Perez took her seat at her workstation. On the walk back from Faulk’s office she fielded more than one inquisitive look, but never said a word.
She had assurances from Admiral Faulk that she could continue to run Clark’s mission, but that was not to appear to take time away from her current duties.
She picked up her internal phone and dialed another desk in the Pit. “Hey, it’s Perez, Admiral Faulk just gave me emergency access to Phoenix 3, reposition to the greater Birmingham, Alabama area, A-SAP!” she ordered the satellite driver.
“We’re already there,” he said, pulling the orbital view up on the big screen at the front of the Pit. “We’ve been monitoring an entire column of tanks moving north to Birmingham for the last few hours.”
“Good to know. Now, give me a view just southeast of Birmingham, called Wolf Creek, and give me a ten-mile angle.”
“Got it.”
Like a TV weatherman moves the local radar screen along the living room big screen, the satellite image repositioned to the desired coordinates.
“What are we looking for, Perez?” he asked.
Perez put on her headset, and could still hear Clark getting ready to intercept the Humvee. She caught the shadow of the Admiral watching the entire operation from a few feet outside of his office door.
“Put icons on anything moving. The Presidential Humvee that I was tracking earlier, has been stolen by Chinese soldiers, and they have taken several American children hostage.”
“Well, I,” the satellite driver said. He manipulated his controls, changing the algorithms that spit data out from the eye in the sky.
“What, Bruce? What do you have?” Perez asked, and then flipped back to her conversation with Clark on the sat phone. “Clark, hold tight, we’re zeroing in, now. I’m going to patch you into our internal communications.”
“That took way too long! But, Roger that,” Clark responded, listening to the chatter in the Pentagon war room.
“Perez, I’ve located the hummer,” Bruce said, tagging the moving vehicle with an icon on the big screen. “I also have a single helicopter on the ground with rotors turning, a troop transport, and…”
“Are they ours?” Clark asked, before Perez she could.
“I don’t know about the chopper, the computer is chewing on it, but the transport is defiantly NOT ours. It looks like they’re trying to get to that area where the chopper has landed. Also, just so you know, that area is still hot.”
“Hot? What does he mean, hot? Not radioactive?” Clark asked.
“I mean, fire. There’s a farm or something that looks like…,” Bruce, satellite driver said, as he focused in on the farm. “Wait, there are at least three structures that are still glowing on the ground. I’ve asked the system for ID. Hold.”
“Clark, I see you on the monitor,” Perez said. She added her own friendly icon to the big screen. “You are approximately two miles from the farm and the helicopter. There’s one troop transport, but they’re approaching from another direction. It looks like they’re headed to where the chopper is. But…”
“But, what, Perez?”
Perez felt a hand on her shoulder; it was Admiral Faulk. “Let me talk to him.”
She handed him a patched through traditional phone.
“Lieutenant, this is Admiral Faulk, you are caught between the approaching target and what looks to be three troop transport vehicles. They are approaching on your road from the west. You need to evade and do not engage.”
There was a silence as Clark looked at Dukes and Shaw. They looked back at him.
“What’s the matter?” Dukes asked.
“Yes, Sir,” Clark spoke into his headset.
“What’s coming, Sir?” Shaw said, repositioning his rifle.
“They ordered us to evade, because coming from that direction,” he threw his thumb over his shoulder. “Are three troop transports full of Chinese soldiers.”
“No, shit?” Shaw asked, spinning around as if he could see them.
“No, shit.”
“Not going to happen,” Dukes said, looking Clark in the eye. “That thing has my daughter in it, and I mean on taking her…”
"Perez, what's the intersect point where the hummer will meet the three troop transports?"
Perez looked over at Bruce, and he manipulated the controls of the satellite analysis program. “I got it!” He drew a line between the hummer and the three transports, allowing the computer to predict a collision point.
Perez could see the structure on the big screen, and she read off the data. "You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” she whispered.
