Los Angeles International Airport, 1994 [...continued from Chapter 2]

Lily and Yi are standing in the single-file line at the customs line at Los Angeles International Airport (or LAX). Lily lets her mind wander for a few seconds and when she snaps to, she has the sensation that no one is behind her. She turns to look at Yi and ----- she's gone!

"Maybe she went to the women's room and or the vending machine?" she thinks.

She closes her eyes tight, takes a couple deep breathes trying to calm her fears when she has the sensation that someone is behind her. She turns around saying, "Yi..." just as the person touches her arm.

"Lily Ford?" asks the tall, handsome man in the U.S. Customs jacket. Beside him and slightly behind him are two huge men also in U.S. Customs shirts.

Lily nodding, "Yes?"

"Ms. Ford, you need to come with us, there appears to be a problem with your documents," says the man.

"B-but, what d-do you mean? W-what problem?" she stutters.

"Come with me, Ms. Ford, and we'll discuss it in the other room. And where is the woman you were traveling with...," he looks down at his notebook, "...Yi Huang?"

"I-I don't know who you're talking about. I'm traveling alone," she stammers.

The Customs agent gently takes her by the arm and leads her down a hallway. "This way, Ms. Ford." He says to the two hulking men, "Find her."

She looks at the name tag stitched on his jacket that reads "Fortress, J."

Jonah leads her down the U.S. Customs hallway to a dark interrogation room. He ushers her in and motioning to a chair by a wooden table he says, "Please have a seat".

He watches her from the observation room until his two men return.

"She's gone... Got out of here without being seen, so I'm sure she had help," Hunter says.

"Any sign or evidence who helped?" Jonah asks.

"No, but I think you and I have a pretty good idea," Hunter responds.

"Okay, we'll have to go with plan 'B' then," Jonah concludes.

Jonah goes back into the room where Lily is and announces, "Ms. Ford, we're really, really sorry. There was a case of mistaken identity. You're free to go."

Surprised at first, then indignant, "W-what? ...well, Mr. Fortress, your supervisor might be hearing from me." She gets up and as she pushes past him, Jonah pulls a small device that looks like a remote control out of his jacket pocket. As she passes him, Jonah touches her in back with the device and pushes a red button on it. Lily stops dead in her tracks, her body jerks slightly, and she passes out. With his other arm he catches her and flips her limp body up over his shoulder and heads out the door. Meeting his two men he tells them, "Okay let's go!"

The Island

The three men quickly and quietly leave the building through the U.S. Customs door and directly onto the tarmac. Directly in front of them are a black private jet and a black Hummer - both with BK)&G markings. Jonah (still carrying Lily Ford) board the jet while his two men get in the Hummer. "See ya boss," Hunter calls over to Jonah.

In a short time, the jet has maneuvered onto the runway and is cleared for takeoff. Its engine roars, sending the jet down the runway and into the sky. Outside of Los Angeles it banks steeply, heading for the Pacific Ocean.

As they leave the United States behind, Jonah pokes his head in the jet's cockpit.

"Sir?" asks the pilot.

"Just checking our bearings," responds Jonah

"Yes sir, one-five-zero degrees once we hit here...," points to a green circle on his heads-up-display. "I know the drill, sir."

"Good, good... sorry, I'm used to flying missions like this...," replies Jonah.

"No problem, sir," answers the pilot.

Eight hours later, the jet touches down on a small, paved runway on a large, egg-shaped island in the vast middle of the Pacific Ocean. To the untrained eye, it looks like any other Pacific island: a small range of volcanic-based mountains at the center of it, then a flat, grassy plateau, then lush, green forests and jungles finally ringed on the outside by white sand beaches. But, this is no ordinary island and its inhabitants no ordinary people.

Lily is starting to come to as Jonah and a female crew member help her out of the jet. As they stand at the top of the air-stairs, Jonah breathes in the fresh ocean air and surveys the beautiful southern tip of the island. He says to Lily, "It's too bad you're not more awake - very few people in the world have seen this sight."

The two men exiting behind them stop to do the same thing while remarking to each other:

"Ahh... the mysterious island... the island that God forgot... the island of the gods...," the first says.

"Yes, the island with too many names... the island of the giants...," adds the second man.

Ahead of them, Jonah helps Lily into the backseat of a small, nondescript gray car. He gets in beside her and tells the driver, "We have an appointment with the Elders."

"Yes, Mr. Fortress," the driver replies, and the car speeds off down the black, two-lane road toward a large town in the distance. The driver looks up at the rearview mirror, "Coming home, sir?"

"Henry, right?" Jonah asks the driver. "Well... second home," he says as he stares out the car window.