Please Note: I have never actually been to Turkey, so information about the airport and such may be inaccurate, if you have been please feel free to correct me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
"I am not paying so little, please take some more for such great merchandise," Kurtis said to the grinning man.
They were currently bartering with an old friend of Kurtis' for supplies they would need. Mr. Friedman was an ex-legionnaire who had worked with her American friend during a somewhat shadowy part of his life, for he never spoke of it, thus making meeting someone he used to collaborate with all the more interesting to Lara.
If he wasn't trying to rip us off it would improve my interest, she thought bitterly, scoffing at the outrageous price he had just named for a parachute.
Kurtis just accepted the prices, forking over the cash for two parachutes, new clothes for them both and various equipment that would be needed in a jungle like rope, a pick axe and a machete to cut away any unwanted foliage. Lara scoffed again at the number of items he had purchased, used as she was to marching into a jungle with nothing but the clothes on her back and two trusty pistols at her sides.
"You should not have paid him that much," Lara scolded as they left 'Friedman's Firearms'. She was quite indignant that they had left a shop designed to sell guns without actually purchasing any, but managed to hold in most of her frustrations.
The brunette was actually unsure where the money had come from: she certainly had not seen the American dollars he had used to pay the man before, and could not help but think there was something she was not aware of.
They both clambered onto the motorbike they had managed to steal from the docks. It was a rusty old thing that barely managed to work with both of them seated upon it, and with the new purchases tied safely to the back of the vehicle it would be even slower.
With a sigh, Lara slipped her arms around Kurtis' waist as he drove off, struggling to get the engine up to thirty miles an hour. Luckily, the airport was not far and allowed them to enjoy a breezy respite from the hot, exotic location they found themselves in.
Whenever fate allowed it, Lara liked to appreciate the environment she found herself in, permitting her mind to wonder about the history of the locals and what their lives were like. She firmly believed that history was more than tombs and stones, that it was about people and how they lived and acted in their long dead society. The short bike ride gave her an ample opportunity to indulge in this.
The airport was a modern building, set haphazardly on the dusty, dry terrain that was found further inland. Security was fairly lax, all things considered. There were no terrorism reports or failed bomb scares, therefore efforts were focused elsewhere.
Hopefully this will mean our passports won't be checked too often and Karel won't be alerted to our presence, Lara thought optimistically.
They pulled into the airport car park, and breezed through to the reception desk. Kurtis promptly purchased two tickets to Manaus Airport in Brazil.
"May I have your passports please?"
Lara immediately started to take her bag off, pausing as she watched Kurtis pull out two passports, which looked real enough. The man at the desk seemed content enough with them, and passed them through, booking their flight.
Suddenly, she realised why he had paid his friend so much for what was rather mundane merchandise. The bag and their equipment was whisked through security, attracting no suspicious attention. Lara assumed the machete was on Kurtis' person, and smirked with approval that it did not set off any alarm as they passed through the metal detectors.
No doubt another of his diamond blades, she thought with amusement, as she too passed through the detectors with no trouble.
"Perhaps you would like to get changed dear?" Kurtis suggested to her, as they passed through into a lounge. They had approximately an hour until their flight, having managed to book the seats from a few cancellations. Lara looked down at her ruined tee and shorts, stained in various places and ripped to scandalous proportions; she certainly could raise suspicion in her current attire. Kurtis' clothes were in similar shape, but the bundle of clothes in his hands revealed his intentions were similar to hers.
Without another word, Lara turned on her heel and left for the nearest toilets.
The stark cleanliness of the place surprised her, but she decided not to complain. Filling a sink full of hot water and dispensing soap into it, Lara cleaned herself as best as she could. The clean water felt heavenly on her parched skin, making her feel as if all the impurities of the past few days were being washed away. She freed her hair from the straggly braid it was currently tied up in, immersing her head in the soapy water whilst quickly running another tap to clean the hair as best as possible. An abandoned hair brush was quickly treated with the sanitiser soap provided and brushed through her long hair. Using the bandana, she quickly tied her hair out of her face casually, hoping that this would provide a slight bit of disguise as it was so far removed from her normal style.
Feeling content with her new found cleanliness, Lara inspected the clothes Kurtis had brought her. A white tank top was standard, with a sports bra thoughtfully provided. Tight fitting hot pants would prove the most comfortable in the jungle; the ones supplied being a deep green in colour. Kurtis had also provided a pea green gypsy skirt and matching bandana to cover up her outfit and make her appear more like the tourist she was supposed to be.
Locking herself in a cubicle, she quickly changed into the new clothes, bundling the soiled ones into a conveniently placed trash can in the spacious cubicle.
The airport clearly likes to provide for their customers, she thought amusedly.
Slipping on the socks and boots provided, Lara left feeling much fresher. Kurtis was waiting for her on her arrival, in a tank top and cargo shorts in similar shades of green. They looked exactly like the newlywed couple they were pretending to be.
They sat around in the lounge after that, Lara leaning into Kurtis' upper body to hold up their guise of being a newly wed couple. An arm protectively encircled her waist and held her secure against the American, causing her to smile slightly. Finally able to admit that being in this situation was not all that unpleasant, she took advantage of the opportunity it provided her to revel in Kurtis' warm presence.
Lara was curious as to what was in the hand luggage Kurtis had organised for them, but for once was able to relinquish control and trust his judgement.
…………………
The airplane was slightly crowded but Lara had been in worse conditions. She was currently occupying a window seat, eating the food provided on the flight without complaint, ready to conserve her energy, Kurtis next to her was doing the same. He had convinced her to raise the arm rest between then, allowing for her to sit flush with Kurtis' body. She had not protested much, finding the hand currently playing with her tresses comforting. The man sitting next to Kurtis had commented once on how adorable they were, prompting two strained smiles from the faux couple.
They were currently flying over the Amazon rainforest, and they were starting their descent over the treetops.
Suddenly, Kurtis grabbed her arm, pulling her up and out of the seat and dragging her towards the front of the plane. He held the two lots of hand luggage in his arms. They headed into the toilet, and he slammed the door behind them. Sniggers were audible from the rest of the passengers, no doubt thinking they would be committing acts no one should in a public place.
"Put this on," Kurtis said quickly, opening one of the bags to reveal the parachute he had purchased earlier. Smiling at his plan, she quickly tied one of the parachutes to herself, and watched as he did the same. The American quickly tied all of the equipment they had bought between them, prompting her to wonder what on earth was in their 'luggage' in the hold.
"You certainly have a lot of guts, Trent," Lara commented, as they exited the bathroom to the surprised look of the passengers. They were flying low enough to allow a safe jump from the plane, though landing would prove difficult in the forest.
Kurtis operated the hatch door on the side, throwing off a protesting staff member who quickly left to consult the pilot. Without acknowledging this, Kurtis simply grabbed his 'fiancée' and jumped off the plane.
I may have to let him plan things more often, Lara mused, relishing the feel of parachuting, feeling it had been entirely too long since she had partook in the sport.
Grinning widely, she activated the chute release at the same time as Kurtis' and enjoyed the gradual fall into the trees towards their next task.
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Yay, new chapter in less than a week! I calculated how many chapter we have left to go, and I can safely say there are about 15 more to go, I'm hoping to get these up sooner than I have been updating, especially as I am soon to have another story complete.
Huge Thanks to my beta Lynsey who has helped me out recently :)
Any reviews/comments/emails are welcome as always.
M.P.