One of the army commanders walked up to Captain Wong and started gesturing with his hands. Wong angrily gestured back, whispered in the man’s ear, and then the man smiled and walked back to his troops a happy man.

The major inside the terminal called General Allen. “Allen Key,” he stated on the phone.

“Well, Patterson, how are things going?” replied the general.

“You wouldn’t believe it, sir, but Captain Wong, one of our Chinese-American pilots, told the visitors that the Zedong Electronics’ Supreme Commander had secretly flown in an hour ago, and I went out in captured clothes and a fancy long coat I had picked up in the shop here with my face covered, and I inspected their flipping guard.”

“Sounds like your man needs a commendation, Patterson. What is the scoop on the aircraft?”

“Two 747-400ERs, and one is a transporter. Shall we take her? My assumption is that she could return again with a belly full of electrical goods that we could desperately need on her next trip. They have off-loaded 62 pallets of electrical parts and goods so far, sir.”

“A hard decision,” replied the general. “If we just take one, we have to make it look like an accident out at sea. If we take both of them, then we just commandeer them and fly them into McGuire once we have released some of the fuel load. I’m three hours out of Elmendorf, bound for Misawa in Northern Japan. I think your idea is best. Hopefully, we can get another load out of her when she returns.”

“Is that your final decision, Allen Key?” the major asked. “They are about to complete refueling.”

“Yes, let the transporter go, but don’t get on the aircraft yourself. I don’t want the crew to think their Supreme Commander just went down into the drink. Good luck, lad. Call me when you are done and I will call up McGuire for you and get the troops airborne. Two hundred soldiers, you say? Their flight time is about 20 minutes and I’ll tell them to go into your location low, three minutes after the second jumbo jet is airborne.”

The major quickly got his men together and told them what he was going to do with the engineers—they would take them prisoner as they walked through the closed black curtain on the walkway into the terminal.

He told two of the men to make sure that a distance was put between each man somehow. He got one group of three of his pilots together and told them to follow him out to the aircraft.

The last tankers were in place and the major walked towards the aircraft with the American pilots, dressed in captured clothing in tow. Captain Wong had headed out a minute or so earlier and was waiting for the major’s move. He signaled his accomplice, Captain Chong to come over to him and they both ran over and bowed to the Supreme Commander. The American troops, who were dressed in the captured clothing of the termination squads, and were standing around guarding the engineers working the refueling, immediately stood at attention while carefully watching for problems, their guns at the ready. The three men at the bottom of the stairs stopped and talked.

“Captain Chong, you are taking over this baby,” Patterson explained, pointing at the passenger 747. “We will get you in control. Your plan is to complain about some sort of minor fuel problem about an hour out from the coast. Lose height, and tell the transporter to carry on. After an hour of messing around at low altitude, fake a sea accident—scream or something. Once you are out of radar sight of the second aircraft and their pilots who think you have ditched, head for McGuire at below 500 feet and put her down there as soon as your fuel is down to a safe landing weight. Captain Wong, you will be with me. Tell the engineers when the aircraft engines start up to get ready to meet me. Tell them I’ve decided not to go on this aircraft, but will fly back in my own jet. I want to separate the engineers from the troops before our guys arrive.”

Captain Wong bowed to him, and then the Supreme Commander arrogantly walked straight up the aft stairs of the aircraft and the two Chinese air crews, six men bowed as he entered. The major bowed slightly back and with a lot of waving his hand, he motioned them to return to the front of the aircraft in front of him. Four of the American pilots, fully armed, followed him to the beginning of the first class compartment where they were told to wait. The Supreme Commander walked with Captain Wong to the flight deck to inspect it. Captain Wong ordered the co-pilot and flight engineer to get out the Commander’s way—he wanted to sit in the right co-pilot’s seat. He asked them to follow him and together they walked back to the rear curtain of the first class compartment where both were hit over the head and bound with the rope brought for the occasion.

In the meantime, Captain Wong doubled back to the cockpit for the two pilots of the second crew—the crew captain and the backup pilot—and they too were asked to follow him and ended up in the same toilet, all bound and out for at least a couple of hours.

The aircraft’s new crew, in the recently exchanged uniforms of the Chinese crew, took their seats once the remaining Chinese pilots were dealt with.

“Remember, a good disappearing act, guys,” Patterson warned. “They don’t have enough fuel to come and look for you for too long, and don’t let them see you go down. Maybe go out for an hour or even more, get fuel trouble, disappear towards the sea and get back into McGuire or even Andrews. We need this aircraft, boys. Good luck, and remember to check on the bad guys in the back every few minutes.”

The Supreme Commander walked out of the massive aircraft as the fuel lines were being disconnected from the wings, and now it was up to him to secure the area. He walked back and straight up to the steps of the terminal they had been using. Captain Wong told the engineers to start making their way to the stairs when their jobs were done, as there were gifts and a big surprise for them.

Many were already waiting around and one by one they slowly picked up a suitcase unloaded shortly after they had landed, and made their way to the Supreme Commander who was waiting for them with a couple of guards as well as Captain Wong at the bottom of the entrance to the walkway.

“Ask for their names and degrees one at a time,” the major suggested to Wong, as he heard the first engines of both jets begin to whine. One by one, the engineers came up the short flight of stairs, bowed and introduced themselves, and received a grunt from the Supreme Commander, and then walked up the walkway and inside the terminal through the black curtain.

By the time the first aircraft was moving away and everybody turned around to protect themselves from the blowing debris behind it, 40 engineers had been dealt with. The Supreme Commander went in through the curtain and with his radio called up the incoming American troops, still several miles out, while the others were being blown around by the engines outside.

“Patterson, Juliet Foxtrot Kilo. Aircraft are about five minutes from take-off. Wind is from the west at ten miles an hour and they are heading out in a westerly direction. You guys can get in here as soon as the second one is off the ground. All their troops are at the entrance to the Van Wyck Expressway, on the west side and we will have all the engineers separated and safe here in the terminal. Our guys are dressed in white snow gear and on the snow mounds around the staging area and will open fire once you guys come in. We are in first front terminal from the east. The enemy is wearing green camouflage. I repeat our men are in white gear, and Charlies are in green camouflage. Did you copy? Over.”

“Roger that,” repeated a lone voice. “Friendlies in white, Charlies in green. We are about nine minutes out and will have the airport visual in three. We will land choppers in close and you guys can give us covering fire while the big Mama’s come in from the east and unload on the runway in front of you. Our troops will join your guys on the snow mounds. Out.”