Day of the Delphi (27 page)
Authors: Jon Land
Blaine was instantly reminded of the induction center he had been bused to after enlisting in the army in 1968. Men in the trademark khaki uniforms and dirt-scuffed brown boots of the AWB waited with handshakes as the passengers stepped down off the bus. Three more stood proud vigil on horseback. The men on the ground were smiling. Those on horseback simply stared straight ahead. But their eyes were all the same, harsh and unforgiving. Blaine knew them all too well. They were the eyes of men who lived off hate and intolerance. And he knew equally well that the defeat in the
eyes of those who had accompanied him here on the bus would soon change to hate as well.
eyes of those who had accompanied him here on the bus would soon change to hate as well.
A balding, mustachioed man who introduced himself as Colonel Smeed made brief introductory remarks, after which standard interviews were conducted. Blaine drew the colonel himself. When his turn came across a table inside one of the three buildings, he repeated the well-rehearsed background of the identity Barnstable and the Interior Ministry had created for him. The colonel accepted it matter-of-factly, jotting notes in the prescribed areas on a number of forms.
When all the interviews were over, the new recruits were assembled back outside. Smeed and the other AWB troops snapped to attention with a click of their heels as a jeep approached. Blaine could see a man he recognized as Travis Dreyer standing on the floorboard, holding the frame of the windshield for support. The jeep slowed to a halt and Dryer jumped down, his shiny black boots crunching gravel on impact. He approached stiffly, arms swaying in mechanical fashion by his side and chest protruding absurdly out. He was clean-shaven and had close-cropped corn-colored hair. His eyes were a light crystalline shade of blue.
An ivory-handled nine-millimeter Browning pistol was showcased in a standard AWB Sam Browne gun belt. It hung too low and flapped against his leg as he crossed in front of his rigid troops.
“At ease,” he said and kept going.
He continued up the line of new recruits, regarding each with a hard stare. Blaine was afraid he was going to linger too long before him, but he paid him the same heed he had paid the others. Dreyer nodded one last time at the group as a whole before climbing back into his jeep and retaking his hold on the windshield.
The jeep drove off and Colonel Smeed ordered the sixteen new recruits to join him back on board the bus, which proceeded on a slow cruise through Whiteland while the colonel provided his standard narration. Blaine memorized
the sights and locations, placing them for scale and context against details recalled from his careful study earlier in the day. The blueprints and information obtained over the computer had not done Whiteland justice. There was ample evidence of fresh plantings, and a number of men toiled tirelessly about the grounds surrounding the simple modular homes. Lawns were being planted, gardens dug. Flowers were in bloom.
the sights and locations, placing them for scale and context against details recalled from his careful study earlier in the day. The blueprints and information obtained over the computer had not done Whiteland justice. There was ample evidence of fresh plantings, and a number of men toiled tirelessly about the grounds surrounding the simple modular homes. Lawns were being planted, gardens dug. Flowers were in bloom.
As the bus continued to crawl through Whiteland, Blaine noted there had already been one extension to the school building and that another was currently in progress. There were kids playing soccer in khaki shorts and shirts. Women toted canvas bags full of groceries. A few people peddled about the freshly paved roads on bicycles.
McCracken could see in the commercial district that Barnstable’s intelligence was already outdated; he counted at least three shops not mentioned in either the intelligence reports or the blueprints. If he had been set down here without knowing where he was, he would have guessed this was a farming community. The only sounds that disturbed the illusion were those of the heavy construction equipment racing to keep up with the demand for housing and other facilities.
Some of the people on the streets waved, smiling. The gestures were inviting, but the expressions on their faces were closed.
Blaine was so busy with his efforts to memorize the community’s layout that he simply tuned out the colonel’s narration. Almost before he realized it, the bus stopped before a chain link fence that surrounded Whiteland’s training compound. There was nothing elaborate or overly impressive about what was going on within. Men were being taught hand-to-hand and close-in fighting in small groups. Another group was parading about. One was working with rifles equipped with bayonettes.
The dummies they were spearing were painted black.
McCracken listened distantly to the colonel expounding
on the high regard in which security was held here in Whiteland. He emphasized the fact that every man and woman who was accepted for residence had to be willing to defend his or her principles at any cost. They were in the midst of a war, the colonel told them, and they formed the nation’s, and the white people’s, last stand and hope.
on the high regard in which security was held here in Whiteland. He emphasized the fact that every man and woman who was accepted for residence had to be willing to defend his or her principles at any cost. They were in the midst of a war, the colonel told them, and they formed the nation’s, and the white people’s, last stand and hope.
