By the time he got the Flighthawk turned back around, the headless Airbus was down to 2,000 feet. Its left wingtip hit the ground first, skittering along for a hundred feet or so before collapsing. The rest of the plane spun in toward the missing wing, tumbling into a rising cloud of smoke and dust.
“It’s down! It’s down!” said Starship.
Then he braced himself.
ENGLEHARDT CLOSED HIS EYES, WAITING FOR THE INEVITAble f lash of light. He pushed himself against the back of his 420
DALE BROWN’S DREAMLAND
seat, expecting the air burst that would follow a nuclear explosion.
It didn’t come. After a minute he swung the aircraft back toward the site. Nothing.
They were a little more than twenty miles away, climbing back through 25,000 feet. He moved into a figure eight, intending to climb as high as possible.
“Sully, you with me?”
“With you, Mike.”
“No explosion.”
“Yeah, nothing.”
“Maybe coming. We high enough?”
“Yeah, just about.”
“You got the engines.”
“Yeah, I’m on it, bro,” answered Sullivan.
DOG STARED AT THE IMAGE ON THE SCREEN, WAITING FOR
the massive white cloud—the famous mushroom cloud—to rise above the desert mountainside.
But it didn’t. Their missile had prevented it.
“Dreamland is sending a response team,” reported Sullivan.
“I have a helicopter en route,” reported Rager at the airborne radar, “and two Ospreys.”
Dog waited, listening. He knew every man aboard those aircraft, had brought most of them to Dreamland, or had at least approved their assignments.
Somehow, the fact that he was no longer their commander didn’t enter into his thoughts.
Minutes passed that seemed like days. He began to feel numb.
“Neutralized,” said Sullivan finally. “The bomb’s trigger section is off. It’s inert.”
“Take us to Dreamland,” Dog told Englehardt. “Take us home.”
About the Authors
DALE BROWN
is a former U.S. Air Force captain and the author of numerous previous bestsellers, including Strike Force and Edge of Battle; Brown lives in Nevada, where he can often be found in the skies, piloting his own plane.
Jim DeFelice’s recent thrillers include Leopard’s Kill (2007) and Threat Level Black (2005). Jim has also written more than a dozen works of fiction and nonfiction for young people. He lives with his wife and son in upstate New York and can be contacted by e-mail at JDchester@aol.com.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
RAVES FOR
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
DALE BROWN
“The novels of Dale Brown brim with violent action, detailed descriptions of sophisticated weaponry, and politi cal intrigue … His ability to bring technical weaponry to life is amazing.”
San Francisco Chronicle
“Dale Brown is a superb storyteller.”
W.E.B. Griffin, Washington Post
“One of the premier writers [of] techno-thrillers.”
Virginian-Pilot
“A master at creating a sweeping epic and making it seem real.”
Clive Cussler
“His knowledge of world politics and possible military alliances is stunning … He writes about weapons beyond a mere mortal’s imagination.”
Tulsa World
“Nobody does it better.”
Kirkus Reivews
Also in the Dreamland Series
(with Jim DeFelice)
Dale Brown’s Dreamland
Dale Brown’s Dreamland: End Game
Dale Brown’s Dreamland: Satan’s Tail Dale Brown’s Dreamland: Strike Zone
Dale Brown’s Dreamland: Razor’s Edge Dale Brown’s Dreamland: Nerve Center Titles by Dale Brown
Edge of Battle
Act of War • Plan of Attack
Air Battle Force • Wings of Fire
Warrior Class • Battle Born
The Tin Man • Fatal Terrain
Shadow of Steel • Storming Heaven
Chains of Command • Night of the Hawk Sky Masters • Hammerheads
Day of the Cheetah • Silver Tower
Flight of the Old Dog
Now in Hardcover
Strike Force
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DALE BROWN’S DREAMLAND RETRIBUTION. Copyright ©
2007 by Air Battle Force, Inc. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader July 2007
ISBN 978-0-06-153655-7
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Document Outline
Title Page
Contents
Dreamland: Duty Roster
From the Authors: The Story so Far
Prelude: Annihilation Averted
Part One: Downed Airmen
Part Two: Lost and Not Found
Part Three: Finders Keepers
Part Four: New Sheriff in Town
Part Five: Long Day�s Night
Part Six: Borrowed Time
Part Seven: No Chance to Survive
Part Eight: Homecoming
Part Nine: Payments Due
Part Ten: The Long Ride Home
About the Authors
Praise
Also in the Dreamland Series
Copyright Notice
About the Publisher
Table of Contents
Dreamland: Duty Roster
From the Authors: The Story so Far …
Prelude: Annihilation Averted 1
I: Downed Airmen
II: Lost and Not Found 49
III: Finders Keepers 91
IV: New Sheriff in Town 137
V: Long Day’s Night 197
VI: Borrowed Time 243
VII: No Chance to Survive 287
VIII: Homecoming 327
IX: Payments Due 347
X: The Long Ride Home 383
About the Authors
Praise
Other Books in the Dreamland Series
Cover
Copyright
About the Publisher
From the Authors:
RAVES