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MYSTIC:
Okana watches the island shrinking into the distance behind the Mystic, and the three black boats quickly fall behind. He isn’t worried about Alex dealing with the Russian. His only concern is being able to go back and pick him up. The motorboat will never reach another island, much less the mainland. He turns and looks at Josh and nods his head toward the bridge.
Josh understands his meaning. When Okana makes his move, Dieter will be useless against Blacktooth’s man on the bridge. He walks across the deck and up the stairs.
Okana leads Blacktooth and his two men into the ship to the lounge, with Mike and Bett following close behind. Mike sees Lisa and Rita standing on the other side of the table. He holds his arms out and hurries across the room, then wraps them around Rita.
“Just go along with this,” he whispers in her ear. He lets go, and steps back, then hugs Lisa. “My little darling. Are you okay?” He spins around to Blacktooth. “I’ll give you what you want, so please don’t hurt my wife and my daughter.”
“You go in the helicopter and get my money. If all goes well, your ship will be fine.” The corner of his mouth rises up, exposing half his black teeth. “If you do not come back, there is a market for your wife and daughter.”
“I’ll get your money. Just don’t do anything until I get back.”
Blacktooth looks over at Okana. “What do you think, Jamison? Will he come back?”
Okana gives him a wry smirk. “Oh yeah, he’ll get our money. If he doesn’t, I might even bid on these women myself.”
Blacktooth gives a hearty laugh. “I like you, Jamison. Who flies the helicopter?”
Bett brings her shotgun up over one shoulder and steps forward, rapidly chewing on another piece of gum. “That would be me,” she answers and continues chewing. “I can fly his helicopter.”
Blacktooth is momentarily distracted by the rapid movement of her jaw, then looks over at Mike. “My bad manners. I do not know your name.”
Okana steps forward. “This here is Mr. Allen, and this lovely lady is his wife, Betsy. That shy one over there is his daughter, Peggy. She’s my favorite.”
Blacktooth laughs and looks at Bett. “Okay. You fly Allen and one of my men to Seward and come back with my money.”
Dieter trades places with Josh on the bridge and hears Blacktooth’s orders from the bottom of the stairs. “I should go, too.”
Blacktooth gives a devil’s grin and waves his finger in front of Dieter’s eyes. “No. You are the first one I kill if they not come back.”
Okana looks over at Bett and receives a wink, so he turns to Blacktooth. “I guess it’s settled. My pilot will take Mister Allen to get our money.”
Blacktooth turns and looks up the stairway to the bridge when his man hollers down in Russian. He turns back to the group. “We have arrived at my ship.” He looks at Bett and puts his hand on the shoulder of one of his men. “This is Ivan. He speaks good English. He will go with you to get the money. Go get the helicopter ready.”
Bett turns around and looks at the dark-haired man with two parallel scars along his lower left jawline, sizing him up as an opponent. She turns around and grins at Okana. “Not a problem.” She turns and leaves the lounge and continues out to the helicopter.
Blacktooth looks at Ivan and nods his head to follow the woman, then turns to Mike. “Go.”
Mike steps around Blacktooth and leaves the lounge.
Okana studies the last man, and the look in his eyes and his stocky build indicate he could be dangerous. The ship suddenly slows down, and Okana steps past Blacktooth and hurries up the steps to the bridge, then continues out onto the deck to check things out. The large black ship that had chased them through the islands is floating fifty-feet off the starboard bow, with four men standing at the railing. Blacktooth suddenly walks up beside him.
“Now I have a new ship. When we get our money, I will upgrade to a fleet of boats.”
Okana doesn’t like Blacktooth’s insinuation. “I thought about taking this ship myself, but I know eventually the authorities will find my location with satellites.”
Blacktooth grunts. “You are correct. I will take it and sell for parts. I know a place no one can see.”
Okana lets out a long, slow breath of disappointment. It was worth a try. He turns and looks down when the whine from the helicopter’s turbine engines climbs in pitch, and Bett nods up at him through the window. Mike is in the co-pilot seat, and Ivan is in the back, leaning forward between the seats. He turns to Blacktooth. “We better step inside or the down wash will blow us overboard.”
Blacktooth slaps his hand down on Okana’s shoulder, then walks into the bridge.
Okana grits his teeth against the urge to rip Blacktooth’s hand off and shove it down his throat. He waits inside with him until the helicopter departs, and notices his strange expression as he stares out the rear window. “Is something wrong?”
“I am waiting for my boats to return with the rest of my men.”
Okana smiles, but it’s not for Blacktooth’s benefit. He needs to make his move and retake the ship before the rest of his crew arrives. Right now, it’s only Blacktooth and two men. He glances up at Josh.
