Steve wasn’t sure of the plan of having him and Kayce parachute from a moving jet, it had never been attempted before and the risks were huge. He did, however, understand the need to have remnants of the two seats and the ejection rockets present when the Soviets investigated the crash site. They needed to give the impression that there were men on board if this was to work. As for the missing canopy, it would easily be surmised that it was destroyed in the crash; after all, it was much more flimsy then the seats and rockets. It was not meant to be a catastrophic crash but leave enough of the aircraft to occupy the Russians. It would take several days to fully investigate the accident with their military assuming the pilot survived the accident and was roaming their territory near the site. By then Steve and Kayce would hopefully be back on US soil. The OSI was confident the remote controls buried deep inside the cockpit would not be quickly uncovered alerting Soviets to the possibility that the pilots ejected long before the crash.
The moment the handling of the aircraft was relinquished to the pilot on the carrier the air in the F-4 became tense and uncertain. Steve and Kayce tightened their parachute harnesses and released their seatbelts. They waited as the seconds ticked off silently. The pitch of the aircraft smoothly changed to nose up attitude taking it into an outside loop for release of the canopy and occupants without risking anything hitting the tail.
For a moment the operatives of the remotely flown plane were weightless and the canopy was released, the pair quickly exiting the plane at its slowest speed. Steve went starboard and Kayce port to avoid any collision in midair. It was the first time any pilot had jumped from a moving military jet without the assistance of the ejection seat. The jet sped away from them in the downward angle of the loop, leveled off and continued its flight.
Dropping towards the earth with increasing speed before pulling his chute Steve watched with his bionic eye as the plane moved swiftly away from them, mentally calculating the fuel supply and speed and estimating it could remain on its flight path for approximately 2 more hours. That would put the Russian military’s attention 2,000 miles from where he and Kayce would be taking possession of the YAKs.
The radio operator called out to the Director. “Mr. Goldman, Wanderer reports two down safely and heading out.” Oscar responded with a relieved nod and turned in time to see Lt. Stephens leaving the room. The young pilot had lingered on the bridge after his specific job was finished until he had news that Steve and Kayce had gotten out of the plane without harm. He was intercepted at the door by Goldman. “Lieutenant.”
Silver stopped in his tracks and saw the offered hand, taking it with a serious look. Oscar smiled at the young man’s anxiety. “Good job Lieutenant.”
“Thank you, sir. It was my first remote controlled flight. I’m glad I could get the aircraft as far from your agents as possible without incident.”
“I’m grateful for your role in this operation and I’m sure my operatives are too.” Silver nodded and moved through the door, his mind on the pair of agents in harm’s way, especially the blonde one.
With the sun already making its morning appearance the married pair buried their chutes and headed off over the mountainous terrain in a bionic run. Now that there was daylight they could be spotted easily until they were in the trees. Steve took the lead and with the map memorized he moved quickly towards their objective.
They moved non-stop for 5 hours, covering almost 300 miles. Arriving at the top of the final hill, 3 miles from the compound, Steve stopped and pulled Kayce down into a crouch with him. His telephoto lens focused in on the view that matched the satellite photos Oscar had given them to study.
Kayce tried to see any details but the distance was too far. “What do you see?”
Steve glanced over the rectangular area. The hanger that housed the MiGs was located almost dead center. The long narrow runway ran diagonal, cutting the compound into equal halves. He described the scene to her. “There are four pairs of armed guards patrolling the interior fence line, one at each section.”
“Will you be able to see the motion sensors with your eye?”
“I don’t know for sure. Oscar’s not even sure if they are part of the security features. That part of the Intel was vague.” He commented as his eye continued to scan the area below them. He mouth grew into a big grin as he considered their options. When he stopped talking Kayce looked at him and saw his smile. “What’s so funny?”
“I was just thinking we need to distract the guards and since there isn’t any pool nearby I don’t think your well rehearsed scene will work.” He chuckled as she rolled her eyes.
She looked at her watch. “Well since we can’t move in until dusk I think we should be able to come up with something in the next four hours. I suggest we get comfortable.” She turned and sat with her back against a boulder and Steve did the same. They sat in silence as they formulated possibilities. Soon one was decided on and they had 2 more hours to wait, both wondering if the Russians were onto them yet.
