Green Berets were thrown back. Raghav grabbed Kyle’s M-16, turned and unloaded a round into the rear compartment before the Green Berets could recover. Fire shot out of the muzzle as Raghav jerked the trigger, raining dozens of smoking shells around Sachs, who was sprawled on the floor, hands clapped over her ears.
Suddenly, the shooting stopped. Sachs could hear only the rotor of the Black Hawk’s blades and the howling wind. Or was that ringing in her ears?
“Are you OK?” asked Raghav, helping her up.
Sachs looked across the floor at the bodies and blood. Raghav impressed, after all. But she felt something awful rising up inside her, grabbed her stomach and started to heave.
Raghav gave her a helpful pat on the back and looked around. “Guess they took you for a liberal.”
Sachs noticed Raghav’s lapel pin on the floor and picked it up. “You dropped this.” She turned it over to see conservative TV talk show host Glenn Beck smiling back at her.
Sachs straightened and handed the button to Raghav. The young Republican cheerfully pinned it to his blood-stained lapel with trembling fingers. “Thanks.”
Suddenly the Black Hawk banked sharply. Sachs turned to see the pilot slumped over in his seat.
“Oh, God.”
Raghav climbed over the seat, pushing the pilot’s corpse aside. He then took the controls and tried to level off.
Sachs climbed into the seat next to Raghav. “I suppose you can’t fly, either?”
“Nope.”
“Then let me.”
“You can’t fly,” Raghav said incredulously.
“No, but I watched my husband fly his planes, and I probably have more hours in the air than you do.”
Raghav hesitated, and then the radio headset crackled. It was the pilot from Black Hawk Two. “Black Hawk One, you’re trailing smoke.”
Sachs watched Raghav struggle with the stick. It was a miracle they were still airborne. “If you or I respond, he’s going to know Kyle’s out,” she said. “What’s he going to do then?”
“Shoot us down if he’s in with Kyle, or help us land if he’s not. But we can’t take a chance.”
Sachs saw Raghav flick a switch to arm the sidewinder missiles and stopped him. “You can’t even pilot this thing, and you’re going to try and down that chopper with your own men on board?”
“You are the priority, ma’am, and they know it.”
The radio crackled again. “Black Hawk One, please copy.”
“Shit, they’re locking missiles on us,” Raghav said, looking at the dashboard.
Sachs said, “Radio your men, Rahgav, and tell them to take over that chopper. Now.”
Raghav nodded and spoke into his lapel microphone. “Do not reply. Repeat. Do not reply. This is a Code 33. You have to take over that bird. Repeat. Code 33.”
looked out at the Black Hawk behind them and to the left. It suddenly dipped as she saw a flurry of shadows inside. Then its guns exploded. Sachs and Raghav jumped in their seats as bullets chewed holes around them.
“They’ve opened fire!” Raghav said.
Sachs replied, “I can see that!”
Raghav said nothing, and Sachs felt a shiver up her spine. She glanced over at Raghav next to her and with a shock realized the handle of a knife was protruding from his neck. Her eyes widened as a bloody, monstrous Colonel Kyle reared his ugly head from behind and removed the red-stained blade.
“You’ll never get sworn in,” Kyle said, as he thrust the blade at her.
Sachs leaned away into the windshield, escaping the first thrust. Then the chopper banked sharply, Raghav’s corpse weighing heavily on the stick, throwing Kyle off balance and her head against the windshield.
The flurry of bullets hit nearly everywhere. Dazed, she dragged herself forward and looked up to see Black Hawk Two spiral out of control, a fight for control in the cockpit.
Sachs tried to crawl into the pilot’s seat. She had just about pushed Raghav’s body out of the way when she felt a tug at her legs and looked back to see the bloody face of Colonel Kyle
Suddenly, the shooting stopped. Sachs could hear only the rotor of the Black Hawk’s blades and the howling wind. Or was that ringing in her ears?
“Are you OK?” asked Raghav, helping her up.
Sachs looked across the floor at the bodies and blood. Raghav impressed, after all. But she felt something awful rising up inside her, grabbed her stomach and started to heave.
Raghav gave her a helpful pat on the back and looked around. “Guess they took you for a liberal.”
Sachs noticed Raghav’s lapel pin on the floor and picked it up. “You dropped this.” She turned it over to see conservative TV talk show host Glenn Beck smiling back at her.
Sachs straightened and handed the button to Raghav. The young Republican cheerfully pinned it to his blood-stained lapel with trembling fingers. “Thanks.”
Suddenly the Black Hawk banked sharply. Sachs turned to see the pilot slumped over in his seat.
“Oh, God.”
Raghav climbed over the seat, pushing the pilot’s corpse aside. He then took the controls and tried to level off.
Sachs climbed into the seat next to Raghav. “I suppose you can’t fly, either?”
“Nope.”
“Then let me.”
“You can’t fly,” Raghav said incredulously.
“No, but I watched my husband fly his planes, and I probably have more hours in the air than you do.”
Raghav hesitated, and then the radio headset crackled. It was the pilot from Black Hawk Two. “Black Hawk One, you’re trailing smoke.”
Sachs watched Raghav struggle with the stick. It was a miracle they were still airborne. “If you or I respond, he’s going to know Kyle’s out,” she said. “What’s he going to do then?”
“Shoot us down if he’s in with Kyle, or help us land if he’s not. But we can’t take a chance.”
Sachs saw Raghav flick a switch to arm the sidewinder missiles and stopped him. “You can’t even pilot this thing, and you’re going to try and down that chopper with your own men on board?”
“You are the priority, ma’am, and they know it.”
The radio crackled again. “Black Hawk One, please copy.”
“Shit, they’re locking missiles on us,” Raghav said, looking at the dashboard.
Sachs said, “Radio your men, Rahgav, and tell them to take over that chopper. Now.”
Raghav nodded and spoke into his lapel microphone. “Do not reply. Repeat. Do not reply. This is a Code 33. You have to take over that bird. Repeat. Code 33.”
looked out at the Black Hawk behind them and to the left. It suddenly dipped as she saw a flurry of shadows inside. Then its guns exploded. Sachs and Raghav jumped in their seats as bullets chewed holes around them.
“They’ve opened fire!” Raghav said.
Sachs replied, “I can see that!”
Raghav said nothing, and Sachs felt a shiver up her spine. She glanced over at Raghav next to her and with a shock realized the handle of a knife was protruding from his neck. Her eyes widened as a bloody, monstrous Colonel Kyle reared his ugly head from behind and removed the red-stained blade.
“You’ll never get sworn in,” Kyle said, as he thrust the blade at her.
Sachs leaned away into the windshield, escaping the first thrust. Then the chopper banked sharply, Raghav’s corpse weighing heavily on the stick, throwing Kyle off balance and her head against the windshield.
The flurry of bullets hit nearly everywhere. Dazed, she dragged herself forward and looked up to see Black Hawk Two spiral out of control, a fight for control in the cockpit.
Sachs tried to crawl into the pilot’s seat. She had just about pushed Raghav’s body out of the way when she felt a tug at her legs and looked back to see the bloody face of Colonel Kyle
Similar Books
