The Road to Haifa - Chapter 15

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Chapter 15 — Diana the hunter

“You know, if you keep doing this, you may eventually succeed and kill yourself,” Zeis grinned from above her.

“Huh?” she mumbled intelligently blinking in the sunlight.

”The whole blowing up thing … you seem far too fond of it. You’re beginning to make me look safe.”

Sarah wiggled all her bits, making sure her body was still in one piece and functioning. Satisfied, she pulled herself up to a sitting position.

“How long was I out?” She asked, wincing as she felt her injured forearm.

“Not long.” David muttered feeling her pulse, “Few seconds at most, though the major used that time productively and followed SOP.

Sarah looked at David with a confused expression. “Standard operating procedure for what?”

“Well, in cases of being blown up while in a boat, it’s SOP to scatter yourself over a large area, and sink.”

Sarah grinned at the thought, but rapidly felt guilt set in.

“Did he deserve it David?” she asked, looking into her teammate’s eyes for any sign.

”You think because he abused you, your judgment was clouded?”

Sarah nodded quietly.

David shook his head and gingerly patted his teammate and friend on the shoulder before overcoming some internal conflict and hugging her.

Sarah felt the hot tears trickling down her cheeks. Why was this so different? So much had changed recently. This wasn’t some nameless enemy, even the named ones she had less problem dealing with. Major Thesik had hurt HER, had caused her pain, for being herself, and she had acted with fire and passion; something that had never clouded her judgment before.

Sarah was brought back to reality by a dull thudding that began to rise over the chop of the waves against the hull and the dull throb of the yachts engines. Pulling herself off David, she saw two distant black dots emerge from the horizon.

”Time to go to work, David.” muttered Sarah. Emotions aside now, she was needed by another.

“David, head up to the bridge and tell Goni about the major, and that the birds are here. I’m going to go and guide them in.”

Nodding curtly, Zeis jogged off towards the bridge while Sarah climbed to the top deck of the yacht where the helicopter landing pad was located.

Ripping one of the smoke grenades from her vest, and dialling in the IAF vhf frequency, she signalled out to the incoming helicopters.

“Incoming aircraft, this is the Yacht Tahiyya. State your intent!”

“Tahiyya, this is IAF Blackhawk Omega 23 responding to Security forces Mayday.”

Placing the smoke grenade on the deck, she pulled the pin and stood back as the thick green smoke began to billow.

“Call sign Rosefern of the Tahiyya to Omega 23, popping smoke, confirm.”

The radio crackled before the voice on the other end responded. “Omega 23, we have green smoke. Thanks for the indicator.”

“Rosefern, Omega 23, are you carrying anti vessel snipers or is the other bird?”

“Aaah that’s a negative, Omega 24 has 2 A.M rifles aboard however.”

Smirking, Sarah pressed the call button on her radio; “Send omega 24 in to land first, I’ll be needing one of those.”

Flicking her radio to the main channel, she called for the sergeant.

“Archangel go.”

“Rosefern, Sergeant, I have a bird with A.M’s coming in, I’m going to go after the second rib.”

There was extended static while Sarah waited for the reply.

”You sure you’re up to it Yakobavitch?”

“Sir, they have Maritza, and I’m our best chance of stopping them before they can reach land.”

After another lengthy pause, the channel opened; “Go, but try and keep collateral damage to an absolute minimum.”

“Yes sir,” Sarah answered as she began to move towards the landing Blackhawk.

”Corporal?” Goni asked.

“Yes?” replied Sarah stopping short of the helicopter’s door.

”Don’t call me sir, I work for a living.”

Sarah smirked and ended the transmission.

Sliding the door open, one of the soldiers aboard offered her a hand into the belly of the aircraft.

“Thank you, as she Private.” She smiled retrieving the offered headset and the .50 calibre rifle.

“Corporal, where are we heading?” came the voice of the pilot over the radio headset.

“Where is the closest land?”

“That would be Tyre, 40 miles north of Haifa ma’am.”

