by Chris Bostic
Joe tapped Jade’s arm before she could ask what was so funny.
“Why don’t you round up the others?” he said. “We’ll head back down to the bus.”
“I’m right here,” Mira said, bounding up from behind Joe. “That was fun. I wasn’t sure I could keep quiet that long, but it wasn’t really that difficult.”
Joe and Leisa traded a look, but didn’t voice their thoughts. Instead, they headed back down to the river to find Connie already standing on the bank.
“Didn’t you hide?” Joe asked.
“Well, yeah.” He gathered up the rope in his hand. “Just didn’t see the need to run like rabbits.”
“Great. He’s still grumpy,” Leisa muttered to Joe.
He nodded in agreement. “Better mind our own business. Let’s get this beast turned around.”
Joe stepped in front of his sergeant to latch onto the rope. With his free hand, he waved over Jade and Mira to help.
Despite having the back end lodged into a mountain of mud, the bus was surprisingly easy to loosen. The current seemed to want to push it right back into the slot the initial collision had made, but they continued trudging upstream pulling the vehicle until it finally caught the current enough to begin spinning sideways.
“That’s better,” Joe said as the boat gently glided downstream. The group started walking forward again to keep it under control. “But back to the original question before we were so rudely interrupted…”
“Yes?” Jade asked. “You were wondering how they are getting off?”
“Actually I’m starting to wonder why we shouldn’t get back on,” Joe said, voicing a new concern. “Won’t it be faster? You know, to get away?”
“Yes and no. The gain is marginal at best, and short-lived. In addition, the H-K will locate us more quickly on the river, especially if we run the motor.”
“I sort of get that, but why only short term?”
“There’s a series of water intakes once we get closer to the facility, so we needed to disembark soon anyway.” She paused for a moment. “Besides, we are close enough to walk to Gogury from here.”
“Really?” Connie said. “I guess that’s promising. But we can’t just turn them around right here and expect that tin can to roll up that greasy slope. So where?”
“True,” Jade answered. “That’s what I was getting at earlier.”
“So where…or when?” he asked.
Joe couldn’t see steam rising from under his sergeant’s collar, but he had a feeling the guy was getting close to boiling over.
“They’re not…at least not here.” Jade dropped the rope to point on ahead. “There’s a sandbar around the next bend. If we can guide them that far, then it will be much easier to get out.”
“Then why did we all just climb the slope?” Connie snapped.
“Because you didn’t listen to me.”
CHAPTER 19
“How do you know there’s a sandbar?” Joe said, staring down Jade. “Are you on the nav sats again?”
“No, babe.”
Joe knew Jade couldn’t lie; however, having just missed the Hunter-Killer, he was freaked out enough about getting pinged by the IFP again that he couldn’t accept her answer. “Then how?”
“I am essentially a computer, in case you’ve forgotten. Once I see a map, I can commit it to memory if I want to.”
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I should’ve known that.”
“At least you can apologize,” she said.
The current tugged hard on the rope. Jade had to jump back in to help them keep the bus from drifting too far out.
They fought their way along the top of the bank, dodging trees and coming precariously close to sliding down the bank as they tried and nearly failed at a game of tug-of-war with a surprisingly strong river current and a ten ton bus.
“This is rough,” Connie said through gritted teeth.
“They’re enjoying the ride,” Mira remarked as she scampered ahead along the bank. She was supposed to be trampling brush and holding back tree limbs to make it easier for the others; however, she was easily distracted like a puppy playing in the woods for the first time.
“Focus,” Jade told her when Connie started grumbling under his breath again.
“I know,” Mira cheeped and bounded on ahead again. A call came back to them. “You’re almost there. I see that flat spot.”
“We’ve got to actually get the boat there,” Joe said, straining against a rope that burned as it tried to slip out of his hands.
“And get it turned the right way.” Leisa knocked into Joe as she tried to duck around a big tree. “Dang. That one almost took me out.”
