by Finian Blake
“Fran, do you think Sean deserves a bonus?”
“Yes, I most definitely do!” Sean did not wait for anyone else to answer.
“I think that he should get at least fifty thousand.” He offered a suggestion.
“Yes, Yes, Yes, 30,000 pounds, for $180,00 hell yes!” She was wrapped around Noah bucking and bouncing. He eased her to her feet and then to the floor holding her down. She was beginning to understand Noah’s generosity.
“Sean you’re down for $50,000. We are trying to put together a run for next week too. Keep your eyes open. If you can be here around five, I’ll take care of your end for today and next week.”
“By the way Noah, I found those oil drilling bits. There are three more advanced bits on the market, so they moved to a second generation class last month. I can get them all for 2 M and that will save you two million on the deal. Are we good?”
“Yes, I need to do 1 M and 1 M. Will they accept a letter of credit?” Sean gave him thumbs up. “Good I’ll try to get the first letter for you tonight.”
“Bob have you contacted our quartet yet?” Noah was hoping for good news.
“Everybody will show up except for the engineer and I couldn’t locate him.”
“Send the same message, but add two words ‘pay day’.” Noah thought that will get him. He thought for a minute. Three out of four would work. He could use Fran for the extra since she would have a passport by the time they came home. He needed to make a call to the Everywhere Air home office.
“Bob could you put Bill and Hank to work loading this mess on aircraft pallets? Be sure to tell them it is for a speed drop.” Noah remembered his phone call. “Bob let me have the key to the phone. I am going to need an employment application too.”
Noah brought Fran back to the supply room. “I have to make a phone call please do not say one word until I tell you.” Noah dialed the phone. When they picked up on the other end, Noah went rapidly through the conversation. “Hermes. I have someone that I need to have hired. Bob called for an employee number for her yesterday. Yes, a second officer. Yes. 900 plus hours in a multi-engine jet. Frank is a check pilot. Forty hours flight time by the time we are through. Good here she is.” Noah handed Fran the phone. “Dig out your wallet. He will need some information off your license. Fill in the application as you talk.” Fran took over while Noah sat back and listened. She was on the line for fifteen minutes talking and writing. When she was done, she handed Noah the phone back.
“Yes great, I really needed this one thank you.” Noah hung up the phone.
He immediately dialed another number. It was the bank. Luck was on his side and he was in time to get both letters of credit, one for one million and another million post-dated for ten days.
“Hermes has a lot of pull.” Fran could not believe what could be done with a phone call. “Can you tell me about him?”
“That’s buried. Only one person knows the full Hermes story, and he is supposed to be dead.” Noah felt like being cryptic.
“Supposed to be?”
“Too much, we need to go up front.” Noah was giving his ego too much exercise. It was time to shut up.
“Sean, tonight you will have two letters of credit. One for one million and another postdated for one million ten days from now. We need half the bits in two days. You will get $100,000 for working the deal.”
“Bob, let’s talk,” Noah realized that Bob and the boys were the only ones not in on the bonus. The two men walked out to the ramp.
“Bob, we are working with a bonus. There are ten shares nine are out, so you are the tenth share. I want you to take care of Bill and Hank for whatever you think they are worth. I am asking you to be generous, but it is your house. You set the rules.”
“It’s about time that someone came across. I was beginning to think that I was the step child.” Bob was letting Noah know that he was expecting something. “What is a share worth anyway?”
“112,000 dollars give or take.” Noah was enjoying the look in Bob’s eyes. “Times three,” he took a hold of Bob’s shoulder, and walked out into the noise.
“That is $360,000 per share for the whole deal!” Bob was screaming.
“What do we have to do?”
“You do what you have been doing all along. You prep us up and line us up with people like Sean.” Noah grabbed him by the shoulders. “We have already done the illegal stuff out of here on this last run. Anchor us down out of here, and that’s all there is to it, three basic runs plus two humanitarian runs. That is about $72,000 per dispatch. We have already done one run. I tell you what I’ll cover Bill and Hank for five grand each per dispatch. You add whatever you want. Call them over and tell them.” Bob walked over and had a short conversation with the boys which produced a lot of jumping and shouting. Bob walked back to Noah.
