She looked to Peter. He added, “Makes sense to me. I’ve already walked more than is healthy for someone my age during this apocalypse. Today has been bumpy, but also nice.” He grabbed Audrey’s hand.
“Eww, you guys,” she kidded. She was glad the two had found each other and, despite their goopy romantic gestures, they’d been speaking the truth. It would be nice to have a way out if they were spotted.
So, like so much of her life, she waited. First, for the sun to set, then for it to get dark, and finally for Dwight to be ready. The three of them had been sitting in the grass, waiting, when she decided to walk over to where Dwight had hunkered down next to his bike. When she arrived, she was disappointed in his condition.
“Oh, man, he’s asleep,” she whispered, before realizing that was unnecessary. Tabby gently kicked the sleeping man. “Hey! Dwight! Wake up!”
“Poppy?” he said in reaction.
“No. Tabby. It’s totally dark. We’re ready to go.”
Her night vision was well-tuned after being in the dark for at least an hour. Most of the horizon was blackened and dim, but the sky to the west was brighter. Lamar was close.
After a huge yawn, Dwight stood up. “Do we have any food?”
They’d munched on food each time they’d gone into gas stations, but they couldn’t carry much in their pockets. She didn’t have anything on her.
“Eat when you’re dead,” she snapped, losing patience with him. “Ugh. I meant to say that you can eat something if you have it, but please hurry. I don’t want to miss our friends.” She put her hands on her hips, struggling to hold it together, and looked up at the sky. The sound of engines caught her ears. The twinkle of red and green lights captured her eyes. The recognizable whir of drone aircraft also came from above; there were several zipping through the night.
Dwight cocked his head. “What was it, Poppy? Oh, right. It makes a lot of sense.” He turned to her. “She wonders if you’ve thought that your friends might attack you, thinking you are with the enemy. You’ve been so anxious to get there. Did you consider whether it would be safe?”
Without pausing, he pulled out a sleeve of crackers from his front pocket. They’d been smashed to crumbs, but he didn’t seem the least bothered. He opened the plastic wrapping and inhaled the broken bits like it was a drink. Dwight chewed the mess with a huge grin on his face. When he was able, he pointed to his mouth, talking with puffs of cracker dust. “Old trick. It helps you get them down faster.”
Once he’d finished, they got back on the dirt bikes and headed into the darkness. Dwight had obviously picked up some useful intel from the map because he guided them around the town until they came to the endless runway strip she’d asked him to find. Dwight and Audrey stopped the bikes to study the scene.
“Wow, that’s some air traffic,” Tabby said in a hushed voice.
“I went to the St. Louis airport one time,” Audrey added, “and it wasn’t this busy.”
“Keep going,” Dwight advised, hitting the gas to get them rolling.
Plane after plane landed at the field, while others alternately took off. The streaks of light from the aircraft created a diversion. The line of landing lights next to the runway were too dim to expose them, even as they drove the dirt bikes in the grass alongside the markers.
“We’re here,” Dwight reported, stopping again.
“Kill the engines. Let’s push the bikes under one of those.” She pointed to the big airplanes parked next to the strip. There were giant overhead lights farther up the airfield, by the bunker entrance and over an epic-scale parking lot of other planes, but her target sat outside the main bubble of light. It would give them a place to take shelter and observe the bright end with all its current activity.
They got there with no problems, but once in position, it was unclear what they should do next. Dwight had mentioned the danger of being at the enemy base before the expected assault took place, though she had no idea whether they were early or late. Her eyes grew heavy as the night wore on, but she was certain something would happen if she dared shut them…
Overhead, the buzz of aircraft never stopped.
It finally put her to sleep.
She woke up when it was daylight again.
CHAPTER 25
Lamar, CO
“That was the longest night of my life,” Kyla said dryly.
The sun waited on the bottom edge of the horizon to the east, somewhere over Kansas. From her position on the SACA, flying at a few thousand feet above the high plains, she had the perfect view for what would have otherwise been a beautiful sight. As it was, huddled together for warmth with her uncle, it was only noteworthy as a possible signal their torturous journey was almost over.
“Mine, too,” Uncle Ted admitted.
“On the bright side, I don’t feel the bruise on my brain anymore. The cold must have neutralized it.” The bump on her head barely registered anymore.
“You have a bump?”
“It’s a long story,” she snarked, stoking the fire in her frozen sarcasm circuit.
Once they’d left the area around the Wild Horse airport the previous night, the three-engine platform had gradually descended as it headed south. They thought they’d hit a stroke of genius luck when the plane appeared as if it was going to land at Lamar, the one place they wanted to go, but the luck broke when it started making sky loops again. After a short time, her uncle informed her they were in a holding pattern, probably because there were so many other aircraft touching down and taking off from the enemy airport. The delay ran through the entire night…
“But we’re still alive this morning,” Kyla declared, trying to sound resolute and brave. Those were two things she didn’t really feel at the time, and she secretly admitted there were points the previous night where she would have surrendered willingly to the bad guys as long as they gave her a warm blanket on the way to the gallows.
