by TD Webb
“Sean, Sean, honey, wake up. I need to know if you’re okay.”
When the plane hit its first tree on its descent, the IFF was ripped off the underside. It had skidded for almost two miles, before it finally came to rest where it was now. Linley hit the release button on her harness. She knew she had some bruised ribs and for sure, a cut on her forehead. She checked her legs and when she felt no pain after wiggling her toes, she stood up and moved towards Sean, who was moaning. Linley could see a cut on her forehead but worst of all, she was starting to feel the cold.
Sean opened her eyes, looking for Linley. “You okay, Linley?”
“Yes, Sean, I’m fine but we need to move to the back and see exactly how bad of a situation we’re in. It’s snowing outside and with the window gone, it’s getting cold really fast.”
“Linley, my arm’s broken, so if you can get the medical bag out, we can splint it and then check out the guy’s back there and get the tent set up away from the crash site.” She grabbed the medical bag, opened it, and together, splinted Sean’s arm, then they put a sling on her after Linley helped her into a sweatshirt.
“Linley, we need to cover the cuts on your face.” She helped Linley put butterfly strips on the three cuts and then band aids over them. After Linley put on a sweat shirt, they shifted the gear. Linley threw most of it out of the cockpit window. They opened the door to the back, on the left where the two guys were strapped in. Part of the ceiling had fallen down on them. Linley checked for a pulse.
Meanwhile, at Pearson International Airport, the team were getting ready for takeoff.
“Tower, this is flight 769 requesting runway for takeoff.”
“Sergeant Mackenzie, you’re cleared for takeoff on runway 27.”
“Roger, tower, over and out.”
JC taxied to runway 27. Twenty minutes later, they were in flight to Calgary. JC wouldn’t unlock the cockpit door, she wanted to be alone. The team left her alone and stayed in the back talking about their options. JC had bags under her eyes from lack of sleep and a headache from the hangover. Reggie knocked on the door and JC let her in.
She sat down and looked at JC. “I love you, JC, with all of my heart and I’m really sorry for how I acted at the unit. Will you forgive me?”
“I don’t know, Reggie. You hurt me when you were going to order me to take the bodyguards.”
“I was just scared for you. I don’t want to lose you.”
“I do love you, Reggie, and yes I forgive you.”
Four hours later, JC landed the plane in Calgary.
Doug took over the pilot’s duties for their next destination. Reggie, JC, Mike, Alex, Rick and the Colonel, disembarked and unloaded their gear, as a deuce and a half pulled up close to them. They watched the rest of the team take off, and once loaded, headed for the Rocky Mountains.
Linley and Sean removed the female pilot from the plane, then headed away from the crash site, due to the smell of aviation fuel. Linley knew the tanks were almost empty when they went down but the fumes could ignite. So about 200 feet from the plane, she had set up the tent among the trees and they dragged her into the tent. Sean knew the temperature was going to drop much further once the sun went down, so she and Linley put on what they could to keep warm, while Linley checked out the woman.
Sean went about collecting firewood. She had a good pile.
When Linley emerged from the tent, she had a tarp in her hands. “Sean, we should cover the wood to keep it dry and I’m going back to the plane, to see what else we can salvage. The woman is still out and I couldn’t find any cuts on her.”
They both went to the plane, after covering the wood pile. They grabbed pillows and blankets above the last row of seats and after searching what was left of the plane, they went back to the tent to go through their treasures, to see exactly what they had. Linley had found the woman’s purse and it turned out that she really was a pilot. Her name was Teena Cory. She had a contract to fly the plane to Toronto, so Linley and Sean figured she was high jacked just like them.
Teena stirred.
“Come on, Teena, open your eyes, we need to make sure you don’t have any internal injuries,” Linley said to her.
