 per kilogram for their work. Once a week barrels of the product were loaded into pickup trucks and transported to integrated operations on the plains and jungles of the western Amazon, where it is refined into the white powder to feed the huge U.S. drug market.

Edwyn Elliott called a meeting with the key players in the PeaceKeeper Foundation – Secretary of Defense Raymond McCauley, retired four-star general Alan Aldridge, Senator Kathryn Zapata, and Adam Hamilton, Director of the FBI – all of them ardent supporters of an aggressive stance on U.S. supremacy in the world. They had been unable to make any significant progress in this area through political channels, so when Elliott approached them with his plan to make America responsible for eventual world peace, they enthusiastically joined the Foundation.

Elliott began the meeting by announcing that the PeaceKeeper system was ready to go operational – to destroy it's first target, Target Alpha. Then he introduced Alexis and Derek, the scientists who made PeaceKeeper a success. They were in the room to answer technical questions that might arise.

"Our full-system test last week was a resounding success. We put a relay mirror satellite in orbit with a runway-to-space aircraft launched from the underground complex, rolled out the laser targeting mirror from the mine opening, fired a beam from the underground chemical laser, and relayed it off the REMSAT to an iceberg in the Arctic Ocean. After a five-second burst of focused laser power the forty-ton iceberg was shattered from the internal steam explosion."

He waited for the round of enthusiastic applause to finish. "This means that we're now ready to attack our first target – the cocaine drug smuggling industry centered in Columbia. We can't efficiently destroy the cocaine at its source because most of it is grown by individual farmers or on small plantations. The initial processing of the coca leaves is also done locally at locations scattered throughout the region. But the paste they produce is taken to only a few locations to be turned into the street product. It's these final processing operations that will be our targets in Columbia."

General Aldridge intervened with a question. "Where are these operations located? Are they in cities where we will have to be concerned with starting major fires and creating massive collateral damage?"

"No, they are located in defensible compounds in the jungles near Cali and Medellin. They have their own defense forces capable of fighting off all but the most intense attack. They even have Russian SA-17 ground-to-air missiles to fend off an aerial attack. But none of that will have any effect on a laser attack from space. As soon as the REMSAT has locked on their location the laser beam will jump from building to building sending the entire compound up in flames – along with some of the drug kingpins in the area. "Once one compound is demolished the satellite will redirect the beam to the next target on the list. We can destroy all ten targets on the list in less than five minutes."

"If the compounds are in the jungle, won't the tree cover prevent the laser from getting through to the buildings?"

Elliott nodded to Alexis to answer that one. "No Kathryn, the overhead foliage will have virtually no effect. The satellite's tracking system will lock on the infrared heat signature of the buildings through the jungle canopy. When the laser beam fires it will vaporize the vegetation within milliseconds and pass on through to the target."

This alarmed Alex. "But there will be people in those buildings. Surely you don't plan to kill them."

"No, I have a plan for getting them out. Each household will be warned by an informant that a major drug bust by the Mexican Government is about to happen. They'll be told that several thousand Mexican army troops will attack and overwhelm any defenses they have. By the time the laser beam hits everyone will have left."

Alexis shook her head. "That doesn't sound like a foolproof plan to me."

General Aldridge fielded that concern. "Look, everyone who works for these crooks knows what their bosses do; they're international fugitives from the law. If you work for them you know the risks involved. If a few of these people get hurt it's not our concern. It's nothing compared to the thousands of American lives they destroyed with their drugs. This is a war on drugs and there will be casualties. Last year 14,556 Americans died from illegal cocaine products. Should we just sit here and let it happen when we have the means to stop it?"

Derek and Alexis looked at each other to see if they shared the same reservations about this. They both communicated yes non-verbally – just a slight shake of the head that no one else noticed.

Secretary McCauley broke up that uncomfortable line of questioning. "How quickly will the U.S. satellite tracking system be able to detect and track our REMSAT?"

"It will take the Cheyenne Mountain Tracking Center at least four orbits – about six hours – to zero in on the new orbiting object. By that time the satellite will have destroyed it's targets, fired it's retro rockets, and burned up during re-entry. It's designed to burn completely so nothing will remain to fall to earth."

"Very good, Edwyn. Well thought out. When do you propose to do this?"

"It will take us two more weeks to check out the system after the initial test firing, but after that we can streamline the process so that we're ready to take on another target in four days."

"Will you inform us when the cocaine attack is ready to go . . . so we can be prepared to deny all Governmental involvement?" Senator Zapata asked.

"Of course, Kathryn. All of you will receive an email from a travel agency advertising a cruise to the Caribbean Islands. Simply send back the reply 'Thanks, but I'm too busy to travel right now,' so I'll know you received the notice. After the raid is over there will be plenty of news video reporting on it, so you'll know just how effective it was.

"If there are no more questions, shall we adjourn to the dinning room where steak, lobster, and fine spirits await us?"

Two weeks later, Carlos Rojas was driving a 1969 Ford produce truck towards Medellin. It wasn't his usual job but the driver called in sick so he was told to take the shipment of paste to the cocaine production center outside of town. He only made the trip occasionally, but he really enjoyed the visits because the factory air was filled with fine cocaine dust that gave everyone a low-grade high. He was already anticipating the pleasant feeling.

Sometime later he stopped at the gate to the compound and repeated the password for the day. The sentry was a big man with a fight-scarred face, a Russian made AK-74 rifle slung over his shoulder, and a menacing look. After comparing Carlos' face with the photo on his computer tablet screen he waved him through. He followed the fenced driveway up a hill to the off-loading dock and waited between several other trucks carrying their village's product. The unloading was taking more time than usual so Carlos went inside to sniff the air. He joined a group of drivers waiting for their turn to drop off a load and head back home.

They were all startled by a loud noise, but not for long. It took the 30-megawatt laser beam less than a second to burn through the metal roof, and once it did the airborne cocaine dust exploded, destroying the entire building and killing everyone inside. The metal roof and walls were ripped into thousands of shrapnel pieces that created a quarter-mile kill zone outside the building. Within a second the parked trucks loaded with product bound for Mexico and the U.S. burst into flames, followed by the barracks where the guards and soldiers lived. Then, just as quickly as it had appeared the invisible beam disappeared. The warning phone calls promised by Elliott never happened.
Chapter 11 – Aftermath Alpha

Like most of the team involved in the laser operation Alexis and Derek hurried back to her apartment to watch the news reports. She had a six pack of Coors on ice and a chilled bottle of wine in the fridge for later. They sat side by side on the couch watching the fifty-inch flat screen TV, set up with four quadrants – one for each of the major networks. CBS beat the others with their special report, but only by a few minutes. All four quadrants had subtitles displayed and Alex could choose which channel they listened to.

As was usual for big breaking news stories, they all were broadcasting wildly different accounts, which were mostly uninformed opinions by well-known talking heads. What they did have in common was Columbia's refusal to let reporters enter the area, where it was reported that several fires spontaneously erupted. There were some satellite photos, but there wasn't enough detail to see much.

After an hour or so Fox News carried the first live on-site interview of a nearby resident who claimed to have heard several large explosions. He was certain they were bombs dropped from the air, although he didn't see or hear any aircraft.

Shortly after that ABC interviewed a woman who said she worked in the factory but this was her day off. Her opinion was that it was an attack by a business rival trying to kill off the competition. When the reporter asked her what kind of factory it was she clammed up and went back inside.

These two film clips were the only on-site videos available at first, so the two networks ran them over and over in endless loops. Then the local news from Denver came on and ran the video loops again.

Alex muted the TV. "Same old stuff. I want to hear what the President and the CIA have to say about it."

Derek wondered out loud, "What if the Columbian Government thinks the U.S. Government dropped bombs or something. Their military forces are too weak to take us on, but they could send some terrorists."

When he turned the sound back on NBC was interviewing a professor from the Columbian National University who said he saw a UFO hovering over the area just before the fires broke out. Alexis turned them all off and turned to Derek.

"It's amazing how the idiots come out of the woodwork like roaches when there are cameras to stand in front of."

"Human nature wants attention, wants to feel significant, and some will go to great lengths of stupidity to find it."

"You got that right, Derek. . . . I was thinking, if we're going to be a couple we need to come with some terms of endearment for each other. Like sweetheart, or dear."

"Oh, I don't know. I think special names for a couple need to be earned, to evolve out of the growing relationship. I don't think we have been together long enough for those to emerge."

"But we've been growing closer ever since that night on the mountain."

"Well based on that experience I guess I could call you ice queen."

"Yeah, and I could call you . . . what? My hero? My lifesaver?"

They both laughed at the diversionary exchange in which they were feeling the other out to see just how they felt. Derek added, "I'm sure something better will come up."

After a pause Alexis asked, "Does it have to be spoken? Could it be non-verbal?"

"Like what?"

Alexis turned her body to him and pulled him close. "Like this."

After several minutes of passionate kissing they broke for air.

"Where do we go from here?" Alex asked.

"You mean tonight?"

"Well, that too. But I was thinking about the longer term."

Derek gathered his thoughts for a minute or two, trying to come up with the way he felt.

"My wife and I met when I was in the Air Force. We took it slowly, dating for three years before we got married. We wanted to be sure of our love for each other. We even lived together for a few months before the wedding so we could know the real 'us'. When we finally did marry our love and trust for each other was rock solid until the day she died. . . . I care for you very much Alex, more every day, but it's not quite love yet. And until it is, I see no reason to plan for a future together."

"Wow. That's a hard act to follow. . . .You and Charlene must have been very close."

"Everyone said we were soul mates." Derek's eyes teared up at that memory.

Alexis noticed and apologized. "I'm sorry – I didn't mean to upset you." She wanted to comfort him with a hug, but she sensed it wasn't what he wanted right now, so she took his hand in hers instead. "What you said makes sense, and I agree with you. Let's just continue spending time together and see what happens. . . . But if we keep kissing like that I know what will happen. So maybe we should back off on the passion a bit to keep us out of that territory – for now."

Derek was still struggling with his emotions so he just nodded his head. "Maybe I should go back to my place. I need some time alone."

"Sure. I understand. Give me a call in the morning, O.K.?"

Alexis was barely awake when the phone rang the next morning. "Hullo."

It was Derek. "I didn't wake you did I? I'm an early riser."

"No . . . Yes, but I was almost awake. I'm usually an early riser myself, but I couldn't get to sleep last night."

"Why not?"

"At first I couldn't get you off my mind. Then I couldn't stop thinking about us, and possible futures we might have together. Then I thought about your tears; how you exposed your tender side to me without embarrassment. You're an amazing man."

"Now you're embarrassing me. Listen, the reason I called was to see if you would like to come over for breakfast. I make a great breakfast quiche and I can whip up a pitcher bloody marys."

"That sounds great, but I need some time to get ready."

"No, don't do that. I want to see what you look like when you wake up. Just run a brush through your hair and over your teeth and come on."

"Well, O.K.. But let me get dressed first."

"No, come as you are. So I can get to know the early morning side of you."

"I can't come like this. I don't wear much when I sleep."

"Now you're putting thoughts in my head. Go ahead and put something on. I'll see you in a few minutes."

"Well that was delicious. You can make that for me anytime."

Derek picked up the TV remote. "Let's see what the news programs are saying about the attack this morning."

The Columbian government denies any connection to the tragic fires that broke out at several drug refinement factories throughout the northern provinces yesterday, but some speculate it was part of a deal with the U.S. to help rid their country of the cocaine industry. The U.S. Secretary of State insists that no such deal exists, but offered to send in federal forensic experts to help identify the cause of the fires.

What is clear is that this destruction will reduce the amount of cocaine coming into this country by as much as eighty percent. The immediate consequences of the shortage will be to drive cocaine prices up by several hundred percent and to leave almost a million drug-dependent Americans without a way to ease their symptoms. Experts say that some will turn to other drugs, but the supplies of those are completely inadequate to help so many cocaine addicts.

They were quiet while they took in this latest information. Derek spoke about his thoughts first.

"Apparently Elliott didn't think of all the consequences when he decided to attack the cocaine business. There will be a lot of suffering addicts out there."

"Or maybe he did think about it and said "Tough shit. They made their own bed."

"Is he really that cold?"

"It's starting to look like it. And the newscast brought up another serious issue. There will still be some cocaine coming into the country, stuff that was already in the pipeline stockpiled in Nicaragua or Mexico, that will bring a high price – more than most addicts can afford – unless they can steal to buy it. I think the crime rate is going to go way up, especially in cities with large concentrations of cocaine users.

"You make some good points there, Alex. I hope you're not as good at predicting the future as you are at building lasers."

Unfortunately Alexis was pretty good at prophesying. The next few weeks would see crimes, especially murders, increase to six times what it was before. There were three armored truck robberies in which the attackers used high power military weapons to get inside. The trucks were well protected against bullets, but RPGs had no problem opening them up like a tin can. The country was in chaos.

And not just in the U.S. News reports of wars between the drug cartels as they blamed each other for the fire bombings appeared weekly. Whatever PeaceKeeper had missed was being destroyed by competing drug Lords, not only in Columbia, but in Nicaragua and Mexico too. In that sense the first PeaceKeeper operation was a huge success. But at what cost?
Chapter 12 – The Situation Room

The White House Situation Room is a conference room and intelligence management center in the basement of the west wing of the White House, used by the President and his advisors to monitor and deal with crises at home and abroad. It has a secure direct link to surveillance satellites, communications channels, and a huge video screen that can display whatever is needed for the President and his staff to monitor and maintain command and control of U.S. forces anywhere in the world.

The most important intelligence asset at their disposal is the constellation of twelve 'Keyhole' KH-13 optical surveillance satellites that provide high resolution images of almost anywhere on earth. The satellites are similar to the Hubble Space Telescope, except they are pointed toward the earth. The resolution – clarity of the images – is classified, but it is rumored they can read a license plate from an orbital altitude of three hundred miles.

Within two hours after the attack on the Columbian drug production facilities President Arthur Chavez had assembled the key staff members in the SitRoom:

  * Conner Simpson, Vice President

  * Juanita Rivers, Secretary of State

  * Raymond McCauley, Secretary of Defense

  * Paul Lockwood, Homeland Security Advisor

  * Neil Osborne, National Security Advisor

  * Zeke Devereaux, the President's Chief of Staff

Everyone was talking and wondering what was going on until the Marine Security Guard stepped in and said "Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States."

As everyone looked to the head of the table they saw a handsome man in his early fifties with a tan skin tone, black moustache, and thick black hair. Some have said he looks a lot like Saddam Hussein, but not within range of his hearing. Today he had a very worried look on his face, but showed no hesitancy in getting to the point.

"O.K., why are we here? Because something remarkable has happened to the Columbian drug industry. All the major processing and storage facilities have been fire bombed. Raymond, take us through what we know."

McCauley stood and nodded at the video operator. A still photo of one of he processing plants appeared on the left side of the screen, then another on the right side.

"These are before and after images from our surveillance satellite. On the left is the collection of buildings that make up the Medellin cocaine production factory – everything is in operation, just as it is 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The image on the right is the same location a few minutes later. Each of these bright spots is a fire – a large fire.

"Next is a time-lapse video taking us through the outbreak – for which we haven't yet identified the cause."

They all watched as one-by-one the structures burst into flames. They also saw several people running from the flaming buildings, some with their clothes on fire. The entire incident was over in less than forty seconds. Then the images switched to another cocaine factory near the city of Cali for a repeat of the previous attack. When the show was over everyone sat in silence, trying to figure out what they just saw, then started asking questions all at once. The President took control. "Neil, what's your question?"

"The way the fires started was very unusual. Rather than starting from one place – the original source of the fire – everything burst into flames all at once. What do you make of that General?"

"I have my analysts going over the data, so we don't know for sure yet. Normally that would indicate that each target was flooded with explosive fumes before the ignition source set it off. But that doesn't fit with the fact that no one was leaving the buildings before the fires started. Hopefully the analysts can extract information from the videos that will shed light on the issue."

Vice President Simpson spoke up. "Have your people put together a timeline showing all the attacks? If they all happened at the same approximate time – well, it would be very difficult to produce such a well-coordinated assault."

"That's a good point. We haven't had time to look at the timing yet, but it's at the top of our list."

President Chavez asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "O.K., tell me who did this? Who's behind the attacks?"

The Secretary of State gave her opinion. "Sir, the first suspect that comes to mind is a rival drug cartel, maybe from Ecuador or Nicaragua, trying to increase the value of their own product. The price of cocaine is going to soar through the roof once the sources here in the U.S. dry up."

"Yeah, I heard that on the news. Zeke, get some CIA people over here and find out if they have any intelligence on rival cartel issue."

Paul Lockwood cut in. "What you said about the supply of cocaine – that's going to cause some serious domestic issues. When the addicts can't get their fix the hospitals will be full of people going through withdrawal. And the suicide rate will go up sharply, too. . . . Oh, and what about robbery and theft. As the price climbs for the remaining supply they will have to get more money somewhere. We need to alert the police departments about what's coming."

Chavez turned to his Chief of Staff. "There's another action item for you, Zeke. Get the Director of the FBI over here this afternoon to prepare an announcement. Then set up a video conference call with the mayors of the major cities and have the Director read the statement. Don't give them any details about what happened, just tell them that a major shortage of street drugs is imminent and to prepare for the worst possible scenario."

The Marine opened the door. "Sir, you have an emergency phone call from director of the NSA. It's being patched through to the phone in front of you."

The rest could only hear the President's side of the conversation and didn't learn much from what he was saying.

"What!! When? Are you sure? Both of them? I understand. Link the video to the SitRoom, we'll have a look at it."

He hung up and looked around the room. "We have a new situation. In Mexico this time. The homes of the six major drug importers have just erupted in flames."

Two days later, Jorge Gutierrez got a call from his younger brother in Columbia telling him about the destruction of most of the cocaine supply from that country. Jorge was a major distributor of drugs in Chicago, and was especially well-known for the high-quality cocaine he provided his customers. His competitors diluted their products with glucose to deliver as low as 40% cocaine to the user. Jorge kept the purity of his cocaine at around 70%, giving the users more 'bang for their bucks.' He of course charged a premium for his angel dust, resulting in huge profits which he put into several Caribbean banks.

As soon as he got the news, he called his accountant and cocaine buyer together and told them the good news. "This shortage is going to make us rich."

His accountant commented under is breath, "We're already rich."

"I heard that! No, I mean so rich that we could buy a small country. I want to get cash out of my biggest bank deposits and send people all over Chicago to buy all the uncut cocaine they can. Threaten the other dealers if you have to. Start that today, because once this gets out everyone will hoard their supply. Send some guys to New York, L.A., and Atlanta to do the same thing.

"We'll hold on to until the market peaks then sell it to our wealthy clients at ten times what we get now."

He dismissed them and called his head of security. "Sergei, call in a bunch of your Russian mob friends. We need to build up a team to defend ourselves against the attacks that are about to begin."

"I'll have a dozen here by morning."

"Get the best. I'll pay double their usual rate."
Chapter 13 – Martial Law

By the end of the month the lawlessness in the U.S. was so widespread that the President declared martial law. National Guard units were called to active duty to patrol the city streets and secure the banks and other sources of quick cash. Many of the addicts had organized themselves into street gangs that stormed businesses, banks, and even well-guarded casinos to find the cash they needed to buy drugs. When the Guard showed up they tried to run but the rubber bullets hurt enough to bring them to their knees. That's when they started breaking into guns stores to arm themselves and returned real bullets for rubber ones. The National Guard troops and police officers were being wounded and killed faster than new recruits could be trained.

Tens of thousands left the cities to stay with friends and relatives as far out of town as they could get. Many bought camping trailers and motor homes so they could stay in rural RV parks, but soon there was no room left in them. A few farmers turned their crop fields in crude RV parks, with above-ground water pipes and electrical wires crisscrossing the black, muddy dirt and sewage pumping trucks visiting the sites every couple of days. Local health departments tried to shut them down, but as soon as the sheriffs posted closed signs and left the site business continued on as before.

President Chavez held meetings every day in the SitRoom to deal with these problems as they came up, but with limited success. The subject of today's meeting was martial law – should the President militarize law enforcement nation wide. The liberals in congress were clamoring against the idea, claiming it would be the first step down the slippery slope of becoming a police state run by a dictator. The leaders of the retail businesses were screaming for protection of their property. It was a tough call.

The President asked Secretary of Defense McCauley for his thoughts on the subject.

"Well sir, if we don't do something drastic the economy will be destroyed and America will go back to the stone ages. And it's not just us. We may be the world's number one consumers of cocaine, but the other major countries are fighting the same battles we are. It could end up as a collapse of the economy of the entire world."

Juanita Rivers spoke up. "I think you are being a bit extreme with your assessment, General. America and the world will survive this. The good news in all this is that the drug industry, from the small-time distributors up to the cartels themselves, are annihilating each other. And they are also going after the heroin and synthetic drug manufacturers, believing they might be behind the attacks. This may result in the demise of the street drug industry altogether."

"Now who is blowing smoke, Juanita. Your fairy tale is less believable that the Armageddon I see looming."

"No it's not. God won't let this nation – a nation founded on Christian principles that He brought about – fall into anarchy. He will bring this country back to Him, and He's using these trials to do it."

"Or this is the beginning of the end times described in the book of Revelation and we're all doomed."

"Not all of us General, not all of us."

The President interrupted. "Stop your bickering you two. That's not getting us anywhere . . . I've made my decision. Zeke, get a hold of the press secretary and set up televised press conference for noon tomorrow. I'll announce that the country will be under martial law for the next thirty days. After that we will re-evaluate the situation. General, make the arrangements to get troops out in the streets by the end of the week."

"Yes sir, I'll take care of it," McCauley said with a smile. This is just what Edwyn wanted to happen – the first step toward peace on earth, he thought.
Chapter 14 – Target Beta

Edwyn was looking over his list of potential targets for the next few operations. The list included ballistic missiles, aircraft engaged in attacks, cars or planes with terrorists or political leaders inside, communication facilities, nuclear weapon development sites, spy satellites, and individuals, who could be vaporized in their tracks. That last one, seeing a person burst into flames in an instant, would start some great alien attack theories. I wonder if I should feed that idea with fake news stories. They won't be looking for the PeaceKeeper laser if they think aliens are responsible. . . . No, that would definitely cause a panic just like that Orson Wells radio drama did back in 1938.

The top three targets on his current list were Iran's nuclear weapons development facilities, North Korea's missile launch facilities, and gun manufacturers. That last one will be tough because there are so many of them spread around the world, and there are so many weapons owned by individuals. But if I want world peace the guns have to go. . . . Wait a minute! I don't have to destroy the guns. I'll go after the ammunition factories. The guns will be useless without bullets. I won't be able to destroy all the ammunition, but just like with the cocaine, if I can destroy most of the product the shortage will drive the prices up so high nobody but the police and military can afford to buy ammo. . . . That's it – that's my next target, Target Beta.

Elliott gathered the leaders of the PeaceKeeper Foundation together two days later. When he wanted something he wanted it quickly. He had checked with Alexis to see when the laser system could be ready for the next attack and got the answer he wanted – ten days, weather permitting – and asked her to bring Derek and attend the meeting. He didn't want to plan something that couldn't be done for technical reasons.

"Ladies and gentlemen the goal of our next operation is to greatly reduce the use of small arms – handguns and rifles – here and around the world. Obviously it would be impossible for PeaceKeeper to destroy the weapons themselves because there are so many of them out there.

"But guns are useless without bullets; bullets are what turn guns into lethal weapons. The number of bullets currently being produced around the world each year approaches the 12 billion mark – enough to kill nearly every man, woman and child on the planet twice. So we are going to target the small arms ammunition manufacturers. That in itself may sound like an impossible task because there are over a thousand ammunition factories in dozens of countries. But most of the ammunition is produced by only three companies. CBC Global Defense, located in Brazil, turns out 2.5 billion rounds a year – the largest number by a single manufacturer anywhere in the world. A German company, MENS Defencetec, built a plant in Nassau to get around Germany's firearm regulations. They produce another billion rounds annually. And a Czech firm, Sellier & Bellot, produces 600 million a year.

"If you do the math you'll see that if we take out these three factories we will destroy one third of the world's bullet manufacturing capability. It may not sound like enough, but five of the twelve billion total are fabricated in separate factories specifically for the military and law enforcement markets, and we don't want to take their ammo away. So by attacking the three sites we can wipe out almost 60% of the bullets going to the bad guys – criminals, terrorist groups, and rage killings by ordinary citizens. And the fringe benefit of doing this is a huge reduction of street crime, which will free up more police to deal with the cocaine crime problem."

During the ensuing discussion Alexis brought up the issue that bothered her about the first attack. "I'm still concerned about the workers in the factories. We will be killing hundreds of people working in a perfectly legal commercial operation, unlike the cocaine workers, who were responsible for making illegal substances."

"That problem can be avoided in this case. The factories only operate with daytime shifts – 8 to 12 hours. They are all closed at night, so that's when PeaceKeeper will attack. You said we can be ready to go in ten days. That makes it a week from Wednesday. Is everyone O.K. with that?"

Senator Zapata shook her head. "No, that's my granddaughter's birthday. I can't miss that."

"You won't have to, Kathryn. There's no need for you or the others to be here for this one. In fact, it's better if all of you are doing something publicly so there will be no suspicion that you are somehow involved."

After a few more questions the group left the room knowing that they would be making an even bigger impact on world peace than they did with the drug attacks.

As usual Alex and Derek were too busy preparing the system for the next attack to spend any time together. Although they continued to grow closer they felt no need to get together frequently – that kind of need is rooted in relationship insecurity. But that made it special when they did spend an evening with each other. Their workload was even greater than it was for the Alpha attack because Elliott had them training replacements so the two of them wouldn't have to be there for all the future strikes. He said he wanted to free them up for other projects he had in mind. They both welcomed the idea because it would give them more time together.

The trainees, Karen and Hakeem, weren't scientist/engineers like Derek and Alexis – they were technicians. But that's all it would take to push the buttons and flip the switches now that the system was up and running. And they were smart – quick learners which made the training go quickly. When Elliott stopped by the lab two days before the attack on the ammo factories he asked when the two would be ready to operate PeaceKeeper on their own.

"If they follow us closely on this next operation I think they'll be ready." Alex told him.

"Good. Good work you two. We couldn't have done this without you."

Both Derek and Alexis wondered about the compliment; it was out of character for Edwyn Elliott. I don't trust him, Derek thought. He must have something up his sleeve . . . I can't think of what it might be though. We'll just have to wait and see . . . and stay alert.

The day before the attack on the Beta target Elliott called the PeaceKeeper crew together.

"With three widespread target locations the attacks will require three relay mirror satellites and two days to complete. The first two REMSAT launches will be tomorrow morning so they will be in stable orbits before nightfall in Brazil and Nassau. By one a.m. Saturday morning both of those ammo facilities will be destroyed. The Czechoslovakian factory will have to wait until the next night to give us time to refuel the laser system and get the third REMSAT in orbit.

"Any questions . . . Good. I'll see you all back here by six p.m. tomorrow to begin the countdown."

After a walk-through inspection to make sure everything was ready to go Derek and Alex caught the Robocab back to the apartments. After showering and changing into comfortable clothes Alex went over to Derek's for the evening. Derek was in the kitchen chopping vegetables for soup when she arrived, so she sneaked up behind and wrapped her arms around him. After an instant of surprise he leaned back into her and turned his head for a kiss. After a few seconds he put down the knife and turned to pull her against him.

"Don't you know better than to sneak up behind someone with a deadly weapon in his hand?"

"I wasn't worried. I know you wouldn't turn around and stab me."

"It wasn't you I was worried about. I could've chopped off a finger."

"That would be no big deal . . . unless it ended up in the soup."

Derek smiled and said "Come here, you," and planted his lips on hers. It didn't take long for it to go beyond just lips. As their desire escalated they drew each other even closer to enjoy the pleasant feelings the body contact generated. When their arousal got to the unspoken limit they had set for themselves Alexis pulled back, breathing heavily. "That's enough for now, lover boy. When is dinner?"

Miguel Sousa was looking over the production figures at the Magtech Division of CBC Ammunition on the outskirts of Sao Palo, Brazil. The recent torrential rains had kept his workers away for the entire week. But the weather was supposed to clear up tomorrow and he had to figure a way to catch up on the production quotas so they could make the shipments to several key ammunition distributors in the middle east. If the couldn't fill the orders the customers would turn to their Czechoslovakian competitors.

Magtech treated their employees well – eight-hour work days, health care, a free lunchtime cafeteria. Asking them to work overtime Friday night went against company policy but he could see no other way. They just had four days off at half pay, so they should to be eager to make up the loss. If I ask them to stay for an extra shift, they will be out of here by one a.m., but they would miss the soccer match between Sao Palo FC and the Maracana team from Rio. Maybe if I had it televised on the big screen TVs on the factory floor . . . They won't work as efficiently, but I'll take whatever I can get.

When he announced the overtime shift over the P.A. system Friday morning he could hear groans, cursing, and even some shouted threats to walk off the job. But when they heard that the soccer match would be carried on the dozen large screen television monitors on the walls surrounding the 10,000 square foot manufacturing area the protests settled down to a grumbling. Miguel wisely avoided telling them that they would also be working an extra shift the first three days of next week.

Miguel left work in time to get home and be sitting in from of his TV when the game started. The soccer match was scheduled to start at eight p.m. in Rio de Janeiro, but the rains hit the city two hours before that so the match was postponed. He was disappointed, but he cheered up when he realized the workers wouldn't be distracted so the production line would run at its usual clip.

The orbiting REMSAT passed silently over the west coast of Peru and headed east over the Amazon rain forest. In another six and a half minutes it would be in position to receive the PeaceKeeper laser beam and bounce it back to the Brazilian armament complex. Its sister satellite had demolished the Nassau plant thirty minutes ago and sent itself to a fiery death.

Although the rains had stopped a light haze hung in the air – something the PeaceKeeper analysts hadn't planned for. In an instant a column of heavy steam materialized just before the buildings in the ammunition complex burst into flames one by one. The last one to be hit was the Magtech plant, just before the workers were about to finish the second shift. That building responded to the laser beam just like the first three had, with a sudden flame shooting up from the roof followed a few seconds later by the explosion of thousands of tons of stored gunpowder. The sound was heard for a distance of 90 miles and pieces of metal, burning wood, and human body parts showered most of Sao Palo.
Chapter 15 – Aftermath Beta

America's defense surveillance satellites are launched by the Air Force, but once in orbit the super-secret National Security Agency – NSA – manages the cameras and images. A team is assigned to watch the pictures as they come in twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. In addition to the Keyhole family of satellites that record images in the visible light region, a newer class of satellites can detect the infra-red heat signature of a missile launch. These SBIRS (Space Based Infra-Red Satellites) spacecraft are monitored by human operators as well as computer software to ensure that no missile launch will go undetected.

At 12:23:45 a.m. on Friday the computer triggered a launch detection alarm that was instantly relayed to dozens of military and Government computers, which in turn summoned a list of Government and military leaders throughout the country to report to their posts immediately, where they would wait anxiously for answers from the NSA analysts who were studying the satellite images. In the meantime the U.S. military was put on Defense Condition (DEFCON) two, the level just below a confirmed nuclear attack.

Back at NSA headquarters on Fort Meade, Maryland Maj. David Tanner and his team were trying to understand what the images from SIBRS were telling them about what happened twenty miles southeast of Sao Palo. The first image, the one that triggered the alarm, was identified by the system computers as a missile launch – a large missile – one that could easily reach Washington D.C. But as David and his team stepped through the infrared snapshots the initial flame of the rocket engines wasn't followed by the hot trail of the missile exhaust climbing into the sky. Instead, there was a huge explosion. The SBIR system attributed it to the missile and it's warhead exploding shortly after launch. Initial estimates put the warhead size at the equivalent of 5,000 pounds of TNT.

David declared, "If that's true it's about one-third of the explosive power of the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima! Was this missile carrying a nuclear warhead?"

One of his analysts answered, "The spectral signature of the explosion doesn't match the profile of a nuclear warhead. We're looking though the data base to see if we can find a match that will tell us what the explosive material was. We should have information within the next thirty minutes."

"Do we know enough to tell the Secretary of Defense that it is absolutely not a nuke?"

"I wouldn't go that far yet, sir."

Another analyst got Maj. Tanner's attention. "I've been looking at the surveillance images from the visible light camera and there's something strange on this one photo."

Tanner stood behind him and looked over the man's shoulder. "Show me what you've got."

"This is the frame taken less than a second before the flame erupted. Do you see this faint white plume passing through the haze?"

"Where? Oh, I see it now. It looks like maybe a trail of smoke, going from the Magtech plant up into the sky. What could cause that?"

"Maybe the exhaust of a small rocket that was launched just before the explosion . . . or maybe the other way around. Maybe it was a rocket coming down from the sky and hitting the plant. That could be what set off the explosion."

"Yes, that makes sense. Get me a spectral signature of that plume as soon as you can. See if we can identify the rocket propellant."

An hour later Tanner was putting together his report to send to the SecDef, but there weren't a lot of solid conclusions – except the welcome conclusion that it wasn't a missile launch and there were no nuclear weapons involved. The infrared analysis showed that the explosive material was gunpowder, a very large quantity of it. As soon as he was finished he sent it out on a secure communications link to Defense Secretary McCauley.

McCauley, along with the President and the rest of the National Security Council, were meeting in a secret location they had all been rushed to when the missile launch alarm went off. It was safe from all but a direct nuclear warhead hit, and was equipped to house them for up to thirty days – long enough to ride out an initial nuclear attack. What they did after that would depend on the circumstances.

Everyone was talking, speculating on what was happening outside their safe haven, when McCauley entered the room. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please. I have the initial assessment from NSA." When he had first seen the report he smiled. Another successful PeaceKeeper operation completed, although he didn't anticipate the missile launch false alarm.

He went through Tanner's report point by point, then got to the conclusion.

"The cause of the false alarm was a huge explosion at the CBC Defense Ammunition complex outside of Sao Palo. The entire site was leveled. It's not yet known what triggered the explosion, but the satellite imagery indicates that it may have been an incoming rocket, possibly launched from a high-altitude aircraft. That is under further investigation. That's all I have at this time. Any questions?"

Several of them started speaking at once. McCauley pointed to the Secretary of State. "Let's start with Juanita."

"Thank you. I have received reports from our embassy in Sao Palo that debris from the explosion have been raining down on most of the city. It even included," she choked up for a moment, then regained her composure, "It included parts of bodies, some intact like arms or legs, but a large quantity of pieces the size of hamburgers. And that's what they looked like. The assumption by the ambassador is that they were workers from the plant."

The room was silent for a minute or two, then started back with more questions. Paul Lockwood of Homeland Security shouted the loudest.

"Who is responsible for this attack, General? Are we looking at some kind of sophisticated terrorist organization we don't know about? I mean, to fire a missile at an ammunition factory is not something your average terrorist cell could do."

"Well first of all Paul, we have no solid evidence it was actually an attack. It could have been some kind of freak accident. And we don't really know whether a rocket was fired down at the plant. It's just a hypothesis at this point."

The vice president, who had been talking on the phone, interrupted. "I think we can declare it an attack, Raymond. I just got word that the German MEN Defencetec ammunition plant in Nassau was attacked shortly before the Brazil incident. Between those two plants, almost a quarter of the world's supply of small arms ammunition has been destroyed, and it will take a year or two to build new plants to replace them."

Gen. McCauley faked looking alarmed. "How will that impact the police and military ammo supply?" He already knew the answer from what Elliott told him, but he had to play the role of a concerned military commander.

"I asked the same question. It turns out that military and law enforcement ammunition is produced here in the U.S. at the Lake City Ammunition Facility. They produce one and a half billion rounds a year, and have large stockpiles, so if we can protect them from attack Government agencies will have plenty of ammo. I have ordered five thousand army troops to keep the plant surrounded 24/7. The Air Force will provide full-time air cover."

"When can we get out of here and go back to Washington?"

"As soon as we can get some transportation up here, which should be about 3 p.m. The President has reduced the threat level to DEFCON four."

