The hologram in the imaging chamber dissolved and was instantly replaced with a view of a significantly larger piece of real estate.
‘The Himalayas are approximately eighteen hundred miles in length, running from Afghanistan in the west to India’s Arunachal Pradesh in the east.’
‘That doesn’t narrow it down much.’
‘No, it doesn’t. When most people consider the term Stairway to Heaven in relation to the Himalayas, they think of Tibet and Nepal.’
‘That’s where Nolan intends to cross?’ Donoher asked.
‘No. The BATs are designed for low-level flying, so I’m not sure if they can handle that kind of altitude. Even if they could, our people would probably need bottled oxygen. And then there’s the weather — it’s a little late in the season to be crossing the Himalayas on foot or in a motorized kite. I kicked this scenario around a dozen different ways, and what really made me reject it is that this clue is too straightforward. It’s not like Nolan. That’s why I had to dig deeper, and I finally figured it out. Do you know the film Fast Times at Ridgemont High?’
‘Should I?’
‘Only if you enjoy well-written comedy interspersed with teen angst and adolescent coming-of-age trauma, all set in the early eighties.’
‘Not exactly at the top of my list,’ Donoher replied. ‘Please continue.’
‘This movie featured what was, in my humble opinion, one of Sean Penn’s best performances, though after my recent stint in a cassock, I have a newfound appreciation for his later work in Were No Angels. But I digress.’
‘You most certainly do,’ Donoher agreed, tempering his impatience. ‘How does this film fit in with Nolan’s message?’
‘In Fast Times, the dweeb nicknamed Rat seeks dating advice from the cool guy Damone. Among the pearls of wisdom Damone has to offer is the suggestion that side one of Led Zeppelin’s fourth album is the best make-out music ever recorded. This gets us back to ZOSO BEST 41.’
‘But that’s the album that pointed you to the entire Himalayan range?’
‘Yes, but that’s not the clue. Rat took Damone’s advice but, being a dweeb, got it wrong. During his ill-fated date with the ingenue Stacy — portrayed by the fetching Jennifer Jason Leigh — Rat played the wrong side of the wrong album.’
‘This is going somewhere?’
‘This reference forces me to acknowledge Nolan’s genius. The album Rat used wasn’t Zeppelin’s fourth album but Physical Graffiti. And the song heard playing during the date is not the make-out classic ‘Stairway to Heaven’ but the far superior ‘Kashmir.’ Nolan is heading for Kashmir.’
‘Can you show me where?’ Donoher asked.
Grin nodded. ‘Display previous view.’
The hologram dissolved and then reformed to display a three-dimensional view of the troubled Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Black lines snaked through the mountainous region, defining the internationally recognized borders. Thinner, dashed lines identified militarized lines of control around disputed territory encroached upon by Pakistan and China. Starting high in the glaciers of western Tibet, the Indus flowed northwest through Kashmir and into Pakistan.
‘What you’re looking at is an area roughly the size of Michigan,’ Grin explained, ‘and where it abuts China is about as long as the shoreline from Toledo to Mackinaw City. Biggest difference, aside from the lack of fudge, is obviously the terrain. Where China touches Kashmir is a region called Ladakh.’
‘Where do you think he’ll cross?’
‘A couple of large valleys run diagonally from Tibet through Ladakh — the Indus runs down the middle of the larger one. If I had to guess, I think he’d let the geography lead him out of China.’
‘Is there any place nearby where we can land an aircraft?’
‘At Leh,’ Grin answered. ‘It’s the heart of Ladakh and the only commercial airport.’
‘Once they’re across the border, they’ll be in India, but illegally and without documentation,’ Donoher mused, ‘and with the exception of Nolan, all looking very much like Chinese soldiers.’
‘Or asylum seekers. Do you think India would send Yin back?’
‘I doubt it — India and China are not the best of neighbors — but by the same token we don’t want the Indians tossing our people in jail either. We need to place somebody in Kashmir to help smooth things over once they arrive. And we probably need a friendly word through the back channel from Washington to tilt the situation in our favor.’
‘Barnett?’
Donoher nodded. ‘Please ask Sister Deborah to set up a video conference with him in an hour. In the meantime, I need to enlist Cardinal Velu for some help.’
55
The first hint of dawn painted a line of deep blue across the eastern horizon and erased the faintest stars from the heavens. The waxing crescent moon hung just above the jagged mountains to the west as if waiting for sunrise before dropping from view. Kilkenny was at the controls, piloting BAT-1 over some of the world’s most breathtaking scenery, regretting that his view was filtered through the greens and blacks of night vision.
‘I have the new numbers,’ Han announced.
‘How bad?’ Kilkenny asked.
‘We took a big hit from that headwind over the plateau.’
‘I know,’ Kilkenny said. ‘We’re supposed to be in India by now. Any good news?’
‘We’re starting to make up some of the lost time.’
‘Enough to get us across the border before dawn?’
‘It will be close, but if we get some good wind on our tail in the last valley, we might make it.’
‘You ready to take the stick again?’ Kilkenny asked.
‘Yeah, and thanks for the break,’ Han said. ‘My shoulders were sore as hell after fighting that wind.’
‘Get us across that border, and I’ll find a nice Indian masseuse to work you over,’ Kilkenny promised.
‘I always work better with an incentive.’
‘Can I have one too?’ Gates squawked from BAT-2, his request parroted by the rest of the warriors.
‘Gentlemen, as we are in a very real sense “on a mission from God”,’ — here Kilkenny did his dead-on imitation of Dan Aykroyd’s mantra in The Blues Brothers — ‘I cannot in good conscience promise you an all-expense-paid trip to the Kama Sutra Spa and Fornicatorium.’
Low groans filled Kilkenny’s ears.
‘I will, however, gladly authorize a real masseuse to remove the damage inflicted on our joints and muscles by these long flights and an open bar to provide nourishment of a spiritual nature.’
‘Hoo-yah!’ bellowed Gates, Chun, and Chow above the chorus of other positive if not profane responses.
Kilkenny knew the feeling. The men were getting excited as the mission neared completion.
‘Comm, two-way Kilkenny,’ Tao said.
The voices in Kilkenny’s ears faded.
‘Nolan,’ Tao said, ‘take a look at Yin.’
Kilkenny looked over his shoulder and saw Yin reclined in his seat, arms folded across his chest, still and quiet.
‘Is he—’
‘Sleeping,’ Tao cut him off. ‘I checked and he’s sound asleep. He hasn’t stirred in hours.’
‘Good for him.’
‘So we’re close to the border?’ Tao asked.
‘Yeah, I just hope we cross it before dawn. Otherwise we’ll have to put down.’
‘When will you know?’
‘Within the hour. If he were awake, I’d ask him to pray for a steady tailwind.’