The Yellowstone Brief

by Larry LaVoie

  David had never been in a survival situation before. He had no water, no food, was stranded somewhere in the desert between the volcano and Santa Rosalia. He checked his watch. It was 10:13 A.M. From a sitting position on the hard packed ground, he took his bearings. He could not see the volcano, but the dark cloud on the horizon was a dead giveaway. That has to be west, he thought. He had been flying due east, toward the Sea of Cortez and Santa Rosalia, but he knew he could not walk in that direction. There were mountains and miles of desert to the east. His best bet of getting help was the highway, maybe a mile or two, to the north. He removed his helmet, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his leg. He was sweating profusely and knew it would only get hotter as the sun rose higher. He needed to find the highway and shade or he’d soon die from dehydration. He felt along his belt for his cell phone. He checked it for a signal. When he saw two bars, he let out a sigh of relief and punched in the number of the hotel in Santa Rosalia. After a brief moment, the phone went dead. “What a piece of crap,” he said staring at the blank screen. “No!” he yelled, seeing a crack down the middle of the screen. These things aren’t as crash proof as they advertise, he thought, fighting the urge to toss it into the desert, but instead returned it to the holster on his belt. He reached for the satellite phone that he kept in another holster. It wasn’t there. “This just gets better by the minute,” he mumbled. Dejected, he took a bearing on a cactus plant off in the distance, if he could make it that far, he would at least have some shade. He sat up and examined his leg. It was swelling rapidly and the boot on his foot was becoming unbearably tight. He loosened the laces and tried to take the boot off. The pain was too much. Everything went black. He fell backwards, hitting his head hard on the ground.

  David felt a tug at his wrist. He opened a crusted eyelid. He felt like he was in a dream. It was dusk. He glanced at his wrist. He instinctively jerked his hand toward him. A large black raven flapped its wings a few times and landed 2 feet away. It had been pecking at his watch and in the process a stream of blood was oozing from a wound it had made. He struggled to sit up and winced as his broken leg made it known he wasn’t going anywhere. You’ve got yourself in a hell of a fix, he thought. His swollen tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth as he tried to shoo the bird away. He tried to swallow, but he couldn’t. I’m going to die right here, he thought. His throbbing leg demanded attention. With gritted teeth, he examined it with his hands and from the pain could tell it was broken below the knee. As near as he could tell it wasn’t a compound fracture. I guess I can be thankful for some things, he said to himself, remembering his mother who never seemed to let anything bother her. She was the original lemonade lady. How do I make lemonade out of this? Lemonade, I’d die for a glass of water right now. Then it occurred to him, he might just do that. In the distance he heard a coyote howl and another answer with a cry uncomfortably closer. As the sun disappeared, he fell back and watched as the stars, one-by-one, made their appearance on a moonless night.

  David was shivering as he awoke from a sound sleep. He smelled something rank. As he rose on an elbow, he heard a yelp and a coyote ran away. He tried to yell, but the words were caught in his throat. He needed water. If he didn’t do something soon, he would be a good meal for the desert scavengers. He doubted they’d pass up a human meal if they had the chance. He grabbed a handful of pebbles and tossed them in the direction of the coyote. The bright starlight cast the desert in an eerie blue glow. He could make out objects he didn’t remember were there before: moving objects, little more than shadows. He had company. It was only the bravest of the pack who had ventured close enough to determine if this meal was going to fight back. I can’t do this, David thought, but he sucked in a breath of air and admonished himself. Buck up you candy-ass. He raised himself up on his left knee, gritting his teeth against the pain. He bent his broken leg at the knee. It moved slightly before the swelling stopped it from bending. He rolled to his side and got his good leg under him and stood up. He let out a blood curdling scream as the pain hit him. His cry shattered the silence and he could hear the coyotes yelping as they scattered in the night.

