Migration: Beginnings (Migration Series Book 1)

by Walter Hopgood

  Jason immediately retreats under the covers, though Rhys tries again. “Come on, Jase. Lieutenant Franks is here.”

  The covers move, and Jason’s head momentarily pops out from under them, as a groan escapes his lips. Eyes squinting, he considers the room, and Rhys figures Jason’s probably going through the same thing he did when he first woke up.

  “Morning, boo,” Jason yawns, then holds out a hand, wiggling his fingers in Franks’ direction, who responds with a raised eyebrow. “And not that you aren’t rockin’ the camo there, Clarice,” Jason says as he finally emerges from under the covers to peek at Franks, then turns to Rhys, “but it’s way too early for a threesome.” He tiredly drops face-first back into his pillow.

  “Jason!” Rhys half barks, half laughs, while Franks loses it, almost doubling over in laughter at Jason’s evocative suggestion. “Oh my God,” Rhys says as he blushes a deep shade of crimson. “You goof!” he says, and playfully whacks Jason’s backside through the blankets.

  Once she catches her breath, Franks—who is also sporting a blush that makes her look even younger than her years—finally replies, “I’m flattered, Jason. Really. But I, myself, am a boob girl.”

  Turning over and sitting up in the bed as he stretches, Jason says, “They are kinda awesome, aren’t they?” as he finally sits up, then runs a hand over his face. He looks at Rhys, who is still in full blush, though it’s hard to tell since he’s currently holding his face in his hands. “Hey, I told you I don’t have a filter before 8:00 a.m.,” he adds as if that’s an excuse. He leans over, playfully bumping Rhys in the shoulder.

  “Actually,” Franks says, pulling them back into the realm of the moment, “it’s just before 10:00 a.m. here in Kathmandu.”

  “What?” Rhys asks, instantly standing up, looking for his pants. He’d not realized just how late they’d slept, though with traveling halfway around the globe and all they’ve been through, he’s almost surprised it’s not even later.

  “Relax, relax,” Franks says. “Plane’s not leaving until four o’clock this afternoon, so you’ve got plenty of time. I just figured I’d wake you up in case you wanted breakfast. The mess is going to switch out for lunch in about an hour.”

  Yawning, Jason asks, “What time is it back on the west coast?” When Rhys gives him a curious look, he adds, “I wanted to call Mom since we didn’t get a chance to last night.”

  “Coming up on 9:15 p.m.,” Franks responds as she glances at her watch. She turns and heads for the door. “I’ll give you boys some privacy. Come find me in the mess when you’re ready.”

  The sound of the door closing is the only noise in the cabin for a few seconds until Rhys starts an easy laugh. “Oh my God,” Rhys says again though he’s still giggling and threatening to collapse into the blankets. Secretly, deep down, he wishes that he could be as free and crazy as his husband. But then again, it’s just one of the things Rhys loves about his Jason. “You’re a nut,” Rhys says, adding, “You know that?”

  Jason gives Rhys an affectionate look, and leans out of bed to grab his phone. “Yeah, but you love me,” he says as he turns it on. “I’m gonna call Mom before it gets too late.”

  Nodding, Rhys says, “Okay,” and leans over to steal a kiss. “I’ll take a shower first,” he says, and goes to the suitcases to pull out clothes, coming back with a long-sleeved shirt, adding “Oh, thank God,” as he holds the shirt up, showing it to Jason.

  Rhys pads quickly across the cold floor as Jason dials their house back in the states. “I’ll be there in a sec—Hi Mom!” Rhys gives a wave just before he shuts the bathroom door, hearing Jason say, “Yeah, we’re okay. Rhys says hi! I didn’t wake you, did I?”

  Chapter 21

  Showered and changed, Rhys and Jason leave the comfort of their quarters to search out Franks, food, and coffee. They step out into the midmorning air, appreciating what little warmth the sun is providing as they stride to the mess building, where they duck inside. They spot Franks and make a beeline to her table.

  “Morning,” Jason acknowledges as they sit down. They are quickly approached by one of the service members, Jason adding, “Fancy,” as he’s handed a menu.

