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  “You are a bad man, Ramirez. If you put the same effort into your work as you do in chasing pussy we would have no problems.”

  “How much pussy is there to chase around here?” he retorted. “There is just you.”

  “Just me?”

  “Okay – so you’re more than most women. I admit that. I can’t help it if space makes me horny.”

  “That is a new one,” said Gowan. “Maybe you should lock yourself in a closet for part of the day although I shudder to think what despicable things you’d get up to.”

  “Stow your gonads, Ramirez. We have a big job ahead,” said the Captain. “You two lay off each other at least till we land.”

  For the next hour and a half they ran checks and double checks and various scenarios until they were ready for their final approach. In all that time nobody had had time to review the tapes of their near collision or review any data the computers may have gathered. And below decks the temporary seal of the disrupter weapons was already weakening.

  CHAPTER THREE

  At 36,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean the airliner was already starting to come apart. A previous accident in a hangar had led to engineers having to weld, glue and rivet a large panel of the roof back in place. The accident with a maintenance hoist had fractured the delicate inner and outer parts of the passenger cabin which had been repaired in a workshop in India. The technicians, not trained on this particular airliner, had used a single line of rivets where there were two lines in the original specification. The old jet had flown eleven times round the world since then with no problems and the repairs were long forgotten. About the time the Defender class spacecraft from the future approached Earth’s atmosphere, the first rivet popped on the damaged panel.

  After considering all the options, Stiers had elected to use his own version of the softly, softly, catchee monkey approach. He planned a very slow descent which would be least damaging on the ship while leaving them exposed to visual sighting for longer. The craft was fitted with a chameleon circuit which, within limits, could alter the colour of the outer panels. Travelling in space the default setting was black which was almost as good as having a cloaking device. For travelling in the atmosphere the settings would be blue or a grey-white colour which would render the ship hard to see against the sky. They had already checked the options for sitting on sand using a dull buff colour.

  “Outer atmosphere,” warned Ogden. “Entering…now.”

  “Slow descent,” said Stiers. “Watch for obstacles and debris breaking up. Ramirez, you keep an eye on the sensors for the disrupter repair. I’m taking manual control now.”

  There were no actual manual linkages for controls of the craft. The Captain would issue commands and touch controls and, if the computers cross-checked and agreed with him, the manoeuvres would be carried out. Stiers planned to drop vertically into the atmosphere until 50,000 feet was reached then begin a slow descending and declining horizontal line straight to their destination. The outer envelope of the craft was protected by shields which absorbed any energy and used it to reinforce themselves and charge all capacitors on board.

  “Descent level reached,” confirmed Ogden and Stiers switched to a forward descending motion. Although nobody spoke other than when they needed to, there was a hushed feeling of fear and apprehension combined with joy at being back home, even though it was a home none of them knew.

  “Don’t have fits but grab your tits,” said Ramirez. “There’s an object ahead and below us travelling at about 600 kilometres an hour.”

  “Aircraft,” suggested Ogden.

  “It seems to be breaking up,” said Ramirez. “Long range sensors are saying it’s either breaking up or it’s a convertible.”

  “There are no soft top airplanes,” said Gowan.

  “We’re approaching it rapidly. We’ll soon find out,” said Ramirez. “Wow, another small object just detached itself from it. I’m getting a closer look now.”

  “Can you make out what it is?” asked the Captain.

  “It may be the flying nun,” said Ramirez. “It has a uniform and titties. I can’t make out much more.”

  “That would be enough for you,” said Gowan.

  “I can see it and I’m moving towards the smaller object,” said Stiers. “Heck, it’s falling further behind the plane. I can see the plane now – it is a soft top.”

  “I think part of the roof has torn off,” said Ogden. “That shape may be a passenger – or one of the crew.”

  “It’s female and I’m in rescue mode,” said Ramirez. “Look at where her skirt has ridden up. They’re good legs.” He glanced at Gowan. “Not that yours aren’t better.”

