PULAU MATI Read online

  PULAU MATI

  John L. Evans

  Other titles by John L. Evans

  SAGUARO EXPRESS

  Aviation adventure, smuggling and romance in Arizona and Mexico of 1971

  KELIN’S JOURNEY

  Post-apocalypse adventure of a twelve year old boy

  PETALS OF CANNA

  Aviation adventure and intrigue in the Amazon rainforest

  LOVE DID THAT?

  Outrageous short stories illustrating the power of love and what it can do, or undo

  Other titles by John L. Evans

  BUSQUEDA PELIGROSA

  The sequel to Saguaro Express. Torrid romance, violence and aviation adventure in the search for a missing smuggler in the Sierra Madre of 1971

  VERACITY

  Techno-thriller set in the Silicon Valley. Five young geeks invent a world changing device but use it unethically. Soon they are stalked by a sinister force willing to kill for it.

  WATER LIKE STONE

  An international adventure and a love story set against a background of Egyptology and aviation

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locals, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright 2012 John L. Evans

  All rights reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.

  For information contact

  Yellow Tulip Publishing

  [email protected]

  ISBN-10: 1470162164

  ISBN-13: 978-1470162160

  Visit the author’s Facebook page: johnlevansauthor

  PULAU MATI

  In the small Indonesian port city of Sorong where Haatim Udeen prays and teaches the followers of the one true faith, a message arrives. Allah in his exalted wisdom has opened the way for Haatim to complete the great weapon that will bring death to the enemies of Islam.

  Haatim is tall and slender with dark, piercing eyes and possesses a charismatic bearing, extraordinarily so when wearing the dishdasha he prefers in place of the local sarong. His attention drawing looks make him easily recognizable and although it chafes him to do so, he is forced to shave his beard and wear western clothes when away from the quiet port city. He must explain to his students that he shaves only to avoid attention from infidel’s eyes and their remotely controlled missiles, but someday, perhaps not in his lifetime, all the warriors of Islam may travel the world dressed and groomed as Allah intended. Although he encourages jihad for his students, he never reveals to them details of the weapon on which he is devoting his life.

  Over the years Allah has bestowed Haatim with many pieces for the great weapon. Of all the faithful, only Haatim had the knowledge to fit the many pieces together. He feels himself glow with pride and then chastises himself. In the eyes of Allah, pride is the cardinal sin. It was Allah who gave Haatim the vision to recognize how the pieces might form the magnificent weapon.

  One of the first gifts from heaven came in the form of the Greek infidel’s yacht, captured simply to ransom the crew and passengers until the Filipino army attempted to free the hostages. The failed attempt resulted in the death of the owner and his family who were among the hostages, leaving the glorious ship ownerless and forgotten. Some paint and a change of name to Zaafir, meaning victorious, and the vessel was transformed into a tool for use in the struggle against Satan.

  Soon after receiving the yacht, another piece of the great weapon arrived in the form of a young Saudi air force pilot, Kamil, seeing the way to atonement after disgracing himself in a relationship with a western whore. Kamil was forced to flee Saudi Arabia despite his clear justification for strangling the whore with his bare hands. Of all the cities in which he might have sought refuge, the young pilot was guided by Allah to choose Sorong and was welcomed there by Haatim.

  A year later Allah presented a key piece when word of the remote island with an abandoned airstrip reached Haatim’s ears, carried by a poor fisherman from Timor but a true believer nevertheless. The uninhabited island lay just a twenty four hour voyage south west from Sorong in the swift Zaafir. From the barely identifiable piles of rust that were once weapons and the debris and vermin filled bunkers, Haatim concluded infidels constructed the runway for use in the second Great War when they foolishly fought amongst themselves. Long ago the above ground buildings had crumbled into the earth but little of the runway had buckled and volunteers for the holy war were eager to repair it. With those gifts from Allah, the seed began to grow and Haatim Udeen envisioned his name spoken in the same breath as that of the great lion himself, Ossama.

  Perhaps the greatest gift from Allah has been the aid of the old friend and warrior, Dawoud Saleel, who shares Haatim’s view that world wide the faithful are falling away from the teachings of Mohammad. One of three generals in the organization known as Abu Sayyaf, Dawoud commands nearly 100 men. His soldiers are well disciplined as a result of Dawoud’s wise leadership, and well equipped as a result of successful ransoming of hostages and donations from Haatim.

  Over tea in Sorong and at safe locations near the Philippine port city of Davao, the two old friends refine a plan to hijack an airliner, land it on the abandoned runway and by loading it with fuel and tens of thousands of kilos of explosives, transform it into a colossal bomb capable of leveling not just a single tower but many. Kamil waits anxiously to guide the magnificent flying bomb to one of the infidel cities, Brisbane, Sydney, perhaps even the most abhorrent of the great Satan’s cities, Los Angeles, should Allah bless them with an aircraft of the necessary range.

