by Finian Blake
“It is a contract. I do things for profit that our government cannot do for one reason or another. Our drilling technology is restricted, but for some reason they wanted Russian weapons in Nicaragua for the rebels. I still have not figured that one out. It doesn’t make any sense. Anyway when I make a contract I fill it. I made a large profit from this deal, and you have fulfilled your end so I need to fill my end of the contract.”
“That is crazy we only send enough weapons to piss you Americans off. If we did something like this your government would scream that we were interfering in their Hemisphere. They would jump in with both feet taking an active part against the rebels. Remember the missiles in Cuba. We came within an inch of World War Three.” The Russian had given him Creed’s thinking. There was a shocked look on Gregory’s face when he caught on to his own idea. Enough well used Russian arms would justify physical intervention. Noah found that he needed time to digest this thought.
“I need some rest. Pick a bunk and I will take the other one.” The Ark was serviced and ready to go by eleven AM with Noah paying in cash. The crew showed up at eleven thirty. Francesca had taken the ladies power shopping as soon as the shops opened, buying more clothes, luggage and personal items for the ladies and Gregory. It looked like they were opening a shop themselves with the arms of all six people full of merchandise.
Slightly before noon the Ark was airborne. Praia in the Cape Verde Islands was the next stop because it was the commercial airport furthest from the African coast and the closest to the Caribbean Sea. Noah was glad that they made the stop in Gibraltar finding that the crew was in much better shape with twelve hours of rest and pushing too hard would only cause an accident. Fran and Frank were at the controls. When they hit cruising altitude Noah went in the bay with Gregory’s family. They went through all of their possessions, reducing things down to what would fit in a small suitcase. Noah had Frank drop down to ten thousand feet opening the loading ramp. With Gregory watching, he threw out all of the items that could be sacrificed. Noah knew that it would hurt, but it was necessary.
Miles of ocean were only punctuated by the Canary Islands. The Atlantic Ocean stretched out to their right, with Frank keeping the African coast just on the left horizon. If there was any trouble they should be able to make it to land. Noah, Ralph and Gregory went into the cargo bay. Noah looked over the pallet. Crates were stacked around the side of the pallets. The ammo cans were stacked in the center. They peeled off the cargo nets folding them in the center of the pallet over the ammo cans. Noah retrieved the cargo straps securing the crates and nets down, to the pallet. They did this to all of the pallets.
Gregory shook his head, “If you have to do an air drop, those crates will never stay on the pallets. The whole thing will come apart as soon as it hit’s the slip stream.” Gregory was absolutely correct with Ralph agreeing the whole thing would come apart as soon as it left the Ark.
“Perfect,” Noah said appreciating the consensus. The three men returned to the crew cabin. They would soon be on approach to Praia. There was nothing complicated about the approach, since there was only one runway. The Ark touched down and taxied into the only cargo pad that there was. An official came out to the flight.
“Welcome to Praia we have a fuel truck waiting for you. I understand you will be paying cash for your fuel. To prevent any ugliness later could you show me the cash?” Noah flashed ten thousand.”
“The airport does all of the fueling. We have had a few incidents with cash customers. I have learned to check first.”
“Your English is quite good and I do not speak any Portuguese so thank you for accommodating us.” Noah said as the official waved to the fuel truck. Noah had the truck pump every drop of fuel that the Ark could carry, since the next landfall that they would see was Barbados. The Ark would be flying over blue water all the way, it was only 1,200 miles of uninterrupted water, but Noah was taking no chances.
Ralph and Fran took the first shift. Frank hit the crew bunk. The flight should take a little over seven hours. The Ark used the full runway because it was a little over weight with a full load of fuel. Ralph did a slow climb to 22,000. After takeoff Fran went down to the crew cabin starting a conversation with Anna and Alice. They were glad for the diversion since memorizing their new history was tedious. Fran ended up quizzing them randomly for over a half hour. They missed one or two minor questions, but nothing major was missed. Very few people could site their full personal history without error. Noah was only concerned about the major details as long as none of the main points were missed, things would be fine. Gregory joined the quiz proving that he managed to memorize all of the facts, not missing a question.
“Fran, I understand that Noah gave you a new identity. I see you are a pilot one week later. How did he arrange this?”
“I held a multi-engine jet pilots license. He carried my hours over and upgraded my license to commercial and also put all of my degrees under my new name.”
“Yes, how did he do it? I have degrees that I could use, my daughter is almost a nurse, and my wife has degrees in mathematics and accounting. If we could carry some of these degrees it would be a big help. We want a full life.”
“I have no idea how he did this, but I do know that he can work miracles,” Fran answered. “Ask Noah.”
Gregory went into the cargo bay to find Noah. He found him examining the locks on the cargo straps. “Why are you trying to sabotage the locks?”
“I want this stuff to come apart when it leaves the Ark. It needs to scatter over as wide an area as possible.”
