Page 32 of Protecting Josie
The chopper appeared over a mountain peak like a beautiful angel. It hovered for a moment, whipping up dirt all around them, before slowly lowering exactly where Pyro had said they would.
To her amazement, the helicopter managed to fit between the two mountain peaks but it didn’t exactly land. One of the skids rested on a rock and the chopper actually kind of tilted downward, as if inviting them to climb aboard.
No one spoke; it wasn’t as if they could be heard over the rotor blades. Josie closed her eyes against the onslaught of dirt and dust being whipped into the air.
She felt Nate grab hold of her upper arm and start walking. She trusted him to keep her upright and followed him. When the sound of the engine got louder, she squinted her eyes, wanting to see what was happening.
Pyro and Tate were already inside the helicopter and before Josie knew it, she was being handed up into their arms. She was sitting inside before she could even blink. Nate jumped in as if he hadn’t just been tortured and beaten a day or so ago, Kevlar at his heels, and she felt the chopper lifting up and off the ground.
She held her breath as they got higher and higher into the air. There were mountains on either side of them and they seemed close enough to touch as they rose. As soon as they cleared the peaks, the pilots seemed to gun the engines, then they were flying over the same terrain they’d just hiked through.
Nate suddenly had a set of headphones, and he placed them over her ears. The engines were instantly muffled, and Josie let out the breath she’d been holding. Their extraction had been fast and uneventful. It was quite the change from the last time she was inside a helicopter.
Tate and Pyro placed headphones over their ears, as did Nate and Kevlar. She could hear everyone speaking to each other.
“Buck! Obi-Wan! Good to see you!” Pyro exclaimed with a laugh.
“Someone had to come and get your asses back to work after you decided to take a vacation in the mountains,” one of the pilots said, glancing over his shoulder to grin at them.
“Whatever, Buck,” Pyro retorted good-naturedly.
“You all good?” the other pilot asked, who Josie assumed was Obi-Wan.
“Yeah,” Tate said.
“Laryn is gonna kill you,” Obi-Wan said.
“I know. She worked hard to get that chopper working perfectly, then someone had to go and blow a hole in it,” Tate said almost mournfully.
The conversation seemed so normal. Like friends meeting up after a long absence.
“Laryn’s the head mechanic who worked on my MH-60,”Tate said, looking at Josie. She figured he’d forgotten mentioning her earlier, so she simply nodded.
“She’s a contractor, and one of the best mechanics I’ve ever known. Wouldn’t trust anyone else with my babies. You might get to meet her. Depends on what happens when we land.”
And just like that, nerves struck Josie once again.
“You good, Blink?” Buck asked. “Your team told us what they knew when we saw them on the ship. Said you had a tough time?”
“Not as tough as Josie,” Nate said.
She felt six sets of eyes on her. Not knowing what else to do, she gave the two pilots a lame little wave.
Chuckles echoed in her ears.
“Right. Josie. It’s nice to meet you. On behalf of the US Army, we’re glad you’re okay…and that we could be the ones to get you the hell out of there. Because we all know the Navy wasn’t up to the task.”
Josie was about to get mad on Nate and Kevlar’s behalf before she realized Obi-Wan was joking. Sort of. It had to be a long-standing ribbing thing between the Army and the Navy, because Kevlar leaned forward and smacked the back of the pilot’s helmet.
“Hey! Watch it! Don’t mess with the pilot while he’s flying,” Obi-Wan complained.
“You could fly this thing with one hand tied behind your back and both eyes blinded,” Nate returned.
“True. I’m that good,” Obi-Wan agreed.
“Oh Lord, now you’ve done it. Stroked his ego. He’ll be even more impossible now,” Buck moaned.
Josie listened to the banter with interest but internally, she was still freaking out about what would happen when they got to the ship. Would she be in trouble? How was she going to answer any questions when her stupid voice wouldn’t work? Now that she was safe, she half expected to magically be able to speak again. But of course, she had no such luck.