  “Yeah, about that,” Rhys asks. “This isn’t like any military canteen I’ve ever been in.” When Franks gives him a questioning look, he adds, “My dad is retired Air Force; a captain.” With a sigh, as childhood memories play like an eight-millimeter home movie in his head, Rhys adds, “Whenever we moved when I was a kid—which was a lot—we always ended up eating with the enlisted until we were totally settled into our new place.”

  Putting down her paper, Franks nods. “Well, this base actually served as a transport spot for lots of VIPs coming through the area during the early days of the European crisis. They never decommissioned this particular aspect. At any rate, you two are considered VIPs.” She raises her glass of juice as a toast.

  The trio make small talk as Rhys and Jason are served breakfast, Rhys downing a murky cup of the military’s finest brew. Once he’s a little more coherent, Rhys asks, “So what about new team members? You know, to replace Bartlett and her two lieutenants.”

  Franks shakes her head, and whether consciously or unconsciously, reaches for the epaulettes on her shoulder. It takes a second for Rhys to finally recognize the new rank, saying, “Oh… Congratulations!”

  “What?” Jason asks around a spoonful of oatmeal. Swallowing, he adds, “What did I miss?”

  “Franks got a promotion,” Rhys says, and Franks acknowledging it with a nod. “Captain,” he says, pointing to the new stripes that sit on Franks’ shoulder, with Jason adding his own “Congratulations” a beat later.

  “Landingham did it last night, in recognition of my work taking out Bartlett and neutralizing the threat she and her two hand-picked pilots had brought to the project. So that means,” she says, sitting up just a little straighter, “that we don’t need a more senior officer.”

  Rhys nods his agreement. “As for the rest of the team, what about the group that we already have put together?” Rhys asks. “Us three, plus Mendez, Gallegos, Vu, and Proctor; we worked pretty well together. Do you think we need to include anyone else?”

  Franks just scrunches her face, saying, “Naah. I think we’re good,” with Jason and Rhys nodding their agreement.

  After their breakfast and a quick briefing, Rhys and Jason are dismissed back to their quarters, where they pack up their things and Jason tucks in with a book as Rhys pulls out his laptop, catching up on his backlog of reports. He continues to work, Jason suddenly snoring contentedly at his side, when the clock comes up on 3:00 p.m., so he starts to wind down, and wakes up Jason so they can eat another quick meal before their late afternoon departure.

  Just after 4:00 p.m., the couple walks onto another C5 Galaxy, strapping themselves into a troop compartment area, but this time they are surrounded by their teammates and a couple of additional flight crew. The gargantuan plane starts to taxi, and Jason starts to fidget in his seat.

  “Everything okay, Jason?” Franks asks, and Rhys almost smiles at the familiarity.

  “No windows,” Jason responds as he continues to look around. “I kinda miss being able to see outside.”

  “You get used to it,” Gallegos tosses in, which garners a nod from the rest of the airmen.

  “Hold on a sec,” Franks says, making a motion to one of the rest pilots who share the area. The pilot nods, then touches a microphone in her helmet, and a second later, the plane comes to a halt on the taxiway. Rhys watches as Franks unbuckles her straps and stands up, moving in front of Jason. “You want to ride in the jump seat?”

  Jason gives Franks a look like she’s hung the moon. “Oh, shit—no way!” After a second, with Franks giving him the biggest grin she can muster, he adds, “For real?”

  “Absolutely,” Franks adds, and she doesn’t have to gesture for Jason to undo his buckles; he’s already free and starting to stand in seconds. “After all, I’ve gotta say thank you someho
w, for that awesome invitation you tossed at me earlier this morning.” She turns to give Rhys a wink, but Rhys almost misses it as he cradles his face in his hands, a blush quickly taking up residence on his cheeks.

  The flight eventually takes off, and Rhys can imagine the utter joy Jason is experiencing. His husband is a bit of an airplane geek, so being invited to fly in the jump seat must have put him squarely on cloud nine. About twenty minutes into the flight, they clear the mountains and get to cruising altitude. Rhys watches as people start to unbuckle from their seats and start to mill around, though he chooses to stay belted into his seat.

  Jason reappears about ten minutes later, Rhys’ heart melting just a little bit at the monstrous smile that covers his husband’s face. “Did you have fun, sweetheart?” Rhys asks.

