Chapter 5: The Mission

Our van ride was long; I had no idea where we were going until I started seeing exit signs for Washington DC and the southern suburbs of DC proper. After nearly three hours, we pulled through the entrance gates of Andrews Air Force base. The van continued on until it stopped in front of a hangar. The driver honked his horn, and the side of the hangar opened up, and we all started moving around anticipating getting out. After a few minutes, the door finally closed and we could exit the van but had to stay inside the hangar. A minder directed us not to talk to any of the Air Force personnel inside the hangar. I got the impression that they had a job to do, and Uncle Sam would be much happier if neither group knew what the other was doing.

After exiting the vehicle and stretching, we all went to use the bathrooms. Our minder advised us that if we wanted beverages or snacks, there would be a table set up for us. I picked a Coke and a chicken salad sandwich to eat. I considered grabbing some fruit for later and would get it before we took off. I looked around and noticed our SEALS and Randy engaged in a spirited debate. I headed over to see what it was all about. They were arguing about who had the best food, the Navy or the Army; to be honest, it was virtually a tie. Food is food, I reasoned; the lowest bidder who had the contract was required to fulfill it to military specifications provided it all. I wasn’t going to suggest anything and have them on my case. I opted to keep my comments to myself. I glanced around and saw Mike and Andi having a heated argument. Mike turned and walked away from Andi, his face flushed.

“Everything OK here?” I asked. “You and Mike looked like you were about to step into the ring and duke it out.”

“The fool won’t take no for an answer,” she said angrily. “He wanted to know if I would sit with him on the plane and join the mile high club.”

“That is definitely out of line,” I replied. “After this is over, you should prefer charges to whatever authority has jurisdiction over the conduct of those involved. We are accountable for our own actions, and any disagreements among team members might jeopardize the mission’s success.”

“You are right about that, Doc,” agreed Andi.

“I hope I don’t come across like him,” I responded nervously. “Anything I said was harmless flirting.”

“You, I can handle,” laughed Andi. “One word back to your Viking Princess and she would break you on the wheel. She and I will have a talk when we get back.” Andi closed with an evil chuckle.

Oh hell no, I was a dead man if those two met. I suddenly did not feel so good, it probably was the chicken salad.

Our minder announced that it was time for us to gather our gear so it could be loaded on to the white executive class jet that was in the hangar. Each of grabbed our bag from the back of the van and carried it over to the executive jet and handed it to a USAF crew member. He in turn stowed it in the cargo hold of the jet. I was curious about the jet we would be flying on; I was concerned about such a small jet making an ocean crossing. Randy said it was a Gulfstream IV the mainstay of the military VIP fleet. He said it was quite capable of international flight; many large corporations used them as corporate jets. It was a relatively new jet for the military and we would be this jet’s maiden flight.

Little past 10 PM, a little past 22:00 hrs military time, we were asked to board and find a seat. Andi and I took a seat across the aisle from each other. Randy took one the row in front of me, while the SEALS were almost all the way to the back. Mike was by himself once again all the way forward just behind the cockpit bulkhead. The jet had a crew of three, a pilot, co-pilot and a steward, who was designated load master and caretaker of the passengers. The SEALS took great delight in tormenting the steward by asking what time was cocktail hour and what the in-flight movie was. Of course, he was giving it right back to the SEALS. He suggested waiting an hour for cocktails then walk out the door to the right. It was good natured bantering and enjoyed by all except Mike, who had his usual scowl on his face.

We took our seats and forty-five minutes later, we were wheels up and flying toward Scotland. This was my first time in a corporate jet, so I spent my first hour in flight checking out my surroundings. I noticed the seat was real leather. Each location had a control for the reading lights. There was also a control for air and finally a control to position our individual seats. No one made demands upon the steward and the sounds of the jet engines lolled us to sleep.

Sometime later, the change in jet engine noise woke me and I could sense the jet was making a descent in preparation for landing. Looking at my watch, we had been in the air not quite four hours. I figured we were somewhere in Canada and was stopping to take on fuel and food for the remaining part of the trip.

