"At least no one's going to be firing missiles at you," Nick said.
"You sure about that?"
"Pretty sure."
"Well, hell, that makes me feel a lot better."
"We need you, Sam." Ronnie looked at him. "Are you in?"
"Makes a nice change from ferrying tourists around, I guess. Yeah, I'm in."
Newhouse turned into the parking lot of the motel, a low one story building with a row of rooms facing out toward the highway. A red neon sign read NO VACANCY. The V was out on the sign.
"Not fancy, but like I said, it's clean." Newhouse parked. They got out and unloaded the duffle bags with their gear.
"What time you want me to pick you up?"
"0600," Nick said.
"Works for me. Good to see you, Ronnie."
Newhouse got back in his truck and drove off. The night air was cool but not cold. This time of the year, temperatures didn't drop much below 50 at night. It would be warm during the day. Winter didn't move in here until September. It would be colder farther north, but the temperatures would still be bearable.
They checked in. Newhouse had reserved two rooms next to each other. Nick and Selena took one, Ronnie the other.
"Get some sleep," Nick said to Ronnie. "We'll need it."
The room was like a time trip from the 60s. It had two beds with quilted covers. A cheap print of red and yellow flowers in a brown vase hung over the headboard. A table lamp and night stand sat between the beds. A small TV was bolted to the wall. The narrow bathroom featured a toilet, a stand up shower stall and curtain. The rings on the curtain were rusty. The sink stood on thin chrome legs and was square and small. A small, wrapped bar of soap, a spotted water glass and two thin towels completed the amenities.
The outside wall was made of cinder blocks painted white. A heater and A/C unit sat in the front wall under a wide picture window. Nick pulled the drapes closed and turned on the heat. The unit rattled. Lukewarm air rushed out.
"Not the Taj Mahal," Nick said. He sat on one of the beds. The mattress sagged.
"I've never been to Alaska," Selena said. "I'm looking forward to hiking into the forest."
"I did a survival course here when I was in Recon," Nick said. "It's beautiful but it can kill you if you're not careful. Where we're going, it might as well be 1898."
"This was gold rush country, wasn't it?"
"Yep. Circle was an important town, back then."
"I suppose if you want to hide a secret installation this is as good a place as any to do it."
"Secret from the public, anyway. Any enemy worth his salt has to know exactly where it is."
"It doesn't seem like anyone can hide much of anything these days," Selena said. "Not with the kind of technology governments have now."
"Yeah. A brave new world." Nick stood up. "Better lay our gear out for the morning so we don't have to fumble around with it."
They spent the next minutes sorting out what they'd need. Woodland camouflage uniforms with no markings. Hiking boots, soft brimmed hats. Knives, their pistols and MP-5s. A GPS and compass. Nick hoped they wouldn't need the guns. The knives were handy for many things.
Each back pack held rations, extra ammo, first aid kit and a survival pack. They could live off the land for weeks if they had to. Nick didn't think that was going to happen. It was old habit to be prepared.
"I'm going to take a shower," Selena said. She undressed and walked naked into the bathroom. Nick watched her and felt himself getting aroused. False modesty wasn't one of Selena's faults. He heard the water running and thought about how he missed holding her at night.
After a while she came out, pink and clean, toweling her hair. A cloud of steam followed her into the room.
"Your turn," she said. She smiled at him. "It's small, but the water's hot."
He used the toilet and stepped into the stall. She was right, it was small. The water felt good. Some of the tension went out of his shoulders as the hot stream beat down on him.
He dried off and went back into the room with a towel wrapped around his waist. Selena was already in one of the beds. They hadn't spent a night together in the same bed for months.
Nick walked over and sat down on the edge of her bed. The mattress sagged under his weight.
"I've been thinking," he said.
Selena lay back against her pillow and rested her head on her arm.
"About what?"
"About us."
"It hasn't been easy," she said, "has it?"
"It seems like things keep getting in the way," he said. "The nightmares. The work we do. Every time we start getting close, something happens."
She reached out and took his hand. "How close do you want to get?"
