by Dirk Patton
44
A chilly night breeze was blowing steadily across the tarmac as we loaded everyone aboard the Chinook. Dog, Rachel and I stood to the side as Igor and Goose wheeled an unconscious Angela into the aircraft. She’d become frantic, and after the two men physically restrained her, Rachel had given her a sedative.
“The baby will be OK?” I asked.
“Should be,” Rachel said, not sounding completely confident. “Either way, it’s better off than having the mother fighting with everyone and trying to escape. She took a chunk out of Igor because he was trying to be gentle with her.”
I nodded, looking over at where Nitro and Gonzales stood guard over five men who were on their knees. They had managed to shelter inside the Chinook when the females attacked and hadn’t tried to fight when we found them.
“What are you going to do with them?” Rachel asked.
I paused at the roar of a helicopter passing directly overhead, but couldn’t see it in the dark. Vance was making repeated, slow orbits around us, keeping watch with the Super Cobra’s night targeting system.
“Still thinking about it,” I mumbled when the sound receded, then turned when there was a shout from behind.
Anna was hurrying forward, Chelsea at her side, and from the look on her face she was ready to tear someone a new asshole. I stepped around Rachel and intercepted her with both hands raised.
“You know them?” I asked, meaning the prisoners we’d taken.
Anna started to open her mouth, then paused as the girls approached. Several of them hurled curses towards the men on their knees, one of them rushing forward and getting close enough to spit in one’s face before I could grab her. Chelsea and Tiffany moved in on either side and guided her into the waiting helicopter. A minute later, the last of the girls disappeared inside with Irina bringing up the rear.
“That him?” Rachel asked.
“That’s the animal,” Anna hissed.
The exit door from the facility banged open, Bunny, Monk and Johnson running to join us. They gathered around Nicole, asking her in a whisper what was going on.
“What do you want to do with him?” I asked Anna, resisting the urge to draw my knife and perform a castration.
“Them,” she said with barely controlled anger. “They were all involved in taking the girls.”
I turned and looked at the group of frightened men. They were all in their forties and before the attacks wouldn’t have drawn a second look from anyone. But, dire events bring out the best in some people, and the worst in others. I’ve always thought it’s simpler than that. Difficult times reveal a person’s true colors, no matter how well they were hidden from polite society.
Turning towards them, I clicked off the safety on my rifle. There was no longer a decision to make. These assholes had made it for me. Before I could take a step, Anna placed her hand on my arm.
“If I’d been stronger, this wouldn’t have happened,” she said. “I’ll clean this up.”
I looked at her, seeing the determination in her eyes. Rachel stood slightly behind her, catching my eye and nodding. Anna drew one of her pistols and turned to face the frightened men. When they saw her with a weapon in hand, they began begging for mercy. They shouted apologies as the reality of their situation dawned on them. One of them scrambled to his feet and began running.
“Nitro!” Anna spoke, her voice low and hard.
Nitro snapped his rifle up, took half a second to adjust aim and pulled the trigger. The bullet punched into the middle of the man’s back, sending him sprawling face first onto the tarmac where he didn’t move again.
Anna walked directly to the first man in line. The one the girl had spat on. He shrank away, tears on his face as he begged her not to kill him. She stared down for nearly half a minute, then stepped sideways and shot the prisoner next to him.
Before the body hit the ground, she turned slightly and killed the next man. The last man, other than the confirmed rapist, fell back and began crawling away, snot bubbling from his nose and voice cracking as he begged for mercy. Anna gave him none, striding forward and firing a single bullet into his head.
Rachel had moved next to me and when Anna killed the fourth man, she took my hand in hers and squeezed tightly. I glanced at her, seeing the anger and determination on her face. If Anna hadn’t done this, I didn’t doubt Rachel would have.
“Watch him!”
Anna barked the order to Nitro as she brushed past him and walked up to Nicole. The conversation was brief, Nicole hurrying away around the far side of the helicopter as Anna returned to stand over the terrified man.
“Run!” She said through clenched teeth.
“Wh-wh-what?” He stammered.
“I said RUN, goddamn it!” She hissed, raising the pistol. “Run, or so help me God, I’ll shoot your fucking balls off, one at a time!”
He didn’t immediately move, hesitating out of fear and confusion.
“NOW!” Anna screamed, firing a round into the asphalt right next to him.
The man jerked as if hit by a jolt of electricity, crawling away from her before leaping to his feet and running towards the desert. He looked over his shoulder, waiting for the bullet he knew was coming, but Anna hadn’t raised her weapon. He faced forward, put his head down and ran, fear lending speed to his feet.
“What the hell’s she doing?” Rachel whispered.
I shook my head, not understanding either, then movement at the edge of the bright lights caught my attention and I raised my rifle. Nitro and Gonzales had seen it too, both starting to raise theirs, then hesitating when Anna held up her hand.
“Don’t,” she said, eyes fixed on the fleeing man.
He didn’t see the three females that were charging in from a steep angle. They were in a full sprint, covering ground at a terrifying pace. There were no screams, but he must have heard their feet a moment before they caught him. He looked to his left and slightly behind, and even if they weren’t much faster, that distraction would have been his undoing.
