by P. T. Hylton
“We have to go back,” Wesley said. He spoke quietly, but urgently. His voice was louder when he spoke again. “The badges will be fighting for their lives back there. We have to go back and help them.”
No one replied.
It made sense that Wesley would be the most viscerally upset by these events. Until two days ago, he’d been in the thick of the political turmoil. He’d experienced the protests and the riots personally. He’d lived what the others had watched play out from a distance.
“I’m serious,” he said. “We’re supposed to help the people of New Haven. Owl, turn around!”
“Wesley.” Alex looked him dead in the eyes. “We’re not going back. Not until we’ve completed our mission.”
“They’re overthrowing our government!”
“We don’t know that.” In truth, they probably did, but now wasn’t the time for semantics. “We still have a job to do. If we fail here, the government won’t matter. We’re trying to save the human race. The problems in the city will still be there when we get back.”
“Problems?” Wesley let out a manic laugh. “That seems to be downplaying what just happened.”
Alex touched her radio. “Owl, what’s our flight time?”
The response came through her earpiece. “New Haven wasn’t quite in the ideal position yet, but we were getting close. We should reach NORAD in about an hour.”
“Roger that.” Alex turned back to Wesley. “That means you have one hour to pull yourself together. You want to freak out, complain about how New Haven is going to hell, whatever, you do it now. But I need to know the moment we touch down, you’ll be ready to take care of business. Can you do that?”
A flurry of emotions flickered through the young man’s eyes—anger, fear, disbelief—and then he simply nodded.
“Good.” She looked up and down the line at the others. “That goes for the rest of you too. We don’t have the luxury of taking time to process what’s going on up there, just like we didn’t have time to properly grieve for Simmons. There’s too much at stake.”
“We’re pros, Alex,” Drew said. “You know we’ll bring our best.”
“Firefly?”
His eyes were on the floor. He looked utterly devastated. Alex didn’t know if that was because the side he’d backed had committed such a terrible crime or if he was just shocked at this turn of events. He met Alex’s eyes only briefly as he muttered his response. “I’ll be fine.”
Alex turned to Jessica. Out of all of them, she’d known the Council best on a personal level. As a director, she spent time with them on a nearly daily basis. Yet, somehow, she seemed the most together of all of them.
“It’s simple crisis management,” the director said. “We deal with the most urgent problem first. That’s fixing the reactor. Then we can deal with the next most urgent, which appears to be an overthrow of our government.”
Alex almost laughed. Jessica Bowen was one strange woman, but Alex couldn’t help liking her.
“Good,” Alex said. “Get your heads right. We’ll be there soon.”
***
Forty-five minutes later, Owl’s voice came through Alex’s earpiece.
“Alex, could you join me in the cockpit, please?”
Alex was almost too surprised to answer. In the two years she’d been on the team and the dozens of missions she’d been part of, there was only one time she remembered CB going up to the cockpit during a flight. That was just after the vampires got Simmons, when he had to force Owl to leave. Owl liked to be alone when she flew, Alex knew. The cockpit was a sacred space to her, one she didn’t want anyone else invading. The fact that she was asking Alex to join her up there couldn’t be a good thing.
“Affirmative,” Alex said. “Be right there.”
The flight had been quiet for the last forty-five minutes, each member of the team dealing with the events back on New Haven in their own way and in their own head. For Alex, distance from New Haven brought clarity. Down on the surface, the potential for death was always mere moments away. It simply didn’t allow you to worry about anything outside of survival. The closer they got to their destination, the more confident Alex grew that the team would be able to focus on the mission when the time came.
She made her way up to the cockpit and found Owl gripping the controls with both hands, her eyes focused on the sky ahead. They were passing through a dense sea of clouds.
“Sit down and strap in,” Owl said.
Alex sank into the copilot’s seat. “I hope you’re not going to ask me to drive.”
