The Wreck Emerged

by Joseph Webers

  “Maggie, why do you think God chose you for this? Maybe I should ask it this way, why do you think you were the one God chose?”

  “Well, I heard you tell the Marines there was nothing about you that would make God want to choose you over anyone else. So I would say that’s true for me also. Probably more, since you belonged to him already, but I had nothing going for me.”

  “But that would be exactly the reason God would choose you. I had nothing going for me, either. There are two reasons God chose you, Maggie Trillbey, out of all seven billion people in the world. One purpose was for you, and one purpose was for himself. The purpose for himself was for you to tell others about him and his love for them, all the wonderful things he’s done for you, and how you came to be his eternally. He will use your words to speak to them, to draw them to himself.”

  “He has been doing that already. He said he has a great work for me, but everything has seemed so easy. I know you’ve told me things I could expect when I get back home, but he has promised to be with me forever. Doesn’t that mean things will work out fine?”

  In the distance, they could make out movement at the giant helicopters as the Marines started their day with an exercise formation.

  “Yes, Maggie, things will work out fine. What does that mean, though, ‘work out fine?’ I don’t want you to ever be misled into thinking your life, now that you belong to him, will be a bed of roses. Jesus didn’t have it easy during his life on earth, and neither will you. As long as you keep your eyes on him, however, it will be very rewarding and you’ll be full of joy. Do you know what the ‘rewarding’ part will be?”

  “I can think of several things. Does it have to do with God’s purpose for me, the other reason you mentioned?”

  “Yes, very good. God chose you for this, to know him. He has that desire for everyone else, too, but right now I want to talk about just you. He has shown you his wonderfulness, filled you with such joy you feel like you’ll burst, and spoken to you personally on several occasions. That’s great, but there’s more, infinitely more. He has indeed promised to be with you forever. Do you understand what that means?”

  “I think so. Well, no, I really don’t. I think I’m still that infant.”

  “Let me give you three examples. Let’s say you are driving your car and start to cross a snowy bridge. There is a car in the opposite lane slowly coming toward you. All of a sudden, a Mercedes pulls out from behind him and tries to pass. He hits a patch of bare ice and starts to spin, and hits the guardrail. In an instant, you remember God’s promise to be with you forever, so you relax. In the first example, the Mercedes bounces off the guardrail and misses you completely. God was with you, right?”

  “Yes. He protected me from the accident.”

  “In the next example, the Mercedes also bounces off. It hits your car so hard it flips you over the guardrail and your car lands on its roof on the road below, killing you instantly. Just as instantly, you are in his presence forever. In which of these two examples do you get to know God better as a result?”

  “In the second one, definitely. In the first one, he was protecting me, but I didn’t get to know him better.”

  “Exactly. God said he would show you wonderful things as you kept your eyes on him. The wonderful things for you will always have to do with knowing him more. The wonderful things for others—the miracles, the healings, the wisdom—will be for them to know him, or know him better. He may show you how to ask for those things for others. Let me warn you, there may be a temptation to ask God for something more than your basic needs, that benefits you in a worldly, extravagant way. If you do, you may get it, and claim it shows God’s favor toward you. I tell you, that thing will drive a wedge between you and God.”

  “I hope I always remember that. I don’t want anything to ever separate me from God’s love.”

  “Nothing will ever separate you from his love. What it would separate you from, is fellowship with him. He will always draw you back to himself, though. Remember that knowing him more will be the key.”

  “I wish I had a pencil and a notebook. Matt, how will I ever remember all these things?”

  “Maggie, everything I told you is already written in the Bible Paul gave you. Anyway, in the third example, the Mercedes crashes into the driver’s side door, breaking your leg in four places. Broken ribs puncture your lung and spleen, and you suffer a concussion and a broken jaw. You’re in the hospital three months and rehab three more months. You’re in pain for over a year.”

  Maggie didn’t know what to think. After a few minutes, she asked, “Could that really happen?”

