Chapter Twenty-Four
They unpacked one of the Black Hawks from the C-17.
Alice watched from inside the cavernous cargo bay of the transport jet as the crew chiefs hauled one of the helicopters down the rear ramp and out into the chill rain. It required the better part of thirty minutes for Tim and John to unfold the rotor blades and prepare for flight. The Majors had spent about ten minutes circling the bird doing the external preflight checks before moving into the cockpit. Captain Smith had tagged along and now squatted just behind the pilots’ seats, clearly talking shop.
They were all acting as if it were a normal day. Perhaps it was for them. Alice was ready to find the nearest walk-in freezer to warm up. It was merely freezing in Washington, D.C. The Pacific Northwest weather had su