  He felt a lump in his pocket and remembered the cell phone he had picked up at the site. He fished it out of his pocket, turned it on, but it was dead. He slipped it back into his pocket and reached for the broken cell in his holster and pulled it out again. To his chagrin it showed two bars on the broken screen. He tried to call again and it went black again. “Dammit!” He came very close to tossing the phone on the ground and stomping on it, but realized he couldn’t stomp on anything and the phone may be his only chance for survival. He balanced on his left leg, trying not to put pressure on his slightly bent right leg. As he held the phone it lit up again. What’s going on? Why do you keep going off and on? You must be telling me something. Come on you little piece of technology, what are you telling me? He tried to dial again and again the screen went black. You have a short. If I can keep you from moving...he pulled a hanky from his rear pocket and wrapped it tightly around the outer perimeter of the phone. This should help, he thought. He dialed the hotel again. He heard the phone ringing. Please speak English, he thought. Holding the phone like it was a precious gem, he heard a voice on the other end.

  “De Santa Rosalia Hotel, ¿en qué puedo ayudarle?”

  “Senorita, do you speak English?”

  “Yes.” There was a small chuckle. “I am Clarita, may I help you.”

  “I am a guest at your hotel, Dr. David Wayne. Do you remember me?”

  “Si, I remember you. What may I do for you Dr. Wayne?”

  “My helicopter crashed about 20miles due west of town on the south side of the highway. I have a broken leg. Can you send an ambulance?”

  “Right away, Dr. Wayne. I will send help, pronto.”

  “Thank you,” David said. “I don’t know how long my phone will last, it’s broken also, but will you make sure they find me?”

  “No problema. I will send help.”

  David’s lips turned down as he fought back tears. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

  “I’m going to hang up now, Dr. Wayne.”

  “No, don’t hang up!”

  “How can I call an ambulance if I don’t hang up?”

  “Oh, okay. Take down this number in case they can’t find me.” He gave her the number of his cell. The line went dead. Guess you critters will have to wait a little longer before you make a meal out of me. “Shoo,” he said, waving his arms like a crazy man in the night.

  Chapter 12

  August 13th, Tanaga, Aleutian Islands, Alaska

  Richard Magic turned up the thermostat on the catalytic heater in his tent. The assignment at Tanaga was the most boring he had ever encountered and it was much worse since he’d left Tanya in Unalaska. His routine was the same every day, seven days a week. He made daily trips on a snowmobile to check the condition of the seismic tracking stations and occasionally made a repair. The scenery was mostly white with dark gray volcanic outcroppings. It was some of the most inhospitable terrain in North America. He could hardly wait until his 6-month tour of duty was up. In the idle hours at night there was plenty of time to think, and he found he couldn’t take his mind off Tanya. He was dreaming of her when the shrill report from his satellite phone woke him. He rolled over on his cot and reached an arm out into the cold to answer. The florescent dial on his watch showed it was a few minutes after 5 in the morning. The screen on the satellite phone didn’t indicate who was calling. “This better not be a wrong number,” he said into the phone.

  “Now is that any way to answer your phone? I know your mama taught you better than that.”

  “Dave? Where the hell are you that you’re up this time of the morning?”

  “I’ve already had breakfast. What are you doing, sleeping in?”

  “Give me a break it’s 5:00 A.M. I was dreaming about my newfound love.”

  “I thought you were in the wilds of Alaska somewhere. You fall in love with a polar b
ear or a mountain goat?”

  “Then you knew I was in Alaska and called me at this ungodly hour anyway?”

  “Easy boy, I wouldn’t have called you if it wasn’t important. I was in a helicopter crash. I thought you’d want to know.”

  “Well it sounds like you survived, so what’s the emergency?”

  “I broke my leg, and I’m in the hospital, if you’re interested.”

  “You’re in the hospital?”

  “In Mexico, no less. If I don’t die from a staff infection, I can survive anything.”

  “Sorry for being so insensitive. They say, ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ How are you, really?”