Steve sat staring at his wife’s soft profile. His heart ached with the deep love and respect he had for this woman. He wished he was a dominating, chauvinistic man who could just come right out and tell her she had to resign, that he wanted her out of the OSI as soon as this mission was over and that’s how it would be without argument. Unfortunately she was not the submissive type but an intelligent and independent woman who would not tolerate such behavior from him even if she understood the reason behind it. He smiled inwardly knowing that was one of the reasons he fell in love with her in the first place. Lost in his thoughts he didn’t realize she was looking at him.
“Something on your mind ‘Cowboy’?”
He started to tell her but faltered. “Kayce, I…” He broke off the intense eye contact immediately and gazed at the tree tops high above them. He didn’t want to hurt her. “What?” she asked quietly.
He let out a heavy sigh and looked at her again. “I’d like for you to consider resigning from the OSI.” The dead silence grew and he watched her expression carefully. She looked down and began pulling grass from the ground as she thought on his words. Steve wasn’t sure her lack of response as a sign that her anger was growing or that she was seriously considering his request. He waited patiently and was finally rewarded with a simple reply. “Okay.” Her voice remained soft and lacked emotion.
“Okay?” Her answer confused him. It wasn’t what he had expected.
She stared deep into his blue eyes. “I’ll think on it.” Steve just nodded slightly and began staring out into the forest. It was all he could do.
The two sat in companionable silence except for the occasional comments of what their son was probably up to at that moment. The hours went by faster then they expected and soon dusk had arrived. As the sun dropped to the horizon it brought up the curtain on the next Act.
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With the darkness falling quickly around them Kayce slipped on a dark knit hat to cover her short, golden blonde hair, the black flight suit camouflaging the rest of her body against the night. The married couple sprinted to the fence and hid behind a low bush as the pair of guards passed, the low Russian chatter between them unintelligible. When the coast was clear the pair quickly began digging a small hole under the fence with ease and speed.
“Let’s go.” Steve whispered into her ear and from their crouched position they launched into a dual bionic leap, clearing the fence and landing low on the other side. Kayce followed closely behind Steve as his infrared lens scanned their path for laser sights that, if broken, would trigger the alarm. He found a few, their red lines hovering at their knee level. He silently hoped there weren’t others that he couldn’t see.
The two operatives moved as swiftly as possible occasionally slowing to clear the detectors. With their backs against the hanger they waited for another set of guards to move past them. Kayce knew at least the guards around the large building would have to be subdued in order for her and Steve to get into the hanger and the planes out. Steve had already appointed himself to the job and gesture his movement with a nod of his head.
The six-foot cyborg stepped lightly around the back corner of the aluminum sided structure, surprising the two guards instantly. The two uniformed men never even got their guns to the ready before Steve flattened them to the ground. He dragged their unconscious forms by their jacket collars to a vacant space behind the fuel dump. Just as he stepped around the other side he broke an unseen motion detector and the alarm began blaring its warning throughout the area.
By this time Kayce had broken the lock on the hanger’s side door with a bionic twist of her wrist. She stepped inside the dark space to wait for Steve and saw the two guards exit out the front doors just after the alarm sounded. In moments Steve was beside her.
“What happened?” She whispered as they hid in the corner.
“Must have been a motion detector I couldn’t see. Let’s hope your idea works.”
Kayce eyed the large birds resting quietly before them. “My god they are beautiful.”
“And deadly. Come on.” Steve was already headed towards the single seated aircraft, able to see better in the dim light then his partner could. The two agents could hear the commotion outside as it moved farther and farther away. They both let out long breaths assuming their plan had worked to cover their presence.
Steve hopped up on the extended ladder and looked into the cockpit of the first plane. Kayce watched him from the ground and whispered, “Steve what if they see our little hole under the fence and don’t believe there’s an animal roaming the compound that triggered the alarm?”
Steve jumped down and moved to the second plane while he answered, “Then they will be back here in no time.” He leaned into the other cockpit and frowned before jumping down. He found Kayce looking over maintenance notes that lay on the work desk using the small desk lamp she had switched on.
“We have a problem.” The experienced military pilot tossed out.
