L Launch: Chapter 5
Bowie flew out towards Oceanside Airport. He arrived a little over three hours later. He went to the assigned hotel and checked in. Everyone was supposed to meet in the morning. Bowie decided to go to the hotel bar. Lo and behold Jana was sitting there by herself drinking her third rum and coke. Bowie slides up and grabs the stool next to her. While staring straight ahead says, “Do we need a code word, or can we talk.”
Jana looked over at the intruder and laughed, “Is that the best pickup line you have?”
Bowie had a big smile, “You can’t be too careful these days. I hear tell there are people interested in you.”
She got a serious look, “Have you heard why we’re heading out so early? I think someone might be watching us. Several people in the project have heard buzzing on their phone. Did they tell you to turn all cell phones off at midnight?”
“Yeah, I got the message. If we turn our phones off, they can’t track us. I’ve heard of some federal agencies who can turn your phone back on. Maybe we should ditch them.”
Jana looked down at her drink for a second and seemed to be upset, “You’re probably right. I’ll pass the word. I’m concerned about the whole thing all the sudden.”
Bowie leaned over near her face, “Everything is going to be fine.”
She was less upset, “I know, you’re right.”
Bowie sat there and suggested, “Well, if you’re concerned about the situation, we can go back to my room and cause a big scandal before we leave.”
Her head slowly raised as she stared at him, “Davis was right. You must have ice water in your veins. I’m worried about making it to the base and you’re thinking about getting me in the sack.” She rolled her eyes and got up from the stool.
Bowie jumped up, “Okay, just tell me what room you’re in. You can call me, and I’ll be there.”
She smiled and said, “I’m in room 226.”
“Great, I’m two doors down room 230. Give me a call and I can be there in seconds.”
Bowie grabbed her hand and kissed it, “Come on, I’ll walk you to your room.”
They walked to Jana’s room while talking and laughing. Bowie made sure she was inside safe and sound.
Bowie went to his room and got ready for bed. He had a proximity app on his phone. He set the app, and if there was any movement in the room an alarm went off. At first it was a slow quiet alarm. If the movement continued the alarm got louder. Bowie had his own resources when it came to espionage.
The next morning Bowie lumbered out of his room. He wandered downstairs to get breakfast. As he entered the restaurant, he saw Jana at a table. She motioned for him to come over. He sat down, “Good morning. You look great.”
Jana looked up with her fantastic face, “Good morning. Looks like you slept well.”
Bowie smiled for a second then tensed up and looked around the room. Jana noticed him, “What’s wrong, do you see something?”
Bowie was like a hunting dog. He stared at a guy wearing sunglasses and beach wear. As Bowie looked at him, the guy looked away.
Jana said, “I think I see the guy you’re looking at. Is it the guy that looks like one of SPECTRE’s assassins in Thunderball?”
Bowie was now checking out of the rest of the bar and said, “I’m impressed, you know Thunderball. Don’t look at the guy. Look away for a moment and head to your room to get your things. We’ll meet in the lobby ten minutes from now. They’ll be waiting to follow. We’ll let them stay with us until we hit the streets. We’ll lose them and head for the airport.”
They both went back to their room and got everything together. They met in the lobby and had the car brought to the front. While waiting for the car Bowie noticed Thunderball standing by the front door. He was looking around as if someone else was there. Thunderball’s car was brought up to the valet. He tipped the guy and got into a blue Corvette. It looked like a speed demon. He drove over to the side parking lot and stopped. It appeared he was looking at his cell phone. Next Bowie’s car pulled up, a rental. It’s a gray Kia Forte. They both jumped in the car and headed out of the parking lot at a high rate of speed. Every human on earth would bet Bowie is not getting away from the blue Vette. Unbeknownst to Bowie as he pulled out of the parking lot another guy in beach attire had his car pull up. Thunderball took off after Bowie. The second guy got in a rental. It was a red Chevy Malibu. Thunderball’s Vette was the best car and could keep up with anyone he wanted.