The PeaceKeeper crew had been confined to the Operations Center after the first two Beta attacks. Now they were back at their stations preparing for the attack on the final ammunition site, Sellier & Bellot, in the Czech Republic. The attack was scheduled for midnight. With the eight-hour time difference it would be 4 p.m. Colorado time. The REMSAT had been launched at 10 a.m. and was now in an orbit that would take it over the city of Vlasim every hour and forty-five minutes. At six minutes before midnight Czech time the satellite would be in position for the attack.

Hakeem and Karen, the backup team for operating the laser and relay mirror, were at the controls while Derek and Alex looked on, ready to step in and take over if they screwed up. At precisely three minutes before midnight flames erupted from the roof of the small-arms ammunition factory at the Czech site. Unfortunately this plant also stored gunpowder in the factory. The resulting explosion blew out every window and most of the eardrums in the city shortly before the debris started falling. The factory was empty so there were no body parts this time.

Alexis and Derek congratulated the backup team for performing flawlessly, then took the Robocab back to the Apartment building. They went straight to Alex's place, opened a couple of beers, and sat together on the couch to see the TV news reports from Brazil. News of the Czech strike wouldn't show up until morning. Alexis had just snuggled her head into a comfortable position nestled under Derek's arm when the live video coverage from Sao Palo came on. She sat up abruptly.

"Oh my god, did you see that? There were workers in the factory – eleven hundred and twenty three of them. They were blown to bits!"

"No one was supposed to be working last night. . . . My god, Alexis, what has Elliott done."

"No Derek. What have we done? We're murderers."

They both sat frozen, speechless, agonizing over the deaths. After several minutes Derek said through clenched teeth, "We can't work for Elliott any more. He's a monster. No more missions for us. We need to get out of this place."

"We can't just quit, Derek. We have to prevent future attacks from happening. We need to shut PeaceKeeper down permanently."

"We could still do that if we leave here. We could go to the news media and tell the world what he's doing."

"He might try to stop us if he knows what we're planning."

"How could he do that. Once we're on the outside we're free to say what we want."

"Maybe he won't let us leave. Lock us up . . . or even kill us."

"I don't think he'd do that. He's not that crazy."

"I don't know, Alex. Maybe he is. I don't trust that man."

"We need to make a plan. There aren't any more attacks planned for now, so we have a few days to come up with something. Right now we're both exhausted. We need some sleep."

When he got up to leave Alex stopped him. "I don't want to be alone with my feelings tonight. Will you stay the night?"

He thought for a moment. "Yeah, I can do that. I'll sleep here on the couch."

"No, I need someone to hold me. Come to bed with me. . . . But no hanky panky."

"I'm too tired to even have that thought. I'll sleep in my boxers and T shirt so I don't tempt you."

"As tired as I am, the mental image of you in boxers and a T shirt is titillating. But I'll be a good girl."

Alexis put on the least sexy pajamas she had as Derek took off his jeans and shirt in the dark, and they collapsed on the bed. Derek lay on his side with his back to her, but she moved in behind him spoon fashion and put an arm over him. In spite of the terrible thoughts and images running through their heads, the were soon sound asleep.
Chapter 16 – Prisoners

David Tanner called his wife to tell her he would be sleeping at the NSA building again tonight. Until he and his team had the ammunition factory attacks figured out, no one was going home. There was a storeroom on their floor of the building where someone had set up a bed – nothing much, juts a metal frame with a dirty mattress with a couple of blankets – but it gave everyone a place to catch a short nap. On nights like this there was a sign-up sheet on the door where anyone could reserve the bed for an hour or two, but all the times were taken tonight so David leaned back in his office chair, put his feet on the desk, and closed his eyes. He was just at that point where you fall off the cliff between dozing and solid sleep when one of his analysts burst into his office.

"Major, Major I have the answer, I . . . Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I should have knocked. . . . Except that would have woke you up anyway."

"That's alright Rita. I guess I need to get a 'Do Not Disturb' sign to hang on the door. What have you got?"

She showed him a photograph. "The white line going up into the sky just before the explosion. I have the spectrograph results."

"Well, don't hold me in suspense. What is it?

"It's steam. Superheated steam. Something turned the heavy mist into a column of steam."

"No, that can't be. Not in a straight line like this."

"I checked it twice. That's definitely what it is, sir."

"What kind of natural phenomenon could cause that? Get me someone from the weather group up here. Let's see what they can tell us."

Rita hesitated for a moment. "Get moving, Rita. Chop chop."

"But there's more, sir. The spectral data showed a narrow spike at a wavelength of 3.82 microns coming from the column. Well into the infrared part of the spectrum."

"What's the source point of the light?"

"It's being emitted from the entire length of the steam plume."

"Have someone check your data on another instrument. In the meantime I'll get Jerry from meteorology and Dr. Finley from optical physics up here for a meeting. Let me know when you're finished re-running the data and we'll convene a meeting."

"Yes sir."

Alex's mind slowly came out of the fog, her faculties returning one by one. At some point she was startled to realize that someone was nestled behind her. She struggled with that for a few seconds until she remembered. Derek slept here last night. . . . But I started out spooning him, and now he's spooning me. We must have changed positions in our sleep. He sure feels good next to me like that.

"You awake dear?"

He mumbled something, then woke up with a start. He quickly rolled away from her. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to . . ."

"Shut up. You felt good there." She turned to kiss him but he shook his head. "Too dangerous when we're in bed. I'll take a rain check when we get to the kitchen."

Derek rolled out of his side of the bed and headed for the bathroom. As Alexis watched him from behind in his T shirt and boxers she felt a little tingle.

Over breakfast, with minds now running full bore, they tossed around ideas for how they might shut down PeaceKeeper. They made a list, then discussed the merits of each approach.

Alexis scanned the list. "Some of these are pretty extreme and will be hard for just the two of us to carry out. Let's start with the easy ones, like planting a virus in the adaptive optics control computer. What would the virus need to do to shut down the AO mirror permanently?"

"Something easy, like sending each mirror actuator the wrong signal and force each segment to degrade the beam rather than focus it, would only work for a short time. We could shut down the next mission but Hakeem could probably reprogram the system in a day or two. If he's good enough he might even find the virus and delete it. We need something with a long-term effect."

"Is it possible to overdrive the actuators and permanently bend the mirror out of shape?"

"No, the control program has safety limits to keep that from happening."

"Is there some other way to damage the mirror? It would take months to get a replacement made."

Derek thought about that one. "The only way I can think of is to wait until it's rolled outside for the next mission and put a few rounds from a high powered rifle into critical spots to jam some of the actuators. We could do that from the rim of the valley, a mile or two away, but if someone saw where the shots were coming from we might not get away."

"Could you do that with a deer rifle."

"Maybe, but to do it right would take a .50 caliber sniper rifle. The military uses them to set off explosives from a mile or two away. The heavy bullet really packs a wallop."

"Where can we get one of those?"

"A gun store in Denver maybe, but they would have to order it, and we might catch the attention of the Federal ATF folks. We need to do this covertly. . . . How about the power lines. If we take out a power line tower it would shut things down for quite awhile."

"Won't work. Elliott already thought of that possibility and has a backup generator in one of the old coal mines with enough diesel fuel to run for months."

They sat silently in thought for a few minutes, then Alex exclaimed, "Tom! Tom Norton. Didn't he say he was trying to get a judge to shut down operations in the valley until the environmental issues could be resolved?"

"Yes! Great idea Alex. I'll text him to see if we can meet him somewhere. If the Judge comes through with an injunction Tom could request federal marshals to come and enforce it. But for now we need to do the normal things, like going to the Ops Center to write the after action report."

Anton "Tony" Moretti, Elliott's Chief of Security, stood in front of his bosses desk, updating him on the latest security issues. Tony was also Elliott's 'enforcer' and chief thug. Whatever security problems came up with the people in the compound, Tony had no problem to going to whatever lengths necessary to make the problem go away. The problem they were discussing this morning was what to do with the two chief scientists, Alexis and Derek.

"I have audio and video recordings from the hidden cameras in their apartments, and what they have been talking about is very disturbing, Mr. Elliott. They are upset about all the deaths in the Brazil operation and seem to be having an attack of conscience. This morning they were discussing ways to shut down PeaceKeeper – permanently. They made a list of ideas but they haven't decided which way to go. They did say they would contact Tom Norton about an injunction he's trying to get to shut the mining operation down until an environmental impact assessment can be done. If Norton gets a judge to sign that, this place will be swarming with Government investigators. Should I take Flynn and the woman out of the picture like I did the others?"

Elliott thought for a minute. "I think Norton is the most immediate threat right now. Take him out. Make it look like intruder murdered him. Lots of blood. That should scare Flynn and Tesla into giving up their plans. In the meantime, keep them out of the Operations Center."

"What if they try to leave?"

"There is only one way out of this valley and we control it."

Derek sent a text to Tom from the Robocab asking him to meet with them somewhere in Gunnison. Tom texted back that he was tied up today, but tomorrow morning he could meet them for coffee at the Backstreet Café. Derek answered "Works for us."

The Robocab let them off at the main entrance to Operations Center, a blast-proof concrete control room where the laser was fired from. It was in a mine shaft adjacent to the main tunnel so it would have the added protection of hundreds of feet of coal between it and the laser facility. At the front door of the Op Center Derek swiped his card and tried the door, but it wouldn't open. After a couple more tries he turned to Alex. "Something must be wrong with my card. Try yours."

After three swipes she shook her head. "Mine doesn't work either. Maybe the system's down."

She looked closely at the entry lock and saw a message on the tiny display screen, 'Card Authorization Rescinded.' "What the hell, Derek.! It says we're not authorized to enter. I'll call Elliott and ask him what's going on."

She took out her cell phone and punched his speed dial number. After thee rings Elliott's assistant answered. "Hey Judy, this is Alex. We can't get into the Center. Our card authorizations have been revoked. Do you know what's going on?"

"Yes. Elliott told me to expect your call. There is a new classified project starting in the ops center that you and Derek aren't part of. He has locked you two out for now until the project is finished."

"He can't do that! Who is going to run the PeaceKeeper for the next attack?"

"He said to thank you for training your replacements so quickly. They can handle future operations."

Alex lost it at that point and anger took over. "You tell that son of a bitch that we won't stand for this. I built the system and made it work, it's mine! He has no right to replace us."

"Goodbye, Miss Tesla."

Derek could tell Alexis was really pissed off and realized there was no point in staying here. He took her by the hand and led her back to the Robocab. As soon as the doors closed she turned to Derek. "Do something! We can't just turn our backs on the project. We need to go to Elliott's office . . . Now!"

Derek held her shoulders. "Calm down, honey. He won't let us in. Judy made it clear he doesn't want to discuss the matter. Let's go back to my place. I'll fix a cup of tea and we can talk about what to do next."

"No, I want to get out of here. Leave the valley and go into Gunnison. Maybe we can go to the gun store and order that .50 cal sniper rifle you were talking about. The next time he rolls that mirror out we'll be on the canyon rim ready to smash it."

Not wanting to argue further Derek agreed with her. "Let's go pack an overnight bag and spend the night at a motel. Things will look brighter in the morning, and we'll be in town to meet with Tom."

They stopped by their apartments to pack, then got back in the cab to go check out a normal car for the drive into town. The vehicles were kept in one of the mine shafts. There was no one attending to them. Whoever needed one would pick it out and drive to the front gate. They chose a Jeep Wagoneer and stopped at the gate to wait for the guard to come out. They could see he was on the phone with someone, nodding his head as his lips said "Yes sir."

"He must be talking to Elliott. . . . Why is he taking so long?"

Before Derek could tell her to be patient a second guard was standing at the driver's window motioning for him to roll it down. "Good afternoon. May I see your authorization to leave the compound please."

Derek look at him with a smile. "Authorization? We don't need one. We have never needed one."

"I'm sorry sir, but this is a new policy. No one leaves without a Form 124 signed by Mr. Elliott himself. I'm afraid you will have to turn around and return the vehicle to the lot."

Now Derek was fighting with his anger. He considered crashing through the gate but looking at the structure, he knew he couldn't punch through it. All he could do was yell "SHIT!" and turn the car around. As soon as the gate was out of sight Alexis pointed out the obvious. "Do you realize we're prisoners in this valley?"

"Yeah, and Edwin Elliott is the warden."

"Let's go back to the apartments and think this over."

"My place or yours?"

"I have some beer in the fridge."

The two of them sat across from each other at Alex's kitchen table, sipping beer and thinking. Alex asked a question. "Why did Elliott choose today to lock us out of the Op Center – and keep us from leaving? It's like he knows we're plotting against him. How could he know that?"

It took Derek a second but suddenly he looked her in the eye and held up his hand to keep her from saying any more. She didn't get the message and started to talk but Derek grabbed an imaginary zipper and pulled it across his lips. She nodded in response.

Derek got up and returned with a pen and writing pad.

'Maybe this place is bugged' he wrote.

Her eyes got wide, then she wrote,

'You mean he's listening in on everything we say? . . . Even the pillow talk? How do we find the bugs and disable them?'

'Not only listening; there might also be video cameras. But if we disable them he will know we're onto his eavesdropping. We'll go for walks from now on to talk in private. While we're in the apartments we can say things that make him think we've resigned ourselves to the situation and given up our plans.'

Alexis wrote back,

'O.K., but no more fooling around. I don't want that creep to see us making out.'

Derek put on an intentional sad face but nodded his head. Then he tore the page from the tablet, lit a burner on the stove, and destroyed the note. Then they spent the next thirty minutes talking about how hopeless the situation was and how foolish it was of them to think they could outwit Elliott.

Tom said a prayer before he slipped under the covers next to Terri, thanking Him for getting the injunction to shut down the mines in Tall Pines Valley approved. He planned to go up there first thing in the morning and serve the papers on Gerald Lucas. He expected some resistance so he arranged for a U.S. marshal to go with him. That should get them through the gate.

As he slowly drifted off to sleep he was startled awake by the tinkle of breaking glass. That came from the back door. Someone is breaking in! He quietly opened the drawer of the bedside table and took out his Smith and Wesson .45 revolver. Then he slid out of bed onto the floor and crawled out the bedroom door to the top of the stairs. He lay there with the gun aimed down the stairs. If anyone tries to come up here I'll blow their knee cap apart, he thought. Less than a minute later someone approached the first step. There was just enough light for Tom to see the night vision goggles covering the eyes. Damn! He'll be able to see me if I move. And I have to get him to shoot first so it's self defense.

Tom felt around with his foot until it touched the small trash can behind him. When he kicked it over the loud noise caused the intruder to fire a wild shot up the stairs. It was followed immediately by the roar from Tom's forty-five. The man fell to the ground holding his right knee and screaming in pain. Tom jumped up and ran down the stairs to grab the weapon the man had dropped. Then he ripped off the goggles to see if he recognized the man. He didn't. Then Terri appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Call the sheriff, Teri. And the ambulance. I've got a wounded intruder down here."

By the time the sheriff and ambulance arrived the man's screams had subsided to whimpers. Before the paramedics wheeled him out to the ambulance the sheriff went through the man's pockets. He looked at Tom. No I.D. and the Glock 15 pistol with a silencer tells me this guy wasn't here to steal the silverware, Tom. He's a professional. Have you got any enemies? Maybe you owe big money to the indian casino over in Crested Butte or something?"

"I don't gamble, Harry. The only debt I have is mortgage on this house, and I don't think the bank would want me dead."

"You and the wife getting along O.K.?"

Tom gave the sheriff a long hard look and answered testily, "No, Terri didn't hire this guy to kill me. Jeeze Harry, what a question to ask a friend."

"Well, I had to ask it. Just doin' my job. I'll get some forensics people from the state over here to examine the crime scene. I'll have to seal it off, so you two need to get dressed and pack a bag. You'll be staying at the Best Western for a couple of days."

"We'll go to our cabin in the mountains, Harry. Call me when we can come back here."

"Sure thing, Tom." He tipped his hat to Terri "Nice seein' you ma'am."

The two-hour drive up to the cabin on Elk Creek was uneventful. They didn't say much. Terri had questions to ask but she knew now wasn't the time. And Tom's mind was fully occupied running through the break-in and the shooting, trying to see if the had missed something important. When they came to the point where the dirt road passed the foot of he steep driveway up to their place Tom stopped the car. Could that be it? Would the man go that far to stop him? He turned to Terri. "I think I know what's going on, honey."

Terri had built up some anger by this time and snapped at him, "Don't honey me! What have you gotten yourself into that almost got us killed tonight?"

"I think it was because I was doing my job. The judge came through with the injunction yesterday. The only way Elliott can stop us from shutting him down is to kill me. I think he sent a hired gun to do the job."

Terri searched his face to see if he was lying. With that sixth sense wives have she knew that he wasn't. "My god, Tom! He won't stop coming after us until you're dead!"

"I think you're right. We'll be safe up here in the mountains for now. The title to the cabin is in your father's name. I never bothered to get it changed after he passed away, so there's nothing in the records to connect it to us."

"But what if he does find us? What then?"

"I have several deer rifles and hand guns locked away in the gun safe. I'll get them out and ready just in case."

As Tom turned up the driveway he remembered he was supposed to meet Derek and Alexis in the morning. "Remind me to text Derek first thing in the morning and tell him what happened."
Chapter 17 – Rendezvous

Derek and Alex spent the night at his apartment, in his bed. After discussing it they decided they enjoyed sleeping together and vowed to keep their passions in check. They were up early because Derek needed to contact Tom to cancel their meeting. As he was entering the text his phone signaled an incoming message.

Big trouble Derek. Can't meet today because we're on the run from someone who wants to kill me. We need to talk in private. If you can get away I'll text you GPS coordinates for a safe place to meet. Let me know.

Tom

"Alex, come here! You need to see this!"

She rushed over with her finger to her lips, reminding him of the bugs in the apartment. She picked up the conversation. "Yes I see that. What a great photo of your brother. It was nice of him to send it. You haven't seen him in what . . .?"

"It's been three years. He looks a little older, but don't we all."

"And that's why we need to get more exercise, honey. Come on, let's go for a walk."

When they were safely away from the apartments they started talking.

"O.K.. What's got your attention?"

Derek showed her the message from Tom.

"Elliott! It's got to be Edwin who wants him dead because of the injunction. We need to get out of here. Now! We could be next!"

"I don't know how. He's got the gate blocked."

Alex was silent for a minute. "I've got it. We'll hike up to the top of Fossil Ridge and head north across the plateau. I think there's an old forest road about ten miles in that direction. Let me check."

She punched a few commands into her smart phone and pulled up a map of the area.

"Yes, there it is. FR742. It follows Taylor Creek down to the river and on into Gunnison."

"We can't go there. Once he knows we're gone Elliott will have his people out looking for us. What if we go the other direction, further up Taylor creek?"

"The road ends in the middle of the Fossil Ridge Wilderness. There's no civilization up there, just forests."

"Well, at least it gets us away from here. . . . Wait. Maybe we can have Tom come and pick us up!"

"Great idea, if he can get there without getting caught by Elliott's men. I don't want him risking his life to save us."

"Send him a message – use the encrypted mode. "

"I'll have to first send him the encryption key, then wait awhile before I send the message. In the meantime let's put some food and clothes in our backpacks so we can go as soon as it's dark outside."

Elliott called the operations crew together to tell them what the next target would be. "This crazy North Korean dictator is on the verge of starting a nuclear war. He's already demonstrated a missile capable of reaching Hawaii. I want to destroy the nuclear weapon research facility, but it's buried in a cave two hundred feet below the surface. We can't wait for him to get a missile warhead operational. We have to stop him now."

One of the crew asked, "How do you propose to do that, sir."

"We're going to destroy the supreme leader himself. The next person in line to take over when he's gone is much more favorable to reaching an agreement with the U.S. If we can take out the leader, the threat will go away.

"I have some intelligence hacked from a CIA computer that says he will be visiting the Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs Cemetery to honor the members of the People's Army killed in what they call the Great Fatherland Liberation War from South Korea. Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m. Korean time he will be laying a wreath on the tomb of his father. Three of his top generals – hawks who want to attack America – will be with him."

"Will we hit the vehicle he is riding in?"

"No, it would look like the car blew up for some reason. I want to hit the four of them while they are standing out in the open. I want them to burst into flame and burn to a cinder on live television for everyone to see. I want them, and the world, to know what happens to evil men. With some luck the world will think it was the hand of God striking them down. That will give other dictators and oppressors something to think about – and fear. Any questions? Alright, there's a 15-hour time difference so be in the Op Center by 3 p.m. this afternoon to get ready for the 11 p.m. attack. We'll be up most of the night, so get some sleep before you show up."

Tom was waiting for an answering text from Derek, but all he got was a string of numbers and letters. He showed Terri to see if she could make anything out of it and she said it looked like a code of some sort. "Yeah, but a code to what? What do I do with it?"

"Be patient sweetheart. You will know when it's time to know."

Later in the afternoon he got a message, but all he saw on the screen were instructions to enter the decryption key. "Aha. Now I know what to do with the code." He typed in the characters and hit enter, then the message appeared.

Big trouble here too, Tom. Elliott has us locked in the valley and locked out of the operations building. We have an escape plan, but we need your help. We are going to hike out over Fossil Ridge and walk north to FR742. We will be at GPS coordinates 38.6942° N, 106.6456° W at dawn. Can you pick us up there?

Tom answered that they would be there, then got out his forest map of the Fossil Ridge Wilderness and pinpointed the location. "Look at this Terri. Derek and Alexis want us to meet them here at sunrise. We can't go down through Gunnison, but I see two other forest roads we can take. It's a long ride – about four hours – so we should leave about one a.m. to be sure we're there waiting for them. Pack up some warm clothes for us along with food and water for them. They be hungry and thirsty by the time they get there – it's ten miles over rough terrain."

"You're going to take some guns, aren't you?"

"I already thought of that. We don't know what to expect so we need to be prepared."

Derek and Alex were getting prepared too. They were going over a checklist to make sure everything they thought they might need was crammed into their two backpacks.

"I think that's it, Derek. I can't think of anything else."

"I can. Climbing up to the ridge at night without a flashlight isn't something we want to do. There's a half moon out and the sky is clear but that won't be enough light. You don't have one, do you?"

"There are a couple in the lab but we can't get in there. Other than that, I can't think of anything . . . Wait a minute! What about the apartment maintenance shop. If we can get in there we might find a flashlight or two."

"Where is the shop?"

"I don't know, but they're usually in the basement."

"The elevator doesn't go down there. We'll have to take the emergency stairway. Are you up for a little excursion?"

"I wouldn't think of sending you down there alone, Derek. Someone has to keep watch so we don't get caught."

Ten minutes later they were at the maintenance room door, but it was locked. "What now fearless leader?"

"Back in college I used to be pretty good at using a credit card to get in locked doors. Let's see if I still have the touch." As he got ready to slide his card into the door jamb Alexis asked, "Shouldn't we knock first? In case anyone's in there?"

"Great idea. I don't know I would do without you as my trusty sidekick."

When no one answered he continued with the credit card. It took him several tries, but finally he was able to pull the door open. "Guess I'm a little rusty."

"Why would you want to open locked doors in college?"

"It was kind of a competition among engineering students, to see how many different ways we could come up with to get past locks."

"And whose doors did you break into?"

"It was just a friendly competition. No crime involved. But one guy used his talent to break into the professor's office to get a look at an upcoming final exam. He didn't get caught but he got a C on the test even though he saw the exam ahead of time. I asked him how he managed to do that and he said some of the professor's answers didn't seem right to him, so he made up his own. Not the brightest bulb in the box."

"I'll stay here by the door listening for footsteps while you look around."

It took awhile but Derek finally turned up with two flashlights and a handful of AA batteries. "I got a box cutter and a big pointed screwdriver in case we need to defend ourselves. I looked through a couple of desks to see if there was a handgun stashed somewhere but no luck with that."

"I would definitely feel safer with a gun. Are you any good with a box cutter?"

"As good as the next guy, I suppose. Let's get back to the apartment."

Just after ten o'clock the two went out into the night through the back door of the building and started up the steep slope. This time they paced themselves so Derek wouldn't get out of breath. They were just about to pass the cave where they spent their very first night together during the snowstorm when they felt a rumble coming up from the valley.

"Shit. Another mission." She looked over at Derek. " I wonder what Elliott is going to destroy tonight."

"Let's pray that there aren't any people around this time." The reminder of body parts falling on Sao Palo sent a shiver down both their spines. "When we get together with Tom and Teri we'll figure out a way to destroy PeaceKeeper."

An hour later they crested the top of Fossil Ridge and looked back. Even in the faint moonlight they could make out the complex down in the valley. Then they turned and began the trek across the forested plateau.

The hike took longer than they planned because of some deep crevasses they had to find a way around. They were still a couple miles short of the forest road when the sun broke above the horizon and they had to stop and take in God's miraculous beauty. Alexis started humming the old Cat Stevens song 'Morning has Broken, Like the First Morning.' After a few minutes they turned back north and increased their pace.

"I hope they wait for us, Derek."

"Given the bind we're both in I think they will. Combining forces is the only way we're going to beat Elliott."

When Terri saw them coming over a rise she and Tom jumped out of he car and ran to greet them with hugs. Derek was out of breath but he managed to get out the words "We were worried you'd get tired of waiting and leave."

"Not on your life," Terri answered. "We're a team now – we have to stay together."

Tom held out a small soft-sided cooler. "We brought some sandwiches and water if you want them."

'Yes, definitely. We brought water and some cheese crackers but those ran out a ways back."

Tom herded them toward his F350 crew cab pickup. "Now that the sun is up we need to get under the forest canopy as soon as possible. Elliott might have a helicopter in the air looking for us."

As they drove back to Tom and Terri's cabin they exchanged details about what Elliott did to them. After Tom told them about his encounter with the intruder it confirmed for Derek and Alexis that Elliott would stop at nothing to protect his empire. He had become a tyrant with plans to rule the world in the name of peace.

When they got back to the cabin Terri showed the two of them the guest room.

"I'm sorry, but it's the only extra bedroom we have. I guess one of you will have to sleep on the couch."

Alex said, "Oh no, it's O.K.. We're sleeping together now." Derek looked down in embarrassment.

Terri exclaimed, "Great! I knew you two would end up in bed together."

"Oh, no no no. We're sleeping together – just sleeping."

Terri answered with a wink, "Of course you are dear."

"No, I mean it. We have an agreement not to let it go too far. We want to wait until . . . until . . . help me out here, Derek."

"We want to take it slowly. That's how true love grows."

"I respect that. Tom and I are old school too. We dated for two years before we tied the knot. Anyway, this is your room. I'll have lunch ready in an hour or so."
Chapter 18 – Target Gamma

As Terri and Alex cleared the table Tom showed Derek his collection of guns.

"Wow, that's quite an arsenal, Tom. You could hold off a small army from up here."

"Especially if you and Alex are any good with a firearm.."

"When I was in the Air Force we had to qualify with an M-16 and .38 pistol every year. The instructor said I was a natural shooter after I scored expert four years in a row. Alex's father took her deer hunting from the time she was ten so I think you can count on her to help defend this place. How about you and Terri?"

Tom looked down at the floor for a minute. "I was an Army special forces sniper in Iraq. Terri's dad taught her to shoot, and I gave her a refresher course when I got back. This country might turn into a war zone someday and I want her to be equipped to survive."

Terri and Alex had joined them by the end of the conversation. Alex reminded them that she and Derek heard the PeaceKeeper laser fire around 11 p.m. the night before. "Let's go see what Elliott was after this time. It should have hit the news channels by now."

Tom turned on the big screen TV over the fireplace as they sat around the living room. Fox News was in the middle of a breaking news story.

This incident would be unbelievable if we didn't have this video released by the North Korean Government just twenty minutes ago. We warn you that it may be inappropriate for children.

Here you see Chairman Hwa Ho-Sung's car arriving at a military cemetery in Pyongyang to attend a ceremony for the country's war dead. The car behind him is carrying three of the top North Korean generals. The chairman exits his vehicle first, followed by the generals. As they approach the tomb of the Chairman's father all four of them burst into flames – not just their clothes, but their bodies as well. Within seconds all that remains are four unrecognizable twisted figures.

U.S. military leaders have no comment about what could have caused this strange phenomenon. A physicist from a leading university told Fox News that it appeared to be an energy beam of some sort but wouldn't comment beyond that. She said that without more data it was too soon to come to a conclusion about the cause.

The North Korean news agency released a statement from the Deputy Chairman claiming it was an attack by South Korea and retaliatory actions were under way. The U.S. Secretary of State, Juanita Rivers, is urging the Deputy Chairman to reconsider. She said this incident has the potential to erupt into a major conflict on the Korean peninsula, and possibly spread beyond that.

As we gather more information we will break into regularly scheduled programs to update you.

They all sat in silence for several minutes. Derek and Alex understood what had happened, but Tom and Terri, knowing nothing about Elliott's weapon, were dumbfounded.

Tom was the first to speak. "What just happened?"

Derek and Alex looked at each other. "Well, I guess our oath of secrecy is meaningless now. For the past several months Derek and I have been working underground in an enlarged coal mine in Tall Pines Valley developing the most powerful laser ever conceived. When Elliott wants to attack a target a huge mirror designed by Derek is rolled out to the mine entrance. A few hour before that ground-to-space planes launch one or more satellites with mirrors to accept the laser beam from the mine and re-direct it to a target on the ground. With multiple satellite relays he can hit virtually any place on earth, as you saw in the video a few minutes ago."

"So Elliott just incinerated a world leader and three generals halfway around the world?"

"Yes, and it was awful. When we started on the project he assured us that it would never be used against people aside from minor collateral damage. His grand idea was to destroy weapons of war and other threats to society."

Terri asked, "What other target has he attacked?"

"The first was the Columbian cocaine industry, which resulted in the recent cartel wars as they blamed each other for what they thought were fire bombings. The second set of targets were the three major ammunition manufacturers in Nassau, Brazil, and Czechoslovakia."

"Brazil! Was that Sao Palo? Where all those people were killed?"

"Yes. . . . That's when Derek and I decided we had to destroy the monster we created. But Elliott had our apartments bugged, and his security people heard us talking about how we might do that. The next day our access to the laser facility was cut off. When we tried to leave the gate guards wouldn't let us pass. We were trapped."

"So you hiked out? The canyon walls looked pretty steep to me when I visited the site. It would take some serious cliff climbing to get up those."

"The only way out I knew of was to hike up the north end, onto Fossil Ridge. We did it once before." Alex went on to tell about being trapped in an old gold mine during a snow storm.

Terri commented with a smile, "Wow. What a fantastic adventure . . . to tell your kids."

"Kids? You're getting way ahead of us, Terri. We don't know where this relationship will go."

"Well if you're sleeping together – platonically, of course – I think nature will take its course."

Tom interrupted. "Tell us about your ideas for taking down Elliott and destroying his super weapon. If we're going to do it soon we need to start planning."

Derek and Alexis went through the list of ideas they had discussed. "The problem with most of these is the probability of success is pretty low, and if we fail we could be killed. Elliott knows what we talked about. He will strengthen his defenses against all these approaches. We need something new, something he won't know about. Can you think of anything Tom?"

"Yes! I think I came up with something while you were talking that's relatively easy to do with not much risk. We'll use mother nature to defeat him. Do you two know anything about coal mines?"

Derek shook his head.

"Well there's a problem miners have had to deal with for centuries involving methane gas . . . What's that! Listen." They all stopped to hear what alarmed Tom.

Alexis caught the faint sound first. "A helicopter!"

They all concentrated on the sound. "It's getting louder, so it must be coming this way."

They breathed a sigh of relief as it passed over and moved away. . . . Then it circled back and hovered over the cabin. Tom told them to stay inside while he went out to take a look. He didn't stay on the front deck for long.

"It's got a High Tech Mining logo on the side. Gerald Lucas is probably looking down on us right now. Elliott will have some men up here soon."

"Or he will fry us with the PeaceKeeper laser." Terri added.

"After the attack on the Korean leader yesterday it will take a few days for them to get it ready for another shot. I think he will come after us on the ground; try to kill us before we can get away."

Tom took charge. "Get together everything we need to take with us. Terri you put some food in the cooler. Alex, there are two cases of bottled water in the garage; put those out on the back deck. Derek, help me carry down some guns and ammo. Then everyone gather up some essential clothing. It might get cold at night, so pack some coats and sweaters – we have enough for all of us. We want to get out of here in fifteen minutes. Everyone meet on the back deck at 1325 hours."

When they gathered on the deck they saw that Tom had hooked a pop-up tent camper to the trailer hitch on the truck. "I was wondering where we were going to sleep," Alex commented. "It's something Terri and I use when we go hunting. The camouflage paint will keep it hidden from the helicopter if we stay in the trees. Load everything up and let's get moving!"

"Where are we going?"

"West of here Into the Wild Elk Wilderness. We go up there camping in the summer."

Chapter 19 – Aftermath Gamma

While the four fugitives were looking for a place to camp deep in the Wild Elk Wilderness the rest of the world was in shock over the Korean situation. North Korea believed the attack on their Supreme Leader was carried out by South Korea and immediate started preparing for a retaliatory strike. South Korea in turn was amassing their army along the border between the two countries. China, worried that a Korean conflict might spill over the border into their country, was moving twenty percent of their 1.6 million troops in the Peoples Liberation Army to the border with North Korea, while the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet was running at flank speed toward the Sea of Japan. Air Force fighters and bombers were arriving at Japanese bases, while the President and Secretary of State attempted to get the two sides together to work out their differences.

Within a week the furor was starting to settle down a bit when it happened. . . . North Korea launched nuclear missile strikes against the three largest cities in South Korea, killing over two million people. South Korea was demanding that the U.S. retaliate with some of the nuclear weapons they kept in there, while secretly planning a poisoned gas attack on Pyongyang to wipe out the entire North Korean Government. That part of the world was about to become a war-torn wasteland.

Edwin Elliott was once again addressing his co-conspirators of the PeaceKeeper Foundation. They just finished watching news footage of the North Korean nuclear attacks, with surveillance satellite views of the destruction. The group of four sitting around the table held their silence, knowing that to question Elliott's strategy might be fatal. The man had crossed over to the insanity of a true megalomaniac.

He looked straight in the eye of each of the four. "So, as you can see, my plans are proceeding even faster than I had hoped for. By taking out one dictator the nuclear dragon has been unleashed on the entire far east. Soon China will send some of it's own nuclear weapons to destroy the nuclear weapons and missile launch sites in North Korea, destroying the arsenal of the madman who had plans, before his unfortunate demise, to attack America with those weapons.

"With my next attack I will destroy Iran's nuclear capability, then move on to two other irresponsible nuclear powers, India and Pakistan. With the right planning we can incite them to nuke each other, making a significant dent in their overpopulation problem.

"Soon no country will dare disturb the peace for fear of annihilation. After that I plan to focus on trouble makers within the U.S. – excuse the pun – focus – you see we focus the laser beam . . . oh, never mind. Senators, congressmen" – Elliott looked at Director Hamilton and Congresswoman Zapata at this point just to let them know they might be targets if they failed to support him in his future run for the Presidency – "who step out of line; who disrupt the smooth functioning of our republic by twisting the Constitution, will be targeted. By the time I am President there will be no opposition to me or my agenda."

Zapata surreptitiously scribbled a note to Hamilton. "Who's going to stop this!!" He just shrugged his shoulders.

"That's all for now. Please enjoy the facilities here at the Elliott Elite Hotel for a day or two if you wish. But I want you back in Washington on Monday, rested and ready to denounce these horrific attacks."

He left the conference room and went up to his suite on the top floor. Tony Moretti was waiting for him.

"Give me some good news. Tell me you have taken care of Tom Norton."

"No sir. After he and his wife escaped the assassination I set up they disappeared. I questioned the sheriff and all he knew was that the refused to stay at the local motel and went to a cabin in the mountains. I had my hacker check the property registration records under his name to see where it is, but nothing showed up.

"I was about to give up until my hacker dug deeper into the county records and found their marriage license, which listed her maiden name as Olen. That led him to a property registration in her fathers name for a cabin up on Elk Creek. I sent one of the HTMC helicopters up there this noon and they reported that the cabin is occupied, but they couldn't identify who is in it.

"I immediately headed up there with several of my men but they were gone by the time we got there. I'll get a couple of helicopters up in the morning to search along the old logging and mining roads that wind through the Elk mountain area. It may take awhile, but we'll find them."

