Free Category Five by Philip Donlay Page A

went out on the ship. After all of his design work on the flight envelope and propulsion systems, he really felt he was needed when they reached Helena’s eye.”
    â€œWe’ve established a direct link with the destroyer USS
Thorn
. You’re going to be in charge of the deployment from here. I don’t need to remind you how much we need this experiment to work.”
    â€œIt’ll work,” Lauren said, convincingly. “We’re going to have an around the clock, real-time view of Helena and how she’s behaving.”
    They reached the metal door of the operations room and Calvin stopped. “Helena is now a category three storm. Do you still think she could go to a category five?”
    Lauren looked directly into Calvin’s eyes. “It’s not a matter of if—but when.”
    Calvin nodded and blew out a quiet breath. “Then let’s get
Jonah
airborne. If what you say is true, we’re going to need all the hard evidence we can acquire before we sound the alarm and evacuate all of our resources in Helena’s path.”
    Calvin swiped his ID card through the slot and entered his code. The sound of the lock echoed through the hall. Lauren entered into her arena: computers, satellites, and the realm of global weather patterns. She hurried to her section and sat down before an array of large, high-definition television screens. This was the most complex system of computers and communications equipment money could buy. Using her password, Lauren quickly linked up through the DMSP-3 satellite. The Defense Meteorology Support Program, or DMSP, was a series of military dedicated weather satellites. Her primary role within the DIA was to monitor the earth for weather patterns that might effect ongoing military operations. A few keystrokes later, and the main screen produced a clear image of the fantail of the USS
Thorn
. In the background she could see the partially inflated
Jonah
.
    â€œThis is Dr. McKenna. Who am I speaking to?”
    â€œDr. McKenna. This is Lt. Joseph Herrera. Can you hear me okay?”
    â€œI read you five by five, Lt. Herrera.” Lauren was relieved the link was of such high quality. She could see every detail of the operation. “How did
Jonah
ride out the passage through the storm? Were there any problems?”
    â€œNo problems.” Herrera paused. “I gather you know about Dr. Browning?”
    â€œYes I know,” Lauren said quietly. She felt a growing sadness fighting to be heard. She pictured Kenneth, his crooked grin and sheepish smile. His little habit of clicking the mechanism on his pen when he was nervous or deep in thought. But most of all she remembered how passionate he was about the
Jonah
project. He was the one who had come up with the name, comparing the eye of a hurricane to the belly of a giant whale.
    â€œDr. McKenna…are you still there?”
    â€œYes. Let’s get started.” Lauren cleared her throat. “First, I need to know the current weather at your location. Specifically, how much wind is going over the stern of the ship?”
    â€œAs you know, it’s very calm here in the eye. We’re making nine knots, which is the amount of wind over the fantail.”
    â€œPerfect. Now I need you to double check that the support wires aren’t tangled and that the lines will uncoil as we inflate the airship.”
    â€œAlready done.”
    â€œGood. Now, the bottles of hydrogen are numbered as to which specific compartment inside the balloon’s envelope we fill first. Do you have Kenneth’s—Dr. Browning’s checklist with you?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œI’m going to do one last integrity check from here. Stand by.”
    Lauren took her eyes from the screen. The eye wall of the hurricane was clearly visible behind the ship. The vertical mass of churning clouds triggered another burst of adrenaline. This is what Lauren lived for; trying to understand