Verna smiled up at him. “Nice save, Commander. Take the Second’s chair and belt in.”
“Aye aye, Dea… Captain.”
“COM, bring up the combat video on the main viewer. As you will see, this battle was pretty much a soup sandwich. In all, four MiGs, three Emim scout ships and an Interrogator, all within the same half square mile while moving at more than mach three. You could almost walk from one wing to another and all of them firing missiles, guns and lasers.
“The only one to make it back to base was a single MiG. Three MiGs crashed, and all three pilots were killed. The Emim ships all crashed as well, but their pilots survived and are believed to be pursuing our Interrogator pilot as we speak. The Russians have been searching for him for days with no luck, so now the general wants us to see if we can find him.”
Randall had been scanning the satellite image of the Interrogator crash site. “So, we’re supposed to find and extract the pilot?”
“Yes. We know where his last signal originated, Otorten Mountain in the Urals. I want you to track him from there.”
“I can find him, but if the satellite info is correct, we can’t get to him in this ship.”
“Why not? Terrain too rough?”
“Yes, that and it’s too overgrown. We’ll have to find a place to land, then search for him on the ground. The last signal came from a large dense forest. It’s a great place to hide from Emim soldiers but not a good place to set down a ship this size. There’s only one small area within ten miles of the last signal to put a helo down and he’ll be hiding or moving. It’s going to take some time to locate him. We’ll need a couple of helos, a gunship and a transport. I’d prefer an Apache and a Black Hawk.”
“That’s going to be a tall order to fill in less than an hour.”
Starr turned to Penelope. “Contact HQ and have Corporal Stevens make the needed arrangements as close to the co-ordinates on the screen as he can, and tell him to notify us when he has it.”
“Aye.”
“Pilot, plot a course that places us directly over the target at 80 miles; max speed as soon as you have clearance.
“Max speed, aye.”
Having completed her task, Penelope turned to Randall to ask for clarification on their search area. “Did you say we’re going to Otorten Mountain?”
“Yes, is that a problem?”
“I take it you’ve never heard of Dyatlov Pass?”
“No, I can’t say that I have. What do you know about the area?”
“Only what Ahiga told me. The locals refer to it as Dead Mountain.”
Randall grinned as he leaned back in his seat. “This should be good. Go ahead, Lieutenant, tell us.”
“Well, in the winter of early 1959, nine hikers, two women and seven men, all in their early twenties, made an expedition to Otorten Mountain. Led by Igor Dyatlov, they were all experienced and familiar with the area and were only supposed to be gone a few days, but when the group failed to return as scheduled, a search party went out to try and locate them.
“The search party choppered in, and not too long after, they found their base camp apparently abandoned and no sign of the group. The search party quickly located their gear, and things looked normal until they noticed what appeared to be a slash or rip in the side of a tent.
“Soon the rescuers found the tracks of nine people headed away from the camp but none coming in. Not long after, they began following the tracks and a trail of diaries and cameras that led them to human remains but with each discovery a mystery began that grew with each body they found.
“The remains of at least five of the hikers were found in various stages of undress and scattered over a wide area. None of them were wearing shoes and only one had a hat. A couple were found frozen to death next to a campfire with plenty of fuel. Others were found with their clothes cut.
“Investigators were fortunate to find their logs and photos documenting their journey and from those items decided whatever had happened to the group took place after dark.
“The other bodies were not located until after the spring thaw and their discoveries only made the mystery worse. Four were located on a make shift bed of branches with various items of clothing nearby and like the first ones that were found, not one had on shoes. Their autopsies revealed three of them had died from blunt-force trauma and their clothes were radioactive. One man had brain damage but no evidence of a head injury. Another man was missing his eyes and tongue, but the weirdest part was that their skin had turned orange and their hair had turned grey.
“Analysis of the tent showed it had been cut from the inside, not ripped, and in the end Russian authorities offered no explanation for any of the facts gleaned from their investigation. There was no theory as to why they would have cut their way out of the tent and run off into the snow on a dark night, wearing very little clothing. In addition, those who investigated the incident offered no explanation for the injuries of those found months later. They simply closed the investigation, labeled it as unsolved and made sure the reports were buried. All they would say is the hikers died after leaving the safety of their tent. Whatever caused them to cut their way out in an apparent panic will most likely never be known but it seemed to be the reason for their deaths.
“Only one man of the initial group survived because a sudden illness forced him to return to the group’s point of origin before disaster struck. After the case was closed, eye witnesses reported seeing bright, unexplained orange lights in the night sky before and during the time of the incident. Many of the local people believe the hikers fell victim to aliens.”
Randall shook his head. “You have to give it to Ahiga. He always tells the creepiest stories around the campfire.”
“Sir, this actually happened. I’ve checked.”
“I believe you, Lieutenant, and I promise, if we see any orange aliens, we’ll take care of them.”
A half hour later 100 was on station when Stevens came back with an answer to Randall’s request. Penelope shook her head as she notified Captain Starr. “Ma’am, I have a response from HQ. Flight path, support elements and rendezvous co-ordinates on main viewer now.”
