by Dirk Patton
“If you’ll forgive me, you’d be bored to tears inside a month. And as far as forty-one years of service, well… that just means your well-seasoned, sir,” West said with a perfectly straight face.
“Don’t you have somewhere to be, Captain?” Packard asked, shaking his head in resignation.
“Yes, sir. I need to go check on what I hear is the misappropriation of Navy resources. Seems our printing office is churning out a bunch of political signs for the upcoming election. But, I doubt I’ll be able to identify the perpetrators. I’d also better check on the rumors that our people are putting up those signs all around the island. Don’t worry, sir. I’ll stay on top of this illegal activity throughout the election!”
40
“Goddamn it! Take it easy, will you?”
Vance yelled as the wheelchair gently bumped into a piece of equipment sitting near an Apache helicopter. I didn’t blame him one bit. In fact, I truly felt sorry for the poor bastard.
“Going to be Christmas, soon,” I said, pushing him across the smooth floor to where Nitro and Tiffany stood.
“What the hell’s that got to do with anything?”
“Just wondering if you’d like to go see the Nutcracker.”
He was quiet for a beat before tilting his head back to look at me.
“You’re not a nice man. Anyone ever tell you that?”
“I prefer the term ‘asshole,’ ” I said, chuckling.
Vance laughed, then groaned as the movement tweaked his injury. Dog raced ahead to greet Tiffany who went to a knee to wrap her arms around his thick neck.
“Sure you’re OK to fly?” I asked, all levity gone.
“I’m good to go,” he gasped.
I softly clapped him on the shoulder and didn’t say anything else.
Earlier, when I’d walked into medical, Rachel had been inserting a catheter into his penis so he didn’t have to walk to the latrine. The General was standing on the far side of the bed, her back turned to give him some privacy, or so she didn’t have to see his wound. I’d gotten a quick look, turning away and involuntarily shuddering. His scrotum was bright red and had swollen so much it looked like two softballs were hanging between his legs.
“It’s worse than it looks,” he quipped when he saw me turn my head.
“Nothing’s worse than that looks,” I said, facing the wall.
“You’re not helping,” Rachel said as she taped the catheter tube to Vance’s leg.
“Can you fly?” I asked him, ignoring her rebuke.
“Depends,” he said. “No way I’m squeezing into a G-suit and getting into an F-18, but give me a bag of ice and I could probably handle a C-130. Why?”
“OK, he’s good,” Rachel said.
I turned around, glad to see Vance’s privates were covered by a sheet. There was no way I wanted another look at what had been done to him. In fact, just thinking about it made my boys ache.
“I’m more than good, sweetie,” he said, winking at Rachel. “Ever seen a pair of balls this big before?”
Despite my history with the man, I couldn’t get mad at him. In fact, I snorted a chuckle, earning a faux dirty look from Rachel. She patted Vance on the shoulder and moved aside, shaking her head and trying not to smile.
“So. Flying?” I prompted. “What about a helicopter?”
“Maybe,” he said. “Again, why? What’s the rush?”
“The fuckers that did that to you are still outside,” I said, waggling my finger in the General direction of his crotch. “They’re still trying to get inside, and I’d rather not be here when they do.”
“Why didn’t you say so?”
He started to sit up, his face immediately registering pain. Gently, he laid his head back, breathing deeply through his nose.
“What about it, Doc?” He asked several seconds later. “Got something you can shoot my sack up with that’ll numb the pain? Something that won’t fuck with my head so I can fly?”
“I can give you a local, but I’m worried about you tearing open those stitches and causing more damage,” Rachel said.
“More damage than what will be done if we don’t get out of here?” He asked, one eyebrow arched.
Rachel had her arms crossed over her chest, staring at him. She turned to look at me, but I didn’t say anything. She knew the situation and didn’t need any prompting on my part.
“When do we need to do this?” She finally asked.
“Now would be a good time,” I said.
After another pause, she nodded and moved to a cabinet that held multiple vials of various drugs.
