However, I respected and admired aircraft. They were incredible feats of engineering, true manifestations of man's desire to overcome its limitations. They had always been a minor part of my life. As a kid, I'd flown with my neighbor in his private plane several times, and I'd helped friends maintain and work on them in the past. I wasn't as familiar with them as I was with boats, but I knew enough to be dangerous.
I brushed the buzzing insects away and hustled over to the aircraft, moving in a low crouch, vigilant for any movement along the road. I needed to be out of sight again before Mercury showed up with the idol. It took me a moment of searching, but I found the catches to release the cowling on the front of the plane. I pushed on it, and with a slight creak it pivoted until it was standing straight up, exposing the engine compartment.
It was difficult to make out all the details in the dark, but the moonlight was bright enough to discern the major components. Most engines are pretty similar, and it didn't take long for me to find what I was looking for. Whipping out my multitool, I found the starter and then the twin magnetos. I yanked and cut out every wire I could find. Then, for good measure, I found the battery and removed both the ground and positive wires. Confident that the plane was now grounded, I closed the plane's cowling and slipped back into the cover of the trees and tall grass.
My watch told me that twenty minutes had passed by the time I had gone numb to the incessant bug bites. There was no sign of Mercury. I wondered if she had found another way off the island, or worse, if Bardales and his goons had captured her. I made my mind up to double back toward the village when a flicker of movement near the road caught my eye. Amid the grass and palm fronds, something had moved just enough for me to notice, but not enough for my eyes to lock on.
The human eye excels at seeing movement. It was a key part of our survival as a species, allowing us to spot prey and predators. I relaxed and stopped focusing so hard, letting my eyes do what they did best. There! I saw it again and my eyes snapped to a patch of tall grass moving independently of the rest. I held my breath and waited. Finally, highlighted by the moonlight, a crouched figure emerged from the edge of the wild sea of grass and into the trampled and cropped stretch of runway.
Jay Mercury skulked across the open runway to her plane and opened the pilot-side door. The chorus of buzzing insects drowned any noise she made. The plane hid most of her from view, and I could just barely see her deposit her pack in the pilot's seat. She then removed the wheel chocks, tossed them inside and stood to look around one last time, scrutinizing the airfield and its surrounding jungle. Confident, she let herself smile and hopped in the plane, shutting the door behind her.
She fiddled with some switches and controls, executing practiced motions that would be second nature to an experienced pilot. Suddenly she paused and checked something again. Her previous fluid movements devolved into jerky, frantic gestures. From behind the windshield I could see her well enough to watch her smug expression wither and die on her face, replaced by frustration and anger.
I crawled through the long grass, taking advantage of her distraction. Inch by painstaking inch, I advanced. First, I moved parallel to the craft, and then, once beside it, I moved as close to the pilot's door as I dared. I stopped a handful of feet away, freezing in place as Jaye ripped open the door of her plane with a growl of annoyance and hopped out to stand in front of the wing.
Her entire demeanor had changed. Gone was all the confidence and swagger. Now she was a cornered animal, fierce but scared. The whites of her eyes flashed as they darted about, scanning right over me and into the tall grasses and dark tree line before eventually turning back towards the dirt road. I kept myself still, knowing that I was invisible as long as I didn't move. My biggest fear was that my pounding heart would give me away. She ended her search with another groan, and then reached into the cockpit of the plane and withdrew a small flashlight, leaving the door open as she went to the front of the plane and opened the cowling.
Timing is everything, I told myself as I fought an internal war between my mind and my adrenaline. Part of me wanted to spring up, grab her pack from the cockpit and make a run for it. Another part of me argued that a slow, stealthy approach would serve me better. Precious seconds went by, seconds that I knew I didn't have. The one option I couldn't afford to take was to do nothing. Mercury was a sharp person. It wouldn't take her long to find the mess of cut wires.
After one last glance to make sure she was occupied in the engine bay, I rose from the grass, and quietly, but quickly, snuck towards the open door of the plane. Inside, the cockpit was nearly pitch black, but I could make out her pack sitting on the passenger seat, barely within reach. Leaning in, I strained to reach the bag until my fingers brushed across its fabric. Seizing the bag, I lifted it off the seat, surprised by its weight, and turned to slink back into the brush only to stare directly into Jaye Mercury's eyes.
"Didn't anyone ever tell you that stealing was