Randall looked at the screen and then at Starr. “Incirlik Air Base? Holy cow!”
“What’s the problem?”
“What’s the problem! Turkey ain’t just across the street from where we need to go.”
“Looks like that’s as close as we can get.”
“Great! We’ll have to refuel in flight five times just to get there.”
“Again, what’s the problem? You’ve done it before.”
“As I recall, Apaches don’t have the most comfortable seating, and this will be a long flight in and a long flight out.”
“Well, as you’re so fond of saying, ‘dems da grits.’ Pilot, you have the co-ordinates.”
“Changing course for Incirlik Air Base.”
“COM, we need clearance to land.”
“Aye, Captain.”
A short time later Addison set 100 down in the middle of a Wing of KC-135’s with the hope that the tankers would provide adequate camouflage for the space fighter, then set the ship’s skin to match the USAF gray of the surrounding aircraft. Not long after, Randall and Sela took off in an Apache as Starr, Addison, and Penelope trailed them in a Black Hawk.
By the time they completed their last refueling rendezvous it was beginning to get dark. Randall had planned it that way hoping it would be more difficult for the Emim to track them.
“Ferryman to Rocket Babe. It’s time to go fast and low.”
“Right behind you. I estimate twenty minutes to landing zone.”
“Roger, twenty minutes to L Z. Ferryman out.”
A few minutes later, as they made their approach to touchdown, an unexpected trio of blips appeared on Penelope’s radar.
“Captain, I have three bogies on our six, closing at 600 mph!”
“Ferryman…”
“We see them Rocket Babe, but we don’t ha
ve enough fuel for a prolonged fight.”
“No problem. Let’s end this quickly.”
Randall reduced his speed then turned back on the incoming spacecraft, hovering only one hundred feet above the ground as they came into range. Within seconds they could all see brilliant white laser beams coming at both helo’s.
Glowing tracers from Starr’s M-60’s clearly illuminated a trail all the way to the lead ship. She had quickly managed to damage bogie number one enough to force a hasty and smoky retreat but the second Emim ship made several direct hits on the Black Hawk. From the first impact Verna could feel the chopper beginning to fall from under them. She struggled to fight back but the best she could do was to set down on the edge of the designated landing area.
“Ferryman, our systems are failing. I’ve got to land before I completely lose power.”
“Acknowledged, get on the ground and take cover! Sela, target bogie number two and put a Hellfire on it, now!”
“Aye, Hellfire away!”
Seconds later the Emim ship exploded, scattering fiery debris across the forest.
“Yeah! That’s what I’m talking about!”
While Sela celebrated the alien’s demise, Randall was searching for the remaining ship, but before he could find it, they found him. From their twelve o’clock high a flood of laser fire rained down on the Apache, the impacts of which sounded like hail on a tin roof. While the lasers could not punch holes in the heavily armored aircraft, excessive heat created by the impacts was wreaking havoc on the engines causing them to stall. Randall fought to swing the sinking bird around for a quick shot, but before he could complete the maneuver the Apache was rutting the ground only forty yards from where Verna had slammed to earth.
Coming in at a severe angle the helo landed sideways bouncing twice before it began a slow slide into a deep ravine. The initial impact had caused Randall’s head to hit the access door jamb hard enough to split his helmet, but he still had the presence of mind to release his seatbelt and crawl out of the chopper just before it went to the bottom of the hill. After a few seconds he managed to roll over onto his back and much to his amazement when he opened his eyes he saw Verna, Penelope, and Addison standing over him.
It was now very dark on a cloudy and moonless night as Verna knelt beside him. Barely able to see her hand in front of her face she removed the battered remains of his helmet then sat down and slid one thigh under his neck to prop up his head. “Randall! Say something, can you speak?”
“Yes… stop shouting. My head really hurts… and my vision is a little blurry.”
Verna smiled in the dark as she gently stroked his hair. Almost in a whisper she spoke. “Thank you, Lord! I thought I might have lost you. It’s hard to see but your helmet looks like its split down the middle.”
“I think it is, and my head is still in it. Is everyone ok? Where’s Sela?”
“Yes, we’re all fine, but I’m not sure about Sela.”
“You have to go find her, now!
“We will. Penelope, get to the helo and bring back the emergency supplies. There should be flashlights or flares and bring some water.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Dang, my head hurts. Could someone get my medicine bag from the chopper?”
Addison scanned the night sky for signs of the ship that shot them down and after a few seconds she could see it coming back in their direction.
“I don’t think we have time for that, sir. They’re coming back and headed straight for us. We’ve got to get under cover!”
Verna and Randall turned to see the alien ship just above the tree line about fifty yards away. Directly beneath the craft an extremely bright light seemed to be scanning the ground as it slowly moved in their direction.
“They’ll be here in seconds! We have to move!”
Verna looked at the ship then back at the lieutenants. “Go! Both of you get to the tree line, now!
“No, ma’am! If y’all are staying, we’re staying!”
“Lieutenants, GO! That’s an order!”
“No, ma’am!”
