* * *
Hamilton was monitoring his navigation display. “I wonder where that helicopter went with Dirk and his two thugs onboard?”
“I know, me too,” Brian said.
“Yeah. And I also wonder where Davenport was originally headed. Frank was on that rig. I could see him.”
“He was?”
“Yup. But he didn’t look happy. He was arguing with Daniel. That’s when Daniel hustled back and grabbed Karen.”
“I’m surprised about Frank,” Brian said. “I only saw him a couple of times. We never talked much but he seemed like a nice guy. I never would have figured he’d been mixed up with this group.”
“He is a nice guy. He just got suckered in without realizing it and ended up with the wrong people. I tried to convince him to bail out. I said I’d help him. That was about eight months ago, or so, but he was afraid they’d do something to his wife and family.”
“Wow. That’s too bad.”
“Yeah, so here we are headed to McCall to meet up with them.”
“You think this is a trick?” Brian asked.
“No. More likely a possible ambush, so stay alert.”
“Roger that.”
They continued to fly in silence as the helicopter pulsed its way along. Brian continued to comfort Buster and at the same time, kept watch out the windows from the cabin. He also noticed storm clouds approaching out of the northwest. Although the sun hadn’t completely set yet from their altitude, the clouds were beginning to obscure the waning daylight. They were still on track to meet with Frank and Daniel at McCall when Hamilton spotted a blip on his navigation screen. It was headed toward them from the east.
“I may have found our lost chopper,” he said. “Or else they found us.”
“You sure?”
“No, but there’s not much traffic up here... too remote, plus it’s getting late. Just a gut feeling. Keep your eyes open.”
“Copy that,” Brian replied.
Hamilton kept his heading but watched the blip at the same time. “See anything out there?” he asked Brian. “They’re close.”
“Not yet. It’ll be hard, though. The trees are a great camouflage if they’re coming in below us.”
The collision warning system suddenly squawked. “Traffic! Traffic!”
Brian frantically looked out all the windows then shouted, “I see it! Below us on our four o’clock! It just banked and I caught a glimpse of the painted pattern on top of its blades. It’s trying to get behind us!”
“Okay!” Hamilton replied. “Let’s introduce ourselves!” He immediately banked and adjusted his flight path. Then, making visual contact, he began a zig-zagging run toward them in a taunting gesture.
“They’re engaging us!” Brian said. “Do your thing!”
Hamilton corrected his heading sufficiently to assume a head-on run still using evasive techniques. As he closed the gap, it would be less likely anyone would take a shot at them and risk flying into dangerous exploding debris. At the same time, if neither flinched, a deadly midair collision was imminent. The opposing helicopter suddenly broke away giving Hamilton opportunity to get behind them and continue the chase.
“Keep your eyes open for any other aircraft!” Hamilton ordered. “I don’t trust this guy!”
“Roger that!”
Buster was now on his feet clinging tenaciously with his toenails dug into the short-napped carpet.
Both helicopters continued to descend, weaving back and forth with the forest below coming up fast. Large areas of dense woodland stood in stark contrast to those that had been logged with only remnants of trees left behind. The resulting appearance resembled a ragged patchwork quilt in the waning daylight as the ground below slowly succumbed to the deepening evening shadows.
Brian watched nervously from the back as trees loomed closer and closer. Both helicopters crested a tree-covered ridge revealing a small lake dead ahead. The opposing helicopter swooped closer to the lake still using evasive flying tactics.
Suddenly Hamilton could see some fishing boats moving toward shore for the evening. “Check the shoreline! Tell me what you see!” he ordered Brian.
Brian stiffened. “A campground! I see people! A bunch of people watching us!”
On the ground, the campers were intrigued with the aerial show and at first stood watching in awe. It wasn’t long, however, before they realized the seriousness of what was happening. Most ran for the trees. The few boats quickly beached their craft then rushed to join the others. Although darker in among the trees, the two helicopters were easy to watch in what was left of the evening light.
