On Fire
Page 75
The airplane door cracks open a few inches. Then it stops. Soldiers near the front of the crowd raise their guns. A minute goes by. Finally, there is movement and the door resumes opening the rest of the way, the stairs on the back of it touching the ground. A figure in a man’s too large black wool coat, a stocking cap pulled low, appears. Behind is another figure. This one Zak recognizes as Dai Gu. The figure in front he reasons must be Kimberly. Gu has a hand on Kim’s back and they go slowly, haltingly, together down the steps.
In a semi-circle thirty feet away, among the various officials and military personnel, standing behind armed men and klieg lights, are Ciaran Burris and Hui Lee. They are positioned strategically next to the local Commander, whose favor they have shamelessly sought over the last few hours. Skulking in the back of the group is Chung Yao with several of his men, tired of waiting on Gu to deliver, and none too pleased with the Russian’s less than brilliant plan.
Others descend the short stair behind Kim and Dai Gu. First behind is Sergie, the big man cradling his arm, and the kid, Victor. Everyone is trying to shield themselves from the raging blizzard. The wind thrashes and howls, making it hard to hear the Commander, who is shouting orders. His words are carried off in the wind almost as soon as he utters them.
Zak and Gilly run across the frozen tarmac from the charter area toward Kim’s plane. Zak sees snowplows on the main runway and airplanes on the taxiway. Gilly points to a deicer truck pulling alongside an airplane. Zak follows his lead. When Gilly reaches the side of the truck, he opens the driver’s door and pulls the guy by his coat roughly out of the cab. Zak goes to the front of the truck, to where the operator’s bucket is suspended by a mechanical arm. It hangs in front of the cab and is anchored to the top of the truck, but can be manipulated by controls inside. Gilly gets the truck moving while Zak climbs in the bucket and tries to take an instant course on learning the controls. After looking at some diagrams pasted onto the console, he manipulates the levers and lifts himself and the bucket high over the top of the truck, where the bucket is buffeted by the harsh wind and he is in immediate danger of frostbite.
Kim and entourage are stopped at the bottom of the stair, confused as to what to do. The Commander’s shouting in Polish and English is not having its intended effect. Neither side can hear very well against the screaming wind. Still, Dai Gu and the Russians get the gist, that they are being commanded to drop all weapons and step aside.
In the meantime, Gil rams the truck into a higher gear and heads toward the crowd of people spread out around the plane. Zak crouches low in the bucket trying to shield himself from the biting wind and stinging snow. There is a large red button on the panel in front of him. He guesses what it’s for as he slams it with his fist and hot, green deicer gushes from the heavy nozzle mounted on the bucket.
It is, quite simply, mayhem. Deicer hits the crowd. There is shooting. People are going down. Zak, all over the deicer, holds the nozzle and points at the Russians, who are soon blasted off their feet. That accomplished, he sprays the Polish military unit. He takes special pleasure in dousing just about everybody, especially anyone who looks official. He watches them flail helplessly and try to find cover. Gil parks the rig as close to Kim as possible. She has already managed to get free of Dai Gu, who is suddenly much more concerned about getting shot than holding onto her. He is now lost in the melee. Gil runs out of the truck to grab her and pull her into the cab.
“Gilly! Thank God you’re here!” she hugs him and kisses him on the cheek.
Gilly grins, rapidly turning the steering wheel and gunning the truck.
“You were expecting maybe someone else? Zak is up top being our mean ass bucket boy.”
Kim pulls the stocking cap off her head, auburn hair falling around her shoulders.
“God, you have no idea. Zak must be freezing up there.” she states.
“Yeah, here’s hoping the guy is still alive.”
“Stop the truck! We’ve gotta get him down!”
They are reaching the charter taxiway as Gilly brings the truck to a halt. Zak positions the bucket in front of the cab and jumps out into the snow. Kim opens her door.
“Howdy stranger!”
Zak grabs the door and swings into the seat next to Kim.
They all look back across the tarmac at the chaos they have left behind.
“We’ve got to get the heck out of here!” Kim declares.
“Go over there,” Zak points, having had a better view of the airport from above. “There’s got to be road access behind the taxiway.”
Gilly guns it.
Zak is hoping they won’t confront another military guard or group of authorities poised to stop them. Then the friends all see it at the same time. A short distance away is a high fence blocking the drive, a drive that should take them out to the main highway.
“That’s got to be it,” says Gilly.
“That’s freakin’ big,” comments Kim regarding the fence, a warning sounding in her voice.
“No choice,” says Zak determinably.
“I don’t know if we can get enough traction on this snow,” states Gilly, swinging the truck onto the driveway and hitting the accelerator.
They gain momentum but the wheels slip in the fresh snow. The truck is still heavy with deicer though. Their speed and the inertia added by all that weight help the truck to make short work of the gate, which it instantly and soundly obliterates.
Chapter 76