Before dawn, two Ospreys returned to Herbert Air Force Base in Florida.
The fierce wind from the rotors had not yet dissipated when an Air Force major shouted angrily over the radio:
"Where the hell did you two crews go? You're three hours late for the night flight training, I almost thought you crashed."
A crew member responded over the radio, "Sir, we had a mechanical failure during the flight and had to make an emergency landing. We only came back after resolving the issue."
"Do you think I'm an idiot? If you really had a malfunction, you wouldn't have made it back at all."
Disbelieving, the major stormed out of the control tower, got into a jeep, and drove to the tarmac to board one of the Ospreys.
Inside the cabin, the pilot gave another explanation, "A human trafficking gang kidnapped two young women. When exposed, they might kill them to destroy the evidence at any moment.