Chapter Twenty-Three
The quiet start to the Australian fire season had continued while they were chasing arsonists through the Vietnamese jungle. There was no need for them to return. Gordon wondered if there’d ever been a reason for them to go.
The only interesting part of the whole journey home had been while the helicopters were being reloaded onto the Antonov An-124s at Noi Bai International Airport. They’d flown up to Hanoi that morning because Dong Hoi’s runway wasn’t rated for the heavy wheel load of the massive jets.
He’d been sitting with Ripley on the edge of the front ramp of the Antonov, trying to escape the tropical sun. The massive curve of the raised nose cone to allow access to the aircraft’s cargo hold made the most ridiculous sun parasol Gordon had ever seen: twenty fe
