by Finian Blake
The Ark was still parked at Brit Worldwide. Adam called maintenance and had the log checked finding that there were some minor items that needed to be cleared for repair. He went over every inch of the cargo compartment, after which he called Ralph to see if there were any items that were not written up. Luxury was not a concern on this aircraft, so everything was strictly functional. It was mainly for cargo use, so a full set of fold down paratroop seats were still installed against the walls on each side of the cabin. There was no galley on the Caribou and there was only a series of fold down racks for coolers, the toilet was simple and small. This system could accommodate twenty four people in Spartan style, plus three thousand pounds of Cargo.
Adam just started inspecting the rear cargo ramp when Liz and Terri walked up to the airplane.
“We are both sorry for last night.”
“I feel so ugly that I had to do something.” Terri knew that she pushed Adam to the edge. He had not spanked her hard last night, but he was angry. That really upset her. Adam dropped what he was doing and hugged them both tenderly.
“Terri, you are beautiful. Your body is changing, but that does not mean that you are not beautiful. Liz, the same goes for you. When your body changes you are still beautiful.” Adam sat down on the cargo ramp shaking his head. “I cannot wait to see what mood swings Susan goes through when pregnancy settles in with her!” Liz and Terri’s faces lit up in honest surprise. Adam thought that Susan had already told them. They started to run off to find Susan. Adam turned back to his checks. He was glad that they came out to the airport. He did not want them spending the whole day thinking that he was pissed off. They all drove back to the Inn in Terri’s Mini. It was approaching eight AM when Adam contacted Gregory and Anna. He invited both of them to breakfast at the service center.
They decided to fly to Zurich to finish some banking business and make a few calls to Russia. He needed to get a break down on exactly who was coming out of Russia. Ralph had plans with Annette for the day since her husband was with his mistress, so they recruited Roger to fly the Ark to Zurich with Gregory taking the second seat to get some hours. Anna flew in back with Adam.
“Anna, when you call your contacts, I am going to need about eighty empty weapons crates, so we need to create a diversion.”
“How will those empty crates help?” Anna’s curiosity was up.
“I was thinking of using a false scent in case they start looking for the weapons early. I wanted to ask if you wanted to go with me to Trabzon.”
“My family was from Batumi which is only fifty miles from Trabzon. I can go with you if you let me make the calls, but I may have to stay out of sight since my family is spread out throughout that area.” Anna’s family was on both sides of the Turkish border, and she had to use caution. “When do you want to go?”
“I would like to go as soon as possible. Talk to Gregory and see what his thoughts are.” The Ark landed in Zurich and the three of them went to the bank while Roger stayed with the Ark. Gregory and Anna rented one business center and Noah rented another. Noah made a call to Hans.
“Hans, are we going to do business or not? This is your last chance to hit the chicken switch.”
“We are doing business. We will take every ounce that you can lay your hands on.”
“What about the front money?”
“We allowed thirty three million, in case you come up with more arms. We can have it on one of the 747s going to Turkey.”
“I came up with a better idea for handling the money.” Noah hoped that Hans would like the alternative better. “I will give you the name of a bank in Switzerland. You can put the gold on deposit in the bank and I will release it when the weapons arrive at the starting point. That will give us a neutral party to handle the funds, until we have product.”
Hans’s voice betrayed his relief, “Mercury said to work it whichever way that you arranged it. Will you be able to make delivery in Karachi?”
“Thank you for your cooperation. Karachi is where the delivery will be made. Give me the name of the contact receiving the shipment.”
“That will be the same people making the payment,” Hans said.
“Do you still want me to process the payment?”
“Yes, how will you transmit the payment to us?”
“We will make a deposit in the same bank account and you can collect it there.” Adam said. “I like dealing with the Swiss they know how to conduct business unlike some of the other clowns that I am dealing with. If that is acceptable deposit the front money in the bank within seven days. I will make all of the arrangements from here.” Noah broke the connection.
The next stop was critical. Noah asked for the banks president.
“Günter made it a point to remain available. Noah explained the transactions that he would need the bank to perform.
“The bank will require a transaction fee of one point six million to be exact.”
Adam didn’t hesitate, “That will be acceptable. I would like you to personally oversee the transactions, for a fee of course.”
“I cannot charge a separate fee for my services.”
“What if someone were to give you a gift of three hundred thousand dollars today? Would you be inclined to monitor the transaction?”
“I take interest in all of the transactions of this bank.” Gunter wrote down the name of another bank and a number. Noah smiled as he read the paper and handed it back to Gunter.
“Tomorrow morning,” they shook hands and Noah left the office.
He went back to the business office and called the Roman bank. When he was shown to a hospitality room Noah poured himself a drink and waited for Gregory and Anna. Their business took an hour longer. After forty minutes, Gunter called his personal bank on a whim to find a notice of transfer for three hundred thousand was attached to his account from the Roman bank. This Noah was a major player, and Gunter knew beyond a doubt that he did not want to disappoint this man. He checked the hospitality room finding that Noah was still waiting for Gregory and Anna.
