Checking herself out didn’t take long. The pain in her back was immense, now spreading from her spine and radiating out to her legs, arms, and neck. Her nose creaked and snapped like cellophane, and in the survival mirror she could see blood covering her cheeks and chin and thickly caked in her nose, but if there was any pain from the broken nose it was being overshadowed by the pain in her back. Her whole body was sore, and she knew she was going to find some humongous bruises. Her butt hurt badly, and she thought she might have a broken tailbone. No other obvious injuries. Annie counted herself very, very fortunate. She knew that she could have easily …
“Annie, this is McLanahan. Do you hear me? Annie?”
“General!” Annie exclaimed aloud. The global satellite transceiver they’d planted under her skin, powered by the thick rubber-coated bracelet on her ankle, sort of like a futuristic miniature OnStar assistance device — my God, it was working, even way out here in the middle of nowhere. “I hear you! I hear you!”
“I read you loud and clear, too, Annie,” Patrick McLanahan said. “Lower your voice. I assume you’re safe for now. What’s your situation?”
“I’m under a tree,” Annie said. “I was just resting, checking my survival gear out. I’m okay. My back hurts, I got a broken nose and maybe a broken butt bone, but otherwise I’m okay.”
“Good. You did the right thing,” Patrick said. “You can divvy up the survival gear later.”
“Already did it. I even had some water and a couple aspirins.”
“Good job. Okay. We’re with you now, we have your location, and help’s on the way. You’re going to have to find Dev, then find as safe a place as you can to hide until we can send in the rescue teams.”
Annie almost burst into tears when McLanahan mentioned the “rescue teams”—she finally felt she might make it out of this alive. “What about Dev?” she asked. “Are you talking to him? Can you find him, too?”
“We’re still picking up life signs from Dev, but there’s no answer from him,” McLanahan said. “He’s about two hundred, yards east of you, but we can’t be too precise. If you feel up to it, I’d like you to try to join up with him, check him out, hide him if you can, and help him. Are you able to move?”
“I think so,” Annie replied.
“We know the weather’s bad, but that will help you stay concealed,” Patrick said. “It’ll be tough going, but give it a try. I’ll direct you as best I can, but you have to move several yards before your position will update, so it’s imprecise. I don’t want you falling into a ravine trying to find him in the dark, and I don’t want you to get captured. If you can’t do it safely, go back to your nest there, or find another hiding spot, and stay hidden.”
“I’ll find him. Don’t worry.”
“Good. We’re putting together a rescue package for you as we speak. The entire Intelligence Support Agency is gearing up to launch a rescue. You’re heroes for what you did for Weston and his crew, Heels. They’ll move heaven and earth to get to you.”
“Thank you, sir,” Annie said, not embarrassed by the gush of joy and relief in her voice. “Thank you so much. I–I’m sorry for what I did. I disobeyed orders, and I got us shot down. I take full responsibility for whatever happens.”
“The cost of the Vampire is already being deducted from your paycheck, Annie,” McLanahan quipped. “You have about three hours until local sunrise, so you’d better get moving. Take it nice and slow and easy. Good luck. We’ll let you know if we hear from Dev.”
Annie looped the survival kit across her body under her right arm, pulled the watch cap down over her head and ears, then crawled out from under the pine tree. The pain in her back was still there, but thanks to the aspirin and her improved attitude, the pain was only talking, not screaming, to her now. Sure enough, the snow and wind had increased in intensity. Visibility was almost zero. Fortunately, the snow was less than a foot deep, which made moving relatively easy.
“General, I’m heading east,” she spoke into the frigid air. “A Pave Hammer tilt-rotor hovering overhead would sure be welcome right about now.”
“We’re right here with you, Annie,” came the reply. “The PJs are on the way.” Annie didn’t ask how far out they were or how long it would take for them to arrive — she didn’t need to ask any questions when she potentially wouldn’t like the answers.
It was slow going. Using the compass from around her neck, Annie simply went from tree to tree, about ten yards at a time. She used the flashlight sparingly, shining the beam just two or three yards ahead at a time to avoid detection. She tried to count paces but gave up after tripping a few times on rocks, relying on the subcutaneous transceiver and Patrick McLanahan’s deep, solid, reassuring voice to guide her.
She had gone perhaps fifty yards when she heard a noise. She turned and saw a pair of headlight beams slicing through the freezing rain. As the headlights got closer, she realized she was only about a dozen yards above a dirt road. The truck using the headlights shifted into a lower gear and slowed. “Oh, shit,” Annie said softly, “a truck just came out of nowhere. I think they saw me.”
“Can you hide?” Patrick asked.
“I’ll try,” Annie said. The truck was heading toward her, up a slight grade. Annie immediately ran forward in the opposite direction, not daring to use the flashlight. She extended her arms out in front of her, but still couldn’t help colliding with trees, crashing into boulders, and tripping on rocks. The pain was back full force. But she ignored all of that and kept on running. She didn’t care what direction, only that it was away from the truck. “I … don’t hear the … engine revving anymore,” Annie panted. “It must have stopped.”
“Keep going as long as you can, then find cover,” Patrick said.
“I’ll try, “ Annie said, breathing hard. “I’ll …” She tripped once again and fell, sprawled out face-first in the snow. She was about to leap to her feet and keep running when she realized that she hadn’t just tripped on something — she had hooked her foot on something … something like string … like …
… parachute risers.
Annie wheeled around and dropped to the snow. She caught the risers again and pulled. More nylon cords came out of the snow. My God, they were parachute risers! “I found a parachute! I found a parachute!” she cried out.
“Lower your voice, Annie. I can hear you fine,” McLanahan said. “Is it Dev?”
“Stand by.” She frantically pulled on the risers she could find, the snow flying in all directions. No, wrong direction — she found the white parachute canopy. She whirled around and began pulling and digging in the other direction. Please, God, oh please, let it be him. Let him still be alive….
She found the body under four inches of fresh snow, lying faceup. He still had his helmet on, his clear visor down and his oxygen mask connected. His parachute risers were wrapped around a nearby tree, meaning he had either landed in the tree and then fallen, or was dragged and crashed into it. Using the red-lensed flashlight, she whipped off the oxygen mask’s bayonet clips on the side of his helmet. A gentle cloud of steam escaped. “General, I found him!” Annie said. “I found him! I think he’s still alive!”
“Thank God,” Patrick said. “Check him over as best you can before you move him.”