"Looks like we have something in common,” West said, posturing himself upright. “The same people who shot the President are holding my friend hostage. She could be anywhere in North America right now, so staying is my best chance in finding her. Besides, you're going to need someone with my background."
"Whatever, just don't forget what the real mission is,” Clint grumbled, slamming the list into West’s chest.
I know what the real mission is, West thought. After reviewing the sheets, he turned to Lisa and said, “I assumed there would be more food?”
“Us too, but it looks like almost all of it was brought to the surface for the military and refugees. The fires burned everything up there.”
“I see, well, looks like we will have to ration what we have left. Where are we at with fuel?”
Ally began to answer, but Lisa took over. “Nick, Eddy, and Dylan should be on their way back. I think the amount of gas is on here somewhere,” she said, flipping through the handwritten notes in West’s hand. “They called five minutes ago and said they filled up the big tank and were going to come back, drop it off, and try to fill up another one.”
“Hey, I have an idea,” Agent Kim blurted out.
Interested faces stared at him.
“Why don’t we try to get help? We can enlist military support from other bunkers!”
Clint arched an eyebrow. “The Fox Holeis relatively close by,” he said, tapping his foot. He turned the map in his direction.
“Did he just say ‘fox hole?’” Lisa asked.
“Ya, I think so,” Ally confirmed, but appeared just as confused as her deaf companion.
“The Fox Hole is another government bunker,” Kim began to explain. “It’s southeast of here near the border of Utah and Arizona. That’s where the Vice President has been.”
Agent Clint used a pencil to sketch a route. “They will have a decent squad of Marines.”
“Yes, yes they will,” Joshua agreed, also encouraged by the idea. “Tell the other cabinet members what happened here. Enlist everyone you can to fight.”
Everyone seemed upbeat and onboard with the idea. Everyone except West.
“No.”
Clint snorted. “I can’t wait to hear this reason.”
“First, is time. There isn't enough to recruit the necessary people and move to take out the facility before the trucks leave.”
“Any other reason?” The President asked.
No secrets, Chucky, he thought then answered, “They wouldn't believe me. Some might even try to arrest, detain, or kill me. Last I checked, the government of the United States of America labeled me a terrorist, and because of that, you would be discredited by association...”
West spun around and spoke to the President directly.
“When we first met, I noticed you looking at me funny, like when you recognize a person, like you know them, but aren't sure where from.”
This statement caused Joshua Tufase to recollect. His body had been exerted to its limitations, but his mind found the memory. His mouth opened, slack jawed and his arms instinctively pushed himself away from West. “I-I remember now.”
“What’s going on, Mr. President?” Clint asked, hand sliding down to the pistol on his hip.
Kim, too, sensed the mood swing. “What do you remember, sir?”
“I remember this man, Sergeant Major Craig West...He is one of the men responsible...He was one of the terrorists working with Fareshtegan-eh Marg!”
West anticipated this reaction and had already placed both hands on his head by the time the two Secret Service Agents drew their weapons.
“It’s not what you think, Mr. President. I’m innocent. I was set up by Ms. Baron and the LIFE Corporation.”
“Why should we believe you?” asked Clint.
“I don’t expect you to outright. I swear I will explain everything later on, but right now, we don't have the time.”
“I’m afraid I will need you to make time. This isn’t a situation I can simply take your word on, son.”
“Fine. Short story. I was a Delta on my way into retirement, and Liz Baron exploited my skill set. Myself, along with eleven other special operators, the ones you called terrorists, were supposed to be working for the government. We were tasked with tracking members of Fareshtegan-eh Marg, and without them knowing, implanting a state of the art tracking device into their bodies, but that wasn’t the case. There was no tracking device. What we did was administer the virus to twelve patient zeros.”
“I was never informed of any such operation,” Joshua contested, “but I remember you clearly. Codename: Black Mamba. That’s you. You’re bluffing. Now’s the time to come clean, son.”
