part0014

Cody lay on the ground near the back entrance of the cave. He reached heavenward as raindrops pelted his face. A lightning bolt flashed before his eyes, bringing him back to reality. Then, he saw a beautiful figure with raven hair and deep eyes standing over him. She appeared upside down.

“Cody! Get up! It’s pouring. I’ll have to hang your clothes by the fire again.”

Cody jumped up. “C’mon, let’s get inside.” He grabbed the backpack, threw the alarm clock inside and pulled her toward the cave. They climbed through the opening.

“What’s in the pack? Let me see it!” She jerked it away. When she looked inside, all she could do was stare with mouth wide open.

Finally, she squeaked out, “I can’t believe it! Cody, I can’t believe it!”

Cody reached in, pulled out the clock, and showed her the face of it.

“From Angel? Cody, it says ‘From Angel’ on it.”

“C’mon, let’s go tell the others.”

Diamond was determined to be the bearer of good news. “Come over here, everyone! Look what just happened!”

Tige and Betsy got there first.

“I smell food!” Tige held the bag open and looked inside.

Betsy reached into the backpack and pulled out a thermos filled with something, then a bag containing fourteen ocean-trout filets fully cooked and still warm. Tige grabbed the thermos, opened the top, and slowly breathed in the aroma. It was obviously some sort of soup, perhaps an ocean gumbo.

They continued, pulling out vegetables and fresh fruit, presumably from the island. The backpack also contained plates, eating utensils, and a used pair of size 9 women’s tennis shoes.

Victor and Parker joined the group. “So, where did you get this?”

Everyone stared at Parker who smiled but said nothing.

“Can one of you answer my question?” Victor insisted. “Where did this come from?”

Cody showed them the alarm clock. Tige read the words on the face which were handwritten with a marker. “From Angel? Who in the sweet by-n-by is Angel?”

“Unknown,” Cody responded. “But whoever this Angel is, he’s one heck of a packer. Look at all this stuff.”

Victor walked around behind everyone and scanned the area. “So where are the other bags?”

“This is the only one we found,” Diamond answered.

“Ha! ” Victor snickered. “I’ve loaded a lot of these 8150 combat packs. It’s one of the smaller ones, designed for short missions, light travel.” He looked again at the assortment of items which had supposedly come from the bag. “There is no way this much stuff can go in one of these.”

Parker spoke up. “So, maybe we should hear it from the beginning. Which one of you lovebirds wants to go first?”

Cody and Di looked at each other. Cody responded to the question. “Lovebirds? Well, I dunno if . . . I mean —”

Diamond interrupted. “So . . . Cody said this, like, prayer thing? You know?” She looked around. Everyone had a blank expression. “I mean, he didn’t really think . . . I mean I didn’t really know if . . .” She shook her head. “So like, he asked God to maybe send an angel with some food. That’s what happened. Yep. There it is. That’s what happened.”

“Who cares?” Betsy raved. “I’m starving!” She reached for a bag.

Tige swatted her hand away. “Not so fast! Before we eat this, I want to hear it from Cody. What exactly happened?”

Cody looked at Parker, who nodded for him to go ahead.

“Di’s right. That’s all I can tell you.”

Parker finally weighed in. “Before we eat this, I think we should thank God Almighty for the provision. Cody, you should do it.”

Cody put his arm around Diamond’s shoulders. “I think Di should do the honors. She’s the one who thought of it.”

Diamond’s body language and sudden frown spoke loud and clear — she wanted to hide somewhere. “You want me to pray? But I’m the last person who should . . . I mean . . . well, maybe just a short little prayer?”

“Go ahead,” Cody whispered.

“How should I do my hands?” she whispered back.

He dropped his head and closed his eyes. “You’ll do fine.”

Everyone bowed their heads; even Victor, albeit awkwardly.

“So, okay, God . . . I’m like, so freaked. I mean, I was never so surprised in my life . . . It’s too good to be . . .” She put her fingers over her lips, then she and Cody stared at each other.

