At two thousand feet in the air, problems about money or shelter seemed very far away. Brianna loved flying at this time of the day. At two in the afternoon, thermals were strong enough to carry Brianna's weight, as well as the camera in her bag. She was hoping to take pictures of the site for Phil.
Thermals are created when the sun's rays heat the ground or the water. The warmed air rises, and this natural phenomenom is what allows massive seabirds and predatory raptors to soar in the skies. It wasn't a very fast way to move, but the slower pace provided a great view.
Brianna saw the island up ahead and lowered her altitude. She pulled out Grissom's digital camera and snapped a picture of some dolphins swimming underwater. They would jump up just high enough to spray at the flying metahuman before diving back down into the crystal-blue waters.
"Well, it looks like the camera's working. Time to do a wee bit of scouting."
There was nothing much to the island. Mostly white clifs with a little bit of sand and beach covering the remaining quarter of the island's edge. There were two smaller islands on the north-east side. Brianna snapped pictures of the island's jungle terrain and the surrounding waters. She called it a day when she had about two dozen photos ready to be loaded into Grissom's computer.
With a heavy beat of her wings Brianna turned one-hundred-eight degrees and headed back to La Perdita. The waves were more violent than the flight towards the island -- must have something to do with the tide, Brianna thought to herself. She did not noticed that the thermal she was riding was taking her too far west of Grissom's flat.
"Drat. I'll have to find another therm -- what is that?" Brianna tucked her wings in and dived down towards the northern edge of La Perdita's beaches.
An old lighthouse had attracted her attention. It was not built like the lighthouses you see in Cape Cod -- this one was more Spanish-styled, with a stony-walled first level. Centered in the middle of the roof sat a traditional-styled lighthouse.
Curiousity getting the better of her, Brianna landed in front of the lighthouse. She pulled Grissom's camera out of her bag and took another picture. The lighthouse was very old but Brianna liked how it looked, with the seagulls waving and ducking about around the walls and landing on the top of the lamproom. She liked seeing the birds.
"Aw, Missie, you best be gettin' away from the beaches. This area will all be underwater when the tide comes in."
Brianna spotted an old man with a fishing rod. "And where will you be when the tide comes in?"
He pointed to a rock, larger than all the others. "Water's never reached over that rock, Missie."
Brianna nodded. "Can you tell me anything about this lighthouse?"
"Yes I can, Missie. The Spanish built in her 1512 so the fleet wouldn't crash into La Perdita's rocks. The rooms on the first level were for the lad manning the lighthouse. The rocks in this area tend to isolate anyone living 'round here. Owned by some American that comes by once a month. Let's me fish here. I think he's some sort of VIP or VP or RSVP..."
"Do you think he'd mind if I take some pictures?" Brianna held up the camera.
"Don't see why not, Missie. Help yerself. I'll just be fishin'."
Brianna took enough pictures to fill up the memory card. "Oh...I better get going. By the way, the man who owns this...do you know what month he comes to stay here?"
"Sometime this season, I expect. What's that to you, Missie?"
Brianna put the camera away in her bag. "Oh...no particular reason. I better get going now, good day."
The heat from the midday sun had died down, but Brianna did not noticed she was flapping hard as she thought of the digital treasures she carried in her bag.