  Jason prefaces his review with a roll of his eyes, and a look that questions Rhys’ sanity, then lets off with a series of glowing remarks, including “awesome” and “spectacular”, among other adjectives, his hands flying about as he animatedly describes the experience. Rhys wonders if his family will buy Jason a plane, though the man is a bit of a klutz. Teaching Jason to fly would be like putting a fish on a bicycle. Sure, it was a mean thought, but Jason is the first to admit his clumsiness.

  They sit back down as Jason recounts his time in the cockpit, then lets the subject turn to other things. They discuss what they’ve already been through, and wonder out loud what to expect when they land in Zambia. Neither man has been to Africa before, so this is bound to be an experience for them both.

  Rhys goes back to checking his work email that he’d let queue up on his laptop and reads over several of the reports waiting. Technically, he is still doing his old job, though his superiors know the government has drafted him to take on a mission of some sort. He knows that there had to be eyebrows raised when they were told the nature of the mission was “above their pay grade.”

  He has a couple of emails from Harvey, but he’d responded with, “Will fill you in when we’re back.” As far as Harvey and the rest of the world knew, Jason and Rhys were still in Sacramento, working on a government project, and he wasn’t about to change that.

  By the time the third hour rolls around, Jason is asleep on Rhys’ shoulder, and bless him for not being a sleep drooler. Rhys shuts down his laptop and yawns, though he’s not quite tired enough to go to sleep. Instead, he rummages through his backpack and pulls out a paperback. It was Jason’s, and though he’d already read it once, it was a chance to actually do something rather than just wait for the flight to be over. He starts on the first couple pages but decides to shut his eyes for just a bit when he can’t stop yawning. It barely registers with him when the paperback slips from his hand, quietly clattering against the bare floor beneath them.

  Rhys is woken up by a gentle shake of his shoulder, and he takes a second to lean up and get his bearings. He looks up to find Airman Gallegos standing over him.

  “Sorry to wake you, but I thought I’d let you know we’re about an hour outside of Livingstone. Figured you might want to get something to eat before we land.”

  “Thanks,” Rhys manages through a yawn. He reaches over and wakes up Jason, and the pair take a few seconds to stretch before they get out of their seats and find the little galley. They each grab a couple bottles of water and some snacks before returning to the seating area.

  “Good, you’re back,” Franks says as Jason and Rhys find their seats. “I figure we should do a briefing now so that when we land, we hit the ground running.” She makes a motion to the others, and Mendez, Proctor, Vu, and Gallegos come to stand at attention nearby. She acknowledges them with a nod, and starts as the airmen go to parade rest. “Last time it was snow, and this time it’s going to be water; lots of it. We’ll meet a Zambian crew at the airport, and they have been instructed to give us a couple Humvees, and a couple of high-powered Zodiacs—those are dinghies,” she adds, turning to Jason and Rhys, and providing the civilian explanation for their benefit.

  “Dinghies,” Jason chuckles. Rhys shakes his head and lightheartedly whacks him on the shoulder.

  “Anyway,” Franks says, playfully rolling her eyes, “we’ll need the Zodiacs to traverse the water to Songwe Gorge. Once we do, we’ll secure them, and don hiking gear. The cave the scientists back in Sacramento have identified apparently goes back several hundred feet, from what they can tell, so it could take some time to locate the source and extract it.”

  “But no gunshots this time, okay?” Rhys asks. “Please?”

  “Can’t promise anything…but I’ll do my best,” Franks says with a smile and a wink.

  They continue to talk for another few minutes when Rhys notices the plane starting to dip gently.

  “And that would be our descent into Livingstone,” Franks says. “I’d suggest you use the facilities now if you need to. Otherwise, I’ll see you folks on the ground.”

  The airmen salute their superior officer, with Jason and Rhys nodding to Franks as she makes her way to the front of the plane.

  “Excuse me, Captain Franks?” Rhys calls before she can get too far.

  “What’s up, Doc?” Franks replies, and almost instantly closes her eyes and shakes her head. “I can’t believe I just said that…”

  Jason chuckles, even though Rhys knows he’s heard that particular phrase hundreds of times. “Any news on what happened in Asia?”

