Exciting? I hope so. I calculated the miles distance using Fresno and
Chicago Midway Airport. Its pretty accurate give or take a few miles. I
hope you all aren't that picky. Lol. Please take the time to review.
Thanks!
*-*-*-*-*
They stood on the tarmac looking at the Chief's King Air C-90B that was to take them to Meigs Field in Chicago. Although the small airport on the lake front had been closed the city had reopened it to the participants of the WTC. The mechanic disembarked and looked at the group that was planning on flying that evening to the Windy City. He hated to break the news to them but the wind they were standing in was going to be worse up in the air. What they were feeling on the ground was the front of a storm blowing in from across the plains.
"Howdy folks," he drawled in his Deep South accent. "Chief said you want to go to Chi-town tonight."
Vivian answered him, "Is that a problem?"
"Depends on what you call a problem ma'am. I think ya'll should wait til morning or you'll have a lot of turbulence up there," he said pointing to the sky. This here wind is part of a big 'ol storm system movin' in. Weather down here will be bad but in the sky worse."
"You can fly in it though can't you," Vivian asked Jorge. Jorge nodded in the affirmative.
"Well ma'am I'm sure he can but it'll be like one of them there roller coasters. Wouldn't recommend it if you feel have a sensitive tummy."
"Fine," said Vivian. "We are flying. We have to get there tonight."
"Your call," said the mechanic turning to the plane. Then he called over his shoulder, "You in first. I need to stow that fancy chair of yours," as he proceeded to do preflight checks.
Jorge lifted Vivian and carried her into the plane. It was a narrow fit for the two of them to get through the small cabin door. "You next," said Gloria waving her gun at Dylan. When the angel didn't move fast enough she poked her in the back with it. The angel climbed the stairs and thought about ways she might be able to escape. Anthony followed behind her and finishing up the party were the two FBI agents.
The small craft had thee single seats on each side of the aisle. Dylan sat in on of the ones furthest back, Anthony on the opposite side in the middle and the two FBI agents in the front. Vivian and Jorge were in the cockpit. Dylan stared out the window as the small plane taxied down the runway. She thought about the events of the last three days and sighed. "Some angel I am," she said to herself silently. "Okay Dylan, think this is no time for a pity party. Maybe I could commandeer the plane? No too many of them and no place to work."
Just then Gloria's voice brought her out of her reverie. Gloria had moved back to the seat in front of her and across from Anthony. "Alright, we won't let Dylan's disloyalty to us stop this assassination. After all she will be our main player." Dylan just glared at the FBI agent. "We have two chances to kill Getty. The first is the hotel. Getty has his apartment there. It's the penthouse. While it's very secure we have the codes we need to get into it. The only problem is the effect won't be as big as Vivian would like it to be. Second chance is at McCormick Place. He will be holding a speech at three tomorrow afternoon at the Arie Crown Theater that is part of the convention center. I have a pair of press passes for the two of you," she reached into her pocket and held up laminated badges with their pictures on them. "This will be the more difficult of the two locations to reach him. It will have to be done with a gun." She opened the small attaché case she had brought on board and showed a tranquilizer gun.
"Tranquilizers," asked Dylan puzzled.
"No but the gun does shoot darts. These are filled with fast acting virus that will kill him in seconds. I wouldn't recommend accidentally pricking yourselves with them. The death it causes is rather messy."
Dylan and Anthony exchanged looks. He was feeling uneasy about this job. It wasn't the way he worked. He believed in- in and out, clean and simple, one of the reasons he preferred his sword to other methods. He had questions though so he pulled out his pad and wrote, "How contagious is this virus," and handed the slip to Gloria.
"Do I look like and epidemiologist? This is what I know and Vivian can tell you more if you feel the need to ask. It is contagious but not outside the body or a pure oxygen environment. All the mess that will be expelled, vomit, blood, mucus is just that, mess. Once it's exposed to air it dies. Since it works so quickly the joke is only necropheliacs can contract it. Maybe coroners but once again if they get it they are dead in a matter of seconds."
"It still doesn't answer 'why'," said Dylan exasperated by the circles that she felt she was running in.
Jorge interrupted by yelling back, "Fasten your seatbelts, we are going to have some turbulence." The four passengers in the back buckled up just as the ride began.
*-*-*-*-*
The helicopter landed at the airstrip outside Kings Canyon a little after ten pm. The mechanic watched as the four strangers got out. He didn't mind starring; the two women were easy on the eyes. Alex noticed the older man standing in the office of the small terminal and headed his way.