“I matched you.”
“Bob tomorrow is the first installment, at five PM.”
Noah could not get Fran out of the building because she was inspecting all of her purchases as they came off the truck. This load would go a long way to helping her people. All of the supplies that went through the Somozan Government were grabbed off before they reached the countryside and the people were last in line. Noah told her what he had in mind for the quick drop. He also agreed to use the arrival time and the frequencies that had been previously set up. She was just bursting with joy. She grabbed Noah by the biceps.
“I am so glad that I don’t have to shoot you.” In an instant she realized what she said. A look of horror came over her face. Noah took her calmly by the biceps.
“Do you think that I didn’t know? I was not worried, because I was not going to cheat you. Do you believe me now?” He gave her a quick swat on the ass. “Now, go check your goodies.” She ran over to the scale where Bill and Hank were weighing a pallet. Bob walked over to Noah.
“The Ark will be here tonight about seven PM. We are short one engineer.” Noah pointed to Fran. “We have a replacement. According to Jeff, her passport should come here while we are flying back. Bob, when we land tell the customs officers that she left it at the counter at check in. By all company records she was hired three weeks ago. We will need to do a full service when we return. I need mechanics, fuel and someone to clean the bay with soap and bleach. I’m going to get Frank to do as many touch and go cycles as he can arrange tomorrow at George Air Force Base. I want her to get the feel of the Ark. We will load it as soon as Fran comes back from the checks.” Noah suddenly remembered an important item. “Bob I am taking over the expenses for this project see if you can set up a 30 day billing. Let me know if we go over 1.5 million. Payday will be tonight after the Ark gets here.”
The Ark landed an hour early. The money arrived two hours before that. Noah had already taken care of Sean, Bob, Hank and Bill. Fran monitored all the pay outs. There was a variety of foods and beer spread around the room. The three Franks ran in to the party. Noah was standing by the counter. He directed the crew to the supply room tossing an envelope to each of the Franks as they entered. “Here is 6,000 dollars salary plus 112,000 dollars bonus. This is the engineer’s envelope when he shows it’s his. He held one remaining envelope. This is mine.” He tossed his envelope into the safe. “Only Bob has the combination I’m going to keep mine here until I can bank it. Is there anybody else?”
Fran tossed hers in the safe not wanting to show any disrespect to Noah with the three Franks loading theirs in their flight bags. They would take out safety deposit boxes in the morning. Noah asked them to do the necessary check rides with Fran tomorrow. He told them about the humanitarian run and asked them to make it.
“Fran will take Frank’s spot and I will work the bay. I will set up the touch and go stuff for tomorrow and after that we go down to Nicaragua and back. The van will be here in ten minutes. The day after tomorrow will be a 12 day so get some rest.”
The banking went smoothly. They were finished well before noon making it to Bob’s office shortly after one PM. Noah interr
upted his discussion with Bob.
“Announcing the arrival of Fran and the three Franks, are we good to go?”
“We are. Is the bird ready?” Bob gave double thumbs up. “Then let’s get this turkey off the ground.” They fired up the Ark and took to the air. Doing their touch and go practice out west at George Air Force Base a desert strip only about twenty miles west of Ontario airport. It was a seldom used strip, so they had a lot of leeway to go through short takeoff and landing procedures. Frank had Fran do some radical moves right after takeoff and some radical stops.
Noah pulled Fran off to the side as soon as she returned to the hotel.
“Tomorrow I want you to bring the fatigues that you wore up here put your hair in a ponytail and please don’t wear any makeup. When you jump out the door I want them to see Maria the jungle fighter, not Francesca. All I want them to see is what Maria is bringing them. Don’t even tell your husband about your new name.”
