Read Online Operation Southern Cross - 02 by Jack Shane - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jack Shane
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ears.
He woke up just in time to see one of the unit’s helicopters fall past the porthole’s window.
“ What the hell? ”
He was off the bunk in a flash. Just as he reached the small porthole and looked outside, another of the team’s Black Hawks went by. Not in flight—it was going into the sea.
Autry actually slapped himself. Was he still asleep? He wasn’t sure. Then one of the Killer Eggs went by. It hit with a great splash just below him. After that, there was no doubt this was real.
Someone was throwing XBat’s copters off the deck.
HE WAS UP TOP SECONDS LATER. MANY OF XBAT’S guys were standing near the carrier’s control island, watching something on the other side, just out of Autry’s sight. Joining them, he saw what they saw: members of the Lexington ’s crew were pushing XBat’s battered helicopters over the side of the ship.
What the hell was going on? His men were as much in the dark as he. Then Autry spotted Weir standing nearby and felt his fists tighten. Only the CIA could be responsible for this. He wiped his eyes, hard, and started off toward Weir.
The agent saw him coming and began waving a yellow sheet of paper above his head. On its top was written, E XECUTIVE O RDERS , T OP S ECRET . W HITE H OUSE .
“It just came in,” Weir told Autry. “Read it for yourself.”
Autry studied the security codes splashed across the page. They contained all the right passwords, all the right alpha-numeric symbols. And there it was: halfway down the page, the order to “remove TF-160’s Experimental Battalion’s aircraft from the inventory immediately.”
But why would the White House want XBat’s aircraft destroyed? Had they fucked up that much during the El Tapos operation? Or was this their punishment for Mungo beating up the super spy?
“Does this mean the unit is over?” Autry asked Weir in disbelief.
“Hardly,” the agent told him. “They’re just making room—and your old stuff is too hot, too secret, too fucked up to get a good repair. So…”
He pointed to a spot over Autry’s shoulder. The pilot turned and saw nothing at first except the clear blue sky.
But slowly, a dozen tiny specks came into view. They grew larger and larger, and in a matter of seconds turned into helicopters. They were soon above the carrier, going into a perfect circle at five hundred feet before landing two at a time on the forward deck. It made for an impressive sight.
Four Chinooks, six Black Hawks and a pair of the AH-6 Killer Eggs—the exact make-up of the XBat’s air squadron. But these aircraft were not retreads or ramp whores like their last batch. These were hot off the assembly line, the most advanced versions possible of the three venerable rotary designs. They looked so new, they were actually gleaming in the morning sun.
Behind them an unmarked CH-54 Sea King helicopter landed. As each of the new copters set down, its pilots would kill their engines, climb out and head over to the Sea King, which was nothing more than a ferry aircraft. As soon as it was full, it took off. Time on the Lex ’s deck: less than a minute.
The members of XBat slowly gathered around the newly arrived aircraft. The copters looked sleeker, more streamlined than their previous aircraft. They were also bristling with weapons, bomb racks, missile ramps and winglets to carry extra fuel tanks or even more weapons. If their old copters had been considered Corvettes, then these were Ferraris.
Autry peered into the cockpit of one of the new Black Hawk gunships. The control board looked like something from a Star Wars movie. All flash screens and touch panels, the weapons suite held an astonishing variety of armaments.
The copters boasted the latest in night-vision capabilities too. According to Weir, things would be clearer, sharper, more distinct when viewed through their new NV goggles, to the extent that they would experience the illusion of X-ray vision. As far as the AWACs-equipped Chinook, its
He woke up just in time to see one of the unit’s helicopters fall past the porthole’s window.
“ What the hell? ”
He was off the bunk in a flash. Just as he reached the small porthole and looked outside, another of the team’s Black Hawks went by. Not in flight—it was going into the sea.
Autry actually slapped himself. Was he still asleep? He wasn’t sure. Then one of the Killer Eggs went by. It hit with a great splash just below him. After that, there was no doubt this was real.
Someone was throwing XBat’s copters off the deck.
HE WAS UP TOP SECONDS LATER. MANY OF XBAT’S guys were standing near the carrier’s control island, watching something on the other side, just out of Autry’s sight. Joining them, he saw what they saw: members of the Lexington ’s crew were pushing XBat’s battered helicopters over the side of the ship.
What the hell was going on? His men were as much in the dark as he. Then Autry spotted Weir standing nearby and felt his fists tighten. Only the CIA could be responsible for this. He wiped his eyes, hard, and started off toward Weir.
The agent saw him coming and began waving a yellow sheet of paper above his head. On its top was written, E XECUTIVE O RDERS , T OP S ECRET . W HITE H OUSE .
“It just came in,” Weir told Autry. “Read it for yourself.”
Autry studied the security codes splashed across the page. They contained all the right passwords, all the right alpha-numeric symbols. And there it was: halfway down the page, the order to “remove TF-160’s Experimental Battalion’s aircraft from the inventory immediately.”
But why would the White House want XBat’s aircraft destroyed? Had they fucked up that much during the El Tapos operation? Or was this their punishment for Mungo beating up the super spy?
“Does this mean the unit is over?” Autry asked Weir in disbelief.
“Hardly,” the agent told him. “They’re just making room—and your old stuff is too hot, too secret, too fucked up to get a good repair. So…”
He pointed to a spot over Autry’s shoulder. The pilot turned and saw nothing at first except the clear blue sky.
But slowly, a dozen tiny specks came into view. They grew larger and larger, and in a matter of seconds turned into helicopters. They were soon above the carrier, going into a perfect circle at five hundred feet before landing two at a time on the forward deck. It made for an impressive sight.
Four Chinooks, six Black Hawks and a pair of the AH-6 Killer Eggs—the exact make-up of the XBat’s air squadron. But these aircraft were not retreads or ramp whores like their last batch. These were hot off the assembly line, the most advanced versions possible of the three venerable rotary designs. They looked so new, they were actually gleaming in the morning sun.
Behind them an unmarked CH-54 Sea King helicopter landed. As each of the new copters set down, its pilots would kill their engines, climb out and head over to the Sea King, which was nothing more than a ferry aircraft. As soon as it was full, it took off. Time on the Lex ’s deck: less than a minute.
The members of XBat slowly gathered around the newly arrived aircraft. The copters looked sleeker, more streamlined than their previous aircraft. They were also bristling with weapons, bomb racks, missile ramps and winglets to carry extra fuel tanks or even more weapons. If their old copters had been considered Corvettes, then these were Ferraris.
Autry peered into the cockpit of one of the new Black Hawk gunships. The control board looked like something from a Star Wars movie. All flash screens and touch panels, the weapons suite held an astonishing variety of armaments.
The copters boasted the latest in night-vision capabilities too. According to Weir, things would be clearer, sharper, more distinct when viewed through their new NV goggles, to the extent that they would experience the illusion of X-ray vision. As far as the AWACs-equipped Chinook, its
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