"What the hell!" Ramirez glanced at the TV monitor that was next to the
array of instruments and video screens looking out onto the launch pad.
Peretz whirled to look, as did Bill Bates. The scene was Command and
the image had grown fuzzy, as though the room were filled with smoke.
But there was no mistaking the chaos. SatCom staffers were on the
floor, while flashes of light darted across the screen as the camera
automatically panned back and forth.
Jesus! Bates thought. It looks like Nam. It's an assault. Who could it
be? Had the U.S. decided to get off its butt and start protecting its
citizens? They damned well had taken their time about it. . . .
Now he could see who was doing the shooting, and most of it seemed to
be coming from pairs of men dressed in black. There were--
Abruptly the screen went blank, switching to video noise. The panning
camera had been drilled by somebody's stray round.