“So, where are we going?” Vance asked as Rachel began preparing some syringes.
“Hawaii,” I said.
“How? Russians got the whole coast locked up. At least they did the last time we talked to Pearl, and that was just yesterday.”
“Go south and loop around Baja?” I asked.
“Again, how? I haven’t seen anything that will hold enough fuel to go that far out of our way, and there sure as hell aren’t any gas stations between here and there.”
“Why Hawaii?” The General asked.
“Last outpost of America,” I said. “Things are still relatively normal, there. Or, at least that’s what I’m told. And, it’s a stop off for me to get to Australia.”
“Is Australia OK, too?” She asked.
I nodded.
“What’s there? Why not stay in Hawaii?” Vance asked.
“Personal business,” I said, not wanting to go into details.
They both looked at me for a moment, and I could tell they wanted to ask questions. Rachel forestalled that by stepping to the side of the bed with two syringes in her hand. She glanced at each of us as she reached for the sheet covering Vance’s body. I quickly turned my back.
“OK,” I said, facing the wall. “What about at Nellis? It’s what… maybe a hundred air miles from here?”
“Maybe,” Vance said, grunting in pain as Rachel began injecting him. “Depends on what’s sitting there. We could also try the Vegas airport. Probably a few big commercial jets still on the tarmac. One of those should make the trip, as long as we can top it off before we leave.”
“We’ll start with Nellis,” I said. “General, you said you can fly a helo?”
“It’s been a lot of years, but yes, I can.”
Vance grunted again, then there was the rustle of fabric as Rachel pulled the sheet back up. I risked a glance over my shoulder, turning around when I saw she’d finished administering the local anesthetic. The pilot looked at me, his face waxen and covered in a sheen of sweat.
“You sure you can fly?” I asked him, worried.
“I can do it,” he said, nodding. “But, if I’m flying, why are you asking her if she can?”
“Because we’ve got a few hundred armed men outside,” I said. “I know they’ve been into the armory at Nellis, and I’m a little worried they have more Stingers. Remember at the lake?”
“They do,” the General said.
“How many?” Vance asked. “They popped one off at me when we picked up the girls in the lake.”
“I saw six,” she said. “So, what’s your plan?”
She looked at me, Vance and Rachel doing the same.
“Found a couple of hangars full of helicopters,” I said. “Apaches, Cobras and what I’m pretty sure are next-gen prototypes. I’m thinking Commander Vance here uses an attack helo to clear out the enemy at the gate. Once things are safe, well, a little safer, you fly the rest of us out in the Chinook we brought with us. Can you handle something that big?”
“Do I have a choice?” She asked. “There’s nothing else that will hold all of us.”
“What about it, Vance?” I asked. “Think you’re up to kicking some ass?”
“You do remember that the Chinook is outside, right? That you’re going to have to go out there with them to get to it?”
I didn’t remember that. I’d been unconscious when he’d brought us to Groom Lake.
&
nbsp; “Fuel status?” Anna asked.
“Should make it to Nellis, no problem,” Vance answered. “But that’ll be it. Flew from Luke in Arizona with a little detour and some time on station at Lake Meade. Burned a lot of gas with the low altitude maneuvering.”
“Where is it?” I asked, drawing a blank look from him.
“Outside on a helipad,” he said. “Other than that, I can’t tell you.”
“We landed near the entrance the Rangers breached when we first got here,” Rachel said.
Reaching up to my ear, I activated the radio and called Johnson. It didn’t take him long to respond that he had spotted the Chinook on a security camera and it didn’t appear that the militia had messed with it.
“Well, then that’s what we’re going to have to do,” I said, turning to the General. “Anna, did the militia get any night vision from Nellis?”
“Not that I know of,” she said. “I was focused on the munitions they were taking. Trying to make sure the idiots didn’t blow themselves, and me, up. But, they do have some low-grade civilian units. I’m not sure how effective they are.”
