by Ellis, Tara
The steel in Danny’s eyes was dangerous and Tom chose his words carefully. “You aren’t experienced enough to control your horse,” he said bluntly, figuring she’d respond best to the truth. “And Tango is too edgy,” he said to Ethan. “Neither one of you are going to be of any help to Sam and Grace by getting yourselves hurt. Stay here with our gear and be ready to move if the wind shifts again. I’ll find them.”
Tom felt a small amount of satisfaction at the look of confusion that crossed Danny’s face as he turned away from her. Approaching Ethan, he lowered his voice so only the teen could hear him. “Watch out for Danny, Ethan. I promise I’ll bring them back.” When Ethan responded with a small nod of his head, Tom turned Lilly without looking back.
He knew Danny didn’t need any looking after, but appealing to the young boy’s sense of responsibility would help keep him safe, and that was all Tom cared about. Reading people wasn’t a favorite pastime of his. He preferred to simply state things how they were, and let everyone else work through their own emotions. He was more than capable of excelling in social situations, but he chose to spend most of his time on the ranch. Far away from all the complexities of relationships. Life was much easier that way.
Tom surveyed his surroundings. Low, rolling hills covered with both scrub and clusters of trees spread out as far as he could see. They were still in Idaho, coming up on the tiny town of Spencer, last they’d looked at a map. It was late afternoon and the sun was fierce enough to add the additional misery of heat to the cloying smoke.
They’d gotten well beyond the fire line; however, smoke was blowing into the valley they’d finally managed to get above. As Tom descended back into it, he questioned his own judgment. He was concerned he’d made a promise to his son he might not be able to keep.
“Sam!” Coughing, Tom pulled his shirt up over the lower half of his face as the smoke thickened. It was terrifying how quickly the visibility dropped, the light blocked out so that it was as dark as night. It would be easy to become disoriented.
Just when Tom thought he’d have to turn around, there was a distinct clopping sound of hooves against pavement. “Sam, can you hear me?” His voice was hoarse and raw, but he couldn’t give up. Tom and Sam had grown close over the past three days and he wasn’t about to lose another friend without fighting for him.
Tom’s horse suddenly sidestepped the husk of a car that blended in with the smoke, barely missing it. “Woah!” Squeezing his thighs into Lilly, Tom shifted in the saddle with cat-like reflexes as she sidestepped again and tossed her head, his expert riding abilities saving him from a fall. They’d have to turn back soon or else they’d become victims, too. Grunting in frustration, Tom swung a leg over the saddle and leapt to the ground. Crouching, he ducked down low and squinted into the swirling smoke. It wasn’t much better, but he could make out slightly more detail of the terrain ahead of them. Was that movement?
“Hello!” Tom led Lilly forward cautiously, coughing more vigorously. It was becoming harder to breathe. He just had to make sure… “Sam!” he yelled, dropping Lilly’s lead rope and rushing toward the brown mare. Sam was seated halfway in the saddle, slumped forward against her neck.
As Tom reached the mare, he heard a weak bark and was shocked to discover Grace lying draped across the horse, in front of Sam. The older man was barely conscious himself, but managed to lift a hand and wave weakly in recognition. “Tom,” he croaked. “Care to get us out of here?”
Tom yanked his shirt down from his face and smiled at Sam while reaching up to place a hand gently on Grace’s head. The dog was panting heavily. “I think we can manage that. Just hold on.”
The next twenty minutes were a blur of shadowy movement and the echoing of horse’s hooves as a surreal landscape rushed by in a dreamlike sequence. Tom kept looking back to make sure both man and dog were still on their horse as he held the lead rope and gave Lilly her head to guide them out. She was a strong, intelligent horse and he’d come to trust her in a way he’d never experienced with another animal.
She didn’t let them down, and as Tom took his first full breath of clean air, he leaned forward to give her muscular neck a thankful squeeze. “Good girl, Lilly,” he cooed to the horse before looking back behind them again. Sam was trying to sit upright on his mount, but was coughing uncontrollably.