Betsy had finally had enough. “Let’s eat! I thank God, whoever that is, and the angel, whoever that is! I don’t care if the food came from space invaders or Cookie Monster. Let’s eat this stuff before we become ghosts!”

She dug in. Everyone else followed.

After the scrumptious meal, everyone had a few moments of lighthearted conversation. Such had been in short supply since the crash.

“Time to talk strategy,” Cody said,

Everyone became quiet.

Cody breathed deeply. “I know we have lots of unanswered questions. I’m going to say a few things, then if you wanna ask questions, fire away.”

“Wait,” Tige said. “I’d like to know what you and Di were really doing out there. Where did you disappear to?”

Diamond responded before Cody could even open his mouth. “We went outside the back entrance to visually survey that area. We’re trying to figure out where we are and how we’ll get back home. I might as well tell the truth. We were also talking about some personal things. Just talking. Okay?”

Tige grinned. “Good for you, Di.” She looked at the others. “We understand, don’t we everybody?”

Parker grinned at Cody, but no one else reacted.

“Okay, people. I remind you that bodies lie on the beach. Surely some are buried at the edge of the reef out there in the airplane. We still have no clue as to the power that brought us here.”

“First, we will refer to this unknown island as ‘X-Ray.’ This main chamber of the cave will be called ‘Alpha,’ the waterfall area will be ‘Bravo,’ and the back exit will be called ‘Charlie.’ In an emergency, that will simplify our communications.”

“Cody, I never did debrief you,” Victor said. “Tell us what happened in the cockpit just before the crash.”

“Fifteen seconds before the crash I regained partial control, but it was too late. We lost power in both engines and all I could do was try to level off the plane so it wouldn’t hit the water in a steep dive. That’s the only reason we survived. I wish everyone had made it, but . . .” Cody caught another deep breath.

“I think that whoever was controlling the aircraft wanted us to live. I suspect they were trying to land this plane remotely somewhere on this island. I believe they have some use for us. More than likely, their guidance control technology failed because of the storm, and manual control was partially restored. Whatever they were trying to do went terribly wrong.”

Victor picked up the empty backpack and began examining it carefully. He glanced over at the food containers and other items which had come from the empty bag, then shook his head once more in disbelief.

Diamond had a question for Cody. “When they questioned Tige and Betsy, they wanted descriptions of other survivors. Could they have been looking for just one particular person?”

“That’s possible. But if that’s the case, why not just send somebody to abduct that individual instead of wasting resources on such an elaborate plan? This makes no sense. A remote hijacking would be too expensive.”

Victor looked up, still holding the backpack. “They may have been testing the technology. If they could successfully commandeer a commercial flight and land it somewhere remotely, they could hold the entire airline industry hostage.”

“That’s a plausible explanation. Maybe they want to find other survivors in order to eliminate witnesses.”

Di’s voice sounded hoarse. “In other words, they might want us all dead?”

Cody nodded. “We have to consider that. These guys are brutal, judging from the way they treated Tige and Betsy.”

Tige had a question. “Is anyone looking for us? I mean like Coast Guard or anyone else who might rescue us?”

“I doubt it. The aircraft fell from over twenty thousand feet. It levelled off and flew at three hundred feet the rest of the way. Communications, transponder, and sat-trace functions no longer worked. The aircraft went dark. ATC probably thinks we crashed off the coast of Venezuela. That’s how it would’ve appeared on radar.”

Betsy spoke up. “Decades ago, wasn’t there some famous incident similar to this? Some foreign airliner from Malaysia?”

“That’s right. A Malaysia Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur disappeared over the ocean, and . . . well, it was never found.”

A dismal silence followed.

Betsy finally broke the quietness. “What about something called ELT? I heard someone use that acronym somewhere.”

