“Jessica, I will not let him hurt you any further, first of all. Next, I didn’t take state money, but with the technology he has at his disposal, it looks like it. Proving it isn’t true is going to be difficult, especially the photos. The best I can hope for is to destroy the records. You already know manipulating photos is child’s play. I’ve seen these, they are perfect. Cathy will be devastated, in her present condition I hope it doesn’t cause her to lose the baby.â€�
“Well, do you know where these records are?� Jessica asked through clinched teeth.
“Yes,� Anthony affirmed.
“Can we get to them?� Jessica inquired further.
“Possibly,� Anthony said with little hope in his voice.
“Okay. Do you know where we are landing?� Jessica said letting her breath out slowly, trying to control the pain.
“Marcus,â€� the pilot called, “you’d better come up here. We have a problem.â€�
Jessica and Anthony looked out their windows. On either side of the Gulf Stream were two F-18 Navy fighters. They looked at each other apprehensively. “Now what?� Jessica asked aloud. They were well out over the Gulf of Mexico, better than halfway to Mexico.
“Jessica, I called General Grill. That’s why the Marines showed up back at the trailer.â€� Anthony explained after Marcus went forward to the jet’s cockpit.
“Oh, Skip, you didn’t.â€� Jessica couldn’t believe he’d do something like that, “Do you think they’ll shoot us down?â€�
“Not with you onboard,� Anthony said.
“Gulf Stream AO 87341 this Navy 297 you are ordered to turn back and land at Pensacola Naval Air Station immediately.�
Marcus and the jet’s pilots looked on either side of their jet to see two serious looking F-18 pilots staring back at them. “No way,â€� Marcus told his pilots. “They won’t do a thing with Mrs. Kallias on board.â€�
“I hope you’re right, Marcus. Otherwise, we will be fish food. You see those missiles, those are the real things, not just decorations,â€� the pilot told him. “Navy 297, that is not our destination and I cannot land.â€� He put the highly responsive Gulf Stream Jet into a quick dive but knowing that it was not a match for the military fighter.
“Gulf Stream AO 87341 this is Navy 297, that was not a request. You will turn back and land at Pensacola Naval Air Station or be forced down. You are holding an officer of the United States Navy on board against her will. You are ordered to land!�
The Gulf Stream Jet did not respond, just continued the dive and headed directly west. “Marcus,â€� The pilot said, “Go back, sit down and put your seat belt on, tell the other two to do the same.â€� Marcus did as he was instructed but said nothing to Anthony or Jessica. They didn’t need to be told. They already had put their seat belts on. Jessica knew what would happen, either they would be shot down or forced down. She didn’t know what kind of skill their pilot had, and she did not hold much confidence in him. Out of her window, she could see the two F-18’s in close escort, and the waters of the Gulf of Mexico coming up quickly. Suddenly the Gulf Stream leveled off, and in the far distance, she could see the coast of Mexico.
Oh Lord, Marcus is going to turn me over to the Aztecs, Jessica thought for one horrible moment. As they got closer to the coast, she realized the F-18’s would have to break off before they violated Mexico’s airspace, which they did.
“I knew they would not shoot us down with you onboard.� Marcus crowed, released his seat belt and went forward.
Jessica had glimpsed a commercial airliner out her window just before the Gulf Stream went into the dive. It was a big 767 and headed northwest toward Texas,
“You know, Skip,” Jessica said, her voice took on a surreal sound and Anthony wondered if her fever was spiking, “I have a strange feeling about that plane. As if I should be on it. I wish I was.â€� They both could see the vague outline of the passengers staring in amazement as the Gulf Stream went into its dive then it was out of their sight.
Anthony grew more concerned about Jessica. If she passed out or became delirious, she wouldn’t be able to fly the aircraft. It was a slim hope anyway. Sick with worry, he rubbed his eyes before the tears in them could fall.
“Jess, try to rest a bit,” Anthony told her and eased her back on the small couch.