"Go get Tesla and Flynn an bring them here. They may know something."

"Uh . . . there's a problem with that sir. Those two disappeared during the night."

"They what!! You let them out of your sight?"

"They were in for the night so I had someone watch the front entrance, but they didn't see the two of them come out."

"Well, they either went out the back door of the apartment building or your man fell asleep. Search the entire compound. They must be hiding somewhere."

"We've already done that, sir, and they are nowhere in the valley. They must have climbed up over Fossil Ridge and escaped that way."

"But where to? There are no towns within walking distance. Did they have someone pick them up?"

"I suppose that's possible, sir."

"Damn right it is. . . . Maybe Norton picked them up. Have you explored that possibility?"

"No sir. I'll have a technician review the infrared satellite imagery to see if any warm bodies or vehicles showed up on Fossil Ridge. If we get images we can track them to see where they went."

One week after the missile attack United Nations forces moved in and set up a buffer zone between the two Koreas. Under threat of complete takeover by the U.N. North Korea agreed to surrender one degree of latitude – the southern seventy miles of their territory – to South Korea as reparation. It would take several months for everything to settle down, so the crisis had been averted. But the four fugitives knew nothing of all this.
Chapter 20 – Roughing It

After escaping from the cabin Tom headed northwest into the Wild Elk Wilderness. The rugged country began as a super-volcano 65 million years ago that self destructed when the top blew off. What remains today are dozens of mountain peaks and deep valleys cut through by streams and narrow creeks feeding into dozens of lakes and beaver ponds. The area is crisscrossed by abandoned logging and mining roads without which the terrain would be impassable. No one lives there, but the abundance of deer, elk, and bighorn sheep bring in some of the hardier hunters in the fall. Fortunately that was still three months away, so they didn't have to worry about running into others.

After six hours of bumpy roads and clearing fallen trees out of their way they finally arrived at the place Tom and Terri came to for camping. It was a tree-covered clearing beside a small lake with crystal clear water. Tom had built a stone fire pit and a cooking grill a couple of years earlier along with some flat rock steps leading down to the lake. Behind the clearing was a crude lumber outhouse built over composted toilet pit to supplement the Porta-Potti in the camper.

Alexis looked around. "Wow, you two have built a nice little mountain hideaway here. . . . How long do you think we can stay, Tom? We only have food for a few days. What will we do then?"

"This place has plenty of game – deer, squirrels, and rabbits, and the lake is full of Rocky Mountain trout. We could live here indefinitely."

"What about water? We didn't bring enough of that to last us very long."

"About thirty yards over yonder is a clear stream that empties into the lake. We can refill the water bottles there."

"It's going to be dark soon." Terri reminded them. "We should get busy setting up the camper."

In about fifteen minutes they all stood back and looked at where they were going to live for now. The hard shell ceiling raised up high enough for everyone to stand inside and the canvass-covered fold-out flaps provided two double beds. The center room included a small propane stove, a sink, a dinette that could seat four, and an enclosure for the Porta-Potti.

"Where is the shower?" Alex asked.

Terri laughed. "There isn't one. When we start to smell bad enough we go down and bathe in the lake."

"Isn't that cold?"

"Yes, it is. That's why we don't bathe very long or very often. But in the summer like this we get afternoon rain showers that are warmer than the lake. That's when we go outside and get a shower."

"So this is the Norton hunting camp and nudist colony." Alex said with a smile.

"Yep, that's about it."

After they had eaten they sat in front of a fire out under the amazing night sky. At this altitude and with no sources of light pollution within a hundred fifty miles the stars were crisp pinpoints of light with very little atmospheric twinkling. It was a view to take your breath away.

After several minutes of silence Derek spoke. "I hate to interrupt this beauty, but we need to decide what to do next. We've escaped from Elliott's men and are safe for now, but we can't do much from out here in the middle of nowhere. We can't even get radio reception and our cell phones are useless. So what's next?"

Alexis leaned over and hugged his arm. "I vote we sleep on it and talk about in the morning."

"Alright, but spend some time thinking of more solutions to the PeaceKeeper problem. Tom you were about to suggest something when the helicopter showed up."

"I'll save it 'til morning. . . . Put plenty of blankets over you and snuggle up close. It will be cold tonight."

Elliott's corporate hacker, Hugo Hutchins, was at his computer in Denver watching infrared images from one of the NSA SBIRS satellites passing over central Colorado. When Elliott hired him his first assignment was to establish 'back door' access to all military surveillance satellites. He was so good at his craft that he had his software code completed in two days, and ever since then he provided Elliott and his organization with real-time imaging of much of the earth's surface.

What he was looking for tonight was infrared evidence of people in the central Rocky Mountain forests. His computer was programmed to highlight infrared heat sources as small as the human body through openings in the pine forest covering. Something bigger and hotter would emit enough energy to penetrate up out of the pine trees, but he didn't expect to be that lucky. This was his third satellite pass over the western slopes of the Rockies with no hits so far. Then a red flashing circle appeared on his screen indicating a heat source in the Elk Mountain area. He captured the image then displayed it on the large wall monitor. When he zoomed in he could make out a heat signature that could be a small fire, but there were no human bodies near it.

Hugo immediately went back through his captured images from the previous two satellite passes and studied them more closely. He saw nothing on the earliest one, because there was still enough sunlight to block out any IR images. But on the second one, just over an hour ago, he could barely make out four IR emitters that were too faint to trigger his highlighting routine but he could see enough to determine that they were around the fire under some sparse tree cover. He immediately called Moretti.

Alexis and Derek took turns from night to night with who would be the spooner and who would be the spoonee in bed. Tonight Alexis was the spoonee, which was fine with her because even at this time of the year nights were cold in the mountains. She liked it when it was warm enough to wear thin clothing to bed because she could feel the warmth of his body on her skin. Tonight wasn't one of those nights. They both wore sweatshirts over their shirts and jeans, and even dressed like that they were still cold. Halfway through the night Derek got up and put another blanket over them that took off some of the chill.

He couldn't get back to sleep after adding the blanket. His mind was stuck on the situation they were in – forced to hide out in the wilderness with no phone service, fearing that Elliott's men might somehow find them, and with no hope of getting back into the complex to destroy PeaceKeeper. Things seemed pretty hopeless at this point. He went over scenario after scenario of how they could turn things around but could think of nothing with much chance of success. When sunrise came he got up, put his parka on, and went outside to stand by the shore of the lake. It's so peaceful here. I wish we could stay for awhile and enjoy it, but we have to decide how to get back into the world and evade being captured or killed by Elliott's men. Maybe I'll get out Tom's fly rod and do some fishing. My mind always works better when I'm at peace.

He was about to turn back toward the truck when a pair of arms snaked around his waist. "Good morning sweetheart. The bed got cold after you left so I figured I might as well get out of bed and join you."

Derek turned in her arms and engulfed her in the soft arms of his parka. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah, until you abandoned me. I always sleep well next to you."

"I usually do, but I couldn't quit thinking about our predicament. If we try to drive out of here towing that camper a helicopter might spot us, and I suspect Elliott has access to Government surveillance satellites, which makes it even easier to find us."

"We don't have to solve the problem this minute. Let me make some coffee and we'll sit out here enjoying mother nature until Tom and Terri wake up."

"From the noises in the camper I think they're already up."

As they walked back to the trailer Terri emerged with a coffee pot and four cups in her hands. "Coffee for everyone! Tom will be out in a minute."

Just as Tom came out of the camping trailer they heard it. . . . The helicopter! Somehow Elliot's men had located them. They all ducked back into the trees.

"They will have to get pretty close to spot the camper. If we get under it we should be almost invisible. . . . Maybe they're just flying a search pattern trying to get lucky and they'll be gone soon. Just in case I'll get the guns from the truck."

They lay under the camper side by side trying to see the helicopter. After a few minutes the sound got softer. "I think they're moving on." Derek whispered.

They were about to leave their cover when the rotor sounds reappeared louder than ever. Alex looked across the lake and saw the helicopter headed straight for them forty feet off the water's surface. When it got close it wheeled around sideways to reveal an open door in the side of the copter. Immediately they heard the chatter of automatic weapons fire as the camper above them shook with the impact of dozens of bullets.

"Nobody move!" Tom shouted. "The shooter thinks we're still in the camper, but if he sees any motion he'll start shooting at us." He slowly reached back, grabbed his hunting rifle, and trained it on the helicopter door opening. Through the scope he could see flashes of light from the machine guns. He aimed just above them and squeezed off a round.

The chopper quickly turned and raced away from them. "Looks like you got him, honey," Terri exclaimed.

"Not so fast. I may have just scared them off temporarily. They might come back."

Alexis felt something cold seeping through the leg of her jeans. "I think I was hit! I'm bleeding. My left thigh.

Derek slid back to get a look and saw the growing wet spot on her jeans. He couldn't find an entry wound so he probed the area. "Let me know if this hurts."

"No, no pain yet."

"The tissue might be numb from the impact. That will fade in a few minutes, though."

He looked at his fingers but didn't see any blood. Just then another drip landed on her leg from above.

"It's not blood. One of the shots must have hit the water tank in the camper. It's leaking on you."

"Thank God. I was thinking I haven't even written a will. It's funny what goes through your mind when you think you might die."

"I can relate," Tom said cryptically.

They breathed a sigh of relief as the whup-whup of the helicopter blades receded . . . then it started getting louder again. It had turned around and was coming back for another pass. Before it reached them Tom put the scope crosshairs on the overhead rotor hub and fired two rounds. The machine lurched to the left, righted itself, then began losing altitude as the rotor slowed down. The pilot put it into auto-rotate, which gave him enough control to fly toward the opposite shore as it descended. A hundred yards from the beach the aircraft settled into the lake. Tom watched through the rifle scope as three people escaped and started swimming to shore.

"O.K., move! The pilot had time to make a mayday call, so people will be up here soon. Grab everything essential out of the camper and put in the back of he truck."

"But what about your camper?" Alex asked.

"We'll have to leave it for now. It's probably not much use with all the bullet holes. Help me fold in the tent ends and lower the roof. Terri, get out the road atlas and find us a way out of here. We need to go west – away from Gunnison – and get on a heavily traveled road where we can hide in the traffic."

An hour and a half later they were approaching the little town of Hotchkiss on the western slope of the Elk Wilderness. It was only twenty-five miles from their campsite as the crow flies, but the old mining road they were following zigzagged as it wound it's way through the forest, so it took them almost two hours. They finally broke out of the woods onto Route 92 a mile short of the town.

As they drove down Bridge Street past the row of old businesses they nervously looked for any sign of Elliott's men, but saw nothing out of place in the old mining town. As they passed the last building in town, the Coaltrain Coffee House, they started to relax, but when Derek took one last look out the rear window he saw a black van leave the parking lot and accelerate toward them.

"It looks like they were expecting us to come this way. Step on it Tom."

The 440 hp Power Stroke engine on the F-350 roared to life as it accelerated from 30 mph to 70 mph in less than five seconds.

"What does the road ahead look like Terri?"

She looked at the map. "Straight road through flat farming country for the next four miles, then a stretch of hills and curves before we get to the next town, Delta. We can take U.S. 50 north to I-70 from there."

"If we can get ahead of them in the hills I have another plan when we get to Delta – turn south on 50 toward Gunnison."

Tom interrupted. "That doesn't make sense. They will have more people waiting for us if we go back to Gunnison."

"That's what I want them to think. Somewhere along the way we'll look for a quick turn off from the highway that will hide us. After they pass us we'll double back and go north toward I-70."

Even though Tom kept the truck at 90 mph past the farms the van stayed a couple hundred yards behind them. But when he got to the hills it fell behind and they lost sight of it. They reached flat land just before the got to highway 50. Tom slowed a bit as they approached the intersection until he could see the van in the distance. He turned south on to the highway slowly to make sure they saw him, then immediately accelerated back up to ninety.

"What's ahead of us, Terri?"

"Highway 50 toward Gunnison runs south through flat farm land for the next twenty miles. Not many places to pull off and hide. The town of Olathe is about three miles ahead. Maybe we'll see something there."

As they raced into the town there was a long factory on the left. The van was still out of sight so Tom yanked the wheel to the left, making a sharp left turn onto Davis road. The truck rose up on two wheels, teetering on the edge of the outside tires. Everyone instinctively leaned to the inside to change the weight balance and held their breath. The three seconds it took the truck to complete the 180-degree turn and drop back down onto four wheels seemed much longer to those in the truck, who had mental images of the F-350 flipping and rolling.

Tom accelerated again and stopped behind the Tuxedo Corn Company. The long warehouse completely blocked the view from the highway, so Derek got out and peeked around the corner of the building. Thirty seconds later the van sped past headed south. He kept watch for a minute or two to make sure the van kept on toward Gunnison, then got back in the truck.

"They're gone. Let's roll!"

Forty five minutes later they picked up I-70 in Grand Junction and headed west. No one spoke until they were safe among a herd of cars and trucks on the interstate.

"Whew, what an experience. Disneyland will be really boring after this."

Tom looked back at Alexis. "You got that right! I wasn't sure the truck would make it through that turn. Thank God it did. . . . Now, where to?"

Derek thought through the priorities for a minute, then concluded, "We need a safe place to study our options for stopping Elliott."

"You're right. But we need to decide something soon, before he attacks another target."

"Another thing we need soon is cash. Elliott's hacker might be monitoring our bank accounts. If we use our ATM or credit cards for gas and food they'll know where we are. How much cash do we have?"

When they added up what they had on them it totaled $192.

"This truck is a gas hog, so we can't go too far on that money. And we still have to solve our cash problem."

Derek answered, "I think have the solution to both problems. Before Charlene and I retired to Georgia we lived just east of Albuquerque. I haven't had the heart to sell the house yet. It was something she designed and I built with my own hands – well, she helped a little." At that memory Derek choked up briefly. "We can stay there. And I have an investment account with Merrill-Lynch. I don't think the hacker will be looking for that."

"How much can you get from that account?" Alex asked.

"Well, if I sold all my investments we would have just short of half a million dollars."

Alexis liked his use of the word 'we.' It strengthened her hope that they would get through this and be married – or at least live together. With the emotional pain he still felt about Charlene, she wasn't sure if he could get past that and take a new wife.

"We won't need that much. Maybe start with ten thousand – we could live for a couple of months on that."

"But we don't know how long we'll be on the run or how much it will cost to take out PeaceKeeper. I'll withdraw fifty thousand for now. And I can get a cashiers check for that just by going into the Merrill-Lynch office and talking to my Broker. It won't involve a bank."

Tom announced, "O.K.. Albuquerque it is. Terri, find us a route that will keep us as far from Gunnison as possible."
Chapter 21 – STW Inc.

After an eight-hour trip that took them south through Moab, Utah then to Gallup, New Mexico they rolled into Albuquerque just before sunset. They had over half of their cash left so they treated themselves to southwestern food at Garduños, the best Mexican restaurant in town according to Derek. Realizing they still had dirty clothes on from laying under the camper Terri asked, "Aren't we a little underdressed?"

"You are never underdressed in Albuquerque. Thanks to influx of hippies in the seventies dressing up means wearing jeans with no holes in them."

After a satisfying dinner and a serenade by a wandering mariachi quartet they were back in the truck. Derek directed them south to I-40 then east into Tijeras canyon. At Exit 175 they left the interstate and drove north to Cedar Crest.

Derek switched into the tour guide mode. "This side of Sandia mountain is called the East Mountains. You can see how the pine covered land slopes up to top – Sandia Peak. The west side of the mountain, overlooking the city, drops off almost straight down. The peak is 10,600 feet high – 5,000 feet above the city. When light from the reddening sunset hits it that face turns pink. Combined with the sloping east side covered with green pines it looks like a quarter of a cut of watermelon. That's what Sandia means in Spanish – watermelon."

After a right turn that took them winding up a steep hillside they entered Sierra Vista Estates, a collection of thirty or so homes of various styles and ages. Derek directed Tom to his house, then got out and unlocked the six-foot-high wrought iron gate. He motioned for Tom to go up the driveway and park behind the house, then locked the gate and joined them.

"Welcome to my labor of love."

They stood at the back of a two story house, with a deck off the upstairs bedroom and a glassed-in sunroom below. Surrounding it were several pinion pine and mountain juniper trees ranging from six to ten feet high. In the corner of the back yard there was a dried up pool and stone waterfall beneath an overhanging tree. Alexis could imagine she and Derek sitting out on the deck, margaritas in hand, listening to the murmuring waterfall.

After he unlocked the sliding door into the kitchen he shooed them inside. The three of them stood for bit, taking it all in. The honey-colored oak cabinets complimented the saltillo terra-cotta floor tiles perfectly. Lightly marbled tan and brown granite topped the counters while soft recessed lighting illuminated the area. As they walked into the living room Terri said, "Oh, I love the vaulted ceiling in here. . . . And those huge front windows. What a view."

"They face east so we get a beautiful sunrise here." Derek thought back to the mornings when he and Charlene would watch the sun come up while having their morning coffee and felt his eyes water with almost tears. No one noticed except Alexis. We shouldn't have come here. It's too emotionally painful for him. I want to hug him, but I'd be invading his privacy.

Terri broke the silence. "I'm dead tired. Where do we sleep?"

Derek answered, "The bedrooms are upstairs. The master is to the left – Charlene and I will sleep there . . . Oh. Sorry Alex."

Knowing that Derek couldn't take her to the room he and Charlene shared Alexis said, "Derek and I will take one guest bedroom and you two take the other." Tom looked at her quizzically until Terri elbowed him in the ribs. It still took him a second to figure out why, but he finally got it and replied, "Sure that works for us. I'll grab our bags from the truck."

As Alex and Derek got ready for bed he put a hand on her shoulder. "Thanks, Alexis. I couldn't share that bed with another woman . . . at least not yet. Maybe after all this is over we can come back here."

"I would like that.

The next morning, Sunday, Derek was the first one to rise. He drove down the hill to a coffee shop and returned with four large cups of coffee, creamer, sugar, and some pastries from a local bakery. When Alexis heard him come in she put on some sweats and joined him at the kitchen table. Once they took the lids off the styrofoam cups the scent wafted upstairs and drew Terri and Tom down to join them.

Derek smiled, "I hope everyone slept as soundly as I did. I'm refreshed and ready to start planning how we're going to destroy Elliott and his weapon. But first we need to catch up with the news – see what happened with this Korea situation. He picked up the remote, switched on the wall-mounted television, and selected a 24-hour news channel. They were shocked by what they saw. North Korea had launched a nuclear attack against the Republic of Korea in the south, who they blamed for the multiple assassinations Talking heads on the news programs were speculating that South Korea might unleash a poison gas attack – possibly a nerve agent – in a counter attack.

"My God, he's pushed the world over the edge into nuclear war. Elliott's a madman!"

"Then we need to move quickly," Alex declared. "I think our first action should be a news release exposing the PeaceKeeper site in Tall Pines Canyon. Then the Air Force can destroy it with a single air strike."

Derek interjected, "You forget that Elliott has full access to all U.S. surveillance satellites. He'll see the attack coming and destroy the planes with his laser beam from space before they get anywhere near the valley. Besides, the press – and the public – will think we're crazy. They would never believe such a story."

"So you think a news release is useless?"

"No, I didn't say that. But we should lead them along a little at a time. First we have a well-regarded expert in high-energy lasers – that would be you Alexis – announce that, in your opinion, the characteristic of these attacks point to the possibility of a space-based laser weapon. Nothing more. Just the suggestion."

"What will that accomplish?"

"The major powers – the U.S., China, and Russia – will immediately point the finger at each other for putting such a weapon in space. People will go from asking if it could be possible to asking who built it. The credibility issue is put aside."

"O.K., that's step one. What next?"

No one spoke up until Alex came up with an idea. "I think we need to get some photos of the laser in action with the big mirror in front of the mine entrance and release those to the media. What do you think about that, Derek?"

"Well, the laser beam is invisible so a photo of just the mirror wouldn't be solid evidence. But we can solve that by using two cameras; one taken with a visible light camera showing the mirror and the other with an infrared camera that can see the beam. The two photos side-by-side will tell the story.

Terri brought up another point. "But to do both of these things we'll have to know when Elliott plans to use the laser. Is there any way to find that out, Alexis?"

"That's a good question. As part of the operational procedure we test fire the laser twelve hours prior to an operation – an attack. The laser makes a lot of noise, a deep rumble, when it fires that can be heard, actually felt through the ground. When we were escaping up Fossil Ridge we felt it when the Korean attack happened. I don't think it can be felt from more than a couple of miles away, so I don't think we could use that to detect the test burn."

Tom spoke up. "I think we can, and I know how to do it. My background is in geology and one way we map underground rock strata is with seismic surveys. Small explosions on the surface create vibrations that travel down and bounce off different types of rock layers. The seismic sensors used to detect these vibrations are very sensitive, especially to low frequencies – rumbles. If we could plant some of those sensors up on Fossil Ridge and remotely monitor them from a cell phone we could easily detect the test shot."

Derek added excitedly, "That's perfect, Tom! If we can set up the cameras on top of the ridge at the south end of the valley we'll get great photos of the mirror rolling out when the attack happens twelve hours later. We'll need seismic sensors along with visible and IR cameras. We can order everything we need online and pick them up at FedEx in town. That way we won't have to provide an address. And there are a couple of other things we need. First a couple of new lap top computers with email encryption capability and a wireless 4G internet link. We can use those to monitor the seismic sensors. We will also need some 4G cell phones that can't be traced to us."

"We can't use Derek's credit card to order online. Elliott's hacker is probably scanning the web looking for our names to show up."

"Your right, Alex. . . . So how can we order what we need ?"

After a couple of minutes Terri came up with an idea. "What if we create a company, then open a bank account in that name. Derek can put the money he withdraws from Merrill-Lynch in it and then get a corporate credit card we can use to order stuff.

Tom smiled at his wife. "Great idea, Terri. Do you have any objection Derek?"

"None at all. What about a name for the company. It doesn't have to be an actual corporation. Waiting for the paperwork on that would take way too long. All we need is a web site and a bank account. But we need to think up a name for it."

Terri was already thinking about it and came up with the name Save The World. Inc. – STWI.

Derek asked for a vote from the 'Board of Directors' and everyone agreed.

"There's another order of business – my truck. Elliott might have the cops looking for it in Colorado and the surrounding states. We shouldn't go into Albuquerque with it."

# "I have the answer to that problem, Tom. My wife has a car out in the garage. Charlene won't mind if we borrow . . . Um, we left it here when we moved to Georgia. It's a 2014 Toyota Land Cruiser four-by-four with the big V-8 engine – plenty of room and power for what we need. And the charcoal-grey color will make it harder for the space cameras to pick up."

# There was an uncomfortable silence after Derek's slip about Charlene, but Alexis changed the tone. "So what are we waiting for. Let's swap vehicles and go into the city to get some of those breakfast burritos Derek's been bragging about. Then we can do the financial stuff and be back here by mid-afternoon."

#

# They went to Garduños again, this time for a delicious New Mexican breakfast, then on to Merrill-Lynch, followed by a stop at Sunwest Bank to open an account for STW Inc. After a stop at the local supermarket to get some food and other essentials, they drove back up the hill to Cedar Crest.

# Later, as they sat out on the back deck watching the sun drop behind the mountain peak, they discussed how they would carry out their plan.

# "How quickly can we get the equipment shipped to us, Derek? I want to nail Elliott before he strikes again."

# "I don't know Terri. We'll have to ask the suppliers. If they have what we need in stock we should have it in a few days with expedited shipping. But if they have to order from the manufacturer it could take a couple of weeks. We just have to hope we can get everything assembled, working, and in place before PeaceKeeper fires again. If we can't, we'll be ready for the next time."

# "Will we be up on the mountain operating the cameras? That could be dangerous."

# "Good question. So how do we get the cameras and sensors in place? Any ideas?"

# "Drones" Tom said.

# "What kind of drones?"

# "The four-rotor type that Amazon delivers packages with. We'll need two of them; one for the cameras and another to put the seismic sensor in place on Fossil Ridge. There are several camera drone products to choose from that we can retrofit with our own cameras. Also, I know of a company that makes seismic sensor drones that land on the ground, sense vibrations, transmit the data back to the base station, then return to the launch point."

# "Great. Alex, what do you know about infrared cameras?"

# "A lot. We use them in the laboratory to see the IR laser beam. The best IR cameras are made by FLIR. They're expensive, but I guess that's not a problem. I'll decide which type will work for us and order it in the morning."

# Terri spoke up. "It seems to me that it would be helpful to have one person doing the ordering, tracking orders, and organizing delivery dates. . . . I'll volunteer to do that."

# "Good idea, Terri. We hereby elect you Chief Financial Officer of STW Inc."
Chapter 22 – Screw The NFL

# Edwyn Elliott wasn't a football fan. He was too busy to waste his time watching twenty two oversized men fight over a synthetic pigskin object shaped to make it bounce erratically. But he did watch the news. On his office wall opposite his desk he kept six large TV screens tuned to the major news networks. Like many smart people he was blessed with Attention Deficient Disorder, A.D.D., which allowed him to focus on several tasks at once. If a headline appeared on one of the screens he would push a button to activate the sound. That was how he kept up to date with happenings around the world.

# So even though he didn't watch football games on television he did notice when something unusual happened in sports – like when a single football player refused to stand for the national anthem. When it spread like a virus to other players in the NFL, and the league did nothing about it, he was irate. He thought they were traitors to their country – a country that made it possible for young athletes from poor families to rise to the top of their profession, making millions of dollars a year. And the worst part was that children and teenagers were picking up those anti-American attitudes.

# This morning he looked up from his desk to see the football player who started it all in a TV ad for a major sporting goods company. Elliot slammed his fist down on the desk in anger. "I can't believe it. That ad has made the man a hero, infecting the entire country with his plague of disrespect. I've got to do something about that. . . . Maybe light up the factories that make the sporting goods products. . . . No, that won't work. Those factories are all overseas. People might not make the connection with what I'm pissed off about. . . . Maybe I should be going after the NFL. How can I make an unequivocal statement – and hit them in the pocketbook. . . . Aha! I've got it!"

#

# Hank Rawley was looking forward to an afternoon with his two boys, ages twelve and fourteen. Since the divorce last year he only got to spend one Saturday afternoon a month with them. He and his boys, Mitch and Sam, got along really well – unless their mom, Sheryl, was present. When the four of them were together she continually belittled their father for everything, from the failed marriage (she had to seek companionship outside the marriage because 'he doesn't pay enough attention to me'), to the places he took the boys on their monthly outings. Hank wanted to defend himself when she attacked but didn't want to argue in front of the kids.

# As he drove to Sheryl's home to pick them up he thought, Why don't I stand up for myself. The boys are getting a bad lesson in how to be a man. Maybe I should take a stand – teach them something. . . . The next time she does that I'll turn on her – counter attack with the truth. . . . The boys are old enough to handle it. Lord, give me the courage.

# As he pulled into the driveway Mitch and Sam were waiting for him, along with Sheryl's live-in man friend, Rex. He made sure to give the boys a hug before he let them get into Hank's ten-year-old Dodge Caravan. That bastard's trying to steal my boys from me! He has them all the time and all I get is six hours a month with them. I hope she doesn't make them call him 'Dad.'

# The boys buckled themselves into the back seat and rode in silence until Hank pulled into the parking lot of Domino's. Then they popped the belt buckles loose and piled into the front seat with Hank. With chatter and laughs they all hugged, then got out and dragged Hank into the pizza restaurant. At the order counter Hank said "I'm Hank Rawley. I called ahead and ordered a large pepperoni pizza with ranch dressing on the side. And let's have three lemonades with that." The girl smiled as she took his credit card, and glanced at the older son. Good lookin' kid but too young for me. Mitch sensed that he was being sized up, and rejected, which caused him to blush. She's cute. I wish I was her age so I could ask her out to a movie or somethin'. . . . I hate it when I turn red like this! It makes me feel like a little kid.

# As they ate the pizza Mitch kept trying to steal another look at the girl without letting her know, but she seemed to have a sixth sense. As soon as his eyes fastened on her she would turn her head quickly and catch him staring. That made him blush even more. Finally the light dawned in his mind. She's just playing with me, trying to make me embarrassed. It's just a game to her. It doesn't matter to her what it's doing to me. I'll show her. I'll quit the game. . . . Just one more look.

# She felt his glance again and turned to look. . . . And then she smiled at him. His confidence soared. As he smiled back he thought, She's got a beautiful smile. Maybe I should go up and talk to her. . . . I don't even know her name.

# His reverie was broken by his dad's voice. "Come on, guys. Time to go if we want to make the kick off."

#

# The three of them got to their stadium seats just as the National Anthem started. They stood, hands on their hearts, and joined thousands of others singing the familiar words. Hank wasn't sure why, but often, like today, the majestic song sent chills up his spine. They stayed standing and cheered as the home team ran onto the field at Levi's stadium, and booed when the opponent's team entered. Then they sat back to enjoy the game.

# By halftime their team was ahead, but by only a field goal. As the two teams cleared the field the National Anthem started to play again through the stadium speakers. Mitch yanked on Hank's sleeve. "Come on Dad. We gotta beat the crowd to the concession booth."

# "Not yet, boys. I don't know why they're playing it again, but stand still and face the field. You know where to put your hand."

# The boys reluctantly did as they were told. Sam was the first to see it. "What's that?" he shouted.

# "Shhh. Don't be disrespectful."

# "No, I mean there at the end of the field. Something's burning."

# Hank and Mitch looked to where he was pointing, and stood transfixed. Slowly, starting at one goal line the grass began to burn. Like a flaming finger it continued its path toward the opposite goal line, leaving the word

# PEACEKEEPER

# burned in large blackened letters on the field. As the song finished the flaming ceased. The crowed was hushed at first, unable to believe what they just saw. Then pandemonium broke out as sixty thousand people crowded toward the exits. Hank's quick mental analysis told him that the stampeding fans were the biggest threat so he pushed the boys back into their seats and sat between them, fending off anyone who threatened to climb over them.

# The news that evening would carry reports of hundreds who were killed or injured by the stampeding horde, as well as reports of twice that many car accidents as everyone tried to leave the parking lot at once. Reporters flocked to the football field before the police cordoned it off to see for themselves what they had viewed on television that afternoon. What they reported was sobering. The black letters were grass that had burned all the way to the ground, leaving not even the shortest stubble. One reporter took out a pocket knife to probe the roots and found they too were burned to a depth of two or three inches.

# The next morning the news channels featured hand-picked experts on everything from spontaneous combustion to death rays from alien spaceships. The finger of God was mentioned more than once. The Government put their own experts on the air to assure the country that nothing supernatural had occurred and that the White House was a convening a team of scientists to study the event.

# Fox News interviewed a Professor of Physics who presented several technical reasons, all way over the head of the average viewer, why the writing had to be the work of a laser beam from space. He was taken into custody by the FBI before the day was over, which fueled several conspiracy theories.

# One topic of discussion was strangely absent – the meaning of the word itself – PeaceKeeper. Even the government was baffled. What could it mean? And more importantly, was it a clue to who was behind this stunt? Was it somehow a threat from China or Russia, or maybe even an alien world?

#

# By midday President Chavez had assembled the National Security Council in the Situation Room. He also invited Dr. Eugene Sharpstein, the chairman of the JASON committee, a group of elite scientists which advise the President and other Government agencies on matters of science and technology. He would need their expertise to figure out what was behind this strange phenomenon.

# He began by showing a video clip of the event from the TV cameras covering the game, followed by some close-ups of the burned grass and roots. They had all watched it before the meeting but Chavez wanted to get them focused on the immensity of the problem.

# "Do you realize that whatever caused this could have just as easily done it to the White House Lawn? Or the White House itself? Whoever is behind this is showing off – showing us that they have the power to destroy anything they choose to."

# He turned to the JASON chairman. "What could be doing this, Dr. Sharpstein? Where did the fire come from?"

# "I've had some of our scientists brainstorming this, and the most likely answer is a high power laser beam. Because it's invisible it would have to be operating in the infrared wavelength band, above 900 nanometers."

# The President interrupted. "Speak English, Gene. None of that high-tech gibberish."

# "Yes sir. Suffice to say that, if it is a laser beam, we can't see it with our eye or with normal cameras. If we could capture it with an IR camera sensitive to wavelength it would help us identify what type of laser it is, but since we don't know where it will hit next – if it does hit again – there's no chance of catching it in action. The U.S. has satellites with the IR cameras in them but I checked and none of them had a view of the football stadium at the time of the attack. If there have been other attacks a satellite might have caught them, but this is the first one . . . isn't it?"

# Secretary of Defense McCauley cleared his throat. After a nod from the President he spoke up. "We believe that there have been three other attacks we know of – against the cocaine cartels, the ammunition factories, and that incident in North Korea recently. We had no reason to check the infrared satellite coverage of the areas, but I'll check with the NSA to see if they have any data."

# "I want to see that data myself, General. Can that be arranged?"

# Again McCauley look at the President and waited for his nod of approval. "Yes, I think that can be arranged."

# President Chavez took the floor again. "With that issue under advisement let's move on the next one. What in hell does the word 'PeaceKeeper' mean? Is it the name of some radical group – a group with the money and expertise to pull it off?"

# Sharpstein answered, "I have a couple of my people looking at that also. Doing a statistical analysis of recent events suggests it might be related to the football player who refused to stand for the National Anthem last year at that same stadium. The disrespect he demonstrated has spread to most of the other teams in the NFL, and a lot of patriotic Americans are upset about it. They see the NFL as traitors to America."

# "What would be the perpetrator's motive?"

# "I think we're seeing it now, Mr. President. Fans have been scared away from NFL football games, which could lead to the financial collapse of the league."

#

# Back in his Colorado office Edwin Elliott chortled with glee. His selection of the NFL stadium as Target Delta demonstrated his powerful weapon to the entire country on live TV. The wild speculations were of no interest to him; even that of the arrested professor who was closer to the answer than anyone thought. Over the next few weeks he got exactly the result he had planned on – no one was going to NFL games. They could still be watched on television, playing to almost empty stadiums, but the league couldn't subsist very long without paid attendance at games.

# The NFL countered with TV ads offering free autographed team clothing and gear for everyone who came to the games, but the fans were frightened and had no intention of returning. On the bright side the TV audience had grown immensely as people watched to see if the event would be repeated. But when nothing happened after awhile, they quit watching.

# Elliott thought to himself, "O.K.. What next?"

#

# Alexis, Derek, and the others weren't into football, so they didn't catch the live action at Levi's Stadium, but there were plenty of re-runs to watch. They knew immediately who was behind it – Elliott and his PeaceKeeper project. What they couldn't figure out was why the attack was so blatant, with no attempt hide what was happening. Surely it wouldn't take the experts long to figure out it had to be a laser beam from space. But maybe that's what Edwyn was after. To let the world know he had the ultimate weapon in his control; one that could destroy any building, any weapon, or any leader, anywhere on earth. Such are the motives of a megalomaniac.

#

#

#

# 
Chapter 23 – Stand Up!

After waiting over an hour for the stadium crowds to clear out Hank and the boys were finally headed home. His cell phone rang four times while they were on the way, but after looking at the screen Hank didn't answer. He didn't want to argue with Sheryl with the boys listening. As he finished the trip he started organizing his thoughts, getting ready for the confrontation with her. He kept repeating his new mantra in his head – Don't give her power over me. Stand up to her. . . . Don't give her power over me. Stand up to her.

As he stopped in the driveway Sheryl stormed out of the house. "Where the hell have you been! How dare you take my children to such a dangerous place! They could have been killed! You idiot! That was really stupid taking them to a football game where fire broke out. . . . I won't let you take them anywhere again. Your Saturday outings are cancelled! You can't see them ever again. You . . ."

Hank held up his hand, palm facing her, in the classic 'talk to my hand' gesture.

"Let me lay this out for you, Sheryl. First, we're all safe – thanks for asking. Second, no one had any idea what was going to happen at that game. It was a perfectly safe place to take them. Third, the name calling has to stop. The next time you put me down it won't work. I won't accept it. If you persist, I will turn and leave and I'll take the boys with me. You're training them to look for a wife just like you, and I won't have it."

"You can't take them away from me. It's against the law – it's in the divorce settlement."

