Note: This is a work of FICTION! Although the areas this story takes place in are real; all of the landscapes depicted, the people described, and everything else this story uses to make it enjoyable reading for you are NOT REAL. As you read this story, try to remember, this is a NOVEL!
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18. Winners and Losers and Winners
"He is losing too much blood; we have got to get him to the hospital."
"Bull shit, William; your primary job is to get Stephano, the girls and yourself out of here, and back to Washington. The police can take me to the hospital."
Susan cried, "I am not leaving you."
"You are carrying my child. You will do what I tell you to do, or I will have them put you in handcuffs and drag you onto that airplane. I will be fine, as soon as they get me to the hospital. I will have enough police around me that the Valentinos' will not get close. I need to be able to relax and know that you are safe. William, get a move on it, we do not want to make a run for the airplane at daybreak."
William asked the officer if there was any chance of getting another patrol car to help them on the way to the airport
The officer checked in with his captain and found that all units were involved in other duties. It would take at least an hour before he could get one to them.
Allen said an hour would be too long. The sun would be up just enough to let everyone see who was driving and where they were going. They had to make their move now, or it was going to be too late.
William agreed, and told the girls to get ready to go. He looked at Stephano and said, "I know you told Patricia that you would testify against your father, and I believe you. However, if you cause a problem while we are on the way to the airport, I will kill you."
"William, I will cause you no problem. After I learned what my father did to those college students, I cannot defend any of his actions. It turns my stomach just to think about it."
"Get ready to go, once we are in the aircraft, I will take your handcuffs off and allow you to walk around."
They took Alan out first, and put him in the back of the police car. Patricia and Jemma bracketed Stephano in the back seat of the Range Rover. William and a very reluctant Susan got into the front. The police car led the way down the winding mountain road of the development, until they reached the intersection of Highway 179, and alternate 89A. The police car turned on its lights and siren and they sped off Southwest in the direction of the airport, and the hospital.
William hit the speed dial on his cell phone, and a woman answered. He said, "We are on our way, six minutes out."
She replied, "Roger."
The huge C-130 Hercules started up its engines, one at a time and the ground crew removed the chocks from under its wheels. The loadmaster prepared to receive the car and had the cargo netting ready to stop it before it went too far into the aircraft. His men were not in their normal tie down positions on the aircraft. They were strapped in 6 feet above the floor, just in case the car came into the aircraft, under less than optimum condition. The airplane itself could withstand a bump here and there, but a man would get crushed by a car coming in at 140 miles an hour.
As the police cruiser was speeding down 89A, Allen's hands started to itch, and his itch was never wrong. He leaned up on his elbow and said to the officers, "There is trouble coming, be careful."
The words were not out of his mouth, when an automatic weapon opened fire, from an SUV they were passing. The officer in the right front seat was killed instantly, and if Alan had not been lying down, he would have been killed also.
The officer driving the car turned into the SUV knocking it off the pavement and into the scrub grass on its right.
William saw what happened and increased his speed passing both cars, as Susan screamed at him to stop, so she could help Alan.
William saw another SUV make a U-turn behind him. He knew it was going to come after them. He increased his speed and twisted in and out of traffic, and turned sharply on to Airport Road. He lowered his window to hear the roar of the aircrafts' engines. He had to know which end of the runway the C-130 was waiting for them, when he got on to the airport property.
The back window of the Range Rover shattered; and the girls screamed.
He yelled, "Get your heads down, and stay down."
He hit the speed dial on his cell phone again. "We are taking automatic weapons fire from a dark color SUV 6 in our o'clock position. We are one minute out."
She replied, "Roger, the aircraft's rolling."
William could hear the change in the pitch of the aircraft propellers and the power being applied to them. He turned onto the access road and saw the big Hercules on Runway 21 slowly picking up speed. He turned onto the taxiway with the blue SUV about 1000 feet behind him.
He turned onto the runway and put his foot to the floor, asking the Range Rover for everything it had.
The gaping hole in the back of the C-130 kept it from gaining the speed needed to take off, but it was going fast enough to make it hard to gain on it. The Rover was doing 120 mph and the aircraft was doing about 80 mph. The runway was only 5100 feet long, and that did not leave a lot of room for this big bird to get off the ground, or enough speed to do it.
William was gaining ground on the Hercules but was getting ready to write a letter to Range Rover, because the Jaguar engine that was in this beast was getting nowhere near the 140 miles an hour that was listed as the top speed it was supposed to reach.
He was comforted in the knowledge that he was outrunning the SUV on the straightaway. However the bullets, being fired at them, were still coming fast and furious.
He was closing in on the strobe lights that were emitted from the back of the Hercules ramp. He saw men with flashlights waving him on; begging him to hurry before they ran out of runway. Finally his front wheels hit the ramp. Then, the final bump and his rear wheels hit the ramp. Then, the fun began. He was doing 120 miles an hour, inside a moving airplane. He jammed on his brakes, pulled the handle on his emergency brake, and skidded into the crash net. Everyone inside the vehicle breathed a sigh of relief.
The C-130's Loadmaster was now sure he had seen everything.
The rear ramp was still coming up when they felt the aircraft float downward off the end of the runway, into the chasm at its end, instead of lifting off. Everyone held their breath hoping that the pilot could recover from the lack of airspeed on takeoff into the thin mountain air. They could hear the engines clawing for airspeed, when finally they grabbed just enough to pull the giant bird up and gain altitude, a little at a time. The Loadmaster yelled for his men to tie the car down, before it started rolling out the back of the aircraft. The men loosed themselves from the sides of the aircraft, and worked like army ants; crawling all over the car with chains and cables to keep it where it belonged. When it was fastened in place, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, the passengers were allowed out of the car to get a breath of air.