Low hills surrounded the small lake on two sides, the tops of which still caught the last of the day’s sunlight. Hamilton made a desperate attempt to lure the opposing helicopter away from the campground by breaking away. With their adversary now coming around to assume the role of pursuer, Hamilton barely managed to clear the top of a small hill before their assailant launched a missile. Disappearing down the other side, he was able to avoid the strike as the top of the hill was blown away instead, sending splintered timber, dirt, and smoke in every direction.
Chaos reigned at the campground as the terrified campers hurried to their vehicles leaving everything else behind. The pursuing helicopter swooped over the top of the damaged hill then came around low and directly over the campground. The throbbing and pulsating rhythm of both aircraft echoed off the surface of the water.
Hamilton banked back around and over the middle of the lake, once again hoping to draw his assailants away from the people on the ground. Successful, he led them further away and disappeared below a distant hilltop.
Hamilton then banked around sharply ready to retake the posture of attacker just before the opposing helicopter crested the hill on the unpopulated side of the lake.
Hamilton took aim and fired a missile then banked away, coming back around for a good look. Their enemy barely managed to avert being struck then resumed its course back toward the campground.
“He’s insane!” Hamilton exclaimed. Turning in a tight arc he attempted to engage them once again, coming at them from an angle. Suddenly another helicopter cut across his flight path.
“What the hell!” Brian yelled from the back.
The new aircraft began pursuit of the first helicopter. Hamilton came in behind both of them. A few people remained in the campground, completely transfixed by the action. Hamilton maintained his focus in pursuit of both helicopters.
“Who’s flying that new rig?” Brian called out to Hamilton.
“I don’t know! But I sure hope he knows what he’s doing and doesn’t suddenly turn on us! In fact, I’m breaking off to get some distance away from the people below... just in case.”
“Roger that!” Brian concurred.
From across the lake, they both watched the two helicopters fly in a tight dogfight. The new helicopter managed to get around front and take a head-on tack. Without flinching the pilot quickly closed the gap with his assailant. The first had no choice but to either submit to a deadly collision or abort their attack long enough to acquire more distance and reposition themselves for a safer hit. They pulled up and away at the very last minute, banking around once again, the pounding sound of pulsating rotors cutting powerfully into the air and bouncing off the placid lake waters.
“What are we going to do?” Brian asked as Hamilton hovered at a distance.
“I don’t know,” he replied. “That other pilot seems to be on a mission to either kill or be killed,” he said. “And I thought I was crazy most of the time.”
The new aircraft teased the first to engage him as the pilot drew them further away from the campsite. The first helicopter attempted another missile strike. The other pilot pulled away at the last minute and repositioned for pursuit as the ordnance struck a different hill in another spectacular display of exploding dirt and debris. The few remaining campers cont
inued to watch the dramatic test of skill, wit, and sheer nerve in the air.
The dog fight continued for the next fifteen minutes. Eventually, both aircraft disappeared beyond a distant hill. Moments later an explosion, followed by an impressive fireball, erupted. Stunned by what they had just witnessed, Hamilton and Brian stared in shock at the volume of smoke rising behind the hill.
Hamilton waited, still hovering. Neither of the other two aircraft returned. He finally took a chance and headed for the crash site. Circling high above, he could see the remains of one helicopter on the ground completely engulfed in flames. “We’re bugging out of here,” he said.
“I’m with you,” Brian replied, rubbing Buster’s back. “Where to?”
“McCall.”
Brian exhaled loudly as Hamilton resumed a new heading. “I thought we were goners, to be honest. I don’t know who that other guy was, but Hamilton... you are definitely one hell of a pilot! You know that? Thank god!”
“Yeah, but I’d sure like to know who that other pilot was.” Focused on their new heading he kept watching to make sure they didn’t suddenly end up in a similar dogfight. “How’s it look out there?” Hamilton asked, trying to keep his nerves under control. “See anything?”
“Nothing,” Brian replied, still scanning the sky.
“I’ll be glad to get on the ground. My nerves are shot,” Hamilton said.
“Copy that.”