Blaine heard the nonstop clacking of rifle reports and followed the recoil of the barrels. The targets coughed white specs and straw into the air, hardly in ratio to the number of bullets being fired. He pictured similar scenes occurring all over the world. Hatred was being sanctioned, provided with guns under a veil of legitimacy. Left unchecked, the Delphi’s plan would spread violence and intolerance everywhere, making it easier for their representatives to achieve control.
But their day could still be stopped, starting here.
Tonight.
Night deepened over Whiteland. McCracken’s long day of indoctrination to his new home was complete for now, his reward a stiff cot in a thirty-six-bed dormitory. He lay beneath a window open to the harsh spill of the evening security lights. Blaine had recorded their presence earlier, along with a number of other measures he would have to overcome.
Though the AWB was always pictured on horseback at their rallies, they used jeeps to patrol the grounds at night, two men in each. There were also a number of security cameras that the residents had undoubtedly been told were for their own protection.
Slipping out of the dormitory would not be a problem. Thereafter, however, he would have well over a mile to cover to reach the command center. The security cameras
were fixed on the doors, so Blaine climbed quietly out a window, taking care not to disturb his sleeping dorm-mates. The thick haze that hung before the security lights would help obscure him from the passing jeeps. His progress came in quick dashes intermixed with slithering headlong crawls through well-lit areas When a security patrol loomed near, he was able to take cover behind the freshly planted shrubbery.
were fixed on the doors, so Blaine climbed quietly out a window, taking care not to disturb his sleeping dorm-mates. The thick haze that hung before the security lights would help obscure him from the passing jeeps. His progress came in quick dashes intermixed with slithering headlong crawls through well-lit areas When a security patrol loomed near, he was able to take cover behind the freshly planted shrubbery.
He reached the outskirts of the command center without incident and lay prone on the grass in the darkness. No fence enclosed the command center other than at its rear, but the floods mounted on the building spilled light out at a radius wide enough to force him to take a roundabout route. Blaine clung to the shadows and used a prone approach over ground to avoid detection by the dozen or so guards who were trained to counter a commando-style assault, not a one-man reconnaissance.
McCracken reached the rear of the command center without incident. He passed several horses tied to a post near the building’s back right-hand side and had reached up to still one’s sudden stirring when he noticed the long rope clipped to its saddle. He removed the rope and carried it with him as he continued on.
Twelve feet separated him from the security fence that rimmed the compound’s rear. There were no windows in the back of the command center building, and only a single door, which was sealed from the inside. He had grabbed the rope with these very limitations in mind. Careful scrutiny of the plans that morning had furnished him with accurate detail of the roof’s layout. The chimney was just where he had expected it to be, its shape indistinct in the darkness. Blaine tied the front section of the rope into a lasso and backed up as far as the fence would let him. Then he hurled the rope outward with looped end leading.
It smacked against the top of the command center and bounced back down.
He cleared the roof on the second try and grazed the
chimney on the third. The fourth saw the lasso drop over the shape of the chimney and settle. Blaine took up the slack and felt the rope lock on. As soon as he felt the rope was secure, he grabbed hold tightly and began to scale the command center.
chimney on the third. The fourth saw the lasso drop over the shape of the chimney and settle. Blaine took up the slack and felt the rope lock on. As soon as he felt the rope was secure, he grabbed hold tightly and began to scale the command center.
Samuel Jackson Dodd stood uneasily before the single small viewing portal located directly behind the slate black desk in his private quarters upon the space station
Olympus.
A slightly larger portal was contained in the station’s severely limited observation deck, and a third, the smallest of all, could be found in main control. Originally he had envisioned an entire viewing wall to be constructed in these quarters reserved solely for him or his personal guests. But the engineers had found his request technologically laughable and stricken it from the plans. What did they know? Did they somehow think that by restricting his view from this vantage point they could also restrict his grand vision?
Olympus.
A slightly larger portal was contained in the station’s severely limited observation deck, and a third, the smallest of all, could be found in main control. Originally he had envisioned an entire viewing wall to be constructed in these quarters reserved solely for him or his personal guests. But the engineers had found his request technologically laughable and stricken it from the plans. What did they know? Did they somehow think that by restricting his view from this vantage point they could also restrict his grand vision?
Dodd turned from it back toward his desk, atop which rested the computerized signal switcher and voice regulator that made secure communications between the Delphi’s international representatives possible. The LED readouts for all were flashing, except that of Johannesburg’s. Dodd felt himself growing increasingly impatient. He had thought long and hard over how best to explain the need for a drastic change in strategy. Though crucial to the ultimate plans of the Delphi, these men were difficult, often impossible, to deal with.
Atop his desk in the space station’s observation room, Johannesburg still had not come on-line.
Committing himself to construction of the space station
Olympus
had seemed the most risky venture of Dodd’s entire career. Even with underwriting by NASA, the total costs promised to stretch beyond the $40 billion mark. Add to this an estimated $100 billion cost to maintain the station over its thirty-year lifetime, and the downside if things went
wrong, as everyone was predicting they would, was unlimited.
