The Girl in the Machine (Leah King Book 3)

by Philip Harris

  Alice took Da Silva’s tablet and opened the hatch that led to the front of the truck. “Wichita! We have a new destination.”

  16

  Da Silva lowered her binoculars. “I see two helicopters.”

  The five of them were crouched at the edge of a thick forest that ran along one side of the airfield. Leah had expected a Transport base with high metal fences and armed guards, but this was a civilian airfield. There were a dozen or so people walking around or standing talking, but none of them seemed armed.

  The helicopters were sitting on a landing area off to one side, away from the single runway that cut across the middle of the airfield. They were commercial models, white with a few colored bands to break up the monotony. The cockpit of one of them was covered with a beige tarpaulin, but the other was uncovered, and there was someone in the cockpit. Leah could see them moving around.

  “And two TA agents,” said Hobbs.

  Leah was going to ask where he’d seen them, then she spotted the two men. They were standing near the door of a rectangular concrete building with a control tower on top of it. The building cast a long shadow in the failing light, and she’d missed them.

  That was careless. And there could be more inside.

  “We’ll keep things simple,” said Alice. “Hobbs, you see any way to create a diversion?”

  He pointed toward the squat shape of an aircraft hangar off to their left. “I’m guessing there’s something flammable in there.”

  “Okay, Leah, Da Silva, and I will work our way around to the chopper while you go light some fires.”

  “What about me, Sarge?” said Wichita. There was a weary edge to his voice as though he already knew what Alice would say.

  “Wait here as long as it’s safe. Assuming we pull this off, take the truck back to the power station. Tell Colonel Billingham that Transport is taking Morgan to Hanley by train. With a bit of luck, he’ll send us some backup.”

  “Why do I always have to be the one to give Billingham the bad news?”

  “Because you can’t shoot for sugar, honey,” said Da Silva.

  Wichita looked toward Hobbs for support.

  Hobbs shrugged. “She’s got a point.”

  Wichita rolled his eyes. “Okay, Sarge, I’ll be the bearer of bad tidings. You just make sure you don’t get yourselves shot. I don’t want to be the only one in solitary.”

  “Errr, Wichita?” said Hobbs.

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever. I thought you were supposed to be off blowing things up.”

  Grinning, Hobbs waited for Alice to give him the go-ahead, then he darted off through the trees.

  “Right,” said Alice, “let’s go steal ourselves a helicopter.”

  A small airplane taxied onto the runway as they crept along the edge of the forest. Green and red lights flashed at the tips of its wings. Each flash triggered a tiny spark of pain behind Leah’s eyes, and she had to turn away.

  The forest only ran down one side of the airfield. The only cover at the end of the runway was a line of battered acoustic barriers and the remains of a squat concrete building that nature had all but reclaimed.

  Alice held them at the edge of the forest until the aircraft took off, then they ran the thirty feet to the building. Most of the walls had collapsed and were covered in vines and brambles, but there was enough cover to keep them hidden.

  The helicopters were another hundred feet or so away, across the runway. The person Leah had seen was still there. They moved around inside the cockpit, occasionally reaching up to touch something near the ceiling.

  Outside the main building, the two Transport security guards had finished talking. One was still standing by the door; the other was walking across the airfield toward the hangars where Hobbs was headed. Da Silva put her hand on Alice’s shoulder and looked pointedly toward the man. Alice gave a sharp nod.

  A distorted voice came over a PA system. Alice tightened her grip on her gun, but from what Leah could make out, it was just a general announcement. Neither of the security guards took any notice.

  “We could make it to those barriers,” said Da Silva.

  “No,” said Alice, “there’s a good chance we’ll be seen. Hobbs will—”

  There was a massive thump. A thick column of smoke, black and oily, rose from one of the hangars. Flames burst from the side of the building. More smoke poured from an opening near the top. Two people ran into view, waving and gesturing madly.

  The security guard who’d been walking toward the hangar was running now. He had his radio up to his mouth, and Leah could imagine him shouting details of the explosion to some emergency operator. The other security guard was charging toward a pickup truck parked at the side of the runway.

