by Linda Wells
John requested that maintenance check out the ventilation system and run it at maximum velocity to make sure it was thoroughly flushed with fresh air. No other passengers or crew, to his knowledge, had symptoms similar to Maggie’s and Terry’s, but he didn’t want to take chances. They had checked with flight control for any news coming out of NYC, but so far, nothing conclusive, though the Mayor was to address the city momentarily. Traffic tie-ups and the usual announcements of “nothing to report” continued. However, there was speculation that there had been a possible terrorist attack on the subway but nothing definitive.
John and Allen called their wives upon arrival in Miami, reassuring them that things were fine and that they would be home as usual. Both were at home, watching the news, and didn’t feel overly concerned. They were used to living in New York, where there were frequent alarmist news reports. Upon learning about the two flight attendants who had gotten sick, they did feel some concern. But they were “go with the flow” personalities, used to the life of military and commercial pilots, and there was always something to talk about when their husbands came home from a flight. John’s wife, Dee Dee, had been a flight attendant back when they were called stewardesses, and nothing fazed her. She had carried many a barf bag in her flying days and handled more than her share of in-flight emergencies, from unruly passengers to dangerous turbulence and several emergency landings.
Captain Wesley still had that feeling of foreboding, an instinct he had learned when flying as a military pilot. Something wasn’t right, and the fact that both Terry and Maggie were seriously ill was not a coincidence. But it would be business as usual as he pushed his negative thoughts aside. He was eager to get this “baby” back in the air, heading home.
He asked his copilot. “Okay, Allen, what do you think? The dispatcher says we are cleared to go. Your opinion?”
Allen, in his easygoing manner, said “Why not? Nothing to indicate that we stay. I’d like to get home tonight if possible.”
John nodded. “Agreed.” But he couldn’t shake his uneasiness.
Allen turned to the doorway as the two FAs arrived, chatting about their first flight to NYC. They were fresh faced and bubbly, and the other crew members were waiting in the forward galley to greet them. After quick introductions, it was decided that the two novices would work in the rear cabin, with Justin and Jackie. Mary Ann, the more experienced of the crew, would man first class.
Captain Wesley and First Officer Allen met the two new girls as they passed the cockpit. Soon after, the gate attendant came out and got clearance to start boarding, and it was “standard operating procedure” at least for now.
Flight 943 nonstop to LaGuardia was scheduled for departure at 1:00 p.m. EDT. It was 12:30 p.m., and boarding would be starting momentarily.
Captain Wesley, without saying a word to Allen, picked up the mike and buzzed the gate agent, who answered right away.
“Yes, what is it, Captain? You ready for boarding?”
“No, don’t let anyone on the plane. Scrub the flight. This plane is going into a service holding area. I won’t put any of our passengers or crew at risk until we know fully what we are dealing with.” Allen turned, looked at John, shaking his head, negative.
“What the fuck?” thought Allen.
“What should I tell the passengers?” asked the gate agent, irritated..
“You can tell them that there is a mechanical problem and reschedule them on another flight, or tell them anything you want. But as captain, I have full responsibility for the safety of my crew and passengers, and it is my call. Got it?” He looked at Allen and could see he had Allen’s support.
“I don’t know if we have a problem, but if we do, I don’t want to find out about it at thirty thousand feet.”
“You got it, Captain,” said the agent.
John’s next move was to notify operations. They weren’t going to like it, but tough shit. He told Allen to tell the crew what was going on. An overnight in Miami wouldn’t be considered tough duty. John wanted to check on Terry and Maggie, anyway. He would check with the tower about where he could park the plane. It should go into an isolated holding “box” or other secure area of the airport.
Things could go from bad to worse fast, and he had to listen to his gut. It had gotten him through some dicey moments when flying C-130 transports in the air force. He wasn’t going to ignore it now.
.
40
Suzy and Max spent that May Saturday morning making love in his king-sized bed at his spacious brick townhouse in Georgetown. She didn’t stay at his place as often as he stayed at hers, but she felt comfortable in his home. She had left many of her personal belongings there, from a spare blow dryer and toothbrush, to sexy lingerie and gym clothes. He belonged to a gym, where they enjoyed working out together. Suzy did her light weight workout, and Max had a more strenuous workout, lifting heavy weights to maintain his trim military physique.
She had awakened Max that morning with feather light kisses to the back of his neck. They had slept spooned together, her naked body pressed against his strong warm back. They often woke in the night, made gentle love to each other, and then fell back to sleep. Their desperate need for each other had not diminished. Their passion grew, as they explored all ways of pleasuring each other. He loved her beautiful little ass, holding it against him, their intimate caresses and kisses, touching her intimately, and especially when she would pleasure him, sitting on top of him, controlling and moving him in and out of her at her whim, squeezing her muscles tight around him, making him beg her never to stop. She loved when he kissed her and moistened her secret place with his tongue. She was still wet from their lovemaking in the night.
