unusual local activity on the streets. We aren’t sure if it’s the same people, but I don’t believe we should take chances. We want to get you out now.”
“How?”
“I told you,” he reminded her gently. He understood. She had to have fears from the previous crash. It was certainly reasonable.
She swallowed, realizing she had no choice. A mob, even one that they might be able to muster, would stop a car if they suspected that Zabi’s ‘wife’ was inside with his children. While she was certain she would be under military escort, she didn’t want anyone else to die. Enough had already died trying to protect her. She remembered a couple of the men from the helicopter crash that had survived before she passed out. After trying to fight off the ‘rescuers’ who had happened upon the crash, they had disappeared. She barely remembered the first rapes. She’d been numb by the crash, stunned by her capture, and she blocked out the way they treated her and the other captors until they disappeared. She’d been in this stupor until she realized she was taken into the hills to become one particularly nasty rapist’s ‘wife.’
“Can you be ready to go within the hour?” Captain McKellan confirmed.
She nodded mutely. “May I go?” she asked in a quiet voice.
“You may, Captain,” the major said formally. He wondered if she would ever be the same. Would she recover some of the spark that had been Lieutenant Gagliano? He realized she had no recollection of them meeting before. At one time, he had actually worked with her, but that was long ago. He hadn’t been a major then. He’d already recommended psych evaluations based on what Captain Lamar had said. She needed help. He had also put forth paperwork for a female obstetrician and gynecologist to meet her when she landed back in the States.
“Do you think she will lose it?” Wynn asked them after she took the children and shut the glass door behind her. He indicated her mental state as he made a whirling motion next to his head
“I think that woman is made of sterner stuff than most,” the captain commented in response.
“How will you get her out of here?”
“I’m going to fly her commercial. They won’t be expecting that. It may just save some of our men.”
“How can you do that? Won’t they be watching all the airports? They’ll expect, being in the military, that she will fly out on one of our transports,” the major protested.
The captain nodded. “That’s exactly why I won’t.”
“What’s your plan?” Mr. Wynn asked.
“I still have some details to work out,” he told him, not trusting the State Department man in the least. He didn’t have to tell him anything. They had cooperated to interview Captain Gagliano, but there was only so much he was willing to share.
* * * * *
Marsha gathered the children close and told them a fantastical tale of two small children that were going to fly in a big bird. She’d shared such tales before, but she hoped it would ease their transition into flying in a helicopter. The noise would be horrific. It was like nothing they had ever known. She herself had willingly hopped into a UH-1, a relic of the Vietnam War that seemed to remain in production to this day. The engine problems had begun after they were in the air for a mere half hour. Going down wasn’t from rebel forces attacking the bird, but from a mechanical error. It was no one’s fault. The hell that Marsha had experienced afterward, she could lay clearly at Zabi’s feet.
Marsha was told by Linda that Major Scott had requested that she dress in the clothes that had been left for her and the children. By guessing their sizes, someone had managed to purchase them current and westernized clothes. Marsha would be wearing military clothes. It was laughable as she tried to close her pants over her big belly. The t-shirt looked grotesque.
“How?”
“I told you,” he reminded her gently. He understood. She had to have fears from the previous crash. It was certainly reasonable.
She swallowed, realizing she had no choice. A mob, even one that they might be able to muster, would stop a car if they suspected that Zabi’s ‘wife’ was inside with his children. While she was certain she would be under military escort, she didn’t want anyone else to die. Enough had already died trying to protect her. She remembered a couple of the men from the helicopter crash that had survived before she passed out. After trying to fight off the ‘rescuers’ who had happened upon the crash, they had disappeared. She barely remembered the first rapes. She’d been numb by the crash, stunned by her capture, and she blocked out the way they treated her and the other captors until they disappeared. She’d been in this stupor until she realized she was taken into the hills to become one particularly nasty rapist’s ‘wife.’
“Can you be ready to go within the hour?” Captain McKellan confirmed.
She nodded mutely. “May I go?” she asked in a quiet voice.
“You may, Captain,” the major said formally. He wondered if she would ever be the same. Would she recover some of the spark that had been Lieutenant Gagliano? He realized she had no recollection of them meeting before. At one time, he had actually worked with her, but that was long ago. He hadn’t been a major then. He’d already recommended psych evaluations based on what Captain Lamar had said. She needed help. He had also put forth paperwork for a female obstetrician and gynecologist to meet her when she landed back in the States.
“Do you think she will lose it?” Wynn asked them after she took the children and shut the glass door behind her. He indicated her mental state as he made a whirling motion next to his head
“I think that woman is made of sterner stuff than most,” the captain commented in response.
“How will you get her out of here?”
“I’m going to fly her commercial. They won’t be expecting that. It may just save some of our men.”
“How can you do that? Won’t they be watching all the airports? They’ll expect, being in the military, that she will fly out on one of our transports,” the major protested.
The captain nodded. “That’s exactly why I won’t.”
“What’s your plan?” Mr. Wynn asked.
“I still have some details to work out,” he told him, not trusting the State Department man in the least. He didn’t have to tell him anything. They had cooperated to interview Captain Gagliano, but there was only so much he was willing to share.
* * * * *
Marsha gathered the children close and told them a fantastical tale of two small children that were going to fly in a big bird. She’d shared such tales before, but she hoped it would ease their transition into flying in a helicopter. The noise would be horrific. It was like nothing they had ever known. She herself had willingly hopped into a UH-1, a relic of the Vietnam War that seemed to remain in production to this day. The engine problems had begun after they were in the air for a mere half hour. Going down wasn’t from rebel forces attacking the bird, but from a mechanical error. It was no one’s fault. The hell that Marsha had experienced afterward, she could lay clearly at Zabi’s feet.
Marsha was told by Linda that Major Scott had requested that she dress in the clothes that had been left for her and the children. By guessing their sizes, someone had managed to purchase them current and westernized clothes. Marsha would be wearing military clothes. It was laughable as she tried to close her pants over her big belly. The t-shirt looked grotesque.
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