scoonts.theminotaur-第59章

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ering…he　loathed　it　all。
　He　relived　the　final　minutes　of　the　flight　yet　again。　It　didn't　matter　that　he　was　in　a　hospital　corridor　with　the　TV　noise　and　the　nurses　talking　in　the　background：　he　was　back　in　the　plane　with　the　negative　Gs　and　the　spurning　and　Rita's　voice　in　his　ears。　In　his　private　world　the　events　of　seconds　expanded　into　minutes；　and　every　sensation　and　emotion　racked　him　more　powerfully　than　before。
　He　found　himself　in　the　staff　lounge。　He　hadn't　eaten　since　breakfast；　but　he　wasn't　hungry。　He　got　a　pop　from　the　machine　and　sipped　it　while　he　inspected　the　bulletin　board。　Apparently　management　was　having　the　usual　trouble　keeping　the　staff　lounge　dean。　And　the　bowling　league　still　needed　more　people。　e　on；　people！　Sign　up　and　roll　a　few　lines　on　Thursday　nights　and　forget　all　these　bastards　here　in　the　hospital　for　a　little　while。　They'll　still　be　here　on　Friday。
　He　thought　about　calling　Rita's　parents；　and　finally　decided　to　do　it。　He　tried　for　three　minutes　to　persuade　the　long…distance　operator　to　bill　the　call　to　his　number　in　Virginia；　and　when　she　refused；　called　collect　No　one　answered。
　Back　down　the　corridor　to　check　on　Rita。　No　change。　Another　glance　from　the　nurse。
　He　walked　and　walked　and　flew　again；　spinning　wildly；　out　of　control；　the　altimeter　winding　down；　down；　down；　out　there　on　the　very　edge　of　life　itself。
　
　〃So　what　are　the　possibilities？〃　Jake　addressed　the　question　to　George　Wilson；　the　aerodynamics　expert。　The　group　had　watched　the　videotape　made　by　the　chase　plane　flown　by　Smoke　Judy。
　〃It's　an　inverted　spin；　no　question；〃　Wilson　said。
　〃Why？〃
　〃The　plane　has　negative　stability。　All　these　low…observable　designs　do。　The　fly…by…wire　system　is　supposed　to　keep　it　from　stalling　and　spinning；　and　obviously　it　didn't。〃　Everyone　there　knew　what　the　term　〃negative　stability〃　meant。　If　the　pilot　released　the　controls；　a　plane　with　positive　stability　would　tend　to　return　to　a　wings…level；　stable　condition。　Neutral　stability　meant　that　the　airplane　would　stay　in　the　flight　attitude　it　was　in　when　the　controls　were　released。　Negative　stability；　on　the　other　hand；　meant　that　once　the　plane　was　displaced　from　wings…level；　it　would　tend　to　increase　the　rate　of　displacement　if　the　controls　were　released。
　〃So　the　fly…by…wire　system　is　the　first　place　to　look；〃　Jake　Grafton　said；　〃Smoke；　you　saw　this　whole　thing　up　close　and　personal。　Do　you　have　anything　you　want　to　add？〃
　〃No；　sir。　I　think　the　movie　captured　it；　got　even　more　of　it　than　I　remember　seeing　at　the　time。　We　could　sit　and　niggle　over　her　decision　to　recover　from　the　second　spin　instead　of　ejecting；　but　I　doubt　that　would　be　fair。　It　was　a　prototype　and　she's　a　test　pilot。〃
　Jake　nodded。　He　agreed　with　Smoke；　as　he　usually　did。　He　had　tried　keeping　Smoke　Judy　at　arm's　length　after　that　night　he　saw　him　in　West　Virginia；　yet　except　for　that　unexplained　sighting；　he　had　nothing　else　against　the　man。　Judy　was　proving　to　be　a　fine　officer　and　an　excellent　pilot；　a　man　whose　opinions　and　judgment　could　be　trusted。　Which　was　precisely　why　Jake　had　assigned　him　to　fly　the　chase　plane。
　They　discussed　the　test　results　they　had　and　decided　how　to　proceed。　As　Jake　had　told　the　admiral；　his　report　was　going　to　be　written　with　the　data　the　group　had　gathered。　The　reason　for　the　crash　would　have　to　be　included；　if　it　could　be　established　by　the　time　he　was　ready　to　submit　the　document。　So　this　evening　he　assigned　the　bulk　of　his　staff　to　piling　test　results　and　the　rest　to　investigate；　or　monitor　the　contractor's　investigation　of；　the　crash。
　〃Except　for　the　people　who　are　working　with　TRX；　the　rest　of　you　need　to　get　back　to　Washington　and　dig　in。　Admiral　Dunedin　and　SECNAV　will　want　the　report　ASAP。〃