Josh is listening and gives Okana a slight nod he is ready.
Okana places his hand on Blacktooth’s shoulder. “Let’s go down and have that beer I promised.”
When Blacktooth turns around and walks to the stairs going down to the lounge, Okana shoves his foot between his shoulder blades, shoving him face first down the stairs.
Josh spins around and slams his fist into the guard’s face, then drives his fist into the stomach repeatedly until the man crumples to the floor.
Dieter starts to climb the stairs to the bridge when suddenly Blacktooth slams into him like a sledgehammer, driving him to the floor. The stench of Blacktooth’s breath rushes across his face and he feels like vomiting. He desperately tries to push the stinking, thrashing body off his chest, but he’s pinned like a wrestler.
A tremendous weight suddenly drives the air from Dieter’s lungs as Blacktooth becomes limp. He glances to one side and looks up at the rage in Rita’s eyes as she brings a rifle butt down against Blacktooth’s skull one last time.
Lisa feels frozen in place as everything becomes crazy in the lounge. When the guard stares at Blacktooth flopping down the stairs, she watches Rita drive her elbow into his nose. When he drops the rifle, Rita kicks him in the gut and drives him back onto the floor, then she grabs the rifle and runs over to Dieter. Lisa flinches when Rita slams the rifle butt down on Blacktooth’s head, and stares at the blood oozing from the wound. She flinches again and jumps back as the guard stands up, his face a mask of rage as he yanks a pistol from his belt.
Lisa backs against the wall, feeling the pistol in the small of her back, then it’s all a slow motion dream. When the guard aims his gun at Rita, she reaches back and grabs her pistol. She swings it around to shoot the guard, and the gun is still moving when she closes her eyes and pulls the trigger.
A deafening roar tears the gun from her hand. She opens her eyes and watches the guard topple backward onto the carpet, and she cannot take her eyes off the jerking body and the blood pooling on the floor. She feels bile rising in her throat and wants to throw up.
Rita spins around when she hears a gunshot and sees Lisa staring down at the guard. She rushes over, puts her arm around Lisa’s shoulder, and turns her away from the bloody body.
Lisa slowly turns her head to look up at Rita. “He was going to shoot you.”
“I know. It’s over now.”
Dieter looks around Blacktooth’s head and sees Okana. “Get this stinking bastard off of me!”
Okana reaches down, grabs Blacktooth’s belt, and rolls him off Dieter’s chest. When Dieter reaches up for his hand, Okana ignores him and runs up the stairs to check on Josh.
Josh turns from the window as Okana reaches the last step. “Everything okay down there?”
“Yes, we have the ship.”
“Then we better get out of here. Those rubber boats are coming up fast, and I don’t know if they heard the gunshot over on that ship.”
Okana turns to look at the three rubber boats racing across the water in their direction. “Yeah, go.” He grabs the intercom microphone. “Hang on down there. We are leaving.”
Josh shoves the throttle to its stop and the Mystic nearly leaps out of the water as though sensing newfound freedom. The black ship and rubber boats quickly shrink away behind them, and he smiles at Okana. “Where are we going? Back for Alex?”
“Not yet. We’ll lose radio contact with Bett. Head away from the islands for now and let them watch so they think we’re headed to the mainland.”
“What about Harrison and Bartram?”
Even though he detests Bartram, Okana feels bad about leaving Harrison behind. “Maybe they’ll take over Blacktooth’s crew. I’m going down to get rid of some deadweight.”
When Okana turns to leave, Josh grabs his shoulder. “Let me take care of it. I’ll start with him.”
Okana shrugs and takes over the controls, and watches Josh grab the man by the feet and drag him out of the bridge. Josh unceremoniously picks him up by the belt and collar and hurls him over the railing. When Josh comes back inside, he’s grinning as he walks down the stairs.
Josh reaches the bottom and steps over Blacktooth’s body, then looks around the room. Dieter is sitting on the floor, and the two women are standing near the table. The shocked expression in Lisa’s eyes only fuels his rage, as he yanks Blacktooth off the floor by the belt and collar, and tosses him into the walkway, not caring if he’s alive or dead.
He stomps across the lounge and picks the guard up around the waist with one arm and carries him out of the room. He stops, reaches down to grab one of Blacktooth’s feet, and continues out to the stern, dragging the limp body across the deck. He hurls the first man into the water, then kicks Blacktooth over the edge.
He watches the bodies churn in the wake and disappear, then goes back to the lounge and gives Rita a nod it’s clear to leave the room. He steps aside for a moment to allow Rita and Lisa to pass on their way to the stern, then searches for a blanket to cover the pool of blood on the carpet.
