by Pinki Parks
“He didn’t deserve to die that way. I don’t know how long it’s going to take, but I will…” He cut me off with his thumb moving across his throat capturing my attention.
“You’ll find a way to make me pay. There won’t be any place on this planet that I can hide from you. That threat would have a little bit more weight if you weren’t scheduled to die in a fiery plane crash. My job is to make this look like an accident. I have a unique skill set when it comes to killing without leaving much of a trace of foul play. A plane blowing up in midflight? Basic and easy. It is an honor to meet you. Your work in intelligence has been a lifesaver for many of us. It’s too bad it has to end like this.” He might have been cold and indifferent, but I could see a filament of compassion.
“My oath and loyalty to this country have never been in question. Commander Riker saw me as an equal. He knew that he could trust me with the biggest secret the military has to offer.” It touched me deeply, but also made me want to choke the living daylights out of Commander Riker for putting me into this situation.
“I know you mean that, but everybody has a breaking point. They can’t risk this information getting into enemy hands. We both know what it would mean for those performing on a different level than all of us. I would think you would understand, but I guess I would feel the same way in your shoes.” There was something over his shoulder and it dawned on me that it was a parachute.
He was getting ready to vacate the plane for the harsh winds of reality outside. I couldn’t move and my limbs were slowly getting back the strength that had waned when the gas got into my system. This was the second time in the span of two days that I had been knocked unconscious by chemical means.
“I would rather die than to allow the enemy to know what is in my head. I’ve never given anybody any reason to doubt my conviction. Your orders probably came from those bureaucrats that don’t know what it means to serve in the field. We know better than anyone the sacrifices we make for our country.” We could’ve been friends, but his attempt to kill me on the road left a bad taste in my mouth.
Victor was always a survivor, but he had always wanted to go out with a bang instead of a fizzle. We were in the big leagues and the smallest mistake could cost us our lives. Having this kind of power made those in the big chairs nervous.
“We do what others can’t do. I wish that I could feel something, but I’m one of the fortunate few that are void of emotions. It’s been my personal experience that they only get in the way. I get paid very well for my services. Nothing will ever tie back to those responsible for my marching orders.” The plane was on autopilot and I had no doubt he had already tampered with the controls.
“I’m sorry we messed up your plans by walking away from that car accident. I’m guessing you strategically cut the brake line when you were informed that Victor had gotten into the middle of things. You probably thought the possibility of me meeting up with him was high enough to take the risk. How did you manage to arrange this trap that we walked right into?” I wanted to keep him talking, but it seemed pointless when I couldn’t even move.
“I don’t know the logistics. I can make an educated guess. They got wind of you trying to track down those responsible for the contract to take you alive. They used it to trap you like a magician would when he is playing a game of sleight of hand. I thought you would be foolish to take the bait, but I was wrong. This has been enlightening. I must say your reputation isn’t exaggerated.” He got up and walked backward to the front of the plane.
“Do you really consider yourself a patriot? You must recognize the difference between right and wrong. As soldiers, we understand the need to throw ourselves on a grenade to protect someone else. Dying like this makes me think everything I have done in my military career was for nothing. How can you live with yourself?” He had his hand on the handle.
He gave it a twist to let a rush of air pull me from the seat with very little success. I was bound and going nowhere.
“I live with myself by rolling around in the millions I have made. I don’t see any harm in telling you that I don’t believe in banks. My home in Malibu is where I keep my revenue stream out of the tax man’s hands. It is safely behind the walls with many millions stuffed in my mattress. I’m literally sleeping on a fortune. I sleep like a baby.” He shouted over the noise of the plane and wind. I could easily find out where he lived by using the Viper.
“You’re telling me your deepest and darkest secret because you think I won’t be around to share it with anybody.” I could see a sizable nest egg for our retirement in the future, but it meant that we were going to have to survive the plane going down over the ocean.
“I don’t ‘think’ you won’t be around. I know it. There’s no way you’re going to walk away from this unless you can sprout wings and fly. Maybe human evolution will have that capability, but not in the brief time you have left. You’ll have time to say goodbye to Pride. He should be coming out of it in a few minutes. It has been interesting. I would love to pick your brain about a certain time in Helsinki.” He was the one on the ground and I was right in his ear giving him a way to avoid the metaphorical minefields. Helsinki was a mission gone wrong until I saved his ass from a face to face with three wicked spies. We had a mole among us and he was the target. I saved him.
“They told me your name. What was it? Right…I remember now… Xavier. I never did find out how you got out of the bomb blast. Those who knew you told me that you were a ghost in the machine. You were given plum assignments to take out our enemies. I never thought in a million years that I would be considered one of them.” I had also saved his life by giving him a heads up about a sharpshooter and he was able to duck down in time before taking one between the eyes. We worked as a team and he got the job done because of me.