　Jake　Grafton　came　back　to　the　hospital　about　tea　that　night　to　look　in　on　Rita　and　talk　to　the　doctor　on　duty。　When　he　was　finished；　he　dragged　Toad　off　to　the　VOQ。　〃If　you're　blaming　yourself　about　this；　you'd　better　stop；〃　he　said　when　they　were　in　the　car。
　Tarkington　was　glum。　〃She　fought　it　all　the　way　down。　The　controls　were　just　too　sensitive。　The　plane　was　out　there　on　the　edge　of　the　envelope…high　G；　high　angle　of　attack…and　every　time　she　thought　she　had　it　under　control　she　lost　it　again。　She　kept　saying；　'I've　got　it　this　time。'〃
　〃She's　not　a　quitter。〃
　〃Not　by　a　long　shot。〃　Toad　looked　out　the　passenger's　side　window。　〃A　hundred　and　twenty　pounds　of　pure　guts。〃
　〃So　now　you're　telling　yourself　you　should　have　ejected　on　the　second　departure。〃
　〃Only　a　thousand　times　today。〃
　〃Why　didn't　you？〃
　〃I　should　have。〃
　〃Why　didn't　you？　Because　she　is　your　wife？〃
　〃Naw；〃　said　Toad　Tarkington；　swallowing　hard。　〃That　wasn't　it。　For　just　a　few　seconds　there　I　was　flying　with　you　again；　over　the　Med；　and　you　were　telling　me　to　hang　in　there。　Toad…man；　hang　tough。　So　I　hung　tough。　I　wanted　to　give　Rita　that　chance。　She　was　asking　for　it。　So　I　sat　there　and　watched　the　altimeter　unwind　and　waited　for　her　to　perform　her　miracle；　and　look…I　may　have　killed　her；　or　crippled　her　for　life。〃
　〃It's　all　your　fault；　is　that　it？〃
　〃Aw。　Christ；　CAG。〃
　〃Well；　if　you'd　been　in　the　front　seat　and　she'd　been　in　the　back；　what　would　you　have　done？〃
　〃About　what　Rita　did。　If　I　were　as　good　a　pilot　as　Rita。〃
　〃I've　been　around　these　planes　for　a　few　years；　Toad；　and　let　me　tell　you；　there　are　no　right　answers。　Some　answers　are　better　than　others；　but　every　option　has　unforeseen　twists。　If　you　had　jumped　when　the　plane　departed　the　second　time；　with　fifteen　or　sixteen　thousand　feet　of　altitude；　you　and　Rita　would　have　spent　the　rest　of　your　lives　thinking　you　jumped　too　soon；　that　you　might　have　saved　it　if　you　had　hung　in　there　just　a　little　longer。　My　father　always　called　that　being　between　a　rock　and　a　hard　place。〃
　Toad　shook　his　head。
　〃Years　ago；　in　Vietnam；　I　learned　that　you　can't　second…guess　yourself。　You　have　to　do　the　best　you　can　all　the　time；　make　the　best　decision　you　can　in　the　time　you　have　to　make　it…which　is　always　precious　little…and　live　with　the　consequences　regardless。　That's　the　way　flying　is。　And　occasionally　you're　going　to　make　a　mistake；　nick　it　up。　That's　inevitable。　The　trick　is　to　not　make　a　fatal　mistake。〃
　Jake　Grafton's　voice　hardened。　〃Flying　isn't　chess　or　football　or　checkers！　Flying　isn't　some　game！　Flying　is　life　distilled　down　to　the　essence…it's　the　straight；　two　hundred…proof　stuff。　And　Rita　knows；　she's　a　U。S。　Naval　Aviator。　She　chose　this　line　of　work　and　worked　like　a　slave　to　earn　that　ride　today。　She　knows。〃
　〃Yes；〃　Toad　admitted。　〃She　knows。〃
　
　At　3　A。M。　Rita's　mother　answered　her　phone　in　Connecticut。　She　had　obviously　just　awoke。　〃This　is　Toad　Tarkington；　Mrs。　Moravia。〃　You　know；　the　guy　who　married　your　daughter？　〃Sorry　to　bother　you　this　time　of　night　I　tried　to　call　earlier…〃
　〃We　were　at　a　party。　Is　everything　okay？〃　She　was　wide　awake　now　and　being　apprehensive。
　〃Well；　not　really。　That's　sorta　why　I'm　calling。　I　thought　you　should　know。〃
　She　went　to　battle　stations　while　Toad　tried　to　collect　his　thoughts。
　He　interrupted　her　torrent　of　words。　〃What　it　is…Rita　and　I　jumped　out　of　an　airplane　today；　Mrs。　Moravia。　Rita's　over　in　the　hospital　now。〃
　He　could　hear　her　talking　to　Mr。　Moravia。　The　pitch　in　her　voice　was　rising。
　〃Anyway；　Rita's　banged　up　pretty　good　and　I　thought　you　should　know。〃
　〃How　bad　is　it？〃
