The Plot

Part 6

       "Launch phase commencing," a voice announced over the PA system in the facility's lounge.

"Any second now," one of the maintenance men muttered softly to the man next to him.

"Primary burn underway." There was a pause for about sixty seconds. "Secondary burn. All systems nominal. Altitude eighty five kilometres."

There was a pause for three minutes. "Secondary burn completed. Spacecraft in designated orbit. Altitude one hundred and fifty kilometres. Preparing for lunar trajectory insertion in eighteen minutes."

The two men looked at each other. "What's wrong, Rick?" one of them whispered. "Shouldn't it have gone off by now?"

Rick glanced at his watch, then gave his friend a worried look. "It was timed right to the second, Tony," he whispered back. "It should have detonated four minutes ago."

They both stared at the PA speaker on the wall. 

"All systems normal," the voice announced, "Passing over Central America."

"Hell, the bomb has failed," Rick groaned, "I've gotta let Ed know."

The two men quickly walked outside to a secluded place behind the main hangar.

Rick pulled out his mobile phone and entered a number. "Ed?" he said softly into the phone, "Something went wrong. I don't know what, but the device didn't detonate. We planted it last night in the fuel tank as planned. It should have gone off ten minutes ago. What do we do now?"

He listened to the man at the other end of the call for a few seconds. "Yeah okay," he muttered and pressed the disconnect button.

"Well what did he say?" Tony asked looking worried.

"He said to act normal and stay put. He's going to take care of things at his end."

"What does taking care of things mean?"

"I don't know. Come on we better get back or they'll notice us missing."

As they walked around the corner of the building a figure stepped in front them.

"Hold it right there boys," Brad Sullivan said casually pointing his stun gun at the two surprised men.

Rick whirled around to make a dash for freedom, but two security guards appeared from behind the building, both pointing weapons at him.

"I wouldn't try it," one of them snarled.

"What the hell's going on, Sullivan?" Rick snapped at Brad, "What's with the guns?"

"I saw you both in the hangar last night," Brad replied, "And I saw you placing the device in the fuel tank. With the help of Jack Hobbs we got it out early this morning and disarmed it. I've been watching you since the lift off. I knew you would call your friend back on the mainland as soon as you realised your plan had failed. You're both under arrest for attempted sabotage and murder. Put your hands above your heads. Jim, check them for weapons."

One of the security guards patted the men down. "No weapons," he said, "but you might want this." He tossed Brad Rick's mobile phone.

"Just what we need to find out who you just called on the mainland," Brad smiled, "I even overheard you say you were calling Ed. That would Ed Shearman in Logistics I'm guessing. We'll retrieve the number from the phone. Jim, cuff them, take them to the security centre and lock them up until we get a chance to question them."

*****

As the men were lead away by the two guards Brad went back to the control room where Tracy was waiting. "We got them," he announced, "They're being locked up now and I'm fairly sure we have the name of their buddy back at the Centre. It's Ed Shearman. What's wrong, Tracy? You look worried.

"Brad, I can't get Grace on the phone," Tracy said, "The satellite link dropped out earlier, but it's back up again and she's not answering. I've tried her mobile and our home number with no answer. I tried Lynn Miller too. Nothing. I called the centre and they're sending a security team to the house immediately, but they'll take twenty minutes to get there. He's there with them now. Shearman is there to kill them!" She looked at Brad with frantic look on her face.

Brad pulled his phone from his pocket and made a call to the Silver Star security centre. "Find Ed Shearman and arrest him," he snapped, "And alert the security team who are enroute to Dr Tracy Hammond's house. Shearman may be there."

*****

He finished tying the girls to two of the dining chairs with some lengths of cord he had brought with him. He pointed a finger at Shannon.

"I warned you not to tell anyone, Missy, but you had to blab, so now you and Grace here have to face the consequences. But I'm going to be generous and wait till after I get the news that the shuttle has blown up. You see we were too smart for your mother and Brad Sullivan. My associates planted the bomb last night. The shuttle took off fifteen minutes ago. It will meet its demise in just a few minutes."

Shearman placed his phone on the coffee table and smirked at the two terrified girls, then sat back with his stun gun pointed at the unconscious Lynn Miller who was lying on the floor nearby.
"I might let Lynn live," he said thoughtfully, "I always liked her. I'll just give her another stun when she starts to come around. I'll have plenty of time to get away after I get the news."

The phone buzzed. He smiled as he picked it up. "Well here's the good news now. No more space shuttle and I'm rich."

Shearman's smile vanished as he listened to the person on the other end of the call.
"What?" he exclaimed. He banged his fist on the table and swore. "What do you do now?" he said into the phone, "Just stay put, act normal. I'll take care of things at this end and get back to you later."

He disconnected the call, stood up and glared at the girls. "Thanks to you our plan has failed," he snarled. " My associates on the island are safe, no one knows it was them, but my cover here is blown. I'm going to have to get out fast. Just one job to do first."

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small pistol with a cylinder attached to the barrel. "This is not a stun gun, it's a regular gun complete with silencer. I told you what would happen if you talked. You first Gracie." He pointed the gun at Grace's head and his finger tightened on the trigger. She screamed as the gun fired.