Chapter 34: Hostages
It was dark. All the airplane crew saw was the lights of the controls. The Air Traffic Control reported over radio.
"Flight Seven Six Two, you are clear for landing on Runway three."
"Affirmative. Great Lake City, Here Seven Six Two, we prepare to land on runway two."
"Affirmative. Seven Six Two, have a soft landing and a good night."
The pilot turned the Airbus A340 and went in a decline circle.
"5700 feet over ground, declining at five ten feet a second." The Co-Pilot said.
"Affirmative. We bring this lady down." The Pilot said.
The airliner declined in altitude. The pilots saw the lights of the runway. The lights went under them, and the whole plane shook.
"We're down. Flab's up." The pilot said.
The Co-Pilot pressed a button. The plane slowed down to the speed of a race car. They went slower and slower, and stopped at the end of the runway. The airliner turned around, went on the Taxiway, and drove towards a Hangar, one kilometer away from the main airport terminal. The taxiway was in a slightly forested spot. The airliner stopped in front of the hangar. Thompson looked at the Aircraft that stopped in front of him. It was massive. He looked at the registration number N-828-HDW-B.
"What a wonderful machine."
He turned around, and spoke to workers in the hangar.
"Load the machine! Tomorrow we will bring the important stuff!"
A gangway was driven to the plane door. Thompson went upstairs, and wintered the Airliner. He walked past a bar, a Swimming Pool, and went through the door in the cockpit.
"My gentleman." Thompson said.
The pilot and the copilot looked at him.
"Mister Thompson."
Thompson took a document out of his jacket and gave it to the Crew. The Pilot looked at the document.
"Travel Route. We leave the US, and fly to France Charlie De Gaulle. We refuel and fly over Switzerland, Austria, former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Turkey…"
The pilot looked at Thompson.
"We turn in the direction of Armenia and Azerbaijan… and enter Russian airspace…"
The pilot got up.
"Sir that's sanctioned Airspace. We can't return that easy if we enter Russian airspace."
"I know. But you don't need to worry. I made sure that we can return." Thompson said.
"And what is with the war in Ukraine? Ukraine has Long range anti aircraft missiles." The co pilot said.
"We are out of range of S200 or S400 anti air, and definitely out of range for the patriot system. This is as safe as a normal flight."
"Okay. We do it." The Pilot and the Copilot said.
"Wonderful. Gentlemen, I wish you all a good night."
Thompson left the cockpit and walked to the door. He stood in the frame, and looked up at the sky.
"I am sorry gentlemen. This is just a one way flight."
He started laughing evilly. Morning came in. The sun rose over the base. Natasha was already awake. She was in the bathroom and was just wearing her black underwear. She watched her reflection in the mirror. She gained weight again.
"I gained weight again? Oh man…" Natasha said desperately.
Lori entered the Bathroom with Lorraine in her arms.
"Hey. How are you?" Lori asked.
"Not good. I gained weight again." Natasha said.
"You need to see that you don't get fat again. Right Lorraine."
Lori held Lorraine near Natasha, and spoke with a high voice for her.
"Yes Natasha. You need to be slim. You are my best aunt."
Natasha looked with a highly confused look at Lori.
"Please don't do that. This is creepy."
Lori took Lorraine back to her chest, and held her carefully.
"I try to make you feel better."
Lori kissed Lorraine's forehead.
"How did you gain weight again?"
"Because we eat too much fattening stuff. Like spaghetti or goulash. I ate mostly plant-based food in New York."
"At least you were healthy in New York."
"Yeah. And that will be the case again. Guess what I ate today for breakfast?"
"What?"
"Two eggs. Without anything."
"That's good." Lori said.
"And for lunch, I made a salad, with French dressing and a little bit of chicken and eggs in it."
"Oh that's good. That's perfect for a meal. You will get slim very soon again."
Natasha pinched her love handles.
"I hope I don't get a disease. Like diabetes." Natasha said.
"You just need to stay healthy. I am sure nothing would happen."
"Just never let Lorraine become like me."
"Lorraine will never turn out like you. Don't worry." Lori said.
Natasha chuckled.
"This sounded so mean but it was exactly what I said." Natasha said.
They both laughed. Lorraine looked at her mother. Natasha petted Lorraine's head.
"She is absolutely cute." Lori held Lorraine tightly.
"She is all in my life."
"Remember that we were two girls when we met two years ago? And now, I am a woman, and you a mother."
"We went far. Much more far than we ever thought." Lori said.
"Very far. Maybe it was good. Maybe it was bad." Natasha said.
"When I think about all and think about Lorraine, then I think it was good."
"Yes."
Natasha looked back at the mirror.
"You know what's funny?" Natasha asked.
"What?"
"Basically, the day we met each other was the reason why Lorraine exists. Right? All of which led to her birth was kinda my fault."
"Yes. One thing happened, and made the way to the next. I'll be honest, without you, we wouldn't be here."
Natasha put a blue Shirt on, and black Stretchy Pants. They went outside. A car drove extremely fast to the train. It almost fell over while stopping. Carol, Commander Fletcher, and Mr Pussepp got out of the car. Carol and Fletcher looked mad at Pussepp.
"You drove like in a video game! Are you insane!?" Carol asked angrily.
"You said fast." Mr Pussepp said.
Lori, with Lorraine in her hands, and Natasha ran to Carol, Fletcher and Pussepp.
"Are you alright?" Lori asked.
"Yes and no. We have problems."
"What problems." Natasha asked, and whipped dust from Carols shoulder.
"The mission doesn't start in two weeks. It starts today. Lori, Williams had a letter, remember?"
"Wow. Today?" Lori said surprised.
"Yes! Tell Slobodan and his group to get the Shilka ready!"
"Okay." Natasha said and wanted to go to Slobodan.
"Natasha. I might need you somewhere else." Carol said.
"I am the driver." Natasha said.
"I know. But I want you to go to the airport with Leni. There is a plane. A intercontinental airliner. That's the aircraft. Lori will take your position."
"This is a stupid decision!" Natasha said.
"Lori can read the writing in the Shilka and that's her advantage. You just need to watch the plane and make it not start."
"Fine!" Natasha said with a disappointed tone.
"You get a car. And Leni gets a rifle. You are Lenis boss from now on. Lori, you go to Slobodan. Fletcher, mobilize the other ones." Carol said.
"Should I give Lorraine to Claire?" Lori asked.
"Yes. She takes care of the babies."
Lori went with Lorraine to Claire. Natasha went to Leni who was with Cynthia.
"Leni. You come with me. Mom, go to Carol." Natasha said.
"What happened?" Cynthia asked.
"It's time. The mission starts now."
"Already?" Cynthia asked, shocked.
"Yes!"
"Okay. I go to Carol. Leni, do what Natasha tells you."
"But I don't want to stay with her. I wanna stay with you." Leni said.
"Leni. She is my daughter. And we are pretty similar. So no worry."
Cynthia went away. Leni looked nervously towards Natasha. Natasha looked at Leni.
"Chill. Why are you so angry and obsessed? We had over a year ago a good time." Natasha said.
"I am still concerned about you, Lori and Bobby." Leni said.
"Relax. Lori and I are just friends. Lori belongs to Bobby. And that's how it should be. You don't need to worry."
Leni looked at Natasha.
"I trust you. You are like Cynthia. And she never lied to me."
Natasha took her SIG 550 and went to Carol. Carol gave Leni an assault rifle and Natasha a key for a car.
"Can you handle the rifle?" Carol asked.
"I can." Leni said.
"You only used a Bolt Action rifle. The K31 from Lori. This thing will be loaded instantly." Natasha said.
"When I press the trigger again then it shoots?" Leni asked.
"Yes. So don't do stupid things."
"Okay. That's much better."
"Good! Go to the airport and cut the wire with the tools in the car!" Carol yelled.
"Isn't that illegal?" Natasha asked. "That isn't the problem here! Now go!"
"Okay."
Carol put her hands on Natasha's and Leni's shoulders.
"Take care of you."
Natasha sat on the driver seat, and Leni sat on the passenger seat. Natasha started the engine and drove away. Lori watched the fueling of the Shilka. Slobodan and Marie Loaded the magazines.
"How is the fuel loading going?" Slobodan asked.
"Good! I'm done in a minute!" Lori yelled.
"I'm done Slobodan!" Marie said.
"Good! Go to your position!"
Carol came to them.
"Natasha and Leni are on the way! Lori! Pussepp will support us with the marines!" Carol said.
"Good! I just gave Lorraine to Claire!"
Fletcher approached them.
"Agent Pringrey! I take command! You go on your position!"
"Aye sir!"
Carol climbed on the Turret, and went through the hatch.
"I'm done! Fuel ready!"
"Go on your position!"