"Hi," she said leaning forward on the desk exposing her clevage, "do you know where we can rent a car?"
"A car?"
"Yeah, four wheels you drive it," she replied.
"No car rentals around here. This is a private landing strip. I don't think the owner would much 'preciate ya'll landing your whirlybird here."
"Maybe it's the owner we are coming to see," said the dark-haired angel sweetly.
"You know the Chief," he asked. "For a fellow light in the loafers he certainly has lots of purty young thangs comin' to see him."
"Really?"
"Yep. They just left though. Its 'mazing that ya'll managed to get here with this wind but they were flying into the storm. I hope they don't have any problems."
"I think those were the people we were supposed to meet. Can you describe them for us," said Natalie who just entered the building.
"Why sure ma'am, there was Jorge, I've known him for years. Then there were the couple that looked like real estate agent,"
"Must have been Matthews and Daniels," said Alex and Natalie nodded in agreement.
The mechanic continued, "Then there was the undertaker and the pretty little red head that was dressed like a vampire. Strange those two trying to ignore each other. Even an old fellow like me could see that they were lovebirds having a spat."
"That sounds like Dylan and the 'undertaker' must have been the Creepy Thin Man," said Natalie excited.
"Then there was the lady in the wheelchair. Felt right bad for her. Looked like she was in a bad fire."
"Lady in a wheelchair," asked Natalie.
"Yeah, she seemed to be the one in charge though. It was her call to fly in this weather. Stupid to do it if you ask me, and they didn't but I told them so anyway. The lady was bound and set on leaving tonight."
"Thanks for your help sir," said Natalie as they walked towards Bosley and Mitchum. "Who could she be?"
"I haven't a clue. We could go and interrogate the Chief but that would take too long and they have enough of a head start on us as it is. I guess we refuel here and hope we can make it to Chicago."
"So we're going to Chicago," asked Mitchum who had long since given what authority he had to the angels.
"It's 1506 nautical miles to Chicago, we've got a half a pack of cigarettes, a full tank of gas, its dark and we're wearing sunglasses. Hit it," said Bosley paraphrasing the "Blues Brothers". They all laughed and re- boarded the helicopter.
*-*-*-*-*
The private jet tossed around in the sky like a leaf. Gloria was praying incessantly."Our father who art in Heaven hallowed be thy name." In between sentences she was leaning over a small pail and throwing up. Daniels didn't look much better.
Towards the back of the plane Anthony sat calmly looking out the window at the flashing lighting smoking. He glanced at Dylan who was clutching the armrests of her seat. Although she didn't look frightened her white knuckles were giving her away.
Dylan glanced across the aisle at Anthony. He was looking out the window now but she knew he had been watching her. She could feel his eyes. As she looked at him she saw something else, parachutes. There was an emergency exit in the back behind Anthony's seat. She startled as he quickly looked at her as though he read her mind. She watched his eyes dart to where she had been looking and gave a quick nod. Was he giving her permission? She wondered.
The lighting flashed and a crack of thunder roared immediately afterwards. Gloria screamed as the plane started to dive. Dylan could hear Vivian barking orders in the cockpit but the only thing she could make out was "We are not going to die." As the plane started to level out again she could see both Matthews and Daniels sitting with their heads between their knees. She stood slowly and reached for one of the three parachutes and carefully strapped it on. Anthony nudged the case with the dart gun towards her with his foot. She gave him a small smile. As the plane dipped again she fell across the seat into his arms.
Anthony didn't know why he was helping her escape, he should still be mad at her for hitting him over the head with the candlestick, but as she fell into his arms it didn't matter. He inhaled the clean scent of her mussed hair and gently rubbed his chin against the top of her head. She turned her head and didn't realize how close their faces were so their noses collided. "Ow," she said softly her eyes never leaving his. He would have loved to stay that way but he knew now was her chance. He grazed his lips quickly across hers and pushed her up. "Come," she mouthed to him. He shook his head "no". He still had a job to do and if he was lucky it would all work out to his advantage.
Another crack of thunder and the plane dropped again. Dylan couldn't see a thing out the back window, she had no idea what she was jumping in to but she threw open the door anyway. A wind whipped through the cabin blowing papers around. "Stop her," yelled Vivian as she turned and saw what the problem was.