“I didn’t get that, Perez, say again,” Clark asked for confirmation.
She cleared her throat before speaking. “It looks like a structure called Wolf Creek Church."
Clark looked over his shoulder to the small white sign standing by the side of the road of the church. “Son-of-a-bitch.”
***
Perez watched the Admiral move over to the highest-ranking Air Force officer in the Pit, and then she quickly toggled her mouse to pull up a small widget screen on her personal terminal. With skill learned from some of the finest teachers in the Air Force, Senior Airman Perez launched a stealth program that effectively tracked down the whereabouts of a person named Leah Burrows.
[3]
CHAPTER 33
Joseph was doing a better job navigating the large Presidential Humvee than previously, but still decided to stop underneath an outcropping of rocks, so that he could concentrate on orienting himself. Although he knew he was heading in the right direction, he wanted assurances, and navigating and driving had proven to be a challenge for him.
He looked back at the girl, she reminded him of how he got into this situation, and that brought up feelings of anger at himself for blindly following the girl named Penny. He was convinced that she had purposefully got him lost, which led to the ambush at the farm.
While stopped, he tempted fate, and finally tried to make radio contact with the platoon he was supposed to meet. Within a few seconds of communication, he had a destination and a new purpose.
The knowledge that he would soon be reunited with his own kind filled him with a sense of worth, and patriotism. He embraced the mission to join his comrades on their patrol, knowing that he would bring battle experience and leadership to the platoon. His only issue was actually finding the rally point near some place called Wolf Creek.
But, with the false sense of worth flowing through his veins, he decided on a direction that he thought best. Satisfied with himself, he pulled back onto the two-lane road and felt himself relax. Confident that no one was going to bother him in his American military style vehicle, he let his mind wander. He now thought of himself as a hero, confident that the new soldiers would respect him and learn from him. The idea made him smile.
Joseph played through the last few days in his mind, and formulated the report that he would deliver to his commanders.
We moved on the compound as instructed, and delivered several casualties, taking out their sniper nests with little problem. The tides of war changed once the American’s secured air superiority and tried killing us from the sky. Our leadership was cut down like the average foot soldier, leaving our ranks defenseless and separated. I took command and led several troops on a flanking maneuver. We were about to breach the headquarters of the enemy, when the American pilot returned to slaughter us. Knowing that I needed to return, so that I could file a report about the American strength, I took refuge until it was safe. Once the opportunity presented itself, I commandeered this vehicle and a hostage.
Joseph shook his head, thinking that perhaps he needed to work on it a bit more, before presenting to his chain of command.
“I know you can hear me!” Deb said, from the back seat.
He had not spoken to her since he discovered how to communicate with his comrades. He ignored her.
“Where are you taking me?” He ignored her, again.
&nbs
p; “Hey! I know you can hear me!” She kicked the clear partition separating the compartments.
Joseph realized at that moment, that he was tired of dealing with children. He swerved the vehicle erratically, slinging the girl to the other side of the seat. That made her shut up, and him smile.
CHAPTER 34
Emma finished her last stitch just as the sound of gravel crunched on the church's driveway and parking lot. Tasha already had her pistol out and ready to shoot from the window.
"Who is it?" Emma asked, wrapping everything with as sterile gauze. David already looked much improved.
"I don't know, I've never seen the truck before." She looked again, just as a boy and a girl jumped out of the back of the bed of the truck and hurried towards the front door.
"A boy and a girl! They’re coming in. I don’t know who they are,” she said, pivoting her aim towards the office door, just as Jack and Lucy appeared.
"Jack! Lucy!" Emma said, laying the gauze down and gently putting a hand on Tasha's shoulder. "It's okay, they are..."
"Mr. David's children," Tasha finished the sentence, lowering the pistol to her side.
Jack and Lucy took no notice of the girl with the gun; their focus was on their father. Both brother and sister gently moved past Tasha and Emma in order to get to their father.
