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“Aw, hell.”
It was soft, and it wasn’t the response she’d been expecting.
“How long was she aboard before she figured it out?”
Penny was about to ask who, then realized that was pointless. Miranda Chase. “Under twenty minutes, sir.”
“What did she find?” Still no identity, but there was no mistaking a voice so used to command.
“To whom am I speaking, sir? If I may ask?”
“Sorry. I must be tired—about a tenth as tired as you, I imagine. Drake Nason and I’m here with the President.”
“Sir! Mr. President!” She jolted to attention so fast that her tired grip almost lost the phone overboard. That would teach her to doubt Miranda Chase’s credentials.
“At ease, Brightman. Accident or attack? Dumb question. You wouldn’t be calling in a Pinnacle report if it was the former. What did she find?”
“Laser, sir. Aerial.”
“Someone flew a laser-equipped plane over one of our carriers without us knowing?”
“No sir. Ms. Chase said something about the dispersion of the beam and atmospheric scattering that I couldn’t quite follow.”
“You’ll find that happens a lot around her.”
Which didn’t make Penny feel any better. “It makes her think it was fired from orbit. Someone deliberately attacked a pilot during landing using a big-ass laser.” Penny flinched. “Sorry for the language, sir. As you stated, I’ve been awake a long while. The pilot’s actions as he was attacked is what caused the damage to the carrier.”
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff sounded unrealistically human as he sighed unhappily. “Going to be awake a while longer. At least until theVinsongets close enough to send you some serious coverage.”
“So I surmised, sir.”
“Smart girl. Okay, run down your status for us in language that a 75th Ranger and a mere Green Beret can understand.” How anyone could call a President with Roy Cole’s battle recordmerewas beyond her. Ranger teasing Green Beret? Well, the Navy was better than either of those.
“For a pair of grunts? I don’t know. I can try, sir.”
There was a bark of laughter before she could bite her own tongue off. Penny forged ahead rather than thinking about whether or not they would lock her up for insulting the Commander in Chief.
Over the next fifteen minutes, the Chairman and the President listened and asked detailed questions. Good questions, hard ones that made her think. The logistical ones she was generally able to tell them the work was already done or in progress. The tactical ones were much more difficult. Thank gods above and below that the strategic questions were all above her pay grade.
By the end of their questions, she had a lot more work to do tonight than she’d started with.
“I’m looking at your file here, Lieutenant Commander Brightman.”
“Sir.” And what exciting revelations was he reading there?
“Sterling recommendations for your promotion to commander. Only awaiting your captain’s signature.” She hadn’t known that a promotion was even in process. Just like the captain to want to surprise her.
“The captain is dead, sir.” Penny closed her eyes against the darkness, but it didn’t shut it out. Damn but she was going to miss serving under him.
“Yes, so I have signed it in his stead. Congratulations, Commander Brightman.”
“Thank you, sir.” As if that mattered right now.
“TheCarl Vinsonis now close enough that we’re going to fly their executive officer over. Sorry, we couldn’t do it sooner. There were other logistical concerns that distracted our attentions.”
He didn’t elaborate.
She didn’t ask.