“That’s across the Lebanon border. Are we cleared into their airspace?”

There was a pause, Sarah turned towards the pilot who glanced back at her with an expression that told her quite simply that they would not get caught, never mind have to explain.

“Well it's not like we are going to be staying long, is it?”

“Rodger that Ma’am.” came the reply as the bird began to pitch forward and accelerate away from the yacht.

Sarah slid along the floor of the helicopter till she reached the rear bulkhead, and clipped one of the lanyards around her waist before pulling the side door open and slipping her legs out.

If things were not so serious, she would enjoy the feeling of the wind blowing in her hair. The feeling reminded her of game hunting with her father in a helicopter in her childhood. But then she had been David…

There was nobody to please now; nobody to impress or win praise from, she would only get a reaction if she failed. That wasn’t going to happen.

“Got a small craft ahead, Ma’am, looks to be pulling 30 knots or so. What do you want to do?”

As her hands tightened around the rifle, Sarah thought about the fight with the Major. This was personal, but there was someone here at risk apart from her.

“Get in low and give them a warning.”

“You sure, ma’am?”

”We gotta take the risk, there’s a hostage at stake,” she called back over the roar of the rotors.

“Ahh, they’re Arabs?” came a hesitant response.

If Sarah gripped the rifle any harder, she would shatter the fibre stock. "We are not at war. That is the Premier’s daughter down there, and she MUST survive. We give them a chance. At the very least, they stop, and I get a better shot.”

“You’re the boss.”

Something in the pilot’s words told her he didn’t quite agree, but this wasn’t his call.

‘THIS IS THE ISRAELI AIR FORCE. STOP YOUR ENGINES AT ONCE OR WE WILL OPEN FIRE.’

Sarah Flicked on the dot sight of the rifle and raised it to her shoulder, gripping the bipod legs in her left hand.

The rib seemed to continue for a moment while the occupants looked back and forth between each other and the Blackhawk.

Sarah pulled the rifle into her shoulder and took aim just in front of the speeding vessel’s outboard motor.

The occupants seemed to have decided to continue their flight when a .50 calibre bullet exploded from Sarah’s rifle. Before the men in the Rib had heard the shot, the outboard motor on their vessel was torn from its mounting as the bullet struck home.

“Good shot.” grinned one of the troopers aboard the helicopter, patting Sarah on the thigh.

“Do you touch up your buddies in combat?” growled Sarah

“No?” replied the trooper looking confused.

“Any of your body parts jump into my personal space while I’m trying to concentrate, you jump out of this helicopter, we clear?” hissed Sarah at the startled trooper.

She knew she over reacted but she didn’t understand why men felt they had to touch her, or treat her like whatever she did was a far bigger accomplishment because she was a girl.

Forcing her concentration back onto the scene unfolding bellow she watched the frantic discussions of the men on the boat below.

“Give them another warning,” she shouted into the radio headset.

As the Blackhawk swung around in front of the Rib, it pulled back into a low hover buffeting down on the ocean surface below.

‘YOU WILL NOT BE WARNED AGAIN. DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND PLACE YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEADS.’ echoed the megaphone on the Helicopter.

The two Arab men aboard the Rib were standing now, holding weapons in their hands, Maritza was bound and lying in the bow of the Rib.

A clear shot.

The only things passing through Sarah’s brain right now were numbers and training.

As good as the pilot was, the helicopter was moving, as was the boat below, lightly bobbing in the waves. Any shot was going to involve some element of luck.

Sarah relaxed her breathing and raised the rifle towards the closer of the two men. As her pulse slowed, the movements began to slow, and she drew a bead on the centre of the man’s torso. There was no tear in her eye when she pulled the trigger this time.

The man’s torso exploded in a crimson shower. Without pause Sarah racked the bolt, chambering a second .50 calibre round. She saw the second man look up towards her; Kalashnikov in his hand pointing towards the deck. She could almost read his thoughts and as his arm began to move, so did her finger, lightly depressing the rifle’s trigger.

