Ascension Discovery

by Amy Proebstel

  He parked the truck and got out. He opened the door behind the driver’s seat and pulled out a large duffel-type bag and watched as Amanda got out her side of the truck. He locked the vehicle with his remote as they hurried away toward the entrance gate to the airport. He waved at a few people he knew in the FBO and they continued walking to the row of golf carts. He put his bag in the back and got into the driver’s seat and gestured for her to get in also. They sped across the apron of the airport until they reached a rather large hangar. Leaving the cart outside by the door, he entered a code into the door lock and then they were in the hangar.

  “This is my plane,” Riccan said as he opened the pilot’s door. “Go ahead and get yourself situated in the co-pilot’s seat while I do the exterior preflight.” He grabbed a tube to check the fuel levels and a checklist from behind the pilot’s seat, flipped a couple of switches on the panel and then started to walk around the plane.

  Amanda instantly followed instructions and opened the passenger side door since the flap by her head was lowering. She hoisted herself up into the plane and adjusted the seat so she would be able to reach the rudder pedals in case of an emergency. It really would be an emergency if I had to end up flying the plane, she thought to herself with a smile. She trusted Riccan to bring them back to the ground safely. The only time they had experienced a flight problem was when she was in control in the telepod, which had ended rather catastrophically.

  She reached up and pulled down the shoulder harness portion of the seat belt from the storage compartment above the door. She fastened the lap belt and then attached the shoulder harness to it. She looked over the panel and was not surprised to see the controls had been converted to a glass panel system. Nothing but the best for Riccan, she said to herself.

  Riccan suddenly appeared at the pilot’s door and said, “Get your headset on while I pull the plane out of the hangar.” He threw the duffel bag into the back seat and then walked up to the front of the plane.

  Amanda noticed then that the hangar door had been opened and then she and the plane were rolling out into the open. She wondered if Riccan would take time to shut the hangar door when he came back and put the pull bar under the back seat and then he got up into the pilot’s seat. I guess not, she thought with a smile. She grabbed the headset from the dash in front of her noticing they were Bose brand, nothing but the best, she repeated to herself as she put them on and adjusted the mic in front of her mouth.

  Riccan sat with the checklist in his lap. He fastened his seatbelt, shut the door, moved his seat forward, and inserted the key. With an air of confidence Riccan went through the interior pre-flight check and then flipped the master switch to the on position. He primed the engine a couple of times and then yelled out the window, “Clear prop.” He started the engine and the propeller began turning until it was a blur. Riccan adjusted the throttle until the engine idled at eight hundred RPM. He turned on the control panel and radio as he checked the oil pressure, oil temperature, and fuel levels. Everything looked okay so he put on his headphones, tuned the radio to 121.7, and then performed a brake check.

  He turned to her and spoke through the mic as he asked, “Are you ready?”

  “Whenever you are,” she replied as her heart started to race.

  They rolled away from the hangar until they were on the apron in view of the tower. Riccan pressed the radio call button and said, “Tamiami Ground this is Cessna 86 Sierra Tango Echo Lima at south hangar with information Delta requesting taxi for a southeast VFR departure.”

  The reply came back as, “Cessna 86 Sierra Tango Echo Lima, proceed to gate one two, to Charlie two, Charlie, Delta, Alpha for runway one three.”

  Amazingly Riccan repeated it back and began to roll the airplane along the yellow line on the ground in front of them. Amanda was amazed he remembered all of the steps as it seemed rather complicated. In a few minutes they reached Alpha and turned out to do a run-up. Once everything checked out, Riccan rolled the airplane up to the hold line for runway thirteen.

  He switched frequencies on the radio to 118.9 and pressed the call button and said, “Tamiami Tower, Cessna 86 Sierra Tango Echo Lima at one three requesting a southeast VFR departure.”

  “Cessna 86 Sierra Tango Echo Lima cleared for takeoff on one three with immediate southeast departure,” the tower said.

  “Cessna 86 Sierra Tango Echo Lima cleared for takeoff on one three,” Riccan repeated back and then began to roll onto the active runway. He checked over all of the controls one last time, shook his seat to make sure it was securely latched, and then pressed the throttle full in. They began rolling faster and faster on the runway until they reached fifty-nine knots and then they were suddenly airborne. A slight crosswind pushed their aircraft which Riccan immediately countered and they continued to fly straight up the runway until they were at seven hundred feet in elevation.

  Riccan veered the airplane to the right, away from the airport, as he continued to ascend. He leveled off at one thousand five hundred feet and continued on the heading of 120 degrees until they were almost to the ocean and then he changed his heading to 040 degrees until they were near the town of Kendall. Riccan decreased his altitude to right at one thousand feet and said, “Do you see the canal below on your side?”

  Amanda looked out her window and said, “Yes.”

  “I’m going to follow the canal out as far as Pinecrest and then we’ll turn around and head back toward Kendall. Let me know if you see anyone along the waterway wearing a yellow jacket.” He continued to fly as he gave her directions.

  Amanda was silent for a few minutes as she watched out the window intently. She realized she was quite able to talk while also maintaining a vigil on the ground. “Do you fly out to the Florida Middle Ground a lot?”

