Agent in the Dark

"What language will the Code be encrypted into?" Someone within the room asked.

Asia spoke up, "Only I know what the language is for securities sake."

There appeared to be no more questions either in the room or from those gathered on the screens. I stood up and began to clap loudly looking straight at Asia. She blushed scarlet, as everyone in the room and on-screen followed my action with loud claps of their own.

Asia looked at me shaking her head with a gleam in her eye that said I would pay for this later. That should be fun. I hadn't done it to embarrass her, but rather to give her the honor she deserved, but would never ask for.

Chantry gestured Asia, me, Temple, and Maria aside into a side room before we headed out onto the runway and the planes that awaited us. "I just wanted to say thank you for everything you've done and are about to do. You people really are great at what you do and who you are, but I'd like to send you away with prayer, if I may, for your success and safety." Chantry said gruffly looking up at us from his wheelchair.

He really didn't wait for us, but just sort of began and I felt the power of his faith, as his fervor for us touched my spirit in shared spiritual sanctity of being. I'd always respected Chantry, but it was even better to be a friend of his once more.

We headed out onto the hot airstrip to the two awaiting planes. They were jets. Their black sleekly proportioned bodies gleamed in the bright sunlight. Asia walking beside me gazed at them curiously, "What are they? They don't look like any kind of F-fighter I've ever seen."

"Their Blackbirds, the ultimate Cold War spy plane. They were amazing in their time, still are. The Soviets didn't have a fighter jet fast enough to engage it and they never really knew when they were coming, but they heard the sonic boom after they'd already gone by. It freaked the Russians out. It was just another sign to them of who was winning the Cold War in a big way." I said proudly.

"How fast do they go?"

I told her and she moaned, "That's really fast!"

I nodded in eagerness, not able to tamp down the joy that I felt at soon experiencing it for myself. "Their expensive pieces of carefully wrought art. All the important wiring is 24 karat gold. They were built to last, unlike so many other creations of man. The Air Force pulled them out of an aeronautical museum, dusted them off did a few calibrations and they're good to go."