Lori closed the fuel tank and went to the front hatch. Lori opened it and sat on the driver seat. Slobodan closed the magazine, went through the hatch, sat on his seat and closed the hatch. He put the headset on.
"Driver! Start engine!"
"Okay."
Lori looked at the controls. She saw the start key, and turned it. The engine started running. Slobodan took the microphone of the Radio, and pressed the PTT button.
"Here Radosavijević! We are ready!"
"Fletcher here! Affirmative! Go on your position! Helicopters are already flying from the warehouse to the target! Stop them!"
Lori heard the conversation.
"Oh man." Lori said worried.
"Driver! Leave the base!" Slobodan yelled.
Lori pressed the gas pedal, and the Shilka started moving forward. Lori saw through the visor that she drove past Mike, Cynthia, Fletcher and Pussepp, who were preparing with a group of Marine soldiers. Lori drove over the street towards the exit of the base.
"When we exit the gate you turn left!" Slobodan said.
"Got it!"
Lori drove towards the gate. The guards saw the Shilka driving fast towards the gate. They ran away. Lori drove in the barrier, which broke and flew away. Lori stopped the Shilka and turned to the left.
"Forward, 60 kilometers an hour!"
Lori drove off. The Shilka went over a meadow, and entered a corn field. Slobodan Looked at a map with a compass.
"Twenty kilometers!" Slobodan yelled.
Natasha drove extremely fast towards the airport on the highway. She overtook a lot of cars. Leni held herself on the seat and looked with wide eyes to the front.
"How fast are we?" Leni asked terrified.
"200 kilometers an hour! Or 124 miles per hour take what you want!" Natasha said loudly with a tense voice.
Leni looked surprised at the dashboard.
"To be honest Leni! This is fun!" Natasha said and overtook a car, exited the highway towards the airport, and drove towards it.
Natasha drove past the terminal, and drove next to the fence which closed the Runways off from the outside.
"Take the photo!" Natasha said.
Leni took a photo from the dashboard of a White Airbus 340 with a blue stripe over its fuselage, and an atom on its rudder. She watched at the hangars, and saw far from the runway an aircraft that looked like it.
"There! I found it!"
Natasha stopped the car. She looked at the picture, and then at the Airbus. It was the same. She saw a black helicopter landing next to it. A strange box was carried out. Natasha knew the box. "They already load the cores in the airliner!" Natasha took her radio.
"Here Sierra-1! They already start to load the cores in the aircraft!" Natasha said.
Fletcher's voice spoke from the speaker.
"Fuck! Shilka Team! Are you ready?"
Slobodans voice came from the speaker.
"We are there in two minutes… Get the fuck out of my way!" Slobodan yelled.
"What happened?" Natasha asked.
"We left a cornfield and crossed a road. We pushed a car out of our way. Seems okay he drove away."
"We go in!" Natasha said.
She took her Assault Rifle and a fence cutter, and left with Leni the Car. Natasha cut the fence, gave the tool in Lenis hands, and tried to get through it. She got stuck.
"Every time in the wrong moments. Leni. Cut some chain links."
"Okay." Leni said, and cut some chain links.
She pushed Natasha through the hole in the fence. Natasha went through, and got up. Leni went after her. Leni's hair got caught in the chain link fence.
"Ah! Help me!"
Natasha bent over Leni, and freed her hair.
"Thank you." Leni said with a smile.
They went to the hangar and hid behind it.
"Leni. Listen to me. We have to find a way to stop this aircraft from takeoff. If necessary, we shoot at the hull. The aircraft is then not safe anymore to start. Did you understand?"
"I think yes." Leni answered.
"Good." Natasha took her radio.
"Here Sierra-1. We are at the hangar." Cynthia's voice answered.
"Very good. I believe in you girl."
"Thank you mom." Natasha said touched.
Natasha looked at Leni.
"We go in over a back door." Natasha said pointed to a small door at the back of the hangar.
They entered a small office. Document lay on the desk, and working gear was on a shelf. They took the orange clothes and put them on. Natasha looked at the documents and found something. A very important document for the aircraft. Natasha saw the registration number. And a phone number of an FAA office. The authority for aviation. She dialed this number, and the call got answered.
"FAA, Clara Kingston on the line."
Natasha whispered in the phone.
"Hey. I work as an engineer at the airport Great Lake City. The Aircraft with the registration N-828-HDW-B has to be grounded. If that thing starts it's gonna be ugly. Do you understand?"
"Miss I understand. What is your name?"
"I don't wanna get in trouble. Give the registration number November-eight-two-eight-Hotel-Delta-Whiskey-Bravo a takeoff ban."
Natasha ended the call. Mike, Cynthia, Fletcher and Pussepp reached with the marine corps the warehouse. they got out and took cover behind the cars. A lot of armed people were at the warehouse. Pussepp took a tie and bound it around his head. He loaded a Kalashnikov. Mike loaded his M1 Garand and looked confused at Pussepp. Fletcher took a megaphone out and yelled in it.
"Get your hands up and don't move!"
The people at the warehouse went in cover, and started shooting. Fletcher took cover.
"Fire! Return their favor!"
Massive salvos from rifles flew around. Pussepp shot at the warehouse. Cynthia shot with her assault rifle at the men at the warehouse. Fletcher yelled in his radio.
"Shilka! Helicopter on the way! Helicopter on the way!"
"Got it!" Slobodan answered over the radio.
"Carol, activate radar and face south!" Slobodan yelled.
"Got it!" Carol said.
Carol activated the radar and turned south. She looked through the optical sights. The Shilka was in the middle of a corn field again. Carol looked at the radar screen. A object was heading towards them. Ten kilometers away.
"I found something. I calculate the direction."
Carol locked the target, and pressed a button. The aiming computer calculated the aiming and the direction. Carol looked at the results, and then through the optical sights.
"It is our target. Seven Kilometers away, one kilometer over the ground."
"Shoot when ready!" Slobodan said.
"Cannons are ready." Marie reported.
"Five kilometers!" Carol said.
Carol looked at the screen. It felt like minutes. 4.83 kilometers. 4.60 kilometers. 4.27 kilometers. 4.10 kilometers.
"It's close…" Carol whispered to herself.
3.92 kilometers.
"So close…"
3.78 kilometers. Carols view focused on the screen. She adjusted the aiming angle. 3.46 kilometers.
"Very close."
3.15 kilometers.
"Close!" Carol yelled, and pressed the trigger.
The Shilka banged and shook. Carol held the trigger for ten seconds, and looked through the optical sight. She saw the red and green glowing tracer rounds that went towards the helicopter. The helicopter disintegrated and pieces fell from the sky. The radar showed a second object.
"Second object! Turn North!" Slobodan yelled.
Carol turned the turret around, locked the object and calculated the distance, speed and direction. She looked through the optics. It was the same type of helicopter. Just Flying to the opposite direction. It changed its course.
"They saw what we did!" Carol said.
"Shoot!" Slobodan yelled.
Carol pressed the trigger, and held on to the helicopter. She had a hard time hitting it. Slobodan gave a command to Lori.
"Lori! Drive forward!"
Lori pressed the gas pedal, and drove forward. Carol aimed much more forward. Then, she hit the tail of the Helicopter. It was torn off. The helicopter started smoking and circling around. And fell to the ground.
Slobodan opened the hatch and looked outside. He saw smoke rising at two points.
"Lori! Forward! Two kilometers!" Slobodan said.
Lori drove forward. They reached a wreck in the cornfield. It was smoking and was just a pile of debris. Slobodan looked at the wreck.
"То је као пре."
(It's just like it used to be.)
Slobodan sat down.
"Веома добар посао! Керол, Мари, Лори, ви сте веома добри чланови посаде."
(Very good job! Carol, Marie, Lori, you are very good crew members.)
Carol looked at Slobodan with a very confused look.
"What is wrong with you?" Carol asked.
Lori spoke over the headset.
"Слободан? Нешто се дешава?"
(Slobodan? Is something wrong?)
"Све је у реду. Сад морамо код осталих! Имају проблема, Хрвати!"
(Everything's fine. Now we have to go to the others! They have problems with Croats!)
"Oh man." Lori said.
"What is with Slobodan?" Marie asked.
"I think he has flashbacks."
Natasha and Leni tried to stop the preparations for the plane. They started to loose screws on a shelf. Then, someone grabbed them at the same time from behind and held them, like a chemical smelling handkerchief in their faces. They blacked out and fell unconscious.
"In the plane." Thompson said.
They got both carried to the aircraft. Thompson looked at Natasha and Leni getting carried in the aircraft. One of Thompsons assistants looked at him.
"Sir. Why do you take them with you. They aren't beneficial."
"They are useful. Useful hostages. Their live is worth a lot. And we can use that."
"That's a good idea."
"It is."
Another assistant approached Thompson.
"We lost contact with Bumble one and two."
"How is that possible?" Thompson asked.
"I don't know."
