Nighthawk

58

Kurt stared at the runway from the edge of the tree line. He could barely believe their luck. Blackjack 2 was still on the ground, though a pinprick of light moving back and forth suggested it wouldn’t remain for long.

“Flashlight,” Joe said. “Probably the copilot doing a last-minute inspection before takeoff.”

Without warning, one of the bomber’s turbines came to life with an electric whine. The sound blossomed into a throaty roar, and a wave of blue fire appeared behind the bomber.

Then twin sets of landing and taxi lights came on. The four blindingly bright beams lit a wide swath of ground up ahead and directly in front of the plane.

“We need to stop that plane from taking off,” Kurt said.

“We can get to the plane easy enough,” Joe replied. “But then what?”

“We reason with them,” Kurt said. “Explain Urco’s plan and point out the danger they face.”

“And if they ignore us?”

Kurt pulled out the brick of Semtex. “Then we reinforce our argument Teddy Roosevelt style. Let’s go.”

They stepped out of the tree line, moving cautiously at first and then picking up the pace as the second of the bomber’s four engines came to life. The pilot on the ground could be seen hastening his final inspection and then rushing toward the nose gear and the ladder that led up into the plane.

“We’re about to miss our flight,” Joe said. He rushed ahead as the copilot vanished up into the aircraft’s belly.

Kurt sprinted to keep up, but he’d exhausted so much energy, his muscles would not respond.

The ladder began to retract. Joe jumped onto it and the ladder groaned with the weight.

Kurt rushed up seconds later, leapt and caught the bottom rung.

“Add ladder climbing to your Ironman,” Joe shouted over the roar of the engines.

Arm over arm, Kurt pulled himself upward until finally he could get a knee on the bottom rung. As soon as he did, the plane lurched forward and began to move.

The movement caused Kurt’s knee to slip and he was back to dangling by his arms. Behind him, two of the four engines were screaming in full voice. Their square intakes loomed like mouths ready to devour him, should he fall.

“Come on,” Joe said. “Stop playing around.”

Kurt pulled himself up, got his knee on the bottom rung and moved higher. As soon as Joe could reach him, he leaned out and grabbed Kurt by the shoulders, yanked him upward and into the plane.

With their weight off of the ladder, it finished retracting and the hatch shut and sealed behind it.

They were in the dark as the bomber turned back into the wind, then the remaining engines came to life and the plane began to roll.

Finally, the floor shifted beneath them, the nose came up and the monstrous bomber, with its wings swept wide, soared up into the air.

“We really have to work on your foot speed,” Joe shouted.

“My speed?” Kurt yelled back. “I was counting on you holding the door for me.”

The ladder well was dark except for a dim light coming from the inner hatch up above. It was glowing an ominous red.

Joe tested the hatch and shook his head. “It’s locked from the other side.”