“This bank will take great care to follow all of your instructions precisely to the letter. Please let me know of any additional requirements that you may have.” Gunter knew that he could disappoint governments but disappointing this man would be fatal. Of course, three hundred thousand for a few hours of work had his attention too. When they were finished, Anna and Gregory joined Noah in the hospitality room.
Anna was first to speak, “I can go with you to Trabzon, but Gregory has a problem going there, so he will fly back to the Inn commercially and we can go from here.”
“We will have to go back and pick up Ralph. Roger will need a copilot.” Anna patted Noah on the cheek and smiled.
“I will fly down with Roger.”
Gunter drove with them to the airport in the bank’s limo dropping Gregory at the terminal circling around to the private aviation terminal. Gunter wanted an idea of who he was dealing with. He had the driver wait until he saw a Caribou taxi away to the runway making a mental note not to disappoint this client.
Roger started to climb in the pilot’s seat when Noah and Anna walked on board.
“I have it,” Anna announced. She climbed in the seat and started to set up the trim for takeoff. Roger glanced at Noah receiving a nod of approval. Anna fired up both engines releasing the brakes as she called for clearance. The Caribou taxied out to the runway smoothly with Anna doing a short take off.
“Keep your seat belt fastened,” Anna hollered back to Noah, “it is super bumpy over the Alps.”
“I did not know that you could fly!” Roger was totally surprised.
“I am not just another pretty face.” Anna pulled a heading of one hundred and seventy degrees.
“England is two hundred seventy degrees,” Roger noted. “Does this mean that we will not be home for dinner?”
“Roger, we are going to Turkey and then to Pakistan.” Anna shifted her attention, “Noah when were you going to talk to Abdul-Rahman?”
“Where did you get that name?” Anna took Noah completely by surprise.
“He does all of the arms deals for the Afghans, when Gregory was a general his name came up frequently at almost every briefing,” Anna smiled warmly, “I may not say a lot, but I do listen carefully. Everybody thought that I was just his driver and talked freely in the car. I am conversational in seven languages, a few more if you count dialects plus I understand a few more. As a driver, I was part of the wallpaper and never ruined the illusion by speaking.” Noah made a mental note to never underestimate Anna again. They stopped in Istanbul for fuel and to clear customs.
They decided to spend the night in Istanbul continuing on to Trabzon in the morning. They had not planned to make an overnight stop, so they bought some clothes before checking into a hotel. After dinner, Noah decided to return to his room. Roger and Anna decided to stay in the bar and talk. He admired her feel for the aircraft and wanted to know more about her flying back ground. Anna flew with Gregory in a captured Air America Caribou when they were advisors to the Vietnamese. Roger and Anna traded stories from both sides of the war. Roger knew that the Russians used women more than the other militaries did, but he was still surprised to find out the extent of Anna’s experience. They awoke early the next morning with Anna and Roger bringing Adam up front to learn the rudiments of flying the Caribou. They wanted everyone to be able to handle the Ark. Take offs were a piece of cake, but for landings it looked like you were going to crash, so he sat in the second seat to observe the landings. Trabzon had an eight thousand foot runway which could handle a 747. Noah looked north and could see a single wharf in the harbor.
Trabzon was a commerce center for northeastern Turkey, so the Turks selected the administrator carefully. The region was extremely sensitive with so many minorities in the area. The Russian border was only minutes away by air and less than two hours away by sea. There was a healthy smuggling trade going on throughout the area which provided many bribes for the local officials. The administrator was the cousin of the interior minister since the bribes must be properly shared and family was the best bet. When they landed, Karim met them at the cargo center. He was a thin dark haired man with a look of constant vigilance. He wore a neatly pressed suit.
“We are not very big, but we move a lot of cargo through here. The department of the interior said that we needed to cooperate with you. We have two, twenty thousand pound fork lifts and other loading equipment. There is one loader that can work a 747. There are forty carriers that can handle sea containers and four tractors that can move them. We can pull in four more tractors with a few days’ notice. What are your plans?” Anna went through their plans for the evening of the delivery. When Karim heard that they were using the Patna he brightened.
“Marc has good crews, and the ship is in good shape, so with all three cranes on board working, we can load a container every three minutes.” The Patna could be loaded in as little as two and a half hours with a full out push. If they started at ten they could be under way at one AM and by first light it could be eighty to a hundred miles out to sea.
While Noah was touring the facilities, Anna made a phone call and left borrowing Karim’s Car. The next subject was sensitive. The bribe was a crucial topic. Adam did not want to be too generous, because if the money was too generous, it would attract attention. One hundred and fifty thousand dollars would be paid to Karim for the use of the port and the bribes that he would have to pay with Karim dispersing the funds. He was familiar with the captain of the Patna, and would work directly with him. As they were finishing their negotiations Anna re-entered the office with an attractive woman in her early forties.
“This is my sister Seraphina. She raised me after our mother died. I would like to take her with us,” Anna said in a matter of fact voice. “I owe a debt to her.”
“We do have another stop. What about papers?”
“She has Turkish papers that will pass until she can work with Liz. I will put my personal guarantee on her,” Anna said confidently.
