Ghosts of the Past Read Online Free Page B

was no answer.
    “Charlie! Do you read me?” It was more a cry of anguish than a question.
    “I’m still here.” Hathaway replied lethargically. “I need your help Brew. I can’t see for shit.”
    “Damnit!” Miller yelled aloud. “You’re a lucky bastard tonight!” A very good, lucky bastard he thought to himself as he broke off the attack.
    “I got ya in my sight, pal.” Miller sighed, as he soared over the snow-capped mountain peak and visually picked up Hathaway just below and in front of him. “You’re doin’ good, right on line. Let’s get ya home.”
     
    “He’s gone.”
    “What do you mean he’s gone?” Hignite asked incredulously.
    “I mean he disengaged and took off.” Gernert gave him a bewildered look.
    “Where’s the other one, I never did see him enter in?”
    “I never did spot him. I don’t believe he joined the fun.”
    Neither one of them considered it was over, and they were intensely scanning the sky for the return of one, or both of the fighters. They stayed low to the ground, flying into more open ground, the two of them staring silently out into the night in a state of befuddlement.
    After a few minutes, the tension and nervousness subsided and Gernert leaned back into his seat.
    He broke the quiet. “I don’t believe it! They had us easy.”
    “I think the other one was in trouble.” Hignite pondered. “Why would only one of them hit us, when two could have downed us in a heartbeat? That explains why they were so low and off course.”
    “Yeah, that makes sense. He left us, because he couldn’t leave his friend that long. God is watching over us tonight, Major.”
    “Yes, we’re very fortunate indeed.” as Hignite scanned the instruments for any signs of trouble from the damage they took. “Rudi, you may want to go back and check on the cargo and look for any problems. We took a good number of hits on that last strafing, but so far everything looks good on the panel.”
    “I’m on it.” Gernert replied, while he was un-strapping from the co-pilot seat.
    Hignite now had time to get his bearings and get back on course. They would be no more than an hour away, if there were no more surprises.
     
    It had taken roughly thirty seconds for Hignite to put the Ju-52 through some maneuvers that would identify any structural damage that might interfere with the overall control of the plane, and for him to analyze the gauges and dials on the cockpit flight panel for any warning signs. Everything appeared to respond normally or be within optimum parameters.
    He couldn’t hear Gernert in the back, who was trying to crawl over and around the largest flying museum in history, in the hope of spotting anything out of the ordinary. So far, nothing sounded or appeared out of sync. He would give it a few more minutes, sitting in the back and listening for any telltale sign of concern. The crated artwork had shifted dramatically during the confrontation and was sprawled all over the back of the plane, several of them wedged up against the outside door and two others that had catapulted themselves all the way back to the tail.
    As he stretched out on top of a handful of the crates, he looked out the window on the left side studying the wing and port engine for any damage or smoke. Satisfied with his visual inspection, he rolled over and glanced out at the right wing and engine. There was definitely some damage, but nothing obvious that indicated trouble. What he could not see, was the nicked oil line that was starting to show signs of a weakening wall under the pressure of the lubricant.
    Up front, Hignite was really starting to wind down. The stress and strain of years living on the edge all seemed to be vacating his body at once. The realization that it was truly over was starting to sink in. If they could manage to land this hulk on the remote valley strip near Glarus, stay out of trouble with the party they were to meet, and disappear into Switzerland until the final solution,