As her shot struck home, Sarah threw the rifle at the nearest trooper before unclipping her lanyard and slipping from the door of the helicopter.

The wind rushed past her as the ocean surface came up to greet her with open arms as she plunged the 40m from the hovering helicopter. Only the yank as she exited the door had told her she had forgotten to remove the headphones.

Slipping effortlessly through the surface of the water, she plunged down into the darkness before kicking her way back to the surface.

Momentarily disorientated, Sarah pushed her sodden hair from her face and looked around for the rib.

The vessel was bobbing quietly about 30 meters away from her. Swimming to the Rib, she grabbed onto the rope handles on the side of the inflatable hull to pull herself aboard. The two Arabs were clearly dead; no man could survive a .50 calibre round to the chest and live. Not from that range, one of the bullets had passed clean through its target and ruptured one of the rib’s inflatable cells, allowing seawater to lap over the deflated rim near the rear of the boat.

Confident they were safe, she turned her attention to Maritza.

Moving towards the bow, Sarah dropped to her knees beside the young girl and slipped her knife from its sheath. Loosing the girls bonds, she removed the gag and checked her pulse.

Sarah’s heart was beating so loud it was almost deafening as she mindlessly jabbered at the unconscious girl in her arms.

Feeling the girl stir, she gently held Maritza as she came around. “Lay still honey, you’re ok now, you’re safe.”

“Ugh, Sarah?” groaned the girl.

“Its okay, honey, I’m here.” soothed Sarah

Maritza swallowed and coughed before opening her eyes and looking up at Sarah, “Are my parents okay?” she croaked.

“They're safe, and so are you. Nobody is going to hurt you now.”

“For a moment there, they had me going.” She giggled before coughing again. With Sarah’s help she pulled herself into a sitting position before rubbing her wrists and ankles where the tight bounds had cut into her flesh.

“Are we going back to my parents?” Maritza asked, turning to Sarah, who was waving towards the circling Blackhawk, signalling their desire to leave the blood soaked Rib that was now their lifeboat.

“No, sweetie. We have to head back to Haifa, to the naval complex. its closer,and the helicopter has been flying too long. You’ll see your parents soon; another helicopter is flying them back from the yacht at the moment. They may be back before us.”

Quietly nodding, Maritza attempted to keep her feet out of the bottom of the rib, which was now a sloshing mixture of sea water and blood.

As the helicopter came into hover above them. Sarah waved guidance to the winch man as he began to lower a padded loop to lift them from the vessel.

Making sure she and Maritza were securely attached, she tugged on the winch line and felt the combined thrust as the helicopter began to lift up as they were winched in. Looking down at the Rib, she pulled one of the phosphorous grenades from her vest and pulled the pin, dropping it into the gently rolling deck.

As the helicopter began to pitch forwards and lift them away, there was a bright flash as the boat was consumed in a ball of fire and bright light. There would be no evidence of the hostage situation that had played out off the Lebanese coast. Slumping back against the bulkhead of the Helicopter, She slipped her arm around Maritza’s shoulder and hugged the girl to her. As they were wrapped in foil blankets and checked over, Sarah finally let her guard down. This mission was over.

But one still remained.

*A.M — Anti material rifle, large calibre rifle designed for taking unarmoured or lightly armoured vehicles.

Note from the authoress: Soooooo sorry this has taken so long guys! Ive had revision for exams, and i had 2 viruses, and had to format my pc and lost all my un posted work! :S (and uni work) So big dramaz there... and those of you who are author will know when you dont have that special inspiration... writing is either a chore, or just not gonna happen.... so i had to wait for my muse to return from her summer holiday and get her butt back in gear! Anyway, ill be labouring away to get more of haifa, born twice, and Homework up.... Homework i lost 2 chapters for, and i lost all of born twice! ill have to save it all off here :S

anyway, tell me what you think.... and for those of you who are bored, sarah has to confront her sexuality, family, and gender now without bullets to distract her! so finally its a trans story!
Alyssa

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Comments

Always worth the wait

I was worried you had gone away, glad things are getting back to normal for you.

