Wednesday, June 7th
Former Urban Predator Training Facility
Brussels, Belgium
20:05 GMT+2 (18:05 GMT June 7th)
As far as Stephanie was concerned, the man was out of the fight, and she did not give him a moment's thought.
"Stephanie!" Electra almost screamed as Stephanie did scream as the elder girl felt intense pain in her left arm.
Electra watched in horror as the not-quite-dead bastard's right hand rose up, a pointed blade readily in evidence which glinted in the limited light which spilled from a fallen torch. The point found Stephanie and the blade dug deep into her left bicep.
Stephanie screamed out in agony.
..._...
Mindy burst into the kitchen, just in time to see Electra kicking the man in the face with her boot.
"I thought the fucker was dead!" a shocked Stephanie exclaimed as she gripped her left shoulder which was shaking violently.
Mindy moved to put the bastard out of his misery, but she was stopped by Electra.
"Who the hell are you?" Stephanie demanded through gritted teeth as blood oozed from between the man's grinning lips.
"Panther-Brigade!" the man said in German. "Wir haben auf dich gewartet."
"They're Panther Brigade," Marc translated from behind Mindy. "They've been waiting for us to arrive, it seems."
"Have they now," Mindy growled.
It was time to leave before any more men appeared.
Mindy Box E034/198
21:05 GMT+2 (19:05 GMT June 7th)
"Ow!"
Stephanie gripped Jamie's hand hard enough that it hurt. Stephanie ignored his outburst as she grimaced at the extreme pain while Jennifer went to work on her bleeding upper arm.
"You just can't stay out of trouble, can you?" Jamie demanded. "What the hell is it with you?"
"We should never have gone there," Stephanie replied as Jennifer gently wiped around the embedded blade before she injected a local anaesthetic.
"No, you needed the closure," Abigail countered. "I know what the place means to you and Electra."
Stephanie knew that every word was true, and that Abigail was in one of her serious moods.
"Thanks."
"It could have gone worse, I suppose," Saoirse threw in.
"Yeah," Shannon quipped. "The knife could have gone in her heart!"
"Don't think she has one," Electra grinned. "She's too much like Mindy."
Stephanie grinned for a moment before she winced as the blade was gently eased out of her shoulder.
"You're lucky, Stephanie," Jennifer lectured. "Nothing important damaged that won't heal. Let me suture the wound and apply a dressing, then you can rest."
"Thanks, Jen," Stephanie grimaced.
..._...
After most had bedded down for the night, Mindy and Dave were the last to go to bed.
"Stephanie could have died."
"Yes," Dave replied.
"I need to be more careful."
"Yes," Dave replied.
"She's sleeping with Jamie . . . he won't leave her side."
"Those two have a very strong bond," Dave said.
"Who else is going to get hurt on this trip?" Mindy asked.
"I would love to say that Steph was the last, but you and I both know that won't be the case."
"I know. I know."
The following morning...
Thursday, June 8th, 2017
Leaving Belgium...
09:00 GMT+2 (07:00 GMT June 8th)
The morning was fresh with a pleasant breeze coming from the southwest.
The mini convoy joined the E411, heading southeast, having left the hotel about thirty minutes before. Dave led the convoy in the unexpected hope that Mindy might obey at least some of the posted speed limits. However, that just annoyed Mindy no end, not that the three girls with her made the trip any easier. Stephanie was annoying Mindy, just like any other eleven-year-old and Mindy was not amused, especially as Abigail had chosen to join in . . . with Electra goading Abigail for better results. However, between them, the three girls managed to push things just a little too far with their singing, joking, and generally obnoxious skylarking. Jennifer, driving the Audi SQ7 at the rear of the trio of vehicles got the shock of her life as the driver of the Audi S8 Quattro thirty yards ahead of her suddenly stomped on the brakes and the large saloon car veered over to the right onto the shoulder, braking to a very severe halt.