Bowie was blowing the doors off the Kia. Of course, Thunderball had no problem staying on his tail. As they drove Bowie said, “I’m going to head south on I-5 to San Diego. About halfway there we’ll turn around and head back to Oceanside.”
Jana nodded, “You think we’ll lose him doing the quick turn?”
“No, but when we get back to Oceanside, that’s where we’ll lose him.”
Jana was good with any plan he came up with. She had never done anything like this.
They drove for a while and Bowie said, “I’m surprised you know so much about Thunderball.”
She smiled, “I used to watch James Bond movies with my dad. Not just any Bond movies. He only watched the ones with Sean Connery in them. I can’t even count how many times I’ve seen Thunderball.”
Bowie was smiling, “Yeah, one of my favorites too. I used to go to the dollar show downtown San Antonio at the Aztec theater. They were showing old movies and I saw it on the big screen. Great movie.”
Bowie exited and turned around. They’re now heading back towards Oceanside. The Vette was keeping up easy and Bowie knew that. He still didn’t know about the second beach guy. The red Malibu was there with everyone because of Bowie’s slow speed.
Bowie went under the overpass to turn around. Jana asked, “What are we doing? You can’t get away from the Corvette.”
He said, “Right, so you have to get into a congested area where we have the advantage. I saw a big warehouse complex back up the road here where eighteen wheelers are all over the place. We’ll go in there and see if we can lose him.”
Bowie got on the freeway and headed back north. He was driving at a high rate of speed with the Vette in pursuit. He had a calming manner about him. Jana was tense as she looked back and forth between him and the road. An exit came up and Bowie got off. As he exited the massive warehouse was in sight. He pulled into the parking lot and drove through to the main warehouse area. There were forklifts and eighteen wheelers everywhere. He headed down the main road through the maze of buildings. He was driving at a high rate of speed but everything else was moving in slow motion. An eighteen wheeler started to pull out in front of him and the driver had to slam on the brakes as Bowie slid around the front of the big truck. Jana screamed for a second as she stared straight ahead trying to see the next obstacle. The truck continued to pull forward as the Vette also slid around the front and continued the pursuit. The pace through the small roadways at such a high speed was tense, but Bowie was smooth. A bright yellow forklift with a full load of empty pallets pulled across a pathway and he skirted the edge of the docks slightly scraping the side of the car. He made it but the Corvette did not. Thunderball came to a complete stop looking on as Bowie sped away.
He quickly circled back and exited the warehouse complex and hit the highway. As Bowie exited, he noticed a red Malibu sitting on the service road. The Malibu was now following him. Jana was sitting there staring straight ahead in shock. She would’ve been screaming the whole way, but she couldn’t move. She finally turned to Bowie, “I can’t believe we just did that.”
“Yeah, well, it’s not over yet. We’ve got another car on our tail.”
Jana whipped around to look, “What do you mean? We lost the guy.”
“There’s another one following us. They must want us pretty bad. We’ve got to shake this guy quick before he calls the Corvette and tells him where we’re at.”
Bowie took the next exit and went into a housing development. It was a rich development with massive houses. As the Malibu pursued Bowie turned a corner and pulled into an open driveway going to the back behind the house. The Malibu came roaring by in pursuit and passed the house. Bowie waited a few seconds and then took off leaving the area in the opposite direction with no one following.
Jana was now reduced to confusion, “I can’t believe this. If they’re following us, they must be following everyone else. The others won’t be able to get away from them the way we did.”
Bowie agreed, “We need to get there and tell them we’ve been compromised.”
Bowie drove to the Long Beach Airport which was the designated rendezvous point. As they arrived Davis was waiting for them. Bowie got out and said, “We have people following us.”
Davis nodded, “Yes, we have to move fast. Come with me.”
Someone took the car, and the trio went quickly to a private gate at the airport. Bowie saw a C-130 cargo plane normally used to transport large amounts of cargo and troops waiting for them on the tarmac. The four turboprop engines were revving up and the power of the plane was obvious. With this kind of plane, it was going to be a longer journey than Bowie had thought. If there was any doubt, he now knew this was a well-funded big operation.
