“Jets?” I said, wrinkling my brow. “What the hell for?”
The break room door opened as Elliot returned with my gear. I slid the pack onto my shoulders and took the M-4 from him. After checking the load on it, I hesitated and handed it back to him. Elliot took it cautiously and looked at me with uncertainty in his eyes.
“It’s alright, son,” I said. “This one’s for you. You already know how to shoot. Tonight, I’ll teach you how to field strip and clean it.”
I only took a few seconds to show him how to drop the magazine and how to pull the charging handle. He found the safety on his own.
“Keep it on safe unless you’re planning on using it,” I cautioned. “Don’t put in on auto until I have the chance to show you how to handle it. Got it?”
“No problem, dad,” he said, admiring the weapon.
“Alright, Chuck, let’s go.”
Southard led us through the main sliders and up to the second floor. Then we headed into the access way that led to the roof. It was completely dark when we emerged. There was enough light from the moon for us to see clearly. The air was cool, compared to inside and the stars were clear to see. Without the light pollution from the city lights, you could see from horizon to horizon. I was happy to see that they’d shut down all external lights on the building. Light attracts zombies at night.
I could hear the rumble of multiple jet engines as they seemed to be circling the area. I couldn’t tell what they were in the darkness. I saw the running lights of at least three. Whatever they were, they were moving much too fast to be civilian planes. That just meant one thing. They were fighters.
As I searched the sky for the planes, Gunny came walking over to me. He had a cigar stuck in the corner of his mouth and had found himself a set of black BDU’s. He’d pulled the department patches off of the sleeves, but he still wore them military style, with the pants bloused. I noticed that his arm wasn’t in a sling anymore.
“Good to see you, Guns,” I said, grinning.
“You hear them,” he said, jerking his thumb towards the jets.
“Yeah, I hear them,” I said. “Fighters, right?”
“Bet your ass they’re fighters,” he said, through teeth clenched around his stogie. “Those are Marine Corps F-18’s. I’d know that sound in my sleep.”
I trusted Gunny’s experience on that one. If the Gunny said he knew something, I believed him. I noticed that he and Corporal Halsey were both chomping on stogies. Halsey was a retired Navy man and I’m sure that Gunny was thrilled to have another crusty old military man to swap tales with. I glanced over at Halsey.
“What do you think, Will?” I asked.
“I’d say he’s right about them being F-18’s,” said Halsey. “I heard my fair share of them back when I was stationed on Enterprise.”
“That’s a strike fighter,” said Elliot. “Isn’t it?”
“Damned straight,” said Gunny. “From the sound of ‘em, I’d say they’re the Super Hornet. They’re bigger and pack more ordinance.”
“That’s not good news,” I said. “Why do you think they’re here?”
“Hard to say,” said Gunny. “Recon or close air support would be my guess.”
“Or providing cover for other aircraft,” said Halsey.
I was about to say something else when one of the jets banked and came in low, almost directly overhead. If there had been more light out we probably could have seen the pilot’s face. As it was, we could see the aircraft clearly in the moonlight. It was definitely an F-18. It couldn’t have been more than a hundred feet off the ground.
“That sumbitch is takin’ recon photos,” said Gunny. “He came in low to get a good shot of us.”
I couldn’t argue with Gunny. I figured he was right. There wasn’t any other reason for a fighter to come in that close to the ground, unless he was attacking something. He’d only made it a few blocks when something happened that surprised us all. A missile streaked out from near the square. The pilot was too low to avoid the hit. The plane’s systems automatically deployed countermeasures but it was too little, too late.
The missile struck the jet and exploded, shearing off part of the port-side wing and taking out one of the engines. The pilot fought hard for control, throwing the stick over and trying to climb. The doomed aircraft struggled, clawing for sky but it wasn’t enough. It was just a matter of time before it either exploded or fell out of the sky.
“Where the hell did that missile come from?” I shouted.
