Operation: Unknown Angel

by Margaret Kay

  Annaka watched Danny’s team move fast. The four men were out of the parking lot before Annaka could even breathe. The three other men rushed to the front door of the research building, followed by Clint Ames.

  “Where’s the gas shut off?” Mother asked Clint.

  “This side of the building.” Annaka watched Clint and Danny disappear around the corner. They reappeared a few seconds later.

  “Gas is off,” Mother reported. He entered the building first. Cooper was right behind him. “Ames, stay back for a minute till we are sure it’s stable enough.”

  A few minutes later, the three men emerged. “Looks safe. We pushed on all the weight bearing points. There’s no movement and no structural damage to anyplace but the ceiling. The gas should stay off until the gas company comes around to check it out. The electric and phones are functioning,” Cooper reported.

  “It might get a little cold,” Mother said.

  “We’re going out there to help too,” Remi insisted.

  Ayla had her cell phone to her ear. “Nuki is just pulling into port. He’ll take us back out.”

  “And the research center’s boat can be used,” Remi added.

  Mother wanted to say no. It was too dangerous for Annaka and the others to go. But he saw the determined looks on their faces. And the truth was, they may be needed. Jimmy Wilson came out carrying the station’s emergency medical kit.

  “Okay, let’s go,” Cooper ordered as he rushed towards the rented pickup truck. Wilson followed him.

  Madison handed him the keys. “Be careful. I’ll be monitoring.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek and then hustled to the building.

  Remi grabbed her purse from inside the building and then rushed to her SUV. “Ayla, Annaka, I’m headed to the dock, if you want to ride with me.”

  Mother followed them and got in. He knew that Ayla’s husband came into the same dock that the research station’s boat was docked at. The short drive there was hazardous. The pavement was cracked in a lot of places. Up on the mountain they could see a house engulfed in flames. EMS was on the scene. Sirens still blasted through the air.

  The commotion at the port was insane. At least two dozen boats of all sizes were heading out towards the burning oil rig. Mother saw Cooper and Wilson on a boat that was just leaving the little marina. They were stretching hoses across the deck.

  “There’s Nuki,” Ayla said. She led them towards her husband’s fishing boat.

  “It’s crazy out there,” Nuki said. “I don’t recommend taking out the research boat. It’s too small. What they’re really going to need out there is any boat that can pump water to battle the fire.”

  “Survivors?” Ayla asked.

  “Unless they’re still on the platform, I doubt many,” Nuki said.

  “There’s a pump we can use on the Inquirer,” Remi offered. She turned to Mother. “Can you help me with it?”

  While Remi and Mother went to get the pump, Nuki got several hoses out of a compartment. Ayla and Annaka helped to stretch them out. Nuki hooked one up to an aft pump. He laid the other across the deck. This hose would be used for the pump from the Inquirer. Pushing the heavy pump on a cart, Mother and Remi returned fifteen minutes later. Nuki and two of his deckhands helped Mother muscle it aboard. Then the boat followed the flotilla from the marina.

  They all squeezed inside the deckhouse. The marine radio cackled with nonstop reports. More water pumping ships were needed on the east side of the rig. It sounded like a total of thirty men were pulled from the water in various states of injury and hypothermia by the first few arriving boats.

  It was quite a bit warmer on Nuki’s boat than it would have been on the Inquirer. Mother knew that once they got near the fire, the water spraying everywhere would be cold, but the heat from the fire would be intense. It was motoring back to the marina that would be cold.

  “We’ll get in as close as we can,” Nuki announced. “As soon as I get within range, we need to get the pumps going and the water flowing.”

  Nuki’s three deckhands would take the lead on it, but the others would be needed to man the hoses. They all gazed out the front window in silent focus after that. The scene was surreal, wild, churning flames, thick black smoke rolling out and up from the inferno. There must have been thirty boats already around the platform.

  They passed a fishing boat that was heading back towards the marina. On the back deck they could see about a dozen men sitting or lying. Some were burned. Over the radio they heard that boat call to Anchor Point EMS to meet them at the marina.

  Two more boats were heading in as well. Over the radio, they heard the captains of the two boats chime in. They too had survivors that they were bringing in for medical treatment. Ambulances from the hospital in Homer were en route to the dock. There were also search and rescue helicopters coming from Kodiak and Blackhawks from JBER.

  When the next boat passed, they saw Sloan, Lambchop, and Handsome on the deck rendering medical attention. The deck was crowded with what looked to be twenty or so injured men, mostly burn victims. Annaka watched the retreating boat long after she could no longer identify anyone on board.

  As they neared the burning rig, the heat that was thrown off from it was incredible and the roar from the flames eating the oxygen was a loud woosh that sounded like something from outer space. And they were not even close enough yet for the water from the hoses to reach it.