“Woah.” Tom stopped the horses and then ran to help Sam, who was already trying to dismount.
There were dark smudges around Sam’s nostrils, and soot was embedded in every line of his face, making him look much older than he was. His teeth flashed white as he smiled weakly at Tom. “I’ll be okay.”
Tom wasn’t so sure. Sam leaned heavily on him as he helped walk him to a patch of grass along the interstate. “Here,” Tom said, holding out a water bottle after Sam was seated. “Drink as much as you can. I’ll get Grace.”
Going back to the dog, Tom could see that she was already moving more and responding well to the fresh air. He knew the horse wasn’t going to stand for having the other animal on her back for much longer. Gently, he scooped her up the best he could from the awkward angle, and lifted her off the horse. Whining, Grace set her head on his shoulder and sighed before licking his neck. “It’s going to be okay, girl,” he whispered to the retriever, and then laughed when she raised her head enough to lick his cheek.
Tom hadn’t gotten another dog after his life-long partner in crime on the ranch passed away several years before. He’d been an extremely intelligent Australian Shepherd named Duke, and was his best friend since he was twelve. Grace had such long hair that Tom didn’t realize until then how skinny she was. Standing there holding her, he vowed to give the dog extra food until she fattened up.
“Sam!” Danny’s voice startled them both and the two men turned to see Danny and Ethan charging down the road towards them.
“I told you it was them!” Ethan shouted, a wide smile on his face. “Grace!” He hadn’t noticed the dog until Tom turned to face them. “You found her!” Leaping from Tango before the horse had come to a full stop, Ethan stumbled forward and nearly fell into Tom and Grace, wrapping the dog up in both of his arms.
Tom carefully handed the dog over to Ethan, who nearly dropped her when Grace began to wiggle in excitement. “Here.” Tom helped Ethan sit down and then got another water bottle from the pack horse. “Get her to drink some water. She breathed in a lot of smoke, but I think she’s going to be okay.”
Tom turned back to Sam to find that Danny was already giving him a cursory exam. Satisfied he wasn’t in any immediate danger, she stood and stared intently at Tom. She had the same expression as before, like she wasn’t quite sure what to make of him. “Thank you,” she finally offered.
Tom shrugged and gave a crooked smile. “Lilly did most of the work.” A sharp pain in his temple caused his smile to fade and he pressed the palm of his hand against it.
“Still getting the headaches?” Danny asked, taking a step closer.
“Hmm,” Tom muttered noncommittally. The stabbing sensation was already fading to an aching throb and he began to breathe normally again and opened his eyes. Danny’s face was closer than he expected and he didn’t look away like he usually did. Her dark, exotic features were odd and enticing at the same time. It was easy for a man to get lost in those dark eyes.
“Are you okay?” She leaned back and tilted her head at him.
Tom realized he’d been staring. He blinked rapidly a few times. “Uh, yeah. Sorry, I think I’m still a little off. I find myself…drifting.”
Danny nodded as if it wasn’t unusual. “It’s the concussion. It’s different for everyone, but I think yours was serious enough that you’ll probably have some lingering symptoms for several weeks.”
“Weeks?” Tom balked.
“You’re lucky it wasn’t worse,” Danny countered. “And you already seem a little clearer now than when we met you a few days ago.”
“He’s getting better,” Ethan offered from his spot in the grass next t
o Sam. “I can tell.”
Sam tried to add to the conversation and it brought on another coughing fit. Danny knelt down next to him, her face a mask of concern. “You’ve inhaled too much smoke, Sam.”
Sam waved her off and then took a shuddering breath. “I’m already feeling ten times better,” he managed to croak. Danny didn’t look convinced. “Honest,” he added.
“Thank you, Sam.” Danny looked over at Grace, who was busy covering Ethan’s face in doggy kisses.
Sam answered by reaching out and squeezing her hand. He then looked up at Tom. “We should keep moving.”
