Carl walked past where Mills was trying to get some sleep on the ground, "Mills, quit dinking around. I'm going on perimeter."
Randa walked over to where Packard sat staring into the fire they had made. He sat across from him on a rock.
"Colonel Packard, this mission to the crash site, is folly. I understand going after your man. But the rest of it.." Packard looked up at him, "This is beyond us."
"You don't like how I'm running things?" Randa didn't answer, "You know where the door is. You set this in motion when you put this place on the map, and I will not cut and run. I know an enemy when I see it."
-------------------
The next morning the group got up early, joining Marlow at the grave site of his friend.
"This man's name was Gungpai Atari. If you take away the uniforms, and the war. He became my brother. And we swore we'd never leave each other behind." He stood and pulled the samurai sword from the mound. "Let's get off this island."
The group worked as quickly as they could on the boat, and Nieves (a little trigger happy) started to try and start up the motor. A shout was heard from the engine area.
"Ow hey!" Slipko yelled, climbing out with a handmade hammer, "Not yet!"
The group started to try and start the engine, and with last minute fixes by Slipko, they got it started. Shouts of joy and laughter could be heard for the first time since getting attacked by Kong.
"Hey does anyone know where Gary went?" Slipko asked, "He wasn't there when I woke up."
"He can come now or just stay here," Marlow said, "We can't afford to waste anymore time."
The Eiwees stood on the bank watching them and Marlow stood up on the stern, saying his goodbye. Mason took a last minute photo of the standing there. She caught Marlow's shoulder in the corner of the frame.
The boat made good time, and James continued to stay up on the stern, gun strapped to his back. Mason joined him up there for a few minutes, placing her hand on his shoulder. He looked back at her and patted her hand once. They smiled at each other. Mason joined Slipko at the back of the boat and he smirked.
"What'd you two make out or something now?" Mason glanced to where James was standing, now with Nieves.
"No." She answered stubbornly.
"And Gary?" She was aware that Slipko was watching her closely, "I know he was interested in you, did Conrad beat him up?"
Mason looked to James again, "Gary got what he deserved."
She saw that James had switched with Marlow at steering and she went to stand beside him as Slipko climbed up on the roof. Marlow started talking.
"I got a wife. Had a wife? Have a wife? Guess I don't know anymore." He held up a picture of her, "I got hitched right before I deployed, got a telegram from her the day before I got shot down said 'we just had our baby boy'. I got a son out there, grown man I've never met."
"Yeah she definitely thinks you're dead man," Slipko called from the roof of the boat.
"Hey," James reached up and smacked the roof with his hand.
"I'm just saying." Marlow looked a bit more put out.
"You don't know that," James told him with a comforting tone, "You'd be surprised how long people wait."
"Eh truth is I don't expect her to be waiting," Marlow said, "I'd be fine either way. I just want one last chance to see him."
"We're gonna get you home," Mason told him.
The transmitter suddenly crackled to life, Slipko jumped. "Fox five come back, is there anyone out there?"
"Hey this is fox five," Slipko said urgently, picking up the receiver, "We hear you. Yeah. We're on a boat, on a boat headed up north river."
"A boat? How'd ya'll get a boat?"
"We met this like crazy, Santa Claus, time-traveler guy from WWII you'll meet him."
"What kind of a boat you guys got?"
"It's more of a plane than a boat really, it's called a ploat. We're on a ploat."
"We need their location Slipko," James called up to the younger man.
"Hey send up a flare so we can find you."
"Roger that fox five."
In the next few seconds a flare appeared directly in front of the boat's course. Everyone chuckled in excitement.
"Alright we have a visual, two clicks to our north."
"Roger that fox five, fox one out."
Slipko leaned back and threw his arms up in the air, "Yessssss!"
At that moment some kind of bird thing swooped out of nowhere and plucked Nieves from the front of the boat. His screams mixed with those of the ones still on board. Both James and Slipko were up in an instant, pointing their guns to the sky. But it was hopeless, even Mason knew that much. The pair slowly lowered their guns as the rest of the group joined them on the front area of the boat.
"He's gone," James told them, "Everyone pack your gear, we have to keep moving. We'll go to shore and meet up with Packard."
"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" Brooks yelled, "Is no one gonna say anything about-"
"There's nothing to say!" Marlow told him, "He's gone and he ain't coming back."
Mason noticed that James still stood in his place, not moving like the others had. She walked a bit closer and put one hand on his arm and the other on his shoulder. She and she alone had known about the constant nightmares and flashbacks that were a part of his life. It was the sole thing that had driven him to drinking, as he tried to get the images out of his head.
She wasn't sure if he had ever succeeded.
Slowly she rubbed circles on his shoulder blade with her fingertips while keeping two fingers on his pulse. It steadily slowed and he breathed out a long breath. He placed a hand on hers and she slowly withdrew, walking away as if nothing had happened.
The group eventually made it to the meeting area, a small stream where Marlow kneeled down to fill his canteen. Mason sat by Slipko on a log, carefully examining her camera. James passed her once, slightly brushing his fingertips on her shoulder. She couldn't help the small smile that crept over her lips. A silent thank you.
Slipko noticed her smile and raised an eyebrow. She shook her head in a joking manner. He looked over at where James was standing by the creek.
"Their flare was only two clicks away, they should be here soon."
"Unless they were eaten by something that's bigger than us," Mason muttered to herself.
There was a lot of creaking suddenly from the forest behind them, and Slipko jumped up with a smile on his face. A chorus of, "Hey Slipko" and more filled the air as he jumped up and ran over to his friends. They embraced and Mason smiled wider. He sure had missed them.
Randa came over and shook Brooks hand in a greeting, Packard and James did the same thing.
"What's the count?"
"About 13," Packard answered, "That's all I got."
"We lost one too." James looked grim.
Marlow stood and walked over to Packard, "Good to see you fellas."
"Who the hell is this?"
"Picked up a hitchhiker," James told him.
"Lieutenant Hank Marlow of the 45th pursuit squadron of the 15th." He grinned.
Packard looked stunned, "You've been here since world war two?"
"Yes sir," Marlow answered, "I miss the parade?"
"I'll be damned."
"We're gonna get him home sir," James told Packard, "We follow this river we'll get back to the boat and make it to the north shore in time."
"That sounds good," Packard adjusted his gloves, "But we're not leaving yet. Still got a man out there Conrad."
"Wait a second you've got someone out there?"
"Chaplin. He's with the downed C-Stallion just west of here."
"West!?" Marlow cried, "We can't go west! That's where those skull things live. We have an old saying here: East is best west is worse. That's why we say it! You know south-west...we can talk about that, but-you're gonna need a lot more guns if we go west."
Mason stood up, "Guys. I think we should listen to Marlow. This is crazy."
James looked lost in thought.
"Hey," Packard told him, "Your job is finding lost men, right?"
James debated, "Alright sir." Mason sighed. "But if we reach that position and he's not there we don't send out a search party. We come back to the boat. In twenty-four hours we need to be on the other side of this island."
"Roger that," Packard told him, "Hear you loud and clear. Move out in ten."
Marlow started talking to the soldiers, "You are a good group of boys. We're all gonna die together out here, you know that? You're a good group of boys to die with."
James walked past where Mason was sitting on the log once again. "You going to tell me this is a bad idea?"
Mason didn't look up from her camera, "This is a bad idea."