Chapter 9: Shorty's Flashback Flight over the Northern Pacific Ocean 1944

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Gripping the cargo net, Shorty climbed back into the plane, watching the nose of the plane dip toward the ground. He spotted the horizon... and there were mountains ahead of them. "Been through this before," he muttered. "Men! Get the raft!"

Ned scrambled forward, diving onto the floor, pulling at the cargo net. "Raft?!"

Pete raced for the emergency supplies.

Jeff had bolted into the cockpit. "Alfie! Alfie!" He saw the pilot's hand had slipped and his body was tilted over to the side.

Shorty scrambled back into the plane.

He took control of the joystick, ignoring Alfie's growing pool of blood spilling across the floor.

"Got the raft, Cap!" Pete announced.

"Inflate it and wait! And keep the bomb bay door open! Jeff! Check on Alfie!"

"Cap - I think he's dead!"

"He's not dead! He's unconscious! We'll get him back! We just need to land and then work on him!" Shorty yelled, not daring to look at anything other than the upcoming land. "Pete! Take the emergency supplies and maps! Put them in the raft with the supplies! Ned! Help Jeff with Alfie!"

Shorty took his eyes from the horizon to check the fuel. There was nothing in the tank.

The plane crested a mountain range, over a massive empty valley, formed by two ancient snow capped volcanoes.

The plane was tilted toward the far end of the lake. He knew there would a watery grave and a few minutes of hypothermia, before their hearts gave out and they sunk to the deaths in the watery grave of a mountain lake. Now was the time.

Shorty blinked hard against his fear and the next words that came out of his mouth were, "Hang on to your potatoes!"

He bolted from the cockpit and dove into the inflatable raft. The movement pushed the raft out of the bomb bay doors, landing them in the soft snow below. The snow pack partially blew up on impact, throwing ice and snow into the air.

They watched as the plane crashed into the far end of the lake.

"Everyone ok?" Shorty asked.

There was an explosion from their plane's one remaining engine. It shattered the peace of the mountain valley.

"Now... is everyone ok?" Shorty asked again.

Alfie groaned.

Jeff laughed, and slapped Pete across the shoulders. "Hell of a ride!"

Ned looked behind them. "I don't think its over yet."

The mountain rumbled as the snowpack came down... ice and snow tumbling toward them.

"What was that you said, Cap?" Ned asked. "Hang onto your potatoes...?"

The raft shifted under them.

"Bombs away!" Pete yelled, whooping.

Jeff tackled him and the whole raft started sliding down the mountain.

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