by Hep Aldridge
O’Reilly saw that Tex was about to key his mic and said, “Ahh, Ahh, remember, you’re my prisoner and unconscious in the back; don’t screw up your alibi now.” He thought for a minute and then realized she was right and resigned himself to watching the terrain and the instrument panel. As they climbed higher in their charge northward, O’Reilly said, “Her top speed is about 310 k/ph right?” Tex said “Yes Ma'am, but at this altitude in the thinner air, it would be a little less.”
“She’s in good shape, right?”
“Right,” he said, “damn good shape. I’ve been a crew chief for 12 years, and I kept all my birds in top-notch order.”
“Good,” she replied, “because I’m going to need that 310 and then some to make up for the time I lost with those military dick-heads.”
“You had a run-in with the military at the airfield… Oh, shit, we are screwed for sure,” Tex replied.
She said, “Don’t worry about it now; you’re unconscious, remember?” The blue dot was getting closer; while the ground team had taken about four hours to cover approximately 100 miles, they could make it in 35 minutes. They had been in the air for about 20 minutes when her SAT phone rang; she answered, it had a short conversation, and hung up.
She reached in her bag and pulled out a small earpiece/earwig and stuck it in her left ear and said, “Colten, do you copy?”
There was a second pause, and then she replied, “Roger that. Did you ever come up with that Plan B yet? Because I’m about ten minutes out.” Another pause and she said, “Copy that; standing by.” Tex was staring at her again.
She looked at him, “My boss,” she said, “I had to check in.”
He shook his head and said, “Who the hell are you? …No, never mind, I don’t want to know.”
She reached over and patted his leg, smiled, and said, “Don’t worry, Tex. It will be fine; I’ll take care of you,” and then went back to concentrating on her flying. It was getting a little bumpy, and they were flying through patches of fluffy clouds as they passed through the altitude of the Andes’ cloud forest, the red arrow and the blue dot getting closer and closer together. The radio squawked again; this time, it was military call signs, three of them.
Tex said, “Oh, shit, they scrambled the air force unit at the field, and they’re coming after us.”
She didn’t turn to him, but said, “Well… this is going to be fun!”
Things were a little different at the crash site. They had been following the radio transmissions from the airport and Dimitri said, "Hey Colt, looks like O’Reilly has pissed off the local military flyboys and they are in pursuit."
"Great," I said, "that’s all we need. Go around the corner and see if you can find a place for her to set down." Dimitri took off at a run around the blind corner where the bus had lost control. I knew there was nothing behind us but sheer rock face and narrow road. I hoped our luck would be better further up the mountain.
A few minutes later, Dimitri came back, out of breath, and said, “We may be in luck. The rock face goes from vertical to about a 40-degree slope about 75 yards round the bend; there are three trees we will have to take out, but it may give her just enough rotor room to sit down on the road or at least part of it.”
I said, "Trees to clear!"
"Not to worry, Colt," Dimitri said, grinning. He then switched to his Boris Badenov voice, “Dimitri have magic rope, wrap around trees, make boom; trees fall down just like that," he snapped his fingers, "then we have nice landing place for whirlybird." I waved him on as he went to the back of the vehicle, his sense of timing for humor was incredible… he called Joe to go with him as he grabbed a backpack and headed back around the corner.
I went to Doc, looked at his patients, and said, "We’re going to have to move them around the curve up there about 50 to 75 yards.”
He said, "I don’t think that’s a good idea."
I told him we didn’t have a choice. It had already been almost an hour since the call to O’Reilly.
"It’s your ride, and she’s coming in hot." He nodded in understanding and called the three young men who had helped us get the passengers out of the bus and explained to them what we had to do; two other men came over and offered their help.
Good, they can help our pregnant lady. I asked if she could walk and, although pale, she nodded in the affirmative.
Paco said, "I will carry the girl."
