Patriot games - Tom Clancy [243]
"I'd settle for a little bit more. I presume you've heard?"
"Yes." He paused. "I hope your chaps are careful."
Jack voiced agreement, then rose as he heard a car pull up. He opened the door to see Robby and Sissy Jackson getting out of the pilot's Corvette. The Secret Service's communications van moved to block the driveway behind them. Robby stormed up the steps.
"What gives? Who's here, the President?"
Cathy must have warned them. Jack saw. Sissy was dressed in a simple but very nice blue dress, and Robby had a tie on. Too bad.
"Come on in and join the party," Jack said with a nasty grin.
Robby looked at the two men by the pool, their jackets unbuttoned, and gave Jack a puzzled look, but followed. As they came around the brick fireplace, the pilot's eyes went wide.
"Commander Jackson, I presume." His Highness rose.
"Jack," Robby whispered. "I'm going to kill you!" Louder: "How do you do, sir. This is my wife, Cecilia." As usually happened, the people immediately split into male and female groups.
"I understand you're a naval aviator."
"Yes, sir. I'm going back to a fleet squadron now. I fly the F-14." Robby struggled to keep his voice under control. He was successful, mostly.
"Yes, the Tomcat. I've flown the Phantom. Have you?"
"I have a hundred twenty hours in them, sir. My squadron transitioned into fourteens a few months after I joined up. I was just getting the Phantom figured out when they took 'em away. I-uh-sir, aren't you a naval officer also?"
"Yes, Commander, I have the rank of captain," His Highness answered.
"Thank you. Now I know what to call you, Captain," Robby said with visible relief. "That's okay, isn't it?"
"Of course. You know, it does get rather tiresome when people act so awkwardly around one. This friend of yours here actually read me off some months ago."
Robby smiled finally. "You know Marines, sir. Long on mouth and short on brains."
Jack realized that it was going to be that kind of night. "Can I get anyone something to drink?"
"I gotta fly tomorrow. Jack," Robby answered. He checked his watch. "I'm under the twelve-hour rule."
"You really take that so seriously?" the Prince asked.
"You bet you do, Captain, when the bird costs thirty or forty mil. If you break one, booze better not be the reason. I've been through that once."
"Oh? What happened?"
"An engine blew when I put her in burner. I tried to get back but I lost hydraulic pressure five miles from the boat and had to punch out. That's twice I've ejected, and that's by-God enough."
"Oh?" This question got Robby started on how his test-pilot days at Pax River had ended. There I was at ten thousand Jack went into the kitchen to get everyone some iced tea. He found two security types, an American and a Brit.
"Everything okay?" Ryan asked.
"Yeah. It looks like our friends got spotted near Hagerstown. They blasted a State Police car and split. The trooper's okay, they missed this one. Anyway, they were last seen heading west." The Secret Service agent seemed very pleased by that. Jack looked outside to see another one standing on the outside deck.
"You sure it's them?"
"It was a van, and it had handicap tags. They usually fall into patterns," the agent explained. "Sooner or later it catches up with them. The area's been sealed off. We'll get 'em."
"Good." Jack lifted a tray of glasses.
By the time he got back, Robby was discussing some aspect of flying with the Prince. He could tell since it involved elaborate hand movements.
"So if you fire the Phoenix inside that radius, he just can't evade it. The missile can pull more gees than any pilot can," Jackson concluded.
"Ah, yes, the same thing with the Sparrow, isn't it?"
"Right, Cap'n, but the radius is smaller." Robby's eyes really lit up. "Have you ever been up in a Tomcat?"
"No, I wish I could."
"For crying out loud, that's no big deal. Hell, we take civilians up all the time-I mean it has to be cleared and all that, but we've even had Hollywood actors up. Getting you a hop ought to be a snap. I mean, it's not like you're a security risk, is it?" Robby laughed