It was late afternoon when the emergency services gathered and planned a sea search. There was no doubt the plane had gone down, the sudden loss of contact and the weather conditions at the time were enough to trigger their response. At the same time, the news agencies were notified, and it was broadcast in the UK, because the two passengers came from there.
The first to connect the accident with Max and Star were The Organization, and Anna Short’s father. A few hours later, law enforcement agencies recognized the similarity between Max the fugitive and Ray Forbes the passenger.
FBI agent, Steve Wilcox, was still annoyed that Carla had just slipped through his fingers again, after capturing the perpetrators of the car heist. She and Max were fresh in his mind and he believed that where one was, the other would be nearby. He made arrangements to fly out to the atolls immediately, even before he knew whether there were survivors.
The CIA agents recognized Max as the irradiated, suspected terrorist in Guadeloupe. They were now watching developments closely and would investigate when the plane or survivors were found. Max had dodged them, somehow, and it was a matter of pride that he should be apprehended.
SO15 wanted Max for the shootout with terrorists in London. No one escapes their cordon and gets away with it. MI5 and MI6 were also pursuing Max for his terrorist involvement, during the London Olympics. The three departments agreed to drop off a single agent, returning from a mission by submarine, to apprehend Max.
Mr. Short and four men from his drug dealing gang booked their flights to Majuro Atoll. Mr. Short wanted his daughter back safe in London, and this would be a good opportunity to dispose of her bloody man friend, Ray Forbes.
Yaakov Malenkov recognized Ray Forbes as ‘D.I. Marsh’. He wanted revenge and the return of his £10 million. He believed Anna Short was ‘D.I. Marsh’s’ accomplice and she would certainly regret her part in Malenkov’s downfall. Malenkov and two of his best men booked flights to the atoll.
It was now just a matter of waiting for the plane and any survivors to be found. The pursuers would then quietly move in on Forbes and the girl.