  More people ran from the main building. Some milled around, hands raised to their heads. Others ran toward the fire, a couple toward the pickup truck. An alarm started up, the sound rendered tinny by the PA system. A few seconds later, a small tanker appeared from behind the building. It was red with the word FIRE painted in big white letters on its tank.

  “Go!” said Alice.

  The run to the helicopters took less than a minute, but by the time they reached the landing area, Leah was convinced the entire airfield must have seen them.

  The man inside the helicopter saw them approaching and had his hands up even before Da Silva yanked open the cockpit door. She grabbed him by the front of his jumpsuit and pulled him out. He stumbled and fell to the ground.

  He had a panicked look on his face. “Don’t shoot! I’m not with Transport!”

  Da Silva had one of her pistols out and was pointing it at his face. Leah thought she might just pull the trigger.

  “You move an inch, and it’ll be the last thing you do,” said Da Silva.

  “Whoa! Look, you’re TRACE, right? I’m on your side.”

  There was the dull boom of another explosion. A second fire truck raced across the airfield. A column of sparks rose from one of the hangars, spiraling into the darkening sky like a cloud of giant fireflies.

  The man was breathing heavily, but there was excitement in his eyes, as though this were the best thing that had happened to him in his life. “I don’t work for Transport; they’re corrupt. I want them gone as much as you do. I’m a freelance pilot and th—”

  “Is this helicopter ready to go?” said Alice.

  “Sure, yeah. I’ve got the keys right here.” The man started to move his hands toward his pockets, but Da Silva jabbed the gun in his face, and he stopped.

  “Slowly.”

  The man nodded and delicately reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of keys attached to a lucky rabbit’s foot key ring. He held them out to Da Silva. Alice took them.

  “I can help. You’ll need clearance to take off unless you don’t care that Transport knows what you’re up to.”

  “How do we know you’re not going to give us up?” said Da Silva.

  “Because you’d shoot me.”

  “Maybe you want to be a martyr for the cause.”

  “Ha! I have a wife and two kids.” The man tipped his head toward the helicopter. “Transport’s fees wipe out most of what little I make from this thing. We don’t have savings or insurance. I get myself killed; they’ll starve. Trust me, I ain’t dying for Transport.”

  The alarm that had been blaring since the explosions cut out.

  “Let him up,” said Alice.

  Da Silva gave her a doubtful look. “Sarge…”

  “We don’t have much time; let him up.”

  Da Silva lowered her pistol. The man stood, brushed himself down, and offered his hand to Alice. “Dan Fogarty, freelance pilot.”

  Alice shook but didn’t give her name.

  “Ah yeah, of course. No names.”

  “Get her started; we’ve got one more on the way.”

  Fogarty nodded and climbed back into the helicopter. “You know, I thought about signing up with TRACE myself. I figure you could do with a few good pilots. Of course, my m
issus would nev—”

  “Dan,” said Alice sternly.

  Fogarty held up his hands and mouthed, “Sorry.” He pulled on a set of headphones and started flicking switches on the helicopter’s dashboard.

  “Get in,” said Alice.

  The helicopter had sliding rear doors. Leah fumbled with the handle until it unlatched, slid the door open, and climbed in. There was a seat belt, and she pulled it tight across her lap. Alice got into the front passenger seat while Da Silva got in beside Leah. She was watching Fogarty closely as he ran the final checks.

  No one seemed to be taking any notice of them, but the pillar of black smoke rising from the hangars was growing smaller. A couple of people in firemen’s uniforms were spraying down the roof of one hangar. The second fire truck was just visible behind the other building. There was no sign of Hobbs.

  Fogarty put on a headset and pulled down the microphone. “Control, this is DBX-189. Requesting permission to take off. Over.”

  He waited a few seconds then said, “Confirmed. Over.”

  A worried look came over Fogarty’s face. Alice was watching him, and her eyes narrowed slightly.

  “Just making my regular run over to the lakes. Need to get a head start; the missus has some big party planned. You know what she’s like, Chief. Out.”