His other assistant gave a hand sign to the pilots. The jet engines started spinning.
"Sir, we better leave now."
"We better do it."
Thompson and his people got in the airliner. The plane went on the taxiway, and accelerated on the runway, taking off into the sky.
Lori drove over a fence. She looked through her visor.
"There is smoke in front of us! A lot!" Lori yelled.
Slobodan looked through his visors.
"Drive in it and wait!" Slobodan said.
Lori drove into the smoke.
"Now don't drive! Just press the pedal!"
The gas pedal and let the motor make his sound." Slobodan said.
Cynthia and Mike covered behind the car, and shot through it. All they heard was gunfire. It was a massive fight, and they were in the middle of it.
"We need support!" Cynthia yelled.
"Where is Lori?" Mike asked.
"I don't know!" Fletcher yelled from behind another car.
Pussepp came out of his cover with two Kalashnikovs and his tie around his head. She shot like a maniac and covered behind the car where Mike and Cynthia were.
"We have problem! Big problem!" Pussepp yelled.
"I know!"
They heard engine noises. Loud engine noises. The shots got fewer. The enemy and they tried to listen where the sound came from. It came from a wall of smoke from a burning car. A shape appeared in the smoke. Then, the ZSU-23-4 appeared from the smoke. They looked at the Shilka, that let its engine let getting loud. The turret turned to the Enemy, and the four autocannons pointed on them.
"Away here!" Mike and Cynthia heard.
Then, so loud gunfire erupted that they thought they would get deaf. The Shilka punched holes in everything. In the warehouse, in the materials, and in the enemy. The hatch opened, and Slobodan looked out with his Zastava M70 in his hands. He shot at the last ones. Slobodan went in again, and closed the hatch. The Shilka drove forward, and shot at the warehouse again. It was destroyed. The warehouse had holes everywhere, and the interior was destroyed completely. No one could survive that. Cynthia took her radio out.
"Here Cynthia. Natasha, how is it going?" The radio was silent.
"Natasha, how is your status?"
The radio kept being silent. Cynthia spoke again into the radio.
"Lima-2 Leni, can you hear me?"
The radio kept silent.
"Leni please answer!"
Fletcher took his radio.
"Sierra-1! Lima-2! Report status!"
The radio kept being silent. Slobodan heard the contacting over his radio. He took the microphone and pressed the PTT button.
"Natasha and Loris sister. Answer!" The radio stayed silent.
"Natasha!" Slobodan yelled into the microphone.
"What happened?" Lori asked over the headset.
"Natasha and your sister are silent on the radio."
"What happened?"
"I hope we didn't lose them." Carol said.
"Can Fletcher track them?" Lori asked.
Slobodan pressed the PTT Button.
"Fletcher? Can you track the radio of Natasha and Lori's sister?" Slobodan asked.
Fletcher answered a minute later.
"I just did. They are at the hangar at the airport."
"We have to go there."
"Roger that. Please follow our Car. We will make a convoy."
Fletcher, Mike, Cynthia and Claire got in their car. They drove in front of the Shilka, and the Shilka was followed by the marine corps.
The Shilka entered the area of the Airport. It drove in a convoy over the Runway. The police closed the entire area. Just the police stood on the area. Carol and Lori each looked through their visors while driving over the runway. The service on the airport was frozen. Not a single aircraft started or landed. Both looked stunned and confused at the runway and the terminal.
"The airport is frozen. That's creepy." Carol said.
"Why is it like this?" Lori asked.
"Maybe they closed it for us." Marie said.
"That's possible." Carol said.
They reached the hangar where the plane from Thompson was. They got out, and looked around.
"We need to find traces." Fletcher said.
He took his radio and started looking around. After some time, a marine found something.
"I found their radios. And sometimes else."
It was a note. Fletcher took it, and read it.
«If you want to see your friends again, don't do anything that interferes with us. If you interfere or disturb our plans, they are dead it less than ten minutes. Only do what I tell you. We won't warn you again.»
They all looked beyond shocked and beyond worried at the note.
"Fuck…" Cynthia said.
"Oh fuck…" Mike said. "Please no…"
"This is really bad. Xavier! Contact the CIA, we have a hostage situation!"
Pussepp walked to Mike, Cynthia, Lori, Carol, and Marie.
"This is difficult situation. Very spicy like I say. I know what I talk about because I had this situation over ten times. We need to be very careful. I resolved this type of situation many times and no one was harmed."
"Do we have a chance of doing the same with Natasha and Leni?" Lori asked stressed.
"Possible. But we need to know where they are. And we need to know what they want for trading them." Pussepp said.
"How do we know that?"
"The only guarantee is this note. That's the only thing that we can assume that they are alive. We don't know what he wants and what happens to them."
Lori started whispering to herself.
"Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay. I can't loose you."
9 Hours later:
Natasha opened her eyes. She was in a small room. With small round windows in one wall. And the wall was round. She got up. Apparently she was on a couch. She looked around. Leni was looking through the window. Natasha went next to her and looked outside. They looked at a foggy landscape, and with a tower sticking out of it. The Eiffel Tower.
"Paris…" Natasha said quietly.
"I miss home…" Leni said with a sad voice.
"How did we get here?" Natasha asked.
She looked around and out of the window. She saw the tip of a wing.
"Of fuck… They took us on their plane."
"I want to go home." Leni said.
"I know… We have to do something."
Natasha looked around. They were in a room that had a door on the side. Like a bedroom.
"Is someone in front of the door?"
"Yes. One person." Leni said sobbing.
"Okay. One person. Are you sure?" Natasha asked.
Leni nodded.
"Is he armed?" "He has a gun."
"Okay. That needs to go fast. We need to take control over the plane."
"We go to the steering wheel?" Leni asked.
"Kinda. We need to get a gun. So, we need to get this guy in here and hit him with…"
Natasha looked around, and took a chair.
"With a chair until he sleeps."
"How do we get him in here?"
"Scream like you have really bad pain."
"Okay."
Natasha went with the chair next to the door.
"Let's go Leni."
Leni started screaming like she was in agony. The door got unlocked and a man with an assault rifle walked in.
"What is going…"
Natasha hit the chair over his head. The chair fell into pieces. Natasha continued hitting him with the parts. He got unconscious. Natasha took his assault rifle.
"Yes! Yes!" Natasha said.
"You did it!"
Leni said and hugged Natasha. Natasha peeked through the door. Nobody was in the hallway.
"Let's go." Natasha whispered.
They both walked fast to the front of the plane. The door to the cockpit was open ajar. Natasha and Leni banged the door open. Thompson and the pilots were there. Natasha banged the assault rifle on Thompsons head who got unconscious. The pilots got up. Natasha pressed the trigger and shot the first pilot. The second pilot looked at his colleague falling on the floor. He looked at his chest, and saw a red stain getting bigger. He looked at Natasha with wide eyes, and fell to the floor.
"This was easier than I thought." Leni said.
Natasha locked the door.
"Yes. It was easy to take out the pilots."
Natasha and Leni looked at each other, and then at the pilots. They looked again at each other, but with widened eyes.
"Leni… Can you fly a plane?"
Leni shook her head with a fearful look. Natasha got pale. They both looked again at the pilots.
"We have a big problem…"
Natasha sat on the pilot seat, and took her seatbelt on. Leni sat next to her. Natasha looked at the navigation system. What she was able to read was that they were flying east east south. Lori, Marie, Mike, Cynthia, Slobodan, Pussepp and Fletcher were in a a giant room. It was a building in the army base that was for international aircraft intelligence. They looked at giant monitors wich showed maps. Fletchers phone rang. He took the call.
"Yes? Wonderful. Tank you. Good. Okay. We contacted them."
"We located them. They are about to leave France and enter Switzerland." Fletcher said.
"What happens now?" Lori asked.
"We are contacting the Swiss. They should try to intercept them with their Fighters." Fletcher said.
"But, if that doesn't work?" Lori asked.
"Either they get shot down, or the Italians or Croats take care of them." Fletcher said.
They looked calmly, yet panicky at each other. Slobodan grumbled.
"Croats!"
Lori noticed an army officer that was on a call with someone. He spoke a language Lori didn't understand. Lori tried to listen.
"Es handelt sich um eine Airbus A340-600. Registert mit kennnummer N-828-HDW-B. Ja? Sie haben die Maschine auf dem Radar? Fünfzig Kilometer von ihrer Grenze entfernt? Ah wunderbar. Wie bitte? Ja. Eine Geiselnahme. Zwei Personen. Wie? Vielen Dank."
The officer ended the call, and turned to fletcher.
"They prepare their F/A-18s. They will intercept them."
"Please let them be okay." Lori said to herself.
Natasha and Leni looked through the windshields of the plane. They saw green mountains in the distance.
"Should we head for those mountains?" Leni asked.
"If we do that we might crash. We have to get higher." Natasha said.