“What’s that?”
“Only one of these birds is armed and has some added hardware but I’m not sure what it is. The unarmed one has what we came for.” He came to stand close enough to view the papers over her shoulder. “What are you doing?” He inquired seeing the gibberish scrawled in free hand.
“It says here that the second MiG has been outfitted with a ‘defensive radar system’ to counteract the OSI’s weapon system.” She turned to look at him.
“I didn’t know you could read Russian?” He responded with surprise.
She winked at him and replied, “I possess many skills that you still don’t know about Steve.”
Steve grinned at her implications then focused back on the task at hand, gathering all paperwork he found mentioning the OSI system with Kayce help and tossing it into a trashcan. He took out a vial of liquid and poured it over all the paperwork then lit a match. Somewhere else in the heart of Red Square another OSI agent was busy destroying all the computerized information on the stolen classified weapon system. “So our friends the Russians stole our weapon system and designed a counter system. I wonder if they planned to return our classified system when they were done with it.”
“Very funny.” She put the notebook in her flight suit and heard a noise in the distance. “They’re coming back. We’d better go.”
“You’re in the first plane I’ll take the second.” He ordered as he ran to the electronic door controls.
“Why do I have to take the unarmed plane?” She asked watching him connect a small device Rudy had designed to the circuitry that would open the large doors remotely from the cockpit. He finished quickly and turned to board his aircraft.
“Because I have more dog-fighting experience then you do.” She slid into the cockpit and heard Steve finish. “I also have seniority here. We need to get BOTH planes to Oscar and I plan to make sure we do.”
The mayhem began as soon as the engines started up. With the cockpit canopies down the small caliber bullets had little effect. Kayce aggressively taxied out into the group of men and Steve smoothly followed as armed guards scattered out of their path, their superior officers screaming orders in a frantic attempt to stop the thieves from escaping.
The two covert agents knew better then to relax yet, even though they were now airborne and would soon be over the ocean. This was just the third phase of their mission and although it wasn’t as dangerous as the actual ground work it was still risky. So far luck was on their side, the two aircraft had full tanks of fuel, giving them more then enough for the flight home.
Kayce flew point with Steve just off and slightly behind her left wing. His eyes checked the weapon system and let out a mental groan. As if she could sense his despair Kayce’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “Everything okay back there, Cowboy?”
Steve’s mind wavered a second as he decided how much to tell her. Having the innate need to protect her he lied. “Everything’s fine here, Angel.” He smiled at the call sign that fit his wife to a tee. “Let’s get over the ocean ASAP. I’m sure they have planes in the air by now.”
Kayce moved the throttle forward and tried to get comfortable in the strange machine. It was obvious the seats were designed for men. She forced herself to loosen up a bit knowing she would be less likely to make a mistake if she was relaxed.
Steve monitored his radar and soon saw four blips headed for them. He hoped his dog fighting skills were up to this since the OSI’s weapon system had not been fully installed and therefore of no use to him in a fight.
Steve plugged into a secure channel to the carrier, “Wanderer is ‘feet wet’ with two YAKs. Only one is armed. We have four scavengers closing fast. Will attempt to outrun.”
He heard the reply in a second. “We read you Wanderer. We’ll be ready to receive two YAKs.”
Flipping a toggle switch he spoke to his partner. “Angel we have company, four interceptors at out six o’clock, 300 miles out and closing fast.”
“Roger Cowboy, I have them on radar.”
The two operatives were able to stay ahead of the chasers for an hour but the inevitable happened and the two runners needed to decide the best strategy to get one or both of them home.
Oscar was sitting on the corner of a desk and heard Steve’s report. He quickly came to his feet, the tension stiffening his body from the ground up. His mind filled with questions that he knew he wouldn’t get the answers to until his agents were back safely on board. There was no doubt in his mind that Steve had Kayce flying the unarmed plane, knowing Steve would sacrifice his life to keep those interceptors from getting to Kayce before she landed.
Rudy remained quiet lost in his own thoughts, which strangely mirrored Oscar’s. The silence on the dimly lit bridge was grating on his nerves and the doctor was relieved when Oscar requested the communication between planes to be put on the speaker.
Steve voice broke into the tense air. “Are you ready Angel?”