As her morning kisses became more intense, she began to touch his body, between his legs, and Max reacted suddenly, rolling her over, holding her arms over her head, his mouth hard on hers. He opened her legs fiercely and shoved his huge hardness into her wet opening, and he wouldn’t stop until she was coming. And he kept saying, “Tell me you love me, only me,” and she said it over and over and over again, “I love you, Max—I love you, only you,” until the waves of orgasm stopped, and then he came in her, the heat magnifying the waves of pleasure. They kissed and held each other, talking softly, loving each other, in real time, knowing it was forever.
Later, Suzy was in the shower, washing her hair, but she could hear his cell phone ring. Max was talking with someone, but she couldn’t understand what was being said. He didn’t get many calls on Saturdays, and she hoped he wasn’t being called to work. Emergencies had come up before when he would have to report for duty. Fortunately it wasn’t often. She cherished every moment they could spend together.
She stepped out of the shower, grabbed the soft gray towel that matched the dark gray-tiled bathroom, dried herself, and then wrapped the towel around her torso. Max had dressed and was in the kitchen, having promised to make her breakfast. She could smell the coffee and hear him busily preparing their eggs, toast and bacon.
Suzy picked up Max’s cell phone from the night table. She brought up the call history and memorized the most recent phone number on the list. She grabbed her cell phone from her purse, which had caller ID blocked, and dialed the number. She didn’t want Max to know how jealous she was, and she wanted to make sure it wasn’t a woman who answered.
After several rings, a man answered, “Greg Hammond speaking.”
Startled, Suzy said, “Oh, sorry, wrong number,” and she ended the call. She would do some research to learn more about Greg Hammond. His name was unfamiliar to Suzy. She had met several of Max’s friends at official functions, but she was pretty sure she had not met a Greg Hammond. Her curiosity had been piqued, and she wanted to know everything about Max. It could be anyone, but she had to be sure. Her paranoia was normal, considering Max’s position, though she trusted him fully. She couldn’t think of anything that might have made her suspicious of him, but who knows. He loved her. She believed in her heart that it was a
true and real love. She knew that nothing was wrong, but it couldn’t hurt to find out who this Greg person was.
Suzy slipped on a white fitted T-shirt, with no bra, and her gray yoga pants. She had put on a soft rose lip gloss, and her long black hair was still a little damp from her shower. As she walked into the kitchen, she found coffee waiting in a maroon mug on the granite countertop, with a maroon, blue, and gray plaid napkin placed next to it.
“Thank you, love,” she said softly.
He turned away from the stove and noticed her sexy breasts, nipples erect through her thin T-shirt. He was getting hard again. Damn, he smiled inwardly.
“Who was on the phone?” she asked. “I heard it ringing when I was in the shower. I hope you don’t have to work today.”
“No,” Max said, as he put the wheat bread slices in his stainless steel toaster oven. “It was just a reminder from my dentist about my checkup next week. No big deal.”
“Oh, good,” Suzy said, and walked over to see how the eggs were coming.
“Interesting,” she thought.
.
41
Greg and Max found a private spot in the back of a small Greek restaurant tucked away on a side street near Greg’s office. There were several comfortable booths to the right of the front door, a leather sofa and chairs with a coffee table in front of the window, and some small glass-topped tables in the back. It was a great place for coffee and delicious Greek specialties, including stuffed grape leaves, pita pies, and other traditional choices. Greg suggested they try the Kolatsio, a Greek snack, perfect for brunch or a main meal. Greg also chose the spinach pie and regular coffee, and Max decided on an egg and vegetable omelet with coffee, as well. The pretty waitress with a slight European accent took their order and said she would be back soon with coffee.
“Never tried this place,” said Greg. “Thought it would be a nice change.”
Max agreed. “Yes, it smells good in here. Hope she hurries with the coffee. And I am starved.”
After the aromatic coffee was served in small china cups, Greg pulled out a sealed manila envelope and said, “Here is the report you wanted.”
He handed it to Max, and Max opened it, pulled out the lengthy report, and started reading. Greg was silent, sipping his coffee. He was waiting for a reaction. Max calmly put the pages back in the envelope and asked Greg, “Did you verify this?” already knowing the answer.
“Yes, we have great analysts. It didn’t take long for them to figure it out,” he said. “Your girl is interesting. One of our agents in Hong Kong did a lot of research on her background.” He hesitated. “We’ve added her to our watch list, Max.”
“Fuck!” said Max, slamming the envelope down on the table, and several people sitting nearby turned and looked at him.
“Careful, buddy, hang tough here,” Greg whispered. “You wanted to know, and we’re glad you did, though I understand your shock.”
“Hey, man, I love this girl, and I can’t get my mind around this now.” Max was both angry and worried. “She is in this thing, and it is obvious why. But she is in deep shit. They fucking knew how to bag her. God damn it, what the hell am I supposed to do now?”
“You say nothing, Max. Keep track of her—maybe you will learn something. We will do standard surveillance. She has an impeccable reputation, and hopefully we can keep her safe and try to understand what she’s involved in, but it must be big. The numbers refer to a Swiss bank account with no name listed. A password is needed to access it. I can only speculate.” He stopped with that thought.
