Paradox Valley

by Gerri Hill

  “And the locals?”

  “Haven’t heard from them,” he said. “There’s no power, no cell phones, like I said. Our checkpoint is on a small unpaved county road. That’s where our team lost power. From what we understand, the nearest residence is more than twenty miles down that road, heading toward Paradox, which is probably another twenty miles or so beyond that. We don’t yet know the southern point of our zone, although the highway is not affected,” he said. “And that’s, like I said, to the south of Paradox. Inside this zone, phones go dead, batteries go dead. Obviously, it appears our helicopter lost power. We’ve designated this area as a no-fly zone for the time being.”

  She again ran her hand through her hair. “What do you want me to do?”

  “I need you to get in there. Once you’re in the zone, there’ll be no communication.”

  “You want me to find the Black Hawk?”

  “That’s a start. Some of the locals could have seen it. We’re sending in another squad, on foot. It’s rough terrain from what I understand, and we don’t have a firm location. It could take several days before they find it. If you think you can get to it, great. We need to locate the craft and more importantly, the crew. But I want you to go in and…and see if you can find whatever the hell it was that landed, whether it was a meteor or not. Someone had to have seen something out there.”

  “No offense, General, but wouldn’t it be quicker to send in troops for this instead of merely one person?”

  “We have no valid reason to deploy troops on private land…certainly not without causing a media stir, which is something we’re trying to avoid.”

  “Why not call it a training exercise?” she suggested.

  “That’s been considered. But training exercises are planned months in advance, and the local and state authorities are always notified well ahead of time. We don’t want to bring up any red flags. I’ve got a downed helicopter and three crew members missing and unaccounted for. I’ll have enough explaining to do over that. We don’t need to deploy troops and have the locals think they’re under attack or something. Remember how crazy those Texans got when we started the Jade Helm exercise?”

  “Okay. And this might be a stupid question, but why isn’t the power company trying to get in there to restore power?” She heard him sigh before he answered.

  “Let me be completely honest with you, Corey. This whole thing is going to turn into a clusterfuck if we don’t find out what the hell’s going on and quick,” he said, causing her to laugh quietly. “I’m serious. We’re telling the Department of Transportation that there’s a rock slide. Someone under Sutter told the power company that a satellite fell from orbit and might be radioactive. That’s how we’re keeping them away. The radioactive part might be true, for all I know, but we’re fairly certain it’s not a damn satellite.”

  “How the hell did that not hit the media yet?”

  “It’s only a matter of time. Fortunately, we’re dealing with a desolate area with very few people. The power outage affects less than a hundred residences. That’s not gonna make the news.”

  “And why again are we involved and not the local or state authorities?”

  “Because goddamn Sutter overreacted and sent out a Black Hawk that didn’t make it back,” he said loudly. “Sorry. But if it ends up being just a damn meteor, I’ll have his ass for losing a helicopter and her crew.”

  “You won’t get any complaints from me on that,” she said.

  “I know, Corey. I know you can’t stand the sight of the man. But—”

  “But you want me to go to the base,” she said. “And report to Colonel Sutter.”

  “Yes. And please don’t shoot him. I don’t think I could explain that to the Secretary.”

  At that, Corey laughed. Then she sobered up. Was that really the first time she’d laughed out loud in the last four months?

  “They’ll have gear for you, maps, everything you’ll need,” he continued.

  “Will you be there?”

  “No. I’m in Washington. I have a briefing with the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs in the morning.”

  “You probably shouldn’t mention the UFO and little green men theory,” she said with a smile.

  “Let’s just hope you don’t find a spaceship.”

  “Yeah…let’s hope.”

  “This mission is classified, Corey. Sutter knows you’re going into the zone, obviously. And his Lieutenant Duncan does too. They know your mission. We’re also sending in a squad from Sutter’s command on foot, like I said. They’ll know you’re in the area as well.”