  “So is it a nun?” asked Ogden.

  “I think she’s cabin crew,” said Gowan. “Judging by the uniform that is.”

  “The plane won’t hold together,” said Ogden. “Her skipper is taking her down too fast. The structure is too weakened.”

  “We’ll rescue the woman then save the plane,” said Stiers. “In that order. Prepare towing beams.”

  “So much for softly, softly, creep in unnoticed,” said Ogden.

  “We aren’t leaving them to die,” said the Captain.

  “I should hope not,” said Ogden.

  “I’m matching the velocity of the woman,” said the Captain. “Open main portal and you, Ramirez, get ready to catch her.”

  “Sensors indicate she is about 28 years old,” said Ramirez. “My sensors indicate she’s hot.” The Captain glowered at him. “On my way, Captain.”

  Ramirez walked to the main portal at the rear as it opened. There was no rushing of wind as the shields were still operative. Stiers used his skills to bring the craft close to the tumbling figure and opened the portal shield. They could hear her screams even over the rushing of the wind. Ramirez grabbed her ankle and pulled her into the ship and her screams increased.

  “She’s figured him out already,” said Gowan. Her fellow officer managed to land the girl inside the craft with a slight bump of her ass. Gowan said, “Aren’t you going to offer to kiss it better?”

  “Are you okay?” Ramirez asked the girl, ignoring Gowan.

  “Okay? Where the crap am I?”

  “Plucky little thing,” commented Ogden. The shield closed followed by the portal and the young woman looked around her.

  “Who are you?” she asked. “Where am I?”

  “You’re not abseiling through 25,000 feet of nothing without a rope,” said Ramirez. “You could use being a tad more grateful.”

  “I am,” she said. “Thank you. The roof of the plane just seemed to peel off. I was sucked out.”

  Gowan said, “And Ramirez would like to be sucked…” then abandoned the comment.

  Ogden’s large but declining brain came up with an answer. “You are on USAF secret project rescue ship X11,” he said.

  “I’ve never heard of it.”

  “It’s secret,” explained Ogden.

  “Let’s get after that plane. Time for introductions later,” said the Captain.

  “That man is the boss,” explained Ramirez.

  “You all speak American – almost,” said the girl.

  “That’s cute,” said Ramirez. “Her left titty is named Debra.”

  “We are American,” said Gowan.

  “Not me – I’m English,” said Ogden.

  “What’s your other titty – I mean breast – called?” asked Ramirez.

  “I should slap your face,” said the plucky girl.

  “That’s a very long line,” said Gowan. “I’ll show you to my cabin so you can freshen up. You hair needs to be brushed and if you want to stop Ramirez staring at your minge, you’d best pull your skirt down.”

  The girl, who has just regained her feet, looked down at her dishevelled clothing and gave a short shriek as she straightened herself. Gowan sighed and took her hand, leading her to her own small private part of the craft. Stiers concentrated on pursuing the diving plane. Ogden said, “He’ll go do
wn to 7,000 feet where the passengers won’t need oxygen.”

  “Not in that plane, he won’t,” said Ramirez, regaining his seat. “The right wing is already stressed beyond its limits as is the tail.”

  “We shall be over him very shortly,” said Ogden. “Towing beams are charged and ready.”

  This was the one area where Star Trek lingo had not always penetrated the future despite some temptation to use the term tractor beams. The system used a version of that used to give the ship lift while in the Earth’s atmosphere. The beam was a stream of particles comprising developed polymers that attached itself to the directed parts of another craft or device and repelled gravity. To hold something like the airplane, three wide beams of two feet in diameter were used to grip at the wings and tail. Ogden had already calculated that in view of the condition of the structure of the plane, the areas selected would be close to the fuselage. The aircraft had lost some of its roof although passengers seemed securely fastened inside. Luggage and assorted bits and pieces erupted occasionally from inside the cabin. Stiers ignored them as they bounced harmlessly off the shields.

