Trouble in the Pipeline Read Online Free PDF

off, rising above the dark, billowing clouds. Tanook was whimpering in the back as they rose from the ground.
    "Will the dogs be all right?" Frank asked.
    "No one in Alaska will shoot a dog," Virgil said. He glanced down at the clearing to make sure what he said was true. Frank and Joe looked down, too. They could see the enemy running for the one good chopper. The dogs pursued them, barking and growling, but they stopped short of attacking.
    Virgil headed for Prudhoe. Even at some distance, they could still see the plume of smoke rising from the burning chopper.
    "We'll go in over the mountains," Virgil was saying. "Who knows how fast their copter is."
    They looked back. The last North Slope helicopter was in the air and coming after them. It was bigger than Virgil's, and probably faster.
    "What'll we do if they catch up with us?" Frank asked.
    Virgil shrugged. "First try to lose them. If we can't do that, then we'll worry about being caught." He turned the copter abruptly and began to drop closer to the ground.
    "I know these valleys," he said. "If we can get behind a mountain, we can hide from them, put down, and disguise the chopper. They may be faster, but we're quicker. There's a difference."
    Virgil looked grim, but he couldn't resist turning on the stereo. A heavy rock beat came thudding dramatically from the speakers, drowning out the sound from the engines and rotor. Joe turned to Frank, grinning. "Music to escape by," he mouthed. It was like a movie soundtrack. There they were, swooping across the Brooks Range, pursued by a helicopter while listening to the same music they'd heard at Lisa Shannon's party.
    "This is something else," Joe cried, taking in the scenery and keeping an eye on the approaching chopper. "Virgil, they're gaining on us."
    "Not much I can do," Virgil responded. He craned his neck around to see the enemy. When he realized how close they were, he hung a hard right and dropped into a narrow valley.
    "Better try it now," he said. But the North Slope chopper was right behind them and seemed to have no trouble keeping up.
    Suddenly Virgil leaned forward and began to fiddle with the throttle controls. He tapped the gauges, muttering to himself.
    "What's wrong?" Frank asked.
    "Doesn't feel good," he said, adjusting two more knobs. "It's like we're running out of fuel, but that's not possible. I filled it up this morning."
    Frank and Joe felt helpless.
    "No," Virgil said grimly. "Something's definitely wrong. We're losing altitude, and the fuel is way down." The engine skipped and sputtered. Joe leaned back in his seat and tried to see the enemy. Little drops of moisture appeared on the window next to him.
    "Hey, it's raining," he said, tapping on the glass. But it didn't make any sense. The sun was out. There wasn't any moisture on any of the other windows.
    The engine began to cough more and more. Joe looked up to see what was happening. Not a cloud in the sky. What he did see was a stream of fuel pouring out of a bullet hole in their gas tank.
    "We've got a leak," he said over the sound of the music, which must have masked the gunshots. "It's coming down my side."
    As Virgil glanced over to see the growing stream roll down the window, the engine stopped for a good five seconds. The music shut down, and the chopper began to fall like a stone.

Chapter 6
    THE SUDDEN SILENCE was eerie. No music, no rotor. Just the click of the engine ticking down as it cooled. The plunge to the earth felt the same as if they'd been on a good roller coaster—but a lot less fun.
    "Hold on," Virgil said calmly. He flipped a switch and began to pull on a knob on the control panel. "Let's hope this works." Virgil's face was tense as he turned the ignition off and then back on again.
    "What are you doing?" Joe asked, his voice tight.
    "Got a reserve tank," Virgil explained. "Never use it. Don't know if it's full or how the line is."
    The starter cranked over and over, but the engine only coughed and died. The ground came