Chương 106: Book 4 - Chapter 3 A

Getting to Tokyo from Tarawa wasn't easy. To handle the shorter runway we had landed almost empty. We filled up just enough to make it back to Nadi International Airport. That was a three-hour detour, followed by two hours getting fuel. This first leg I slept through. But when I woke we were still on the ground.

"Boss, the security guys and the captain have an idea," Matt said.

"Well, let me get breakfast and you can tell me the idea. I'm guessing it's why we haven't left for Japan?"

"Right, I told them you would be up soon, so I gave the okay on the delay." Chef Peter had a hot breakfast for me: waffles and bacon. I also had him make me a mocha to help wake up. The travel and time changes had frazzled my brain a little.

"So, Boss," began my pilot.

"Have you ever heard of the Golden Shellback?"

"No, what's that."

"It's crossing the International Date Line and the equator at the same time."

"You want to do that in the plane when we head for Japan?"

"Yeah! It's only about an hour detour out of the way." The head of security spoke up.

"Actually Boss, we want to wait around for a bit, so we hit it at midnight."

"Why midnight?"

"Today's December 31st." I looked at Matt.

"Is it really?"

"Yeah, Boss."

"Wow, sorry guys. I haven't been paying attention to the date."

"No problem, Boss," Matt said.

"What time do we have to leave to hit the Golden Shellback at midnight New Year's Day?"

"At about 930 tonight," the pilot answered. I sighed and looked around at the eager faces.

"If we left now, we'd still be able to do the Shellback, but what time would we arrive in Japan?" I asked.

"About 3pm, December 31st," answered the pilot.

"So we gain a day and would be in Japan for New Year's," Matt added.

"If we leave at around 930pm, when will we arrive in Tokyo?" I asked.

"Just before 5am local in Tokyo January 1st." I looked around the room.

"Okay, let's put it to a vote. We are going to do the Golden Shellback route no matter what. Do we do our New Year's party over the ocean in the air or in Japan?" The vote wasn't even close. Everyone wanted to do it in the air.

"Well that's easy. Everybody go find something to do on the island. Be back here before 8pm. Make sure you shop for a party on the flight." There were cheers and shouts of "Thanks Boss!" I just looked at it as early practice for my 1999 New Year's celebration. Matt contacted a local tourist company.

"I'm willing to spend whatever it takes," he told them over the phone.

"I want a fantastic whirlwind experience of Fiji. Just get me back to my plane at 8pm tonight." I listened as he confirmed that there would be four of us, him and me, as well as two security guards. The third security guard had to stay on the plane, as we had left two behind on Banaba. We were really tired when we got back from our whirlwind tour. I knew I'd need a nap to be ready for the New Year's party. I also needed a shower, as I still felt the stickiness of the mud baths.

"Wow, I'm exhausted," Matt said.

"I am too. But that was fun." He grinned widely.

"That was fun. We should try to do stuff like this more often." I handed off my bags of souvenirs and my Zenit-E camera to the waiting flight attendant.

"Are we the first back?"

"No, Boss. Chef Peter got back an hour ago. He's making something special for New Year's."

"Wonderful. I'm going to shower and take a nap," I told Janet.

"Get this stuff stowed. Hide the camera from Matt so he doesn't steal the photos I took of him."

"Hey, you said you didn't take a picture."

"Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't. You'll have to wait for your birthday to find out," I teased. Matt gently woke me at 11pm. We were in the air.

"Hey Boss, party is starting if you want to join?"

"Okay, I'll be up in a bit. Thanks." When I arrived at the front of the plane, the dining area walls had been opened up between it and the lounge. There were drinks set out and snacks on trays. Since there were just a few of us, it was self-serve. Everyone had champagne for a toast at midnight and the flight attendants all took a turn giving me an embarrassing New Year's kiss. Matt just laughed and took pictures with my camera. He had put them up to it. The head of security gathered our attention by ringing a bell.

"Normally the Golden Shellback includes a great many demeaning and disgusting traditions, as the initiates are promoted from Polliwogs to Golden Shellbacks by King Neptune.

"As Chief of Security and the only previous Shellback on this flight and we are at 41, 000 feet, we won't be doing those traditions. I didn't particularly care for my initiation and don't wish to put that on someone else. I am quite happy, though, to have added this particular item to my list of accomplishments and have prepared certificates for everyone aboard." If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Thank you, Chief," I told him. He nodded then started handing out the ribbon-festooned certificate declaring that I was a Golden Shellback and certifying the time, date and place of the crossing. It was witnessed with the signatures of our pilot and the chief of security. The party continued for a while longer, but after I finished my glass of champagne, I was feeling sleepy, so I went back to bed. I dreamed of her all night. When I awoke, I was back on solid ground.

"Hey Boss, you're up!" Matt said.

"Yeah, so where are we?"

"Yokota Air Base. We are about an hour by car from Tokyo."

"Okay, everybody good? Anybody hungover this morning?"

"Everybody's good, Boss. Nobody drank too much cause they were all on duty."

"What time is it?" I asked.

"6am local. We've been down for about an hour."

"I'll have to thank the pilot for the gentle landing."

"We're parked and the pilot would like to talk to you when you're done with breakfast."

"Alright, I'm getting up."

"Feeling hungover?" he asked.

"Not from just one glass."

"Okay," he said, obviously not believing me. I was finishing up a nice breakfast of Fiji fruit and a side of sausage and sourdough bread when the pilot came and sat down.

"Morning," I greeted.

"Would you like anything?"