Anthony pretended to grab for her and miss. Daniels pulled out his gun and fired but the turbulence caused the plane to bounce and the shot to barely missed Dylan's head as she jumped out into the inky storm.
*-*-*-*-*
They stood on the tarmac looking at the Chief's King Air C-90B that was to take them to Meigs Field in Chicago. Although the small airport on the lake front had been closed the city had reopened it to the participants of the WTC. The mechanic disembarked and looked at the group that was planning on flying that evening to the Windy City. He hated to break the news to them but the wind they were standing in was going to be worse up in the air. What they were feeling on the ground was the front of a storm blowing in from across the plains.
"Howdy folks," he drawled in his Deep South accent. "Chief said you want to go to Chi-town tonight."
Vivian answered him, "Is that a problem?"
"Depends on what you call a problem ma'am. I think ya'll should wait til morning or you'll have a lot of turbulence up there," he said pointing to the sky. This here wind is part of a big 'ol storm system movin' in. Weather down here will be bad but in the sky worse."
"You can fly in it though can't you," Vivian asked Jorge. Jorge nodded in the affirmative.
"Well ma'am I'm sure he can but it'll be like one of them there roller coasters. Wouldn't recommend it if you feel have a sensitive tummy."
"Fine," said Vivian. "We are flying. We have to get there tonight."
"Your call," said the mechanic turning to the plane. Then he called over his shoulder, "You in first. I need to stow that fancy chair of yours," as he proceeded to do preflight checks.
Jorge lifted Vivian and carried her into the plane. It was a narrow fit for the two of them to get through the small cabin door. "You next," said Gloria waving her gun at Dylan. When the angel didn't move fast enough she poked her in the back with it. The angel climbed the stairs and thought about ways she might be able to escape. Anthony followed behind her and finishing up the party were the two FBI agents.
The small craft had thee single seats on each side of the aisle. Dylan sat in on of the ones furthest back, Anthony on the opposite side in the middle and the two FBI agents in the front. Vivian and Jorge were in the cockpit. Dylan stared out the window as the small plane taxied down the runway. She thought about the events of the last three days and sighed. "Some angel I am," she said to herself silently. "Okay Dylan, think this is no time for a pity party. Maybe I could commandeer the plane? No too many of them and no place to work."
Just then Gloria's voice brought her out of her reverie. Gloria had moved back to the seat in front of her and across from Anthony. "Alright, we won't let Dylan's disloyalty to us stop this assassination. After all she will be our main player." Dylan just glared at the FBI agent. "We have two chances to kill Getty. The first is the hotel. Getty has his apartment there. It's the penthouse. While it's very secure we have the codes we need to get into it. The only problem is the effect won't be as big as Vivian would like it to be. Second chance is at McCormick Place. He will be holding a speech at three tomorrow afternoon at the Arie Crown Theater that is part of the convention center. I have a pair of press passes for the two of you," she reached into her pocket and held up laminated badges with their pictures on them. "This will be the more difficult of the two locations to reach him. It will have to be done with a gun." She opened the small attaché case she had brought on board and showed a tranquilizer gun.
"Tranquilizers," asked Dylan puzzled.
"No but the gun does shoot darts. These are filled with fast acting virus that will kill him in seconds. I wouldn't recommend accidentally pricking yourselves with them. The death it causes is rather messy."
Dylan and Anthony exchanged looks. He was feeling uneasy about this job. It wasn't the way he worked. He believed in- in and out, clean and simple, one of the reasons he preferred his sword to other methods. He had questions though so he pulled out his pad and wrote, "How contagious is this virus," and handed the slip to Gloria.
"Do I look like and epidemiologist? This is what I know and Vivian can tell you more if you feel the need to ask. It is contagious but not outside the body or a pure oxygen environment. All the mess that will be expelled, vomit, blood, mucus is just that, mess. Once it's exposed to air it dies. Since it works so quickly the joke is only necropheliacs can contract it. Maybe coroners but once again if they get it they are dead in a matter of seconds."
"It still doesn't answer 'why'," said Dylan exasperated by the circles that she felt she was running in.
Jorge interrupted by yelling back, "Fasten your seatbelts, we are going to have some turbulence." The four passengers in the back buckled up just as the ride began.
*-*-*-*-*
The helicopter landed at the airstrip outside Kings Canyon a little after ten pm. The mechanic watched as the four strangers got out. He didn't mind starring; the two women were easy on the eyes. Alex noticed the older man standing in the office of the small terminal and headed his way.
