METEOR STORM Read online

  “Any problems?” I asked the pilot as we boarded the plane.

  “Nope,” he replied. “We have had an armed guard around the plane since you left. No one in. No one out. They even brought us dinner and something to drink.”

  “Okay,” I said, “back to Denver.”

  CHAPTER 31

  Once we were in the air I asked Saltzman what was going on.

  “It’s time for us to talk,” he said, “but I want to do this with John present.”

  “Too bad you don’t speak Chinese,” Tia commented.

  Saltzman smiled. “Who said I don’t?”

  “But you didn’t say anything when we were there,” Tia replied.

  “That’s because when you have somebody like Eric Chang who speaks excellent English and assumes you don’t speak or understand his dialect of Mandarin, you learn a substantial amount by listening rather than speaking.”

  We were all intrigued. “And…” I said.

  “He has a supply of neodymium lined up but it is expensive for him. Your offer reduces his cost to a fraction of what it would be. As soon as you made your offer on the neodymium he told his associate to cancel the other order because this would be a quarter of the cost. Eric Chang is more than the Premier of this region of China. My guess is that he is well connected to the new power structure in China. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him as one of the top six people in the new government.”

  “So he knew he was going to need neodymium before we got here with the new generator?” Ed asked.

  “He certainly did,” Saltzman replied. “He probably has a number of his people in the States reporting back to him. After your success in recovering the nuclear reactor in Phoenix, I’m willing to bet it didn’t take more than a few hours and Eric Chang knew what had happened. The repairs to the super magnet factory didn’t happen by accident. He knew he had to be ready to make super magnets on a large scale. The location of the magnet factory and the nuclear power plant can’t be a coincidence. This site was selected well before John got a request for help.”

  “This sounds very well planned out,” Tia said.

  “With China, it always is,” Saltzman replied. “The leadership of China doesn’t do anything unless it fits within their hundred year plan.”

  “Hundred year plan?” I commented. “I thought long range planning was five years.”

  “Totally different mindset,” Saltzman replied. “Whenever you deal with China, look at how what they want would fit into the future of China in a hundred years. That will give you a better perspective.”

  * * *

  When we arrived back in Denver we met with John. We brought him up to date on the developments in China and what Eric Chang knew.

  “However you cut it,” Saltzman said, “China is going to be a very powerful driving force in the new world. You’ve done well in starting a friendship with Eric Chang. Just be aware of how you fit into China’s plans for the future.”

  “Thank you,” John said, “and what about this three month delivery date for the neodymium?”

  Saltzman smiled. “The Navy will assist in hauling cargo until you can get freighters rebuilt and functioning with your new generators. We have spoken with the submarine captains from Great Britain and Russia and are currently speaking with the navy of China. The navies of the world are cooperating and have formed an alliance. We will provide security to all nations and will use our combined military power to prevent aggression on the part of any nation in the world. What we ask in return is that you grant us control of all of our naval bases in this country and treat them as diplomatic property belonging to another world power. We also require that no army be formed except as a police force to keep the peace inside the country. We will not allow any nation to gather a military force large enough to be used against another nation. In exchange for our protection and shipping services, we also ask that you provide us with supplies and generators and allow sailors from the United States to have leave in cities where we have naval bases. We will work out currency issues as we go along. In principle, is this kind of arrangement agreeable to you?”

  “It is,” John said.

  “Good,” Saltzman said, “I will let my commanders know. I will be acting as your liaison with the World Navy and will require a building here in Denver controlled by us for use as an embassy. Is that also agreeable?”

  “Yes,” John said.

  “Excellent,” Saltzman replied. “I just have one question. How did you know about the communications with the submarine fleet when you sent out your radio message to us?”

  John smiled. “Would you also share your encrypting system with us?”

  Saltzman smiled in return. “Of course not.”

  “Then I believe it is proper that we each retain some information as secret,” John replied.

  “We can accept that,” Saltzman said.

  “Now that we’re this far along in our relationship,” John said, “can we provide transportation for your support team presently up on Snyder’s Ridge? I wouldn’t want them to have to walk back home.”

  Saltzman seemed ruffled but recovered quickly. “We take care of our own,” he said. “How did you know about them?”

  “Same way we knew about the ELF transmissions to your submarines,” John replied. “I just want to make sure we are starting out on an equal footing here.”

  “Of course,” Saltzman said. “We wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “Of course you wouldn’t,” John replied. “Neither would we.”

  We all stood and shook hands and Saltzman left.

  “So what do you think?” I asked John.

  “It’s a new world alright,” he replied. “And the players are starting to claim their territory. We now have a world navy in control of the oceans and seas. They will probably want to regulate shipping and fishing. We’ll have to see how that shakes out in the future.”

  “And for now?” I asked.

  “For now we are recognized as the de facto government of America.”

  “And we have deliveries to make to other countries, and hopefully to new allies,” I said.