“Not yet!” Danny stood and squinted at Tom, inviting him to challenge her. “He needs to rest more.”
“I agree,” Tom said quickly. There! That look again. He was going to have fun finding ways to elicit that response in Danny.
“I think I have a say in it,” Sam said as he slowly got to his feet. Danny put an arm out to help him and Tom quickly moved to his other side. “Does it really matter if I’m sitting on the ground or on the back of a horse?” When Danny didn’t have a valid argument against it, Sam nodded and then started walking. “Good. Let’s keep moving. I’d like to get some more distance between us and the fire.”
Once Sam was settled, Danny went to where Ethan and Grace were still sitting in the grass. Plopping down next to them, she coaxed Grace into accepting a belly rub and then placed her head against the dog’s chest. Danny stayed that way for a full thirty seconds, then finally sat back up, smiling. “I don’t hear any wheezing, but she still needs to rest. I can take her on the horse with me.”
“Yeah, I don’t think Tango would go for it,” Ethan said as he stood and helped Danny take the large, sixty-pound retriever into her arms.
Grace whined and began to writhe in Danny’s arms as they approached her horse. “I know, sweetie. You think you can walk, but you need to let us help you.”
Tom watched silently, his arms folded across his chest. Placing a semi-conscious dog on a horse that was already distracted by a fire was one thing. But a dog that didn’t want to go, on a fully aware horse with an inexperienced rider? He bit his tongue and waited.
Danny grunted with the effort of hefting Grace and didn’t even get her level with the horse's back before the mare sidestepped and looked wildly at them, snorting loudly. Danny juggled Grace and nearly dropped her before Tom moved in and easily scooped the dog up. In the brief moment that they both had hold of her, Tom looked evenly at Danny over the retriever’s head. “We need to learn to trust each other,” he said softly. Danny squinted slightly, but then stepped back, allowing Tom to take the dog.
“Do you trust me?” Tom whispered to Grace, and was rewarded by another wet kiss on his chin.
Chapter 6
GENERAL MONTGOMERY
Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado
The plip-plop of water echoed off the cavern walls and added to the cacophony of sounds in the large underground chamber. General Montgomery watched stoically from the platform as two officers rowed a small boat toward him across the small lake.
“All clear, sir.”
The general simply nodded and stepped aside so the men could climb out and onto the dock. The air was damp and much cooler near the subterranean lake, but he made an effort not to show that it bothered him. Appearing impervious was part of the job.
After an awkward moment he glanced over at the lieutenant hovering close to his elbow. “That will be all!” he barked. “I expect a complete report before dinner.”
“Yes, sir!” The clatter of the men’s retreating footsteps clapped against the metal walkway and then the rock floor as they hurried away. General Montgomery closed his eyes against the noise. While most of his radiation symptoms had dissipated, he still suffered from a sensitivity to sound and light, although he wasn’t convinced it wasn’t from being underground for so long.
A new set of familiar footfalls grew in volume and the general sighed. “What is it, Colonel Walsh?”
The colonel’s head appeared above the edge of the dock. He had a perplexed expression that seemed to be the normal state for him lately. “I didn’t expect you to personally oversee the inspection of the reservoir, sir.”
General Montgomery chuckled. “Neither did the men you assigned.” He watched as Colonel Walsh climbed onto the dock next to him and he grew serious again. “I’ve been assured that everything is in order. It’s an impressive setup.” He waved a hand to encompass the natural, spring-fed lake. “Four-point-five million gallons of pure, fresh water. Delivered straight from Mother Nature herself.”
Walsh was nodding. “We have nothing to worry about when it comes to the security here, sir. It’s tighter than Fort Knox. Though, I wouldn’t want to be down here if the power went out.”
“Have you ever seen it before?” the general asked, intentionally ignoring the suggestion of being plunged into unfathomable darkness. He crossed his arms back over his chest in an attempt to retain some body heat. He really should have put his jacket on.
“I was here once, several months ago,” Walsh explained. “It was part of a tour I went on. You were invited, too, sir, but you…um, declined.”
