The girls gathered their belongings as quickly as they could before they changed for the trip. Sara was just putting away the last of her things when Jake knocked on the door.
“Let’s go,” he called through the door. The girls grabbed their bags and followed Jake out of the barracks into the still dark early morning. After getting back in the jeep, Jake drove them toward the transportation office. When they got close, he glanced in his mirrors quickly to see if anyone was around before driving the jeep around the back of the hanger. He turned the car off but left the keys in the ignition.
“Let’s go, ladies,” he said.
Paige glanced at her brother with a look of suspicion. She had caught the slight apprehension in his voice, but before she could ask him about it, he was already walking toward the hanger. The girls scrambled out of the jeep and ran in the direction Jake was walking. Once they caught up with him, they headed to the front of the hanger and into an office off to the right. Jake held the door open for them as they entered.
“Hey, Sam,” Jake called as he walked in. The man sitting at a desk behind the counter stood up with a grin.
“What’s up, Jake?” He asked as he walked up and shook Jake’s hand. “Are you and these lovely ladies taking the MAC flight today?”
“Yes, we are.”
Sam grabbed a manifest from his desk and walked back up to the counter, “Man, we’re going to miss this guy. We’ve had all sorts of fun.” He flipped through a few pages before he glanced back up with a sly grin. “Do you have all your possessions on board the plane?”
“Everything but us and our bags,” Jake replied as he made a small motion like he was steering a car.
“Excellent,” Sam said with a grin. “All right then we have a couple of standard questions. Are you still about one eighty, Jake?”
“Give or take.”
“Okay and now you lovely ladies. Paige, what are you at these days?”
Giving him a dirty look, Paige folded her arms across her chest before answering, “I’m still one thirty and it’s because I’m tall.”
“You’re still short to me,” Jake said with a laugh as he playfully poked his sister in the side. She swatted his hand away.
“That’s because you are a six one giant,” she said with a pout. “I’m still five nine and that’s not bad. Sara over here is the short one.” She grinned at her friend when Sara rolled her eyes at her.
“So, you do have a name,” Sam said, his tone teasing. “How about it? How much do you weigh? We have to have it for the flight manifest.”
“One fifteen and since everyone is sharing, I’m a measly five three,” she whispered as she turned a light shade of red. Sam chuckled at her response as he wrote her weight on the manifest. Once he was finished, he handed her the pen, so she could sign, that yes, she was going to be aboard the flight.
“Alright, the plane is still being loaded so if you wouldn’t mind waiting over in our lovely waiting area. I’ll let you know when you can board.” He gestured to a couple of chairs set up by the wall.
Sara walked over with Paige and sat down while Jake and Sam continued to chat. She glanced around the room while she waited. It was another fairly small room with light tan walls. There was not much in it besides a counter and a desk. On the desk was a nameplate that read Capt. Samuel McMillagen. Sara looked back over when she figured out the man Jake was talking to must be him. He was much shorter than Jake but quite a bit stockier. He appeared like he could handle himself in a fight despite his strawberry blond hair. A large scar ran down his forearm, which could be seen due to his rolled-up fatigue sleeves.
“What happens now?” Sara asked. Paige turned to answer her when the door of the office flew open, and an important looking man strode into the room. Jake and Sam immediately snapped to attention.
“As you were boys,” the man declared in a short, commanding tone. “Captain, I need to be on this MAC flight.”
“Yes sir, I’ll get you on today’s flight right away,” Sam replied as he shared a look of concern with Jake as he moved over to stand beside the girls. “Will it just be you sir or are any of your aids joining you?”
“Do you see anyone else?”
“No sir,” Sam replied with a frown. “I need your weight for the manifest please.”
“One eighty,” came the clip reply.
“Yeah more like two eighty,” Paige whispered to Sara as she snickered.
Jake looked down at her, his disapproval clearly visible, as the man marched over to where they were waiting.
“Name and rank soldier,” he snapped, his face turning red with anger.
“Captain Jacob Riverwood,” Jake replied without skipping a beat. The man narrowed his eyes with a look of disgust.
“And who are you?” He demanded looking at Paige.
“I don’t have to tell you that,” she snapped back as she stood up to look him in the face. He stood about an inch shorter than her. “I’m not in the military.”
“As long as you are a guest on this military base, you’ll tell a commanding officer who you are, or I’ll have you removed,” he growled. “Who’s responsible for this child?”
Paige bristled at being called a child, but Jake grabbed her arm with a hand behind his back before she could reply.
“I’m responsible, sir,” Jake said, without taking his eyes off the wall on the far side of the room.
The man appeared pleased when he realized that Jake replied, and the anger started to fade from his face. “Is this how your guest treats a superior officer?”
Paige glanced back and forth between the man and her brother and it only took her a split second to realize she could get Jake in trouble.
“Paige Riverwood,” she snapped causing the man to look back over at her.
His expression darkened as he glared at her, “You’re Jeremiah’s brats.” He paused with a scowl when he turned his attention back at Jake. “His overachieving brat.” He added with a sneer as he gave Jake a look of pure disdain.
Jake tightened his grip on Paige’s arm to prevent her from responding. Paige pursed her lips in annoyance but managed to stay quiet.