We soon landed and taxied up to the terminal. Our minder once again asked us to stay in the jet until parked at a secure terminal. We would be here just long enough for the jet to take on more fuel and have the jet inspected before we continued with our flight. This would give up plenty of time to use the bathroom, for them to feed us, and get a chance to get in some exercise. One of our SEALS found a secure open area where we could get in some jogging if we chose to. It sounded like a good idea and we started to stretch so we could jog some. We decided a mile run would do us all some good. We warmed up and started jogging as a group. It felt good to loosen up the muscles that had been dormant during our trip. After we had our run, we walked around to cool down and decided to eat the meal provided. No surprises here, it was a roast beef sandwich with melted cheese, fries with cheese smothered with brown gravy, and canned fruit in strawberry flavored gelatin, all washed down by fruit punch flavored energy drink. We had no sooner finished eating, when asked to board the jet to continue on our journey.

Either, they put something in our food, or the engines put me to sleep. Once again, my internal bio clock woke me up or it was the change in jet engine noise that woke me. We were once again making a descent as if we were going to be soon landing. My bladder could not wait so I made use of the facilities on the jet. The facilities was definitely on the crowded side. When I came out there was a line to use it. It was not long after that, we landed somewhere in the UK.

Like at Gander, we had to stay in the jet until told we could leave the jet. They asked again that we not exit the hangar. We used the facilities and walked about the hangar to stretch our muscles from sitting. There was a table set up so that we could get a snack and a drink.

While walking around the hangar, I noticed a calendar hanging on the wall advertising some local business located in Scotland. That answered my question as to where we were. The next question I was thinking about was how were we to going to get to the sub and be on our way. My answer was not long in coming. Our minder requested we retrieve our gear from the crew unloading the jet. He then had us go to the exit and board the bus that was waiting just outside. I did hear one of the SEALS complaining to the steward about not being tucked in properly and missing happy hour. In the spirit of inter forces rivalry, the steward gave him the finger while smiling.

The bus that took us the last part of our journey to the submarine reminded me very much of the bus I rode on as a student. Where that one was yellow, this one was dull gray, the official color of US Navy vehicles. Like the school buses of yesteryear, the ride was terrible. I was extremely happy we were only on the bus for an hour when we turned into a naval base with Marine guards at the entrance. We had arrived at the sub base.

The bus drove down a tree-shaded lane lined with town houses stopping at the last one. The driver shut the bus off and opened the door. Our minder stood up and announced we were at our housing for the night. There were two units assigned to us with six rooms. Each of us would have our own room. Our minder suggested we try to get some rest as we would have a busy day tomorrow.

We all stood there looking around for a moment after unloading our gear. Mike suggested we follow orders and get some sleep as we would not know the next time we would be able to get some. Andi led the way and Randy and I followed. Each of us selected a room and went in. The rooms were simply furnished; there was a bed, a desk and chair, a chest of drawers and a simple clothes rack.

In my room, I noticed a door off to one side. Opening it, I discovered a simple bathroom that consisted of a toilet, sink and shower stall. It was about the size of the bathroom in a small RV. There was a towel and washcloth on a rack behind the toilet. I noticed on a shelf in the shower stall there were small bars of soap and bottles of shampoo. I left the room and joined Randy and Andi who had also come out of their rooms. Wishing them a good night, I suggested to Andi as we going back into our rooms, she lock her door and shove the chair under the door handle.

It must have been six o’clock when there was someone banging on my door and hollering that it was time to get up. I struggled to wake up and finally was able to make it to my feet. I staggered to my door and opened it. There stood a Marine NCO, looking at me as if he was disappointed at what he found.

“Sir, I have been told to get your unit up and lead you on a run before breakfast. How soon can you be ready?” the Marine said in a foul mood.

I am sure he thought he was babysitting some weekend warriors. I so wanted to disappoint him.

“Have you gotten the others up, Marine?” I asked in what I hoped was a respectful tone. “By the way, I never served so I am not familiar with your rank. From looking at your stripes, I know you are at least a sergeant. Care to share so I may properly address you?”

“It’s Gunny, sir,”

“OK, Gunny sir, I will address you as such from now on.” I said with a grin so he knew I was putting him on.

