Mahingga

Chapter 28: Rescue

Ako was up just before the sun. He stood in front of a window on the top floor, watching as the sun climbed over the mountains. Anticipation ebbed and flowed through him, and it was all he could do to remain calm. Soothing thoughts of Mahingga brought him a bit of comfort. He'd watched the sunrise every morning from under the mango tree in front of his house. He remembered the ocean glittering in its light, the green leaves rustling in a calm breeze, and the smell of orchids blown up from the mountainside.

Always, the question of flight had burned inside of him whenever he saw the giant aircraft sticking out above the trees. It had been a passion and a motivation for him. Now that he knew how it was done, it seemed so trivial.

"Contemplating life's mysteries?" Kita asked from behind him.

Ako jumped in surprise. He'd been so deep in thought that he hadn't noticed as she came in. "Fish guts, Kita. I don't know how you snuck up on me."

She shrugged and flashed him one of her rare, beautiful smiles. "One of my many talents." She stood beside him a moment and stared out at the sun as well.

"I was just remembering Mahingga," Ako said, folding his arms. "We've been away from home for a long time." He experienced no hesitancy as he included Kita in his statement.

Kita focused her big green eyes on him, and Ako felt himself start to flush as he became very aware of their proximity. She reached out and squeezed his arm, sending an electrifying pulse through his skin. "Then let's get this over with."

Ako nodded in agreement. He'd never kissed a girl before, not even when Dala had asked him to twice, and he sure felt like kissing Kita now. He knew it wasn't the time though, and they were too young for Mahinggan standards. Still, he enjoyed having the connection with her, even for just a moment.

"Come on. We're meeting down on the third floor." She released his arm and turned to go.

Ako let out a sigh and followed. His anticipation had waned with thoughts of Mahingga, and it had been all but forgotten while Kita was talking beside him, but now it returned to full force. He couldn't help but feel a worried sense of excitement either. If he returned home with his brother, what would his father think then? Would he scold them both for chasing after aircrafts? Perhaps he would be proud of him for doing what nobody else would. Ako hoped it would be the latter.

They entered the map room on the third floor where a dozen Freedom Alliance members had gathered. Even Gerof, who normally stayed down in the shop, was present. Melovi was asleep on a chair in the corner of the room.

"Good, we're all here. Let's get started," Shas said. She stood at the head of the long, square table, while everyone else turned their chairs towards her and sat. Ako and Kita quickly took a seat near the back of the room.

Shas held out a card that bore a small picture of herself and tidbits of information that Ako couldn't read from the distance. "Melovi acquired a few more identification cards for us last night, and Gerof was able to reprogram them for us. We'll be going under cover as Paingitan agents who came upon another strange looking individual." She pointed at Ako. "The backstory is that we found him on the shore near the southern border, and we were directly instructed to transport him to the research lab without notifying anybody else, due to the risk of our message being intercepted. Gerof and Nolik have forged the documentation we'll need to make that fly.

"Seven of us will be escorting Ako to the research lab. We have a halfway point near the government sector where we'll be changing into our military uniforms. I'll be acting as Captain Vranye. Andle and Herga will be posted at buildings within sight to monitor activity." Shas handed radio tablets and a sheet of paper to the two of them. "Read through those instructions, then leave them here and go out ahead of us." The two of them read through their instructions as Shas continued. "Once we arrive at the research lab, I'll present the documentation and request to escort Ako to the others for delivery verification. This will help us get directly to the other Mahinggans, but locating them is the easy part."