Emma sat Tasha down on a well-worn leather chair, and gently took the pistol from her hand. She patted the girl on the knee. "You did this. You saved their father for them," she said, before turning to Jack and Lucy.
Tears fell from Lucy's eyes, and Jack looked as stoic as he could. "It's okay, you can get close to him," Emma said.
"What happened," Jack asked, already knowing the story.
"It was the helicopters," Tasha said, trying to fight sobs. She stood and moved next to the brother and sister.
Jack knelt down on the hard wood floor, and softly put a hand on his father's shoulder. "Dad. Dad, we're here. We made it."
Lucy also knelt, adding her own hand next to Jack's. "Yeah, Dad, we both made it. We used everything you taught us. Dad?"
There was a long few seconds, but, with the added warmth of his children's hands, and the familiar voices, David blinked his eyes a few times.
"Oh," Emma said. "That's really good. Let's see if we can get him up and get him to drink."
At that moment, the building seemed to rock from the concussion of an explosion in the distance. Penny entered the room a few seconds later, followed by a young man that Emma did not know.
"That was close, I'd say, like less than a mile. Two tops.”
“Oh, thank God you’re safe,” Emma said, getting up to hug the girl. “Your father has been beside himself trying to find you.”
Penny accepted the hug and nodded; she didn’t say anything, as it was easier to do that than risk speaking against the knot in her throat.
Another few seconds later, the sound of an approaching car grew until the sound was replaced by the now familiar gravel sound.
“It’s your Dad,” Emma said, looking through the window.
Dukes drove the SUV right up to the front door, with Clark and Shaw jumping out before it ever stopped.
"Don't you people ever answer the radio?" Clark yelled, walking into the office/surgery ward/ gathering place.
Emma just shook her head and looked around as if to say, 'they had been kind of busy. Look who we found.’
"Jack? Lucy?" David croaked, the voice silencing the room.
"Yes! Yes! Dad, it's us!" They said together.
Dukes slipped into the room last, where Penny sprang a giant hug around his neck.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” he whispered into her hair.
David weakly sat up, grimacing in immense pain and intense confusion as to what was going on. But, what he did know what that his children were alive, safe, and here. He pulled them close, and wrapped his arms around his children. "Oh, thank God! Oh, thank God!” The kids giggled and he kept thanking God.
"Look," Clark said, "I really hate to break all of this up, but, if you all are okay, then who’s in the Humvee?”
"It’s the bastard that took my sister, and stole your truck!” Dan insisted, with a determination that Clark had rarely seen.
“And who are you again?” Clark asked.
“He’s Dan Maddox. He and his sister helped rescue us,” Penny filled in.
“He’s also the quarterback at Alabama,” Jack confirmed. “But, we still like him.”
“Good to know,” Clark confirmed.
“To answer your question,” Penny offered. “Dan’s sister, Deb, is the one that was taken hostage, and is in the Hummer. There’s only one soldier, and he’s armed and dangerous. He’s actually an asshole,” she added.
“Copy, that,” Clark confirmed. “Okay, the vehicle holding your sister,” he looked at Dan. “Will be passing here in less than twenty minutes. But, so will three-armed troop transports from the opposite direction. The Pentagon just told me that they are crawling all over this area."
"What does that mean?" Emma asked, collecting her medical equipment as quickly as she could. She seemed to sense that either they were about to leave in a hurry, or something worse. She prayed that they would leave, but knew full well that it was most likely ‘something worse.’
“It means that we need to get ready for anything. Emma, you and Tasha need to get him ready to move. Everyone else, into the sanctuary. Now!”
Jack pulled away from his father, and then put a hand on his sister’s shoulder. “We need to go.”
“No, son,” David whispered, his hand grasping for his son. “Don’t leave me again.”
“Dad, we have to fight. We’ve been fighting ever since we left Atlanta. We can do it.”
A tear formed at David’s eye, and he tried to sit up more.
“Perhaps Lucy can stay with us to help get David ready to travel?” Emma suggested as a question to lead the boy.