I stood there for close to a minute, thinking about the tactical situation before making a decision.
“OK, we’re going at dusk,” I finally said, glancing at my watch and noting we had less than an hour to be ready. “Anything they’ve got will be limited compared to military grade, so it won’t do them much good, if any, as the light is fading. Questions?”
There were several, but none of them had to do with the immediate task at hand. Putting them aside, I called Igor into the room, and together we assisted Vance into a wheelchair. Even with the injections, he was hurting like hell by the time we got him situated.
I gave instructions to Igor, Goose, Rachel and Anna. They would be responsible for having all the girls waiting near the exit, ready to go. Bunny, Monk and Gonzales would stay at their posts, guarding the stairwell entrances, until the last moment. Johnson would remain in security, keeping an eye on the activity outside the building while Nitro and Tiffany waited in the hangar for me and Dog to arrive with Vance.
41
“Holy shit!” Vance breathed when we circled around a Super Cobra and he got a look at the aircraft Nitro and Tiffany were standing next to. “That’s a fucking FVL!”
I came to a stop, looking at the machine. The fuselage was roughly the size and shape of a Black Hawk but had been severely streamlined. Looking up, I could see that it held two main rotors, stacked on top of each other. The other main difference was that the tail rotor had been replaced by a rear-facing propeller.
“What’s an FVL?” I asked.
“Next generation helicopter. Future Vertical Lift. I’ve heard rumors but didn’t realize they had a working prototype. See that?” He asked, pointing at the main rotors. “Coaxial. Counter rotating! Know what that means?”
“No clue,” I said.
“Less speed loading and almost no rotor wash! Ever landed in the desert and been blinded by all the sand being blown around? Well, of course you have. And look at that! A pusher prop in place of the tail rotor! This baby has gotta be fast and agile as hell! Probably damn quiet, too!”
“OK,” I said, slightly amused at his enthusiasm, which seemed to have made him forget about his injury. “That’s fine, but which one will get the job done?”
Nitro and Tiffany had walked over as Vance was gushing about the helicopter.
“All are fueled,” Tiffany said.
“What about ordnance?” Vance asked.
“The Cobra,” Nitro said, turning and pointing. “Two Apaches, and whatever the hell that thing is.”
“That’s an FVL,” I said in an important voice.
“Give it up, boss. You wouldn't know that if he hadn’t already told you.”
Vance stared longingly at the FVL before sighing and twisting around to survey the other options.
“Better go with what I’ve flown before,” he said, nodding at the Super Cobra. “Wheel me over so I can see how it’s armed.”
I did as he asked and a few minutes later he declared he was satisfied.
“So, what’s the plan, boss?” Nitro asked after we helped Vance out of the chair and into the cockpit.
“How’s he going to fly?” Tiffany interrupted. “Can’t fly a helicopter without your legs.”
“Legs work fine, sweetie,” Vance said, smiling down at her. “I just like making him help me.”
I shook my head and pulled the wheelchair well away from the aircraft as I quickly filled Nitro in on our plans.
“Hey! Knuckle draggers!” Vance shouted. “You gonna hook up and give me a tow, or what?”
“Gonna make your face look and feel like your balls if you don’t shut up!” Nitro yelled back.
I glanced up at the pilot’s grinning face as Nitro jogged to an electric powered tug that was parked near the closest wall. Far across the hangar was a broad tunnel that led to a helipad with a retractable roof. Seemed a little too sci-fi movieish to me, but I suppose it was one of the ways Area 51 kept secret test aircraft under wraps.
“Sir, we’ve got a problem.”
Johnson’s voice in my earpiece.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, pressing the bud deeper.
“Militia’s gathering around our ride. Must be fifty of ‘em huddled around the Chinook, and more comin’.”
“Say that again,” I ordered.
I’d heard him, it just didn’t register. Not at first. I listened carefully as he repeated himself.
“Stand by,” I said after he’d finished giving me the bad news a second time.
