Project Sunrise: The Rescue

By Daniel Buchanan

Two brothersresponsible for creating the fastest, most sophisticated aircraft ever built under secret government backingare plunged into life-and-death struggles as the base security is compromised, and one of them is kidnapped in an attempt to gain control of the newly completed aircraft. The other must use the aircraft and the limited resources available to search out and not only rescue his brother but take out anyone that could expose the project to the public and stop the man that wants to use the aircraft to deliver a nuclear strike against the United States.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524556945

Daniel Buchanan

My name is Daniel Morris Buchanan. I was born on April 2, 1957, in Nashville, Tennessee. I am fifty-nine years old. I entered into the armed forces after graduating from Dickson County Senior High School in Dickson, Tennessee, in 1976. I served in the United States Army with the military police/investigation. My tour of service ended in February 1982. I entered the workforce working a variety of jobs throughout my career, focusing mainly as a commercial truck driver. Giving up driving the big rigs, I am now employed as an armed security officer at a local hospital in the Nashville, Tennessee, area.

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Copyright © 2016 by Daniel Buchanan.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2016918516

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-5245-5696-9

                Softcover        978-1-5245-5695-2

                eBook               978-1-5245-5694-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 11/07/2016

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PROJECT SUNRISE

The Rescue

Zack and Pat Steller were born in Clarksville, Tennessee. Zack being the older by a year and a half was thirty-two, with a tall, lean six-foot-three muscular build, long black hair surrounding a face chiseled to perfection that would be the highlight of any woman’s dream. Pat was a little shorter at six-one but mirrored his brother when it came to looks, only he had light brown hair. He and his brother had been raised by their uncle after their parents were killed in a car crash returning from a dinner in Nashville on I-24. Their uncle, Thomas T. Steller, founded Skylab, the aeronautical and space research agency in 1992, which quickly became the fascination of both brothers at an early age. Though both had very high IQs, Pat, having higher, graduated high school early, allowing him and Zack to enter college together at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Zack obtained his engineering master’s degree in aerospace technology specializing in structural design and controls. Pat was more fascinated with the human mind and combined his studies in neuro and computer sciences.

After college, Zack and Pat took over the reins of their uncle’s research agency, putting their combined knowledge and skills together. They came up with the idea for a new high-tech aircraft that would no doubt revolutionize the air and space industry. However, NASA did not express any interest in their concepts, so they decided to go a different route. They approached a good friend of theirs named Richard Packett, whom they had met in college. He was a real political science nut, who just happened to have become the vice president of the United States. Once Richard presented the brothers’ concepts and the proposal for the new aircraft to the president and the secretary of defense, Project Sunrise was born.

The three men, dressed in their white lab coats, stood on the hillside overlooking the test area located somewhere in the Nevada Desert. The cool of the night was rapidly fading as the morning sun appeared over the eastern mountain range, painting the sky with magnificent colors as it began its journey across the desert sky. This area of the desert had been chosen for its remote, desolate location, and for the sole purpose of launching Project Sunrise, a project to create and build the most sophisticated aircraft ever built, using new technology created by Zack and Pat and a few colleagues they had handpicked to join their team.

Now Pat stood beside two of his fellow scientists, Paul Warfield and Rudy Bell, on this hot sunny morning on April 2, 2035, watching as the new SR700 prototype aircraft as it appeared on the horizon traveling at speeds no other current aircraft had ever achieved. The sleek aircraft stood 52.4 feet tall, 142.6 feet long, with large unconventional curved adjustable wings that could be used to change the aircraft’s shape, giving it a more rectangular saucer-like shape or drawn in for better control at high speeds. The light gray-colored aircraft was built for speed and, with its stealth capabilities, was undetectable by current radar technology. The newly developed lightweight, seamless titanium cavlar coating could stop a 30mm round and could even withstand the heat of re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. The onboard neurologic computer system (NCS) designed and created by Pat Steller and nicknamed Kate by Zack linked with the pilot’s neural system and assisted the operator with flight operations, navigation, and instantaneous response times in coordinating weapons deployment with pinpoint accuracy. The NCS also monitored the pilot’s vital signs and was capable of making adjustments to maintain top performance while operating the SR700. In the event the pilot became incapacitated, the NCS would take over the control of the aircraft in order to complete its mission or return the craft to its base of operations. The SR could not only be equipped with traditional weaponry but also was capable of emitting laser beams in a 360-degree radius with devastating results. The SR did not need a runway to take off and land, thanks to a newly developed propulsion system thought to exist only in the sci-fi fantasy world of motion pictures. The magnetic antigravity propulsion system, known as MAPS, made it possible for the aircraft to hover, go vertical, or maneuver in any direction at unbelievable speeds, either by manual controls or by using the fully automated flight capabilities of the NCS. MAPS, when engaged, only emitted a low humming sound, only adding to its stealth capabilities. The SR’s design could be reconfigured for military use, cargo, or passenger transport and was also capable of deploying or retrieving satellites.

