OPERATION: TAROT

OPERATION: TAROT (Part 6)

Without consciously making a decision, I reacted instead. Releasing my hold on the side of the aircraft, I grabbed the weapon pointed at my face and turned it away from me, towards the front of the aircraft.

BANG!

The terrorist woman pulled the trigger and fired the weapon which discharged directly into the controls of the aircraft. I gauged the round ricocheted backward, apparently striking the woman in the chest based upon her reaction. Sparks and smoke flew from the aircraft controls and internal alarms sounded.

I felt myself falling backward and released my hold of the revolver, grabbing the aircraft instead to steady myself. The evening dress wearing pilot dropped the pistol and yanked uselessly on the control stick instead, her ability to control the aircraft lost as the helicopter continued flying forward.

Releasing her grip on the aircraft controls, the woman began pulling on the harness holding her in place. Risking a glance forward, I noticed the rapidly approaching cliff face the helicopter headed straight towards. Below us, I spied a peaceful mountain lake.

I took all of this information instantaneously as only a few seconds had passed since the woman first pointed the weapon at me.

Turning my attention back toward the terrorist leader screaming and pawing at her tight, four-point harness, I realized the round she fired had ricocheted back and instead of killing her, had hit the large metal, harness release device on the center of her chest, jamming it.

As the woman realized her situation, stuck in an out of control helicopter moving toward a cliff face with me standing on the skid next to her, she reached down blindly and attempted to grab the weapon she'd dropped. She found it.

Move, Nash!

With my options rapidly diminishing, I observed the woman picking up the revolver as I slammed the pilot's door shut and bent over, quickly going back to hanging underneath the aircraft by the skids.

Instantly remembering how slippery the skids were, out of the corner of my eye, I spied the terrorist woman, I still didn't know her name, opened the door and leaned out of the aircraft as far as she could being strapped in her seat, the revolver in her left hand.

BANG!

The woman missed me, but I didn't know how long my luck would hold. Turning my head, I realized the lake below us appeared farther away and moved faster underneath us than I initially thought.

BANG!

Again without thinking of the consequences, I released my hold on the landing skid of the helicopter.

Splash!

The cold water knocked the wind out of me as I awkwardly swam one-armed to the surface. Swimming, my body screamed in pain and I knew I'd cracked several ribs in addition to my broken and unresponsive arm hanging loosely at my side.

But I was alive.

Breaking the surface, I observed the explosion caused by the helicopter as it slammed into the side of the cliff face. As the fireball diminished, I wondered why I hadn't heard the explosion until I realized I'd busted my eardrums and couldn't hear anything.

Leaning towards my less bruised side, concerned I might have more injuries I wasn't aware of yet, I slowly swam towards the nearest shore. As I gazed into the starry sky, I thought about the terrorist plot, the mysterious woman and the mystical cards the woman put all her trust into. Could she actually foresee the future with her cards? Was I destined to stop her? Did she know I'd stop her in advance? After all, she did know I lied to her because of her cards and she did draw a FIRE and DEATH card for today, both of which came true in one way or another.

No. I thought. There's no such thing as fate.

Realizing I'd put a stop to an untold number of deaths because of my actions, not some mystical predestination, my thoughts fell on my friend, Special Agent Miles Fendel, somewhere in the universe smiling down at me, thanking me for completing his final operation.

My debt of honor paid in full.

* * * * * *

The CORSAIR will return!