• • •
The arrival of the bullet-riddled flying wing had been the biggest event to hit Nome since the original Iditarod. Word of the odd-shaped black plane that had landed without landing gear on a sheet of foam had spread like wildfire, and before long it was surrounded by curious townspeople. Austin had called Sandecker from the airport to report his findings and to request some muscle power. Sandecker got in touch with the Pentagon and learned that a Special Operations team was on maneuvers at Elendorf Air Force Base outside Anchorage. The team was ordered to fly into Nome. After Austin briefed the Special Ops leaders at a strategy session, they decided to send the helicopter ahead to scope the situation out, with a quick follow-up by the main assault force.
It was something of a coincidence that Austin and Zavala returned to the secret blimp base in a Pave Hawk helicopter. The sixty-four-foot-long aircraft was the same kind of helicopter that patrolled Area 51, the top-secret location that UFO buffs say holds alien remains and a spaceship that crashed in Roswell, New Mexico. The helicopter had come in alone at a speed of a hundred and fifty miles per hour, flying low over the tundra to avoid detection. As it came up on the base, it made one pass over the water-covered airstrip, scouring the ground with its motion and vibration sensors. Finding no signs of life, the chopper went into a wide circling pattern. On board was a crew of three, eight heavily armed Special Operations troops, and two passengers, Austin and Zavala, who scanned the skies expectantly. They didn’t have long to wait.
A fixed-wing plane appeared from the direction of the sea and passed over the base. The four-engine turboprop Combat Talon was especially designed for inserting a Special Operations Team under any conditions. Dark objects dropped from the fuselage and within seconds blossomed into twenty-six parachutes. The paratroopers floated down into the low hills behind the flying wing hangar.
The helicopter continued to circle. The plane brought in the first contingent as part of a one-two punch. If the initial assault group ran into trouble the chopper would blast the opposition from the air with its twin 7.62mm guns and land the backup force where it was most needed.
Several tense minutes passed. Then the voice of the team leader on the ground crackled over the chopper’s radio.
“All clear. Okay to come in.”
The Hawk darted in over the scattered wreckage of the ski plane and the blackened hulk of the chopper that had been dispatched by the flying wing. It landed directly in front of the hangar whose massive door gaped wide open like a patient in a dentist chair. A contingent of camouflage-clad Special Ops troops armed with M-16A1 assault rifles and grenade launchers, each man a killing machine of formidable power, guarded the outside while another squad explored the hangar’s cavernous interior. The helicopter troops poured out of the side doors as soon as the wheels touched the ground and joined their comrades.
Then the two NUMA men got out and walked into the hangar. The space seemed even more enormous now that it no longer housed the flying wing. Blackened and charred debris left over from their takeoff was scattered throughout the hangar. The rear walls, which had felt the full force and heat of the jet-engine exhaust, were scorched and the paint blistered. They picked their way around the smoldering rubble and went directly to the storeroom. The door was open. The canisters were gone.
“Empty as a bottle of tequila on a Sunday morning,” Zavala said.
“I was afraid of this. They must have brought in another chopper.”
They walked outside to get away from the choking smoke inside the hangar. The Talon had found a flat, dry strip of land and was landing about a quarter of a mile away. They headed toward the wreckage of the helicopter, hoping it could provide clues to the attack. Blackened corpses were visible in and around the charred hulk. The officer who had led the first wave came over and shook hands.
“I don’t know why you wanted us to come along,” he said, jerking his thumb at the downed chopper. “You boys did fine on your own.”
“We didn’t want to press our luck,” Austin said.
The officer grinned. “This place is as clean as a whistle. We checked the underground bunker as you suggested. Found a couple of dead guys at the bottom of the shaft you told us to watch out for. You know anything about that?”
Austin and Zavala exchanged a surprised glance.
“Joe and I set up a little tiger trap for our guests. We never expected it to work.”
“Oh, it worked. Remind me never to come in your back door without knocking.”
“I’ll remember. Sorry you had to go through all this trouble for nothing,” Austin said.
“You can never be too careful. You know what happened on Atka and Kiska.”
Austin nodded. He knew the story of the two Aleutian Islands occupied by the Japanese. After U.S. troops were bloodied in the invasion of one island, they plan
ned a massive invasion of Kiska, only to find the Japanese had quietly slipped away the night before.
“The same thing happened here. The chickens have flown the coop.”
The officer surveyed the twisted wreckage again and let out a low whistle. “I’d say you clipped their wings.”
Austin shook his head. “Unfortunately there was something back in that hangar they took with them. Thanks anyway for all your help, Major.”
“My pleasure. Drills are fine, but there is no substitute for a mission where people might actually be shooting at you.”
“I’ll see if I can arrange that next time.”
The officer smiled a tight smile. “From the looks of that old bomber you brought into Nome, I’d say you’re probably a man of your word.”
With that operation a bust, Austin and Zavala accepted the offer of a ride to Elendorf, where they might be able to catch a flight to Washington. When the planes stopped at Nome to refuel, Zavala volunteered to use his considerable charm and the NUMA bank account to soothe the owner of the leased Maule that had been destroyed. He was coming out of the lease office after agreeing to buy the company a new plane when he saw Austin striding toward him with a serious expression on his face. He handed Zavala a piece of paper.
“This just came in.”