The aircraft appeared on the horizon, traveling so fast that the scientists were only awarded a quick glimpse before disappearing again over the far horizon. As the three of them gazed out over the test area, Pat pointed to an area just slightly to the left, stating, When Zack returns this time, he will bring the craft to a hover over that mound of boulders that’s shaped like a large turtle. They used their hands like visors to shield their eyes from the blinding sun as they waited for the SR to reappear.

The men were unaware of the black SUV that had pulled up on the rise behind them. A tall figure got out of the passenger side of the vehicle, dressed in a red skin-tight running outfit with matching tennis shoes. The figure approached the scientists, steps muffled by the hot desert sand, coming to a stop just a few feet behind them. The men were startled when she cleared her throat to gain their attention. Turning, there was confusion on their faces. When there should have been no one else in the area, they were looking at a very tall, very beautiful woman. Even though she already knew which of the three was Pat, she still asked, Dr. Pat Steller, right? Pat looked into the most hypnotic green cat eyes he had ever seen with an oval cream-colored face surrounded with short wild blond hair, with lips painted red, matching her running suit that showed off her long, lean athletic build with all the curves in all the right places.

Pat had to clear his own throat before saying, Yes, ma’am, that would be me, and you are?

My name is Catharina Bowers. My friends call me Cat. She offered him a firm handshake, along with it a sting from a hidden pressure syringe. Pat jerked his hand back as his vision blurred and his thoughts began to grow foggy. Trying to focus on Cat’s face, he heard her say just before slipping into the black void of unconsciousness, in a sexy down under voice, I am here to take over Project Sunrise.

When Pat began to stagger and started to fall, his colleagues reached out to catch him. Cat stopped them by pulling a handgun from behind her back snapping off two rapid shots, striking each man in the forehead causing their lifeless bodies to collapse and melt down to the desert floor.

Zack could not believe that they had finally completed the construction on the SR700, and that he was actually about to complete its final test flight. The new super jet was not only the fastest aircraft ever built but also had the capability to go into orbit and cruise into outer space. The creation of the SR700 would open a whole new realm of possibilities for space travel. Zack’s only regret at the moment was that this flight would not take him out of the Earth’s atmosphere. No matter how much he wanted to, there were only three government officials secretly connected to the SR project, and they strictly forbid him from taking the aircraft into space at this point. Richard was in charge of overseeing the project, and he would not approve a flight outside the Earth’s atmosphere and promised stiff consequences up to shutting down the project if his orders were disobeyed. So he and his brother had promised that he would only put the craft through the approved specified test.

Flying was one of Zack’s passions. Soaring above the clouds gave him such a majestic and euphoric feeling, allowing him to lose himself and free his mind. He came up with some of his brightest ideas and sometimes his weirdest while flying above the clouds. But this time, in this beast of a jet, it gave him such a rush. The adrenalin rush was none like he had ever experienced before. The mountains, hills, and valleys were going by at such an incredible blinding speed. If not for the assistance of the neurologic computer system (NCS) called Kate and its long-distance scanners, there would be no way to avoid slamming into something at such supersonic speeds. He could feel his heart beating like someone was beating on the inside of his chest with a sledge hammer. Then all at once he was calm. The NCS adjusted his adrenalin and slowed his heart rate and oxygen levels to normal. Then he almost jumped out of his skin when he heard, in that female electronic voice, Adjusting.

Holy shit, Kate, you scared the hell out of me.

Sorry, Zack, I did not mean to startle you. I had to use my connection to your nervous system to bring your body functions and emotions back to an acceptable range.

Kate, I don’t know if I will ever get use to you talking to me out of the blue like that. I am all alone up here having the time of my life, and you butt in and bring me off my high.

Sorry, but I am programed to take care of the operator while in flight.

Yeah, yeah, but you could at least let a guy have a little fun.

I am required to follow my program precisely, Zack.

Well, I guess I will have to talk to Pat about his programing, he knows I like to have fun while I am flying.

My programing is very precise and—

I know you have to follow you program.

Precisely.

Just what I need, a smart ass computer. Kate, just what did my brother, precisely, program into that mother board of a brain of yours about me anyway?

One of the objectives is to keep a tight rein on your endorphin levels.

What? Why that little asshole, I am going to kick—

Adjusting, bringing operator’s emotions back under control.

Kate, will you please stop doing that!

Zack, my sensors are indicating a problem back at the base.

What kind of problem?

Dr. Paul Warfield and Randy Bell’s vital signs have flat lined.

What? You mean like in dead?

Affirmative.

Run a diagnostic scan and check your scanners.

Diagnostic run indicates that all scanner functions are normal.

What about Pat?

Scanners no longer detect Dr. Pat Steller’s presence at the base.

What do your scanners show about base operations?

Base operations are normal.

Are you able to track Pat’s medical tracking device.

Sensors are no longer receiving information from Dr. Steller’s MTD at this time.

Why would you not be able to pick up Pat’s MTD signal?

Sensors cannot track the MTD’s signal below the Earth’s service. A scanning device can be used to block the signal or the MTD could be deactivated.