  In Sorong, Haatim continues to teach and pray while Allah provides pieces for the great endeavor. The fervent believer Fadi Mahmoud, a former armorer in the Iranian Navy, arrives from Iraq where he has acquired valuable experience building IEDs that brought death to hundreds of the great Satan’s soldiers. The next gift makes Haatim’s heart race. Dawoud calls him from Davao and says an imam in Manila told him of a local convert whose brother is a pilot for Emirates Airline. How fitting that the airline admired as one of the outstanding examples of Muslim enterprise should provide the aircraft for the jihad. Supremely fitting because the airline’s practices are an insult to Allah and all the faithful and contribute to the world wide erosion of the faith. The airline hires infidel whores, provides them with uniforms which no believing Muslim woman would wear, allows them to serve alcohol, and most abhorrent of all allows them to serve male passengers while haiz.

  Dawoud says the Emirates pilot is flying routes out of airports where they do not have brothers in jihad employed or the airports are too distant geographically to consider. But in anticipation of when that changes, Dawoud’s men locate the home of the infidel pilot, Bayani Isagani, and the homes of his sister and mother.

  A gun mount that collapses into the deck for concealment is built forward of the Zaafir’s bridge. The mount holds an Oerlikon 20 x 128mm auto cannon with a range of 6000 meters. Dawoud’s men repair the island’s runway and the Zaafir carries fuel, explosives and anti-shipping mines to the island. Acquisition of these telltale materials and weapons is accomplished by a very limited number of true believers known and trusted by Dawoud and Haatim, assuring there is no opportunity for betrayal or chatter that might inform infidel intelligence agencies.

  Less than two weeks after Haatim and his students’ humble celebration of the great lion’s victory of September 11, a message arrives from Dawoud saying Allah has blessed their endeavor with a gift of unsurpassed generosity. When Haatim learns the details, he sees the gift is so sweet, so much more than he has prayed for that he weeps.

  Alyson Marker blew a fina
l kiss to her lover before she went through the gate for her flight to Singapore. So many emotions competed for ascendancy she closed her eyes briefly as she walked down the ramp to the aircraft door. She had no regrets for falling in love with Gray and knew he had none either. She loved him deeply and did not doubt for a moment that he loved her to the same depth, but he was right, they must part. There was no right time for it and if it was left to either of them they might never part until death took one of them.

  They often said temporary goodbyes because of the demanding travel their careers required and this parting was, on the surface, no different than others. However this time Alyson had put into motion arrangements that could change their relationship. They were so open with each other and knew each other so surprisingly well she envisioned him doing the same if given the serendipitous circumstances that had arisen. She did not know whether or not she would come to regret what she had done but there was no going back.

  To Grayden Fitzgerald, the soaring, sculpted ceilings, extensive use of glass and open beamed architecture of the Kuala Lumpur airport terminal are as dramatic as the Petronas Twin Towers for which the city is famous. Grayden, Gray to his friends, and Alyson Marker arrived at the airport by taxi after dark and took the aero train to the satellite terminal. After seeing Alyson off on a flight to Singapore where she would board another to Taiwan, Gray walked back to the hub of the terminal to find the Emirates gate for his own flight. As soon as he turned into the arm of the terminal reserved for Emirates Airlines he guessed which of the gates was his. Far down the walkway a camera crew was set up across from a check-in counter and a group of well dressed men and women gathered near an eight foot high Emirates logo formed solely from brilliantly colored cut flowers.

  Carrying a small bag, Gray walked to the counter, comfortable in the air conditioning of the terminal after the humid heat of the city. Nine days ago he had left the cool, dry October air of the Sierra Nevada in California where he operated an air charter and light aircraft refurbishing business. He and Alyson had arrived in Kuala Lumpur a few days before the start of the LPGA Sime Darby. They came early for sightseeing and time together and Alyson also wanted time to acclimate to the gross temperature change after competing at the Solheim in the bone chilling cold of Ireland.

  Gray checked in at the Emirates counter for flight A402 and then took one of the many vacant seats. Moments later he returned the smile from a young woman approaching the counter. She had given him a flirtatious smile and a little ripple wave of her fingers, barely lifting her hand. Annaliese Kurtz was the willowy, graceful young woman’s name, and like Gray, asked friends to call her by a shortened version of her name, Anna, which she pronounced, “Awnuh.” She was a star golfer on both the European and LPGA tours and had easily made the cut at the Sime Darby but after the second round fell behind the field due to an injury. Alyson on the other hand had moved up as the tournament progressed. Displaying her nearly boring consistency, she had placed third in the Sime Darby.

  Alyson was 25 years old and Gray 46 and until recently they had kept their affair private because of their age difference. Their relationship had matured and Alyson’s parents accepted Gray with surprisingly little drama. Alyson began introducing him to her closest friends as her boyfriend which usually drew envious comments. Although flattered, Gray was never sure whether the comments were sincere or simply to please Alyson who was so very well liked by everyone on the tour.

  When Anna was finished at the counter she glanced again in Gray’s direction and by gesture asked if she could sit in the seat next to him. He smiled again and nodded. She wheeled her small bag along the row of empty seats and sat down.

