The Academy

~Chapter Five~

I followed the man down a long, dark tunnel. He strutted proudly in front of me, leading the way.

"Where are you taking me?" I demanded. The man said nothing.

"Where are you taking me?" I tried again. Again, I received no response from the man. He was starting to irritate me. I huffed a sigh and continued to follow him to wherever he was taking me.

A light shone toward the end of the tunnel. The closer we got to it, the brighter it was. I craned my neck to try to get a glimpse of what it was.

As the man neared the light, I could see what it was: an airplane hanger. I stopped dead in my tracks. Was I going to go that far away? The man who had been leading me here turned around as soon as I had stopped.

"Ms. Kensington, this way please." He motioned me forward, and I reluctantly followed him. We walked through all sorts of different airplanes, from small, private jets to huge 747s.

Finally, the man strutted up to an especially small jet and stopped.

"Ms. Kensington, welcome aboard," he welcomed me. At that moment, the door of the jet opened and slowly descended to ground, making a staircase for me to walk up. The man lifted his hand to show me to go up the stairs and onto the jet. I hesitantly stepped up the staircase, one stair at a time. Before I knew it, I was standing in the doorway of the plane. I looked back down at the ground. The man stood proudly at on the concrete flooring.

Suddenly, I felt a bulky hand on my shoulder. I jumped and whipped around to face a tall, burly man with salt-and-pepper hair in a pilot's uniform.

"I'm sorry to have frightened you, Ms. Kensington," he apologized. "My name is Richard Allen. I will be your flight captain for today." Captain Allen extended a hand out to me. I cautiously took it, and we shook hands.

"Feel free to take any seat on the plane," Captain Allen informed me. "We will be departing in five minutes.

"Thank you, captain," I muttered quietly. Captain Allen smiled at me and turned toward the front of the plane. Once he left, I turned myself to look out of the door to see Georgia soil one more time. Instead, I was faced with solid wall with square chunks taken out of it. It was the staircase. There was no getting out.

I sighed and wandered toward the back of the jet. Just like I had thought, it was completely empty. I walked down an aisle and took a window seat toward the back of the jet. No sooner had I sat down than Captain Allen's deep voice come of the PA system.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Kensington, and welcome aboard the R-27 Relocator," he said. "Today, we are looking at a six hour plane ride from Hartsfield Jackson Airport in Atlanta, Georgia to a small island off the coast of Oregon. If you will please, fasten your seatbelt. We will be departing momentarily." The intercom cut off.

I sullenly looked out of my little window. I could see the hanger doors opening. Without warning, the jet rumbled to life, giving off a loud, purring noise. It began to move slow, turning toward the hanger door. Once we were out of the hanger, I could clearly see every aspect of Hartsfield Jackson Airport. The Domestic Terminal, the International Terminal, the Concourse, everything. I didn't want this to be the last time I would ever see it.

Before I knew it, the jet was taxiing down the runway, preparing for liftoff. The plane rounded one corner and stopped.

"Prepare for liftoff," Captain Allen exclaimed over the intercom. I sighed and looked out the window. Suddenly, the jet roared its engines, and it began to move quickly down the runway. As we picked up speed, I could see that we were close to lifting off the ground. Finally, the plane rose from the ground, and we were in the air. It was going to be a long journey.