Her stomach knotted at the thought. Two days training and watching someone else land a few times wasn’t enough under perfect conditions, let alone an emergency landing in the middle of dense trees.
“There!” Hernandez’s voice lacked strength, but he was still able to convey the urgency. He was trying to point somewhere to the right of them. “Seven o’clock, Jason. Next to the stream. Pretty sure I saw an opening.”
Eddy swapped spots with Peta as the helicopter swooped back in that direction, and she didn’t know if it was Hernandez or Jason controlling it. Stepping aside, she hesitated, unsure if she wanted to return to the back and try to strap herself in somehow, or stay and watch. Having crashed once already, and been in the copilot’s seat during another tense encounter, she was undecided as to which was worse.
“I see it,” Jason confirmed. He sounded confident, and Peta studied his rugged features, looking for reassurance. The laugh-lines around his eyes, and light peppering of grey in his brown hair hinted at his true age, but he had a younger air of adventure about him. It was likely his military training and experience that allowed him to remain so calm under pressure. Whatever had him unsettled a few minutes earlier had passed, or else the threat kicked him into fight mode. Either way, she was thankful at that moment that he was there.
“Might want to sit down!” Jason yelled, turning his head enough so his voice would carry to everyone. “This is probably going to get a little hairy.”
“Describe hairy!” Devon shouted back as he crawled forward on his hands and knees. “Because you need to understand, my man, that we have been through “hairy” before, and it didn’t end so well.”
“It means the odds are high that we’ll sustain some damage, and you’ll want to tie yourself down if possible.” Eddy moved away from Hernandez and leaned toward Peta and Jason. “He’s barely conscious. Do what you can, Jason. I’ll go help Tyler and Devon.”
Deciding she wanted to see what was coming, Peta sat down on the floor in between the seats, and wrapped her arms around Marty. “I got ya, buddy.” Chuffing once to possibly indicate he didn’t quite believe her, the dog then licked one of her hands and leaned into her chest.
Hernandez muttered an order at Jason, who complied without comment, pointing the nose of the helicopter down, bringing it into a rapid descent.
“Whoa, there!” Hernandez barked. “Dial that down twenty percent and bring her back around. You get us close enough, and I think I can do the rest.”
The next ten minutes was a tense mixture of new alarms, shouted directions, and a long string of curses from Jason. In spite of her initial belief that she wanted to watch, Peta closed her eyes and buried her face in Marty’s fur as they came within feet of the canopy of trees.
Then, it was over.
Bracing for the impact she was sure was going to rip them all apart, Peta sat frozen in dreaded anticipation for the crash that never came. Opening first one eye and then the other after an almost gentle bounce, she stared in shock at the view as the aircraft came to rest.
Marty whimpered before pulling loose and sitting back on his haunches, so he could stare up at Jason for assurance. But Jason was sitting hunched over with his face in his hands, breathing heavily.
“We’re alive,” Peta pointed out.
Chuckling, he lowered his hands and glanced down at her with a crooked grin. “I think you’re right.”
“Peta…” Hernandez moaned.
As the engines began to wind down, she turned to see Hernandez’s hand slipping from the controls and falling limp down the side of the seat. His head lolled to the side, and his breathing became labored.
“Open his airway!” Jason ordered, as he struggled to unbuckle his seatbelt.
Peta scrambled over to Hernandez and lifted his chin upward, which pulled his tongue from the back of his throat so he could breathe. She maintained the awkward position from the floor, as Jason bent over her and manhandled Hernandez from his restraints before dragging him out and into the back.
Eddy and Devon each took an end and laid him out, as Tyler stuffed a backpack under his head. Hernandez was starting to come around by then, and Peta sat back as he flailed at first, confused and disoriented.
“It’s okay!” Jason hushed, pushing down on his chest. “You’re okay, Hernandez. You did it! We landed, and everyone’s okay. Just relax.”
“I can relax now that you’re not on the stick,” Hernandez quipped, as he allowed Jason to guide him back to the floor. “I’m good,” he answered, waving his right hand for emphasis when everyone stayed crowded around him. “Just needed to catch my breath for a minute.”
“We can’t control your fever,” Eddy explained. “You’ll likely become delirious soon.”
Peta scowled and tried to silence him with a look, but apparently the guy also lost his ability to read body language in addition to how to be subtle.
“I imagine you won’t make it until morning,” Eddy added. When Jason scoffed openly at him, Eddy looked genuinely stumped. “There’s no point in trying to withhold the truth from him. Especially given our current circumstances.”
Jason stood and gestured to Tyler. “That’s fine, Eddy, but we’ve got others here to consider, too.”
Tyler rolled his eyes before pulling the door open. “It’s a little late to shelter me from the real world, guys.”
Standing next to Jason, Peta tried to suppress a smirk. He had no idea how much Tyler had already been through. He was more toughened against hardships than most adults, though that didn’t mean she didn’t agree with the gesture. Tyler had a habit of overestimating what he could handle, and it had already put him in jeopardy more