  “I’ve found their frequency,” said Ramirez. “They seem to be using VHF. I thought they would be UHF. They’re calling for help.”

  “Can we speak to them?” asked Stiers.

  “In about twenty seconds.”

  “We’re above them now, Ogden. Attach our towing beams. Let’s secure that flying hospital ward.”

  “Beams are extending and are locked in place…now,” said Ogden.

  “Captain of airliner in distress,” said Stiers. “We have your vessel secured. Please cut your engines.”

  “Cut our engines?” squawked a voice, quite calm it the circumstances. “Are you mad?”

  “We have control of your airplane,” said Stiers. “This is – er, USAF emergency rescue vessel…”

  “Top secret X11,” filled in Ramirez.

  “Yes, top secret X11,” finished the Captain. “Using your engines causes a strain on our towing device.”

  “Where are you?” asked the pilot.

  “Step into your first class cabin and look up – but don’t get sucked out,” said Stiers.

  “How come you’re not on my radar?” said the pilot after whispering something to his co-pilot.

  “We’re a top secret project,” said Stiers. “Invisible to your radar. Please cut your engines or I shall be forced to do it from here.”

  After a few moments the co-pilot must have returned because they could hear whispering. Gowan returned with the cabin attendant Debra and Stiers explained what he needed her to do.”

  “Captain,” she said to her plane’s pilot. “This is Debra. I was sucked out of the plane and rescued. These guys are American…”

  “Not all of us,” sighed Ogden.

  “…and I think you can trust them. They seem to know what they’re doing.”

  “You were sucked out, Debra?”

  “Yeah,” said Ramirez. “Sucked out not licked out. Now cut your damn engines before I shoot them off the plane. You’re straining our towing system.”

  “Can you get control of their computer, Gowan?” asked Stiers. “If so, shut down their engines.”

  “The pilot is already cutting them back,” said Ogden. “He’s at less than half throttle now.”

  “He’s testing us,” said Gowan. “I can’t say I blame him.”

  “You’re doing fine, Captain,” said Stiers. “You won’t need engines to land. We’ll take you there.Where are you headed?”

  “San Francisco,” came the reply.

  “That’s a cow’s lick out of our way,” said Stiers. “We can deliver you to Los Angeles airport.”

  “LAX? Listen, buddy, anywhere on dry ground will be fine, but it’s six hundred kilometres.”

  “Okay. It will take us a few minutes to get you there, so hold on – and cut those engines, please.”

  The craft, which had been matching the previous speed of the airliner, accelerated rapidly as the plane’s pilot, trusting at last, throttled back engines down to a minimum.

  “Extend shields to cover the plane,” said Stiers. “We don’t want frozen corpses when we arrive.”

  “Already done,” said Stiers. “They won’t feel so much as a breeze.”

  “Nice to see you again,” Ramirez said to Debra, “although I preferred you wearing your skirt higher.” He chuckled harmlessly and she half smiled at him.

  “How long, Ogden,” asked Stiers.

  “I have laid in co-ordinates for the outer perimeter of the airfield,” he replied. “About four minutes and we’ll be there.”

  “Fine,” said the Captain. “You’re a stout-hearted fellow.”

  “And stout-bellied,” said Ramirez and this time Debra chuckled with him.

  “You guys really in the USAF?” she asked.

  “We’re secret,” said Stiers. “Best you forget all about us.” He looked at Ogden. “You have us flying in low, old son. Why is that?”

  “It is a very busy airport,” said the Englishman. “We need to remain low so we don’t become entangled in too many flight paths.”

  “So we’ll miss the mountains?”

  “We’ll come in from the ocean, Captain. There are no mountains to worry about.”

  “There are always mountains,” grumbled Stiers. “Couldn’t we find a smaller airport?”

  “We need one large enough to have the facilities to help these people. I considered Ontario or even Inyokern but they mean flying like this overland for some distance.”

  “As you say then.”

  “So we’ll fly in low?” said Ramirez. “We may as well send up flares and fireworks just in case anybody doesn’t quite see us.”

