Syrian airspace, 100 kilometres from the Menagh Military Airbase
It was 10 in the evening. Unbeknownst to anyone on the ground, a fleet of five armed Comanche stealth helicopters was heading toward the rebel stronghold -- the Menagh Military Airbase, which was fifty kilometres away from Aleppo. Together with the allied troops' Hummer rescue squad on the ground, the fleet was to seize the airbase from the rebels in order to help provide safe passage to the allied forces and orphans trapped in the Sukkari district.
The pilot of the lead Comanche turned to his co-pilot. "Lieutenant Hidalgo, prepare to engage in ten minutes."
His co-pilot nodded, and briefly looked at the coordinates of the airbase, and the contents of the dossier on side of the helicopter. The folder contained the layout of the airbase, which pinpointed the air strip, as well as the hangars where the rebels kept the rescue vehicles they seized from a previous rescue attempt.
A few hours ago, in Lebanon, Lieutenant Hidalgo was introduced to the allied Comanche team, as the person who knew the whereabouts of the orphans and the soldiers who were still trapped in Sukkari. Two days ago, the forces of President al-Assad thrashed a makeshift clinic, in an effort to seize or kill all those were trying to help out any resident of Aleppo. Fortunately, the other few remaining residents in the area knew of tunnels where they could hide while the government forces scoured the area. But both the Comanche and Hummer teams knew that they had to act fast; they received intelligence that Turkey will send its armed forces to Aleppo in the days to come, in order to secure the rebels' supplies that the warring sides were attempting to cut off.
What was only known to Lieutenant Hidalgo, however, was that, aside from the orphans and soldiers, two doctors from the MSF were trapped along with them, one of whom was in critical condition. The doctor needed immediate emergency care, if he was to survive. The plan was to bring him to the airbase and airlift him to the UAE, where the MSF Middle East headquarters was located.
And only Lieutenant Hidalgo knew that the ailing doctor, Dr. Ric Faulkerson, was an oblate, just like her.
Lieutenant Hidalgo was none other than Dei Maria, the new oblate initiated one day back in Abbaye Saint-Pierre Solesmes.
The lead pilot, Colonel Moeed Khan, motioned to her that they were above the airbase. She nodded once more, took off her helmet, and went to the back of the Comanche. Colonel Khan proceeded to bring the helicopter a hundred feet lower, just enough for her to lower herself down to the airbase. Once the helicopter door opened, Dei Maria took her position, grabbed the rope, and started her descent. In her peripheral vision, she saw the other members of the Comanche fleet make their descent, as well.
Down on the ground, they were met by the Hummer team, led by Colonel Aditya Lone. "We've secured the area. The Marauders and the GHE-O rescue vehicles are over there," he said, pointing to one of the hangars.
"I'm taking the GHE-O," Dei Maria said. With that, she, together with the rest of the team, ran to the hangar.
Inside the hangar, the other members of the Hummer team were there to assist them. One of them gave the keys to the GHE-O rescue to Dei Maria, and she climbed on the 3,200 kg monster vehicle. She took a brief look at the interiors, which she already was familiar with, given all the information provided to her at the abbey.
This baby is way cooler than my race car, she thought, smiling to herself.
She, then, started the GHE-O, adjusted the gears, and grabbed the radio by the steering wheel and spoke through it.
"Boys, time to roll to Aleppo."