*
Bruce decided after Xerxes left he couldn’t remain immobile any longer. Jessica was his best friend; to sit in Florida while she was facing untold dangers in Hawaii just wasn’t possible for him. Xerxes would do his best to save her he didn’t doubt, and Bruce knew he didn’t have a clue where to look for her. However he was going to start looking backwards, first for her parents, then for Jessica maybe he would find her before Xerxes, maybe not at all, but he was going or he might lose his mind. Securing reservations on the first available flight to Los Angeles that connected to Honolulu, he stuffed his laptop computer into his carryon case, grabbed his suitcase and stopped by the bank for traveler’s checks. Money had never been a problem with the inheritance his parents and grandfather had left him. He made his flight just in time. It was going to be late by the time he got there and the trail was already cold.
Ms. Simon knocked on the door to Jessica’s parents’ house just as his flight left the ground, their neighbor, Belle, the woman who was like Jessica’s surrogate grandmother, came around the rows of roses that divided their houses and smiled at the agent. “Bruce left a little over an hour ago, honey,â€� Belle said.
“Can you tell me where he went?� Ms. Simon asked.
Belle shrugged, “Don’t know for sure, but I’d guess he went to the airport. He had his suitcases packed. After the General left and that tall good-looking blonde man came and left,â€� Belle smiled wider. “They were all looking for Jessica, ah, I must admit, I’m worried sick about her! I was hopein’ she and Bruce would get closer, but…well,â€� she shook her head.
“You know Ms. Carter?�
“Sure! She and Bruce are good friends. But Jessica is like my granddaughter.�
“Thank you for the information,â€� Ms. Simon said and left headed for the airport herself. She called ahead, and quickly determined Bruce’s destination. She arranged for the next flight out and connecting flights to the same destination then called General Grill.
“I’ve been trying to get through to you, Ms. Simon,â€� General Grill said immediately. “Don’t worry about a commercial flight. I’ve got a Marine Jet waiting for you at the Executive Airport, go straight there, you’ll be in Hawaii in less time.â€�
“Yes General.� Ms. Simon agreed and tried to keep her voice on a professional note. Meredith had never thought she would be fortunate enough to get a ride in one of those.
“I’ve already had two Navy Fighters try to force the stolen Gulf Stream jet Jessica was abducted on down. Without possibly killing everyone onboard, they couldn’t do it. The jet was last seen headed due west over Mexico, we know they are headed for Hawaii.â€�
“Thank you, General, I’ll be there in less than half an hour.â€� Ms. Simon hung up. She placed her little red light on top of her Government car and depressed the accelerator, unconcerned about the traffic laws or the morning rush-hour traffic.
*
Bruce settled in his first class seat, took out his laptop computer, and started making notes about the situation. Maybe he could come up with a plan of action or at least make some sense of the situation. What conclusions he did come up with left him speechless. He immediately encrypted the file. No one needed to see his conclusions.
What Jessica had told him about Atlantis would stay a secret, he had not even used the word, and instead he used another location’s name for that fabled lost civilization. He was sure he knew which Hawaiian Island her parents would be
located near. Unfortunately, there were several smaller islands they could be on. Upon arrival, he would rent a seaplane and start looking for them himself. Possibly, he could find them first. Bruce knew there were a number of factors he wasn’t adding in, but because he didn’t know those factors he couldn’t give up. He was worried sick, and just couldn’t sit around in Jessica’s home waiting; sitting in the airplane was hard enough. He ordered a drink from the flight attendant and settled back. Until he looked out the window over the Gulf of Mexico and spotted two F-18 flanking a Gulf Stream jet. Now that’s a sight, he thought. Most of the passengers were watching too. Bruce wondered what was going on. He also noticed the pilots of the plane he was on were being careful to stay well out of their way. Suddenly, the Gulf Stream went into a dive with the F-18s staying right with it. The jet Bruce was on, turned more northerly and the Gulf Stream stayed on a due westerly course, soon he couldn’t see them any longer. Bruce had a funny feeling about that Gulf Stream, he just couldn’t shake it. He had gotten a good look at the aircraft’s strange markings on the tail, the name emblazoned on it, Kallias Enterprises. Jessica was heavy on his mind. Bruce knew she was on that aircraft.
