The Puma left the ground. The combination of relatively slow speeds compared to a plane, and proximity to the earth and sea offered her the familiar feeling of unparalleled intimacy with flight that only helicopter pilots knew so well.
The helicopter rose slowly, going up vertically for several meters and for a second or two Maria felt and odd sensation as if the machine was going to slip backwards into the buildings behind them. Then Utah tipped the craft forward slightly and instantly they were over the water of Jelsa bay. They began to accelerate and head out toward the waiting yacht.
Maria focused her eyes on the yacht through the darkness of the night and rain. She could make out some movement on the deck and she became acutely aware that things were not going according to plan. They had waited too long to fly out and her fears that Roman would become suspicious were being realized. From the deck of the “Kristina O” about 300 yards out, a small but intense light on the deck flared to life. “Look out!” She screamed as she suddenly recognized what she was seeing. They had just fired a rocket propelled grenade at them.
But Utah has seen it too and he was already taking evasive maneuvers.
The helicopter swung hard and rolled to the left. But they weren’t high off the surface of the water. Maria grabbed in vain for something to hold onto but the sudden turning threw her clear out the open side door and she fell backwards into space, falling and watching the helicopter attempt to dodge the incoming rocket as the water level rose up. A second before she hit she saw the rocket collide in a violent explosion into the tail of the puma.