“Why, I want to show them what I can do. I am not just a helpless female. I can fight and I can think!”
“Of course you can. I have seen what you can do. If there are spies in your camp, we need to find out who they are first. It would be a mistake to show them too much.” As hard as Noah tried, he could not picture her as the little woman, waiting for her husband to come home after a hard day in the jungle. He cupped her face in his hands, “Please stay low for a while.” She was not happy, but Fran agreed.
They went up to their rooms changing for dinner meeting the three Franks in the hotel restaurant. They gave her friendly grief about her flying and her accent. Even though there was no problem with either. She did not just take it either and gave as well as she got. Half way through dinner the engineer came into the restaurant. He looked positively worn out with dark circles around his bloodshot eyes.
“You were supposed to rest,” the other Franks came on as a chorus.
“Noah, do you remember Sheila back in DC? I promised to meet her in Chicago after I got back from our trip. I did, and I had to cut my trip short because of your message.”
“Noah may have saved your life. I can’t imagine what would have happened if you stayed another day.” Fran piped in with her friendly comment. The rest joined in quickly with a collection of rude comments. Noah was surprised to see Fran jump in so fast thinking that she was a good fit for the crew.
“Frank, I need to talk to you a minute.” He turned to the rest of the group. “Bob is going to pick us up in the van early tomorrow morning. We need to be in the lobby about three fifteen.
“I’m going to turn in early.”
“What’s up Noah?” They kept moving through the hotel. “Your message said something about payday.”
“Yeah, everybody was paid last night. Bob is holding yours in the safe. Just get it from him. I don’t like to have that much cash in the room.”
“How much cash are we talking about Noah?”
“No need to make the run we are using this as a check ride for Fran. She will join us for the rest of the runs. Are you with us or not?”
“Noah, you know I’m with you. How much cash are we talking about?”
“You had to be there. Bob has your envelope.” Noah stopped at his door. “See you in the morning. Good night Frank.” He closed the door. Noah enjoyed his little revenge. Frank went back downstairs trying everybody else with the same result.
There were only six people in the lobby at three thirty. The engineer was still trying to get someone to break down and tell him how much the bonus was, but it was too much fun tormenting him. Bob pulled up to the front door of the lobby as promised to the minute. Within fifteen minutes they were in the front office of Everywhere Air. Bob went around only turning on the necessary lights. Frank followed him through the building asking him to open the safe. Noah caught Bob’s eye and nodded.
“Bob, why don’t you take Frank to the supply room? We will fire up the Ark.” The crew walked out to the Ark. The relief took Fran up to the flight deck. The plane started coming to life as the switches were thrown. The copilot was going to work the engineer’s board while Fran took the copilots seat. Frank raced into the bay with a fat envelope in his hand.
“You guys are screwing with me. You didn’t split the bonus yet!”
“No, Frank everybody has their envelopes and that is yours.” He enjoyed the way that Frank’s eyes bugged out.
“Noah, is all of it the first bonus? I’m ready. I will do the walk around. Let’s get this pig rolling.” Frank had one foot planted on the ground and was spinning in tight circles. Noah walked up to Frank and placed two hands on his shoulders.
“We have this run and you have some banking to do. The other boys have taken out safe deposit boxes and you are in desperate need of sleep. Your eyes look like two piss holes in the snow.”
“I can make it. I will grab a few winks in the crew bunk.”
“If you ask Bob nicely he might give you a ride back to the hotel with a stop at the bank. We will see you tonight about seven.” Noah gave him a gentle push to start him out of the bay. “See you about seven.” Noah turned his attention to the load. After he was finished, he walked back to the supply room pulling a metal case out of one of the lockers loading it in the Ark. Noah was ready and the plane soon would be.
