Title: Goodbye, Mr. Grissom - Chapter 13
Disclaimer: These guys don't belong to me. The lyrics to Learning to Fly belong to Pink Floyd.
Out in the Desert……………Day Three
More alert today, than yesterday, Grissom moved his body to gaze at the clear blue sky. He watched the Turkey Vultures ride the thermals and circle in lazy paths above him. Surely someone would come to see what had drawn their unwanted attention. Estimating a dozen of them, he watched them soar……….
Into the distance, a ribbon of black
stretched to the point of no turning back
a flight of fancy on a wind swept field
standing alone, my senses reeled
a fatal attraction holding me fast, how
can I escape this irresistible grasp?
Can't keep my eyes from the circling sky
tongue-tied & twisted just an earthbound misfit, I
"Oh well, how 'bout a little more Pink Floyd." He sarcastically thought. He always thought he would die thinking of an Opera or some classic symphony piece would be swirling through his mind. Never in his wildest dreams, had he thought it would be Pink Floyd lyrics.
He'd gone parachuting once - everyone thought he was nuts. The first time didn't count since the Instructor was hitched to him, guiding his hands on the lines and teaching him how to work them. For him, the solo was all that really mattered……….
A soul in tension that's learning to fly
condition grounded, determined to try
Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies
tongue-tied & twisted just an earthbound misfit, I
"A split second of courage!" That was all it took, to launch himself out of the plane, then he was on his own. It was such a rush, plummeting until he remembered to check the altimeter, release the chute and work the lines, then floating just like those birds. They were so ungodly ugly, hopping around on the ground but they soared as majestically as Eagles in air.
Above the planet on a wing and a prayer
My grubby halo, a vapour trail in the empty air
Across the clouds I see my shadow fly
out of the corner of my watering eye
A dream unthreatened by the morning light
could blow this soul right through the roof of the night
He landed badly and tore up his good knee. That was the end of parachuting for him but he thought that few minutes alone in the sky was worth the price. He could still feel the wind in his face and the peels of manic laughter that ripped from his throat. The only other state of bliss he could possibly compare it to was the afterglow of really good sex.
There's no sensation to compare with this
suspended animation, a state of bliss
Can't keep my mind from the circling sky
tongue-tied & twisted just an earthbound misfit, I
In the distance, he thought he heard helicopter blades beating the air.
To the East, in a helicopter……………
Catherine moved her body more to the left, she was getting a cramp in her right side, but her eyes never lost contact with the binoculars she was busily scanning the ground with. It was madness to think she would see him from the jouncing helicopter but she couldn't make herself put them down.
"ETA, seven minutes." She heard the pilot reply to Brass. He was on the other side of the helicopter with binoculars glued to his eyes. Nick and Sara were in the second helicopter following them. Warrick and Greg were setting speed records through Greater Las Vegas, in a Denali, on their way to the rendezvous at the cabin.
"Okay, everybody get ready." The pilot announced. Catherine thought it had been the longest seven minutes in history. She reluctantly sat the binoculars in her lap and blinked rapidly several times to clear her strained eyes.
"Lock and load!" Brass exclaimed. He quickly checked his sidearm, patted the extra clips, then picked up a shotgun and pumped the first round in the chamber. The two SWAT team members sitting across from them were performing similar ritual with their armament so Catherine checked her pistol and replaced it in the holster.
"Range is about two miles." One of the taciturn SWAT men commented as he handed her a two-way radio.
She felt her heart race with an Adrenalin surge as the helicopter touched ground. The door beside Brass was quickly swung open and they began hopping out. One of the SWAT men raised his hand to grasp hers and help her out. Her heart wrenched, for a split second she saw Gil's face and his steady hand reaching toward her. She stumbled, then strong arms pulled her away from the dust and sand being blown about by the helicopter blades.
"You two, secure the cabin." Brass gestured to the men from their helicopter.
"You guys and Nick, take the barn." He told the others, then headed for the cabin.
"Let's check that shed." Catherine said to Sara as the men fanned out.
The two women skirted a broke down corral and approached the small building. Catherine nodded at Sara to yank the door open as she assumed the firing stance; legs spread, both hands on her weapon, elbows relaxed, and gun at shoulder height. Sara jerked the door and quickly crouched at the corner, ready to leap and fire. Nothing happened.
"It's a pump house." Catherine mumbled, taking in the decrepit pump and rusted pipes.
"Looks like the guys came up empty too." Sara noted. She headed toward the knot of gathering men to find out what their next step would be. It took a moment or two before she realized Catherine wasn't following her. She turned to see Catherine increase her speed from a jog to a full out sprint, heading toward a massive rock formation with vultures circling over it.
"Hey!" She shouted to attract the attention of the men. She stood undecided. Should she follow Catherine's retreating form or wait for the guys? A split second later, decision made, she was racing through the desert, and dodging mesquite bushes.
TBC