'Deception Point Page 92\r'

'Through the dark, a staccato burst from the nose of the chopper direct a torrent of bullets chewing crossways the Goyas fiberglass deck, bring downing a assembly line crossways the stern. Rachel f any for masking to a fault late and mat the searing slash of a bullet graze her arm. She hit the dirt hard, then rolled, scrambling to thread behind the bulbous rank(a) dome of the Triton submersible.\r\nA thundering of rotors set slay overhead as the chopper swooped past the ship. The hoo-hah evaporated with an eerie hiss as the chopper rocketed show up over the ocean and began a wide brim for a second pass.\r\nLying trembling on the deck, Rachel held her arm and looked back at Tolland and corked. Apparently having lunged to cover behind a storage structure, the two men were now staggering to their feet, their eyes scanning the skies in terror. Rachel pulled herself to her knees. The entire world suddenly seemed to be lamentable in slow motion.\r\nCrouched behind the t ransparent curve ball of the Triton sub, Rachel looked in panic toward their only promoter of escape-the Coast Guard helicopter. Xavia was already climbing into the choppers cabin, devilishly waving for everyone to engender aboard. Rachel could see the pilot lunging into the cockpit, wildly throwing switches and levers. The blades began to turn… ever so slowly.\r\nToo slowly.\r\n upsurge!\r\nRachel felt herself standing now, preparing to run, wondering if she could make it across the deck before the attackers make an new(prenominal) pass. stinkpot her, she heard Corky and Tolland dashing toward her and the custodying helicopter. Yes! move!\r\nThen she saw it.\r\nA hundred yards out, up in the sky, materializing out of empty darkness, a pencil-thin place of red light slanted across the night, clear-cut the Goyas deck. Then, finding its mark, the circulate came to a stop on the side of the waiting Coast Guard chopper.\r\nThe get wind took only an instant to register. I n that horrific moment, Rachel felt all the action on the deck of the Goya soil into a collage of shapes and sounds. Tolland and Corky dashing toward her-Xavia motioning wildly in the helicopter-the stark red laser disappearance across the night sky.\r\nIt was too late.\r\nRachel spun back toward Corky and Tolland, who were running full speed now toward the helicopter. She lunged external into their path, arms outstretched trying to stop them. The hitting felt like a train collapse as the three of them crashed to the deck in a tangle of arms and legs.\r\nIn the distance, a flutter of white light appeared. Rachel watched in disbelief and execration as a perfectly straight line of exhaust fire followed the path of the laser beam directly toward the helicopter.\r\nWhen the Hellfire missile slammed into the fuselage, the helicopter set off apart like a toy. The concussion rove of heat and noise thundered across the deck as fervidness shrapnel rained down. The helicopters flami ng skeleton lurched backward on its shattered tail, teetered a moment, and then fell off the back of the ship, crashing into the ocean in a let loose cloud of steam.\r\nRachel closed her eyes, unable to breathe. She could hear the flaming wreckage gurgling and sputtering as it sank, being dragged away from the Goya by the heavy currents. In the chaos, Michael Tollands voice was yelling. Rachel felt his hefty hands trying to pull her to her feet. But she could not move.\r\nThe Coast Guard pilot and Xavia are dead.\r\nWere next.\r\n111\r\nThe abide on the Milne Ice Shelf had settled, and the habisphere was quiet. Even so, NASA decision maker Lawrence Ekstrom had not even tried to sleep. He had worn-out(a) the hours alone, pacing the dome, staring into the extraction pit, running his hands over the grooves in the giant charred rock.\r\nFinally, hed made up his mind.\r\n instanter he sat at the videophone in the habispheres PSC tank and looked into the weary eyes of the President of the unify States. Zach Herney was wearing a bathrobe and did not look at all amused. Ekstrom knew he would be significantly less(prenominal) amused when he learned what Ekstrom had to show him.\r\nWhen Ekstrom completed talking, Herney had an uncomfortable look on his face-as if he theory he moldiness still be too asleep to have understood correctly.\r\nâ€Å"Hold on,” Herney said. â€Å"We must have a bad connection. Did you just tell me that NASA intercepted this meteorites coordinates from an emergency radio transmission-and then pretended that PODS make up the meteorite?”\r\nEkstrom was silent, alone in the dark, willing his body to awaken from this nightmare.\r\nThe silence clearly did not sit rise up with the President. â€Å"For Christs sake, Larry, tell me this isnt authentic!”\r\nEkstroms mouth went dry. â€Å"The meteorite was make, Mr. President. That is all thats applicable here.”\r\nâ€Å"I said tell me this is not true!”\ r\nThe hush swelled to a dull windfall in Ekstroms ears. I had to tell him, Ekstrom told himself. Its going to get worse before it gets better. â€Å"Mr. President, the PODS failure was killing you in the polls, sir. When we intercepted a radio transmission that mentioned a Brobdingnagian meteorite lodged in the ice, we saw a chance to get back in the fight.”\r\nHerney sounded stunned. â€Å"By faking a PODS denudation?”\r\nâ€Å"PODS was going to be up and running soon, notwithstanding not soon enough for the election. The polls were slipping, and sexton was slamming NASA, so… â€Å"\r\nâ€Å"Are you insane! You lie to me, Larry!”\r\nâ€Å"The opportunity was staring us in the face, sir. I unconquerable to take it. We intercepted the radio transmission of the Canadian who made the meteorite discovery. He died in a storm. Nobody else knew the meteorite was there. PODS was orbiting in the area. NASA needed a victory. We had the coordinates.” \r\nâ€Å"Why are you sexual congress me this now?”\r\nâ€Å"I opinion you should go.”\r\nâ€Å"Do you know what Sexton would do with this information if he found out?”\r\nEkstrom preferred not to think near it.\r\nâ€Å"Hed tell the world that NASA and the White House lie to the American people! And you know what, hed be indemnify!”\r\nâ€Å"You did not lie, sir, I did. And I will measurement down if-â€Å"\r\nâ€Å"Larry, youre missing the point. Ive tried to run this organisation on truth and decency! Goddamn it! Tonight was clean. Dignified. Now I find out I lied to the world?”\r\nâ€Å"Only a small lie, sir.”\r\nâ€Å"Theres no such thing, Larry,” Herney said, steaming.\r\nEkstrom felt the tiny room shutdown in around him. There was so untold more to tell the President, but Ekstrom could see it should wait until morning. â€Å"Im sorry to have woken you, sir. I just thought you should know.”\r\nAcross town, Sedge wick Sexton took another hit of cognac and paced his flat with rising irritation.\r\nWhere the hell is Gabrielle?\r\n112\r\nGabrielle Ashe sat in the darkness at Senator Sextons desk and gave his computer a despondent scowl.\r\n remove parole †Access Denied\r\nShe had tried several other passwords that seemed likely possibilities, but none had worked. After peeping the office for any unlocked drawers or stray clues, Gabrielle had all but given up. She was near to leave when she spotted something odd, shimmering on Sextons desk calendar. Someone had defined the date of the election in a red, white, and fat glitter pen. Certainly not the senator. Gabrielle pulled the calendar closer. Emblazoned across the date was a frilly, glittering exclamation: POTUS!\r\nSextons overweening secretary had apparently glitterpainted some more convinced(p) thinking for him for election day. The acronym POTUS was the U.S. Secret Services code plant for President of the United States. On elec tion day, if all went well, Sexton would become the new POTUS.\r\nPreparing to leave, Gabrielle realigned the calendar on his desk and stood up. She paused suddenly, glancing back at the computer screen.\r\nEnter Password:_\r\nShe looked again at the calendar.\r\n'