With relief, Morgan caught sight of the American Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, USS Kearsarge, sitting beyond the harbour in the distance. A man-made, fortified island refuge. Six of her MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopters were at that moment charging across the ocean to the pre-designated evacuation point at the beach, where he could see hundreds of expatriates converging to make their escape to freedom and safety. The cavalry was coming - he could almost hear the bugles.
Suddenly the pitch of the engine noise changed dramatically. They were over the roof of the hotel. Mason was attempting to land.
"Hand me that rifle," Morgan screamed over the din. "Everybody standby!"
CHAPTER 28
"Get that stretcher over here!" Fredericks bellowed.
Two local guards jumped into action immediately and were crouched at his side with the stretcher as the Super Puma prepared to touch down.
"As soon as you've got the wounded man strapped onto that stretcher, I want you to wait for all the others to hit the stairs, and then follow them down. Don't get ahead of them or you'll block the route and slow everyone down. You get me?"
"Yes, Sir," came the shouted reply.
"Good shit. The medics will meet you downstairs. Miss Halls is with the patient, so take your lead from her." Fredericks slapped the men reassuringly on their backs and then moved in closer to where Steve Mason was trying to land the chopper. More problems, Fredericks thought.
"Come on, Steve,'' Morgan yelled from the cargo hold. "Put this bloody thing down!"
Mason had selected WHEELS DOWN but was getting no 'Greens' on the board.
"I can't. The landing gear's not responding! I'll have to hover and try to sort it out while you get 'em off."
Four feet from touchdown, Alex Morgan leapt from the door. Fredericks was at his side in a flash. Morgan clapped Fredericks on the back by way of greeting. "Let's get 'em moving, Mike. They're all pretty messed up, so if we don't keep them going they'll lose it completely and we'll never get them out of here. They've been through the ringer today."
"It looks like you have, too," Fredericks replied. "What's wrong with the chopper? Why won't he land?"
"Landing gear's screwed. Arena's bringing Sewa off first." "How is he?"
"Not good."
"What about Turner? Was it you?"
"I wish, but I think big John nailed him just as we were getting out of Pallarup."
"Couldn't have happened to a nicer arsehole," Fredericks grinned. "Agreed," Morgan replied. "Come on, mate. Let's get on with it."
Mason bounced the chopper down hard upon the roof, and Arena, so focused on taking care of Sewa, jumped out with Stanley and another man, hauling Sewa clear and onto the stretcher. Then Fredericks and Morgan began dragging the others off, instilling them with a sense of urgency and confidence that they would be safe as long as they did exactly as they were told, exactly when they were told. With the first half of the evacuees off the chopper in less than 20 seconds, Fredericks led them straight for the stairs and down to the hotel lobby. Morgan stayed on the roof and continued to get the others off, directing each one to follow the stream of evacuees now racing away behind Fredericks. Within a minute, all were off. Turner was staggering along with the help of a couple of men, clutching his jaw, and Arena was disappearing down the stairs leading Sewa's stretcher party.
Suddenly, as Morgan raced the last evacuee clear of the chopper, a powerful wind sheer ripped across the rooftops from the south, and with the controls all but useless now, the Super Puma was hurled straight upwards with a devastating 'whoosh'. Mason struggled at the dead controls to stabilise her as the treacherous winds swept angrily across the rooftop. Helpless, Morgan turned to watch as once again the big chopper was abruptly lifted up and thrown aside, completely clear of the hotel.
Down in the streets below, masses of rebel troops were making short work of the demoralised government soldiers. The rebel force had already secured the main road through town, less than a kilometre from the hotel. The Malfajirian Army didn't stand a chance. They were attempting to organise a fighting withdrawal back towards the port, but the rebels broke through their lines, surrounding small, isolated pockets of resistance and butchering them. Morgan could see it all from his vantage point atop the hotel. He knew that cannibalism was common amongst the rebels, and he had no doubt that many of the dead soldiers would be on the menu that night. Defeated in a war many of them didn't understand, or even know what it was that they were fighting for. Religion ? Diamonds? Dead for rocks. What was the sense in it all?
With that lingering thought, it occurred to Morgan that the helicopter and the hotel were now in full view of the advancing rebel frontline. Rebel forces would be on top of them in minutes.