CHAPTER SIX
Sunrise
0300 hours. The one part of military life that Alex never had a taste for or got used to was the early hours. He was a night owl, so while he had no problem operating in the dark, he preferred it be the other end of night, not this before-dawn crap.
The only good part of it was that he’d get to see the sunrise, something he very much enjoyed, especially before a dangerous flight.
And he suspected he’d never fly a more dangerous flight than this one.
Still, the early hours had one other benefit: he had the mess hall all to himself. Well, at least as far as the dining portion went: four soldiers in fatigues, the poor souls that had pulled KP duty this day, slaved away in the kitchen, simultaneously preparing for the morning’s breakfast chow, and specially preparing anything Alex asked for. At least his misery had some company, and even better: this company was cooking for him!
“What’s it gonna be, cap?” inquired Roger Allis, an airmen Alex had come to know well over the past few days of preparing for this flight.
"Ah, lemme see Roger… how about a steak omelet with mushrooms, tomatoes, and swiss cheese? Maybe a slab of bacon on the side and some OJ and about a gallon of coffee?"
“No problem cap, coming right up!”
“And hey, don’t forget my favorite-“
Before Alex could finish, Airman Allias handed him a big bowl of Froot Loops. Alex smiled.
“Ah, there are my babies!”
“You know Alex, you’re gonna be the first former Navy SEAL/Army Ranger/Air Force test pilot to die of diabetes he contracted that same day if you keep eating those bowls of pure sugar!”
Major Alcheck entered the room and didn’t miss the opportunity to comment on Alex’ choice of breakfast cereal. As the four men in the kitchen snapped to immediate attention (accompanied by the sound of a bowl of eggs that one of them dropped in doing so smashing to the ground), Alex flopped down into the nearest chair and let out a sigh. He had heard Alcheck’s consternation about his eating habits many times, and he understood that while he was being jovial, there was a hint of truth in his friendly ribbing. After all, a proper military would never eat Froot Loops!
Alex also smiled as he slumped into the chair. Another benefit of these early mornings was the time he got to spend with his friend without any of the trappings of military courtesy. They were just two friends sharing breakfast.
“Sir, good morning, sir!” came the chorus from the soldiers in the kitchen. Alcheck wasted no time in letting them off the hook – just a little.
“As you were, gentlemen. And I’ll take a coffee, two eggs, over easy, sausage and home fries, at your convenience.”
“Sir, yes sir!”
“Come on Brendan, you know about this flight today. Give me this one, just once.”
Alex held out a spoonful of Froot Loops, waving it as if trying to entice a small child to eat their broccoli. He knew he’d have about as much luck with the major.
“Soldier, you get that crap outta my face pronto, or you’re gonna find yourself peeling potatoes with the boys back there!”
They both shared a laugh as Alex shoved the spoon in his own mouth and managed to say something that sounded like “Sir, yes sir!”
"My God, son, did your mother teach you no manners at all?"
Alex chewed and spoke at the same time. “Hey now, don’t be talking about my mom like that! She was a saint!”
“Alright, alright, that’s enough talking with your mouth full already. Fuck Alex, I’ve seen men die in combat, guts pouring out of holes in their stomachs, but that wasn’t nearly as disgusting as watching you eat!”
They laughed for almost a minute after that one. Only men who had seen action would have laughed at such a joke, and they had both seen their fair share. They had never seen it together, something Alex was simultaneously disappointed by and very happy about. Nobody truly wants to see action, even soldiers. But, it’s the job and if you’re going to have a job you want to do it with the best you can, and that description applied to them both perfectly.
Eventually, the laughter faded as Alex chowed down on his cereal and Alcheck began sipping the coffee one of the airmen had just brought to him. After a few sips, he started the conversation he meant to have when he walked through the door that morning.
"Alex, I, uh, this flight today…"
Alex stopped eating instantly when he heard the hesitation in Alcheck’s voice, something he couldn’t recall ever hearing before. He swallowed hard the mouthful of cereal he had and listened intently.