This doesn’t seem to be playing out as you thought, is it Chucky? If this goes south, what’s your plan? Your gun’s in your waist, there’s no way you could draw it fast enough to get both Agents. Take a hostage? Start pacing toward the President. If you need to, put your knife to his throat and buy more time, but won’t that be even worse? What else do you have? You can end up in cuffs or with a bullet in your head. You’ll be no good to Shanna- Shanna, that’s it!
“Fine, you want something? How about when you were in your war room last year. You were tracking me. You were speaking with a Colonel Seaton, the man in charge of the op-”
“You could have found that out,” Clint rebutted.
“True,” the President agreed. “You need a little more than that to get my trust.”
“Fine. How about the name Shanna Finley.”
“What about her?”
“That's my friend. The woman Liz kidnapped. She can vouch for me. We grew up together. She knows me. She knows I’m not a terrorist.”
“You knew Shanna?” the President asked, intrigued.
“Yes, we went through foster homes together,” he said, leaving out other, unnecessary details of their relationship. “Would you like to know how I escaped in Maine? Shanna. I confided in her about everything. I was on the phone with her. She told me your grab team was on to me. If it wasn’t for her, I would be dead by now. She believed me, and that’s why she helped me. I told her I had proof of LIFE’s plan-”
“Do you still have this proof?”
“Yes, it’s safe. A man named Daytona Briggs tried to assassinate me to get rid of all the evidence. Clearly he failed.”
“Briggs,” Joshua said, racking his brain. “Blond hair?”
“Six foot, two-hundred five pounds of pure ego. Walks with a bit of a limp."
“That can’t be,” Clint began to say, but the President finished.
“Yes, the man who was with Liz’ Baron’s personal security.”
“The one who shot you, sir.”
“He’s actually her son.”
“So he’s behind this?”
“Just the enforcement side of things. The real brains are Ms. Baron herself, and this guy named Albert Stone. Stone was the one who recruited me. He was in charge of the meeting where we were given the details of the mission.”
“Albert Stone is her chief scientist and engineer,” Joshua mumbled, sounding increasingly convinced. “How could you possibly-”
“Know those names and details? As I said, sir, I’m not the bad guy. I was set up.”
“Clint. Kim. Lower your guns. I believe him, at least for now."
"Yes, sir," Clint said, adhering to the order, though his lips twisted in disapproval.
Charlie, Ally, and Lisa collectively exhaled after the standoff ended.
“Good.” West’s facial expression did not change, despite the peaceful resolution. “Now, if we can, we should get going. Like I’ve said, we only have one foreseeable option and time is ticking. We need to attack the Ambrosia facility. Cut the head off the snake. That way, we don't have to worry about stopping the trucks. After, we can enlist whoever the hell we want and take Liz down for good.”
The President considered the proposal. “If you can make it down to the facility in time, youcould do it. But af
ter, you swear you will take my video and tell everyone about what happened here.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. President, you have my word,” West replied. “Girls, gather everyone inside. We’ll go over the plan and get Oscar Mike.”
***
"I really need to start working out again," Alex declared, breathing heavily.
He rested both hands on top of the end of the shovel and dragged his sweaty forehead over each arm. His body was tight, muscles defined, but cardio was different and he knew.
He grabbed hold of the shovel once again and thrust it into the earth. Five repetitions later, and in a labor-intensive, yet, fluid motion, he lifted the last mound of dirt out of the pit. "I used to be able to workout for hours. Sparring, running, lifting. Damn, maybe I'm just getting old."
At first, Steve didn't reply. His mind was occupied as he gazed into the flaming structures. One by one, they collapsed into themselves, entombing the bodies of the innocent beneath them. Finally, Steve looked back at the rectangular hole in front of him and replied, "Maybe."
Six feet long and well short of six feet deep, the particular plot for Collin's grave was the most ideal location. Situated around the corner from the entrance of the bunker, the gravesite was a rock's throw from the hillside and a matter of feet from one of Blue Springs’ most beautiful blue springs.
"You're supposed to lie to me," Alex joked, tossing the shovel out of the pit. "A little help?"
