“We’re clear. We’re above the mountain,” she said over the microphone.
Emily had stopped shrieking, but her mouth was still wide open, and her eyes were clamped shut. She raised her eyelids, one at a time. Her eyes bounced back and forth, shifting from Carrie’s face to the control panels, the cockpit floor and finally, at her own arms and hands.
“We’re OK.” Carrie placed her hand on Emily’s head, stroking her short blonde hair. “Everything’s OK.”
Emily nodded silently. Carrie glanced behind her seat. Anna gave her a shy smile and a nod of approval. Anna had not uttered a single whisper, let alone a shriek or a scream during the entire ordeal. Justin, on the other hand, had kept silent, because he knew Carrie was going to do the impossible to save them. He also knew you can have only one pilot in a helicopter at a time.
“Great job, Carrie,” he said. “You’re the only one I know who could have pulled it through.” He raised his right hand, making a thumbs-up gesture.
“Thank you, Justin,” Carrie replied.
Carrie’s gave Justin mischievous smile, as her gaze caught both of Anna’s hands wrapped tight around Justin’s arm.
Chapter Seventeen
A few minutes had passed since their narrow escape, and the blizzard had grown wilder. Strong wind gusts and heavy snow blasts were tossing the small bird in all directions. Carrie grasped and released the throttle and worked the control panel, using every trick in the book to keep the helicopter in the air. The Seahawk kept rocking to the left and to the right, constantly dropping and climbing. At four thousand feet over the ocean, the view from the cockpit was a dense curtain of gray fog, twisting and twirling in a restless vortex.
“Do you have any idea where we are?” Emily asked.
“We just passed over Saunders Island,” Carrie replied. “My goal is to keep us in a straight path, as much as possible.”
As if to object to her claim, a strong downdraft pushed the helicopter a few feet to the left like some sort of gigantic flyswatter was trying to whack the Seahawk down to the waters.
Emily snorted. “Straight like that?”
The high frequency radio on the control panel crackled with a static sound. Carrie tapped a couple of switches. “This is HAC Carrie O’Connor,” she said, after muting the audio feed to the rest of the crew.
She guessed it was the air base back in Thule, and she wanted to keep their threats or pressure to herself, at least for the time being. Despite the fact that piloting was not her profession, she decided to switch to aviator’s lingo. HAC stood for Helicopter Aircraft Commander. “Identify yourself,” she continued over the radio.
“This is Colonel Richard Clark, Commander of the 821st Air Base Group in Thule. I’m ordering your immediate return to my base.” The colonel spoke in a clear and confident voice.
“Commander, I see you missed our departure. I’m sorry we had to leave without saying good bye.”
Justin knocked on the side of Carrie’s seat. Carrie raised her hand and made a stop gesture without turning her head.
“Carrie, if you keep flying, you’re doomed,” the commander said. “You’re barely fifteen miles off the coast. Come back, and we’ll ensure your safe landing.”
“Safe landing? Where? In the den of lions? Our chances are better if we keep our current course.”
“You can’t be serious. It’s impossible to make it across the ocean in this kind of weather. You’re going to kill everyone on board.”
“I don’t think so. We’re gonna make it, or at least try to, since we have a choice up here, unlike when we ‘enjoyed’ your hospitality.”
“What did you expect me to do?”
“We expected you to act as a trusted ally of Canada, with whom the US shares more than just a border. Commander, we asked you for simple courtesies, which you denied us. You practically locked us up in our rooms, as if we were dangerous felons.”
“You would have done exactly the same thing. Think about it for a second. Suddenly I’m responsible for three people who’ve been rescued in high seas. They’re on their deathbeds, but doctors are able to treat them, saving their lives. Instead of a simple ‘thank you,’ these ingrates bullshit me about a Danish invasion and request my intervention in the internal affairs of another sovereign country—”
“Oh, please, Commander,” Carrie said. “The US is notorious for sticking their nose into other countries’ businesses, especially those who don’t like to kiss a Yankee’s ass. If we had more time, I wouldn’t mind lecturing you on the US foreign policy, since you seemed to be out of the loop.”
“Enough,” he barked. “Don’t forget that you asked me to do the same exact thing for which you’re accusing my country.”
“Wrong…” She bit her lips as the Seahawk wrestled with an air pocket draft, which threw the helicopter a few feet upward. Carrie checked the altimeter and a few gauges and screens. “Sorry about the interruption, we’re fighting small turbulence here.” Carrie had resumed talking after making sure the helicopter kept jerkily but steadily to the established course. “That’s it, Commander. Now, I’ve got better things to do.”
“Wait,” the commander spoke faster, his voice sizzling with anger. “You’ve kidnapped one of my people, and you’ve stolen my fifty-million dollar Seahawk. You started by lying. Now you’ve added these crimes to your list. You wonder why I don’t trust you folks.”
“Sir, my compliments for loading Hellfire missiles and filling up the chopper’s auxiliary tanks. This way, we’ll have enough fuel to make it back home. Oh, and thank you for the emergency flotation system also. A very nice finishing touch. I just hope we won’t need to use it.”
The commander grunted at Carrie’s sarcasm.
“Seriously, Commander, I’ll make sure both Emily and the chopper are safe, if you lay off our back and don’t try to force us to return to your base.”
He still did not utter a single word.
“I’ll take your silence as approval, Commander. Thank you.”
She flicked a switch to end their communication and another one to return the audio to the crew’s earphones. “That was the commander,” Carrie informed them officially, even though their eyes indicated they had paid close attention to her every word. “He demanded our return to his base, but as you heard me, I refused.”
“Do you think he’ll take your advice?” Justin asked.
“I’m not sure. He didn’t strike me as a daredevil, but that was before we stole one of his people.” Carrie glanced at Emily “And his chopper.” She returned her gaze to the Seahawk’s control panel.
The helicopter sunk a few feet, tipping to the right. Carrie pressed a few knobs and buttons, leveling the aircraft.
“Do you really think we’ll make it in one piece?” Anna asked.
“Of course, we will,” Carrie replied. “I’m flying us at a safe altitude, and the navigation system points to the right way at all times. On top of that, the search radars will alert us about any incoming human aircraft from all directions. The blizzard should have also grounded any stubborn or confused birds.”
“Where and when do you plan to land?” Anna asked.
“We need to figure that out, our landing destination I mean, keeping in mind Alisha and the threat of…” Justin stopped. His gaze rested on Emily.