Mahingga

Chapter 3: Missing Part

The morning sun sparkled across the water as Ako finished tying the rigging of his small water glider. He wore nothing but his swimming trunks. Today was their day off from school, and that usually meant going to the beach. Several of his other friends were there setting up their own water gliders, built like narrow skiffs with a large, triangular sail.

And Ako's was ready. He unhooked it from the dock and pushed off. He didn't wear his Palam—it wouldn't work over the water.

"First one again!" Ako hollered back at his friends. The light morning breeze was just enough to help carry him forward towards the island of Bato which was directly out from the crescent shape of Mahingga's massive eastern beach. The beach stretched for about a mile before ending in a cliff of black stone. Bato was different than the other islands—it was primarily formed of humungous boulders. There was virtually no soil or life on the island, except for mosses, though a few coconut trees and some bushes grew on the edge of its westward side.

"You're always first," Kaib bellowed, pushing off from the dock. "But at least I'm a close second."

The other kids followed, all of them heading further east towards Bato where the water got deeper and the wind picked up. Out further in the bay, small Ahas came and swam beside Ako's glider. The little serpents of the sea were playful, harmless creatures that loved to swim along beside boats and gliders. They were as long as one of Ako's arms, and just as thick around.

From this side of Mahingga, the island gradually sloped up from the crescent beach until it jutted upwards at the peaks. Every bit of land except the white-brown beach was covered in greenery. Even the skyscrapers of the city center were built in hues that reflected the blues and greens of nature. Only one thing was out of place on the Mahinggan island, and it poked out above the trees near the cliffs on the northern edge of the mountain, its metallic form shimmering under the sunlight.

The aircraft.

Ako diverted his gaze. As soon as he felt a heavy breeze, he rode it, heading for a wave. He hit the wave at the side and the glider took to the air, carried by the wind. It felt, for that brief moment, that he was flying. An Ahas jumped out of the water beside him, playing the same game, gliding through the air with its long fins.

The glider splashed back down on the water. Ako kept at it, jumping off more waves, wistfully hoping that the glider would just keep going up until he could soar through the clouds. But he always came back down. Either way, the experience of lifting off the water was still exhilarating. The other kids were doing the same thing.

The Tsugaris hadn't designed water gliders—they'd been around for years before Leypower was discovered—but the idea behind it was still fascinating. Water gliders didn't run off of Leypower, but they operated under wind power. Is there some other power that we're neglecting?

Dala whooped as she came gliding through the air past Ako, splashing down next to him, her hair slightly wet with spray. She flashed him one of her dazzling smiles.

Funny. Ako thought she'd been upset at him last night for helping Kita.

"Did you see the boats?" She pointed to Ako's other side.

Out in the distance, three massive boats with two finlike sails each were sailing towards Bato. He must have been so focused on gliding that he hadn't noticed them.

"Those are government boats," Ako noted, which was indicated by the dark blue sails with a yellow stripe curving through the center.

Dala laughed. "Yeah, who knows what they want on Bato. Nothing's out there." She turned her sail, heading off again after throwing him a playful smile.

That smile hooked him every time. Ako smirked and raced after her.

* * *

When Ako got home that night, he found Taiyo and his father conversing in excited tones.

"I can't really say much," Taiyo was saying, "but this could make a big difference in how we've been looking at the entire structure."

Tatam barked a laugh. "Well, my son. I hope it leads to an innovative discovery."

"What happened?" Ako asked, peeking into the parlor where Taiyo and Tatam were lounging as they talked, seated in lush couches with bamboo frames.

Taiyo shrugged. "We found a part of the aircraft on Bato. It must have fallen off before it crashed. We hadn't even considered that, but a surveyor just stumbled over it this morning." Taiyo looked like he was holding back a smile. "But it was an important piece."

"Wow!" Ako said with genuine enthusiasm. "But what if there're other important pieces that fell out and sank into the ocean?"

Taiyo frowned. "Well, I guess that's possible, but we've started looking more thoroughly."

Ako found himself wishing he was already graduated so that he could apply to work with Taiyo. He eventually wanted to take over the family business, Tsugari Ley, but that wouldn't be for several years. In the meantime, he wanted to find out as much about that aircraft as was possible.

Taiyo suddenly laughed, perhaps noticing Ako's sullen expression. "But it's okay. We'll figure it out soon enough. I think this was a big step towards figuring out how the whole thing worked." He stood up and patted Ako's shoulder as he exited the room. "I'll keep you updated little brother. I know you're as curious as I am."

Taiyo stopped just as he came out the door, still standing beside Ako, but out of sight of their father. He bent his head down just enough to whisper in Ako's ear. "Also, there might be something you can help me with."

Ako looked at his older brother sharply. Was Taiyo keeping something secret? Well, if he was, then he was letting Ako in on it somehow. Ako stepped out of sight of their father as well. "Sure," he said.

Taiyo smiled and whispered, "I'll send you details via Palam sometime tomorrow."

Ako nodded. Tomorrow somehow felt far away.