Chapter 2 (cont.)

THE SHEIK AND THE VIXEN

“Is this a free-for-all or what?” Sora vented her frustrations. She screamed when the F-15 cut his speed and nearly dropped in her lap. His message was clear. He’d tolerate no more evasive action. “I’m out of gas, lughead!”

The acrobatic she practiced in the wide-open sky back home were useless over the endless, empty desert with gas at the critical stage.

They slowed considerably, extending her range. The Saudi jet rocked his big fat nose to one side of her and lowered from her line of sight. The Kuwait F-15 kept cramming down on top.

“What is the matter with you? Turn your radio on and tell me what you want! Airplanes don’t entwine wings like lovers tangling arms in bed! Get off! Give me space to fly, you stupid jerk, before you kill all three of us!”

That was the most irrational speech Sora had ever screamed in her life. She meant every word of it. Her hands shook on the controls, but she didn’t dare let go of them, not even to shake a fist at the horrible brute.

One wrong move, one spasmodic jerk on her part, and the Vixen’s beautiful nose and molded fiberglass cockpit would be smashed by the fighter jet’s solid steel wing. There wasn’t even a chance that she could get to a parachute and bail out.

Sora swallowed, dry and raw. “You’ve made your point, Omar!”

The pilot pointed shouth across the Saudi desert. Silently, Sora nodded acquiescence. She gripped the wheel, heading the direction he had pointed. The too big, too damn close end of his wing tip flipped in front of the Vixen. Only did Sora realized how crazy he had to be. Insane, a fanatic, an assassin… he was ready to die because a private jet had invaded his bloody war!

The Saudi pulled off at a companionable distance once she’d submitted to . Sora’s neck cramped and knotted with sweat. Her heart pounded. The harsh, bright morning sun hurt her eyes. Anger contracted and stung tears on her lashes. Whatever was going on, she would have an earful to say to this camel jockey when she touched the ground.

If she touched the ground.

Her shaky hands held the Vixen on a course both bully planes approved. Reading her dials and screens made her sweat even more. Even with the cutback in speed, less than a hundred miles of fuel remained in the Vixen’s tank. Frantic, Sora ran a search on her computer for landing site, cueing to locate any private field within range. It came up with zilch. Sora began searching for any stretch of asphalt down below.

The Kuwait F-15 rocked its wings, signalling. Sora looked up and found herself staring into the plot’s eyes. He was that close. The strong sun illuminated his face, made his dark intense eyes and black eyebrows visible, despite his mask and helmet. Now she knew how the sparrow felt when a peregrine falcon swooped in for the kill. The used hand signals. She was to go down to five hundred feet.

Right! And crash into the sand dune.

She shook her head no.

He very definitely pointing down and make a universal sweeping motion with his flat out, indicating landing.

“I’m not ditching this plane in the Summan, buddy,” she said bitterlym and kept prompting the computer to find her civilization of any kind within fifty miles.

The logic of the electronic brain informed her that the airport at Kuwait was most suitable, and suggested what speed should glide at to make the distance.

“A lot of help you are!” She swore at the blue screen and looked up in time to find the damn Kuwaiti crowding the Vixen again. This time, he did more than just violate physical space. He was going to make her go to five hundred feet, or else make her crash and burn.

The Vixen didn’t stand a chance against such bullying. Neither did Kang Sora.

Five, six miles farther along, the shadows of the three planes stood out in sharp clarity on the endless sweep of rippling sand. The Vixen looked like a hatching caught in the pull of two condors.

As she stared on her own shadows, Sora realized for the first time since the nightmare started her plane had no marking to indicate it belonged to American businesswoman. Its registration numbers V-2016-2 could be read universally, but the bold lettering on the glossy exterior was written in Arabic. She personally panted Kuwaiti’s flag on the Vixen’s proud tail. That she, realized as she looked at her fuel gauge, was a moot point.

“Hey, Omar! Are you listening?” she snapped into her headset. “I’m out of fuel!”

He crowded her into a thirty-degree turn due east.

“Great option!” Sora muttered. Again the man in the cockpit signalled with his hand, go down to three hundred feet. Sora shook her head, but she cruised to the demanded altitude. He didn’t look at her killer. Surely God couldn’t be so erse as to give eyes like to a madman. She tried not to think of anything, just to fly the plane. It wouldn’t be long before it didn’t matter.

The pilot pointed ahead. Sora rubbed her tired eyes. She couldn’t see anything there except glaring sand.

Then a dark blur swelled on the horizon. It became more distinct, forming into semblance of habitation into desert. A water tower, an oasis, a mirage, maybe. The water tower shifted shaped to become a minaret poking heavenward. At an incredibly slow crawl, the three planes rumbled low over tens, camels and date palms. Riders on camels and horses whirled, swinging riffles across their mounts, neck, scattering flocks of sheep. Ahead, dead ahead of the Vixen’s nose, a straight path of sun-bleached concrete bisected a gorgelike valley between the dunes.

Low building edge in gorge. As Sora flew over the hump in the sand, she saw an entirely military base with plenty of runways spread across the whole with of the deep gorge.

Why a sigh of relief escape Sora’s lips just then, she didn’t know. No one landed in radio silence. Yet it was clear that it was exactly what the sheiks of the airways intended for her to do. She lowered her wheels, listening to them lock in place, then banked two degrees to correct her line of approach. The Vixen dropped a hundred feet in less than a mile, easing onto the wide-open runway.

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jyuu_25
#1
I hope you can update this story.. I am loving this story so much.. hope you can consider for update..
Woah_crazyb #2
Chapter 58: I had finally got the chance to finish reading this ff and i am on the edge....where have i been and had missed this ff.
I am glad to have read it and cant wait till you come back with a update. Come back soon authornim!
maryetta01 #3
Chapter 58: Awww no worries authornim. Cant wait for updates. Dont work too hard. Fighting.
lotus16 #4
Really like your story. I couldn't imagine them finding love in the midst of war and cultural differences. Great story authornim! Anticipating updates.
Woah_craycray #5
New reader here.
I hope its not an abandoned story. I can see it has not been completed and last update was a couple of weeks ago. So I am over the moon excited to read this.
Thank you.
maryetta01 #6
Hope all is well with b you authornim. Just popped by to write you a msg. Come back soon and update...miss this story. Fighting.
maryetta01 #7
Chapter 57: OMG.... DID YOU JUST???...DIS THEY JUST???...OMG
maryetta01 #8
Chapter 56: Oh my gosh...yhey are in more danger now. Ohhh Sora was only trying to help. Whats gonna happen now??? So curious and i love this ff. Cant wait for the next update. Fighting!