Migration: Beginnings (Migration Series Book 1)

by Walter Hopgood

  Tucking the duffle under one arm, Rhys can’t help but stand there in awe as the rotors of the helicopter slowly begin to turn. He feels Jason’s warm hand as it reaches out and grabs his arm. They’d once taken a helicopter tour of Mount St. Helens years earlier, so neither of them were strangers to the aircraft. But that tour helicopter is dwarfed by the massive Chinook that sits before them.

  “Besides,” Bartlett says with what seems to be the start of a smile—the first genuine smile he’s ever seen from the major, “someone almost always vomits, and it’s better if it’s not on their winter gear.” After a pause, she adds, “You can go without a shirt if you need to, as long as you’ve got this,” and indicates the packed winter gear. “But that smell travels…”

  After a quick barking of orders from Bartlett, the team is cleared to climb aboard the helicopter. Rhys can’t help but duck, and Jason does the same, as they near the helicopter’s rotating blades (though they’re more than ten feet above their heads), ready for the quick flight up Lhotse. Based on the gentle light-headedness he feels, he knows that they are already high up in elevation and that Lhotse is higher still. But Bartlett has decreed where they’ll be landing isn’t anywhere near the peak, so he’s not afraid of oxygen deprivation, at least not yet. It’s a good thing that he and Jason try and go running on a somewhat regular basis, so both men’s lungs should be better suited for the thinner atmosphere. Still, he takes a couple of puffs off his inhaler– just in case.

  They climb into the passenger section of the helicopter and watch as the troops that had been flanking them take position around the cabin, moving Jason and Rhys to the middle. It’s a protective move, Rhys figures, though he’s wondering just exactly what they need protecting from. As he looks around, he notices Franks watching them closely and gives the lieutenant a nod, which is returned half a beat later.

  Rhys can hear Lieutenants Jacobs and Freeman from their position in the cockpit, listening as the men go through a quick checklist as someone hands Rhys a pair of protective headphones. He reaches out for them, giving Franks a curious look as he starts to put them on. Then he turns to his husband, noticing Jason has already donned his pair.

  “It can get pretty noisy,” Franks informs him, so Rhys just nods and starts to put them on. He notices that there’s an attached microphone, and when he looks up, Franks touches a spot at the top of where the microphone is seated. There’s a light buzz, then he hears, “If either of you feel sick or lightheaded, please let me know. We have supplemental oxygen available if you need it, and there are sick bags here,” Franks says as she indicates a small compartment beneath her seat, “and there,” then pointing over to indicate Rhys and Jason’s own supply beneath where they’re sitting.

  Rhys is just about to respond when the helicopter lifts off of the pad, leaving his stomach a dozen feet or so back on the pavement. He glances over at Jason, who has an expression that could rival a five-year-old on Christmas morning, and just closes his eyes as he lets his insides get reacquainted with their surroundings. It figures, that Jason would enjoy something like this, but Rhys prefers to keep both his feet firmly on the ground.

  Chapter 16

  The flight up to Lhotse only takes half an hour, with intermittent snowfall starting about twenty minutes into the trip. The Chinook lands at a clearing, Rhys and Jason jostling so they can get a good look out of the large windows and out onto the valley floor. It seems to hold a bit of snow though there are still patches of green poking through here and there. Rhys figures that the summer season in this part of the world must be relatively short, but beautiful, based on the scenery.

  “Okay everyone, winter gear,” Bartlett barks, and suddenly there’s a flurry of activity in the cabin. While there’s plenty of room to stand, even for Jason, who stands a couple inches taller than Rhys, it’s still a bit cumbersome to unpack the gear and try and get it on. Watching as Jason nearly topples over, Rhys puts out a hand to keep Jason from stumbling quite so much; his husband is both klutzy and prone to ear infections, which makes him a bit wobbly from time to time.

  “Thanks, boo,” Jason says as he finishes stepping into the snow pants, pulling the suspenders over his shoulders. “Here,” he says before he puts on his jacket, offering to steady his husband, so Rhys takes the time to put on his own snow pants. When he looks down, he realizes that he’s still wearing his running shoes and short athletic socks. “There are boots and socks in there, too,” Jason says, almost as if he was reading Rhys’ mind.