Ahead, Dave saw the violent manoeuvre in the rear-view mirror and he simply shrugged as he continued driving.
..._...
Mindy turned to glare at each of the girls in turn.
"Abigail, honey, do you want to live long enough to reach your twelfth birthday?" Mindy asked calmly in a very dark tone of voice.
Abigail swallowed hard before she responded.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Electra, I like you very much, but there comes a point when you just have to kill somebody, no matter how much you like them," Mindy continued.
"Sorry," Electra said.
Stephanie could tell that Mindy was enjoying herself, but she chose to say nothing – an incredibly wise decision as it turned out – as Mindy turned her sparkling green eyes onto her.
"Would you like some pain to distract you from the pain in your shoulder, honey?"
"Er, I'm good, thanks."
"Shall we have a pleasant drive to Luxembourg?" Mindy said pointedly.
"Yes," the three girls responded.
Mindy grinned broadly as she accelerated after the other two cars of their convoy, rapidly re-joining them.
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
11:02 GMT+2 (09:02 GMT June 8th)
They had crossed the border a short time earlier and were now in Luxembourg.
Nestled between Belgium, France, and Germany, the small European country is mostly rural but with dense Ardennes forest and nature parks in the north, rocky gorges of the eastern region in the east, not to mention the Moselle river valley in the southeast. The capital, Luxembourg City, is famed for its fortified medieval old town perched on sheer cliffs. However, Dave, Mindy, and the others were not there to see the sights; they were there to meet a man who, they hoped, would be able to shed some light on what was currently threatening the world and give them guidance on where to head next. The brush with the Panther Brigade had, at least, indicated that there were probably on the right track. As they entered the city, they pulled over to top up the cars with petrol and for the kids to stretch their legs.
"Were you testing your brakes, earlier, honey?" Dave asked his wife as they both pumped petrol into their cars.
"Electra was encouraging Abigail to back up Stephanie who was winding me up by talking shit and playing crap music," Mindy explained dolefully. "I felt that it was time to speak a few supportive words to encourage better behaviour."
"I noticed that Abigail appeared a little subdued," Dave chuckled.
"It's character building, Mindy!" Jennifer called over from another pump.
"Fucking annoying is what it is!" Mindy growled.
"We do what we can," Electra grinned as she returned to the car with Abigail in tow.
"Don't push it," Mindy hissed with a grin.
"We would never dream of it," Stephanie assured Mindy as she pulled open her door to climb in.
"No, I'm sure you wouldn't," Mindy growled as she went to pay for the fuel.
"Remember, girls," Dave warned. "Mindy's like a dodgy hand grenade – she could explode anytime."
"Noted," Electra grinned.
After they left the petrol station, they made for the northeast part of the city, where, fifteen minutes later, the two Audi S8s and the Audi SQ7 pulled up a short distance from their destination.
A short while later...
11:45 GMT+2 (09:45 GMT June 8th)
Hotel Sofitel Luxembourg Europe
Mindy and Dave appeared at the hotel for dead on eleven forty-five that morning.
The Hotel Sofitel Luxembourg Europe was expensive and carried five stars. Their source was a man called James Morrow and he was waiting for them as Dave and Mindy entered the capacious lobby of the hotel. However, as they approached, the man began to look a little furtive. Dave figured that he was having second thoughts on betraying the Axis which was perfectly understandable. As they closed, the man became more and more furtive before he suddenly bolted for the exit. Dave moved to cut the man off, but not before a porter passed ahead of Dave, unintentionally cutting Dave off. Mindy, though, had the man firmly in her sights.
As the man rushed out of the hotel's main entrance, he looked around, momentarily unsure of what to do. He found himself standing behind two men who were chatting between themselves, just as two cars were brought up to the entrance by the valets. With a strategic shove, the valet who had jumped out of the first car was shoved off to one side and James Morrow dived into the driver's seat and he swiftly brought the scissor door down. A quick check over the dashboard, and with the engine already running, he selected drive before he stomped on the accelerator and the Lamborghini Aventador S in grey metallic paint roared throatily as it raced towards the main road.