  Riccan’s focus on flying was momentarily interrupted as he considered Amanda’s question. The area she asked about was not very well known, but he was intimately familiar with it and said, “I go there occasionally. Why?”

  “It’s just a place I went not very long ago. I’ve heard it’s not too far from Pantano. Have you ever been there?” Amanda asked casually as she continued to stare out the window.

  “I…” he stammered and then continued uncertainly, “I’m not sure.” He looked over at his passenger and wondered who she might be. She had seemed like a concerned citizen when she had offered to help on this search, but now he was not so sure. There seemed to be a story here he should probably investigate.

  “Riccan, I see something! Circle around so I can be sure!” she kept her eye trained on a yellow spot which was moving along the shore of the canal. “Can we go lower?”

  “I really shouldn’t, but I can tip over onto your side to give you a clearer view,” he said as he banked to the right in a sharp forty-five degree angled turn.

  Amanda forgot her fear of steep banked turns as she focused all of her attention on the yellow spot. “Definitely someone in yellow! They look rather small, too. It’s got to be our missing boy!” Amanda’s voice rose as she realized they had probably found the missing child.

  Riccan switched the radio to the secondary station and hit the call button to report. “Air report on the missing child: location approximately one mile northeast of Pinecrest spotted yellow jacket on child next to the west side of the canal.”

  “We’ll send a patrol over immediately. Keep circling so we can know approximate location. ETA three minutes.”

  Riccan continued a tight circle and maintained his altitude. He asked Amanda to keep him posted if the child moved or if she could see any flashing lights to indicate the police were getting near.

  “I see flashing lights,” Amanda declared as she pointed out the window. “They’re too far south. Tell them to go north three blocks and then head toward the canal.”

  Riccan relayed her instructions and then waited for the ‘found’ call.

  Amanda watched as the police cars parked and the officers poured out of the vehicles and fanned out toward the ca
nal. One officer approached the yellow coated person and looked up toward the airplane. He gave a thumbs up signal and then talked on his radio.

  “Missing child has been found. Thank you air search for your assistance.”

  Riccan smiled and then straightened the wings of the airplane and added more throttle to gain altitude. “That just never gets old!” he said as he smiled over at Amanda.

  She returned his smile with her own and then she wondered how she could extend this time together. “Now that the boy has been found, can we fly out over the water?”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking, too!” he replied as they continued heading southeast at fifteen hundred feet. “That was probably one of the quickest searches I’ve participated in. No doubt it’s because of you.”

  “Thanks, Riccan. I’m just glad I was able to be of some assistance. This is my first time volunteering for a rescue.”

  “Ah, beginner’s luck, I see!” Riccan chuckled. “Do you live around here?”

  “I live in Pinecrest. How about yourself?”

  “Oh, just a little further south of Pinecrest,” he answered elusively and then changed the subject. “What do you do for a living?”

  “Well,” Amanda began. This was a sensitive subject. She was old enough to be established in a career and yet she still lived at home. “It’s a bit complicated…”

  “You don’t have to answer, I was just making small talk.”

  “I want to answer, I’m just not sure how to without sounding pathetic.”

  Riccan smiled at her and said, “I promise I won’t think you’re pathetic.”

  Amanda chuckled and said, “I’ve never had a job, here at least, and I still live with my parents. You see, about eight months ago I woke up from a seven-year coma. The last thing I remember was when I was eighteen years old.”

  Riccan had begun to think she was kind of pathetic for still living with her parents until she got to the part about the coma. Naturally she would still live with them while she was getting herself back on her feet. He could not imagine how terrible the whole ordeal had been for everyone in her family. Then he wondered about her knowledge of Pantano and decided to ask, “Who do you know in Pantano?”

  Amanda had hoped the conversation would turn toward discussing Tuala so she answered, “A friend of mine has parents who live there. I’ve never been there myself.”

  “What’s your friend’s name? I may know them.”

  “At the risk of sounding crazy, my friend’s name is Riccan Stel.” She watched him carefully to see how he would react.

  “But that’s my name!”

  “I know. It’s not a coincidence, Riccan. You were my friend for months a long time ago.”

  “I don’t understand what you’re saying. You and I have never met as far as I know.”

  “Maybe not, but I know a lot of things about you, Riccan, things I have no way of knowing unless you told me.”

  “So you think we knew each other before your coma?” Riccan was trying to figure out a timeline to start with.

  Amanda shook her head as she said, “It’s hard to explain, but the easiest way for me to think of it is we met while I was in my coma.”

  “Wow, that’s different,” he said as he tried to wrap his mind around the odd woman’s last statement. If this were a new pick-up line, she had definitely caught his attention. Before he could talk himself out of it he asked, “Would you like to have dinner with me tonight? I think maybe we should talk about what you remember and I don’t.”

  “I think that would be perfect. I know of the perfect place, it’s a little corner pizza restaurant south of Pinecrest…” she gave him a mischievous grin.

  “I might just know the place you’re talking about,” he smiled back at her. He looked at his watch and suggested, “Do you want to meet there at four o’clock? We could talk before the rush hour begins.”