  “Good,” Rhys replies, silently relieved. He finishes putting on the gear, already feeling the warmth of the down-filled snow pants over his jeans, and sits down, motioning for Jason to do the same. They both pull out matching boots, and Rhys isn’t surprised that the sizes are perfect: 9.5 for him, and 13 for Jason. They quickly take off their shoes and socks, then each put on a warm pair of woolen socks and take their time lacing up the boots.

  The rest of the gear is relatively easy to put on, and they soon hear Bartlett continuing her stream of orders to the airmen. There’s a quick briefing, where Bartlett tells them the general plan of what’s going to happen. “Jacobs and Freeman will be staying with the aircraft, making sure we’re ready to go once the beam has been retrieved. I will lead the team, flanked by Mendez and Vu. You three,” she says, pointing to Rhys and Jason, with Franks nodding her understanding, “will be behind them, and Proctor and Gallegos will shore up the team on our six.” There’s a chorus of acknowledgements, then Bartlett turns her attention to Rhys and Jason. “You two ready?”

  “Yes ma’am,” Jason says, and Rhys can tell his husband is practically vibrating with anticipation, the same as him. The amount of adrenaline running through his veins is almost dizzying, and he takes a deep breath to steady himself.

  Bartlett nods to the cabin door, which Mendez reaches out and opens. Rhys and Jason both shiver involuntarily as a chill of freezing air quickly creeps into the cabin, and Rhys is suddenly quite happy that they’ve been given the winter gear. The airmen start filing out of the Chinook, standing to the side and helping Rhys and Jason out, with Bartlett joining them last.

  Pulling the scarf around his face, Rhys watches as Bartlett assumes the lead and points to a set of caves that is a few hundred feet away. There are several, which surprises Rhys; he knew there would be at least one cave, but had no idea that there would be half a dozen.

  “How do we know which one?” Jason asks, his voice only slightly muffled by his own scarf and the howl of a wintry, bitter cold wind.

  Raising her hand, the team stops, though Bartlett continues on for a dozen feet or so, holding the device Doctor von Schoor created. She scans the area, then turns and walks back toward the team. “It’s one of the two caves at the two o’clock position,” she says, then turns and gets underway again, the rest of the team following her.

  It takes just twenty minutes or so to make the trip through the snow to the mouth of the first cave. The ground itself isn’t bad, but the patches of snow and some hidden ice make the trek slick, resulting in a team member falling more than once.

  As they approach the cave, Bartlett orders Jason to turn around to keep his necklace from interfering, and checks the device again. “This one,” she says, and quickly marches inside the darkened cave, then switches on a bright beam of light, illuminating a wall. Rhys follows the team out of the snow and into the protective darkness of the cave with Jason right behind him, and a feeling of anticipation starts to build in the pit of his stomach.

  It takes a few seconds for his eyes to adjust, and as they do, Rhys is suddenly studying the walls of the cave, wondering where the ancient beam might be. In a way, he’s surprised that it’s not just sitting out in the open, but then again, if it were, he figures it wouldn’t have managed to stay hidden all these years. As more flashlights are clicked on, Rhys feels someone bump his arm and turns as Franks hands him a high powered flashlight of his own. “Thanks,” he manages, then clicks the switch and is rewarded with a crisp beam
of light that cuts through the darkness.

  As they make their way deeper into the cave, Rhys takes in their surroundings. While there have been a smattering of birds here and there, it’s nothing like what was described in the Utah report. They continue on for another thirty feet or so, the number of bird carcasses multiplying until they come to what seems like an unnatural entryway. Their lights land on the area and there seems to be a shelf about six feet off of the ground that has half a dozen mummified birds standing on it, with a regular sized doorway beneath it. Except that instead of a door, the entryway is sealed up with dozens of different stones.

  Before anyone can say anything, Jason breaks the silence saying, “It’s got to be in there,” pointing at the stoned-up entryway. “I can feel it.”

  “Mendez, Gallegos,” Bartlett says with a bob of her head toward the sealed door. The two airmen go to each side of the doorway and start to take down the stones, handing them back to Proctor and Vu, who toss the stones as far away as possible. It takes about ten minutes of hard physical labor since the stones are stacked a few feet thick, before there’s finally enough room to be able to see into the secluded chamber.

