“Concur.
So we know he’s alive and we know they’ve got him. Now tell me about
these weapons.”
“Here.” The next slide was just as detailed, but not as immediately
self-evident. Lab Rat traced around three rectangular structures on
the screen. “For those of you who are familiar with the short-range
Soviet land attack missile systems, you’ll recognize this launcher.
It’s designed to handle either conventional or nuclear weapons. The
satellite pictures picked it up first, and the existence of such
weapons has been confirmed by HUMINT-human intelligence.
Spies and informers, to give them their common name.” Lab Rat paused
to let them absorb the implications. “Let me remind you that all of
this information is classified ‘top secret.” Given the political
instability in Cuba, with the fighting between factions over control
and the presence of military advisors from Libya, we have warnings and
indications that Cuba may be advocating the nuclear option.”
“Nuclear?” Batman’s tone of voice left no doubt as to the depth of his
concern. “Is that a probability, or just a possibility based on
capabilities?”
“A strong probability, unfortunately. While I can’t confirm that there
are nuclear weapons inside Cuba, examination of two freighters making
port in the United States immediately after Cuba indicates small traces
of radioactivity. The Coast Guard picked them up after they became
suspicious during a routine drug search. Evidently they saw something
they didn’t like and ordered a full detention and search. After the
first click on their Geiger counter, they called in NEST the Nuclear
Emergency Services Team.
They confirmed that something radioactive has been in that container
within the last thirty days. Unfortunately, they can’t tell us exactly
what. But the levels indicate” Lab Rat spread his hands open before
him” that there’s a strong possibility it was weapons-grade
material.”
Batman turned pale. “And I thought we’d solved this forever with the
Cuban Missile Crisis,” he said wonderingly. He shook his head as
though to clear his thoughts. “So we can’t be certain, but that
evidence combined with the missile launchers gives me a really rotten
feeling in the gut.”
The room was deadly silent. Not an officer moved, and some barely
seemed to breathe. Lab Rat glanced around the room, noting the pale,
shaken faces. He understood completely-he’d felt that way himself not
an hour before when the first satellite imagery had been faxed into the
highly classified CVIC. He felt an odd, incongruous sense of relief.
It was nice not to be the only one who knew.
“I think I’d better talk to SOUTHCOM right away,” Batman said slowly.
He stood up, dismissing the rest of the staff with a gesture. “Pull up
the contingency plans. All of them, even Bird Dog’s. Be ready. This
is a surprise, but it’s not one we can’t handle. I want full reports
from all departments in thirty minutes.” He turned and walked rapidly
toward the door leading to his cabin.
“A rotten feeling in my gut,” Lab Rat echoed slowly. He walked to the
back of the room and took the floppy disk from the technician who’d
been operating the computer.
“Sir?” The young enlisted man’s voice shook slightly.
“What does it mean? Do they really have nukes?”
Lab Rat clapped the man on the shoulder and forced a smile onto his
face. “I don’t know, Benson. But whatever they’ve got, we’ve got a
cure for it. There’s not a damned thing they could possibly have that
could get through the Jefferson battle group not a damned thing.
Remember, if they start pulling any shit on us, we can turn the whole
island into glass.”
The man looked slightly less worried. “That’s right, they can’t get
past Jefferson.” He paused for a moment, then said, “But what about
that major there? The Marine?”
And that, Lab Rat thought, was the two million dollar question. What
about Thor?
1210 Local (+5 GMT) Flight Deck The angry chatter of gunfire cut
through the dull roar of wind across the flight deck. Lieutenant
Commander Brandon Sikes, officer in charge of the USS Jefferson SEAL
detachment, paused at the hatch leading out onto the hot tarmac and
surveyed the scene. The forward portion of the deck was crowded with