Must read, must rad, um I meant must read ...

Oh goody, another The Road to Haifa!

And we had a Sky, a Gift of the Red Planet, that bicycle and dormousy thing and the one with the sexy motorcycle great aunt and doodlebugs. What a day.

John in Wauwatosa

P.S. I've read it now.

P.P.S. Okay, I guessed wrong last chapter.

Come to think, to shoot a pistol accurately, she likely needed both hands, they do kick a bit. So the baton strike hurt like hell and may have left a bruise and be sore but did not break any bones or the elbow.

A pity about the Major, I was hoping he was alive and horribly hurt so the Masaud, that’s the Israeli special operations/spy people, right, could have some fun with him.

Liked the bit with the helicopter crewmember getting a bit fresh with her, seems like she'll have no shortage of suitors once everything gets sorted out. With the friends she's made with the Prime Minster’s family she'll get the very best medial care possible. I still am suspicious she is to intersexed, a little or a lot. She is clearly on the extreme feminine side of the normal distribution for a male. The Prime Minister’s wife noticed that early on and offered the services of her doctor.

Maybe she really is a woman and was mislabeled at birth?. Whatever I have high hopes for her, if she can survive. I hope the govt doesn’t publicize her heroism. She deserves honors but they could make her a target.

Great continuation. Look forward to more but don’t neglect your classes.

John in Wauwatosa

The way some people talk...

The Mossad could probably get informationn from a dead terrorist. Not so sure about one spread across most of the Eastern Med. :-)

Annette

Huuuum What do I think ...........

Well, When you first started this I was in two minds about reading this, I thought it was gonna be heavy and political, Instead I found it light and fun.

So keep the episodes coming (at your own speed of course) Because I can't wait for the next installment, Will be particularly interested to read the bit when she meets her parents (if your gonna write that part)

Sam

Glad You Decided

...not to break her arm. She clearly needed it for this episode!

All in all, a very satisfactory chapter. The only unfinished business is finding whoever the major was working for, and wallpapering over Sarah's suicide attempt.

As for the action in this episode, all I would question is the 40m dive out of the helicopter. Ouch! That's going to sting a bit. I don't supposed you'd consider bringing the chopper down a bit closer before she leaps out, would you?

Superb

Alyssa,

I'm so pleased to see further developments in Haifa; it's one of my fave stories. I was also a bit worried about it at the start but it's gripping stuff and no mistake.

It beats me that, despite all the problems you've had, you can still produce consistently good writing. Can I borrow your muse sometime? Several of my stories are stuck in slow gear.

Computers are a mixed blessing; they are supposed to be tools to help us work but we spend inordinate amounts of time waiting for them to do things. And they have this annoying habit of trying to think for themselves when they're not equipped to do so.

Susie

This is such a bitchin' story!!!

You had me completely bumfoozled. Now, we are sure that both the bad guys are really, really gone back to the bottom of the food chain, right?

Please don't hate me for saying this, but dear, you simply must not write your work on the internet, using BC as the sole repository of your work. I have just been through so much pain at even saving my work on my C: drive, that now I back the important stuff up to a 300 gig external hard drive.

Please remember dear, double or even triple redundancy!

Many blessings

Gwendolyn

:)

thanks for the comments guys. And dont wory Gwen, i didnt write it on the net!
i DID write it on my computer and saved it on there... i had an older copy of Haifa saved on my ipod drive, (chapter 14) but i lost the start of 15, hence its delay.

As for John. its Mossad, and no, they would have just vanished ;)

and 40m really isnt that high when you think about it. it is into water.... feet first....

Well for one untrained..

