Tim Lebbon - Kong - Skull Island

He loved the tumultuous ocean even more from high above.

The crow’s nest offered fantastic, unhindered views. Down below, the ship rolled and dipped through the waves, bow slicing through the swell and throwing spray back across the foredeck. The sea flexed and shone like the scaled skin of the world, and sometimes that was how Randa thought of it—the Earth itself was a giant beast yet to be discovered. They travelled across its surface, dived beneath to explore its riches, but did not yet fully understand that the ocean was part of a living, breathing thing. This high above it he could look with objective eyes, and what he saw sent shivers of anticipation down his spine.

Giant beasts had been part of Randa’s imagination since he’d been a child. Growing up, he had started learning more and expecting less from the humanity he was part of.

Maybe that was why he liked being up in the crow’s nest so much. The ship rocked, the ocean roared, the whole mast shook, and he held in defiance of the planet’s casual fury.

Randa brought the binoculars up to his eyes again and scanned ahead of them. The seascape close by was ridged with breaking white waves, swells the size of mountains, troughs like bottomless valleys. Further away, the horizon was obscured by vast banks of clouds. They flashed with lightning deep within their mass, too far away to hear. From this distance they resembled a solid wall, but as the Athena drew closer he knew that more details would begin to stand out. Tough, intimidating details. No one had ever said this would be an easy journey.

He thought of Brooks lying below and spewing up his guts, and smiled. You ain’t seen nothing yet, kid , he thought. The sea right now was a breeze compared to how it would be when they drew closer to the storm.

He heard a noise from below and glanced down. Conrad was climbing up to join him. Randa was pleased. He’d seen the ex-SAS man quietly and unobtrusively inspecting the whole ship, as well as observing every member of the team and ship’s crew. He might have claimed to be along for the ride, but he was ensuring that the ride was as safe as possible for all involved.

“Weather’s looking pleasant,” Conrad said, joining him in the crow’s nest and looking ahead to the storm front. He seemed unaffected by the weather, quiet and calm as ever. “How far out are we?”

Randa handed him the binoculars. “Barometer’s dropping. We’re near the centre of the Ring of Fire.”

“Skull Island, Ring of Fire. You pick the loveliest vacation spots.”

“It’s the most volatile geologic region on the planet,” Randa said. “Magnetic anomalies, radio outages, whirlpools. Hundreds of aircraft and ships have vanished here. It’s even more deadly than the Bermuda Triangle, though for some reason far less known. There’s even talk of a movie crew disappearing out here in thirty-three. I’ve been studying it for decades. This must be how Magellan felt!”

Conrad was staring through the binoculars, scanning the stormy horizon.

“Magellan was killed before he made it back,” Conrad said. He lowered the binoculars and handed them back to Randa.

“We’re being watched,” Randa said, smiling at Conrad.

The ex-soldier didn’t need telling. He glanced back and down at Weaver, who stood against the railing at the ship’s stern aiming a zoom lens up at them.

“Yeah, well. She’s got a job to do, too.”

From far ahead came a flash and the first rolling growl of distant thunder.

A little over an hour later, Randa was on the bridge along with Nieves, Packard, and Chapman. The Athena’ s Norwegian captain had already talked about turning around, and Randa would not, could not allow that. They had come too far, and not just on this boat. The voyage was the culmination of years of research and planning, and…

And it’s important! he thought. None of them knows how much. Not yet.

“That storm does look a lot nastier in person,” Nieves said. Randa threw him a withering look. The captain didn’t need any more excuses to turn his ship and flee from the beast before them.

“How far are we from the island?” Packard asked.

“Fifty miles, maybe more,” the captain replied. “Can’t get exact bearings on a place that doesn’t exist.”

“Take us closer,” Randa said, tired of the captain’s bullshit.

“ Nei , not this ship! You want to launch, you do it from here. I’ll hold position, but I’m going no closer to that.”

Randa pursed his lips and stared at the captain, but the Norwegian wasn’t backing down. It was not cowardice, Randa knew. He’d been a captain for over thirty years, and he knew what his ship could and could not handle.

He’d also heard stories about this place, as had any captain who sailed this part of the Pacific. So no, not cowardice, but fear.

“Can you punch through that, Colonel?” Randa asked Packard.

“Those thunderheads must top twenty-thousand feet,” Chapman protested.

“I’m aware of the storm, Major, but our window is now,” Randa said.

“What about that opening?” Packard asked.

Chapman grunted and shook his head, tapping a small storm-eye on one of the satellite photos splayed out before them.

“It’s a rare low-pressure pocket,” Randa said. “Part of a pattern in the weather here. I’ve been studying it for years, employing climatologists to give me their predictions, building data models of the whole area.”

“And we all know how much we trust the weathermen,” Chapman said.

Randa fisted his hand, breathing heavily, calming down. If he lost his temper now it would achieve nothing. “The hole is there now,” he said. “And we will have another opening to fly back out in three days. After that, the gales will force this ship out of the area.”

“We knew this was a possibility,” Nieves said. “The window is too tight.”

“Nonsense!” Randa said.

“I appreciate your passion, Randa,” Nieves said. “But as field supervisor of the controlling agency, I say we abort.”

“Wise call,” Randa said. He faced up to Nieves. “I’m sure the Landsat director will be inspired by your courage.”

“This is just a map survey!”

“To one of the last uncharted areas on earth!” Randa felt the last few years falling away, leaving nothing in their wake but broken dreams. He couldn’t afford that. Not after so long, and so much work. So much dreaming. “Do you really want to call it off on account of rain ? Stay on the boat if you want.”

He turned to Packard who was watching quietly, expressionless. “I was told your unit was capable of handling inclement weather, Colonel.” He didn’t think Packard was a man open to such a blatant challenge, but it was worth a try.

Packard stood even taller and straighter than before.

“That storm’s a cool breeze compared to what we’re used to. Isn’t that right, Chapman?”

After a slight pause Chapman said, “Yes, sir.”

“Let’s spin ’em up,” Packard said.

Randa closed his eyes briefly, then looked at Nieves and the ship’s captain. Their concern was still evident. “We’re good,” Randa said. He smiled. “We’re good.”

As Cole called out the pre-flight safety procedures, Mills performed the checks. He was excited and a little nervous. They were all surprised that the old man had agreed to take the birds up in this weather, but they’d flown in worse. Just about. Although right then, he couldn’t quite remember when.

“Battery. Generator. Cold start.”

Cole was their pilot. The word ‘Outcast’ was stencilled on his helmet, and Mills didn’t think anything could be more appropriate.