“I’m surprised you remembered. I’m usually a faceless stranger in army fatigues coming in at the last hour. They call me when they have exhausted every other avenue. I know it’s serious when my phone rings in the middle of the night. They call me a radical thinker. I really do need to leave. My window of opportunity before we are over the water is rapidly closing. You were the first and only one to save my life.” If anybody had a chance to break him of his fealty to the one paying his checks it was going to be me.
“I know this is going to sound redundant, but you don’t have to do this. We could be working together rather than working against each other. This might be your crossroads.” He gave me a silent salute in respect and then jumped out of the plane without giving it a second thought.
He probably thought in his infinite wisdom that I shouldn’t have the time to convince him to go against his duty. I was tough, but I knew my limitations when it came to crashing into the ocean with the plane breaking up into a million pieces upon impact. It would go down in a remote section of the ocean. If the crash didn’t kill us then the petulant waves were going to pull us into a watery grave.
“What the hell happened?” I could hear Pride’s voice coming from behind me, but I was in no position to see how he was faring.
“Can you get out of your seat?” I saw no reason to tell him of what happened to Victor.
“If I can reach the knife in my pocket then maybe I might be able to break free. I don’t see Victor. Do you know what happened to him?” I was going to tell him a portion of the truth but still leave out crucial details.
“I was told that he got off the plane and was immune to the effects of the gas to some extent. Pride, we’ve got minutes to get off this plane before it blows up or crashes into the ocean or both.” That part was true, but it was the part that I was leaving out that was going to leave him crippled and unable to lift a finger in response.
“I’m glad and jealous that he’s not here. I hope he finds the happiness that he has been unable to find.” He was working on getting the knife. The wind whooshing through the open door wasn’t helping either. I tried to shake the drowsiness out of me. Wake up, Bentley!
The wind was deafening and I could hear him groaning. His voice was in agony, but he wasn’t allowing the pain to keep him from coming to the rescue. Time was our enemy.
Chapter 18
Pride
I had my hand on the handle of the knife. I knew Bentley was in front of me. I wanted to give us a chance, but the only way to do that was to break free of the seatbelt locking me in place. Something was preventing the mechanism from releasing. It was tightly drawn across my chest making it hard to breathe.
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this plane is going to go down. You might want to speed up your efforts. I have something in my ankle sheath, but I can’t reach it. There’s also something tucked in the waistband behind me, but again it’s useless if I can’t utilize it.” She wasn’t showing signs of panic and she was quite vocal in her response.
“I’ve got the knife and I’m trying to extract it from my pocket. It’s snagged on the fibers inside. I must have nicked the pocket on the way out. I know there’s a degree of urgency, but I can’t rush these things.” I had wiggled my fingers free, but I was like a baby trapped in a stroller.
I finally produced the knife and began to slice the cold blade into the seat belt. It wasn’t easy, but the seatbelt finally did break free. I felt the freezing wind turning my fingers blue and numbing my fingertips. I lost cohesion on the knife and it dropped from my hand to drive the pointed end into the floor.
The alarm bells upfront began to sound. The plane came out of autopilot and tipped forward in a nosedive toward the cruel mistress of the deep below. The relentless waves would easily break our bones and cause internal injuries, but that was only if the impact of the crash didn’t do us in first.
“I don’t like being a prisoner of my own fate.” I understood and I worked diligently to release her from the seatbelt strapped over her healthy bosom.
“I’ve got you, babe.” I was holding my breath and cutting at the same time until it finally gave way.
We momentarily embraced for a split second but I didn’t want to let her go. It was almost cathartic to think of leaving this world hand in hand. I didn’t know what I was going to do without her. This way I didn’t have to find out. I found some peace in knowing that we would never be apart in this life or the next.
“Pride, that’s enough of feeling sorry for ourselves. We need to take stock of our situation. This plane is going down and I don’t want to be on it when we crash.”
She followed me to the cockpit and we verified that we still had 20,000 feet before we died. It was dropping 100 feet per every 30 seconds. There was no way to pull the plane back up. The autopilot was locked in. I slammed my fist on the control board.
I did some quick calculations in my head and made a reasonable assumption of the time remaining. I could’ve stood still, but I was still breathing until I wasn’t going to be.
“Go to the back of the plane and check every compartment. They might have missed something that we can use.” I wasn’t holding my breath, but I could keep hope alive for as long as possible. This can’t be the end!
I started at the front and she was making her way back with this look of defeat on her face. I wanted to hold her close, but we still had a slim chance. I wasn’t going to let that go until I couldn’t deny it any longer. We could’ve taken this time to extend the intimacy, but that would have meant that we had given up. It wasn’t what we were made of.
Bentley came back from searching the compartments. I saw a flicker of renewed hope in her eyes, but it was fading fast.
I did have to admit flying on a private plane was far more comfortable than what you would find in coach on a commercial airliner. It was no wonder those rich enough to afford it paid through the nose for the convenience. The place had a well-stocked bar, but the liquor wasn’t the answer. I could’ve easily enjoyed a fancy bottle of Brandy.
