“Okay, let’s give it a try.”
They both rose this time, and Alina pulled back the curtains, pleased to find no one attempting to eavesdrop. They walked together, striking up conversations with everyone who had made this mission possible, Martin unable to help but steal glances at his watch, the final countdown now underway.
Chapter 25
As expected, Alina’s plan worked flawlessly. Martin caught up with people he hadn’t chatted with since their initial flight to Chicago three weeks ago. The talks provided plenty of distraction, but weren’t quite enough to completely erase the pending doom from his mind, much like his brief mission to see Izzy had succeeded in doing before spiraling out of control.
One jet window had been left open to provide a glimpse of the outside world, the rest ordered to remain shut for security reasons. Martin had watched the afternoon pass, the bright glow from outside giving way to a soft orange haze as the sun descended on the cold autumn night. 5:15 arrived, and with it came the group of four Road Runners who had ventured out earlier in the day to drive the exact route that Martin was about to endure.
Felix Francisco was the first one to step through the doorway, a rather short man of pale complexion, his dirty blonde hair ruffled as if they had driven all 400 miles with the windows down.
“Everything looks clear,” he said, making his way toward Alina and Martin. “Even the construction zone has been cleaned up. It’s a straight shot to Angle Inlet, no slowdowns, no speed traps, and not even a border checkpoint.”
“Thank you, Felix,” Alina said, grinning proudly. “We knew about the border crossing not having any sort of checkpoint, but I’m very pleased to hear the construction is out of the way. This should allow plans to move ahead just slightly from our projected schedule. Commander Briar, you can leave now if you’d like, since there aren’t any adjustments to be made.”
The dread of hearing those words suffocated Martin as he faked a smile, nodding his head by sheer will. “Okay. I’m ready.”
The jet fell silent as everyone realized the moment had finally arrived. Arielle worked her way from the rear cabin, a backpack slung over one shoulder as she approached Martin’s side. They shuffled toward the jet’s open doorway, pausing as Martin faced the team. “Thank you all, again. None of this would be possible without you. Regardless of what happens, my only hope is that the legacy of your hard work will live forever.”
“Give him hell, Commander!” someone shouted, but Martin’s mind was too busy racing to notice who. Everyone else broke into cheers, showering him with well wishes and good luck. He waved one final time before following Arielle down the steps where an all-black SUV waited below, picked up and dropped off by the crew who had just returned.
The outdoor air refreshed Martin, the cold filling his lungs a much needed change of pace from the stuffy jet. The silence immediately added to the sense of solitude that he had been mentally preparing for. The next two hours would be just him and Arielle; after that, just him and Chris.
“You ready, Commander?” Arielle asked once they reached the bottom of the stairs. He lugged a duffel bag over his shoulder, pulling it off to toss in the backseat.
“Yes,” he replied, more to hear himself confirm he was ready for this mission. They both climbed into the vehicle, Arielle firing up the engine and punching their destination into the car’s GPS system.
Martin watched as the map calculated their route, drawing a thick blue line that curved downward and to the right before breaking further south where the image of a checkered flag signified their final destination.
Arielle shifted the car into gear and pulled out of the hangar without another look back, zipping out of the airport as if they were running late instead of early, driving like she wanted this trip over with as much as Martin.
“Consider this time yours, Commander,” she said. “If you want music, want to talk, or want complete silence, just say the word.”
“I’d be lying if I said I know what I want. What do you normally do before a tense mission?”
“Personally, I hype myself up in the mirror, remind myself that I’m the best, and usually blast the radio. I’ve never had much time to sit down and organize music, pick out my favorite songs and what not, so I just listen to what’s on.”
“Let’s try that. Not too loud—I’m not trying to have a headache by the time we get there.”
Arielle giggled. “Of course not, I wouldn’t blast it too long. Keep in mind my mission prep is normally a few minutes, not a whole two hours.”
She powered the radio from the steering wheel controls, getting static at first, then pressing through to other stations until finding one she liked with The Weeknd singing something about blinding lights—Martin wasn’t sure.
Arielle bobbed her head as they reached the freeway, not afraid to drive 90 miles per hour as they sped away from Winnipeg. Martin watched her dance in her seat, envious of how much joy she seemed to have under the circumstances. Watching her reminded him of Izzy, and what she might have been like if still alive today. She too loved music and singing, dancing around the living room and down the hallway just to get a laugh from Martin and Lela. Those memories seemed like an entirely different lifetime, and Martin supposed maybe humans did have multiple lives during their time on this planet, always one tragedy away from changing the trajectory of their future.
He pulled out his wallet and flipped it open to the picture of his daughter. Arielle might be the one taking him to the mission, but Izzy would be the one to take him