“No,” Owl said. She spoke slowly, carefully, as if each word was an unnecessary distraction from her flying. “I don’t think these conditions are ideal for a first-time flyer.”
“So what’s going on?”
“Storms,” Owl said.
At that moment, the ship dropped out of the clouds and into a different kind of whiteness. Snow pelted the windshield, splattering in large, wet flakes.
“NORAD is built into the side of a mountain,” Owl said. “It would be a difficult landing in the best of conditions, and these are definitely not the best of conditions.”
The ship hit a bit of turbulence, and Alex’s stomach dropped. “What are you saying?”
Owl reached out and adjusted a knob on the control panel. “I’m going to get us as close as possible to the north entrance, but there’s a chance we’ll have to do a bit of walking.”
“Okay. Get us as close as you can.”
Alex glanced at her watch. It was nine thirty. With Jessica along, dismantling the reactor control panel should go much more quickly than it had in Texas. But that didn’t take into account the time it would take to get to the reactor, possibly fighting their way through a blizzard to get there. Add in a hike up a snowy mountainside, and they’d be in a serious time crunch to make it back before sundown.
Owl touched her radio and spoke into her microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, please make sure you’re strapped in.”
Alex waited for her to say more, but she didn’t. “That wasn’t the most reassuring message.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not feeling all that assured.” She leaned on the controls, causing the nose of the ship to angle downward. “Let’s see what the Rocky Mountains have to offer, shall we?”
The jagged peaks of the mountains ahead appeared through the snow a few moments later. The visibility was terrible, but Owl kept one eye on the radar display that showed the topography below.
She tapped the screen on a spot between two mountains. “There. That mountain pass is our best angle. If we slip through there, I should be able to put us just outside NORAD.”
That gap looked narrow, but Alex wasn’t about to question Owl’s piloting abilities now. “Let’s do it.”
Owl angled them down more sharply, and the ship dipped and bounced through the choppy air.
“Can I ask you something?” Alex said. “Why’d you call me up here?”
“Well, you’re in charge of this mission, right? I figure if I crash and kill us, they’ll blame the highest-ranking person they find in the cockpit.”
Alex could only see snow through the windshield now, but she could tell from the monitor that they were about to enter the narrow mountain pass.
“Here we go,” Owl said. She banked right, and the shipped slipped into the pass. “Ha! Nailed it!”
Alex squinted through the snow. There was something on the ground. Three dark spots in the see of white. The familiar mechanical rattle of distant gunfire split the air.
“Shit!” Owl yelled. She gripped the controls. “We’re hit.”
Alex looked frantically through the windshield, gazing futilely down at the large spitting guns. Those things had to be fifty caliber.
Drew’s voice sounded in her earpiece. “What’s going on up there?”
The gunfire sounded again, and this time the ship spun widely through the air.
“We lost a wing!” Owl said. “We’re going down!”
&
nbsp; Outside the windshield, the world spun. They twisted wildly in a sea of snow and vague shapes beyond.
Alex braced herself for the impact she knew was coming. A thousand thoughts raced through her head at once. New Haven. CB. Simmons. The reactor they’d never repair.
The ship hit the ground, and all thought was smashed from her mind as the world went black.
Chapter 40
Alex opened her eyes, and her head swam with pain. She had no idea how long she’d been out; it could have been seconds or hours.
She slowly raised her head and looked out the windshield. The nose of the plane was buried in snow. A dull throbbing in her forehead confirmed what had happened. She must have hit her head on the control panel. It didn’t appear to be bleeding. That was something.
With a start, she realized she had no idea about the condition of her team. She swung her head toward Owl and instantly regretted it as a wave of pain and nausea swept over her.
She must not have been out long after the crash, because Owl was still clutching the controls and gazing out at the snow beyond the cracked windshield.
“I know no one aboard the ship will fully appreciate this,” Owl said, “but that was an amazing landing. If I may say so.”
