Chapter 5 - Eject West
“Major Mercer, turn west and eject over uninhabited terrain.”
Rachel stared at the radio panel.
Her A-10 could barely maintain altitude. Fuel streamed from the damaged wing, and the left engine had stopped producing power.
Kirtland Air Force Base was the only runway she might reach.
“Why am I forbidden from landing?”
“Your aircraft is unstable.”
“Then clear the emergency runway.”
“You risk bringing armed ordnance into a populated installation.”
“I expended the ordnance in the canyon.”
A pause followed.
Too long.
Rachel understood.
Kessler did not know exactly what remained on the aircraft.
He only knew he needed the plane beyond recovery.
The A-10’s onboard systems recorded radio traffic, targeting data, flight commands, and emergency transmissions. Because her targeting computer had failed, Rachel manually routed part of the rescue communication through a secondary diagnostic channel.
That meant the aircraft might contain Kessler’s original orders.
The refusal to dispatch support.
The command to ignore Talon Team’s distress call.
The instruction to keep the Chinook outside the canyon until the evidence-carrying SEALs were presumed dead.
And now the order to eject somewhere the wreckage would burn unnoticed.
Rachel turned south.
“No,” she said. “I’m bringing her home.”
Kessler threatened court-martial.
Rachel no longer answered.
Colonel Shaw reached her through an independent emergency frequency.
“Banshee One, I have you.”
“Daniel, Kessler wants the aircraft destroyed.”
“Can you make Kirtland?”
“Not the runway.”
“What can you make?”
Rachel looked at the terrain below.
An abandoned test strip lay twelve miles southeast of the base.
Short.
Rough.
Surrounded by desert.
“Clear Sandstone Strip.”
Shaw understood immediately.
“If you put it down there, rescue teams can reach you.”
“And preserve the aircraft.”
“Yes.”
May you like
Rachel lowered the nose.
The burning A-10 began its final descent.
