“Okay, hold up, you two,” said Finnegan. “Come over here. We need to talk.”
Panting hard, both boys hung on the ropes of the boxing ring, staring down at him.
Private Finnegan looked at the fighters, but more pointedly at Camila. “Kids, the main thing isn’t how you punch. The main thing is your fight strategy. Know this: Fights are rarely ever won by a single, giant punch, or a single, lucky punch. The only way you are going to win is by wearing your opponent down. You have to tire him out. Most of all, you have to get your opponent frustrated. Do you hear me?” His eyes rested on Camila.
“Yes, coach,” she said.
“More fights are won with patience. And more are lost because of frustration. Does that make sense?”
Everyone nodded.
“So watch for that one moment when your opponent gets frustrated and does something stupid. That’s when you unload on him. That’s when you bring it all home.”
Private Finnegan focused on Jack. “You’re tough enough. You’ve certainly shown me you can take a punch. Now if you can just keep your head, you can win.”
Meaning, if I don’t shut down, I can win, thought Jack. Jayla and Kevin may be able to keep cool in the middle of a fight, but not me.
The next day they were down by the Flugplatz, walking home from the post gym, when Charlie grabbed Jack’s arm. “Look over by that maintenance shed. Those are some of Kerrigan’s guys.”
Jack changed direction. “Maybe he’s with them.”
“Now is probably not the time or place,” said Sam.
“We can set another time and another place. But we gotta find him before he finds Rabbit.”
They walked toward the shed.
“Where’s Kerrigan?” Jack demanded.
Tony Keach’s head bobbed as he counted heads. Jack had eight friends with him.
He said, “We don’t want any trouble, Jack.”
Jack glared back. “I asked you where Kerrigan was.”
“He’s not here,” one of the others said. “His parents wouldn’t let him come out.”
“Likely story,” said Kevin.
“But it’s true,” said Tony. “Like I said, we don’t want any trouble.”
Kevin gave him a hard eye. “Ah! So without Kerrigan you got no fight in you?”
“Just let us pass,” said Tony.
“You tell Kerrigan I’m lookin’ for him,” said Jack. “Got it?”
“Yeah, we got it,” said Tony, and he and his friends walked away.
Three more days passed and still Kerrigan hadn’t been sighted.
Jack and his crew were down by the snack bar. Kevin had just finished getting his weekly haircut. Jack had come along, hoping to spot Kerrigan. The others had come as backup.
Kevin walked out of the PX with his week’s stash of Bazooka. “Any word?”
“Nowhere to be seen,” said Charlie.
“Time to turn up the pressure,” said Jack. “I need each of you to go tell everyone in our class that I’m looking for Kerrigan. Tell them to spread the word.”
“Well, that’ll certainly get the pot stirred,” said Jayla. “He won’t be able to duck that.”
“We can hope,” said Jack, grimly. Then the irony of it all struck him. Since he’d first arrived, as much as Jack had tried to avoid Kerrigan, the guy had always been right there, tormenting him. Now that Jack was the one looking for a confrontation, Kerrigan was nowhere to be found.
33
Mission Mountaintop
Jayla was the first one to stop by Jack’s quarters the next morning.
“How’s it going?” he asked. Then he really looked at her. He remembered seeing that same look on his mom once when she fingered a fancy coat with a fur collar, then examined the price tag and walked away. Now he was seeing it in Jayla’s eyes. She was giving up the mountain.
That dented him.
But so much was coming at him. It was like he was the only one left in a dodgeball game and everyone around the circle had started hurling balls. Have to protect Rabbit. Have to deal with Kerrigan. Have to help Jayla get to the mountain. Have to help all of us get to the mountain before time runs out.
I couldn’t help my mom get that fur coat, but I can help Jayla.
In his mind, he ran toward the most important ball and caught it.
“Okay,” Jack said to her, “Kerrigan or no Kerrigan, we pull the trigger on Mission Mountaintop. We notify Hans and Günther now. We make final plans and go.”
