The Hercules called Approach and was told to start a holding
pattern. The Cheyennes reported after them and received the same
instructions, which did not set well with the agents and operatives,
they let it be known. At the airport, the news that Jessy was coming
back inspired everyone. She truly was one of their heroines: getting
shot at while using her own money to bring in medical supplies, they
cheered; and the media was picking up on the story. Big time.
        The guys kept Pute off the modem, not wanting to "fark up"
any Allied or otherwise friendly communications. So they were out
of the loop temporarily. They flew around to the East of the airport,
far enough away to not be heard, they hoped, and the Herc and
Cheyenne crews were making more calls about their having to wait,
while the US choppers and ground forces were clearing out the West
approach.
        The 727 went in first after the go ahead was given by the US
command, and got in all right, the guys heard over the radio. They
were getting down close to legal gross weight as their fuel was
almost all burnt, Buz obliquely reported, and they were focused on
their plans after landing, wondering if they should go right for the
'27 or what. They checked their guns and ammo: Kit's and Buz's
two loaded 9-shot Berettas, the four loaded Glocks that they had
"borrowed" from the suits, and some extra ammo.
        The Allied plan was to surround the Serbs at the airport, since
the bastards were so adamant about taking it and the 7's cargo (and
Jessy). The guys did not know that up in the 7, but they could see
the tracers from the fighting below.
        Vince Gill came on at Monument and Jess turned up the ADF.
It was "I Still Believe In You" again. And she and Kit looked at each
other, held hands and shared some tears inside their goggles.
        "Well, that's as great as it gets," Jess said, above the engine and
wind noise, trying to keep her tears from clogging her vision. Then
Vince rolled into "Love Is Still The Answer...it's the only place to
start...."
        "Sure couldn't be better vibes from the Valley," Kit let out as
he pulled the power off some inches for the gear drop, Buz happy
to hear the power coming back as he kept his eyes glued to the fuel
gauges.
        "Jess's would be," Flece volunteered.
        They all agreed as Jess thanked her "fan club president".
        Buz was switching fuel tanks as they went though the landing
checklist, and some needles dropped drastically when he tapped the
glass, but he still opted to stay quiet. Nothing they could do about it
then anyway.
        Kit recommended a good gulp of water for Jess, for nerves
and muscles, and handed her the bottle, then took a gulp himself,
and it traveled all around. Then he took the controls to give her a
little rest before the landing.
        Sara called them on the private frequency, and they picked it
up on radio 2. She told them the battle was coming to the airport
and word was out that the Serbs wanted Jessy.
        "Heck, Sar, they aren't the only ones," Kit commed back. Sar
recommended they go to another airport, maybe Dubrovnik, and
Cody told her they didn't have the fuel after Buz immediately
informed them of that.
        Kit felt sorry when they finished the transmission - as he
looked at Jess in her goggles, helmet and jackets, and Flee in her
gear - sorry he could not have been strong enough to keep these
preciousnesses out of such a hairy spot.
        Jess felt his feelings, despite the goggles, or just knew what he
would be thinking right about then, and told him, "we made you
bring us, Hotey....It's not your fault....We'll be all right, skipper."
Then louder, she said, "well...may the Spirits be under our wings..."
and the others all confirmed that feeling right back with all manner
of looks and words. Flece said she would be bringing things up with
Jesus and Mary since Jas and Sage weren't there. And they all
rogered that too.
        Kit cycled the gear lever, Jess confirmed the green lights, and
they proceeded through the checklist, being read out by Savvy, and
Jess added, "let's talk some French, for Saint Genavieve." So they
did, what little of it they knew, the laughs loosening them up a little.
        Then both she and Kit pulled their heavy 7 up and over some
cross-country power lines drooping between two high towers, Jess
saying, "could've gone under 'm, huh...."
        Kit bobbled his head like maybe, uh, maybe not, saying, "we
did right."
        Well, they were getting anxious to get in to help their friends
before it was too late, as they saw the shelling and tracers everywhere
as they got closer.
        "It's the fucking Alamo!" Buz yelled, grabbing Sav's hand.
        "You havin' a past-life aggression there, Buzzo?" Jess yelled
back.
        "Yea! And it's tellin' me none of us are supposed to DIE yet!"
