Ian's Gang: The Flying Dutchman

By Ian Kidd

An impossible plane arrives at Manchester Airport, carrying an even more impossible passenger - Cody Frid, former Ian's Gang member - and Ian Williams' late wife.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ian Kidd
• Release date: Apr 17, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310662652

Ian Kidd

I grew up in South Yorkshire, England, before emigrating to South Australia at the age of sixteen. My writing ambitions began as a child, when I became notorious in my class for writing short horror stories that would probably have them calling in the child psychologists nowadays! I have written everything from non-fiction ebooks to published short fiction, and served as script editor on two proposed horror feature film scripts for an LA based director. In terms of fiction I have written dozens of novellas, including more than 70 stories in the "Ian's Gang" sci-fi adventure series. I still live in Queensland, where I work as a freelance writer.

Book preview

IAN'S GANG - THE FLYING DUTCHMAN

BY

IAN KIDD

Ian’s Gang (c) Ian Kidd 2015

Published by Smashwords

IAN'S GANG

Are:

Ian Williams

Matthew Parker

Steve Botham

Philip Vasquez

Sean O'Reilly

Commander Wilburts

Claire Braithwaite

CHAPTER ONE

Jack McRory was a busy man. Commandant of Manchester Airport, he was in charge of just about everything there was to be in charge of, and he didn't appreciate being dragged down to Air Traffic Control for what seemed, from the garbled message he had received via his telephone answering machine, to be some kind of lame-ass practical joke.

Jack marched into Air Traffic Control and stormed over to Mike Jenkins. This had better not be a wind-up, Jenkins. This is an airport, not a freakin' fraternity.

Mike looked at him. This isn't a joke, sir.

No?

No.

Then what's all this about a magically appearing plane?

No joke, sir, Mike pointed to his screen. It looks like a commercial airliner, but it's not on the list. It's not one of ours, or anyone else’s, for that matter. It's simply not supposed to be there.

Have you tried contacting them?

Yes, sir.

Well?

No response of any kind.

Jack sighed. This was all he needed. He momentarily debated reiterating to Mike what a busy man he was, but eventually gave up the idea. So what's it doing?

That's just it, sir. It's not attempting to land, but nor is it attempting to leave, Mike looked at him. At the moment, it just seems to be flying around in circles, sir.

Jack harrumphed. Well, it can't keep that up forever, can it?

I wouldn't have thought so, sir, no.

Jack sighed, and tried to think practically. Where did it come from?

I don't know, sir.

Jack sighed again. There was now no one in the whole of Air Traffic Control who hadn't heard him sighing. "You must at least know which direction it came from."

That's what I tried to explain to you earlier, sir, Mike joined in the sighing game, much to Jack's irritation. "It didn't come from anywhere. It just appeared, right there in the centre of my screen."

Jack peered at him, debating another sigh, but decided Mike had rather stolen his thunder in that department. Have you been drinking, Jenkins?

No, sir, Mike said indignantly. And pointing the finger at me, sir, with respect, is not going to change the facts.

Which are?

That that plane currently belonging to no one and going nowhere, Mike began, "seems to have come from nowhere, and appeared in the sky right above us."

All things considered, Jack decided it was permissible for him to indulge in another sigh.

The plane flew in circles, above the clouds, high above Manchester Aiport. On board, there was no movement, no activity of any kind. No passengers talking, moving. No passengers. Aisle after aisle, row after row, stood deserted, completely empty, utterly devoid of