Page 29 of Love and Loyalty
The outburst sent a shiver down Drew's spine, and she wondered what could have gone wrong.
She suddenly became apprehensive. “Hello, Lieutenant Colonel. Do you copy? Is everything good down there?”
“Major Mitchell, there's a timer attached to a bomb here. The specialist just realized we have less than fifteen minutes to diffuse it or else it explodes.”
“Holy shit! What do we do now?” she said, concern etching in her voice.
“Stay put and do your part. We'll handle it!”
Drew let out a deep, exasperated sigh, her frustration palpable as she felt helpless watching from a distance. She longed to be alongside Izzy and the team, and her heart raced with every passing moment.
All she could think about was Izzy's safety, and her mind was consumed by worst-case scenarios. She felt like a bystander, forced to rely on the intercom for updates, her expertise idle and unused. The wait was agonizing, and Drew couldn't shake the feeling that she should be doing more to ensure Izzy’s protection.
Before she could conjure a plan, her thoughts were shattered by the sudden, sharp crackle of gunfire, making Drew's heart skip a beat. Then, Izzy's voice burst through the intercom, her words laced with urgency and authority. "We're under attack! Fire at will!"
Adrenaline surged through Drew's veins. Her mind raced with the implications. She could hear the bursts of gunfire growing louder, the team's return fire echoing through the comms system.
Drew's grip on the console tightened, her knuckles white with tension, as she strained to stay focused, her thoughts consumed by Izzy safety and the dire situation unfolding below.
Drew's mind reeled in confusion and dismay. The sudden attack had added a catastrophic layer of complexity to the already desperate situation.This can't be happening, she thought, her grip on the controls tightening as if she could will the chaos into submission.
With a deep breath, she shook off the paralysis, her training and instincts taking over. "We can't just sit here," she growled. "We're going in to assist them. Position yourselves for descent. We'll provide cover from above!" The words tumbled out, a battle plan forming in her mind.
Drew lowered the armored craft down, circling directly above the insurgents, and screamed, “Attack!”
As the insurgents realized they were no longer alone, they swarmed out of their hiding spots, a seemingly endless horde of armed fighters converging on the plane with a singular focus to bring it down.
Bullets ricocheted off the fuselage, echoing through the air as Drew struggled to maintain control. This gave Izzy and the EOD specialist an unforeseen opportunity. The insurgents' distraction provided a narrow window of chance, allowing them to make a break for the bomb.
With the enemy momentarily distracted, they seized the chance, fingers moving with precision as they carefully disarmed the deadly device.
Inside the helicopter, Drew gritted her teeth, fighting to maintain control of the aircraft as the relentless onslaught raged on. The insurgents' bullets continued to pound the chopper’s armor, threatening to breach its defenses at any moment.
The armored glass, once a secure barrier, now lay shattered, its fragments littering the cockpit floor. Drew's eyes darted anxiously between the instrument panels and windows, bracing for the next impact.
She knew the insurgents were targeting specific weak points, trying to exploit the plane's vulnerabilities. The question was which critical system would they hit next? The engines, fuel tanks, or perhaps flight controls? Each passing second felt like an eternity as Drew struggled to hold the fort, her skills and training stretched to the limit.
“Major Mitchell, I told you to stay put!” Izzy yelled over the intercom. It seemed like a combination of anxiety and anger.
“I'm sorry, Lieutenant Colonel, but now isn't the time to push blame around! Have the explosives been diffused?” She knew the obvious answer to the question.
“I think we would have all been dead now if the case was otherwise.”
Drew finally found a window of opportunity to escape the hail of bullets. She let out a deep sigh of relief, her tense shoulders sagging slightly. "Hang on, Lieutenant Colonel! I'm going to put down a few feet from your position in an open field. It's your best chance for extraction."
She continued, "Please make sure you and the soldiers get there quickly and safely. I'll do my best to cover you from above, but I need you to move now!" The words tumbled out, laced with a sense of urgency.
Despite the suggestion from Izzy that she should land a bit farther from the location, as mentioned earlier, Drew didn't budge.
With a final burst of engines, she set the plane down in the open field and swiftly turned to Jack, her voice low and urgent. "Take the controls, Jack. Keep her running, and be ready to lift off at a moment's notice."
As Jones nodded and slid into the pilot's seat, Drew gathered a few soldiers. They positioned themselves strategically, forming a defensive perimeter around the insurgents.
Just as they got into position, a burst of gunfire echoed across the field, and the EOD specialist, flanked by a handful of soldiers, sprinted toward the plane, the insurgents hot on their heels.
Drew scanned the crowd for Izzy but couldn't find her. Her heart plunged to the floor, punching through her stomach as it tightened. Drew felt she couldn't breathe as her eyes roved, her legs already moving forward without conscious thought.
She couldn't be missing; she just couldn't be. Drew approached the outlet mindlessly. Some soldiers tried to pull her along, but she resisted fiercely.