Natasha pulled the control towards her. The airplane started to face upwards. Natasha noticed a cloud ceiling on the sky. She stopped gaining altitude and flew under it.
"We need to find an airport where we can land." Natasha said.
"I try to find something." Leni said, and looked out of the windows.
"I see a city. But nothing we could land on."
Natasha looked at the map of the navigation system. She tried to make it familiar looking. Then she somehow managed to enable city names.
"Okay. I think I got it. This city's name is Basel."
"Sound like baseball." Leni said.
"I am sure it has nothing to do with baseball. We fly over it now."
Natasha and Leni looked out of the window. The City was split in half by a big river. Next to the river was a giant, red-brown church. On the other side of the river was in the middle of the city a Skyscraper. Made of glass. And two other skyscrapers, that looked like stairs, and were much bigger, and directly next to the river.
"Wow." Natasha said impressed.
"Wow. Is this New York?" Leni asked surprised.
Natasha looked at her with an annoyed expression.
"Leni, there are also other cities and countries that have skyscrapers."
"Oh…"
"Help me find an airport."
They flew over the mountains. It was a beautiful landscape, with forests, meadows at the mountain range, and between small villages some lonely barns. And the moment they left the mountains behind, they heard two explosions.
They looked to the side. The grey F/A18 was flying next to them. The pilot stared at them. That's what they guessed. All they saw was a man with a helmet and a mask. They heard a voice from the headset. Natasha put it on.
"N-828-HDW-B, you illegally entered Swiss airspace. We need you to land on the Airport Zürich."
"Oh fuck… We haven't entered illegal airspace… We got kidnapped… we brought the airplane under our control."
"We know about hostages. Are you them?"
"Yes!" Natasha said with a panicked voice.
"Can you even fly a plane?"
"No! I don't know what the hell I do here!"
"That's bad. Wait a moment."
Natasha looked to the jet pilot. He seemed to talk to someone else. He nodded, looked around, and nodded again. Then she heard his voice again.
"The airspace gets closed. We are lucky that we don't have much clouds. I have to think of something."
He thought for a moment.
"I think I know what. Do you see that compass?"
Natasha looked around. She saw a compass.
"Yes."
"Wonderful. Now, turn the machine to the left, until your compass shows you 75 degrees. Can you do that?"
"I think yes."
Natasha turned the aircraft until the compass jumped between 74 and 75.
"Wonderful. That's pretty good. Now reduce the engine power. With the big four levers in the middle of the cockpit."
Natasha grabbed the levers and pulled them back.
"Wow. You learn well." Leni said impressed.
Natasha looked stressed at the instruments and the controls.
"Leni… I have to learn well… if I make a mistake, we end as minced meat on the ground… I have to learn well…"
Leni now realized why Natasha was doing so well.
"Oh… that's why you do well…"
"Yes… Remember how fast I was when we went to the airport?"
"Yes?"
"We are much faster now and the vehicle is much heavier. If something happens… then it's the end with us immediately."
Leni pressed herself into the seat.
"Natasha?"
"What?"
"I don't wanna be an angel on a cloud… I want to be with Lori."
"I really could be in a better situation."
They flew on. They always saw a river in the ground. It was, Natasha was sure, the same like they saw in the City of Basel. they flew for some minutes. Then the jet pilot spoke again.
"So. We are there. What's your name?" The jet pilot asked over radio.
"Natasha. My name is Natasha."
"Okay Natasha. We will land now. Do you and your friend have your seatbelts on?"
"Yes. Yes we have."
"Okay. Now turn to south east. 130 degrees on your compass."
Natasha turned the plane until the compass showed 130 degrees.
"I turned it on 130 degrees." Natasha said.
"Good. Do you see the airport in 25 kilometers distance?" The jet pilot asked.
"I do."
"Good. Now, I want you to take all power off from the engines and glide to the runway."
"Do we fall from the sky if we take all the power of?" Leni asked horrified.
"No. We will glide like a paper airplane. Because it's an airplane. If we are fast enough, we fly."
A computer voice started speaking.
"Pull up! Pull up! Pull up!
Natasha took the power off of the engines. She pointed the tip of the plane towards the runway. Natasha pointed the tip of the aircraft to the runway, and took the power off of the engines.
"I took the power off."
"Very good. Now slightly open the flaps. Do you see something that says Flaps or Flaps angle?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Now open the flaps slightly." Natasha did so.
"Done." Natasha said.
"Good. Now you adjust them so far until you get to a speed of 350 kilometers per hour."
Natasha looked at the speed meter. She adjusted the flaps until the aircraft was decelerating.
"I'm on it."
"Good. When you reach 350 kilometers an hour, you will extract the gear. Do you see a gear lever?" Natasha looked at the giant dashboard. She found it.
"Yes. I see it."
The moment the aircraft reached 350 kilometers per hour, she extracted the gear. Leni started feeling relaxed.
"I kinda feel safe now."
"I am sorry, but now is the most difficult moment."
The plane approached the runway. They heard someone standing up. Natasha looked back. It was Thompson. He held himself on her seat and looked to the front.
"Congratulations…" Thompson said.
Leni and Natasha screamed in panic. Natasha looked at the runway that was five kilometers away, and then at Thompson. "Leni! Hit him!" Leni got up from the seat and banged Natasha's assault rifle on his head. He fell on the floor and was unconscious again. Natasha looked at the runway. She had to correct the course. The plane was pulling itself aside. "Why does the plane go to the left?!"
"Strong sidewinds!" The jet pilot said over radio.
"Get your seatbelt on!" Natasha said.
Leni did so and sat on her seat. Natasha tried to correct the course of the plane. They reached the runway. The aircraft shook, jumped up, and tilted to the side. Then it skinned out of nowhere, and rolled over. It was so intense that Natasha and Leni didn't hear anything, and it was like they watched TV. Then, just black. The fire brigade was already waiting. They saw the Airbus approaching. The fire commander yelled.
"Dött! Das isch är!"
(There! That is it!)
The airbus touched the ground with its gears, and jumped up. The wind blew it aside, and the plane tilted. The right wing scratched the ground, and let the aircraft spin around wildly. The fuselage hit the ground, the wings broke off, and the front section with the cockpit rolled away and stopped on a piece of meadow. Next to the runway. A giant flame came out of the main Fuselage, and an explosion occurred. The firefighters looked shocked at the scene. The commander of the fire brigade started yelling again.
"Scheisse! Ueli! Gang mit dinrä iheit zum Cockpit Teil! Die chönnte es überlebt ha! Alli andere lösche das Füür!"
(S*! Ueli! Go to the cockpit with your unit! They could have survived it! Everyone else is going to put the fire out!)
Ueli and his unit went to the cockpit part. They took the tools out.
"Ufsaage!"
(Cut it open!)
The firefighters started to cut the fuselage open. Ueli put on a gas mask and went into the cockpit. Three persons were there. All three were unconscious. It was an old man, who was thrown around in the crash and heavily injured. And two girls with blonde hair who were sitting in the pilot seats and just had some scratches.
"Mir hei e Schwervrletzte!"
(We have someone heavily injured here!"
Some firefighters came with a stretcher, and took Thompson on it. Ueli and one of his colleagues opened Natasha's and Lenis seatbelts, and took them out of the plane, to an ambulance.
Two Hours Later:
One of the officers ended a call. He walked slowly to Lori, Cynthia, Mike, Marie, Carol and Slobodan. They were near the train in the army base.
"I have bad news. The aircraft was involved in a crash at the Zürich airport." The officer said.
It was silent for a moment. Lori freaked out.
"No! No!!!"
She threw her jacket on the ground.
"Crashed?!!! My sister and my friend?!!"
Lori took her jacket and ripped it in half. Marie started tearing up.
"My sister and her sister are dead? Is that what you wanted to say?"
"That's all we know so far. It is also possible that they are alive." Fletcher said.
"But if they don't, then we don't have sisters anymore." Marie said crying.
"We will see. There are people who survived horrendous crashes."
Lori left the place, and went behind the Train. She sat down on the gravel, leaning at the axle frame of the wagon. She breathed loud. Lori screamed, took gravel and threw it away, and pulled on her hair. Then she just was able to cry with her hands on her face. She heard footsteps on the gravel. Cynthia sat down next to Lori, and hugged her.
"It hurts… Leni…" Lori cried.
Cynthia hugged her tighter.
"Leni… Natasha…" Lori sobbed.
"I'm here." Cynthia said with a sad tone.
Two hours later:
Natasha woke up. She looked around. She had hospital clothes on. She was in a hospital room. Natasha got up, and walked to a door wich belonged to a bathroom. She turned the light on and looked in the mirror. Natasha looked tired, and had small cuts and scratches as well as bruises everywhere on her body. She started laughing. Laughing from the depths of her chest.
"I survived!"
