Chapter 26 #2
How long had the trip to California been? Longer, I was sure of that. So, we weren’t going that far, but it didn’t tell me much about where we might be headed. Which was so frustrating I could have screamed.
When the plane moved a few seconds after the announcement, Bette grabbed my hand.
I gave hers a comforting squeeze. “It will be okay.”
She nodded, but her wide eyes said she didn’t believe it.
Even though her grip hurt, I allowed her to hold on to my hand as the pilot maneuvered the plane, my focus on the window.
Large military jets were visible in the distance, as well as hangars much like the one we’d just pulled out of.
They disappeared from sight when the plane turned, and the runway briefly came into view before we made yet another turn.
The tires bumped along the runway as the plane increased in speed, and Bette’s grip on my hand tightened while my stomach twisted into knots.
My mind was a whirlwind of questions and memories.
Me sitting on a plane ten years ago, alone and scared and unsure what I would face when I reached my destination, my stomach roiling.
It wasn’t all that different from how I felt now except the alone part.
The realization was a comfort despite my continued dread, and as the plane lifted off – pulling a squeak of fright from Bette – I shifted my focus from the window to the dozens of other women on the plane.
No, I wasn’t alone. These women were in the same position as I was, and we could be allies.
What that meant, I wasn’t sure, since the next phase was totally unknown, but whatever happened, whatever we faced, we would be in it together.
We could support one another, lean on one another, and, if necessary, fight for one another.
Once Bette released my aching hand, I decided to try to get some sleep.
I spent the next few hours alternating between restlessness and a hazy, half-conscious state in which I was plagued by strange dreams about strange places.
In some, I was at what I thought was supposed to be the farm, but I didn’t know for sure since it was cloaked in shadows and utterly silent.
In another, I followed Hilary through the Department of Fertility, the halls twisting and turning while she walked faster and faster, forcing me to run to keep up.
Finally, and thankfully, I fell into a dreamless sleep only to jerk awake when a chime sounded.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we will be making our descent into Buckley Air Force Base,” the pilot announced. “Please fasten your seatbelts and remain seated until we’ve landed and come to a complete stop.”
Bette turned to me. “Where’s that?”
“I don’t know. Wright-Patt is the only Air Force Base I know.”
A woman in the window seat across the aisle leaned forward so she could see around her equally confused seat mate. “It’s in Colorado.”
“Colorado?” Bette muttered while I turned to face my window.
I could tell the plane was making its descent, but so far, nothing but clouds were visible.
They were thick and white and seemed to go on forever, engulfing the plane like the terrifying mist in Stephen King’s famous novel.
It made me shiver, imagining creatures hiding in the misty whiteness, waiting to attack.
Even worse was imagining that nothing lay below the clouds.
That we would descend lower and lower but never escape.
Much to my relief, the plane broke through the clouds only seconds after the horrible thought entered my head.
An expansive city was visible in the distance, large mountains beyond that.
They were so far away, and so imposing because I knew how massive they had to be if I was able to see them from here, and despite my growing unease about the situation, I couldn’t help feeling a little in awe.
I’d never seen mountains before, had never thought I would.
“What do you see?” Bette asked, leaning closer to me.
I sat back so she could get a look, my attention shifting to the interior of the plane.
Like Bette, most of the other women were craning their necks to see outside, but not all of them.
A Hispanic woman two rows back sat with her arms crossed, her face twisted into an angry scowl, while a few rows behind her, an androgynous person wore an identical expression.
I hadn’t noticed them before, which was why I did a doubletake. He or she looked more male than female, with closely cropped brown hair, a stocky build, and masculine clothes, which made them stand out in the crowd. Since they were here, they had to be one of the fertile ones, though.
As if sensing someone staring, the person shifted their attention my way, and I flushed when our eyes met, then quickly turned around and scooted lower in my seat.
My face burned at getting caught staring, but I didn’t have much time to focus on my humiliation before a hum filled the interior of the plane.
Eyes wide, Bette pulled her attention from the window and looked my way.
“Landing gears,” I explained.
Her worried expression didn’t ease, and knowing she was still scared and would want comfort, I braced myself for the pain her tight grip would cause when the plane landed.
As predicted, Bette grabbed my hand a few seconds later when more electrical hums sounded.
Since I didn’t know what they were, I didn’t try to reassure her this time, but instead focused on the window as the ground drew closer and the buildings larger.
When we touched down, the plane jerked and a cry rose up, and Bette’s grip tightened.
Air whooshed through the aircraft, getting louder before finally fading away, leaving silence in its wake.
After that, we drove lazily for a few minutes, before finally coming to a complete stop.
Bette released my hand, but neither of us moved.
Throughout the plane, women shifted in their seats, but like Bette and me, they seemed to be waiting for instructions.
Even Hilary and the other fertility counselors hadn’t moved, and as far away from them as I was, I could make out the confusion in their eyes as they stared at the soldiers.
Finally, the door opened, and a masked soldier climbed aboard.
“I know it’s been a long day, ladies,” the man said, “and I apologize for that, but I’m afraid your travels aren’t over just yet. Once you exit the plane, I ask that you board the waiting bus and settle in. We have about an hour and a half until our final destination.”
A woman three rows up raised her hand like this was school, and even though the soldier’s eyes darkened, he nodded to indicate she could speak.
“Where are we going?” she asked in a timid voice that emphasized the childish act of raising her hand.
The expression in the soldier’s eyes didn’t change. “That’s classified.”
A few women exchanged glances before one called out, “But we’re going there. Won’t we find out when we get there?”
“You will, but until then, we need to operate under the assumption that the walls have ears and keep the location under wraps.”
As if the statement had been literal, Bette shifted her focus to the wall at my side. It did not, of course, have ears.
The soldier went on. “Don’t forget that your phones should still be on airplane mode. This is, after all, a classified operation, so don’t think you can get around the rules. Anyone found breaking them will be severely dealt with.”
“Will we be able to contact our loved ones when we arrive?” someone called out. “To let them know we’re okay, I mean. Not to tell them where we are.”
Even behind his mask, I registered the way the soldier’s jaw tightened.
“That isn’t up to me.” Several grumbles followed the statement, but before anyone could say anything else, the soldier lifted his hand.
“I know you all have questions, but we’re wasting time.
Right now, I need you to save them for our arrival and deplane. ”
He waved to the open door.
Hesitantly, the women around us got to their feet.
Bette followed their lead, her expression still uncertain and her movements slow, and I forced myself to stand as well.
It wasn’t like I had a choice, and it wasn’t like I could hide on this plane and make my escape, so there was no point in putting it off.
The fertility counselors were the first off, followed by half the soldiers. After that, the other program participants and I filed out in a quiet line, the soldiers still on the plane watching with unreadable expressions.
I caught the eye of Ramirez as I passed him, and he gave me a subtle wink. I wasn’t in the mood for flirting, but I wasn’t going to lie. Having a familiar face among the soldiers was welcome.