Time dragged and he fell asleep, when he woke, Bruce knew they were landing in L.A. He changed planes; his next stop was Honolulu. Since he’d slept on the plane, he checked into his room and immediately called the air-service he had arranged to rent the seaplane from. Daybreak was moments away when he finished his pilot’s checklist and went wheels up.
By mid-morning, Bruce had to land to refuel, he was back in the air and munching on a couple of sandwiches he’d bought. Wrecked on a reef of an island he flew over, he spotted a sailboat. He banked and flew over at a lower altitude. Two people were walking on the beach. They looked up but didn’t wave. From this altitude, he couldn’t tell if they were Jessica’s parents or not. The seas were calm, so landing wouldn’t be a problem. Getting close to the beach would, the same reef that had wrecked the sailboat would make for a delicate beaching. Bruce decided to make one more, lower pass just to check.
On this pass, he was sure he had found them. He could only attribute luck to his success. His engine sputtered, and failed, bad luck. Oh great, he thought, and tried to restart it, sputtered again, and failed. He knew from the engine’s sound, water in the fuel, he cursed.
With great skill, he sat the plane down, catching a lucky wave he surfed the plane across the reef and safely onto the beach. Still the two people walked toward his plane at an unhurried pace, they didn’t seem at all happy to see him, until they recognized him.
“Bruce? Bruce Lance?� Maureen Carter said in astonishment.
“Maureen?â€� he said, jumping down from the pilot’s seat. He ran to give her a hug. Bruce had considered her like his mother since meeting her.
“What brings you here, Bruce?� Harold asked shaking his hand.
“You’re the one who is shipwrecked, Harold, seems like you’d be glad to see me.â€�
“Well Bruce, it isn’t that we aren’t glad to see you, it’s just that there are other factors.â€� Harold skirted the issue.
“That I am well aware of.� Bruce finished the sentence for him.
Harold looked at him for a moment, “How much do you know?� Harold inquired.
“Enough, have you seen Jessica yet?� Bruce asked hopefully.
“No, have you?� Harold asked, but knew the answer before he asked.
“Not since she was kidnapped, but I did get a call from her yesterday. That was what prompted me to come out here, she didn’t sound too well. Then her husband paid me a visit and he didn’t seem to know too much either. So here I am. I just couldn’t sit in Florida with all the excitement here. I sat down, figured out where you might be, and then rented the plane. I didn’t expect to get water in the fuel though. So I guess I’m marooned with you now. That is, unless we can get the water out of the fuel.â€�
“Well Bruce, we aren’t exactly marooned. Come on, I’ll tell you the rest of this story.â€� As they walked back to the cabin Ainu’s people had built on the island, Harold explained the story. Bruce somehow wasn’t surprised.
*
“Where do you think we will land?� Jessica asked Anthony.
“Not Hawaii, but a smaller air field on an island near there,� Anthony told her from what Marcus had told him earlier.
“Are his people there?� Jessica asked.
“No, as far as I know they aren’t, but I’m not entirely sure. Jessica did you really find Atlantis? Tell me the truth.â€� Anthony asked, still amazed at the possibility.
Jessica told him the story. She laid her head back and drew a long deep breath.
“You mean where you were diving was another fake entrance?
“Not fake, but it could be relocated,� she said with her eyes closed.
Anthony laughed and it drew Marcus’ attention as he came back.
“What is so funny?� Marcus sneered.
“An old family story Marcus, you’d never understand,â€� Jessica said in a tone dismissing him like she would a servant.
“Perhaps Anthony you should spend less time with Ms. Carter.�
“That’s Mrs. Kallias to you, Marcus!â€� Jessica reminded him with a tired voice.
“Marcus, don’t tell me who I can talk to. Jessica is in a great deal of pain, I suspect she is developing an infection, you had better be prepared to get her medical attention when we land or she could well die from this.â€�
“Anthony, remember who is in charge here, and so what if she does, one less encumbrance,� Marcus told him coldly.
