Caine gave the key a final turn. He felt the locking mechanism click into place and the cuff popped loose. He shook one of his hands free. The cuffs were still attached to his other wrist, but he was no longer bound to the bench. He slid the key into his pocket, and looped the fingers of his right hand through the metal circle of the cuffs.
Takuba turned and threw open the side door. Another attack helicopter hovered to their right. He grabbed the handles of the heavy machine gun and began to swing it into firing position.
“Bring us alongside,” Takuba shouted to the pilot. “I will swat them out of the air like mosquitoes!”
He turned his back on Caine.
It’s time. Take him out …
The voice in Caine’s head was calm, precise. Seductive. His killer instinct, honed by years of experience, took over.
Caine leapt to his feet and charged at Takuba. He wrapped his arm around Takuba’s neck and yanked him back from the machine gun.
Takuba’s eyes bulged and a hissing gurgle escaped his lips. Caine tightened his grip, crushing his thrashing target’s windpipe in the crook of his arm. Using the cuffs as a makeshift pair of brass knuckles, he drove his fist into Takuba’s right side. The man gasped as the blow pummeled his liver.
The second Ghost Jackal stormed out of the cockpit. Takuba reached towards him with a feeble hand. The soldier raised his rifle and bellowed at Caine, but he did not fire. Caine pivoted, stacking Takuba between him and the rebel’s gun.
Before the soldier could react, the helicopter swung to the right. Caine and Takuba both flew away from the open doorway and slammed into the cargo pallet. Caine lost his hold and Takuba gasped for air as he slithered away from him.
Explosions rumbled through the air around them. Looking back through the open ramp, Caine saw trails of white smoke streak towards them from the rear helicopter.
Rockets!
He dropped the cuffs and grabbed the cargo net to steady himself as one of the explosive projectiles slammed into the left side of the craft.
He heard the shriek of tearing metal, and smoke billowed into the cabin. The helicopter lurched sideways again. Nena rolled toward the rear of the bay.
Caine felt himself moving towards the side door. Sparks flew from the edge of the cargo pallet. The wheel locks had been damaged by the rocket's impact. The slab of metal broke free and skidded across the cargo bay floor.
The heavy load slammed into Takuba. He flailed at the nylon straps as the towering pallet slid towards the open door, pushing him and Caine with it.
With a horrendous crash, the pallet crashed into the machine gun and sheared it off its pole mount. Caine and Takuba hung onto the cargo net for dear life. They both found themselves dangling out the open side door, thousands of feet above the ground.
Chapter Forty-Three
Caine’s stomach seemed to leap into his throat as the helicopter dove closer to the ground. He held onto the nylon straps of the cargo net with a white-knuckled grip while his feet flailed in the air. He and Takuba both struggled to find footing on the helicopter’s landing skid. The aircraft pitched and rolled in a sickening series of evasive maneuvers.
The buffeting wind around them muted the chugging roar of the gunship's cannon fire. Caine ducked his head as a row of slugs cut across the side of the helicopter, inches above him. A series of two-inch holes burst open in the exposed oil barrels. The thick black liquid sprayed into the air, stinging his eyes.
The helicopter leveled out and flew straight over the brush and scrub below. Caine’s feet found solid purchase on the landing skid. He heard Takuba bellow a war cry to his right. Caine let go of the straps with one hand and swung his body sideways, just as Takuba struck with his machete. The long, shimmering blade clanged off one of the oil barrels, narrowly missing Caine’s hand.
Caine shuffled closer to Takuba. He raised his arm to block another swing of the machete and slammed his right knee into the man’s abdomen. Takuba grunted in pain and tried to shimmy back on the skid. Caine grabbed the back of the man's head and slammed his face into the oil barrels. Takuba reeled from the impact. His feet fell away from the helicopter, but he did not lose his grip on the net.
Before Caine could strike again, he heard the whine of the rotors increase. The helicopter banked left as more rockets streaked through the air around them. Caine's body flew off the skid … He grabbed at the straps with both hands as he swung in the air, hanging off the side of the helicopter.
