Doug Donnan
Executive Editor/OM-GEN+
donnan.doug@yahoo.com
TerExQ
by
Doug Donnan
[ Midnight ///
Creech Air Force Base /// Nevada ]
It was so cold the
night of the 'Special Delivery' that even the stars themselves appeared
to be frozen in
place, unblinking it appeared. The various UAV research and development
technicians and a
few upper echelon Air Force personnel were on pins and needles in
nervous, excited
anticipation as they milled about the tarmac trying to keep warm and
watchful. This was
to be the initial, experimental FedEx overseas drone delivery service
flight. Code named
'Stop and Drop', It was considered highly top secret by each and all
of the parties
involved.
Two of the FedEx
field reps were, supposedly, waiting in one of their signature, small
panel van delivery
trucks off by itself fifty yards down in the murky shadows of the
expansive, pin-lit
runway.
The little white
van's engine was running and the heater was on.
"What the
hell makes them so special anyway professor Van de Meer? How come they
don't come on out here and freeze their asses off like
the rest of us idiots?" General
Brinkerhoff
bellowed at the diminutive autonomous drone research and development
specialist as he
performed a silly series of militaryish, warm-up jumping jacks.
"You may have
just answered your very own question general,"
Van de Meer replied
from somewhere
inside the hood of his glow-in-the dark orange parka. "I'm certain that
they have a
variety of reasons, maybe concerns would be a better word, about this
entire furtive
autonomous drone 'Stop and Drop' mission."
"Concerns
huh?" Brinkerhoff chattered. "Well, I'm giving you even odds they're
no
more certain that
this whole damn thing is gonna' work out than any of the rest of us.
Just what exactly
is this flying FedEx brainiac bird supposed to be delivering to us...
you way out here
tonight? What's so damn secret and special about all this anyway?"
Van de Meer took a
sort of curious puppy dog look over at the jumping
general trying
to decide how he
should respond to this series of boorish questions. He made a snap
decision to just
go ahead and lay it all out there for this Air Force ass.
"Well sir,
without getting too overly technical, this autonomous drone delivery is
a
collaboration
between us here at Creech UAV Research and Development and the
internationally
renowned Fed Ex delivery corporation. They have decided to go all in
on the burgeoning
UAV drone game. We, on the same token, are trying to stay on
top of things in
this same growing robotic air show. We have formed a sort of pact
with FedEx
and---"
"Damn it man.
I don't want a speech about all the back scratching business you've
got going on with
these package delivery dimwits. Just get to the point. What's this
damn mysterious,
maltese falcon robotic delivery bird packing?"
"It's an
extremely sensitive, and I dare say fragile, piece of anti-drone
equipment
that was designed
and developed for us exclusively over in England. Years in the
making, this 100 KW laser lens is a one of a kind prototype part for
our HEL-MD
anti-drone laser
vehicles... a.k.a. 'The Drone Killers'. We are extremely anxious to
get our hands on
it and put it through its paces out at our White Sands Missile Range
in New Mexico.
That being said, any terrorist organization would be equally delighted
to get their
nefarious hands on it. Hence the clandestine rendezvous out here tonight."
"Ray guns and
robotic roses stuff huh? Sure sounds like something a damn Star Trek
terrorist group
would die for... pun intended. Does Homeland Security or any of those
other political
pecker heads know about any of this shit?" Brinkerhoff stopped and
said with a sly
look all around at the knot of authorized watchers and waiters.
"Absolutely
not. We took great pains to keep a tight lid on this whole S&D mission.
The loop we are in
out here is extremely tight and true."
"Tight and
true huh?" Brinkerhoff chattered and chided. "Let's just hope that
this
loop were in doesn't
turn out to be a damn noose. And another thing, I think that
ISIS and all the
others are completely hard wired into just about everything that we---"
"Look! Up in
the sky! That's the FedEx drone coming in now!" Van de Meer cut in.
All eyes followed
the silhouette of the swooping drone as it silently touched down
like some aerial
apparition. It very soon appeared to be taxying in with a purpose
down the long,
flat stretch of ghostly midnight tarmac.
The FedEx
overseas, overnight autonomous drone 'Special Delivery' had arrived.
