Chapter 68
Aboard Saber One, Ahab fumed at the disruptions to his plan. He seethed at being thrown around the cockpit as the pilot whipped the big plane about. The near fatal nosedive had ended only as he’d ordered the pilot to pull up. The premier’s plane was now out of range.
He wondered to himself how his plan had gone so far off the rails.
As if in an answer to his question the cockpit radio squawked for all of them to hear. A confident, cocky, and irritating voice came over the airwaves and through the speakers.
“That was a fun ride,” Kurt Austin’s unmistakable tone announced. “But it’s over now. Time to get off the roller coaster.”
Ahab was as shocked to hear Austin’s voice as Kurt had been to hear and see Ahab on the video aboard the C-17.
“Despite wanting to shoot you out of the sky,” Austin continued, “our Air Force turned back before they crossed into Chinese airspace. Which means your future is to die at the hands of the Chinese or end up as their prisoners.”
Listening to Austin, Ahab slammed his fist on the panel in front of him. The screens around him flickered and blinked. “How could this be?”
The rage he felt was uncontrollable. Austin had found him again. Was hunting him again. And though Ahab was in possession of the most powerful weapon on earth, he still could not strike Austin down.
“To the Yellow Tigers,” Austin continued. “I understand your desire to defend your island, but this will not help. You might as well turn around and head for Taipei, unless you prefer the idea of Chinese prison over one in Taiwan.”
Chen looked at Ahab with an expression that suggested defeat. Finding no solace in Ahab’s angry face, he looked past Ahab to the weapons specialist. “Any sign of the premier’s aircraft?”
The specialist had been watching the radar. “It was there for a second. But we dove too quickly.”
Chen looked at their benefactor. “The American is right,” he said. “We’ve failed. We should turn back.”
“No,” Ahab snapped. The feeling of being trapped in his own scheme was almost too much to bear. He needed a way out. A way to reignite the fire.
“The premier may be out of our reach,” he said, “but the high command will still be gathered at the control hub. If Saber Two won’t take it out, we can.
A thousand videos of an American aircraft destroying their station will be impossible to deny.
The Chinese people will never believe it wasn’t American treachery.
Survivors in the high command will demand retribution.
The premier will be afraid of looking weak. We can still light the fire.”
“We can do great damage to the aboveground buildings,” Chen said. “But the laser will not be effective against the hardened bunker.”
“Did you really board this plane expecting to return home?” Ahab asked. “Fly the plane into the building. The impact will kill everyone inside.”
Chen nodded. They’d all expected to die. At this point it was preferable to a life in prison and disgrace. He gave the order to the copilot. “Plot a course. We’ll take out the high command.”