  “I’ll survive, but what I really called about was what led up to the crash. I wish we could have a beer. This story is so unbelievable, I’d give a buck to see your face when I tell it to you.”

  “Okay, you’ve got my attention. What did you get yourself into this time?”

  David related the story about the assignment to help the Army Corps of Engineers tunnel into Tres Virgenes volcano and the massive explosion that he narrowly escaped before it took his helicopter down. He finished with, “No kidding, the coyotes thought I was dog meat before I got rescued. The problem is the whole operation is top secret; off the record.”

  “Top secret and you’re telling me. Don’t you realize that every alphabet in the government is probably listening in on this conversation? You really do know how to get yourself in trouble. And this happened yesterday?”

  “According to the calendar on the wall. I figured with all the people in the project dead, I’d better tell someone. I may be next.”

  “Now you’re beginning to sound like one of those conspiracy theory nuts. You haven’t gone psycho on me, have you?”

  “It’s probably the drugs talking. I’m getting ready to fly back to Oregon. I’ll be laid up at home for a few weeks. Why don’t you take a break from the grizzly bears and come visit?”

  “I might just do that. I’ve got another week on this assignment before another idiot takes my place. The only good thing that came out of this was meeting Striking Eagle.” Trick grinned as he waited for his friend to respond.

  “Sounds interesting. Bring her with you. The more the merrier.”

  Disappointed it didn’t get a rise out of Dave, Trick finished the conversation. “I’ll meet you in two weeks. I need to make a side trip to Prudhoe Bay first.”

  “Prudhoe Bay? You going into the oil business?”

  “That’s where Striking Eagle is, bye, bye.” Trick hung up the phone. The big grin on his face stayed there for several minutes.

  David hung up his phone and lay back looking at the ceiling. What has Trick got himself into this time? Striking Eagle? I can’t be around him all the time to protect him. He goes to the end of civilization and still gets himself in trouble.

  Chapter 13

  Washington, D.C.

  Heather Martin had made a decision that could have cost her, her life. She had hacked into Josh’s computer and scanned the data, before realizing it was a setup. Everything was too easy and her gut was correct in detecting the setup. Instead of sending the data along to the FBI as was the plan, she closed the computer down and walked out of the office into the large room of volunteers. She walked up to Thelma and asked her for advice. “Thelma, I wonder if you can help me?”

  Thelma looked up at Heather. “You need my help?”

  “Josh asked me to look into his security system and I don’t know how to tell him it stinks. Is he going to be upset if I’m blunt with him?”

  “I think he’ll want to know what’s wrong. If I know Josh, he’ll want his system secure.”

  “Thanks,” Heather said. “Do you know where I can find him?”

  “He’s in the office with Andy. Other side of the room.”

  Heather turned and walked rapidly toward the office. She opened the door without knocking. “Sorry to disturb you, Josh, but we need to talk.”

  “Come in, Heather. Have you met Andy?”

  Heather reached out her hand.

  “He doesn’t like touching females,” Josh said, as an explanation for Andy’s lack of a handshake.

  Heather shrugged. “A lot of flue going around. Can’t be too careful.”

  “What did you find out?” Josh asked.

  “Your security stinks. We need to get a better password and a better firewall. I can help you with that. I didn’t find any financial data. You must have another system.” She cocked her head waiting for a response.

  Andy spoke, “We put you at that computer as a test. You wouldn’t expect us to turn over valuable financial information to someone we don’t know.”

  “A test? Am I wasting my time here?” She feigned being upset.

  “It’s alright, Heather. I wasn’t lying when I said I need your help. Let’s take a little ride.”

  “A ride?”

  Josh took her elbow and steered her out of the office. “I didn’t want to say this in front of Andy. You passed the test. I keep the real information in a remote location. Too many eyes around here.”

  “What about Andy? I thought you were partners?”

  “Who told you that?”

  “I don’t know. You have an office. He has an office. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out.”

