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“Repeat that, Elton Over”

“I said, we’ve got confirmation fro thrusters and is changing orbit Targeting coh its prefire checklist Congratulations You did it!”

Eric didn’t know if he wanted shout for joy or cry In the end, he settled for siive credit to the Russians When it ca Where NASA was all about elegant finesse, the Soviets had gone for simplicity and brute force, and, as a result, they built to last Their Mir space station reinally planned Had it not been for lack of funds, it would likely still be up there

“Roger that Over and out”

“Well?” Taggart asked

“It worked We now have control of the Russian satellite”

“I wasn’t asking about that I want to knohat you thought of the flight”

“Colonel, that was theI have ever experienced,” Eric said, feeling weight slowly returning to his body His stomach settled back into its normal position

“I knoon’t go into the books, but, just so you knoe broke the altitude record We’re going to lihts to about three hundred and thirty thousand feet, so it’s a record that’ll be around for a while”

Eric chuckled to hi to be—and how iht crossed his ain considered Max Hanley’s fate

CHAPTER 35

MAX HAD RACKED HIS BRAIN, THINKING OF A WAY OUT of the subterranean fortress, and he had only one solution On a late-night foray, he had discovered triple guards on the stairwell leading to the garage, and he knew that he wasn’t going to bluff his way past theuards would be suspicious the moment they saw him

He wasn’t getting out the front door, so he had to sneak out the back

He left his hiding place in the closet of the executive wing and enerator room He made sure to hide his face from the few people he passed in the hallways He rounded a corner nearest the rooines spun the turbines that powered the facility and saw that Kovac had ordered a guard to stand watch here as well Keeping his pace steady and uard, a kid of about twenty wearing a blue police-style uniforhtstick in his belt, eyed him as he approached

“How ya doing?” Max called jovially when he was still ten feet away “Yeah, I know, er A bunch of antiabortion zealots juot here Hell of a place, huh?”