Chapter 45

That was when they noticed the approaching crocodiles. It was like a singleminded migration of really big lemmings. They were inexorable. The bullroarer wasn't driving them out of the water ... it was drawing them to the sound. The path of least resistance just happened to be the shortest route ... and that was towards the hangar. Some ... a few ... of the little ones, the six and seven footers, were already scurrying inside. Surely they would find themselves thwarted by the back wall and head back out and around ... unless they just went through it. A situation like that might explain the condition of the base in 1988 ... a shambles ... when the Wilga overflew it.

"There's a back door," suggested Andrea. She was already walking, at a trot, towards the back.

"I hope it's not locked," said David, following her lead.

"Me too!" exclaimed Junior, "Don't anybody trip."

Mr. Binbingha said to Mr. Binbinka, "Mr. Binbinka, do you think we might consider Bing Binga in our discussion?"

"I did think it, Mr. Binbingha. But he's so young," Mr. Binbinka responded.

Mr. Pinbinga stepped in, "Mr. Binbingha, Bing Binga is my eldest sister's husband's brother's son. He must be rising thirty summers."

Mr. Binbingha said, "Thank you, Mr. Pinbinga. You know the boy?"

"Yes, Mr. Binbingha," confirmed Mr. Pinbinga. That seemed to be the limit of his knowledge ... his form was noticed and acknowledged by the others ... he would not disappear.

Mr. Leepitbinga continued the thread, "Mr. Binbingha?"

"Yes, Mr. Leepitbinga?"

"I know Bing Binga has passed the secret rituals, knows the waterholes and has completed his long walkabout. He has been here..." Mr. Leepitbinga pointed at the base over the ridge, " ... Many times. Perhaps even one so young might have something to add. Shall we discuss it?"

The four elders moved closer together.

The backdoor was indeed locked. A hangar of wartime construction consisted of a concrete floor with a sturdy bolt together steel I-beam frame spaced according to the size and pitch of the roof. In between the I-beams were light u-channels from top stringer to base. Laterals of steel channel were bolted to the U-channels and galvanized corrugated steel panels were bolted vertically to the framework. Every piece was pre-drilled or punched with the necessary bolt holes. Since this was the tropics one would expect a shallow pitched roof ... but in the military, it's 'one size fits all' ... three feet of snow would gain no purchase on that steep of an incline.

Built with ease of construction in mind, it was shelter in a hurry. Had it not been designed by committee and pieced out to industry all over the country, the ideal might have worked.

It seldom did.

Holes didn't match, beams were oddly sized, even nuts didn't fit all bolts. The impetus of the war was Europe ... the Pacific got the leftovers.

This Hangar was typical of 'make it fit and no excuses' orders from the Pentagon on down. The facts mattered not to the generals who gave the orders. There was lots of welding which destroyed the galvanizing and ... in a coastal rainforest ... every weld started rusting before the metal cooled.

Contrary to modern thinking, the hangar had doors that opened inward and windows that didn't open.

Doors that open inwards have, by design, door stops that do just that ... stop them from opening out. When the jam is metal, the door is metal and locked with a good strong lock, no manner of hammering or beating will open the door outwards ... and they needed to get out; the new crocodiles in the hangar were more numerous, larger and bent on reaching the sound.

Designed by idiots who didn't know a hammer from a wrench, this hangar was assembled by a genius who worked for a living.

In an area infested with saltwater crocs there will come a time when evacuation or at least safety will become necessary.

A ladder up to the catwalks was conveniently placed by the rear door and Andrea didn't hesitate ... she used it ... she was already in the joists, David close behind and Junior was just stepping on the third rung when the bullroarer stopped.

Mr. Bing Binga was summoned ... not by word of mouth but by what could only be called mental ... there are a great many things possible when no one tells you, "you can't," or, "science precludes that." (Science defeats magic.)