They boarded the massive plane as the engines roared and Bowie saw the whole crew from the hotel and more people he hadn’t met waiting for takeoff. Everyone looked at them like they were the last passenger to board an airliner, held up because Bowie was late. He sat in a bay chair near the exit door and Jana seemed somewhat relieved just to be there. The plane began to vibrate as it taxied to the threshold of the runway. The engines went to full power and the massive plane lifted off and headed west over the ocean. Davis came and sat next to Bowie. Davis leaned over and said, “These are some people I want you to meet. I’ll introduce you to them and explain everything when we get to the island.”
Bowie leaned back and said, “There seems to be a lot going on here you didn’t tell me.”
Davis didn’t want to yell over the engines, “Nothing has changed. I’ll explain it when we get there. All these people are necessary and part of the expedition. I promise, you’ll be happy with everything, and God willing you’ll be back in a short time.”
Bowie had done this before in the military. You just sit on the plane and wait till you arrive and get your orders. He sat there as the plane flew south to a destination unbeknownst to him. Bowie thought the island was west but again more disinformation. Jana came and sat next to Bowie. She was grateful for his skills in getting them out of the situation they were involved in. It was hard to talk because of the drone of the turbo engines but she held his hand in a bay seat next to him. After about three hours the engines began to reduce power. Bowie figured at three hundred miles per hour for three hours heading south they were close to a thousand miles south of California off the coast of South America at some uncharted island which made sense.
The plane began its descent and Jana gripped Bowie’s hand hard. She now understood why they needed military people on the expedition and was glad he was here. She recognized Bowie had skills at evaluating situations and getting out of them. Bowie also felt comfortable having someone close who believed in him.
A red light came on and a loud beeping sound started signaling the plane was getting ready to land. Bowie could tell the plane was descending rapidly. The C-130 is a plane built for short runways and apparently this was a short runway. The plane hit and slightly bounced before the extreme force of the brakes became apparent. For the most part the landing was great. Whoever the pilot was knew what he was doing. The island was small, and the plane quickly taxied to a point and stopped. The large back doors swung down making a ramp to exit. Davis motioned for everyone to follow him.
The crew got off and followed Davis to a large military truck. Most of the people weren’t used to what was happening but Bowie was. The truck was much quieter than the plane and people began to talk. Jana still stayed close to Bowie and asked, “What’s happening?”
Bowie was calm, “It’s alright. We’ll get all the information shortly. Just relax. It’ll be okay.” Jana trusted him and sat there gripping his hand.
Hepwater had a look of panic in his eyes, “What the hell is going on?”
Davis tried to dampen fears, “We’re headed to the atmospheric ship where you’ll depart shortly. I’ll be waiting here for you when you return. You’ll come back to this island. You’ve all been told what needs to be done. Good Luck and God speed.”
Bowie scooted close to Davis in the truck as he noticed a young man. He was a tall skinny white guy with wavy brown hair and a skin condition. He looked like one of the Brat Pack. He kept looking down at the floor.
Bowie asked Davis, “What the hell is a kid doing here? He can’t be any more than fifteen or sixteen years old.”
Davis took a deep breath, “He’s seventeen and he’s developed reconnaissance drones. The drones are the most sophisticated drones I’ve ever seen. He volunteered.”
Bowie was upset, “You told me there’s a possibility this could be a dangerous expedition and now you’re sending a seventeen year old kid? Basically, my job has gotten more complicated. I gotta babysit a kid now.”
“This kid is brilliant and has had a tough life. He’s got no family to speak of, and he’s had a lot of bad breaks. He’s a great guy and brilliant. What he can do with drones is amazing. You tell him something you want done and he’ll figure out a way to do it.”
Bowie leaned back against the headboard of the truck looking up at the canvas top, “Is there anything else I should know about?”
Davis was leaning against the headboard looking up, “You’ll meet the doctor going on the trip and the four recon marines. I think that accounts for everyone. You’ll either need all of them or none of them. I’m praying for the latter. Oh, and the pilot of the landing ship.”
