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.She looked worn out by the day and flying in thechopper was probably going to unnerve her a good bit.As it turned out, the power down and dropping feeling woke her up instantly."Are we okay?" she asked, sitting up hurriedly and wiping her eyes."Fine," Mike said."We're on descent to Tbilisi airport.There's a helicopterwaiting for us there.""Okay," the girl said, her eyes wide as the plane bumped through someturbulence."That's normal, too," Mike said."Pockets of thicker or denser air cause theplane to go up and down a bit." Mike thought there must be a front in the areasince the plane lurched again."Lean over here," he said, sliding sideways andputting his arm around her."It'll be okay."Mike leaned over and looked out the window and was surprised to see that theair was clear.You got clear air turbulence from time to time, but rarely thissevere.Page 63 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"Captain?" he said, keying the intercom."Are we following someone down?""Spot on, sir," the copilot answered."We're behind an Airbus.I think we'reprobably too close, frankly, but nothing we can't handle.And this is whereTbilisi control wants us to be.""Back off a bit if you can do it discreetly," Mike said."The ride is gettinga little rough."When a plane passes through it disturbs the air," Mike continued toAnastasia."It settles out pretty quickly, normally, but if you're close toother aircraft it makes this happen; the plane goes up and down.""Will it make us crash?" Anastasia asked."Not hardly," Mike replied."These business jets are built very tough and verymaneuverable.AndHardesty is a great pilot.This is not a problem.""Okay," the girl said, sighing."It's all new.""And a bit scary," Mike said."More than just the flight.You'll be okay, Ipromise."Hardesty greased the landing and was careful on the braking, obviously keepingin mind his junior passenger.Tbilisi airport had been built to support Sovietbombers during the Cold War and it had plenty of runway for an easy brake.About halfway down the runway he took a right, instead of the normal left tothe terminal, and followed a series of turns to stop not more than seventymeters from a Blackhawk with its rotor already turning."This is your stop, sir," the copilot said, coming into the main cabin."Up we get, dear," Mike said to Anastasia.The luggage was secured in an underside compartment with a door behind theleft wing.As the copilot opened the door, a Georgian lieutenant gestured foran enlisted man to help.Between the three of them, the copilot, Mike and the Georgian soldier, it onlytook one trip for the bags.Mike, frankly, could have humped them all himself, but he wasn't about to getin the way of the dance.He ended up with just his briefcase and personal bag.He led Anastasia over to the helicopter and started to strap her into one ofthe comfortable chairs in the center of the chopper's cargo bay, but shepointed to one of the jump seats."I would like to look out, if I may," she said, diffidently."Sit wherever you'd like," Mike said, leading her over to the seat andstrapping her in.Unlike the passenger seats, the jump seat had a four-pointrestraint system and when hooked up it hiked her skirt all the way up to thetop of her stockings.She discreetly pulled it back down on the sides, butthere wasn't any way to cover up the inner thigh."Perhaps I should." she said, waving at the regular passenger seats whichhad normal "airline"seatbelts."I like the view just fine," Mike replied, picking up a headset and putting iton her and then following with one for himself."Pilot?" he asked in Georgian."Yes, Kildar," the pilot replied."Are you ready for us to take off?""At your leisure," Mike replied."Thanks for the ride.""It is an honor, Kildar," the pilot said.The rotors increased in speed and Mike looked out to see if they'd form ahalo.Sometimes, when the dust was just right, static discharge would form onthe rotors.It would slide down to the edge of them, like little lightningbolts, and the effect would look exactly like a silver halo on the ends of therotors.Not this time, alas.Anastasia would have liked it.However, it wasalso a sign of increased rotor wear, so he thought he should be thankful."Are you okay?" he asked as the bird lifted into the air.There was anPage 64 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlintercom control on his seat panel and he'd switched it so that he was onlytalking to the girl."Fine," Anastasia squeaked, nervously.But she leaned forward and watched asthey lifted."This is beautiful.I had thought I'd be afraid, but I am only alittle.This is very interesting to watch."The bird spiraled up to about two thousand feet above ground level and thenheaded southeast towards the valley of the Keldara.The moon was only aquarter, but once they got away from the city lights and their eyes adjusted,it lit up the landscape like day."This is so beautiful," Anastasia whispered."There are so many trees.I'dforgotten how much I like trees.It must be very green in the day.""It is at the moment," Mike said, looking out for himself."The trees are justcoming out in their leaves and it's greening up nicely.The tops of themountains, though, reach above the tree line.Some of them are snow-coveredyear round.""Where I came from there were many trees," the girl said, quietly."But nomountains.""Lots of mountains in Georgia," Mike said.He'd noticed that the helicopterwas on a continuous fair climb, even after the upward spiral, but as itapproached the mountains it turned south into another spiral, fighting foraltitude."We are going very high," Anastasia said, breathing deeply in incipient panic."High mountains," Mike pointed out."We'll be fine.These things are rated forten thousand feet with a load of troops.This is easy flying."As they headed into the mountains, below the peaks, the helicopter began tobuffet in the crosswinds and Anastasia squeaked and closed her eyes."This I don't like," the girl said."I think I am getting a little sick.""Try opening your eyes," Mike said, rummaging around in the seats until hefound an airsick bag.The package was paper with a plastic bag on the inside,which he extracted and handed across to the girl."If you have to go, go inthat."They crossed through a saddle, with tree-covered slopes on both sides thatseemed close enough the rotors should have hit the branches, then started todescend, banking through a series of turns as thehelicopter followed the complex angles of the valleys.The crosswinds hadsettled down, though, and while the chopper was banking, it wasn't going upand down so much.With the change of motion, Anastasia seemed to get over hersickness, sitting with the bag in her hand but a rapt expression on her faceas the chopper banked past the hills.At one point it practically stood on itsleft side, letting her get a close look at the ground below and leaving herhanging in her straps."This is fun," she said in surprise as the chopper leveled back out."That it is," Mike admitted."I really need to get one for a dozen differentreasons
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