  “Stop,” Bartlett says, and goes to the newly opened area, aiming her flashlight through the hole and peering through. “This is it,” is all she says, then steps back and lets the airmen continue relocating the stones.

  Another twenty minutes of work gives them a large enough opening to slip into the chamber. Rhys goes first, taking a quick pause at the passage’s entryway to admire a mummified hawk that stands watch. “Pretty cool, huh?” Rhys asks his husband as he continues through the opening.

  “Cool, but creepy,” Jason replies as he follows Rhys through the newly opened doorway.

  It takes a few seconds for Rhys to comprehend their surroundings. “Wow,” is all he can manage at the sheer number of bird carcasses that surround the area. “Now this is creepy,” he says, though Jason’s attention isn’t on Rhys. Instead, it’s on a makeshift altar that sits at the back of the room.

  “Careful, Jase,” Rhys cautions, though Jason seems to be in another world. He’s first to where the beam lays, touching it with his gloved hand and blowing the dust of ages off of it. He removes his glove to run his fingers over the chilled metal.

  “Oh wow,” Jason says as the others gather around him. “Okay, so it’s not giving off the same feeling that the one from Utah was…”

  “Which would make sense,” Rhys breaks in. “That one is supposed to be the primary power source.”

  “Yeah, but it’s still got a little oomph,” Jason says. He unzips his winter coveralls and reaches into his pocket, then says, “Dammit.”

  “Problem?” Bartlett asks. Rhys looks at her, noticing her intense gaze resting on the beam.

  “Anybody got a cell phone handy?” Jason asks. Rhys remembers watching Jason putting on his snow pants, leaving his cell phone and wallet on the bench back in the helicopter.

  There’s a murmuring as the rest of the team considers the request, Rhys cutting through the chatter with, “Here.” He takes off his gloves and unzips his jacket, the cold quickly finding its way to his nearly bared skin. He reaches into his pants pocket, and hands over his cell phone.

  “Thanks, boo,” Jason says with a wink. He moves the cell phone around, focusing the beam from his flashlight on it. “So there’s not as much power as the Utah beam,” he reports, and decides to place the cell phone directly on the beam itself. “But it’s there,” he adds, glancing down at the device, then nods to Rhys.

  Adjusting his glasses, Rhys gets Airman Mendez to step to the side so that he can approach the beam, and glances down at his phone. “So it’s charging, but it’s definitely not as strong,” he says.

  Jason nods, and grabs the phone and hands it back to Rhys, who pockets it. Both men step back as Bartlett readies the airmen to take possession of the beam. “You two,” she says, and Mendez and Proctor each take a side.

  “It’s actually really light,” Jason tells them as they pick it up.

  “Yeah,” Mendez agrees. “I could actually carry this myself,” he announces to the group.

  “Yes, but with the inclement weather outside, I’d rather the two of you carry it,” Bartlett counters. Mendez and Proctor each quickly replying, with, “Yes, ma’am.”

  The trek back to the waiting helicopter only takes a few minutes; it’s as though finding the beam has given everyone a renewed sense of vigor, resulting in a quickening of their pace. As the aircraft comes into sight, Rhys watches the rotors slowly start to turn, and he figures that, as soon as the beam is loaded, they’ll be underway. At that moment, a crisp wind brushes against him, and he tries to bury himself further into his jacket and scarf.

  He spots both Lieutenants Jacobs and Freeman climb out of the cockpit, Bartlett acknowledging the lieutenants with a nod as they near. “Let’s get it loaded,” she says, and the four airmen start toward the final part of the journey, Gallegos jogging ahead to get the side door open so that they can load the cargo. Rhys watches the beam being loaded, though the flash of movement from the fast approaching Franks catches his eye for a split second.

  Rhys’ attention is brought back to the two pilots as they approach Major Bartlett, and Rhys can’t help but wonder why each of the men is holding a gun. Wild thoughts suddenly inhabit every part of his brain, and he automatically gets closer to Jason.