Bowie sat there nodding slowly as he started thinking this could get more complicated than he thought, quick.
The truck pulled onto a tarmac. There were bright flood lights and a clear evening sky as the sun was going down. Everyone began to pile out gazing up at the mountains surrounding the airstrip. Bowie turned and saw a ship sitting on the runway. His mouth dropped open and he stared at the beautiful site. The ship was an amazing looking vehicle. It was a shiny candy apple red and had smooth skin. There was nothing protruding from the vehicle. It almost didn’t look real. The design was a sleek flying body that slightly flattened out with what appeared to be engines on the rear and a large sloping cockpit. On the front of the ship was nose art like World War ll airplanes. It said Janus in cursive writing and the number five. Underneath the writing was a picture of the Roman God Janus. The artwork was of two Roman faces standing back to back up against each other. It stood for, facing the past and the future.
Davis stood by Bowie, “Beautiful, isn’t it? The propulsion system is nothing like you’ve ever seen. It can effortlessly go through the atmosphere in and out. There’s no reentry heat, so you don’t have to worry about getting in or out of a planet’s atmosphere. We call it the Baby because it’s part of the main Janus ship.”
Bowie stood there transfixed on the Baby, “I’ve never seen anything like it. That’s the ship taking us to another galaxy? I don’t understand.”
Davis just smiled, “No, the mother ship is in orbit. We call it the Janus five. This ship connects with Janus. It’s waiting for the crew to come aboard now. You’ll soon see everything is spartan. This has all been built for short term use. There are absolutely no luxuries. As I told you, this is a quick in and out expedition. Let’s check out the ship. There’s another person I want you to meet.”
Bowie was reeling from all the details of the last several hours. He kept his cool and headed with Davis to the vessel.
As they stepped on board the interior was all white padding. It looked futuristic. They headed towards the cockpit and a man was adjusting the controls. Davis was smiling, “Colonel Bowie, I want you to meet Major Yolando DeJesus Perez. He’s your pilot. You two were in the same unit, right?”
The man looked at Bowie and stood up immediately. Bowie turned to Davis, “You never said anything about this being a suicide mission. I’m not going anywhere with this Mexican!”
Perez stood up and yelled at Davis, “You never said this pendejo was going with us!”
Davis was taken aback and stood there stunned. He began stuttering, “But I thought…….”
The two men walked towards each other in a defensive posture and at the last second both men embraced in a bear hug. Bowie stood back as they both laughed.
Bowie turned to Davis, "This is my wing man, call sign Yoli. My call sign is Pancho."
"We were in Afghanistan together." He then turned to Yoli, "What are you doing here?"
“I’ve been working on this project for about six months.”
Davis breathed a deep sigh of relief as the two men started talking.
Yoli was Hispanic about five foot eleven inches tall. He was medium build and in great shape. He had short black hair, deep brown eyes, and a mustache. Yoli was born and raised in Corpus Christi Texas. Just a stone throw from San Antonio, Pancho's hometown. He was a squadron leader for Bowie when he became the group commander.
Bowie now got a stern look on his face, “No me llamaste.” (“You didn’t call me.”)
“They explained the project to me and told me to keep quiet. I liked their plan and knew you would too. I told them I wouldn’t do it without you. I actually told them how to get you on board. I know all your weaknesses.”
Bowie started laughing and shaking his head, “It would’ve been a lot easier if you had just called me and said, ‘Hey, let’s go.’”
“No, I wanted you to make up your mind by yourself. We’re good to go now. Let’s go take a look at the ship. I’ll fill you in because I’m going to need a backup pilot. It’s easier than flying any fighter Jet you ever put your hands on.”
Bowie told Yoli, “I’m glad you’re here. I was starting to feel overwhelmed by this whole thing. Thanks, partner.”
Yoli smiled back, “Hey, you know I got your six Pancho.”
Davis relaxed as the two began examining the workings of the ship.