Olympus
had seemed the most risky venture of Dodd’s entire career. Even with underwriting by NASA, the total costs promised to stretch beyond the $40 billion mark. Add to this an estimated $100 billion cost to maintain the station over its thirty-year lifetime, and the downside if things went
wrong, as everyone was predicting they would, was unlimited.
Sam Jack Dodd had learned long ago not to listen to others.
Olympus
exemplified his commitment to the marriage of business and government, and even more his ability to get things done. With budgetary constraints as they were, NASA never could have undertaken the project alone. By the same token, no one in the private sector possessed the financial or technological resources to get it off the ground. The answer to this, as with everything, was a joint effort. In return for underwriting the project, NASA scientists and astronauts would have exclusive use of
Olympus
for its first three years. After that time a new subdivision of Dodd Industries would begin selling trips into space for civilians at, of course, exorbitantly expensive prices. Sam Jack Dodd wasn’t worried; his market research had assured him that there would be a five-year waiting list and this project would be well in the black within a decade of operation.
exemplified his commitment to the marriage of business and government, and even more his ability to get things done. With budgetary constraints as they were, NASA never could have undertaken the project alone. By the same token, no one in the private sector possessed the financial or technological resources to get it off the ground. The answer to this, as with everything, was a joint effort. In return for underwriting the project, NASA scientists and astronauts would have exclusive use of
Olympus
for its first three years. After that time a new subdivision of Dodd Industries would begin selling trips into space for civilians at, of course, exorbitantly expensive prices. Sam Jack Dodd wasn’t worried; his market research had assured him that there would be a five-year waiting list and this project would be well in the black within a decade of operation.
A pair of new shuttles NASA was building would serve as space taxis. His marketing people projected that hitherto earthbound scientists alone could fill every seat for seven years. Insurance costs, the original deal breaker, were negligible because NASA had absorbed them into its budget.
Dodd turned back to the small portal and gazed out over what little of space he could see. From this angle only a small portion of the station itself was visible. Even when seen in total, though,
Olympus
was hardly a breath-stealing sight. When it came to construction pertaining to space, form ran a poor second to function. As a result, the station had a squat, tubular look to it, almost like an overweight spider. The bulk of
Olympus
was little more than a massive truss made of steel supports sandwiching the five spherical nodules that formed the station’s heart. The central and largest nodule housed the main labs, combination cafeteria/ meeting hall, and Dodd’s private quarters. Three of the
smaller nodules contained living quarters for crew and guests, while the fourth housed the command center.
Olympus
was hardly a breath-stealing sight. When it came to construction pertaining to space, form ran a poor second to function. As a result, the station had a squat, tubular look to it, almost like an overweight spider. The bulk of
Olympus
was little more than a massive truss made of steel supports sandwiching the five spherical nodules that formed the station’s heart. The central and largest nodule housed the main labs, combination cafeteria/ meeting hall, and Dodd’s private quarters. Three of the
smaller nodules contained living quarters for crew and guests, while the fourth housed the command center.
The symmetrical girders and neatly arrayed scaffolding-like supports were marred by what looked like stubborn space debris in the form of the primary heat exchangers, solar panels, and main engine components. Indeed,
Olympus
was little more than an elaborate and cumbersome spaceship that doubled as a massive orbiting laboratory. Thicker, tubular assemblies ran toward the central nodule from three separate docking bays, only one of which was currently functional. Eventually all three would allow shuttles to conveniently off-load their passengers, whose first exposure to
Olympus
would be a zero gravity dash through the tubes leading into the central nodule where gravity was equalized.
Olympus
was little more than an elaborate and cumbersome spaceship that doubled as a massive orbiting laboratory. Thicker, tubular assemblies ran toward the central nodule from three separate docking bays, only one of which was currently functional. Eventually all three would allow shuttles to conveniently off-load their passengers, whose first exposure to
Olympus
would be a zero gravity dash through the tubes leading into the central nodule where gravity was equalized.
The station itself maintained a constant rotation through its geosynchronistic orbit 22,400 miles above the center of the United States. The air was filtered by solar-powered engines, pumped out at a comfortable seventy-six degrees. Dodd kept having to remind himself in this his first visit that he was actually in space and not walking the hall of a high-tech office or luxury hotel. It had taken a full week of intensive training to prepare him for this. Future visitors would be required to spend two weeks in training, further justifying their fee and raising the station’s profit margin. The first paying space travelers could purchase the entire package at a start-up price of $25,000, growing to near $50,000 within the first year. It had not yet been determined if the space-walk portion of the five-day sojourn would be extra or not.