“What?” said Jayla. “Really?” Her eyes danced.
Late that afternoon everyone had gathered in his bedroom to go over the mission one more time.
“Mission Mountaintop launches at oh-eight-thirty tomorrow from behind The Glass House.”
“Roger that,” Charlie said, grinning. His smile spread throughout the room.
Only Commander Jack’s face remained serious. “Be very clear, we either leave on time, or we abort the mission. Otherwise we won’t make it back by dinner.”
“Did you get hold of Hans and Günther?” Jayla asked.
“Close enough. I talked my mom into letting me call Hans. He was okay with tomorrow. We’ll just have to trust he works it out with Günther. We rendezvous at Die Einbahnstraße nach Deutschland at ten hundred hours.”
“Do you each have your food supplies?” Scrounger Charlie asked.
“I have half a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, and a jar of strawberry jam,” Jack said as he pulled out the equipment checklist. Despite their groans, he forced them, once again, to go through it item by item.
“Okay, I’ll see each of you standing tall at oh-eight-thirty,” he concluded.
“Be there or be square,” Sam said.
“Or as Charlie says, ‘If you’re on time, you’re late,’” Kevin chimed in.
Charlie arrived at Jack’s half an hour early, so they went to his room.
As Queenie passed by, she eyed their bulging rucksacks. “So today’s the day?”
Jack didn’t miss a beat. “Today’s always the day. Buzz off.”
“Jack, don’t be lame. What makes you think you can pull off that mission without me?”
“Mission? What mission?”
“Please don’t play the fool. You can’t smoke me out. You’re planning a hike to the Hohenstaufen. I overheard your little powwow yesterday. In fact, my girlfriends and I are coming along.”
“Wrong!”
“Right.”
“Not a chance, dorf.”
Queenie leaned her head out his bedroom door and yelled, “Hey, Mom, Jack’s—”
Fast as lightning, he was off the bed and yanking her back in the room. “Don’t you dare!”
Inside he screamed, You’re messing with a plan we spent months and months making. You can’t cut in on our operation and make it yours. This is freakin’ baloney.
She smiled serenely. “It’s a simple decision, Jack. Either we go, or you don’t go. Got it?” She had him, and she knew it.
He glanced at Charlie, desperate for a lifeline. But Charlie just shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “She’s got your number, buddy.”
“Okay! But we won’t be back till dinner so bring your own food, water, and money, ’cause I’m not sharing. And we’re out of here in exactly twenty-two minutes. If you and your friends aren’t ready to go, too bad!”
She smiled with pure delight. “You’ll wait no matter how long it takes us, because I’ll tell Mom if you bug out before we get there.”
At oh-eight-thirty-seven, Jack, Charlie, Sam, and Jayla were behind The Glass House. Jayla was pacing up and down. “Where’s Kevin? We’re already late.”
Queenie, Camila, and Liz finally strolled around the building, talking about Ingrid on some special date.
Jack barked, “Where are Karen and Kevin?”
/> Queenie’s glare said, “How dare you interrupt our very important conversation.”
Camila said, “You might as well write them off. Their mom won’t let them out until they’ve cleaned their quarters from top to bottom. Karen said it will take hours.”
“What are we gonna do, Jack?” demanded Sam. “Do we postpone the mission?”
“Are you kidding?” Jayla exclaimed. “This took months, and we might not get another shot. School starts in three days.” She whirled toward Jack. “We’ll have to leave without Kevin”
Everyone studied him.
Jack said, “We are not leaving Kevin behind.”
Jayla stammered, “But we can’t abort.”
“Look, I know it’s critical to you, but Kevin has worked as hard on this mission as any of us. He either comes with us, or we don’t go.”
“Jack!” Jayla pleaded.
“You’re right. It has to be today. Saddle up, everyone.” He started running toward The Circle. “I need to deal with his mom.”
