Hidden Courage (Atlantis) Read Online Free PDF

fewer plains and more mountainous areas. They were very rough in texture, unlike their northern cousins, covered with dense, vibrant green foliage.
     
    After a while, the green jagged mountains became just plain jagged mountains, brown and menacing. Any malfunction now would spell almost certain death for him.
     
    Jack monitored his engine gauges carefully and did his best to stay on course. With a half hour remaining, this was the most nervous he felt since he’d started four days ago. Fifteen minutes later, the terrain turned into less harsh rolling hills. He could see the ocean now and the skyscrapers of Salina Cruz. He breathed a sigh of relief. He had made it past the rough and inhospitable land and would now be flying the safe and tranquil coastline of the Pacific Ocean .
     
    Jack contacted the tower at the Salina Cruz Airport and followed a jumbo jet in, using a standard left-handed approach pattern. As he worked his way closer, the blue-green ocean was plainly visible. With his vents open, he could smell the salty ocean air and feel the warm temperature outside as the air rushed past his face. He felt invigorated and excited. As he turned onto his final approach, he could now see the jagged mountains he had crossed and the dry desert terrain that made up the perimeter of the city below.
     
    Jack touched down and was instructed to taxi to the general aviation ramp. Once there, he went through the same exercise with customs that he had gone through earlier in the day. It was uneventful and these two military men were just as pleasant as the last two. After refueling, he grabbed a quick peanut butter sandwich and some water, then went into the FBO to check the weather for his next leg and to ensure all his paperwork was in order to enter Guatemala .
     
    Feeling satisfied, he took off and was now headed east. He hadn’t done this since he started flying, and it felt good to be flying a new direction. As he hugged the coastline, he could see that it was lined with sharp cliffs that went on for miles. The beaches were mostly deserted, and were white and beautiful. He flew across a large bay. On the other side, the steep cliffs had disappeared and were replaced by desert plains. The sandbar he was now following looked like the one he followed on the Gulf of Mexico , endless and mostly deserted. Occasionally, he past a few small towns, some looked very wealthy with mansions lining their beaches and in-ground pools attached.
     
    “I wonder what these people do for a living?” Jack asked out loud.
     
    Halfway through the flight, he saw two enormous factories on an inland waterway. He wasn’t sure if they were oil-related, but knew these two must be the economic lifeblood of the area for many miles. There just wasn’t anything else he could see that could produce an income, except for fishing.
     
    After two and half hours of flying, Jack’s GPS receivers were instructing him to turn inland. This was the short five-mile stretch of land between the shore and his destination – Mazatan, the last big city before Guatemala . Banking the plane left and following a straight road that lead to the city, he spotted the international airport with the help of Air Traffic Control. Minutes later he was down and discussing his next leg with customs agents. Having blessed his paperwork, he headed back to the plane and awaited his clearance to depart.
     
    “Cleared for departure,” came a voice in broken English.
     
    Jack pushed the throttle full forward and was rolling. He pulled back on the stick and watched the ground drop away from him. The palm trees at low altitude once again became a blur of green vegetation as his climbed.
     
    Fifteen minutes passed and Jack was now in Guatemala , heading east. A while later, he noticed on the map a small town named Xexuxcab. He looked down and saw a small fishing village with lots of cottages. Strangely, there weren’t any roads. This was hard for Jack to comprehend.
     
    “The