That Amazing Night Part – 2 Continues…

“I thought as much. Please, don’t be embarrassed. I couldn’t care less who you’re seeing. I only care that you can do the job. We have fifteen crews, all drawn from the WASPs, and fifteen planes that have to get to their destination. While I can’t tell you where you are going, I can tell you it’s in the war zone. You girls will be the first U.S. women aviators to fly in a combat area.”

Susan was shocked to hear that. Thrilled, but shocked nonetheless.

“Good. You have the right look about you. Not that I was worried, but you never know.”

Susan was dead tired, and her whole body ached. Ten-hour training flights had toughened her up considerably, and since she was playing catch-up, she was making them almost daily. She hadn’t seen Jack yet. All the girls rotated back to make delivery hops, thus appearing to still be doing their regular ferrying missions.

Hitler had been defeated, and the Marines were gearing up to invade Japan. They had all been shocked and saddened when the news of FDR’s passing came over the Armed Forces Radio. They all fretted that the new president would decide not to continue their mission, whatever it was.

She struggled into her clothes and turned out with the rest of the crews for chow. After eating, they were all summoned to the big Quonset hut that functioned as their ready room.

Mr. Tylor, whom she hadn’t seen since she arrived, was there. As she sat, a hand closed on her shoulder. Susan looked up into Jack’s wild eyes, but there was no time for catching up. Tylor waited until they were all seated before getting up and calling them to order.

“It’s been several months of hardship and rigor for you all. Obviously, you have figured out you will be ferrying planes. Just as obviously, you must have deduced from the over-water navigation exercises that you will be taking them to an island in the Pacific. I can tell you now that the island is Guam, after a refueling stop in Hawaii and another at Kwajalein. The fifteen planes you will be ferrying over belong to the 509th Composite Group and will be arriving here this evening. They are modified designs, but not significantly different from those you have been training on. I want you all to turn back in and get some sleep after this briefing.”

He let the hubbub of voices die before he continued.

“I can’t tell you why all the secrecy is involved in what seems like a simple transfer. I can tell you that concern about the secrecy was so important that the president himself signed off on this mission and the new president agreed. You will fly out tomorrow morning at O-one-fifty. A gap in the coastal defense has been arranged that will be open from O-one-fifty to O-two-thirty. It is absolutely vital that you be over open sea when the diverted ships return to their patrol routes.”

Tylor moved to a huge map and picked up a pointer.

“You will arrive at Hickam Field on the island of Oahu. There, your planes will be refueled. You are not to leave your planes, nor are you to remove your headgear or speak to anyone. If you have mechanical trouble, make sure only the pilot speaks to the tower. There will be a man on the ground who is in the know.”

He then tapped a small dot of green in the vast field of blue.

“From there you will fly to Kwajalein, then on to Guam. Once you touch down, you will move your planes to the end of the runway and all of you will quickly debark and get into the transport provided. You will receive instructions from there on getting back to the States.”

He put the pointer down and looked out at them.

“I cannot stress how vital this mission is. The lives of millions of men may literally rest with you. Good luck.”

Susan waited tensely in the copilot’s seat, as a line of men cranked the huge propellers. She was in a full flight suit, with her hair up and her head covered with a leather cap and goggles. Jack was in the pilot’s seat, the window down and a Pall Mall dangling from her lips. In her flight suit, with the cap and goggles there was no way to know you were looking at an attractive woman, Susan mused.

They hadn’t been able to see each other, or even hug after the meeting, as the officers hustled them all back to their barracks, and because she knew it was going to be a desperately long flight, she had forced herself to relax. Now she was here, the adrenaline rush of starting this mission mixing with the hormone rush of having Jack near her again.

The engines coughed and spluttered, then slowly came to life as Jack expertly coaxed them. Even on the ground, with the RPMs low, the drone was something to hear. The navigator keyed her mike.

“Just got the word. It’s a go, Jack. Tower will be on any sec,” she said.

“Roger,” Jack laconically replied.

“Azure Angel, this is Tower. You are cleared for take off,” a clipped voice called.

Jack eased the throttle forward and the huge bomber began to roll. She was fully loaded with fuel, and it took most of the immensely long runway to gain enough speed to lift off. Jack and Susan both eased back on the control yolk, and the huge plane nosed into the air. They took their time, circling as they climbed to thirty thousand feet, near the plane’s operation ceiling. When the others had formed up, Jack eased the throttle up to their cruising speed of 190 knots and pointed the big plane towards the ocean.

There were some tense minutes, as the planes rumbled out over the coast. At any moment, Susan expected the shore batteries to open up, or scrambled fighters to attack, but only the dark, cold night greeted them. When Sally called out that they were at their first waypoint, Jack banked the big plane onto the new azimuth, and Susan relaxed her white knuckled grip on the steering column.

Beth, the fourth member of the crew, came forward shortly afterward with hot coffee. She was a short woman of medium build with plain features and greenish eyes. Susan had flown with her before, during her training.

“Have Sally get me one more navigational check, and you two can dope off,” Jack said. Beth giggled and nodded before disappearing. Susan had never seen the woman smile.

“What was that about?” Susan asked Jack.

“Nothing,” she said too quickly.

Susan let it pass and watched the dark sea, occasionally checking the instruments. Jack slowly brought the big plane down towards the deck. She didn’t stop the gentle descent until the altimeter showed they were no more than five hundred feet above the ocean.

“Jack?”

“Relax, angel-puss. This mission is top-secret; the only way to avoid the radar pickets is to fly low. Am I making you nervous?” she added with a sexy grin.

Susan blushed and returned her eyes to the instruments, remembering the last time she had heard those words from her. The sun was well up and off the horizon, when Shelly and Beth came up behind them, giggling like schoolgirls.

“We’ll take over, if you two want to try the amenities,” Beth said.

Neither girl was even close to fully dressed and she looked at Jack in her confusion.

“Come on, Angel, I’ll show you around. Stretch your legs some,” she said as she got out of the pilot’s chair and Shelly took over.

“Spread your legs, she means,” Beth cackled.