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at the Sorong airport.  While the parts were en route, Samir contacted Ikrimah in Kuala Lumpur and picked his brain on what he would need to know to refuel the 797.
    Kamil also spoke with Ikrimah and through conversations and transmitted schematics the pilot learned most of what he would need to know about starting the engines and other pilot controlled functions of the 797.  Ikrimah and Kamil would be connected by satellite phone during his take off from the island.  Dawoud instructed Ikrimah to plan how they could deactivate all types of automatic transmitters that might give away the aircraft’s flight path or its location should it crash on approach to the island.
    Four days before Bayani Isagani was to depart Kuala Lumpur, the Zaafir arrived at pulau harapan carrying Haatim along with Fadi, Kamil, Dawoud’s second in command, Labeeb, Samir, and fifteen of Dawoud’s best soldiers.  Dawoud was near Manila handling safekeeping of Bayani’s family and delivering instructions to him.
    Haatim and his crew used the four days to lay the anti-shipping mines around the approach to the island and the channel between the two islands.  Each morning Haatim led the men in especially long and fervent prayer before they started.  Laying the mines from the fantail of the Zaafir was not just tedious but extremely perilous.  Fadi had to determine the depth of the water where each mine was placed, allow for current and then set anchor length and fuse the mine.  If a single mine detonated on the Zaafir, the ship and everyone aboard would be vaporized.
     
    Alan Devanwood had begged Bayani to apply a tourniquet to his left arm where a bullet had nicked an artery.  The co-pilot complied with the request, however Alan was also shot in the chest and was bleeding internally but there was nothing to be done about that.  It was a miracle he was still conscious although he had gone away once.  Both he and the observer lay on the floor.  Alan had moved himself so he could watch Bayani fly the airplane and had heard what the co-pilot had said about Abu Sayyaf kidnapping his family and demanding he land the plane.  That meant the passengers and crew would become hostages and Abu Sayyaf was not known for turning hostages over alive and they dragged out negotiations as though time had no meaning.  And any place they would have Bayani land this airplane was likely very remote and certainly without medical facilities to deal with his chest wound.  His only chance at living, and very likely the only chance for the rest of the crew and passengers was to overpower Bayani and fly the airplane to the nearest city with an airport capable of handling the 797.
    Bayani had frisked him before applying the tourniquet but he had not frisked the observer who when shot had slid out of the seat and onto his back.  While Bayani was busy studying the displays, Alan had run his hand over the observer’s zipped up jacket on the off chance the man was carrying a firearm.  Alan coughed and moved about as though suffering, which he was, but he wanted Bayani to be used to him moving so he would not turn around frequently and check on him.  He could feel nothing under the man’s left arm or the right.  Only when he slid his hand under the man did his hopes rise but he needed to pull the man’s jacket up in order to clear the pistol.  He groaned and rolled up with his back to Bayani and facing the observer to cover what his right hand was doing.  He dropped his head against the body like he was in agony.  Then he heard Bayani telling someone on the intercom he was less than fifteen minutes from landing.  It was time Alan gathered his strength or it would simply be too late.
    Allan pulled the pistol free, saw it was a Glock and felt behind the port for the extractor to determine if there was a cartridge in the chamber.  For a moment his blood starved brain failed to remember whether it was a raised or flush extractor that indicated a loaded chamber.