Nerve Center

“Already have the course plotted,” said Kevin before he could say anything.

Zen went through the instructions anyway.

Madrone was doing a great job. Why did that bug Jeff so much?

Aboard Sharkishki

18 February, 1137

MACK CONTINUED TO CLIMB AT FORTY-FIVE DEGREES, his forward air speed pushing through 550 kilometers an hour, roughly three hundred knots. The dials were marked with both measurements and he could toggle the displays; the metrics had been retained to give the Aggressor pilot more of a “Russian head.” Mack felt particularly Russian today—which translated into a foul mood. He acknowledged the range change and continued to climb, nudging the stick left as he reached fifteen thousand feet.

The MiG controls felt much different than an American jet like the F-15. Set subtly higher and further forward, the stick seemed to pull Mack toward the front of the plane, using a different twitch of his muscles. It handled well, though, even with its hydraulic controls—he did a roll for the hell of it, coming onto the new course for Test Range 4B.

Bastian still hadn’t found him a command gig. No one else had stepped up either. Frickin’ best damn pilot in the Air Force, and he was getting the leper treatment.

Knife was tempted to goose the burners, tuck the plane down, and run. He’d be in Mexico before anyone realized he was gone.

And what would he do there? Find a beach and some willing senorita. Hell, damn plane was worth serious bucks, even if the damn ex-Commies were flooding the globe with them. Spare parts alone would keep him in margaritas for the rest of his life.

He hated margaritas.

Could always fly to Brazil and look up that Defense Ministry honcho.

Have to refuel a few million times. Not even Raven could make it there on a full tank.

Knife held the MiG steady at fifteen thousand feet, watching the radar as it caught and painted the Flighthawks west of him. They altered course slightly to run by him. They’d turn, pretend to catch him from the rear—and all he could do was take it.

This was what he’d been reduced to—playing target sled for Monkey Brain.

Aboard Hawkmother

18 February, 1141

MADRONE PUSHED HAWKS ONE AND TWO AHEAD, CLOSING on the enemy fighter, precisely as pla

If it were a real encounter, he would have flown the U/ MFs much differently. C gave him several suggestions. The best had the two-ship split up right about now, with Hawk One vanishing into the ground clutter before begi

Smith would finally find Hawk One gu

Which would take him into the second Flighthawk, waiting ahead. The small planes could outmaneuver the MiG; no matter what the bandit did, Madrone would get one pass with his ca

And one pass was all he needed.

But not today. Today he had to swing around the back, just as they’d mapped it out.

Make more sense to mount a front-quarter attack, rake the SOB. Not a high probability in a conventional fighter, but the Flighthawks and C wouldn’t miss.

The computer glowed at the top of his head.

Why not do it, just for giggles? Frost that asshole Smith and his jerk-face smirk.

Aboard Sharkishki

18 February, 1145

MACK RAN HIS EYES OVER HIS INSTRUMENTS. HIS RIGHT engine had the temp indicator pegged at the extreme edge of the acceptable range, a bit hotter than the left. Fuel burn seemed constant, and the two power plants seemed to be working in unison. Mack suspected the gauge was flaky—he was always suspecting gauges were flaky.

As he looked back at the windscreen, he realized the two Flighthawks had deviated from the pla

Oh, real fu

“Yo, Gameboy, we sticking to the program or do I get to shoot these suckers down?” he asked.

“Gameboy to Hawk Leader,” boomed Zen over the circuit. “Kevin, you’re off course. Is there a problem?”

“Yeah, like I believe you and Monkey Brain didn’t cook this up on your private line,” said Mack.

He said it, but he didn’t transmit. He rolled the MiG, accelerating at the same time as he swooped around to outfox Zen and his nugget sidekick controlling the U/MFs.

Aboard Hawkmother 18 February, 1153

MADRONE COULDN’T TELL AT FIRST WHAT THE MiG WAS doing, and C3 offered no clues. He started to cut power, then realized Sharkishki would try to slice behind his two planes. Kevin nudged Hawk One north, intending to send the two planes in opposite directions, ready for anything Mack might pull.

Pain crashed into his skull, pushing him back in his chair. He gave the computer full control of the two robots. The fight drifted to the edge of his consciousness as the heavy control helmet seemed to shear his skull in half. The crankshaft of an immense engine revolved around and around at the top of his head, its counterweights smashing against his cranium, pounding through the bone into the gray matter beneath. Ma-drone tried to relieve the pressure, but couldn’t, felt himself weighted down, pushed back by the pain.

He heard a tapping noise somewhere in the corn set.

Rain.

His Theta metaphor.

Relax.

He tried to conjure the jungle, the rain just begi

“Knock it off! Knock it off!” screamed Zen.

The rain surged, but the pain backed away. Madrone realized he was hyperventilating. He controlled his breaths, let his shoulders droop, found Hawk One and Two under control, approaching from opposite ends toward the MiG; the computer had followed his directions without being distracted by his pain.

“Knock it off!” repeated Zen.

“Hawk Leader acknowledges,” said Madrone, retaking control of the planes and sending them back toward their prearranged course.

“What the hell happened there?” said Zen.

He seemed to be talking to Kevin, but it was Mack Smith in the MiG who responded.

“Microchip Boy came at me for a front-quarter attack,” said Smith. “I just waxed his tail.”

“You were out of line,” said Zen.

“I held the wrong course a little too long,” said Madrone. The pain was gone; it had been an aberration, probably because he’d been breathing too fast. “Let’s try it again.”

“I think we ought to go home,” said Stockard.

“Jeez Louise, 1 can’t make a mistake?” Madrone snapped. “Come on, Zen. Don’t be a baby,” said Mack. “Just because I spanked Junior.”

“I think we could run through the scenario again,” said Geraldo. Her voice sounded like a soothing whisper; Kevin caught a glimpse of her, standing at the side of him, long hair, much younger.

How did he see her beyond his visor array?

His mind projected her, just as it did with the Flighthawks. No, not like that. But it felt the same.

His memory created the image. But it had distorted it as well. She didn’t really look like that; he’d never seen her that young.

“You sure, Kevin?” asked Zen.

“Let’s go for it,” said Madrone.

“All right. Everybody back to their starting positions. This time, exactly as we pla

Aboard Raven

18 February, 1213

“WHAT HAPPENED?” BREANNA ASKED JEFF AS SHE began the bank at the end of the racetrack pattern they were flying.

“Kindergarten bullshit.”

Bree said nothing as she pulled the Megafortress through the lazy turn. They were at thirty-five thousand feet, well above the action. Jeff s a