Read Online Departure by A. G. Riddle - Free Book Online Page A

person in panicky counterpoint until it sounds like the Starve Chorus. It takes me a few minutes to unsay it and get their focus again.
    â€œSo how we gonna get food?” asks an overweight man with a thick New York accent.
    How indeed? I hadn’t gotten that far. I can see where this is going. If I let groupthink take over and devil’s advocates call the shots, we’ll still be standing here at sundown, hungry and undecided. I need a plan, right now.
    There are only two logical sources of food: the meals in the other half of the plane and fish from the lake. We might manage to kill something hereon land, but with a hundred mouths to feed, it likely won’t go far. Unless . . . there’s a farm nearby. It’s a long shot, but I tuck the idea away for future use.
    â€œOkay, first step,” I say as authoritatively as I can. “We’re going to take an inventory.”
    â€œInventory?”
    â€œYes.” I point to Jillian—poor Jillian—and Bob Ward, who straightens up and puts on his ultraserious camp counselor face for the crowd. He, at least, is still loving this. “Jillian and Bob are going to come around and ask you what was in your carry-on and checked baggage and what your seat was—or, more importantly, what overhead bin your bag was in. Describe anything that might be of use out here, especially food. Come see me right now if you had any fishing or diving gear in your luggage—a wet suit, even snorkeling gear.”
    A bloated guy in his forties laughs, turning to the crowd. “Hey, Jack, folks don’t do much snorkeling in New York in November.” That gets a few laughs, and he grins at me, waiting.
    I know this guy’s type, and I’d love to stick it to him, but I can’t afford to make another enemy. I opt for the high road.
    â€œThat’s true. I’m thinking about people making a connection, passengers departing from the Caribbean, somebody diving on vacation, making their way home. JFK is a major hub for international destinations. Nassau to JFK to Heathrow isn’t out of the question. Or maybe someone on their way to the Mediterranean via Heathrow. I thought maybe we could get lucky.”
    Jillian starts the survey, but Bob hangs back. “You want to start diving for the food and any supplies in the lake.”
    â€œYeah, it seems like our only move.”
    â€œI agree, but there’s a problem.” Bob pauses dramatically. I get the impression he likes saying “There’s a problem” and pausing.
    â€œWhat’s that?”
    â€œAll the checked baggage will be in LD3s.”
    Oh, right. LD3s.
    â€œWhat’s an LD3?”
    â€œIt’s a unit load device.”
    A unit load device. Why didn’t he just say so?
    â€œI don’t know what that is, Bob.”
    â€œThey’re metal cases that hold the luggage. On smaller aircraft, theysimply load the bags in. On larger ones, like our fateful Boeing 777, they place the bags in the LD3s, then move them onto the plane. They can get more bags on that way and keep them straight. The 777 can carry up to thirty-two LD3s, and maybe a dozen pallets. I can’t remember.”
    â€œPallets?”
    â€œYeah, with food, supplies, etcetera.”
    â€œWhat does all this mean?” I ask.
    â€œThe LD3s will be stacked two wide all the way to the tail. Even if we can dive down to them, they’ll be hard to get to. We might be able to get into the first two, but there’s no way we can haul them out and get to the rows behind them. Bottom line: we can’t count on getting to anything in the checked baggage.”
    So much for that plan. “That’s good to know.”
    â€œI’ll check with Jillian and the pilot, try to figure out where the pallets might be positioned. If they’re near where the plane broke apart, or here in the nose, we could get lucky.”
    â€œAll right. Thanks, Bob.”
    Bob Ward. Annoying?