  “Yes. Things worse than that have happened to people who love God with all their hearts. After it was over, they say they wouldn’t trade the experience for anything in the world, because God was with them and revealed himself to them in the midst of all their pain. That pain and misery brought them closer to God than they ever could have imagined.”

  Something about the intensity of Matt’s examples made Maggie consider what she knew of his recent history. “That happened to you, didn’t it?”

  “I would gladly have traded the loss of my family for what I just described.” Matt started to tear up. “I was in agony, but God held me close. When you became my sister, and then my daughter, the comfort and joy that brought me made me realize how much God loves us both. That comfort allowed me to grieve like I needed to, and in the joy of holding Jenny and helping you, I realized how God can make all things new, and it is the eternal things that matter. All the things of this life, the good as well as the bad, are of little lasting importance.”

  “I want to know God better, but I don’t think I could wish for that.”

  “As many people as there are in the world, God has that many ways of making himself known. I don’t wish that for you, either, but if it happens, remember God will be with you, and will hold you up, the whole time.”

  94

  At 8 a.m. Monday, an aircraft identifying itself as National Intercontinental Airlines departed Dulles International Airport en route to Macapá, Brazil. Harvey Hostetler and his team had been anticipating Pedro Santos’ email, but it still took a full day to gather the right personnel and equipment. JC Smalley and Harper Avalon had spent the night at the FBI headquarters, studying all the material they could find on Macapá and its environs.

  It would be a ten-hour flight, and they would arrive in broad daylight. They would rely on their tourist garb, nondescript local transportation, and the size of the city to keep their mission a secret.

  95

  At 11:30 a.m., the King Stallion settled onto the pad at Dulles International Airport. The flight had gone smoothly enough, although Jenny had fussed about the earplugs. They eventually took them out, and Matt traded his noise-canceling headset for her earplugs. The inflight refueling was interesting to watch through the windshield, and it caused only a small amount of extra turbulence.

  As soon as the blades stopped turning, the cargo hatch opened. They were met by a pair of workmen wearing nametags that identified them as working for Ace Movers, the company hired to move the items to the CIA headquarters at Langley. Matt and Maggie said good-bye to Lance Corporal Wilson, who set to work with the loadmaster and the other Marines to load the cargo into the Ace truck. A representative of the National Transportation Safety Board took the black box pieces away for analysis.

  Three individuals with the appropriate nametags were waiting to speak with Matt and Maggie: John Henderson from Air World Airlines, Betty Glyncoat from Britannia Airlines, and David Clark from the State Department.

  After introductions, Mr. Clark told them a meeting was scheduled for them in the morning. “My British counterpart and I, among others, would like to meet with you to discuss the new island. If it meets with your approval, at 9 a.m. my driver will pick you up at your hotel. Mr. Henderson here has told me where you’re spending the night. The meeting will be at the State Department building across the river. Will that be all right?”


  After receiving two affirmatives, Mr. David Clark departed.

  “Technically, you never left the US,” John Henderson assured them, “so there’s no need to go through customs. However, your survival has been announced to the whole world, so the press and many well-wishers want to welcome you back to civilization. They know you’re coming here, but they don’t know when. I’m sure there are folks already waiting out front for your arrival. I would like to propose we tell them that 3 p.m. will be your arrival time.

  “That will give you time to get some clothes and baby things, freshen up at your hotel, rest a little, make some phone calls. Then we’ll come back at three o’clock. So you will actually be arriving at three like we will tell them. Betty and I will be your escorts for the rest of the afternoon, until we drop you off at your hotel later. Will that be okay?”

  “Yes,” Maggie replied, “that would be wonderful!”

  Matt agreed, but had one thing to make clear at the outset. “I echo Maggie’s sentiments. It is wonderful what you’re doing for us, but there is no way that what happened to the flight could possibly be your responsibility. I don’t know what Maggie’s feelings on this are, but as far as I’m concerned, you really don’t owe us anything. I am extremely grateful for all this. It is more than I could ask for. On the other hand, please don’t think I’m refusing your generosity. It’s really great and I thank you.”