The man appeared to be considering his next course of action when he noticed Sara still sitting in the chair.
“And who are you?” He demanded shifting his attention to her. She flinched at the glare he was giving her.
“That’s Sar—.”
“I don’t believe I asked you,” he said, his voice cold as ice. Jake snapped his mouth closed and clenched his jaw in anger when he could only watch. “Well? I don’t have all day?” The man snapped, his voice filled with impatience.
Sara stood up and did her best to look him in the eye, “Sara MacCoinnich.” Her voice came out a terrified whisper. The man scowled at her for a moment before he spun around and marched back over to the counter. He snatched the pen out of Sam’s hand and signed the manifest.
“Best to pick better friends,” he sneered at Sara before looking back at Sam. “I require all eight seats in the front of this aircraft. I have a reputation to think about.”
“It’ll be taken care of sir,” Sam said.
“I’m boarding now. I don’t care if all the equipment is loaded yet.” He snapped these last words before he threw open the door of the office. It closed behind him with a loud slam. As soon as he was gone the tension in the room dropped noticeably and Sara sank back down in the chair with a thud.
“Paige, so help me,” Jake started. “I swear you’ll be the death of me.”
She looked up at her brother with a sheepish grin, “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it. He was being such a jerk.”
Jake grimaced and shook his head before glancing over at Sam.
“You have no idea who that man was, do you?”
“That was Colonel Tibus Ravencraft, th--.”
“The girls don’t need to hear the rest,” Jake blurted when Sam chimed in. “All you need to know is that he could make my life miserable, so please watc
h yourself on this trip.”
Paige grinned at her brother again, “I’ll try my best.”
Jake walked slowly back over to the counter and rested his head in his hands. Sam chuckled and slapped him on the back.
“It’s time to board folks,” he said motioning toward the door. “Try not to get a court-martial before you make it to Washington.”
“I think that will be completely up to my sister,” Jake answered without lifting his head. Sam laughed as he glanced at Paige.
“Yeah, I think you’re right. Good luck man.”
Jake stood up with a heavy sigh and shook Sam’s hand before the three of them headed out of the office and toward the plane.
Sara clutched her bag tighter as she followed Jake and Paige out of the transportation office hanger. She was getting more and more nervous about the flight. When they reached the tarmac, she stopped walking and just stared up at the enormous aircraft sitting there. A few seconds later she rushed after Jake and Paige who were both still walking.
“Whoa!” Paige gasped when she noticed the plane. “I’ve never been on a plane this big. What is this, Jake?” She looked up at the wing on the aircraft as they passed underneath.
“This is a C5 Galaxy,” Jake said as he glanced at the plane. “It’s one of the largest military cargo planes in the world. They’re capable of carrying multiple smaller vehicles as well as large numbers of troops.”
“Wow,” Paige replied. “I wonder what they put on here.” Jake gave her a look of disapproval, which she ignored, as they walked up the open cargo ramp in the tail of the plane. Once inside they were met by a sergeant.
“Welcome aboard, Captain Riverwood,” the sergeant said. “I trust that you have everything you need, sir.” He subtly tilted his head toward a large item covered with a tarp and Jake tried to keep the grin off his face.
“Yes, Sergeant Fields, I believe we’re all set,” Jake replied.
Fields nodded as he attempted to keep his own smile hidden, “I hope you all have a pleasant flight.”
They walked past him and continued further onto the plane until they found a ladder on the left side of the cargo hold. The three of them climbed up and found several rows of seats.
“Find a seat and get comfortable,” Jake said as he dropped his bag onto a seat. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He started to walk away when he stopped and glanced back at them, “Stay here.” He added looking right at his sister.
“I will,” she said with a roll of her eyes. Once he disappeared down the ladder the girls found a place to sit and put their bags into the overhead compartments along the walls.
“What did that colonel mean by Jake being an overachiever?” Sara asked, her voice filled with curiosity. Paige looked away from the compartment she had just clicked closed.
“Well, you already know Jake is only twenty-five, right?” Paige asked and when Sara nodded, she continued. “He graduated high school early with two years of college finished because of taking college classes in high school. So, he’s already graduated with a bachelor’s degree and he’s finished medical school. He’s going to the states now to finish his residency toward becoming a surgeon. He’s done one year already.”
“Wow,” Sara said, her eyes wide with surprise. “I knew Jake was smart, but I didn’t know any of that.”
“That’s really only part of it. He’s done everything on his own too. Dad hasn’t been any help. He said Jake had to earn it all for himself so Jake having the rank of captain already is all him too. Plus, he was deployed twice in all that.” Her voice was filled with pride when she spoke about her brother’s accomplishments. Even though she would never admit it to him, she looked up to him.
Sara smiled at her friend before she turned her attention to the cabin. It was much larger than she had expected. There were enough light blue cloth covered seats for about seventy people and the walls were lined with cargo compartments on both sides. A frown crossed her face when she realized there were no windows anywhere along the grey walls.
“Time to get seated,” Jake said as he climbed up the ladder and back into the room. “Sergeant Fields said the load is secured, so we should be taking off soon.”
