Page 21

TWENTY-ONE

Tiikaan eyed the darkening sky as it rumbled and barreled toward the mine. He rolled his tight neck and rechecked the weather app. His head pounded and muscles ached from being on edge since Merritt told him the mess she was in.

All night and throughout the day, he’d waited for the boogeyman to jump out and attack. He couldn’t imagine the stress she’d been under dealing with the mine and a possible murderer.

Looking at the weather on his phone, he cringed. If they headed back within the next few minutes, they should beat the storm. Wind tugged at his hair. The scent of rain hung in the air. He shook his head and glanced at the black clouds. It’d be close.

Too close.

He walked around the plane one more time, triple-checking it, then climbed into the cockpit. As he meticulously finished his preflight checklist, he kept one eye on the horizon .

Doubt filled his chest like an overblown balloon, making it hard to breathe. Yet he’d been like that since the night before.

Was it simply his worry over Merritt flooding his system? He closed his eyes, took a deep breath in, and prayed for direction. His hands settled on the yoke, the familiar shape soothing, releasing some of the pressure building in him.

Opening his eyes, he took another look at the sky. He could make it. They might have to adjust their course to outmaneuver the storm, but he’d eluded countless storms. The only difference with this one was how precious the cargo was.

Merritt rushed toward the plane as her hair whipped around by a fierce gust. Nolan followed close behind her.

If it wasn’t for the meeting with their engineers back in Texas they couldn’t miss and the inconsistent internet at the mine all day, Tiikaan would push for them to just sleep in the bunkhouse. But Nolan had insisted the two of them couldn’t push this meeting off, not with everything going on.

Stroking the primer pump three times, Tiikaan turned the key and pushed in the throttle to open the throttle valve. As the engine caught, he adjusted the throttle to maintain a smooth idle and checked the oil pressure gauge and instruments to make sure everything was running right.

His eyes found Merritt, and she smiled and waved.

Tiikaan hated that Merritt was caught up in the tragedy and corporate race to save everything her father built, especially since Tiikaan knew how little she wanted to do with it.

The temptation to snatch her up, fly her to a remote cabin, and keep her safe constantly played in his head.

Was legacy worth more than happiness?

He certainly wasn’t one to ask. Not with how he’d abandoned his family’s duty to greatness the first chance he could and hightailed it back to the safety of his Alaskan wilderness.

Merritt opened the door, ushering a frigid slap of wind with her. They needed to leave… five minutes ago.

“We gotta go.” He hollered as she tumbled into the front seat beside him and Nolan climbed in the back seat. “Buckle up. This is going to be a bumpy ride.”

Releasing the parking brake, he applied the throttle and moved to the opposite end of the short runway so he’d be taking off into the wind.

At the end of the dirt strip, he increased the throttle for a run-up, checked the magnetos, carburetor heat, and that all the engine instruments were green for go, then ensured the transponder was set to the appropriate code.

Tiikaan lined up Darth Maule on the centerline of the runway as wind gusts shook the plane. He gripped the yoke firmly, feeling the resistance from the turbulent air.

Applying full throttle, the engine roared to life, vibrating through the frame of the aircraft. The wind pressed against the nose, like a powerful unseen hand pushing against them.

The airspeed indicator came alive, the needle climbing rapidly. Despite the headwind, Tiikaan sensed the plane wanting to lift off the ground sooner than usual. The increased lift raised the front wheels, and he gently pulled back on the yoke, bringing the aircraft’s nose up.

Darth Maule eagerly climbed, the headwind shortening the ground roll. Wind howled around the cockpit, a reminder of nature’s raw power threatening to toss them.

Tiikaan’s knuckles whitened as he steadied the aircraft against turbulent air currents. The plane’s tires left the ground, transitioning from the rough runway to the smooth embrace of the air almost abruptly.

Climbing out, he adjusted the controls, feeling the wind buffet the wings. With the headwind allowing for a steeper angle, he maintained a steady climb rate.

Senses on high alert, every vibration and noise amplified in the enclosed cockpit. The control inputs felt more responsive, the plane’s movements sharper and more immediate.

The horizon tilted and shifted as he maneuvered the plane, each gust of wind requiring quick, precise adjustments. The altimeter spun upward, and the ground rapidly fell away beneath him. He kept a close eye on the instruments, ensuring the engine performed flawlessly under the strain of the climb.

As the plane ascended, the wind continued to challenge him, but he found a rhythm, a dance between man and machine against the forces of nature. The sky darkened up ahead, and he pointed the nose toward the light sky to the west of the storm.

The race was on .

Tiikaan’s eyes darted between the instruments and the ominous sky ahead.

The jagged peaks of the Brooks Range loomed beneath them, their snow-capped summits disappearing into the encroaching darkness. His jaw clenched as he fought to keep Darth Maule steady against the increasingly violent gusts.

