Indonesian Gold (75 page)

‘What can I do to help?'
Angela asked.

‘
Just stay out of sight; we'll do the
rest.
'

‘How are you going to prevent the pilot from leaving the
helicopter and following Sharon into the trees?'

‘Udir will cover that – and, the other
solider.'

‘
How?
'

‘
He'll know that we'll be close by, with him in our
sights. Look at him – he's terrified. Don't worry,‘Gela, he's the least of our
concerns.
'

‘What's to stop him warning them? If he's that close to
the helicopter, how could we prevent his signaling the pilot, and just climbing
aboard?'

Her father's eyes twinkled.
‘Let's see.'

The soldier had been forced to his knees in front of the
chief.
‘My daughter thinks you will betray us.'

Learning Angela's relationship to Jonathan, the man's eyes
widened in terror. He looked from one to the other.
‘No…no, Bapak, I will do whatever you
ask!'

‘You must be sure that you will. Udir?'
he summoned the other elder.
‘Udir, I want you to kill this man without
hesitation if he fails to do what I ask, when the helicopter lands.'

‘Happily,'
Udir
grunted.

The chief then raised a questioning brow in the prisoner's
direction.
‘You're familiar with that weapon?'
he asked, indicating Udir's machine pistol.
The soldier nodded.
‘Then you would know, that my friend here could cut you in half before you
could take two steps?'
Again, the man nodded.
‘What is your name?'

‘Amir,'
the other
answered.

‘
Well, Amir, unless you have a powerful desire to meet
your prophet today, this is what you must do.
'

‘You will keep your word?'
the prisoner asked, worriedly, wishing to remind Jonathan of his undertaking to send him
home.

‘
Yes, I will keep my promise.
'

‘I have no wish to die. What is it that I must
do?'

Confident that he now had a plan, Jonathan called upon his
old friend.
‘Udir, gather the others and I'll explain.'

****

Turbulence shook the Bell 205 as the aircraft descended,
bringing the river island clearly into view. Captain Subandi had flown the Huey east from the
mining camp suggesting for any who might have seen, that Samarinda was their destination. He then
turned and followed a course which brought them to the general area where Angela was held
captive. The helicopter dropped further, bringing the crescent shaped row of cliffs and waterfall
to eye level, the pilot scanning the once picturesque setting for signs of movement. Sharon could
see the blackened areas where buildings and forest had burned across more than half of the
island, the fire's rampant destruction ending at the edge of recently tilled fields.

‘Where are they?'
She
searched the scene below.

‘There!'
Subandi
pointed, Sharon's eyes unable to identify the camouflaged soldiers amongst the unfamiliar
terrain.
‘Over there, at the edge of those trees.'

Sharon
spotted the solitary
soldier and glanced apprehensively at the pilot. It was Amir.
‘Where are the
others?'

He sneered.
‘Agus is there.You just can't see
him.'

The solider was now waving, excitedly, indicating where
the helicopter should land, the Captain guiding the ‘205 with experienced glove. Half crouched,
Amir ran up to them and banged on the metal door as the machine settled, and Sharon unbuckled,
removed the headset, then leaned across and kissed her man fully on the mouth.
‘I love
you!'
she lied, gathered her Akubra and a flask of water, then opened the cabin
door.

‘I'll keep the engine running while they fetch
her,'
Subandi yelled,
‘make sure you remain out of sight until
I get back!'

‘Good luck!'
she
called, easing her body down to the ground as the soldier squeezed past, and shouted up at the
Captain, who shook his head indicating he could not hear.

‘She's escaped!'
Amir
shouted again.

‘What?'
The officer
lifted the headset from one ear – saw Sharon turn and wave, then stand with hands on hips waiting
for him to depart.

‘The Dayak, she's gone!'
Amir called even louder.

‘What do you mean, she's gone?'
Subandi yelled, his face creased with alarm.

The soldier climbed up into the cabin.
‘We had her
ready. One moment she was there, the next she wasn't!'
he shouted.

His superior's face clouded with anger then, with each
exclamation, banged his fist fiercely against the metal panel alongside as he screamed,
‘Shit!
Shit! Shit!'
He ripped the headset completely away, and turned on the trooper, his voice
spilling venom as his hand dropped to a holstered weapon.
‘You useless bastards, you should
both be shot!'

The soldier reeled back.
‘We'll get her back, Captain.
It's only just happened. We'd caught a glimpse of her running through the forest towards the
other side of the island.'

‘Tell her to remain where she is.'
He jabbed a finger at Sharon
. ‘You get back with Agus and flush the bitch
out. She's not about to break from cover. I'll meet you over on the other side of the wooded
area. Now get cracking!'

Subandi waited until Amir had returned to Sharon's side
and relayed his instructions. He could not see the Filipino's face but, from the manner in which
she tossed her hat to the ground and then stomped the Akubra, he knew she understood what had
gone wrong. The helicopter lifted, the engine pitch changing immediately from a whining flutter
to a chopping roar as it climbed to five hundred feet, and hovered.

****

Sharon
stamped her foot in
frustration, angered by the soldiers' incompetent handling of their prisoner. It had all been
going so perfectly – and now this! She bent down, dusted off her hat then stood with arms
crossed, glaring into space. Something startled her from behind and she turned, her eyes opening
wide with shock when the
Penehing
pounced, dragging her into the bushes before she could
offer any resistance.