While his head was turned, he missed a step and tumbled forward with a shout. Scrambling, he tried to get up and keep running, but the lead female slammed into his body with a flying tackle before he could regain his feet. They rolled several yards from the momentum of her attack, then the other two arrived. There was brief scream as he tried to fight, but it was cut off when one of the infected tore his throat open with her teeth.
Without a word, Anna holstered her pistol and turned away. Stepping gingerly over the ravaged bodies of the militia that surrounded the Chinook, she performed a quick walk around before climbing into the cockpit.
“Fuck me,” I breathed, glancing around to see stunned expressions on every face.
Nicole reappeared from the far side of the helicopter, disappearing up the ramp without saying a word. For several seconds, we all just stood there, watching as the females feasted on the man Anna had sent to them. Finally, I shook myself and barked for everyone to get on board. I led the way, still holding Rachel’s hand in mine. Johnson was the last one to walk up the ramp and paused to count heads.
“That’s everyone, sir,” he said quietly.
A loud whine sounded as Anna activated the starters. The engines caught quickly, and the twin rotors began to spin slowly.
“Ready?”
Anna yelled to be heard over the racket. I hesitated a moment, looking over my shoulder at the desert.
“Something wrong?” Rachel asked.
“No,” I shouted. “I’ll be back in a minute. Tell Anna to wait.”
Rachel looked at me for a beat, then nodded and released my hand. She headed for the cockpit as I went down the ramp.
It was a long walk across the tarmac to the edge of the desert, especially since I gave the three females a very wide berth. Also, I was walking slowly. I should have been in a hurry. We needed to get out of here, but I wasn’t in the mood to be rushed. Dog had come with me, without an invitation, and walked on my left side, growling and
looking in the direction of the macabre dinner party. It was good to have his keen senses on the side of my body where I was blind.
Several minutes later I knelt next to Katie’s grave. As I’d approached the spot, I was reminded that I’d never installed any sort of marker. Well, it was too late now. Besides, I had no idea what I’d use.
Dog at my side, keeping watch, I closed my eye and thought about my wife. Remembered the time we’d had together. Pictured her face as I said my last goodbye. Looking up, I wiped away tears and began to stand, pausing when I spied a small pile of rocks that I’d tossed aside when I’d dug into the Nevada dirt.
Removing the gold band from my left hand, I placed it on top of the grave and pressed it into the soil, directly above where I thought Katie’s heart would be. One at a time, I piled the rocks on top of my wedding ring until I’d created a foot-high pyramid. When it was complete, I stood and took another minute, then turned and headed for the idling Chinook with a lump in my throat and a spear of ice in my chest.
Dog, sensing my pain, rubbed the side of his head against my leg and nuzzled my hand with his nose. I can’t say I didn’t think about telling Anna to take off without me. Part of me, the part that couldn’t deal with my pain and loss, wanted to stay. To visit Katie’s grave every day and talk to her. Or maybe even to dig a second one next to her and…
Fuck that! I gritted my teeth so hard my jaw ached. Maybe someday, but first I had an appointment with Mr. Barinov. A Reaper was coming for him. Perhaps not tomorrow, but soon. He desperately needed to be properly sent off to that special place in hell.
We were halfway back to the Chinook, picking up the pace, when Rachel appeared at the bottom of the ramp. She seemed to hesitate, then walked forward to meet us. As I stepped up to her, I realized that tears were still streaming down my face. She moved in front and put her arms around me, burying her face against my neck. I held her for a few moments, then got us moving towards the helicopter. It took a while for surprise to nearly stop me in my tracks. For the first time, ever, I had touched her without feeling like I was betraying Katie.
Aboard the helicopter, I sank into a sling seat next to Nitro, Rachel on the other side. Dog promptly curled up with his chin on my boot and went to sleep.
“What was that?” Nitro asked as the aircraft slowly lifted into the air.
“Long story,” I said, closing my eye and tilting my head back against the vibrating fuselage.
“Got anything better to do for the next hour?”
“My wife,” I said without opening my eye.
“What about her?”
“She’s buried out there,” I said, appreciative that neither Irina nor Igor had told him.
Nitro was quiet, recognizing that I was hurting. Finally, several minutes into the flight, I started talking. Told him about everything that had happened to me since the night before the attacks when we’d talked on the phone. Told him about Katie, and Martinez and Scott and Colonel Crawford, and all the other people I’d lost in the past several months.
When I was finished, I opened my eye and sat up, surprised to see everyone gathered around. Several of the girls were crying softly. Nitro, Goose, Bunny and Monk were very still, staring at the deck. I noticed that Igor and Irina were sitting very close together, heads inches apart as they spoke. And, I felt better. Not that I didn’t acutely feel the loss of my wife, but talking about it had begun the process of healing the wound. A process I hadn’t allowed myself to start.
To Nitro’s credit, he kept his mouth shut. I didn’t want anyone’s sympathy, or pity, and he instinctively knew that. Rachel had rested her head on my shoulder as I spoke and left it there, also saying nothing.
“Nellis ahead!”