“Sure,” he said, looking at his younger sister. So far, she had not killed anyone, and he wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. “Stay with Dad, they could use your help.” He didn’t give her a chance to respond as he turned and left the room. She nodded, ready to help.
“He’s stubborn, like your mother,” David offered to his daughter, taking sips of the sports drink.
“He’s compassionate, like you,” Lucy countered.
“Tasha,” David said, suddenly seeming to realize something as his strength grew, or the adrenaline of the situations took control. “Show them what’s in the Bronco, they’ll need it. Go!”
Tasha nodded and ran out of the room.
“What’s in the Bronco?” Emma asked, still not happy that she had to move him.
“More guns, ammunition and explosives than I ever thought I would need.”
CHAPTER 35
[4]
Perez got a hit on her inquiry about Leah Burrows at exactly the wrong time. She could see the three-truck convoy and the stolen Presidential Humvee driving towards a convergence at the rural church, and it was ‘go’ time. She glanced at the data:
Married to Colonel Ian Burrows. One child, age 18, name: Grace Burrows. Leah Burrows is the former Chief of Staff for Senator Payne. Last know location: Birmingham, AL.
“Holy, shit! She worked for Senator Payne?”
“What’s that Airman?” the Admiral asked, truly not hearing her.
“Nothing, Sir. I was just mumbling to myself. Sorry, Sir.”
The Admiral didn’t acknowledge her, but instead watched the big screen satellite feed with rapt attention.
***
Dukes had not moved as quickly in quite some time. He had been given a window of less than ten minutes to do exactly what he was doing, and in between heavy huffs of air, he only hoped that he got it right. Renewed with a since of purpose since finding his daughter, his head was remarkably clear, and he found himself truly thinking like the sniper that he was trained to be; not the prepper that he had become.
&nb
sp; The Bronco had been a treasure trove of weapons that they could use in any fight. Although not the assortment and combination that he would have chosen, Dukes was still pleased with the potential; especially the three anti-personnel claymores.
“Less than two minutes out!” Clark yelled. “Finish, now!”
“Done!” Dukes yelled, and then dashed back to the church. It took him another 30 seconds to get in place and finally catch his breath. From his hiding place in the church’s bell tower, he looked across the street at Clark, then up the street to Shaw, and then down to his right, where the new boy, Dan, was hiding a few yards away from his daughter. His final look was to Penny. She seemed intently calm, considering what was about to happen.
“You alright, down there, kiddo? Over.” Dukes spoke into his radio, as he looked over the side of the bell tower.
She looked up at her father in the tower, and smiled. “Yeah, Daddy, I am. This is life now, right? Over.” She meant it more as a joke, but it’s parallel to reality was striking. She wanted to say, NO! This is so freaking maddening! You’re my father! Please make it stop!
“Yeah, in a way, I guess it is.” Dukes agreed, and paused before saying what he really wanted to say. “You know that I love you, right? Over.”
Penny felt a lump form in her throat. A father is supposed to be the one that swings little girls around in the yard, and acts silly, and try to embarrass you in front of your friends. A father is supposed to be the one to get jealous at boyfriends and ultimately be the one that will walk you down to aisle. Her father was a lot of that, but he was also more. Her father was now a brother in battle; which is something she knew he never wanted. She knew, even though he taught her all of her combat skills, that he would rather have the silly time and the aisle in the church; she sensed that he was questioning every fatherly decision that he ever made. She needed that to stop, here and now.
“Yeah, Daddy, I know. And…and, I love you, too.” She paused. “You know,” she looked up at him from her position. “You know I wouldn’t be the woman that I have become if it weren’t for you. Cause, you know I’m not tea cups and princess movies!” She sniffed laughed. “I’m duck hunting and survival skills. I am one that wants to make sure that our family survives. Dad, I owe that to you, and I wouldn’t change a thing. I love you, Daddy,” she said, holding her father’s gaze. “Over.”
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