Page 165 of Sin City Dark
“To build a plane that goes this fast, you must be patient, put in alot of effort and long hours, and be fortunate enough to find a team of brilliant, hardworking dreamers who pushed and pushed until we surpassed the speed of sound. Their work will stand for generations as a foundation for giving people more time with their loved ones. After all, that is what’s most precious: time.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m here to announce that today, the LarsAir 2024 takes off on its very first flight.”
The crowd started cheering and clapping, but Adam held up a hand. “Let’s save the applause for the people who made all this possible. Each member of the team played a vital role—and I know this is a cliché—but I couldn’t have done this without them.”
He introduced the aeronautical, mechanical, and electrical engineers, then the designers, manufacturing and maintenance technicians, the materials and computer scientists, and several others.
So many people, Jannie marveled, and so much talent, all led by her brother’s steady hand, with patience, integrity, and grace. Her heart swelled with pride and happiness for him.
“Finally, but certainly not the least important.” He paused. “I want to introduce Jonathan Rogers and Gunn McLaren, who will safely and competently pilot this bird.” He motioned toward the airplane’s lowered stairs, where the two handsome pilots stood tall, legs wide apart, their hands behind their backs.
They nodded in unison, their faces impassive.
“We thank them for their service in the United States Armed Forces, where, luckily for me, they learned to fly a sophisticated craft like this.” With a fond smile, Adam ran a hand over the shiny fuselage.
“Yeah, go Army!” a voice boomed from somewhere.
“Army sucks; GO NAVY!” someone yelled louder.
The crowd erupted in laughter, cheers, and thunderous applause, which went on for so long that Adam began to show subtle signs of impatience. Turning to shake the hands of one pilot, then the other, he motioned toward the stairs, and Jannie watched the guys nimbly climb in and disappear inside.
The hangar doors began to rumble, parting to reveal a massive blue-and-gold tug waiting under a glorious blue sky, dotted with a few puffyclouds.
“Great day to fly,” Ian commented.
Nick nodded. “Agreed.”
So did Jannie. Every day was a great day to fly, and she suddenly wished she had joined the military herself and learned to fly fighter jets.
“You would have dominated that bird,” came Nick’s voice right in her ear.
How did he know what she was thinking? Her gaze flicked to his. Instead of watching and following the 2024, which the tug slowly pulled out of the hangar, Nick stood there, intently studying her. She must have looked wistful because, indeed, she would have loved to fly that plane. His belief that she would have been capable made her feel good.
She shrugged. “We’ll never find out, now, will we?”
“But you can fly other planes, and that is huge. Less than 0.01 percent of the global population holds a pilot’s license.”
She didn’t know this. “Is that so?”
“It is. You can Google it if you want to.” A pause. “Just as you can fly planes full-time, if you want to.”
“What I want and what I can actually do are two entirely different things.”
Five days. She only had five days left, and the checkride was the day after tomorrow. She should be eager and happy at the thought of returning to her home, her practice, and her patients, but all Jannie felt was a hollow pit in her stomach whenever she so much as thought of it.
She forced herself to focus on the now. Today was Adam’s day, and she refused to be depressed. From the corner of her eye, she saw Bestemor begin to slowly make her way out of the hangar, escorted by Dad and Erik, who flanked her slender frame.
Jannie took Nick’s hand and tugged. “Come meet my grandmother.”
“Is that Erik?” Nick sounded surprised.
“Yeah. Changed since you last saw him, right?”
“I’ll say. He was, what, ten?”
“Twelve.”
“He’s a photographer,” Nick said, stating the obvious. “That’s quite the camera.”
