False Horizon - Alex Archer [18]
The car turned right and then followed the main road out toward the airfield. Tuk recognized the area and knew they were getting closer to the plane. He would have to make sure they didn’t spot him as they rolled inside the airfield perimeter.
Half a mile farther on, Tuk saw the taillights flash red as they braked and then turned left into the entryway. He eased the motorbike over to the side of the road and waited.
From his vantage point, Tuk could make out the car rolling toward a small airplane like the kind that ferried mountaineers all over the country.
Burton got out of the car first and checked their surroundings. Then he waved for Kurtz to exit the car. Together, they got Annja and Mike into the airplane. When they’d finished, Burton walked over to the trunk and removed several bags and stowed them in the plane, as well. When that was done, both he and Kurtz got back in the car and drove away.
Tuk rolled himself back into the shadows and let them drive past. He waited until he felt certain they were gone.
Then Tuk headed toward the plane, an idea already forming in his mind.
7
Annja woke up as the first rays of sunlight needled their way through the cockpit window of the de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft and roused her from the foggy drug-induced sleep. She looked around, realized where she was and then nudged Mike, who sat in the pilot’s seat.
He groaned and then reached up to stretch his hands, bumping them instead on the roof of the cockpit.
“Careful,” Annja said. “It’s cramped in here.”
Mike’s eyes fluttered open. “What the hell?”
Annja grinned. “Apparently, Tsing wants to make sure we get started finding Shangri-La right away.”
“I guess.” Mike looked around. “The plane’s a little large for what we need, but I guess it’ll do.”
“Can you fly this thing?” Annja asked.
Mike nodded. “Got my pilot’s license about five years back. When I knew I’d be spending more time in this part of the world, it seemed like a good idea to have it. The more you can be self-reliant over here, the better off you are.”
“Would have been better if you were financially self-reliant, too,” Annja said.
Mike blanched. “Yeah, all right, I know I deserved that one. I’m sorry, Annja, all right? Really I am. I had no idea that Tsing was pulling my strings like this. As far as I knew, it was a simple loan.”
“That has now turned into something else entirely.”
“Apparently so.”
Annja looked him over. She could see that Mike was not happy about having to work with Tsing. At the same time, she could see his sense of adventure exerting itself across his face. Mike’s eyes ran over the instrument panel and he switched on the two turboprop engines. Instantly, the propeller blades started to turn.
“We’re really going?” Annja asked.
Mike nodded. “We’ve got no choice in the matter. Tsing made it perfectly clear what would happen if we refused. And for my part, I may as well see whether this map is legitimate or not. After all of the trouble it’s managed to get me into, I owe it to myself—and you—to see it through.”
Annja looked around. Behind her, she could see several bags. “Looks like they gave us a bunch of supplies.”
Mike grunted. “It’s the least they could do.” He smacked his lips. “But I could do with a bottle of water. Any chance they packed a cooler back there?”
Annja felt around and found one. She pulled out a cold bottle of water for herself and one for Mike. “Cheers.”
Mike polished off the water quickly. “All right, let’s get this thing airborne and see what we can find out there.”
“What about the map?” she asked.
Mike eyed her. “What about it?”
“You have it with you?”
Mike tapped the side of his head. “Everything I need is stored safely inside the old cranium.”
“You’re joking,” Annja said.
Mike laughed. “Actually, I am. I had the map on me the entire time.”
“What if they’d taken it from you?”
Mike shrugged. “You heard Tsing. He can’t go out in the daylight with that skin condition of his. Maybe he’s a vampire or something.”
“Stop it,” Annja said, laughing.
Mike reached into a pocket of his cargo pants