Mindy emerged from the hotel's main entrance just in time to see Morrow diving into the Lamborghini. With a swift glance around, she bolted around the two valets and two men, who were only just beginning to react to what was happening, before she jumped into the driver's seat of the next car along. Mindy was just gazing over the unfamiliar controls as she pulled on her seatbelt when the passenger door opened, and the slim shape of Stephanie slid in and slammed the door.
"What are you doing here?" Mindy demanded as she dropped the gearbox into drive and stomped on the accelerator.
"I thought I should keep an eye on my wayward mother," Stephanie responded as she pulled the seatbelt tight.
The gloss black Bugatti Veyron shot after the Lamborghini, a little over twenty yards behind the other car. Two ninety degree turns later, and both vehicles raced along Rue Alcide de Gasperi heading east.
"How many horses does this thing have?" Stephanie asked, not really wanting to know the answer.
"A thousand and one!" Mindy grinned happily.
"Oh, fuck, I'm sodding dog meat!" Stephanie growled as she gripped the seat with both hands.
Behind the two fleeing supercars, Dave ran for his Audi S8, diving behind the wheel where he swiftly took off after Mindy.
11:53 GMT+2 (09:53 GMT June 8th)
The relatively straight 2.3-kilometre stretch of the N51 heading northeast allowed both cars to accelerate to over 110 kilometres-per-hour.
The Lamborghini dodged and weaved in and out of the traffic on the two-lane street with extraordinarily little apparent regard for the other road users. Mindy did her best to balance speed against safety for both her and Stephanie, as well as for the citizens of Luxembourg City. Mindy, though, was in her element as she braked hard and then downshifted through the seven-speed direct shift automatic gearbox with the carbon-fibre paddles mounted on the steering wheel as they entered a short underpass below a roundabout. They followed the Lamborghini around a tight curve which brought them around onto the A1 motorway heading east. Mindy had expected the Lamborghini to move over into the outside lane, before racing off, but instead, it remained in the inside lane, the reason soon becoming apparent as the Lamborghini took the off ramp for the A7 heading north. After navigating the tight lefthander, both supercars took advantage of the kilometre or so of straight road to accelerate hard before they raced into the Tunnel Stafelter. After a little under two kilometres of concrete tunnel where the combined roar of the Bugatti's 8.0-litre quad-turbocharged W16 engine and the Lamborghini's 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine echoed along the entire length – eliciting an ever-broader grin from Mindy – as they zipped in and out of the light traffic. The Lamborghini weighed around 300-kilogrammes less than the Bugatti which helped to balance out the lack of 271-bhp in the Lamborghini when compared to the 1,001-bhp in the Bugatti. A shallow curve took them around to another section of tunnel – Tunnel Grouft – which was a three-kilometre curve from the south to the east. Again, the sound of the surging supercars was astounding and even the petrified Stephanie found herself grinning at the awesome sound.
Stephanie was relieved when they rocketed out of the tunnel into daylight at just shy of 240 kilometres-per-hour. That did not last long as they then plunged into Tunnel Gousselerbierg for another 2.6-kilometres. It was in that tunnel where Mindy made a concerted effort to overtake the Lamborghini, however, the Lamborghini driver – James Morrow – appeared to be as crazy a driver as Mindy, a fact which Stephanie had figured out all too quickly. For the fiftieth time, the ten-year-old regretted the impetus to run after Mindy and jump into the car with her. Stephanie was seeing her life flash before her eyes, a life which was surprisingly packed considering she had only been alive for eleven years. However, a significant chunk was remarkably depressing, and Stephanie regretted seeing it, so instead of focussing on her morbid past life, she focussed on her impending death in a fireball of screeching metal deep beneath the Luxembourg countryside. On the plus side, she considered that dying in one of the world's fastest production cars was definitely a bonus.
