scoonts.theminotaur-第8章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　Jake　laid　the　plastic　model　on　the　diagram　and　leaned　back　in　his　chair。　He　stretched。　〃Okay；　I　guess。　They　didn't　tie　me　to　the　wooden　post　where　they　shoot　traitors；　and　nobody　said　anything　about　a　court…martial；　so　I　guess　I'm　still　in　the　navy。〃　He　winked　at　her。　〃It's　going　to　be　all　right。　Don't　sweat　it。〃
　She　poured　a　cup　of　coffee　and　blew　across　it　gently；　then　took　an　experimental　sip。　She　stood　looking　at　him　over　the　rim　of　the　cup。　〃Where　will　you　be　working？〃
　〃It's　a　little　shop；　some　cubbyhole　that　belongs　to　NAVAIR。　I'll　be　working　on　the　new　Advanced　Tactical　Aircraft。〃
　〃Oh；　Jake。〃　She　took　the　seat　beside　him。　〃That's　terrific。〃　For　the　first　time　in　months；　her　voice　carried　genuine　enthusiasm。
　〃That's　about　all　I　can　tell　you。　The　project　is　classified　up　the　wazoo。　But　it's　a　real　job　and　it　needs　doing；　which　is　a　lot　more　than　you　can　say　for　a　lot　of　the　jobs　they　have　over　there。〃
　He　shouldn't　have　added　that　last　phrase。　The　muscles　around　her　eyes　tightened　as　she　caught　the　edge　in　his　voice。　〃After　all　you've　done　for　the　navy；　they　owed　you　a　good　job。〃
　〃Hey；　Callie；　it　doesn't　work　like　that。　You　get　paid　twice　a　mouth　and　that's　all　they　owe　you。　But　this　is　a　navy　job　and　Lord　knows　how　it'll　all　turn　out。〃　Perhaps　he　could　repair　the　damage。　〃I'd　rather　have　a　navy　job　than　be　president　of　a　bank。　You　know　me；　Callie。〃
　Her　lips　twisted　into　a　lopsided　smile。　〃Yes；　I　guess　I　do。〃　She　put　her　cup　on　the　coffee　table　and　stood。
　Uh…oh！　Here　we　go　again！　Jake　took　out　his　shirttail　and　used　it　to　clean　his　glasses　as　she　walked　into　the　kitchen。　You'd　better　be　cool　now；　he　decided。　Help　her　along。　He　called　out；　〃What　say　we　go　get　some　dinner？　I'm　hungry。　How　about　you？〃
　
　4
　
　The　ringing　of　the　telephone　woke　Jake　Grafton。　As　he　groped　for　the　receiver　on　the　stand　by　the　bed　he　blinked　mightily　to　make　out　the　luminous　hands　of　the　alarm　dock：　5　A。M。　〃Grafton。〃
　〃Good　morning；　Captain。　Admiral　Henry。　I　wanted　to　catch　you　before　you　got　started　this　morning。〃
　〃You　did；　sir。〃
　〃How　about　meeting　on　the　steps　of　the　Lincoln　Memorial　about　oh…seven…hundred　in　civilian　clothes。〃
　〃Aye　aye；　sir。〃
　〃Thanks。〃　The　connection　broke。
　〃Who　was　that？〃　Callie　asked　as　Jake　cradled　the　phone　and　loosed　his　eyes。　The　alarm　wouldn't　ring　for　half　an　hour。
　〃One　of　my　many　bosses。〃
　〃Oh；〃　she　mattered。　In　less　than　a　minute　be　heard　her　breathing　deepen　with　sleep。　He　wondered　what　Tyler　Henry　wanted　to　talk　about　that　couldn't　be　said　at　the　office。　After　five　minutes　he　gave　up　trying　to　sleep　and　got　out　of　bed。　He　tiptoed　for　the　bathroom。
　By　the　time　the　alarm　went　off　he　had　showered　and　shaved。　He　had　picked　out　dark　gray　slacks　and　a　tong…sleeved　3W　shirt。　Over　this　he　had　added　a　tie；　an　old　sweater　and　a　blazer。
　〃Good　morning；〃　he　said　as　he　pushed　the　lever　in　on　the　back　of　the　clock　to　silence　it。
　〃e　hug　me。〃　She　smelled　of　warm　woman　and　sleep。　〃It's　so　nice　having　you　here　to　give　me　my　morning　hug。〃　She　pushed　him　back　so　she　could　see　his　face。
　〃I　love　you；　woman。〃　He　cradled　her　head　in　his　hands。　〃You're　going　to　have　to　quit　trying　to　analyze　it　and　just　accept　it。　It's　true。〃
　〃Hmmm。〃　She　flashed　a　smile　and　became　all　business　as　she　moved　away　from　him　and　got　up。　〃Why　the　civilian　clothes？〃
　〃I'm　playing　hooky　with　the　boss。〃
　〃And　it's　only　your　second　day　on　the　job。　Lucky　you；〃　she　said　as　she　headed　for　the　bathroom。　With　the　door　closed　she　called；　〃How　about　turning　on　the　coffeepot　and　toasting　some　English　muffins？〃
　〃Yeah。〃　He　headed　toward　the　kitchen；　snapping　on　the　lights　as　he　went。　〃You're　a　real　lover；　ace。　One　look　at　your　sincere　puss　and　they　tighten　up　like　an　IRS　agent　offered　a　ten…dollar　bribe。〃
