The group moved back to the wall, passing the bodies of Enzi’s men and knowing that Archer had done his job, and they could travel safely back to the Osprey and away from the area. There were no speeches, comments or laughter, the group absorbing the enormity of their achievement, not dwelling upon it. The jungle was quiet, the storm moving away and the once deafening thunder strangely absent. No one spoke on the return walk to the aircraft, until Katherine broke into a run near the Osprey, a beeping audible above her rapid movement through the bushes.
Jacob caught up with her, ‘What is it?’
‘Proximity alert, we have company. An E3 Sentry, a way off, but definitely closing on our position.’
‘They must have detected the complex’s pulse.’
‘Hard not to, considering the size of it.’
‘So they know it is here, or will do soon.’
‘Even with the lake over it, if they follow the emission point of the pulse back, they will find it, a Sentry can see everything.’
‘We have to tell Osvaldo Roderigo.’
‘Tell me what Jacob?’
Jacob informed him of the approaching spy plane, and the possible consequences of its appearance.
‘We have to go back Jacob. And destroy the complex.’
‘You cannot destroy it! It’s invaluable, irreplaceable.’
‘It is discovered, you must understand, we cannot have any government with access to this technology. They are not ready.’
Jacob understood Osvaldo Roderigo’s reason, he knew what men were capable of with conventional weapons. He was sure they would find a way to exploit the technology for malevolent means, as Mastasson had.
‘What do we do?’
‘You get out of here, I will destroy the complex.’
‘How?’
‘There is a place where you put all amulets from this complex, and that will signal a sequence to destroy itself.’
Jacob went to tell Katherine what was happening, when he looked around and saw Osvaldo Roderigo already running back towards the complex, his backpack with all the amulets, firmly held in place.
FORTY FIVE
The E3 Sentry was based on a four engine Boeing 707 airframe, a design tried and tested. Known across the world as AWACS, Airborne Warning and Control System, and applied to many different aircraft, but the E3 was distinctive. It had a huge rotating black radar dome, which looked like a pair of plates glued together. Having this object mounted on top of the aircraft gave it some unique flight characteristics, but even with this the E3 had a near perfect safety record. This aircraft had flown from Manta Airbase in Ecuador, where it was supporting the war on drugs, patrolling the border area. With its arsenal of electronics it could see, hear and detect anything for hundreds of miles.
The aircraft had already been on station for over six hours, travelling to the coast of Panama to oversee an air strike on a confirmed terrorist camp. The crew had photographed, scanned and processed every aspect of the target, confirming underground structures, surface to air missile units, and attack aircraft. As they flew at a safe distance and high altitude the fourteen mission specialists aboard provided real time imaging and analysis for the command centre in the Pentagon. Once the threat from the island was assessed as real, and there was no contradiction with any known special operations, the order was given.
The E3 remained on station, while a C130 loaded with a MOAB proceeded to target. With Two F16’s in support it unceremoniously dropped the twenty one ton weapon out of its rear door. The MOAB drogue parachute deployed, dragging the cradle and the weapon out of the rear of the plane, after a few feet the cradle fell away and the guiding fins deployed to guide the weapon to target, using GPS.
The E3 watched and monitored as the MOAB fell over four miles, increasing speed, until it made contact with the reinforced roof of Mastasson’s office. The velocity of the weapon pulverized the concrete and continued into the elevator shaft; free-fall took it right to the basement. When the eighteen tons of high explosive detonated, the force of the blast destroyed every single part of the structure that had survived Mastasson’s excessive incineration. The mushroom cloud that emanated from underground ballooned up above the island, causing a media frenzy in Panama of a possible nuclear accident. The US issued a statement with the Panamanian government regarding the actual cause later. There was a reason it was nicknamed the mother of all bombs.
With the task complete, and no detection of anyone, or any structure left intact on the island, the E3 turned southeast, heading for routine patrol of the border. The pilot warned the crew of possible turbulence from an unusually large thunderstorm that was developing over the coast of Ecuador. There was an immense amount of RF interference and the radar images of the area showed an intense amount of electrical activity. The E3 adjusted course to avoid flying into the projected path of the storm, and updated its patrol path with Manta Air Base accordingly.
They were just on the edge of their sensor range when a huge energy emission came from the jungle, a blue light that filled the flight deck, even from over one hundred fifty miles away. The pilot requested permission to investigate, and was informed that recent intelligence had flagged a possible site of anti-satellite weapons in the area.
The pilots were both experienced and the odds of any such technology being in the Ecuador rainforest were quite remote. However, orders were orders, and they requested to launch their drones to inspect, to stop having to fly into the storm over the area. Manta base authorised the use of the experimental drones without hesitation.
Katherine could see the E3 just on the edge of its sensor range, and hoped that the storm would hide her for now, but she doubted it.
‘We have to leave, before that E3 brings down F16’s on our position.’
Jacob agreed and La gente de la luz azul, Kevin and Katherine all secured themselves in the seats, when Katherine heard a voice.
‘Can you hear me enemy aircraft?’
On the co-pilots seat was a radio, with an unfamiliar voice calling, Katherine pressed talk, ‘Who is this?’
‘I am Mr Jones, and I am very close.’
Katherine went to start her engines, but the voice told her not too.
‘No, no Katherine, look at your rotors you will find I have left you a gift.’
Katherine looked out to the side and back, and could see three small packages on the starboard nacelle, explosives she presumed.
‘If you wanted us dead Mr Jones, you would have blown these, what do you want?’
‘The amulets and instructions on their use, please.’
‘These bloody amulets, they are a blessing and a curse.’
‘I am sure they are, but I would like to decide that for myself please.’
‘How long do I have?’
‘Five minutes, then I detonate and get them anyway, blowing off your wings and any fuel you have left.’
Katherine moved back to inform the group, Jacob knew something was wrong.
‘Jones has placed explosives on the engines, crude but effective. Says he will blow them if we do not give him the amulets.’
‘Well you know that’s not going to happen.’
‘Yes I do, but we need to get out of here.’
‘Can we disarm the bombs?’
Katherine opened the side door, and walked over to the starboard nacelle, the radio clipped on her belt. She looked up at the improvised devices, just demolition blocks with a remote trigger; he had stuck them directly onto the rotors with double-sided tape. Her radio clicked, ‘Please do not touch them; I would like to avoid further loss of life.’