“Looks like the old tower on the square,” said Southard, pointing. “I saw the smoke trail.”
Just then, the other jets exacted their revenge for their fallen comrade. They came in from different directions and unloaded missiles and ordinance. Whoever was in that other building had just poked the sleeping bear. In seconds, the heavy explosives reduced the old tower to burning wreckage. The force of the explosion rocked us all. Elliott, Gunny and Corporal Halsey ducked behind the air conditioner. Southard and I did the proper army thing. We hit the ground and performed the famous duck and cover maneuver.
I got to my feet and knocked the roof gravel off of the front of my uniform. The roar of the explosion was dying out and we could hear the crackle of the fire. Another explosion shook the night as the dying fighter hit the ground to the west of us. Silhouetted in the moonlight I saw something that I didn’t expect to see, the rippling fabric of a parachute canopy. The pilot had managed to punch out before the crash.
“Holy shit!” I said, pointing. “He ejected!”
“Good for him,” said Gunny. “He’d have been better off dying with the plane. The poor bastard’s parachuting into zombie territory. I hope he’s armed.”
“That chute’s gonna hit ground pretty close to here,” I said. “Looks like a block or two to the west.”
“Aw, shit,” mumbled Southard. “I know what that means.”
“Grab Spec-4 and meet me in the sally-port,” I said. “Let’s see if we can save this guy.”
“Why?” asked Southard. “After what they did?”
“I don’t blame everyone in the military,” I said. “That might have been an Intel Op. Besides, we need information. If we can get him out alive, he might have plenty of info we can use.”
“Yeah,” said Gunny. “Like who’s actually on our side.”
“I’d say that no one is,” said Southard. “We’re on our own.”
“I sure hope not,” I said. “Look Chuck, I’m going after this guy even if you’re not.”
“Fine,” he said. “I’m in. Just don’t expect me to like it.”
Southard headed off down the stairs and back into the building. I watched the parachute until I couldn’t see it anymore. The wind was taking him to the west. I wanted to try to get a good bearing on exactly where it went down. It looked like it would touch down near the intersection of Kansas Expressway and Chestnut. That made it about a mile almost due west of us.
“Sure,” said Halsey, “the wind couldn’t be blowing this direction.”
“That would be too easy,” I replied, heading for the stairs. “If you old coots will excuse me, I’ve got a pilot to rescue.”
I didn’t have to turn around to know I was getting the finger from one or both of them. It made me chuckle all the way down the stairs. I stopped in Master Control and found Lieutenant Murdock inside.
“How’s the arm, sir?” I asked, grabbing a cup of coffee.
“Better,” he said. “Maddie set it and gave me some painkillers. It will most-likely be in the cast for several more weeks, though.”
I quickly brought the L.T. up to speed on the incident we’d just witnessed and he listened without interrupting, his fingers stroking his newly grown beard.
“So, you’re going after him,” he said, when I’d finished.
“Yes, sir,” I replied. “I won’t leave him out there to die.”
“How do you plan on finding him in the dark?”
I didn’t have an answer for that
. I knew that downed pilots had an emergency strobe as part of their flight gear. It would flash to signal other aircraft where to look for him. The only problem was it was only visible on night vision scopes. Since we were fresh out of those, I had no idea how we were going to find him.
“I’m not sure, sir,” I answered, honestly. “But I have to try.”
“Wylie,” he said, gently, “you might want to wait until first light. You won’t be doing him any favors by getting overran. In the dark, you won’t be able to defend yourselves as well. You won’t see the zombies until they’re on top of you. Besides, he’s already on the ground. He’s either already been eaten or found a safe place to hide.”
I couldn’t argue the logic. I knew he was right, but it didn’t make it sit any better on my conscience. I hated waiting around more than I hated getting shot at. My wife can attest to the fact that patience is not one of my virtues.
“Alright, sir,” I said. “We’ll postpone until first light. With any luck, the explosions will have drawn away a big chunk of the zombies in the area.”