What is the ETA back to base?

At current speed, the SR will arrive at base of operations in exactly six minutes.

Can you tell me where Paul and Randy are located?

Affirmative, the remains of Dr. Paul Warfield and Randy Bell are located at the observation area half a kilometer west of base operations. Do you wish to alter course to their location?

No, maintain present course and put down at the base.

Contact General Tillman, fill him in on what information we have so far. Tell him I will come to him once I land.

Affirmative.

Approaching the base of operations, Zack brought the SR into a hover at the base of a mountain that rose 1,500 feet that cast its early morning shadow far out across the desert floor. With the SR facing the mountain Zack entered a code causing two enormous columns of rock to part revealing a large cave that had become the birth place for the SR700. Zack maneuvered the SR through the opening and once inside, the massive doors closed again leaving no trace around the mountain that anything had ever been disturbed. The area inside the cave was as large as a football field. The ceiling was at least 80 feet high and covered with three rows of four-foot LED lights extending the entire length of the cave. The electricity was provided by large twin turbine generators that were powered by an underground river that was discovered running deep within the Earth. On the left was the hangar area where the SR was kept closed off behind a white wall that reached form floor to ceiling and ran the length of the cave. The wall to the right was lined with high-tech computers, monitors, work stations, storage containers, and other equipment used in creating the SR. There were several figures moving about in white lab coats, taking care of their duties, some moving about in electric carts and small trucks, unaware that anything had gone wrong. All the data from the test flight had been transmitted back to the main computer servers located a mile below the hangar level.

Once the SR had been powered down, the lower portion of the cockpit lowered to the ground allowing Zack to step to the floor. He hitched a ride to the elevators on a passing golf cart. Waiting for the elevator, he kept telling himself that this could not be happening. Every precaution had been taken to ensure that the base’s location remained a secret. That there was never any sign outside the mountain base that there was any kind of activity. That was the main reason that this location was chosen for the base; it was located so far out in the desert. No one ever came out this far. It was even located where there was no airline traffic over head. With the special coating on the interior of the complex walls, not even the sensitive sensors of the SR could detect that anything existed inside the mountain. Once Zack was inside the small matchbox-sized elevator, the doors shut, and before selecting the level, he punched the door with his fist, shouting, Dammit, Pat, you hang in there, I will find out what the hell is going on and I will find you. He pushed the button LL, and the elevator dropped at such fast speed, one would think the floor was going to drop out from under them.

Coming to a sudden stop, the steel doors parted, allowing Zack to step into the tunnel located one mile below the surface. Rushing down the dimly lit hall, coming to a gray metal door with the name General Tillman painted on it in white block lettering, Zack burst through the door without knocking, entering into a room that had been carved into the side of the rock wall. The room was small, having an order of a fresh pine, being that the General had hung what looked like fifty little pine scented tree shaped air fresheners all over his office in an attempt to cover up the damp musty cave odor. The room was dimly lit by a single fluorescent light with two bulbs, with one flickering on and off like a strobe. A hole cut through the wall above the door provided just a hint of fresh air into the room from the silver ductwork that ran throughout the entire complex. The general was standing behind a dirty gray metal desk that may have partially survived the last urban war. Dressed in his usual military desert camouflaged fatigues with matching boots, General Joseph D. Tillman, JD to those who knew him, was in his mid-sixties, right at six feet tall with broad shoulders. His bald head appeared to have been polished to a high shine. His big ears and nose and beady eyes reminded Zach of the Mr. Potato Head toy—a thought that he would never be caught saying out loud. JD sported a large thick white mustache that curved around the corners of his lips and hung past his chin and big white bushy eyebrows. JD was a well-seasoned marine who earlier in his career played a commanding role in the last urban conflict in eliminating the Isis terror group back in 2017.

Before Zach could say anything, the general silenced him by holding up his hand while he spoke into the receiver he held to his right ear. The general had a booming voice that got everyone’s attention when he spoke. Zack knew that JD was speaking to the vice president; the satellite phone was a direct secured line to his office. Zack stood impatiently as JD spoke. Yes, sir. That is all we know at the moment, sir. Yes, sir, we will get the ball rolling on this end and keep you apprised of the situation, sir. Yes, sir, I understand, sir. And as the general’s eyes met Zack’s, said, Yes, sir, I will inform Zack of your concerns for his brother. Yes, sir, good day to you too, Rick.

Looking at Zack, he said, I don’t have to tell you who that was. I know that you and the vice president go back a ways and are good friends. Rick told me to tell you that he is sorry about your brother and wants to be kept in the loop on any progress we make in the investigation. But under the circumstances, the government must distance themselves from this matter so that they can maintain total deniability. The vice president is the only link to the other two that know of this project, and if it gets out that they were working with us on creating such a potential weapon like the SR700, the fallout could be disastrous.

General, I understand all that! What I don’t understand is how something like this could even happen.

"Well, Zack, the way I see it is that somewhere along the way someone screwed up and let the