  Maggie nodded her concurrence as John led them to the Air World Airlines van parked a short distance away.

  “It’s really refreshing to hear you say that,” Betty Glyncoat said. “No, we are not trying to obviate a lawsuit. The two airlines got together and decided it would be highly appropriate for us to help you get your feet back on the ground, so to speak. And, to be frank, this will be good PR for us.”

  They had reached the van and John started off. “Our first stop will be Buy Buy Baby,” Betty told them, “where they have volunteered to trade a stroller with baby carrier snap-in, nursing and baby-care paraphernalia, and three outfits for Jenny, for five minutes of photos. Then to Macy’s for clothes. Jeans are fine, but you’ll also need something nice for your visit to the State Department tomorrow. You’ll need some luggage too. Don’t worry, I have a company credit card and we get good discounts! Then to Walmart for whatever personal hygiene items you need.”

  She reached into a bag and handed them each a box. “Replacement cell phones. Maggie, the model you told Abby, they don’t make that one anymore or even have any left, so we got you an upgrade. The phones are paid for; they have your phone numbers in them already, and your carriers have already added them to your accounts, so you can use them. You just need to stop in to one of their offices with photo IDs to complete the transfers.”

  Maggie’s tears had started when she heard the words “baby carrier” and they hadn’t stopped. “Do you have a tissue?” she asked. “All I have is this wad of velvet coffin liners.”

  They made their stops and were headed to the Canopy Hotel. Betty wasn’t finished. She gave an envelope to Matt, and asked Maggie, “We’d like to give you some spending money for your couple days here, and if you have anything left over, you can take that home. Would you rather have US dollars or pounds sterling?”

  Matt looked in his envelope. “Get it in pounds. We can share mine, and you can pay me back when we get to London.”

  “One more thing,” Betty said. “We still owe you both a flight to London. You have the hotel two nights. You can fly out on Wednesday, the third of July, or a different day of your choosing. We know you didn’t book together, so you don’t have to go back together. And you don’t have to fly from Dulles.”

  Matt and Maggie looked at each other. “Can we get back to you on that?” Maggie asked.

  John answered, “Sure. Most of the BA flights from the States will be partnered with Air World, so I’ll be handling those. Business class of course. If you don’t fly from here on Wednesday, then I’ll need a couple of days’ notice.”

  Matt had one more request. “Do you think you could find me a copy of the flight magazine? I was in the middle of something I would like to finish.”

  Both John and Betty assured him they would try.

  They were at the hotel. “I’ll pick you up at 2:30. Just meet us here,” John said.

  They loaded everything in the stroller, and Matt took Jenny in the baby carrier. At the front desk, they showed their passports to the clerk. “Yes, I have your rooms ready. Mr. Carven, I see you are a Diamond honors member. Thank you for your loyalty.”

  “Yes, I like the Hilton chain. Are our rooms adjoining, or maybe across the hall?”

  “I can get you connecting rooms.”

  Matt looked at Maggie. “Sure,” she said. “I may need help with Jenny.”

  96

  Rishaan Chabra’s phone rang part way between “Oh, Prisha, we’re almost there!” and “That stupid damn island!”. He had been going back and forth between the two, and was working himself into a lather. His neck veins started bulging out and his face got darker and darker. The phone broke in, and Rishaan was sidetracked from his tirade.

  “I just wanted to let you know,” said the soft female voice at the other end, “that only Kapoor made it back. Kashyap was lost on the trip.”

  Pranay Kashyap, Rishaan’s friend since the university, had recently taken an early retirement from the Indian Air Force. The IAF had considered him somewhat of a liability for destroying too many airplanes. The first one, a MiG-23, ran out of fuel over the Indian Ocean, and he had parachuted to safety. The other two MiGs on the training mission made it back to the training base on fumes, and his training unit took the blame.