Okana looks down at the women through the rear window of the bridge. He’s intrigued Rita reacted so fast, and the grizzly scene didn’t seem to bother her. Josh said she could shoot, too. There is more to Rita than he imagined. He turns when Josh comes up the stairs. “How bad is the mess?”
“I cleaned up what I could and covered a bloody section of carpet with a blanket.”
“Thanks. I think I’ll check on Lisa. It’s a shame she had to be part of all that ugliness.”
“I know. I wonder how Bett is doing with Ivan.”
“She let me know she could handle him.”
“Yeah, that’s my gal.”
“See you in a few minutes.” Okana turns and heads out the door to the stairs going down to the deck.
***
SEWARD, ALASKA:
Bett receives clearance from the Seward airport control tower and sets down a short distance from the small air terminal. She pushes the radio frequency selection button and the stench of Ivan’s breath blows past her face.
“What you doing?” he demands.
“I’m just letting your boss know we landed safely.” When he leans back, she presses the activation button on her headset. “Mystic, this is Bett. Come in, please?”
“Hi, babe. Josh here.”
“Just letting you know we made it to Seward.”
“I’m glad you called. Our guests are being well taken care of, and I’ll wait for you to call when you’re heading back.”
Bett smiles over at Mike. “I’ll take care of it, sweetie. I’m out.” She turns to look at Ivan. “Let’s get out and go get our money.” She turns to Mike and winks. “Time to take care of business, money man.”
They all climb out of the helicopter, and Bett is furiously chewing her gum when she stops in front of Ivan. “You can’t take that pistol into the bank.”
“I know. You stay with me and wait for him to come back.”
Bett grins at him. “Whatever works, sweet cheeks.” She turns her head and looks for any bystanders, then spits out her gum. When Ivan’s eyes follow the gum to the asphalt, she drives the heel of her hand into his nose and watches him stagger back and collapse onto the ground. She turns to Mike. “Help me get him back into the helicopter. We’ll dump the body later.”
Mike grabs Ivan under the shoulders, while Bett grabs his legs, and they hoist him back inside and he closes the door. “Now what?”
“We go back to the Mystic.”
“What about Blacktooth and his men?”
“I imagine he’s sinking to the bottom of the ocean with his crew by now. The Mystic is ours again. Get in.”
Bett climbs into the pilot’s seat and puts on her headset. “Still there, sweetie?”
“I am. How’d it go?”
“Mike and I are on our way. Which direction?” She listens to the GPS coordinates. “All right. We need to dump some extra cargo on the way, so see you in about thirty minutes.”
***
MYSTIC:
A frigid breeze from the north blows across the stern, and Rita wraps her arms around Lisa. She can feel her shaking, but it’s not from the cold. “It’s over now.”
Okana walks over to the women. “You can go back inside.” When Lisa looks up, he sees the tears on her cheeks and is heartbroken she was forced to kill that man. “It was not your fault, Lisa. You saved Rita’s life. The rest of us, too.”
Lisa slowly nods that she understands. “I’ve never seen a dead person before.” A humorless smile forms on her trembling lips. “That was the first time I’ve fired a gun, too. I guess it was a lucky shot. I had my eyes closed when I pulled the trigger.”
Josh steps out of the bridge and looks down over the railing. “Bett’s on her way back. Should be here in half an hour. She says they’re missing one passenger.”
Okana looks at the women. “Let’s go back inside where it’s warm.”
Rita and Lisa follow Okana into the ship and they find Dieter sitting at the table with a bottle of vodka. Dieter picks up the bottle and holds it out to the group. “Here’s to you, Okana. Our savior.”
Rita notices the flames in Okana’s eyes and grabs his arm, but he jerks it away.
Okana stomps across the room, stands over Dieter, and glares down at him. When Dieter looks up and grins, it’s all he can stand. He grabs Dieter’s jacket and slams him back against the wall. “None of this would have happened if it wasn’t for you, you greedy bastard. I should toss you over the side.”
Dieter stares up at the glaring eyes. “You are not a murderer, Okana. Do not start now.”
If only you knew. He shoves him back one last time and lets go. “Don’t push it, Dieter. I’ve always enjoyed trying something new.” He turns and walks across the room and up to the bridge.
***
THE ISLAND:
Alex uses his foot to roll the Russian’s body into the ocean. He looks up at the V and remembers the odd-looking hatch covers on the ship. He walks over to the notch and climbs the steps, then down the other side and across the rusted deck to the gangway.
He looks over the side and the hatch covers are farther forward, so he studies what remains of the deck and handrails, and he dare not try to get closer. Five-feet below the doors, water fills the six-foot gap between the ship and the beach, and without a ladder, there is no way to look inside.