Natasha kept laughing.
"I always win!"
Natasha stopped laughing.
"Leni…"
She ran to the door and opened it. A police officer stood in front of her.
"Where is Leni?" Natasha asked.
The police officer looked confused at her.
"I verstei se nid. Was wänd sie?"
(I don't understand you. What do you want?)
"Leni. Blonde girl."
"Oke. A wort blond vrstand i scho. Meinsch du das andere Meidli us em Flugzüg?"
(Okay. I do understand the word blonde. Do you mean the other girl from the plane?)
"Leni! The girl with the blonde Hair!"
"Beruhig di e mol! Chum. Mir werde eus eh nif vrstoh. Ich zeig dr das Meidli wo ich mein du meinsch."
(Calm down! Come. We ain't gonna understand each other. I show you the girl I think you mean.) They walked to a door where an other police officer stood.
"Chäu mir gschnell ihne? Die do wet zu dere glaub ich."
(Can we go in for a moment? She here wants to the one there I think.)
"Oke. Abr churz."
(Okay. But fast.)
Natasha and the police officer went in the room. Leni was sitting in a bed. She has scratches everywhere and looked tired. Natasha ran to Leni and hugged her. Leni hugged her back.
"I'm so happy to see you." Natasha said.
"I was so afraid." Leni said.
"I know. Me too."
They continued hugging for some minutes. After that, they looked at each other.
"Leni. Before we passed out, what did you see? How much did you see?" Natasha asked.
Leni scratched her head.
"I don't know. All I remember is that the plane jumped, then I heard a cracking sound and we rolled. Everything was turning. Oh, and a lot of fire. I saw a lot of fire."
A doctor entered the room.
"Sie döffe nid do sy. Sie müend wiedr zrug in ihres Zimmer go."
(You shouldn't be here. You have to go back to your room.)
"What? We don't understand." Natasha said.
"You are English speaking? I said that you häve to go bäck to your room." The doctor said.
"I came to check on her. On Leni." Natasha said.
"Aha. So thäts her name? Änd your name?"
"Natasha."
"Okay. He! Bringet se zrug in ihre ruum!" The officer entered the room and took Natasha back to her room. When she was in her room, the officer closed the door behind her. Natasha smiled. "We did it." Natasha said. She noticed a TV in her room. Natasha turned it on and zapped through the Channels. Almost every channel was in German. Some were in French and some in Italian, and one channel was in a strange language that sounded like German but was something very different. One channel showed something that caught Natasha's attention. It was footage of a burning aircraft wreck. The channel was called SRF. There stood something Natasha kinda understood.
«Im Live Gespräch mit zeugen.»
If Natasha was right in meant something like a live talk. She heard a clear voice. Probably a news reporter in the studio. He spoke with a calm voice.
"Aber sie haben die Landung ja gesehen. Wie sag die Landung aus, können sie uns das sagen?"
(But they saw the landing. What did the landing look like, can you tell us?)
The footage changed to another angle of view, showing the fire brigade pumping extinguishing agent on the fire. A voice that spoke from a phone line spoke. This was was also from a man and kinda calm.
"Ja die habe ich gesehen. Das Flugzeug, genauer der Airbus kam sehr schnell runter. Also viel zu schnell. Kein erfahrener Pilot würde so landen. Das Flugzeug prallte vom Boden ab und kippte seitlich zur rechten Seite."
(Yes, I saw it. The plane, or more precisely the Airbus, came down very quickly. Much too quickly. No experienced pilot would land like that. The plane bounced off the ground and tipped sideways to the right.)
The news reporter spoke again.
"In dem Moment brach der bug des Flugzeugs ab."
(Then the bow of the plane broke off.)
"Ja. Aber sehr sanft für einen Unfall dieser Art. Dieser rollte zur Seite."
(Yes. But very gently for an accident of this kind. This one rolled to the side.)
The TV showed again other footage of a piece of the turbine.
"Die kantons und Bundespolizei haben bestätigt das die beiden piloten leicht verletzt sind. Das ist nach ihrer aussage sehr glaubwürdig."
(The cantonal and federal police have confirmed that the two pilots are slightly injured. According to your statement, this is very credible.)
Natasha understood almost nothing. But she realized that these people were talking about her.
"Oh my…"
She leaned back and held her head. "We overdone it this time." Natasha said with widened and shocked eyes. One hour Later: Lori was in her tiny bedroom in the train. She held Lorraine on her chest, with the blanket over them. Only Lorraine's head was sticking out.
"Lorraine…"
Lori hugged Lorraine again.
"You're the last thing that holds me… Leni… Natasha…" Lori cried again.
"I loved Leni as much as I know you… And now she's gone…"
Lori started crying harder. Lori cuddled with Lorraine. Lorraine moved to Lori's face, and they cuddled cheek to cheek.
"Thank you…" Lori said.
She put her hand on Lorraine's hand. Carol entered the bedroom.
"I… I don't know what I should say…" Carol said and sat down next to Lori.
Lori took Carol's hand and held it tightly.
"Carol… What do you know?" Lori asked.
"I don't really know. The Swiss don't really tell us what is going on. They're kinda pissed. Maybe they found the cores. What I know is that the pilots survived with just slight injuries. As well as some people in the front. I don't know, there is a small chance that Leni and Natasha might be alive. But I don't know."
"Please… let them be alive." Lori whispered.
"I hope. I actually prayed today. I've never done this. But I actually took a Bible and prayed in the church here."
Lori cuddled with Lorraine again.
"Thanks for your efforts…"
Natasha wanted to go to sleep. It was late night in the small country of Switzerland. But she got a visit. A Visit in uniform, with the label, "Militärpolizei" on the uniform.
"Good evening miss. We häve ä problem." One of the officers said.
"What problem?" Natasha asked.
The officer looked to his colleague.
"Whot do you think?"
His colleague answered him not in English, yet in French. Obviously he understood English, but couldn't speak it.
"Arrestation. La dame nous cache quelque chose."
(Arrest. The lady is hiding something from us.)
"Exactly. Miss, you are arrested of… How do we call zhis?"
"Possession illégale et contrebande de composants d'armes nucléaires."
(Illegal possession and smuggling of nuclear weapons components.)
"Exactly. Possässion and smuggling of components of nuclear weapons."
Natasha was surprised, and started to feel worried.
"What happens now?" Natasha asked.
"You are arrested."
The Military police officers gave Natasha fresh clothes. A grey sweater and grey pants.
"Täke that on!"
The police officers looked discreet at the side. Natasha put the clothes on. When she was done, she was immediately grabbed at the arms by the officer and carried out of the room. On the hallway of the hospital were many special forces of the police. Two other military police officers held Leni. They spoke again a other language. Italian.
"L'elicottero sta aspettando lassù!"
(The helicopter is waiting on the roof!)
Then the second officer that was holding Natasha asked.
"Est-ce qu'il y a un hélicoptère qui nous attend?"
(Is there a helicopter waiting for us too?)
The Italian speaking Military police officer who held Leni answered in French.
"Deux hélicoptères! Un pour la blonde que nous avons et un pour vous!"
(Two helicopters! One for the blonde we have and one for you!)
"Hi Natasha." Leni said with a fearful voice.
The Italian speaking military police officer yelled at Leni.
"Tieni la bocca chiusa!"
(Keep your mouth shut!)
Leni looked really scared at the Military Police officer.
"Please stop!" Leni said afraid.
"Let her alone! She has nothing to with this!" Natasha said.
The military police officer who held Natasha yelled at her.
"Shut up! We are going to zhe helicopters now!"
The Military police took Natasha and Leni to the roof. Two green brown colored helicopters were waiting with running engines. Natasha's Leni got in separate helicopters each.
"Natasha!" Leni yelled afraid.
"Leni!" Natasha yelled.
The doors of the helicopters got closed and they took off. The helicopters flew through the dark night. After half an hour Natasha noticed something massive and dark in front of them. The alps. The helicopters flew through a valley between the mountains. Natasha couldn't help herself but just look out. She saw the lights of some lonely villages.
"Where are we going?" Natasha asked afraid.
"Zhat's nothing you need to know."
The military police officer said. The helicopter landed on a landing spot next to the other helicopter. They dragged her out. It was snowing, and cold. Natasha got led through a door that was in a concrete block. They had to be on a mountain. They got in an elevator, and went downstairs. Natasha looked around. The cell had a bed, a TV, A window with bars outside, and a bathroom.
"This is a jail cell. A normal jail." Natasha whispered to herself.
She took a close look.
"A clean one." Natasha said.
Carol entered with a tired look Loris bedroom. Lori woke up frightened. Lorraine also woke up, and looked at her mom with widened eyes.
"Lori. Lori." Carol said.
"What? What is going on?" Lori asked tired.
"Natasha… Leni… Look!"
