Flight: A Novel

Hank and his partner leave their motel room at the Red River Motor Inn on the Nannapush Indian Reservation in Idaho, near the Red River. The other agent tells him that there are “[l]ots of Indians” there, whom he refers to as “tepee creepers” (46). Zits wonders how “this racist FBI man” would react if he knew that his partner “was really a half-breed Indian” (46). Instead, Zits asks him the time; it’s three in the morning. They’re in the middle of nowhere. Zits says that he’ll bet that they can’t get cell phone reception where they are. The agent asks what a cell phone is.

Zits asks if they’re anticipating a shoot-out; the agent tells him that it wouldn’t be their first one. Zits gets excited and asks his partner what his name is. The other agent reacts as though Zits has “just slapped him” (47). He insists that Hank must not be well and reminds his partner that his name is Art, and that they’ve been partners for 12 years.

Just then, a car pulls up beside them; inside are two Native American men. Zits stares at them and they stare back. Zits recognizes them as members of IRON—an indigenous activist group. These men “gave up their birth names because they were ‘colonial poison’ and named themselves after animals” (48). Zits recognizes one man who calls himself Horse and Art identifies the other as Elk. Zits says that these men were trying to protect traditional tribespeople from “the evil Indian tribal government dudes” in a group called “Hammer” (48). Zits recalls the story of IRON and Hammer that he learned from studying indigenous people’s history. He knows that the FBI had teamed up with Hammer to kill indigenous people. He realizes, too, that it is 1975. He figures that when the bank guard killed him, he died and was sent to hell, which for him, is this scene in Red River, Idaho in 1975.

Zits wonders aloud if he’s in hell. Certain that he’s unwell but unwilling to risk his own life because of it, Art vows to shoot his partner if he screws up this meeting. Horse rolls down his car window and greets the men. Elk remains silent. Zits remembers that these men are double agents, betraying the other members of IRON.

The four men get out of their cars. Elk and Horse open their trunk to reveal another Native American guy—beaten, bound, and gagged. He’s also missing all of the fingers on his right hand. Art asks Horse and Elk if the hostage knows what they want to know. Elk insists that the man does, but refuses to divulge it. The hostage’s name is Junior. When Elk pulls the gag of out Junior’s mouth, Zits sees that all of his teeth are broken from being smashed in the mouth. Zits feels sick.

Art tells Horse and Elk to hold Junior’s arms. Zits wishes that he could save Junior. Elk and Horse are smiling. Art, too, has a “weird light” in his eyes (52). On the other hand, the look in Junior’s eyes is one of peace and defiance. Art asks Junior three times if he will them what they want to know. Junior replies, “Fuck you,” and Art shoots him in the face (52). Art looks at Zits as Hank. Zits turns around and projectile vomits. He’s disgusted with how easily Art has killed someone, figuring that he’s done it many times before, and this makes him vomit even more. Elk asks Hank what’s wrong with him; he’s killed before. Zits wonders if he has. Elk accuses Hank of playing dumb, implying that he’s seen Hank kill. Zits then realizes that even if Hank Storm has killed people, so has Zits, which makes him no better than Hank or anyone else.

Elk insists on burying Junior’s body so that his soul will get to heaven. Art asks why Elk cares and Zits, too, wonders how Horse and Elk can torture a man but concern themselves with his burial rites. Before they do so, Art demands that Hank go and shoot the corpse. Zits balks, arguing that it makes no sense to shoot a dead man. Art says that he wants to feel like he and Hank are “in this one together” (54). He demands that Hank shoot Junior; otherwise, Art will shoot Hank. Zits closes his eyes, aims, and pulls the trigger. He knows that it’s not possible to kill someone twice, but it hurts him as much as it would have the first time.

When Zits opens his eyes again, he’s lying in a hospital room. Art is sitting near him, “in a chair at the foot of [his] bed” (56). He begins to wonder if he’s always been Hank Storm. Perhaps his identity as Zits was only a bad dream? Art tells him that after he shot Junior, Hank passed out. Art found out from the doctors that Hank wasn’t going crazy after all—he has a virus. He’s been unconscious for three days. The doctors thought that he might have had brain damage due to a fever.

Zits wants to talk about their encounter with Horse and Elk, but Art silences him. He then starts crying and tells Hank that “to fight evil” they occasionally “have to do evil things” (57). Zits thinks about how much Art sounds like Justice, despite their being opposed to each other. Zits tells Art that he’s afraid of him. Art assures him that he loves him, as so many other people do, and that he would never hurt him. Just then, “three beautiful boys and a beautiful woman walk into the room” (57). The children jump on the bed, screaming “Daddy!” (57). The boys call Art “Uncle Art” (57). Art invites the boys to the cafeteria to give Hank time alone with his wife. Zits marvels at how beautiful she is and wonders if he’ll “get to have sex with her” (58). He wonders if she knows that Hank assisted in the murder of a man a few hours before. He assumes that she “sees Hank as her protector, as her children’s protector” (58). She kisses Hank and tells him that she’s missed. Her kiss makes Zits feel powerful.