Independent (abridged)

Iran has been invaded. And America responds in a grueling counterattack by air, by sea - and by a brave new technology that will redefine war. The most sophisticated laser defense system ever. It is called Silver Tower. And it will change the balance of world power forever.

In Desert Storm, Major Daren Mace made a fateful decision to go against orders. To abort a secret mission that was, in his judgment, ill advised. His actions landed him in military exile. Now Mace has moved on to the Air Force Reserves. There's a new US president. It's a new era, and a new war is escalating along the Ukraine border. This time Mace has a partner - Rebecca Furness, the military's first woman combat flyer. And this time the chains of command are tightening around him.

Terrorists are holding America under siege, and their method is as ingenious as it is deadly. Using commercial aircraft purchased from a failing domestic airline, they drop bombs on unsuspecting and critical targets - including the busy airports of Los Angeles and Dallas/Fort Worth. When the nation begins to panic, the President orders Lieutenant General Robert Blocker to reestablish security in the skies before the fallout hits the White House. Blocker's response to the crisis is drastic - until the terrorists strike again in Denver, then Memphis.