"Oh, for goodness sake, Stephanie!" Mindy growled as she struggled to contain the massive amount of horsepower under her direct control. "You behave like an old woman at times!"
"As long as I live long enough to actually become an old woman!" Stephanie shot back angrily.
"What's wrong, Stephy?" Mindy laughed as she pushed down on the accelerator pedal.
"Nothing!" Stephy squeaked as her eyes watched the needles on the dashboard move remorselessly in a clockwise direction.
They were now hurtling through the concrete tunnel at over 300 kilometres-per-hour which Stephanie's mind converted to miles-per-hour and she felt quite sick as she realised that they were moving at almost 190 miles-per-hour which was over three miles a minute. However, they were in the tunnel for barely forty seconds before they emerged into daylight and they were forced to reduce their speed as traffic began to impede their progress, much to Stephanie's relief. For several moments, the youngster had been concerned that she might lose control of her bladder, but with the drastic reduction in speed, she figured she could remain in control. Being back in daylight helped matters enormously, although a part of her had enjoyed the roar of the engines in the close confines of the concrete tunnel. They manoeuvred in and out of the traffic before zipping through the 530-metre Mersch Tunnel and emerging back into daylight.
A few kilometres later, the Lamborghini veered over to the right and took a slip road leading off to an industrial estate. The slip road was tight, and Mindy struggled to control the monster supercar, despite the four-wheel-drive system, as she pursued the Lamborghini which seemed to be skidding around a bit as the driver appeared to be losing control on the curve. Then everything went very, very wrong as a large truck chose to turn left into the industrial estate, cutting across the road about forty yards ahead of the Lamborghini. The brake lights snapped on and smoke erupted from the tortured tyres as the supercar slewed around in a seemingly vain attempt at slowing to a dead stop. Actually, it did stop dead, but only after the front three feet of the awfully expensive supercar vanished under the side of the truck with the sound of tearing metal, disintegrating carbon fibre, and tortured brakes. Mindy slammed her feet on her own brake pedal and the two-tonne Bugatti slewed across the road, its back wing going vertical as a speed brake which made all the difference as the supercar came to a halt a mere twelve inches from the right-hand corner of the Lamborghini. Mindy breathed out a very audible sigh of relief which was mirrored by the young girl in the seat beside her.
"You and I are going to talk," Stephanie said pointedly, her expression deadly serious.
Mindy rolled her eyes and she pushed open her door and jumped out, racing forward to lift open the door to the driver's side of the Lamborghini. The driver appeared stunned, blood evident on his face, and did not resist as Mindy slapped the man across the face.
"Why the fuck did you run?" she growled.
The man's face had real fear etched deep into his expression, Stephanie noticed, although it was difficult to understand whether the fear was because of Mindy or was it something else, she thought.
"In the hotel – they were there . . . I saw one of them, then I panicked, and I bolted. You don't know what these people are like; they are like animals. I was scared . . . and I still am. I tell you what I know and then I will probably die."
"We cannot protect you," Mindy relented. "But we need to know what you know – we've travelled a long way to find you."
The man took several deep breaths before he began to speak.
"Triester Strasse, Nuremberg. There is a facility – abandoned now – which belonged to Eidolon. Be careful..."
Without warning, the man braced up before he went limp as a neat red hole appeared in his forehead, and the entire inside of the expensive Lamborghini was bathed in blood and brains. Then came a sharp crack which echoed around the area. Mindy reached into the car and she pulled what appeared to be a plastic pouch from underneath the man's jacket. There was the screeching of tyres and Dave slewed to a halt beside the Bugatti in his S8.
"Let's go!" Stephanie urged. "I don't like snipers!"
Mindy yanked open the rear door and they both slipped into the back seat as Dave accelerated away even as the sound of sirens began to echo around the area.
