Part 45 (2/2)
”Mr President,” asked the White House correspondent for Tiazine ”A recent article in the City Ti a super weapon for years that is capable of disabling enereat dis- tance without any physical destruction Is that true, sir, and has the use of those weapons contributed to the military's suc- cesses over the last few years?”
”Ah, well,” the President hesitated briefly ”The Stealth pro- gram was certainly a boon to our air superiority There is no question about that, and it was kept secret for a decade” He stared to his left, and the press pool saw him take a visual cue froht Henry?”
Henry Kennedy nodded aggressively ”We have the best ar to bear, and I will not compromise theram that I are of, I couldn't speak of it even if I didn't know it existed” The President picked another news the next question Henry Kennedy slipped off to the ante- rooency
”Marv, how far have you gotten on this EMP-T thing?” He waited for a response ”The President is feeling e?” Pause Wait ”How ?” Pause ”That's not what Mason's article said” Longer pause ”Deal with it”
Imrave, his Chief of Staff, Henry Kennedy and Quinton Chambers his old ti in the Oval Office
They sat in the forant silver coffee and tea service was brought in for the five men Minus Treasury Secreatry Martin Royce, this was the President' inner circle, his personal advisory clique who assisted in oes in one of these sessions, the President had made clear in the first days of his Ads personally here, he would say We have to explore all options All options Even if they are distasteful
And in these uys ”Yes, sir, Mr President” The only formality of their caucuses was the President's fundaues between his most trusted aids They were real free-for-alls
”Henry,” the President said ”Before we start, as that reporter? Where the hell did that question coet him The story started at the City Tie football center sized body overwhel extensive coverage to computer crime”
”Well, do we have such a bomb?” he asked with real curiosity
”Ah, yessir,” Henry Kennedy responded ”It's highly classified
But the object is simple Lob in a few of the EMP-T bombs as they're called, shut down their co the confusion Very effective, sir”
”Well, let's see e can do about keeping secrets a little better OK, boys?” The President's charis time associates made hiiven the right information
The President scanned a few notes he had et about it?” the President closely scrutinized Henry for any body language
”Yessir”
The President gave Henry onethe iteain
Chapter 12
Thursday, November 14 NASA Control Center, Johnson space Center
The voice of Mission Control spoke over the loudspeakers and into hundreds of headsets
THE GROUND LAUNCH SEQUENCER HAS BEEN INITIATED WE'RE AT T-MINUS 120 SECONDS AND COUNTING
The space Shuttle Columbia was on Launch Pad 3, in its final preparation for another secret mission As was expected, the Department of Defense issued a terse non-state a classified payload will be used for a series of experiht is scheduled to last three days”
In reality, andto release another KH-5 spy satellite The KH-5 series was able, from an altitude of 110 miles, to discern and transmit to Earth photos so crisp, it could resolve the nuraphic resolution of KH-5's was the envy of every governuarded secrets that everyone knew about
T-MINUS 110 SECONDS AND COUNTING