The Ark taxied out and was airborne by four thirty. They flew East South East coming out over the Gulf of Mexico flying over the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. Noah had Fran change into the fatigues that she had worn on the flight up. She slipped back in the copilot’s seat and took the controls from Frank. She loved to fly and as big as the aircraft was she handled it as if it was an extension of her coming alive when she was at the controls. Frank had twenty years flying experience and Noah could barely tell the difference when she was flying. Noah went to the bay to prepare for the drop. When he was ready he flipped down a crew seat by the loading ramp buckling up for the corrections. Frank took over the controls dropping the Ark down to 400 feet as they approached the coast and shortly before noon they crossed the coast in an uninhabited section making corrections to assume the right heading. Frank dropped the plane a hundred feet above tree top level flying more by eye than instruments. He popped up briefly to get the road lined up. Frank had the controls, but Fran rested her hands lightly on them to get the feel as the Ark touched down and did a slow taxi.
In the bay, Noah watched the lights. The light went yellow and Noah partially dropped the ramp to within a few feet of the surface. The Ark turned and straightened out again. The light turned green. Noah lowered the ramp to within a foot of the surface quickly rolling the pallets out. As the last pallet rolled out Noah signaled the cockpit. Frank shut down engines one and two feathering the other two. Noah opened the metal case producing a movie camera. He started filming the pickup trucks while they swarmed the pallets. Maria ran through the bay and out to the last pallet. Jesus drove his truck up to the pallet just before Maria jumped on the pallet waving her arms like a maniac. She jumped into Jesus’s arms and kissed him deeply wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Noah called it her monkey hug. She started talking to Jesus waving her arms wildly.
“Now that’s enthusiasm,” Frank’s voice came over Noah’s shoulder.
Frank walked out to her and took her by the arm. After a few words, she followed him up the cargo ramp. Noah handed the camera to the copilot and told him to keep filming. Noah ran down to Jesus. As he approached a woman grabbed Jesus kissing him full on the lips. He grabbed a breast with one hand and circled her waist with the other. Noah tapped him on the shoulder.
“We need to take off. You need to warn your people.” Noah recognized her from the last run as Marcel, Juan’s girlfriend. He ran back inside the ark raising the ramp buckling in for takeoff. Fran went to full power and the ark was airborne in minutes. Fran cleared the coast at tree top level under Frank’s direction flying 50 miles out into the Gulf before they popped up to altitude. The ark turned north and called for a fuel stop in Can
cun. Fran changed into her pilot’s uniform so that she looked like an official part of the crew. She helped Frank work the engineers console while they were fueling to get a feeling for what needed to be done. By the time the Ark was on its way back to Ontario Fran had worked through a week’s worth of exercises with Frank. She did the landing in Ontario at six thirty. Bob met the flight with customs handing Fran her passport in front of the customs agent.
“You left this at the counter when you checked in.” Customs cleared them all quickly. Fran looked at her passport. It had stamps from five different countries. In the center of the passport was her Social security card. Bob had a big smile on his face.
“We finished your application with the packet we received from Jeff.”
“Home office is processing your security clearance with the NSA.” Bob produced an envelope from his shirt. In the envelope was her personal history, former addresses, school records and former employers. “We were able to transfer it all over.” Father Cash did not skimp on details or speed. Bob had enough confidence in Jeff’s work to order a clearance check.
“I don’t know what to say, Noah. You are efficient.”
“It’s all part of the service. I am bringing Father Cash 2M over six deals so I have some influence with him. After the contributions to various agencies he will pocket around a million in 30 days. You will find the hotel van is outside for your convenience. Get some rest. It has been a long day.” Bob took her by the elbow and started her toward the front. He whispered in her ear, “I’d do the same for my daughter. Get some rest.”
Frank was waiting for them in the lobby. His eyes were clear. He looked rested.
“Hey! What are we planning for tonight?
“I believe that this is the guy that quit us,” the pilot injected. “What was it? I want out. Pay me off and I’m out of here.”
“I believe that was it.” Noah said deciding to turn the screw a little more.
“You know I was getting nervous. You said that I could come back in.”