“Just keep hold of the rope,” Connie commanded. He’d assumed the anchor position, having tied the rope around his waist and setting his feet like a sumo wrestler. “We’ve got this, ladies.”
“Hey,” Joe objected. “That’s not cool.” He hadn’t been called that since his time back on Connie’s squad in the northern hills. He’d grown used to the begrudging respect in recent days.
“Whatever it takes to motivate, right?” Leisa said. She’d learned that lesson as well, and had somehow forgiven Connie for how roughly he’d treated the girls in his squad.
“Exactly, princess.” Connie let a grin slip through his furrowed façade. “You worms need a kick in the butt.”
Jade frowned deeply, but kept her lips pinched tightly shut. Joe could have sworn that she sighed, but wasn’t used to seeing her so emotional. Always chatty, and never negative. He wondered if Connie was wearing off on her in a bad way.
Mira came bounding back. “You’re really close. It’s almost like a road. There’s concrete all the way down to the river.”
“The map noted it as public access.” Jade said. “I believe that means a boat ramp.”
“That would be perfect.” Before Connie could be too happy, he had to add, “It’s not going to be easy to get the bus lined up.”
“And hold it in place,” Joe said, already visualizing how the unwieldy craft would be perpendicular to the current.
“We’ll get it.” Leisa ducked a thicker branch and powered her way through a sapling.
The river continued bending back to their left, and in seconds they found themselves staring into a widened area. On the far side, the river ran up against a steep vertical bank that resembled the muddy cliff. No one could climb out that way without a rope.
On their side, the river ran slower. A sand bar just like Jade had predicted stretched out in front of them at the base of a gentle slope.
“Thank all that’s holy,” Joe said.
“We’re not there yet,” Connie muttered and jerked back against the rope. “The current’s going to try to take them to the other side.”
Jade finally recruited Mira to help out. The five of them gave it all they had to move the bus out of the main channel and point it toward the sand bar.
With the rope tied to the steering wheel, the bus came toward them headfirst—meaning the exit for Smig was in the back.
There were other things to worry about first. Panting, Joe asked, “Where’s the boat ramp?”
“The far side of the sand bar,” Jade answered.
“We should get the bus to run aground in the sand and get the others off,” Connie suggested. “Then spin it around.” He paused to look at Jade. “That alright with you, darling?”
“Fine,” she answered without looking.
“Then let’s do this.” Connie gave a grunt and struck off for the woods. With the rope still tied around his waist, he had to run well up the slope and deep into the forest to keep from giving the bus any slack.
“She’s stuck, Sarge,” Joe called, having stayed closer to the shore and pulling hand over hand as his sergeant disappeared into the vegetation.
Connie came hustling back. He remained on the bank catching his breath as the others went down onto the squishy sand.
Buried nose-first, the bus seemed stable enough. Joe jum
ped onto the front bumper and pulled himself up onto the hood.
“You guys okay in there?”
“Great,” came the muted reply from Faith. Or so he thought. Other than the more raspy, syrupy speech patterns of Barta, he couldn’t tell any difference in the actual tone of their voices. For all he knew, Frederick had given them the exact same speakers.
“I’ll get you out,” he replied. “Head on up to the front.”
He kneeled to look inside the opening where the windshield glass should have been and recoiled. Two balls of fur burst through. Rather than lick his face like normal, friendly dogs, they stood on the dashboard staring him down with hollow brown eyes and gaping maws filled with sharp teeth.
Dang, they look lifelike, he thought.
“I’ll get you guys off,” he said, but wasn’t sure how to go about doing that. One step on the slick hood might send them down into the water.
At least they’re probably waterproof, he reasoned.
Bruce barked in his face. Joe screwed up his nose. They smelled like dogs too, and he could have done without that touch of realism.
“Sit tight and let me get the girls out.” Joe crowded his way past the dogs to find Faith and Barta still sitting on their seats.
“You need help?” Leisa called.