　Vice　Admiral　Henry　was　sitting　on　the　steps　of　the　Lincoln　Memorial　when　the　taxi　deposited　Jake　in　front。　He　came　down　the　steps　as　Jake　approached　and　joined　him　on　the　wide　sidewalk。　〃Morning；　sir。〃
　The　admiral　flashed　a　smile　and　strolled　to　the　curb。　As　he　reached　it　a　gray　Ford　Fairmont　sedan　sporting　navy　numbers　on　the　door　pulled　to　a　stop。　Henry　jerked　open　the　rear　door　without　fanfare　and　maneuvered　his　six…foot…three…inch　frame　in。　Jake　followed　him。　When　the　door　closed　the　sailor　at　the　wheel　got　the　car　in　motion。
　〃Why　the　cloak　and　dagger？〃
　〃I　don't　know　who　all　the　players　are；〃　the　admiral　said　without　humor。
　Jake　watched　the　occasional　pedestrians　braving　the　blustery　wind　under　a　raw　sky　until　he　became　aware　that　the　admiral's　attention　was　on　the　vehicles　on　the　street　behind　them。　Jake　glanced　over　his　shoulder　once　or　twice；　then　decided　to　leave　the　spy　stuff　to　Henry。　He　watched　the　sailor　handle　the　car。　The　man　was　good。　No　wasted　motion。　The　car　glided　gently　through　the　traffic；　changing　lanes　at　the　last　moment　and　gliding　around　corners　without　the　application　of　the　brake；　all　quite　effortlessly。　It　was　a　show　and　Jake　watched　it　in　silence。
　〃Could　have　picked　you　up　at　your　place；〃　Henry　muttered；　〃but　I　wanted　to　visit　the　Wall。〃　The　Wall　was　the　Vietnam　Memorial；　just　across　the　street　from　the　Lincoln　Memorial。　〃It's　been　too　long　and　I　never　seem　to　have　any　time。〃
　〃I　understand。〃
　〃Turn　left　here；〃　Henry　said　to　the　driver；　who　plied。　The　car　headed　east　on　Independence　Avenue。　Henry　ordered　another　left　turn　on　Fourteenth　Street　and　directed　the　driver　to　go　by　the　Jefferson　Memorial。　〃I　think　we're　clean；〃　he　muttered　to　Jake　after　yet　another　careful　look　through　the　rear　window。　At　the　Jefferson　Memorial；　Henry　asked　the　driver　to　pun　over。　〃e　back　for　us　at　nine。〃
　He　led　Jake　toward　the　walkway　around　the　Tidal　Basin。　Across　the　basin　the　Washington　Monument　rose　toward　the　low　clouds。　Beyond　it；　Jake　knew；　but　not　visible　from　here；　was　the　White　House。
　Jake　broke　the　silence　first。　〃Does　Admiral　Dunedin　know　we're　having　this　talk　this　morning；　sir？〃
　〃Yeah。　I　told　him。　You　work　for　him。　But　I　wanted　to　brief　you　personally。　What　do　you　know　about　stealth？〃
　〃The　usual；〃　Jake　said；　snuggling　into　his　coat　against　the　chill　wind。　〃What's　in　the　papers。　Not　much。〃
　〃The　air　force　contracted　for　two　prototype　stealth　fighters　under　a　blanket　of　absolute　secrecy。　Lockheed　got　the　production　contract。　They　call　the　thing　the　F…117A。　It's　a　fighter　in　name　only；　it's　really　an　attack　plane…performance　roughly　equivalent　to　the　A…7　without　afterburner　but　carries　less　than　half　the　A…7　weapons　load。　Primary　weapons　are　Maverick　missiles。　It's　a　little　ridiculous　to　call　a　subsonic　minibomber　a　fighter；　but　if　they　can　keep　the　performance　figures　low…key　they　might　get　away　with　it。〃
　〃I　thought　that　thing　was　supposed　to　be　a　warp…three　killing　machine。〃
　〃Yeah。　I　suspect　the　congressmen　who　agreed　to　vote　for　a　huge　multibillion…buck　project　with　no　public　debate　probably　did　too。　But　even　supersonic　ain't　possible。　The　thing　doesn't　even　have　afterburners。　Might　go　supersonic　in　a　dive…I　don't　know。　Anyway；　the　air　force　got　more　bang　for　their　buck　with　the　stealth　bomber；　the　B…2；　which　Northrop　is　building。　It's　also　subsonic；　a　flying　wing；　but　big　and　capable　with　a　good　fuel　load。　The　only　problem　is　the　B…2s　cost　516　million　a　pop；　so　unless　you're　sending　them　to　Moscow　to　save　the　human　race；　you　can't　justify　risking　them　on　anything　else。　A　B…2　isn't　a　battlefield　weapon。〃