“I’m still alive, so I’ll take your word for it.” Alex touched the radio in her vest. “Team, what’s your status?”
Drew’s voice came back a moment later. “We’re…we’re okay, Alex. Only person hurt is Wesley. He took a bullet to the leg.”
Alex and Owl exchanged puzzled glances. It took Alex a moment to realize he was talking about the fifty-caliber guns that had shot at the ship. If Wesley took one of those bullets in the leg…it wouldn’t be good.
She unstrapped herself and stood up, the pain in her head receding as it was replaced by concern for her teammate.
Owl started to stand, too, but Alex put a hand on her shoulder. “Stay here and try to get hold of CB. Let him know what happened.”
“Okay.” There was a beat, then she said, “What did happen, Alex? Who the hell could have possibly been shooting at us?”
Alex wasn’t ready to confront that question. Not yet. “Just tell him we need an evac.”
“Roger that.”
Alex marched through the ship, her mind reeling with the possibilities at hand, the sheer number of choices they would now face. The responsibility of leadership threatened to crush her.
When she got to the passenger hold, Firefly was bent over Wesley, putting pressure on the wound. The young man was startlingly pale. He leaned back, his eyes fixed on some unknown spot on the ceiling.
The passenger hold was lined with bullet holes. It was a wonder more of them hadn’t been hit.
“How is he?” she asked.
“He’ll live,” Firefly said. “He’ll have one hell of a cool-looking scar to show the ladies, though.”
Alex caught Drew’s eye, and the man gave his head the slightest of shakes. The situation was worse than Firefly wanted to let on in front of Wesley.
Firefly adjusted the cloth pressed against the wound, and Alex tried not to visibly wince as she got a look at the hole in the kid’s leg. Best case scenario, that leg would have to come off. But they were out in the middle of nowhere, where a wound bleeding like that would likely result in a more permanent diagnosis.
“What’s the plan?” Drew said.
It took Alex a moment to realize he was talking to her. It seemed like there should be someone else in charge, someone more responsible. Maybe now that the situation was life and death, Director Bowen would pull rank and start giving orders. That didn’t appear to be happening. Jessica was staring at Wesley’s wound with as much horror as anyone.
Who was Alex kidding? CB had been clear as to who was to have field command. And this mission had always been life and death, even before the shooting started.
She took a deep breath and tried to sound confident when she spoke. “Owl’s raising CB in the radio. While she works on that, we’re going to prepare to move out.”
For the first time since she’d entered, Wesley spoke. “We’re going to leave the ship?” He sounded genuinely perplexed.
“This changes nothing,” Jessica said. Apparently, she’d gotten over her shock and recovered her usual cool demeanor. “New Haven still has a reactor that needs fixing.”
Alex nodded. “Additionally, someone just fired at us.”
Wesley laughed weakly. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“Whoever it was might want to track us down and finish the job. I’d prefer we’re not here if they do. We’ll take the rover and head for NORAD. We can get the parts and have them ready by the time CB’s rescue ship arrives.”
She could tell Drew wanted to say something, but he was biting his tongue for now.
Alex touched her radio. “Owl, you talk to CB?”
“Not yet. The comm was damaged in the crash.”
“Wonderful,” Firefly muttered.
“I think I can fix it, but I need a couple minutes.”
“I’m not sure we have a couple minutes,” Alex said. “Work fast. In the meantime, Drew and I will get the rover ready.”
There was a pause, then Owl said, “Whatever you do, do not break my rover. I already lost one child today.”
“You got it, Owl,” Drew said. “We’ll be hopping it off snow banks if you need us.”
Wesley laughed weakly. “No offense, guys, but I’m starting to think joining the GMT was a mistake.”
Drew clapped him lightly on the arm. “Wes, my man, welcome to the club.”
***
Fifteen minutes later, they had the rover ready to go. Drew, Jessica, and Alex stood beside it, dressed in their winter gear. Firefly was back on the ship, tending to Wesley.
