Heat Chapter 9
As the plane flew towards the city and Sam dozed on Jack's shoulder, she did not realize that she was soon to get a surprise. At Karnak's prompting, Jack looked down and made sure that both he and Sam were securely buckled in. Karnak had one more trick up his sleeve and was rushing to get it in before the final leg of the trip.
The plane climbed higher and higher until the pilot was ready to demonstrate his showmanship. Jack sensed what was coming and held Sam even tighter. He knew Karnak wanted to startle her out of her nap but he didn't have the heart to let that happen.
Instead, he gently shook her awake just as the biplane started its roll. She slowly realized what was happening as the clouds spun past and the ground below came into her line of vision only to be replaced once more by the changing sky.
Karnak's delighted laughter could be heard from the rear cockpit.
"Did you enjoy my little stunt?! I cannot wait to take Alayna up and show her what I've mastered …"
Jack looked at Sam and shook his head. "He's just a big kid who happens to run a planet." She laughed and nodded.
Suddenly the plane shook and shuddered as a gust of strong wind swept past. The sky continued to change colors and flashes of lightning appeared on the horizon.
"Keep your seatbelts on my friends - it seems that we are in for a rough ride." Karnak silently berated himself for not paying better attention to the warning signs.
Darkening thunderheads were soon replacing the billowy clouds. The desert's heat was now evaporating as cold tumultuous winds started to toss the small plane back and forth. Sam and Jack felt the icy sting of rain and hail on their faces. Jack felt helpless as there were no backup controls to aid his struggling friend in the rear cockpit.
The crackle of lightning grew louder as the pilot sought to outrace the quick-moving storm. Karnak soon realized the futility of his efforts and in a final desperate maneuver dove under the heaving thunderclouds seeking a safe landing. His only chance was to set the plane down or risk disaster. As the ground approached closer and closer, a vortex rose from the desert floor swirling madly and trapping everything in its path.
"Courage!" was the last cry of the pilot as the plane spun wildly before being thrown out of the wind tunnel onto the ground below. It slid sideways amidst the churning sand after the left wings splintered and shattered on impact. The tail and rudder were wrenched from the fuselage just before it smashed into a massive sand dune. Lightning continued to rain down from the angry sky while large hail stones pounded what remained of the overhanging wing.
Gradually, the ferocity of the storm abated and an orange glow reappeared in the late-day sky. The dark destructive energy swept away, leaving only an eerie silence in its wake.
Creatures scurried across the desert terrain as the sun sank even lower on the horizon. A lizard crawled up onto what was left of the plane and then leapt away as a bloody arm reached out.
A cry of pain broke the stillness.
After her friends and husband had left, Alayna returned to her office and spent the rest of the long afternoon reviewing student files and preparing lecture notes. Careful class preparation now would save her valuable time later when she returned to teach after the baby's birth. Karnak wanted her to take a full year's sabbatical but she knew that she would miss the challenge and stimulation of her academic post sooner rather than later. She was thrilled at the prospect of becoming a new mother but, as First Lady, she had certain resources, including child care, which would allow her to better juggle the demands of both her personal and professional life.
She smiled as she thought of her husband's excitement over their first child. He had almost put her on a pedestal upon the announcement of her pregnancy, constantly hovering and looking concerned over her slightest discomfort. She was not sure how he would handle the birth itself and imagined him growing pale and needing to be led from the room. They had waited many years for this miracle, this gift. She was so blessed to have such a good man, a man of integrity, as the father of her child. What love she felt for them both.
She put her pen down as the baby moved within her as if to confirm her hopes for the future. This child was conceived in love and would be surrounded by love from the moment of its arrival.
Alayna could not help but think of her friends and the exciting new possibilities which awaited them too. Being with Sam and Jack today had made her both frustrated at their initial lack of commitment and then relieved when their defenses finally crumbled and they revealed how much they cared. Seeing them on the dance floor, arms around each other and oblivious to everyone else, was an image that she would treasure for a long, long time.
She continued to sit at her desk and contemplate the connection they all had – she and Karnak, Sam and Jack. She envisioned them growing old together, children and grandchildren adding even more joy to their busy lives.
Deep in thought, the contented woman failed to notice the waning daylight and the first rays of the setting sun filtering through the windows.
Suddenly, a chill coursed through her body and caused her to shiver. She rose from her chair and walked over to the window facing the courtyard. Her husband's plane had not yet returned. Something was wrong, terribly wrong.