  “Sounds good. If we both show up at the same place then you’ll have to admit I might just be right about our prior friendship,” she said with a wink. She blushed at being so forward and turned her face to look out the window at the blue water which turned white as it churned over in small waves at the shoreline.

  After a few minutes of silence Riccan turned the airplane left, away from the shore. They flew in silence as Riccan spoke with the Tamiami tower to receive clearance to land. Their altitude decreased to one thousand feet as Riccan maneuvered the plane into the traffic pattern for runway one three. They turned for their final approach and continued to descend. Riccan landed the plane smoothly onto the runway and followed the ground control directions on the taxiways back to the hangar.

  When they were back in the 4-Runner Riccan could no longer contain his curiosity and asked, “So what else do you know about me?”

  “I know your parent’s names are Daven and Nena. Your mother is a teacher and your father is an Elder,” she added the last part while she was staring at Riccan. She noticed his eyes widen a touch and then return to normal.

  He cleared his throat and said, “What else?”

  “You lived with many of your relatives as you grew up and went to high school in Washington.”

  Other than the part where she knew her father’s title as an Elder, everything else could have been looked up on the internet. He decided to let her continue and said, “Keep going.”

  “Let’s see…” she thought about what to say next, “Your house has two three-car garages. Your vehicles are in the left side garages while the right side is reserved for your telepod.” Again she noticed his eyes widening as he stared straight out the window. “Should I continue?”

  “Yes,” he replied with less certainty.

  “I think we should wait until we meet for dinner,” Amanda decided suddenly. She wanted to make sure she had his full attention before she said any more. She almost felt as though she had said too much already and she did not want to scare him away before she could convince him of her true motives.

  Riccan drove back to the Kendall District Station and asked Amanda, “Where did you park your car?”

  Instead of having him wait in the street she said, “Just pull in here and I’ll walk to my car.”

  He parallel parked along the street and said, “I guess I’ll see you at the pizza place at four o’clock. I’m looking forward to talking with you.”

  Amanda smiled and said, “Thanks for the flight. See you at four!” She opened the passenger door and waited on the sidewalk until he pulled away from the curb and drove up the street. She looked both ways and proceeded to cross the street and down a few paces until she reached her car. Her heart was racing with anticipation and excitement. She could not screw up this perfect opportunity. She had three hours to get herself together and to plan what she would tell him.

  Chapter Sixteen

  AS SHE DROVE home she realized she would have to tell her parents she was going out on a date. She was sure they would be uncomfortable with her meeting who they would feel to be a perfect stranger. How could she tell them she had known him for months when they would obviously know this was untrue? She decided to bend the truth a little and tell them she would be meeting with an old friend for an early dinner.

  As suspected, her mother was less than pleased. Her father, on the other hand, seemed to think it was a good idea for her to get out and socialize. Diane gave her husband a look to kill when he gave his approval. How was she to be able to protect her daughter from harm if she were not in their house to be monitored?

  Amanda decided it was time to leave while her mother was still not completely opposed. She rushed back into her room and picked up her journal, which she stuffed into her purse. Taking one last look at herself in the mirror she left her room and rushed out the front door. She thought she had made a clean getaway until her mother ran out the same door and waved her hands to get Amanda’s attention. With a sigh Amanda rolled down the passenger window and leaned over to ask her mother, “Did I forget something?”

  Her mother thr
ust her cell phone into Amanda’s hand and said, “Call us if you need anything. Oh, and call to let us know when you’ll be heading home.”

  Amanda smiled at her mother lovingly and said, “Thanks, Mom. I’ll be sure to do that. I love you.”

  “We love you, too, honey. Please be careful!” She backed away from the car and watched with a worried expression as Amanda pulled out of the driveway and drove away.

  It was a full forty-five minutes before she was to meet with Riccan so she drove slowly along the interstate. She had been surprised when her mother had given her the phone, but the longer she thought about it, the more it made sense. Amanda was comforted to know she would have easy access to help should anything happen with her car.

  Exiting the interstate, Amanda drove down the road to the pizza shop. She parked on a side street and got out of her car. With a glance at her watch she saw there were still fifteen minutes until the scheduled meeting time. She was glad she was early so she could be seated in the restaurant and calm her nerves before he arrived.

  Once inside the pizzeria the hostess asked her, “How many will be dining this afternoon?”

  “Two, please,” Amanda replied and then added, “Could I please have that booth?” She pointed to the corner booth on the left.

  “Sure, right this way,” she said as she grabbed two menus and led the way to the booth. “Can I start you out with a drink?”

  “Could I get two ice waters for now?”

  “Sure, I’ll be right back.” She walked away to get the waters ready.

  Amanda scooted into the center of the booth bench and set her purse on the inside edge. She checked once again for the journal and saw it was exactly where she had left it in the side pocket. When the waitress returned with the water she thanked her and then looked away nervously. She checked her watch again and saw there were twelve minutes to go. After sipping her water she wiped her moist palms on her jeans again. It was crazy how nervous she was for this meeting to go well. Everything she had planned hinged on the success of her conversation with Riccan.