Part 42 (1/2)
”Zoe! Is that you in the Clipper? It's Sky Monster!”
”Sky Monster!” Zoe grabbed a headset. ”Yes, it's us! Where are you!”
”I'm right above you,”came the reply.
AS THE BIG Clipper seaplane soared over the jungle, an even larger plane swung in low above it, descending from a higher alt.i.tude.
The Halicarna.s.sus.
”Sorry it took me so long to get here,”Sky Monster said. ”Had to go via Kenya!”
”How did you find us?” Lily asked.
”We'll discuss that later!” Zoe said. ”Sky Monster, we've got a bunch of angry pa.s.sengers downstairs who are trying to bring our bird down from the inside! We need extraction, p.r.o.nto!”
”Roger that. I see you got no winds.h.i.+eld. Are you all mobile?”
”Yes.”
”Then let's do a dogsniffer. Zoe, power up to four hundred knots and then send everyone over.”
”Gotcha.”
”What's a dogsniffer?” Lily asked.
”You'll see,” Zoe said, turning sharply.
More gunshots were echoing out from downstairs.
The two planes flew over the Congo jungle in formation, the ma.s.sive 747 looming above the smaller Clipper seaplane.
Then the Halicarna.s.sus powered forward in front of the Clipper and, with its rear loading ramp open, lowered itself in front of the seaplane's smashed c.o.c.kpit.
From her position inside the Clipper's c.o.c.kpit, Zoe saw theHali 's enormous tail section lower into place in front of her, filling her field of vision.
Its rear loading ramp yawned before her, bare yards in front of her own plane's nose cone.
”OK, Sky Monster!” she yelled in her mike. ”Hold her there, I'll bring us forward and send everyone over!”
Zoe then powered up and edged the seaplane closer to theHalicarna.s.sus 's rear ramp, until the Clipper's nose was literally sc.r.a.ping against the edge of the ramp.
Then she yelled, ”OK! Wizard, grab Lily, Ono, and Dr. Ca.s.sidy, and go!”
Wizard didn't need to be told twice.
He quickly slid up over the c.o.c.kpit dashboard and stood out on the nose of the Clipper, in the battering wind,between the two flying planes!
He pulled Lily, Ono, and Ca.s.sidy out after him, and after a few hurried steps across the nose of the Clipper, they hopped up onto the rear ramp of theHali and found themselves standing in the relative calm of the 747's rear hold.
This left Zoe alone in the c.o.c.kpit of the seaplane.
She hit autopilot and left the controls, sliding up and out onto the nose cone just as the Neetha managed to hit another of her engines and it exploded and the entire plane lurched wildly.
Too far gone to go back now, Zoe jumped, diving for theHali 's rear ramp at the exact moment that the seaplane beneath her just fell away, banking downward at an extreme angle.
Zoe landed awkwardly, her forearms banging on the edge of the ramp, her fingers clutching for a hydraulic strut but missing, and to her utter horror she felt herself drop off the edge of the ramp and fall into the wide blue sky...
...at which point no fewer thanthree sets of hands grabbed her outstretched arms.
Wizard, Lily, and Ono.
All three of them had seen her leap from the flailing seaplane, seen her clasp the hydraulic strut with one hand, and then seen her grip begin to falter.
And so all three of them had lunged to her rescue, diving for her outstretched hands at the same time.
Now they held her, together, while far beneath Zoe the pilotless Clipper seaplane veered wildly downward and-with its cargo of fanatical Neetha warriormonks-crashed into the forest, exploding in a great billowing fireball.
Wizard, Lily, and Ono hauled Zoe up into the hold while Diane Ca.s.sidy closed the rear ramp. The ramp thunked shut, and they all sat there for a moment on the floor in the wonderful silence of the hold.
”Th..thanks guys,” Zoe gasped.
”You're thanking us?” Wizard said in disbelief. ”You'rethanking us? Zoe, did yousee yourself these last few days? You killed a warrior on the Fighting Stone, you deciphered an unconquerable maze, you flew a Neethacovered plane out of h.e.l.l and almost died to make sure we all got off it safely.
”Honestly Zoe, I've never seen anything like it. What you've done was.e.xtraordinary. Jack West Jr is not the only outandout hero I know. When he was gone, you stepped up to the plate. You're an absolute wonder.”
Zoe bowed her head. She hadn't even thought about what she'd done. She'd just done it.
Lily gave her a huge hug. ”You were awesome, Princess Zoe. Fivestargirl power. Grrrr!”
And for the first time in days, Zoe smiled.
BACK AT THE Neetha village, through sheer force of arms, Wolf's people had taken control of the town.
Neetha villagers and warriormonks were gathered together on their knees, bound with flexcuffs and guarded by Congolese Army men.
Switchblade came striding over to Wolf.
”Sir, we have it,” he said proudly, stepping aside to reveal the Delta man, Broadsword, who held the Second Pillar.
Wolf's eyes sparkled at the sight. He took the cleansed Pillar and held it reverently in front of his face.
”We also found this young gentleman.” Switchblade shoved Alby forward, clutching his wounded shoulder. ”Name's Albert Calvin. Says he's a friend of Jack West's daughter.”
Wolf eyed the little boy before him and snuffed a laugh. ”Tend his wound. He comes with us from here.”
Switchblade went on: ”Rapier's up in the inner sanctum above the maze. He says he's found the Firestone, the Philosopher's Stone, and the First Pillar, all laid out on altars.
He's bringing them down.”
”Splendid,” Wolf said. ”Splendid. The Neetha took them from Max Epper. This is turning out to be an excellent day.”