  “The third package has been located,” Jacobs reports to Major Bartlett over the low whoosh of the turning rotors.

  Bartlett acknowledges with a nod, and Jason asks, “Package? You mean the third beam?” He turns to Rhys, though Rhys can barely acknowledge him as he watches Freeman turn and raise a gun, aimed at the four airmen. He looks up just in time to watch Bartlett’s face, plastered with an evil grin, change to a scowl, as she focuses on Jason. Jacobs raises his own gun, aimed to where Rhys, Jason, and Franks stand.

  “You pathetic fools,” Bartlett says. “And you,” she says, spitting out the words as she looks at Jason, “you especially. You and your whole family of losers. Did you really think that you would be able to just pick up all three pieces and—what—use them for whatever you want?” She reaches back for Jacobs, who gives her a handgun of her own. “Your family may have been given the clues, but we’ve always been there, watching, knowing that we would always be one step ahead of you. And that we would be the ones to find the device so that we could use it for us—for whom it was intended.”

  “What the…” Rhys manages, stepping in front of Jason to block Bartlett from being able to get off a clean shot. But Jason jostles, apparently not afraid of the gun, so Rhys puts out his arms, blocking him from approaching the woman with the crazed look on her face.

  From their right, Franks steps to the side and pulls her own gun, aiming it at Bartlett. “Drop the gun, major,” she warns.

  Bartlett looks smug and has the audacity to let out a laugh, following it with a jovial sigh. “Three against one?” she asks. “I don’t think so. Jacobs! Freeman!” When the lieutenants turn, she says, “Go retrieve Lieutenant Franks’ gun, will you please?” As the two men go to flag Franks, Bartlett turns back and calls to the airmen, her voice barely audible above the whoosh of the rotating blades, “Is it loaded yet?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Gallegos responds, and the four airmen turn, finally noticing that the major has a gun trained on them.

  Dropping the gun to her side, Bartlett says, “Good.” She waves Rhys aside with a wave of her handgun, then aims a contemptible eye at Jason and reaches out her free hand. “Hand it over,” she says.

  “Hand what…” Jason starts.

  Bartlett reaches out and grabs Jason by the hair, forcing him to his knees. “You stupid moron. You wouldn’t know the truth if it was staring you in the face.” Aiming the gun at Jason’s head, she says, “The necklace; hand it over.”

  “But…” Jason starts, and Rhys’ mouth goes dry as he helplessly watches Bartlett cock the pistol, aiming it at Jason’
s head. When Jason doesn’t move, she aims the gun away and fires off a round, the few birds in the area skittering away at the sudden noise. She puts on an evil look, turning the gun back to Jason. After a second, she cocks her head to the side and then aims the gun at Rhys. “Or maybe I should start with the egghead,” she says.

  The blood drains from Rhys’ face as he glares down the barrel of Bartlett’s gun. “No, no,” Jason replies, adding a quiet, “Please,” as he takes the gloves off of his hands. He unzips his jacket, and his fingers make quick work of the clasp, handing over the necklace in one desperate movement, hands shaking all the while.

  Bartlett drops the gun to her side and smiles, knowing that she’s won. “Thank you,” she says, and then starts walking toward the waiting helicopter. She calls over her shoulder, “Kill them all,” and keeps walking.

  As she goes to step into the helicopter, there’s a scuffling sound, quickly followed by a barrage of bullets that pierces the landscape. At his first opportunity, Rhys turns and jumps on top of Jason, covering his husband’s body with his own. There are more bullets fired, and he covers his head with his hands, all while Jason squirms underneath him. Rhys does what he can until there’s finally a break, then silence. He gasps from holding his breath for so long, and lets out a worried groan as he cautiously looks around.

  There’s a scurrying of footfalls next to them and Rhys finally looks up to take in the scene though he quickly diverts his attention back to Jason. “Are you okay?” he asks, checking Jason over for wounds. “Jason?”

  “I’m fine,” Jason responds, his voice shaky. And once again, Rhys can breathe a little easier. He leans forward, pulling Jason into his arms.

  “Are you okay? Did you get hit?” Jason asks when Rhys finally lets him go. Rhys can feel Jason’s fingers checking him over though he feels nothing out of the ordinary.