Alex wished they’d thought to bring a bigger vehicle. The snow had to be two feet deep, and walking over a mile to NORAD’s north entrance in these conditions was going to be a treacherous journey. The rover could plow through the snow, leaving a trail that would make walking a bit easier for the rest of them. Her plan was to load Wesley onto the back. Owl would drive. The rest of them would have to walk.
Alex scanned the horizon for what must have been the hundredth time since they’d stepped out the cargo door. There had yet to be a sign of whoever had shot at them. She was doing her best not to think too hard about the possibilities. Either vampires had learned to use guns or there were humans down here. She wasn’t sure which option was more ludicrous. Yet here they were, standing next to a downed aircraft, one wing hanging off by a few strips of mangled steel, the whole thing riddled with bullet holes.
The best move was to focus on what she could control, actions she could take. Whoever it was that had attacked them, they’d find the GMT was much more difficult to take down when they were holding their weapons and able to fight back.
Alex walked through the cargo hold and made her way back to the passenger area. Wesley had his injured leg up on the seat now, and he still looked deathly pale.
“Hanging in there, Wesley?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. His voice sounded stronger than when last she’d heard him speak. That had to be a good sign, right?
Owl’s voice spoke in her earpiece. “I think I got it, Alex.”
“Fantastic.”
She headed for the cockpit, where she found Owl wrist deep in the partially dismantled control board. She held the comm radio in her exposed hand, and she held it out to Alex. “You want to do the honors?”
Alex took the radio and held it to her lips. “CB, it’s Alex.”
She lowered the radio and waited, knowing CB wouldn’t venture far from the comm room while his team was in the field. She was about to try raising him again when his voice met her welcoming ears.
“I’m here. What’s going on?” The concern was clear in CB’s voice. He knew she wouldn’t be calling unless something had happened.
Alex paused, not sure where to begin. “We got shot down just outside NORAD.”
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nbsp; ***
CB wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly. “Come again, Alex.”
“We got shot down, sir.”
She proceeded to tell him about the guns near NORAD, Wesley getting shot, and the plane going down. CB squeezed his eyes shut as he listened. The first GMT mission he’d missed in over a dozen years, and this happens. It was impossible not to blame himself, even if purely out of superstition.
When she finished, CB took a moment to organize his thoughts. “Okay, Alex, here’s what you need to do. The ship is your best position. You go wandering around in the snow, you’ll be easy pickings for whoever’s out there. The ship’s defensible, even if it’s damaged. Brian and I will scramble the backup ship. It’ll only take us a few hours to get to you. Until then, stay on the ship and shoot anything that approaches.”
Alex’s reply was immediate. “That’s a negative, sir.”
CB blinked hard, once again not sure he’d heard correctly. “Excuse me?”
“We won’t be following that course of action, sir.”
He exchanged a glance with Brian, who was leaning in close to listen. “Have you lost your mind, Lieutenant? I just gave you an order.”
“Sir, all due respect, but I’m down here and you aren’t. We still have a chance of completing our mission. Jessica says NORAD is one of the most secure facilities on the planet. If we can get inside, we’ll be in a much better position than this highly compromised ship, waiting for our enemies to attack.”
CB was standing now, pacing back and forth as he listened. He’d never felt so powerless. “I’ve been doing this a long time, Alex. I was right about the vampires at night, wasn’t I? You need to trust me.”
“No, sir. You need to trust me.”
His mouth fell open, and he waited, too shocked to respond.
“Captain, you made me the leader. Let me lead.”
Three things flashed through Captain Brickman’s mind at that moment. He imagined how he’d feel if his command on the surface was overridden by an officer safely aboard New Haven. He remembered the way Alex had talked to Wesley, supporting him on his first mission. And he remembered being thrown against the wall by that vampire outside the data center in the NSA, being down on the ground and sure he was facing his death until Alex had arrived and saved him. She’d saved them all. Could she do it again?
