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Outlaw

Unlike the standard Soviet version, the Agency bird had been retrofitted to allow them the ability to start their motors while keeping the rotor brake engaged. An amber light illuminated, and the LSE gave the arm signal to engage rotors. The five-bladed single rotor started spinning, and Charlie again checked their engine parameters before turning on their infrared lighting. The LSE waved both wands in an upward motion, and Charlie pulled up on the collective and danced on the pedals, making slight corrections with the cyclic to establish a stable hover over the flight deck.

With the LSE’s right wand pointed at the port side of the ship, his left wand motioned for the Hip to sidestep out over the water. Charlie complied but kept his focus on the LSE until he pointed both wands to the west, then he shifted his attention from the yellow shirt’s guidance to the empty blackness in front of them.

Remaining low over the water, he lowered the nose and accelerated toward the release point. Outside ten miles, Roger changed the radio from the Reagan’s tower frequency to the pre-briefed alert frequency, then selected the encrypted satellite channel.

“Scar Nine Nine, Dusty One is airborne. Proceeding to holding point Alpha.”

After clearing the flight deck, the Reagan immediately began a turn to the south to steam away from Chinese territorial waters. Although national waters only extended out twelve miles according to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, China had notoriously — and illegally — claimed waters well beyond that. The United States Navy routinely challenged their claims and sailed in the disputed waters, but the Reagan wanted to draw as little attention as possible to the helicopter flying ever closer to Chinese airspace.

“Dusty One, Scar Nine Nine, green north. Continue.”

The operations personnel in the TOC monitored continuous satellite and drone feeds as well as real-time electronic surveillance emissions for indications the Chinese had been alerted. Labeling their direction of travel as green indicated it was safe to continue without expecting resistance.

But Charlie would have continued anyway. He knew there were Americans relying on him to get them home.

USS America (LHA-6)

South China Sea

The amphibious assault ship bobbed in the dark waters with two Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft from VMM-265 (Reinforced) chained to spots four and five in an Alert 5 posture. In the back of the first Osprey was a squad of SEALs, relaxed and calm while their brothers hurtled themselves through the night sky at a darkened island. In the back of the second were Marines and sailors assigned to Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines. Specially trained, the Magnificent Bastards’ Fox Company served as the Expeditionary Strike Group’s TRAP team.

Normally, the team responded to requests from the Joint Personnel Recovery Center after a pilot had already gone down, but they were given a list of eleven personnel and their attached ISOPREPs to review before boarding the tilt-rotor aircraft. It was unusual, but given the short notice nature of the operation, most of the Marines didn’t give it a second thought.

The ISOPREP, or Isolated Personnel Report, was a classified document that personnel at medium to high risk of isolation were required to fill out. The information contained in the report included basic identifying information such as height, weight, hair and eye color, and descriptions of scars or tattoos with accompanying photos. In addition, each person required to complete one filled out four personal statements from which four separate questions could be asked to prove their identity to rescuing forces.

The Marines adjusted their body armor, wiped sweat from their camouflaged faces, and studied the reports while wondering who these people were. Most agreed that eight of the eleven were Navy SEALs — an assumption made because the second Osprey was filled with squids — but it was the other three that had them baffled. Two men — both of whom looked like civilians — and a beautiful older woman.

“She must be a hostage,” one of the Marines commented.

“Or a diplomat’s wife,” another suggested.

“Who ran off with some Chinese businessman,” a third grunt added.

The idle and irreverent chatter continued unabated as they waited for the call to spring into action. Most believed nothing would come of it, and they would get the order to stand down after being forced to sit in the back of the Osprey for several hours. But a few of the less jaded still believed this was their chance, and it didn’t really matter who they would be called on to rescue.