“It’s called Emergency Locator Transmitter. The ELT activates when a plane crashes. It’s battery-powered and lasts only a few days.” Cody frowned and crossed his arms. “Years ago, satellites stopped listening for ELT signals. So, the only hope for rescue comes if another aircraft flies close enough to hear the ELT emergency signal.”

Tige jumped back in. “Cody, tell us your last name. Why be such a mystery man? Maybe you’re the person they’re looking for!”

“Yeah!” Betsy piled on. “I bet Di knows your last name.”

“Tell us who you are!” Tige insisted again.

Cody lowered his head and gritted his teeth. “I have reasons for —”

“Now listen to yourselves!” Diamond interrupted. “You should be ashamed! This man risked his life for both of you, and he’s just as mystified as the rest of us.”

Betsy wasn’t to be deterred. “Listen to us, Di. You’re partial to Cody for obvious reasons. Granted, he’s a beast, and he rescued us, but there is no reason to hide his identity from us.”

“Okay, okay,” Cody said. “You’re right. My last name is Musket.”

“Cody Musket?” Tige perked up. “Like the famous baseball player?”

“He’s my dad. He’s fifty-five years old.”

“Now, that explains it,” Betsy said. “Your mother is Brandi Musket. ‘Mama Brandi’ they call her. She’s the one who runs all those halfway houses for kids. I admire your mother, Cody. It’s just all the hocus pocus God stuff I can’t handle.”

“Cody, take a look at this.” Victor handed him a folded envelope. “I found something in this backpack that got overlooked. How much do you know about this Angel character?”

Cody unfolded the small envelope and read a message. “Sir, I am Angel. I will be in touch. I must return home now to avoid the rain.”

Betsy jumped all over it. “So, let me get this. You said this magic prayer, and this errand boy from heaven shows up but has to get home before it rains?”

“Yeah,” Tige said. “What a shame if the poor angel gets his feet wet!”

“Just hold on a second.” Cody held up his hands. “This message may be written in a code, for all we know. Give us time to evaluate it.”

Victor agreed. “Whoever this person is, he or she knows we’re here and brought goodies we needed. If this Angel person wanted us dead, we’d all be dead.”

“Right. If Angel were an enemy, this place would be crawlin’ with hostiles by now.” Cody handed the message to Betsy. “Pass it around. Let everyone see it.”

“For what it’s worth,” Victor followed up, “I think we should take turns watching the back door.”

“Agreed,” Cody said. “I’ll take the first watch.”

The meeting broke up. It was the middle of the afternoon, the second day since the crash.

Cody put a weapon under his belt and went back to the place where he and Diamond had sat underneath the palms. He wouldn’t let even an angel go by unnoticed this time.

In a few minutes, he looked up and saw Diamond coming through the exit. She walked over and sat across from him on the ground. “So I guess Angel wasn’t an angel after all. Honestly, I’m a little disappointed. I had hoped it was true.”

Cody’s smile was undeterred. “I see it another way.”

“Okay. I’m listening.”

“We got more than we asked for,” Cody declared.

“Okay, so, just think about it. Everyone’s stuffed and there are leftovers. And what about the shoes? Women’s size nine — you and Betsy don’t have to share anymore. How did he know we needed one pair that size? Besides that, the amount of stuff he brought won’t fit in that bag.”

“No, but the cubic centimeters don’t add up.”

“Granted,” she said. “There’s no explanation for the centimeters. So, what does it mean?”

“Angel isn’t from Heaven. He’s an ally living on this island. Don’t you see? He’ll have answers to our questions. Altogether, we got way more than we asked for.”

“What about those two prisoners in that hole? Are you still going to interrogate them? Burn ‘em with those collars ‘til they talk? That’s what they would have done to my friends.”

“I’ve never done that,” Cody said. “Parker’s gonna give ‘em food and water. I wanna hear what Angel has to say before we tear into those guys.”

“So, fill me in about the dangerous work you do. How can you be the kind of Christian you want to be and an avenger at the same time?”