Before the argument could go any further, from out of nowhere they heard a muffled whoosh, just as Penelope yelled, “Look!”
As she pointed toward a rapidly rising flash of light they could see something streaking toward the Emim ship. A second later there was a small explosion, followed by a much larger booming fireball when the enemy ship fell to the forest floor.
Penelope stood in amazement. “Wow! What was that? Where did it come from?”
Randall smiled as he tried to answer. “My money… would be on my weapons officer. I think we found Sela.”
He had hardly finished speaking when they saw a dark silhouette walking up over the rise where the Apache had gone over. Backlit by the now burning Emim ship, as she came closer they could see it was indeed Sela and she was carrying another shoulder launched missile.
“Sela! Are you alright?”
“I’m fine, but I can’t say the same for those guys over there.”
Penelope glanced at Addison. “I’m glad she’s on our side.” Addison nodded her agreement.
Verna smiled down at Randall. “You trained her well.”
He laughed a little then proudly agreed. “Yes… yes I did.”
As the words left his lips Randall passed out. Verna did her best to rouse him but after several minutes all she could manage was to make him comfortable. She was extremely concerned about Randall, but she couldn’t continue to sit there.
“All of you go to the helo and bring back the seat cushions and anything that can be used for bedding or cover. It’s going to be very cold soon and we need to keep him warm. I’ll build a fire then go recover our pilot.”
“How? It’s too dark and forgive me for saying this, ma’am, but you’re not Commander Randall. Won’t you get lost? Let Sela go for him.”
“That’s true, I’m not Randall, but when we were flying over on 100 he and I planned to go together, and we have already plotted hour by hour where the pilot would be if he continued to move in the same general direction and at the same pace. I know where Randall was going to begin his search. There are a number of natural nooks and crannies our man could use for cover along the way. I memorized the terrain and where he might hole up and I have a pretty good idea of where to intercept him. Our situation would be better served by Sela staying here to secure the camp.
“If I’m correct, the pilot will be approximately four miles northwest of this position right now. I should be able to locate him and get back before dawn. You will all stay here and take care of Randall. Just keep him warm and if he wakes try to get him to drink some water.
“I’m going to hand out your weapons, then I want you all to take turns getting some sleep. Sela, you take the first watch and rotate every two hours. If I’m not back by daybreak move under the trees and stay quiet. Should Emim soldiers come, shoot for the head.”
Straining to see anything at all in the darkness, Verna made her way over to the smoldering space ship where a small fire was burning next to a split in the ship’s skin. Beside the fire was a large tree branch that had been knocked down as the ship fell through the trees and it appeared to be catching just as she arrived.
“This will do nicely I think, but before I go let’s have a little peek inside.”
The split was longer than it was wide but plenty wide enough for her to get a good look and what she saw was startling! Inside were two dead Emim slumped over the controls but from where she was standing she could see right through the walls of the ship. It was as though the entire spacecraft was constructed from night vision optics. Not only could she see through the walls as if they were glass, they had the inside lit up like high noon.
“Amazing! We’re not the only ones with light amplification technology.”
Verna smiled, quickly picked up the burning timber and headed back to the others. As soon as she had a small fire going she pulled Randall over next to it then removed her leather jack
et and covered him with it. Within seconds she was shivering as the frigid night air washed over her snug flight suit, but her only concern was to keep Randall from freezing to death.
He was barely breathing now and as she knelt beside him her teeth began to chatter so badly it was hard for her to speak. His condition frightened her, and she struggled to fight back her tears as she knelt beside him to whisper in his ear.
“I’m sorry to leave you like this my love but I’m going for the pilot now. Don’t worry about me; I’ll be ok once I start moving. I’ll be back soon and I’m sure the lieutenants will take good care of you. Just remember, I love you and you better not die while I’m gone. That’s an order!”
Verna softly kissed his forehead before silently disappearing into the frozen darkness. A few moments later the others returned wearing side arms and carrying supplies from the Black Hawk. As the lieutenants settled down close to Randall and the fire, Sela noticed Starr had already gone, but looking around she couldn’t see beyond five feet.
“Well, would you look at that. The Captain left her jacket. Which way did she go?”
Penelope was shaking like a leaf. “Gggood lllord; it’s already fffreezing!”
Addison frowned. “Tell me about it. I hadn’t noticed.”
“I’m not sure which way she went. All I know is the two of you are going to have to keep him warm until I get back. I’m going over to the edge of the clearing and keep watch from there. That way if anyone comes to the fire light, I will be able to see them first.”
“Come on. Let’s get him on these cushions and a little closer to the fire.”
In a minute or two they had the commander as comfortable as possible and toasting away. Sela knelt by the fire for a moment to warm her hands while Addison and Penelope lay down very close to Randall and snuggled firmly against him. Before she left Sela covered them all with two wool blankets they had found on the Black Hawk.
As they lay there, after a few minutes Penelope turned to Addison and quietly mumbled. “It’s now below freezing, we’re down, and in trouble in Dyatlov Pass. And while I appreciate the effort, I’m not eating any snake.”
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