Monster Planet(13)

For one thing Ayaan herself would hate it. Her policy had always been that those who fell behind were left behind. There were no exceptions, could be no exceptions, because exceptions endangered other people. Ayaan would expect no special treatment.

Then there was Fathia's wrath to consider.

Ayaan had saved Sarah's life a thousand times, though, often putting herself in risk to do it. And the thought of one of the greatest warriors ever to fight the dead ending up as food for ghouls--or worse, becoming a ghoul herself--was untenable.

Sarah knew she would have to at least make the effort to save Ayaan, but she also knew she couldn't do it alone.

Dawn was dragging blood-stained fingers across the eastern hills as she slipped into the helicopter pool and found Osman sleeping in his hammock. She only had a few minutes to pull off one of the stupidest plans she'd ever imagined. Trying to be gentle she put a hand over the old man's mouth and pinched his nose. He awoke in a panic, his eyes rolling wildly as he tried to figure out what was happening. When he saw Sarah the look on his face downgraded to one of wary confusion.

'Ayaan is alive,' she said. 'If we go right now we can still rescue her.' She told Osman everything'even the secret she'd kept for so many years.

'Jack? The American soldier? He's a ghost now and he talks to you? That doesn't make any sense.'

Sarah shrugged. 'He killed my father. He's been trying to make up for that. Listen, we don't have time to argue. The camp is going to wake up soon. If they find out what we're up to''

Osman barked a small laugh. 'You're assuming I'll go along with this lunacy. In the old time I would accuse you of doing drugs. Now I just wish you would share. Listen, girl, Ayaan has done well by me. She has saved my skin many, many times. But she knew a bad proposition when she heard it. The second we leave, Fathia will brand us traitors. She would never let us come back.'

'If we have Ayaan with us when we return it won't matter what Fathia says.'

Osman accepted that with a gesture of both hands. He wasn't fully convinced, though. 'Jack?'

'You need to get past that. It's Jack. He's given me enough information to make a plan, and I trust him. He's also arranged some help for us.' In the end she had to fall back on the near terror most people felt when they knew about her power. 'Come on, Osman. You say Ayaan has done well by you. Haven't I? You've seen my power. It has gotten you out of scrapes, you know it's real. Why are you doubting me now?'

Together they fueled up the better of the two Mi-8s. Working in the half light they unbolted the external fuel pods from the carcass of the third helicopter and mounted them in the Mi-8's cargo area. They tried to stay quiet but there was no way to silence the noise of the aircraft's engine starting up. Its pulsing roar would wake the entire camp.

'Straight up,' Sarah shouted as Osman lifted the vehicle from its pad, barely waiting for the rotor to spin up to speed. 'Get out of rifle range, hurry!'

She had known what would happen when they were discovered, and she had not been wrong. Women came running out of tents half-dressed, rifles in their arms. They would have slept with their weapons, waiting for some sign of the Tsarevich's army. When they saw that it was one of their own vehicles taking off most of them lowered their weapons but one or two lined up shots and started firing.

'This is Fathia!' the helicopter's radio squealed. 'I do not understand what madness has taken you, but if you do not put down this minute''

Sarah switched off the radio. The content of the threat didn't matter'they already knew they were in trouble.

Once they were past rifle range the next threat came from the other helicopter. Though the weapons that came with the aircraft were long ago used up another pilot could follow them to their destination and then just shoot them there. Sarah rushed back into the cargo area and stared down at the airfield they'd just abandoned. She positively willed the other helicopter to stay on the ground. This was the one great weakness of her plan, this first desperate flight. It could all be over then and there.

Then she saw what she most feared. 'They're powering up the other copter,' she shouted into her headset. 'Osman, we have a major problem.'

'With a minor solution. The next time I do something stupid, Sarah, please keep this in mind.'

Sarah didn't understand'until she saw puffs of fire blast from the dual turbines on top of the grounded helicopter. 'You sabotaged it!'