Katherine had re-enabled the transponder in the aircraft, it had been turned off by Mastasson to prevent identification of his stolen equipment, but now Katherine needed everyone to know exactly what and who the Osprey was. She got the engines to full speed and launched as the first bullets from Jones hit the ground as he came into lethal range.
Jones could see the Osprey about to launch and fired another volley at the unarmed aircraft, and then after a few seconds it stopped. The display flashing red on the weapons panel showed no ammunition, he had expired all four hundred and sixty rounds in his frustration.
Katherine rotated the nacelles for horizontal flight, and turned the aircraft to fly low hard and fast towards the sea, it was faster than the Alligator, she just had to get up to speed before he could catch her. Her threat warning was sounding again, and the instruments showed a small high-speed aircraft coming in behind and below Jones.
Jones could see the Osprey accelerating, and knew he had to stop them, he had missiles, just how to use them? He began trial and error pushing of buttons to arm all of them, any of them, just stop that plane. He did not see Raider One coming up below him, exploiting his blind spot.
The E3 pilot had seen the Osprey beginning to outrun the attack helicopter, but he knew one missile launch at close range could down the Osprey it was pursuing. He had already requested authority to fire, stating that the helicopter was threatening a known US aircraft. ‘Confirmed, Raider One permission to fire on hostile.’
The operator of Raider One responded and ordered the drone to fire on its intended target.
Jones found the button he was looking for, and the display showed the air-to-air missile was armed, he manoeuvred the helicopter to lock it onto the Osprey, but it was not easy.
Katherine was turning the Osprey as best she could, it was manoeuvrable but she missed her Apache, she would have already looped back on the amateur pilot and shredded him and his aircraft. She was working on all countermeasures to ensure that Jones could not lock onto them, as he would figure out the weapons system soon enough. She could still see the smaller aircraft pursuing Jones and wondered why it had not fired.
Raider One opened its weapon bay, the Sidewinder missile rotated around ready to launch, and fired. The smoke trail streaking away from the drone as it banked away from the target. The computer silently confident in the outcome, the pilot watched his sensors to confirm the kill.
The Alligator was built for punishment, and had two engines spaced widely apart to take damage and survive. The sidewinder did not lock onto the engines, despite the heat signatures from them, the suppressors on the exhaust ports working effectively. However the cannon on the belly of the aircraft was still red hot from the continuous fire that Jones had performed, and the Sidewinder slamming into it in seconds.
Jones saw the warning light briefly of the missile, but as he turned all he saw was the smoke trail behind him, and then the impact of the missile underneath him. Even with the heavy armour the helicopter was fitted with to survive ground fire, the damage was substantial. The helicopters sensor array, cannon and other instruments were destroyed, a small fire, but the aircraft was still airborne. Jones looked around trying to view his attacker, but nothing was visible. Presuming the missile had come from the Osprey he pressed the pursuit.
Katherine had opened the rear hatch of the Osprey, the wind rushing in and blasting the occupants. She called over the intercom for them to open fire with the 50 cal. on the helicopter behind, as Jones closed on them. The team were taking aim, when they witnessed the missile hitting the underside of the aircraft. A shocked silence and then Debra opened fire, and they all followed suit.
Jones did not know his canopy was built of armoured glass, so when the hail of small arms fire began to ricochet off the helicopter, he banked right and moved away from the Osprey, presuming that he could be damaged. Jones was wrong and instead moved into the path of the drone, which unleashed two more sidewinders both locked onto the fire beneath his feet.
The Osprey continued to evade the Helicopter, but the team stopped firing as it banked away, and then gasped as the sidewinder hit the nose, and the front of the aircraft exploded in a ball of flame. It was not completely destroyed by the impact, but the front of it was pulled back, like a peeled banana, as it spun uncontrollably to the river below. It landed in the shallows, striking the riverbed, and the ruptured fuel tank igniting, sending a fireball out for hundreds of metres. Katherine knew she was safe and that the drone should leave them alone, and she turned back towards the complex.
Raider One displayed that the threat was eliminated and the Osprey was turning back towards the land. The E3 had no orders regarding the CV22 and considered it not to be a threat, they were sure it was most likely a special ops team, and they were not involved so turned back towards base. Raider One accelerated and moved to join the surveillance giant, accompanying it back to base. The pilot of Raider One left it on automatic, the small drone would fly itself back to base, land and taxi to its hangar for analysis, he could get a cup of fresh ground Ecuador coffee.
The E3 crew were unaware of the two men about to cause an almighty explosion a hundred miles away.
FORTY SIX
Jacob had seen the Osprey ascend rapidly into the sky, with the Alligator pursuing, he could hear the cannon fire as he ran through the undergrowth, back towards the complex. He knew Katherine would be able to deal with Mr Jones. She was an experienced combat pilot, easily outclassing the thug from Mabalia.
Jacob climbed up the wall, his legs and arms aching, he was sure that he could skip the gym for a month after the workout of the past few days. He called out for Osvaldo Roderigo, confident that none of Mastasson’s goons remained to interfere. A response came and Osvaldo looked down from the top of the complex wall, ‘My friend why did you come?’
‘You want to protect this place, so do I.’
Osvaldo Rodrigo waited for Jacob, getting his breath back, then both men strode down the inside wall with renewed intent, heading for the hatch.
The hatch opened as before, and their necklaces protected them as they moved down into the black chamber. The humming that had been present before was absent, the complex no longer required to protect the world, for today. Osvaldo Roderigo moved down into the lower chamber, where Mastasson had placed himself, unwittingly saving Texas from a dire fate. The cylinder that had been elevated in the air above the floor, was now sitting on the centre of the walkway. On the top side, where no one could see when it was elevated was five holes, not similar to the others, but spread out around the edge.
Osvaldo Roderigo approached the cylinder, placing his bag down on the ground, and began to place the four crystal amulets into the holes on the cylinder. He had placed the fourth one, pushing it home, and was turning to reach for the fifth, when something unexpected happened. Jacob could see the fourth amulet rising back out of the cylinder. Osvaldo Roderigo paused looking at the amulet, ‘Well that is unexpected, I am sure I put that in correctly.’
‘I am sure you did to, but I think it does not belong here.’
‘What do you mean Jacob?’
‘Could you pass it to me?’
Osvaldo Roderigo extracted the amulet, and passed it across to Jacob, who squinted at the glyphs on the metalwork.