Read Online The Intruders by Stephen Coonts - Free Book Online

that the major’s BN signaled and Jake had to dial in
because Flap wasnt helping at A they made two more turns in the circle,
then started down.
    “She had those nipples that are like strawberries, you know what I mean?
All pulled up so nice and sweet and red and they’re just made for
sucking on? I like them the very best. Can’t understand why God didn’t
equip more women with ‘em. Only about one broad in ten has ‘em. Itts a
mystery.”
    They were descending through patches of sunlight interspersed with
shadow. The occasional golden shafts played on the planes and made the
sea below glisten, when Jake could steal a second from holding position
on the lead plane and glance down.
    tight and responsive.
    His plane handled well. Slick and He contented himself with moving his
plane a few inches forward on the lead, then a few inches back, staying
in absolute control. When he felt comfortable he moved in on the
bearing line so that the wing tips overlapped. He stopped when he could
feel the downdraft off the lead’s wing and the tip was just two feet
from his canopy. He held it there for a moment or two to prove to
himself that he could still do it, then eased back out to where he
belonged.
    Flying is the best that life offers, Jake Grafton thought.
    And carrier flying is the best of the flying. These day traps and cat
shou are going to be terrific. He fought back the sense of euphoria
that suffused him.
    “… as close as I ever came to being in the Navy, I’ll tell you thatIt
If Flap would just shut up! But he won’t. So no sense necking a scene.
    The two warplanes came up the ship’s wake at eight hundred feet glued
together. There were already two other planes in the pattern with their
gear and hooks down, two A-7 Corsairs, so the major delayed his break.
Then the BN kissed him off and the major dumped his left wing and
pulled. Jake watched the lead plane turn away as he counted to himself.
At the count of seven he slammed the stick sideways and Pulled as he
reached for the gear handle with his left hand and slapped it down. Then
the flaps.
    Turning level, three G’s … gear coming, flaps and slats coming …
seven thousand pounds of fuel.
    Stable on the downwind he toggled the main dump and let seven hundred He
wanted to cross the ramp of the ship with precisely six grand.
    Prwis&O?L That’s what carrier flying is all about, That’s die challenge.
And the thrill.
    “. - - just don’t see why anybody would want to Boat around in the
middle of the ocean on these bird farms.
    Eight months of this fun. The Navy is full of happy masturbators …”
    Hook up for the first pass, a touch-and-go Let the LSO get his look and
learn that I’m not suicidal Coming through the ninety, on speed, exactly
118 knots with a three-o’clock angle-of-attack … there’s the meatball
on the Fresnel lens. Cross the wake, roil out, coming in to the angled
deck, watch the lineupf There’s the burble from the island … power on
then off fast. Keep that ball in the center …
    The wheels smacked into the deck and the nose came down hard as Jake
Grafton shoved the throttles to the stop and closed the, wing-tip speed
brakes with the throttle mounted switch. The Intruder shot up the
angled deck and ran off into the air. He brought the stick back and got
her Climbing.
    “The amazing thing is that the Navy finds so many of you masturbators to
ride these floating aviaries. You wouldn’t think there were this many
jack-off artists in the whole world. Not if you just looked at the
world casually. I mean, most people like their sex with somebody else,
y’know? No doubt a lot of you guys are queer. Gotta be.”
    On the downwind Jake lowered the book and checked that his harness was
locked. Normally he flew with it unlocked so that he could lean forward
if he wished or wiggle in the ejection seat.
    He toggled the seat up a smidgen and adjusted the rheostat that
brightened the angle-of-attack indicator.
    The interval between Jake and the