12:04 GMT+2 (10:04 GMT June 8th)
As Dave drove back onto the A7 and they headed back the way they had come, Mindy leaned over to Stephanie.
"You okay?"
"Fucking stay away from me!" came the angry response.
"Huh?"
"You just don't fucking get it, do you?" Stephanie lectured. "I thought I was going to die, today. You are fucking insane! If you look up 'insane' in the fucking dictionary, you'll find a fucking picture of you with a line: see 'Hit Girl'..."
Mindy rolled her eyes as she listened to the continuing diatribe.
Almost fifteen minutes of ranting later...
12:19 GMT+2 (10:19 GMT June 8th)
"And another thing – my entire sodding life flashed before my eyes and it scared the shit out of me – I hate seeing my life flash before my eyes, but it happens too fucking much and its fucking scary and fucking depressing all at once!"
"Er, Steph?" Dave ventured as Stephanie paused for a breath.
"What?"
"You did get into a supercar with Mindy, knowing that there was about to be a chase, right?"
"Yes."
Dave simply raised an eyebrow as he looked back at Stephanie in the rear-view mirror and he laughed as the girl rolled her eyes.
"She's still fucking insane!" Stephanie seethed before she relented. "But then so am I, I suppose."
"You have to admit, the car was just as insane," Mindy grinned.
Stephanie laughed. "It made a beautiful noise in those tunnels," she conceded.
"We friends again?" Mindy ventured, scared for a moment of a negative response.
Stephanie sighed.
"We'll always be best friends, Mum, no matter what," she responded.
Dave grinned as he saw the two most important people in his life hug warmly.
American Military Cemetery
Luxembourg City
12:22 GMT+2 (10:22 GMT June 8th)
Electra grinned as Mindy shot out of the back seat of the car, closely followed by Stephanie.
Electra looked at Stephanie who simply avoided Electra's eyes, then she moved onto Mindy who looked slightly embarrassed. It was only when everyone was back in their correct cars that Electra spoke.
"Mindy, did you just endure a Psyche Diatribe?"
"A Psyche what?" Mindy responded as she fiddled with her seat. "Who last drove this car?!"
"It was Saoirse," Electra replied. "And a Psyche Diatribe is something that I've not seen in quite a while. It usually results when Stephy gets out of her depth and when something has scared the crap out of her. She was kind of famous for them – amongst other things. Most of the time, she just ranted at nobody in particular and we just either pretended to listen, supportively, or we just left her to it."
"That was the first time I just let loose in a long time," Stephanie admitted.
"How long?" Electra asked Mindy.
"About fifteen minutes," Mindy replied.
"Not a record, but one of her longest," Electra commented. "Worst one was almost an hour."
"I suppose I'm lucky," Mindy laughed as she turned to grin at Stephanie who smiled back."
"Was Mindy's driving that scary?" Abigail ventured.
"Yes, it was," Stephanie said. "Can we not talk about it, please?"
"I am going to kill Saoirse!" Mindy growled. "She changed my seat, the wheel, and the mirrors – bitch!"
Mindy continued to rant for the next few minutes, causing Abigail and Electra to burst out laughing.
..._...
Thirty minutes and some twenty-four kilometres later, the three vehicles crossed over the River Mosel and then passed over the border into Germany.
"Well, that's yet another country Mindy won't be welcomed back to," Dave called over the comms. "However, Mindy still has around 190 countries still to upset."
"I am not even going to dignify that with an answer," Mindy muttered as she ignored the laughter of the three young girls.
Ahead of them, they had a four-hundred-kilometre drive which would take them about four hours.
Thursday, June 8th
London Heathrow Airport
London, United Kingdom
11:22 GMT+1 (10:22 GMT June 8th)
THE PHOENIX
Despite being left in London aboard a luxury airliner, there was still a lot of work to be done.
