Captain Adler slipped his headset down and keyed into the ops frequency, his voice calm, professional,"Ground Ops, this is Hangar Fourteen, requesting tow clearance for Airbus A380, registry N914LX, from Imperial Terminal to taxiway Bravo."
There was a pause. Then another. On the other end, someone cleared their throat and asked carefully, "…Did you say A380? From Hangar Fourteen?"
"Affirmative," Adler replied with a steady voice.
More silence, then the sound of papers rustling, voices murmured and finally, a different voice came on, sharper, incredulous, "This is Ground Ops. Confirm aircraft type again."
Adler's lips curved faintly. "Airbus A380-800. Private configuration. Fully registered, cleared, and flight-ready."
The line went dead for a second, as if even the radios had to absorb it, then the voices came again, "…Tow request acknowledged. Stand by for movement crew."