  “The last time I trusted someone under Sutter’s command—”

  “I know, Captain. And after review, Major Godfrey was transferred out. But Duncan—he’s a good man from what I hear. Spotless record. You can trust him.”

  “Perhaps. But I don’t trust Sutter in the least.”

  “Right now, we don’t know what the hell is going on out there, Corey. You’ve got to trust him. You’ve got to trust me.”

  Corey still held her phone long after Harry had ended the call. This whole thing seemed a little far-fetched, and she wondered if he was fabricating some of it for her. If this was simply a benign mission that he wanted her on so that she could get “back in the saddle,” as he’d said, why hint that it could possibly be something other than a meteor?

  Well, first things first, she thought. She tossed her phone down and went into the bathroom, pulling out her hair clippers from one of the cabinets. She stood looking at herself in the mirror, hardly recognizing the image that looked back at her. Her face seemed pale, gaunt. Her dark eyes shallow. She always prided herself on her level of fitness. In the last four months, she’d done absolutely nothing that resembled exercise other than long walks. And she couldn’t remember the last decent meal she’d had. She didn’t seem to have an appetite for anything. She assumed she was about to pay for her lack of activity.

  But at least she’d look the part of a soldier. She slipped on a Number Four clipper guard and turned it on. The familiar buzz was almost a comfort to her and she brought her hand up, pausing only a second to meet her gaze in the mirror before running the clippers through her dark hair. It had been a weekly chore for her in the past and even after four long months of not bothering, it was with a practiced ease that she trimmed her hair. Perhaps it was only symbolic, but as her hair fell around her, she could almost feel the pain of the last four months slip away.

  She would never forget her team. Seven men and three women. Ten individuals working seamlessly as one. They had been as close as any family unit. They fought together, they cried together…and they laughed together.

  And they were all gone, leaving her behind to carry on without them. She put the clippers down and ran her hand over her hair several times. It wasn’t a military buzz cut, but it was short enough to remind her of what she was. She met her eyes in the mirror, then squared her shoulders.

  “Captain Conaway reporting for duty,” she said out loud.

  As she stared at herself, a small smile finally appeared. Yes. It was time she got back in the game.

  Chapter Ten

  Dana stared up at the horse, then looked back over at Butch, who was holding the reins of his own ride. “Couldn’t have found one any bigger than this, huh?” she asked dryly.

  He laughed. “I know she’s big, but she’s gentle. Tough as nails too.”

  She reached up and tentatively stroked the horse’s head. Well, she supposed her only other option would be to walk. Paradox was nearly thirty miles away. She shrugged and picked up her backpack.

  “My mom made us some sandwiches,” she said. “From last night’s meatloaf. And she wrapped up some of those ribs from the other night’s barbeque.”

  “Good. I’ve got some cheese and crackers,” he said. “A link of that dried sausage we made in the fall.”

  She wrinkled up her nose. “Venison?”

  “Oh, come on. You grew up eating venison.”

/>   “I grew up eating a lot of things I wouldn’t eat now.”

  He smiled at her. “Remember how you used to love my mom’s stew?”

  She held her hand up. “Do not remind me. I didn’t know it had bunnies in it until we were in high school.”

  “Wild rabbits, not bunnies,” he corrected. He looked past her toward the house. “Where’s your mom and dad?”

  “Chores. They’re not exactly thrilled that we’re going off,” she said. “Especially Mom. She thinks we should stick it out until the power comes back.”

  Butch nodded. “Yeah. My folks think we’re crazy too,” he said. “I think they’re afraid we’re going to get into some trouble.”

  Dana rolled her eyes. “We’re not kids anymore,” she said as she swung up onto the saddle. Thankfully, the horse never moved. She leaned down and patted its neck. “Good girl.”

  Butch nudged his horse and headed down the lane toward the road. Dana looked back over her shoulder, seeing her mother watching from the window. She raised a hand and waved, getting a small one in return.

  “I figure we’ll follow Cat Creek until it crosses under the road,” Butch said. “At least we won’t have to worry about water for the horses.”