“…this one, it’s got me nervous. I mean, neither of us are big-time scientists like Melissa is obviously, but we both know enough to understand the level of danger here. It’s off the charts. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t flat-out scared of how this could turn out Alex.”
“Hey, Brendan, it’s the job, right?”
"Yes, of course, it is, but…"
“…and it’s Melissa we’re talking about here. You know as well as I do that if she says it’s gonna work, then it’s gonna work, and it’s gonna work like she says it’s gonna work.”
“Yes, for any other flight I’d agree with you one hundred percent and I wouldn’t think twice about it. But this one… my god Alex, we’re messing with the laws of physics here, and not just in the make-something-fly-that-probably-has-no-right-to-fly kind of way we usually do. This is scary stuff even if it does work exactly right.”
Alcheck’s face tensed more with each word, to the point that Alex thought it might begin to crack.
"Look, Brendan, we've been friends for a while now, and beyond that, you know how much I trust and respect you as a military man."
“Yeah, I know Alex. That feeling is very much mutual.”
“Well now I’m blushing, sir. But anyway, I can read the worry on your face even if you weren’t saying a word and because of that trust and respect, if you’re worried then I’m worried. But I’m not sure what we do about it now. You’re not talking abort, are you?”
The word hung in the air between them for what seemed like an eternity. It bounced around Alcheck’s brain, Alex could see in his eyes. He was trying to notion on for size. No test flight Alex had ever been a part of had been scrubbed before it even took off, and to his knowledge, Alcheck had never aborted a flight.
Finally, Alcheck was ready with an answer, and for a moment Alex wasn’t at all sure what it would be.
“No, we won’t abort. The truth of the matter is that many militaries around the world have caught up with the United States in aviation technology and with stealth in particular. You know as well as I do that we've got some excellent detection capabilities to try and neutralize that advantage, but our job is infinitely more challenging now than it was when we were the only game in town in stealth, and we had the best warplanes to put it on. If we don't make a leap forward somehow, then we’re going to have a tough time the next big conflict we get ourselves into. The hyperstealth drive, if it works as expected, is that leap. And it’s probably the last leap we ever need to make in fact. It’s worth the risk.”
“I agree completely.”
“So right, no abort then Alex. Just an old military man feeling a bit more concern about the well-being of his friend and subordinate, not to mention a very expensive piece of hardware, than usual is all.”
Alex smirked.
"Well, it's so sweet to know that you care, Brendan. But you do know I'm married, right?"
“You’re a dick, Captain.”
They both smiled again, but this time a much warmer smile, the kind not just meant to express simple pleasure at the jocular joking as before but one intended to convey the warmth of friendship. Alex spoke again, in a more hushed tone.
“Yes, sir, I believe that I am, sir.”
The four airmen were placing the freshly-prepared food in front of the two men now, steam rising off the plates in the still cool early-morning air. Alcheck spoke before the airmen left the table.
“You boys go have a smoke, give us the room for a few minutes.”
They dutifully snapped to attention and saluted. “Sir, yes sir!” Alcheck saluted back, and the men shuffled briskly out of the room.
For the next ten minutes, the two men ate in silence. The silence wasn’t because they were stuffing their faces but because there really wasn’t anything left to say. They simply shared one another’s company and enjoyed what they both knew could be their last moments alone together.
As the airmen slinked back in, precisely ten minutes later, Alex and Alcheck collected their utensils and brought them over to the sink. The airmen took note: there was no reason for either of these officers to do that, they could have just left it all on the table for the airmen to clean up. Neither of them was that type of officer though, and it was the reason they both commanded a large amount of respect throughout the base. As they did so, they spoke again as military men preparing for a days’ work.
“You’ve got two hours before take-off, Captain. Pre-flight checks begin in one.”
“Yes, sir. I just have one last thing I need to do before then, if I have your permission.”
“Sunrise, Captain?”
“Yes, sir, sunrise.”
“Very well Captain, permission granted.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Alex stopped in his tracks and saluted Major Alcheck.
Alcheck stopped as well and saluted back.
“See you on the other side, captain.”