Sarah leaned over and hit Jack's mouth so hard with her own he thought she bloodied his lips. The kiss lasted only a second, but Collins drank it in as if it were a lifesaving swallow of water.
Jack pushed away and smiled one last time as the Blackhawk hit the ground with its left wheel. He winked at Sarah and started for the door with the trigger.
"I have to at least touch these leads to the antenna; you have about thirty seconds before this end of the valley changes forever. Now get the hell out of here!" Jack jumped from the Blackhawk and ran out into the heart of ground zero.
Sarah closed her eyes and fought back her anger at Jack. She opened them to see Collins limping toward the tower that marked Operation Orion.
Everett felt Ryan lifting off, bouncing twice as he did so. Then Carl leaned into the cockpit and started to say something, but Ryan cut him off.
"Go back and get ready, Commander. Did you think for one fucking minute I would leave him out there?" Then Ryan smiled and looked at the specialist in the right seat. "Ready to be a hero?"
"No, sir!" the young man answered.
Jack saw as soon as he opened the remote case that he wasn't going to have the time to set off the device. The dirt waves were a thousand yards from the dust cloud that was Soda Flats. They were breaching and then diving back into the earth, and they would eventually rise within a hundred yards of the very spot where he was. He frantically started to pull on the broken electrical leads on the case anyway.
The captain in the lead Paladin snapped up when his GPS came to life with target-tracking information. The orders had gone out to give the ground team added time by covering them with their remaining rounds. The numbers were streaming in from the circling AWACS above them. He quickly got on his radio and started shouting orders to his tank platoon as the Excalibur rounds were loaded into M284 cannon.
"Excalibur up!" the loader shouted.
Over the radio they heard a voice call out, "Fire until all rounds are expended."
"Gunslinger, fire, fire, fire at will!" the captain shouted into the radio.
The platoon of M109A6 Paladins opened fire, and the Excalibur rounds flew up and out toward their preprogrammed targets. As the gunners reloaded, another GPS signal imprinted on the rounds, initiating contact with the circling AWACS overhead. It was feeding constant target-aspect changes to each individual round as it flew from its tube. The small directional fins popped free and guided the smart rounds to their targets.
Jack heard a tearing overhead as if the sky were ripping apart. The vibration of the approaching animals was actually making the ground around him shimmer and jump. The first rounds exploded on top of the lead offspring running ahead of the male, a mere 250 yards from Orion. These animals vaporized in a flash as the second volley fell on even more of the shallow-traveling creatures. Jack threw himself to the ground as the next three Excalibur rounds tracked the largest target. The male, sensing danger, dove deep as the rounds dug into the dirt and sand, exploding harmlessly thirty feet above it.
A number of the other creatures were faring far worse as they were left behind by their larger and much swifter brother. They became easy targets as their wakes were clearly marked by the cameras of the AWACS, and it computed in a millisecond targets where the Talkhans would be, not where they currently were. The movable fins guided the rounds perfectly, outsmarting the offspring at every turn.
The Paladins fired what ordnance they had." By the AWACS count they had taken out at least twenty-five of the smaller animals, with the largest Talkhan and possibly twenty to thirty of the smaller females still missing.
Jack saw his reprieve and started working as fast as he could. Then he saw the wave approaching at breakneck speed. It was as if the animals knew what was planned and were trying to speed by before detonation.
Collins looked around at the emptiness of the desert and knew in fifteen seconds it wouldn't look the same, having turned into a giant hole in the ground. He bent down and opened the case and tugged hard on the broken antenna leads, taking away the built-in stress relief all manufacturers place in wiring. He looked up just as the giant animal breached the surface of the desert, followed into the air by the surviving thirty females. Jack didn't know how, but he knew the beast had seen him in the expanse of machine-cleared dirt and sand. The Talkhan roared and dove for the ground, sending up a wave of atomically altered soil that rushed toward ground zero. But Jack smiled as he saw the trailing grayish alkali dust cloud follow the animal down.