40 feet is a long way. That's why the US Navy trains sailors (& aviators) on how to enter the water, if they fall from the flight deck, and that's only about 20 meters up... Contrary to many belief's Water is VERY HARD. Water is an incompressable fluid. If you don't break the surface with something like your feet/boots, you're likely to break an arm or some such. Divers (cliff...) have more than just the ROCKS to worry about. If they don't have their arms positionee correctly...

BTW - docs.google.com is a nice place to "archive" one's work... :-) (You can even share it with your editors there, if you like...)

Annette

40 M is 131 Ft ...

...for those of us that are metric challenged. Seems like a pretty good drop to me. I got curious and checked the height of the Golden Gate Bridge (260 ft (79 M). If I've done the calculation correctly the theoretical velocity at impact from a 131 ft drop would be about 62 mph. You'd have to know what you were doing to survive it unscathed. Those that go off the Golden Gate are very near 90 mph when they reach the water (almost always fatal).

terminal velocity

This is why you'll see them firing their weapons at the estimated point of impact in order to break the surface up a little bit.

Busted

They tested it on Myth busters and it wont work
however it does not distract from an excellent story
Bravo

Nah - it's the good boots and lots of training...

...that allows them to enter the water safely. Other points. They are looking at the horizon when they hit - NOT the water. Why? Becauses that helps keep the body virtical. If you're going in - with a target to go after, following the drop - you fix it's position in mind, and then look at the horizon. Yes, the chin is tucked, sorta - more closely it's over your shoulder. For most of us, it's a horizontal surface that the water would LOVE to smack... Whiplash anyone...

So, do I beleive a 131 foot/40 meter drop? Yes, but a SAR jump is typically closer to half that height or less if memory serves - so 20 meters. There IS a minimum altitude the downwash from the rotors begins to cause problems.

Annette

My Brain has mush in it.

So, OK, I was going to write Alyssa a PM, and I can not find her. So, then I was going to write Belladonna a PM, but she does not even show up in the Author's section. What is happening to me?

Gwendolyn

There's a "Write to Author" Link.....

in bold right at the bottom of the story posting in the yellow band right at the bottom of the pink part. That will work.

OH, Well, why didn't I think of that! giggle!

Well, once I got focused on doing it the OTHER way, I sort of didn't think about THE other way, and by the time I could have thought of IT, I was in bed! :) See, it's totally logical, RIGHT! :)

Who is Diana?

This chapter is titled: "Diana the Hunter". Who is Diana?

goddess diana

laika's picture

Hi cbee.
In case no one's PM'd you this info yet, Diana was the Roman goddess of the hunt.
And some other stuff. The Greeks too had a female god for this
(Artemis),what we think of today as a "manly" pursuit.
Maybe Elmer Fudd should make an offering?

Good finale (?) to this boat storyline. Expected the cliched gun-to-Mariza's head standoff,
glad all went well. And even if Sarah's life calms down somwhat now,
I somehow think trouble will be popping up here and there...
~~hugs, Laika

Thank You Laika

I had searched unsuccessfully for Diana in the previous chapters; so, I guessed it was an allusion to something that I just didn't know (which turned out to be the case as I don't know much about Greek or Roman mythology).

Next Chapter WHEN???????

Alyssa: Great chapter been wondering when you would give us another great chapter to this story. Now when is the next part coming? Richard

Richard

Does being trans mean we have to not make backups?

Computers these days come with wonderful devices called CD and DVD burners. They can be used to routinely backup stuff. Some are even rewritable so they can be kept up to date with a minimum of cost.

Dayna.

like i replied above, i DID

like i replied above, i DID have a backup of most of this, just not the latest chater which i hadto rewrite... i did loose born twice, but luckily its backed up HERE :P

I learned my lesson about backing up guys.... dont worry, and no need to keep telling me! also im confused, waht has it to do with being trans?

oh wait, CDs? heheheh i always prefered DVDs myself tbh

Thanks for getting this to us...

... Interesting way you've had things moving forward. Looking forward to the next installment.

Thanks,

Annette

The Road to Haifa - Chapter 15

Sarah proved to be quite the Amazon.

    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine
    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine