Chapter 56 - The Strait of Dover
The white cliffs of Dover rose out of the storm like pale phantoms in the night. The English Channel was a chaotic cauldron of black waves, twelve-foot swells crashing violently against the rocky shallows.
Below the roaring helicopter, Vance’s yacht, *The Leviathan*, was carving through the heavy sea, its bow plunging into towering waves and throwing massive plumes of spray into the gale.
"She’s making for French territorial waters!" Daniel shouted over the turbine scream, peering through night-vision binoculars. "Once she crosses into French jurisdiction, international maritime protocols will delay any airborne interdiction by hours. We have six minutes before she hits the boundary line!"
"Then we board her now," Emma said, strapping a tactical harness tight over her ballistic vest.
"The sea state is too rough for a rooftop hover!" the pilot yelled back. "The deck is pitching ten feet on every swell! If you fast-rope down, the wash could throw you directly into the props!"
"Then get us as close as you can!" Emma ordered, racking the slide of her weapon. "I am not watching that boat cross the line!"
Daniel looked at Emma, seeing the absolute lack of fear in her eyes. A soldier recognized that state of mind: when death was no longer a consideration, only the objective remained. He nodded silently, checking his carbine and hooking his carabiner to the descender rig.
The helicopter dropped like a stone, matching the pitch and roll of the violently pitching yacht. Salt spray lashed the open cabin door as the pilot fought the fifty-knot crosswinds. Below them, armed mercenaries on *The Leviathan's* aft deck raised assault rifles, opening fire into the sky.
Tracers lit up the black storm clouds. Bullets tore through the helicopter's undercarriage.
"Go! Go!" Daniel yelled, kicking the heavy rope out into the gale.
May you like
Emma didn't hesitate. She grabbed the line, kicking out into the abyss of wind and black water, dropping thirty feet through a hail of gunfire directly onto the wet, pitching teak of *The Leviathan*.
***
