Chapter 21

There's an old saying, When the going gets good, the good get going.

If it were only that simple.

Angela and Angel Sanchez turned 17 and 17 and a few minutes. Twins never come out together. They were born in different months though ... June 30th and July 1st... 11:55 and 12:05. They applied for and were accepted as paid crew. Testing was arranged and high school was history. None of the rest of the family wanted to continue.

The testing delayed departure just long enough for Company to learn to surf ... disguised of course as an Orca.

Thus ... when the mast was reset and a new and genuine copper kettle100 gallon brewery installed in the turbine room, the tuning crew from Pentwater were flown out to do their magic to the rigging.

The Pretty Penny ... having backed in stern first to the submarine railway at the corner of John G Crommelin Road and Ingersell Ave when she first arrived, fired up the RR turbines and motored out past the south end of Ford Island and into the channel. Once clear of Iroquois Point and into Mamala Bay the sails were hoisted and the Pentwater Rigging Crew started adjusting, tweaking and tuning until Penny was an 18 knot boat ... again. The time spent on the ways singeing and scraping the hull was well worth the expense.

It took two weeks ... and yes, they had an audience. They sailed right over the top of a nuclear submarine, had a Coast Guard cutter ... one of the big ones ... motor along beside the Penny ... if a mile is beside ... the Army sent out a Longbow and the Air Force an A-10. The A-10 caused Junior a momentary remembrance.

"Mom?" The Dick Tracy thing again ... at least they weren't on deck when Too popped in.

"Yes, dear?"

"Did anyone retrieve our A-10's?"

"Yes, dear. I took the twins down in the Illusion"

Illusion ... pet name for a rather interesting Russian passenger airplane ... with an interesting story.

"So you know about the disk?"

"Yes, dear ... mostly. I know it's missing." She grinned, "What did you do with it?"

"If you look off to port you will see an Orca escort."

"Oh, cute!" Too asked, "Is that real?"

"No mom ... that's Company."

The orca sidled up along side and breeched with a slow roll included. On the way by ... she winked at mom.

Laughter ensued ... much and teary laughter.

"I see Company has a sense of humor," Too said.

"You should have been on the flight when she was sick ... actually, I'd have preferred to have NOT been on board ... Mom ... it was awful."

"Poor baby..."

"Who me?"

"No ... Company. You have to remember ... I changed your diapers."

Junior blushed brilliant red ... teenagers would prefer that mother would forget that said teen had ever been a baby.

"But ... that explains why we received a letter of inquiry from the United States ... they want the disk back ... something about National Security and Official Secrets. I sent back a letter asking how they knew it was gone and did they violate our sovereign airspace?" She smiled... "Of course they did ... we have the documented track from the radar." She turned to Connie, "I understand you two discovered the way in."

"Yes, Princess."

"Call me Princess one more time and I'll turn you over my knee ... and no ma'am or anything but Too or Wendy will keep that promise from turning into a sore bottom ... ask Junior."

Junior was standing with her hands covering her butt and nodded... "I should have warned you."

"What is it you need, Wendy?" Connie asked.

"I want Company to go to Johnson's Ranch and wait for the next spy plane. Just sit there ... when the assault group shows ... let them land and disable the plane ... six or seven weeks and we should have a nice collection of transports."

"I can do that."

"Bye."