I nodded and said, "The rest of us will carry the bus driver." While we had been waiting for help to arrive, we had made a makeshift stretcher to put him on.
Everyone started to move. As we got to the curve, I stopped them and said, "We need to wait here for the explosions."
"What?" Doc exclaimed.
"Don’t worry. Dimitri is just clearing a few tree’s so the chopper can land." I heard the bird in the distance and called O’Reilly, "We will clear a space for you, but it’s going to be tight."
"Just give me someplace to set the skids, and I’ll be fine."
I said, "Plan B may be one skid on the road and try to keep the rotors out of the trees."
"Oh, great," she said. "You just had to make it a little more interesting. I see how you are."
About then, we heard the Det cord go off and I said over the Com, "Popping red smoke at LZ."
"Roger that," she said, "I’ve got a visual, coming in." I had prearranged the smoke signal with Dimitri and, as we moved around the corner, the road ahead was being blanketed in red smoke. I looked at the angle of the slope and thought, okay, O’Reilly, we’re about to find out how good you really are. We carried the injured along the slope side of the road as the chopper came into view. O’Reilly crabbed the bird in sideways, slowly blowing out the smoke enough for us to see there would only be room for one skid on the road before the rotor hit other trees higher up the bank.
I said, "O’Reilly you’re only going to be able to set down one skid; any closer and you’ll hit trees."
"Copy that; just have your people ready to board when the door opens. I’ve got extra help here."
What the hell, I thought, but quickly forgot about it as she came in and set one skid down on the road and kept the other hanging in space with 700 feet of nothing below it. The door slid open, and a young guy jumped out in coveralls as we carried the unconscious girl and driver to the door. Doc went in first and took the young girl from Paco and, with the help of the guy in coveralls, they strapped her into one seat, immobilizing her head and neck with an extra strap. Next, we helped our mother to be in and got her belted as best we could, considering her condition. We then slid the driver on the stretcher in on the floor. It was crowded, but we got a thumb’s up from our new colleague as he closed the door. Doc had his med kit, and we had agreed he should fly with them to the hospital.
He gave me a thumbs up through the window, and I said, "Okay, O’Reilly you’re clear." I heard the power being applied to the turbine, but the lift didn’t come as quickly as I thought it should. "O’Reilly?" I said over our Com link.
"We’re a little heavy, and the air is thin, but Tex says we can make it; just have to kick the old girl in the ass," she replied. I heard the turbine winding up even further, as more power was applied, slowly the chopper lifted off the road. Once it had, I watched as it rotated and literally fell nose-first over the road edge toward the valley below. I heard the turbine screaming like a Banshee as the rotors worked to beat the air into submission. The young guys gasped as we ran to the edge of the precipice and looked down, sure she was going to crash.
I said, "Don’t worry; she’s just using the fall to pick up air-speed," as we watched the chopper falling nose-down toward the valley below. At least I hope like hell that’s what she’s doing, I thought. At around 100 feet from the valley floor, as if on cue, the chopper's nose began pulling up and, ever so slowly, she began to level off and headed down through the valley. Okay Fitz was right; she was a good pilot. In fact, she was a damn great pilot, I thought.
The remaining passengers were rest
ing more or less comfortably on the slope side of the road next to the Beast. Dimitri had secured all our gear, including winch and cable, and had found a place further up the mountain where he could turn the Beast around and drove back to our little survivor’s camp. We had been in touch with the local authorities and apprised them of the situation, and they were sending the police and emergency medical teams to our location.
As I leaned against the rock face, I looked at my watch; this whole event
had taken place in less than two hours, yet it seemed like days. I was exhausted, as were the rest of the guys. The only one still full of energy and talking excitedly to the passengers huddled together was Eduardo. I really couldn’t hear what he was saying, but there were a lot of waving arms, hand gestures, and pointing in my direction.
Finally, he came over, and I asked him what was going on.
He said, "The people wanted to know who you were. I told them you were a great American explorer and adventurer. You had saved many lives and were known around the world."