        "I'll go with that!" Flee yelled, and the others agreed.
        "How're you all doing out there, Douglas?" the Tower came
over the speakers. Kit gave them their position and same intention of
downwind landing in the code.
        "Understand, Doug. There's a heck of a fight out there. You
keep your heads up," and cleared them for runway zero eight, not in
code, to hopefully confuse the Serbs. Kit then returned his hand to
Jess's, resting on top of the throttles as they both flew them on a
South heading on a long base leg. And their fingers stroked each
others'.
        The Allied Apache chopper pilots got the scramble orders to
get to the East approach zone - pronto as posssible - after a
commander heard Kit's coded transmission from the 7. They had
missed the code on the downwind approach earlier in their
preoccupation with everything else, to their deep consternation.
And Tower had figured they had heard it.
        The President was still on the horn from Camp Davey to
Sarajevo command, staying with real-time awareness, telling all of
them in his office what news he was receiving, and everyone was
concerned for our guys in the 7, and inspired by the brave young
girls, those who knew. The new approach zone news got them
really on edge, though.
        About five miles out the guys started a shallow turn for the
runway, just under 1oo feet above the ground, at times flirting with
tree tops, going up and down with the small hills. "She's sure heavy,"
Kit reminded his girl. They came back on the power to slow down
some, and Jess wheeled in a tweak of elevator trim, then Kit put
in ten degrees flaps.
        NRO had them on infrared, though tough to see with all the
storms in the area, and the Recon commander was reporting it by
phone to the Prez, who was commentating to everyone there in
his office that the 7 was almost in. The Serbs, though, had been
rushing a Stinger team to the East approach, having a report of the
engines heard out northeast.
        Our guys were going through the final checklist, Kit laying in
another ten degrees of flaps, and they were still a little faster than
they wanted to be. There was not too much downslope wind from
the southeast, but they were probably going to use all of the
runway. He put in another ten flaps and they slowed down to
about what they wanted. The air was not too bumpy, considering
the showers and wind, and they were feeling good. They were
almost in.
        But that Serb team, Stinger ready, made it to the edge of the
open field of the approach zone. A WPG team, though, was in hot
pursuit, and engaged in fire with them to try to neutralize, at least,
their threat. NRO was reporting it all to the Prez, the phone
speaker on, and Bill relayed his total concern to the Execs. And the
Apaches were almost there.
        Johnny Cash had come on stage at Monument. He was
starting up "Ring Of Fire", they could hear on the turned-down
ADF as they did the final "gumps" (for gumption) check - gas,
undercarriage, mixture, prop, seat belts and such - and Jess
cranked up the radio.
        Then Sara called on radio 2 again and Jess recranked John
right back down. "Get out of there, guys! They have a fire team in
there!" Sar commanded.
        "We don't have the fuel to go anywhere!" Buz apprised.
        "Aw SHIT!" it sounded like everyone else said together.
        "We can't, Sar..." Kit commed back, "...talk to you when
we're in!" and added the last of the flaps.
        Then Jess, Kit and Savvy saw the tracers of the ground fight
just ahead. Jessy turned to Cody and he yelled, looking straight
ahead, "just keep going! They're engaged! If we turn, we stall and
crash! Everybody check all your jackets!"
        "WE'RE OUT OF FUEL ANYWAY!" Buz yelled out that
reality check.
        "SHIT!" the rest of them yelled together again and sight-
checked all the flak jackets.
        The Serbs, fighting off the WPG team, heard the plane
approaching and then, there it was, rumbling over, coming out of
the tree tops, lights all off, the moonlight even blocked by clouds.
Nearly impossible to see. But the Serb with the Stinger had IR gogs
on too.
        He fell back as he aimed, and the others tried aiming their
weapons at the sound of the engines and the faint shadow. Of
course, they all say now that none of them would have shot if they
had seen the girls before that moment. But they knew who was in
there. And they had their orders, Serb command knowing if they
could take the girls in the 7 out that they might demoralize their
enemies, but most definitely keep the supplies from them. So that
Serb with the Stinger took that shot and the rocket's recoil slammed
him to the ground. And the others got off their shots, even as some
WPG bullets hit their marks as the big old ship lumbered overhead.

Next Page