Page 36 of Defended By the SEAL
The HERO Force men moved quickly, coordination honed from years of working as a team. They were in for a dangerous mission, but Cowboy was counting on them for backup—and time was of the essence.
Champion headed out to the waiting chopper with Austin on his heels, icy-cold, freezing rain pelting his face and neck. There was an excellent anti-icing system on the helicopter, and he silently thanked Jax Andersson’s obsession with top-of-the-line equipment. This storm was relentless, every bit a battering force as the most dangerous human adversary, and they would need every bit of help they could get.
Settling himself in the pilot’s seat, he ran through the pre-flight checklist. “Visibility is low, winds are gusting at fifty miles an hour… everything a pilot dreams of,” he muttered, entering the coordinates of their destination into a sophisticated computer on the dash.
He shot a look at Austin, who was securing their gear in the back. “Once we’re airborne, it’ll be touch and go. Thestorm could ground us at any point, so be ready. I’m going to fly right along the coast in case we need to land.”
Austin gave a tight nod, adjusting his headset. “Let’s do it. We get as far as we can, and if things go south, we fall back. We’re not taking unnecessary chances on this one.”
Champion nodded, though he knew that was bullshit. They’d take whatever chances they needed to get there in one piece. Cowboy was one of their own, and he was in trouble. One way or another, they had to make it to that island.
The rotors began to spin, their vibrations heightening the tension in the chopper. His hands were steady as he lifted off, the roar of the engine a familiar backdrop through the sound-reducing headset he wore. They hovered for a second, the powerful gusts testing his control of the aircraft before surging forward over the edge of the dark, threatening waters.
The icy Atlantic stretched out to their left, a churning mass of black waves capped with foamy white. The chopper pitched and rolled as the winds hammered them, but Champion managed to keep it steady, his focus unbreakable as he concentrated on his instruments and keeping them as stable as possible.
He thought of his fiancée, Grace, and their sons Toby and Theo—as he always did when walking into the unknown—and said a silent prayer he’d return to them no less whole than when this mission began. They were his life, his entire world, and he couldn’t wait to get back to them.
Tightening his grip on the controls, the chopper rattled against the storm’s relentless fury. The wind howled like a living thing, slamming into the aircraft with ferocity, and the icy rain streaking the windshield made visibility nearly nonexistent. He adjusted the pitch slightly, forcing thechopper to hold steady as they powered toward the coordinates Cowboy had given.
“Wind’s picking up,” Austin said over the headset, his voice steady but tense. He leaned forward in his seat, peering through the storm as if sheer willpower might improve their chances of making it through.
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Champion shot back. The wind gusted hard, throwing the chopper into a sudden dip that had his stomach lurching. He recovered quickly, leveling them out again, but the turbulence was unrelenting.
“Ten miles to the coordinates,” Champion said. “I can keep her steady, but?—”
A deafening crack of wind and ice slammed the chopper sideways, and for one terrifying moment, the controls bucked wildly under his hands. The aircraft pitched hard, the horizon tilting violently, and the engines groaned as they were caught in a powerful downdraft.
“We’re losing altitude!” Champion barked, his hands flying over the controls as the chopper plummeted. The sea rushed up toward them, the icy waves below surging into terrifying focus.
“Pull her up!” Austin shouted, his voice tight with urgency.
“I’m trying!” Champion gritted his teeth, his muscles straining against the yoke as he fought to bring the nose of the aircraft up. The downdraft was a beast, slamming them downward with relentless force, the chopper’s rotors whining in protest.
Champion could feel the icy grip of panic clawing at the edges of his mind, but he shoved it down, focusing on the instruments andthe subtle adjustments he needed to make. His hands moved instinctively, coaxing the aircraft to fight against the wind’s pull.
“Come on, come on…” he muttered under his breath, sweat beading on his forehead despite the freezing cold.
With a bone-rattling lurch, the chopper responded, the rotors biting into the air and lifting them back into a shaky ascent. Champion exhaled a sharp breath, his hands trembling slightly as he steadied the controls. The snow whipped around them, a dizzying vortex of white, but the coastline came back into view—barely visible through the storm.
“You good?” Austin asked, his voice steady but edged with concern.
“Peachy,” Champion replied, though his knuckles were white. “We’re not out of this yet.”
The GPS pinged, signaling they were within range of their destination. Champion squinted through the storm, searching for a clearing where they could land. The island came into view—a blur of dark trees and snow-covered ground—and his heart sank at the dense forest that seemed to stretch in every direction.
“There!” Austin pointed, his sharp eyes catching a narrow clearing just beyond what looked like a weathered two-story house. It was barely large enough to land, the snow-covered ground uneven and flanked by towering pines, but it was their only option.
“I see it,” Champion said, angling the chopper toward the clearing. The wind fought him every inch of the way, pushing the aircraft off course as he guided them lower. The rotors kicked up a flurry of snow, obscuring his view of the ground, and his pulse thundered in his ears as he relied on theinstruments to guide him.
“Steady…” Austin murmured, his gaze flicking between the windshield and the altimeter.
Champion held his breath, easing the chopper down inch by inch. The skids touched the snow with a jarring thud, the aircraft rocking precariously before finally settling.
He exhaled sharply, his body sagging with relief as he cut the engine. “We’re down.”
“Hell of a landing,” Austin said, already unbuckling his harness. He slapped Champion on the shoulder. “You earned your paycheck tonight.”
Champion allowed himself a faint grin as he powered down the controls, but the moment of relief was fleeting. They were on the ground, but the storm was still raging, and somewhere out there, Cowboy and Charlotte needed their help.