I stopped him and said, "What?"
"They are very impressed and appreciative and want to repay you," he said.
"No, no, no, stop telling that story; it’s not true."
"But you saved their lives and you are a great adventurer, Senor Burnett."
I stopped him. "That’s enough, Eduardo; no more stories."
"Si Jefe, no more stories." I could see his disappointment as he turned, head down and walked back to the group of passengers. Conversations began again and, before long, he was as animated as ever, talking and moving among the people.
It’s useless, I thought and turned my attention to preparations for heading back to town. I hoped that everything was going okay for O’Reilly and she was able to get the injured the medical attention they needed so badly.
I should have known better….
Chapter Twenty-Five
Once O’Reilly had pulled out of that stomach-wrenching nose-dive into the valley and leveled off, she told Tex to check on their passengers. He looked back to the cabin area, clicked the Com, and asked Doc how everyone was.
Doc replied that his stomach was back in its right place, our expectant mother was experiencing more pain, and the other two were still unconscious.
"How long till we get to a hospital?" he asked.
"About 50 minutes," Tex replied.
Doc said, "I don’t think that’s good enough.”
O’Reilly had heard the exchange and looked at Tex as she keyed her mic "How about 30 minutes, Doc?"
He replied, "Every minute counts, and 30 is better than 50!"
Tex looked at her and said in a lower voice, “There’s no way…”
She looked at him with a tight-lipped grin. "I know," she said as she twisted the throttle and the turbine’s whine increased. Minutes later, they spotted the three military UH-1's flying in a V formation about 1,000 feet below them. She had brought the Gazelle to 6000 feet and had been cruising at max speed with a slight tailwind. The military must have seen here at about the same time, and the radio crackled to life.
"This is Lieutenant Estevez of the Ecuadoran Air Force; you are under military arrest, and I am ordering you to slow your speed and fall into formation as we escort you back to the airfield." They had slowed and were making an aerial U-turn as she blew right over them, not slowing at all. The radio crackled, "I repeat; you are under military arrest, and I order you to slow your speed and prepare to be escorted back to the air-field."
O’Reilly keyed her mic and said, “You all must be some of those boy scouts dressed up like pilots I saw at Ops. Well, I’m terribly sorry; I can’t oblige your request. You see, I’m in kind of a hurry, and besides, I don’t have time to play with you kids!” Almost as an after though, she keyed her mic again and said, “Hey Estevez at least I know you guys can fly, that’s more than I can say for your commander.”
A few seconds later she heard what sounded like a muted chuckle, and then Lieutenant Estevez cleared his throat and said in a professional voice “Please Senorita O’Reilly follow our request it will go much easier on you.”
She keyed her mic one more time and said with a chuckle “glad you remembered my name, but sorry boys no can do… Alpha Mike Foxtrot!” She turned to Tex whose eyes were quite wide, he had understood her last transmission, and said, "Remember how you said I was crazy before…"
"Yeah?" he replied…
"You were wrong then." She called to the cabin, "Doc, everybody hold tight…" Looking back at Tex, she said with a huge grin on her face, "NOW you’re going to see crazy," as she dropped the nose of the Gazelle, headed for the deck, and twisted the throttle wide open. Without looking at him, she said, "This is a 342 with the Astazou XIV H?"
In a strained voice, she heard, "Yeah, it is."
O’Reilly, still grinning, said, "Then, this baby should be able to take a little more!" The turbine whine turned into a primal scream as the Gazelle leaped forward passing the 200 knots mark and still climbing. At about 50 feet above the treetops, she leveled off and began flying the terrain. Tex was a brave man. He had earned two purple hearts and a bronze star for bravery in combat. But he had to admit that, at this moment, he was pretty much scared shitless! He watched as the taller trees and rock outcroppings of the valley went flashing by. He looked over at O’Reilly, whose concentration was so intense her face could have been carved from stone as she gracefully slipped the Gazelle up, down, and sideways in what seemed like one continuous fluid motion. Eyes straight ahead never once straying, feet dancing on the pedals, her moves on the collective and cyclic were pure poetry. God, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen!