  “An interesting coincidence,” she said. Anna spoke precise English but remnants of her German accent still remained. She was tall, close to Gray’s six one, and slender but shapely with dark brown hair and eyes. Her reference to coincidence was that the flight for which they were waiting was by invitation only and its destination was Brisbane, Australia, not a connecting flight to Taiwan where most of the lady golfers were headed for the next tournament. By the dearth of passengers in the waiting area it was evident the flight would be less than a quarter full despite it being the inaugural flight of Emirates Airline’s newest addition to its fleet, a Boeing 797.

  Gray considered Anna’s statement a moment and replied, “Since there are a lot of flights out of here and you are not Australian I guess that does make it a pretty big coincidence.”

  Anna laughed softly. “I’m going to Brisbane for some R and R. And you? You are not going to Taiwan?”

  “I’m going to Cairns, work related. Is your wrist bothering you too much for Taiwan?”

  The young woman nodded, an exaggerated pout forming on her face. “Yes, too much. I will heal better in the pleasant weather of Brisbane than in Bonn.”

  “You have my sympathy. That was truly a beautiful round you shot the first day. I’m glad I got to see it.”

  Anna beamed. “Thank you! I saw you on fourteen just before I hit that five iron out of the rough.”

  “I thought you did. I was afraid it was going to break your concentration but when you hit your shot I knew it had not.”

  Anna went silent a moment, her expression pensive. She turned back to Gray with a smile.

  He asked, “Did all the ladies at Sime Darby get an invite for this flight?”

  “I think so. And probably everyone with a remote claim to celebrity within a thousand kilometers of Malaysia.”

  “Interesting why Emirates chose Kuala Lumpur to introduce this plane,” Gray said.

  “They seem to have a huge presence in South Asia. Flights everywhere.”

  “Maybe that is the reason,” Gray said. “But the flight looks like it will take off at a fraction of its capacity.”

  “Maybe Emirates wants it that way… or the delay may have caused some of the passengers to choose another flight.”

  “That’s possible. Fortunately I received an email telling me of the delay before we left for the airport. Then it worked out that Alyson’s flight left before mine.”

  “I did not think you were a celebrity,” Anna laughed. Before Gray could respond, she said, “I’m teasing. I know you are a pilot and have an airplane business of your own.”

  Gray chuckled. “Your memory is good. No, I’m not the celebrity but I already had a reservation on another Emirates flight to Brisbane and Alyson was invited on this one. She made a call and somehow that sweet voice of hers got me on board in her stead.”

  A blush started on Anna’s face but before Gray could consider a reason for it, an announcement came over the speakers. It was first spoken in what Gray guessed was Bahasa Malaysia although he had heard so many different languages spoken in Kuala Lumpur that he was not sure. The second rendition of the announcement was in English. “Ladies and gentlemen, Emirates Airline regrets to inform you special flight A402 will be delayed another two hours. The new boarding time is eleven fifty.”

  Groans and a low clamor arose as passengers, already aggravated by the earlier delay, debated how to spend the next two hours.

  Gray also groaned. He rose to his feet and asked, “Anna, did you have dinner?”

  “No, I was told Emirates was offering us something special after takeoff so I did not eat.”

  “Care to join me? I’m not going to wait another two or three hours. With the earlier delay and this one they may never get off.”

  “Yes, thank you for asking,” she said and came to her feet. “Look, do you recognize those two?” she asked, pointing with only her finger close to her body so it was not obvious.

  Gray glanced at the young man and woman to whom Anna was pointing and chuckled. “I do, but not their names. No, I do remember her first name. Melanie something… Bronsi, that’s it.” The young woman had starred more than a decade ago in a SiFi television series that Gray thought unwatchable due to a moronic script but it had developed something of a cult following, probably because she was so unbearably cu
te and curvaceous. Later she had appeared in a couple of very good movies and others that were definite B-grade. The lanky young man with Melanie had a mop of hair over his forehead and looked in character for the slacker roles he played. Melanie was wearing a linen jacket and white slacks that showed off her lovely shape. The young man had on rumpled khakis and a rock band T-shirt and was carrying a Hoodie. Anna said his name was Lex Ashton.

  Melanie Bronsi was also among those that groaned when they heard the announcement of the second delay. She stood and grabbed Lex by the sleeve of his T-shirt. “Come on, I’ve got to get something to eat.” She noticed the tall, striking young woman in the form fitting navy top and slacks a few rows away rise from her seat, presumably at the invitation from the very attractive older man. They looked like they might know some place good to eat. She motioned Lex to follow as she headed to cut them off before they got away. As they approached she said, “Pardon me. Do you guys know a decent place to eat in here beside the fast food?”

  The tall young woman’s eyes widened, probably at the surprise of being asked advice by a movie star. “Um, the main terminal has a Café Marche that some of my friends say is very good. We are eating at the Asian Café which has a wonderfully varied menu. I have eaten there and liked it.”

  Before Melanie could respond, the young woman continued. “We recognized you and Lex. I’m Anna Kurtz and this is Grayden Fitzgerald.”

  The four had a short, awkward conversation before Melanie said she and Lex would take the aero train to the main terminal. At that not so subtle cue Grayden and Anna went on their way.