* * *
"It should
begin slowing down here shortly," Van de Meer decided as he rubbed
his orange mittens
together like a homeless man being seated at a Thanksgiving
dinner with all
the trimmings. "The drone is supposedly designed to deploy an
unloading chute or
ramp of some kind and the package will gingerly issue out
via a hatch
somewhere along its tubular fuselage."
"Does that
damn delivery drone know or even care that we're waiting out
here?"
Brinkerhoff
chattered as he watched the steamy clouds of his breath float off into
the chilly night.
"I... suppose
so," Van de Meer replied nervously. "Oh hell, not now!"
He yelped
in exasperation as
he slipped off a mitten and dug down deep into his parka pocket
for his wildly
ringing, vibrating cell phone.
"What
do you want?" Van de Meer shouted after he flipped the little phone open.
"They... somebody...
got past security and made off with our new prototype HEL-MD
drone killer... sir. They crashed right into and over the top of
the fortified chain link
periphery gate
like they were on some kind of damn life or death re-po mission."
"WHAT?"
Van de Meer shouted out incredulously. "Who in the hell is this
anyway?"
"This is
Bernard Beasley sir... I'm one of your CUAV R&D assistants over here
at--"
"What are you
talking about Beasley?" Van de Meer blasted in. "This simply can't
be happening.
Everything is in place for the FedEx drone delivery drop off out here
on the damn
runway. Everything is go for Christ sakes!"
"Well sir...
I don't quite know... what to say," Beasley stammered back in
response.
"It would
appear that we have us a major problem on our hands."
"You
simpleton Beasley," Van de Meer cried out. "Find out where that damn
HEL-MD
vehicle is you
idiot. Get our Creech Security Team all over it. We're dead in our tracks
without,that
HEL-MD... literally."
"But I
can't... I mean..."
"Just do it
damn it! Now!... and keep me posted." Van de Meer shouted and then
flipped the phone
closed and stuffed it back in his pocket.
Before he could
re-focus on the drone delivery situation at hand Brinkerhoff called out
in disbelief as
they all watched in shock and disbelief the now speeding FedEx van tear
across the
tarmac.
"Jesus
Christ! What are those FedEx bastards in the van doing? It looks like
they're
gonna' ram into
their own damn drone!"
Before Van de
Meer, or anyone else for that matter, could respond or react to the
insane incredulity
of the moment the speeding truck plowed into the taxying drone's
crossing tale and
rudder assembly with a crippling crunch.
The overnight
'Stop & Drop'/Special Drone Delivery had been crudely interupted.
"Look
There!" Van de Meer finally managed as he snapped back into the midnight
reality that was
now taking place before their very eyes. "The hatch and chute were
activated either
by design or because of the collision. There's the HEL-MD package
coming out the
chute now!"
"That was no
collision my friend. Those bastards rammed that damn bird...on purpose!
Two slinking
silohuettes slipped out of the van and snatched away the purple and orange
labeled FedEx box
that was issuing down the delivery drone's extended, conveyor slide.
As they scrambled
back to the dinged and dented truck with the precious parcel they
both stole a quick
over-the-shoulder look down at the aghast potential recipients.
Both marauding
figures had black, bushy beards and shouldered AK-47 rifles.
The top secret,
drone delivery, 'Stop & Drop' reception committee was now completely
frozen in both
trepidation and temperature. As they helplessy watched the pirates make
off somewhere down
the length and breadth of the eerie, midnight runway Van de Meer's
deep pocketed cell
phone vibrated and rang in with a decidedly impatient purpose.
After a few micro
seconds of complete disgust and frustration he fished it out again.
"What now
Beasley?" he surrendered with teeth chattering discontent and dismay.
"Begging your
pardon sir but I thought it was imperative that I let you know that--"
"Spit it out
damn it!" Van de Meer shouted so that all God and country could
hear."
"We,
that is Creech AFB Security Agents, have just recently discovered the bodies
of two
male FedEx delivery people along the side of the Creech AFB entrance
road."
Without
bothering to put all the perplexing piracy pieces of the puzzle together
Van de
Meer blew out in surrender... "So what? What's your point God damn
it?"
"They
were both... be-headed!"
No comments:
Post a Comment