Dodd squeezed his eyes closer to the small acrylic portal. Twenty-two thousand four hundred miles below him the small speck of the United States had slipped from his gaze.
How could things have gone so wrong? How could a single man have placed all his work in jeopardy?
Thanks to Blaine McCracken, the original members of the Delphi were on the run. Because sufficient warning had been provided, all had managed to get out safely, but their
usefulness had been placed in severe doubt. Some members had panicked. They had lived their true lives in the shadows, and having the light suddenly thrust upon them was more than most could bear. A few were advocating that the operation be canceled, at the very least postponed. Dodd knew that agreeing to either would only provide the fearful with more time to betray the Delphi’s cause. They might decide to turn themselves in and trade their stories for freedom. Loyalty was fleeting.
usefulness had been placed in severe doubt. Some members had panicked. They had lived their true lives in the shadows, and having the light suddenly thrust upon them was more than most could bear. A few were advocating that the operation be canceled, at the very least postponed. Dodd knew that agreeing to either would only provide the fearful with more time to betray the Delphi’s cause. They might decide to turn themselves in and trade their stories for freedom. Loyalty was fleeting.
Sam Jack Dodd realized he needed a way to make that work for him, to placate the Delphi while at the same time appeasing the group’s foreign representatives. It was a matter of utilizing what the circumstances had provided, which in this case happened to be considerable. The remolding of the strategy actually had a number of distinct advantages. The problems it posed were ones of logistics and timing. But the Delphi member inside the President’s inner circle had assured him all could be pulled off with nary a hitch. Dodd had no choice other than to listen and hope the rest of the international representatives so crucial to his plan would listen as well.
On the communications system resting atop his desk, Johannesburg at last came on-line.
McCracken had spent considerable time that morning in his room at the Carlton studying the air-conditioning system of Whiteland’s command center for a reason. Since it would be required to furnish air to the four underground bunker levels as well as the three above ground, huge condensers and fans would be required, along with wide enough duct work to push sufficient quantities through. The plans had indicated the massive condenser units were located on the roof, meaning the start of the labyrinthine network of ducts would be found there as well. Blaine knew also from the plans where Trevor Dreyer’s office was located. The contents of that top-floor office were what had drawn him here. His plan now was to gain access
to that office by following the duct work to the crawl space directly above it.
to that office by following the duct work to the crawl space directly above it.
Time was on his side except for the fact that those within the command center would soon notice that the air conditioning had malfunctioned. Even after they did, his hope was that it would take some time before a work crew could be dispatched and his handiwork on the roof uncovered.
Atop the roof now, McCracken quickly located the massive condenser unit. Finding no simple on-and-off switch, he began yanking out every exposed cord and wire until the thing shook and shut down. He followed the line that led from the condenser across to what he had first thought was a huge skylight but quickly realized was the intake duct for the chilled air. The plans had actually underestimated its size. Its rectangular cover was three by four feet, even easier for a man to negotiate than he had imagined. He had the top pried off within thirty seconds and breathed easier when he saw that the start of the duct work was elbow-shaped, eliminating the anxiety-generating necessity of negotiating a straight drop.
He slid immediately feet first into the galvanized steel and started to make his way toward the office of Travis Dreyer.
“Gentlemen,” Samuel Jackson Dodd opened after the communications check had been satisfactorily completed, “this meeting has been called to inform you that circumstances have forced a rather drastic change in our final plans. The timetable is being moved up from next Tuesday to forty-eight hours from now. Seven P.M. Saturday, Washington time.”
“What?”
a number of the voices seemed to blare at once.
a number of the voices seemed to blare at once.
“That’s absurd!” roared Germany.
“Our people are already in place,” Japan returned. “Recalling them with such short notice would be impossible.”
“And we,” started Johannesburg, “cannot be ready to go until we have received our warheads.”
“Calm yourselves, gentlemen. You will not be asked to do so until it is safe for us to make the shipment. It is only the American end of things I have elected to move up.”
FRANCE. “But a simultaneous move by all parties was agreed upon for a reason. Without that simultaneity, the success of our own strikes is instantly placed in jeopardy.”
“Gentlemen,” began the Washington representative calmly, “we are all in jeopardy already. Our only chance for success is to advance the timetable here in the United States as has been laid out with my approval.”
“You will lag behind us by only a week, ten days at the most,” Dodd picked up immediately. “And when your day comes, the results may well exceed your original expectations, thanks to the new contingency we have adopted for the United States.”
The observation deck of
Olympus
fell into silence. None of the LED lights flashed across their respective slots.
Olympus
fell into silence. None of the LED lights flashed across their respective slots.
“Then when can I expect my warheads?” raised Johannesburg finally.
“They remain secure and will be transferred to you as soon as we have been able to stabilize the situation in the United States.”
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