Shadow Catcher
by James
R. Hannibal
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
From
James R. Hannibal—a veteran combat pilot with Top Secret clearance from the
U.S. government—comes an electrifying high-tech thriller in the great tradition
of Tom Clancy…
Over
ten years ago, Air Force major Nick Baron was part of a failed special ops
mission that left a B-2 stealth bomber at the bottom of the Persian Gulf. Now,
leading his men—the Triple Seven Chase team—Baron must find the bomber and
dispose of it for good before any unfriendly nation can steal the onboard
technology for its own purposes. But as the team embarks on its mission, there
are greater dangers waiting.
When
the CIA intercepts a call signal from an operative in China long thought dead,
the Triple Seven Chase team is given the perilous task of retrieving the lone
soldier from deep within the Chinese wilderness. There is only one plane for
such a dangerous mission: the Shadow Catcher, a plane with capabilities beyond
anything that has ever flown.
What
Baron and his men don’t know is that the enemy is already among them—and that
the Shadow Catcher itself may be the ultimate prize.
EXCERPT:
From Chapter 1
Kuwait
March 18, 2013
A lone Westerner weaved his way along the crowded sidewalk
in front of the Souk Sharq in Kuwait City, suffering the uneasy glances and
occasional loathing glares of the locals. They did not bother him; with his
flaxen hair and fair skin, such looks were unavoidable. On another day, he
might have indulged his audience by slowing to gaze up at the beautiful souk,
playing the part of the wandering tourist, admiring the high towers and ornate
arches that hearkened back to the glory days of the Persian Empire. But not today.
There was no time.
For ten years, the objective had lain hidden, dormant. For
ten years, the secret had remained sealed in its watery vault. Now that he was
back, he felt like that seal had been broken, as if his mere presence in the
Persian Gulf had started a race against an unknown enemy. And somehow he knew
he was already behind.
Once inside the souk, Air Force major Nick Baron moved into
the shadow of a pillar. Now free from the usual disdainful looks, he let his
steel blue eyes slowly drift over the crowd, scanning the potpourri of faces
for something much more dangerous: recognition. He found none. Finally
satisfied that he was not being watched or followed, he turned his attention to
finding his teammate. It did not take long.
Nick slowly shook his head and sighed.
Major Drake Merigold stood in the center of the Grand
Corridor at the base of a beautiful two-story water clock, staring up at the
Jules Vernian sculpture with his mouth slightly agape. He wore an orange and
blue Hawaiian shirt that hung untucked over his khaki shorts. He could not have
stood out more amid the drab garb of the locals if he had worn a fluffy red wig
and big floppy shoes.
The two field operatives of the Triple Seven Chase squadron
had arrived on separate flights, on separate carriers, under assumed names.
Each had used a unique, indirect route to reach the souk, where they were
supposed to quietly join up before heading out into the gulf to meet the rest
of the team. The stakes of this mission demanded strict adherence to the
principles of covert movement. But then how could Drake be expected to fully
grasp the stakes? No one had told him the real reason they were here.
“Magnum PI called,” said Nick, joining his comrade at the
water clock. “He wants his shirt back.”
Drake nodded, still looking up. “It’s called hiding in plain
sight, boss.” He was nearly a head taller than Nick, with broad shoulders to
match and chiseled Greek features. With his flawless dark hair and obnoxious
shirt, he looked like a movie star about to go on a cruise rather than a
military operative. He glanced around the wide corridor, pulling the loud shirt
away from his body and fanning it to take advantage of the air-conditioning.
“They did a good job rebuilding. The last time we were here, an Iraqi missile
had just crashed through the ceiling. You’d never know that there was once a
huge crater right where we’re standing.”
“They’ve had ten years to fix it,” said Nick. “We’ve been
away a long time.”
For the first time since Nick had stepped out of the
shadows, Drake looked him straight in the eyes. “So, why are we back?”
Nick dropped his eyes from Drake’s to check his watch. “The
others should be reaching the rendezvous point soon. It’s time we got out
there.”
Drake frowned. “You’re starting to act like the colonel.”
“Just pick up your bag and let’s go.”
Nick shifted the strap of the duffel bag that hung over his
shoulder and started walking toward the central rear archway, the exit to the
marina. Like Drake, he wore civilian clothes to hide his military affiliation,
although his choices were a little more understated. His dark gray button-down
shirt hung loose on his shoulders, masking the solid build beneath. Both men
carried civilian duffel bags with enough gear to get them through a few days on
the water, just as Colonel Walker had directed.
Warm salty air rushed over him as Nick pushed open the glass
double doors. He started down the stairs to the wooden boardwalk, where several
docks extended out into the gulf. Each had room for twenty small craft and each
was nearly full, a forest of masts and canvas. Other than the whip and snap of
the sails in the gentle breeze, all seemed quiet. Nick felt the temptation to
relax.
The doors to the Grand Corridor clicked closed behind him,
wrenching his senses away from the pleasant atmosphere. He paused halfway down
the stairs. Scanning farther down the docks, he spied a pair of locals in the
common white thaubs and keffiyehs. He watched them for a few moments as they
prepared to launch a blue and white runabout, probably for an evening pleasure
cruise. They looked harmless.
At the end of the third dock, he found a black dinghy
waiting at the prescribed slip. He held it fast and tossed in their bags while
Drake jumped on board and prepped the motor.
Within minutes, Drake had the throttle fully open,
accelerating out into the open waters of the Persian Gulf. Every so often, he
steered into a wave, sending white spray over the bow and onto Nick.