Teena hurt all over. She moved her hand to her shoulder and felt the bandage on it. Sean helped her sit up. After eating an energy bar and having a drink, she told them what had happened. “I was hired to fly the plane to Toronto, when the men boarded in Calgary, one said he was the co-pilot and the other was the steward. I knew something was up, when I asked the guy to check the IFF transmitter and he didn’t know where it was located. He pulled a gun on me and took me to the back and said if I did what he wanted, he would let me go when we arrived in Toronto. So that’s why I served you guys when you boarded, then the steward took over the pilot’s chair. Once we took off, she got sick, so that’s why I was in the pilot’s seat. The other guy knew nothing about planes. Before the guy got sick, while we were over Sarnia, he destroyed the IFF transmitter.”
When Teena asked how they had crashed and who bought the plane down, she said Linley did an excellent job for never flying before. Sean apologised for shooting her in the shoulder, which Teena said she was just glad it wasn’t a head shot. It turned out the only injury Teena had, was her shoulder.
Sean went out to get a fire started, while the other two women organized their supplies. They made some hot soup and coffee for supper, then all three snuggled up as the sun went down. Linley wished that they had a heater. All of the gear was lined around the inside walls of the tent. Linley had packed snow as high as she could up the side, so it wasn’t too bad with their combined body heat.
Teena was a little jumpy when they heard wolves howling in the distance.
•••
The team stopped in Golden British Columbia for the night. Reggie knew Linley had survival training, so they should be okay for a night or two.
The following morning, a chopper picked them up and dropped them at the last coordinates that were registered before the IFF went out. The Colonel was staying in the hotel the Major would also stay in a hotel in Kamloops; both teams took off at 0530 hours. Once on the ground, Reggie made sure everyone was ready and they headed off into the middle of nowhere. Meanwhile, Chris and his guys started from their position and headed towards them.
At the crash site, Sean woke up before the other two. She started the fire and made coffee and MRE’s for breakfast. The three woman had to be armed when they left the tent, because Sean had seen a wolf and mountain lion tracks, just outside the tent and all around the downed aircraft. She figured the wildlife smelled the blood and were looking for an easy meal. As she entered the tent, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She laid the food and coffee down and fired her handgun in the air, scaring the predator off, which in turn brought both women inside, to a very scary start to their day.
Things settled down and they discussed how long they would be able to survive in the wilderness. None of them were wearing proper attire to try and hike out, so that wasn’t an option.
“Look, Sean, Teena, I know for a fact that once our aircraft went off radar, the unit would have started looking for us. So I say we stay put and keep a fire going. We can take turns making sure it stays lit.”
“Linley, they tore the IFF out over Ontario. Won’t they start searching there?”
“No, Teena, if I know JC and the major, they would have had a back-up system for their aircraft.”
For the rest of that day and the next, they took turns collecting wood, and between keeping the predators away and the fire going, their food was getting low. Water, they didn’t have to worry about. The tent held up and the snow finally stopped sometime in the middle of the second night. Their main problem, was making sure they stayed alive until they were rescued.
Chapter Fifteen
Reggie and her team had been hiking for six hours with still no trace of the plane wreck. She grew frustrated. There wasn’t any aerial search yet, because of the snow storm. Chris and his
team were having better luck on their side of the mountain. There was no storm, so they were making good time.
The first night, Reggie and her team didn’t bother to set up a tent, they set up hutchies (which were just using a tarp stretched across a branch to keep the weather out and their arctic sleeping bags would keep them warm) and kept a fire going all night. They all knew better than hiking through the woods after dark.
The next day, they set off early. They had heard a gunshot in the distance but since there was only one, they had no idea which direction it had fired from. The weather had cleared and Reggie radioed the Colonel to get a search team in the air if they could.
Four hours later, search and rescue out of Edmonton Alberta had a buffalo in the air over their grid. Just after night fall, Reggie received a call from the Colonel saying the aircraft had spotted a fire on the ground. Reggie was given the coordinates and her team were closer than Chris’s. All the members were excited when they realized they were about ten kilometers from Linley.
In the tent, Linley and the others had heard the plane fly over but it was too dark for them to see it. They decided to build the fire higher, in case it came back.