"Well, Niles, Senator Lee, it's been fun." Jack placed the box close to the small antenna and wrapped the wire leads around the steel, then pushed the button.
This time the screen flashed red with the words Detonation 30 seconds. Jack relaxed and sat down and placed the case beside him. He knew the fuse had been lit and there was nothing to stop it now.
The wave diminished as the beasts approached and started making their run for deep soil. Jack smiled, knowing no matter how deep they went, they would never escape the inferno of gamma rays coming their way.
***
Senator Lee lowered his head. Niles Compton placed his head in his hands and waited. Alice was angry as she quickly swiped a tear from her eye, then glared at the senator for having known exactly what Jack was going to do.
As they all waited, they heard shouting over the COMM link. It was the White House.
"What in the hell are those maniacs doing?" They could tell it was the president yelling.
As Niles looked up, he was amazed to see the Blackhawk slowly zigzagging and bounding its way back to ground zero at a horribly slow rate of speed.
"Ryan, you crazy bastard!" Niles screamed, jumping from his chair and clapping once, knowing there wasn't a chance in hell the slow-moving, terribly piloted Blackhawk would make it, but cheering the fools on nonetheless because he knew a neutron bomb didn't have the same explosive effects as a nuclear weapon. It would be less violent and they would be shielded somewhat if they could get at least two hundred yards from ground zero.
Jack stood suddenly when he heard the thud of rotors and saw the helicopter approaching. "Good God," he said as he saw the Blackhawk slewing first left, then right, all the while losing altitude too fast. There was only fifteen seconds left to detonation. The vibration of the approaching Talkhans indicated they were close to dead center of ground zero. "I'm going to hang you three," Jack said as he saw Everett hanging out of the door and bracing himself on the remaining wheel and Sarah behind him, grasping his waist.
The beast was past dead center as the Blackhawk swooped in dramatic fashion toward the desert floor. Jack saw a worried look on Everett's face as he reached for all he was worth. Collins jumped, sending a jolt of searing pain through his chest from his broken ribs. Everett caught him, but Ryan was having trouble stopping the Blackhawk as Jack's feet dragged along the topsoil for twenty feet. Then Ryan applied everything he had on the collective, twisting the throttle and adding all the power he had, and the helicopter shot straight up. He had just pushed the control stick forward and the nose had just dipped, gaining speed as they shot away from ground zero, trying desperately to escape the conventional explosive of the weapon, when suddenly the world changed below them.
The desert floor first lifted, sucking the air away from the Blackhawk, making Ryan lose control, then the ground fell back. The eruption was white-hot and only the falling soil saved them from being fried to death by the expanding X-rays. The very edge of the Superstition Mountains vanished as they fell into the giant hole created by the device after it evaporated a half-mile section of desert. The creatures had been only a hundred feet from the neutron weapon when the electrical charge detonated the conventional explosive, sending a compressing impact into the uranium core. The animals had vaporized as the power of the sun struck them and gamma radiation coursed through their armorless bodies.
Ryan had totally lost control of the helicopter. Jack was still dangling precariously above the giant crater in the desert, only holding o
n because of the sheer strength of Everett and the willpower of Sarah, who was holding the weight of both men. The Blackhawk threatened to force Collins off by centrifugal force as it spun out of control over a hole that now resembled a giant meteor strike.
Ryan was also being forced away from the pedals due to the force of the rotation. The specialist, who saw what was happening, and against the forces being applied, fought his foot to the left pedal and jammed it down, helping Ryan slow the spin. The control panel started flashing several warnings. The engine-fire light went on and Ryan was at a loss as to what to do.
"Sit it down, sit it down, you crazy bastard!" the specialist screamed out.
"You waited long enough to say something besides 'Yes, sir'!" Ryan screamed back. "And now you're giving orders!"
