“I forgot something, mom. I’ll be right back,” he said without stopping.
“Hurry up!” said Terry.
“What’s he doing?” asked JR.
“I dunno,” said Terry, her shoulders drooping from the recent news. Hearing Connor’s name was the last thing she had expected. Her mind began to contemplate a new reality, a reality with Connor MacMillen very much alive. She stood frozen, briefly thankful for Liam’s forgetfulness—she wasn’t sure she had the ability to continue walking without thinking things through. Images ran past her eyes, moments with Connor—his smile, his laughter, and his incredible look of lust when he found her naked in their bed.
“T? You okay?” asked Cameron.
“Umm, yeah,” she whispered. She wondered how he had survived for the last five years. How had he made it across the Pacific Ocean? It was impossible. It was against all odds. She smiled, knowing she had married a man who liked a deck stacked against him. It was more of a challenge to Connor when hope was a limited option. She should have known—she should have realized he would have simply analyzed his situation as if it were any other problem and simply knocked down the barricades, one by one.
Her smile faded quickly as she thought of Andy—wonderful, kind Andy. Her knees weakened again. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Liam’s return. Besides his go bag, he now carried something in a big, black plastic bag. He didn’t stop where they waited, but continued past them, running with the energy of youth on the well-worn path toward Route 40 and Nemacolin Woodlands beyond.
Terry followed her son at a slower pace, lost in her own thoughts. Cameron and JR followed behind with Shannon trotting-walking-trotting-walking to keep up with her mother. Terry stumbled on, lost in her thoughts.
“What have I done?”
CHAPTER 11.3-A Visit to Perryopolis
“Colonel, the men need orders, ma’am. Are we flying back to Perryopolis, flying to the rendezvous, or up the mountain to meet with Commander Bastin?”
“Things are becoming complicated, major,” she answered. She put her face in her hands, not in despair, but in the brief respite it gave her from making decisions. She was exhausted.
“Yes, ma’am. Complicated,” he repeated, his level of concern rising at her apparent lack of focus. “The helicopter’s ready now, colonel.”
“Okay, major. Have you and Major McLoy made safe arrangements for his horses?”
“Yes, ma’am. Major McLoy has instructed, Pike, one of his men to run the horses to the mountain garrison.”
“Good.” She stared silently at the ceiling.
“Are you okay, ma’am?”
“Yeah, major, I’m fine. I’m just thinking… what a long journey. But we finally have a bead on Colonel Connor MacMillen.”
“Yes, ma’am, we do. I’m sure he’s around here somewhere. I’m still confident he’s hooked up with our team though and we just don’t know it yet.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
“Colonel, I’m sure MacMillen passed by Perryopolis at some point with or without the team. Why don’t we trace Route 51 back to that town? We can try to establish radio contact with the team while we head toward Perryopolis. We can fly up to the mountain after that. Besides, the extraction isn’t until tomorrow anyway.”
“Yes, major, sounds like a good idea.”
“Yes, ma’am. I asked Shamus to plot a course parallel to Route 51 toward Perryopolis, pending your approval of course. He can trim the treetops.”
“I like it, major. You’re always two steps ahead of the game.”
“Yes, ma’am. I had a great teacher, colonel,” he said smiling. Instrumental in his military education and training, she laughed at his bald attempt at flattery.
“Major, you’re a good man,” she said, slightly rejuvenated. She appreciated his attempt to lighten her mood. She was lucky to have this man as her second-in-command.
“Yes, ma’am, I try to be.”
“Okay, major, let’s do this. We’ll keep the radio live and Scott can broadcast on sixty second intervals.”
“Yes, ma’am. Though it might turn out to be annoying hearing his voice every minute for the entire trip.” He was grateful for her focus on the task at hand.
“Naw, c’mon. Scott’s got a great voice. Okay, let’s go see about Perryopolis. And if we come across Phoenix on the way—”
“That scenario’s already factored in, ma’am.”
“Good, major. Hmm, staying low for radio reception will place us in greater danger from one of his RPGs.”
“Yes, ma’am. Shamus and I have discussed that.”
“Okay.”
“I started to instruct him on the need to avoid such exposure, ma’am.”
“What do you mean ‘started to instruct him’?”
“I brought up the subject in front of GT and Scott and they tried hard not to bust out laughing, ma’am.”
“Wow, no kidding?”
“Yes, ma’am. Apparently, they were impressed at how serious Shamus could be while he listened to what I had to say.”
“You mean, like Shamus was only humoring you?”
“Yes, ma’am. When GT and Scott started laughing, I turned to look at them and when I turned quickly back to Shamus, he was grinning from ear to ear though he hid it fast.”
“And you weren’t mad? With all your training and combat experience?”
“No, ma’am. I coulda pulled rank, but I realized he’s dealt with this stuff a hundred times more than me—he could probably teach me half the stuff he knows and then I’d know twice what I know now. So, instead, I told him to do what he does best and keep us safe. His look turned serious, ma’am.”
“You sure respect that man, major.”
“Yes, ma’am, I do. He’s a force of nature, colonel. And when you put the three of ’em together, they’re unstoppable.”
“I know. Now you can understand why it was so important to recruit them last year.”
“Yes, ma’am. I apologize again for my frustration back then.”
“Major, I’m simply reminding you that I do have some insight into this game. It doesn’t mean that I don’t value your more cautious approach.”
“Yes, colonel, I know.”
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The Superhawk was loaded to near capacity and lifted heavily from the ground. Keenan and his men sat in the far rear of the cabin, stuffed in fairly tight and accepting that they wouldn’t garner premium seats on the ride, but excited about flying. The lack of man-made objects in the air for the last five years had led most to think manned flight was no longer possible.
Scott’s repetitive message on the radio began a few miles into their trip. “This is Hawk One, do you copy for extraction team?” Scott waited a few seconds and repeated the message. GT reset a stopwatch to repeat the process in one-minute intervals.
Amanda leaned back into her seat, letting Scott’s smooth voice soothe her mind. It was hypnotic and she found its repetitiveness pleasing. He would have made an excellent deejay.
The helicopter continued its journey north, skimming the treetops east of and parallel to Route 51. All occupants scanned the terrain for signs of movement. They were within a few miles of Perryopolis when Shamus spotted something. “Ma’am, there’s black smoke about two miles northwest. It’s a hot fire. Large and likely burning rubber.”
“Yes, I see it, Professor. Increase your altitude and cut across those fields to it. Be quick but cautious.”
“Yes, ma’am. Do you think that’s wise, colonel?”
“Be as careful as you can, Professor. We need to check on that smoke—it might be our men.”
“Yes, ma’am. Understood.” Shamus leaned the collector to the left and veered off tracking Route 51 and made a beeline across the meadows and trees to locate the source of the smoke. They crested a small ridge and Major O’Malley and Colonel Starkes used their binoculars to scan the area. Suddenly, Shamus veered the helicopter sharply to the left—apparently, he didn’t like what he had seen.