  Nodding, Franks replies, “Intelligence says there’s someone pulling the strings, though we don’t quite know who yet. They were able to incapacitate about a dozen airports across Asia, but they were all civilian; the beam landed about two hours ago, and should already be in the air, on the way back to Sacramento.”

  Rhys lets out a sigh of relief, though the mindless destruction still weighs heavy in his thoughts. “Thanks,” he says.

  Captain Franks gives him and Jason a nod, then turns to head back up toward the cockpit as Rhys and Jason adjust their seatbelts.

  “I bet she’s going to sit in the jump seat,” Jason wistfully remarks, Rhys following his husband’s gaze toward the front of the plane.

  He finishes getting himself buckled into his seat, though Jason is hemming and hawing about something unsaid, Rhys can tell by the way he’s fidgeting. “What’s up?” he asks.

  Glancing back, Jason replies, “I should go pee again…You know, my tiny bladder.”

  “Okay,” Rhys says, then thinks of something as Jason turns the wrong direction and begins to walk away. “Jase?” he calls.

  Jason turns, giving Rhys a questioning look.

  “Do not bother the pilots in the cockpit; you already flew up there once this trip.”

  Rolling his eyes, Jason does his best impression of an impetuous teenager when he replies, “But Moooommmmmm…”

  Rhys just gives him a look, and Jason knows he’s been caught.

  “Yes, dear,” Jason says, and disappears back toward the lavatory, away from the cockpit.

  Chapter 22

  The landing in Livingstone is smooth. And though they’ve only been on the runway for a few seconds, Rhys can already feel the heat drifting in through the skin of the airplane. Once they finish taxiing and the engines shut down, the team gets up and walks toward the lowering ramp of the enormous airplane. As they approach the outdoors, with all its exuberant brightness, Rhys wishes he’d had enough forethought to pack his sunglasses.

  The team acquires two Humvees, complete with trailers loaded up with Zodiac boats. After a little coordination, they head off for Songwe Gorge, Franks informing them that it’s about forty minutes to the South. Rhys takes in the sights as Jason bounces in his seat.

  “Can you believe it?” Jason asks. “In the past few days, we’ve found out that an old family fable is actually true and have located two pieces of this ancient…thing…on two different continents! Now we’re about to find the third piece.” He’s practically vibrating when he adds, “This is so cool!”

  Rhys can’t help it; Jason looks so happy that he has t
o lean over and steal a quick kiss.

  The journey is long and warm, but not oppressively hot. When Rhys thinks of Africa during the heat of summer, all he can think about is sweltering heat. But what they’re experiencing now isn’t too bad. It’s somewhere in the high 80s to low 90s, and quite arid with lots of green vegetation in their surroundings.

  They get to a launch site for the Zodiacs. Rhys and Jason get out of the Humvee while they watch Franks and Gallegos expertly guide the trailers down a ramp, allowing the Zodiacs to begin floating on their own. With the Zodiacs launched and the Humvees parked to the side of the boat-launch area, Franks starts to direct the airmen on their assignments.

  “Mendez, Proctor,” Franks says, garnering each man’s attention. “You two start getting into your wet gear. Gallegos, I’m gonna need you to help get our guests here into their wet gear, and then don your own.” Turning, Franks adds, “Vu,” and the woman comes to attention. “Sorry, buddy, but you drew the short straw. You’ve got to stay with the Humvees here, and make sure nobody messes with them.”

  Franks reaches into her gear and pulls out a funny looking phone with a long antennae attached. “This is a satellite phone. If you need anything, the numbers are already pre-programmed into it. And if anyone shows up to give you a hard time, just sic General Landingham on them. Questions?”

  “No, ma’am,” Vu responds. She reaches out and accepts the phone, and Rhys can’t help but feel sorry for her having to stay back while adventure awaits the rest of the team.

  “Good,” Franks responds.

  Vu retreats to stand by the trucks as Rhys and Jason are assisted with donning their protective wet gear. It takes a few minutes, and Rhys is quite happy that not only is it not as oppressively hot as he thought it might be, but also that their proximity to the water is helping with the heat. By the time they’re all geared up and get into the Zodiacs, sweat is pouring off his body. Franks is kind enough to toss a couple large bottles of water into each boat but warns everyone that the empties need to come back out with them.