Below them he could see shimmering metal towers and steel pipeline gleaming in the harsh sun. He knew they had not yet reached the oil fields in the Unity State … this was a smaller natural gas factory.
The cargo helicopter dove straight for the towering silver tanks.
As they leveled out, Caine’s body crashed back into the barrels, and his feet made contact with the skid. He kicked Takuba, sending the man flying away from him. The attack left Caine off balance, and Takuba swung by one hand from the cargo net. His feet scrabbled against the skid as he struggled to regain solid footing.
The helicopter shuddered and Caine heard an explosion rattle the air behind them. One of the rockets had grazed the tail. The aircraft flew into a dizzying spiral. Caine felt gravity and centrifugal force tugging at his body. It was all he could do to maintain his grip on the net as the helicopter whipped around in a tight circle.
The pilot regained control and swung around one of the towers. Caine saw the wall of steel pass behind them, missing their hanging bodies by inches. The attack helicopters in pursuit ceased firing. As they sped away, Caine caught a glimpse of the warning symbols stenciled on the tank in bright red letters.
Liquid natural gas … If those gunships fire again, they might hit the tanks, Caine realized.
The chopper tilted to the left and swooped over the gas plant. The heavy cargo pallet groaned and slid away from the door, pulling Caine and Takuba back into the cargo bay.
Caine dropped to his feet. His legs were shaking, and he felt nauseous from the dizzying spin of the helicopter. He forced himself to keep moving, keep attacking.
He closed in on Takuba as the man swung his machete in the air. Caine got inside Takuba’s reach and threw up his left arm, blocking the downward stroke. He grabbed Takuba’s shoulder with his free hand and pulled the man forward. His knee exploded upwards, driving the air from Takuba’s lungs in a savage blow to the gut.
Caine sensed the Ghost Jackal soldier moving towards them. He dropped to the ground and rolled away as a line of automatic weapon fire sparked across the floor of the helicopter. Takuba stumbled backwards, moving out of the man’s line of fire.
Caine moved to intercept the soldier but froze in place. He heard the rapid pulse of their pursuers’ auto-cannons firing at them. He threw himself to the ground as the heavy slugs sliced through the side of the helicopter. The Ghost Jackal’s body jerked and spun as the massive 23mm slugs tore into his flesh. As his corpse fell, his rifle tumbled across the floor and flew towards the open side door.
Sparks flew from the cargo winch as the cannon fire swept across the machinery. Caine heard a high-pitched beeping from the rear of cargo bay … the other Ghost Jackal had locked on with the MANPAD missile system.
“Fly level!” the soldier shouted. “I have missile lock!”
Caine covered his ears and stayed low on the ground as the soldier fired. A plume of smoke shot above him. The powerful exhaust from the portable missile filled the cargo bay. He heard a loud hiss as the projectile streaked towards their pursuers.
Orange fire lit the sky behind them. The explosion was deafening, and the helicopter shook from the vibration. Caine looked back and saw the wreckage of the gunship hanging suspended in the air. A plume of fire shot out from the rotors, and the tail section flew away from the cabin. The burning debris dropped from the sky.
The Ghost Jackal raised his fist in the air. He kneeled down and grabbed another missile from the case.
Caine slid towards the fallen rifle. He reached
out with grasping fingers. The helicopter shook again. The rifle jumped and clattered another few inches across the floor. It flew through the open side of the helicopter and fell out of reach.
The Ghost Jackal steadied himself, then slid the long white missile into the MANPAD launcher. Before he could finish reloading, a slim figure stood over him. Nena had picked herself up from the corner of the cargo bay … she raised a heavy steel wrench above her head.
Screaming like a banshee, she swung the grimy hunk of metal like a club. It struck the Ghost Jackal’s head with a dull thud. The man’s eyes rolled and fluttered, and blood gushed from his forehead. His body fell backwards onto the open ramp. His fingers clawed at the smooth metal surface, but he could not stop himself from sliding backwards. The wind gusted and lifted him from the ramp's surface.
His panicked cry echoed through the cargo bay as his body spun away and fell to the ground.