The next morning, the aircraft was over head again. The pilot radioed Reggie, to let them know it was the downed plane and that there were survivors. The news caused the team to pick up their pace. Once the Major received the news, he re-called Chris and his team. At three in the afternoon, Reggie and the team spotted the downed aircraft. She was at a dead run, when she spotted Sean heading to the tent with a mountain lion stalking her.
Sean’s arms were full with wood. Without warning, she heard a shot and a mountain lion scream.
Reggie turned and watched JC re-shoulder her rifle. Linley and Teena came out of the tent right after the shot. Linley was in Sean’s arms in a heartbeat.
“Baby, how did you shoot the mountain lion?”
“I didn’t, Linley, the shot came from the woods over there.” She pointed toward an incline and they watched Reggie running down to them.
Reggie had Linley wrapped up in a hug, without even asking any questions. When things settled down, Reggie radioed the Colonel, letting him know that they had found Linley and Sean and that they were in pretty good shape. Sean couldn’t feel her arm from the elbow down, which could mean nerve damage and Teena’s shoulder was possibly infected. They would need a medic vac some time tomorrow. It was too late to move anyone.
The three men went into the plane and agreed to sleep in there for the night. When the cockpit door was closed, it cut down on the wind and there was still enough roof left to keep most of the weather off them if it changed.
Reggie and JC settled in the tent after feeding everyone. They needed a plan to get to a helicopter.
“Reggie, there was an open area about five miles back, a helicopter would be able to land, or we could just hoist them out,” JC said.
“I remember it, JC. I marked it on my map but we will need to check out what gear we have extra and I want to check out their feet.”
Reggie had noted that all three women were in sneakers. She got up and went to the plane, to see what extra kit the men had. Since the weather had changed, the walking wouldn’t be as bad but it was still cold. It turned out that Rick and Alex had some extra socks and combat boots with them. They agreed that they would switch to their combat boots and let the women have their mukluks. All extra sweaters and outer gear were given to Reggie.
Back in the tent, she went through her kit and JC went through theirs. After finding enough equipment to cover the three women comfortably, Reggie got a hold of the Colonel and they agreed that she would radio in when they were a mile from the pickup site.
The next morning after breakfast, JC and Reggie checked Sean, Linley, and Teena’s feet, to make sure they didn’t have frostbite. Everyone dressed, left what they didn’t need, packed what they did need and after Reggie wrote the coordinates on her map for the wreckage, they headed out, with the men packing down the snow as they took point.
Three hours later, Reggie contacted the Colonel. They were picked up within the hour and transported to Foothills hospital in Calgary. The Colonel wanted Reggie and JC checked out, since he knew they were not completely healed from their original injuries they had sustained in Iraq.
At the hospital, Reggie and JC were told to go home and rest. Both Teena and Sean needed surgery right away. Linley was okay, once she was checked over. She had some bruised ribs and cuts and scrapes but stayed at the hospital with Sean. An RCMP guard was put on Teena’s door, until her story was checked out.
The Colonel called Reggie, to all meet at JC’s place at 1300 hours the following afternoon.
When Sean came out of surgery, the doctor spoke to Linley, to give her the news about Sean’s arm. “Miss. Stone, we realigned the bones in Sean’s arm. When the bones slid back together, they had pinched a nerve. We don’t know how long her fingers will be numb, or if the damage is permanent. Over the next few weeks, we should know more.”
“Sir, is Sean able to travel in the next few days? We need to report back to the unit and I don’t want to leave her here alone.”
“She will be find to travel. She can even get out of here tomorrow, we’re only going to keep her tonight, to make sure she doesn’t have a reaction to the medication we put her on. I will also contact a friend of mine at Sunny Brook Medical Center, so she can have her follow up’s there.”
“Thank you very much, doctor.”
Linley called a taxi and went to JC’s place, they had already arranged for her to stay there, instead of being alone. To be honest, Reggie didn’t want her out of her sight for the next few days. So back at the condo, Linley filled them in on what the doctor said. JC told Linley that she would have a car take her to Sean’s place in the morning, and to her own place, to get clothes and both of them could stay there, since she had two spare rooms. JC and Reggie had talked earlier and they were going to offer the other room to Teena, since her story did check out and she needed a place to stay, until they went back to Toronto.
