“What’s up with you? How are Emma and the girls?”
“Gettin’ on my damn nerves,” Al jeered playfully. “Man, I tell ya…I am extremely outnumbered.”
“A wife andfourdaughters? I would say you are.” Lincoln chuckled.
He looked at his watch. It was 0415. He slapped Al on the shoulder and said, “Perform a coms check and get ‘em in the air.”
“Yes, sir,” Al responded, turning back to the computer screens. They would be observing via satellite. Al made some adjustments to the satellite feed and flipped a switch that would ensure all communications were recorded. He raised the volume and spoke into his headset.
“This is Jack 3. Coms check. Over.”
Major York’s voice broke through radio waves. “Queen Mary 5-1. Over.”
“Radio check is loud and clear, Queen Mary 5-1,” Al assured.
“Queen Mary 5-2,” Major Stonebridge’s voice chimed in last.
“Radio check is loud and clear, Queen Mary 5-2.”
After conducting a brief equipment check, the pilots were cleared for takeoff. Lincoln folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the table. He listened in silence as both teams prepared to go wheels up.
For thirteen minutes, he heard nothing but flight chatter until a transmission from Queen Mary 5-1 broke through the chatter.
“Queen Mary 5-1 to Jack 3.”
“Go, Queen Mary 5-1.”
“We have eyes on the target. We are one mike away from doors open. Over.”
“Copy that. Over,” Al responded.
Lincoln looked at the satellite pictures. All was quiet until Major York’s voice broke through the chatter.
“Queen Mary 5-1 to Jack 3!” he called out with urgency. “We’re losing power! I repeat…we are losing power!”
“Queen Mary 5-1, what’s your fix? Over.”
Lincoln remained calm. The last thing he wanted was to incite panic.
“We’re less than half a click south of the target. Over.”
He and the TOC listened in silence while waiting and praying the pilot would be able to get control of the chopper. But listening to the pilot’s transmissions, they figured it unlikely.
“We’re going down! Prepare for a hard landing! I repeat, we are going down!”
The chatter was chaotic. Lincoln pushed off the table and grabbed a headset. He placed it over his head and positioned the mouthpiece.
“King 6 to Queen Mary 5-1?” he called through the radio.
When there was no response, he repeated his transmission.
“Queen Mary 5-1, do you copy?”
Still no answer.
“Queen Mary 5-2?”
“Queen Mary 5-2.”