Joe eyed up the two girls and stuck his head across them to shout out the broken window, “Maybe. I dunno.”
“Where’s Sarge?” Faith asked. “I thought he’d save me.”
Joe tried to not be annoyed and offered her a hand. “I’ll get you out. C’mon.”
With more coaxing and a fair amount of pushing, he got the girls to the front of the bus. Once Faith had nothing else to lean against, she slumped over the dashboard.
“Can you crawl out?”
“I’m here,” Leisa said. “Take my hand.”
Jade and Connie stood on the sand watching, since the hood was much too small for more helpers. Joe noticed that Mira was planted between them, each holding one of her arms.
The visual reminded him of a couple kids he’d grown up with. Arguing parents always seemed to use their kids as some kind of buffer—not like that was healthy or somehow helped them get along any better. Joe thought it just meant that everyone was frustrated, but he didn’t have any firsthand experience. Though ill and overworked, his parents had obviously cared for each other. And he was happy for that, even if he could do nothing about finding them at that moment. He had a new family to help out first.
“Come on, Faith,” he coaxed. “Can you crawl out?”
“I don’t want to fall off.”
“Just push her, and I’ll grab her hands,” Leisa said.
“I don’t want to get wet.”
“And I don’t want to die.” Joe looked back to the sky. “That Hunter-Killer thing could still be circling.”
“I’m sure it is,” Faith said weakly. “Help me out, just don’t let me get wet.”
“Jade said you’d be fine.” Joe settled in behind her and hesitated before placing his hands on her backside. He snuck a glance at Leisa to see if she would give him a look, teasing or otherwise, but she was already on her knees taking Faith’s hands.
“I don’t like the river. I can’t swim.” Despite her oversized chest trying to hold her back, Faith managed to shimmy out onto the hood with their help.
“You won’t drown,” Leisa said. “Not with those life preservers on your chest.”
Connie waded into the water and reached up. “Just slide her over to me. I’ve got her.”
“Of course you do,” Leisa said, but quickly softened her tone. “Thanks, Sarge.”
Faith gushed effusive praise as Connie caught her and carried her to dry land. Barta followed in the same fashion, and it wasn’t long before the two beauties were side by side on the shore chattering about their hero.
Connie looked so uncomfortable and Jade so aggravated that Joe didn’t bother to tease him about it. Instead, he asked, “Can you catch a dog too?”
“Yeah.” He lumbered back over as Joe and Leisa tried to coax Bruce out. Bruno, the darker collie, sat back inside the bus whimpering.
“He can stay with me,” Smig said. “We’ll use the ramp once you get us turned around.”
“We could lug you out right here,” Joe said, clearly joking.
The humor was lost on Smig. “It would take three men the size of your sergeant to lift me-”
“I know,” Joe interrupted. He slid off the hood to the sand and grabbed the rope. “We’re wasting time.”
“True that.” Connie had already caught Bruce and dropped the dog onto the sandbar. He pushed past his harem to shove at the front of the bus. “Let’s get this sucker loose and righted.”
With several more grunts, a few shoves to the side of the bus, and more cursing than a squad of soldiers in a firefight, they got the bus spun partway around.
Already wet, Connie volunteered to wade farther out into the river to get the bus moving the rest of the way down. With great effort, they finally got it lined up at the boat ramp.
Joe hurried to the back door. Scrubbing aside the caked on mud, he pulled the handle and worked on lowering the ramp.
Soaked to his chest, a dripping Sarge trudged back out of the river to stand in the shadows. Morning was definitely breaking. They’d spent a great deal of time on the whole unloading process, and it would be a few more minutes before Smig rolled his way to freedom along with Bruno.
Joe charged back inside the bus and retrieved the backpacks. Leisa joined him to help gather up the coilguns that they proceeded to pass out to Connie. Their non-human companions apparently had the same qualms about fighting as Jade and had refused to take along any weapons back when they had left the house.
