Space & Time

Chapter 33 - This Can't be as Easy as it Sounds

Our plane touched down in a remote mountainous region. We were near the coast in

northern Azerbaijan near the small town of Siazan. Two old beat up tan and rusty Land Rover

Defenders met us. After the drivers spoke with our escorts we all loaded up in the trucks and

went for a ride to the stolen plane. This little dirt road was severely bumpy. My bones were

fighting each other inside my body from all of the bouncing around I was doing in the seat. I

stared out the window to the view we had of the Caspian Sea. My brother was on the other side

of that large sea. I felt small and helpless.

We rode in silence for another hour. My helpless feelings changed as we pulled into the

Mossad base and I saw the captured KGB aircraft. Now that was an airplane. Dark black and

sleek, but with a subtly large cargo hold tucked away right below the wings. The wings

enveloped almost the whole body and the only thing I could see that moved were the rotational

engine thrusters, two on each side. Each engine had a diffuser to limit the detectable exhaust

signature.

The others on the team started talking with the people at the camp. There was a lot of

excitement in their voices. I just kept walking towards the plane, almost mesmerized by it. It

looked fast just sitting still. My confidence grew as I walked up to the cockpit and asked if I

could get inside. The guard looked over at the older agent talking with Hanna and he gestured

that I was clear, so he waived me by.

I could see why these people were having problems figuring out how to pilot this thing. I

sat down in the pilot's seat and surveyed the controls. They were basic. Lots of analog

technology, also all labeled in Russian. I could hardly understand the controls of the modern

cars we had rode in while we were in Paris, these had to be just as foreign to the people here as

the car controls were to me. Fortunately, I knew exactly what I needed to do.

I looked over the side and spoke to anyone who was listening, "I am going to sit here for

a minute or two and get familiar with these controls. They are just like what I am used to but in

a few different locations." I surveyed the area behind the seat and found the pilot helmet. I put it

on and started. I found the liquid molecular-diffuser ignition switch. I flipped the switch to "on"

and then the energy bar pulsed on my display as it was building to maximum power. I began

switching knobs to divert the power to the four engines.

At first, they started to hiss slowly and then as I gave them more power they started to

roar. I felt the power of the thrusters slowly lifting the plane. I quickly buckled in and closed the

cockpit glass as the people around me started yelling and running and waving their arms at me.

A little more power and I had the plane up to about twenty feet in the air. The plane hovered