...and he startled Rusty the Coffee Boy by clapping him on his shoulders and
saying "Rusty my boy,how'd you like to fly the nice dragon lady and your boss
down to the Bermuda Triangle?"
Christine was somewhat taken aback by this turn of events but Rusty
responded on cue
"Why golly gee Mr Lindhberg,do you think I can?"
So after Charles made a few quick calls to his Navy buddies at the Naval
Base nearby,it was arranged.
Charley's buddies would leave our transport beached nearby in the marshes
just downwind of the Naval Yards,and it would be borrowed by us for a
few weeks.
So that night me,Christine and a excited Rusty rendevouzed at
the isolated spot in the marshland Lindhberg told us to meet him at at
10 that evening.
Charley was there waiting for us and led us down the path between the grasses to
where our transport floated.
A Blenheim SeaBombardier,a WW1 flying boat,just like the
kind I'd piloted for the British Secret Service a decade and a half earlier
when I'd ferried agents into White Russia.
I was puzzled however,the ancient craft looked well maintained
and had the markings on its silver hull of the OSS Secret Projects
arm.
What would the Navy's advanced weaponry test pilots and the Presidents
elite want with a antique WW1 bomber that barely lumbered along at 50knots?
Charley was grinning from ear to ear,but kept mum about
why he'd rounded up a antique to take us down to
the Bermuda Triangle.
He helped Christine aboard,and I could hear Rusty excitted jabbering
as he took in the Blenheim Bombers glowing instrument panel
in the cockpit
"Gooly Gee Mr Caldwell...Goddard Rocket Switch...H2O2 Fuel Valve Left
Merlin Supercharger Compression Lever...On/Off!"
I thought "Goddard Rocket Switch?"
and immediately screamed "Rusty Noooo!"
but too late as I heard a piercing howling whine emanating from
behind us,a sound no Blenheim Sea Bombardier had ever made whilst I piloted one...