"I could say the same thing about you trying to stop our Saturdays together. If you do that I'll get a court order putting them in my custody."

"You can't do that!"

"I think I can. When the judge hears you are living in sin – screwing – a man who isn't your husband, he'll see the impropriety and change the custody agreement."

"How dare you use a vulgar word like that in front of the boys. They're too young to even know what it means."

"Wanna bet?" He turned to his youngest son. "Sam, what does 'screwing' mean?"

"It means Mom and Rex are fu . . . I mean making love."

Hank took a risk with the next question. "And how do you know that, son.?

"I've heard them. . . . Once I even peeked in the door and watched them."

"What did you do then. Did it shock you?"

"No, I went and got Mitch and we both watched. . . . Afterwards Mitch explained what they were doing and what happens at the end."

Even Hank blushed a little at that information. "More than I needed to know, Sam."

He turned to Sheryl, who was now joined by Rex. "What would a judge make of that if Sam, and Mitch, repeated that in court? . . . Now back off with the attacks or I'll see you in court."

The boys seemed to have gained some courage from the confrontation, because Sam said "Yeah, Mom," and Mitch said "Way to go, Dad."

Hank gave them both a hug and said, "I'll see you next Saturday."

Sheryl shouted, "You can't do that. You already had them this month."

Hank gave her a withering look, then climbed into his car. As he backed out of the driveway he saw the boys running into the house, getting a head start on their mother's anger that she was about to take out on them.
Chapter 24 – A Wanted Woman

# Under pressure from NFL lobbyists, leaders in Congress were calling for congressional hearings on the 'Fire From The Sky' problem, as the press had labeled it. But with all the infighting over who would be on the committee and who should lead it, no immediate action was expected. Like most Congressional hearings, it would mainly be an opportunity for congressmen and senators to show off to their constituents.

# The NSA data sparked action on several fronts, however. When Dr. Sharpstein saw the NSA data he realized that wavelength of the infrared light had to be from a Deuterium Fluoride laser and that, until a few months ago, the U.S. Air Force had a top secret research program to develop a DF laser weapon. The President cancelled the program when they were within months of a successful completion. Whoever was behind this may have hired experts from that program to build another laser and finish the development. He picked up a special phone and called President Chavez directly.

# "This is Gene Sharpstein, sir. I need a list of everyone who worked on the HELLEOS laser weapon program, especially the top technical people. Can you clear that with the Air Force Chief of Staff?"

# "Consider it done."

# "Once I have the names I will need priority action by the FBI to locate them so I can interview them."

# "I'll call the director immediately and have him set up a task force. Anything else, Gene?"

# "No sir, that's all I need for now. I'll keep you in the loop as I pursue this lead."

#

# Twenty minutes later Dr. Sharpstein got a call from Kirtland Air Force Base..

# "Dr. Sharpstein this is Col. William Mansell, commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory. I have instructions passed down from the highest level to do whatever you ask. I don't know who you are but clearly you outrank me, so what can I do for you."

# "I need the names of all personnel, military and civilian, who worked on the HELLEOS project, along with their position and responsibility within the program."

# "I think I can have our personnel office pull that together for you. When do you need it?"

# "By close of business today."

# "Oh, I don't know if I can get it that quickly. How about the day after tomorrow?"

# "No, today Col. Mansell! You got that?"

# "Yes, sir. Message received."

#

# Sharpstein spent the evening going over the list of HELLEOS personnel, highlighting those with the knowledge and expertise to create a DF laser for some unidentified organization. At the top of the list was Dr. Alexis Tesla, director of the entire program. He also identified a half dozen other experts who she would need to recreate the Air Force DF laser project.

# He spoke to the Director of the FBI and got the name of the Task Force Leader, Special Agent in Charge Kyle Casey. He called the agent's office number and was pleasantly surprised the he was still there at almost midnight.

# Sharpstein introduced himself and explained about the list he was going to send over. He made it clear that Dr. Tesla was the most important subject so they should concentrate on her first.

# "Do you have her last known whereabouts, Doctor?"

# "Call me Gene, and I do have the address she was living at while she worked on the Airborne Laser project at Edwards Air Force Base. It will be on the list, as will the addresses of the other six subjects. I want to keep this low key, so when you find them let me know and I'll fly to wherever they are to interview them myself. Have your people keep an eye on them until I get there."

# "I'll see to it. But what if they try to flee? Should we capture and hold them until you get there?"

# "I hope it doesn't go that far, but I can't let them disappear until I talk to them, so yes, hold them if necessary. And keep me updated on your progress, Kyle."

# "Will do."

# With that settled Sharpstein started his search for adaptive optics experts. He had to go back a few years, but he found a paper by Dr. Derek Flynn titled "Using Deformable Mirrors for Correcting Atmospheric Distortion in Ground-to-Space Laser Transmission." He immediately called Kyle Casey back and added Flynn's name to the list of people to locate.

# A week later he met with Casey at FBI headquarters to discuss the progress – or lack of progress – in finding the two scientists.

# "So you're telling me that the FBI Task Force can't find them? Are your people inept or have those two gone into hiding?"

# Casey bristled at the criticism. "My people are the best at what they do – locating and apprehending fugitives. Let me tell you what they have been doing.

# "First, they went to Dr. Tesla's home in Lancaster, California and found it unoccupied. Neighbors said they hadn't seen her in months. We put traces on her bank account and her cell phone calls, but there has been no activity in either. We checked to see if power and water bills were being paid for her home and found both had been paid a year in advance out of her checking account. So no, it's not ineptitude by my team; she has purposefully dropped out of sight leaving no trace."

# "I apologize for my remark about your team, Kyle. I'm getting a little frustrated with the whole thing. So what do you propose we do next?"

# "I know that you wanted to keep this low key, Gene, but I think we should run her name an face on TV news programs as a 'person of interest' in some fictitious crime. If we don't get immediate results we could even add a reward for anyone reporting her whereabouts."

# "I hate to do that, but I guess we have to. But let's not make her a criminal, let's say she's a missing person."

# "I'll have it on tomorrow's news shows and run it for a week."

# "Good. Now, what about Dr. Flynn? Any progress on finding him?"

# "Pretty much the same story. We went to his home in the woods of southern Georgia and saw no evidence of recent activity. My team entered his house – they did that without a warrant, so that's just between you and me – and found nothing but a heavy layer of dust. So he hasn't been there in awhile. Same story with his bank account, cell phone, and bills. His bills were prepaid just like with Dr. Tesla. There's no trace of him. Should we run another missing person alert for him?"

# "No, let's concentrate on Tesla. I have a feeling that if we find her he will be nearby."

#

# Derek and the others weren't interested in watching the news on TV. It wasn't news anymore, just personal opinions of self-declared experts. So they missed the report about the missing scientist, complete with a picture of her face and a number to call across the bottom of the screen. But a waitress from Garduños didn't miss it. She recognized the woman who had eaten at the restaurant twice in the past week and called the number.

#

# Sharpstein was in a meeting giving the President an update on the search when the phone call from Kyle came through. "Excuse me sir, but this is the FBI task force leader. He may have some news for us."

# The President heard only one side of the conversation, but it sounded promising.

# "What have you got for me, Kyle? . . . You have? . . . Great! . . . I'll fly out there this afternoon. . . . And thanks, Kyle."

# He turned back to the President. "They have a reported sightings of Dr. Tesla at a restaurant in Albuquerque, sir. The task force is enroute. If I can get there in time I'll plan on a long meal at that restaurant, just in case she shows up again."

# "Good work, Gene, but I don't like how long it's taking. Speed it up, will you?"

#

# The task force had arrived in Albuquerque ahead of Dr. Sharpstein and was busy looking at security camera footage from the restaurant when he entered the Hyatt hotel conference room. "Kyle, good to see you again. What have you found out so far?"

# "Not much about where she might be staying. None of the hotels have her registered, even under an alias. We questioned the desk clerks and hotel staff to see if they recognized her but that was a dead end. We showed the restaurant waitress several other photos of Dr. Tesla and she is absolutely certain she saw her, but she can't remember which days – only that she was there once for supper and again for breakfast. But both times she was at a table with three other people, and they paid in cash."

# "Three others? I need to see the camera video. Have your men found the footage?"

# "There's a problem with that. The resolution of the camera is very poor, so all we see is fuzzy faces. We have equipment on the way that will enhance the picture, but it won't be here until in the morning."

# "O.K.. Let me know as soon as you have something. In the meantime I'm going to have dinner at Garduños. Want to join me?"

# "Definitely. We haven't anything but snacks since we got here. The hotel is bringing in meals for the task force for as long as we're here, but Mexican food sounds better than what they provide."

#

# "O.K. guys, what are we going to eat tonight?" Terri asked. "I could make us sandwiches – tuna salad, ham and cheese, or PB and J."

# "That's all you got?" Alex asked.

# "Yeah, we need to either go to the supermarket for more food or go out for dinner."

# "Then I vote for out to dinner. Let's do Mexican again."

# "That's got my vote. How about it Tom and Derek – are you up for more south of the border food?"

# "You bet. Let's go before the dinner crowd builds up"

#

# Kyle and Gene were eating slowly, trying to draw out their time at Garduños. Every time the hostess ushered new customers to their tables they studied them carefully. If Dr. Tesla saw the news reports she might be wearing a disguise. Their stake out was complicated because the restaurant was large with multiple dining rooms, so every fifteen minutes one of them would get up and go to the restroom so they could scan the other clientele.

# Kyle was on one of those trips when he thought he spotted their prey. She was at a table with a man and another couple. Her back was toward him so there was no way he could get a look at her face, but he had a gut feeling that it was her. He returned to his table with the news and called the Hyatt to get more agents to join them.

# "What if they leave before your people get here, Kyle."

# "Then you and I will follow their car to see where they're staying. I'll call the task force and we'll surround the place."

#

# Tom pushed back from the table and said, "When the food is this good I always overeat. I'm stuffed. Are we ready to go?"

# The others got up from the table and joined him. As they left the parking lot no one thought to look behind them to see if they were being followed.

#

# They were almost out the door when Kyle realized that her party was leaving. He threw some cash on the table and said "Come on. They're on their way out the door."

# As the car drove out onto Montgomery Boulevard Kyle waited a bit before he followed. It was late enough that the traffic wasn't heavy. He called his second in command to report their location and provide the license number of the subject's vehicle. Finally the suspects turned into the driveway of a residence. Kyle asked Gene to note the address as they drove past. After a few minutes he turned around and went back past the house to a convenience store half a mile away. He gave the location to the task force and waited for them to arrive.

#

# When the four got back to Derek's home they sat around the living room waiting for the uncomfortable feeling in their stomachs to subside. Derek realized they haven't been watching the news to see if there were any more laser attacks so he turned on Fox News. After several minutes they realized there was nothing of interest, but as Derek was about to turn it off he stopped. "Oh my God, look!"

# They watched as a photograph of Alexis appeared on the screen under a 'missing person' headline. The announcer was reporting that she had not been seen at her California home in weeks and that foul play was suspected.

# They sat in shocked silence for a minute or two before Alexis exclaimed, "That son of a bitch! Elliot has enough pull to put my face on network news! That's not fair!"

# Derek thought for a moment, then offered, "Maybe it's not Elliott. . . . I'm going to call that phone number and see who answers."

# He was put on hold for a few minutes until his turn to come up. "This is the Federal Bureau of Investigation missing persons hot line. How can I help you?" Derek immediately hung up.

# "Shit! It's the FBI who is looking for you, Alex. Does Elliott have that kind of power?"

# She answered, "Maybe, but whether he's behind it or not, I need to stay out of public view. No more trips to town for me. I'm a wanted woman."

# "I could say something humorous about that, but I won't," Derek added.

# They sat there trying to take it all in when Terri said "Shhhh. I think I heard something outside."

# "It's probably just a coyote trying to get into the garbage can. I get that all the time up here."

#

# Kyle whispered into his radio, "All stations – report." Each of his squad leaders replied affirmative with two clicks of their mike buttons.

# "On my count – three, two, one – GO!"

# Simultaneously the front and back doors were smashed open and several agents flooded through shouting "FBI. DOWN ON THE FLOOR, NOW! HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD. NO TALKING."

# "You can't just break into my home!"

# "SHUT UP! I SAID NO TALKING. NOBODY MOVE." The entry team moved quickly among the four people, frisking them for weapons then handcuffing each of them. The squad leader used his radio to call agent Casey. "They are all on the floor and cuffed, sir. No weapons found. It's safe for you to enter."
Chapter 25 – Closing In

Agent Casey entered the living room where the four subjects were lying handcuffed, face down on the floor. He went over to Dr. Tesla and rolled her over.

"You're not Alexis Tesla! Who are you?"

"None of your damned business. Who the hell are you?"

"I'm FBI Special Agent Kyle Casey, and we have made a terrible mistake."

"Damn right you have. And this is gonna cost you."

"Yes ma'am. I'll have some people up here first thing in the morning to repair your doors."

"That's not what I'm talkin' about. I'm talkin' pain and suffering here. Maybe even a million dollars. And you can kiss your job goodbye. All of you can."

"I understand you're upset ma'am. Our reconciliation office will be in touch to discuss compensation for your trouble."

"They won't be talkin to me. I'll find the best lawyer in the country to make sure I get what I deserve."

Casey finished with "I'm sorry ma'am. Truly sorry."

"Sorry doesn't cut it buster. Now get out of our house!!"

Back at the Cedar Crest house Alexis was still ranting about the FBI naming her as a missing person. "So what am I going to do, just stay locked up in this house until the equipment arrives?"

"I'm afraid that's about it, honey. We can't risk someone seeing you and calling the FBI. Thankfully no one has recognized you yet. We don't know how long your picture has been on TV, but the longer it runs the more likely someone will recognize you. We don't have to worry about neighbors seeing you up here. The closest house is a half mile away."

"O.K., but you guys have to promise to bring me food from Pancho's Mexican Buffet. That dinner we had there tonight was delicious."

The next morning Casey was making his apologies to the task force for his error the night before.

"I am so sorry for dragging you all into my mistake. I will make sure it doesn't show up in your records. This was my bad. . . . Now, where do we go from here? I've seen the enhanced videos from Garduños and we know for certain she was in the Albuquerque area last week. If she has left town we're at a dead end, so we'll assume she's still around here and proceed on that basis. The question is, where is she staying? We've checked with all the hotels in town, even the seedy ones down on Route 66, and no one recognized her. Where do we look next?"

Dr. Sharpstein offered a suggestion. "What about bed and breakfast places. They aren't part of any hotel chain so her name wouldn't show up on a computer search."

"Good idea, Gene." Kyle pointed to one of his men. "You take care of this one, George. There can't be many B&Bs in town so you should be able to report back later in the day. Any other ideas?"

Another of his men asked, "What if she's staying with a friend? She spent much of her career here at the Air Force Base, so she's bound to have friends. . . . Or better yet, she might still own a home here. Her work in California was temporary, so she might have planned to return home when it was over."

"Another great suggestion. Will you follow up on that one? Go down to the county property records department and search for her name. There couldn't be too many Teslas in town. See if she is still paying taxes on a residence."

"I'm on it."

"Oh, and also do the same for Dr. Flynn. He spent most of his career here before he retired. Any other thoughts? . . . O.K., lets get to work."

As the meeting was breaking up one of the agents from the Albuquerque FBI office came rushing in.

"Sir, you won't believe what I just found out. The four people in the house you busted last night? They all had outstanding warrants out for their arrest. They were selling phony funeral insurance to the elderly in Phoenix. Fraud detectives there were about to close in when they left town. The Albuquerque police have them in custody now. There won't be any repercussions from last night's raid."

"Hallelujah! My career isn't over . . . yet." Casey exclaimed.

It was late afternoon and Derek was busy drawing up the design changes to the camera drone to accommodate the IR camera. It would have to transmit two channels of video data back to the controller for storage and analysis on his laptop, so he had ordered a second camera transmitter to solve that problem. Another problem is that none of them had ever flown a drone before. Fortunately the quad-copter web site offered a downloadable practice simulator to speed up the learning curve with no risk of crashing the drone. Tom was at the kitchen table practicing with it now. All the other equipment they ordered came in this morning – all they needed was that drone.

Meanwhile Alexis had been busy modifying the operating software of the laptops and the six cell phone they had ordered. They could now exchange information through an encrypted link. To make things even more secure she had made changes so that every time the computers connected to the internet it would have a different Internet Protocol (IP) address. Usually a computer's IP address didn't change once it was connected to the internet, but that would make it easier for Elliott's hacker to identify where they were.

She made a small change to the cell phones too. She wanted the GPS tracker to stay on all the time, even if when it was turned off. That way everyone could be located 24/7 using the computer.

Terri looked up from her computer. "Hey guys, it's here!"

"What's here?"

"The camera drone. I just got message on the STWI email account saying it's ready for pickup at the FedEx Shipping Center in town. Who's going to pick it up?"

Tom volunteered to go. As he picked up the keys to the Land Cruiser Alex called to him. "Bring me back some Pancho's Buffet food – chicken burritos with red chili sauce, sopapillas, chips with guacamole, and a couple of churros for desert."

Terri spoke up. "Me too. Bring me back some quesadillas, refried beans, and . . . "

"Hold on. Let me make a list. Derek and Alex, you want something too?"

After he made a list of everyone's order he started the Toyota and drove down the steep hill to the highway below. He looked at his watch and saw he only had thirty minutes to get to FedEx before they closed for the day. He stepped on the gas and sped up a bit, but then remembered the last thing they wanted was for him to get stopped for speeding, so he let the speedometer fall back to the speed limit. He made it to the pickup desk with five minutes to spare, and signed a fictitious name for the large package.

After spending twenty minutes waiting for the kitchen staff to put together his order at Pancho's he headed back up Tijeras canyon to the East Mountains. As he neared the turnoff to Sierra Vista Estates he saw several vehicles parked at the gas station on the corner. He took the turn real slowly while he studied the scene. Oh shit! The black SUVs have Government license plates – it's probably the FBI getting ready to close in on us.

He continued on up the hill until he was around the switchback and out of sight, then stepped hard on the gas. He stopped in the driveway and jumped out, leaving the food behind. As soon as he got in the house he shouted, "Everyone! We gotta get moving! It looks like the Feds are gathering at the bottom of the hill to make a move on us.!"

"If they're at the bottom of the road how are we going to get away? We may as well surrender. At least it's the FBI and not Elliott's men."

"We don't know that for sure, Terri. He has the money to buy black SUVs and fake license plates," Tom answered. "And if we're in custody how can we stop Elliott? If we depend on the legal system to do it will take way too long. Maybe we should speed past them before they can organize a chase."

"Charlene's Land Cruiser is powerful but it can't outrun what they are driving, so we can't break out that way. . . . Wait a minute! Several years ago the state put in a forest fire escape road down the backside of he hill. Charlene and I used to take walks on it. Get all the essentials in the car and we'll go out that way."

Alexis noted that he didn't choke up when he said her name this time.

Agent Casey had a map laid out on the hood of the car while the others gathered around. "Here's the address listed in the tax records for Dr. Flynn. Someone's been paying his taxes and bills every month, so he might be up there with Dr. Tesla. If the other couple we saw in the restaurant video are still with them, they might be up there too.

"This road here zigzags up the hill to a loop that passes by his house – it's the only way off this hill for a vehicle. We don't know what they're driving, so we'll leave one of our units here at the bottom to block the road. The other two will drive up the hill, split off in both directions around the loop, and block the road from his house in both directions. One agent will stay with each vehicle while the rest of you go through the woods to surround the place.

I'll knock on the front door and see if I can them to come out peacefully. If they're in hiding for some reason they may be armed and dangerous, so be prepared to shoot if necessary. Any questions? O.K., let's roll." They jumped in their vehicles and headed up the hill.

"Come on! They could be here any minute. Don't worry about packing clothes, I'll buy you new ones." Derek took one last look around the home he had shared with the love of his life and closed the door behind him. Derek backed out of the driveway and drove the short distance to the escape road. "Damn! They put a gate up and padlocked it. We're screwed."

Tom reached behind him for his rifle. "I got this." He stepped out onto the road, took aim, shot. "Damn. I missed." He chambered another round and fired. This time the lock shattered. He ran over to the gate, cleared the remains of the lock, and opened it.

"Come on, Tom. Get back in. We have to move."

"I'm going to close the gate so they won't know where we went."

"No time. Get in!"

Even before Tom had the door closed Derek was careening down the narrow dirt road. Part way down they came to a washout across the road that slowed them to a crawl as they traversed it. Time was running out!

The FBI agents left their vehicles and crept through the sparse growth of pinon pine that surrounded the house. Just as Kyle left the cover to approach the front door two shots rang out. He dove back into the trees as he shouted "Shots fired. Everybody down." He held his radio mike to his lips. "Did anyone see muzzle flash from the house? That sounded like a high-powered rifle."

The others reported back negatively, but one of them said, "The television in on, so they must be in there."

Casey reached back for the bull horn his assistant was carrying.

"HELLO IN THE HOUSE. THIS IS THE FBI. LEAVE YOUR WEAPONS AND COME OUT WITH YOUR HAND IN THE AIR. . . . I REPEAT, THIS IS THE FBI."

He waited a minute for a response then repeated his message. . . . Still no answer. Then he radioed the others, "Agents two and four, get in position to breach the back door. One and three, do the same for the front door. On my count, smash your way in with weapons at the ready. . . . Three, two, one . . . NOW.

Just as the Toyota eased up the other side of the gully they heard the bull horn message. Derek immediately shifted into neutral and took his foot off the gas to reduce the engine noise. "We'll coast from here. It's all downhill."

Ten minutes later they were on Highway 14 going toward Santa Fe. After a few minutes everyone let out a sigh of relief. "Wow. We just made it in time," Terri exclaimed."

Alex added, "Livin' on the edge. Ain't it exhilarating!"

Chapter 26 – Doin' It

They picked up I-25 north at Santa Fe and continued through Glorieta Pass toward Colorado. No one had asked 'what next' – they were all recovering for the stress of almost being caught . . . or shot. Several miles past Santa Fe Tom turned to Derek. "What now, boss?"

"I've been giving it some thought. We can't check into a hotel or anything. Both the FBI and Elliott are monitoring check-ins. It will take us a week or so to get everything set up to gather photographic evidence of Elliott's laser weapon, so we'll need to stay somewhere. Small camping areas in the mountains are probably the safest because there won't be many people around. That leaves us with the question of what we will live in. We have plenty of money so I was thinking we should buy a medium-sized travel trailer – something the Toyota can pull, one that can sleep four – and satellite TV so we can keep up with the news of my wanted woman here. When all this is over Tom can keep the trailor to replace his tent camper.

"No, Terri and I don't need it. We'll recover the tent camper from where we left it and repair the damage."

"Does your insurance cover bullet damage?"

"Prob'ly not."

"It will be ruined by now anyway from the rain coming in through holes. Accept it. The new RV will be yours. The first large town we'll come to in Colorado is Pueblo, so we'll look there.

"But, but . . ."

"Don't argue. I'm the boss. You said so yourself."

When the manager came to open Pueblo RV Sales at eight a.m. the next morning they were parked outside the gate, waiting. They slept in the car at a rest stop, had breakfast at a truck stop south of Pueblo, and now were ready to purchase their accommodations for the next few weeks. They had already looked through the fence at the units on the lot and knew which one they wanted, so when the manager let them in they went straight to it to get a closer look.

"Howdy folks. Name's Earl. So are you folks interested in this Trailmanor hard-shell popup here?"

"Yeah, maybe. Tell us about it. Hi. I'm Derek . . .," Alex poked him with her elbow to shut him up, then took over the conversation.

"We're from STWI, a company that sends people, like us, out into the National Forests to do a population census of various wildlife species – sort of animal census takers. We're looking for a camping unit that will sleep four and is equipped with everything we will need to stay out a few weeks at a time."

"Well this Trailmanor 27-footer will do that. Step inside and I'll show you what it's got. . . . To start with it has a double bed at each end – pretty common with tent-sided campers but rare with hard shell units. The center section here is pretty standard though – stove, sink, fridge, dinette, and a bathroom with a shower behind this door. It has a thirty gallon water tank that will last awhile if you don't take too many showers, and a propane water heater. With the two propane tanks on the front tongue you can probably go for a month without refilling. It has a small generator underneath the floor that's not as noisy as most."

Alexis hopped up on the rear bed and bounced up and down. "It's pretty solid – doesn't rock much at all. And I like these heavy zip-up curtains to provide a little privacy . . . in case somebody snores or something."

Earl reached up and opened one of the overhead cabinets. "The TV is up here, but you won't get anything up in the mountains – unless you get a satellite TV system. We offer one with an external antenna that you set up on a tripod. When you put the dish in the search mode it seeks out the strongest satellite signal and locks on it."

"That's good. It can get pretty boring in the forest at night. How much are you asking for this camper?" Tom asked.

"Well, the new ones go for fifty thousand. But this one's a used 2014 model so I suppose I could let it go for thirty nine."

Derek started to say something but Alexis jumped off the bed and said. "No, no that's way too high. Our company would never let us spend that much. Let's go guys." She turned and stepped out the door with the others following behind.

"Now don't run off, folks. That was just my first offer. Let's see if we can make a deal here. How much is the company willing to pay?"

Derek answered this time. "They wouldn't approve anything over thirty thousand. There are a couple of other dealer in town we can try."

"Not so fast, there." Earl pulled out a calculator and pretended he was doing some figuring. "I could let you have it for – say – thirty-two nine."

"It's been nice chatting with you Earl. Come on guys, let's not waste any more of this man's time."

They got halfway to their car before Earl realized he was about to lose the sale. "Hold up there. You have me backed into a corner here. Sales have been slow this month and I need to show my boss something. . . . I'll do the thirty thousand."

The four conferred like they were thinking it over, then Alex told him, "O.K., you've got a deal. . . . But we want the satellite TV thrown in free."

"Now wait a minute . . ." Earl started to say, then relented. "O.K.. Let's go into the office and write this up."

They waited while he typed stuff into the computer. "Which of your names will this be registered under?"

"Oh, it belongs to the company, so just put down STW, Inc." Derek handed over the company debit card and waited while Earl verified it online. The computer printed our a temporary 30-day license plate for the trailer and, after they hooked it up to the Toyota trailer hitch, they were on their way.

After a stop at Wal-Mart to stock up on bedding materials, clothes, and groceries they left town heading west on U.S. Highway 50 toward Canyon City. Alex, sitting next to Derek in the back seat, had been thinking for awhile and brought up what was on her mind.

"That close call back there made me realize that Derek and I could get arrested, or even killed, without being husband and wife. I want us to get married – right away. How about it Derek?"

"That's the best proposal I've ever gotten. Actually it's the only one. I proposed to Charlene."

Damn! I shouldn't have brought it up. . . . Now he's got Charlene on his mind again.

After a minute or two of suspense Derek answered, "I accept. It's about time, darling.."

Alexis whooped, threw her arms around his neck and gave him a long kiss. She leaned up between the two front seats. "Tom, stop at the first church you see!"

He responded, "I don't think we should do that. The pastor will need your names for the marriage certificate and Alexis is a well-publicized missing person. If she's recognized it could put the FBI on our trail again."

"Well then you marry us, Tom. You're a federal officer – a game warden or something."

"No, I'm just a federal employee. I have no authority to perform a wedding."

"What can we do then? I don't want to wait."

Everyone was silent for a few miles. Then Derek spoke up. "Marriage is actually a covenant between a man, a woman, and God. The license and all that other stuff is just to recognize the union for civil and legal purposes. It's got nothing to do with God. I think if we say our vows in God's presence, we're married."

Alex smiled. "And with all the benefits that come with it . . . right Derek?"

He responded by kissing her with a little passion thrown in.

"O.K. Tom, hurry up and get us to a campground. . . . Where are we going anyway?"

"I know the National Forest pretty well and think the best place is Shavano Campground. It's about 75 miles from Elliott's complex, on the east slope of the Rocky Mountain ridge. There are only six camp sites so it's not likely we'll have company. There's a creek running through it and if we follow the stream uphill the dirt road ends at Grassy Flats, a treeless area big enough to fly the drones from."

"How will we get them over to Tall Pines Canyon?"

"We'll pre-program them to fly to the GPS coordinates we need, then maneuver around using the on-board cameras. We'll send the seismic sensor drone out first, then when it reports that the laser has been test fired we'll know when to launch the dual camera drone."

Alexis hugged Derek's arm. "It sounds like you've done some heavy duty planning."

"It was a long trip to get here. Lots of time to think."

"Well I've been doing some planning of my own."

The campground Tom selected turned out to be perfect for what they had in mind. Deserted, hidden by overhead trees, plenty of fresh, clear water in the stream, and a concrete picnic table. There was even a his and hers outhouse. Terri warmed up the Kentucky Fried Chicken they bought in Canon City in the microwave and they all sat down to eat. Derek said grace first, thanking God for protecting them, for bringing he and Alexis together, and asking Him to guide their steps on the mission to stop Elliott.

While they were drinking their after-dinner coffee Alexis got up and went inside the camper. She took a quick shower and put on the dress she picked up at Wal-Mart \- an ankle-length denim dress with buttons all the way up the front. She added a light blue cardigan open in front to keep her arms warm. When she stepped out of the camper she gave Derek a look, picked up two of the blankets they bought in Pueblo, and led him off on the moonlit trail along the creek.

They walked up the trail for awhile until they came to a small clearing surrounded by long-needled pine trees. Alexis spread a blanket out on a soft bed of pine needles and folded the other at the foot of their marriage 'bed.' Then she looked into Derek's eyes and said, "Let's you and me talk to God."

He nodded his head, faced her, and took her hands in his. They both had been thinking about what they would say on the way up to the clearing. Alex said, "You first."

"I thought I would never be able to love again, but then you came along. Alexis, I love you so deeply, so dearly, and want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to wake up with you beside me every morning, and lie down with you every night. I adore everything about you."

A few seconds later Alexis spoke what she had been rehearsing in her head.

"Derek, my love, you are my true love, the love of my life. I am certain that God brought us together because He knew we were perfect for each other. He knew we would love each other forever, that nothing can ever break us up. I admire you for your strength, your mind, your tenderness, the way you let me be myself, and the way you feel against my body at night. I want to be your wife, your lover, your companion, and your friend."

When she finished Derek looked up to ask God's blessing then looked back into Alex's eyes. "I don't need to look up to talk to God. He's right here, all around us. He's within us both in spirit. . . . Lord God, I ask that you bless this marriage, this union between a man and a woman according to your plan. I ask that you help us to stay close to you throughout our marriage, and that will you protect us. I ask this in Jesus name, amen."

Then he pulled Alexis to him and kissed her, gently, tenderly. She sat down on the blanket, took his hand, and drew him down beside her. "I think it time to consummate this marriage, my husband."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - \- Fade to Black - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chapter 27 – Three Days Later

The four of them were up at Grassy Flats ready to try out the two drones. Tom had spent the most time on the computer flight simulator so he was the first to try. After three of four shaky take offs and landings he got the hang of it. He flew the camera drone down the hill to the campsite while they watched the video feed. He flew a few circles around the Trailmanor camper, then followed the stream up to Grassy Flats, where they looked at a selfie of themselves.

Derek patted Tom on the back. "That's great, Tom. You are officially the designated drone pilot for our little adventure. Terri, maybe you and Tom can come up here tonight and try out the IR camera. We'll stay down at the camp to see if it will pick up our body heat."

Alex pulled Derek down so she could whisper in his ear. "I guess we can't go out to our 'marriage bed' in the woods tonight. They might get video of us doin' it." Derek whispered back, "We'll wait 'til they come back, then leave." They had returned to their 'secret place' every night since the wedding. Like most newlyweds, they couldn't get enough of each other.

Tom replied, "Good idea. If the weather holds up tomorrow, we can check out the GPS guidance on the seismometer drone. If it works, we can send it up to Fossil Ridge. After that, we wait for it to transmit vibrations from the test firing."

Alex added, "I think we should also verify that we can put the camera drone in place above the rim of Tall Pines Canyon. Can we do that after the seismic sensor is in place? Tom needs to practice that maneuver."

Derek pointed out that it could be risky. "What if it crashes, or flies off to never-never land? It's the only one we have."

"We don't need to have both cameras on board. We have an extra visible light camera, but we wouldn't have to risk the IR camera. That would take too long to replace," Terri offered.

Derek weighed the risks versus the benefits in his mind, then agreed.

That night Tom and Terri went up to the Flats and flew the camera drone over the campsite to test the IR camera. Alexis and Derek sat on chairs out in front of the camper and listened for the drone to fly over. When they heard a muted buzz overhead the knew they must be visible to the camera so they stood up and did a little dance for the video camera.

When the other two got back to camp Alex said, "We're going out for our nightly walk. We'll probably sit and watch the stars for awhile, so you don't have to wait up." With that, she took Derek's hand and led him eagerly up the trail. Derek had sneaked up earlier in the day with blankets and pillows and stored them in the underbrush at the clearing for tonight and future use. Alex thought the other two might wonder why they always took blankets with them.

Tom and Terri went into the camper, changed into their sleeping clothes – heavy flannel pajamas – and sat down together to watch the TV news. The 'breaking news' was that the OPEC oil producers in the middle east announced plans to dump a large portion of their oil reserves onto the market to lower the price of oil in response to the U.S. President's threat to cut foreign aid to those countries.

"This is just more international squabbling over who really has the power in the world. The old tit for a tat thing. Will they ever learn to get along?"

Terri didn't answer because she new Tom knew the answer already. The watched a few more stories of no interest to them go by on the screen.

Terri asked with an innocent look on her face "I wonder what they do on their evening walks." Tom plays dumb and says "Who? The OPEC people?"

She punched him on the arm. "No stupid, Alex and Derek. . . . You knew that."

"Yeah, I knew who you meant."

". . . . . Well?"

"Well what?"

"Stop teasing me. Why do you think they go for a long walk every evening?"

"Thinking back to when we were newlyweds I remember what we were doing every chance we got. Remember those days?"

"How could I forget. Anytime, anywhere. . . ."

They sat for awhile, each lost in their memories. Tom put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a soft squeeze. She answered by putting her hand on his thigh.

Tom looked down at her. "The two lovebirds will be gone for at an hour or so. Would you like to recreate some memories?"

"What do you think I've been hinting at for the past five minutes."

They climbed into their bed and zipped the flap closed.

The next morning, after successfully flying the seismic drone from Grassy Flats down to the campsite using automatic GPS guidance, Tom was ready to fly it to Fossil Ridge. Alex used Google Earth satellite video to find a good location on the treeless granite of the ridge, then connected the drone's on-board computer to her laptop to transfer the GPS coordinates. Once it landed it would confirm it's location by transmitting the actual landing GPS position. Alex also plotted a course that would take the drone to it's destination via a northern route so it wouldn't pass over Elliott's compound.

At dusk that night they gathered on the Flats, said a prayer, and sent the drone on its way. Forty minutes later they received confirmation that it had landed at the designated spot. The next day, early in the morning they launched the camera-less drone to a place on the rim of the canyon. When it got there Tom flew it around bit and, commanded it to hover 100 feet above the ground for several minutes. Just before he commanded it to return to the Flats the signal went dead. Tom tried to reboot the on-board computer but got no response.

"Crap! I lost it. There's no signal."

Derek was the first to react. "Maybe the transmitter quit. If that's all that's wrong you could send the signal to return it to the launch location and it will come back."

Tom sent the return home signal. "It will be another forty minutes or so before it shows up – if it shows up." They waited in the Toyota for over an hour before they gave up and drove back to camp.
Chapter 28 – Elliott Oil

After Edwyn Elliott became rich from his inventions he realized he needed to diversify his business into other areas. One of his first acquisitions was a company that was trying to extract crude oil from shale deposits in the Colorado mountains. At that time no company had found an effective way to make it work, but Elliott saw the potential so he bought the company. After an infusion of almost a billion dollars the company, renamed Elliott Shale Oil, Inc., figured it out. Since then the company had purchased shale oil rights in half a dozen western states and was producing 180,000 barrels per day, almost 2% of the total U.S. oil production. So when Edwyn reviewed the daily economic news the major focus of his interest was oil prices.