Their location had been specifically chosen as it provided the best security for the large Boeing and its precious cargo of people. For the Axis of Evil to actually consider launching an attack on what was arguably the most heavily guarded airport in Europe was pure fantasy on their part. However, nothing was being left to chance and they had requested (and been charged for) a parking bay close to the terminal and their air bridge was patrolled at irregular intervals by armed British Transport Police officers. Every four hours, or so, the duty members of the crew patrolled outside and underneath the mammoth aircraft with the assistance of the senior passengers aboard. Nothing was left to chance. The aircraft had to be ready to roll with only forty minutes notice – in reality, it would actually take longer for a push back to be arranged and a take off slot to be offered – and there could be no chances for sabotage.
Inside the voluminous aircraft and occupying the majority of the area between Door No.1 and Door No.2 and the entire width of the aircraft except for the three feet of the forward passageway, the command centre was the nerve centre for the aircraft and the key to the entire mission. Access was strictly limited to senior Fusion staff. At that moment, Chloe was aft in the Forward Seating with her daughter when she received a call over the tannoy system fitted throughout the aircraft.
"Chloe, you're needed forward."
It was Abby's voice and Chloe grinned as she left Becky chatting with Anne-Marie and Annabelle. The sixteen-year-old girl headed forward along the port passageway before emerging into the main entrance & forward lobby area where she found Megan and Curtis on guard duty beside the port side Door No.2 which was closed. They both smiled at Chloe as she triggered the concealed door which led forward along the port side. After ensuring that the door closed and locked behind her, Chloe moved along the forward passageway before she stopped at a door on the right. With a furtive look to her left and right, Chloe pressed her palm against the screen located beside the door and she punched in her code. The door latch released, and she pushed open the door which led into the command centre.
Fitted out just as sumptuously as the rest of the aircraft, the command centre was where the aircraft could be fought from and missions could be controlled. The layout of the command centre could be reconfigured according to the mission. You wanted an ASaC (Airborne Surveillance and Control) aircraft with multiple mission consoles, you could have it. You wanted a control centre for launching air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, you could have it. At that moment, the space was configured with five mission consoles to starboard and a large electronic touchscreen, horizontal smart table to port beside the access door.
"Hi, guys!" Chloe called out as she waved at Eric, Abby, Patrick, Taylor, and Joshua.
Eric and Taylor stood at the smart table while Abby and Patrick were seated at a mission console each. On the forward bulkhead, a sixty-five-inch flat screen was mounted. The screen displayed a map of northern Europe and there were dots scattered across the map. A group of dark blue and light blue dots were located in eastern France around Metz and a group of purple dots were located in eastern Luxembourg. A larger number of purple and dark blue dots were located in London. The dots showed real time locations for all members of Fusion, Vengeance, and Honneur at all times.
"Chloe, we've scoped out the location for the attack in Nuremberg, tonight," Taylor said. "We need your input on the tactical situation before we brief Dave and Mindy in three hours."
Chloe looked down at the flat touchscreen and she studied the images.
..._...
Below the aircraft, Arya and Willow were dressed in yellow hi-vis vests and wearing radio ear defenders as they walked the underside of the giant aircraft from nose to tail.
The pair checked out the forward undercarriage and the wheel well, looking for anything which had not been there at the last check or which just did not belong. Willow aimed a powerful torch into the dark nooks and crannies of the wheel well while Arya's experienced eyes searched for anything untoward. Willow was determined to learn about Mindy's latest wet dream and, one day, she hoped to be able to fly the massive Boeing. The forward undercarriage doors were a gloss black and each door was emblazoned with a Stars and Stripes and the aircraft's identifying letters: NZ. The pair continued aft, passing the silver mirrored stripe which wrapped around the forward underside just aft of the forward landing gear before sweeping aft and then horizontally along the predominantly black gloss aircraft just above the windows on both sides. The underside soon changed from a gloss black to a gloss purple which continued aft to the tail cone. Numerous LED lights, sensors, and antennae dotted the underside and every single one needed to be checked for any signs of damage. They passed under the forward cargo hatch set into the starboard side, which was currently closed and secured, while a plastic seal indicated that the hatch had not been opened since the previous walkaround. It took the pair almost ten minutes to reach the wing root and the main central fuel tank which was currently filled with thousands of litres of highly flammable jet fuel.