“Meechum taught you well. I’m going to recommend she becomes a trainer for our new military.”
“We’ll see. I think she’ll want to continue the fight at the front lines. That’s my guess, anyway. And I don’t blame her. I want to fight, too. The men and women who took over this nation have killed everyone I ever loved. Mom, of course, and our family, but there are others you don’t think about. My schoolteachers. The mailman. Every boy I ever dated—”
“Some are better off dead,” her uncle joked, seemingly desperate to lighten the mood.
She nudged him with her elbow. “I’m serious, Unk. Whatever we do, next, you have to promise me we’ll take it all back. We have to rebuild America in their honor. Even for my ex-boyfriends.”
Without noticing it happen, the plane had straightened out, going away from Lamar.
“We’re out of the loop,” her co-pilot declared. “I think we’re swinging wide for an approach to the airport…”
“Finally,” she said breathlessly.
“Look down at the runway. We have to anticipate where we’ll go when we get there.”
“I’ll try—”
He pointed. “What the hell is that hole?”
She craned her neck to see what he meant and saw it right away. A round, black opening was positioned next to the airfield on the busy end closest to town. Twin doors had swung open and lay on opposite sides, reminding her of a missile silo. An array of metal shields, a lot like mirrors, surrounded the hole for about a hundred yards. Some of the flat surfaces reflected the earliest rays of the sun, calling attention to the industrial site. It reminded her of solar energy complexes she’d studied in school. Those usually had thousands of mirrors to direct sunlight to a central focal point, usually on a tower. The one below didn’t have the middle tower. Only the black pit.
“We’ll get a better look when we land,” he said, still straining to watch the sight with her.
“Did you see where we need to go when we get down there?” she asked, once they were far enough away. “Where are Emily and the others? How will they fin
d us? We’re not prepared to go down there.”
The plane tilted, drawing them ever closer to landing. She powered up the tablet again, wondering if they had any control over the plane yet, but it remained on auto-pilot. She did confirm they were on approach to the Lamar airfield, however. She’d been shivering all night, but her shaking got worse with the fear, even as the air warmed with their descent.
Uncle Ted noticed her. How could he not?
“Kye, listen to me. If they knew we were here, they would have already brought the plane down. Or, now that I’m thinking about it, they could have offed us by sending the plane into a lightning storm or by regaining sixty-thousand feet. The fact that we’re still alive suggests we can still slip in unseen. All we have to do is lay low and hop off when we get the chance, right?”
“I’ll do whatever you say. You’re the pilot, remember?”
He smiled at her. “I do. Keep your tray tables and seat backs up, okay? We’ll be down on the ground shortly.”
She held onto the rope, wondering how her uncle could seem so relaxed when the whole world was literally coming at them from below.
Lamar, CO
Ted didn’t have time to wonder about the strange missile silo once they’d flown beyond it. The plane was turning back toward the airfield, and they were bleeding off altitude as they headed in for a landing. And, despite what he’d told Kyla about no one knowing they were there, he didn’t dare take comfort in his words. He didn’t want to become complacent or make assumptions about their safety. If a live operator had been watching the plane lose three of its engines in a sequence, he was positive they would want to survey the machine as soon as it touched down.
“Kye, I’ve got a plan.”
“I’ll do whatever,” she assured him.
Using the rope and harness, he had Kyla scoot to the rear of the fuselage where it met the back of the oversized wing. “When I say jump, you jump!”
She didn’t appear happy in the least, but she didn’t argue.
The plane glided in toward the airfield and he sincerely appreciated whoever had constructed the fifteen-thousand-foot work of engineering. It was covered in black matting, which he assumed was either metal or some form of composite material. It was long enough for the big automated flying platforms could touch down and decelerate without needing brakes. Having so much room would make it easy to anticipate when it was safe to jump.
“Almost there,” he commented, looking ahead toward a three-story tower at the most distant part of the runway. “We have to jump before they can get a good look on top of the aircraft, okay?”
“So…while it’s rolling?”
“Yep,” he said in a cheerful way, guiding her off the wing and onto the top of the communications disc held underneath the fuselage and wings. It got them even closer to the ground.
Since they weren’t moving that fast to begin with, the aircraft didn’t need more than half the length before it set down and started decelerating. When they reached the parking area where the sister planes had been parked, his airframe diverted right and went onto the monster lot. It seemed they were moving slow enough to hop off.
“Now!” he shouted, untying the rope.
“Are you sure?” she asked, following him on hands and knees to the rear edge of the flat disc. They were still rolling along at ten or fifteen miles an hour, but it was only about six feet down to the ground. It wasn’t any worse than falling off a bike.
“Yes, now!” he ordered, always watching the tower.
He didn’t want to jump first, in case she didn’t come with him. Instead, he crouched next to her, quietly assuring it was going to be all right. The plane continued to slow as it approached the other parked planes. He soon saw how the jumbo would position itself as the last of the other giants, like three huge butterflies sitting on the ground. There were men moving around the airport near the tower, but none any closer. That didn’t mean they weren’t out there. It was hard to see everything from on top of the rolling wing.
