Morningstar/Alignment by Keith Trimm (people reading books txt) 📕

Tony joined Ramsey in the cockpit watching in dismay. He knew what fate the Trans Pacific airliner was facing from the remains at the excavation. Someone had set off a bomb in the plane, dropping it from the sky. "History is repeating!" he thought. "Only I am not in the plane."

The 747 sank quickly from the sky and the C-130 attempted to keep up with it as it fell.

"Hold on!" the C-130 pilot yelled as he pushed the yoke forward dropping the nose of the plane into a dive. The Smoke emanating from the 747 became thicker and darker shooting out in a huge plume.

"They are not going to recover!" the pilot yelled. "I’m leveling off."

The C-130 raised its nose and regained its level flight. The G-forces of the bank made Tony ill as it pulled him to the floor.

"Pacific come in!" Ramsey shouted. "Pacific come in!"

"Over the speakers the signal sputtered and spit crackling sounds intermittently laced with the sounds of screaming men.

Then unexpectedly an unfamiliar voice shot forth from the speakers and yelled, "Welcome to Hell!" as the plane ditched into the sea with a massive spray of water.

"We have lost radar contact," said the radar operator over the intercom.

The mood became sullen as the crew realized the fate of the passengers of the 747. They were shocked by the massive loss of life and the strange last comment from the plane’s radio.

Chapter 19

"What is our position?" Ramsey asked the pilot.

"We have lost GPS," he replied.

"I bet," Tony said with a smirk.

"What does that supposed to mean?" Ramsey snapped at Tony.

"The GPS, it’s history."

"Is there something you want to share with the rest of us?" Ramsey asked.

Tony took a deep breath and scratched the back of his neck biding time. "We have no GPS because the satellites are no longer there."

"No longer there? Where did they go?" Ramsey asked.

"They didn’t go anywhere. They haven’t been put up there yet."

Ramsey stood dumbfounded. "What the hell are talking about doctor?"

Tony pointed out the window at the vast open sea and looked to Ramsey saying, "Twenty minutes ago we were flying over central Kansas. Do you have any idea where Kansas went?"

"No, but I bet you do."

"Yes I do commander. That Trans Pacific 747 is settling on it right about now."

Ramsey paused for a moment as he tried to figure out what he was saying. "Are you saying Kansas is under that water?"

"Ask the pilot."

The pilot cocked his head towards Ramsey standing behind him and said, "Yes sir. Our last reading puts us two hundred miles west of Kansas City International."

"You last readings must be wrong," Ramsey said hanging his head. He turned and looked to Tony. "How do you know?"

"Brinkman explained it all to me. He didn’t brief you on this?"

"Who the hell is Brinkman?"

Tony stood dumbfounded wondering if Brinkman informed the crew of their true mission. How else would he get seventy-five men to volunteer for a suicide mission?

"Captain, can I speak to you in private?" he said pointing to the mission control room.

They walked through the door and the Captain asked the controllers to leave for a moment. Tony hesitated, as he looked the commander in the eye.

"Captain, what is the purpose of this mission?" Tony asked.

Ramsey looked at him with an odd curiosity. "Surveillance of the Trans Pacific Airliner," he replied.

"That’s it? Just watch it and report back your findings?"

"That’s correct. Why? Is there something else I should know about?"

Tony felt the whole responsibility falling on his shoulders. He hated Brinkman right now for putting him in this position. "I don’t know how to tell you this." He hesitated and looked to the floor. "We are no longer, no longer, I can’t explain this right," he said waving his hand around nervously in front of Ramsey

"Spill it mister!"

Tony looked up and faced him eye to eye. "We have jumped. Jumped in time," he said disbelieving his own words. Ramsey closed his eyes, turning his head towards the cockpit. He turned back to Tony and said, "I don’t believe it, but it would explain a few things if it were true."

"They lied to you. I’m sorry, I had nothing to do with the mission, I swear. They just asked me if I wanted to go."

"You knew this was going to happen and came along anyway? What is wrong with you?"

"It’s a long story. We need to get this plane headed in the right direction."

Tony walked back into the cockpit followed by Ramsey. He squatted down on one knee and got the pilots attention. "How far can this thing go?" he asked.

The pilot replied, "two thousand miles with our current fuel levels."

"How far would it be to, let’s say, Ohio?"

"Well within our range if our last coordinates are correct."

"We need to head that way before we run out of fuel."

The pilot looked up to Ramsey for confirmation then hand plotted the course to the best of his recollection. Tony stood and rubbed his chin thinking. He asked, "How long will it take to get to our destination?"

"Our current cruising speed is three hundred seventy miles per hour. I estimate four hours," the pilot replied.

"We have four hours to form a plan captain," he said to Ramsey.

The plane banked to the left and leveled out heading into the sun. For as far as the eye could see, a flat plane of water stretched, from horizon to horizon. The glare of the sun reflected off the C-130’s windows blinding the men standing behind the pilots.

"Where did all this water come from?" Ramsey asked.

"Niobrara Sea, ever hear of it in marine school?"

"No, just how to take out smart jerks like you with one shot," Ramsey said with a toothy grin.