Anthony stood, a cold look in his steel gray eyes. “I have forgotten nothing about this situation Marcus. You had better remember you haven’t any proof of why you’re here or who you are. I can have you arrested and put in jail and regardless of the damaging and fake evidence you have on me, you would still be in jail. Just the fact that you have taken Jessica and I against our wills could very easily make that information as useless as it is fake. Not only that, but from what your nephews have said Xerxes may kill you if she dies, and I will probably be next on his list. So leave me alone.â€� Anthony looked to Jessica then added, “Traitor.â€�
Fuming, Marcus returned to his seat. Unaccustomed to such heated bantering, he found himself without a clever retort and sat down in a huff.
“Good for you, Skip,â€� Jessica said tiredly. “Now, before I get too weak to do anything about this, let’s concentrate on a winnable way out.â€� They grew silent, Marcus watching them closely. “Let’s both pretend to get some rest, God knows I could use it, maybe he will too. Remember Skip, I can fly this thing, if I can just keep myself from losing any more blood. Get me the first aid kit will you?â€� Anthony did as she asked. They redressed the bullet wound. It looked red and angry, but most of the bleeding had stopped. Anthony brought her some food and a Coke from the plane’s galley. He knew she was beginning to show signs of a gradually increasing fever and she had become weakened from blood loss.
“I have not forgotten those are their men at the controls, so we will need to disable them.� Anthony rose and went to sit in the back so he could watch Marcus. Jessica settled down and closed her eyes. Sleep came too fast.
Anthony stayed awake and waited. The easiest plan would be to gain control of the plane and land it. That would not solve Anthony’s problem but perhaps they could force Marcus to give them the key to the safe deposit box. Anthony realized Marcus had fallen asleep and he rejoined Jessica and gently woke her.
“Sorry Jess, Marcus is asleep.� Anthony apologized in a whispered voice.
“It’s okay.â€� Jessica assured him. “Anthony, do you know where he has those documents?â€�
“In a safe deposit box ready to be disclosed if
something happens to him,� Anthony said disgustedly. “But I know where he has them.�
“That figures, is there any way we can get to them?� Jessica asked.
“Not unless you’re invisible,â€� Anthony shook his head.
Jessica smiled, Anthony noticed her smile was a little wan, “Xerxes can be.�
“No!� he looked at her, thinking her fever was getting to high for her to pilot the jet.
“Yes, there is a way,â€� Jessica said with confidence. “See if you can get into the cockpit. But let’s take him out first.â€�
“How?� Anthony asked.
“First aid tape!� Jessica said, dangling the roll on one finger, “Tape and gag him.�
Before Marcus could become fully awake, Anthony had him well taped. Anthony then knocked on the cockpit door, it wasn’t locked, “Co-pilot, you better check out Lord Marcus, he doesn’t seem well.â€� As soon as the co-pilot closed the door Anthony knocked him out with the fire extinguisher then taped him up too. That left the pilot.
Jessica limped to the front, opened the door, stuck her head in the door and smiled, we may have a problem, your co-pilot has passed out, just like Marcus. I don’t know what’s wrong, but Anthony’s woozy too. Putting the jet on autopilot and rising from his seat he walked through the door and that was the last thing he remembered until he woke up bound like the co-pilot and Marcus.
Jessica gingerly eased herself into the pilot’s seat and took over the controls, Hawaii coming into view.
“Unidentified aircraft at twenty-five thousand feet - your transponder is not squawking a signal, are you experiencing mechanical problems?� Honolulu International Airport called over their radio. Jessica looked at Skip.
“Honolulu International, we were unaware of a problem. We are not experiencing any other problems. Our designation is AO 87341.â€� Jessica calmly told the air traffic controllers at Honolulu. “Those pilots must have disabled the transponder when the Navy jets were after us,â€� she said to Anthony. “This jet is stolen and that way the Navy or Air Force could not pick us up after we cleared Mexico on this side.â€� Jessica explained to Anthony. “I wondered why more military jets didn’t show up after cleared Mexico.â€�
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