Today he was furious. The middle eastern countries were trying to force OPEC, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, to lower the price of oil by dumping their stored oil reserves on the market. It was payback for an announcement by President Chavez that he would cut U.S. foreign aid to Saudi Arabia. He declared that "Their country is one of the richest in the world on a per capita basis, so there is no reason for them to need America's money. If the rich sheiks and royal family choose to hoard their wealth rather than improve the life of their poor, it's not our problem."

There was to be a meeting of OPEC representatives from the fifteen member nations coming up soon at the headquarters in Vienna, Austria to vote on this issue. The oil industry experts expected it to pass. What it would mean for the American people is lower gas prices, maybe going below $2.00 a gallon. What it would mean for Elliott Shale Oil was a huge loss of crude oil sales. Even operating at peak efficiency it costs more to produce shale oil than it does to pump it out of a well.

Elliott picked up the phone and told his assistant he wanted a telephone conference with the four members of the PeaceKeeper Foundation in an hour.

When he confirmed they were all on the conference call he began.

"As you may be aware OPEC has threatened to flood the market with crude oil in retaliation for the President's cut in foreign aid. If they do that the price of a barrel of crude will drop by 20% or more, threatening to put U.S. oil companies out of business. We can't have that. OPEC has pushed us around for decades, driving our economy up and down by their arbitrary changes in oil prices. It's time we put them in their place." The others voiced their agreement.

"There will be a meeting of the OPEC committee two weeks from now in Vienna. I want to attack that meeting with PeaceKeeper. "

This time there was silence on the line. "Speak up! Do you agree or not."

Finally Senator Zapata spoke up. "If OPEC follows through with their threat it could have a big impact on the economy of the entire world." He stopped short of saying that he supported the attack proposal.

"As far as the FBI is concerned, sir, I see no appreciable impact on law enforcement."

"Thank you Director Hamilton."

General Aldridge added his major concern. "If we use PeaceKeeper for this it could have military repercussions. If Mexico or one of the other oil producers decides to nationalize the U.S. oil companies, like Venezuela did, we would have to send in troops to keep that from happening, and that could bring Russia or China into the conflict. No, I have to vote against attacking OPEC with PeaceKeeper."

Again there was silence on the line. None of the others could believe that Aldridge had disagreed with Elliott. All three of them also thought it was a bad idea but they weren't about to risk their lives by going against Elliott's plan.

Elliott responded "Thank you for your thoughts, General," as he pushed a button dropping him from the conference call

"Anyone else want to say something? . . . Fine, I thought so. I'll start things in motion for the attack. That is all."

As soon as the connection was broken Secretary of Defense McCauley called his investment broker. "Cash me out of all my oil investments, Bill. I think this upcoming OPEC meeting is going to change everything."

They were sitting in collapsible camping chairs around a small campfire. Alex and Derek knew they had more important things to take care of than their love life. Derek took the lead, like he usually did in their meetings.

"The drone is gone and we don't want to wait for another, so what are our options?"

Alexis smiled wistfully. "Let's just move to a deserted south sea island and let the world destroy itself. We can live off seafood, coconuts, and the occasional wild pig roasted on a spit."

Terri commented, "Sometimes . . . most of the time, I think this is what the world deserves. To self destruct from human power and greed. The Bible talks about the Apocalypse. Maybe this is it."

Derek responded from his Bible knowledge. "It could be, but it's not for us to know the time. . . . What I do believe from the Book of Revelation is that, at the beginning of the seven years of tribulation, all those who believe in Christ – not only believe in Him, but believe Him . . . believe that what He taught was the truth - will be taken to heaven before the bad stuff ever starts. Not all Christians believe that, but as I understand what's written that's the way it will happen."

Alex looked at him with interest; and with admiration for not being afraid to talk about his beliefs. "So, since we all believe in Christ and His truth, the Apocalypse cannot have started or we would already be in heaven."

"A logical conclusion, well reasoned, my love. . . . But back to the problem at hand. How are we going to get the video record of the next attack that we need with no way to get the cameras up there?"

Tom said, "I hate to say it, but the only way is for us to carry them up there. Once we have them in place looking down at the mine entrance we can monitor and record them from here using their built-in transmitters. But there's no reason for all of us to take the risk. I know the area well so I'll go."

Terri jumped in right away. "Oh no. You're not going up there. I won't let you. No way!"

"Honey, we're talking about maybe saving the world here. As a minimum we will save some lives from future PeaceKeeper attacks. . . . This is bigger than us."

She replied , "Not to me!" and got up and went into the camper. Tom rolled his eyes and followed.

Alex turned to Derek. "Can you see any other way? There must be another way."

"Other than ordering a new drone and taking the risk of driving into Denver to pick it up, I don't think there are any alternatives."

"For Terri's sake, I think that's what we should do, honey."

"O.K.. Get on your laptop's 4G cell phone connection in the morning and order another drone."

Alexis leaned over to his chair and kissed him on the lips. "Thank you for that, sweetheart."

He put his hand behind her head and pulled her face closer for a more passionate kiss. Then they went in to tell the other two what they had decided.

Alex was on her computer shortly after sunrise. The 4-G connection to the internet needed a cell phone tower to work but fortunately there was one near enough to show up as one or two bars – most of the time. This morning was not one of those times. She finally got online in early afternoon and kept the link long enough to place the order for a replacement drone, but didn't get an expected delivery date. She kept checking her email and finally got her answer. It would be delivered to the Denver FedEx office in ten days. She just hoped Elliott didn't attack another target until then.

Nine days later the seismic alarm went off. PeaceKeeper had been test fired. They had twelve hours to get the cameras up to the rim of Tall Pines Canyon.
Chapter 29 – Target Delta

Derek and Tom drove over Monarch Pass on U.S. 50 to Parlin, then turned north and followed an ancient rutted road to the old mining town of Ohio City. From there Tom would have to continue on foot for six miles to get to the rim of Tall Pines Canyon and set up the two cameras. When they left, Terri held on so tight that Alexis had to pull her away from Tom. Time was running out.

When Derek dropped Tom off at the trailhead that would lead him up the mountain to his goal he got out of the car and hugged his friend. "You be careful up there. This thing isn't worth losing your life over. We can wait for the next shot."

"If there is a next shot. We need to get proof of what Elliott's doing show it to the world before he kills more people or starts another nuclear war. I have to do this now."

"Yeah, you're right. I wish you weren't though. . . . Got your burner cell phone?"

"I have it in my shirt pocket with the ringer turned off. I can feel it vibrate if you need to contact me."

"O.K.. As soon as you get the cameras in place call Alexis to make sure they're receiving, then hurry back here. I'll be waiting."

"You got it!"

Tom adjusted his back pack with the cameras inside and set off up the trail.

Uphill over the rugged terrain it took Tom four and a half hours to reach the canyon rim. He moved along it until he found a clear spot, then set up the cameras on short tripods and focused them on the mine opening where the giant mirror would appear shortly before the attack began. He turned on the two transmitters and called Terri back at the camp site.

"Tom, Tom. Is that you? Are you alright?"

"Yes honey, I'm fine. No problems on the way up. Can Alexis see the video from the cameras on her computer?"

Terri covered the phone with her hand for a moment, then answered "She says the pictures are great. She can see the mine and the heat signatures of two workers down below it. She says to get your ass back here, pronto."

"Yes dear. I'm on my way."

Tom walked along the top of the cliff that ringed the canyon until he found the trail, then started back down. When he was a hundred feet or so down the mountain he heard a noise in the trees to his left. He immediately dropped into a crouch behind a tree and waited to see what it was. A few minutes later a deer trotted across the trail and he let go of his held breath. He stood up, adjusted his back pack, and resumed his descent. A few steps later he felt a hard blow to his head. As he was falling he turned enough to see a man holding a heavy tree branch . . . then he blacked out.

Derek was getting anxious. Tom should have been back by now. He looked at his watch. I'll give him another 15 minutes then I'll call. I don't want to distract him if he's just now setting up the cameras. I could call Alex and see if she's getting a video signal, but that might alarm them.

With five minutes left in his self-imposed time limit he couldn't wait any longer. He dialed Tom's phone. After several seconds someone answered "Hello." It wasn't Tom.

"Who is this!" Derek demanded.

"No, who are you? That's the question."

"I asked first. Tell me who this is or I'll hang up."

"And leave your poor friend Tom tied to a chair? I don't think so."

"What have you done with him!!"

"I told you. I tied him to a chair – very tight. He's quite uncomfortable."

"What do you want?"

"Ah, now you asked the right question. This is Anton Moretti. I presume I'm speaking with Dr. Flynn, correct?"

Derek hesitated, quickly thinking through his options. There were none.

"Yes, I'm Derek. Let Tom go immediately or I'll call the police."

"What good would that do? You don't even know where I'm holding him. And the only way to find out is for you and Dr. Tesla to come to me."

"I'm alone. Alexis isn't with me. She's back . . . she's far away from me. There's no reason to involve her. I'll come to you."

"Sorry, it's a package deal. You both come or Tom will suffer. And the longer you wait the more he will suffer."

"Give me an hour. I'll go get Alex. Where are you?"

"Get the woman, drive to Gunnison, and give me another call."

Derek was speeding over Monarch pass back to the camp site. He had called Alex and found that there was video for about twenty minutes after Tom turned them on, but then they went dead. He didn't tell them about Tom. He wanted to do that face-to-face.

He slid to a halt in the dirt in front of the camper. The women were out front waiting for him. When Derek jumped out Terri ran to the car an looked in.

"Where's Tom! What happened to him?"

Derek said the usual words for this situation. "Now calm down. Let me explain."

Terri screamed back at him. "Calm down? You come back without my husband and tell me to calm down?"

Alexis put an arm around her shoulder, led her to a chair, and sat beside her.

Derek explained what he knew, and about the conversation with Moretti.

"Knowing who's got him doesn't tell us where they are," Terri wailed.

"No, but the cell phone tracker will. Moretti answered Derek's call on Tom's phone, so he has it with them." Alex clicked some keys on the laptop's keyboard to pull up a map. "That blinking red dot – that's where they are."

Alexis called up the location on Google earth and zoomed in on the street view, north of Gunnison on the road to the canyon. "It looks like an old barn . . . No. Look at the sign above the door. It's a blacksmith shop."

Terri looked closer. "What if they turn off his phone . . . or the battery runs down.? Will we know the location if they take him somewhere else?"

"Yes, I fixed the GPS software on the phones to keep transmitting, even on a low battery. Tom's phone was fully charged so we should be able to locate it for a couple of days."

Just then the seismic alarm on the laptop went off again.

Derek shook his head slowly. "I forgot that the laser was about to fire. It's been 12 hours since the test. Elliott has just destroyed another target somewhere. Turn on the television. Let's see what he's done this time."

Ten minutes later they watched the breaking news reports of a beam of heat that passed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of a conference room at OPEC headquarters, causing a fire that destroyed most of the top floor before firemen could get it under control. Several attendees at the quarterly meeting of OPEC were incinerated instantly by the hot beam while others were injured in the ensuing fire. The focus then shifted to a Fox News financial analyst who launched into an assessment of how this catastrophe might impact the world petroleum industry.

"That man is crazy," Derek said. The two women agreed, then they turned their attention back to rescuing Tom.

"We have just enough time to get to Gunnison before Moretti's deadline if we leave now. We'll have to come up with a plan on the way. You two get in the car." Derek checked to be sure the guns were in the back, then climbed into the driver's seat. "Hang on!"

As they sped towards Gunnison Alexis pulled out Tom's forest service map of the area and looked for a way to get to the blacksmith's without passing directly through town. After studying it for a few minutes she told Derek.

"As soon as we get down from Monarch pass take Forest Road 672 to the right. It circles around north of Gunnison so we can get to the barn without Elliott's men seeing us."

Terri asked, "What are we going to do when we get there?"

"I'm working on it," Derek answered.
Chapter 30 – Rescue

Derek dropped Terri off on a dirt road a half mile east of the old blacksmith shop. She scrambled up the hill in front of her. At the top she crawled forward until she could see the building below. She laid out the rifle and ammo clips on the grass beside her. The six clips would provide a total of thirty-six rounds; plenty to create the ruckus Derek and Alex needed to cover their part of the action. When she was comfortable in a prone shooting position she set the cell phone beside her. She had the ringer shut off, but she would hear the vibrator alert when Derek signaled her it was time to start.

Meanwhile Derek had driven the SUV into the woods behind the blacksmith shop where they could get to it easily for their escape. Derek got his handgun from behind the seat and tucked it under his belt at his back. He left the motor running for a quick get away and pulled Alexis to him for a long kiss.

"Ready to do this?"

"Yep. Lead the way."

They quietly moved to the edge of the woods behind the old wooden building, looking for a way in. Alex pointed to a large pair of hinged doors and whispered "We can't use those doors, they're padlocked."

"Let's move closer. Maybe the wood is rotten."

When they got to the door it looked pretty solid. "I don't think I can kick it in. And if I could it would make too much noise. Let's go around to the side and see if there's another way."

They saw a window and went to check it out. It was large enough for them to get through and hinged at the top to swing outward. It was unlocked and partly open, but with the sill five feet off the ground it would be difficult to get through quietly.

Derek pointed with a questioning look on his face. Alex nodded, reached up to grab the bottom of the frame, and pulled herself up. After a quick look to see if there was a good place to land on the inside she wiggled through. Derek followed. They were in a small room that must have been an office before the business closed down, but now everything was covered with dust. Derek pushed the speed dial on his phone to signal Terri.

A few seconds later three shots rang out. When they heard shouting from the front of the shop they moved through the office door into the main part of the building. Two men were hunkered down beneath the window facing the street. They had guns drawn as they searched for where the shots were coming from. Terri fired off two more rounds that hit the outside wall below the window with a thud, making the men duck down. Just as one of them raised up to peek out another bullet shattered the window.

As this was happening Derek looked around the room for Tom, but there was only a forge, anvils, and a table with assorted smithy tools. Alex tugged on his sleeve and pointed to the back corner at the opposite wall. Another door. As they moved across the back wall Terri kept peppering the front of the structure with steady barrage of bullets. When they reached the door Derek took a quick look through the single pane of glass in the door, then moved off to the side. He put his lips next to Alex's ear and whispered, "Tom's in there tied to a chair with a man guarding him. He's pretty badly beat up."

Derek drew his gun and waited for the next set of rifle shots, then turned the knob and burst into the room. The guard started to stand as he reached for his pistol but Derek's Glock changed his mind. "If they come for us you are the first person I'll kill. . . . Got it?" The man nodded.

Alex moved over to check on Tom. He was unconscious with his head on his chest. She shook him gently. "Tom . . . Tom . . . wake up."

He raised his head and mumbled, "I told you I don't know where they are." One eye was swollen shut but he managed to get the other open enough to see Alexis. "Alex? Why are you in my dream?"

Alex picked up a bottle of water from the desk and splashed some on his face. "Tom, wake up. We need to get you out of here."

This time he looked over at Derek and figured out he wasn't dreaming. "What are you doing here?"

Alex cut the ropes and helped him to his feet. He was unsteady and almost fell down until Derek reached over and put an arm around him. They helped him take a few steps until he could shuffle along on his own.

"How are we going to get out of here? Tom can't crawl out the window we came in."

Derek had already been thinking about that. "We'll go out the big doors at the back."

"How? They're locked?"

"There's a car parked just inside the doors. If the keys are in it we'll drive it through them."

"What if the keys aren't in them?"

"Then we're screwed. . . . Wait a minute. Maybe the this guy has the keys."

Derek went over to him. "Empty your pockets!"

The man shook his head no. Derek pointed his pistol at the man's knee and cocked it. "If you want to walk away when this is over show me what's in your pockets."

The man reluctantly did as he was told. The last thing he tossed on the floor were the car keys.

Alexis picked them up. "You help Tom. I'll drive."

They opened the door to the office and looked out. Terri's shots came less frequently as she got low on ammunition. Alex looked back at Derek. "Go!" he said.

Alexis bent over and went straight for the car. Weighted down with Tom Derek couldn't move as fast. When they were halfway to the car one of Elliott's men at the front window saw motion in the corner of his eye and turned to look. "They're getting away!" he shouted as he raised his gun. Derek was supporting Tom with his left arm, leaving his gun hand free. He quickly aimed and fired. The man crumpled to the floor. The second man started to lift his weapon but saw that Derek already had him in his sights. He dropped his gun and raised his hands.

"Kick your gun over here!" he commanded. As it came skittering across the floor the man jumped through the broken window and ran down the street..

Alex started the engine. "Get Tom into the car. We gotta go!"

Derek eased him onto the back seat and got in front beside Alex. The big double doors were behind the car so she shifted into reverse and floored it. As they smashed through the old wood splintered and went flying everywhere. When the were out she did a quick 180 and drove through the weeds and brush to their SUV.

As Derek got out he said, "Take Tom back to the camp site. I'll take the Toyota and swing around behind the hill to pick up Terri. We'll meet you back at the camp.

Back at the camp Derek pulled up behind the car they stole from the blacksmith shop. The red reflective tail light lenses flashed his headlights back into his eyes. That triggered a thought but it was interrupted as Terri sprinted for the camper. When she opened the door and saw Tom's beaten face she stopped. "Oh my God, Tom. What did they do to you? Oh my poor baby. . . . We have to get him to a hospital right away!"

Tom had regained his wits by then and answered, "No, we can't do that. Once Elliott hears I escaped he'll have all the hospitals within a hundred miles looking for us."

"But . . . but . . . you're face is a mess. And you might have a concussion! You have to see a doctor."

"Not right now. We need to get far away from here first. Where can we go, Derek?"

"How about your place in Georgia?" Alexis asked.

"That might work. Were you the only one at the PeaceKeeper Foundation who knew my address when you came to recruit me?"

"Just me and my administrative assistant. She typed the letters I sent you and she called you – several times. Maybe I shouldn't have been so persistent and dragged you into this."

"But then we never would have gotten together. We wouldn't even be married. And I don't care how bad this gets, that's the most important thing to me."

Alexis hugged his arm. "Me too, darling. So, we're going to your place in the southwestern Georgia woods?"

"Yep, but we need to get the camper hooked up and get out of here as fast as we can." Derek moved into his command mode.

"Terri, you get Tom cleaned up and bandaged. Use plenty of antibiotic ointment. . . . Alex, get everything in the camper strapped down and ready to travel. I'll back up the Toyota and hook up to the camper. We're leaving in ten minutes!"

An hour later they were driving east on I-70, staying under the speed limit and driving carefully. Getting stopped with a beaten and heavily bandaged man and a missing woman in the car would get them arrested for sure. The drive to Derek's home would take 22 hours, but with three of them driving they could make it without stopping except for fast food. That topic came up as they approached Salina, Kansas.

"Who besides me is hungry?" Terri called out from the back seat where Tom lay with his head cradled in her lap.

"I hate to stop, but we have to eat. There's a Chick Filet at the next exit, and a Texaco station. We can fill us and the car up."

Even though it was 11 p.m. several other cars were lined up on the exit ramp. Derek stopped behind an old pickup truck with prismatic tail light lenses and had to raise his hand to block the bright red reflection from his eyes. The gears in his mind started working. He almost re-captured the thought he had earlier back at the campsite, but his concentration was broken by a blaring car horn from the jerk behind him. The pickup left the ramp and Derek followed. After a meal and a fill up they were back on I-70, this time with Alexis driving.

Chapter 31 – Southern Hospitality

As the Toyota SUV crossed the Chattahoochee River Derek announced "Welcome to Georgia, the home of peaches, pine trees, pecans, and southern hospitality. . . . Oh, and Georgia Bulldogs."

Tom chuckled but Terri looked at him and asked, "What bulldogs?"

"You have to be a football fan to understand it, dear."

They followed U.S. 84 to the town of Donalsonville, then turned south toward Derek's place on Lake Seminole. Soon they saw pine trees on either side of the road snapped off like matchsticks, ten to thirty feet above the ground.

"What happened to the trees?" Terri asked.

"Last October hurricane Michael came through here. Most of the pines broke off, but other species were uprooted. Lots of homes and vehicles damaged, power lines down, trees blocking the roads. Power and phones were out for five days. It was a real mess." Derek reported.

Terri smiled. "Oh, I thought it might have been those darn bulldogs."

After they got settled in at Derek's lake house Terri and Alexis set to work cleaning up Tom's damaged face. They soaked off the old bandages, applied more antibiotic, and covered up the worst places with new bandages. Tom sat there, stoically with jaw clamped shut until they were done. Terri looked at Derek. "O.K., now it's time to take him to a hospital. If these gashes are sewed up Tom will have some serious scars. He will look hideous."

He mumbled, "But you'll still love me, right?"

"Of course . . . but I won't been seen in public with you. . . . So where's the nearest hospital, Derek?"

"Back in Donalsonville, but with Tom being a victim of an obvious beating they'll have to report it to the police., which will bring the FBI to our door again. But there's another option. There's a guy who lives across the lake – a retired surgeon. We're good friends, so I think I can get him to stitch Tom up. I'll give him a call."

As the Toyota SUV pulled into their driveway, Anna Howell pulled back the curtain on the front window and watched a man and a woman help another man out of the vehicle.

"Dennis, they're here," she shouted to her husband, who was in the dining room putting a foam pad and white sheet over the table.

"I'm almost ready with the makeshift operating room. As soon as I get my instruments laid out on the buffet I'll be ready."

Anna opened the door. "Hi Derek! It's been awhile since we got together. What have you been . . . Oh my God! What happened to your friend.?"

"It's a long story, but he's beat up pretty bad. This is Tom and his wife Terri."

"Bring him into the dining room. Dennis has everything set up."

Derek helped Tom shuffle into the adjoining room and eased him up on the table. Dennis took one look and asked, "Good Lord!" Dennis exclaimed. "It looks like this guy lost a fight. What happened Derek?"

Terri said excitedly, "He got beat up by some very bad men. . . . He's still bleeding pretty badly. Make it stop doctor."

"Help me get him laid out on the table. . . . Anna bring me some clean towels, a pan of water, and some antiseptic. I need to get this blood off so I can see how badly he's hurt."

As Dr. Howell sponged off the blood he could see three major gashes. Looking at Terri he said, "You are his wife I presume?"

"Yes. Terri. And that's Tom."

"Well, I'll do the best I can but your hubby is going to have some permanent scarring."

"I don't care. I just want him alive."

Anna anticipated his next request and laid a suture kit out for him. After injecting a local anesthetic and applying a liberal amount of Betadine, Dennis went to work stitching up the split tissue. Terri noticed the meticulous care he took in bringing the torn tissue back together to minimize disfiguration.

When he was finished he gave Tom two hydrocodone painkillers and counted out another twelve for Terri to take with them. "He'll need one of these every four hours for a couple of days to fight the pain and keep him relaxed. Bed rest for three days and bring him back Tuesday so I can check the sutures."

Terri thanked him and tucked the plastic bag of pills into her pocket.

"It will take thirty minutes or so for those pills to kick in. I'd like to keep him here until then."

Terri nodded and helped Tom to his feet. Anna took the other arm and led him into the guest bedroom, leaving Dennis and Derek sitting in the front room of the house.

"So, tell me Derek. What have you been up to lately?"

Derek tried to look nonchalant as he answered, "Oh, not much. I've been away for awhile, as you probably noticed."

"Yes, I did. I miss our weekly chess games. . . . So what's this I saw on TV about you and an attractive blonde woman being wanted for questioning?"

"What!! When?"

"The news coverage started yesterday. It seems the FBI designated the two of you as 'persons of interest in a case involving national security.'

"Oh my God, Dennis. I didn't know they would go that far. . . . "

"Well, I'm waiting . . . in case you want to unburden yourself."

Derek gave him a synopsis of what he and Alexis had been through, ending with Tom's beating by Elliott's henchmen.

"So let me get this straight. You and your new wife, Alexis, are being chased by both the FBI and thugs hired by a maniacal multibillionaire. And you have tried to take this super-laser offline without any success. Now you are back here at the lake hoping no one thinks to check out your old residence."

"Yeah, that's about it. . . Are you going to turn us in?"

Dennis leaned back and let out a hearty laugh. "Goodness no! Not after all we've shared together. If I turn you in you might tell them that Anna is wanted as the anonymous mastermind behind the Dark Web, and several illegal invasions of Government and private computer systems. No, your secret is safe with us. . . . But I want to meet this new wife of yours. She sounds remarkable. She must be if she married you."

"Yes, she is. Why don't you and Anna come over to my place tomorrow for supper and you can meet Alexis. You can check up on Tom while you're there."

"Thanks. We'll be there."

Alexis wasn't happy that they were having guests for dinner. "How could you invite them over without asking me first, honey?"

"It was a spur of the moment thing that I didn't take time to think about. Sorry. . . . I can call and cancel."

"Don't you dare. I want to meet your friends."

"So I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't."

"Something like that. But what can I fix them?"

"Since neither of us can go out to shop we'll send Terri. She's not wanted by the law . . . at least not yet."

Derek went into the guest bedroom and asked, but Terri said she didn't want to leave Tom's side.

He told Alex, then suggested a wild game dinner. "How about squirrel and gravy? I can shoot several of them in the next thirty minutes. . . . Or maybe rabbit stew. There's plenty of them around. If I had a little more time I could track down a deer."

"No, I don't want to serve them Bambi. And Thumper rabbit is also not on the menu. What else have you got to offer?"

"Well, there's Farmer Brown's cow up the road a piece."

"Now you're just teasing. Seriously, what can you bring to the table?"

"I saw some Canada geese down at the south end of the lake this morning. Do you know how to roast a goose?"

"I could handle that. It couldn't be much different from a Thanksgiving turkey."

"O.K.. I'll be back shortly with two of them."

Anna pushed back from the table to help clear the dishes but Alexis stopped her. "In my house guests don't help clean up. You and Dennis have a seat in the living room with Derek. Terri and I will do this."

After the dishes were washed and put away Terri returned to Tom's room while Alex joined the others. There was a short silence before someone decided to start the conversation.

"Dennis, you did a great job repairing Tom's face."

"Thank you Alex. But if he wants to look thirty years younger he'll have to see a plastic surgeon after it heals."

Derek turned the conversation to the problem at hand. "Anna, has Dennis told you about our situation?"

"Yes, he brought me up to date. It seems like this Elliott guy is one step ahead of you wherever you go. Is there any chance of him finding you here?"

"I don't think so, but this is the most secluded place I could think of. When Charlie and I moved out here I installed some basic security equipment – motion sensors, a couple of cameras, and a sensor at the bottom of the driveway to detect vehicles. I guess I should activate the system just to be safe."

"What if they alert you that someone is coming after you? What will you do then?"

Alex answered. "We are well armed here. After what they did to Tom I wouldn't hesitate to start shooting. . . . But I'd let them shoot first, just to be fair about it."

"Well, if that's true for all four of you then they would have a hard time getting in here."

Anna asked the next question. "So what are you going to do to stop Elliott and his laser weapon?"

"I thought a lot about that on the drive to Georgia but couldn't come up with anything. We might have to go back to our original plan and go public with it."

"The story is so fantastic that no one will take you seriously."

"How about the FBI. They apparently know that we are somehow related to the mysterious attacks, so maybe they would pay attention."

"If we show up there they'll take us into custody. And a letter wouldn't work. They would think it was some idiot publicity seeker."

"Well then, maybe we can record a video, showing our two laser experts exposing Elliott and his plan."

"That would work, but we couldn't send it to some administrative idiot. It would have to go to the FBI director."

Derek spoke up. "I think you've got something there, Anna. We'll call this Plan C. But we'll need video of the laser in operation, and we already tried and failed at that."

Anna thought for a minute. "What if you had access to a spy satellite; one that could zoom in on the valley and show the mirror being rolled out for the next attack?"

Alexis added sarcastically, "Yeah, right. The NSA is going to give us the keys to one of their spysats just because we asked nicely."

Anna looked at Derek for confirmation that Alexis could be trusted. He gave her an affirmative nod. "I can access the surveillance satellites. I can even temporarily re-direct their field of view to look at the PeaceKeeper base."

Alex gave her a challenging look. "You can't do that. No one can."

"What do you know about the Dark Web, it's history?"

"I've read a little about it. It was started by some scientists at the Naval Research Lab in 1995 under a project called the Onion Router to hide the identities of web sites and emails. It evolved into a network called TOR which can only be accessed by a select few hackers. Are you one of those??"

"Not only can I access the TOR net, but I was part of the NRL team that developed it."

Alexis looked at Dennis, then Derek. They both nodded their heads to affirm what she had just said. Then she looked at Anna and said apologetically, "I am so sorry, Anna. I had no idea. Forgive my rudeness . . . please."

Anna smiled. "I haven't revealed my past to many, but when I do I get the same reaction. Even Dennis didn't believe me at first. Until he watched me hack into the county clerk's computer and get our marriage license approved in an hour instead of the required three days."

After they all laughed at that Alex asked Derek, "Do you think she could get us a legitimate marriage license that way?" She explained about how they married each other before God but hadn't made it legal yet.

Derek looked at Anna. "So tell me, what will it take for you to get some photos of Peacekeeper in use?"

"Well, first of all I would have to know when an attack is about to take place. I would need at least an hour and a half to analyze the orbit and prepare to redirect the camera. Then I would wait until the laser was firing before I actually moved the camera and started capturing video. The NSA control software can identify the intrusion within minutes and shut the cameras down."

"So you can actually do that."

"Sure, I can do that . . . but can I get away with it? Maybe."

Alex jumped in. "We can't let you take that risk, Anna. But what if you made it look like intrusion was from someone else – like Elliott's personal hacker."

"It would take me some time to find him – or her – but I can make it look like it came from within the NSA instead. When do we start?"

Derek explained about the seismic sensor on the ridge above the coal mine entrance that would let them know when the test firing occurred. That would give them twelve hours to prepare for the actual shot.

"So now what? Do we just sit and wait for your laptop to tell us when the sensor sends the alarm?"

"I'm afraid so. But if we keep an eye on the news we might see an event that would trigger Elliott's anger."

"O.K.. Dennis and I will go home so I can set up my computer for the mission. I'll work from there and wait for your call."

"Great. Welcome to the STWI team."

"STWI?"

"Save The World, Incorporated."
Chapter 32 – Target Epsilon

A week had passed with no disturbing peace threats on the news and no new PeaceKeeper attacks. Tom was healed enough that he could join them in their activities, which now included daily get-togethers with Dennis and Anna for drinks, a meal, or just conversation. Dennis volunteered to go into the nearest town for groceries and other necessities every few days. They started stockpiling non-perishable food in case they had to go on the run again, but so far there were no threats.

They kept an eye on the major news networks looking for some event that might goad Elliott into attacking again. This afternoon they were sipping south Georgia peach wine while the TV played in the background. It was a couple of minutes into the newscast before it caught anyone's attention. When they heard explosions they all turned to watch. Hamas was launching missiles into Israel in renewed border fighting. Israeli fighter jets were scrambled to the locations where the missile were fired from but by the time they got there the attackers had left with their pickup truck launchers to go to a new location. Hamas had vowed to keep up the barrage for days if necessary to stop Israel from destroying the tunnels they used to smuggle insurgents, arms, and explosives into the country. The Israeli prime minister issued a statement saying that the air strikes would continue as long as the Palestinian rebels kept tunneling under the border.

Alex shook her head. "They have the Israelis hands tied as far as stopping the missile attacks. It's like the old arcade game Bop 'Em where gophers pop up out of holes and you have to hit them with a club before they pop back down. The pilots can never get there in time to destroy the launchers. They need some kind of weapon that can hit them right after they launch a rocket."

Derek's face lit up. "Alexis, you have just described a laser weapon. Defense at the speed of light. If Elliott realizes his laser could hit every launcher within seconds after the missiles are released I think he might want to fire up PeaceKeeper."

"So you're thinking it might be time for us to get ready for our photo shoot," Dennis asked?

"That's exactly what I'm thinking."

"How can we make sure he will react to the news with an attack?"

"We could send him an anonymous message from one of our burner phones."

"That might work. What would the message say?"

All four of them threw out suggestions at random but they couldn't agree on any of them. Derek stepped into his leadership role again. "O.K., let's use a more organized approach. What criteria should our message meet? . . . Come on, help me out here."

Alexis came with the first one. "It should be brief and to the point."

"O.K., what is the point?" Derek asked.

"To make Elliott feel compelled to attack the Hamas missile launchers."

"Nobody compels Edwyn Elliott to do anything!" Alexis added dryly.

Terri spoke up. "Then we have to make him think it's his own idea."

"And how do we do that, honey?"

"I don't know . . . Wait! How do you get a child to do something they don't want to do?"

Tom had the answer. "You tell them that they are absolutely forbidden to do it. Like when you tell them, 'Don't you dare eat one of the cookies I just baked' just before you leave them alone for a bit. They can't resist. As soon as you are out of sight they will sneak a cookie."

Derek added, "And if the kid is clever he will take two cookies, because you told him not to eat one of the cookies. If you call him on it he will get you on a technicality."

"I see you have some experience manipulating grownups."

"Guilty as charged. So Terri, you're saying the message must forbid him to attack the Hamas launchers. Alex, you know Elliott better than any of us. How should we word it?"

It took her a couple of minutes but she finally had an idea. "We should tell him that if he uses Peacekeeper as a quick-response weapon to stop Hamas missile attacks on Israel and kill dozens of Palestinians we will publicly reveal that he was behind the ammunition factory attack in Sao Palo that killed over eleven hundred people."

"That's good, but what about the other attacks?"

"We want to keep the message short and simple, and the Sao Palo attack will make our point."

"And hopefully provoke him into attacking the Hamas missile launchers."

Edwyn Elliott was awakened at dawn the next morning by a text message alarm his private cell phone. He cursed as he rolled over and picked up the phone from the bedside table. Only a few people have this number, and they all know not to disturb me unless it's important. He put on his glasses to see who it was from. Alexis! Why would she text me! When he read the message his blood pressure shot up forty points.

"Who the hell does she think she is, threatening me like that!" He texted her back:

I will do whatever I please, Bitch. You and your boyfriend are traitors to my cause, and you both will pay for that. You won't live long enough to expose my ultimate weapon.

The next thing he did was wake up everyone on his staff with orders to prepare for the next attack – Target Epsilon.

The six members of the STWI team sat around the kitchen table at Dennis and Anna's house waiting anxiously to see if Elliott would respond when the burner phone sounded off with his response. Alex opened the message and read it to the others, setting off a round of cheers.

"Damn, he took the bait!" Derek exclaimed. "Anna are you ready to roll when the seismic alarm comes in?"

"You bet, but we'll need to listen for that alarm 24/7. Alex, what's the soonest we could expect the system test?"

"It's been awhile since the last attack so it could happen anytime. As soon as we get back to Derek's we'll set up a watch schedule so at least two people are in the room with the computer at all times. Once we get the alarm we'll call you and you will have about eight hours before the mirror rolls out in preparation for the attack.

Everybody got up from the table, exchanged hugs and handshakes, and the four returned to the other side of the lake.

Two days later Alexis and Derek were taking the night watch, sitting on the couch with Alexis' laptop on the low table in front of them. If the seismic sensor was triggered the computer would emit a loud klaxon horn sound and the screen would start flashing red. Even though it would be hard to miss the alarm the four agreed that the couple standing watch would stay awake for the entire eight-hour shift.

After watching the 11 o'clock news on TV they turned it off and just talked. They still had a lot to share about their pasts, their likes and dislikes, and plans for their future together. As the temperature dropped Derek got a blanket from the closet and covered them up as they snuggled close to each other.

Alexis looked up at Derek's face and asked, "You think we'll fall asleep, honey?"

"Maybe after we run out of things to talk about, which might happen soon. Let's just sit here and cuddle. I like the feel of you against me."

"Me too."

They sat there in silence for awhile, starting to get sleepy. Alex nudged Derek. "Don't you fall asleep on me. What can we do to keep alert?"

When Derek didn't answer she said, "I know what will wake us up. . . . With everything that's been going on we haven't had any time alone, and frankly I'm getting a little horny. Do you think we could . . . "

Derek answered by covering her mouth with his. Before long their hands were busy under the blanket removing each others clothing.

"Oh yes! Like that!"

"Shhhh. You'll wake Tom and Anna up."

