Shadow Flight

Matthews, concealing his emotions, began to hope. If he could only enhance the possibility of being intercepted. He needed to induce an engine failure in order to descend to an altitude where most of the traffic flew.

USS CARL VINSON (CVN-70)

The supercarrier, 420 miles southeast of King Cove, Alaska, turned into the wind in preparation to launch aircraft. Every available airplane assigned to Carrier Air Wing 15 had been prepared for the extensive search mission. Locating the B-2, as the air wing commander had said, was a White House priority.

The navy carrier-based aerial tankers would be augmented by Air Force KC-135s operating from Elmendorf Air Force Base. The F-14s from the VF-51 Screaming Eagles blasted down the bow catapults, followed by Tomcats from the VF-111 Sundowners.

The remainder of the carrier air wing launched in rapid succession and raced for their respective patrol sectors. Carl Vinson had been assigned a surveillance area that extended from 200 miles southeast of the carrier to 600 miles west-southwest.

HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE,

Oahu, Hawaii

Four Hawaiian Air National Guard F-15 Eagles, afterburners blazing in the predawn, scrambled into the early morning air and turned northeast. The fighters, from the 199th Tactical Fighter Squadron, thundered over Halawa Heights as they headed for the shoreline of Oahu.

Their mission was to split into two sections and patrol the outer boundaries of the Hawaiian air defense area. They would be refueled twice by a KC-10 tanker. The pilots had been briefed to shoot down the B-2, in the event they located the bomber, if the Stealth crew did not comply with orders to turn toward Hawaii.

Ten miles to the east, four F/A-18s from Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Air Station lifted off the runway. The VMFA-232 Red Devils, backed by a KC-130 tanker, would provide search coverage in a separate patrol zone. Two Boeing E-3C airborne warning and control aircraft were en route to central and northern Pacific stations. The AWACS would provide sector coordination for the fighters.

THE B-2

The first rays of sunlight began to illuminate the cockpit as Matthews prepared to execute his daring plan. He waited until Brotskharnov was occupied scanning the horizon, then eased his left hand down to the circuit breaker panel next to his seat.

Matthews felt along the rows of buttons, pinched the number three engine oil pressure breaker, and popped it out. He moved his hand back to his thigh as the engine instrument and crew alerting system annunciator lights flashed on, lighting the dim cockpit with a reddish amber glow. The synoptic display projected a diagram of the number three engine oil system, indicating a failure.

"Goddamnit," Matthews exclaimed as convincingly as possible, "we've lost oil pressure on number three." He retarded the number three throttle as he programmed the flight director to descend to a lower altitude.

Matthews turned to Brotskharnov, who sat transfixed, staring at the color-coded electronic displays. "General, watch our rate of descent while I go through the shutdown checklist."

Brotskharnov nodded, watching the altitude readout as Matthews followed the engine shutdown list on the bright display screen.

Simmons, leaning forward in his straps, was tense and jumpy. He suspected that Matthews had caused the malfunction deliberately, but he was confused by the sudden failure.

"I think—" Matthews started, then caught Simmons leaning to his left. The pilot snapped his left hand down, shoved the oil pressure breaker in, and yanked his hand back to the controls. "We should…, I think we can maintain forty thousand."

Brotskharnov, who did not suspect any chicanery, answered with a strained voice. "Whatever you have to do."

The Stealth bomber descended slowly toward 40,000 feet as sunlight filled the cockpit.

The new jumbo jet on Cathay Pacific Flight 12 flying eastbound at 41,000 feet, left four distinctive white contrails in the morning sky. The captain and first officer, enjoying fresh coffee and breakfast pastries, had pulled down their glare shields to block out the bright sunlight.

Both pilots, relaxed and monitoring their navigation plot, discussed the air strike to Cuba and the political unrest in Singapore. The veteran pilots were unprepared for what they were about to witness.

Chuck Matthews looked out to the horizon, studying the growing cloud cover in front of the bomber. He could tell that a major winter storm was developing over the northern Pacific.

Matthews selected cross-feed to balance the fuel load, then looked out of the windshield again. He was caught unprepared when he saw contrails approaching the B-2 from eleven o'clock high. The white trails, closing rapidly, appeared to be five to six miles away.

Matthews shot a glance at Brotskharnov, who seemed to be deep in thought. Simmons had his head lowered and was staring at the flight deck.