Carol held her phone to Lori. It was showing a picture of Leni and Natasha, laying each in a Hospital bed with small cuts, scratches and bruises on their skin.
"What…"
"Lori! That came from the Swiss Embassy! Four survivors! Four Pictures! They are alive!"
Lori looked at Carol. Lori got up with Lorraine in her hands, and hugged Carol with her left hand.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
"What are we doing to do next?" Lori asked.
"There are already people talking to the Swiss. It is very possible that they come home. But we need to tell the other ones from this."
Lori went with Lorraine in Mikes and Claire's bedroom. On Claire was Gretchen sleeping peacefully. Carol went in Cynthia's and Marie's room. Lori woke Mike and Claire up. Claire woke up frightened. Mike looked at Lori.
"What happened?"
"Natasha and Leni are alive." Lori said.
Mike and Claire looked shocked at Lori.
"They are alive?" Mike asked shocked.
"Yes! Barely hurt! They are alive!"
Mike got up and hugged Lori.
"Yes… Yes!"
Claire got up with Gretchen and hugged Mike with one arm.
"Yes. She is alive." Claire said relieved.
They went into the living room of the sleeping wagon. Cynthia, Marie and Carol were sitting on the couch. Mike, Lori with Lorraine, and Claire with Gretchen sat on it next to the other ones. Lori looked at Lorraine.
"You can be happy. Aunt Leni is fine."
Lorraine looked tired at Lori, and yawned.
"Why did Leni and Natasha have to do this mission at the airport?" Lori asked.
"I was in the middle of the planning. I wasn't done and had to make an emergency plan." Carol said.
"And you had to send Leni on a mission in an airport? From all persons involved you had to send Leni?"
"I didn't say it was a good idea."
Lori grumbled to herself. Lorraine looked with widened eyes at her.
"Don't worry. Nothing about you."
Lori put Lorraine on the floor. She gave her one of the empty rifle cartridges Lorraine loved to play with. Claire put Gretchen next to Lorraine.
"I hope it doesn't escalate." Clare said.
Gretchen looked at Lorraine playing with the empty rifle cartridges. Lori gave Gretchen another empty rifle cartridge. Lorraine looked at Gretchen playing with the empty rifle cartridge. She looked at hers, and threw it at Gretchen. Gretchen let her empty rifle cartridge fall, and started crying. Lorraine took the cartridge Gretchen had. Claire took Gretchen and held her. She looked upset at Lori.
"See?! Lorraine acts towards Gretchen Like a devil!" Claire said upset.
"Lorraine!" Lori said angrily.
She took Lorraine and held her.
"I didn't taught you such bad behavior! Don't do that!"
Lorraine wanted to go on the floor to play. Lori held her.
"No. You hurt Gretchen. Now you get your punishment. No playing for tonight." Lori said.
Lorraine gently clawed Loris chest. Lori looked at Lorraine. Lorraine looked at her with wide eyes.
"That doesn't work Lorraine."
Lorraine kept staring at her.
"No. Lorraine, this doesn't work."
Mike watched Gretchen play.
"Is there anything we can spy about Natasha and Leni?" Mike asked.
"Not really. While our mission was against terrorists, we now have it to do with a country, that is neutral friendly towards us. This is already pretty good. Imagine they are in Russia now."
"And what can we do?" Lori asked, and looked at Carol.
"Wait and drink tea? Maybe they allow them to do a phone call." Carol said.
"I don't like that idea."
"I understand why." Cynthia said.
"What do you wanna do? Go to switzerland?" Lori looked at Carol.
"Maybe?"
"You know there's a chance that you also can get arrested?" Carol said.
Lori leaned back.
"Yes… That is a bad idea."
Lori tapped on her upper leg. Lorraine watched her doing this.
"Okay. We wait." Lori said.
Leni was sitting at a table in an interrogation room. There was just a Mirror. Two men stood in front of the table. They were wearing Beige coats and had same colored hats with a brown band. One had a mustache. The other one was completely shaved. They spoke with a French accent, and that with an unfriendly tone.
"What do you know about the bomb?!" The man without mustache asked.
"I don't know." Leni said scared.
"You say that since half an hour! What do you know about the bomb?!" The man with the mustache asked.
The man with the mustache took a photo of a Silver shining Sphere.
"This here!"
Leni looked at the photo.
"Is this a bowling ball?" Leni asked.
The men looked at each other.
(Mustache agent.)
"Est-ce qu'elle agit de manière stupide?"
(Is she playing dumb?)
(Agent.)
"Honnêtement, après cette heure, je pense qu'elle est stupide."
(Honestly, after this hour I think she's stupid.)
They looked at Leni again.
"What is this?" The mustache officer asked, and pointed again on the photo of the core.
"A ball. To play soccer or baseball." Leni said.
The officer without mustache took a pistol round out of his pocket.
"What is this?"
"Oh, that's a pew bullet. But be careful, this isn't a lipstick. I made the mistake and my sister Lori was so angry at me."
"Who is Lori?" The mustache officer asked.
"She's my sister. Duh. I just said that. She had many pew bullets in her wardrobe."
The officers looked again at each other.
"It was so complicated with Lori. We had so many arguments, about fashion about accessories. But I love her. But it was exhausting."
(Mustache Officer)
"Je doute qu'elle dise quelque chose d'intéressant."
(I doubt she'll say anything interesting.)
(Officer)
"C'est très probable."
(That is very likely.)
"Merde. This gives no result." The mustache agent opened the door.
"We go back to your cell."
The officers took Leni and locked her back in her cell. After that, they walked to Natasha's cell. The agents went to Natasha's cell.
(Mustache agent)
"Nous demandons au potelé maintenant."
(We ask the chubby one now.)
(Agent)
"La fille potelée semble être bien plus intelligente."
(The chubby girl seems to be way smarter.)
They opened Natasha's cell. Natasha was listening radio over the TV, and looked out of the window. The mountains got shined by the sun, and were looking beautiful.
"Hey!" The mustache Military Police officer yelled.
Natasha turned around.
"We have questions." The military police officer said.
"What?" Natasha asked.
"What do you know about the five Plutonium cores that were found around the wreck?" The mustache Military police officer asked.
"What a thing? Cores? I don't know." Natasha said.
The military police officer looked at each other, and nodded.
"No. You know exactly what we are talking about."
"No… I don't."
"We know you know."
The military police officer said. The mustached Military police officer took out a small booklet.
"Plutonium 239, produced in Royal Woods according to some half burned documents from the plane wreck. Wasn't Royal Woods your last place of Living, Miss Natasha Kira Stevenson?"
Natasha looked a bit surprised at the officers.
"Yes?" Natasha said worried.
"What is up with the cores? Why were these on the plane?"
"They should have been brought to Russia. I was with some people who wanted to prevent that. And then me and my friend got kidnapped. I swear we have nothing to do with this."
"Maybe. But I tell you how this looks. A plane enters our airspace, wich was hijacked by two girls. The plane had components for nuclear weapons on board, and was equipped with missile defense. Do you know how this looks to us?"
"It looks bad?" Natasha guessed.
"Oui. Really bad."
"Really bad. You crashed a 300 million franc airplane on a million franc runway, with nuclear weapons parts in it. And you hijacked it. This looks really bad."
"I never get out of here." Natasha said.
The Military police officers left the cell and locked it.
"I never get out of here." Natasha said with a sad tone.
Fletcher sat on a table together with Lori, Marie, Mike, Claire, Cynthia, Carol, and Slobodan. In the middle was a telephone. Fletcher disabled a number.
"I made an appointment." Fletcher said while the call got dialed.
After some seconds the call got answered.
"Thank you mister Gerber for your time." Fletcher said.
The voice of a man with a strong German accent answered.
"You're welcome."
"So, you have some people that belong to us."
"That's correct. Our intelligence was able to identify Leni Lynda Loud, Natasha Kira Stevenson, Richer Alexander Thompson, and A Helena Jones. Stevenson and Loud are barely injured and are currently arrested. Thompson and Jones are in intensive medical care."
"Leni and Natasha are alive? And almost unharmed?" Lori asked.
They heard Gerber going through some documents.
"Yes. Barely harmed. The plane crashed in a way so the front part got almost no damage in comparison to the rest."
Lori hugged Marie who was sitting next to her. Marie's body got stiff.
"They are alive." Lori said with a big smile on her face.
"They are alive… hmmm…" Marie said with widened eyes.
Mike and Claire and Cynthia hugged each other. Fletcher focused on the phone.
"So, do you send them us?" Fletcher asked.
"Yes. But the conditions are that only then people are send. All the materials stay here." Gerber said.
"The cores too."
"I can't decide that. I can make sure that the two less injured persons get sent to US ground, but I can't send the other two people now, and I don't know if we ever send the cores back."
They all looked concerned at the phone.
"So you wanna keep the cores? And the two people? Richard Thompson is accused of treason against our country. We want him back!"