Alexis giggled in response, slid down further on the couch, and pulled the blanket over their heads.

They both awoke with a start to the blaring alarm from the computer. The screen on the laptop was flashing red in time with the pulsing sound. Derek was the first to respond. He stood up, then realized he had no clothes on, so he picked up his clothes from the floor and hurriedly dressed. He reached for the phone to call Anna, turning his back so Alexis could have some semi-privacy as she put her clothes back on.

"Anna, it's time! They just test-fired PeaceKeeper." He looked at the clock. "It's 7 a.m. so the mirror should roll out around 4 p.m. with the attack starting around five. That's midnight in Israel – about the time the Hamas attacks have been starting. How long can you capture images with the spysat's camera?"

"Not long. Maybe three or four minutes before they detect what I'm doing. If you want images of laser firing I'll have to hold off until a minute or two before that happens."

"The seismic sensor will give us a warning on that. It will send another signal as the laser starts up – about thirty seconds before the beam comes out."

"That's perfect. I can re-direct the camera before that without being caught. They won't be onto to me until the images start coming in."

Derek and the three others showed up at the Howell's house shortly after lunch. They followed Anna to her computer room in the basement and set Alex's laptop up next to Anna's workstation. While she was busy getting set up to receive the sensor signals Derek looked around the room at all the high-tech computer equipment.

"Wow Anna, you have an amazing setup here! I don't even recognize some of the stuff."

"A girl in my business has to have the best tools."

"So this is a business for you?"

"Yeah, that's where I make the money to buy the latest and greatest hardware. I write my own software so it's already ahead of anything available commercially. My desktop is the latest model put out by Cyberpower – the Xfinity XLC with a 3.6 Ghz CPU, a one terabyte hard drive, 16 GB of RAM memory, and overclocked to run twice as fast as the factory settings. I had to add a water cooling module for that."

"I believe this is the first time I have experienced true envy. What I wouldn't give for a setup like yours. . . . I don't know what I'd do with that much power, but I could find some use for it."

Alexis had eaves-dropped on the conversation. "You could store my recipes on it."

"So you have 16 gigabytes of recipes? I think I'm going to like being married to you."

After a good laugh they got down to business. When Anna turned her system on a two-foot by four-foot color screen on the wall in front of her lit up. After a few minutes of watching lines of code scroll down the screen a map of the earth showed up with several satellite tracks slowly moving across it.

Anna pointed to a couple of them. "These green symbols are the Keyhole satellites. I'll use one of them for our mission today. Let me fast forward the satellite paths to see which one will be in view of Tall Pines Valley at 5 p.m. . . . Oh good. We get a KH-13. It's the latest model. It's got enhanced imagery capability and gives us more coverage and dwell time on target than the older versions of Keyhole. We should get some great pictures from this one."

As the digital clock in the lower corner of the computer screen ticked away the last few seconds before 5 p.m. they had their eyes focused on the split screen in front of Anna. The right screen showed a digital image of the swath of camera coverage as it moved across the surface of the earth. The left half would show the captured images from the KH-13 camera. When the clock digits popped up to 5:00 they shifted their eyes to Alex's laptop, waiting for the seismic warning to appear. Thirty seconds past five and nothing had happened. Forty-five seconds. A minute. Then two, then three, then ten.

"They should have started the laser up by now. What's wrong?" Tom asked Alexis.

"The twelve hours between the test and the attack firing isn't exact. It depends on what's happening at the target. Dennis, get the Jerusalem weather cam up on your computer. We should be able to see the flashes from the missile explosions."

"Even when they explode on the ground? Won't the buildings block the TV view?"

"Israel has an anti-missile system called 'Iron Dome.' It's air defense rockets usually intercept about a third of the incoming missiles. We'll see the explosions in the air from them first."

At 5:42 they saw the first interceptor blow up an incoming Hamas missile. Almost simultaneously the seismic sensor signaled that PeaceKeeper was starting up.

"Now Anna, now!" Derek exclaimed.

Within twenty seconds the first images showed up on the large screen. "That's perfect. You have the camera centered on the GPS coordinates of the mine entrance. Now zoom in!"

The sluggish telephoto lens zoom mechanism seemed to take forever to get the close-up they were after. Then there it was – the sixteen-foot adaptive mirror Derek had developed for Elliott.

An idea popped into Alex's head. She was surprised they hadn't thought of it earlier. "Anna. Does the KH-13 have an infrared camera on board?"

"Yes, but it's not a very good quality picture. It doesn't show much detail."

"Can you put those images up on the screen."

"Give me a sec. . . . There it is."

As they watched, the thirty-second startup phase ended and the beam shot up toward one of Elliott's REMSATs, which would relay the lethal beam down to wherever the missiles were launched from.

"Look! You can see the laser beam!"

Derek pumped his fist down and said "Yessss!! The IR camera is picking up the infrared laser beam. That's all the proof they will need at the FBI."
Chapter 33 – Aftermath Epsilon

The Commander of the Israeli Defense Forces, IDF, was watching the video from Israel's spy satellite parked in geostationary orbit above the country. He had ordered six fighter jets into the air but he could see they weren't going to make it to the Hamas launch sites in time to neutralize them. The missiles were coming from eleven widely separated locations. The image on the video screen showed the launch sites light up as each fired missiles into his country. He was frustrated because he was so powerless to defend it against these attacks.

He had watched five of the missiles go off so far – small beads of light as the rocket exhaust flashed at takeoff, then moved across the border toward Jerusalem. "What was that?" he asked the technician. "There's a large ball of flame erupting from the site that just fired a missile."

"I don't know, sir. Maybe a missile blew up on the launcher."

"Look, there's another . . . and another."

One by one the launchers were bursting into flames, until all eleven were smoldering ruins.

The commander turned to his deputy. "What the hell just happened, Major? How were the launchers destroyed?"

"I have no idea, sir. Maybe . . . maybe . . ."

"Speak up man, don't hold back."

"Maybe it was God, once again striking our ancient enemies to protect us."

Commander Weiss considered that for a moment. He wasn't a practicing Jew but, like everyone who had grown up in Israel, he knew their history well. "Major, that's probably as good an answer as any right now."

Back in Georgia the six gathered around Anna's large display screen were watching the same events through Anna's hack into the Israeli satellite.

"I can't stay connected very long. The Israeli's can back-trace my hack faster than the NSA can."

"Disconnect it. We have what we wanted – Elliott responding to our message. We now have video of the attack from both ends. Director Hamilton at the FBI can't ignore this as a hoax. Alex, it's time to get you in front of a camera to record your message to him. Have you got the script finished?"

"As soon as I make a couple of small corrections and change out of this sweatshirt into something more appropriate I'll be ready to go."

"From what I have heard about the Director on the news, the sexier the better."

"No, I don't want to distract him. I want him looking at these videos, not at my boobs."

A short time later she was standing in front of Anna's state-of-the-art TV camera with a green backdrop behind her that would allow Anna to insert the videos into the scene later. She was dressed conservatively in a gold silk blouse, a blue blazer, and a pleated skirt, all borrowed from Anna.

From behind the camera Anna said "Quiet on the set. Begin in three, two, one, go."

Adam Hamilton's shapely assistant knocked on his office door.

"Come in, Heather."

"Sir, this package was delivered a short time ago by courier. It's addressed to you . . . directly. And below that it reads 'For the Director's Eyes Only.' The security detail in the mail room opened it to check for harmful contents. It contains only a DVD disk."

"Bring it here."

He withdrew the disk from the package to see what the label said. The only title, written in black marker, repeated the message on the envelope – For the Director's Eyes Only, followed by a series of letters and numbers.

He handed it back to Heather. "Put this in the DVD player for me, then you may leave."

As soon as the door closed he pressed a button under his desktop that actuated an electric door lock, then he picked up the remote control and pressed 'Play'. He was afraid that he was about to see scenes of him with one of the women he was screwing. Instead, an attractive woman appeared. She looks familiar. Where have I seen her face before?

Good day, Director Hamilton. In case you don't recognize me I am Dr. Alexis Tesla, formerly a high-energy laser weapon expert working for the U.S. Air Force. I am also the subject of an FBI search as a person of interest in a case involving national security.

If you haven't been informed of this national security issue, attacks by an infrared laser beam from space, I will tell you about them.

Edwyn Elliott, someone I'm sure you know, has funded the development of a very high-power laser in an underground base in Colorado. The GPS coordinates of this site are written on the DVD.

He also has developed satellites the can reflect the beam back to earth to destroy any target of his choosing. So far he has used the laser, which he calls PeaceKeeper, to attack five targets, including the Hamas rocket launchers last night.

On the screen to my right you will see video from an Israeli surveillance satellite showing these missile sites being destroyed one-by-one with Elliott's laser. . . .

Now on the screen you will see images from a U.S. satellite of the PeaceKeeper beam director mirror outside the Colorado coal mine that houses the laser and research facility Elliott constructed.

With an image from the satellite's infrared camera overlaid on the visible camera image you can see the actual laser beam as it leaves the site, on it's way to two mirrored satellites that relayed and reflected the beam back down to the Hamas targets.

Edwyn Elliott is a madman, a megalomaniac who wants to dominate the world with his superweapon. He must be stopped immediately, before he attacks his next target.

Please distribute this DVD to whoever you trust to take the necessary action to shut down PeaceKeeper. At this point, you are the only Government leader we trust.

We will be watching the news for reports of a large coal mine explosion in central Colorado as proof that you have acted on our information.

Hamilton pressed the remote's stop button, got up from his desk, removed the DVD from the player, and fed it to the heavy-duty document shredder beside his desk. Then he picked up the phone and called Elliott to report what he had just seen.

After watching the major news networks for the next five days, Derek and his team concluded that nothing was going to come of Elliott's exposure on the DVD. They concluded that Elliott had Hamilton in his pocket. Today they were gathered at Derek's place to figure out if there was another way to stop Elliott. They were all disturbed that their best plan so far hadn't gotten them any further than the previous ones.

After a long silence Tom asked, "Is there any way we could use one of the REMSATS to reflect the beam back at Tall Pines valley – maybe start a forest fire?"

Alexis answered immediately. "I don't think so. I helped developed the satellite software and we put in some code that used a secure kind of communications link called frequency hopping. The control signals transmitted up to the satellite randomly change to another frequency every few seconds so there's no way we could control the REMSAT mirror without stealing one of the ground transmitters."

"Let's do that. . . . I'm game." Terri offered. Then she looked at Tom's face from the last time they tried to get close to the facility and said "Forget I said that."

But Tom's comment had triggered a memory in Derek's mind. There's a thought trying to come out. What is it? . . . Tail lights! That's it. The retro-reflective lens on the tail lights that reflect the headlights right back at the driver.

He quickly pieced together a plan in his mind. Finally he announced "I know a way to use the laser to destroy itself. Retro-reflectors. Like bicycle reflectors." He saw blank looks on the other's faces.

"A retro-reflector is made up of many small cube corners spaced closely together. If the angles in the hollow cube corners are precisely ninety degrees, an incoming beam of light will return exactly back the light source. One of the early unmanned moon landers used one to reflect the light from a ruby laser on earth to determine the distance between the earth and the moon."

Alexis was the first to see the significance of what Derek was proposing. "That will work! If we can put a large retro-reflector array at the PeaceKeeper target location some of it will go right back into the laser and destroy it. It will probably cause a laser meltdown, or even make it explode.'"

"Won't that be bad for the people who run the laser? And even if it didn't explode what if the coal caught fire.?"

Alex answered, "An explosion won't harm anyone because before the laser fires everyone moves to a blockhouse in an adjacent mine. That's where the laser is controlled from. But I see another problem. How are we going to put the retro-reflector at Elliott's next target? I see no way to do that."

Everyone was silent until Derek's eyes lit up. "We have to make Elliott attack a target we choose. One that we would have no problem installing the reflector on. What target can we make him angry enough to attack? Like you did with your message about Hamas, Alex."

"The answer is in his response to my text. He wants more than anything to destroy us. We need to pick a spot and make him think that's where we are, then have the retro-reflector waiting for his attack."

"You're a genius, darling! Now where do we want to do this?"

Tom thought for a minute. "He's used to us being in a some kind of a camping trailer. Let's go park the Trailmanor camper we bought in Pueblo out in the woods somewhere with the reflectors on top."

"How will we make him think that's where we are?"

"The same way he's found us before. Through his pet hacker. Leave some digital bread crumbs for him to find. But we can't make it too obvious or he'll know we're up to something. He's very good at what he does and will be hard to fool."

"Leave that up to me," Anna said with a smile. "I can outsmart any of these young punks who think they're the best."

Derek smiled at everyone. "It looks like the new plan will work. Let me get started on finding a company that makes the kind of retro-reflector we will need. The problem will be finding one large enough. I'll have to do some calculations, but my guess is that it will have to have an area of several square feet."

David asked, "How long do we have to get this ready, Alex?"

"The normal laser recycle time is ten days. Since it fired last night at the Hamas missiles, we need to have it set up before then."
Chapter 34 – Yahweh?

The President's Daily Briefing, or PDB, is a top-secret summary given each morning to the President of the United States that includes highly classified intelligence analysis, and information from the Central Intelligence Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other members of the U.S. Intelligence Community.

As the  Director of National Intelligence finished giving the PDB to President Chavez he added what he thought was a relatively unimportant item about the destruction of the Hamas missile launchers the night before.

"The Israelis apparently have some new weapon they are using to stop the nightly missile attacks by Hamas. We haven't analyzed the surveillance satellite images yet, but as soon as the launches began the launchers were blown up. Our intelligence analysts believe the Israelis have found a way to contaminate the missile fuel so that the rocket engine will explode in flames. We have queried them about the matter but they are, as usual, being very tight-lipped about it. The CIA has agents in country but none of their informants know anything about a new counter-missile weapon. I'll keep you updated as new information becomes available. That's all I have this morning, Mr. President."

"Thank you Neil. Make sure the agency heads get a copy of today's PDB . . . and send that last item to Gene Sharpstein. His whiz kids at JASON may have some ideas about it."

"Yes sir."

The Prime Minister of Israel had received his version of the daily briefing from Commander Weiss seven hours earlier. The Hamas incident, as it was now being called, was at the top of his list. He was somewhat embarrassed that he didn't have more information about the cause of the launcher destruction. When asked, he thought about replying with the Major's answer – God – but instead told the PM his men were 'working on it.'

"Working on it. Does that mean you have a bunch of generals scratching their heads and talking about their golf game? Just how exactly do you plan to solve this mystery. Give me some details."

The Commander had to quickly come up with a credible course of action, but his sleep-deprived mind was running at half speed. Finally he said, "I have Mossad agents infiltrating the Hamas territory as we speak to photograph the launcher wreckage and bring back samples for our scientists to test."

"Good. I'll expect to hear the results this afternoon. You are dismissed."

Weiss left the room wondering why he didn't already have agents on that mission. As soon as he was alone he called his deputy and told him to get it done.

It took the rest of the day and half of the next before the Israeli agents returned with photos and samples of the melted launcher metal. Weiss had a special section of the forensics lab set up and ready to start analyzing the metal fragments, hoping to find residual traces of the explosives used in the destruction. The first thing that surprised them was that none of the samples were the sharp-edged fragments they expected from an explosion, but rather melted blobs of metal. And there were no traces of what caused the damage.

Commander Weiss was hovering over his scientists and engineers, waiting for an answer. Finally the chief scientist called him over.

"Commander, we can't find any explosive residue or shards. Not only are the samples melted, but the photos show even the large pieces of debris were melted. A large thermite bomb might burn hot enough to do this, but it would take several minutes to reduce all of it to a molten state, and the satellite video indicates the it took only a few seconds for each site to be destroyed. Here comes the metallurgist with his results. What have you got, Jaime?"

"The molecular structure of the melt is surprisingly uniform, similar to what I've seen in laser additive manufacturing samples. In that process powered metal is fused into the molten state by a high-temperature laser beam in a 3-D printer to build up a metal structure. The laser creates a highly ordered matrix of the metal atoms that cannot be achieved in any other way. If I didn't know any better I would say these samples were melted by a laser."

Weiss turned back to the chief scientist. "Is that at all possible? Is there any way a laser could come down out of the sky to attack Hamas launchers . . . or anything for that matter?"

"Well, as a boy I read a lot of science fiction, and some of the stories featured laser weapons orbiting earth raining down hot beams that could burn anything. But with the current state of laser technology there's no way to put something that large in orbit, or to supply it with fuel needed to generate the beam."

"Assuming some country managed to do that, have there been any other incidents lately that could be explained by such a weapon?"

"Now that I think about it, the recent fires at the cocaine factories and the incineration of the north Korean leaders could have been caused by a laser. . . . Then there were those fires at the ammunition plants. I suppose it's possible."

Weiss was stunned by the implications of that possibility. This could mean that another country, the U.S. probably, has a way to attack from space with a high-energy laser. I have to get this to the PM right away!

"Certainly you don't believe that, Commander Weiss! A laser in space? That's impossible."

"Actually, sir, there is a way it can be done, and the U.S. has been doing research on it for several years. The laser stays on the ground and the beam is relayed among satellites with mirrors to the target."

"So you think the U.S. has such a weapon?"

"It's the only explanation I can think of, sir."

"Well, at least they are using it to defend Israel. This new President has vowed to be our close ally. That's more than I can say from the previous few Presidents."

"Yes, sir. Let us pray that the next President doesn't turn the weapon against us."

Chapter 35 – Right Back At'cha

After several hours of applying math and physics Derek calculated that the retro-reflector array would have to be twenty-five square feet – five feet on a side – to feedback enough energy into the laser to destroy it. He found a company in New York, PLX inc., that made arrays with the necessary reflectivity and angular accuracy to do what they wanted, so he had Terri order it. That night over dinner he told the others what he had found.

Alex looked puzzled. "How can they have the level of reflectivity our laser mirrors have? You're the only one who knows the recipe for a coating that can withstand that kind of power."

"Actually they don't need to have the full 99.999% reflectivity. The retro reflector will melt in a few seconds, but by that time enough power will get fed back into the laser to destroy it."

"So we're going to be left with a $30,000 trailer with a melted metal blob on top."

"Yes, but I guess that's the price we have to pay to kill PeaceKeeper."

Dennis cut in. "Maybe not. My neighbor across the lake has an old 30-foot travel trailer he's been trying to sell. It's so beat up that no one will buy it, at any price. I'll check tomorrow and see what we can get it for."

"Great! The retro will be delivered in two days by FedEx, shipped to SWTI at this address."

"So you folks this far out in the Georgia woods actually have an address?" Terri quipped.

David answered "Of course. How else would we get our mail-order brides?"

The next day David towed the neighbors travel trailer that he picked up for $300 over to Derek's place. They spent the afternoon attaching a five-foot-square wood frame to the roof to support the corner cube array. When the women came out to inspect their work Terri went inside the trailer and looked up. She hollered "What did you do? There's screws poking through the roof. This place will leak like a sieve."

Tom rolled his eyes and answered "It doesn't matter, dear. This place will be a cinder when it's all over."

Alex's face brightened. "That's great. I was wondering how we would know if our retro-reflector idea worked. I was thinking we could mount some kind of heat sensor on the roof, but if the roof and trailer are a smoldering mess, it worked!"

"Who's going to be there to see it? . . . Not me."

"Good point David. We don't want to be anywhere near the trailer when the laser hits."

"How about if we tape a cell phone to a tree nearby and have it transmit camera images back to our computer here at Derek's house? Then we would see when it catches fire."

"That'll work Alex. We still have a couple of the burner phones left. . . . Problem solved. Tom, have you figured out a good place to leave the trailer?"

"Yeah, I found a place up on the Flint River call Horseshoe Bend. It's not an official camp site so no one else will be there, but it's on a sand beach along the river bank so there's a clear path to the sky, and little chance of the fire spreading."

"It sounds like the perfect place. As soon as we get the retro-reflector mounted we'll tow it up there. Anna, can you reprogram one of the cell phones to embed the GPS location into the text message?"

"Yep. Give me an hour."

"Alexis, I think it's time for you to compose your message to Elliott. You can send it from Horseshoe Bend when we take the trailer there. That's the GPS location that Elliott's hacker will find encrypted into the text message."

Two days later Elliott received the new text message. It was worded to trigger his anger and make him want revenge instantly.

You are finished, Edwyn. Now we have proof that Director Hamilton of the FBI is working for you. We have an appointment tomorrow morning with President Chavez where we will present incontrovertible evidence of what you have been doing and where the laser weapon is located. By the end of the week your facility will be in ruins and you will be in prison. And we will be national heroes.

Time's up. You loose!

When he saw it his face turned red as he shouted profanities for several minutes. When he finally got control of his emotions he called Moretti into his office.

"Dammit, Moretti, why haven't you been able to find them yet?"

"Who are you referring to, sir."

"Tesla and Flynn, who else. You haven't forgotten about them have you? They're supposed to be at the top of your priority list!"

"No sir, I haven't, but since we lost them the last time there has been no hint of where they went. Even the FBI doesn't know."

"I pay you a lot of money to be the best – better than the FBI. If you can't do your job I'll replace you!"

"No need for that, sir. I will find them. Maybe your hacker Hutchins can back-trace where the message was sent from."

"Not likely, but talk to him anyway."

When Moretti reported back to him that the GPS location had been found in the encrypted header of the text message Elliott couldn't believe his luck. He called the PeaceKeeper Test Director and ordered him to prepare the laser for an attack as soon as possible.

"Yes sir, we can be ready in two days."

"Two days! I want it done today! Got that?"

"There's no chance of that, sir. But if we work all night we can be ready tomorrow morning for the test firing. Then 10 hours later we can attack."

"I can't wait that long! They might be somewhere else by then. Surveillance satellite photos show us they're staying in a trailer beside the Flint River in Georgia. I want you to attack by noon tomorrow."

"Yes, Sir!"

After they left the trailer at the target site beside the river the six were back at Dennis and Anna's place waiting for the seismic sensor back in Colorado to detect the pre-attack test shot. They knew it would probably be a couple of days before the laser would be ready but they didn't want to take the chance of missing the fireworks. They agreed to take turns again listening for the alarm after Derek and Alexis promised to stay awake this time.

Tom and Terri were taking their turn in Anna's basement computer lair when the alarm rang at 9:15 the next morning. Terri ran upstairs to tell the others. They all clamored downstairs to see the seismic vibrations displayed on the screen.

Tom nodded his head. "Yep, that's the right kind of seismic waves. This was definitely the test shot."

"So that means we have 10 hours before the attack?"

"I don't know David. If Elliott is mad enough he might order the Test Director to move up the attack. To do that they will have to shorten the pretest procedure by eliminating some of the safety checks, but Elliott might do that."

"What's the soonest possible time it could happen, Alex?"

"They have to pump more DF fuel up to the storage tanks, and that will take at least four hours. That would put it a little after one o'clock our time – around eleven Colorado time."

"Anna, can you hijack another KH-13 so we can see the mine entrance when the laser fires? We might be able to see some visible damage."

"I should be able to. They didn't catch me last time. And now I know who Elliott's hacker is – cyberking666, Hugo Hutchins. I'll access the spysat using his IP address. That will lead the FBI Cyber Security folks right to him. But I'll still need a some warning to select a specific satellite. I suppose I can assume at attack about 1:15 and select a spysat with a view of the canyon. Then if it doesn't happen then I'll look for the next one to pass over."

Back at the PeaceKeeper compound the test director announced "The countdown is at zero minus five minutes . . . zero minus five minutes and counting everybody."

Elliott could feel the excitement building in his gut. He could hardly wait to see them burn. He and Moretti had joined everyone in the control room thirty minutes ago. Even the hacker was there, flown in by helicopter from Denver to make sure they could see the event on a hijacked spysat. Everything was ready. The big mirror was rolled out, the REMSAT was in orbit, and the final check of the instruments showed the laser was poised to fire.

"Initiating in 10 – 9 – 8 – 7 – 6 – 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 – 0. The Test Director pressed the big red button and the monster in the adjacent mine chamber began to rumble through the final thirty-second startup phase.

Back in Anna's computer room the seismic vibrations popped up on the wall monitor.

"There it is, Anna. Thirty seconds for you to lock in the image."

Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she broke into the NSA control loop and repositioned the cameras. Three seconds before the laser beam fired, the image of the mine entrance and mirror showed up on the screen. They all held their breath and mentally counted 3 – 2 – 1 – 0.

Back in the PeaceKeeper control room Elliott and the others were also holding their breath as the watched the clock countdown the final few seconds. When it reached zero the Test Director announced "Beam out!"

The saw it first on the KH-13 IR camera for two seconds. The beam came off the mirror as a straight line aimed toward the sky. Then it stopped. No fire, no visible result from the reflected beam regurgitating back to where it came from.

"Nothing. It didn't work!" Alex exclaimed.

Tom pointed to the seismic waves on the other screen. They showed the usual rumbling waves until there was a huge spike followed by dozens of other peaks. "Oh yes it did. It looks like it exploded. Those high frequency spikes are what we see from dynamite charges."

They looked back at the spysat image and finally saw it. Smoke pouring from the mine entrance.

Derek used a term from his favorite TV character. "Bazinga!"

They all cheered and hugged, celebrating their success.

The recorded video on the cell phone camera showed that it was flash-blinded as the retro-reflector array flared into the bright flame of burning aluminum that lasted less than a second. Then the flare disappeared as the molten metal continued to bubble. As it cooled the bubbling stopped but the mass continued to glow a deep red. A few seconds later it disappeared from sight as it burned through the roof of the trailer. They watched the trailer smolder for several minutes before the internal fire burned out.

Elliott and the PeaceKeeper crew were watching the trailer on their own borrowed spysat. But they barely had time to see the flaming retro-reflector before the room was rocked by an explosion in the adjacent laser chamber. The concussion wasn't enough to breach the thick concrete walls of the control room, but the tremors knocked most of them to the floor.

"What's happening?" Elliott shouted in the ear of the Test Director.

"For some reason the laser blew up. These aftershocks could be the mine roof caving in on the laser."

"What if the cave-in spreads to this tunnel?"

"Just pray that it doesn't or there will be no way out of here."

"Can we call someone to rescue us?"

"It looks like all our communication links with the outside world have been cut off."

"What can we do?"

He gave him the only answer he could. "Pray, sir, pray."

Derek and the others continued to watch the images of the mine entrance from the KH-13 to see if the PeaceKeeper crew got out. But all they saw was a huge cloud of black coal dust belching out of the mine entrance.

Derek looked at Tom. "What was that?"

"A cave-in! The blast must have caused it. There's no telling how extensive it is. It might include the control room tunnel. We need to report this in case they're trapped."

Tom took out his phone and called the director of the OSMRE Office in Washington. After being put on hold for a few minutes the director finally came on the line. "This is Director Glenda Owens. How may I help you?"

"Yes Director Owens. This is Tom Norton from the Gunnison Valley District Office. We have a serious emergency here that needs immediate attention."

"I'm listening."

"There has been a mine cave-in at Tall Pines Valley northeast of Gunnison. We have reason to believe people are trapped inside. We need to get some rescue equipment and emergency responders up there ASAP. We have nothing here in Gunnison capable of clearing the way into the mine. It will take some heavy duty equipment and rescue experts to get to them."

"Is there a fire involved?"

"Not as far as we can tell at this time."

"I'll make it happen, Tom. Stay on the line and give my assistant all the details you are aware of."

"Yes Director. Standing by."

Alexis tugged at Tom's sleeve. "You're not going to tell them about the laser are you?"

Tom looked at Derek for an answer.

He shook his head no. "We should let the authorities discover it for themselves. We want to break all connections with Elliott and the project."

Tom nodded just as the assistant came on the phone. Tom repeated what he had told the Director and said that he would put the details in an email to follow shortly. The man agreed and hung up.

"Quick thinking, Tom. This will give us time to tailor the report to say only what we want to reveal."
Chapter 36 – What To Do About Elliott

The next morning the news networks carried coverage of the coal mine explosion and cave-in. Although there was some long-distance aerial coverage from helicopters there were no reporters at the site, as viewers had come to expect. The in-studio commentators reported that the Federal Government had cordoned off the entire area, preventing their cameramen and reporters from providing live coverage. One commentator remarked that she had an inside source who told her that there were teams there from several Government agencies, including the Department of Defense, the FBI, and surprisingly the CIA. She had no explanation for the multi-agency interest, but she stated "We have informants on the inside of this situation and we expect an update any moment." Those watching the network, including the six in southern Georgia, watched expectantly, but no further information was reported, only endless loops of the same few minutes of video from the helicopter.

Derek said to the others sitting around the large-screen TV in his home, "The Government has put a lid on this. It looks like someone got far enough into the mine to realize it's no ordinary mine accident. I think our counter-attack has been successful."

Alexis looked concerned. "But still no reports of survivors. I'm worried we may have killed people."

"With the unforeseen cave-in that's possible," Tom said. "We'll just have to keep watching. I really want to see Elliott emerge and be arrested. That's the only way this will end the way we want it to."

That gave Terri concern. "What if somehow he does escape? Alexis, didn't you say there was a way out at the back of the mine?"

"Yes, there is. If they weren't trapped by the cave-in they might have gotten to the entrance at the north end of the tunnel."

"Do the rescue workers know about that?"

"Elliott tried to keep it quiet, but Gerald Lucas, director of mining operations for HTMC, has all the old tunnel blueprints. If the Feds get a look at those they might send a team over there."

The six of them took turns through the night to monitor the news but it wasn't until the next morning that they heard what they were waiting for. No survivors were found, but neither were there any bodies. The Director of the OSMRE Office for the Department of the Interior appeared in a news conference shortly after that.

Glenda Owens stepped up to the microphone looking a little disheveled from the frenetic activity over the past 24 hours. "Based on the initial report from one of our district managers, we were led to believe that people were trapped in the mine. Apparently that was not true. Perhaps it was even a hoax. We are investigating the incident but have been unable to reach the manager in question. We will provide more information as soon as it is available."

She turned and left as reporters began shouting out questions. As soon as she settled into the back seat of her chauffeured Mercedes her cell phone rang. She didn't recognize the caller's number and thought about ignoring it but her gut told her that would be unwise.

"This is Director Owens."

"Hold for Secretary of Defense McCauley please. . . ."

"Glenda dear, this is Raymond." The two had a 'history' and were on a first name basis. (Actually they were on a pet name basis but he didn't want to use them over the phone.)

"Hi Ray. Is this a social call or something less important."

"Actually it's more important. There are things happening in this Colorado coal mine disaster that are way over your head."

"I have a Top Secret clearance. You can tell me."

"This is even way over that, sweetie. I'll have to order you to cease and desist speaking any further about this."

"But what will I say to the reporters?"

"No comment."

"O.K. But you can tell me what's going on, Pookie."

"No comment!"

Several days later Derek and the others concluded that Elliott and the PeaceKeeper crew had escaped the disaster.

"It looks like it's all over, guys. No news coverage of anything having to do with the people or the site since Director Owens announced that no one was in the complex. We're free to go back to our old lives."

"Maybe not, Tom," Alexis responded. "I'm still a wanted woman. I don't know what it takes to call off the FBI, but until that happens Derek and I need to stay in hiding. As far as we know they aren't looking for the four of you, so you all can go back to living in peace."

Derek held up his hand. "Not so fast. You're assuming that Elliot and his security chief, Tony Moretti, are hiding somewhere. Elliott has to be really ticked off at what we did. He will have Moretti and his minions out for blood. If they ever find us we're all as good as dead."

Terri shivered. "That's a terrifying thought. What do we do? Find another place to hide?"

"With Elliott's resources, I can't think of a place where he won't eventually find us. If he puts out a reward for us on the Dark Web all sorts of evil people will come out of the woodwork trying to track us down."

Dennis spoke up for the first time. "I think we should go on the offensive. Find out where he is and go after him. We'll never feel safe until we take him out of the picture."

Anna looked at him. "I agree with you, honey, but what will we do with him once we catch him? If we turn him over to the authorities his lawyers will have him out in a day or two."

There was silence as each of them thought over the implications of that statement. Tom said what the others were thinking. "Maybe we have to kill him. Even from prison he can order someone to go after us. He had no problem trying to kill us before. We only escaped by the grace of God. He's the enemy, and as the Bible recounts in several places, God commanded the Hebrews to slay the enemy."

Derek closed the discussion. "I think that's something we all need to consider – individually. Let's sleep on it and talk again in the morning."

President Arthur Chavez was having lunch with his wife – his third wife, 28-year-old Selena – when his Chief of Staff interrupted him.

"Pardon me, Mr. President, but something important has come up."

"Can't it wait, Zeke. I'm busy!" Chavez said as his wife ran her bare foot up under his pants cuff.

"It's regarding the PeaceKeeper problem, sir."

"Dammit. Why does this stuff always come up at the worst times. . . . Sorry dear. I'll have to take a rain check on . . . whatever you had planned."

"I have the NSC waiting in the situation room, sir."

Chavez blew his wife a kiss and followed Devereaux out of the room.

When everyone was seated at the conference table the President said, "So what's so important that you had to pull me away from a delightful lunch?"

Devereaux led off with reminding everyone of the events at the Colorado coal mine over the past couple of weeks. Then he gave the floor to Dr. Sharpstein who went into a briefing about the surprising, almost unbelievable discovery. He pointed to an aerial view of a debris mound at the entrance to the mine.

"This structure here appears to have been a mirror of some sort. Further into the mine searchers found the remains of a huge laser. When we got some scientists in there they concluded that it was a chemical laser operating at a laser wavelength of 3.8 microns. Does that sound familiar to any of you? . . . That's the wavelength of the PeaceKeeper laser. What we found was the base of operations for the laser weapon that's responsible for several attacks over the past weeks. This is all we know for certain right now, but our investigators will continue searching through the ruins for more evidence. Are there any questions?"

General McCauley asked, "Was there any other wreckage found in the mine?"

"FBI Director Hamilton will have to answer that question. My team only had access to the laser and the adjacent R&D lab."

Devereaux stood and thanked the scientist, then asked him to leave the meeting so they discuss more sensitive information about the mine.

"The laser and laboratory are only part of what we found in the mine. There was also an apartment complex that could house at least two hundred individuals, presumably the team that built and operated the laser."

"Is it true that no bodies were found?" McCauley asked.

"Yes, that's true. Apparently the remaining staff members were in an operations blockhouse in the adjoining tunnel. The building was damaged but not destroyed. There were no people, alive or dead, found inside. Evidently they escaped, but no one has turned up in the area. Where they went is a mystery at this point."

The President interrupted. "Who was behind this PeaceKeeper thing? Who could afford to pay for the research and build something of this scale?"

"We found some paperwork in the ruins that implicates Edwin Elliot, the multi . . ."

"Yes, I know who he is. We're close friends. I wonder why he didn't confide in me about this project?"

"Elliott had to keep this whole thing ultra secret, from our Government and the rest of the world, until it was up and working. I guess he thought it was time to reveal it with the football stadium trick."

"What about Elliott? Where is he hiding?"

FBI Director Hamilton answered this question. "Sir, we have been trying to locate him, but he isn't at any of his known residences or offices. We can't put out a public statement about him being missing because he controls most of the news outlets in some way or another. But I assure you, Mr. President, we will find him."

"And then what? We can't put him in prison. His lawyers will run circles around our federal prosecutors. He won't see even one day behind bars. . . . Any suggestions?"

McCauley thought about it for a moment. If the Government investigates this my role in it will be uncovered. I could end up in jail, or worse. I need a way to protect myself. Only Elliott and his three advisors can implicate me. . . . I need to get rid of them all. But Elliott has to be first.

"I think I have the answer, sir. The only answer. If any of this gets out the American people, and the vultures in the news media, will be screaming for your resignation. And if other countries find out they will think Elliott is just the scapegoat for a top-secret Government project, one that has attacked some of those countries. That could lead to war. I think the only way to keep it all secret is to eliminate Edwyn Elliott."

The President turned to McCauley. "I'm not going to ask what you mean by 'eliminate' General. In fact, the Vice President and I are going to leave the room now and let the rest of you come up with a solution."

After he was gone McCauley looked at the others in the room. "Well? Do you all agree with me?"

Hamilton immediately nodded his head. He had as much to lose at McCauley did. The other four didn't respond immediately.