“Ready Cowboy. Let’s go to work.” She said calmly and pushed her plane to maximum speed as Steve broke off knowing he had to get to the interceptors quickly and get back to protect her. His bionic eye was able to locate the first pair of chasers in the distance. He let a small smile grace his lips knowing from experience his man-made eye was an effective target sight, at least on the ground. He hoped it would be the same 10,000 feet in the air.
Checking his armament he knew he had two rockets and thousand of rounds of ammunition. He was glad the store was full knowing it would probably be needed. Positioning himself with the bright sun behind him, the experienced Air Force pilot, now almost invisible to the oncoming plane, waited patiently while eyeing the approach of his target from above until it was just inside his firing range. He knew he was out of Soviet airspace and therefore he could legally engage the planes following them. He swooped down and fired.
The discharge of the gun cause the plane to vibrate and Steve watched as the bullets streaked towards their target, the intent was to only cripple the plane and not kill the pilot unless it was absolutely necessary. Having memorized the interceptor’s schematic he riddled the port side of the aircraft, hitting a fuel line and disabling the bird. Without much thought he immediately turned his sights on the second of the pair. He needed to finish his work and get back to Kayce before the other two caught up with her.
The second pilot was not going down without more of a fight now that he knew Steve’s position. The two danced across the sky trying to get the upper hand and attack. Steve had a small advantage, his bionic construction allowed him to pull higher negative G-forces then a normal human. He rolled his bird into a very tight turn, one that would send any other pilot into unconsciousness, then upward. He knew the pilot following would need to take a wider turn which gave Steve the seconds he needed to move behind his prey. He fired one of the rockets from his under his wing and watched as it sliced off the interceptor’s right wing like a warm knife through butter. Flames sprouted to life and the Russian pilot ejected without hesitation. Steve let out a long exhale and cued his radio to contact his partner.
“Angel, what’s your situation.” He waited in an adrenalin rush, feeling his heart beat hard against his ribs as the radio remained silent. “Angel, come in! What is your situation?” Not hearing a swift reply he pushed the throttle as far as it would go and prayed.
It was a full two minutes before Kayce could respond to Steve’s call. She was busy trying to get away from the tenacious interceptors who had caught up to her. They had taken several shots but none had hit anything vital. She focused all her concentration on defensive maneuvers to stay out of their target sights. She finally contacted Steve when she found a hole in their attack and slipped through.
“Cowboy you had better get up here! I have two rabid dogs chomping at my tail and I don’t plan on landing on that carrier with one attached to me.”
Steve let out the breath he had been holding waiting to hear her voice. She sounded stressed but in control. “I’m almost there. The other two are already taking a swim.” It was only minutes before Steve came upon the aerial dance of the three aircraft. He took advantage of the distraction Kayce provided to get near the one plane.
He was amazed at how the young woman was able to keep just out of their firing range, anticipating their moves before they even made them. He shook his head to redirect his thoughts to his weapons. He let his rocket sail towards the closest interceptor and it took off its tail in a brilliant explosion. He flew past and saw the parachute billow out as the pilot floated down to the water.
“Angel, I just dropped number three. Bring your friend around so I can get his attention.” Steve ordered as the attacker hit her aircraft with rapid fire. The bullets scattered about her right wing. She worked hard to get control of the vibrating plane. The damage she had taken was interrupting airflow over the wing enough to cause violent tremors throughout the airframe.
“Roger. You can have him.” She pulled around barely maintaining control of the shuddering aircraft and the Russian pilot followed her, getting her in his sight, until he saw Steve’s plane brazenly cut between them. The fact that he didn’t have time to finish off the first YAK-41 angered the foreign pilot so much we set out to get the interfering lunatic who was crazy enough to cross his flight path at 600 knots causing him to almost lose control from the jet wash.
Oscar and Rudy, as well as everyone else on the bridge, held their collective breath as the last chaser was engaged. You could have heard a pin drop in the small room that was beginning to bake in the sunlight.
Steve had seen the bullets strike Kayce’s airframe and hoped the damage was minor. They still had two hours before they reached the deck of the carrier. He teased the interceptor, allowing him to get close to him then pulling away as he led him from his wife’s flight path. They two chased one another through the bright sky each trying to out maneuver the other.
