A/N: Little bit of adult language in this chapter.
Long ago and far away
Chapter 11 – Deadly Maneuvers
When they returned, TC met them at the door. "He's pretty calm right now but the doc said it would get worse before it gets better." He saw the box Higgins was carrying, "What's that?"
"We found this on Rick's bed," Magnum replied. "it's pictures and stuff from Vietnam."
"Does it say anything about that Hargis guy Orville was askin' about?"
"We haven't really looked at everything yet," Thomas watched worriedly as Rick paced rapidly back and forth in front of the windows.
"It's okay," TC said, "The glass is bulletproof, Orville ain't goin anywhere."
"TC, do you think you can get Rick to change into his clothes while we see if we can find anything on that Hargis chap you mentioned?"
"I can try," TC took the proffered bag, "Like I said, he's pretty calm right now."
Higgins took the box to a table where he and Magnum sat and started going through the papers and photographs.
TC had little trouble getting Rick to exchange his open back hospital gown for a pair of cotton pajamas. TC was a little concerned about how well the monitors the nursing staff managed to stick on Rick would work after being covered up but no one came to check so he assumed everything was functioning okay.
"Hey TC," Magnum asked, "Did you know that Rick was attached to the Crimson Angels?"
"Orville was an Angel?" TC joined them at the table, "No man, he never mentioned it."
TC took the picture Magnum held out, "Wow, Orville looked different then." He chuckled, "Look at that hair, I never saw it buzzed that short before."
"This must have been during his first tour, right after he got in country."
"Definitely fresh," TC laughed and pointed to the picture, "Did you see what's in the gun cup?"
Magnum peered at the picture for a moment then laughed, "Only a noob would be eating that."
"What are you two going on about?" Higgins asked.
"He's eating a can of ham and chokers." TC grinned, "Nobody ate that after the first try."
"Ham and chokers?"
"It's ham and lima beans, but the beans are like rocks."
"101 is dropping into the Oscar." Rick interrupted, pressing his hands against the windows, "We'll be running Snoopy with 217."
TC turned back to him, "You okay man?"
"Gotta check the bloopers Sarge." Rick said, smiling proudly. "My 60 is el and el." He patted the front of his shirt, "Can't find my chicken plate Sarge."
TC looked stricken, "What should we do?"
"Go along with him, he's remembering things from before." Higgins replied.
"I can't find my chicken plate." Rick repeated. "I'm ready 'cept for that."
"Hey don't worry about it, you'll find it." TC assured him.
"What's a chicken plate?" Magnum whispered.
"Body armor, the door gunners wore a plate over their chests while they were flying." TC replied quietly.
"I found something," said Higgins, "The pilot of 324 was a Captain Gary Victor Hargis, Rick was his starboard door gunner in 1967."
"Anything else?" Thomas asked as he watched Rick go through the motions of loading an invisible M-60.
Higgins read from the paper, "Port gunner PFC Andrew Mitchell Malone, co-pilot Sergeant James Eldon Riley. There isn't much else in here but I recall reading about an operation in 1967 involving the 101st airborne and the Crimson Angels near Marble Mountain."
"Operation Omega." TC said. "One of the biggest boondoggle missions of the whole war. The brass at Highfill wanted to cut the supplies running the Trail so they sent in teams to draw fire from the VC gun nests in the hills near Marble Mountain. It was a blood bath, massive casualties on both sides; it didn't accomplish the objective, either." TC looked angry.
"Operation Omega." Rick repeated, coming to stand beside them, "We can end it all right here." He grinned, "Stop those bastards and get back to the world." Rick whooped and began pacing rapidly in front of the windows again pumping his fist in the air and chanting, "Omega, Omega!"
"The Crimson Angels were destroyed at Marble Mountain, the entire crew of the 217 was killed, it was presumed that all of 324 died in the crash too but the remains of the door gunner and the pilot were never recovered."
"Rick and Captain Hargis."
"A survivor from the 101st reported seeing the gunner taken down by a head shot and that the pilot had been shot in the chest."
"But Rick survived."
"They both did, for a while at least." Higgins laid a paper out on the table, "Hargis later died in an interment camp but Rick escaped several months later with two other men who had also been taken captive."
"So Rick is reliving the worst year of his life."
"Undoubtedly."
"This is gonna get ugly." TC sighed.
"Hey we spent time in a camp," Magnum said, trying to lighten the mood. "we did okay."
"We were together in that, Thomas." TC looked sadly at Rick who had quieted but continued to pace anxiously. "You don't know what Orville was like when I first got him."
"Come on," Magnum's grin was lopsided, "if it had been that bad they'd have rotated him home."