“Okay, here I go.” Kyla took a moment to steel herself, then she hopped.
He didn’t wait for her to land. The second she left, he followed. They hit the tarmac, fell backward with the momentum, and flopped to the hard surface. The airfield and adjacent parking apron were built with interlocking composite mats, not metal, but they were almost as unforgiving on his back.
“Ow,” he said reflexively.
Kyla groaned as she got to her knees. “This surface tore up my elbow.” She showed him the blood on her arm.
“Run!” he said, pushing her firmly.
The ungainly-looking plane was moving into position behind the others, which would soon leave them exposed to the tower. By getting her up and on the move, he was able to stay shielded by the body of the aircraft. However, when they’d run to the next parked plane, the only place they could hide was behind the strut of the landing gear. Besides a couple of dirt bikes laid over on their sides, there were no other service vehicles, cargo, or hiding places.
Kyla chuffed, out of breath from the short sprint.
“Unk, that was, by far, the most insane thing I’ve ever done.” She was smiling like she’d accomplished a major life goal. “That includes jumping off the Hoover Dam.”
He didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. They were still in a lot of danger, but sometimes it was better to enjoy the moments of victory. “When we pray tonight, I propose we both don’t mention this flight to your mother.”
“Deal,” she laughed.
Over Amsterdam Island
Priscilla had her phone out, though she didn’t dare break OPSEC and text her husband. She’d not heard from him since before the nuclear attack on London, but she assumed it was because he and the rest of the US military were on the highest level of alert. Texting loved ones would come a lot later, after everyone was safe. She snuck one last look at Kinkaid’s picture on her lock screen, preparing herself mentally for what was ahead.
Amsterdam Island was ten miles out, looming large in the evening sun of the Indian Ocean. It looked like a pancake, with a large ring of green around most of the shore, though it was muted brown in the middle where it was all volcanic high land. The only blemishes in the flapjack illusion were the high cliffs meeting the water on the western side, facing her, which made it appear as if someone had cut a sliver of pancake and taken the bite away.
“The airfield is on the far side,” the co-pilot advised. “It looks like you’ll want to come in from the south. Be advised there are other aircraft on approach, too.”
“Roger. We’ll swing around and bully them aside.” She began her maneuver almost immediately. The general had insisted they use radio silence on their way in. His thinking was they would not be able to fake their way past any radio interrogations if David’s people were there, and they would not truly need radio communications if it were only some French nationals on the island. Therefore, it was better to pretend they were having radio issues. Once on the ground, they would surprise the French researchers by sending out the Strykers.
She didn’t like the idea of going in blind, but he was the boss.
“I have eyes on the runway,” she said mechanically, keeping an eye on her gauges, the route in, and the sky around her. There were dozens of other aircraft circling the island, giving an air of festivities taking place on one of the most remote landing strips in the world. Anyone who saw her giant C-5 cruising toward the airport would have the good sense to get out of her way. She at least had that going for her.
Oakdale was on the internal radio. “Give me a heads-up when you’re about to touchdown.”
“Will do, sir. I’d say we’ve got about thirty—” She noticed a pilot’s worst nightmare. A streak of smoke rose from the island high ground to her left. “Shit, we’ve been lit up! Airman Bell, engage countermeasures!”
The system was automated, but it was the co-pilot’s job to ensure the plane dumped chaff, which were puffs of radar-breaking aluminum, dropped flares
to obscure thermal targeting, and to supervise the electronic countermeasures. For her part, they’d already slowed too much to attempt any fancy maneuver. Bell did his job, but she knew nothing could stop the almost point-blank shoulder-fired missile. It zeroed in on her bird with ruthless tenacity.
“General, we’re—” she said in the radio.
The cockpit moved sideways as if a sledgehammer had struck right behind the flight deck. She was strapped in, so all she could do was hold on. However, a man’s body immediately flew over her head, slammed into the windshield, and then blew out the open canopy.
Open canopy? The sun was coming in through the roof.
The spinning intensified for three or four seconds, reminding her of the worst they could feed her back in flight training. She held the yoke, still not sure if she was flying the plane or it was flying her.
Another hammer slammed into her chest as the plane struck the ground. The spinning immediately stopped, she heard rocks scraping the hull underneath, and she finally grasped she wasn’t in control.
“Hang on,” she said to no one in particular.
The roar of the engines grew louder for a second, then stopped as if they’d been shut off. An instant later, the heat of an explosion washed over her. She didn’t even have time for her life to flash before her eyes.
Everything went black.
CHAPTER 26
Lamar, CO
Ted and Kyla stayed close to the landing gear of the giant plane, but it was only a matter of time before someone came down the runway to check on the automated aircraft. They were the tip of the spear of the attack on David’s bunker, but they’d bungled the air attack component. Now they were two people with a couple of popguns against an army.
A twin-engine jet roared down the runway, causing a distraction. He watched the Oceanic Airlines 737 raise its nose and leap off the manufactured tarmac. As it screamed away into the morning air, someone gave them a, “Psst,” from close by.
Minus America Box Set | Books 1-5 Page 109