To either side, the giant General Electric GE90-115B1 high-bypass turbofans hung forward of the wings. The monstrous jet engines were veritable monsters at well over seven metres (728.1cm) in length and almost four metres (392.6cm) in height and weighed in at almost nine tonnes (8,762kg) each. To put that into perspective, the original Boeing 707 fuselage was only 3.8 metres wide! Willow was particularly interested in the engines and she took her time examining each turbine blade for damage or foreign object. The next stop were the ginormous silver wings which stretched almost sixty-five metres (64.8m) from wingtip to wingtip and were angled backwards at an angle of 31.64 degrees. If Willow had thought that the view of the aircraft from the nose, looking along the underside towards the distant tail, some seventy-four metres away, was cool, the view from the starboard wingtip was absolutely amazing. Her eyes moved from the tail with its vertical stabiliser which towered almost nineteen metres (18.5m) in the air to the nose far to her right. The sight was amazing. The aircraft was predominantly black from nose to tail with the underside from below Door No.2 purple. The sweeping silver mirrored stripe ended looking like a tanto blade tip just forward of Door No.5 at the rear of the aircraft. Just aft of that same door, the aircraft's registration was printed in white on the purple section: N297NZ. Gazing down from the mighty vertical stabiliser was a fiery phoenix set on a black background. At night, the image would look amazing, Willow knew. The nose was interesting. Imprinted over the nose and streaking back as far as Door No.1 was a stylised phoenix in white. Between Door No.1 and Door No.2, words were painted in flowing text on the fuselage above the windows:
From the ashes... the Phoenix rises...
The pair walked the length of the starboard wing, pausing momentarily to check that the moving sections were free of damage or foreign objects. They stopped at the monstrous six-wheeled starboard main landing gear. The massive vertical struts were supporting a good proportion of the aircraft's over 250-tonnes of weight, shared with its counterpart to port and the forward gear below the cockpit. Willow shone the torch into the wheel bay, and she marvelled at the intricate but sturdy struts which would allow the landing gear to fold up inside the mid-section of the aircraft after take-off and then deploy again at the end of a flight prior to landing. Willow paused at a red rectangle painted onto the purple paintwork just aft of the starboard wing. It was labelled in red: WARNING: RAM AIR TURBINE – KEEP CLEAR. Willow knew that behind that panel was the RAT which would supply emergency electrical power to the aircraft should all engine power be lost in flight. Further aft, they came up to the aft cargo hatch, also on the starboard side and currently sealed shut as well as the bulk cargo hatch which was also sealed. More antennae spotted the purple underside of the aircraft as they moved towards the tail.
Almost at the tip of the tail, the tail strike indicator was deployed and would alert the pilot should he over-rotate on take-off. The two horizontal stabilisers stuck out either side of the tail below the vertical stabiliser and rudder assembly. As they passed around the very tip of the aircraft which tapered rearward into a blade-shaped tail cone, the port-facing exhaust port for the auxiliary power unit was readily visible. The auxiliary power unit or APU could provide power to the entire aircraft until the main engines were running and was essential for when the aircraft could not accept power from a land-based source. At that moment, the APU was silent as all electrical power was being provided by the airport via cables connected up forward. Willow followed Arya down the portside, examining everything as they approached the port landing gear and port wing. After performing the very same checks as before they moved onto the port wing and port engine. Forward, the portside of the aircraft was obscured by the air bridge which was position over Door No.2 and that over Door No.1 for the crew.