Chapter 20

Four hours later

"Capt. Ramsey!" yelled the pilot over the intercom speaker.

"Go ahead," Ramsey said over his headset microphone.

"We have land in site,"

"I’ll be right there!" he stated signaling Tony to follow him. They squeezed past the rows of anxious marines sitting patiently awaiting orders from their commanding officer. Tony looked at the men and wondered why they would need paratroopers for a surveillance mission? He stopped Ramsey before entering the cockpit and asked him, "What’s all the hardware for?"

"What are you talking about?" Ramsey asked.

"You have six pallets of who knows what loaded in the cargo hold, and a platoon of men waiting to jump out of this plane. Seems a bit much for a surveillance mission."

"You didn’t think I was going to tell you the truth did you?" Ramsey asked. "I take orders, and these orders did not include briefing you on the true nature of our mission."

"Now that the mission seems to be a moot point, are you going to fill me in now?"

"The mission may not be moot. Yet," he replied. "Let’s get in here and get this thing on the ground."

The two men entered the cockpit and stood behind the pilot and co pilot in the center of the small room. Before them they saw the vast expanse of untouched land. For as far as the eye could see, from horizon to horizon, lay a prairie of dark green grassland.

"This is beautiful," Tony said scanning the view.

"Should this be hard to land on?" Ramsey asked the pilot.

"Better than landing on a mountain I guess," the pilot replied.

Over the intercom the radar operator broke in, "We have made radar contact with an unknown object currently on intercept."

The pilot spoke up on the microphone asking, "Best guess radar?"

"No best at this time," the radar operator replied.

"Track and report," the pilot said. "Did you get all that commander?" the pilot asked Ramsey.

"Yes," he said staring out the window lost in thought. He shook his head, regaining his bearings. "We do not need a threat at this time. I want you to turn east and avoid what ever this contact is. Search for a possible landing site and get back to me."

"Yes sir," the pilot replied and Ramsey and Tony left the cockpit.

The two men walked out to the area between the radar station and the paratroopers, turning to face each other.

"Since we both seem to have information vital to this mission I suggest that we start briefing each other on what we know," Ramsey said.

"I think it is your turn captain. I have already filled you in on what I know."

"I think you skimmed the surface Dr. Rhine," Ramsey said sternly. "I need to know what happened to Kansas?"

Tony bit down on his lip and hesitated. "It seems you have become the unwitting pawn in a science experiment the U.S. Government was conducting."

"Go on."

"You first. I want to know what all this crap is doing on this plane. Why all the men and gear? That was an American plane wasn’t it? Why would we be spying on our own planes?"

Ramsey shook his head looking to the ceiling. He looked to Tony and said, "The Trans Pacific Airliner was in a hi-jack alert status. It was a domestic terrorist we were after."

"Oh," Tony said making sense of the situation. "That’s how they did it."

"Did what?"

"One second captain," Tony said. "What was the name of the terrorist in question?"

"Alex Parsons," he replied.

Tony took a step back and rolled his eyes. "Alex Parsons is in federal prison. Has been for nine months now."

Ramsey looked dumbfounded. "What the hell!" he yelled. "What is going on here?" he barked at Tony.

The intercom broke in and the pilot said, "We have a possible collision threat! Emergency maneuvers!"

The plane banked hard and the two men were flung against the hull of the plane knocking them to the floor. Just then a dull thud sounded throughout the fuselage and the pilot once again spoke over the speakers, "Engine two out!"

Ramsey stood and tried to regain balance as the plane rocked back and forth. He turned to the paratroopers sitting in ready status and yelled, "Everyone up! Get ready to abort!"

The troops stood and attached their static line hooks to the wire and awaited the cargo door to open. At this speed they were unable to use the side doors in fear of being injured or killed.

Ramsey pointed to the troops and told Tony to join them as he made his way up to the cockpit. "Get ready to abort!" he yelled to the radar operators and mission specialists manning their posts. The men left their chairs and filed past Ramsey as he slid past their stations. Just then, a massive crash and sounds of breaking glass shot forth from the cockpit, and the door before him buckled with an impact. The sound of rushing wind whistled under the door and the sound of the wind became deafening as he stood staring at the buckled metal door of the cockpit.

Grasping the door handle, he unlatching the lock, allowing the door to strike him, sending him shooting down the hallway. The wind carried blood, bone, and flesh down the hall of the plane, as well as glass shards and broken twisted metal. He strained to stand grasping anything he could to regain his balance. Shielding the wind from his eyes, he looked down to the cockpit seeing the massive hole in the windshield made from some sort of impact. The inside of the cockpit was covered in blood. He assumed whatever came through struck the back wall and exploded all over the place. The pilots had to be gone.

He turned and scurried back to the troops standing awaiting orders. "Lower the hatch!" he yelled over the sound of the rushing wind and pointed to the release lever on the side of the plane. With a grumble of hydraulics, the back lift lowered and the cabin lit up with the light from outside. Down the ramp went until it locked into place giving the men a clear path to escape. Grabbing his parachute and buckling it, he barked out orders to his waiting men. "Go!" he yelled and the men began diving out of the plane allowing the static lines to pop open