“I found one parachute. It’s still intact and hasn’t been sabotaged. We have no choice but to go out of this plane together with one chute between us. The weight difference alone is going to hamper our progress.” I was elated, but I also knew the chance of two people with one chute surviving the fall was going to take some tremendous luck and good timing.
“We can’t think about this. We can use the seat belts to strap ourselves together. Landing in water ease the impact and help us stay alive.” I went ahead and began relieving each seat of their seatbelt.
I put on the parachute and she got in front of me redoubling our efforts to make sure we were as secure as possible. We shuffled toward the door with nature’s force trying to draw us out into the open air.
“I want you to know that I wouldn’t want to do this with anybody besides you. I’ve never been comfortable with heights, but I know it’s an unreasonable fear. I’ll push past it because I don’t have any other choice.” Bentley was giving me an insight into her strength and character.
It was rather impressive to see her push past the wall of the fear that would have made others a basket case barely able to function.
I was in between hopeful and defeated.
“I’m glad we got a chance to get married. The wedding didn’t exactly go off as planned, but I think we had something memorable that people will talk about for years.” Stepping into the unknown was not uncommon for those with the military mindset of a warrior.
That one step out of the opening wasn’t an easy one. I thought I was going to scream, but I remained in control. I had tried to regain control of the aircraft, but I wasn’t surprised to learn that the fiery crash was unavoidable. I could see it out of my peripheral vision. I had no idea how close it was to being turned into a $20,000,000 salvage operation.
It was broad daylight, but the sun was reflecting off the water blinding us to the danger in close proximity. The plane crashed and the concussive blast rattled our bones. The heat washed over us taking our breath away. The updraft of the explosion sent us skyward and drifting aimlessly over the flaming wreckage of the plane.
Spots of fire scattered over our landing area. Pieces were floating and I looked around from every angle to see if I could spot land. There was nothing but water for miles in every direction. There was no way to know what way to go to find our way back to the island.
“It has been an adventure of a lifetime but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I think it’s safe to tell you that your brother will be there to greet us when we find our way to the other side. I probably should have told you, but I needed you to be at your best. It’s no excuse, but I felt that you would forgive me considering our present predicament.” She had told me he had gotten off the plane, but she had purposely left something out.
“Tell me what you know. I can’t keep us afloat forever. There are some sizable pieces of the plane that we can use as a makeshift raft until a rescue party finds us. It would be best to find the black box, but I have a feeling it wasn’t on board with us.” I was using the controls to guide our descent slowly using the wind to keep us from touching down anytime soon. The wind was still strong from the storm the night before.
“He did get off the plane but was summarily shot down for his efforts. I didn’t see it, but the person that was hired to kill us was quite adamant that Victor didn’t survive. I have no idea how you might be feeling, but I hope it’s a comfort that he tried to get away to help us.” Bentley had done the right thing by keeping me in the dark.
“He died exactly like he said he was going to. He had no delusions about retirement and believed in his heart that he was never going to have the time to enjoy it. I tried to make him see that there were many in the military that had moved on to the civilian side of things. His conviction about dying in the field was hard to ignore.” I angled the chute to hover over a huge section of the plane floating on the surface and not going down with the rest of the plane.
“It killed me inside not to tell you, but we
couldn’t afford the distraction. I made a risk assessment and I stand by it.” She was never going to admit that she was wrong and not many people had the capability of making the hard decisions.
“Don’t beat yourself up over it. I don’t feel any differently about you. I commend you for thinking with a clear head. Prepare yourself for a chilly reception. Whatever you do don’t get injured. We don’t want blood to attract real-life sharks.” We drifted until we reached a thousand feet. I said a final prayer in my head. God help us.
A great big sheet of blue water rushed toward us at a tremendous speed. There was no time to consider the next step. The impact made us struggle to the surface, but I had the foresight to release the parachute when my feet made contact with the water.
It was a little disheartening to know that we were going to have to depend on the kindness of strangers to find us.
I swam on my back with her still tied to me. I was able to reach over to the piece of the smoldering wreckage. We awkwardly climbed onto the piece then cut ourselves free from the bondage. The parachute was being dragged down, but I managed to grab onto it and gather it up. We were going to need shelter from the elements. There was no telling when a plane or a boat was going to go by.
We were going to have to find a way to attract its attention. I still had the lighter in my pocket. I struck the flint to see that it was still alive after being submerged in the water. All hope wasn’t lost.
Chapter 19
Bentley
“It’s been almost 24 hours. It’s a good thing we had the foresight to bring the backpack with us. Rationing the food inside courtesy of Regis and Maria has been a godsend. We have a couple of bottles of water left and the food will keep us going for a couple of days.” I was seeing the bright side and I was desperate to keep up both of our morale.