By this time, the rest of the unit was up and ready. We all decided to wait to warm up once we got to the start of the run. We accompanied Gunny to a group of Marines who were already warming up to get ready for their morning run. We soon joined them and started our warm up stretches as well. When Andi stripped off her running suit, there were some hoots and hollers but Gunny put a stop to that with threats of extra duty and loss of weekend passes.

We soon started the run and I saw we were at a leisurely pace of 10 minutes per mile. We could all easily do that pace. I asked the Marine who was running beside me what distance were they planning on doing. He told me they were going to take it easy on us and only do five miles.

I turned around and running backwards informed our bunch the details and told them the Marines had planned to take it easy on us that morning. Andi saw my smile and she caught it too. Soon my whole team had it on their faces, even Mike. I then turned and once again running forward gave the signal to pick up the pace. Our group went around the Marine platoon and picked up the pace to a 9-minute mile run. As we ran past the lead Marines, the Gunny that was at the lead looked surprised for a moment and then seriously angry. He then picked up the pace to match ours. The Marines followed, and soon we were all running at a 9-minute mile.

“Sir, what do you think you are doing?” the Gunny asked perturbed. “You will tire yourselves out at this pace and won’t be able to finish the run.”

“Gunny,” I shouted over to him. “We start off every morning with a five mile run but we do it at an eight minute pace. I do not want to hurt your Marines but that 10 min mile stuff is not making our bodies work any harder. So that is why I bumped the pace up a bit.”

The Gunny looked like I had served him sour lemons for breakfast. I noticed after I told him about our training regimen he picked up the pace again. We were now running at an 8.5 minute per mile pace. That was more of a challenge than before. We were not pushing ourselves to our absolute maximum but it allowed us to get a proper workout. That was how we finished our five-mile run. At the end, some of the Marines were gasping for air. There was a couple even collapsed on the grass completely wiped out. I was over 10 years older than most of the Marines. It felt good to know that I had run 19 yr olds into the ground.

As everyone was cooling down, Gunny came over to me; he was breathing hard and red in the face.

“Sir, what is it you do for a living?” asked the gunnery sergeant. “Are you a merc or former special forces?”

“No Gunny, I am a simple college professor. I teach math and computer science to young people like the ones you have in your platoon.”

He must have gotten a second helping of lemons cause the look he gave me suggested that he had.

I thought it best to leave it alone before the poor fellow had a stroke.

After we cooled down, we put back on our running suits and were heading back to our quarters when asked to join the platoon for breakfast. We had a breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, all washed down with real orange juice. I was surprised, no fruit flavored punch for us to consume.

After breakfast, we decided to take a shower and change into our spare running suits. Scotty noticed there was a laundry facility at the end of the building. We all thought it would be a good idea to wash our clothes in anticipation of an early departure. Little over two hours later, the laundry done, we sought our own entertainment.

At lunchtime, Gunny sent a runner over to our quarters and asked us to join his platoon for lunch. We joined them for lunch as requested. The noon meal served cafeteria style and there were several entrees for us to choose from as well as salads and desserts. The best part there was none of that fruit energy drink. For a beverage, we had a choice of coffee, tea, soft drinks and several different juices.

I sat with Gunny and several of his NCOs. We had an enjoyable lunch just talking and not about anything in particular. When the rest of NCOs heard that, I was a college professor they all groaned. They prayed that news had not spread that a civilian, a college professor, had bested them. They all got a laugh from that. One of the NCO’s was a woman and she asked if I had a significant other. She was definitely interested if I was not married. That got a big chuckle as she was always going after some new guy.

I told her I was sorry to disappoint but I had a spouse and I was not going to mess that up. That was when Randy one table over suggested I show them Karen’s photo. Gunny and the others would not let it go until I showed the picture. I showed them her photo; they were surprised at her beauty.

Andi added to the situation by adding her two cents, “Hey Doc, tell them your pet name for her.”

I looked over at Andi with daggers. She just smiled sweetly back at me.

“My nickname for my beautiful wife is, My Viking Princess.” I said expecting all sorts of ribbing and catcalls.