"Hi," she said leaning forward on the desk exposing her clevage, "do you know where we can rent a car?"
"A car?"
"Yeah, four wheels you drive it," she replied.
"No car rentals around here. This is a private landing strip. I don't think the owner would much 'preciate ya'll landing your whirlybird here."
"Maybe it's the owner we are coming to see," said the dark-haired angel sweetly.
"You know the Chief," he asked. "For a fellow light in the loafers he certainly has lots of purty young thangs comin' to see him."
"Really?"
"Yep. They just left though. Its 'mazing that ya'll managed to get here with this wind but they were flying into the storm. I hope they don't have any problems."
"I think those were the people we were supposed to meet. Can you describe them for us," said Natalie who just entered the building.
"Why sure ma'am, there was Jorge, I've known him for years. Then there were the couple that looked like real estate agent,"
"Must have been Matthews and Daniels," said Alex and Natalie nodded in agreement.
The mechanic continued, "Then there was the undertaker and the pretty little red head that was dressed like a vampire. Strange those two trying to ignore each other. Even an old fellow like me could see that they were lovebirds having a spat."
"That sounds like Dylan and the 'undertaker' must have been the Creepy Thin Man," said Natalie excited.
"Then there was the lady in the wheelchair. Felt right bad for her. Looked like she was in a bad fire."
"Lady in a wheelchair," asked Natalie.
"Yeah, she seemed to be the one in charge though. It was her call to fly in this weather. Stupid to do it if you ask me, and they didn't but I told them so anyway. The lady was bound and set on leaving tonight."
"Thanks for your help sir," said Natalie as they walked towards Bosley and Mitchum. "Who could she be?"
"I haven't a clue. We could go and interrogate the Chief but that would take too long and they have enough of a head start on us as it is. I guess we refuel here and hope we can make it to Chicago."
"So we're going to Chicago," asked Mitchum who had long since given what authority he had to the angels.
"It's 1506 nautical miles to Chicago, we've got a half a pack of cigarettes, a full tank of gas, its dark and we're wearing sunglasses. Hit it," said Bosley paraphrasing the "Blues Brothers". They all laughed and re- boarded the helicopter.
*-*-*-*-*
The private jet tossed around in the sky like a leaf. Gloria was praying incessantly."Our father who art in Heaven hallowed be thy name." In between sentences she was leaning over a small pail and throwing up. Daniels didn't look much better.
Towards the back of the plane Anthony sat calmly looking out the window at the flashing lighting smoking. He glanced at Dylan who was clutching the armrests of her seat. Although she didn't look frightened her white knuckles were giving her away.
Dylan glanced across the aisle at Anthony. He was looking out the window now but she knew he had been watching her. She could feel his eyes. As she looked at him she saw something else, parachutes. There was an emergency exit in the back behind Anthony's seat. She startled as he quickly looked at her as though he read her mind. She watched his eyes dart to where she had been looking and gave a quick nod. Was he giving her permission? She wondered.
The lighting flashed and a crack of thunder roared immediately afterwards. Gloria screamed as the plane started to dive. Dylan could hear Vivian barking orders in the cockpit but the only thing she could make out was "We are not going to die." As the plane started to level out again she could see both Matthews and Daniels sitting with their heads between their knees. She stood slowly and reached for one of the three parachutes and carefully strapped it on. Anthony nudged the case with the dart gun towards her with his foot. She gave him a small smile. As the plane dipped again she fell across the seat into his arms.
Anthony didn't know why he was helping her escape, he should still be mad at her for hitting him over the head with the candlestick, but as she fell into his arms it didn't matter. He inhaled the clean scent of her mussed hair and gently rubbed his chin against the top of her head. She turned her head and didn't realize how close their faces were so their noses collided. "Ow," she said softly her eyes never leaving his. He would have loved to stay that way but he knew now was her chance. He grazed his lips quickly across hers and pushed her up. "Come," she mouthed to him. He shook his head "no". He still had a job to do and if he was lucky it would all work out to his advantage.
Another crack of thunder and the plane dropped again. Dylan couldn't see a thing out the back window, she had no idea what she was jumping in to but she threw open the door anyway. A wind whipped through the cabin blowing papers around. "Stop her," yelled Vivian as she turned and saw what the problem was.
Anthony pretended to grab for her and miss. Daniels pulled out his gun and fired but the turbulence caused the plane to bounce and the shot to barely missed Dylan's head as she jumped out into the inky storm.