"We understand that. But he is in intensive medical care. He would almost certainly die if we send him now in this state. While Loud and Stevenson are capable of it."
"Okay. Three million?" Fletcher asked.
"Five Million. Runways are expensive." Gerber said.
"Fine. I will contact the right persons and the money should get to the Swiss banks."
"Thank you. When we receive it we will immediately send your people home." Lori exhaled loudly.
"Yes." Lori said with a relieved voice.
Marie looked at her, and blinked slowly. It didn't look like it, but she was really happy and relieved like Lori.
"I am happy."
Marie opened her arms.
"Now I want a hug."
Fletcher came to the end of the call.
"Okay. Thank you mister Gerber. I am sure we will talk often together in the next few weeks."
"I am sure we will. I will bring the information to the right people."
"Thank you. Have a nice day."
The call ended.
"So. I need to explain to my general why I will send 5 million dollars to Switzerland. Otherwise, they are Swiss so they should be able to handle money." Fletcher said.
"Is there anything we can do?" Mike asked.
"Wait until they get home."
"We just wait again?" Lori asked.
"That's what he said." Carol said.
"Just wait… Like every time."
In Switzerland, the cell got opened. The military police entered again.
"We häve a deal with your country. We send you home now."
"Really?" Natasha asked excitedly.
"Yes. We bring you and Leni Loud to the airport Zürich. Because you just rampaged one runway."
Natasha felt nervous about the thing with the runway.
"How bad is the runway now?" Natasha asked.
"Unusable. The one runway there is unusable. The two remaining runways are usable. So we will send you over Zürich."
The military police took Natasha and went with her outside of the cell. Leni was there waiting in company of two military police officers. She was smiling.
"We go home." Leni said happily.
Natasha cheered and hugged Leni. Leni hugged her back.
"We go home!" Natasha cheered.
"We go home!" Leni cheered.
They got led through many gates and long corridors, and many more gates. Eventually, they left the complex and stood on a parking lot that was closed off by tall fences with razor blade wires. The police opened the door of a black car with blacked windows. They sat on the backseats, which were separated from the front by a blacked bulletproof glass. The Military Police officers locked the doors from the back, and sat on the front. The car left the complex and drove over a narrow gravel road that was on the edge of a steep mountain slope on the left side that went down, and a steep meadow that went uphill.
"This is an odd road section." Leni said.
"Yes. Kinda." Natasha answered.
The car stopped. A horde of cows crossed the narrow road.
"Just got more odd." Natasha said.
The cows walked down the slope. The car drove on.
"We are in the absolute middle of nowhere." Natasha said.
They reached a very small village that had seven small houses and a small white Church. Next to the church was a bus stop where a small yellow bus with the writing "Postauto" was standing. The road was paved here. The car turned and went down the mountain valley on the road.
"That was a small bus." Leni said.
Natasha looked at her.
"Really? I wonder that the village was so small. There were eight houses and a church. Wait, actually there is something impressive about this bus."
"What is it?" Leni asked.
"That there was a bus in a small village in a mountain range, in the absolute middle of nowhere."
Leni thought for a moment.
"Who even lives here?" Leni asked confused.
Two hours later, they entered the terminal of the airport Zürich. Natasha and Leni had a first class ticket in their hand. The military police led them to the gate.
"You häve to board the plane."
The Military Police Officer said. Natasha and Leni nodded, and went into the gangway. When they entered the plane, a stewardess checked their tickets.
"First class lounge. Follow me please."
They followed the stewardess through a narrow corridor, and entered a room that was like a small Hotel bedroom.
"You have to sit and take your seatbelts on when we start."
"Okay."
"Wonderful. Have a nice flight."
The stewardess left the room and closed the door. Natasha and Leni sat on the two seats that were on the wall with the small windows, and next to each other facing forward. They felt really excited.
"We go home." Leni said.
"Yes. Home. Finally."
They hugged each other.
"This was absolutely crazy." Natasha said.
"Lori would say literally crazy." Leni said.
"She would."
They leaned back. Natasha noticed something at their lounge. It was a phone. The lounge was so luxurious, that it had next to two beds and two seats, a fridge, and a cord phone on the wall.
"Hey. When we are flying, should we call Lori?" Natasha asked.
"Yes!" Leni said happily.
They saw through the window how the gangway got retracted from the plane.
"It starts soon. Take your seatbelt on." Natasha said.
The announcement from the captain came from the speakers.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I warmly welcome you onboard Swiss Flight 286 to New York John F. Kennedy Airport, and wish you a pleasant journey."
Natasha and Leni relaxed in their seats and put their belts on. The aircraft was pulled backwards, and started rolling towards the taxiway.
"We will be in here for a whole day. I hope this will be better than our last flight." Natasha said.
The aircraft went on the runway. It went quiet for a second, then the turbines started roaring.
"It's starting." Natasha said.
The aircraft accelerated, and when it was faster than a formula one race car, it started tilting upwards, and Natasha saw how the aircraft left the ground. Leni just felt happy in this moment.
Slobodan checked the chassis of the Shilka. Marie and Carol were looking at the cannons, which were full of gunpowder dust.
"Carol, why was I on my position?" Marie asked.
"Because this thing needs a loader." Carol said.
"No. It doesn't. I just needed to prepare the belts and that was it."
"Well that was important. And you did well. I wish some FBI agents would do their things like you did."
Marie blinked slowly at Carol.
"I did what you told me."
"And that's a good thing."
"I think you did good with the aiming." Marie said.
"Thanks."
Slobodan climbed onto the chassis.
"Chassis is dirty but good." Slobodan said.
"That's good." Carol said.
"Yes. I want you and Marie to clean the cannons."
"Sure." Carol said.
"Oh no." Marie said annoyed.
"Clean cannon." Slobodan said and jumped off the chassis.
"I hate cleaning." Marie said.
"Then we are going to it for sure." Carol said.
"I hate cleaning."
"You already said that."
"I don't want to clean it."
"You will."
Carol went in the turret through the hatch, and when she came out, she had gun cleaning tools in her hand.
"Yes we will."
"Oh no." Marie said annoyed.
Carol took Marie and dragged her through the hatch.
"Hey!" Marie screamed.
Carol dragged on the loader seat, and gave her a cleaning cloth in the hand, and two bottles.
"You clean the bolts. First you use the alcohol to clean a four. Then you will fattening all the mechanical components of the bolts. Got it?" Carol said.
"Fine…" Marie said with a grumpy tone.
"Good. I will clean the barrels now." Carol said, and left through the hatch.
Carol went in front of the cannons, and took one of the cleaning tools. It was a long rod with a cleaning cloth at its front.
"Are the cannons unloaded?" Carol asked.
"They are!"
Marie answered with a grumpy tone. Carol showed the rod with the cloth into the barrel of the first cannon. She moved it. Ack and forth, and back and forth. When she pulled it out, the cloth which was blue, was completely black.
"Eww." Carol said.
Slobodan went to Lori. She was sitting next to the train, and was feeding Lorraine with Strawberry porridge.
"Ah Lori. Shilka is getting cleaned. I will try to keep this thing." Slobodan said.
"You wanna keep the Shilka? Do you even have a home?"
"I have house in the mountains. But it's lonely there. I only go there when you come back with me."
"I won't go back to the mountains. Well, maybe for a week sometimes. You know, vacation. But my home is in Royal woods. Or… It was… I need to start completely new."
Lori thought for a moment.
"I need to get a job. Maybe I find an apartment."
"You should move back to Royal Woods." Slobodan said.
"That was my plan. I will talk to Carol. Maybe she can help me with that. Maybe you can live near my place."
"That good idea. Maybe I can work again in my old job."
"What was your old job?"
"I was Carpenter."
"Wow. You never told me about your carpenter job before."
"You never asked. I made a lot of furniture. And I was good."
"Wow. You need to show me how you do this."
"I can when I work again."
"How are Carol and Marie doing?" Lori asked.
"Good. They clean the cannons. And that's good. I hate cleaning cannons." Slobodan said.
Lori chuckled.
"I would have done the same."
"Да. Who likes cleaning?"
Lori looked at Lorraine.
"When you're old enough you will learn to clean. Believe my little angel."
Lori gave Lorraine a kiss on the forehead. Natasha and Leni were in the lounge in the airplane. They both were laying on their beds.
"Natasha. How are you feeling?" Leni asked, while staring at the ceiling of the plane.
"Better than ever before. We completed a mission, there are no people that want to kill us. We are done." Natasha said.
Leni nodded.
"Yes. It is good."
"Yes. All is good now."
Natasha looked to her left side at the phone that was on the wall.
"Should we call Lori or Carol?"
"Yes!" Leni said excitedly. Natasha got up and took the phone.
"Okay… Wait… I don't know Loris number… But I know Carols."
