Hamblin thought briefly about raising Guard Command at the front desk
on his walkie-talkie and inquiring what in hell was going on. But then
he knew how they hated false alarms. Particularly when the top brass
was busy, like tonight.
He turned and studied the blinding white glow surrounding the two
launch vehicles, VX-1 and VX-2, down by the superstructure on the
western end of the island. They were basking in glory, as though
anticipating tonight's power-up of the Cyclops. He automatically
glanced at his watch: the big test was scheduled for about twenty
minutes from now.
No, instead of running the risk of looking like a jerk by reporting the
expected arrival of SatCom execs he should have known about, he'd check
this out himself. Jesus, why didn't anybody tell him anything?
He mused that security precautions here had been intended to guard
against infiltration through the fences, not to prevent a chopper from
coming in. Guess they figured nobody would be crazy enough to try and
sneak in using a helicopter.
As he moved toward the landing pad, just over a hundred yards farther
on down the fence line, he searched his memory for something he might
have forgotten. No, he'd glanced over the schedule for the pad this
afternoon and nothing was listed. Dr. Andros--what a fox she was, made
those plump German broads look like leftover hamburger--always had been
good about keeping the schedule up to date. He liked that and counted
on it. But then maybe this was some kind of unscheduled situation,
connected with the test. Who the hell knew?
He was about to find out. Fifty yards to go. He could see the chopper
now and it was huge, much bigger than anything he'd ever known the
company to use. Maybe it was a last-minute delivery. An emergency.
They had touched down, but still no landing lights. That didn't make
any sense. Suddenly nothing made any sense. Another ten seconds,
though, and he'd zap them with his big flashlight.
He flipped the securing strap on his .38 and tested the feel of the
grip. Just to be ready.
He was thirty yards away and he could hear them talking now, though he
still did not recognize all the languages. He realized right away,
however, that these clowns weren't connected with SatCom. He'd had an
uneasy feeling all along, and now he was sure.
Were they industrial spies trying to pull a fast one? Maybe sneak in
and take some photos?
He had no time now to radio for help. He was on his own.
He drew out the .38 and cocked it. Suddenly it felt very heavy. Then in
his left hand he rotated the long flashlight till his thumb felt the
switch.
Now.
He flicked on the light, beaming it through the wire security fence and
catching the side of the chopper--God, it was huge--just in time to see
several men stepping down. They were wearing black commando outfits and
they most definitely were not anybody from the company.
"_You_!" he yelled, his courage growing. "Stop right where you are and
identi--"
One of the intruders whirled in his direction, and before he could
finish, he felt a deep burning sensation in his chest that slammed him
backward. Next a piercing pain erupted in his neck and his head dropped
sideways. The asphalt of the pavement came up, crashing against his
nose. He heard the dull thunk of silencers just as the world went
forever black.