　〃How　are　these　gizmos　going　to　find　their　targets？〃　Conventional　bombers　used　radar　to　navigate　and　locate　their　targets；　but　the　transmission　of　a　radar　beam　from　a　stealth　bomber　would　reveal　its　location；　thereby　negating　all　the　expensive　technology　used　to　hide　it。
　Admiral　Henry　settled　onto　a　park　bench　with　his　back　to　the　Tidal　Basin。　His　eyes　roamed　the　sidewalks；　which　were　deserted　on　this　early…spring　morning。　〃You're　not　going　to　believe　this；　but　the　air　force　hasn't　solved　that　problem　yet。　They're　waiting　for　technology　that's　under　development。〃
　Jake　Grafton　looked　at　Henry　to　see　if　he　was　serious。　He　appeared　to　be。　〃How　about　a　satellite　rig　like　the　A…6G　was　going　to　have？　The　Navstar　Global　Positioning　System？〃
　〃That's　part　of　the　plan；　but　the　trouble　with　satellites　is　that　you　can't　count　on　them　to　last　longer　than　forty…eight　hours　into　a　major　East…West　confrontation。　And　there's　only　eight　satellites　aloft…the　system　needs　twenty…eight。　If　they　ever　get　all　the　birds　aloft　it　should　tell　you　your　position　to　within　sixteen　meters　anywhere　on　earth；　but　that's　a　big　if　what　with　NASA's　shuttle　and　budget　problems。　No；　I　think　the　answer　is　going　to　be　a　system　made　up　of　a　solid…state；　ring…laser　gyro　inertial　nav　system；　passive　infrared　sensors　and　a　stealthy　radar；　one　that　powers　up　only　enough　to　see　what's　necessary；　has　automatic　frequency　agility；　that　sort　of　thing。　That's　basically　the　A…6G　and　B…2　system。　We'll　use　it　on　the　A…12。　It's　still　under　development。〃
　Henry　snorted　and　wiggled　his　buttocks　to　get　fortable。　〃Congress　isn't　going　to　fund　any　significant　B…2　buy。　The　way　the　whole　budget　process　screwed　up　the　buy；　with　inflation　and　predictable　overruns　and　underbuys；　the　last　plane　in　the　program　is　going　to　cost　over　a　billion　bucks。　The　manned　strategic　bomber　is　going　the　way　of　the　giant　panda　and　the　California　condor。　We　want　to　avoid　the　mistakes　the　air　force　made。〃
　〃SAC　will　have　more　generals　than　airplanes。〃
　〃The　stealth　concept　has　been　around　since　World　War　II；〃　Henry　continued；　〃more　as　a　curio　than　anything　else。　It　really　became　a　driving　force　in　aircraft　design　after　Vietnam　when　it　became　apparent　that　conventional　aircraft　were　going　to　have　a　very　rough　time　surviving　in　the　dense　electronic　environment　over　a　Western　European　battlefield。　Conventional　electronic　warfare　can　only　do　so　much。　The　spooks　say　there'll　be　too　many　frequencies　and　too　many　sensors。　That's　the　conventional　wisdom；　so　it's　probably　wrong。〃　He　shrugged。　〃But　any　way　you　cut　it；　the　attrition　rate　over　that　battlefield　would　be　high；　which　favors　the　Soviets。　They　have　lots　of　planes　and　we　can't　match　them　in　quantity。　So　we　would　lose。　Ergo；　stealth。〃
　〃But　we　could　match　them　in　quantity；〃　Jake　said。　〃At　least　the　air　force　could　build　a　lot　of　cheap　airplanes　optimized　for　one　mission；　like　fighter　or　attack。　No　room　on　carriers　for　that　kind　of　plane；　of　course。〃
　〃The　air　force　doesn't　want　that。　Their　institutional　ethic　is　for　more　plex；　advanced　aircraft　with　greater　and　greater　capability。　That's　the　whole　irony　of　the　stealth　fighter。　They've　billed　this　technology　as　a　big　advance　but　in　reality　they　got　a　brand…new　tactical　bomber　with　1950s　performance。　But；　they　argue；　it's　survivable。　Now。　For　the　immediate　future。　Until　and　only　until　the　Russians　e　up　with　a　way　to　find　these　planes…or　someone　else　figures　out　a　way　and　the　Russians　steal　it。　Even　so；　the　only　thing　that　made　first…generation　stealth　technology　feasible　was　smart　weapons；　assuming　the　crew　can　find　the　target。　These　planes　have　little　or　no　capability　with　air…to…mud　dumb　bombs。〃　Henry　stared　at　his　toes　and　wriggled　them　experimentally。　〃Can　you　imagine　risking　a　five…hundred…million　buck　airplane　to　dump　a　load　of　thousand…pounders　on　a　bridge？〃
　〃Does　stealth　ensure　survivability？〃　Jake　prompted；　too　i