  “It will be dark when we land,” said Ogden. “If we keep our chameleon circuit black we may get away with it. It’s our best hope.”

  “Stiers opened a line to the aircraft pilot. “We are going very fast…”

  “So I can see. Are these speeds possible?”

  “And we’ll land at Los Angeles in a couple of minutes. It’s real dang important you tell nobody about this craft. It is top secret and you don’t want the men in red calling.”

  “Black,” said Ogden. “Men in black.”

  “Men in black, that is,” corrected Stiers.

  “What am I supposed to say? That the plane was breaking up and a freak wind blew me to safety at high speed from 600 kilometres out?”

  “Just say you blacked out and have no recollection of what happened.”

  “Blame it on a tornado,” said Ramirez.

  “We’re not over Kansas,” said the pilot. “Now I don’t want to seem ungrateful for being rescued and I’ll say as little as I can. I can’t control the passengers though.”

  “Do what you can. Keep the trouble at my end to a minimum. We didn’t have to rescue you.”

  “Yes we did,” said Gowan.

  “Less than two minutes to touchdown,” said Ogden. “I have plotted all air movements and planes into the computer. You’ll glide through with no trouble.”

  “It’s been a smooth trip so far,” complained Ramirez. “I mean picking up a flying cabin attendant – no disrespect, Debra – saving a huge airliner and flying low over LA. Maybe we should light up and pretend we’re Santa’s sleigh.”

  “Wrong time of the year,” said Gowan.

  “This is a big ship but how is it strong enough to support the weight of an airliner?” asked Debra, looking round.

  “Warning,” said Ogden. “The disrupter repair is collapsing.”

  “Seal off the entire system,” said Stiers.

  “That will leave us with no disrupter weapons.”

  “Let’s just try not to get in a fight,” said the Captain.

  “Aye, aye,” said Ogden and stuck his great head closer into the holos.

  “Now we’re almost defenceless,” said Ramirez.

  “Point your Percy at them,” said Gowan. “If they’re under four years old
they may be frightened.”

  “All I ever say to you is nice things.”

  “Such as?”

  “Well, you have a great ass and nice tits.”

  “Have you ever seen me above the shoulder line?”

  Ramirez sulked and the Captain made his last computations before landing. Below them the city flowed past, all lit up in majestic glory as if they were flying on a magic carpet over some glorious Arabian kingdom of old. They had flown through evening and dusk to night in just a few minutes and the picture below them was like millions of sparkling jewels on black velvet. They circled the city once while Ogden and Stiers logged aircraft movements.

  “It’s sure not Rome, but this is home,” said Ramirez.

  “Except they don’t tap the Earth’s core for energy like we do,” said Gowan. “They still use fossil fuels like oil to power all this.”

  “It is still magic.”

  “Yes it is,” agreed Gowan. “But very wasteful of resources. Currently we tap the core in a way that will power the Earth for four billion years.”

  They looked suddenly at the girl Debra who was listening to their conversation with rapt attention. “Don’t mind me,” she said. “But I really don’t think you’re Air Force.”

  “Trust me, we are,” said Gowan. “Just not a branch you will have heard of.”

  “It’s okay. I won’t say anything.”

  “Of course you will,” said Ramirez. “You’re a woman and therefore hopeless at keeping secrets.”

  “You won’t kill me, will you?” Debra was suddenly very worried.

  “We didn’t save you to kill you,” said Ramirez. “I can’t speak for the men in black.”

  “It is going to be like that,” she wailed.

  “Calm down,” said Gowan. “There never were men in black. We are going to drop you right next to your plane.”

  “From this height?” the girl said shocked.

  “No, we’ll land for you. Don’t take everything so literally. You have never been as safe in your life as you are right now.”

  “As long as the repair to the disrupter valve holds,” said Ramirez and grinned. “If not, everything will dissipate.”

  “Your mouth first, I hope,” said Gowan.