40. The New Team
The New Team
Amassive whale of a plane shook me to my core as it descended by the hangar.
Its wheels cried out as it met the gravel and let out a cloud of smoke that cloaked them as I watched.
The plane had an ugly dull matte grey color as if someone rolled it off the assembly line without finishing the paint job; maybe it was too expensive to paint?
I had never seen such a massive plane. I counted at least four engines and twice as many wheels.
More concerning was the fact that it turned and headed straight for me after slowing down.
“Where is that plane going? It doesn’t fit in any of the hangars?” I said.
“That’s our ride,” Belle replied. She grabbed a black backpack from the trunk of one of the task force cars and tossed it at me. “Catch.”
“What’s this?” I said, opening the backpack.
“A change of clothes and a vest. The plates and weapons are on the plane. I’ll explain once we’re inside,” Belle replied.
“Didn’t you hear? The French have this covered!” I said. “In a couple of hours, you’ll get a call that they apprehended this guy. We’re going to waste our time flying all the way there for nothing.”
“You really think the guy we’re chasing is going to land at a major airport and pass through customs?” Belle said sarcastically.
“No.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter because I can’t just leave like this. I have people who depend on me,” I said, placing the bag back into the trunk.
“What people? You’ve never been married and are currently single,” Belle said, pushing up against me. “You have no children and live alone.”
“Well, I don’t know where you got your information, because it’s wrong. I don’t live alone. I live with Fred,” I said.
“Fred?”
“Or rather, he lives with me,” I said. “The point is, I can’t just go. He needs me.”
“Who’s Fred?”
“My dog,” I said, my voice softening.
“Okay! I’ll take care of it,” Belle said, pulling out her phone.
“No, wait! What are you doing?”
“Calling the pound. They’ll pick up your dog and take care of him until we get back.”
“Hell no! I’m not letting you take him to the pound,” I said, taking out my phone. I quickly sent a series of texts to my aunt asking her to take care of Fred for a bit; she agreed, which brought me great relief. He’ll probably gain ten pounds by the time I return. “My aunt will take care of him.”
Belle didn’t say another word. She grabbed the bag out of the trunk once more and jammed it into my chest. During this time, the large plane had inched its way closer to us and stopped short of the runway entrance; positioned to take off without delay.
Then, as I followed Belle, a loud grinding noise rang out from the plane’s rear.
A large ramp had come down from the plane.
It was slow and massive; large enough to fit a firetruck through.
“Wow. That’s a big door,” I said.
“You’re lucky I don’t push you in front of it,” Belle said jokingly.
“If you did that, then you’d have no one else to boss around.”
“Not really,” Belle replied. “You’re about to meet some of them now.”
A small fuel truck emerged from behind one of the nearby hangars and headed towards us.
“It’ll take about thirty minutes to refuel,” Belle said.
The ramp had finally opened by the time the truck reached us.
And at the top of the ramp was a strange man.
Bald and older-looking. With deep wrinkles and rough knuckles.
An old scar, which ran vertically to his mouth, reached almost to his ear. It looked gnarly.
“This is James ‘Spider’ Jones. He’s the team leader of the unit that will accompany us to France,” Belle said.
“Spider?” I said. He walked down the ramp. Every step sounded like an explosion.
“It’s the scar,” Belle quipped. “It looks like a spider’s web.”
He stopped right in front of me. I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine. I glanced up at him and focused on the scar. It did look like a spider’s web. Sort of. Up close, his breathing was ridiculous. Every exhale swayed my hair as if it were a fan. What a monstrosity of a man.
“Uh, hello. Mr. Spider,” I said awkwardly. He raised his hand quickly and pointed at me. I flinched.
“Who’s he? The baggage handler?” Spider said with a flat tone.
“You could say that,” Belle joked and handed me her bag. “Also, my assistant.”
She boarded the plane and called to me when I didn’t follow. I had stayed behind. Not really wanting to go on this transatlantic adventure with a giant named Spider. But after the third scream, I gave in.
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe,” Spider joked as I ran up the ramp.
“Great!” I replied. The plane hadn’t left yet, and I was already annoyed.
Spider didn’t come alone. No, there were eight others on board.
And a ton of cargo. Boxes stacked on boxes.
All of them neatly packed, arranged, and tied down.
There was even a large tactical vehicle near the back of the plane.
Or should I say the front? Two of the men had helmets on.
They looked like pilots, based on their getup.
And the aviators they had on. I could see them going through a checklist and tapping on a clipboard as I walked up to Belle.
She was chatting away with the others on the plane.
Almost as if she’d been reunited with old friends.
“Here,” I said and tried to hand Belle her bag back. She ignored me.
“Is he bothering you?” A voice said from the back of the group. I couldn’t see him very well, but his voice was rough. And he had an accent. Only his blonde hair shone through the group, all dressed in military fatigues with odd patches and symbols on their vests.
“No-No, I would like to introduce you guys to our last team member and unofficial baggage handler,” Belle said, grabbing her belongings.
“Real funny,” I replied.
“This is Detective Alex. He’s part of our Taskforce and will help us catch the fugitives,” Belle explained.
She opened her bag and pulled out a stack of papers.
Then handed one to everyone. The ramp began to retract, and before I even realized it, Spider had snuck up on me.
He towered overhead, blocking the little light coming from an old lamp in the plane’s ceiling.
“Take a seat, everyone. We’re in for a long flight and an equally long debrief,” Belle said.
“This is yours,” I said to Spider as I handed him the document. The words ‘classified’ were stamped across in bold red letters.
“Welcome to the team,” he replied, grabbing the copy.
Moments later, we were airborne, in pursuit of a criminal network and the stolen APOLLO tech.