Steve’s concentration was split between Kayce’s welfare and the job he was trying to do. That had never happened to him before and he barely noticed he was distracted when suddenly bullets ripped through the aircraft’s skin. Steve immediately broke right and came around, the adrenalin giving him the rush he needed to finish the job without breaking his focus. He dipped low and came up under the plane flown by a confused pilot visually searching for his lost target.
Pressing the red button on his stick with a gloved hand Steve released the rapid fire gun. It tore through the belly of the plane causing flame to lick at the cockpit. The pilot ejected and dropped towards the ocean. Steve swung the aircraft towards the carrier’s coordinates. His plane wasn’t too badly damaged but unfortunately he was.
Getting his breathing under control he called his partner, “Angel what’s you status?”
Her voice came over the radio, shouting to get above the planes loud vibrations. “I took some hits. She’s shaking violently. I’m trying to get her under control. Stand by.” Steve waited what felt like an eternity, feeling the trickle of sticky fluid down his left side. “I’ve cut 80 knots off my airspeed and adjusted the trim. The shaking has slowed to just an annoying tremor.”
“Can you make it to the ship?” Steve inquired hopefully.
“Affirmative. I should have the ship in sight in 30 minutes.” Steve closed his eyes and thanked the spirits above that she was almost home.
Oscar and Rudy quietly celebrated the escape of the agents by exchanging smiles, unaware that Steve was injured. The director heard the captain give the orders over the loud speaker. “All crew prepare deck for emergency landing. Incoming aircraft in 30 minutes. ”
Captain Harding turned to the radio operator. “Contact Austin, find out his status. We want him down first in case she hits the deck.”
“Yes sir.”
“Wanderer this is Wave Runner. What is your status?”
Steve was fighting the fatigue from blood and adrenalin loss. He took a deep breath and clicked his radio hoping Kayce wasn’t on the same channel. “Wave Runner this is Wanderer. I’ve taken some hits. Aircraft is intact but I’m afraid the pilot isn’t.”
A fearful Oscar grabbed a radio mike, “What’s your situation?”
Steve fought through the intense pain that assaulted him with every breath. “I took some lead… in my side. I can’t tell… much more then that …with the cramped space… Is Kayce down yet?”
“No. She’s on final approach now.” He replied looking out the large windows.
“Roger that. Contact me… when she’s down safely.”
“Stand by.” The men crowded the bridge window that overlooked the deck. Kayce’s plane bobbed and weaved as she tried to smooth out its glide with the damaged wing. She cleared the edge and settled the YAK onto the deck, catching the third arrest wire and not needing the emergency barrier that was set up near the far end of the deck.
The thin blonde woman was out of the plane quickly, relieved and excited that the mission was a success. She barely noticed the crew pulled the bird off to the hanger to be disassembled and hauled off the carrier within the next two hours in case the Soviets came looking for it. She saw that Rudy and Oscar were not on the deck and immediately jogged up to the bridge.
“When Steve lands he owes me a cold beer for catching the elusive third wire.” She commented as she entered the room dropping her helmet on the table. It was then Rudy realize she had no idea how serious the situation was. Kayce immediately felt the tension in the room and saw Oscar’s bleak expression. Rudy’s voice caused her head to turn swiftly, “Kayce…..” He should have known Steve would keep this from her.
“What Rudy?” She immediately saw the fear in his eyes as he placed a hand on her arm.
“Kayce… Steve’s been hit… He’s trying to make it back without ditching in the ocean.”
Kayce sucked in a breath. An badly injured pilot didn’t have much chance if they bailed out in the cold ocean water, especially with bionic limbs. It would take too long to get a rescue crew there to assist him. “How bad?” She forced out in a low tone of voice not completely sure she wanted to know.
“All we know is he took a bullet in his side. The plane is still flyable.”
She saw the communications officer cueing his mike, “Wanderer, Angel is down safely. What is your present status and position?”
Steve’s voice sounded different to those who knew him. It seemed weaker then normal. “I’m 300 nautical miles… south of you… airspeed holding… at 600 knots.” His mind, over the past twenty minutes, was trying to find a solution to his predicament. He was getting weaker and lightheaded from the blood loss. How could he stay conscious for the next half hour and still land this heavy bird safely? There was only one solution to his problem he could come up with.