In the back, Everett and Sarah had finally managed to drag Jack up and over the wheel, and then he jumped into the back compartment of the helicopter and collapsed on the deck. As Everett was pulled sharply backward by Sarah, and they both tumbled into the cabin on top of Jack. They all watched breathlessly out the door at the slowly spinning world outside. Jack saw the giant depression in the ground stretching at least half a mile in a circular pattern and knew the beasts couldn't have lived through that. He nodded, satisfied, and collapsed, not caring that the added weight of Sarah and Everett were crushing him.
"In case you didn't know it, Mr. Everett, that arm of yours is broken," Jack said as he saw the twisted limb resting beside his own face.
Collins was breathing hard and grabbing his left side. He rolled over as the Blackhawk finally straightened out and they were descending at a normal rate despite the alarms sounding from up front and Ryan yelling about what a great flier he was.
"Just wait until you see the shit details I'm going to give you three when we get back," Collins said as he reached out and squeezed Sarah's hand.
"We were only passengers, Jack," Everett replied. "I was trying to jump out of this thing when I hooked you. That fucking Ryan can't fly worth a damn."
THIRTY-FOUR
Gus was still sitting on the hard rock beside the still form of his friend; he hadn't allowed anyone to help him or remove Matchstick's body. Julie was standing and holding Billy as he cried. Ryan was there with one arm on Julie and the other arm supporting the still-shaken Collins. Sarah was on his other side, staring at the fallen alien.
Collins watched the old man holding the small being's hand. Mahjtic was still lying facedown in the rocky soil where he had landed after his forty-foot plunge from the cliff behind them forty-five minutes before; he hadn't fallen all the way thanks to another of the many rock ledges that lined the mountainside.
"He was as brave as any soldier I've ever served with, Gus," Jack said, looking down. "He saved my life."
Gus just nodded his head and continued holding the small hand.
"Sonsabeeeeech."
Gus heard it and slowly looked up at the others. Jack was looking astounded, and Sarah had her mouth frozen momentarily open and Ryan mumbled, "Holy shit."
"Matchstick?" Gus said as he squeezed the small hand.
"Gussss, I hurting badly" said the cottony voice.
Jack looked around quickly; besides themselves, there were Billy and Julie, but they hadn't heard yet.
"Gus, listen to me," Jack said in a deadly serious voice.
The old man was smiling with tears in his eyes when he looked up; then he saw the serious look on the major's face and the smile faltered.
"They'll come for him, Gus. They'll want Matchstick, dead or alive." Jack winced as he stepped closer, dragging Sarah and Ryan with him. "He's dead, do you understand? He didn't make it and the body cannot be recovered," Jack said, holding the old man's eyes. "Damn it, Gus, do you understand me?"
Gus swallowed and nodded his head, looking around.
"Only my people can know about Matchstick being alive. We'll debrief him and help you keep Matchstick hidden, but, Gus, right now you have to get up and get the hell out of here or people will come for him and there'll be nothing we can do to stop them. He was a part of an attack on this country, they'll want to know what he knows. I think our people can get that information without keeping him locked away. I want you and Julie and Billy to get him the hell out of here."
Gus nodded and mouthed the word Thanks.
"Ooooh, Gusssss hurt Mahjtic's hand"
"Oh." Gus eased up on squeezing the small hand. Then he looked at Jack again and lost the words he wanted to say in the emotion of the moment.
"Go now!" Jack hissed.
An hour later at the crash site, Jack and Sarah were watching the bodies of all the Event staff and soldiers being removed with reverent slowness when Carl walked up to them.
"How are you doing, Mr. Everett?" Collins asked.
Everett lowered his head and adjusted the sling on his broken arm, then he looked up into the eyes of the major and at Sarah, who couldn't stand the haunted look in his eyes, so she looked away and once again fought her tears.
"Look, we can stand here and cry about Lisa until the sun comes up, but I really don't think she would like that too much," Everett said. Instead he pulled out a note one of the security men had just given him. "We don't have a lot of time, Jack. I just heard that the president is going to officially turn the remains of Matchstick over to the CIA. Compton and Lee, well, they're throwing a fit about it, but it looks like they're going to get outmuscled."
"The hell you say," Collins said, standing a little straighter, gasping a little in pain, but angry enough to shrug Ryan's arm away.