Caine staggered to his feet. He squinted, struggling to make out Takuba in the hazy, smoke-filled air.
He heard the pilot shouting from the cockpit. “Cannons locking on again!”
The helicopter began to climb. Sparks flew from the damaged winch. Caine heard the hiss of rushing metal as the cable went slack. The cargo pallet slid backwards, toward the open ramp.
Nena screamed.
Caine whirled around, just in time to see the cargo pallet tumble out the back of the aircraft. The steel cable spooled out behind it, hissing through the damaged winch.
There was no sign of Nena … she was gone!
The helicopter jerked down as the cable snapped taut. The weight of the cargo pallet swung beneath them, throwing the aircraft off balance. Caine's head slammed into the roof of the cargo bay. He fell back to the floor as the aircraft recovered from the sudden jolt. He lifted himself off the floor.
He heard coughing. Footsteps clanged across the bay. He scrambled to his feet and spun around, raising his right arm in front of his face in a defensive block.
The smoke cleared. The rushing wind whipped through his clothes and hair.
Takuba stood before him. He pointed at Caine with his machete. “Now, my old friend …” he croaked. He held up his other hand. Blood dripped from his fingers. He painted the crimson liquid over the scars that ran across his chest.
“Now, nothing can stop me.”
He raised the machete over his head and uttered a blood-curdling scream. Then he lunged towards Caine.
Chapter Forty-Four
Nena panted and let the heavy wrench clatter to the ground. She watched Takuba’s soldier soar out of the open cargo bay. Before she could recover her breath, she heard the crackling pop of the winch exploding at the far end of the cargo bay. The helicopter lurched into a steep climb. The high-pitched wail of its radar detection system blared though the cabin.
She leaned against the wall and took a step back from the open cargo bay. The rushing wind blew through her hair and whipped at her clothes. She heard the harsh rasp of metal scraping against metal. She spun around and saw the towering pallet of oil barrels rushing towards her.
She threw up her arms and screamed. The heavy pallet slammed into her, knocking her backwards towards the open ramp.
She looped her arm through the mesh webbing as the pallet dipped and skidded down the ramp. For a brief moment, she could hear the metal cable twang as it rushed out of the winch. Then the heavy load flew out of the helicopter. It plummeted straight down, dragging her with it.
She felt a dizzying rush as her body plunged through the air. She forced herself to hold her arm tight, locking her grip on the nylon straps. Suddenly, the pallet jerked to a stop. The weight snapped up from the impact, and her arm slid loose from the strap. Her fingers clawed against the mesh as she grabbed hold with her other hand. She hung beneath the swinging pallet hundreds of feet above the ground.
She felt her stomach lurch again. The helicopter was diving lower, swooping toward the metal towers of a natural gas plant. Looking up, she could see brief glimpses of the attacking helicopter. Crimson streams of cannon fire arced from its underbody, but the only sound she could hear was the rushing wind.
The towers and pipes of the refinery loomed closer. The helicopter swooped low, heading for a gap between two towers. The ground rushed up towards her. As the helicopters maneuvered between the gas towers, the pallet swung like a pendulum below. She tightened her grip as the metal walls of the tanks loomed closer.
CLANG!
The metal oil barrels collided with the side of the tank, sending a shockwave through the mesh. Nena gasped as her grip slipped. She clawed at the next row of webbing and managed to grab hold. Her legs swung beneath her as the impact sent the pallet spinning in circles.
The helicopter swooped back around. More gunfire traced the air above her. The gas tanks loomed on either side of the spinning pallet. If she struck one of them, she knew the impact would crush her or, at the very least, send her falling to her death. She reached up and grabbed another strip of webbing. Grunting with exertion, she pulled herself up the side of the dangling pallet.
As she reached the top, she saw the helicopter swoop above two tall, narrow distillation towers. The cable slipped between the two structures, but the gap was too narrow to allow the pallet to pass. As she swung forward, the curved metal walls loomed closer.
She scrambled over the top edge of the pallet and threw one arm around the cable. She grabbed at the netting with her free hand and dug her feet under the mesh as best as she could.