Rudy stepped up and commented, “He sounds like he’s getting punchy. He may be losing too much blood.”
“Steve, are you able to land that plane?” Oscar asked with a need to decide on an alternate plan.
“Affirmative.” Steve replied with more confidence then he felt.
Kayce grabbed the mike, “Steve if you bail out now we may be able to get to you.”
“What about the plane?”
“Forget the damn plane! If you pass out from losing too much blood we lose both you and the plane!”
“Water temperature is… 25 degrees. Won’t… last more then… a few seconds. I have a plan.” He adjusted his G-suit, which under normal circumstances didn’t do him much good. The special suit, when inflated, would keep a pilot’s blood from draining from his head and pooling in his legs during high G-force maneuvers. Since his abdomen and legs were bionic the suit didn’t have much affect, except in this situation it could be used to force the blood in his abdomen to his head and maybe, just maybe, keep his head clear long enough to get the plane on the deck. He relayed his plan to the ship.
Rudy was immediately shaking his head negatively. Oscar and Kayce looked at him for an explanation. “If he forces the blood to his head he will also be forcing it out of the bullet wound. It would be the reverse of applying pressure to a wound. He’ll bleed out even faster.”
Oscar was still grasping at straws. “But maybe it will give him enough time to get on deck.”
“It all depends on how much blood he has already lost.” Rudy knew even if Oscar gave the order to ditch the plane Steve would still make the final decision himself.
“Give me the mike.” Kayce swiped the radio mike from Oscar. “Damn it Steve, don’t do this, PLEASE!”
In the plane Steve shook his head to clear it. He pushed the plane as fast as it could go and still maintain control without overshooting the ship. He knew he had to inflate the suit at the right time for it to work. If he inflated it too soon he could bleed to death and crash the plane into the ship. If he inflated it too late he may already start to lose consciousness and not be able to fly the plane. He needed to stay sharp enough to miss the carrier if he felt a crash was unavoidable. It was then he heard Kayce desperate plea in his headset causing him to swallow hard and blink back tears. Once again he wondered if this mission was really worth the price.
Steve couldn’t bring himself to respond to Kayce. Instead he only relayed his position in a cold professional voice as he approached the ship. The trio stood at the window and watched for the approaching bird, feeling helpless. Captain Harding voice came over the speakers ordering the crew to get the emergency barrier secured to catch the aircraft if it missed the wires and couldn’t stop. The men, looking small from the bridge, scattered at the order. The barrier, made of thick strips of heavy weight material that was weaved into a rectangular shape was secured at the deck’s end. The crew hoped it wouldn’t be needed.
Soon Steve’s plane was in sight and moving as if in slow motion and the threesome swiftly headed to the deck. The landing officer gave Steve instructions to correct his glide path, which was too low. Oscar, Rudy and Kayce could hear the orders shouted over the speakers and noticed the slow response from the incoming aircraft. All three spectators felt their stomachs tighten at the sight.
The instruction continued and Kayce wondered how Steve would ever get it down safely.
“Too low. Add power, ADD POWER!” The engines groaned and the bird moved faster towards the deck.
“Pull up! Pull up!!”
At the last seconds Steve, lightheaded and barely aware of the tense situation, pulled the stick back and felt the plane hit the solid deck catching the last arresting wire causing the plane to continue into the barrier.
Kayce, Oscar and Rudy were already on the deck when he landed. They watched from afar as the aircraft rushed by them. All three broke into a sprint towards the machine that held their friend inside.
The large injured bird came to a sudden halt, the reinforced barrier absorbing the immense forward energy. As the rescue crew ran to the aircraft the barrier was cleared. Two small ladders were placed on each side of the fuselage near the cockpit. Conway, a large hulking man scampered up the port side to immediately slide the canopy back. Using his strong upper body strength he swung his leg over the top of the plane, perching himself above and just behind the cockpit.