Everett smiled slightly, all he could muster after officially finding out about Lisa. "The senator said you would know how to handle it."
Eaten?" the field officer from CIA asked, hands on hips.
Collins watched the agent. Sweat was freely rolling down the man's face as he stared incredulously at the major and Ryan. Collins took a step forward menacingly.
"That's right. Tell your director he has the sincere apology of the ground commander, but as I said, the extraterrestrial was eaten by the mother creature."
The man removed his sunglasses and looked the two men over in the fading sunlight of a day most here would never forget. "Where's the old man... this Gus Tilly?"
"Went home," Collins answered, taking another step toward the CIA messenger boy with the sweat stains covering most of his white shirt.
The field officer took a step back and looked the haggard soldier in the eyes, then as quickly looked away. "Then may we speak to him there? You know, to debrief?"
"No, no debrief. The president of the United States said, I quote, 'Anything Mr. Tilly wants, he can have,' end quote. Mr. Tilly wants to be left alone." Jack came within an inch of the other man's nose. "And he will be left alone. He's under the protection of our department, and if there is any debriefing to be done, we'll do it."
The intelligence man stepped back and stumbled on a rock, caught himself, then straightened. He looked around at the remaining 31 soldiers, Event staff, and state troopers of the 152 who had fought the battle under-and aboveground. They were ail watching him. Some were badly wounded, lying on stretchers, and the doctors treating them were also watching. Others were standing dirty-faced and injured to one degree or another. The surviving state troopers didn't know anything about Matchstick but were downright angry about everything else and looking to kick the hell out of him or anyone giving the soldiers a hard time. Though the different groups were all in disarray, the one thing they were all doing was staring at him, he noticed. To the men who'd survived, all involved in the battle were now a part of themselves, comrades, many fallen, few alive, and all deserving of each other's protection.
The man placed his sunglasses back on and turned to face Collins. He nodded his head, then turned and left. He would let the director of the CIA fight his own battle later. Right now, the agent thought, discretion was the better part of valor.
Everett watched, blank-eyed, as they loaded the body bag containing Lisa's bat
tered remains onto a stretcher and took her to a waiting Blackhawk. He blinked and tossed the XM8 down upon the littered ground of the crash site.
Sarah and Collins watched from a short distance away as Everett's proud form followed the stretcher.
Sarah quickly swiped a tear away and looked at the major. "You think it's over?"
"That can only be answered with time, I guess. God only knows what would have happened if that damn saucer had been forced down in some other part of the world where the response wouldn't have been as quick." Jack looked down at her with a sad smile. "I guess we'll all be looking for the monster in the closet or under the bed for quite a while."
A red-eyed Virginia Pollock interrupted them. "Jack, have you seen Mr. Tilly? The director would like you to bring him back with us, we have some information Niles wants to give him."
Collins shook his head sadly. "He went down the mountain with Ryan, Miss Dawes, and her boy. I'm afraid Mr. Tilly wants nothing more to do with us, at least for a while."
Virginia's eyebrows rose. "But, Jack, he..." She stopped and just lowered her head.
"How's Sergeant Mendenhall?" Sarah asked, trying to break the tension.
Collins looked from Virginia back at Sarah. "He'll make it. The docs say he has four broken ribs to my two and a pretty good gash to his head. He's still able to say we officers were too slow in our reactions." Collins smiled. "Personally, I think he's still trying to get out of OCS, which I've decided to send him to."
Virginia stepped up closer to Collins and Sarah. "Jack, I do want to see Mr. Tilly at least one more time before we head back." She paused and held her hand into the lighting that had been turned on at the site. "I was checking the mother animal and... well, look at this."
She held her hand out to the major, and on it was a substance that glimmered in the light. Jack and Sarah stared in amazement as the large particles of gold filtered through Virginia's fingers.
The last tunnel the Destroyer had dug had cut right through the no-longer-mythical Lost Dutchman Mine.
Event (event group thrillers) Page 44