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35.

The seating arrangement eventually became less of an issue. Day by day the Apache felt less alien,and some days it even felt good.

I learned to be alone in there, to think alone, function alone. I learned to communicate withthis big, fast, nasty, beautiful beast, to speak its language, to listen when it talked. I learned toperform one set of skills with my hands, while doing another with my feet. I learned to appreciatehow phenomenal this machine was: unthinkably heavy, yet capable of ballet-like suppleness¹. Themost technologically² complex helicopter in the world, and also the most nimble. I could see whyonly a handful of people on earth knew how to fly Apaches, and why it cost millions of dollars totrain each of those people.

And then…it was time to do it all at night.

We started with an exercise called “the bag,” which was just what it sounded like. TheApache’s windows were covered and you felt as if you were inside a brown-paper bag. You had totake all data about conditions outside the aircraft through instruments and gauges³. Eerie,unnerving—but effective. You were forced to develop a kind of second sight.

Then we took the Apache up into the actual night sky, made our way around the base, slowlyexpanded beyond. I was a bit trembly the first time we sailed across Salisbury Plain, over thosedesolate valleys and woods where I’d crawled and dragged my arse through those first exercises.

Then I was flying over more populated areas. Then: London. The Thames glistening⁴ in thedarkness. The Millennium⁵ Wheel winking⁶ at the stars. The Houses of Parliament, and Big Ben,and the palaces. I wondered if Granny was in, and if she was awake. Were the corgis settling downwhile I did these graceful⁷ whirls over their fuzzy heads?

Was the flag up?

In darkness I became fully⁸ proficient⁹ with the monocle, the most astonishing and iconic part ofthe Apache’s technology. A sensor¹⁰ in the Apache’s nose transmitted images through a cable, up tothe cockpit, where it fed into the monocle, which was clipped to my helmet, in front of my righteyeball. Through that monocle I got all my knowledge of the outside world. All my senses werereduced to that one small portal. It felt at first like writing with my toe or breathing through myear, and then it became second nature. And then it became mystical.

Circling London one night, I was suddenly blinded, and thought for half a second that I mightdrop into the Thames. I saw bright colors, mostly emerald green, and after a few seconds Irealized: someone on the ground had hit us with a laser pen. I was disoriented. And furious. But Itold myself to be grateful for the experience, for the practice. I was also perversely¹¹ grateful for thestray memory it knocked loose. Mohamed Al Fayed, giving Willy and me laser pens fromHarrods, which he owned. He was the father of Mummy’s boyfriend, so maybe he was trying towin us over. If so, job done. We thought those lasers were genius.

We whipped them around like light sabers.

 

1 suppleness   

柔软； 灵活； 易弯曲； 顺从

参考例句：

• The leather may need to be oiled every two to three weeks in order to retain its suppleness. 为了保持皮革的柔韧性，可能两三周就要上一次油。
• She tried to recover her lost fitness and suppleness. 她试图恢复她失去的身体的康健和轻柔。

2 technologically   

ad.技术上地

参考例句：

• Shanghai is a technologically advanced city. 上海是中国的一个技术先进的城市。
• Many senior managers are technologically illiterate. 许多高级经理都对技术知之甚少。

3 gauges   

n.规格( gauge的名词复数 )；厚度；宽度；标准尺寸v.（用仪器）测量( gauge的第三人称单数 )；估计；计量；划分

参考例句：

• A thermometer gauges the temperature. 温度计可测量温度。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The fuel gauges dropped swiftly. 燃料表指针迅速下降。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 glistening   

adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼里闪着晶莹的泪花。
• Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼睛中的泪水闪着柔和的光。 来自《用法词典》

5 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

6 winking   

n.瞬眼，目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮

参考例句：

• Anyone can do it; it's as easy as winking. 这谁都办得到，简直易如反掌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The stars were winking in the clear sky. 星星在明亮的天空中闪烁。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 proficient   

adj.熟练的，精通的；n.能手，专家

参考例句：

• She is proficient at swimming.她精通游泳。
• I think I'm quite proficient in both written and spoken English.我认为我在英语读写方面相当熟练。

10 sensor   

n.传感器，探测设备，感觉器（官）

参考例句：

• The temperature sensor is enclosed in a protective well.温度传感器密封在保护套管中。
• He plugged the sensor into a outlet.他把传感器插进电源插座。

11 perversely   

adv. 倔强地

参考例句：

• Intelligence in the mode of passion is always perversely. 受激情属性控制的智力，总是逆着活动的正确方向行事。
• She continue, perversely, to wear shoes that damaged her feet. 她偏偏穿那双挤脚的鞋。