Alex grabbed hold of Steve's hand, but Steve didn't pull, nor Alex lift himself up right away. Both cousins focused on Alex's hand. The cloth was soiled from dirt and sweat, but underneath was a section of red tissue that surrounded bloody puncture wounds- a departing gift from Collin, and like his cousin, Alex's life was now on a fixed time table.
"What are ya gonna do, right?" Alex said, then lifted himself out. He wasted no time as he walked over to Collin. "Get his legs."
Wrapped in white sheets, Collin Jacobs' body had been prepared for burial. With so much going on, with so much work to do prior to departure, there wasn't time to fabricate a coffin or any sort of hard casing. Before getting on with their assignments, however, Jenny and Lisa had picked a handful of nearby winter flowers and leaves to be placed over the deceased.
“We’ll put them on after,” Alex said looking at the basket of decor. "Lift on three. One. Two. Three.”
They walked Collin’s body over to its final resting place, and as delicately as possible, lowered him into the grave.
Alex adjusted the bandage on his wrist that had loosened during the lifting. "I honestly have no idea what to say," he began, and in textbook Alex-fashion he joked, "and I think that's a first."
"It's nothing new. Everyone dies, this time it happened to be Collin.”
How can you say that? He's your cousin! Show him some respect! Alex thought.
Had the circumstances been different, Alex’s thoughts would have erupted into a fury of uncontrollable yelling and shoving, but part of him knew Steve’s words carried credence.
In this world, everyone dies despite the will of the living...
So, Alex ground his jaw and gave Collin a proper eulogy.
"I'm gonna miss you, Cully. You always watched over us. You always did your best to keep us safe. I know we never made it easy on you. We were always screwing around and giving you shit, but we knew...I knew you were looking out for us. You were our leader. Now you're..."
He paused, changing his thought.
"You deserved better than this. You, Mike and Bill. You all did. Rest easy now, brother. I'd ask you to tell the others hi for me, but I think I'll be able to do that soon..."
Steve didn't so much as flinch or glance over as the disturbing words departed Alex’s lips.
"I did make you a promise. I will keep moving forward, and give it my all 'til I can't. See you on the other side, brother."
Alex walked over and retrieved the basket of flowers. One after another, he tossed them in. When the basket was empty, he looked at Steve and waited. After all that time, no words came from his cousin, so he prompted him.
"You should say something. Anything. This is your last chance."
Finally, Steve mumbled something, though it was too subtle for Alex's ears to decipher. He looked down at the ground below Alex’s feet and nodded. “I’m done.”
Alex patted and squeezed Steve's good shoulder. He handed Steve one of the two shovels and said, “Let's do this."
For the next five minutes, they shoveled dirt into the grave. Putting the earth back in its place was physically easier, but as each dark load covered the white sheets and the outline of Collin's body slowly disappeared, a hurt pounded Alex's emotional heart.
Neither Mike nor Billy had been buried. At both Fort Kennedy and The Eye, the cousins had been forced to leave by exigent circumstances. The goodbyes had been difficult, but burying was worse.
Alex looked to Steve but couldn't get a read on him. It was bittersweet knowing he would not have to bury another cousin, but sad to think how Steve would be after he had gone.
Then, before he realized it, the grave had been filled. He patted the top of the dirt and whispered, "Rest easy, Cully."
Steve tossed the shovel aside and grabbed a bottle of water. He downed half the contents in three giant gulps.
Alex removed his shirt to wipe the sweat, and then accepted the bottle. After taking a sip, he said, "I was thinking, how do you want to go out? Buried or burned?"
Steve didn't reply.
"I'm not sure myself," Alex said, pondering his own question. "I once thought cremation, but there's something to be said about being buried somewhere. Like that'syour place, ya know? Then again, having my ashes dumped on the top of Everest would be pretty kick ass. Anyway, I think Cully’s gonna like it here."
Steve and Alex looked up as the rattling engine of a diesel truck idled to park nearby. From the passenger side, Eddy and Dylan exited, while Nick came around from the driver's side.
"Sorry," Alex apologized, “I know you wanted to be here for the burial, but we couldn't really wait."
