Cronley turned the Storch, shoved the throttle to takeoff power, and started to roll.
When he had lifted off, he turned to look at Likharev’s elder son, thinking he would reassure him.
He quickly looked away.
He had never before in his life seen absolute terror in anyone’s eyes. He saw it now.
[EIGHT]
Hangar Two
U.S. Air Force Base, Fritzlar, Hesse
American Zone of Occupation, Germany
1630 19 January 1946
The hangar doors opened as Cronley taxied up to them. He stopped and killed the engine. Before that process was over, half a dozen of Tiny’s Troopers appeared and pushed the Storch into the hangar. Then the doors closed.
Schröder’s Storch was already in the hangar, and its passengers had gotten out of the aircraft.
There were two ambulances in the hangar, and what looked like two doctors and twice that many nurses. And someone Cronley really didn’t expect to see. The general’s wife.
Mrs. White was standing with her arm around Mrs. Likharev. The younger boy was standing beside them with a hot dog in one hand and a Hershey bar in the other. Captain Dunwiddie was holding Franz Josef.
Cronley felt his eyes water and his throat tighten.
“We have a problem with this one,” Max Ostrowski said.
“What?”
“He crapped his pants. He pissed his pants and he crapped his pants. I’m soaked with piss from my navel to my knees.”
Cronley failed to suppress a giggle. And the laughter that followed.
“Fuck you,” Ostrowski said, and then he chuckled, which turned into a giggle.
Cronley put his mouth to the open window and bellowed, “Captain Dunwiddie!”
When Captain Dunwiddie appeared beside the plane, so did Mrs. White and Mrs. Likharev.
“Is there a problem?” Mrs. White inquired.
“Yes, ma’am,” Cronley said. “This young man has had an accident, as my mother used to call it.”
“Big or little?”
“Both. And Captain Ostrowski has suffered collateral damage.”
Mrs. White managed to suppress all but a small giggle.
Then she said, “Captain, I understand you speak Russian?”
“Yes, ma’am, I do.”
“Then tell Mrs. Likharev of the problem, and tell her not to worry, Captain Dunwiddie will deal with it.”
“Yes, ma’am.”