Caesare nodded. “More or less.”
“Then no thanks necessary.” He offered Caesare a meek smile.
Caesare stood, studying him. “Why did you volunteer, Juan?”
“I told you. It was better to-”
Caesare cut him off. “That’s not it. I can read people, kid, and there’s something else going on.”
Juan didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he looked back at the plane before answering. “It’s my little sister.”
“Your sister?”
“She’s only six. She was a surprise to my parents when I was fourteen… and she’s amazing. We have a big gap between us, but she looks up to me like I walk on water. She calls me her héroe.”
“I don’t think I’m following.”
“My parents worked a lot so I was the one who looked after her. You know, kept her safe and all. She looks up to me.”
“What’s her name?”
“Angelina.” Juan breathed in, struggling. “I came because she was diagnosed a few months ago with leukemia. And she’s showing accelerated symptoms.”
Caesare shook his head. “I’m sorry, Juan.”
“If you met her, you’d know why I volunteered. She’s the most incredible kid I’ve ever known. Always smiling. Always making everyone happy. Even when she gets disappointed, she just smiles and says it’s okay.” Juan’s trembling lips turned into a smile. “She says her favorite part of the day is when I get home.”
He glanced over Caesare’s shoulder at Tiewater, who was now crossing the small field toward them.
“DeeAnn told me what you guys found on the mountain, Mr. Caesare. So if there’s something out there that might help my sister, I’m willing to do whatever I can. After all, a hero doesn’t give up, right?”
With a sympathetic frown, Caesare nodded and turned as Tiewater reached them.
“Sir, we’re ready.”
Behind them, the large propellers of a 1952 Douglas DC-3 began to turn as one engine sputtered and roared to life, followed by the second. Black smoke coughed from the massive Rolls Royce Dark Mk. 510 engines, then quickly dissipated in the warm moist breeze blowing across the open field.
As the three men approached the aircraft, Joe swung around and met them near the tail, yelling over the deafening engines. “I have a local guy who helps me with the drops but figured you wanted to keep our party small.”
“The smaller, the better,” Caesare yelled back.
The older man nodded before grabbing the metal ladder and climbing into the fuselage.
When DeeAnn climbed aboard, she paused at the top of the ladder, still clutching Dulce in one arm. She glanced down the inside of the fuselage to find Juan and Anderson. Both were sitting on a long, padded metal bench near the opening of the plane’s cockpit where Joe was checking his instruments. Against the other wall, three large boxes were secured by orange nylon straps with giant balls of fabric on top.
The thundering roar behind them forced her inside quickly, causing her to trip and stumble into the arms of Tiewater. He caught her and gently turned the two around at which point they managed to make it to the bench. When they sat down, Anderson handed her two worn pairs of headsets.
DeeAnn peered at them and placed one over her head. She then took the other and held it to Dulce’s head, trying to determine the best way to situate them. When she finally wiggled them in place on top of Dulce’s petite skull, she almost laughed.
Dulce looked surprised at the sudden reduction in noise. She scanned the cabin curiously, then pulled her headset off again.
“No. Keep it on, honey.” DeeAnn grabbed Dulce’s headset and pushed it precariously back into place. “It will keep things quieter.”
Dulce stared at her before making a chuttering sound, and pulled them back off.
She turned to Juan. “I guess it’s still too loud for the vest to work in here.”
“It definitely won’t work as well. Maybe if they close the door.”
Anderson smiled. “There is no door.”
“What?”
“It would be too hard to open in mid-flight.”
“Are you saying it’s going to be this loud the whole way?”
“Yep, the whole way!” he laughed.
With her mouth open, DeeAnn shook her head. There was a little less noise inside the plane, but still enough to have to raise her voice over. She stared at the open door before turning back. “Aren’t we going to freeze?”
“Nah. We’ll be flying low until the end.”
Just then Corso’s huge frame climbed into view and nodded to Tiewater, who joined them in the forward cabin. “You’re going to want to belt in for takeoff. It’s going to get pretty bouncy,” he yelled.
“Oh geez.” DeeAnn fumbled for the belt behind Dulce.
“What’s in these big boxes?”
“Our supplies.” He raised a hand and patted a small area of Dulce’s head. “And her food.”
“What’s that on top of the boxes?”
Before she could get a reply, Tiewater turned as a large, thick pack flew through the open door, caught by Corso. He promptly dropped it behind him and caught another. This repeated until he had several packs stacked neatly on the floor.
A minute later, the engines roared louder. Caesare finally climbed up the ladder, tossing the wheel blocks toward the rear. He quickly pulled the ladder up as the plane began to move over the bumpy field, accelerating and turning the bumps into larger bounces.
DeeAnn’s eyes followed Caesare as he approached, squeezing in behind her and Anderson. “I liked the last plane better,” she said aloud.
He grinned.
Glancing again at the boxes, she repeated her question. “What’s that cloth thing on top?”
Caesare frowned. “Listen, Dee. Remember when you told Alison you weren’t a big fan of mine at the moment?”
“I was joking!”
“I know. But this isn’t going to help.”
“What do you mean?” It was then that she suddenly put things together. The cloth on top of the large boxes and the packs that Caesare threw to Corso through the door. “What WERE those?!”
Caesare tone became apologetic. “There was no other option, Dee. Believe me.”
Her eyes widened nervously.
“If there were an easier way to get in, we would have taken it.”
“Oh my God!” She began to panic. “Are those parachutes?!”
“Kind of.”
“KIND OF?!”
“Okay. They’re parachutes.”
Juan leaned forward with the same look as DeeAnn. “Did you say parachutes?!”
“I was hoping we would find another option. But there isn’t one. And unfortunately, there aren’t any runways where we’re going. Just enough fuel to make it there and back.”
“Oh, God! Please tell me you’re kidding!”
Caesare shook his head. “I’m sorry. There was no other way.”
She covered her face with her hands, then pulled them away. “No! No! I am NOT jumping out of an airplane! Stop! Stop the plane!”
Just as she spoke, DeeAnn became aware that their bouncing from side to side had promptly dissipated. She stared out of the door, past both Caesare and Corso who were now on the end of the bench. She was just in time to see the blur of bright green grass fall away as the powerful DC-3 climbed into the air.
“Take it easy,” Caesare said loudly. “It’s going to be fine.”
“Normal people do not equate parachutes with things going fine, Steven!”
Caesare winked. “Trust me. Clay and I have done hundreds of these and never had a single problem. You couldn’t be in safer hands.”
Hearing no further disputes, Caesare nodded and leaned back against the metal wall behind him. He was glad they didn’t press him on it because that last bit wasn’t entirely accurate.