Instead I heard from Gunny was, “I can see that. She is one beautiful woman there Doc, if I may say so.”

The female NCO placed her arm across her forehead and dramatically lamented that she would never find a man if all the good ones were taken. Of course, all the NCOs hooted at that. I turned and looked back at Randy as he just shook his head while pleading with his eyes not to even go there.

It was about then our minder came into the dining area, went over to Mike, and said something to him. Mike got up and motioned for us to follow him. I said goodbye to our new friends and we headed back to the temporary quarters for us.

When we got back, we found the bus waiting for us. Our minder asked us to gather up our things, as they wanted to have us at the docks in less than an hour. It did not take me long to gather up my clothing as I had kept everything else in my duffle bag. I also checked to make sure my Walther was still there. Everything was as I had left it. I zipped up the duffle, looked around the room for anything left behind. I did not see anything so I gathered up my bag and carried it out to the bus. I soon joined my teammates and climbed on board in anticipation of our heading to the docks and the submarine.

The bus ride to the docks took 20 minutes. We were to stay on the bus until the sub and the crew was ready to accept us. After we had stopped on the docks, I noticed an extended van had pulled in beside us. The passengers exiting the van were a squad of Marines. They all carried their rifles and a sea bag. They immediately went aboard the submarine.

The submarine itself was a wonder to see. It rode low in the water with most of the hull under the waterline. Overall, I judged the length to be about that of a football field if not longer. The superstructure was unmistakable, seeing it one would say, “yep, that a sub all right.” I did not even want to estimate its height. The submarine’s color was flat black. From fifty feet away it was easy to see the finish was not paint, it appeared more like a rubber skin over the metal plates that made up the submarine’s outer surface.

As I was curiously looking the submarine over, I came out of my ‘trance’ when I heard our minder instruct us to gather our things together and to follow him. Like the others, I gathered my duffle bag and shuffled up the narrow aisle occasionally catching part of it on a seat back. After stepping down from the bus, I followed along after the rest of the team toward the gangway that led over to the submarine. Walking across the gangway from the dock to the sub reminded me of a scene in a movie I saw as a child. It was when Alice from the animated cartoon “Alice in Wonderland’ went from the real world to that of Wonderland. I had an eerie feeling and all I did was walk across a pedestrian bridge of sorts.

I was right; a skin of some sort covered the submarine. It was a means to deaden sonic sound waves bouncing from it. I decided not to ask because I did not want to bring any more attention to myself than necessary.

As we approached the hatch where we would disappear down it one at a time, I heard the petty officer supervising our entry say, “Take one last look at the sun, lady and gentlemen, it will be the last look of it you will see for a while.”

A rather ominous statement to make I thought. It just raised more of that eerie feeling I was getting. Starting with Mike’s attitude and progressing all through training this far, this was not going well. What did I do? Damn, damn, double damn. Never again, I was a college instructor not an intelligence operative. I should have turned around, walked back across that bridge back to my reality, and said, “Bye!” Instead, I tossed down my duffle and carefully descended the ladder to await my fate.

In the submarine, space was a premium so we were to share quarters. Randy and I decided to bunk together since besides Andi, he and I were the closest. Andi being female had a cabin to herself. The two SEALS and Mike shared the officer’s mess which, had been converted to 3-person cabin. I figured our Marine contingent was sharing quarters with the regular sub crew. Being as tall as I am, the first thing I learned was to duck or get used to headaches. Even the doorways, hatches in naval lingo were low bridges for me. Looking at the bunks, I had better learn to sleep in the fetal position.

Randy and I went to look for our team members after stowing our gear. We did not have to go far to find them. They were in the cabins on either side of us. We all decided to gather in the former wardroom shared by the SEALS and Mike. With all six of us in there, it was not as crowded as one would think, but it was close. We opted to be there rather than elsewhere, where we may potentially get in the way. There were four conversations going on at the same time and each of us contributing to the four. We talked to help reduce the tension we all were feeling. A silly thought came to mind, when I was tense a run always helped to relieve it. Imagine trying to jog inside of a submarine, a crazy idea even to me.