Jessy was on her way back was the word going around
Sarajevo within minutes after Mo and So called Sara. The
unloading crew and people to go back were getting ready there,
some of Arnie's army keeping guard. And the guys had loaded on
as much ammunition as their ground pards had found on the short
notice, some food taken off but the champagne and beer left on.
(Nah. Just kidding. They had split the off-load between the food
and bev.) Agents, though, had flown into Sarajevo in a Cheyenne.
But only Cy knew that at the moment, the guys having taken Pute
off the modem at liftoff, as much to concentrate on their flight as it
was to comply with the rules.
        They took some speed out over the Adriatic. "Edge is better,"
Jess told everyone, passing it around, hearing from Sarajevo on the
radio that US Apaches were in the air around the airport, engaging
in some skirmishes with Serbs on the ground and otherwise
patrolling, and some UN and WPG ground forces were taking
positions in the approach zones. There was talk of having to look
out for Stingers.
        Kit was getting that ugly in the stomach feeling again of regret
that he had let the girls come, and had more than one thought of
turning around and taking them back, but kept that to himself. And
they were all hoping outloud that they wouldn't catch more bullets.
        Felecia relaxed them all a little with her kidding about how
sexy Jessy looked in her gogs, helmet and flak jackets when they
got the gear on, and Sage was taking pictures of everybody with his
Pentax. Kit called Sarajevo Tower before they started descent to
the deck, and they got their clearance, weather, winds and firefight
conditions, Tower finishing with, "Godspeed, Lollypop".
        "What'd they say? Got speed?" Flee cracked them up again.
        "Boy, are YOU fired up tonight!" Jess sassed best friend
back. "You know 'er, you gotta love 'er. The FLECE!" And the
girls slapped fives.
        "Yeah, well hey, when're you goinna let ME fly again?"
Flee snapped back zestily.
        "Good call, mighty cowlady," Jessy rolled it on, "...how
'bout the way BACK?"
        "O sure then, put ME in charge of the optimism, will ya?
Jus' cuz you guys wanta do it draped all over the passengers..."
Flece smiled.
        "Hey, Hotey..." Jess snickered as they leveled out above the
trees, rocks and all, "...there's somethin' you could make me do."
        Kit just turned his head to look at her, through the infra red
goggles, and counted to three, ready at one and two to turn the
plane around. Then he said, "yeah," and turned his head back to
get his eyes on business.
        Gena pointed out some tracers in the air up ahead near the
airport, apparently aimed at the choppers, they figured together.
That brought on a little fear among them. But Jess said, "Lion
and Swan won't let us down...."
        "Don't forget Jesus," Sage added.
        "That's right on," Kit confirmed, then put the flak jacket
draped over his legs under Jess's seat for her extra protection.
She didn't like his exposure, and said so, but he told her that his
"lowers" mattered not didly compared to her butt.
        Will apologized for not having brought more "flak stoppers",
and offered his for Kit, but Code wouldn't hear of that, then
suggested that they come in at a 45-degree angle to the runway,
just for a bit more edge. So he and Jess flew them out to the
North some, everyone liking the idea, the tracers off to their right
more. Sage slipped his leg jacket under Kit's seat, putting his
finger to his lips for everybody else to be quiet about it, and Kit
hadn't noticed. Then Jas, Flee and Gen scrunched in and got
pieces of their jackets over most of Sage's vulnerable spots.
        Jess and Kit put the gear down, checked the tail wheel was
unlocked, put in the flaps, did all the other stuff, Gena and Will
monitoring everything, and started the turn for the runway.
        They all saw the white-hot bullets whizzing by the windows
and heard the rounds hitting Lolly. The guys dove her down as
low as they could before the threshold while everyone pulled
themselves in to as little target area as possible.
        Kit let Jess land it again, and they rolled on out down the
runway, still shaken, but slowly realizing that they had made it,
and they started checking each other out. Everybody was OK,
so they began whooping it up some.
        Sage lit up the puro that Jess had given him earlier, and
they passed it around as they taxied in and shut down. Sara was
yelling up to them and, when the props stopped, they heard her
telling them that there was fuel dripping everywhere from the
wings! Our guys put out the puro, hurried down to the tarmac
and saw the waterfalls of fuel and gawked at each other as
everyone else continued to make sure that there was nothing to
set off an explosion.

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