“Absolutely, in training. We went from twelve thousand down to five.”
Murdock winced. “This one will be a little longer, and colder. Be sure you have your face mask, oxygen mask, and gloves on. And keep your glow stick lit so we can find each other. We’ll use oxygen for the first twenty thousand feet or so.”
“Real cold?”
“Extremely cold for about ten thousand feet, then it eases up. It will take us two to three minutes to get to two thousand feet, where our chutes open automatically. If yours doesn’t, pull your emergency chute cord.”
“Have you ever used your emergency?”
“Not so far. Now, get to sleep.”
Murdock closed his eyes, and a moment later a hand touched his arm. He looked that way.
“Hey, super-SEAL. Is it all right if I’m just a little scared?”
Murdock grinned in the darkness of the plane. “Sure, you bet. Wouldn’t be normal if you weren’t.”
“Good.” She hesitated. “I don’t suppose you could put your arm around me and hold me tight for a minute.”
“Not if you’re a SEAL. What would the other guys think?”
“Uh-oh, yeah. I forgot. Right now I’m a SEAL, not a woman. I’ll remember that.” She stopped again, then looked up at his face in the darkness. “Hey, you remember about that rain check?”
“I remember. One of my best memories.”
She smiled. “Good. Now, good night.”
Later, Murdock came awake in a flash. Somebody shook his shoulder.
“Hey, Cap, need some advice.” DeWitt looked down at him. “You awake, Murdock?”
“Almost. What’s the trouble?”
“We just entered Syrian airspace. The captain up front tells me he has some bogies showing on his radar that are headed our way but about fifty miles out. That means they will be keeping company with us in about seven minutes. Close enough for an ID in three when they can fire their missiles. What the hell can we do? The pilot wants to turn back into Israeli airspace.”
27
Murdock went forward to talk with the pilot.
“How far from our DZ?”
“Twenty miles, and I’m ready to turn back,” the pilot said.
“Turn on the jump light,” Murdock said. “We’ll go out here. We can’t turn back. Should give you time enough to get over the border before they fire their missiles.”
“What if it doesn’t?” the pilot asked.
“That’s why you flyboys get the big paychecks. Let’s move it, DeWitt.”
It took them another minute to get everyone on their feet and at the jump doors. They turned on their oxygen and checked the eight-inch bottles on their harnesses, all were working. As soon as the loadmaster opened the doors, the SEALs jumped out. There was no time for anybody to even think about what was happening, let alone be afraid.
Kat hesitated at the door. She was next to last out on that side. Murdock touched her shoulder. She flashed him a smile, then stepped into the thin, cold, 33,000 feet of nonsupportive air.
Murdock went right behind her. He had his glow stick bent and working before he left the plane, as did the other SEALs.
The cold air hit him in the face right through the woolen protective mask and oxygen mask that left only his eyes uncovered. It jolted him like a bucket of ice water hitting him while he stood naked in the snow at twenty below zero. He spread out into a glide position with his arms and legs spread. Then he began to look around.
He craned his neck as he checked for the faint glow. He found two light sticks to the left, and moved his body to steer himself in that direction. By the time he got close enough to see the men in the thin, moonlit air, he counted three. There should be one more. All the SEALs had put on their Motorola personal radios before jumping and had radio-checked with DeWitt.
Murdock used his. “DeWitt. I have four of us on this side. One is astray somewhere.”
“DeWitt here. I have four chicks and me. Where is your stray?”
“Left door jumpers, check in,” Murdock said on the mike, hoping the words didn’t freeze before they hit the airwaves.
Everyone responded but Kat. “Kat, can you hear me? Where are you?”
Nothing but silence came. He craned his neck, looking around. He thought he saw some faint glow in the far right. That would be DeWitt and his group. Where could she be? He stayed with his men, but looked behind and to the side and then up. She was smaller and lighter than the rest. Would that make a difference?
He checked his wrist altimeter. They were at 28,000 feet. Where was she?
He looked again to the side away from the others. For a moment he thought he saw a glow. Then it vanished. He left the group and sailed that direction.
“Kat, can you hear me? Maybe your mike froze up. Remember about laying out with your arms and legs spread so you can sail? Try it. If it works, turn a little so you move to your right. And keep that glow stick in your hand. Yes, now I can see it. Steer right, more to the right. You should see my glow stick soon.”
He could see her glow plainly then as she worked her way toward him.
“Kat, if you can hear me, we’re at twenty thousand feet and it’s getting warmer. Try your mike again.”
“Yes, I see you. Don’t know if the mike is working. I’m coming your way.”
“Good, Kat, your mike is working. Swing farther my way, then we’ll join up with our group and DeWitt.”
“I can see you!” Kat shrilled, her relief billowing into her voice. “Thank God. I thought I was alone in the whole universe. Really, I thought I was an astronaut cut loose from the tether in space. What a trip. What a ride. Just sail toward you?”
“Doing fine. We’re at fifteen thousand. Won’t be long now.”
By the time she was close enough, Murdock realized that DeWitt’s group had sailed over and joined with the rest of his party.
DeWitt came on the radio. “Okay, we have a full count, we’re just passing ten thousand. Be down in a shake. Can anybody see a string of lights that might be cars on a road down there?”
“No damn road,” Jefferson said.
“Batch of lights up north, I guess it is,” Khai said. “Looks like a small town.”
“Let’s all turn that way,” DeWitt said on the Motorola. “Maybe we can steal a car or a truck. What will hold ten bodies these days?”
“Maybe a van,” Franklin said.
“Coming up on two thousand, grab those emergency chute cords just in case,” DeWitt said. “Sound off when your chute opens.”
“I’m open,” Ostercamp said. He was followed by the rest of the Bravo Squad.
“Open,” Kat said, then Murdock chimed in.
“We have ten open, let’s turn the chutes toward those lights and see if we can find a soft landing,” DeWitt ordered.
Murdock could see Kat to his left. Her chute had opened before his, so she was a little above him. She turned and he turned with her, steering closer so he was only fifty feet away. They were behind the rest of the squad now, and Murdock started to relax. There were lights around, but scattered, like maybe farming country with houses. The town was well ahead of them.
“Kat, watch it when you hit,” Murdock warned. “Run forward if you can. It’s a perfect jump if you can stay on your feet.”
“Seems like we’re going faster than that last night jump. My God, there it is, the ground.”
Then Murdock stopped watching her and looked at his own LZ. He came down almost on top of a small building at the edge of a fenced field. He willed himself over the fence, then hit running in a plowed field and stumbled and fell. He jumped up, gathered in the parachute and lines according to the book, and ran with them ahead to where he had seen Kat land.