　〃She's　in　a　a；　Mrs。　Moravia。　She　hit　the　ground　before　her　parachute　had　time　to　open。〃　Silence。　Dead　silence。　Toad　continued；　〃Anyway；　I'm　with　her　and　she's　getting　the　best　medical　treatment　there　is　and　I'll　call　and　let　you　know　when　anything　changes。〃
　Mr。　Moravia　spoke　now。　Perhaps　his　wife　had　handed　him　the　phone。　〃What's　the　prognosis；　son？〃
　〃She　could　die；　Mr。　Moravia。　She's　in　bad　shape。〃
　〃Should　we　e　out　there？〃　He　didn't　even　know　where　Toad　was　calling　from。
　〃Not　now。　When　she　es　out　of　the　a；　that　might　be　a　good　idea。　But　not　now。　I'll　keep　you　advised。〃
　〃Are　you　okay？〃
　〃Fine；　sir。　No　injuries。〃　Nice　that　he　should　ask；　Toad　thought。
　〃We'll　pray　for　her。〃
　〃Yes；　do　that。　I'm　doing　some　of　that　myself。〃
　
　Harry　Franks；　the　program　manager　for　TRX；　stood　in　the　middle　of　the　hangar　issuing　orders。　A　small　army　of　workmen　were　placing　wreckage　in　piles　as　he　directed。　They　had　been　working　since　dawn。
　He　greeted　Jake　Grafton　without　enthusiasm。　〃Give　me　five　more　minutes　and　we'll　go　upstairs；〃　he　said；　then　pointed　to　a　pile　for　a　forklift　operator　with　a　piece　of　what　looked　like　outboard　wingtip。
　Jake　and　the　manders　wandered　toward　the　door；　trying　to　get　out　of　the　way。　The　plane　had　exploded　and　burned　when　it　hit；　so　the　pieces　that　were　left　were　blackened　and　charred。
　In　an　office　on　the　second　floor；　the　engineers　from　the　pany　that　had　manufactured　the　fly…by…wire　system；　AeroTech；　were　pleting　the　setup　of　their　equipment。　An　AeroTech　vice　president　sat　on　one　of　the　few　chairs；　sipping　coffee　and　watching　the　final　installation　of　the　network　of　wires　that　powered　and　connected　the　test　boxes。　He　didn't　look　very　vice　presidential。　He　and　the　engineers　had　flown　in　early　this　morning　and　had　had　only　a　few　hours'　sleep。　He　stood　up　to　shake　hands　with　Jake。
　After　the　introductions；　they　got　right　to　it。　The　only　surviving　processor　from　the　crashed　prototype　was　carefully　removed　from　its　bent；　damaged　box　and　its　innards　exposed。　It　was　physically　examined　by　the　assembled　experts　with　all　the　curiosity　of　a　group　of　med　students　examining　a　man　with　a　new　disease。
　Jake　backed　off　to　let　the　experts　have　room。　He　found　himself　beside　Harry　Franks。　〃Tell　me　again　how　the　fly…by…wire　system　works。〃
　〃The　aircraft　had　negative　stability；〃　Franks　said；　hooking　his　thumbs　behind　his　belt　and　warming　to　the　subject。　〃Most　high…tech　tactical　aircraft　today　have　negative　stability。〃　Jake　nodded。
　Franks　continued。　〃A　human　cannot　fly　a　negatively　stable　machine。　It　would　be　like　trying　to　keep　a　barn　door　balanced　on　top　of　a　flagpole。　So　puters　actually　do　the　flying。　In　that　way　we　could　build　a　highly　maneuverable　aircraft　and　optimize　its　low…observable…stealth…features　without　worrying　that　we　were　promising　or　negating　the　ability　of　the　pilot　to　control　it。　Now；　the　way　it　works　is　pretty　neat。〃
　Jake　allowed　himself　a　small　smile。　All　engineers　think　elegant　solutions　to　technical　problems　are　neat。
　〃There　are　three　puters；〃　Harry　Franks　continued。　〃They　each　sample　the　aircraft's　attitude　and　all　the　other　raw　data…like　air　density；　temperature；　airspeed　and　so　on…forty　times　a　second。　Then　they　see　what　control　input　the　pilot　has　made。　The　pilot's　control　input　merely　tells　the　three　puters　what　the　pilot　wants　the　plane　to　do。　The　puters　then　figure　out　what　control　throws　are　necessary　to　ply　with　the　pilot's　order；　and　they　pare　their　answers。　They　take　a　vote。　Any　two　puters　can　overrule　the　third。　After　the　vote；　the　agreed　electrical　signal　is　seat　to　the　hydraulic　actuators；　which　move　the　controls。　This　little　sequence　takes　place　forty　times　a　second。　You　understand？〃
　〃Yep；　I　think　so。　But　how　does　the　puter　know　how　much　to　move　the　controls？　That's　what　the　pilot　does　in　a　conventional　airplane。〃
　〃Well；　obviously；　the　puter　has　to　be　told