“I have performed several drops and these pallets are not designed for aerial drops. The ones for aerial drops are much stiffer and as you can see these are flimsy and designed for use under controlled conditions. As soon as these pallets leave the ramp the pallet will flex in the slipstream and the prop wash will rip the cargo off them. There are three hundred, 1,000 round ammo cans at one hundred pounds in each pallet load. Anything that they hit is going to suffer catastrophic damage. The crates will come apart and the contents will become lethal. You will be lucky if nothing hits the tail. Between the slipstream and the prop wash, the five pallets should give you a box 75 by 70 meters or for you Americans that would be a rectangle of roughly 5,500 square feet. It will turn this airplane into a very large shotgun. Anything in that box will not stand a very good chance of survival.”
“That is just what I do want.” Noah realized that Gregory did not come to give him a critical review of his plan. “Is there something that I may do for you?”
“Fran told my wife that you were able to carry over her schooling. How were you able to do that?”
“The question is not how. The real question is will I,” Noah smiled. “The answer is yes. I will do as much as I can. Fran went to college in the states, so I could easily work with that. Your degrees are from a foreign university. I can work out something, but I need to arrange a meeting with my educational wizard. To tell you the truth he may be able to work things out, but I am not sure what he can do. I will have him work closely with you. You may need to take some classes or do a review. Going back to school will help you blend in with the rest of the population. Your daughter might want to enroll in premed or something like that. If she is twenty she still has some more work to do getting her degree.” Noah thought for a few minutes. “I will make this promise. I will help you salvage everything that can be salvaged.”
“I have seen examples of the way that you keep your promises and I believe that I can take you at your word.”
“I will guarantee you that I will give it my best efforts.”
10.
SURPRISES
The Ark had been in the air five hours, when Barbados appeared on the horizon. The weather was scattered clouds with an unlimited ceiling. After landing they wheeled on to the parking spot and shut down. The whole crew was worn out from 35 hours of flying in 48 hours. Noah collected the passports and opened the door for the waiting customs official who
was polite and brief. He noted all the passports asking only a few questions. He took a quick look in the cargo bay and cleared the entire plane, “Welcome to Barbados. You and your aircraft have cleared; an in-bond status will not be necessary. You have a representative from Brit World Wide waiting for you.” Noah went to the car recognizing Susan right off.
“What are you doing here?” She was the last person that he expected to see.
“I have not taken a holiday in a few years, and I thought this would be a good excuse. We took the Concorde. They won’t let it land in the states, so British Airways flies it here from Nassau. It’s much faster than that truck that you are flying.” Susan was beaming. “I have good news. You have two pallets of rum out of Barbados, and three pallets out of Kingston. They are going up to Toronto Canada and Detroit Michigan.”
“That is perfect. I could not have suggested better. I feel like a member of the Purple Gang.” Noah took in the confused look on her face. “They were Detroit boot leggers among other things.”
“There is better news. One of my former coworkers is an administrator in the control tower. You were logged in as an empty aircraft today. If you return here, you went to Jamaica and back.” The news was amazing Noah picked Susan up and swung her in a circle.
“The whole crew is completely covered. We will be coming in from Canada.”
Susan’s voice took on a mock sternness, “Your deal will not be any good for 48 hours. I rented ten studio suites for two night’s right on the beach.”
Noah did not understand, “Why ten rooms?” Susan gave him a wicked smile.
“I brought Frank, Lynn, Suki and Terri plus two of four Franks are at the resort now. The Resort was remodeling to open for the winter season. They finished all the rooms, with the kitchen and bar up and running. There is just some work left to do in the lobby. The pool is down, but we are on the beach and we have the whole resort.
Noah walked back to the Ark. The crew was wondering about the next big push. How far was he going to go to make this work?
“We are going to stay for two days. We have rooms and our transportation will be here in ten minutes.” There was a collection of cheers since after two hard days of flying nobody was about to argue. “I am going to be along later. The Ark needs service.”
“Do you always have to do it personally?” Susan wanted to get him back to the resort.
“I want to be able to order any extra work as soon as it becomes necessary. There is just one more critical leg and we will be ready.” There were short cuts that Noah would not take.
“Well don’t be too long. I have a mechanic waiting and the fuel truck will be here in a few minutes.” Susan turned and left.
“Have you given further thought to what will happen when all of those arms are discovered?” Gregory was still the General. “Your country and mine will once again be at the edge of conflict. Are you going to do anything to stop this?”
“I don’t think I can. There are already enough weapons down there to turn the trick for them. The only thing that I can do is grab an opportunity if it presents itself. Creed and Buck will be somewhere near for sure.” There was no doubt in Noah’s mind that those two were waiting for him. “Like Captain Ahab I must face my whale.”
“Then I must go with you. I am just as responsible for this situation as you are.”
“That would be a bad idea if they find a Russian general it would only make things worse.”
“As a junior officer, I supervised several air drops out of our AN 12 which is very similar to your L-100. I was adept at putting a load on target with parachutes. You were not planning on using parachutes were you? Let me sit in the cock pit and you will have your load on target.”
“Let me think about your offer. It does sound interesting. Look over to the left.” Noah pointed to the passenger side of the airport. “That Lear jet is your ride home. I have two pilots waiting to deliver you to Long Beach. You will clear customs in Houston and end your journey in Long Beach.”
