Fallout (46 page)

“As for us, the wind stalled and saved our population centers. But the Southern California coast is ruined for several lifetimes. All because we couldn’t get our act together about nuclear-waste storage.”

Brian was stunned. “How sure are you of all this?”

“In this business you deal in degrees. But I’m pretty sure. Your brother’s pretty sure.” Morrissey looked around. “I normally wouldn’t tell a group like this all of that. But I know that each one of you has held a top-secret clearance in the past—except Katherine. I’m asking all of you to keep this to yourselves. We can’t handle a public discussion of this, and if I didn’t tell you what was behind it all, you wouldn’t have listened to me; somebody here would have talked to the press, to proclaim your greatness and your role in restoring world peace. Hell, I would have if it were me. But you can’t. “

Brian replied, “I didn’t know India’s intelligence operations were that . . . I don’t know . . . sophisticated.”

Morrissey smiled ironically. He hesitated. “Well, it’s been changing.”

“How?”

He scanned the room. “In the summer of 2000, the head of Mossad and General Security Services of Israel went to New Delhi.” He let that thought sink in. “The Indians turned to Israel to help them combat Pakistan’s border incursions and terrorism. In exchange, they agreed to share nuclear information with Israel.”

“The Mossad?” Luke asked, incredulous.

Morrissey nodded. “I’m afraid the Indians were good students.” He reached into his briefcase pulled out a stack of papers, and started passing them around. Those in the room began to read as soon as each got one of the sheets. “What you have in front of you is a nondisclosure agreement. If you sign it, you agree to keep everything you know about the Indian operation to yourselves forever. You can never speak about it, or write about it, or even hypothesize about it, without the prior written consent of the United States government.” A couple of the pilots put the documents on the seats beside them.

“Why should we sign this?” Luke asked, still reeling.

“Because if you don’t, I’m afraid Ms. Li has been instructed to conduct an extensive investigation into this school and its operations, beginning this afternoon. It would require the school to be closed for at least three months, and if she finds anything out of the ordinary, the MiGs will be confiscated and the school will be closed permanently. But if you sign, you are free to return to full operation. Immediately.”

Luke stood up and looked at the other officers, then at Morrissey. “We risk our lives, and all we get from you is a threat to close us down? You promised!”

“And my promise is still good. If you sign.”

“I’m not signing,” Crumb said. “Stick, how many did you get in India?”

“Two.”

“Hell. We’ve got to be able to paint them on the wall at the O’ Club! And Thud’s kills? We’ve got to be able to put it up.”

“What do you want us to do?” Brian asked. “It’s your school.”

Luke looked at Katherine. He looked around the ready room and the school they had built.

“Sign it,” Dr. Thurmond bellowed from the back of the room.

Helen stood and walked to the front. She looked at Luke and nodded slowly, telling him to sign.

“I’m not exactly eager to tell the world we got duped by an Indian intelligence puke who got us to fight his fight for him. Let’s do this,” Luke said, pulling a pen out of the shoulder pocket of his flight suit.

The rest of the officers went along. Morrissey collected the papers and deposited them in his briefcase. “Thank you. There are a lot of things yet to be done,” he remarked as he put on his suit coat. “But your work is done. We appreciate it.”

Luke smiled. “Sure,” he said, tired of Morrissey, and the government, and the world of intelligence and all it stood for.

Morrissey walked out of the room with Helen and Lane and the others.

The rest of the room watched as Dr. Thurmond stood and came up to the front. He turned and looked at them, then spoke. “When Luke came to see me about starting this school, I warned him. I told him that when your existence is dependent on the government, you are at risk. But even I didn’t have in mind that foreign governments would target us. They have. And we got had. But frankly, I am proud of the way this school responded. I wish Quentin were here to talk with us about it. I am so proud of him . . .” He fought the emotion that charged into his consciousness. “Thud would have wanted this school to go on. It’s the first thing he has ever wanted on his own. But you need some leadership. You need someone who can push back when the government pushes. I want to be a part of this school. Luke,” he said, “I think it’s time I took over as CEO. You be the chief instructor, I’ll run the day-to-day operations. Okay with you?”

“Sounds good to me,” Luke responded.

“And we should rename the O’ Club after Thud,” Crumb said loudly as he stood. “Thud Alley.”

The others nodded.

“Let’s go over to the O’ Club now,” Thurmond insisted. “Enough of this.”

Luke pulled out a videotape and tossed it to Crumb. “You wanted to see it?” he asked.

Crumb caught the tape and stared at Luke. “What’s this?”

“Khan.”

“You’ve got Khan’s shoot-down on tape?”

“Gun-camera film,” Luke replied. “Splice it into the O’ Club tape.”

I would like to thank Rob Young at the National Air Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for showing me the MiG-29s the United States bought from Moldova. I would also like to thank the Navy Strike and Air Warfare Center in Fallon, Nevada, and TOPGUN in particular, for their kind hospitality. Commander Bill Sizemore of TOPGUN and the other officers there were extremely helpful. I took some license with things at TOPGUN, such as ignoring the contract each TOPGUN instructor signs, promising not to get out of the Navy. I am hopeful they will not hold it against me.

I am grateful to my friend Don Chartrand for his support and suggestions and his shared interest in the problem of nuclear waste.

Mark Juergensen was a great help to me in understanding nuclear fallout and radiation exposure.

I want to thank my editor, Henry Ferris, for his guidance and insight. He made this a better book.

I also want to express my deep appreciation to my agent, David Gernert, for his continued support and wisdom.

Lastly, I want to thank my wife, Dianna, and my children for putting up with my long hours and for giving me their undying support and love.

James W. Huston

San Diego, California

James W. Huston is a graduate of Top Gun and the University of Virginia School of Law and is the author of the bestselling thriller
Balance of Power
. He lives in San Diego, California.

Jacket design by Richard Quan

Jacket photo by paul Almasy at Corbis/Bettman