A flash of lightning illuminated the cockpit, followed by a bone-rattling crack of thunder. Merritt gasped beside him, and he longed to reach over and squeeze her hand reassuringly. Instead, he gripped the yoke tighter, his knuckles white with tension.

“How’s it looking up there?” Nolan’s voice crackled through the headset, a hint of worry breaking through his usual stoic demeanor.

Tiikaan swallowed hard, his throat dry.

“It’s… challenging,” he admitted, not wanting to alarm them further. But the truth was, the situation was deteriorating rapidly.

He banked the plane slightly, trying to skirt around the worst of the storm. But with each passing minute, the dark wall of clouds seemed to close in around them, like a predator circling its prey. The altimeter fluctuated wildly as updrafts and downdrafts battled for dominance.

A bead of sweat trickled down Tiikaan’s temple. The smart move would be to turn back, to retreat to the relative safety of the mine. His instincts screamed at him to do just that.

But as he glanced over his shoulder, his heart sank. The storm had outflanked them, cutting off their escape route with a menacing wall of pitch- black clouds.

“Tiikaan?” Merritt’s voice was soft, laced with concern.

Her hands gripped her seat belt, and she squeezed her eyes shut as the plane lurched. Her palpable fear strengthened his resolve to get them through this safely.

He drew a deep breath, forcing calm into his voice. “We’re going to have to push through,” he announced, his tone leaving no room for argument. “It’s going to get rough, but I need you both to trust me. Can you do that?”

“Always,” Merritt replied without hesitation, her faith in him both a comfort and a terrifying responsibility.

Nolan grunted his assent. With a silent prayer, Tiikaan pointed Darth Maule’s nose toward the heart of the storm. The plane shuddered as they hit the first wall of turbulence, and the world outside the cockpit windows turned into a swirling maelstrom of angry clouds and stinging rain.

They were committed now. There was no turning back.

Tiikaan’s hands moved with practiced precision, easing the yoke forward. Darth Maule’s nose dipped, and they began a controlled descent. The altimeter spun backward as they dropped, searching for clearer air beneath the storm’s fury.

“Hang on,” he called out, his voice tight. “We’re going lower to get below the storm.”

The clouds enveloped them, transforming the world outside into a gray soup. Visibility dropped to zero. Tiikaan’s eyes darted between the instruments, relying solely on their readouts to navigate. The artificial horizon tilted and swayed as turbulence buffeted the plane.

Merritt’s skin was white, her breath coming in short gasps. Nolan muttered something that sounded like a prayer.

Suddenly, a shrill beeping cut through the drone of the engine and howling wind. Tiikaan’s blood ran cold. The proximity alarm.

“Crap!” He yanked the yoke to the left.

A dark mass materialized out of the clouds, rushing past the starboard wing. The mountain slope was so close Tiikaan could make out individual rocks and patches of snow. His heart hammered in his chest as adrenaline surged through his system.

“Too low,” he muttered, fighting to regain altitude. “The storm pushed us too low.”

As if in response to his words, the clouds ahead parted. A sliver of visibility opened up, revealing a familiar landscape. Tiikaan’s eyes widened as he recognized the massive ice formation jutting from the mountainside.

“The glacier cave,” he muttered, not quite believing what was before him.

Merritt leaned forward. “The one you promised to show me?”

Tiikaan nodded, a grim smile tugging at his lips. “Looks like you’re getting that tour sooner than we thought.”

He banked the plane toward the glacier, its blue-white face a beacon in the storm, and called in a mayday with their location. The cave’s maw gaped open, offering shelter from the tempest. It was their only option now.

“Hold on tight,” Tiikaan warned, lining up for approach. “This landing’s going to suck.”

Tiikaan’s eyes narrowed, focusing on the faint outline of the glacier’s base through the swirling mist. He knew there was a smooth stretch of silt down there—perfect for landing—if only he could find it in this soup.

“Come on, come on,” he muttered, willing the clouds to part just a little more.

There! A flash of gray against the white. Tiikaan aimed for it, his hands steady on the controls despite the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

“Brace for landing!” he shouted over the roar of the engine and wind.

The ground rushed up to meet them. Tiikaan pulled back on the yoke, leveling out Darth Maule’s nose. The wheels hit the ground with a jolt that rattled his teeth. They bounced once, twice—too fast, they were coming in too fast.

Tiikaan’s foot slammed down on the brakes. He fought the yoke, using every trick he knew for short-field landings. The plane shuddered and groaned under the strain, but slowly, agonizingly their speed decreased.

They were slowing. They were going to make it. Tiikaan let out a long exhale, his shoulders sagging with relief.

“We did it,” he breathed, turning to flash a triumphant smile at Merritt.

Without warning, Darth Maule lurched violently forward. Tiikaan’s stomach dropped as the plane’s back side raised.

“No, no, no!” Tiikaan yelled, fighting the controls.

But it was too late.

The plane’s nose careened forward. With a sickening lurch, the plane tipped up vertically on its prop and flipped over.