Week 21.4 – The Party Plane

Previously: Metalord offered to take Digger to Mongolia by way of China on Defcon 5’s private jet. And now…

As soon as the acceleration had lessened enough for Digger to trust his balance, he got up and ran to the cockpit. He threw open the door and saw Cole sitting alone in the pilot’s chair, leaning back with his hands behind his head.

“What are you doing?” Digger asked.

“Taking you to China,” Cole said. “Have you lost your memory, too?”

“No!” Digger said. “But no pilots? No engines? How is this safe?”

“We’re flying at low altitude over the Pacific Ocean,” Cole said.  “There’s no other air traffic for us to hit. And although I might act like money’s no object on this trip, no way am I paying to fill the tank on this baby just for your errand. Plus hiring pilots and filing flights plans and all that crap–not my style. Now go back to your seat and buckle in for a minute. It’s always hairy when you’re leaving or entering a country’s airspace without permission.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better,” Digger said as he stepped out of the cockpit.

“Not supposed to,” Metalord said, and the metal cockpit door swung closed by itself.

He emerged ten minutes later as Digger was telling Tiffany and Amanda about the battle with Professor Exotherm. “Well, you can forget your troubles with those Imperials slugs. I told you I’d outrun ‘em.”

“What the hell, dude?” Digger asked. “Why aren’t you flying the plane?”

[blockquote type=”blockquote_quotes” align=”left”]“I am flying the plane,” Cole said. “Now that I’ve got us on course and in international airspace, it’s easy. I just have to correct our heading once an hour or so. Don’t worry, I’ve done this a million times.”[/blockquote]“I am flying the plane,” Cole said. “Now that I’ve got us on course and in international airspace, it’s easy. I just have to correct our heading once an hour or so. Don’t worry, I’ve done this a million times.”

Amanda caught Digger’s eye, held up two fingers and mouthed, “Two.”

“So what’s your plan once we get there?” Digger asked. “Cause you’re not inspiring a lot of confidence so far.”

“Why are you so negative all the time?” Cole asked. “Who’s hungry? I could go for a sandwich. Ladies?”

Tiffany got up and headed toward the small galley in the back of the cabin, mumbling, “I live to serve.”

Cole leaned toward Digger and said, “She never got the hang of the whole ‘friendly skies’ thing, but she makes a hell of a sandwich.”

“I can hear you, you know,” Tiffany called from the galley.

“And beer,” Cole said to Amanda as she got up to follow. “Don’t forget the beer.”

“Is it a good idea to drink and fly?” Digger asked.

“Relax. It’s all good,” Cole said. “Look, I might as well tell you now that things will get a little hairy when we enter Chinese airspace.”

“Hairy how?”

“Well they might scramble an interceptor or two. Nothing major. But it will all be fine as soon as we land and I show them this.”

He pulled a folded sheet of paper out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Digger. It was a letter on heavy bond, all in Chinese, very formal-looking. “What’s this,” Digger asked.

“That’s the golden ticket.”

What does the letter say, exactly? Join us tomorrow to find out in our next episode!

To read from the beginning, click here…