Sara sat down next to Paige and fastened her seat belt. Jake joined them a few seconds later.
“What happens now?” She whispered to Paige. The quiver in her voice gave away her nerves. Paige gave her a funny look before her eyes widened.
“You’ve never flown before, have you?” Paige asked. Sara shook her head no as she tried to keep her nervousness off her face. “It’s so much fun! Kind of like a rollercoaster but not.” Paige paused with a frown. “I guess it is kind of hard to explain.” She added with a giggle.
“I like roller coasters but I’m not sure I am going to like this,” Sara said with a grimace.
Paige just rolled her eyes. “Oh, you’ll be fine.”
Sara gave her an exasperated look before she looked away and tried to prepare herself for the plane to take off. She did not have wait long before the plane started to roll with a sudden jerk and made its way out to the runway. When it stopped moving, she glanced over at Paige in confusion.
“They are probably waiting for permission to take off,” Paige said glancing beside her at her brother. He had his seatbelt fastened and was reclined back in his seat.
Swallowing hard, Sara jumped when the engines on the plane started to get much louder as the pilot increased the power in preparation for takeoff. Sara glanced at Paige to ask if the sudden shaking of the plane was normal but before she could, she was pushed back hard in her seat when the plane lurched down the runway. She grabbed both arms on her seat and flinched when she hit the burn on her hand. She let go with the injured hand but clung to the armrest with the other.
A few moments later she felt the strange almost weightless feeling of leaving the ground when they were airborne. Once it gained some altitude the pilot banked the plane hard to the right to make a large turn to the correct heading. Sara was grateful for the seatbelt that was keeping her from sliding out of her seat due to the steep angle. A few minutes later the plane leveled out and continued its climb to cruising altitude. When the plane quit climbing, Jake and Paige both unfastened their seat belts.
“Now we have to occupy ourselves for the next eleven hours,” Paige said with a mischievous grin. Sara and Jake both gave her a please behave look. “Really? I’m not that bad.” Her voice took on an indignant tone.
“Uh huh, sure,” Jake said as he moved over to sit along the wall. He pulled out a medical journal to read. Sara kept peeking over at him, but his full attention was already on the journal.
“Paige,” she said with a quiet sigh. “Where are the bathrooms on the plane?”
Paige’s brows furrowed as she thought for a minute, “They’re back downstairs on this side of the plane, I think I saw them on the way in. Do you want me to come with you?”
“No, I’m good,” Sara said with an amused smile.
“Then hurry up!” Paige said.
Sara unfastened her seatbelt and headed across the room and down the ladder. When she reached the bottom, she found that she was in an enormous cargo hold, which was crammed full, with a Blackhawk helicopter, a tank, a Humvee, and whatever was under the tarp. After looking around for a few minutes, she turned to the left and walked toward the front of the plane. It did not take long for her to find and use the airplane restroom, but when she exited, she almost ran right into Colonel Ravencraft who was waiting outside.
“Sorry,” she mumbled as she tried to walk by him, but he held out a hand in front of her to stop her.
“Come with me,” he ordered.
She glanced toward the back of the plane before she peeked up at Ravencraft. The look of loathing on his face caused her to shiver and she started to shake her head no. His expression darkened, and he stabbed a finger toward the front of the plane. She hesitated before she dropped her head and followed the colonel. He led her toward the front of the pla
ne and up a set of steep stairs off to the left side. At the top of the stairs were several rows of rear-facing seats and at the far end a door that led to the cockpit. He walked to the nearest chair and sat down. Sara kept her eyes on the floor and waited for him to speak.
“I want you to tell me about the Riverwood brats,” he said, his voice dripping with disgust. “I want to know any deep dark secrets they have, their drug use, anything.”
“They don’t have any secrets,” Sara whispered after she raised her head just enough that she could look up at him.
Ravencraft was already tapping his foot on the floor. His impatience showed on his face, “Everyone has their secrets. You will tell me what you know. You have to be close to them or you wouldn’t be on this plane.” Sara was shaking her head before he even finished the sentence.
“I don’t know anything that they have done wrong,” she said as she fought to keep her voice from giving away her fear. The colonel slammed his fist down on the arm of his chair making her jump.
“They can’t be perfect,” he snarled as his face began to turn red with anger. He paused and fell silent for a few moments. “I suppose something will have to be done to tarnish that good reputation. I will have that general promotion.” He stood up from his chair. “That boy has a temper, right?”
Sara looked at the colonel as confusion clouded her face when he stalked toward her. Before she had a chance to back away, he pulled his hand back and slapped her hard across the face. With a yelp of surprise, Sara stumbled and fell into the arm of one of the metal chairs. Her head exploded with pain and she saw stars when it connected with the chair. The colonel scanned the room to be certain no one had heard her.
“Damn, you have no balance,” he snapped, his tone indifferent. “But no matter, it’ll help support the story that the Riverwood boy is dangerous. Ruin the son, ruin the father.” He marched over to Sara and reached down to grab her. As soon as he touched her, he jerked his hand back as if he had been shocked. Sara looked down at her hands and saw that they had what looked like small electrical charges running up her fingers.
Whispers of Time Page 6