  “We used to do that when we were kids,” she said. “There’s that section where it drops into the canyon. The horses can’t make it, can they?”

  “We’re getting a late start,” he said. “That’ll probably be a good place to camp. Then in the morning we can skirt the canyon. The road is not that far after that. We’ll just take the road on in to Paradox. Shouldn’t take us but four or five hours tomorrow.”

  “Okay.” She nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

  He glanced over at her. “You nervous?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I got a bad feeling,” she said. She looked behind her one more time, but her mother was no longer standing by the window.

  “Just going on a little trail ride,” he said. “We’ll be fine.”

  She brushed the blond hair out of her eyes, wishing she’d thought to bring a ball cap along. The sun was already getting hot. Of course, when she’d left Seattle, ball caps and horseback riding had not been on her mind. She pulled down the sunglasses which had been perched on top of her head, then she nudged her horse a little to catch up with Butch.

  He glanced at her. “Your hair is longer than the last time you were here.” He grinned. “It’s also blond.”

  “I’ve always had blond hair.”

  He laughed. “Light brown, maybe with a touch of red.”

  “Red? Get real. It’s blond.”

  “How else do you explain the freckles on your nose?”

  “The freckles on my nose have absolutely nothing to do with me maybe having a trace of red in my hair,” she said, pretending to be annoyed. “Besides, my hairdresser assures me that this color looks perfectly natural on me.”

  “Yeah, it does. I’m just messing with you.”

  “You hear about my marriage proposal?” she asked.

  His eyes widened. “I didn’t even know you were dating anyone. Who’s the lucky gal and did she say yes?”

  She shook her head. “No, no. It wasn’t me who proposed. Kendra—a woman I’ve been seeing for barely six months—popped the question.”

  He laughed. “So let me guess…that’s why you showed up here so unexpectedly. You ran.”

  She laughed too. “Yeah. And fast.”

  “So what’s the deal?”

  “I like her okay. And we have fun. But it’s not like it’s some big love affair. At least not on my end.”

  “I see. You like her, but you’re not in love with her.” He nodded. “I can relate.”

  “You mean with Holly?”

  “Yeah. Only Holly is the one who isn’t in love,” he said with a quick shrug. “She made it clear to me that she had no intention of marrying a farmer and staying in Paradox Valley the rest of her life. It wasn’t like we ever really discussed marriage, though. If she stayed around, I imagine it would probably lead to that, regardless if we’re crazy in love or not.”

  “Yeah, well I don’t want to be content. I want to be crazy in love.”

  “So what kind of woman are you going to fall for?”

  She smiled wistfully. “I like strong women. Women who are sure of themselves. Women who aren’t afraid to be who they are.” She glanced over at him. “I’m not really into girlie girls.”

  “Ah. You mean butch women. I guess I can see that.”

  “I mean strong, independent women,” she clarified. “No long nails, no nail polish…I don’t like women who wear a lot of makeup.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Yeah. So butch women.”

  She laughed. “I prefer the word ‘sporty.’ Besides, I have this vision of her. I call her my Dream Girl.”

  “So why keep dating this other chick?”

  She sighed. “I don’t know. I’m kinda in a rut, I guess.” She looked at him. “My job, my life. Everything.”

  “I thought you loved your job.”

  “I like it. I guess.” She paused. “I got a degree in marketing because you can work pretty much anywhere with that. I took the first job that was offered to me and I’m still there.” She shrugged. “So it’s a job, that’s all. I don’t know that I’d say I love it though.”

  “Weren’t you promoted recently?”

  “Last year. To sales manager,” she said. “It’s been challenging coordinating the sales team so that was a good change. And I like the people I work with. I have an assistant under me who I can boss around, so that’s a plus,” she said with a laugh. “And I love my boss. There are no complaints where he’s concerned.”

  “So what’s the problem?”

  “It’s just a job and I feel like I settled,” she said. “I mean, I’ve never even looked for another job. Some people my age have had three or four jobs already.”

