"You are probably right, Joe," said David, "but they will be targeting the whole crew."
"I accept that, David, but you are the one he wants. The rest of us are collateral damage. We cannot continue repelling attacks; we must take the war to him before he succeeds."
"I agree, Joe, but first we have to get ourselves out of this one. Let's see what we have.
"One. The base personnel are incapacitated by gas.
"Two. The FO is in a surveillance tower, presumably awaiting the arrival of reinforcements. He must have arranged a signal with them to confirm it is safe to enter; otherwise, he could have radioed from anywhere on the base."
"He is not taking the chance we could intercept the call," said Joe. He sounds like a professional. We need to take him out before he signals the task force to attack."
David paced the room silently, deciding on the best strategy. He turned to Sol, who hadn't participated actively in the conversation and was rummaging through the weapons and ammunition boxes.
"What do you think, Sol? The FO must be removed from the tower without delay, and you are the best man we have. Do you destroy the observation platform from the outside or enter from below and capture the FO?"
Sol picked out a small object from the boxes and came to join them.
I have been contemplating that question since the situation became clear. The answer is not straightforward. The main objective is to prevent the FO from sending a signal, and I could achieve this by destroying the observation platform entirely, including the FO, or, as you suggested, capturing the FO before he sends his signal to the task force. That would be the better option, as we could interrogate the FO and potentially obtain valuable information. However, I would need to force entry through the door at the bottom of the tower. This would alert him to my approach and give him time to send the signal, in the hope that it would be noticed. He could also destroy documents that might be valuable to us.
"That is a fair evaluation, Sol, but we do not have time to argue the pros and cons of either action. You must act now, and since our primary objective is to prevent the enemy from entering the airfield at any cost, you must go now and destroy the platform."
"If you would give me a few seconds to offer an alternative, David."
"Very well, you have a minute, no more."
Sol opened his massive hand to reveal a hand grenade.
"I need to create a diversion long enough for me to get into the tower and up to the observation platform. A smoke bomb would do the trick. I need three things to convert this hand grenade into a smoke bomb. First is a propellant. I have removed most of the explosive charge in the grenade, leaving enough to act as a propellant. The second is fuel, which can be obtained from the supply of cornflour in the kitchen. Last is an oxidiser. I will use potassium nitrate, which is used on the base to create fertiliser. I have a supply that I had intended to use to manufacture explosives for our own use. I can assemble the smoke bomb very quickly and launch it through the observation window."
"With what accuracy? Asked David.
"One hundred per cent," replied Sol.
"Then go for it, Sol. Good luck."
"Thanks, David," said Sol, and he quickly began the assembly of the smoke bomb.
David gestured towards the door.
"Come on, Joe, we need to give Sol some room."
The two of them moved outside. There was no sign of movement on the airfield, and the descending twilight gave a ghostly air to the scene.
"Looks as if the gas is still pumping," said Joe. I would guess that whatever gas they are using is relatively heavy, at least for the outside area. It clings to the ground and is not easily blown away. I would say that they are using an aerosol dispersal system. For inside the buildings, it would seem logical for the FO to use the ventilation system. He has probably planted a hidden emitter at some central point that we need to locate and remove."
"Somebody is coming," said David in an urgent whisper. "There, to the right."
Both men drew their pistols and flattened themselves against the wall. In the gloom, they saw two shadowy figures approaching.
"Cover me," hissed David, and he stepped out in the open, clasping his gun in both hands with the muzzle pointing towards the intruders.
"Halt and identify yourselves," he bellowed. "One wrong move and we open fire."
"It's us, David," came the reply. "McCloud and Rogers."
"Step forward and be identified," ordered David.
The two men shuffled forward. Rogers leaning on McCloud's arm.
David did not lower his weapon.
"Are you hurt, Rogers?"
"Recovering," he replied. "Head grazed by a sniper's bullet."
"What was the name of your supervisor at the university, Rogers? Quick now," said David.
"Why Jarvis, of course. Why do you ask? Rogers answered.
David lowered his gun.
"Could not take the chance you were a clone," he said. "Come inside."
Rogers said that as soon as he felt able to walk, he and McCloud had followed the sweeping path back to quarters. David quickly updated them on the situation, and as he finished, Sol left on his mission to capture the FO.
"Immobilise his drive, Sol, when you get him under control and leave him inert on the platform," said David. Any problem securing him, then blow up the entire tower with your laser. He cannot be allowed to make his signal. After that, I want to scan as far as you can outside the airfield and try to detect any incoming force. Report back here."
"Understood," said Sol, and made his way rapidly towards the observation tower.
David asked Joe, Rogers, and McCloud to join him at the table.
"Now to the problem of the gas," he said. "Any suggestions on how to proceed?"
Jock McCloud tentatively raised his hand.
Since we need to shut down the external emitters and purge the air conditioning system, it seems to me that we should utilise the cleaning and maintenance droids on the base. They are programmed to access all areas and know the location of all the air conditioning vents. They should be able to find and disable all the unauthorised dispersal devices both inside and outside.
"Brilliant idea in theory, Jock, but how can we action it in practice? How do we instruct the droids to do the task?"
"I worked with the men in the engineering section when I asked for help in manufacturing a part Joe needed for the Skytrain. The maintenance people worked in the same building, and I saw how they programmed the droids for daily tasks," replied Jock. It was all done from a central console, and it looked pretty straightforward. I reckon I could do it."
David was about to reply when the sound of a muffled explosion from outside echoed through the room.
"Sol!" exclaimed David, and all four of them ran to take a look.
Joe handed David a pair of binoculars.
"It looks as if the bomb worked," he said. "Smoke is pouring out of the broken window of the platform."
David looked through the binoculars for a couple of minutes and then exclaimed.
"The smoke has cleared, and I can see Sol standing over the body of the FO. He must have disabled its main drive. The FO is not moving. Good work, Sol."
David put down the binoculars and addressed Jock.
"You too, Jock. Your plan is our best bet. Can you do it on your own, or do you need assistance?"
"The operatives might be laid across the console unconscious. If so, I will need help moving the bodies before I can start working on programming the console. Rogers can come with me."
"Set off at once," said David. "We have no time to waste."