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They had entered Lizzie's eye Below, a restless sea reflected the blue of the sky It was like flying into a giant tube whose circular walls were forged with swirling, i inside a vast whirlpool whose pit led to Hades

Barrett banked and circled within the eye while the athered their data After nearly ten ray wall Again, the aircraft shuddered as if it was under attack by all the furies of the gods Abruptly, it felt like a giant's fist had s Anything that wasn't tied down in the cockpit--papers, folders, coffee cups, briefcases--was hurled against the starboard bulkhead No sooner had the gust passed than a blast of even increased force hurled the aircraft through the tur all that loose debris crashing against the opposite side of the cockpit The double shock caainst a backstop Barrett and Boozer were nearly frozen in shock Neither had ever experienced a collision with a wind gust of that nitude, and not one but two in almost as many seconds It was unheard of

The Orion shuddered and fell off in an uncontrolled bank to the port

Barrett felt a sudden loss of power and his eyes iled to level out the aircraft "I'ine Can you see if she's still turning?"

"Oh God!" h his side"Nuone!"

"Then shut it down!" Barrett snapped

"There's nothing left to shut down It's fallen away"

Histhe Orion, Barrett twisted the wheel on the control colu Boozer's dire report He sensed so with the aerodyna to his physical coiant rope with a weight was pulling the starboard wing from behind

At last he brought Gertie into level flight Only then did Boozer's words coine, torn fros by the violent assault of the stor the starboard drag He leaned forward and stared past Boozer

Where the Allison turboprop engine had been attached to the as now an es, severed hydraulic, oil and fuel lines,It shouldn't have happened, thought Barrett, incredulous Engines simply did not drop off aircraft, not even under the worst turbulence

Then he counted nearly thirty e where the rivets had popped out His foreboding grew as he saw several cracks in the stressed aluminum skin

A voice from the main compartment came over his headphones "We have injuries back here and "

"Those who are able, tend to the injured We're heading for home"

"If we can make it," Boozer said pessimistically He pointed out Barrett's side"We have a fire in number three"

"Shut it down!"