  Several years later, on a training mission over West Bengal, he made a mayday call to the control tower where he was supposed to land. He advised them the right wing had frozen in position, there was a fire in the cockpit, and he was ejecting. He landed the MiG-23 at the abandoned Dudhkundi Airfield, parked it in a deserted hangar, and waited for Rishaan to pick him up and bring him to a desert area nearby. He waited there—his uniform torn, his ejection seat functioned, and his parachute deployed—for his unit to find him and pick him up. Of course, the crashed MiG was never found.

  Because of his experience with surviving crashes, the IAF had Squadron Leader Kashyap participate in the investigations of two IAF A-10 fighter plane crashes prior to his discharge. In both cases, the armed aircraft were destroyed, but the pilots all ejected and were safe. Whatever was salvageable from the A-10s was retrieved, including the GAU-8 gun systems, which had only minor damage. The ammunition drums for the two gun systems were somehow lost to the inventory, and no one had ever missed them. Rishaan and Pranay had boxed them up and labeled them “Combine Parts”. Kevin Bhatt had taken them to Brazil very early in his relationship with Rishaan.

  “Maria, why did you wait so long to tell me?”

  “I felt like if I rushed, Kapoor would not tell me everything. I waited, and I got the whole story.”

  “Which is what?”

  “Kashyap jettisoned both fuel tanks. Kapoor didn’t know if it was an accident, or if they were both empty. He said he realized Kashyap did not have enough fuel to make it back here, so about ten minutes after the US Air Force broke off the chase, he shot down the MiG Kashyap was in, and ensured there was no survivor. He said that was the only way to ensure Kashyap couldn’t give away your secrets.”

  Rishaan muttered under his breath while he considered his options. The project didn’t need MiGs, or pilots, any longer, and using them for anything else would be sheer lunacy. Pranay was his friend, and the other pilot had killed him.

  “Maria, execute Plan B, and let me know when complete. I’ll send you money one more time—let me know how much—then you can close the account.”

  Five minutes later, Maria made another phone call. Rushil Singh answered the phone.

  “Chabra wants to execute Plan B,” Maria said. “Is that good?”

  “What is Plan B? I don’t k
now of a Plan B.”

  “Eliminate the pilots, but one is already dead, abandon the planes and ammo, and scatter. I will tidy things up here, pay off the workers, and disappear like the rest.”

  Rushil thought for a moment. It was obvious that Rishaan was burning his bridges behind him. This was a bridge that needed burning, however. It was just as obvious that Rishaan was becoming unhinged. He thought about Maria; he might need her services again sometime.

  “Yes,” he said, “that’s good. Let me know how much you need. I’ll find you if I need you.”

  97

  At 1:30 p.m., the remains of two steel tanks rested on pallets in a laboratory in the third basement of an undisclosed building in McLean, Virginia. Nearby, a Pelican case, double-wrapped in plastic bags, lay by the entrance to a “clean room”, hermetically sealed when the door is shut.

  Jeff Peterson, leader of the CIA’s hastily-assembled team to investigate the shooting down of AW flight 94, was discussing the Pelican case with two men partially dressed in chemical-protective rubber suits. “Here’s what we learned from the Marine EOD team. I spoke with Gunnery Sergeant Sims on the radio this morning to clarify their initial report. They had found the suitcase out of the cargo hold and separate from other baggage and cargo, which was scattered all over.

  “They said the suitcase looked like it had been hit by the high explosive incendiary ammunition, crushed by the water pressure, filled with seawater, and expanded when it came to the surface. Sometime during that time, the device inside functioned.

  “The device itself never got water in it that they could tell, but its two parts had separated when they found it. Once they ascertained that it had no explosive components, they tested the two liquids inside, one a bright green liquid and the other a clear oil. Neither responded to their test strips. They accidently tested both liquids with the same test strip, and it immediately turned bright yellow, indicating nerve agent. As they watched, the test strip slowly faded. The yellow disappeared completely in about a minute. This was puzzling to them, as the yellow should not have faded at all.”