What the fuck? Why would they do that? Unless…
“What’s wrong?” Tiffany asked, but I ignored her.
“Nitro!” I bellowed.
He had already boarded the tug and pulled to a stop next to me.
“Militia’s gathering around the Chinook,” I said.
“What? Why the fuck they doing that?” He asked, surprise clear on his face.
“Only one reason I can think of. If they’re close to the aircraft we need to escape, that means we can’t put Vance in the air to shoot them and risk damaging our ride out of here.”
“Yeah, OK, but how the hell would they…” his voice trailed off as realization dawned on his face. “We got a fuckin traitor!”
I nodded slowly, seething inside as I stared at him.
“Who?” Tiffany blurted, but both of us ignored her.
“I know what you’re thinkin’, boss,” Nitro said, staring back at me. “No way. He wouldn’t do that.”
“What am I thinking, Nitro?”
“You’re thinkin’ Goose because he was a prick about your big Russian friend. I’m tellin’ you, he’s a stand-up guy.”
“How long you known him, Nitro?” I asked.
“Couple years.”
He shrugged.
“If not him, then who? He obviously isn’t happy with Igor or me, or any of this. Who the fuck else would have a reason to alert the militia to our plans?”
“Not my guys!” Nitro said, stepping off the tug and coming to stand directly in front of me. “How well you know your people?”
“Careful,” I growled.
“Fuck careful,” Nitro said through his teeth. “You know me better’n this. Don’t go fuckin’ making accusations until you’ve checked your own goddamn house!”
“Stop!” Tiffany stepped between us and put a hand on each of our chests, pushing. Neither of us budged. “Jesus, you two are like a couple of wild dogs protecting your turf. Quit flexing and think about it for a minute!”
She pushed again, this time both of us allowing her to move us back a step.
“Say what you’re thinking,” I said to her without taking my eye off Nitro.
I was pissed, but not at him. He was just the recipient of my anger.
“How many people knew about the plan to use the Chinook?” She asked, glaring up at me with her arms crossed over her chest.
; “Everyone,” I grumbled, then realized that wasn’t accurate. “Well, not everyone. Rachel and the General were there when I came up with it. And I told Igor and Goose and Irina so they could get the girls moved to the exit and ready to go.”
“Who else?” Tiffany asked.
“Johnson.”
“What about Gonzales and Nicole, or Bunny or Monk?”
I shook my head. All I’d told them was to be ready to haul ass to the exit when I called.
“And you just told us two minutes ago,” she continued. “That means we couldn’t have done it. Not with you standing here with us.”
“Fine,” I said. “Now we know who couldn’t have betrayed us. How do we find out who did?”
“Wow, didn’t you ever read or watch TV? Like a mystery novel or a detective show? Motive, means and opportunity! That’s what it always is. So, motive. Who would want to sell us out? Help the militia?”
I stared at her for a long moment, finally shrugging my shoulders. She turned and looked at Nitro who shook his head.
“Well, what about means, then? How did someone do it? We’re locked down, right? So, they had to have used a radio. Who has a radio that can talk to the militia?”
I looked at Nitro and raised the brow over my good eye.
“You guys lived with them for months. Sharing radio freqs?”
After a long pause, he lowered his gaze and nodded.
“And maybe someone got a little friendlier than you realized? Sympathetic, even?”
“No way, boss,” Nitro said. “I’d have seen something. I’ve been through a world of shit with these guys, before and after the attacks. I’d know if one of them was betraying me.”
“Hey! Grunts!” We all turned to look up at Vance when he shouted. “Has to be a radio, right? Well, the Navy monitors and logs every single radio transmission on and around its bases. This is Air Force, but I’ll bet they do the same. Especially at this place.”
I stared at him with my mouth open. He was right. If that part of the security system was still operating, we’d be able to hear the transmission that warned the enemy of our plans!
Nitro and I quickly got him out of the cockpit, returning him to the wheelchair when Tiffany brought it over. I pushed as we hurried out of the hangar, on our way to the security office.