Although he only had three more grenades, Farkas was stubbornly determined to use the grenade launcher to eliminate his tormentors. The opportunity was too inviting to throw away. He knew it might take some time, and it would attract a lot of attention, but now was the moment he had been waiting for.
On the other hand, Omar Musa wanted to get as far away as possible in short order. However, like many others in the terrorist community, Musa knew it was a bad idea to question Khaliq Farkas.
"Are you okay?" Scott asked, as Jackie flew through the open door.
"Yeah, but the helos trashed — we re stranded."
"The nukes are here, all four of them!"
Jackie's eyes opened wide. "Oh, my God."
"The sat phone?" Scott asked.
"I was in a bit of a hurry — left it in the helo," she said with a shrug. "But I have my cell phone."
"Now might be a good time to use it."
Jackie called Frank Wakefield and explained their dire situation. She gave him their basic position and quickly signed off.
Scott heard the MD 500 slowly circling over the lodge, waiting for the right opening to hit them again. When the helicopter slowed with the left side to the lodge, Scott looked at Jackie. "They're going to try putting a grenade through the front door. Follow me!"
They went into the large kitchen, putting a wall between them and the open front door.
"Get on the floor," he said as a grenade blasted through the wide door and hit the stone fireplace. It shattered the fireplace and blew out the only window remaining in the main room.
Jackie looked up. "I think they're directly over us."
"Into the bathroom!"
They slammed the door as another grenade ripped through the decaying roof and exploded in the main room. It blew debris out the door and the windows.
Scott opened the door a few inches. "I don't know how many grenades he has, but they're going to take us out if we don't do something."
"Let's get some rounds into them, do some damage."
He listened to the sound of the turbine helicopter. "They're directly behind the lodge; I'm going out the front. Let me know which side they're coming up."
"Okay."
Rushing out the front door, Scott's instincts told him to go to his right. Helicopter pilots traditionally fly from the right seat and Farkas would be on the left side of the MD 500. He heard the helicopter approaching. "Which side?" he yelled.
"I can't tell!"
Counting off three seconds, Scott jumped off the porch and started firing head-on at the helicopter.
Omar Musa yanked the cyclic back and the MD 500 shot skyward. Some of the rounds had penetrated the cockpit, slightly wounding Musa. Most of Scott's rounds had hit the belly and tail.
He quickly ducked inside the shattered lodge. "Well, they know we're still here. Don't know how long they can stand off and pick away at us."
Jackie took a deep breath, and then exhaled. "We know they topped off their fuel in Flagstaff, so I'd say at least another hour or more."
He looked out the window as the MD 500 passed over the lodge. "They'll eventually get us if we don't do something. We have to split up."
"Are you nuts?"
"No."
Another grenade blew a large hole in the roof over the kitchen, stunning Jackie. Ears ringing and bleeding from a minor wound on her neck, she stumbled into the main room. "They're going to level this place if we don't do something."
"After they make another pass," Scott said, as he darted a look at the circling helicopter, "you take off out the back door and run straight into the woods. Once you're twenty yards inside the tree line, cut a right forty-five and go about a hundred yards in and camouflage yourself."
"What are you going to do?"
"Fm going out the front door and run ninety degrees to your right. Do the same thing you do, but to the left. You stay in your position, and I'll come to you."
"Okay," she said, and wiped the layer of dust off her face. "How are you on clips?"
"I have two full ones left."
The MD 500 had climbed and picked up speed. It circled the lodge three times and then made a high-speed pass low over the roof. Farkas raked the structure with an AK-47 while the helicopter climbed steeply and turned back toward the lodge.
"Let's hit it!" Scott said.
Farkas and Musa saw the Americans run into the dense woods and disappear. They swore and Musa slowed the MD 500. He was against flying directly over the area where the two people had vanished, but Farkas insisted on it.
They discussed the idea of landing so Farkas could get out and track the Americans with Musa orbiting over them. They collectively ruled out the idea as too risky. When Farkas finally caught a glimpse of Jackie, he ordered Musa to turn around.
"Slow down," Farkas ordered.
"It isn't safe."
"I said slow down."
Musa quietly complied. We're going to be a perfect target.
"Get lower."
When the tail of the helicopter was finally pointing at him, Scott fired three short bursts and continued running toward Jackie. He did not want them to see any muzzle flashes and give away his position. When he had another chance, Scott fired two short bursts. It was difficult shooting up through the trees, but at least he had some cover. He was confident that he was getting hits, but it seemed to have little if any effect.
After taking a circuitous route, Scott finally found Jackie.
"Any idea how much longer on fuel?" he asked, breathing hard.
"I really don't know, but it can't be much longer or they won't have enough to reach an airport."
Scott schooled himself to breathe slower. "If we can keep them guessing, they either have to depart for fuel or Wakefield's boys will show up."
Jackie was about to speak when a high volume of automatic weapons fire ripped through the trees, spraying rounds in every direction. The indiscriminate rain of fire was unnerving.
Scott grimaced as he shoved another magazine into the submachine gun. "They're going to get us if we don't respond now."
"Let's open fire at the same time," Jackie asserted. "Pour it to them."
"Give me a few seconds to get about thirty, forty yards away." Scott closely watched the helicopter. "Catch 'em in a crossfire."
"Go!"
The MD 500 again picked up speed, but it was flying much lower than it was before. Another long burst from the helicopter shredded everything in a large area twenty feet from Scott. When the weapon went silent, Scott rose and began firing. Jackie commenced firing a split second later. They ceased firing when the MD 500 made a tight climbing turn to reposition for another firing run.
"Concentrate your fire on the engine," Scott yelled above the sound of the helicopter.
Jackie yelled back. "These are designed for close-quarters combat, lucky to hit anything!"
Scott was waiting until the last second when Jackie began firing. He immediately responded, trying to bracket the engine area. Whether he or Jackie had connected, there was an instant effect. Smoke poured from the MD 500 as the pilot tried to make an emergency landing.
As an experienced helicopter pilot, Jackie could discern the attempt to auto-rotate into the small clearing by the lodge. "He s going in hard!"
"Let s go — get on em!"
Scott and Jackie were almost to the edge of the tree line when the MD 500 slammed into the ground, shedding its skids and wheels.
"Hit the deck!" Jackie ordered, seeing what was coming.
They sprawled on their bellies and covered their heads.
The helicopter bounced high into the air and rolled as the main rotor blades made contact with the ground. The shattered blades came off and became deadly shrapnel, flung in every direction. The MD 500 hit the ground again and violently tumbled into the tall trees on the other side of the clearing.