“No time to rest,” Joe said, shouldering his backpack and weapon. “We need to find cover.”
Smig began rolling up the concrete boat ramp toward the woods. “I would suggest staying under the tree canopy,” he announced. “I may need to move a little more out in the open, but you should try to utilize cover as much as possible.”
Joe eyed the road leading to the boat ramp, which wound through the trees up to what looked like a clearing at the top of the long, shallow slope.
Remembering all the trips and tangles in the forest, he said, “You’ll have to stay on the path to keep up with us.”
“Affirmative. There should be little trouble. Hopefully I won’t be much of a burden.”
“I’d hope not.” Connie huffed as he dumped water out of one of his boots. He nodded his head toward Barta and Faith. “I’ve got two of my own to look after. This is gonna be some picnic.”
“Standing here talking isn’t going to get us where we need to be,” Jade said. “We have under three miles to go before we make it to Gogury.”
“We’re that close?” Joe stifled a yawn. “I knew you said we were close, but dang…that’s not far at all.”
“At least compared to other hikes,” Leisa added. “Good thing, ‘cause we’re beat.”
“You might still feel tired, but you had a nice long nap while we floated downriver,” Jade said. “We are way ahead of the enemy forces.”
“The savages?” Connie asked, no doubt expecting Jade wouldn’t use that term to describe the enemy.
“Yes.”
“Like how far ahead?” Leisa wondered. “And should we push the bus loose and let it keep going?”
“That is an excellent suggestion,” Smig said. “I was going to recommend that before we left here.”
Joe eyeballed the bus and couldn’t see a way to shove it off without someone getting into the water. “So who wants to get wet?” he asked.
“Me!” Mira squeaked, but everyone else looked at Connie. He shrugged and quit wringing water from his shirt. “Fine. I’ll do it.”
Connie trudged back down to the ramp to give the bus a giant shove, and soon had the floating behemoth on its way downstream.
“That might throw the H-K off our trail for a wh
ile.” Jade turned to Leisa. “To answer your earlier question, I haven’t heard the,” she paused awkwardly before saying, “savages for at least a couple hours. It was barely past four this morning.” She reached up to her ears and plucked out the ear plugs. “I can probably take these out now.”
“Don’t lose ‘em,” Joe said, already thinking ahead to the savages catching up. Not because he wanted to be all negative, but because he knew they were always one step behind. He wasn’t sure they could ever run far enough to get away from them for good.
With Connie back, they headed up the boat ramp to a gravel path. The trees shielded them fairly well from above, although Joe wasn’t sure the cover would be enough to hide them from a Hunter-Killer.
Through the forest, the grayness had gradually shifted to pale greens and browns. The sun hadn’t climbed high enough to poke between the gaps in the trees, which would momentarily disorient them with bright streaks and shadows. Instead, it was the ideal time to look for a long distance. But there was nothing but endless vegetation.
Joe could see himself hiding in the thickets. Though nothing like the craggy mountain peaks on the far frontier, there was a similar vibe of hanging vines and brush that offered concealment.
So many places to hide presented themselves, and he wondered again if there wasn’t a way to burrow deep in a camouflaged hole and hide out as the savage horde passed them by.
At the same time, they were apparently very close to the industrial area. There seemed no way that the Republic would let the savages anywhere near such a vital place.
“Won’t there be guards?” Joe blurted.
“Certainly, however, there are threats in every direction,” Smig said.
“Including above,” Leisa added, looking to the sky. In the process of doing so, she nearly tripped over a fallen log on the path.
Smig continued talking, ignoring her stumble. “You are correct. So I suggest leaving me behind when we get closer. So long as I can stay in reasonable proximity, I can guide you through the bowels of the facility from out here.”
“Once we get past the defenses,” Joe noted.
“As I was about to say, I can help you with that as well. But I may need someone equally as talented to stay with me.” Smig turned to Jade. “The best processor of the bunch.”