  Fogarty glanced at Alice and mouthed, “It’s okay.”

  Across the airfield, the hangars were still burning, and there was no sign of anyone paying the helicopter any attention.

  Fogarty dug around in a plastic folder clipped to the side of the door. He pulled out an official-looking form. The paper was scuffed and smudged with oil. “Delta Bravo X-ray 189 dash 0013394 dash Yankee. Over.”

  They sat in silence as Fogarty listened to the radio for almost a minute. Then he smiled. “Thanks, Chief. Out.”

  Fogarty pressed a red button on the side of his headset and gave Alice a thumbs-up. Then he flicked a few more switches. The helicopter started. Its engine sputtered then caught, and the rotor blades began to turn.

  “What about Hobbs?” said Leah before the whine of the helicopter’s engine could drown her words.

  “He’ll be here,” said Da Silva.

  Leah watched the tree line, looking for any sign of movement that might suggest she was right. Vibrations ran through her seat and up her spine. The rotor blades were spinning up too quickly for her liking. She willed them to take their time or for the control tower to hold their takeoff while some other aircraft landed.

  Da Silva handed Leah a headset. Fogarty was already talking when she put it on. “Control has given us a three-minute window. We need to use it, or they’ll get suspicious.”

  “We wait,” said Alice.

  The helicopter gave a concerted shudder as though it were eager to take off itself. Fogarty nodded and adjusted a lever slightly. A red light appeared on the dashboard. He rapped his knuckle on the panel beside it, and the light flickered out.

  There was a crackle of radio static. Fogarty pressed the red button on his headset. “Understood, Control. Just finished my final preflight. Out.” He pressed the button again and said, “We’re out of time.”

  Alice looked out toward the forest, her face dark.

  Fogarty adjusted the throttle, and the engine’s whine increased. The helicopter shifted on its landing skids.

  Leah’s vision was still a little blurred, but she thought she saw movement. “Wait! I saw Hobbs.”

  “Where?” said Alice.

  “By the building we hid behind.”

  “I don’t see him.”

  “Me neither,” said Da Silva.

  Leah blinked, trying to shift the blurriness in her vision. She could feel the helicopter rising off the ground. Then there was movement. Not beside the concrete building, but at the edge of the forest. Someone was running toward them in a crouch.

  “Hold on,” said Leah. “There he is.”

  “We don’t have time,” said Fogarty.

  Alice leaned across and put her hand on Fogarty’s. She stared at him until he eased off the throttle and the helicopter settled back to the ground.

  The someone running toward them was past the concrete building now, and it was Hobbs. He’d given up trying to crouch and was sprinting, his arms pumping. Da Silva unlocked the door, ready to slide it open for him.

  Another Transport security guard had appeared. They were standing outside the main building, and they were looking toward the helicopter. Fogarty’s earlier excitement was gone now, replaced by a pensive look.

  Hobbs was fast, and he covered the ground to the chopper far quicker than they had. Still, the seconds dragged by, and Leah expected sirens to break out any moment. Or gunfire. She let out a relieved breath as Hobbs reached the landing area and Da Silva opened the door.

  Fogarty was increasing the engine power again as Hobbs threw himself on board. The helicopter shifted and rose.

  Hobbs pulled the door shut and locked the seat belt around his lap. Da Silva handed him a headset. He grinned at Leah. “Big enough bang for you?”

  Leah smiled, but she was more concerned about the look of fear on Fogarty’s face.

  The Transport security guard was still watching them as the helicopter rose, turning away from the main building as it did. Fogarty hadn’t told them he had passengers. If that wasn’t normal, they’d know something was wrong.

  Leah’s stomach lurched as the helicopter leaned forward and accelerated. She looked back across the airfield. There were no swarms of Transport soldiers running out of the airport and no anti-aircraft missiles rushing toward them. For now, they were out of the fire.

  Fogarty let out a deep breath then said, “So where to, Cap’n?”

  “South,” said Alice. “Get us out of range of the airfield, then find us somewhere to land.”

  Fogarty nodded, and the helicopter rose higher, sweeping through the growing dusk, the forest rushing past beneath them.