“I would rather be an evangelist, not an avenger in the traditional sense. But if I use force, my motivation is to help defenseless victims or protect people I love, not to satisfy some primitive animal instinct to get revenge.”

“Sounds like reciting an oath. So where does justice enter the picture? Shouldn’t we harm those two prisoners in equal measure to what they did to others?”

“No. That’s revenge. Those guys are no longer a threat. It’s up to the law to dispense justice.” He leaned back against the wall and shook it off. “I’ll admit the line gets muddied sometimes. I struggle with it, especially where there’s no law. ”

Diamond moved forward and sat beside him. She stroked his sandy blond hair and his unshaven face with her right hand. “Cody, you’re not a man who enjoys hurting people. But, you’re committed to doing what is necessary, and that conflict injures you in the deep places of your heart.”

With a reticent smile he stared at his own reflection in her soft, shimmering eyes. “So, am I hearing the real Diamond Casper? One who’s quietly eloquent when she’s not acting? The one who can read what’s in someone’s heart? You’re more real than you give yourself credit for.”

“Cody, tell me what you felt when I kissed you on the beach before you went to save my friends. Did it mean anything? I just need to know.”

He closed his eyes in deep thought. “I had a mission. My only thought was, ‘Musket, this is no time to lose your heart.’”

“You always have a mission, Cody. So, have you ever lost your heart?”

“Can you tell me about it?”

“It was when you kissed me, then handed me your shoes for a friend.”

“Well, shame . . . on . . . you for being human. Would you like to know when I lost my heart for the first time?”

He made eye contact but said nothing. She looked away, hoping her face would not blush.

“So, I was on this plane one night about to crash in the ocean, and this brazen guy told me to sit down and shut up and help him find some book to fly the plane with.” A measured smile emerged from her parched lips as she glanced at his face again.

“Sounds familiar. Was I there?”

“You looked at me, just like now, and saw me as a person of worth. I’m good at reading men’s eyes, Cody. Most men look at me as if I were a toy to play with.”

“So . . . we’ve known each other only two days. I may always have a mission. Not much room for anything else. Does that bother you?”

“I wouldn’t want you to be anyone else. But, I must be honest about something. It troubles me to tell you this, Cody, because I care deeply for you.” She took a long pause. “I haven’t let any man . . . touch me . . . I mean, not since I left my father’s house. I’m . . . not sure I can. Ever again.”

“That will change. You will be whole again.”

“Whole again? Cody, I have never been whole. It took this crash, this island to teach me that.”

A breeze moved the palm leaves that shadowed the spot where they sat, allowing a single ray of sunlight to flash through Diamond’s hair. Something caught Cody’s attention.

“So, what are these yellow flakes in your hair?”

“Cody, what are you talking about? Changing the subject are we?”

“Seriously, lemme have a closer look.” He ran his hand through her dark hair. “Where did you pick these up?”

He showed her his hand. It was covered with shiny yellow flakes.

She glanced at her own hand. “Look, I have them on my hand too. I must have gotten them out of your hair when I was . . .”

“The waterfall,” he said. “We both had showers this morning. Maybe it’s in the water. Let’s go check!”

“But why are we just now seeing them?”

“Unknown, ma’am. Maybe we weren’t looking.”

“That’s not funny anymore, sir.”

They returned to the waterfall. Cody grabbed a mug and dipped. They looked at the water sample but detected no gold flakes.

“It’s too dark in here.” Di took the cup. “C’mon, we need the sun.”

They headed back to the outside with the water sample. The direct sunlight revealed thousands of tiny gold flakes floating in the mug.

“Cody! Do you think this is gold?”

“Looks like it to me. Gold has become scarce. If this is gold . . . hmmm, it means we need to strain the water before we drink it.”

“But I wonder if gold has anything to do with the secret activities on this obscure island?”

“Good question,” Cody said. “Pure gold is safe to consume in small quantities like this, but if it has traces of copper it can be toxic.”