Island of the Sequined Love Nun

the clip was empty.
    She threw the gun to the ground and stood shaking as the last of the ladders was thrown away from the plane and the coos were pulled shut.

65 – Down to the Promised Land
    Malink joined Tuck on the flight deck and tried to work the flight officer's harness around his belly as Tuck released the ground brakes and the jet started rolling. The two fighters did another pass overhead, one of the pilots warning Tuck not to attempt to take off.
    "You forced me down," Tuck said into the headset mike. "What more do you guys want?"
    He rammed the throttles to maximum. They either had enough runway or they didn't. What was certain was that he wouldn't know in time to stop. They were going into the ocean or into the sky and that was that.
    The flaps were down for maximum lift, which would use three times as much fuel as a regular takeoff, but that was a problem to deal with once they were in the air. He looked at the ocean ahead, then at the airspeed indicator, then at the ocean ahead-back and forth, waiting, waiting, waiting for the airspeed indicator to reach the point where the plane would lift. He was twenty knots short of takeoff speed when the end of the runway disappeared from view and he started his pull up.
    The rear wheels of the great plane grazed the water as it lifted into the air. Tuck heard what he hoped was a cheer coming from the back of the plane, but there was a distinct possibility that he was hearing collective screams of terror. He had just lifted off with three hundred and thirty-two people who had never flown before. Tuck thought of Sepie, who would have started her first plane ride two hours ago.
    "Where are we going?" Malink asked.
    He was trying to compose himself, but when Tuck looked at him, he saw that the old chief's eyes were as wide as sauces.
    "A place called Costa Rica," Tuck said. "You ever heard of it?"
    Malink shook his head. "Vincent tells you to take us there."
    "No, it was my idea, actually."
    "There is plenty cargo on Costa Rica?"
    "Couldn't say, Malink, but the climate is nice and there's no extradition."
    "That is good?" Malink said, as if he had the slightest idea what extradition was.
    Tuck admired the old chief. He was here because his god told him to be here. He had just made a decision that would change the history of an entire population, and he had done it on faith.
    Tuck set the autopilot and crawled out of the pilot's seat. "I'm going back to make sure everyone is strapped in. Don't touch anything."
    Malink's eyes went wide again. "Who is flying the plane?"
    Tuck winked. "I think you know." He turned and headed down the steps to check on his passengers.

    Pushed to his limit and no little bit frightened, Sebastian Curtis sneaked up on his wife, who was in full tantrum, and injected her in the thigh with a syringe full of Valium. She fumed and gave him a good shot to the jaw before she started to calm down. He caught her by the shoulders and backed her into the office chair in front of the computer.
    "Don't worry," he said, "Nomura is on his way back with the Lear. We'll be long gone before anyone can get here."
    "How did he do it?" Beth's voice was weak now, trailing off at the end.
    "I don't know. I'm surprised he's even alive. We'll be fine. We have plenty of money. Not as much as we'd hoped, but if we're careful…"
    "He turned them against me," she said. "My people…" She didn't finish.
    Sebastian stroked her hair. The clinic door opened and Mato came inside carrying his Uzi. "Phone," he said.
    "No," Sebastian said. "I've already called Japan. The Lear is on its way. Now give us some privacy."
    Mato threw the bolt on the Uzi and said something in Japanese. Sebastian didn't move. Mato dug the barrel of the gun into the doctor's ribs. "Phone," he said.
    Sebastian picked up the receiver that was connected to the satellite and handed it over.
    "Out," Mato said.
    Sebastian helped Beth to her feet. "Come on. We have to do as he says."
    Beth let him lift her to her feet, then she pointed a finger at Mato. "You can kiss your Christmas bonus goodbye, ninja boy. That's it."
    Sebastian dragged her through the door and helped her across the compound to her bungalow. Inside he lay her on the bed. Getting her out of the surgical greens was like trying to undress a rag doll. She babbled incoherently the whole time, but did not fight him. When he turned to leave the room, two of the guards were standing in the doorway grinning. One of them motioned for him to leave