"I'm good. I'll be bunking down in a bit. We've got permission to use the heavy transient ramp for up to two weeks."

"That should be plenty of time," I agreed.

"Good. I'll be giving the crew leave later today. They'll be free to do as they wish until recall. Did you have a specific date for that?"

"We have two weeks. Let's plan on two weeks. Have them go on recall alert a couple of days early. I need to call my publisher and then do some TV interviews about my new book, and I'm going to do some touristy things with Matt."

"Sounds good. I'll leave you to it. Oh, I almost forgot. Your secondary security team is here with your ride."

"Thanks. Anything else to report?"

"If you hear the generator outside, that's the GPU, it will provide power to the plane if you need to come back to use the facilities."

"Excellent. I was wondering about that. There had been talk about installing a generator in the cargo area."

"That won't happen. Even running as light as we do, it's not worth taking the weight of an extra generator. The plane has one built in already. Using the GPU saves a lot more money on fuel compared to using the APU built into the plane."

"I planned on carrying a small emergency generator. We might need it at some point. There was a scheduling issue to get it delivered before I needed the plane. Can you make sure that happens on our next downtime?"

"Sure. I'll get it done."

"Thanks, sleep well. I appreciate the landing. It was so smooth I slept right through it," I told him as I finished my fruit. He grinned, gave me a nod and went forward to his duties. I found Matt as he was packing up our luggage.

"How soon to go?" I asked.

"I'll have everything ready in about thirty minutes. There's a phone on the base you can use. Just head to the back and down the stairs. Security is there. They'll take you. Come back and get me when you're done," he instructed.

"Got it," I told him and headed for the rear hatch. When I arrived at the office to use the phone, I was warmly greeted.

"Ambassador Cook, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"I thought that was just a one-time thing as a Special Ambassador?" I asked him.

"Your file says that it is still active. Did the State Department take your diplomatic passport?"

"No, I still have it," I said pulling it out of my pocket to show.

"Good, you'll need it for Japanese customs and immigration. That office is back at the Transient Ramp."

"Okay, I just need to make a phone call. I hope they are available this early on a Sunday." I dialed the number and spoke briefly in Japanese with the person who answered. They took a message and I hung up.

"All set, they know I'm here and what hotel I'll be at. They'll contact me at the hotel."

"Very good, Ambassador. Welcome to Japan. If you run into any difficulties, please give me a call," he said, handing me a business card. I glanced at the card. It listed him as a Major in the US Air Force and the Protocol Officer for the base. I headed back to the vehicle and sat in the back of a matte-black armored Humvee. My contract with the security company gave them access to the vehicle for more than just me.

The Security Company loved it and the one I was in was obviously something they had arranged for their use long before my planned flight. It couldn't be more than six months old but had significant signs of use. A rather large man joined me on the big custom padded gray leather rear bench seat.

"Sir, I'm the local Chief of Security, Adam Brown."

"Chief Brown, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"The same here, sir."

"I'm not formal, so just call me John. My assistant will probably tell you to call me Boss as he thinks it's funny. That's fine. I don't care."

"Okay, we'll pick him up at the plane then I'll take you both to the Japanese official for customs and immigration. They'll check your luggage and give you your visa stamp."

"Great, let's do it. You know where the hotel is?"

"Of course, Hotel New Otani, Tokyo. Everything is arranged and the security sweep is completed. In an emergency we have the option of taking you off the roof via helicopter."

"I'm not expecting any emergencies this trip, Chief."

"That's why they are called emergencies, sir," he said with a chuckle. Japanese Immigration Control went quickly, as it was done in a private office. A few Japanese low-level officials were there given my apparent status as a Special Ambassador and the special permission to land at Yokota Air Base. I hadn't had an official job since the Chernobyl accident in 1986. I was grateful that there hadn't been any other major water-related emergencies to volunteer for.

I was also pleased that the President hadn't assigned me any duties since then. It was funny to think that he was just respecting child labor laws. I chuckled over the commotion the caravan of Humvees had made while traveling. The local cars were tiny in comparison and I intently watched through the tinted windows. The intense traffic and the surrounding city were unlike anything in Tulsa or San Diego. Arrival at the hotel was quick and efficient. Security flanked me and in formation led me to the elevators.

We went straight to the top and the suites reserved for us. The hotel had an amazing view of the park to the west, as well as the 400-year-old garden next door. It looked like new construction was happening in the near distance, but it was just groundwork. The site was devoid of people as it was both a holiday and a Sunday. The next couple of days were interesting. Everyone at the TV studios was stiff and formal until I spoke Japanese.

Then their natural warmth came through and I answered their questions about my new book and a few approved questions about other subjects. The first two Magic Eye books had been wildly popular. The publisher here in Tokyo and other major cities had sent people out onto the street to show them the book and explain how to see the pictures. It had generated a word-of-mouth phenomenon that was quickly picked up in the media. I had a few meetings with some equipment providers to discuss mining equipment for Banaba.

It had been called Ocean Island until 1979, when Kiribati gained independence and it was renamed. I liked the old name better. With business done, it was time to find something fun to do and to slip away from security for a day or two.

"Ready to go have some fun?" I asked Matt, dropping a box on the couch next to him.

"Do I finally get to see inside the 'Matt Do Not Open' box you made me carry halfway across the world?"

"Yup. Security hired a boat so we are going to do some fishing and a little treasure hunting."

"I like the fishing part. I didn't see a trowel in your luggage," he teased. I held the box up proudly above my head, before setting its heavy weight down again.

"No digging required!"