She closed her eyes tight and braced for impact.
The edge of the pallet crunched into the two towers. The steel cable snapped taut as the heavy weight wedged between the structures.
The helicopter bucked and swayed at the end of the cable, like a dragonfly caught by a thread. The attacking gunship veered off, barely avoiding a mid-air collision as the Mi-17 stopped short in midair.
The helicopter was trapped. The pallet wedged between the twin structures acted as an anchor. There was no way they could pull free…
Caine pivoted on his feet, letting Takuba’s machete swing through empty air. He moved in close as Takuba swung again. Blocking the downward strike with a raised forearm, he threw a quick jab with his free hand. The blow snapped into Takuba’s jaw and he stumbled backwards.
Caine pressed forward, stomping his foot into the man’s forward shin. He moved in for a punch, but the swooping dive of the helicopter threw off his balance. He staggered backwards, moving out of Takuba’s attack range.
Takuba snarled and charged at him, raising his machete over his head in a two-handed grip. Before he could strike, the shriek of the pursuer’s auto-cannon burst through the air. Caine threw himself to the ground as more slugs perforated the walls of the cargo bay. The roar of the other helicopter’s rotors drowned out the rushing wind as it veered off from its attack run.
Caine rolled over onto his back as Takuba loomed over him, the madman's tattered shirt whipping behind him in the wind. He swung the machete through the air. Caine rolled left. The blade clanged against the metal floor of the helicopter, sending sparks into the air.
Caine rolled up onto his right arm and slammed his left leg into Takuba’s knee. He felt the leg buckle as the vicious side kick connected. Takuba fell face first to the ground. The other helicopter swooped back behind them. Metal shrieked and groaned as more of the heavy slugs flew above them.
Caine straddled Takuba’s back, using his knees to pin the man’s legs to the ground. He grabbed the rebel leader’s head, pulled it back, and slammed it into the floor of the helicopter. He heard a grunt of pain. He slammed it again and felt Takuba go limp. He looped the handcuff that dangled from his wrist under the man’s throat. Then he grabbed the other side and pulled the chain tight against his neck.
Takuba gasped for breath and clawed at the metal cuffs.
Caine shifted his weight and drove a knee into Takuba’s back. He pulled tighter. The chain bit deeper into Takuba’s throat.
Caine's vi
sion blurred as the muscles in his arms and shoulders pulled taut. He could feel blood pounding through the veins in his forehead.
He closed his eyes. For a moment, he caught a glimpse of her in the fog and haze of his adrenaline-fueled rage. The girl from years ago. Her pleading eyes, her hand reaching out to him …
Nena’s final scream echoed through his mind.
Caine’s eyes snapped open. His vision cleared. He clenched his jaw and pulled the chain tighter. The metal edge of the cuff dug into his wrist, but he ignored the pain.
A violent jolt shook the helicopter. Caine was thrown forward as the aircraft jerked to a sudden stop. He rolled across the cargo bay floor and came to a stop by the side door. He could hear the metal cable twang and scrape against the ramp. The aircraft hovered in place, bobbing up and down like a boat buffeted by a typhoon.
We’re stuck, he thought. The cargo pallet must have hooked onto something … The cable got tangled!
The aircraft yawed left and right as the pilot struggled to dislodge the pallet. Caine felt himself rolling closer to the open door. He threw out his arm to stop his sliding movement.
“Now, Tom … now you will see!”
Takuba!
The man’s voice was a hellish croaking gasp. He stood over Caine as the entire helicopter tilted sideways. Caine rolled to his right. The machete blade clanged where his head had been a second earlier.
Another body lay next to him in the doorway. It was the Ghost Jackal, the soldier who had been cut down by the gunship’s auto-cannon. Caine noticed the bulge of a parachute strapped to the man’s back. He must have put it on earlier, when the helicopters first attacked.
Caine rolled back to face Takuba. The man’s lips twisted into a hateful grin. Blood and spittle dripped from his mouth, and his eyes fluttered in their sockets.
Fire and Forget Page 31