is going on. There's a blue chopper…”
"Hang on a second. Tell me who you are, where you're calling from and slow down. You talk faster than most people can listen."
"Okay. My name is Cynthia. I'm in Bremerton. Anyway, there's a huge blue chopper flying too low. The noise was so loud, it broke out one of my windows. Course, the window was already cracked, you know, from that earthquake."
"Did the chopper crash?"
"No. It lifted off again. By the time I ran outside, it was high in the air and headed for the Olympic Mountains. But my neighbor got a good look at it. It's got guns mounted on the bottom."
"Guns? Is she sure?"
"She's certain. The barrels are long and about six inches in diameter."
Collin rubbed his forehead thoughtfully, "Maybe it's ATF or FBI."
"She said it wasn't marked. It doesn't even have numbers. Aren't government choppers supposed to be marked?"
"I always thought so."
"Me too. Anyway, you find out who they are. I want them to pay for my window!"
"I'll do my best, Cynthia." Collin glanced at Max, shrugged, and then pushed the next button."
This time the caller was a man, "This is Brian and I'm over here on Bainbridge Island. I saw it too. It's a sky crane, you know, like they use to haul logs out of the forest. And it dropped something in the water. Maybe something fell off, I don't know. There was another chopper with red markings. It looked like Channel Eight news, or maybe it was channel six. I never can remember which color is which. Anyway, the news chopper started to come closer and when it did, the sky crane turned and took off."
"Did you see any guns on it?"
"I couldn't tell what they were. They don't look long enough to be guns, but these days, who knows? I'm ex-army and it’s a Sikorsky 54A all right, but it’s been modified. The blades are longer, it has a full body and the aft windows are bigger."
"Aft windows?"
"Yes. In a sky crane, there are windows in the back of the cab so the crane operator can see what he's doing. Like I said, normally these choppers are used to haul logs or fight fires. But this one's got a full body with windows along the sides where the water tank should be."
"I see."
"I called every TV station from Seattle to Tacoma, and none of them admit to having a news chopper anywhere near Bainbridge. I saw the sky crane another time too. It was hovering over Elliott Bay on the day of the earthquake. Hey, I just thought of something. Didn't a cabin cruiser sink in the Bay a couple of months ago?"
"I remember that. It belonged to some rich guy in Florida."
"Maybe he hired the crane to lift it out of the water."
"Maybe so. Thanks Brian. Give us a call if you see it again."
"Will do. I'm curious now."
In the booth, Max flipped his mike on, "Know what I think? I think it’s another right wing, Christian Coalition conspiracy."
Collin sneered and put his finger on the next button, "KMPR, you see a blue chopper?"
"No. But I've been in an earthquake."
"Really. Where?"
"In San Francisco in 1906. My name is Amanda and when I went to San Francisco, it was so cool because I'd never been there before, but I remembered the streets."
"Wait, you'd never been there…but you were in the 1906 earthquake?"
"I must have been...in another life."
Collin shook his head and glanced at his burned out cigarette. "Thanks Amanda. Call again sometime." With the phone lines once more quiet, he took his headset off and lit another.
In the booth, Max was busy jotting down places to call -- Ft. Lewis, McNeil Air Force Base, Bremerton Naval Station, Whidby Island, Seattle Police, Boeing and Paine Field. He laid the pencil down and studied his list. "One of them has to know who owns that blue chopper. But first, the generator." He flipped on the music and went back to work.
Collin returned to the window and leaned one shoulder against the wall. Across the street and just beyond a small park, two identical, six floor apartment buildings stood side by side. Below, kids played
"Hang on a second. Tell me who you are, where you're calling from and slow down. You talk faster than most people can listen."
"Okay. My name is Cynthia. I'm in Bremerton. Anyway, there's a huge blue chopper flying too low. The noise was so loud, it broke out one of my windows. Course, the window was already cracked, you know, from that earthquake."
"Did the chopper crash?"
"No. It lifted off again. By the time I ran outside, it was high in the air and headed for the Olympic Mountains. But my neighbor got a good look at it. It's got guns mounted on the bottom."
"Guns? Is she sure?"
"She's certain. The barrels are long and about six inches in diameter."
Collin rubbed his forehead thoughtfully, "Maybe it's ATF or FBI."
"She said it wasn't marked. It doesn't even have numbers. Aren't government choppers supposed to be marked?"
"I always thought so."
"Me too. Anyway, you find out who they are. I want them to pay for my window!"
"I'll do my best, Cynthia." Collin glanced at Max, shrugged, and then pushed the next button."
This time the caller was a man, "This is Brian and I'm over here on Bainbridge Island. I saw it too. It's a sky crane, you know, like they use to haul logs out of the forest. And it dropped something in the water. Maybe something fell off, I don't know. There was another chopper with red markings. It looked like Channel Eight news, or maybe it was channel six. I never can remember which color is which. Anyway, the news chopper started to come closer and when it did, the sky crane turned and took off."
"Did you see any guns on it?"
"I couldn't tell what they were. They don't look long enough to be guns, but these days, who knows? I'm ex-army and it’s a Sikorsky 54A all right, but it’s been modified. The blades are longer, it has a full body and the aft windows are bigger."
"Aft windows?"
"Yes. In a sky crane, there are windows in the back of the cab so the crane operator can see what he's doing. Like I said, normally these choppers are used to haul logs or fight fires. But this one's got a full body with windows along the sides where the water tank should be."
"I see."
"I called every TV station from Seattle to Tacoma, and none of them admit to having a news chopper anywhere near Bainbridge. I saw the sky crane another time too. It was hovering over Elliott Bay on the day of the earthquake. Hey, I just thought of something. Didn't a cabin cruiser sink in the Bay a couple of months ago?"
"I remember that. It belonged to some rich guy in Florida."
"Maybe he hired the crane to lift it out of the water."
"Maybe so. Thanks Brian. Give us a call if you see it again."
"Will do. I'm curious now."
In the booth, Max flipped his mike on, "Know what I think? I think it’s another right wing, Christian Coalition conspiracy."
Collin sneered and put his finger on the next button, "KMPR, you see a blue chopper?"
"No. But I've been in an earthquake."
"Really. Where?"
"In San Francisco in 1906. My name is Amanda and when I went to San Francisco, it was so cool because I'd never been there before, but I remembered the streets."
"Wait, you'd never been there…but you were in the 1906 earthquake?"
"I must have been...in another life."
Collin shook his head and glanced at his burned out cigarette. "Thanks Amanda. Call again sometime." With the phone lines once more quiet, he took his headset off and lit another.
In the booth, Max was busy jotting down places to call -- Ft. Lewis, McNeil Air Force Base, Bremerton Naval Station, Whidby Island, Seattle Police, Boeing and Paine Field. He laid the pencil down and studied his list. "One of them has to know who owns that blue chopper. But first, the generator." He flipped on the music and went back to work.
Collin returned to the window and leaned one shoulder against the wall. Across the street and just beyond a small park, two identical, six floor apartment buildings stood side by side. Below, kids played
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