  Mother went out onto the deck with Nuki’s hands and they got the water pumps going. They had three hoses hooked up. He motioned to the women. Their help would be needed. Nuki piloted the boat in as close as he needed to for the water jets to reach the flames. The heat made it feel like they were in the fires of hell, not the Gulf of Alaska. Annaka and Mother held one of the lines. The water jerked the hose ferociously. It was like trying to hold on to a fifty pound, wildly thrashing snake.

  Annaka was exhausted after an hour of battling with the hose. She was hot. She was wet. And she was saddened by the preventable loss of life. Why was this rig pumping oil again? It should have still been shut down. She knew Remi would pursue it. It wasn’t something she would have to address. She still planned to leave with Danny whenever he and the team would leave. She wondered if it would still be today.

  Bigger pumping boats arrived within a few hours. A coastguard water bomber and several helicopters with big water buckets also arrived onsite. All the smaller boats received messages to pull away. The pumps were stopped. Nuki piloted the boat away from the rig, joining the armada of small boats that were heading back to the nearby marinas.

  They all huddled in the wheelhouse. By the time the marina was in sight, everyone was chilled. Danny had his arms snuggly around Annaka. She loved how he held her the entire way back, sharing his body heat with her. She didn’t have many clothes, but she knew she’d have to change into something dry.

  As they neared land, Mother called Lambchop. Several of the other men were back at the Anchor Point Research building. Sloan and Sherman were at the hospital in Homer. Cooper waited with one of the rental vehicles for them at the marina.

  Darkness had settled over the area when they all reassembled at the Anchor Point Research building. Clint Ames had remained there and had been in constant communication with the USGS. There hadn’t been a single tremor since the quake. That was good news. Even better, the quake hadn’t produced a tsunami. Only the one oil rig was impacted. The others all reported normal operations.

  “The official number on the quake is six point nine,” Clint said. “And the gas company came by a few hours ago and turned the gas back on.”

  “I thought it felt warm in here, though I’m still freezing,” Ayla said. She could have caught a ride home with her husband, but returned to the office to get her purse, which she’d left in her desk drawer when they left for the marina. She also returned to say goodbye to Annaka. “I still can’t believe you’re leaving,” she said as she hugged Annaka.

  “We’ll stay in touch, I promise, text messages, ph
one calls, video chats.”

  “We better,” Ayla said, tears in her eyes. Then she hugged Danny. “You better take good care of her.”

  Mother chuckled. “I plan to. Don’t worry about that.”

  “Thank you for everything,” Remi said to the Shepherd Security Team. “And for getting us set up to remote in and monitor our equipment.” She turned to Annaka. “I’ll see you tomorrow on a video chat. I’ll miss you, but I do understand why you want to go.”

  Annaka wrapped her arms around her friend. “I’ll miss you too.”

  Final goodbyes were said and then Annaka and the members of Shepherd Security got back into the three vehicles they’d rented in Homer, to return them. The Blackhawk helicopter, their transport back to JBER, would pick them up there. She looked back at the research building as they drove away. In the distance behind it was platform C-Three, still on fire. She wondered how long it would take to put the fire out and cap the well.

  They only had to wait fifteen minutes after the cars were returned for the Blackhawk to fly in. It had been on site assisting with the recovery efforts near what remained of platform C-Three. They all got sandwiches from the sub shop beside the car rental office. They’d eat on the way back to JBER. Annaka was weighed down with her backpack, laptop bag, and purse. Setting each bag onto the floor of the chopper before she climbed in, the realization came to her that her whole life was in those three bags.

  She watched Sloan, who was already in the helicopter, move her bags towards the rear of the craft, piling them with everyone else’s bags. They filled up the rear seats and the floor in front of them. She climbed in and took a seat. Her emotions were all over the place. How could a person feel devastated about losing nearly every material possession, sad about leaving friends, and feel excited and hopeful about the future, all at the same time? She thought on that as the helicopter flew through the darkness.

  Out the window, Annaka saw the lights from the military base grow larger beneath them as the chopper approached. She still couldn’t get over how big the base was. She’d googled it while at the office. It was over sixty-four thousand acres. That was inconceivable to her.

  The helicopter landed in the same area from which they had taken off from several days before. They rode in a large van across the tarmac to where the larger planes were kept. On the way, she kept her eyes out the window gazing at the fighter jets and other smaller aircraft they passed. She was glad lights were on, illuminating the area, so she could see all this. It was impressive.

  The van pulled up alongside a large silver plane. She noticed that there were no windows along the fuselage, only a few behind the cockpit windows. There were no markings either. It didn’t say US Air Force as the gray planes that sat on either side of it did. It had no lettering, just a number on the tailfin.

  “This is us,” Mother said, watching Annaka study every detail of the plane. “It’s a cargo plane.”

  Annaka nodded. “I’ve been on less comfortable, and probably less safe aircraft.”

  Mother chuckled. “I’m sure you have.”

