“Carl, as remarkable as the damage itself is, even more remarkable is how this is supposed to have happened. There were apparently four F-16 fighter jets owned by the California Air National Guard that were involved in this attack. They were carrying laser-guided bombs and dropped them on San Onofre.
“According to some people on the ground here, there was actually an air battle over the power plant. American fighters tried to stop them, and many missiles were fired right over this spot by eight F-15s and, according to one source, some Russian MiG fighters, although that report seems unlikely. The Air Force is not known to fly Russian fighters. Several jets were shot down, one of which landed just north of the power plant.” The camera zoomed in on burning wreckage that had left a crater in the ground. “We’re not sure of the total number of airplanes involved in the air battle or who was shot down. We don’t know the present location of the airplanes. One source has told us the F-16s were being flown by Pakistani pilots.”
As she spoke, the helicopter’s camera continued to show chilling pictures of the power plants, the steam cloud, the traffic jam on Interstate 5, and the burning wreckage of Vlad’s crashed MiG.
“There are many many questions that remain to be answered, Carl. How did Pakistani pilots come into possession of four California Air National Guard F-16s? And where were they flying them from? How did they get laser-guided bombs that they could load onto their planes? Who got shot down, and by whom, and are any of the Pakistani pilots alive?
“We will continue following this developing story.”
“Thank you, Leslie… can you hear me?”
Leslie held her headphones to her ears. “Yes, I can hear you.”
“It sounds like there is a siren in the background. Can you tell us what that is?”
She nodded. “Carl, I’m told that at San Onofre there is an automatic warning system, like an air-raid siren system, that goes off whenever there’s release of radioactivity. Those who live nearby know what to do, which is essentially evacuate. But some I’ve spoken to suspect that the alarm was triggered by the bombs exploding and is probably unrelated to the release of radioactivity, especially since the reactors were undamaged.”
“So there isn’t thought to be any danger of radiation?”
“We’ve received no response from San Onofre as of yet. There is, of course, an evacuation plan for several miles around San Onofre in the case of an actual radioactive release. As you can see from the freeway, which is completely full of cars heading in both directions, many of the local residents have apparently decided to evacuate based on the sirens. But thus far there’s been no call for evacuation. CNN’s nuclear expert, Dr. Alfred Boyer, has told us that as long as the nuclear core is not breached, there is no danger of radioactive release. We will continue to get assessments from San Onofre and update you as soon as we have any more information.”
“Thank you, Leslie,” Carl said as he pivoted in his chair in CNN headquarters in Atlanta. “With us now is Tim Davidson, in Washington at the Pentagon. Tim, what is the Department of Defense saying about this? Have we been attacked by Pakistan? What have they told you?”
“Carl, I must say that the general sense I get here at the Pentagon is one of shock and confusion. When I ask people how F-16s flown by Pakistani pilots came to be operating inside the United States with laser-guided bombs, the answer I get almost universally is variations on ‘I have no idea.’ The entire Pentagon has been caught completely by surprise. We’ve asked for an official statement, but so far one has not been forthcoming. I believe they are trying to assess exactly what has happened and how it happened before making any comments. The problem seems to be that there isn’t anyone at the Pentagon who knows anything more than what’s been on CNN so far this morning. Or if they do, they’re not saying. Carl, one confidential source has told me that this may be related to the mysterious disappearance of Undersecretary of Defense Thomas Merewether. I’m not sure what the connection might be, but that was told to me personally by a high-ranking official within the Department of Defense.”
“Tim, is the Pentagon talking about this as if we have been attacked by Pakistan?”
“That’s a good question. Those I’ve spoken with—and again, we’re still waiting for their official pronouncement—have been talking about the incident as a terrorist attack.”
“Thank you, Tim. Tim will be at the Pentagon, and he’ll inform us as soon as there is any official statement…”
Katherine stopped listening. The images were now back to the orbiting helicopter and the confusion and damage at San Onofre. She tried to remember what had happened to all the airplanes mentioned. There’d been only a vague mention of MiGs, but nothing about what had happened to them. Katherine had a horrible feeling in her stomach.
The phone rang, and she lunged for it. “Hello?’
“Katherine!”
“Luke! Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m in jail. On Miramar. The FBI arrested me for conspiracy to commit a terrorist act,” Luke said, glancing at the guard who was listening carefully.
“In jail? Are you serious? They’re out of their minds! Luke, what happened? How did this happen?”
“Khan smuggled bombs into the country and just forced them onto the base. Killed the security. They loaded them onto their F-16s and flew to the coast—is it on the news yet? What are they saying?”
“It’s the only thing on television. Everyone is going crazy. But there isn’t much that’s helpful. The government has no idea what is happening, so they’re not saying anything. It’s incredible.”
“They did miss the reactors, didn’t they?”
“Yes, didn’t hit either one of them. They hit some low building, thank God. If they’d hit a reactor, they’d have to evacuate all of Southern California. Did they miss because you were there?”
“No. We got there as they were in their bombing runs. At least we don’t have a Chernobyl on our hands. Katherine, Thud didn’t make it…”
“Make what?”
“He was closing on one of the Paks, and the guy pulled back into him and just ran into him. They had a midair. He never had a chance.”
“He’s dead?” Katherine asked, stunned.
“Yeah.” He paused. “I saw the whole thing. He didn’t get out.”
“What about Michelle and their kids?”
“That’s just it. We’ve got to tell them.”
“I can’t just call her…”
“This is my one phone call. You have to.”
“Oh, Luke…” she said, groping for what to say. “She’s going to come completely apart. What about his father?”
“You’d better call him, too.”
She sighed and closed her eyes.
“Vlad got shot down. Khan got him with a Sidewinder. He jumped out. He’s probably wandering around on the beach somewhere north of the power plant. Make sure the government knows to go look for him. Of course, they’ll probably just arrest him, too. Stamp is right down the hall in another cell here in the brig.”
“This is outrageous. How can they be so incompetent?”
“They’ve got to find Khan, Katherine. They’ve got to find him.”
“He escaped? How? Where did he go?”
“He escaped in a submarine.”
“A submarine? That hasn’t been on the news.”
“Khan took his F-16 out over the ocean. I was right behind him. He went to a spot—probably based on a fix from a GPS he must’ve had with him—and just ejected. I was about to shoot him, and he jumped out. Then a sub came up and grabbed him.”
“Wow. Terrorists don’t run around in submarines. Who’s helping him?”