“Get some sleep, son,” he said. “You look like you could use it.”
I headed out of Master Control and down the stairs. Spec-4 and Southard were waiting by the main sliders. They were both packed and ready to go. Spec-4 tossed me another M-4 as I approached.
“Here,” she said, “I heard you gave yours to your son.”
“Thanks,” I said, quickly checking the weapon. It was loaded and ready. I verified it was on safe and slung it across my chest. “We’re putting the run on hold. We don’t have any NVG’s, so we’re waiting until first light.”
“Won’t that pilot be zombie chow by then?” asked Spec-4.
“He’s already on the ground,” I said. “He’s either dead already or finding a place to hold up. If he survives the night, we’ll find him in the morning.”
“Fine with me,” said Southard. “I’m worn out, anyway. I’m not sure how much use I would have been.”
“Good point,” I said. “Let’s all get some rest. I’ll set my alarm and get us all up by 0700.”
We all started to head towards the offices that we’d all used as sleeping quarters, when I stopped. Spec-4 looked at me quizzically for a moment, and then realization struck. I could see the hurt in her eyes, but she didn’t say anything. She just turned and headed into the office. I stood there a moment, feeling like a total jackass. I wanted to go in there and try to explain things to her, but I figured I’d just make matters worse.
Before I could decide, Karen and the boys came through the main sliders. Elliot was carrying his M-4, shoulder slung. He smiled when he saw me and patted the stock of the M-4. I could see how proud he was to have a real weapon.
“Elliot tells me you’re going back out tonight,” said Karen, a touch of anger in her voice.
“Change of plans,” I said. “We’re holding off until daylight. No sense going out in the dark, unless we absolutely have to.”
“Good,” she said, sounding relieved. “You need to rest. Come on upstairs. We’ve cleaned out a couple of rooms up by medical and turned them into our own quarters.”
“Good,” I said. “I’m ready to hit the pillow.”
We all headed upstairs. Once we reached the fifth floor, I ducked into Medical. Karen and the boys went on into the rooms to get ready for bed. The boys had one office and Karen and I had the other. Maddie looked up and smiled as I walked inside.
“How’re you doing, Wylie?” she asked, warmly.
“I’ve had better days,” I said, “but all things considered, I’m good.”
“What can I do for you?”
“I just wanted something for aches and pains,” I said, moving my right shoulder slowly. “I’m stiff and sore, all over.”
“I bet you are,” she said. “You’ve really taken a beating, lately. Take your shirt off and let me take a look at you.”
I knew better than to argue with Maddie, so I did as I was told. I removed the pack, armor, and gear. Then I slowly removed my shirt and t-shirt.”
“Now have a seat on the bed, there,” she said, pointing.
Grabbing her stethoscope and blood pressure cuff, she headed towards me. Her smile never faltered, but I could see her eyes taking note of every bruise and cut on my torso. There were quite a few of them. With expert skill, she applied the cuff and took my blood pressure. Then she listened to my heart and lungs. Satisfied, she slipped on gloves and started checking my wounds.
“Hmmm,” she muttered. “Will you hand me those tweezers.”
She was pointing to a tray of instruments to my left. I grabbed them and held them out. She took them without looking and began messing with a wound on my back. I felt the pain of her extracting something sharp and dropping it onto a metal tray with an audible clank. Then she applied gauze to the wound and began cleaning it. She repeated the process several times.
“You had several pieces of shrapnel sticking out of closed wounds,” she said. “They weren’t very big, and came out without much resistance.”
“Good,” I said. “I don’t feel like getting cut open, tonight.”
“Oh, you’re fine,” she said, with an odd expression on her face. “In fact, you’re better than I would expect someone to be that had taken that kind of damage. When did you get hit with the shrapnel?”
“A few days ago when I blew up the dock,” I answered. “Can I put my shirt on, now?”
“Go ahead,” she said, removing her gloves and tossing them into a trashcan.