‘Get her hat!'
The
Akubra had fallen to the ground.
‘Now, get moving!'
she heard someone say. Sharon's cry
for help choked dry in her throat as she tried to scream, now struggling desperately as the Dayak
men dragged her even further into the island's minute, but densely vegetated forest.

‘Where…where are you taking me?'
she shouted, but was ignored by the men who rushed her through the thick
undergrowth, her face and arms bearing the brunt of virgin bush.
‘Please! Where are you taking
me?'
she panicked, her long, painful cry lost on them all. Relentless, the
Penehing
men forged ahead, following a familiar trail through the sacred forest, conscious of the
helicopter hovering above. Sharon tumbled, and they dragged her roughly to her feet, and when she
deliberately dropped to the ground, deadweight, the men also took this in their stride. They
scooped their captive up and lifted her onto their shoulders as one would a log, continuing with
their mission until reaching the far side of the island. There they set her down, and the earth
spun under her feet. She fell – someone grabbed her arms, and expertly tied her hands behind. She
rolled to one side and peered up, splinters of light danced across her eyes, distorting her
vision – and then heard someone call her name.

‘Hello, Sharon.'

She recognized the voice, and was immediately confused.
‘Is that you, Angela?'

‘What did she say?'
one
of the
Penehing
asked, but was shushed by another.

‘Angela?' Sharon's voice remained shaky. ‘What do they
want with me?'

‘We don't have much time, Sharon,' Angela persevered in
English. ‘Why is it so important to have me killed?'

‘Killed? Why would I want you killed?' She maintained the
pretense – her confidence slipping to an all time low.

‘It's too late, Sharon. We already know most of
it.'

‘Please, Angela, this is insane. Untie me!'

‘Not until you tell me what I want to know.'

‘I swear, I haven't a clue to what you're talking
about!'

‘Liar!' Jonathan bent down and hit the Filipino with a
brutal, backhander.

Sharon
felt the salty taste of
blood in her mouth. Even though she recognized the hopelessness of the situation and was
terrified of what they might do to her, she did not give up hope. ‘I don't know what you've been
told,' her mouth hurt, and she spoke with a quiet desperation. ‘When you went missing, the army
agreed to send a helicopter in search for you.'

‘Stop it!' Angela kicked Sharon in the ribs, the pain
instantly robbing the woman of breath. ‘The soldier has already told us the plan, Sharon. What we
want to know, is why?'

Swamped with pain, Sharon realized that her situation was
perilous. Her only chance was to admit nothing, feign ignorance, and hope for the best. She
groaned, opened her eyes, and struggled to speak. ‘I'm…telling you…the truth.'

‘Angela, we don't have time. The pilot will become
suspicious if we don't show our faces.'

‘On your feet, Sharon, it's time for you to
go.'

‘Go? You're… letting… me… go?' She lay on one side, hoping
her hands would be untied.

‘No, Sharon, you're going for a ride.' Angela paused,
moving to within inches of the other woman's face, hate burning from deep inside. ‘A helicopter
ride!'

Sharon
was dragged to her
feet. Her knees buckled with the terrifying realization of what lay in store. ‘No, Angela…! No…
you can't! Angela, please!' And in desperation, ‘Angela, I… have money…lots… and lots of money. I
will share…it with you. Please, Angela, Please…' Her words finished mid-sentence, and suddenly
she couldn't breathe – the gag wrapped tightly around the lower part of her face, also designed
to disguise.

‘Quickly, the jewelry!'
She felt the rings pressed onto fingers, these now representing her engagement with
death, and with the touch of metal against skin when the ankle-bracelet was affixed, she started
to shake uncontrollably.

‘Amir, are you ready?'
Jonathan Dau gripped their prisoner under the shoulder, Amir on the other side. She
recognized the
Kopassus
insignia, and knew that this couldn't be right. Her panicked eyes
darted from the shaman to Angela, then back again, searching for an answer.

‘My father will see you on your way.' Angela paused.
‘Goodbye, Sharon.'

Sharon
's muffled plea brought
no response.
‘Put the hat on,'
she heard somebody say. Overhead, the impatient, chopping
sounds of a helicopter on the move signaled it was time. Doubled in pain, and secured on either
side by powerful hands, Sharon's unwilling body was half-carried, half-dragged, out onto the
natural river-sandbank where they were spotted by the chopper pilot.

****

Cursing his two men for Angela's escape, Subandi flew over
the immediate area again, stymied as to what might have happened to them all. Not only had he
lost visual contact with the soldiers and their prey, but Sharon Ducay as well. He concluded that
she had joined in the chase, deciding to give his current position another five minutes and, if
they failed to appear, he would return to the location where Sharon had disembarked, and wait for
them there.

Subandi's grip on the cyclic control firmed as an abrupt
wind change challenged the hovering helicopter, lateral stability maintained as he manipulated
the collective and foot pedals to position the Huey directly above the deserted stretch of
exposed, river sand. Droplets rolled down the pilot's brow momentarily blinding, and he cursed
loudly, wiping sweat-stung eyes with the back of his torn flying suit as he struggled to identify
movement through the thick, jungle canopy, fifty meters below. His alarm growing, the pilot
permitted the chopper to drift as he continued to search for signs of his party, relief sweeping
across his face when he spotted the men breaking from the dense jungle, dragging the woman he
believed to be Angela Dau towards the narrow, treeless strip near the water's edge. Without
hesitation, he decreased the main rotor's lift, the hasty descent resulting in his approaching
passengers' near decapitation as whirling blades drove the placid, silicon-laden carpet below
into a maelstrom of stinging, blinding river-sand.