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.What happens from there is not our deal."* * *When they reached the plane it was already warmed up.With the copilot's helpthey got Anastasia's luggage loaded, and boarded with a last wave to Wangen."Have a seat," Mike said, waving the girl into one of the front seats."Afterwe take off we can get a bite to eat and chat.I need to make a call, rightnow.""Very well, Mr.Jenkins," the girl said, nervously.She fumbled with herseatbelt for a moment and then got it closed, cinching it down firmly."Call me Mike," Mike replied.He pulled out his sat phone and called theembassy in Tbilisi."Lieutenant Timmons, Duty Officer, U.S.Embassy to the Republic of Georgia,how may I help you sir or ma'am?""Hey, LT, this is Mike Jenkins.Is Colonel Osbruck around?""No, sir, he's gone home for the day.""Any chance you could call over to the Ministry of Defense and ask if I couldborrow a helicopter sometime late tonight.I am really not looking forward toriding back to the caravanserai tonight.""Yes, sir," the lieutenant said."I'll give them a call for you, sir.""My sat phone number should be on the embassy rolodex as much as you guys callme," Mike said."Call me back if you can scare something up.Sorry to dump this on you.""Boring night, sir," the lieutenant said."Glad to have something to do.Andit lets me practice myGeorgian.""Thanks, LT," Mike said."Come on out to the house some time, I'll feed yousome real beer.I've even gotten some decent steaks laid in.""Will do, sir.Thank you."Page 55ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"Take care," Mike said, cutting the connection just as the jet began itsrollout."Ever flown in a corporate jet?" he asked Anastasia."No," the girl said, clutching the arms of the seat."They take off at a pretty high angle compared to an airliner," Mike said."And they fly higher.You can get a pretty good view from forty grand.""Forty grand?" the girl said, uncertainly."Forty thousand feet," Mike said as the jet turned onto the threshold."Lessturbulence up there.""We are going up to forty thousand feet?" the girl squeaked nervously."Anastasia," Mike said, gently, "have you ever flown before?""No," she said, panting slightly."It's all right," Mike replied, sighing as the jet started to roll."Just leanback in the seat and we'll be up and level before you know it." He leaned backinto his seat as the jet rocketed forward.Corporate jets were designed forhigher acceleration on take-off than jetliners and Hardesty was a formerfighter pilot;he liked to squeeze every bit of performance out of the plane.They pusheddown the runway at whatMike figured was about three Gs and then the plane pointed up at about athirty-degree angle."Is this normal?" Anastasia said, in a frightened tone."When Hardesty is flying," Mike said."Don't worry, he's really good.We'llstay like this for a while and then it will feel like we're falling for a bit;that's when he slows the engines down at altitude.Don't panic at it, it'sperfectly normal.""I will not, Mr.Jenkins," the girl said, struggling to be calm and composed."Please call me Mike," Mike said, hitting the intercom."Barring that, Kildar.Captain Hardesty?""Sir?" the pilot replied, happily."As it turns out, Miss Anastasia has never flown before," Mike said."So let'snot get into any acrobatics.And give us some warning when you level out.""Is she okay?" Hardesty asked."She will be," Mike said."As long as you tell us when you're going to levelout.""Will do, sir," Hardesty said."There," Mike continued, cutting the connection."He'll warn us when we levelout.""What is this you said," Anastasia asked."The term, Kilder?""Kildar," Mike said, sighing."It's what the land owner in the valley iscalled.Sort of like sheik or baron or something.Anyway, if you can't handlecalling me Mike, call me Kildar.Mr.Jenkins.isn't my real name anyway.And don't ask what the real one is.""I won't," Anastasia said, looking over at him."Mr.Jenkins," Captain Hardesty said over the intercom."Preparing to levelout.""Not a big deal," Mike said as the whine from the engines dropped and theplane seemed to drop a bit.He saw the girl's reaction and reached out a hand."It's fine and normal.We'll be level in a bit."The sensation of change stopped after only a moment and Anastasia nodded."I had not wanted you to know I hadn't flown before," the girl said,unhappily."I'm sorry I showed my emotions like that.It was unprofessional ofme.""You handled it fine," Mike said, then chuckled."Sorry, reminded me of a guyI knew in jump school.""What is that?" Anastasia asked, curiously."Where they teach the Army to jump out of planes," Mike said."You have to getPage 56ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlcycled through it forSEAL training, even though you spend the rest of your time free-falling.Anyway, was this guy in the stickI was in that had never flown in a plane before he went to jump school.He didall five jumps without landing, so I don't know when he actually landed in aplane.""Do you.jump from up this high?" the girl asked."No," Mike said then paused."Okay, I know one group that did, but it was aspecial case.Most jumps are under fourteen grand, fourteen thousand feet.That way you don't have to use oxygen.High altitude is twenty thousand tothirty.Very, very few people have ever jumped over thirty thousand.Go aheadand look out the window," he said, unbuckling and getting up to cross theplane."It's too unreal to feel high,"he added, pointing out the small window.Anastasia looked out for a moment, then turned away."It still looks very high," the girl said."And very big.""It's a big world," Mike said, gently, sitting down next to her and taking thewindow seat."I take it you didn't do a lot of traveling in the harem?""No," Anastasia said."Or before.I grew up on a farm in Russia.A scout forOtryad saw me at a fair and arranged the marriage with my parents.I went fromthe farm to the household and have been there ever since.""May I ask how old you are?" Mike said, carefully."Twenty-six," Anastasia said, closing her eyes."I have been from the farm tothe house and occasionally to Samarkand.I was a girl in the harem until I wasseventeen.Then I was brought into training to be a manager.I took over asassistant manager at nineteen and full manager at twenty-one.I have managedhis harem ever since.""And never been in a plane," Mike said, a touch angrily."Has Otryad evertraveled?""Yes," Anastasia said."But it wouldn't be.right to take his women withhim.It would be unseemly.""Not to me," Mike said."If I have to travel, you can figure on coming withme.Unless you really don't want to.""Oh, I would like to," the girl said, breathing out finally."I have wanted tosee the world.But I'm afraid of it as well.I have been.inside for solong.Not only in a house, but like being trapped in a cage.Like the tiger in too small a cage, I pace and pace, but if the door is open,I'm afraid to walk out.""Well, the door in my house is always open," Mike said."I'm hiring you, notbuying you.You're free to go any time.You're a full adult and have sometraining in people management if nothing else [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]