  “Better get to it,” he said.

  CHAPTER 32

  For the last month General Strom and the DIA had been surfacing in my mind. I had a feeling I had to check in with the robot’s head privately, so after dinner I made my excuses and entered the robot’s communications room alone.

  “Andy, I’m alone, you have something for me?”

  Yes guardian. We have detected encrypted burst transmissions that appear to involve you and your safety.

  “It sounds like you were able to break the encryption. What’s going on?”

  There is a covert team not far from your location with orders to capture you and bring you out of the country.

  “Any idea who is behind this operation?”

  Yes, guardian. The person commanding this covert team is a General Strom. We also believe he was responsible for an armed unit that tried to locate the cave here in Tibet.

  “And you believe he will use me to locate the cave?”

  Yes, guardian. We have a suggestion…

  * * *

  I explained to Ed what I needed to do. I didn’t really want to do this, but the risk to Tia and John was just too great.

  “Are you sure this is how you want to handle it?” Ed asked. “I could go with you.”

  “They would kill you before you had a chance to do anything. This is the only way I know of to keep you, John and Tia safe. This is my fight. It’s something I need to do by myself.”

  Ed thought briefly. “Okay,” he said, “remember this; your life may depend on it. Fight from inner peace, not anger or fear. Emotions will blind you. Stay calm and you will see what you need to do.”

  I stepped outside the residence building where John’s key people were housed. The armed guard looked at me and smiled in recognition.

  “Just need some fresh air,” I said.

  “Don’t go t
oo far, sir,” he replied. I gave him a mock salute and walked away. A light drizzle was falling as night quietly settled in. I didn’t want anyone to get killed on my account. Because of the medallion and the abilities awakened within me I knew they were coming tonight. I was also reasonably certain where they would be. As I walked in that direction my heart was pounding in my chest and all of the feelings of insecurity were flooding back into my mind. This was insane. I should be running to hide instead of walking into the hands of the people who sent me to prison and the hell I endured there. What they didn’t know was that I had grown and become stronger than they might imagine, and that I had a friend where they were taking me. This is what I had to do to finally end the nightmare that had been my life under their control. That’s when I felt the sting in my back.

  * * *

  I awoke to the pounding throb of helicopter blades and cold air.

  “Hey Carl,” a voice said. He picked my head up off the metal floor of the helicopter. I tried to move but quickly realized I was shackled to the seat supports. “That’s right Carl, we know who you are. You’ve been a very bad boy, Carl, and you’re going to pay for that, but first the General has something special he needs you to do. You remember the General, don’t you Carl?”

  I struggled against the shackles. His only response was to laugh at me. After several hours the helicopter landed and I was transferred to a military cargo plane sitting on a desert road in the middle of nowhere. From there it was another 18 hours in the air. We landed, refueled and took off again. Twelve hours later we landed again.

  It was dark. As I was moved from the cargo plane to another helicopter I got a chance to look around. The buildings were gutted from fire and damaged from the meteor storm, but I recognized it as the airport at New Delhi, India. Two hours later we landed in the dark and they moved me into a building with creaky wood floors. I recognized the smell of the place and the sound of the Baspa River cascading down through the valley. We were in Chitkul. We ate and went to sleep on the floor.

  I awoke to someone jerking on my shackles.

  “Carl!” General Strom looked down at me. “I had a feeling I was giving you too much rope at NASA, and this is how you repay my kindness to you?” I scrambled to get away from him but the shackles bit painfully into my legs and wrists. The journey here had worn the skin raw and left me bleeding under the cuffs. “But before we get to that unpleasantness, you have a chance to redeem yourself, Carl. You don’t want to disappoint me a second time, do you?”

  I shook my head. “No.” I said, shaking almost uncontrollably.

  “Good boy, Carl,” the General said as he reached out and patted my left cheek with his right hand. “I knew you’d understand.”

  He brought me outside where a soldier removed the shackles and strapped a leather collar around my neck.

  “I’m granting you this much freedom, Carl, but just so you know, it’s a Taser collar. The sergeant here will take you down if you refuse any order or try to fight us in any way. It’s non-lethal, so he has permission to use the Taser function as often as he likes.” I looked over at the soldier. He grinned back at me. “Come on, we have a long way to go,” the General said.

  I surveyed what remained of Chitkul. The private homes were gone, as was the ITBP building. The only standing structure was the Buddhist temple, which had been damaged, but the people of Chitkul had apparently let their own homes burn in order to save the temple. Not that it mattered now; the whole place was deserted.

  We boarded the same helicopter and flew for two hours weaving in between the mountains, generally following the same path we had walked the year before to get to the cave. We landed at the site of the Monastery and got out. The helicopter lifted off and headed back to Chitkul. From here we would walk.

  “Your buddy Trent Colburn got us this far, but he was useless in getting us to the cave from here,” the General said. “Too bad, he could have had a decent life working for us, but it just didn’t work out.”

