Power Play (Book 2)

Chapter 8: Traffic Control

Recap: Brandon tracked Agent Corrales to an airport, where he was about to board a private jet to fly to Groom Lake (a.k.a. Area 51), a highly secure military base. Brandon can’t fly as fast as a jet, so he had to make a quick decision whether to let Corrales go or somehow hitch a ride…

Winning Choice: Try to sneak on board the plane. There’s not much space, but maybe I could steal the outfit from one of the workers. Once we’re in the air who knows what I might learn.

“I’m going to sneak on board the jet,” I tell Tyler.

“You sure that’s a good idea?” he asks.

“Not remotely,” I admit. “But if something goes wrong at least I won’t need a parachute. You’re going to need to be dead quiet. I don’t want anyone overhearing you guys chattering on the earpiece.”

“Got it,” he says. “Good luck.” 

I’m going to need it. The pilots and the flight-attendant, or whatever he is, stop talking and climb on board. The other workers in the hangar head away from the plane. My options are dwindling so I’m going to have to roll the dice.

Moving at super-speed, I streak around the rear of the jet and up the boarding stairs to the main door. I peek in just as the pilots close the door to the cockpit on my left.

This jet is gorgeous. The main cabin is one big open space with big leather chairs and fancy tables everywhere. This isn’t some commercial plane where you ride all smooshed together like sardines. This jet is a plush, executive lounge that could seat about a dozen people. Nice carpet, even. 

Most surprisingly, there is nobody in sight. Corrales’ bag sits in one of the tan, leather chairs next to one of the beautiful, plush chairs. Not sure why I’m so impressed with a fancy plane when I can fly all by myself anywhere I want. Maybe because I’ve never been on anything this luxurious in my life.

Peeking inside the door a bit more I get a full view down the length of the cabin, and still can’t see any people, but I do see two doors at the far end. One is against the back of the plane, and I’m guessing that’s the galley. The other connects to a small room in front of the galley, which I’m going to guess is the bathroom. There’s a small red light on over the door, so I think I’ve found Corrales. I bet the toilet in there even has a seat warmer.

There’s nowhere to hide in the main cabin, and the bathroom would make a horrible place to fly even if it wasn’t occupied. That leaves the galley.

I speed down the length of the plane as quietly as I can, and slip through the galley door. It’s a small space but packed with everything you could think of in a kitchen. There’s a small sink, a microwave oven, a refrigerator, and even a telephone. 

There’s also the man I pegged as a flight-attendant latching cabinets shut for takeoff. He turns around as I click the door shut behind me, then he falls to the ground as I knock him out with a quick punch. I figure the yelling he was likely about to do wouldn’t help my hiding strategy very much.

The click of a latch outside the galley tells me Corrales is done in the bathroom. I’m worried for a moment that he’s going to come in the galley for a snack, but it sounds like he heads back to his seat. That’s one problem down, but now what am I supposed to do back here in a tiny airplane kitchen? A moment of panic hits me that I’m going to blow this, but I take a breath. One thing at a time.

My unconscious galley-mate has to be my first priority. His name tag identifies him as Dennis, and Dennis is a fairly big guy. Way too big for me to wear his clothes, even over my costume. Instead I pull off his jacket, rip it to strips, and use it to bind his hands and feet and gag him. I also pull the clip out of the gun he had holstered under his jacket. Dennis apparently had more duties than just serving packs of peanuts. There’s only one fold-down seat back here, so I slide Dennis against the back cabinets of the plane to try and keep him from jostling around during takeoff.