  “I thought it wasn’t good to job hop,” he said.

  “That’s old school. Now? People change jobs every other year, it seems. It broadens their experience, for one thing. They get into their thirties or forties and maybe then they find that perfect job that fits their skillset.”

  “So it’s really your job that’s got you feeling stagnant. Not Kendra?”

  “It’s both, really. I don’t want to settle in my personal life like I did in my professional one. That’s all I’m saying.”

  “Then quit your job and get a new one.”

  “I’m kinda stuck now,” she said. “I’m over thirty and this is the only job I’ve ever had. If I got another job, it would have to be in the same capacity. It’s all I know. So I might as well stay where I am. I can’t complain about my salary and I certainly don’t want to start over.” She sighed again. “Anyway, you’re missing the point. It’s not about my job. It’s about my life. Yes, I feel stagnant. I haven’t met my Dream Girl and I probably never will. I’m going to end up settling, like I did with my job. At what point do I settle? At what point do I accept a marriage proposal from someone like Kendra? Which, of course, would be so not fair to them. All because I’ve had this stupid dream since I was a kid.”

  “You’re still young, Dana. Don’t worry about having to settle. You’ll meet your Dream Girl one day. You just need to have faith.”

  Faith? When she was in her twenties, she still had faith that she’d meet the woman of her dreams. Now that she was over thirty, however, that faith was dwindling, much like the years that were slipping away from her.

  Chapter Eleven

  Sutter leaned back in his chair, his glance going to the door then back to Duncan. Captain Conaway would be here any minute, and he was shocked that he felt apprehensive about their meeting. He was a colonel, for God’s sake. But she was General Brinkley’s pet. Anything they discussed would be reported back to Brinkley, no doubt.

  “Is there something wrong, sir?”

  “She’s a goddamn nutcase, Duncan. That’s what’s wrong.”

  “Captain
Conaway, sir?”

  He leaned forward again. “She accused me of intentionally sabotaging a mission she was on.”

  “Major Godfrey took the fall, sir.”

  “Damn right he did. He was a good man. He screwed up, sure, but he was still a damn good man,” he said. “Now he’s in some godforsaken desert hellhole.”

  “I’ve heard of Captain Conaway, sir, but I’ve never met her,” Duncan said.

  “Consider yourself lucky. She’s up Brinkley’s ass. She’s been on…special assignment,” he said, making quotations in the air. “Been seeing a shrink too. I’m certain she’s not the one for this job, but who am I to argue with Brinkley. He thinks she hung the moon or something.”

  “I hear she lost her whole team, sir.”

  Sutter narrowed his eyes at Duncan. “Yeah, she did. Maybe she should have shouldered some of the blame too instead of piling it all on Godfrey. She was the one on the tarmac, not him.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  “She’s hotheaded, Duncan,” he continued. “She’ll never make it past the rank of captain. Hell, I don’t know how she even got that far. I’m sure that was Brinkley’s doing.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “You be wary of what you say to her. Like I said, she’s up Brinkley’s ass.”

  “If you don’t mind me asking, sir, are they…involved?”

  Sutter stared at him for a few seconds, then laughed. “Involved? No. She’s a goddamn dyke. Hell, she—” He stopped in mid-sentence as a quick, loud knock on his door signaled Captain Conaway’s arrival. “Come in, Peterson.”

  Corporal Peterson nodded briefly at both him and Duncan. “Captain Conaway is here, sir.”

  Peterson stepped aside as Conaway walked into the room, then he left and closed the door behind him. Conaway glanced at Duncan before turning her gaze on him. Sutter saw the defiance in her eyes, and he wondered if she had the balls to refuse to salute him. She looked much the same as the last time he’d seen her although she appeared to have lost weight. Her uniform hung loosely from her shoulders. Her hair was cut military short, as she normally kept it. He held her eyes for a long moment, almost daring her not to salute. She finally squared her shoulders and raised her hand, holding it to her forehead.