  “You killed Trent?” I asked.

  “He was old,” the General said. “Eventually the Taser collar and his heart weren’t a good mix. You know how it works.”

  I looked at the monastery. There was some damage from the meteor storm but the bulk of the building was stone. It seemed to be in fair shape for what it had been through. I wondered about the old guardian and the Buddhist monks who had lived here.

  “Your buddy Trent said there was an old priest who knew where the cave was, but the place was deserted when we got here. So now it’s up to you, Carl. Which way do we go?”

  I looked at the General and hesitated. The high voltage surged through me as if I had been hit by lightning. As I slowly regained consciousness General Strom stood over me smiling.

  “Which way do we go, Carl?” he said slowly. I pointed. “Good boy, Carl. Shall we?”

  We began walking toward the cave. I wondered how the robot was going to handle the group of heavily armed and highly trained soldiers since my survival depended on only him.

  CHAPTER 33

  We arrived at the base of the mountain with the small waterfall and the pool late in the afternoon of the third day. The cave was above us. I had been very cooperative since being Tased at the monastery. I wondered if Trent had told the General about the robot inside the cave. If he had, I expected the General to be more on alert than he was, so my guess was that Trent had remained true to his commitment to the old guardian, bringing the previous team only as far as the monastery.

  The General set two soldiers on watch at all times. He sat at the campfire and had the sergeant bring me over to him. I sat on the ground where the sergeant pointed.

  “Tomorrow is going to be a great day for me,” the General began, “and of course for our country. I’ve learned some about what’s in the cave from your buddy Trent. The electric generator you’ve been handing out to people is nice, but the real treasure is in the weapons and flying craft. That will take us to Mars and beyond. See, I knew finding squints like you was the way to go. You let me know how smart you were by breaking into the pentagon computer system. You were good. It took me a while to find you. But once I found you, you were mine. I pushed for the federal prison for you. I knew what would happen. Once you were properly softened up, all I had to do was rescue you and I owned you from that moment on.”

  The anger was rising in me like bile backing up in my throat. Everything I went through was at his direction, under his control. I wanted to jump on him and strangle every bit of life out of him. I glanced at the sergeant. He was watching me intently, grinning, and just waiting for an excuse to trigger the Taser collar again. Then I realized why the General was telling me all of this. He was baiting me, trying to entice me into a reaction so he could see me suffer from the Taser collar again. I realized he drew a perverse satisfaction from hurting people. I took a deep breath and forced myself to relax.

  “I had hundreds of squints like you, seeded into every agency in the country. Through people like you, I influenced and controlled knowledge, information and policy. I controlled the direction this country followed. Once you discovered the meteor storm my grand plan moved to the next higher level. After I get the technology in that cave and you show me how to use it, I will have control of the entire military, and with my cousin, the president, we will control the world, at least until I don’t need him anymore. So you see how important you are in the scheme of things? Your role is critically important to me, and I will see to it that you are properly compensated for everything you do here. You’ve got it made, Carl. You should be very proud of yourself. You’ve made it to the top of your career: number one squint in the world.”

  The General looked over at me and studied my face for a moment. He scoffed a little as he realized I wasn’t taking the bait. “So, Carl, do you think the machines in the cave actually work?” he asked.

  “I don’t know,” I answered. “Everything in the cave has been sitting there for 63,000 years. How much of the equipment you use wo
uld work after sitting in a cave for that long?”

  The General poked at the campfire with a stick. “You’re a smart kid, Carl. I’m sure you and a few others like you can get all of this stuff working again. It’s just a matter of time and resources, and I’ve got both.”

  I knew the next question was coming and was trying to prepare myself for it.

  “Trent said the door to the cave was the only obstacle, that once you were inside there were only machines there. Is that true? Is there anything dangerous inside the cave?” the General asked. He watched me closely as I answered.

  “There are only machines inside the cave,” I replied truthfully. “There is one dangerous thing though. There is a large elevator at the back of the cave. No railings or anything to keep you from falling off the edge, and the lighting’s not that good in the back of the cave.”

  The General poked at the campfire some more. “Does the elevator work?”

  “It did when we were in there,” I replied. “The old priest knew how to operate it.” I could sense his thoughts and his feelings. He was comparing what I told him with what he learned from Trent. So far everything he heard was matching up. He was satisfied that it was all true.

  He looked over at me. “Do you think you can remember how to work the elevator?”

  “I think so. It might take me several tries, but I think I can get it to work.”

  The General was apparently lost in his own thoughts. He moved his hand and pointed to my tent as he looked at the sergeant, who got up and led me back to the tent. So far the General was convinced that I was still broken by him and remained under his control. He had no way of knowing the emotional work I had done during those months in the cave in Colorado, or the healing Tia and Nancy helped me get through. That healing and the medallion were my secret weapons. I just hoped it would be enough.