As the others brought up the rear, Charlie sprinted to catch him. “And I suppose you have a plan for dealing with the Buddha?”
“Not exactly, but I’m working on it.”
“What are you gonna tell her?”
Jack swallowed hard. “The truth, I guess.”
“What?”
“Have a little faith, Charlie.”
Karen wouldn’t let him in, but Jack pushed past her.
A voice growled out of the darkness. “What is so important that you need to disturb me, Jack McMasters?”
Jack couldn’t remember a dicier situation. “I’m sorry to intrude, Mrs. Duncan, but . . . well . . . we all have plans to meet up with our German friends and go on a hike today. And . . . it’s our last chance to do it before school starts.”
“Unlike you, my children have responsibilities this morning.”
“I understand completely, ma’am,” he said, making sure his voice held no hint of frustration or desperation. “But, we were hoping you’d let us all pitch in and help them. That way the tasks will all get completed, but quickly enough so they can still join us.”
“Jack—”
“Please, Mrs. Duncan. You might not know this, but my mother is a master of the white glove. My sister and I are exceptionally well trained. I promise. Everything will be done to your complete satisfaction.”
She slumped back in the chair, fading into thought.
Jack remained silent. He had made his case.
“Hmm,” she finally moaned. Her stern eyes rose once more, focusing on him. “You know I will be expecting everyone’s best work.”
Karen and Kevin looked amazed when the small army invaded their quarters and went to work. Jack even volunteered for toothbrush duty cleaning the downstairs bathroom. Before he got on it, he glanced back at the Buddha. He thought he saw a smile flit across her face when Kevin said, “Liz, you can use this sponge to wipe the counters. Please make sure to shine the toaster.”
Forty-seven minutes later, they were all assembled behind The Glass House.
Queenie looked at her brother and then her girlfriends. “So how’s this going to work?” She was clearly trying to assume control.
Jack stepped toward her. “I’ll tell you how it’s going to work. We are now seriously behind schedule for our meetup with Hans and Günther. So we don’t just hoof it, we double-time it. Let’s move out, everyone.”
Queenie said, “Hans and Günther? How did you work that out?”
“Laura, just shut it and follow. You’re not in charge here. You’re just along for the ride.” He turned and, before she could react, started jogging through the woods.
As they ran, their web belts, canteens, ammo pouches, and small rucksacks joggled. It was all needed equipment; Jack’s rucksack had eight peanut butter sandwiches, his KA-BAR knife, and his binoculars.
He sent Kevin out on point, and figured as long as Queenie and her girlfriends were tagging along, he might as well get something out of them. He assigned his sister and Karen flanking duty; they should keep their eyes peeled for trouble.
Good thing he had, too. They were hardly deployed when Jack saw Karen take a knee and signal them to hit the dirt. Within seconds, nine kids were down and motionless.
Jack wondered if the threat was real or just Karen’s way of messing around with his mind.
Eventually, she got to her feet and sprinted over.
“What?” Charlie demanded.
“The Sevens,” Karen said, still a bit shaken. “Kinda hairy, ’cause there were more of them than us. Fortunately they were going in the opposite direction. We just needed to stay outta sight till they passed by.”
“You’re sure they’re gone?” Jack asked.
She nodded. “I’m headed back out on the flank, but you can move out.” After another ten minutes, they made it to Black Squirrel Crossing.
Queenie and her girlfriends watched as Jayla and Sam scrambled up the tree. They were completely confused until they spotted the bridge.
Karen said, “When did you stumble on this?”
Kevin said smugly, “Stumble? How about design? How about build?”
Queenie was rocked so far back on her heels, Jack knew he could push her over with a finger. Seeing her bulging eyes was the first fun he’d had all day. He nonchalantly got on with the mission—a mission she would no longer try to take over.
As usual, once over Black Squirrel Crossing and out of sight of the ravine, the fear of a Sevens ambush lifted. Kevin started calling cadence with a chant that was the best known Airborne Ranger jody. He sang a line, everyone responded, and they kept jogging.