Both Eddy and Dylan waved off the apology.
"Don't sweat it."
"It's all good, eh."
"I was able to find one," Nick said, holding up a Rosary. "It was hanging from the rearview mirror in a minivan."
"Great, thanks, Nick," he said, admiring the dime-sized, mahogany beads and simple, silver cross. "Collin was raised Catholic, we all were. I guess it's only fitting."
Suddenly, Alex spun around, concerned.
"What is it?" Nick asked.
"Shit, I forgot to make a cross for the headstone. Damnit to hell!"
"Hold up a sec, Alex. I think I have an idea," said Dylan. He gazed at the nearby stream. "Hey Eddy, mind helping me out?"
The giants disappeared only to return seconds later with a stone the size of a small boulder. They set it at the head of the freshly packed grave and stepped back. Kneeing, Nick hung the rosary over a protruding edge and mumbled inaudible words.
"Nick," came a voice from the front of the bunker. It was Lisa, Jenny, and Kelly, walking over.
"Excuse me, I'll be right back."
While the men stood around, Eddy was the first to break the silence. "It's a good spot.”
Dylan nodded his head in approval. "Sure is.”
"My sister was buried in a place like this,” continued Eddy. “Family property up in Washington state. Nice little river next to this tree that made me look small."
"Thanks guys. I appreciate the words,” replied Alex. "Everything cool, Nick?"
The Native American returned with the group of girls. "Everything is fine. West wants us downstairs. Looks like they have a plan. Are you coming?"
Eddy and Dylan mouthed quiet prayers and goodbyes, and then grouped next to Nick.
Lisa walked up to Alex, placed both hands on his face and kissed him. She directed her lips toward his, uncaring about his current plight, but at the last second, Alex turned his head slightly so the contact w
as made on his cheek.
"I want to kiss you," Alex began to explain.
"I know you do. You're just being a gentleman keeping me from getting infected," she interrupted, smiling, "but when we cure you, you're going to have a lot of making up to do.”
"You mean making out. Hey-o!"
"Kissing is just part of it," she replied, gliding her hands down his back to his buttocks, where she squeezed hard and quick, pressing their groins together.
Damn this girl is awesome!Alex thought.You better not die, dude.
Lisa stared into Alex’s eyes and asked, "Seriously, how are you doing?"
"I'm alright, just worried about Steve," he replied, tone low so no one else could hear.
Lisa looked over at Steve who stared at Collin's grave. She watched Jenny leave Kelly's arm and approach Steve uncertainly from behind. “You see that? Steve didn’t even reciprocate when Jenny wrapped her hand around his. He doesn't look good at all."
Finally, Alex responded to Nick's question. "Ya, we're right behind you. I'll let the rest know to stop by on their way out. Anyone who wants to, should say goodbye."
Nick frowned. "Alex," he began, tone full of disapproval, "Collin saved my life. A debt I can never repay, but I have sworn that I will do whatever I can to protect the ones he left behind..."
Alex tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, unsure where Nick was going with his words.
"Right now that means stopping the virus inside of you. We need to get you the vaccine without delay. I fear Collin might have made a mistake for delaying his departure from Camp. I don't want you to do the same," Nick said, looking down at Alex's hand. "We need to take advantage of every minute."
Alex looked back at the grave, then to Steve who remained next to it. Finally, his eyes returned to Nick's. "Alright, let's hear this plan and get out of here. But promise me something."
"What is it?"
"Promise me we'll make it back here one day. To pay our respects to Collin and the rest who died for all this."
"I promise."
***
1220 hours
Everyone had gathered inside the provisional medical bay, waiting eagerly to begin. Charlie stood next to President Tufase, monitoring his vitals. Kelly, Dylan, and Ally huddled behind him, while Marilyn and Christopher were off to the side, blankets over themselves to keep warm. On the other side of the makeshift gurney, were West and Agents Clint and Kim. Travis, Matty, Steve, and Jenny positioned themselves close to West, while Harry Jones stood behind them, busy picking his nails.
The Longest Road (Book 3): The Other Side Page 4