“Our cipher people are always cautious when there is a specified date. There are adders or subtractors that could change the target date. Looks like we have several months. There must be someone or several ‘someones’ pulling the strings. With your help, we could get them.”
“And nail Suzy too, right? Fuck you!” Max shouted. People were really starting to stare now, and Greg knew when to keep his mouth shut.
The food was served, and both ate silently. Max’s appetite was gone.
“Let’s get the hell out of here. I need a drink!” Max threw his napkin down and walked out.
Greg followed him, throwing some bills on the table as he left.
.
42
Wesley, Delaney, and the rest of the crew were at a hotel near the Miami International Airport. Operations was more than comfortable with John’s decision to scratch the flight, especially since they had received a call ten minutes later from Homeland Security, grounding the flight. Wesley had made the right call. The rerouted passengers were disgruntled and complaining, but tough shit.
John and Allen, exhausted from the day’s events, were eating dinner in Allen’s room. Their eyes were glued to the television set.
The reporter was saying, “The number of those with flulike symptoms is rising. Medical facilities are filling rapidly as the scope of the pandemic widens. Flights in and out of New York City have been cancelled, and the New York City subway system is shut down until further notice. New York City residents are being asked to remain at home unless it is an absolute emergency.” John and Allen just looked at each other.
“Let’s call the hospital again about Terry.”
“Yes,” nodded John, and he added, “Let’s check on Maggie as well.”
“Maybe I can talk with Terry’s parents,” Allen said.
“I need to call my wife, too. Who knows how long we are going to be stuck here?” John stated. “Operations said to sit tight, so that is what we are going to do.”
He knew the airline backed up his decision to abort the flight. His concerns mounted when he learned that Homeland Security also made the call to ground the flight.
John grabbed his cell phone and called his wife, Dee Dee. “Hey, sweetheart, are you okay?”
“Yes, John, how are you doing? I have been so worried. The news is scary.” She sounded a little shaky, not usual for her.
John reassured her, “I’m okay, baby. We are just going to be stuck here for a while as a precaution.” She wanted to know if he had eaten. She had prepared dinner for them, but she would save the leftovers for tomorrow.
“Have you talked to the kids?” he asked.
“Yes, Abby is fine. She called, concerned about us. I reassured her, but I’m glad she and Cindy don’t live in the city. I left a voice mail for Cindy. She’ll call back soon.”
He said, “Good. Just remind them to stock up on necessities, enough for two weeks. They’re smart and will be okay, but it is good to touch base with them.” He asked, “How are the grocery supplies?”
“Fine, John. I did a large shopping on Saturday. We have enough groceries for at least a week or more,” she answered, puzzled by that question.
He said, “Maybe buy some extras, if you can, just to have on hand, like canned goods, extra flour and basics.”
Dee Dee said, “I shopped again this morning. I had forgotten a few things. Some of the store shelves seemed a little bare.”
John said, “I’m glad you bought some extras. Stores may run out of necessities if people start to panic.””
But she said, jokingly, “We have a good supply of scotch.”
He laughed and then said, “Cool, baby.”
“When will you be home?” Dee Dee knew the answer already.
“I am not sure, but I will stay in close touch, sweetheart. Don’t go out unless you have to, understood? And on second thought, call the girls again. Tell them to do the same. Have them stock up then sit tight until we see where this is going.”
“Yes, I’ll call them right away. Cindy may be home by now,” said Dee Dee, feeling even more frightened.
“Do you have any news about Maggie or Terry?” she asked.
“Allen is checking on them now, but so far no updates,” he answered. “I better go, but call me if you need anything. Try not to worry, and remember, I love you, baby.”
Dee Dee said, “I love you too, John. Be safe. I miss you so much.”
&nb
sp; “I miss you, too, baby. I wish I was with you right now. You know my favorite color, right?” he asked.
She said, “Black satin?”
He laughed, saying, “Yes, or nothing at all.” He smiled when he heard her giggle, but he hated being away, especially during this unprecedented crisis. He had heard of pandemics, but he wasn’t quite sure what it all meant. And was this an attack or just a severe virus?
After hanging up, he listened to Allen, who was talking to Terry’s father. His face looked grim.
“Fuck,” thought John.
Wherever this was going, it was not going to be good. He was starting to wonder not when he would get home, but if he would get home.
John looked at the text he was receiving. It was from Century Air operations.
“DHS confirms shutdown of all NYC airports, plus New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago, and Miami. More information as available.”
“Shit! Damn!”
He turned to tell Allen, just as breaking news was announced on the television. He hoped this was some kind of bureaucratic over reaction, but his gut was telling him that a shit storm was coming, big time.
.
43
Suzy was sound asleep when she was startled awake by the distinctive ring of her encrypted phone. She knew it was the Organization.
“Yes, what is it?”
The familiar voice replied, “You are under scrutiny. Some as yet unknown operatives are looking into your background, specifically foreign ties and activities. You are involved with someone, a certain US Army Lieutenant Colonel. Is that correct?
Suddenly wide-awake, Suzy responded, “Yes, why?” Her stomach lurched.
The male voice, indistinguishable accent, continued, “You are to cut ties with him. Is that clear?”