as a final check off, ensured that the note reminding them that “Big Bev will always get you home” was secure and in place. With that completed, Seven manned the yoke and foot pedals and lifted his bird off the deck.
It was a quick seventy-mile hop to the target area and the weather was clear. This was not to be a park-and-wait mission for Seven and Al. They were to come in low just above the deck and sit Bev down hard and fast in the middle of a walled compound. Al was to have the cargo ramp lowered as soon as they hit the ground and the team was to exit quickly. Seven and Al had played their moves over and over in training and in their minds.
About four miles out Seven dropped Bev down to just above ground level. He pushed her hard and fast. The sand-covered ground was buzzing just below their feet. The whole thing looked like a finely detailed video game through the lens of the night vision goggles. Seven could see the ten-foot stone wall that surrounded the compound. It was approaching quickly as Al called out the distance and notified the team through the in-flight radio.
Seven flew the big bitch at ground level and lifted her just enough to clear the wall. The courtyard of the compound was a perfect landing area and Seven dropped his bird right in the center of it. Big Bev hit the terrain hard and fast, just as planned. Al had the cargo door open, and the team was out of the craft before the front wheel hit the ground. So far, so good. Their entry had gone as planned.
The night vision goggles began to ignite with every light that was turned on in the compound when the chaos of a massive military helicopter landing hard in the center of the courtyard was heard. Seven and Al ripped off the night vision goggles as large floodlights brought daylight to the compound. The two-man security team was circling Big Bev in a fluid, meticulous manner, looking for threats. The floodlights concealed most of the compound in a camouflage of bright brilliant light to Seven and Al.