"In the Navy maybe, but not us." TC shook his head, "When a Marine went home it was as cargo not as a passenger."
"I'm ready Sarge!" Rick called, "I've got us rigged for the Snoopy sir."
"Reconnaissance?"
"Snoopy wasn't snooping, it was a bait mission." TC explained, "I was never in on one but I've heard of them. They send the birds out in pairs, one flies low over the treetops to draw fire, the other is up marking where the gunfire comes from then taking out the nests."
"Dear God," said Higgins, "Sounds like suicide."
"You either got damn good damn fast or you got killed." TC admitted. "The Crimson Angels were the best Snoopy fliers in country."
"The Oscar Eight valley was estimated to have 13 gun nests per square mile, the valley was only 8 miles long." Said Higgins. "How did they expect to win at that?"
"Brass never thought about throwing people at something, they just felt the need to do something."
"Popping smoke at our three!" Rick shouted. "It's red!"
"Target the smoke, gunner!" TC shouted back. "Port gunner, mind the rail!"
"Mitch!" Rick shouted, "What the hell are you doing over there, napping? Sarge said rail!"
"Sound off TM." TC suggested, joining Rick by the windows.
"Minding the rail, Sir!" Magnum shouted, joining them.
"I guess that leaves me to play Captain Hargis." Said Higgins.
"TC, I have no idea what I'm doing." Magnum hissed.
"Suck it up, son," Rick laughed "Follow my lead, do what the Sarge tells you and you'll be fine."
"Sharks had a bar attached to the skid between the pilot's door and the rear compartment, it was used as a guide to keep an overzealous gunner from shooting up the front of the chopper during a run." Higgins whispered.
"Gotcha." Magnum frowned, "Hey," he looked insulted, "I'm not going to shoot up my own bird."
"Just mind the rail, gunner." Rick laughed. "We've got tracers out front, Cap."
Higgins looked blank and TC mouthed directions to him.
"Fire the bloopers." Higgins ordered.
"Grenades away sir!" Rick responded. "217 is making their run, sir!"
"Give 'em cover!" TC ordered.
Rick had stopped pacing, he stood staring out the window, speaking so softly that they couldn't understand the words.
"Rick?" Thomas asked.
"Orville." TC reminded him, "He's not Rick."
"Orvi?" Thomas tried, remembering the notation on the photo.
Rick turned to look at them, his expression one of pain and sorrow, "217 is going down sir, she's on fire and I've only seen two 'chutes."
"Maintain course."
"Sarge, we can't leave 'em!" Rick pleaded, "Bounce, I swear I can get 'em." He was almost in tears, "Please, I know I can!"
"We have our orders Marine, back to your duty." TC ordered harshly.
Higgins started to speak but TC waved him off. "Mitch, do we have smoke?"
Magnum forgot that he was Mitch and Higgins had to prod him before he replied,
"Red at 10 o'clock, sir!"
"Mind the rail!"
"Minding the rail, sir!"
Rick was pounding on the window with his fists hard enough to rattle the glass. "No! No! Captain Reynolds!"
"The pilot of 217." Higgins explained quietly, reading from one of the papers.
Magnum tried to pull Rick away from the window but the smaller man fought him, screaming and cursing.
"What do I do?" Magnum asked.
Suddenly Rick stiffened, putting a hand to the side of his head. Thomas lowered him to the floor as Rick went limp in his arms.
"We're hit." Higgins said gravely. "We're going down."
Rick was quiet, laying in Thomas' arms, he stared at the ceiling.
"It's going to get rougher from here on out." TC advised. "He's in the camp now. Higgins, you'll have to be careful what you say to him. Don't try to lead him on or say too much about the mission. More than likely Captain Hargis was wounded badly enough that he wouldn't have talked much anyway."
They sat in silence for nearly half an hour, just watching Rick. He startled them when he rolled out of Magnum's arms, screaming.
"Sarge! Sarge!" Rick turned around and around as if searching, "Mitch?" Rick was limping, dragging his left leg. "Cap?" he asked, tremoulsly.
TC nodded at Higgins.
"Here, Orvi. I'm here."
"Where's the sarge and Mitch?"
"I'm sorry, they didn't make it." Higgins sounded tired. "Your leg, is it broken?"
"Yeah, I think so." Rick sat down beside Higgins, "My head hurts."
"I was afraid you were dead my boy."
"Can't kill me sir," Rick laughed. "I'm too mean to die." His expression turned serious, "What about you, Cap?"
TC put a hand to his mouth, mimicking covering a cough and Higgins took the hint, coughing harshly.
"Don't worry about me." Higgins said. "I'll be fine."