“Is there something wrong?”
“Have you always healed this fast?” she asked, making notes on a clipboard.
“Yeah,” I said. “I’ve always healed quickly.”
“Do you ever get sick?”
“Very rarely,” I said. “Why?”
“No reason,” she said, scribbling. “You’re just healthy as a horse for someone who’s been through so much, lately.”
“Just lucky, I guess,” I said. “Can I have something for the aches?”
“I suppose so,” she said, opening the med cabinet and digging out two white pills.
I snagged a bottle of water off of the counter and washed them down. Then I slipped my t-shirt back on and picked up the rest of my gear. With a smile and a wave, I headed out towards my new quarters. Maddie watched me go, then returned to her desk and started making notes, again. I put it out of my head.
Sticking my head into my sons’ room, I found them getting ready for bed. I kissed them each on the forehead and hugged them. Even my youngest son hugged me, tightly. He was the one who usually didn’t like being hugged.
“Goodnight, boys,” I said, turning off the light. “I love you.”
“Love you too, dad,” they said.
Stepping into my room, I found Karen already in the bed. She’d put a few of the small inmate mattresses together, lashed with sheets. It wasn’t exactly the Four Seasons, but it looked great to me. She was already under the covers, waiting for me to join her. I slipped out of my boots and took off my duty belt. Then I put all my gear in easy reach, just in case.
I set my alarm on my watch and sat it on a desk that was against the wall. Then I switched off the light and crawled under the covers. I noticed two things right away. One was that the bed was surprisingly comfortable. The second was that Karen was naked. I slipped into her arms and lost myself there. I forgot all about the aches and pains in my body. For that moment we were man and wife, sharing a passion and intensity that we’d rarely matched before. It felt wonderful to lose myself in her embrace.
I’m not sure how much time passed before I collapsed in her arms, exhausted and utterly spent. I could feel her fingers tracing the line of my jaw and ear. I felt her lips against my neck and I never wanted to move from this spot, again. As I slipped into unconsciousness, I heard her whisper softly in my ear.
“I love you.”
I tried to mumble, “I love you, too.”
I’m not sure if it came out.
I was asleep. That night, the dreams didn’t come. I’d planned on running a rescue mission to save that pilot. Instead, Karen had rescued me. I felt strength and hope renewed inside me. I was ready to continue the fight. Out of all the people that we had saved over the last few days, it never occurred to me that I might need saving as well. Karen had saved me from the horrors that had been building up in my mind.
Chapter Twelve
Search and Rescue
“This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.”
- Winston Churchill
20 April
I awoke to the sound of my watch alarm going off. For a moment, I considered shooting it. Karen was already up and out of bed. I lay there and smiled, content to watch her get dressed.
“Why don’t you go take a shower, you perv,” she said, smiling at me.
“Wanna join me?” I asked, waggling my eyebrows.
“Not right now,” she said, slipping her pants back on. “I’m going to go get us some coffee and breakfast. I’ll wake the boys and send them downstairs to eat.”
“Sounds good to me,” I said, slipping out of the bed and grabbing my pants.
“I brought up some fresh uniforms for you,” she said, gesturing at a bookshelf in the corner. “So long as the generators last, I’ll keep washing clothes.”
“Sweet,” I said, snagging a set of BDU’s, socks and a t-shirt.
Then I headed into Medical. I knew there was a shower in there and made use of it. I was stunned to discover that the hot water heater was still working. I breathed a silent thank you to the All-father and slipped into the hot, steamy shower. The hot water washed away the dirt, grime, aches and pains. I felt like a new man. Karen returned and poked her head into the shower, and smiled. I made a grab for her, but she ducked back out of my reach, laughing at me.
“Want a razor?” she asked.
“That would be great,” I replied. “You sure you don’t want to join me?”
She just shook her head and tossed the razor at me.
“There’s a towel out here when you finish,” she said, smiling. “Breakfast is in our room.”
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