“I know you’re doing that on purpose,” said Nick, wiping the
oily gulf water from his face.
“Just trying to lighten the mood,” replied Drake. “You gotta
learn to relax, boss.”
“I’ll relax when the mission is complete and the team is
safely back at Romeo Seven.”
“You know that ain’t true.”
Nick refused to respond. He was in no mood for friendly
ribbing, and he feared that in a few hours’ time, Drake’s usual jovial temper
would sour as well. Before the day was over, Drake would accuse him of
betrayal, and he would have every right to.
Twenty minutes later, another craft appeared on the horizon.
Despite his fears, Nick managed a thin smile. The commander of the Triple Seven
Chase was well known in the covert ops community as an acquisitions wizard.
Colonel Richard T. Walker had just pulled another rabbit out of his pointy hat,
and this time she was a big one.
Nick estimated the vessel to be at least 250 feet long with
a 50-foot beam. She looked fresh from the dry dock, with unblemished white
paint and a thick red stripe along the rails. She was well equipped too, with
three golf-ball-style radomes amidships and a docking station jutting out from
the rear beneath two heavy salvage cranes.
“Illustro ex Caliga,” read Nick, squinting at the black
lettering near the bow of the craft.
“It means ‘Illustrious Sea Monkey,’” said Drake.
“I don’t believe you.”
“Good call.” Drake scratched his chin in thought. “If I
remember my Latin correctly, it means ‘Illumination out of Darkness.’” He
guided the dinghy to the aft station, cutting his speed to a crawl and then
inching into position in an agonizingly slow attempt at docking.
“Well, that was ugly, Merigold,” said a booming voice from
above. An imposing figure leaned against the rail of the upper deck. With his
gray crew cut and perpetual scowl, Colonel Walker carried the aura of a man in
full US Army service dress, even when wearing a golf shirt and khakis.
“Hey, I fly airplanes, not boats,” retorted Drake, slapping
the tubular black hull of the dinghy. “I’m used to touching down on a solid
surface at a hundred and fifty knots, not wallowing in to a moving target at
five. You should be glad I didn’t ram this thing into your little rental here.”
Walker ignored Drake’s attempt to bait him. “Hurry up,
gentlemen,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do before dark.”
“And what work is that, sir?” asked Drake, hopping onto the
ship’s dock to secure the dinghy.
The colonel’s usual scowl faded into a grim smile.
“Preparing to raise a ghost from our past, Major Merigold,” he said. “Preparing
to raise a ghost from our past.”
James R.
Hannibal is a former US Air Force Stealth Bomber pilot with over a thousand
hours of combat experience including over-watch, close air support, and HVI
captures. He graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 1997 with a bachelors
of science in Middle
Eastern
Studies and earned a masters of science from Central Missouri State University
in Aviation Safety Sciences. His flying career included the A-10 Warthog, B-2
Stealth Bomber, MQ-1 Predator, T-38 Talon, T-37 Tweet, and the Boeing 737, 757,
and 767. When he is not flying or writing thrillers, James occasionally reviews
for the New York Journal of Books.
Buy links:
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Shadow Maker:
How far will
collateral damage from a CIA drone strike reach?
When a
suicide bomber shatters the peace of a winter afternoon on the National Mall in
Washington, D.C., former pilot and undercover Cerberus operative Nick Baron
receives an eerie invitation from the chess app on his phone—a mysterious
figure named The Emissary wants to play.
Nick and his
covert unit—the Triple Seven Chase team—soon find themselves drawn into battle
against an unknown opponent who has resurrected an ancient order of assassins:
the legendary Hashashin. And there is a long-awaited prophecy being fulfilled
by a series of violent attacks which may culminate in a final apocalypse over
Jerusalem.
As the Triple
Seven fight to stop each attack, Nick tries to keep The Emissary on the hook by
playing their digital chess game. The lines between the game and the fight
begin to blur, as every time Nick loses a piece on the board, he loses one of
his men. And if Nick cannot find a way to stop the terrorist mastermind, a
checkmate may kill millions…
Wraith:
After the
towers fall on 9/11, Lieutenant Nick Baron and the rest of the 81st Fighter
Squadron are desperate for action. But CENTCOM puts them on the sidelines,
leaving the young Warthog pilots restless—and reckless. Then the unthinkable
happens. During a high-risk training flight, a rookie wingman slams into the
ground.
In the
darkness that follows, Nick wonders if he will ever learn to trust a wingman
again—or even learn to trust himself. He will soon find out. Despite the black
mark on his record, Nick’s application to the elite Stealth Wing is approved. A
recruiter for a new covert team has taken note of Nick’s unique combination of
skills. Suddenly Nick is swept into Operation Cerberus—a top secret mission
that will take him from a harrowing flight over a black testing facility to a
fight for his life on the Iraqi Dunes.
“Hannibal
brings together a terrific mix of real air technology with intrigue and nonstop
action. A true suspenseful story that will keep you turning the pages until the
exciting finale; it really is a great tale.”—Clive Cussler
“Get out of
the way, Nelson DeMille. Brad Thor—you’ve got competition!”—Raymond Benson
“A feast for
thriller lovers!”—Grant Blackwood, New York Times bestselling author of The
Kill Switch
James will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.Use the rafflecopter link below to enter. You can find his schedule at http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/11/book-blast-shadow-catcher-by-james-r.html
nice chapter
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