"You all realize that you will go down with the President if this hits the fan, don't you. Let's put it to a vote."

All but Secretary of State Rivers agreed; she abstained.

"It's decided then. As soon as Elliott is found he will be eliminated."

He turned to Hamilton. "I presume you have some people at your disposal who do this sort of thing."

"Yes, I have two or three available."

"Good. Once we find him send all three. Just make sure it can't be traced back to us."

Back in Georgia the six were wrestling with the same problem – what to do about Elliott.

After sleeping on the question of whether they should kill him they all agreed that wasn't the right thing to do. Besides, none of them had the stomach for shooting a man in cold blood.

They were sitting around Derek's dining table now searching for options. Tom came up with one.

"What if we find him, then let the North Korean's know where he is and that it was him who incinerated Hwa Ho-Sung and his generals. They would kill him for us."

"Or they might launch a nuke to take him out. They're crazy enough to do it. There would be lots of collateral damage and maybe a nuclear response. We just moved back from that brink; we don't want to go there again."

"Good point, Alexis. What else have we got?"

She responded, "I think the only option that makes sense is to find him – Anna can probably do that on the web – and tell the FBI. They'll send him to jail for the rest of his life."

"Where he can still hire someone to get to us. Besides, the FBI Director buried Alex's video. Maybe he will bury Elliott's location too."

"We can deal with that when, and if, it happens. Maybe the FBI will put us in a witness protection program."

Derek added his thoughts. "I agree with Alexis. Maybe we can tell the FBI where he is in exchange for getting her name off their most-wanted list. We should at least give them a chance to do their thing. Then, if that doesn't work, we can always fall back to Plan B . . . we kill him ourselves."

Chapter 37 – Termination

Elliott was safely settled into his emergency headquarters – a place no one knew about except his hand-picked staff and bodyguards. He built the compound a few years ago as a private getaway for something just like this – a place to disappear to. The large home/office building had concrete walls, bullet resistant glass, and a basement stocked with enough food to feed him and his staff for a month or more. It was surrounded by a ten-foot chain link fence topped with razor wire and dozens of surveillance cameras and motion sensors. Moretti staffed it with eight of the toughest Russian mobsters he could find, and told them that if an intruder got as far as the house he would personally shoot every guard in sight first before killing the intruder.

The place was entirely off the grid. There was no road to it; only a helicopter could get in and out. It had it's own generator, water well, and sewage system. Because he still had to conduct his business, he had satellite internet and phone links, but they were doubly encrypted with the latest quantum cryptology software. He was assured that no hacker in the world could penetrate his computer system. So it was with complete confidence that he now was online with his investment broker giving orders for buying and selling certain stocks that would increase his net worth.

At the same time Anna was at her computer probing for links back to Elliott. The first place she always looked when trying to find someone was their bank and investment accounts, so that's what she was doing when some activity showed up with his brokerage firm, Goldstone Investments. She had to hurry to get into the Goldstone computer before Elliott broke the connection, so she put on a NeuroLink head band. It took just five seconds to hack Goldstone and another thirty seconds to implant a worm virus that would get into Elliott's computer on the next transmission. She made it just in time. When the broker sent the last message to Elliott Anna's worm was firmly attached. A nice irony that she did it using Elliott's invention.

When Elliott opened the message the worm sprang loose and wound its way around the memory and hard drive, replacing bits and bytes and lines of code where necessary to allow Anna to sneak in and control Elliott's system. Like a blood hound it sniffed its way through the stored information looking for clues to his whereabouts. With the NeuroLink it was like Anna was right behind the hound all the way. When the hound found what it was looking for it stopped, sending Anna a signal that pointed her to the information: a GPS location that was left over from before the encryption software was installed. Anna quickly parked the worm in a dark corner of the memory and wrote down the location. She ran upstairs shouting "Eureka" like Archimedes did when he discovered the principle named after him. Except he was reportedly naked when he ran through the streets of Syracuse yelling the famous exclamation.

"What'cha got honey?" Dennis asked.

"I have Elliott's GPS location."

"Where is it?"

"At GPS 41.616° North, 119.334° West."

"Where is that?"

"I don't know, I didn't take time to check."

Derek typed the numbers into his phone. "That would be Badger Mountain in eastern Nevada. Anna, can you steal time on another KH-13 for a few seconds to check that out?"

"Yeah, but every time I do that my risk of getting caught increases. Let's go downstairs and see what images I can come up with."

Twenty minutes later the group was looking at a fortified compound in a secluded valley next to the mountain. "There you go, folks."

"Get a photo and break the connection. That's all we need. Time to celebrate!"

Dennis took a cardboard carton of Franzia Moscato from the fridge and filled six coffee cups. "Let's have a toast to Anna for her digital crime expertise."

They all clinked cups and took a drink.

"You are a real wine connoisseur, Dennis. Boxed wine out of coffee cups."

As they sipped the wine Dennis brought up a potential snag in their plan. "So what if we send the photo and coordinates to the FBI Director and he ignores it. Is there anyone else we should send copies to as insurance?"

"Good idea Let's send a copy to the President and the Secretary of Defense."

Terri added the final bit of insurance. "We should include a cover letter with a list of all the recipients, so the FBI will be afraid not to do something about it. And I think we should include a DVD with the video Alexis recorded before so we're sure it will get beyond the FBI Director this time."

Tom turned and gave her a kiss. "Brilliant, sweetheart. Absolutely brilliant."

Alicia, the administrative Assistant to Secretary of Defense McCauley, received an envelope addressed to her boss marked

PERSONAL: FOR THE SECRETARY'S EYES ONLY.

She wondered if she should screen it as she did all of his other mail, but decided not to. On the other hand, as his admin assistant I'm sort of a secretary, so maybe this means it's for my eyes only. If it's personal there might be something juicy in it. I can't pass that up.

She slid the DVD, a letter, and a photo from the envelope onto her desk. The letter was about some guy named Elliott, and the photo looked like a shot from Google Earth. But the DVD was a different matter. If there was something incriminating, that's where it would be. She opened her disk drive and dropped it in. When she saw an attractive blonde speaking she knew it was something good. Maybe they were having an affair. But when she turned the sound up it was just some scientific gibberish. Damn! It would be nice to have something to blackmail him with, but this isn't it. She put the items back in the envelope, took it into his office, and laid it on the corner of his desk. She turned and was almost out the door when McCauley stopped her.

"Is this something important, Alicia?"

"I . . . I don't know, sir. It didn't make any sense to me."

"The envelope says it's for my eyes only. Why did you open it?"

"Uh, I didn't notice that until I was putting it back in the envelope, sir." She tried to leave but he stopped her again.

"Stay here until I read this."

He was at first elated that someone had tipped him off to where Elliott was hiding, but then looked at who else got the letter and disk. He knew what was on the disk. "Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit."

Alicia tried to use his anger as cover to leave the room, but he stopped her a third time.

"So have you read the letter and seen the video?"

"Yes sir, but I didn't mean to."

It doesn't matter if she meant to, she has seen things that could destroy me and the others. She has to taken care of.

"Alright. You're dismissed."

McCauley picked up the phone and called the FBI Director.

"Adam, this is Raymond. Did you receive a letter and DVD in the mail?"

"Yeah, I did. I'll send my team out there as soon as they can plan their mission."

"Good. I have another job for your boys. My assistant, Alicia. She knows too much."

"I'll let my guys know, Ray."

"Make it look like an accident. Maybe run her car into the Potomac or something."

"Got it."

Zeke Devereaux intercepted the envelope meant for President Chavez. After he read the letter and watched the video he put them in the classified burn bag for the nightly incineration. If this information got out, the press could tie Elliott's assassination to him and the President.

The three FBI contract killers were well-prepared for their latest mission. They had seen satellite maps of the area and selected their vantage point overlooking Elliot's hide-away. It had a clear view of the path where their target took his morning walks. Two shooters would take out the body guards flanking the target while the third would put two rounds through Elliott's head. They were surprised that the spysat photo showed a clear trail through the heavily wooded forest that would put them in position for the killings, but concluded it was just unprofessional security planning.

At 2 a.m. a few days later a helicopter flew in low behind the mountain ridge. It landed on the west side of the ridge, out of sight of the compound in the adjacent valley. The three climbed out and followed the trail up the slope toward the top of the ridge. When they were almost there the lead sniper's shoe hit a trip wire that triggered four claymore mines attached to tree trunks on both sides of the trail. A fusillade of steel balls tore through the three men, almost cutting them in half.

At the same time an Air Force MQ-1 Predator drone armed with two Hellfire missiles was circling quietly 12,000 feet above the valley. This was McCauley's backup plan in case the snipers were unsuccessful. When the drone camera transmitted a video of the snipers' fate, Air Force 1st Lt. George Cline, the drone pilot, followed the top secret mission protocol he had been given. He armed the two missiles and flew the drone on a path that would put Elliott's bedroom window in the cross-hairs of his video screen. When he had it lined up perfectly he switched on the laser designator and fired the missiles, one after another. The sensitive trackers in the front dome of the missiles homed in on the laser spot and three seconds later the fist Hellfire smashed through the window and exploded. Four seconds later the second missile flew through the hole left by the first and exploded deep inside the room. Elliott, deep in Ambien-induced unconsciousness, died in his sleep.

Later in the day an NSA image analysis technician was trying to stay awake during his shift. His job was to watch the KH-13 spysat images, and wait for the computer to alert him to anything unusual. It was boring because it seldom detected anything of interest – like a large explosion, a nuclear detonation, or a missile launch. The system had several layers of filters, both optical and digital, that allowed only specific types of light flashes through and blocked all the meaningless signals, like simple fires.

That's why the man was surprised by the audio alert that blared from the speaker. He quickly sat up and focused on the monitor. Two bright flashes identified as small air-to-ground missile launches over eastern Nevada were followed by fireballs characteristic of high explosive detonations. As he zoomed in he could see that the target was an isolated building inside a fenced compound. He quickly followed his orders and shunted the images off to a classified storage sector of the hard drive. Then he picked up the red phone and dialed the Director. But before he punched the last number button he stopped . . . then hung up and thought about what he had witnessed.

This looks like the Hellfire missile strikes I've see in the middle east. And I think I see a faint IR signature of a Predator. If this is what I think it is – an Air Force strike against a target in the U.S. – it's huge. It was probably ordered by someone high up in the Defense Department. And they will try to keep it top secret because they are not supposed to be doing that. If I leaked this to the media it could be worth a lot of money – big money. . . . But I'm sworn to not release classified information outside the Government. . . . But what they're doing is morally wrong. I would be doing my civic duty by exposing it . . . on the other hand . . .

Finally his greed won out under the cover of moral indignation. He opened his cell phone and pressed the speed dial of an old friend from college, who now was a journalist with the Washington Post.

"Hey Bubba, how's it hanging"

"Same as always, Bobby, draggin' in the dust. . . . What's up? Lookin' for a night on the town?"

"Maybe so. I have something that will explode in the President's face. I can't tell you over the phone, but in the middle of a noisy club no one can listen in. Pick a place."

"How about The Bankshot Bar on Fort Meade Road. Nine o'clock."

"Great. See you there."

Bobby turned back to his console. I have four hours to cut and paste yesterday's video from the same time period into this afternoon's images, and to find out whose place was attacked. If it's someone well-known, maybe a senator or something, I might get hundreds of thousands out of this. What he found was beyond his wildest dreams.

By 6 p.m. the Washington online edition was leading with the story.

U.S. GOVERNMENT ASSASSINATES MULTIBILLIONAIRE EDWIN ELLIOTT!

It included a couple of photos of the operation, fuzzed up enough so it couldn't be traced back to Bobby's spysat photos. The Post's web site was so overloaded it went off-line for over an hour, creating a rumor that Government troops had broken into the Post's offices and forcibly shut them down. Even with later evidence to the contrary the legend was already out of the womb. Nothing could convince the conspiracy nuts that it was a lie.

McCauley and Adam Hamilton were sipping Glenfiddich Single Malt 26-year-old Scotch in McCauley's office when an assistant burst in the door. "Sir, you have to see this!"

"What?"

He held out his laptop for them to see. "A Washington Post story about how a Predator drone fired two Hellfire missiles into a secret mountain hideaway belonging to Edwin Elliott. Nevada State Police have just shown up at the site so we have nothing official, but there's a burned body at the site that appears to be Mr. Elliott."

McCauley and Hamilton came out of their chairs at the same time, both spilling their expensive liquor on the floor. "WHAT? How the hell did that get out!" McCauley shouted. "I thought we had a guaranteed cover-up on that."

Hamilton shot him a stern look. McCauley had just admitted in front of a junior assistant that they were in on it. When the inevitable special council investigation puts pressure on him to testify he would tell them everything he just heard. But like past investigations of powerful people, it would get nowhere.

The sextet in Georgia gathered in front of the big screen every evening for the seven o'clock news. They were hoping for news about Elliott's arrest, but so far had been disappointed. Tonight all four networks led off with the same story that broke from the Washington Post just an hour ago.

"Oh my God! They killed him! They blew him up with missiles."

"Well, wasn't that what we were hoping would happen?"

"Sort of. But I never really thought it would happen. We're sort of . . . murderers. Like the person who lights the fuse that sets off a terrorist bomb. You could blame the one who made the bomb, or the one who planted it, but the one who lights the fuse makes it a reality."

The other five looked down at the floor for a few moments, wrestling with guilt. Anna brought them back to reality.

"This guy was the murderer! He killed thousands of people with his super laser, a weapon that was supposed to minimize collateral damage. We share no guilt here. Any more than the executioner who pulls the switch to electrocute a serial murderer . . . so get over it. David break out your best box of wine. Let's celebrate!"

Two hours and two 5-liter boxes of Moscato later they were all uproariously drunk, laughing at whatever was said. They finally stumbled off to bed and crashed.

Around nine a.m. Alexis struggled to get her eyes open, but when the morning sunlight hit them she dove back under the covers. Her movement jiggled Derek enough to wake him. He peaked out at the lighted room but immediately joined Alexis under the comforter. They looked at each other, and said at the same time "You're naked!" Then they looked down at themselves and said together "So am I." Then they both broke out laughing. When that ran it's course Alex asked, "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are we naked? What did we do with our clothes?"

"They're probably downstairs somewhere. But a better question is why did we take them off?"

"Do . . . do you think we did it Derek?"

"Did what?" Now he was playing with her.

"You know. . . . Made love."

"You don't remember?

She searched her mind. "No . . . I don't think so."

"You're kidding! That was the most wonderful sex we ever had! And you missed it?"

"Really? Whisper in my ear and tell me about it."

Derek had to make it up as he went and when it got unbelievable she called him on it.

"You're just making that up. I think you had a hot dream and thought it was real."

He tried to protest that he was telling the truth but finally gave it up. "I guess I was telling you what the wildest night of lovemaking could be like."

"Does morning count?"

"What?"

"All that whispering in my ear got me turned on, so I was thinking we could re-enact it now." She gave him a sly smile as she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him against her.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Fade to Black - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Chapter 38 – What Now?

The other four had already finished breakfast when Derek and Alex finally made it down to the kitchen.

"Well there they are. It's about time. "We were going to come get you for breakfast, but it sounded like you were having too much fun up there."

Alex blushed a bit. "We were trying to be quiet, but things got out of control."

Anna laughed. "We have all 'been there, done that' dear. It was nothing new to us."

Anxious to change the subject Derek asked the group, "So . . . What now? Elliott is dead and gone. I don't think we will have any trouble getting off the FBI wanted list. So we're pretty much free to do whatever we want to. So what is that?"

After a minute or two of thought Tom led off, looking at Derek and Alexis. "Terri and I have talked it over, and if you two plan to stay here at the lake, we would like to find a place to live nearby. The six of us are a great team. Elliott wasn't the only one out there who used his power to do bad stuff. We could make a short prioritized list of others like that and start going after them one by one on line. I think Anna was already doing some of that, and we would certainly need her hacking skills. What do y'all think?"

Dennis looked at him with a smile. "Y'all? Did you just say y'all? We're turning you into southerners. Now the next thing you need to learn is to say 'all y'all.'"

Terri asked "Well, what do all y'all think?"

Everyone agreed. The prospect of keeping their group of close friends together was something they all wanted to happen. Dennis held up his glass of orange juice in a toast. The others joined him. "Hear, hear!" they all exclaimed as they drained their glasses.

Derek asked again, "So, what now? How do we make this happen? I have a home in New Mexico I need to sell – after spending some time there with Alexis. And she needs to sell her place in California. Tom and Terri have their sporting goods store in Gunnison to sell. Anna and Dennis don't have to do anything, except get a head start on our next mission. So what's our plan?"

"I think we're forgetting about the FBI," Alex said. " I need to get them off my back. And we know the Director is not our friend."

"Based on the Senate Investigation into Elliott's crimes, it looks like Director Hamilton's career is over. Within a few days I believe the Deputy Director, Walter Stapleton, will be appointed Acting Director. So he's the one we have to deal with. Anna, can you dig up some dirt on him that we can use to force his cooperation?"

"If there's any dirt out there, Derek, I'll find it."

"Thanks. As soon as we get this problem resolved Alex and me and Tom and Terri will head out to take care of business so we can settle in here with no strings attached."

"When we get back Tom and I will have to hunt for a place here on the lake. Dennis, do you know of anything?"

"I think so, Terri. There's a place a half mile from us that's up for sale. The house is old and pretty small, but it's got a boat house, running water, and it's own sewage system. That's a high-end place for around here. I'll take you over to look at it later."

Just as Derek predicted, by the end of the week Hamilton was under investigation and Stapleton was put in place as Director. By that time Anna had tapped into his personal computer, his bank account, his investment accounts, and his personal emails. The six gathered around her workstation to see what she found.

The first thing that popped up on the big monitor screen was a list of the internet sites that Stapleton had accessed in the past month. Anna commented "I can't believe computer users are so dumb that they believe that incognito connection shit. It's no more private than the unsecured link. . . . So here's the first thing I found on Stapleton." They watched as a list of his betting history scrolled across the screen.

"He was into illegal on-line gambling in a big way, even using his credit card to place bets. We can send him an anonymous email revealing these charges on his account and threaten to tattle on him if he doesn't stop the search for Alexis."

Alexis thought about it for a moment. "That's not enough. We need to force him to run TV news stories saying I've been cleared of any suspicious activity. That might take a little more leverage. What else have you got Anna?"

"How about this? It shows a big deposit into his off-shore bank account that coincides with his decision to terminate the RICO investigation into mob boss Lorenzo Giambino. If I trace this money I'm sure I can find a link to the mob's payoff account."

"That should do it. Let me know when you have it all together. I want to see how fast Stapleton scrambles to respond."

"I can do better than that. I have one of the surveillance cams from the Director's office feeding into my computer. We can all watch him gasp and turn white when he opens the email."

Acting Director Stapleton reacted just as they expected he would. First he turned white as a sheet – hard to do for a colored man. Then he cursed a blue streak before settling down. In the end he responded to their email:

You have me cornered, whoever you are. I will immediately stop all investigations related to Dr. Tesla and have the Press Director issue a news release absolving her of the false allegations regarding her actions. I will then have all files related to her purged from the records. But this is a one-time good deal. If you ever threaten me again I will have you hunted down and arrested.

"Yesss!" Alexis exclaimed. "I am a free woman. Let's start packing the car, Derek. I want to spend some time alone with you in Cedar Crest."

Tom added, "Terri and I have been packed and ready to go for a couple of days. We were just waiting for this. We'll head for Gunnison in the morning."
Chapter 39 – Cloud Nine . . . and Beyond

Derek and Alexis were out on the back deck of the Cedar Crest home, sipping Margaritas and watching a lightning storm dance it's way from peak to peak atop the Sandia Mountains. They were snuggled spoon-fashion on a redwood lounger, enjoying the peace and closeness. Alexis threw her head back so she could see Derek's face.

"Did you and Charlene give this place a name? Like Sandia Haven or something?"

"No, not really. When the song 'Impossible Dream' from the Broadway play Man of La Mancha was popular we thought about naming it that, with maybe a wrought iron silhouette of Don Quixote mounted on the face of that big rock at the bottom of the driveway. It was kind of our dream to have a home in the mountains – what we thought was an impossible dream back in our early days. But then she got sick and we moved to Georgia."

"Aw, what a romantic story. I thought maybe we could name the place Cloud Nine – same sort of theme – but we should go with what Charlene wanted."

Derek pulled her tighter into their spoon. "Several months ago that thought would have set off some tears, but as we've grown closer the past has lost it's power over me. Only happy memories remain."

Sensing that what he said might not be entirely true, Alexis changed the subject.

"You've had the home on the market for almost a month now. Still no buyers?"

"Maybe. The realtor called me this morning and asked if she could bring someone by to look at it tomorrow after lunch. I told her I'd check with you and call her back."

"Definitely call her back. I love it here but I'm ready to be back in Georgia."

Terri was in the back room of the Gunnison Hunting Equipment store. The local realtor had found a buyer for the place and she had to complete a final inventory before the closing next week. At the same time she and Tom were packing their personal belongings from the upstairs apartment for their move to Georgia. Tom was downtown at the office showing his replacement the files and procedures needed to keep the Coal Restoration Project running smoothly after he left. He knew he should be back at the store helping Terri with the inventory, but he was still a Government employee until the end of the week so he had this last job to complete before he could leave.

Terri heard the old copper bell ring above the shop door, so she went back out front to welcome the customer – two customers actually. One was dressed in forest camouflage hunting clothes while the younger man behind him was dressed in black jeans, sweatshirt, gambler-style hat, and a long coat like those favored by the Goth generation. Black from head to toe. That one looked surly, but the older one – his dad maybe – was more friendly.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. Quite a nice shop you have here."

"Well thank you. What can I do for you today?"

"I'm looking for some ammo for my hunting rifle."

"What kind of are you looking for?"

"It's for my Remington thirty-ought-six. I'd prefer the Springfield cartridge if you have it."

"I may have some in the back. Let me look."

As Terri turned and walked through the open doorway into the store room the man in black moved quietly to the front door and flipped the 'Open' sign over to the 'Closed' side and locked the door. The other man paused for minute, then followed Terri. She was reaching up to a high shelf when she sensed his presence. She turned her head to look over her shoulder.

"I'm sorry sir. Customers aren't allowed back here."

He pointed to the shelf she was reaching for. "Let me help you get them ammo boxes down, ma'am."

"No thanks. I've got it."

He took two long strides and pinned her against the metal shelves. "We're going to take a little ride, Terri." He shook a pair of handcuffs loose from his pocket. "Put your hands behind your back."

She thought for a second then started slowly lowering her hands. His eyes were focused on that action so he didn't see her quickly raise one leg. She smashed the western boot heel down on the arch of his right foot. He heard the snapping of bones before the wave of pain reached his brain.

He stepped backward away from her and reached for the handgun in the back of his belt. But Terri already had her next couple of moves planned. She pivoted around quickly and brought the heel of her hand up from her waist and hit the bottom of his nose with all the force she could generate. The cartilage of the lower nose tore loose from it's moorings and was jammed up into the nasal sinus cavity. As blood started pouring from where his nose had been she planted her boot in the middle of his chest and knocked him over backward. She was moving in for a kick to the groin when the man in black shouted "Stop! Back away. Back up against the shelves."

She turned toward him, ready to strike, when she saw him raise the 12-guage shotgun from under his coat. She did as he ordered. When she felt the shelves against her back she eased over to her right.

"Stay that way or I'll kill you!" He went down on one knee to check his unconscious partner's pulse.

Terri nodded yes to him, but slipped her hand behind her and reached under the third shelf from the bottom, where Tom had hidden a small semi-automatic hand gun stuck to a large magnet. He had done the same at several other locations around the shop in case they were robbed. The man in black stood up just as she pulled the gun up to shoot. She almost made it. But the shotgun went off first. She felt it hit just below her sternum. She slid to the floor, unable to breathe.

Tom was just finishing up his discussions with the new project head when his cell phone rang. He didn't want to be interrupted, but when he saw it was from Terri he excused himself and left the room.

"Hi honey. What's up?"

A gruff voice he didn't recognize responded. "Hello Tom. Have a look at this photo of your wife."

He held the phone in front of his face and gasped at what he saw. Terri was tied to a chair with her head slumped on her chest. A hand picked up her chin to reveal a severely beaten face. Her cheek was cut and bleeding, the crooked nose was obviously broken, her lower lip was split open, and her left eye was swollen shut.

He shouted into the phone. "Terri! Teri! Talk to me! What happened to you?"

The video scene disappeared. The gruff voice spoke again. "I'm afraid she isn't able to speak right now. Even if she was conscious the broken jaw would make it hard to say anything."

"You bastard! What did you do to her?"

"I tried to get her to tell me where her friends, Alexis and Derek, could be found. Unfortunately she refused to answer my question. So I tried a little persuasion. But that didn't work. So I tried a little more persuasion, but she stayed silent . . . except for her screams."

"Where is she? I'm coming after her!"

"Well that's exactly what I hoped you would say, Tom. Since she won't talk you're going to come out here and tell me what I want to know. I know you'll be as stubborn as she was. That's why I need you to come to her. That way, if you won't give us the answer we can continue our persuasive activities. So far we have only used her face as a punching bag. But if you show up and don't feel like talking, or worse, if you don't show up within thirty minutes, we'll strip her clothes off and start working on her body. Meet us at the old abandoned Hansen farm out on Highway 114 south of town. And if you bring anybody with you I'll burn her alive in front your eyes."

Tom thought quickly. "But that's impossible! I'm over in Grand Junction on business. It will take me two and a half hours to get to Gunnison! Please, leave her alone until I get there. I'll tell you everything."

The gruff voice covered the mouthpiece as he talked with someone close by. When he spoke into the phone again he said, "You have two hours. If you are not here by then we'll start in on her body.

"You son-of-a bitch! Don't you dare touch her. If you hurt her any more I'll torture you for hours before I kill you. . . . You hear me!" Then he realized the caller had hung upHHelloHell

Tom wasted no time. He told the visitor in his office he had an emergency and bolted out the front door. He covered the half mile to the store in record time. Everything looked normal. No signs of a struggle. Then he ran into the store room and saw the carnage. Blood spattered on the walls and shelves. A pool of blood on the floor. Terri's hidden gun was under a chair.

"That son-of-a-bitch! What did he do to her. So much blood. They must have beat her up in here."

His mind went into warp speed. Maybe it's not her blood. Maybe she defended herself and the blood is from her attacker. Is there anything else in the room that might tell me what happened. . . . There, in the corner. What's that? He picked up an unusual object and recognized it immediately. It's a beanbag round from a 12-guage shotgun. Police use them as a non-lethal weapon to stun someone or knock the wind out of them with a stomach shot. That must be how they took her down.

He looked at his watch. Time to roll. I only have an hour and forty minutes left and it will take me thirty of that to get out to the Hansen place from here.

He ran up the stairs to their living quarters and went to the storage closet. From way in the back he pulled out a garment bag and threw it on the bed. He ripped he buttons from his shirt in his rush to get it off. Then he stepped out of his dress pants and jammed his legs into the military camo pants. He pulled the matching shirt over his head and headed to the cedar chest in the corner of the bedroom.

He opened the lid and threw Terri's wedding dress and two embroidered quilts on the floor. Then he reached inside and pressed a hidden button in the corner. The false bottom sprang open to reveal a SAKO TRG 42 long-range sniper rifle. This was the weapon Tom used in Iraq to terminate 18 of the most blood-thirsty Al Qaeda leaders. After his last mission he reported that it had been destroyed by an enemy mortar round. In the month after that he shipped it home in pieces from various FedEx centers in the middle east. When he returned to Colorado he reassembled it and added the false bottom to Terri's chest. He hadn't touched at it in the six years since he left Iraq. He didn't ever expect to . . . until now.

He lifted the gun out and stuffed two ammo clips into his pants pockets. He also reclaimed his K-Bar combat knife and put it in the sheaf on his belt. Finally he went to his gun cabinet and chose his favorite sidearm – an old-school Colt .45 semi-automatic favored by U.S. military forces for the past hundred years. He slid it into the leather holster on his belt, put on his quick-zip combat boots, and ran out the door.

He had no concern for speed limits as he roared out of the town toward the Hansen farm. He had thirty-five minutes before the man on the phone would start torturing Terri again. He would have to park at least a half mile from the farm so they wouldn't hear his truck. But this was flat farming land so he could make good time after he left the truck. He tried to recall exactly what the old farm looked like – he often drove past it in his work. He remembered a three-story farm house with a large barn maybe a quarter mile behind the house, but he didn't know which one of those they had her in. He concentrated on the mental image of what he saw on the cell phone. He moved his focus away from her bleeding face and tried to picture what was behind her. . . . horse tack! There were horse halters, reins, and shoes hanging on hooks. She's in the barn!! . . . If the kidnappers are in there with her I should be able to pick them off.

The area between house and barn was wide open, so he would have set up a sniper perch back at the house. His mind ran through the options.

A high perch, like in a third floor window, would give me the best view into the main barn door . . . if it's open. Since they're not expecting me yet it might be. . . . But if I don't get all of them in a few seconds it will take me too long to come down from the third floor and get to the barn. I could hide in the shrubbery beside the house but if they're alert they might spot me. Up high is better because people don't tend to look up. What about the second floor? I think I could jump from one of those windows without getting hurt and cover the distance to the barn in a minute or two. But I'll have to wait 'til I get there to finalize my plan.

"How much more time has he got, Hector?"

Hector didn't bother to look at his watch. "Five minutes less than when you asked last time, Hulk. . . . Where'd you get that name from anyway. It ain't because you're huge. What are you, five-six, five-seven?"

"I'm five nine! But I'm strong as an ox. . . . I got the name because I'm just like that Bruce Banner guy on TV. When I get mad I go crazy and want to hurt people and break things. . . . Keep that in mind the next time you say something about my size."

Hector, who could have been rightly called the hulk for his size, chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind, shorty."

Hulk shot him a menacing look, then took a swig of his Tecate. The two were sitting on a bale of hay just inside the barn door. Terri was tied to a chair behind them in the shadows. Hulk was impatient for the two-hour time limit to be up so he could start back in on the woman. He imagined how he would do it with relish. I'll throw a bucket of water on her face to make sure she'll be awake while I do it. I'll start with cutting the buttons of her shirt off one at a time. That's when she'll start getting really scared. I love that look of fear in a woman's eyes when I do that. His mind wondered on down to what he imagined her naked body looked like . . . and what he would do to it. His mind had just gotten down to her navel when it went blank – dead blank.

Hector saw Hulk's head snap back just before he heard the crack of the rifle. His reflexes, delayed by too many beers, were just a little too slow to get himself behind cover before the second bullet passed through his neck, severing the spinal cord. As he somersaulted backwards off the hay bale his mind caught up, telling him to reach for the pistol in his belt. But his arms and hands wouldn't obey. They couldn't. The connection was severed. So was his carotid artery.

Back at the house Tom opened the second floor window and slid down the porch roof onto the ground. He fell to a crouch, keeping his weapon trained on the barn as he ran. As he passed the two the ground he made sure they were out of action, then ran toward Terri, shouting as he went. "Terri, Terri!" She was barely conscious but recognized his voice. A wave of relief passed through her body, pushing the pain aside. She couldn't speak but she managed to look up and smile.

He dropped his rifle on the ground and knelt on one knee looking for bleeding wounds, but most of them had dried up. He pulled out his K-Bar and cut the ropes from her arms and feet. With his arm holding her up he tried to get her to walk but her legs were too weak. She could put one foot in front of the other but couldn't support herself.

"Come on, honey, I got you. Just put your arm around my waist and let me do the work. He didn't want to take her all the way to where the truck was hidden, but he wasn't about to leave her. As they rounded the front of the house a black SUV sped up the driveway. It was too late to hide and his Colt .45 was pinned between his hip and Terri's body. When a man got out of the driver's side of the car he hoped it was someone who would help. It wasn't.

"Moretti! You're behind this!" Tom's mind raced for options, but he had none. He could only stand there as Moretti raised his pistol and shot Terri in the head. Tom looked him square in the eyes, waiting for the shot that would kill him. . . . But it didn't come.

As Terri sagged to the ground Tom collapsed beside her cradling her head in his arms and sobbing. When he saw boots on the ground in front of him he looked up. Moretti held the pistol in his left hand aimed at his head.

"I just wanted to watch you suffer before I killed you." As his finger slowly squeezed the trigger Tom whipped the knife out of its sheath and slashed it across the fingers gripping the gun, almost severing two of them. Moretti screamed and tried to switch the gun to his other hand, but the grip was slippery with blood and he could only hold it by the barrel. By that time Tom was halfway to his feet holding the knife in front of him. Moretti gave him one last look that said 'this isn't over' and ran for his car.

Tom let go of the knife and dropped to the ground again, holding Terri's body in his arms. He wasn't sobbing this time. His feelings had gone into deep freeze – paralyzed. He sat like that, rocking her body, until the sun sank below the mountain ridge. Then he calmly stood, picked up her body and carried it to the front porch of the farm house where he laid it down. He went into the house and came out with a heavy window drapery. He handled her body gently as he wrapped it in the cloth, then he carried her to his truck and put her in a sitting position in the passenger seat.

He drove to the barn and got out of the truck. After dragging the two bodies into the back of the barn he covered them with straw. It would be a long time before someone would stumble on their desiccated bodies and call the sheriff. He climbed into the driver's seat and drove back to their home/store, where he carried her in the back door. In spite of the state of shock his mind was in it had calmly formulated a plan as he drove.

He put Terri on the floor, unwrapped the drape, and stuffed it into a large trash bag which he locked in the tool box in the bed of his truck. Then he went back inside, sat in one corner of the store room with his legs spread and pulled Terri up in front of him. He kissed her hair then picked up his cell phone and called the sheriff.

Sheriff Knox was typing the final details of the crime report into his IPAD.

"So let me summarize this, Tom. You got a call from Terri about 2:45 pm. An unknown man showed a video of Terri, badly beaten up. Now tell me again what he said?"

"He told me to come to the shop and open the safe if I wanted to see Terri alive again. She wouldn't give him the combination so that's why he needed me here. Then Terri shouted 'No Tom, stay away. He'll kill you.' I ran home from the office as fast as I could. There was no one in the shop, and when I came in here to the store room she was on the floor . . . d . . . dead . . . with a bullet hole in her head. I pulled her to me and just sat on the floor, crying for . . . I don't know how long. "

Knox looked at the IPAD and said "It must have been about three and a half hours. That's when you called me. Does that sound about right?"

"I . . . I guess so. I think I was in shock. Just before I called you it seemed like I was waking up from a terrible dream . . . but it wasn't a dream."

Knox replied "I guess that's all I will need at this time. Judging from the blood stains in here she must have gotten some self-defense blows in, but we'll have to wait for the crime lab to finish processing the crime scene. We've known you two for a long time, Tom, and my wife and I are devastated by your loss."

"Thanks, John."

"Do you plan on burying here in Gunnison?"

"Yeah . . . in the cemetery beside her father. They were very close."

"Well, let Janice and me know when the funeral is, O.K.?"

"Of course, John. I'll bury her as soon as the coroner is through with her."

"I'll let you know about that. You two were both Christian believers, so we know you will join her in heaven sometime. . . . But don't you think about rushing after her, you hear?"
Chapter 40 – Chasing Evil

With the Cedar Crest home sold Derek and Alexis were finishing up the packing. Except for some paintings and indian pottery Derek wanted to put in the Georgia home they sold the house as is – everything stays. That's really what sealed to deal on the sale. Charlene had a great decorator sense. The woman the realtor brought to see the house fell in love with it and offered a price above the listed value if they would leave it just as it was. The old memories didn't mean a lot to Derek any more. He and Alexis were making memories of their own.

They had to get creative with the packing, but finally got it all into the Toyota. Tomorrow morning they would add their overnight bags and set out for the Georgia pines. Tonight they were sitting out on the back deck, enjoying the crystal clear canopy of stars rarely seen near large cities. Alexis reached over and took his hand.

"This is our last night here. Why don't I go get some blankets and quilts."

"What for?"

She knew he was teasing her. "So we can get naked and make love out here under the stars. What did you think I meant?"

"I knew. I just wanted to hear you say it. . . . To get the foreplay started."