Gregory laughed, “I have to admit that you don’t take half measures.”
The mechanic checked in with Noah and he started out by ordering a critical inspection of the loading ramp. There were signs of use, but overall it was in good shape. Noah ordered the engines serviced, tires and gear inspected. He made out a fuel sheet and handed it to the fueler. It was eight thirty before the Ark was cleaned and serviced. Noah and Gregory hired a taxi and it was nine o’clock before they reached the resort.
Noah was so tired that he did not bother eating, opting to go straight to his room finding that the balcony door was open. The fresh ocean breeze felt good, so he left the door open. He showered and stepping out on the balcony he found a hammock with a now familiar female figure sleeping in it. Terri had made the trip with Susan and she was sleeping soundly. He swung his hand up lightly against her buttocks waking her with a start. “What was that for?”
“That is for not listening. I told you that I would let you know, how things went.” Noah had to tell her, “I am glad you are here.”
He rolled into the hammock with the intention of talking with her. She rolled against him. After Terri had kissed him twice, she noticed him snoring. Noah was sound asleep. She curled up in his arms and was soon sound asleep too. Noah awoke at four AM because the breeze off the Atlantic gave him a chill. He looked down at Terri remembering that she was naked he went into the room taking the top sheet off the bed covering her. When he awoke the second time, it was day light and found that he could not move his arms. Terri came over to the hammock startling him. Looking down at his hands he immediately saw that Terri had tied his wrists to the hammock with her hose.
“Let me up. I have things to do.”
“Let’s talk.” Terri straddled him leaning over his face presenting him with a warm breast. “You are taking the morning off. Would you like to spend it on the beach with me or tied to this hammock?”
“I mean it I have things to do. Let me up now.”
“That was not one of the choices. You have taken care of the Ark and everything else, so it is time to take a few hours for yourself. Now, make your choice.”
“Let’s spend it on the beach. Now untie me,” he started to struggle again.
“You promise?”
“Yes! I promise.” All the struggling had made him erect and this did not escape Terri’s notice. She hung the sheet over her back and straddled him planning on delaying breakfast for just a little while longer.
“We haven’t talked yet.” She wiggled her hips. “If we are going to do this, I can accept what you do, but remember one thing. I am not just a bit of fluff that is along for the ride. I am with you all the way and not someone that you pull off the shelf when you want sex. Do we have a contract on that?”
“Why do you want to call this a contract?”
“I know the value you place on contracts and I am not some hitchhiker along for the ride.” She knew him better in a few days than Pat did in years.
“Ok, it’s a contract.” They sealed the deal in the hammock and when Terri untied him they dressed in their swim suits going down to breakfast. Greg, Anna and Alice were having a Bloody Mary breakfast in the restaurant.
“Join us please. We have not yet ordered. I would like to hear more of what you plan tomorrow.”
Terri scolded Gregory, “He promised not to discuss business today.” Anna smiled her approval at Terri’s statement.
“The sun is out. It is a beautiful day, and the water looks inviting so there will be no business today.” Noah and Terri pulled up chairs. It bothered him to do it, since he did not like to become familiar with contracts. He wanted to fill the contract forgetting it once it was declared complete. Terri and Anna changed the discussion to the new house. Anna was thrilled to find Terri participated in the selection. She was particularly relieved to find out that Noah differed to Terri, on the decorating. She was concerned that it would look like a bachelor’s house. Terri was completely enthusiastic about the
Huntington Beach area so Anna tried to insist on leaving for the new place right away. Noah and Greg slipped off for a smoke.
“If you are still up for helping out I do need your expertise. We make one pass to size things up. If things do not look right, we drop on the second pass.” Noah didn’t mention the landing option, because he knew that Buck and Creed would be down there. “In less than five minutes we will be out of Nicaraguan air space. In thirty minutes we will be over the Caribbean on our way to Kingston. Will that cause a problem with your wife?”
“Yes it probably will, but after this it will be the quiet life so I will not give her a choice.” They finished their cigarettes rejoining the ladies.
When breakfast was finished they adjourned to the beach. Noah loved the water. He studied the beach for fifteen minutes looking for the character of the beach before entering the water.
“I was planning on sticking with you for the whole day.” Terri looked great in her bikini, but she would look great in rags. Terri stayed with Anna on the beach with Noah going for a long swim. Terri did not care for him swimming in the surf line, but that was the best place to swim and after a good hour Noah came back to the beach tired but mentally refreshed.
“You were right. I needed to get in some relaxation time. I am going to take less than an hour for business this afternoon. Otherwise the rest of the day is yours. We can go in to town and do some shopping.” Gregory and family decided to tag along.
“Maybe we can get in a nice romantic dinner. Who knows maybe we can do the whole night without incident.”
Noah checked briefly nobody else was available. Suki teamed up with Ralph. The five Franks, Francesca, Lynn and Susan were off for a day sail. Gregory, Anna Alice, Terri and Noah decided to explore Bridgetown.