"All I know is that when you're not around I feel like something's missing."
He reached out and touched her cheek. Her skin was smooth under his fingers.
"I love you," he said. "I don't want any distance between us. That's how close. "
"I like close," she said. Then she said, "Aren't you getting cold out there?"
Nick stood up and dropped the towel he'd wrapped around himself. He slipped under the covers and put his arms around her. "I don't like sleeping by myself."
"Me neither," Selena said. She ran her fingers through his hair. She reached down for him.
"Oh," she said. "Miss me?"
"You talk too much," Nick said. They kissed.
Later, they slept. Nick didn't dream.
CHAPTER 20
Newhouse was waiting for them outside the motel at 0600. They climbed into his red Toyota and fifteen minutes later stood looking at the helicopter. It was red and silver with blue stripes. The tail rotor was enclosed in a circular part of the fuselage under the vertical stabilizer.
"Slick bird," Ronnie said. "Sure beats the ones we used in the 'Stan."
"This is an Eco-Star 130," Newhouse said. "Seats seven, including me. It's got great visibility and good range We can average about 150 for cruising speed. It's quick and it's quiet. The tourists and hunters love it. So do I. Hop in."
There were four seats in the back. Ronnie loaded the packs and climbed in. Nick and Selena sat in front. Newhouse had the leftmost seat in front of a wide instrument panel.
The seats were covered in tan leather, padded and comfortable. The cabin was completely encased in Plexiglas, giving everyone a broad view. Newhouse fired up. The vibration was minimal as the blades began turning, the sound levels bearable.
"Buckle up," Newhouse said. "You've got individual headsets. Go ahead and put them on." He adjusted his and began talking to the tower while he flipped switches and watched his gauges.
They lifted away from the pad and swept out over Fairbanks. The raw beauty of Alaska stretched away in all directions. Nick looked south.
"What's that river?" he asked.
"The Tanana. It's a tributary of the Yukon."
The helicopter banked and headed north. A snow-capped mountain range dominated the distance. Newhouse pointed.
"Those are the White Mountains, right by the Yukon. That's where we're headed."
"Is that the Pipeline?" Selena said. She pointed down at a silver-gray line snaking over the landscape.
"Yep. Pumps around six or seven hundred thousand barrels a day. It keeps springing leaks, idiots shoot at it, the environmentalists want to shut it down, terrorists want to sabotage it. I guess you know how controversial the project was. It's still a big deal years after they built it."
The panorama of wild Alaska passed below, a natural paradise. Meadows dotted with lakes, wildflowers and streams mixed with thick forests of spruce and hemlock. In the distance, the sun reflected from snow covered peaks lining the horizon. There was wildlife everywhere. Once, the sound of the rotors sent a herd of moose scattering across a meadow. They saw a bear and her cubs.
A little less than an hour later they were over Circle. It didn't look any different than the satellite photo. The airstrip looked old and neglected.
"Used to be a wild place in the old days," Newhouse said. "Supplies for the mining camps came up the river and got unloaded here. All gone, now."
Nick consulted his GPS. "You know where you want to set us down?"
"Yeah, there's a flat meadow about a day from where you want to go. I bring hunters there sometimes. It's a good base camp."
"What do they hunt?" Selena said.
"Grizzly, mostly. Moose. You need a permit and you'd better know what you're doing. This isn't the season, right now. You won't run into any hunters."
"I'm not worried about running into hunters. It's the bears I worry about."
"Don't bother them and they probably won't bother you," Newhouse said. "They keep to themselves and they don't like people much."
"That's comforting," Selena said. "Especially the part about probably not bothering us."
Newhouse laughed. Five minutes later, the clearing appeared below. He brought the helicopter in with practiced ease and set it down in the field. He sat and watched them unload while the engine idled. Nick came over to him.
"We shouldn't be more than a couple of days. I'll call you when we're ready to go back." He held up his sat phone. "We'll meet you here or where we're going. Either way, I'll let you know."
"Keep your head down. Don't let the bears eat your lady friend."