The general remembered. He’d never liked being underground. He had seen no reason to take part in what he’d considered a publicity stunt and attempt to sway a couple of votes for funding. “Did you come down here to tell me something?”
Walsh was staring out at the dark water, and he turned then to face the general. “Yes, sir. We just heard back from the inspection team you sent to the reservoir in Utah. They confirmed the initial reports. It was most likely a single charge, set at a precise spot for optimum results. This is based on eye-witness accounts, as well as evidence at the site. Whoever it was, he knew what he was doing when he destroyed the dam.”
“They.”
“Excuse me, sir?” Walsh had that same, confused look again.
Montgomery sighed, wishing that sometimes he didn’t have to explain so many things he considered blatantly obvious. “This wasn’t one person, Kelly. It was an act of terrorism most likely carried out by one of several different known anarchist groups.”
Walsh squinted and rubbed at his chin, a mannerism he saved for when he was thinking hard about something. “Perhaps. Or, it could have been someone just taking an opportunity to destroy something. There’s a lot of that going on right now.”
“Either way, I allowed myself to become distracted,” Montgomery countered.
“You can’t possibly blame yourself for this,” Kelly said, shaking his head. “There’s no way we could have expected it. And we already had military personnel en route. They were just a day or two late.”
“Exactly!” the general shouted, his voice echoing back at them sharply and making Kelly jump. “I was so concerned about keeping everyone from killing each other, that I failed to consider the importance of our remaining infrastructure as soon as I should have. That was the largest reservoir in four states, Kelly. Four states. Billions of gallons of water gone, not to mention the dozens of lives lost and valuable farmland wiped out in the valley below it.”
The colonel remained silent. There wasn’t anything to be said.
“I want you to issue new orders to the team I sent,” Montgomery barked as he began to walk across the dock. “I want them to look into any anarchist groups in the region, and interview the locals with any known affiliation. I want names.”
“I’ll contact them immediately,” Walsh said, rushing to keep up. “I left their full report of the dam investigation on your desk.”
General Montgomery paused at the edge of the platform, looking back at the lake. It was their greatest source of sustainable resource for the mountain. It faded into a darkness so absolute that the lights scattered around the cave couldn’t penetrate it. Much like the intentions of his new adversary, Montgomery was unable to see it, but he knew it was there. He vowed then to never let his guard down again, and to remember that there was a darkness lingering and wa
iting to take advantage of any weakness.
“…Mount Weather.”
“What?” The general realized Kelly was talking to him. “What about Mount Weather?”
The two men walked down the stairs from the dock and began the trek back to the living quarters area of the mountain. “It’s the other reason I came looking for you. I just got word from the communications chief that Master Sergeant Campbell checked in from the mountain.”
Montgomery paused at the entrance to one of the many side tunnels and turned to face Walsh. “And?”
“It was understandably brief,” Walsh said. “He confirmed that the mission objective was a success.”
The general made a fist and allowed himself a rare display of emotion as he briefly shook it in the air triumphantly. “And the list?”
Walsh glanced down the length of the tunnel, confirming they were alone. “I’m having the sergeant deliver it to you personally, sir. I expect it to take another day for him to reach Cheyenne Mountain.”
“Excellent.” General Montgomery began walking again, his spirits lifted by the news. “I’d like a transcript of the conversation.”
“Already done,” Walsh said quickly. “It’s with the other reports I left for you. Including the newest FEMA shelter updates.”
The general’s mood faded as quickly as it had brightened. The camps had been nothing but a thorn in his side since the outset. Unfortunately, they were the best means they had at the moment to provide any sort of relief, and were a necessary step towards creating sustainable communities. “How many are operational?”
“Ten FEMA shelters, three of them in our region. There are also thirty state shelters run jointly by federal and state guard,” Walsh explained.
“It’s not enough,” Montgomery said without much enthusiasm. It was a tired conversation that always ended the same, with Walsh promising to make more happen.