“One, two.”
“Three, four.”
“Two old ladies were lyin’ in bed.”
“One turned over to the other and said,”
“I wanna be an Airborne Ranger!”
“I wanna live a life of danger.”
“Airborne Ranger,”
“Life of danger.”
That jody led to another, as they covered the mile to the perimeter fence in record time. When they got to the trough, Hans and Günther were waiting.
“Was ist los, Jungs?” Jack called in greeting.
Queenie leaned over to Camila and Liz, who looked confused. “All he said was, ‘What’s happenin’, boys.’”
Hans blurted out. “Why are you so late?” He gave Jack a look that said, Why is your sister here?
“It’s a long story,” said Jack. “I’ll explain when we get over.”
As if she couldn’t help it, Queenie spoke up. “How are we gonna get over the barbed wire fence?”
“Just watch and learn,” said Jack.
Karen said to Kevin, “You know how?”
“Certainly. We’re going to take Die Einbahnstraße nach Deutschland.”
“The what?”
“Oh please, don’t you know any German?”
“Like you’re the grand master of the German language,” she shot back.
“It means The One-Way Street to Germany.”
When they got to the tree, Jack went first. He wanted to fill Hans and Günther in quietly about Kevin’s mom holding them up and how Queenie threatened to expose them if she and her friends couldn’t tag along.
They both agreed sisters could be very painful; Jack had had no choice.
Hans said, “We had better not use roads if we can help it. There are so many kids it will call attention. Someone could see us and tell our parents.”
The band of eleven kids made their way through the green, rolling sheep pastures, down into Günther’s apple orchard, where they each picked a snack. While they munched, Günther led them across large fields and down into a woods. He knew all its paths, and when they encountered a stream, he showed them where the rocks were best for
crossing. Next they came to a farm that belonged to a family Günther knew. Unfortunately, halfway across a huge field, they spotted the father on a tractor.
As Camila said, “Should we run?” Günther signaled for them to hit the dirt.
He hissed, “We wait till the tractor turns around and heads back in the other direction. Then we run.”
Jack dropped his head to the ground, almost choking on the churned-up dirt. Ingrid had said she could still smell the plowed earth and sugar beets from the night she escaped. Was he in a beet field now?
Finally, Günther started to slink away, and the others followed. When they reached a fenced-in pasture of grazing livestock, Günther led them to a set of wooden stairs with three steps up one side and three down the other. “Perfect for humans, worthless if you’re a seven-hundred-kilo cow,” he said.
But fifteen yards into the field, Sam lost her nerve as she saw just how huge seven hundred kilos could be. “Is it safe to cross this field? I mean, are they gonna charge us?”
Jack translated with a straight face, but Günther cracked up. He confirmed to Jack they were dairy cows, not bulls.
Jack turned to Sam. “We won’t have to be matadors. He says they’re cows thinking, Look at all those kids. Will they hurt us? Should we run away?”
That got a laugh from everyone—even Sam.
The next farm brought another challenge. Hans and Günther didn’t like Frederik, the kid who lived there. The more stories they told about him, the more he sounded like Ryan Kerrigan. The kid was obviously mental.
Queenie said, “Let’s deal with Mr. Pain-in-the-Ass right now.”
Hans shook his head, “Frederik isn’t just a bully. He’s also sneaky and he can count. He will avoid us but figure out we’re up to something and try to spoil it.”
Kevin nodded, “If he rats us out to any adults, there’s no more Mission Mountaintop.”
“The situation calls for stealth,” Jack said. “The best solution is to avoid contact with this Frederik guy. Let’s climb into those hills and go around the farm.”
Hans and Günther okayed the plan.
The trek up wasn’t easy. The path narrowed, forcing them to walk in single file. To everyone’s relief, when they neared the top, things opened up.
BRAT and the Kids of Warriors Page 36
