“It has to be at least that size so it can carry enough fuel to get us stateside. We’ll refuel at LAX.” Creed was very much aware how tense Alik was, so he was really just trying to make idle talk, too. He was also very aware how dangerous this guy could be, especially when he felt his family threatened. He heard stories of what happened back at the Institute. And though Creed thought he could take Alik, he wanted to avoid a battle with him if possible.
The time was nearly three in the afternoon local time. The pilot stood at the doorway monitoring the lift that was bringing Meg and her gurney up to the special ambulatory door on the side of the plane. Getting her settled in the plane and properly situated was less difficult than Alik imagined. Everyone was very professional and adept at their jobs. Williams had spared no expense in hiring this team to transport his precious serum and, by proxy, his ill sister. Though Alik was thankful for the smooth transition from Paulie’s laboratory to here, he was maintaining his skepticism. Williams was evil however you try to sugar-coat it. None of this was out of the goodness of his heart. He wanted that serum, and he was getting it.
Alik settled into a plush, burgundy upholstered passenger’s seat. Creed sat closer to the pilot’s cockpit and Evan was toward the back of the plane, where they had secured Meg’s gurney. He was carefully hanging a new I.V. bag for Meg and discreetly checking her catheter bag that hung below the bed’s mattress. Alik appreciated his brother’s medical knowledge now more than ever. How would he be able to transport their sister safely without his brother’s expert care? They would have had to bring another person, and that would have just complicated things, just as Evan had said to their mom an hour before.
He smiled affectionately at his brother as they caught each other’s eyes. The three of them had always made one heck of a great team. Meg was the moxie, Evan the logical planner and Alik was the muscle. Without thinking, he whisked a tear away from his eye.
The pilot came over the intercom with a robotic hissing sound, “Good afternoon, Mr. Young and guests. This is your pilot, Captain Bob Jacobi at your service. Our copilot today is my good buddy, Vince Trainer. It is, uh, three-sixteen local time. The temperature is steady at eighty-one degrees, wind five to ten knots south-south-west, and visibility clear. Please listen carefully as our flight attendant, Missy, reviews the safety features of this aircraft and proper safety protocol.”
The overhead intercom hissed then went silent before Missy began her spiel at the front of the plane.
“Welcome Mr. Young and guests to flight 310 Air Ambulance to Germany. Our first stop will be in LAX to refuel before heading on to New York then Europe. In the unlikely event there is an inair emergency there are a series of procedures we must advise you of for your safety and for the safety of others on this plane…” Missy droned on in her squeaky voice to recite her memorized speech about the cabin pressure, flotation devices and exit routes while the passengers barely listened, least of all, Evan. He was too worried about Meg’s monitors to think about “first placing the oxygen mask over his own face before assisting someone else.”
Missy was finally done with her canned safety speech when the overhead intercom hissed to life again. “Uh,…ladies and gentlemen, we have just been cleared, uh, by the tower for takeoff. So, please be sure your carry-on luggage is properly stowed in the available compartments, buckle up and double-check our patient’s safety harnesses as well. Thank you, and if you have any questions now or anytime during the uh,…eight-hour flight to LAX, please don’t hesitate to push the red call button above your head and one of the flight crew will come to assist you. Uh, again, thank you for allowing us to be of service to you Mr. Young and guests and we look forward to a smooth flight. This is your captain, Bob Jacobi, with copilot Vince Trainer, out.”
The engines began to roar louder as the craft taxied to the start of the runway. Alik watched his sister’s I.V. bag swing gently as the plane picked up speed. A quick glance out one of the many oval windows showed the scenic Hawaiian landscape blur by. With a swift pull, the plane was up and off the ground, rising quickly. There was no turning back now. Of course, there probably never was. Alik, Evan and their dying sister were en route to a devil’s den.
37 Farrow’s Fury
Farrow hated be left behind. Williams had informed her of Creed’s progress and told her to keep her distance from him as he maneuvered the metas and the serum to Germany.
“Keep your head down, Farrow,” he hissed into the phone when she had objected.
“Sir, with all due respect, Creed may need to be monitored more closely. I think he’s unsure of his true intentions. The family is getting to him, and he looks like he’s on the fence. He doesn’t even know which side he wants to be on.”