The man turned and pointed to Viktor. “Viktor Alexandrov will be our inside man.”
Viktor sat stunned, not moving.
ANNE AND TOM were next door at the Grants’ for a fun night of cards. Tom took a big swig of his beer as the ladies sauntered into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
David Grant leaned over. “Just a little warning, my friend. I guarantee you Joan is telling Anne right now about the movie we saw last night.”
“What did you see?”
“Born Free.”
“Isn’t that about lions?”
“Yeah, I think it’s mainly about a lion cub. I’m not positive because I fell asleep. But as soon as the movie was over, Joan woke me from my comfortable slumber and started bugging me to get the kids a pet. She gave me a choice between a dog and a cat. I didn’t want either and suggested a fish. She laughed in my face. I think she would have gotten a lion cub if she could have it. I finally settled on the cat.”
Tom laughed. “Who wears the pants in this family?”
David’s tone turned defensive. “You saw Joan wearing a dress, so there’s your answer. I simply choose to be a supportive husband. You should try it sometime.”
Tom rolled his eyes. “Sure, David, whatever you say.”
A smirk appeared on David’s face before he took a swig of his beer. “Again, just be warned. Anne will probably ask you to go see that movie and afterwards, bam, she wants a pet. And we’ll see who wears the pants in your family.”
Tom shook his head as he grinned. He took a big gulp of his beer. “Buddy, there’s no question who wears the pants in my family.”
“Peter?”
Tom smiled at his pal. “Funny.”
Tom found David was just as ultra-competitive as any of their fellow astronauts. Ever since Tom flew in space, he had bragging rights over his friend. The two joined NASA at the same time as part of the third group of astronauts. Tom was the first in their group to be assigned a space mission. Though Tom meant his jabs in good fun, David constantly reminded Tom the real prize was a trip to the moon. David still maintained he would beat Tom to the promised land. Tom was now thinking his friend just might do it after his meeting with Dick. Though David was disappointed to hear Tom had been grounded, it still didn’t stop his friend from gloating. David was back in front to reach the grand prize.
The two had become close friends soon after joining NASA. The former Air Force pilots instantly hit it off during their training. David was the one astronaut Tom felt he could trust in the cutthroat business of always trying to one up the other. Once their wives were introduced, the couples found they had a lot in common and enjoyed spending time together. When it was time to look for a house, it was decided to get lots next to each other. They found the perfect location in the newer development of Nassau Bay. Once both homes were built and the families had moved in, Anne and Joan quickly became the best of friends. Because of their husbands’ busy schedules, the two ladies came up with the idea of playing cards the first Saturday night of every month. Tom liked partying with the couple, and having a set date ensured the four would do their best to make the night work.
Tom looked out the window into the backyard. He had seen a backhoe in the yard behind David’s house earlier in the week. “So is your backyard neighbor building a pool?”
“I wish. Nope, he’s putting in a bomb shelter. When I saw the hole being dug, I thought the same thing. But when I asked, he said he was building a concrete bunker because of those damn Commies. He said I should do the same.” David took the last sip of his beer and then slammed the bottle down. “I’m thinking, Why do I have to build one? I’ll just bring my family over to yours.”
Tom chuckled. “I know another family doing the same thing. The father plans on burying an old school bus in his backyard.”
David tipped his head forward. “It’s all scary stuff; living in this nuclear age. If our president or the Soviets’ gets an itchy finger, we’re all dead.”
“Yeah, and I doubt sitting in a bus underground will do much good in an atomic war.”
David started to get up. “We just have to beat those Commies to the moon. We do that, and we’ll rule the world. Can I get you another beer?”
Tom wasn’t convinced winning the space race would solve all their problems. “Yes, please.”
TOM WAS IN bed with a nice buzz, ready to fall asleep. He leaned over to give his wife a kiss goodnight. Before their lips touched, his wife asked, “Honey, is it okay if we go see Born Free tomorrow?”
Tom simply smiled. “Sure.”
6
NOT RIGHT
1967
The bubble top canopy of the NASA T-38 supersonic jet offered little resistance to the blinding morning sun shining directly into Tom’s eyes as he sat in the slightly elevated backseat. Even with his sun visor down, the rookie’s helmet in front of him was a colorless silhouette. The two were zooming at well over Mach 1 at the 42,000-foot level on their way to the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. For the last year after being grounded by Dick, Tom had been restricted from piloting any jet on his own. Just when he felt he might be reinstated, the terrible Apollo 1 fire occurred, killing three brave astronauts. After the horrible tragedy, much of the program’s focus was directed to determining the cause of the accident and coming up with the right fix. Everything else was basically put on hold, including the status of astronauts. Tom swallowed his pride and accepted the continued punishment, often flying with rookie astronauts with far fewer flight hours than he. The space veteran felt like a child being escorted to school by his mother.
Tom adjusted his oxygen mask as he craned his neck to peer out over the side of the canopy. As expected, storm clouds were brewing below. Before takeoff, the tower had informed them bad weather would be welcoming them to New Orleans. With low visibility expected when they approached the airport, the rookie flying them would be forced to rely only on his instruments. For any NASA astronaut with military flight training, the landing should be a piece of cake, but Tom worried if it would be for this escort.
Chris Riddick was a former Navy man who joined NASA as part of the fifth group of astronauts. This was the first time for Tom to fly with Chris, whom he barely knew. Tom relinquished the front pilot seat after Chris stressed he needed the flying time to meet his quota for the month. Tom was fine with giving up the controls since he had flown the route practically every day over the last three weeks reporting to his new assignment, overseeing the Saturn V first stage booster. But ever since take off, Chris’s flying had made Tom nervous. The Navy man was too conservative at the controls. The twin-engine supersonic trainer, nicknamed the white rocket, was designed to be flown fast and aggressive, not timid. The plane’s jaw-dropping lines, with its small wings, made it one of the prettiest planes flying. However, her beauty came at a price. Those tiny wings offered little forgiveness if the plane was flown too slowly. If her air speed dipped below 270 miles per hour, the plane would literally fall out of the sky.
Prior to takeoff, Chris had arrogantly bragged about his flying background, trying to impress Tom. He politely listened, even asking questions, but only the man’s piloting would convince Tom. After thirty minutes in the air, Tom wasn’t buying what the man was selling. Chris simply wasn’t as good a pilot as he thought he was. Tom elected to keep this to himself. His eyes would definitely be glued to the instruments during landing, ready to take control if necessary.
Chris’s voice came in loud over Tom’s headset. “Of all the planes I’ve flown, and as I told you I’ve flown many, I’ve never experienced one with such a loose stick. She’s dangerous.”