Natasha dialed the number from Carol's phone. The phone dialed. Natasha heard a short tone. Then she heard a digital melody. It was Arkansas traveler. Then an automated female voice started speaking.
«Charlie Papa. Charlie Papa. Charlie Papa.»
Then it stopped.
"Hello?" Carol asked.
"Carol! It's us! Leni and Natasha!" Leni said excitedly.
"Yes. It's us!" Natasha said happily.
The phone line was silent for a moment. Then they heard Carol saying a single word.
"Wow…"
"We're on the way home." Leni said.
"Really?" Carol asked.
"Yes." Natasha said excitedly.
"Yes! Yes!" Carol yelled excitedly.
They heard noise from the phone.
"Finally… You come home." Carol said with a relieved tone.
They heard Marie's voice.
"Is this Natasha?"
"There." Carol said.
Marie's voice came now clear from the speaker.
"Natasha?"
"Yes. It's me." Natasha said touched.
"How are you still alive?"
"I don't know… Just some pure luck saved us…" Natasha said.
They heard Marie grumbling, and she probably facepalmed herself.
"Luck… The airplane crashed so smoothly that you survived." Marie said.
"It didn't feel that smooth. I actually feel pain all over my skin." Natasha said.
"Me too." Leni said.
Natasha heard a voice in the background.
"Give me the phone Marie."
"No."
"Give it to me!"
"Hey!"
Marie got the phone taken away. Then someone spoke.
"Leni? Natasha?" It was Lori.
"Did you and Marie just fight over the phone?" Natasha asked.
"Yes… It was worth it." Lori said.
"Hi Lori!" Leni said happily.
"I'm so… oof… Ouch! Are you crazy?!" Lori yelled angrily.
"What happened?" Leni asked.
"Marie elbowed me!" Lori said angrily. Natasha rolled her eyes.
"You should have known that Marie would react like this." Natasha said.
"Little brat!" Lori said.
"Give me the phone back!" Marie said.
"Well now I won't."
"Marie! Stop it!" Natasha said sternly.
"Wow. She just is staring at me now. Like Lorraine." Lori said.
"I just need a strong word and she stops." Natasha said.
Natasha and Leni heard Mike's voice in the background.
"Hey. Give me the phone."
"Okay. It's Mike." Lori said.
"Hi. I'm glad you are okay." Mike said.
"I'm happy to hear you dad." Natasha said.
"Claire is also happy. She is right next to us."
"Hi." Claire said.
"And me." Cynthia said.
"Hi mom." Natasha said smiling.
Leni yawned. Natasha looked at Leni, and noticed that the sky outside was getting dark.
"We're coming home soon. Leni is tired… And I need a good sleep too." Natasha said.
"Okay. We wait for you." Mike said.
"Thank you dad."
"I love you."
"I love you too dad." Natasha ended the call. Leni walked to her bed and laid down. Natasha laid on her bed.
"Natasha?" Leni asked.
"Yes?"
"Do things get better when we are home again?" Natasha smiled slightly.
"Yes. Yes I'm sure."
"And do we go home again?"
"Yes. You will go home. See your mom. And will hug her."
"I wanna hug Mom. And Lily." Leni closed her eyes and started smiling.
"I love them."
They closed their eyes and went to sleep. It was late evening. Lori was sitting on a rock next to Carol. She was holding Lorraine.
"Turned out good. That surprised me." Carol said.
"Me too. But it isn't good for me." Lori said.
"What is the reason?"
"I don't know what comes after this. I want to live in Royal Woods again. And Slobodan wants that too."
"And you do t know how to manage that?"
"Yes."
"I will help you."
"Thank you."
"No problem. We all can use some help sometimes."
Lori and Carol looked forward.
"Can I hold Lorraine?" Carol asked.
"Sure. Here. Be gentle to my cutie." Lori said, and gave Lorraine to Carol.
Carol held Lorraine. Lorraine looked at Carol, and moved to her face.
"She is cute."
Lorraine started sucking Carols chin. Carol took Lorraine away from her face.
"Eww. No. Not so cute anymore." Lori started laughing.
"She has never done this before." Lori said while laughing.
"Well, I think there was something." Carol opened Lorraine's mouth.
Four small teeth, two on the bottom and two on the top.
"She has teeth." Carol said.
"Wow." Lori said surprised and looked at Lorraine.
"Seems like we need to brush teeth now."
"Yup. You will hate it. I know you really well." Carol said.
"She definitely will."
"Yes. You will hate it." Carol said.
Lorraine made her typical noises. Hours went by. Natasha and Leni arrived at New York, and got in a government plane. They got questioned by agents. Natasha was lucky. In her view, the American agents were much friendlier, and not as arrogant like the Swiss ones. The sun was rising as the small government plane was landing at the base near Great Lake City. Natasha and Leni got out of the government plane.
"Finally. I couldn't wait to get here since we got in this small plane in New York." Natasha said.
"We're back." Leni said happily.
Some army officers accompanied them to the train. Natasha and Leni saw now Lori, holding Lorraine, Carol, Claire, holding Gretchen, Mike, Cynthia, Marie and Slobodan.
"Lori!" Leni yelled happily.
"Mom! Dad!"
Natasha said and started tearing up. They all ran to each other and hugged. Lori hugged Leni, still holding Lorraine in her left arm.
"You are back!" Lori said happy and tearing, and gave Leni a bunch of kisses on her cheek.
"I missed you." Leni said and started crying.
"I missed you too." Lori closed her eyes.
"I thought you weren't alive anymore… My life wouldn't be good without you anymore."
"I love you. I love you." Leni said crying.
Mike, Marie, Cynthia, and Claire Holding Gretchen hugged Natasha.
"I'm so happy you are back." Cynthia said.
"We were really afraid to lose you." Mike said.
"I missed you." Marie said.
"I missed you all. From the depths of my heart." Natasha said.
Gretchen touched Natasha's face.
"I missed you. I love you Gretchen." Natasha said and hugged Gretchen tightly.
"You look like you went through hell." Cynthia said.
"You two have so many bruises." Mike said.
"I'm surprised that we just have bruises and cuts." Natasha said.
"I thought you were burned alive." Marie said and hugged Natasha.
"Marie!" Cynthia said annoyed.
"Please don't say stuff like that." Mike said.
"It's nothing." Natasha said.
"Hey. I don't wanna bother you. But we are done." Carol said.
"What do you mean?" Lori asked.
"It goes home. We are done with the mission."
Lori, Leni, Natasha, Marie, Mike, Claire and Cynthia felt relieved.
"We go home?" Natasha asked.
"Well I had to organize a new house for you. I mean, Mike, Claire, Cynthia, Marie, Natasha and Gretchen. You are a way bigger family now. And I organized a nice small and old farm a bit outside of Royal woods for Lori and Lorraine, with a smaller house for Slobodan." Carol said.
"Why a farm?" Lori asked confused.
"It was a farm. It's a nice house with a smaller house next to it. It is on a big property. And it's yours. Lorraine will love it when she is older. She has nature and a lot of space to play. Maybe she will play with Lily in this place in the future."
"Okay. This is nice." Lori said and smiled.
"Yes. And the small house has a workshop. So Slobodan can work as carpenter how you told me yesterday evening."
Slobodan looked surprised at Carol.
"Oh. Interesting." Slobodan said.
"Lori told me of your old job. You can earn some money. And you are busy. I thought you would like that."
"I do." Slobodan said.
"And what happens with Leni?" Lori asked.
"She can go back home."
"Home to Mom and Dad and Lily?" Leni asked.
"Yes." Carol said.
"Yes!" Leni said excitedly.
"I finally can go home! Thank you Carol!"
Leni hugged Carol, smiling from happiness.
"It's okay. Now, prepare to leave. Slobodan and Marie, you drive the Shilka on the freight wagon. The rest of you will look around if we have something here. Take all your stuff in the train. I order a locomotive or something."
"Got it. Marie. You come with me." Slobodan said, and went with Marie to the Shilka.
From this point it went really fast. Slobodan and Marie loaded and secured the Shilka on the freight wagon, and The other ones looked that they had all their stuff. Carol ordered some locomotives. After an hour, two Olive green Railcars approached the train, and got coupled to them. They all entered the train, wich slowly left the base. As they were in the living room of the train, Lori was giving Leni a sign with her hand. They went in the bedroom where Lori and Lorraine slept. Lori closed with her left hand the door and held Lorraine with her other hand.
"Do you still hate me?" Lori asked.
"Not really… I actually started really missing you in the plane. Maybe I needed a crash to miss you again." Leni said.
"Okay."
Lori smiled slightly. She felt that Leni was deep inside still the good old Leni. Lori wrapped her left arm around Leni. Leni wrapped her arms around Lori and Lorraine. Lorraine made her typical noises.
"Love you too Lorraine." Leni said.
End of Chapter