Aurora - Blood Moon Tribute Pt. 10

"And dare I ask, who's flying?"

Ally said, "G'day, Kev." while Beck chimed, "Hello Kevin."

"Goodness." Kev said, either shocked or impressed. "So where's Zhang?"

Watson looked around, then tugged at the neck of his robes. "Last time I saw him he was duct-taped to a chair. In his apartment. In his boxers with tape over his mouth."

Ally raised a hand. "That was me."

"Goodness." Kev said again, "Lucky I'm sitting down. So where are you now?"

"Heading south, the to the corner where Ab Aldafra meets the sea. We were hoping to sneak into Africa, then cut across the top, chuck a right at Morocco and head for England."

"Why bother?" Kev asked.

Watson knitted his eyebrows. "Why bother? We want to come home, Kevin, that's why bother."

"I mean why go the long way?"

"We can't go direct," Ally cut in, "we don't have the overflights. You see, Kev, it's not as simple as just pointing the nose and-"

"You do." Kevin said, stopping Ally in her tracks.

"Err..." Beck cut in, "say again."

"There's an international flight plan in the system for that aircraft. Bravo- double eight double eight."

"A flight plan?"

"Ab Aldafra, to London Luton airport."

Watson felt the sudden urge to sit down, and Aisha shimmied aside so he could park his rear on the edge of her seat. A strange male was actually touching her, touching her thigh, yet he had somehow not been pitched into a state of uncontrollable sexual hysteria. In spite of everything she'd ever been told, he wasn't trying to rape her only to accuse her of leading him astray. Was he sick? Or just too old and impotent? Or had all those ranting clerics been lying?

"Let's get this straight." he said. "This aeroplane we sto... took by mistake, was on a flight plan to England?"

"Lodged by Zhang's own pilots."

"And what was the ETD?"

A brief silence and Kev came back. "Right about now."

"Via where?"

Kev rattled off a number of waypoints, then said, "How about I just send it up to you?"

"Umm... Kev," Beck hedged, "as much as I'd love to believe it, how can you possibly know all this? I mean, why would you be keeping tabs on a Chinese billionaire's jet?"

"Why do you think?" Kev demanded.

"Because you're really, really clever?" Beck ventured. "Either that or this is the matrix."

"There is no way of disproving either. But think about it. How did this all begin?"

There were non-plussed looks, all around, and Watson rubbed his face. "Kev... the last twenty-four hours feels like it lasted a week. Please. Just indulge us."

Kev drew a breath. "Well, it's like this. Roger went to Ab Aldafra to take down Zhang. Beck and Ally went to Ab Aldafra to pick up Roger. His plan failed, but Roger's still got his eye on Zhang, and was hoping to settle the score when Zhang got back to England. I've been watching that plane like a hawk."

Yan, Cassandra and Selene, Penny, Thip and Sophany came running at the sound of cheering and whooping. "Kev," Ally said, smearing her eyes, "you are incredible. Next time I see you I'm gonna give you a great big kiss."

"Ooo..." Kev warbled, fanning himself. "Miss Ally-cat. I'm not sure this poor old ticker could handle it."

Head down, Beck was busy building a flight plan. She looked at Ally. "Ready for a Direct-to?"

"Is the pope a paedophile? Go for it, Flea."

The big, gleaming jet rolled into a right turn, then levelled its wings, heading roughly west. "We're on our way, Kev."

"I don't know why you didn't just ask in the first place. My AI just sits here most of the time, twiddling its circuits. Oh, by the way, the coup's failed, do you know, and Ab Aldafra's air force is grounded. While they try to work out who was supporting whom. Except for one military jet that managed to get airborne. An F-sixteen. Now it seems to have gone missing."

"Yeah, well," Ally said, "funny story."

"All I'm saying is you're in uncontrolled airspace. Keep your eyes peeled."

"To be honest," Beck said, "I'm having trouble just keeping them open."

"Kev?" Watson cut in, "I still need Worthington's number. We've got..." he counted under his breath, "we've got eight... no...nine... no... ten people here who are gonna need processing. None of us have any passports. In fact no documents of any description."

"I'm sure Eric will be happy to help. Sook especially, she saved his wife's life. And Roger already has spares for you four. The others might need to wait a few days, but the hotels are nice and I'm sure Lord Munt won't mind footing the bill."

Ally turned away, looking out the side window, while Beck bit her knuckles with tears in her eyes.

"Yeah, well," Watson said, "first things first. Kev, if you can call Roger back and tell him we're on our way. We'll see him in London in a few hours' time. Tell him, meet us at the airport and dinner's on him."