"I think they probably ought to be afraid of her," Nick said, "not the other way around. Have a good flight back."
He stepped away from the helicopter. The turbine wound up and the bird rose into the air. They watched it go. The sounds of the Alaskan wilderness replaced the whine of the turbine and the beat of the rotors. There was a rustle of wind in the trees. The air was clean and smelled of the forest.
They were alone.
"Spray for bugs," Nick said. "They'll be on us soon." They sprayed the exposed parts of their bodies.
"Better give Selena a heads up," Ronnie said. "About the wilderness."
"What about the wilderness?"
"It looks like we're just walking through a park but it's not what it appears to be. Sam wasn't kidding about the bears. Most of the animals won't bother us but the bears are no joke. A big grizzly can go over 1000 pounds and twice as high as a man when he stands on his hind legs. When they get going, they're hard to stop. This time of year there's plenty of food, so I don't think we'll have any trouble unless we surprise one. The rangers want you to make a lot of noise as you walk to warn off the wildlife but we can't do that. So keep an eye out. Stick close."
Nick turned on his GPS. "That way," he said. "As much as possible, we'll stay under the trees, just in case someone's looking."
They shouldered the packs and set off.
Once inside the forest, there was little movement of air. It was hot. Selena was sweating within minutes. She walked behind Nick while Ronnie brought up the rear. She was wearing one of the new armored vests over her shirt. It was hot and uncomfortable and rubbed against her skin. She could see a dark patch of moisture spreading out from under Nick's vest as he sweated. The ground underfoot was uneven and treacherous. Sometimes they seemed to climb, sometimes move downhill. She knew her legs would let her know about it later.
Tiny black flies found them. The bug spray helped but it didn't keep them away. The insects swarmed around her. When they bit, it was a sharp pain like a needle stick. Afterward, the bite itched.
"Beautiful from the air," Selena said, "but this is something Dante might have dreamed up."
"Can't be helped," Nick said. "At least no one is shooting at us."
Selena almost said
not yet
but held her tongue. It wasn't something to joke about. She'd never been on a mission yet when someone didn't shoot at her. The MP-5 chafing her shoulder and the heavy pistol on her thigh were reminders she wasn't here to take in the scenery.
By the time they made camp that night in a hollow of rocks, Selena ached all over. With the darkness came cold that hinted of the Arctic ice not far away. She wished they could start a fire, but they couldn't risk being spotted. They ate a cold meal.
"Selena, you take first watch. I don't think anyone knows we're out here except the animals, but I don't believe in taking chances. Ronnie, you next. I'll do the last one. I figure we're about an hour from the objective," Nick said. "We'll leave at first light."
"Look," Selena said.
A green curtain of light swept and shimmered and filled the northern sky.
"Aurora Borealis. The Northern Lights," Nick said. "That's something."
They watched the display. After about twenty minutes, it faded.
"Get some sleep," Nick said. "Long day at the office tomorrow."
CHAPTER 21
While Nick and the others were making their way through the Alaskan forest, General Louis Westlake was having dinner at his club with Senator Martinez. They sat at a table in the corner, away from the rest of the diners. They could talk without being overheard.
"We had good results in Novosibirsk," Westlake said, "but Thorpe wants some modifications before we move to the next part of the plan."
Alistair Thorpe was the research engineer who had developed Ajax. He'd based Ajax on designs developed by Nazi scientists in World War II as part of Hitler's
Wunderwaffe
secret weapons program. The Germans had built an electron accelerator called the Rheotron. It projected hard x-ray beams to disrupt the engines of enemy planes. From there it wasn't much of a leap to target the pilot and a prototype of a radio transmitter that disrupted brain function had been designed. In April of 1945, the Americans captured the Rheotron and the designs for the transmitter near Hamburg.
The German scientists had found a new home in America and a patron in the Pentagon. Their research had continued. 70 some years later, it had borne fruit in Ajax.
Martinez sipped his martini. "What did you have in mind?"
"I want to repeat the test."
"Where?"
"Riyadh. It will give the Saudis something to think about."