  Ten minutes after the airfield passed out of view, Alice tapped Fogarty on the shoulder and pointed to the ground. They were flying over low, rolling hills with the occasional dirt road cutting between them.

  Fogarty shrugged and brought the helicopter down. He moved to turn off the engine, but Alice stopped him.

  “Thank you, but this is where you get out.”

  A look of concern filled Fogarty’s face. “Oh no, I’m coming with you.”

  “Dan, it’s too dangerous.”

  “You can’t just take my helicopter. How will I get it back?”

  When Alice didn’t reply, Fogarty’s eyes widened. “You’re going to get it blown up or crash it or something!”

  “We’ll do everything we can to keep it in one piece, but I can’t guarantee it.”

  “But this is my livelihood!”

  “I know, and we’ll get your details to the higher-ups, and they’ll make sure you’re compensated.”

  “They’ll probably give you more than it’s worth,” said Da Silva.

  Fogarty gestured to the hills around them. “I don’t even know where we are.”

  “There’s a main road a mile or so east. You’ll be able to get a ride there,” said Alice.

  Fogarty slowly shook his head. He looked into the back of the helicopter toward Leah and Hobbs as though he was hoping they’d weigh in on his behalf. His mouth was half open, and the concern on his face had turned to a sort of shocked resignation.

  “Clock’s ticking,” said Da Silva.

  Fogarty’s shoulders slumped.

  “Thank you,” said Alice.

  Fogarty gave a dismissive shake of his head. He removed his headset and hooked it onto a metal arm protruding from the dashboard then climbed out of the helicopter.

  Da Silva took Fogarty’s place.

  Leah peered down at Fogarty as the helicopter rose back up into the air. He was standing in the middle of a field, staring up at them as they swept away over the hills. Leah felt a pang of sorrow. He looked lonely and lost.

  Alice had her ta
blet out. She leaned over toward Da Silva and pointed to a location. “We can join the tracks here. With luck, they’ll have stopped at this fuel depot to refuel.”

  Da Silva nodded. The helicopter banked south and accelerated over the hills in pursuit of the train and Eric Morgan.

  17

  They reached the train just past the refueling station at a point where the tracks cut through a hill. Da Silva climbed until they were a couple hundred feet above the train then matched its speed.

  “What’s the plan, Sarge?” said Hobbs.

  “Da Silva, can you get us close enough to jump?”

  “I can, but are you sure you want to try jumping onto a moving train? In the dark?”

  “It’s not completely dark.”

  “It isn’t the sanest idea you’ve ever had,” said Hobbs. “And how do we get off again?”

  “You’ve got explosives; we’ll detach the rear carriage. Da Silva can pick us up again.”

  Hobbs scowled at Alice.

  “I don’t see another way. Do you?”

  “Couldn’t we just land in front of it and force it to stop?”

  “They’ll probably just run right into us,” said Da Silva. “It’s not like a train can stop quickly even if it wants to.”

  “Won’t there be guards on the train?” said Leah.

  “Probably,” said Alice.

  There was a long pause. Leah could feel the tension in the cockpit rise. A dozen disaster scenarios passed through her head, each more terrifyingly violent than the last.

  Then Da Silva pushed forward on the collective. The nose of the helicopter tilted forward, and they dropped toward the train.

  “I’ll go first,” said Alice. “Hobbs, provide cover if we need it. Leah—” She paused.

  Leah waited for her to say she needed to stay behind.

  Then Alice said, “You follow as soon as I’m on the train. Be as quick as possible.”

  “Sarge?” said Hobbs.

  Alice cut him off with a glare. “Then we’ll both cover Hobbs.”

  Leah nodded and tried to look confident.

  They were already gaining quickly on the train. There were five passenger carriages. They looked ordinary enough, but there were metal plates over most of the windows, and the rest were fitted with heavy bars. At that moment, the train was traveling along a slight curve, but there seemed to be a length of straight track up ahead. The carriages rocked and shifted as the train raced along the track, and Leah couldn’t see how Da Silva would be able to get close enough for them to get on board safely.