  The driver turned the overhead lights on and hopped from his seat. He swung the side door open. Mother rose and offered her a hand. He pulled her to her feet and then pulled her backpack down from the shelf. He handed it to her before grabbing his own. She’d held her laptop bag and purse on her lap. They followed the rest of the team from the van, thanking the airman who was the driver.

  Annaka followed the others to the back end of the plane where a ramp was lowered. She climbed up it and into the aircraft. The interior was large and nearly empty, except for a few boxes lashed to the floor in the middle of the aircraft. And it was immaculately clean. The lighting was low.

  “Up this way,” Mother said, gently taking her by the arm and prompting her to walk further into the craft.

  Annaka hadn’t realized that she stopped until Danny prompted her. “Sorry,” she said. She followed him all the way forward. The seats were along the wall of the craft. They didn’t look any more comfortable than the seats had been in the helicopter and these, they’d sit in for six hours. “That’s where we sit?”

  Mother had to smile at her reaction. “They’re called sidewall seats and they’re not as uncomfortable as they look.”

  He took her bags from her and set them with his in the center of the floor, where everyone else was putting theirs. She watched as he and everyone else pulled blankets from their backpacks before leaving them in the pile. A net was attached to the floor. She watched Lambchop secure it over all the bags. Behind it, she noticed, was a second pile of bags and cases secured under a net as well.

  “I only have the one blanket. We can share it,” Mother said. He pointed to the first two seats. Madison was taking the third. “Let’s get settled in.”

  She sat and fastened her lap belt as she watched the rest of his team take their seats. They all wrapped themselves in blankets and leaned their heads back. She noticed that Madison already had her eyes closed. Danny took hold of her hand under the blanket. She leaned fully into him. There was no armrest between them. And then she yawned deeply, not realizing before then how tired she really was.

  Victor

  They deplaned inside the secure government hangar at O’Hare International Airport. Annaka was still cold. And she hadn’t slept very well, so she was tired too. They walked the short distance to where two big black SUVs were parked. Everyone carried several bags.

  “Excellent,” Mother said. He flashed her a grin. “We left from a different airport and our vehicles were there. Someone from the office ran them over so we wouldn’t have to go get them. That definitely saves us some time.”

  “You’re welcome,” Cooper said with a grin.

  She wasn’t sure why it mattered. She did look forward to a hot shower and maybe a nap at his place. She’d already decided, too, that she needed to go shopping for some more clothes and another pair of shoes. She wasn’t sure when she’d have her insurance check, but she needed to replace some of her clothes and other personal items before she would receive it. It was a good thing that she had a nice cushion in her bank account and at least ten thousand open on a credit card. That thought reminded her, too, that she needed to call her insurance company and check on the payout status and determine if it would be a direct deposit or a paper check. If paper, it would have to get sent to her here.

  She glanced at the others as they loaded the bags into the back of the SUVs. Cooper was on his phone again. None of them looked as tired as she felt. Of course, every time she woke up on the plane, which was about every hour, she noticed that everyone else slept soundly. Even Danny.

  “How long of a drive is it to your place?” She asked Danny as he motioned her into the backseat of the car. She slid to the center as Sherman entered through the other backseat door.

  “Only about a half hour,” Mother replied.

  “We’re heading directly to the office for a debriefing,” Cooper said, sliding behind the steering wheel. Madison settled into the front passenger seat.

  “What about me?” Annaka asked.

  “Our boss has authorized your presence at the office,” Cooper said. “There’s a lounge you can hang out in until our debrief is over.”

  “Is your car there, Danny? If I could borrow it, I really need to go shopping and get a few things, some clothes, and other personal items. I could meet you back at your office when you’re done for the day,” she suggested.

  “Actually, Brielle could take you shopping,” Sherman said. “She’s my fiancé. She’s at the office, just finishing a few things up, is really just waiting for me. She has her car there. Mother, she could take Annaka shopping and then get her into your place.”

  “That would be better for you than sitting around waiting for me. I don’t know what time we’ll be done,” Mother said.

  “That’s a very nice offer, but I’m sure she has better things to do than run me around,” Annaka said. Shouldn’t he at least check with his fiancé before
making this offer? What if she had other plans?

  “Trust me, Brielle will be happy to help, and she never minds going shopping,” Sherman said with a laugh. “She brings home more stuff for the baby every time she goes into a store, any store.” By Annaka’s questioning gaze, Sherman knew she didn’t know his fiancé was pregnant. “She’s only a few months along, but she’s already stockpiled diapers, sleepers, baby blankets,” he added with a big smile.

  Annaka returned his smile. “Congratulations. I didn’t know you were going to be a daddy. This is your first?”

  “Yes, ma’am it is,” Sherman replied. “And we could not be happier.”

  “Well, you can ask her if she has any other plans, and if not, that would be nice. But if she does have plans, Danny, can I borrow your car?”