He heads down the gangway, then up the beach to the cave and sees the skeleton Dieter had mentioned, ten-feet inside the opening. What Dieter didn’t mention is that the skeleton is wearing a German Officer’s uniform.
He freezes and listens to the tinkling of running water from inside. He moves past the bones to the back of the cave and the light is very dim. He keeps still and listens, and the sound is slightly to the right. His eyes slowly adjust and he sees water trickling from a crack in the rock. The water clings to the sides and runs down into a manmade bowl carved into the solid rock on the ground. He reaches out and lets the water trickle through his fingers, then brings some up to his tongue and smiles. Fresh water from deep underground has made it to the surface. That explains the blackberry vines.
He kneels and scoops two handfuls into his mouth, then sees the light from the entrance reflecting off a silver surface on the side of the cave. A section of the volcanic rock lay on the ground beneath it.
He reaches over and pulls on the ragged edge of rock around the silver surface, and the lava turns to dust in his hand. He uses both hands to pull away the surrounding rock in larger pieces, and continues until it gets hard, then stops before he tears up his fingers. The remaining rock around the exposed silver surface is semi oval, five-foot-high, two-feet across, and a foot above the ground.
It gives him an idea, and he walks out of the cave and grabs the longest piece of the busted 2x4, roughly five-feet from squared end to splintered point. He carries it over to where the berry bushes meet the side of the rock and uses it to pry the bushes away from where the spaceship protrudes from the side of the crater. He suffers through pokes and scratches until he can see most of the ship. His white coat is ripped and stained, but it protected his arms, and he goes back into the cave to drink and wash away the blood on his hands and face.
He walks back outside, and now sees the spaceship is tilted at a slight angle, down toward the beach. Only eleven-feet of the silver surface is exposed above the ground. The other part is buried in the solid rock he’s standing on. For this ship to have survived the temperature of molten rock is a testament to the genius of that long ago race of humans.
He feels the frigid air swirling down from the top of the crater and his breath leaves wispy white clouds in the air. Even if he had matches, the only wood is the splintered 2x4’s, and they would only last a short time. If the Mystic does not return, he will freeze to death on this chunk of rock.
He flips the hood over his head and shoves his hands deep into the pockets, thinking about what to do next regarding the spaceship. He will need Norton to take over this operation, but convincing him to leave Area 51 will be difficult. Suddenly he remembers Wesley and the kids and wonders what is going on with Mount Baker.
For the moment, he’s helpless to do anything for anyone, and the frustration of his situation can no longer be contained. “Damn you, Dieter!” he yells.
He reaches down and grabs a piece of wood. “AAAAAAAH!” he roars, as he throws it across the beach at the rusted ship. It bounces off the side with a hollow thud and splashes into the water. He sighs in frustration and goes further into the cave and sits on the device. “Don’t let me down, Okana.”
Alex hears the crack of a lightning bolt, and neon blue light flashes past the entrance of the cave. He jumps up and runs through the opening, but the light is gone. A soft crackling sound echoes inside the crater, and he stops to listen. I’ve heard that sound before.
He runs down the beach and up the gangway, then around the hole in the deck and up the steps to the V. When he reaches the top, he stops and stands still, as the crackling continues.
He slowly puts his hands in his coat pockets and stares across the water. On the northern horizon ten-miles away, a wall of ice slowly rises out of the water. “Damn!”
A soft, high-pitched whine suddenly echoes around the walls inside the crater. He jerks his head around to locate the source and thinks it’s emanating from the spaceship, then he looks at the cave and sees the device is nearly transparent. A breeze suddenly blows over his head into the crater, and a small tornado forms over the tip of the device. He ducks below the ridge, out of the wind, and stares across the crater as a dark coating, like a shell, forms over the outline of the device.
“I’ll be damned,” he whispers. “It really works.” The wind increases and the dark material is slowly getting thicker. “Time to leave,” he whispers.
He keeps low as he crawls over the ridge and eases his way down the steps, and the slight breeze from the whirlwind drives the boat sideways against the shore. He grabs the anchor off the beach and tosses it into the boat, then pushes the bow out into the wind. When the stern spins around, he jumps over the transom into the boat, then stands as he drifts past the island into open water.
He walks to the driver seat and looks at the compass as he sits down, and the needle is slowly moving around the dial. He looks out the window and realizes the boat is caught in the light whirlwind around the island. When he turns the key, the engine roars to life, and he shoves the throttle forward. The boat spins away from the island and he sets a course east. According to the chart, the nearest land will be in this direction, although he knows he can never reach it. Hopefully, if the Mystic returns and doesn’t find him on the island, they will search in the direction of the nearest land to find him.