Anna’s personal guarantee was as good as gold with Noah. With all that Anna did for him, Adam could not refuse her. Seraphina had long thick Raven hair that fell loosely past her shoulders. She wore a modest grey green wool suit with a plain grey cotton blouse and her low lace up shoes almost looked like men’s shoes. Anna had Karim stamp Seraphina’s passport and asked Roger to take her out to the Ark since the discussions were concluded. Anna stayed behind to give Karim his bribe for Seraphina. The Ark was serviced and took off for Pakistan. Roger let Anna take the controls. Noah and Seraphina sat in the cargo area. Anna had this planned for a long time. She brought a few outfits that she had Beth make for Seraphina. Anna’s build was similar to Seraphina’s and she had Beth make blind adjustments to the fit. Noah suddenly had the feeling that this trip was not a surprise to Anna. Seraphina only had a small bag that looked like an oversized purse. Noah went through Seraphina’s bag as he had done with Gregory and Anna the first time they switched identities.
“Seraphina sounds too formal, call me Sera. As long as the bag is open I might as well get rid of these.” Sera stripped off her suit revealing Arlene’s handiwork. Sera, was ten years his senior but had an amazingly well muscled body. Noah found himself being aroused by her striptease. She tossed her clothes on Noah while she undressed, as if he was a chair. Sera showed no embarrassment stripping in front of a stranger.
“Throw these overboard.” Noah did as instructed. Sera was almost dressed by the time that Noah returned to his seat. She was wearing a colorful flower print long sleeve blouse and mid length skirt. Sera handed Noah a pair of high heeled sandals putting her foot in his lap.
“Could you help me with these?” Sera worked her foot seductively on his lap. “Anna has told me so much about you.” Noah had no doubt that she did.
Only one fuel stop was necessary. The Ark landed in Karachi shortly before eleven PM. The three travelers were exhausted when they arrived. Noah booked two rooms at the Sofitel. He opened the door to the room that he planned for him and Roger. Anna pushed Sera in behind him sliding Sera‘s bag into the room behind her.
“I would like to get to know Roger better and Sera would like to know the man that I adopted better.”
She pulled the door closed and walked down the hall with Roger. Anna’s room was down the hall and on the opposite side. She was very happy that the rooms were not adjoining. Anna pushed Noah as far as she dared. Anna put her personal recommendation on Sera and she would have to do the rest. Noah took a seat at the small table in the corner of the room. Sera pulled up the chair opposite him so that they were almost touching knees. She swallowed hard and waded straight in.
“Anna tells me that you are a genius with papers. She loves her new life in America and tried to get me to come with her when she and Gregory left a few years ago. I could not believe that someone working for your government would keep their word because I have heard of so many disasters after they defected, my government kept a close eye on me, so I could not join her. This is the first time that we could take the chance.” Sera paused for a minute waiting for Noah to say something.
“First of all, I do not work for the government,” Adam started. “I am a private contractor, and I recommended that they not defect because our country does not treat defectors well. You were right not to trust a CIA deal.”
“You are not CIA?”
“No, I do the work that our government cannot put their name on. I make my own arrangements and pay myself.” Noah could see that Sera did not understand. “You have talked to Anna. I provided a service for Gregory and Anna. They never betrayed Russia and were never asked to. We conducted a business deal and Gregory retired before they retired him.” Sera liked the fact that he did not mention their illegal activities or defection.
“What are you doing now? Anna is up to her ears in this arms deal.” Noah was slightly bothered by her knowledge of the deal. “I have cleared the sale of better than half a million pounds o
f arms to several different revolutionary groups all over the world.” Noah went for a little information of his own.
“Your government will be paid for the weapons?” Noah did not want to start a feud with the Russians by stealing the weapons.
“I have set up the accounts in Zurich. When the arms are released the money will be transferred as a matter of course and the Generals will receive a substantial commission. My general sent me on vacation to Batumi and assigned me a beach house for prominent party members. When Anna heard of this, she insisted that I come to Trabzon without stopping in Batumi. I left my car and luggage at the beach house and went straight to Trabzon.” Noah could see it coming, because the Generals could not let her live since Sera had all of the account numbers. If she spent much time at the beach house he could see her having a fatal accident. Sera needed to vanish without a trace. He would let Anna explain that part to Sera. Noah made up his mind that with or without Anna’s backing he would help Sera.
“You and your sister must be united and I will do my utmost to make sure that you are no longer separated.” Sera relaxed and moved her feet into Noah’s lap. Anna provided her with all of the seduction triggers for him. She moved the heels of her shoes around his legs. Noah gently held her feet.
“Whether you seduce me or not, I will help you.”
Sera looked at Noah noting that he was good looking and well mannered. Anna promised her that it would be an interesting evening at the very least. The Generals preferred the twenty year old girls who were eager to improve their position in the office. The number of propositions that she received were scarce, and they were for sex bent over an office desk. By the bulge in his pants, she could tell that Noah was interested. She pushed past his gentle hold pushing her heels into his zipper.
“We can do both. Are you not interested in me?” Noah released her feet to let them play massaging her calves while she played. “I prefer kisses.” Noah said picking her up and moving her to the bed. Sera retrieved a bottle of Georgian wine from her bag and poured a small amount over her feet.