Rudy was standing at the top of the starboard ladder, leaning in to assess Steve’s condition while a third crewmember was quickly unhooking Steve’s seatbelt and parachute harness. At first sight the doctor wasn’t sure they were in time, Steve’s chin rested on his chest, his oxygen mask undone on the right. Reaching in Rudy gingerly eased Steve’s head back against the headrest and was relieved to see his eyes crack open half way.
“Steve.” Rudy hoped to get some response. He could feel a weak, rapid pulse at his neck.
“Can’t …breath.” The words were forced out with great effort before he started to pass out again.
“Take it easy and we’ll have you out of here in no time.” He nodded to Conway and the ex-body builder hauled the unresponsive pilot up to sit on the fuselage in front of him. Everyone was too busy to hear the gasp from Kayce when she saw her husband’s limp form being pulled from the aircraft, thinking he was already gone.
The choreographed movement of the rescue team was both efficient and smooth. Rudy slid Steve’s legs over the side of the fuselage and two men on the ground were waiting to support his legs before moving slowly away from the plane as two more men took the positions they vacated to support Steve’s torso as he was carefully lowered. Rudy then assisted with supported the injured man’s shoulders, neck and head with the help of a fifth crewmember. The six-man team gently laid the pilot on the hard deck atop the stretcher. Rudy looked up for a second and noticed Dr. Sandler ready to assist him as needed. He was grateful to see the experienced naval doctor kneel down on the patient’s opposite side and begin to remove the flight helmet.
Before moving the patient to sickbay the Dr. Wells reached into his pocket, pulled out a scissors and swiftly cut open the front and sleeves of Steve’s fight suit. A pressure bandage was applied at his ribcage, under his left arm, as well as an oxygen mask and IV before any transport could be done. Kayce watched and prayed the fast medical attention would be enough to save her gravely injured husband. There was too much blood, much too much blood. The young blonde did her best to pacify herself by silently repeating over and over that her husband was in the best hands. Rudy had performed miracles before. She just hoped Steve hadn’t used up all of his nine live.
As the team lifted the lax form Kayce slipped from Oscar’s supportive embrace, oblivious that it was even provided, and grabbed Steve’s right hand that hung off the edge of the stretcher. She held it firmly in hers trying to tell her unconscious spouse that she was near.
The sickbay was a large room without walls. Oscar stood with Kayce in the doorway as the two surgeons tried to stabilize the injured man. It was obvious that there was excessive blood loss when they removed the flight suit soaked with the crimson fluid and wiped some of the sticky wetness that covered most of his torso. From the sound of Steve’s irregular breathing, Rudy quickly confirmed a collapsed lung.
Kayce, overwhelmed at the sight, had to step back out into the narrow passageway, finding it difficult to maintain control of her emotions after seeing Steve’s horrible condition. Oscar placed a gentle hand on her shoulder without saying a word. Her dark blue eyes, pooled with tears, looked at his tired face and knew he was hurting too. “I’m alright.” She took a deep breath and reentered the room with the tall man in tow, remaining in the corner out of the way.
“He’ll need blood before we operate.” Rudy commented as he went about removing the heavy plate that had been positioned under Steve’s torso for the x-ray that had just been taken, knowing it would save time in surgery of they knew exactly where the slug went.
Dr. Sandler replied, “We don’t have much type ‘O’ in our small blood bank. We’ll need to put out a call.” Rudy looked up and realized the time it might take to locate crewmembers with the same rare blood type as Steve.
“He’ll need a transfusion...” Before he finished the sentence Kayce stepped next to him, “I’ll do it Rudy.” She was already rolling up her sleeve knowing she shared his blood type. He eyed her carefully and they both knew with her bionic construction she could donate more then a normal person.
“Sit down.” She followed his command and stared at Steve’s pale face under the oxygen mask. He was barely breathing. At least she could be close to him during the transfusion in case he… she couldn’t finish the thought, not wanting to consider a future without him. Her gaze remained fixed on the still form next to her all the while Rudy inserted the needle and began transferring the blood from her to Steve. Her right hand held tight to his left, he had to know she was with him.
The blood donation didn’t take long and soon Kayce was moved aside and Steve was quickly taken away to the operating room, her heart leaving with him. She knew it would be hours before she would hear the outcome, hours that would feel like days as she thought of their little boy, a little boy who adored and needed his father.
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