Anna’s shout from the cockpit jolted all of us back to the moment. Freeing myself from Rachel and Dog, I picked my way forward and slipped into the copilot’s seat. I could see nothing other than darkness through the large windscreen. It took a moment of looking around to find the flight helmet and slip it on, which activated the night vision display. Now I could clearly see the massive air base less than a mile ahead. Activating my radio, I contacted Vance. He was flying above and behind us, ready to spring to the defense of the Chinook if needed.
“Take a look and see if there’s any aircraft that’ll meet our needs,” I said to him.
He acknowledged, the Super Cobra roaring past a few seconds later.
“Let’s stay out here, beyond the perimeter fence, for now,” I said to Anna.
She nodded and killed our forward speed, bringing the hulking aircraft into a hover.
“You handle this thing pretty good,” I said in admiration.
“My dad wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said. “Wanted me to fly for the Army. Said I had it, whatever it is.”
“So, why didn’t you?” I asked. “And, by the way, are you really a General?”
“Guess I wanted to make my own path,” she said, shrugging slightly. “And, yes I am. Kind of.”
“What does that mean?”
“I served as a Lieutenant Colonel. The star was a parting gift from General Olber and SECDEF when I was forced to retire.”
“Chuck Olber?” I asked in surprise.
“You know him?”
“Knew him,” I said. “He was a Special Forces officer, a Light Colonel when I knew him. Well, knew of him. I was a buck Sergeant at the time, so we didn’t exactly travel in the same circles. But, what I remember of him, he was a good man.”
“He was,” Anna said. “Anyway, that’s how I got my star, but it was all my dad’s doing.”
I started to ask another question, but Vance’s voice over the radio cut me off.
“Got a couple of B-52s sitting on the tarmac. That’s all I see that could make the trip.”
“They can do it without refueling?” I asked.
“No problem,” he said. “They’ve got something like a ten-thousand-mile ferry range.”
“What’s that mean?”
“One-way flight. Only thing is, for as big as they are, they aren’t made for passengers. Gonna be cramped and uncomfortable as hell. And, only the cockpit is heated. We should probably go check the civilian airport.”
“Agreed,” I answered without hesitation. “Lead on.”
“Copy,” he said, the circuit falling silent.
Anna had been listening, and a few moments later we were tucked in behind the Super Cobra, heading south over the city of Las Vegas.
45
“See? I knew once you got a feel of my balls, you wouldn’t be able to resist coming back for more!”
Vance was stretched out in the back of the Chinook, grinning up at Rachel as she gently worked the pair of warm-up pants over his hips. He was hurting like hell and had asked for another injection of the anesthetic. How he was still able to joke was beyond me.
“Keep being a smart ass and I’ll let him give you the shot,” she said, tilting her head in my direction.
Vance looked at me, and I grinned back. He made a production of shuddering.
“Sweetie, as long as you rub the sore spot when he’s done…”
“You’re incorrigible,” Rachel laughed.
We’d finally figured out that despite the man’s crude approach to women, he was actually a decent guy. He was just trying to live up to the image of the shit-hot fighter pilot. Maybe he crossed the line more often than not, and there was no doubt he was a letch of the first order, but he’d earned my respect when he’d put himself on the chopping block to protect the girls. Like my grandpappy used to say, “Watch their feet. Don’t much matter what they say.”
It had taken me a lot of years to fully understand what he meant, and even longer to adopt it. Not that words don’t give you some insight into a man’s character, but I’ll take an obnoxious jerk any day when he places the safety of others above his own. Especially when there’s nothing to be gained by doing so. So, Vance had earned a pass from me, and apparently, Rachel as well.
We were on a runway at the Vegas airport, both helicopters not far from a Virgin Atlantic 747. The giant plane had apparently been abandoned in a panic, all the inflatable slides deployed and hanging to the tarmac far below. I’d sent Goose, Igor, Johnson and Monk aboard to clear the aircraft and make sure there wasn’t any damage. They were still on the plane but had radioed a report that other than a mess in the passenger cabin, everything seemed in order. I wanted to get Vance aboard to give it a professional’s inspection, but he’d needed some medical attention first.
Anna and Nicole were waiting just outside the Chinook while Nitro, Gonzales, Bunny and Irina had the girls gathered near the 747’s front landing gear, keeping a close eye on them as well as watching for infected. Angela had regained consciousness as we were landing and was proving to be quite the handful. She’d lost it, for lack of a better description, screaming and spitting at anyone that came near and trying to attack them. Rachel, hesitant to sedate her again and risk damage to the fetus, finally suggested we restrain her before she harmed herself or someone else. So, I’d gotten creative with a couple of the web sling seats from the big helicopter.
“We’re going to need to fuel it,” Vance said, grunting as Rachel pushed a needle into his scrotum.
“How do you know?”
I turned to face him then quickly looked away. The sight of a man getting an injection into his grossly swollen scrotum was something I could do without.
“Plane’s facing the terminal, not out,” he said through gritted teeth. “That most likely means it just landed and they popped the emergency exits the instant the pilot could get it stopped.”
I nodded, accepting his logic, then cursed silently to myself. I’d done this whole fueling thing before, and it had been a pain in the ass.