  “Andy’s temporary. The guy’s a little too radical for me.”

  As they left the building for Josh’s car, Heather continued to pump Josh for information. She had to remind herself to go easy. She wasn’t going to get everything the first day on the job. They got into Josh’s black SUV.

  In the passenger seat Heather admired the plush tan leather interior. “Nice.”

  “Except for the government issued license plates, it’s like a thousand other secret service and government issued vehicles in D.C.,” Josh said proudly. “In Washington D.C., this is how you keep a low profile.

  “You want to blend in?” Heather asked. “Why not one of those electric vehicles? It would fit the profile better.”

  “You’re not one of my groupies, so I can level with you,” Josh said, pulling out from the underground garage. “Green Keepers is a business. It’s a great platform for getting other people’s messages out. I don’t have to believe in every cause my organization is demonstrating against.”

  “Or for,” Heather added.

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. For example, two weeks ago there were some kids killed at one of our demonstrations. By the news accounts you’d think they were nothing but innocent teens doing their civic duty. In reality they were local gang members hired by some bureaucrat to make us look bad. Andy settled it.”

  “You mean with a knife in the back?”

  “You’ve been reading too many papers. I didn’t like the way Andy handled it. The cops were all over me asking questions, but I happened to be in another part of the country and there was no connection. Whoever hired them won’t come forward. They were nothing but low-life thugs who are now off the streets. They should be giving me an award for cleaning up the city.”

  Heather knew he was lying. She had seen the photo of the demonstration. It had both Josh and Andy at the same event. “Still, those kids belong to someone. If they were gang members, aren’t you worried about retaliation?”

  “Andy’s got it under control. He’s connected to a network that we’ve hired to keep the demonstrations peaceful.”

  “A network? That sounds kind of vague,” Heather said.

  “They call themselves the Brothers of Abadan. Badass dudes if you ask me. They’d kill for Andy if he asked them to.”

  I’ll bet they already have, Heather thought. “It must take a lot of donations to run the size of demonstrations you’re handling.”

  “You have no idea.” Josh turned into a driveway. They had crossed the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge and driven a few minutes on Highway 66, before exiting and turning into an upscale neighborhood of two-story brick houses with three-car garages
. Josh pushed a remote garage door opener and pulled the SUV out of sight. He closed the door. They entered the house through the kitchen door off the garage. The trip had taken less than an hour.

  “Nice house,” Heather said. “I guess protesting does pay.”

  “It has its perks, but I didn’t bring you here to show off my house. This is where you’ll be working.”

  Heather gave him a questioning look. “I thought...”

  “I don’t want the rest of the people asking questions. Thelma would have busted your ass if I had left you in the headquarters office. She’s a little over-protective, if you haven’t noticed.”

  “Are you kidding me? The day of the interview, I was about to deck her. Lucky you showed up.”

  “What can I say? She watches over me. All the more reason why she’s there, and you’re here. Follow me.”

  They walked through the kitchen and dining room into a living room that looked like it could be on the cover of House Beautiful. Heather had to bite her tongue to keep from commenting on how lovely the place was, then it occurred to her, no one lived in this house. They continued down a hall into the master bedroom suite. Heather hesitated at the door, hoping he wasn’t going to try and put the make on her. She wasn’t going to go that far for the job. She watched as Josh touched a hidden button on the dresser. The paneled wall opened to a hidden room. “My new office, I presume,” Heather said following Josh.

  The hidden room was small in comparison to the rest of the rooms in the house, but that was by design. A large room would have been too obvious. This area fit into the design of the house and would go completely unnoticed unless someone carried a tape measure with them and was looking for such a room. Heather scanned the room for hidden cameras and didn’t see any, but that didn’t mean much. With the miniature camera technology available today, a camera could go undetected until the room was scanned with a debugging device. She made a mental note to have someone from her office come in and scan the room for bugs. She needed to know if she was being watched while she was working.