The next morning, Linley headed to foothills hospital to pick up Sean, and then went to each of their condos to get the stuff they would need. Back at the apartment, the team waited for them to return, before they had their debriefing. The Colonel had run a check on Sean Whitaker and found out who she was and what she did for a living. It turned out she was a fifteen year veteran of the Calgary Police Services but left and went on to open her own security firm, which was doing quite well.
The women arrived after going back to foothills hospital, to retrieve Teena. They all sat around JC’s living room and the meeting began.
“Listen up, we have some new information. Teena Masters is a pilot for the Major. She was hired to do the return flight from Calgary to Toronto. It was the co-pilot and the stewardess who were found deceased in Calgary. JC, it wasn’t Lynn, she had switched flights for a family emergency. Now, Sean, sorry but I had to run a check on you,” the Colonel said.
“Its okay, Sir, I completely understand,” Sean told him.
“Since you are in the security field, and I can assume it is also personal security, we want to hire your company to provide security for JC, Linley and Reggie. I know the three of you can take care of yourselves but you have to understand if it had of been the two of you,” he said pointing to Reggie and JC. “We have no idea what would have happened if JC hadn’t of had the extra IFF installed on the underside of the aircraft. We never would have located them, and the two dead guys haven’t been identified, as of yet. We do know for sure they are not Canadian and we sent their photos and fingerprints to the United States to see if they can identify them.”
“Sir, where does this leave us?” Reggie asked.
“Right now we are at square one, so we are all going to Toronto tomorrow morning. Reggie I know you have two spare rooms at your condo and you live in the same building as JC, so I can assume she has the same amount of rooms.”
“Sir, my
condo is three floors up from Reggie’s and I have three spare rooms, Linley and Sean are staying there and I’m staying with Reggie.”
“Do any of you have a problem with men living in the condo with you?” Sean asked.
They all answered no.
“Well, I have two guys, along with another female, so I was thinking the men can stay with Reggie and JC and Teena and the female security officer can stay with me and Linley. I don’t need protection and because of my arm, even though it’s not the hand I shoot with, I’ll still be at a disadvantage. Sir, I will need you to supply documents for my employee’s to carry concealed weapons for wherever we will be. I already have my own documentation, so I’m good.”
“Not a problem, just give me the names and I’ll take care of everything. Can you contact your people and get them to meet us at the airport at 1000 hours in the morning? I’ll have their paperwork for them when they arrive. Other than that, get some rest, all of you, and we’ll see you at the airport.”
Sean gave the Colonel the names Justin Tremblay, Tim Rainer and Crystal Hunter. She called all three, explained what she needed and they all agreed to meet them at the airport in the morning. They all arrived at the cargo area, where the plane was located. After introductions, they stored their luggage and boarded the plane. Doug was piloting the plane to Toronto, with JC as the co-pilot. As soon as they took off, Sean told them of the arrangements she had made for them in Toronto.
The team were given a week off. During this time, Linley, JC, and Reggie worked out in the gym in their building, getting their bodies back in shape from the injuries they had received. Sean had her checkup at Sunny Brook Medical Center. The feeling was coming back into her fingers.
They were all going to hit the range in three days, to practice and to qualify on their weapons. Every time they’re injured, they have to be tested again.
The following Friday night, JC and Reggie wanted the night alone, since they were cleared earlier that day to return to work on Monday. They hadn’t heard from the United States yet, on who the two men were and this was worrying both of them. They wanted all this to be gone, so they could get on with their lives. JC made a beautiful dinner, and afterwards she and Reggie were curled up on the couch, watching the stars through the window. They hadn’t made love since Reggie went to Iraq but now that both women were healed, Reggie dropped her head, kissing JC. It felt so good. JC raised up, leaned over her and started kissing her all over her face. She looked into Reggie’s eyes and leaned forward. When their lips met, the sparks flew. The kiss deepened and there was no holding back. Their passion came full force and clothes were removed in the heat of the moment.
