Controlling

Five weeks after being terminated by President Reagan for striking, conflict arises between two roommates and ex-air traffic controllers. Both were college graduates in their late thirties. Rob Silvers falls back on his experience as a Navy pilot and goes to work as a flight instructor. Earl Baker was a Marine Corps Special Forces Officer who, under orders from the White House, made twelve clandestine missions into Cambodia during the Vietnam War. Before moving on with his life, Earl believed someone should take revenge against the FAA. When the Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center is bombed, Rob worries that Earl could be the bomber, but there is no proof. The blast caused the death of a guard... ...and the accompanying loss of power leads to a mid-air collision. Twenty years later Rob is married and happy in his dream job of flying left seat for a major airline. His life is good, but his future is scary. He is only a year away from government-mandated retirement at age sixty... ...but he and his wife are totally unprepared to make that step. If Earl had been the bomber, his clandestine background would prove to be a valuable asset in eluding suspicion for the 1981 bombing. He had returned to college and completed his doctorate in business; and with a solid education base along with his FAA experience, he had become COO for UP.-Ex, the world's largest package delivery company. Although his compensation package is excellent, his five divorces have collectively taken control of his income and retirement funds. Earl's insider knowledge and Rob's piloting skills lead to the first hijacking for money since D. B. Cooper. And as with most perfect crimes... ...this one has a flaw or two.