Willow was astounded by how beautiful the giant aircraft looked. The exterior was simply stunning, and the gloss paintwork glistened in the bright sunshine. Just as amazing was the sheer power which Willow knew could be generated by the two giant turbofans. As her hands rested on the side of the port GE90, she could imagine the 256 kiloNewtons of thrust which each engine could exert on the air around it. Those two engines could thrust the aircraft, fully laden with over 351 tonnes of fuel, cargo, and passengers into the air and then onto Mach 0.89 or 510 knots at 35,000 feet. Enough fuel could be carried in the massive tanks within the fuselage and wings to carry the aircraft 6,000 nautical miles – approximately the distance from London, England to San Francisco, USA without refuelling.
With relief, the two women left the sweltering heat of the airport tarmac and they retreated back into the air-conditioned comfort of the aircraft.
..._...
High above their heads, Lucy was in the recreational area with Danny, Kendra, and Ruth.
Each of the four was wearing a Taekwondo Gi and Lucy was taking the younger members through some advanced fighting styles. Ruth was there mainly to assist but she also knew that she could learn a lot from the highly experienced Lucy. Danny and Kendra both knew that they had a lot to learn as they were thrown around the matted floor by Ruth. Each time they were put down, they regained their feet and Ruth would explain where they had gone wrong before repeating the movement again and again until Danny and Kendra could execute the defensive or offensive movement perfectly and to Lucy's satisfaction. Since appearing on the scene, everyone learnt that Lucy had exceedingly high standards and it was not easy to meet her levels of satisfaction. Some had complained to Mindy about it, but Mindy had simply ignored the complaints as she was quite happy with Lucy's standards which almost matched her own.
Further aft, in the tail section, Hailee, Mathilda, Lauren, and Brad were busy checking through the weapons held on board. The vast majority were virgin weapons, never fired before. Each weapon, therefore, had to be stripped down, inspected, reassembled, stripped down, inspected, and then reassembled again. Considering who the aircraft and the armoury belonged to, there were an awful lot of firearms to be processed, even before they moved onto the pointed weapons. Mathilda was concentrating on the long rifles which she would be making use of once the missions began to unfold. She would be the sniper. She would be the single person feared by all as she engaged from hidden locations well beyond the range of any of the enemy weapons. Yes, it was sneaky, and a little underhand, but her duty was to protect those on the ground and provide every advantage to the teams. Mathilda would be working with the youngster, Ruth Anders. The eleven-year-old girl had demonstrated an aptitude with long rifles, and she could place a bullet within a millimetre of where she intended, time and time again.
Ruth would be her spotter and the pair would ensure that no harm came to their colleagues.
..._...
Willow slumped into a seat and she watched her sister being tossed to the mat by Ruth.
"God, it's hot out there!" she exclaimed as Yvonne brought her a cold bottle of water to drink.
"Thanks, Yvonne, you're a life saver!"
"I would suggest a change of clothing, Willow – you stink of jet fuel."
Kendra laughed from where she lay on the mat.
"My sister loves the smell of jet fuel; she'd bathe in it given half the chance."
"I've noticed," Yvonne chuckled. "Go for it, Willow."
Willow grinned as she downed half of the water before she grinned down at her younger sister.
"At least you're where you belong; flat on your ass on the deck!"
Kendra glared as she jumped to her feet.
"Come here and say that!" the eleven-year-old challenged her sixteen-year-old sister.
Willow stepped forward, placing the plastic bottle down on a table.
"You think you can beat me; little shit!" Willow grinned. "Just because you're Rylee's little Yellow bitch, does not mean that you can take down the likes of me!"
"Kendra knows her limits," Rylee stated for the record. "She may not be able to take you down, but she can hurt you."
"I don't doubt that," Willow conceded. "I know that Kendra is very skilled, but she still has a lot to learn."
"Yes, she does," Ruth confirmed. "Kendra?"
"If you'll excuse me, Willow," Kendra grinned cheekily.
Willow laughed as she headed forward.