She punched his shoulder and started to get up when his phone rang. He hated for the moment to be interrupted, but when he saw on the caller I.D. it was Tom he smiled and answered.

"Hey there, Tommy boy, how are things with you two up there in Colorado?"

His greeting was met with silence. "Tom . . . you there?"

He heard a sob at the other end of the connection. "Tom? What's wrong?"

"T . . . Terri's dead . . . Moretti killed her." Another sob.

Derek jumped up from his chair. "What! When, where – just a second, let me put it on the speaker so Alex can hear."

"Yesterday, up here in Gunnison. He kidnapped her, beat her up, then when I tried to rescue her he shot her – in the forehead."

Alexis let out a wail. "Oh no! Not Terri."

"We have the car packed. We'll leave now and be there in about six hours. We can get the details then. . . . Wait a minute. Are you in danger? Will he come after you?"

"No, I sliced up his gun hand pretty bad. It will be awhile before he's ready to shoot again."

"What about the funeral?"

"It will be here in Gunnison, but I won't know when until the coroner releases her body."

Alexis leaned over to speak into the phone. "I'll call Dennis and Anna. I'm sure they will want to be there."

"Good. Thanks, Alex. I'll see you two in a few hours."

The funeral was lightly attended – just the four close friends plus Sheriff Knox and his wife. Terri and Tom had no living family left in the area. Alexis gave the eulogy and Tom followed with a vignette of happy memories from their lives together, but without much feeling. His grief was buried beneath his smoldering anger and hunger for revenge. The party reassembled at the cemetery for the burial, with everyone saying a few words of farewell as they threw a handful of dirt down on the coffin.

Three days later they were all back in Georgia. They decided to stay with Anna and Dennis because Moretti didn't know about them. They knew that after his hand healed he would come looking again. They drove all day and half of the night to get there, so after a quick supper of ham and swiss sandwiches washed down with a beer, they all turned in. Tom didn't sleep much. The scene of Terri being shot while he held her kept appearing in his mind whenever he drifted off to sleep, awakening him with a start and a sinking feeling in his stomach.

By 7 a.m. he gave up and went downstairs to make some coffee, only to find the others already up and talking about how to find Tony Moretti. Tom filled his cup and sat down at the kitchen table with the others.

"Just so everybody's clear, when we find him I'm going to kill him . . . slowly."

The others looked away, down at their coffee or out the window, anything to avoid eye contact with Tom. They understood how angry he must be with his thoughts dominated by revenge. They knew they would have to discuss it with him later – let him know they couldn't let him do that. But they also knew now was not the time to oppose him on it.

Tom sensed their silent opposition but put it aside, knowing that when the time came they wouldn't be able to stop him. He changed the subject.

"So, have you guys come up with any ideas how we can track him down?"

Derek nodded at Anna.

"If you damaged his hand as badly as you said he'll need serious medical attention. And not the kind he can find in a small town. The first place he'd go is an emergency room in a large hospital with a trauma center. The closest city for this would be Colorado Springs, to the University of Colorado Hospital. It has a Level I Trauma Center – one of the busiest in Colorado. It's adjacent to the Olympic Training Center, so they get a lot of emergency work from athletic injuries."

Alex spoke what was on everybody's mind. "So if that's where he went, how will that help you find him?"

"Moretti will have to show I.D. to get admitted, and fill out a form with his address. I can hack into the hospital files and find what we need."

"What if he has I.D. for an alias? And lies about his address."

"Whatever he uses for identification, most likely a driver's license, will list a name and address that a routine data search would check before they would let him leave. It may be fictitious, but it's worth a try. I'll go down to my computer and see what I can find."

"Hold on. We're coming with you."

They all hurried down the steps to Anna's inner sanctum and watched as she booted up the system. It didn't take her long to come up empty on a search for Moretti's name in the hospital files.

"I didn't expect it to be that easy. I'll go back to the day it happened. What time would you guess that you chased Moretti off, Tom?"

"Sometime mid to late afternoon last Tuesday. I lost track of time, so I can't pin it down any better than that."

"That's close enough. It's about a three-hour drive from Gunnison to the Springs so I'll look for E.R. admissions from five p.m. on."

It took Anna another twenty minutes to find it, but there was a walk-in patient from that evening with severe lacerations to his left hand. "Was Moretti left handed?"

Tom replayed the scene in his mind. "Yes, he was definitely holding the gun in his left hand. That's why the knife in my right hand did so much damage."

"Great. Then I think this is our guy . . . Anthony Moore."

"Pretty close to his real name. The idiot doesn't know much about picking a good undercover identity," Tom commented.

"So what did he list as his home address?"

"12594 Pine Ridge Trail in Golden, west of Denver. Let me find it on Google Earth. . . . . . . Yep. There it is. Backed up against the west side of Lookout Mountain. It's a big place – five or six thousand square feet at least. And if Google is up to date there are no other homes near it – it's out there in the foothills all by itself."

Derek pointed to the aerial image on the screen. "It's got a wall around it – foot thick concrete block by the looks of it. If I was him I'd have plenty of security cameras and intrusion sensors all around. That's quite a stronghold he's got there."

Alexis asked, "O.K., so we know where he lives. What are we going to do about it?"

"Tom, how about you and me fly up to Denver in the morning and see if we can take him down."

Alex reacted immediately. "No way! If anyone goes we all go. And flying won't work. We'll need weapons and we can't take them on a plane."

"But driving will take too long. He might leave before we can get there. We can't let him escape. We'd be looking over our shoulders all the time."

David spoke up for the first time. "I think have a solution to the problem. I'm a licensed pilot qualified to fly executive jet aircraft. A friend of mine in Tallahassee owns a charter air service where I occasionally rent planes. He's got a business jet – a Cessna Citation Mustang – that will hold us all comfortably and get us to Denver in under four hours. If that sounds good to you all I'll give him a call and see if it's available. We can land at Rocky Mountain Metro Airport and rent a vehicle there. "

That brought smiles and head nods all around.
Chapter 41 – Justice

At shortly after three the next afternoon Dennis eased the plane down onto Runway 30R at RMMA and taxied over to a hangar at the North end of the airport. He had made arrangements to rent hangar space for a few days and to have a rental vehicle waiting – a Hummer H2 off-road wagon that would easily handle the rugged foothills behind Moretti's compound. It would lose out in a high-speed chase on the highway but nothing could beat it in rugged terrain.

David walked over, took the keys from the rental agent, signed the paperwork, and drove over to the plane where the others were unloading luggage and duffle bags. With the H2 loaded the five of them climbed in and drove west to pick up Highway 93 south to Golden. When they got there they checked into the Table Mountain Inn and carried their gear into the first-floor room. As they opened the bags they spread the contents out on the two king-sized beds and took a quick inventory, most of it from Tom's weapon collection back in Gunnison.

\- Three deer rifles of assorted brands and calibers with several clips of ammo for each

\- One12-gauge pump-action shotgun with ten rounds of ammo

\- Six handguns, one with a silencer, and spare ammo

\- Four smoke grenades

\- Two sets of night vision goggles

\- Six hands-free walkie-talkie headsets

\- A battery-powered halogen flashlight

\- One pair of binoculars

A pile of clothes on the chair included camo-colored pullover hunting masks, sweaters, pants, and boots for all of them, along with two backpacks.

Derek nodded to Tom. "You're the soldier. Tell us how we're going to do this."

"We have a couple of hours of daylight left so we should reconnoiter the target. Anna pull up the Google Earth on your laptop."

He pointed to the screen. "O.K., if you look at the lay of the land around Moretti's fortress you can see it's near the bottom of the slope coming down from Lookout Mountain. If we take Lookout Mountain Road up to the top we should get a good view of the back of his place. We'll be looking for guards, dogs, cameras, barbed wire, and points of entry. Keep in mind we'll be going in around midnight so we want to find a way into the house that's in the shadows."

"But won't the front and back yards be lighted?"

"Not after we kill the power. Derek, you trace the power lines out from his property to the road. That's where we'll cut the connection."

"Who is going to climb the power pole to do that?"

"Don't need to. I'll shoot out the glass insulators holding the wire, causing a short circuit and blowing the circuit breaker. That's what the silenced pistol is for."

"Damn you're good at planning this stuff, Tom."

"It kept me alive through two tours in Iraq, Alex. I was surprised at how quickly it all came back to me."

From up on the mountain Tom looked through the binoculars at the back of the house 500 feet down the slope. "O.K., listen up. Once you get over the wall you'll have to cross the large back yard. When you get to the house there's a veranda with sliding glass doors into the first floor of the house, with a long balcony above it. That has double French doors in the middle, probably leading to Moretti's bedroom. There is a smaller glass-pane door at each end of the balcony that may lead to guest rooms. After you get over the wall, run for the sliding doors under the balcony. Derek will use a crow bar to pry the lock open, then all of you will go in with your guns ready to shoot. Moretti should be asleep upstairs in the master bedroom. . . . Any questions? . . . Good. Pass the binoculars around so you each get a look, then we'll get back to the hotel."

After their recon trip they came back to the Inn and ate at the historic Grill and Cantina off the lobby. They laughed and chatted to take their minds off what they would have to do later. None of them ordered drinks – they wanted to be at their best for the mission. Anna was the only one who wondered if this would be her last meal.

Derek parked the Hummer in a grove of trees off to the side of the road. They were already dressed for action as they quietly got out of the vehicle and gathered their equipment. After joining hands Derek said a prayer. Then Tom slung the shotgun over his shoulder, holstered the silenced pistol, and set off down toward the power pole. The rest of them hiked down to the wall below with Derek carrying the lightweight aluminum ladder they would use to scale the wall as soon as the lights went out.

Tom had plenty of cover from the low pine trees and scrub oak as he approached the lighted power pole. He dropped down on one knee, took aim at an insulator, and squeezed the trigger. . . . A miss. He aimed again and fired. This time the bullet sent shards of glass flying in every direction as the current carrying wire dropped down onto the crossbar. Sparks flew from the wire for a few seconds then, with a loud pop and drawn-out spark, the wire separated and fell to the ground.

As soon as the back yard lights went out Derek leaned the ladder against the wall. The four of them scrambled over and raced toward the sliding door. Their plan was for Dennis to pop the door latch with the crowbar, then they would fan out through the house to look for Moretti. But that broke down when the lights came back on when they were halfway to the house.

They froze for a moment, wondering what to do when Moretti appeared on the balcony with a machine pistol and started shooting. The ground at their feet erupted with gravel as the bullets stitched a line in front of them.

"Nobody move! Throw your guns onto the veranda. . . . Now!" he shouted. Facing back into the house he yelled "Vincenzo, they're in the back yard. I'll keep them covered while you get out there and take their weapons."

Tom was running toward the front gate, his planned point of entry, when the lights came back on. Shit!! He has backup power. I should have thought of that. Then he heard Moretti's gun chatter. Oh God, please. Protect them, he thought as he scaled the wrought iron gate and dropped to the ground. As he broke through the side door to the garage he heard Moretti's order to Vincenzo. Someone else was in the house. Tom dropped to a crouch as he pushed open the door into the house. He was in a hallway, with the kitchen straight ahead and a door ahead to his left. He paused, listening for Vincenzo. He unslung the shotgun and pointed it in front of him as he moved down the hall. Just as he reached the door a man came charging through it, knocking Tom to the floor. The man spun on his heel, facing Tom as he struggled to get up. A foot lashed out at him but Tom parried it with the shotgun barrel. As the attacker drew back his leg for another kick Tom smashed the butt of the gun against his knee. With all of his weight on that leg the knee folded backwards with a crunch and the man collapsed. He barely had time to begin a scream of pain when the gun butt struck him on the jaw, knocking him out cold.

Tom removed a pistol for the man's belt and threw it out into the garage before continuing into the house to locate Moretti. He heard the gunfire from above and followed the sound up the stairs into a hallway. He took the first door on the left land found a small bedroom with French doors leading out to the balcony. In the middle stood Moretti, his gun pointed down at the intruders in the yard. Tom brought his shotgun up and strode through the doors.

"Drop it Moretti!"

The man turned his head. "You!! I should have killed you when I had the chance." The others below watched things unfold as Moretti turned toward Tom and brought his gun up. The shotgun went off with a loud roar as Tom pulled the trigger. The round reached Moretti just as he was raising his gun and knocked him off his feet. He lay there motionless as Tom walked over and looked down at him. "We're not even yet, you bastard."

The others looked on in shock when the shotgun went off. He said he would kill Moretti but none of them really thought he would do it. But he did, and now he would have to answer to the law.

He looked down at his friends in the yard. "It's over. Vincenzo is downstairs, unconscious. You're safe now. I'll come down and let you in."

As soon as Tom slid open the door Derek and Dennis rushed upstairs to see if there was anything they could do for Moretti.

Derek yelled, "Come on, Tom. We might be able to save his life." And your ass from a murder charge, he thought.

As they approached the body Derek asked, "Why did you have to shoot him? We were going to question him and turn him over to the authorities."

"You'll still be able to do that . . . as soon as he wakes up."

When Derek and Dennis looked closer they understood what Tom meant. There was no blood, and Moretti was starting to groan as he reached for his chest. Derek got it immediately. "A bean bag round! Like they used on Terri. Where did you find one of those?"

"I made it. From directions from an online DIY site."

Dennis knelt down and examined Moretti. "It looks like you hit him in the middle of the chest. There is probably some damage to the cartilage around the breast bone, but I don't think there will be any serious effects, aside from the pain."

"Will the pain keep him from telling us what we want to know?" Derek asked.

"No, the medication I'm about to give him will dull the pain as well as make him talk," Dennis said as he inserted a needle into his arm and injected a syringe of sodium pentothal.

"Good. Tom, you go downstairs and tape Vincenzo's hands and feet. Alex, you go back up the hill and bring the car down to the driveway. I'll have the gate open for you. Anne you get your laptop and camera set up to record the interrogation. Let's see how fast we can get this done and get out of here."

It didn't take long to duct tape Moretti to a chair and set up the video camera. Derek nodded to Tom. "You get to question him first, Tom. But please, resist the urge to beat him up. At least until I finish with my questions."

Tom pulled up a chair and sat facing him. He grabbed Moretti's chin and forced him to look at him. "Why did you kill her," he asked in a low, steady voice, trying his best to keep his emotions in check.

He giggled and slurred his speech as he answered. "Because my boss told me to."

"Your boss was already dead when you sent your men to the shop."

"In my business one has to keep up his reputation. What would my other customers think if they heard that I didn't follow orders. Orders are orders, even if the boss is dead." He followed this with another giggle – a side effect of the so-called truth serum.

"Other customers? So there are others you have killed? . . . How many?"

"Shit, I don't know. I lost count a couple of years ago."

Derek motioned to Tom to let him take over. "Name some of them, Moretti."

"Tony."

"You killed someone named Tony?"

He laughed. "No, stupid. I am Tony. Don't call me Moretti. That's my brother, Vincenzo."

"So who have you killed?"

"Why should I tell you?"

Derek paused and thought for a minute. How can I get him to talk? . . . I know. Use his pride! Get him to brag about what he's done.

"I don't believe you, Tony. You never killed anyone except Tom's wife – a woman. You don't have the balls to kill a man."

He puffed up his chest. "Yes I do. I've killed dozens of them."

"If that's true give me some names."

Tony didn't answer.

"I thought so. You're nothing but a lyin' bag of shit. Tom, finish him off so we can get outta here."

"No! I'll tell you." Moretti rattled of the names of thirteen people, both men and women before Alexis cut him off.

"You bastard! Those are the people who disappeared from the PeaceKeeper program! You killed them! Most of them were my friends." She grabbed Tom's shotgun by the barrel and drew it back to swing it at Moretti's head like a baseball bat. Just as she went into a home run swing Derek stepped in front to stop her. They glared at each other for a few seconds, then she lowered the weapon.

Derek turned back to Tony. "Just because you know the names of some of Elliott's past employees doesn't mean you murdered them. I heard most of them went back to where they came from. You're bull shittin' me, you pansy." He nodded at Tom again, who pulled out his K-Bar and held it to Moretti's throat. As the knife touched skin Moretti screamed out, "No! Don't. I'll take you to them."

"Where?"

"In a mine shaft not far from Elliott's compound. I'll show you on a map."

"No, you'll show us in person. You're going with us. Tom, tie his hands and strap him into the Hummer."

Following Moretti's directions they left Golden and headed west to the eastern edge of the mid-Colorado coal field. Coal was discovered there in the late 1880s after the earlier front-range deposits proved insufficient to support the growing cities of Denver and Colorado Springs. These early mines relied on deep underground extraction where a vertical shaft was dug down to the level of the coal seam. The miners would go down in a wooden elevator and load the coal onto donkey carts which were pulled back to the elevator and raised up to the surface. Some of the mines in this area went down over a thousand feet.

The GPS coordinates that Moretti gave them led them up along an overgrown pair of wheel tracks to a flat mesa littered with rotting wood beams, a broken down donkey cart, and piles of slate – part coal and part shale with no known use. On the far side of the small plateau was the entrance to a cave hewn by hand out of the rock face.

Moretti nodded towards the opening. "In there. That's where I dumped the bodies I killed – the ones Elliott ordered me to get rid of."

Derek and the others got out but Tony tried to stay in the Hummer. Tom grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out of the back seat. "Lead the way, Moretti."

"No wait," Tom warned. "In an old mine like this there can be unexploded dynamite charges left behind when the operation was abandoned. Our cell phones could set off the blasting caps. Leave them here in the car just to be safe. They won't be any use underground anyway."

Alex tossed in her phone, picked up the flashlight, and followed the others into the cave.

The rock cave was barely wide enough for two to walk side-by-side. The six-foot ceiling meant they all had to stoop slightly to avoid hitting their heads on low-hanging rock outcrops. Thirty feet into the mine they took a sharp left turn. Apparently light doesn't like sharp turns because they were immediately engulfed by blackness. Derek called for everyone to halt until Alex turned on the light.

"I hope you charged the battery in that before we left the hotel, Alex."

"I did, but we were only there for an hour or so. It's got plenty of light now. Hopefully it was shipped with a full charge that will last until we get outta here."

They walked another couple hundred steps when suddenly the light flickered off and back on.

"The battery is dying. We need to turn around and get out of here," Anna exclaimed.

Then the light went off for several seconds. Everybody froze, with thoughts of being lost forever in this cave flashing through their minds.

Alex laughed as she switched the light back on.

"I was just messin' with you. Trying to ease the tension. There's nothing wrong with the light."

"Enough playing around," Derek ordered. "How much farther, Moretti?"

"A few hundred meters, but its not a straight path. There are several right and left turns. I spray-painted arrows on the walls to mark the way.

Anna leaned over and whispered to Dennis, "I wish I had brought some bread crumbs."

"No need for bread crumbs, honey. You can get us out of here with your supernatural talents."

Ten minutes later Moretti held up his hand. "Stop. Shine the light at my feet."

Alex lowered the beam. Six feet in front of Tony was the edge of the shaft going down to the coal mine. When Alexis moved forward to illuminate the walls they saw that the area around the hole had been enlarged to a diameter of twelve feet or so. Above the center of the hole a fat square beam was bolted to the ceiling with a rusted set of triple pulleys hanging from a huge eye hook.

"Look at that. That's how they hauled the coal from down in the mine up to surface level. Let's have a look at the bottom of this mine shaft."

Everyone except Moretti stepped up and looked over the edge of the pit. Alexis directed the light beam into the hole and followed the smooth walls down to the bottom. They all stood transfixed by what they saw. At the bottom of the 900-foot hole lay the remains of several humans in various stages of decomposition. No one said anything. They just stared. It was so gruesome they couldn't pull their eyes away.

Then Alexis focused on the most recent additions, the ones on top of the pile, those with enough tissue on their bones to be recognizable. That's when she screamed!

"Oh no!! Ruthie . . . and Ernesto . . . Oh my God! Jackson . . . Kaylie . . . . . They're all there!"

Derek put him arm around her waist. "Who, honey? Who are they?"

"They're the crew from the blockhouse control center. The ones who disappeared after the laser exploded. He killed them all!"

She turned on Moretti. Grabbing him by the sleeve she dragged him to the edge of the pit and pointed down at the people who used to be her friends. "You evil sick bastard. I hope you rot in hell – after you rot in prison for the rest of your life."

"Prison? You can't turn me in. I'll tell them that you and Dr. Flynn here were the real masterminds behind the attacks, that you set Elliott up to take the blame. You'll be the ones in prison."

As Derek's mind wrestled with how to handle this Tom slowly moved around until he was directly behind Moretti. One push and he'll be in the pit with those he murdered. . . . And I'll have revenge for what he did to Terri. I'd rather kill him slowly but this is the only chance I'll get. But maybe the fall won't kill him instantly and he'll suffer down there with the rotting corpses. He reached out his hand to push him, but withdrew it quickly as Moretti turned around to face them all, a look of triumph on his face.

This time Anne stepped up to face him. "Before the laser facility blew up I hacked into Elliott's computer and extracted all his files – everything. From when he first started planning PeaceKeeper up until the final mission. Those documents make it very clear that Alexis and Derek were unknowing pawns in Elliot's game. There's no way you can turn this around on them. You're definitely going to prison – at least until they execute you as a mass murderer. Checkmate, asshole!"

Moretti turned white. "No, that's not fair! I led you here. Just let me go. You'll never see me again. . . . I promise."

Alexis laughed at him. "How stupid do you think we are? You sent men to kill us, and you yourself killed Tom's wife. Now we're the only ones who can lead the police to this mass grave. You'll kill us the first chance you get. No, you're going to prison. You're lucky we don't just push you over the edge and be done with you, but we would never sink to that level. The Lord made us with a conscience that we have spent our lives nourishing. You, on the other hand . . ."

Moretti's face went from pale to bright red in a flash of anger. "I WILL NOT die in prison!" he shouted. Before anyone could stop him he grabbed the light from Alex's hand and jumped over the edge of the mine shaft. Under the acceleration of gravity it took him just under 8 seconds to hit the bottom. Those at the top saw the flashlight go out and heard a sickening thud echo it's way back up to the top followed by Moretti's screams of pain.

Derek came to his senses first. "Nobody move! . . . Derek got down on his knees and reached out until he felt the edge of the shaft. Then he turned and faced the opposite way – the way out of the cave. He crawled in that direction for several yards, stood up, and faced back toward the others.

"Focus on my voice, where it's coming from," he said softly to minimize the echoes. "Now walk toward me slowly, holding out you hand until you touch me." One by one they reached him and held on tightly.

"O.K.. Form a circle and hold hands. . . . Let me summarize our situation. We're in a pitch dark cave with no idea how to get back to the entrance. We made several turns getting here, and we saw several other tunnels leading who knows where. I don't think our situation is hopeless, but it's awfully close to that. . . . Any ideas?"

"I can get us out of here," Anna answered.

"How?"

"I have eidetic memory – a photographic mind. I can close my eyes and see the entire route we took to get here."

"That's great, Anna! If I could see you I'd hug you."

Every laughed, easing the tension.

"So how do we do this?" Derek asked.

"I'll lead the way. Dennis will put a hand on my shoulder. Then everyone else will make a hand-on-shoulder line behind us."

They all groped around until the chain was formed, then Anna set out at a rapid pace. When they rounded the last corner and saw daylight coming in from the cave entrance Derek said "Thank you Lord . . . and thank you Anna!"
Chapter 42 – Home Is Where The Heart Is

On the plane flying back to the Tallahassee airport they agreed that they were too tired to discuss what to do next. That discussion would wait until they were back in Georgia and caught up on sleep. For now they were processing their thoughts and feelings about what happened in the mine.

Tom's concern was about how close he had come to pushing Moretti into the mine shaft. Could I have really done that? If he hadn't turned around when he did I would be a murderer, in the eyes of God and the law. It's different than shooting Al Qaeda terrorists in Iraq. They were trying to kill me and my buddies. Moretti should have been tried and convicted for his crimes. That's what we do in America. . . . But Moretti chose his fate, I didn't. He took the decision out of my hands. So I'm not really guilty. . . . But isn't thinking of doing evil as much of a sin as actually doing it? If it is then I ask for your forgiveness, God. And please keep me out of situations in the future where the limits of my Christian beliefs are tested.

Alexis was holding Derek's hand – tightly – as she thought of how close they came to ending their future together. I love this man so much. I'll never let him out of my sight. Now that we're together I can't bear the idea of going through life alone. I never realized how much was missing from my life until he came into it. Thank you for that, Jesus.

Anna was sitting next to Dennis, her head resting on his shoulder, asleep. But his mind was running a mile a minute, organizing a plan to expand their intrusion into the computers of those who are wicked and corrupt. A phrase popped into his head: "Fighting for truth, justice, and the American way." Where was that from? . . . The original Superman TV show! . . . We're not Supermen, but I don't think he'll mind if we make his motto our mission statement.

It was after midnight when they arrived at the lake. Dennis dropped Alexis and Derek at their place and headed for their own. Tom would stay with them for as long as he wanted to.

As they dragged their suitcases into the house it felt to Alex like she was finally home. They say home is where the heart is, and my heart is definitely here. She saw Derek start up the stairs with the suitcases and ordered him to stop.

"Leave them. We'll unpack in the morning."

He nodded toward his bag and said, "But my pajamas are in there."

She took his hand and led him up the stairs. "You won't need them tonight."

The next morning they gathered at Dennis and Anna's to discuss what to do. Derek went over their options.

"Here's what we have. Tony Moretti is dead. His brother, Vincenzo, certainly has gotten loose by now, so he might want revenge for his brother's death."

"Why would he? He doesn't know Moretti killed himself. He won't report him missing because that would expose his own crimes. No, I think he will disappear somewhere."

"Good point, Dennis. So we can cross Vincenzo off our list of worries. Well, maybe not cross him off, but at least move him to the bottom of the list.

"The next issue is whether we should tell the authorities – anonymously of course – about the mine and the bodies. What do you think?"

Alex responded. "I don't see anything to be gained by that. I mean, Moretti has paid for the murders so he can't be arrested. And bringing up all those bodies would create a press frenzy that will make it really hard for the Government to keep the lid on the PeaceKeeper thing. I vote that we do nothing."

"But what about the families of the victims?" Anna asked. "They deserve to know what happened to their loved ones."

Tom spoke up. "As someone who just had my one-and-only loved one horribly killed, no one wants to go through the emotional pain of that. If they think their family members are missing they still have hope that they'll see them someday. Knowing their bodies were rotting at the bottom of a coal mine will devastate them."

"I haven't thought of it that way, Tom, but I think you're right. It's better not knowing."

The others nodded their agreement.

"The final issue is what do we do with our lives. After the kind of adventure we've been through I've turned into an adrenaline junkie. I can't imagine sitting in a chair and doing nothing."

"If I had my way that's exactly what we would do, Derek. I enjoy the adrenaline rush as much as the next person, but I don't want us to ever get that close to the edge again. I want to grow old with you."

Dennis and Anna looked at each other with love in their eyes. "That goes for us too."

"Tom, what about you? Are you still going to buy the lake house you and Terri looked at?"

"No. I've been thinking about that. It wouldn't feel right living there alone. I need to get away somewhere where I can work through the pain. My sister has a condo in Panama City she said I could stay in for awhile. I'll leave in a couple of days to go down there."

"You'll keep in touch, won't you?"

"Of course. That's what friends do. And Lake Seminole is only a couple hours away, so I'll come up for a visit now and then."

After a pause Dennis spoke up. "I've been thinking about an idea that would keep us involved in doing good stuff – making a difference in the fight against corruption. It's what Anna and I were doing before this all happened, but now we could do it in a more focused way. The four of us – five when you're ready to join us, Tom – will work online to expose corrupt Government officials and business leaders who think they are above the law. Anna will use her hacking skills – I don't like the word hacking. It sounds too criminal. Maybe we'll call ourselves cyber sleuths. Anyway, we will all keep our eyes on what's happening in the country and select candidates for an attack – for cyber sleuthing. Anna tell us about how you would handle a case.

"The first thing to do is wade through all the lies – false news, propaganda, fairy tales – to find the real truth. That would mean looking at the suspect's emails, finances, where they have visited on the internet, and personal connections – clues – that might expose what they're up to. With that we can decide on the best way to make them stop. For example, we could turn the evidence over to whatever Government agency will act on it. Or we could tell them that we know what they're doing and if they don't stop it we will expose them."

"Or we could just release it to the news media."

"I don't think that will work. It's too easy for powerful people to control what gets on the air, and then create a false narrative to justify their actions. Just look at what happened with the Ted Kennedy and the Mary Jo Kopecne thing. He walked away from that a hero. And what about Hilary in the 2016 election. No shit ever sticks to people like that."

"You're right, Alexis. We can't rely on the media or the law to shut down people like that. Maybe we can just clean out all their assets and leave them broke . . . or we could create huge fictitious deposits in off-shore accounts and sick the IRS on them. There are lots of ways we can them pay for their crimes using my internet skills."

"Yeah, you're Wonder Woman with that amazing computer setup you have. By the way, did you really steal all of Elliott's computer files like you told Moretti?"

"No, they were lost in the fire before I could get to them. But Moretti didn't know that I was bluffing. . . . I wonder if I should feel guilty for his suicide?"

Derek answered, "No, Anna. Even though what you told him wasn't true, his own fear of a life in prison is what sent him over the edge. And in the end, justice was served."

Dennis, in an effort to sidetrack Anna's mind from that kind of thinking, changed the subject. "It sounds like we have a plan for going after the evil people in the world. So who should we go after first? Where should we start our fight for truth, justice, and the American way."

The End
Excerpt from J. D. German's Latest Book

The Priceless Linen: A Fictional History of Christ's Burial Cloth

Forward

Although this book is about an existing historical artifact known as the Shroud of Turin, which some believe is the burial cloth that wrapped Christ's body in the tomb and is mentioned in the gospel accounts of Christ's resurrection, it is nonetheless a work of fiction. It is, however, loosely based on the work of Shroud historian Ian Wilson in his book The Turin Shroud: The Burial Cloth of Jesus Christ? This book lays out a reasonably credible history of an object that has disappeared for hundreds of years at a time. The history of the cloth from the time when it was first exhibited publicly at a church in Chambery, France is well documented. The history prior to that is what's in question.

I have chosen to use Wilson's chronology as the framework for this novel simply because I am very familiar with it. As a member of the U. S. team of scientists who traveled to Turin, Italy in 1978 to conduct a scientific examination of the Shroud and its incredible image, I have first-hand knowledge of its characteristics, many of which are supported by Wilson's postulated history. Wilson admits that it is difficult to separate legend from historical fact during the early years of the Shroud's history regarding what happened, when it happened, and who was involved,.

But these details are irrelevant to the story I tell. I present a fictional account of the way things might have happened, of the relationships among key figures in the story, and of how their lives were affected by the Shroud. The only certain facts in what I offer are the origin of the burial cloth, from the Gospel account in Matthew 27:59-60 and Mark 15:46, and the contiguous history from the public displays of the cloth by the widow of Phillipe de Charney in 1353.

Finally, I don't try to make the spoken dialogs fit the language of the periods I write about. They are, for the most part, written in everyday modern English to help the reader be drawn into the story.

The important thing to remember is that this story is fiction, so don't get upset if parts of it disagree with what you know, or think you know, about the Bible, history, or the Shroud of Turin.

If the Shroud of Turin interests you go to the website Shroud. com for a wealth of information and a large library of photographs.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Prologue

April, 30 A.D. – Jerusalem

After the unbelievable events of the past few days everyone was exhausted as they huddled together in the upper room, fearful that the soldiers would come to take them to prison or worse. Most had dozed only an hour or two at a time. But after today, after they had actually seen and touched Him when He appeared to them in a resurrected body, they could at last rest in peace. Everyone except Joanna. She was one of the few in the room who had actually seen Him die on the cross; who heard those last words "It is finished."

Now she lay awake wondering what He meant by those words. Her thoughts kept going over and over them, searching for all the meanings such a phrase could include. Since He died right after He said them the most likely meaning is that his life was finished. He was saying He would become a lifeless body to be buried in a pit with all the other corpses the Romans executed. But if that's what He meant, how could He appear to us today? Not a spirit, but a real body with substance? He must have meant something different . . . but what!

Joanna thought back to when she first encountered Him. I was a servant to Simon, the Pharisee, when this man was invited to dine at his house. I was living a terrible life back then, disobeying the commandments and the law God gave us through Moses. I didn't care about God. But when I heard that this man, who claimed to be the Son of God, something happened inside me. It was like my heart broke open and all the bad things I had ever done came flooding out. I had to see this man. I thought if I brought him a gift, maybe He would tell me how to be a different person, one who could follow God. I didn't think I had anything He would want as a gift. But then I remembered something my mother gave me when I left home. I took the alabaster bottle of perfumed oil out of my trunk and hurried to the dining room.

That's when I first saw Him. I started crying and couldn't stop. I fell to my knees and the tears dripped on his feet. Oh how awful I felt. I pulled my hair free and quickly dried them off with it , hoping He hadn't noticed. Then I took the flask of oil and massaged his feet with it, hoping to undo the rude act I had just done. Afterwards I backed away as quickly as I could. But the man criticized Simon for his lack of hospitality, while I had shown more hospitality and love than was expected when a guest entered another's home. And then the man said the words to me I'll never forget. "Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace." [Luke 7:36-50]

Joanna wanted to go with this man, to follow him and learn all He had to say, but she was indentured to the Pharisee for another half year. When that time was up and she finally could leave she immediately searched for those who followed the man – the Master they called him. She traveled non-stop, always seeming to be one town behind Him. But when she finally caught up with them in Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee she was so worn out from her quest that she collapsed from exhaustion. She took herself back there in her mind. I was really sick, had been for days. Some said I was going to die, others were sure I was possessed by evil spirits. But Mary Magdalene brought Him to me; to heal me just like He did for her. I still remember the feeling when He touched my forehead. My whole body felt strange, like the worst fever I ever had. But when He lifted his hand the heat disappeared and I felt an incredible peace in my heart. From that moment I was healed – the sickness or evil spirits, whichever it was, fled at His command. From then on I followed Mary Magdalene and the other women wherever He went. [Luke 8:1-3] And then I watched Him die in pain and suffering.

That thought brought her back to her original train of thought – What did He mean by "It is finished?" And how did He escape from Joseph of Arimathea's burial cave. He somehow disappeared from the tomb and left the linen sheet we covered Him with behind – along with the kerchief we tied under his chin to keep his mouth closed. Peter and John saw them lying on the on the stone bed. . . . I wonder if the they're still there? I have to see them for myself. I'm going to the tomb. It's the middle of the night, so no one will see me.

Joanna got up and quietly left. The light of the half moon was enough to find her way but not bright enough to make her stand out in her dark cloak. The tomb was a few blocks away but with trying to stay in the shadows it took her almost half an hour. She was worried that there might still be guards, but when she arrived the place was deserted. Like most people she was fearful of things having to do with death, but tonight she overcame it with her resolve.

After a last look left and right she stepped into the tomb – and realized her mistake. She didn't think to bring a candle. The opening was so small – barely large enough to stoop down and enter – to let much moonlight through. She thought about returning to the upper room to get a candle but she might get caught. Instead she got on her knees and began feeling her way around the cave.

A few minutes later she bumped into a stone bed and struggled to keep from uttering some words that would anger God. When she felt around on top of the table she found what she was looking for – the priceless linen that had covered Jesus' body. As she gathered it up under her cloak she thought about trying to find the chin kerchief also, but decided those in the upper room might wake up and find her gone. If they came out searching for her they would be putting themselves in danger for her sake. She couldn't have that happen so she retraced her steps back to where the others were.

As she opened the door it creaked, causing her to freeze for a minute or two. When she heard nothing she continued in and went to lay down on her bed mat. She was elated and felt a rush of adrenalin at her success. It didn't last long because she realized she hadn't thought ahead about what to do with it. She wanted desperately to open it in the light of day and examine it closely, looking for clues about how He had escaped, but dawn was still a few hours away. And she couldn't open it in front of the others. They would be horrified that she had handled the burial cloth. According to Mosaic Law that made her unclean – she would have to cleanse herself and remain alone for a week. Realizing what she had done she quickly folded it up and slipped it under her sleeping mat.