The UH-1’s were no match for the Gazelle. Their top speed was around 125-130 knots; she was heading down the valley toward the city at about 225 knots. Tex kept scanning the instruments and reported any changes the crazy pilot needed to know as she kept her eyes glued to the onrushing terrain. “Oil temp is rising, turbine pressure has redlined; you can’t push her like this for much longer…”
“I know,” she said, “I need her to hang in there just a little longer,” as she ever so slightly slowed their pace. She tapped the pad on her leg, and another screen came up, tapped again, and a city view popped up with a red cross west of the airport. She asked, "Do you know where the hospital is?"
"Sure," he said, "it’s about five miles from the airfield to the south."
"Do they have radio communications?"
"Yes," he replied. She glanced down at the pad, then the dash as she slowed her air speed a bit more, much to Tex’s relief.
She said, "Get them on the radio and let them know we have a trauma situation and will be on their doorsteps in about 11 minutes." Tex didn’t reply as he switched the radio frequency and called St. Mary’s Hospital.
"St. Mary’s Hospital, this is helicopter 4569 Charlie Sierra. I am inbound with three individuals onboard needing immediate emergency attention; will arrive your location in 11 minutes." Thank God the person at the hospital was a professional and acknowledged the transmission and asked the nature of the injured. Doc had heard the conversation over his headset and double-clicked his mic. Tex nodded in response.
"Their condition is as follows," and pointed to Doc, who keyed his mic and, in perfect Spanish, delivered their current medical condition to the hospital radio operator. They could hear background noise of orders being shouted and other voices.
"Where will you be landing?" they asked.
Tex looked at O’Reilly and she said, "Right outside the emergency room entrance!"
Tex relayed the message. There was a pause, and the hospital operator came back, "We are moving the ambulances now."
"Which side is the entrance on?" O’Reilly asked.
Tex replied, "Not sure," and relayed the question to the hospital.
The reply was reassuring, "Just look for the red flashing lights we will clear a space for you in the parking lot and have emergency staff standing by."
"They don’t have a Helo pad?" O’Reilly asked.
"No, but they have a large parking lot!"
"Good enough for me," O’Reilly said. "Just hope there’s not a lot of power lines to dodge."
Tex got a concerned look on his face and said, "No I don’t think so, but there are lights in the lot, tall ones."
"Well, if I break your bird there, at least you can have it taken home on a flatbed," O’Reilly quipped.
"Please don’t say that," Tex replied. They zipped across the city at about 70 feet and 100 knots. O’Reilly saw the red arrow and Red Cross converge as she spotted the hospital on the ground. True to their word, she saw a circle of about three ambulances and four police cars with lights flashing on the northwest side of the building. There were no cars within the 60 to 70-foot circle they had formed. O’Reilly did a nice banked turn and brought the Helo to a hover dead center. She didn’t shut the bird off, but gently touched down and let the rotors slow.
A group of hospital workers and some law enforcement types came running to them. Tex jumped out, opened the cabin door and was waiting when the first gurney rolled up. He helped with the driver, the pregnant woman, and then the young girl. Doc exited last and told Tex he was going in with the injured. He nodded and looked at O’Reilly, who was still sitting in the chopper, watching the scene unfold.
Once the medical staff cleared out, the law enforcement started moving in with what looked like media types and cameras all around. Tex climbed back in put on his headset, and said, “Well now what?”
“Now, we leave,” O’Reilly said and lifted the chopper straight up in a slam-you-into-your-seat vertical climb that stopped the law enforcement boys in their tracks. The rapid ascent drew every camera lens to the chopper. As she rotated in the direction of the airport, she said, "Better let the boys at the airfield know we’re coming."
