The helicopters had gone a long way before the jets were spotted coming toward them quickly. Burk’s helicopter moved off towards the southwest, away from the two fake FSB helicopters. Three helicopters had been noted to have come into Russia so two jets were sent up to intercept them. Fortunately it had taken a while to get those jets in the air, or our helicopters would not have had a chance.

The jets contacted the FSB helicopters and Aari replied. He couldn’t fly the helicopter, but he came along anyway because he could speak Russian fluently. He told the pilot that called they had spotted the three helicopters and gave chase, but they had no weapons, so they decided to follow at least. But 2 of the helicopters had gone to the north and they were larger and faster than their two helicopters, so they followed the smaller one.

He gave precise information on where the other two helicopters had been flying, so one of the jets went after them, not knowing that he was chasing nothing. Then Aari said they were low on fuel so were heading to a military base which was not far away. The pilot acknowledged and went after Burk’s helicopter. Burk was using his chopper as a decoy to give the others more time to get away.

Hopefully the other 2 helicopters could get across the border to Latvia, the country they came from. They already had permission from the government there to use their airspace and airport for this emergency rescue. The jet shot one missile which hit Burk’s helicopter directly, blowing it to pieces. Sky sent a message to Carine and Jennifer. Carine was sitting next to Rock, as his prisoner, Sapphire and Nakedra were across from them. Carine whispered to the others.

“Thank you Burk,” Rock said very quietly. Now, they just were waiting for confirmation that the other helicopters made it across the border. They would be getting off the train prior to reaching the border and they would then walk to a certain border point where Aari, or some of his team, would be waiting for them so they would be allowed to cross the border.

They would need to change their clothes again first so they would not attract attention while crossing the border. So far their plan was working, except for the loss of Burk’s helicopter, but they did expect that might be a possibility. Unfortunately, plans don’t always go according to plan, and this was one of those times.

The pilot of Aari’s helicopter told him they needed to land immediately, their fuel was almost gone. So, down they went! Aari told Sky and she communicated the problem with Angel and said for them to keep going, but suddenly the other helicopter turned around and landed next to the first one.

Angel got off, plus most of the loose equipment on the helicopter so they could handle extra weight. Aari, the pilot and Alizea got on and the helicopter took off speedily, heading toward the border. Sky, Angel, Rochelle and Colette remained behind, with as many supplies as they could carry. Angel could speak a few phrases of Russian, but that was all.

The other girls could not say more than a few words. So, they would try to stay away from people, if at all possible. They really didn’t have very far to go, about a day’s walk if they move quickly and don’t have any interruptions. But is that really possible? Sky communicated the new plans to Jennifer and Carine.

Jennifer told them to be careful, don’t take chances and remember that Rochelle and Colette are not ghosts, so look after them carefully. Of course the area was soon filled with soldiers looking for the occupants of the helicopter. There were also helicopters and planes flying overhead, looking for any movement on the ground below.

But, with only the four of them, it was easy for our two ghosts to keep the other two invisible with them. They just had to make sure they kept holding hands. They tried to run as much as possible, but Rochelle and Colette couldn’t keep up with Sky and Angel, they got tired out quickly, even though they were in good physical condition at the start of this rescue.

However, they haven’t been eating much or sleeping well. Then Colette tripped over a rock and twisted her ankle, so it was necessary to stop and rest for a while. They couldn’t stop long though, so Angel got down on her hands and knees and suddenly the huge lion was ready to carry Colette. Unfortunately they didn’t have the saddle anymore, so Colette had to sort of lie down on the lion’s back, holding onto the strap they put around the lion’s neck.

Then off they went again! Once they were a bit closer to the border, then Rochelle will climb onto the lion too so they could run faster for that last part. Sky didn’t want Angel to strain herself too soon, even though Angel said it would be okay. At least they could all still remain invisible, even with Angel as a lion, so that helped them a lot, they don’t have to worry about anyone seeing them.

And they can also walk or run silently this way. As the day wore on, Angel was now carrying both Colette and Rochelle. By doing this now they could really cover a lot of distance in a short time and they could finally see the border ahead. They had to move along the border for a while since they didn’t quite come out where they needed to be.

However, it didn’t take them long to arrive at the right place and they saw Aari and the others waiting for them at the designated spot. But there were soldiers everywhere along here, so there was only one way to cross and that meant making a large jump! Sky made the jump easily by herself and Angel, as a lion, made the jump easily even with her two passengers.

They became visible again on the safe side and Aari had cars waiting for them and they were soon driving away. Sky quickly communicated with Jennifer and Carine that their team was safely in Latvia and with Aari and his team.

Jennifer responded that it was good to hear, but then something happened and she told Sky the train was making an unscheduled stop in what looked like just a small village. Then she was horrified to see some real FSB agents…

To Be Continued.

©2025 Steve McLeod.