Scene 8

A small passenger plane over the Guyana Highlands

Ms. Falcon flew the plane low over the jungle, barely over the tops of the trees. Even at this low level, it was impossible to see anything through the leaves.

Everyone was watching through the windows intently, hoping to see any sign of people.

I moved up to the cockpit, where Ms. Falcon and Ms. Swan were seated.

“How’s our fuel holding out?” I asked.

“We’ve only got a few minutes left,” Ms. Falcon answered. “Because we had to fly so far just to get to the area, there's not much fuel left to search, not if we want to make it back.”

“I know, but we just couldn’t locate an airstrip any closer where we could refuel. Turn back just before we reach the no-return point.”

I moved back to the cabin and checked on everyone there. I noticed Frank rubbing his eyes.

“Take a break if you need one,” I told him.

“No, I’ll be okay,” he answered. “Are you sure there’s no beer on board?”

“Sorry, we had to keep the weight down, so we only packed essentials for the trip.”

“And beer isn’t essential?” he asked with a laugh.

I laughed along with him and moved on down the aisle.

“Dave,” Kevin called me over. “I think there’s something over there,” he said, pointing out the window.

I looked out of his window and noticed what looked like a small clearing in the jungle.

“You may be right,” I told him. “Falcon,” I called up to the cockpit. “There is a clearing off to the right. Swing over that way so we can check it out.”

“Will do,” she called back. I felt the plane bank as she turned the plane.

“On the first pass, keep the clearing on the right,” I told her. “Then, on the second pass, put it on the left. That way we can have different sets of eyes on the search.”

“Everyone,” I addressed the people in the cabin. “There is a clearing coming up on the right. Check it out and look for any sign of people, especially our people. On our first pass, those on the right search the clearing; you on the left keep watch on your own side for anything else. On the second pass, switch roles.”

As the plane neared the clearing we examined the clearing.

“I see smoke,” said Kevin.

“And small buildings,” said Frank.

As we neared the clearing, we could all see several small building in the clearing, most with smoke coming from chimney pipes set in the roof. The clearing was next to a hillside and all the buildings formed a half-circle around a small structure set into the hill.

“It looks like a mining camp,” said Ms. Hawk.

That was all we saw on our first pass and we waited for the plane to circle around. I moved over to watch out the left side.

“There is a group of people,” said Jock as we neared the second time.

“They’re doing something,” Greg noticed.

I looked at the group of people more closely. Several of them were watching the plane, but two of them were working with something in a box. One of the men picked up a long tubular device and set it on his shoulder, pointing it towards the plane.

I new instantly what it was. “Missile!” I yelled out. “Falcon, get us out of here!”

The plane banked sharply as Falcon turned the plane away from the clearing. I gripped the seat tightly so that I could keep watching the men below. As I watched, a small burst of fire and smoke came out of both ends of the missile launcher.

“They’ve fired!” I warned.

I quickly moved up to the cockpit.

“Can you outmaneuver it?” I asked Ms. Falcon.

“Not in this heap,” she answered. She pulled back on the control stick and the plane started to rise. “The best I can do is gain some altitude so that I have some breathing room to find a good place to crash land.”

Just then an explosion was heard and felt throughout the plane and I was thrown to the floor.

“We’re hit!” called Ms. Hawk from the cabin.