by Gary Paulsen
The farmer unlocked the cellar and held the door open for his son. The young man dropped Toni on a stack of corn husks and turned to Cody. “If you are who you claim to be, you will be free to go in a few days. If you are not … well, I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes when the soldiers get here.” He grinned and pretended to slice his throat with his thumb. Laughing, he stepped out the door and locked it behind him.
Toni sat up. She waited until she heard footsteps moving away from the door. Then she spoke in a low voice. “Do you see any way out of here? The floor is made of dirt. Maybe we could dig our way out.”
“Why don’t we just go out the way we came in?” Cody took out his lockpick and felt for the keyhole. In seconds he had the door unlocked.
Toni put her hand on his shoulder. “Did anyone ever tell you that you are amazing?”
“Wait till you see my magic tricks.” Cody pushed the door open a crack. “They must have gone in the house to make some calls. I don’t see anybody.”
“In that case, let’s go. I don’t think it’s going to be too healthy for us to hang around here.”
Cody slipped through the door, waited for Toni and then closed it. The old farmer had left his pitchfork leaning against the outside wall and when Cody turned he tripped on it, sending it clattering to the ground.
“Hey. What’s going on there?” The son came running from the hay shed. He grabbed Cody by the collar and squeezed, nearly choking the life out of him. Toni jumped on the large man’s back. He let go of Cody and pulled Toni over his head. She landed flat on her back with the wind knocked out of her.
Cody grabbed the pitchfork and jabbed with it threateningly. “Stay back. I won’t hurt you if you leave us alone.”
The big man laughed. “You think you can take me with that? You are nothing but a small puppy. I will make you eat it.”
He faked left and lunged. Cody brought the pitchfork up in front of him, aiming at the man’s legs, but the movement threw him off and the big man took the prongs full in the stomach. He dropped to one knee, his face white, staring at the fork in disbelief. “I’ve been killed … killed by a … boy.”
Cody dropped the handle and stepped back. Toni made it to her feet. She pulled on his arm. “Come on. You did what you had to. There’s no time to think about it.”
Cody swallowed. The fork, he thought, the fork had just been there and then it had disappeared into the man’s stomach. Just there and …
He shook his head and turned and blindly followed her toward the mountains.
CHAPTER 18
“Are you sure there’s a base up here?”
Toni nodded. “I’m sure.”
“Why would they put it in the mountains? Nobody would want an air base in the middle of a bunch of trees.”
“That’s what we’re hoping the CCR will think. Just over this next hill is the Jicorrilla Valley. It’s a perfect hiding spot, surrounded on all sides by the mountains.”
Cody scrambled up the hill behind her. He was breathing hard. “What do you say we take a break? This altitude is killing me.”
At the top of the ridge, Toni dropped to her stomach and pointed below them. “See, I told you. There it is.”
Cody frowned. “I don’t see anything.”
“Look carefully. Almost everything is covered with camouflage netting.”
Cody knelt and studied the scenery. There were breaks in the trees and bushes where large green blobs sat. “I think I see it now. They’ve done a good job disguising it.”
Toni turned to him. “Still want to take that break? Or would you like to meet part of the team that’s going to get our country back?”
Cody stood. “Part of the team? You mean there are more?”
“We have three bases in strategic locations and there are ground troops just waiting for the order to fight. Also, Canada, Mexico and England have agreed to lend their support. That’s part of the information I was bringing back when I was shot down.”
Cody started moving down the hill. “What are you doing standing around up here talking? We’ve got a war to fight.”
CHAPTER 19
Colonel Wyman was a tall man. His hair was almost silver and his eyes were bright blue. When he had finished debriefing Toni, he asked to see Cody.
Cody had eaten a large meal and then gone out exploring the base. He couldn’t believe the number of guns, planes and missiles. When he had been captured, the CCR had told him that the United States military had been completely crushed and that the new Republic had absolute control.
He felt a tap on his shoulder. “Excuse me, sir, the colonel will see you now.” A young sergeant led him to a large brown tent with open flaps.
Toni was just coming out. She looked around. “Well? What do you think?”
“You were right. It’s great.”
“I’m headed over to medical.” She held up her arm. “Maybe this time I can get it put back together and keep it that way. When you get through talking to the colonel, come see me.”
Cody nodded and followed the sergeant inside the tent. The colonel was seated at a table talking to his aide. When he saw Cody he rose and walked around the table to shake his hand. “Come in, young man. Major McLaughlin tells me you are responsible for helping her escape and for saving her life on several occasions.”
“I guess we were lucky.”
“Lucky?” The colonel laughed and turned to the aide. “Did you hear that, Jeff? The boy is modest.”
The aide nodded. “Yes, sir. I’d say so.”
Colonel Wyman indicated a chair. “Sit down, son. I’ve got a few questions to ask you.”
Cody hesitated. The small chair in Sidoron’s interrogation room flashed through his mind. He took a deep breath and forced himself to sit.
The colonel sat also. “I understand that you’ve been a prisoner for quite some time?”
“Yes, sir. Almost a year and a half.”
“And during that time you learned to speak the Republic language fluently?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Can you give us the details of how these camps are run? What is the general layout …”
The colonel asked questions for another hour about Cody’s life as a prisoner while the aide took notes. A few times the colonel asked the same question in a different form. Cody knew it was to see if he would trip himself up or if he was really what he claimed to be.
Finally the colonel stood up. “Well, I guess that about covers it, son. We can’t thank you enough for helping the major the way you did. She was carrying some vital information. You can be very proud of yourself.”
Cody looked up at the tall man. “So what happens now?”
“Now I’ll send for someone to escort you to a tent where you can get some rest. You’re probably worn out from your journey.”
“And then what?”
The colonel scratched his head. “Then we’ll try and relocate you. We have several thousand families living in the hills near here. I’m sure any one of them would be more than happy to take you in.”
“That’s it? The major thought you might use me as an interpreter or something. I’d like to help in any way I can.”
The colonel smiled indulgently. “Maybe in a couple of years, son. Right now let’s give the old-timers a chance, okay?”
Cody chewed on his bottom lip thoughtfully. Finally he stood and extended his hand. “It’s been a pleasure, Colonel. If you’ll have someone show me to my tent …”
“Certainly.” The older man shook his hand again, then stepped outside and gave the waiting sergeant the order.
Cody followed the young man to a long tent with neat rows of cots set up inside. He waited until the soldier left and then darted across the camp to the medical tent.
“Can I help you?” A nurse holding a clipboard stopped him at the door.
“Uh, yeah. I’m looking for Major McLaughlin. She told me she’d be in here.”
The nurse pointed to a door. “She’ll be in there res
ting. The doctor just set her arm.”
“Thanks.” Cody turned and hurried through the door. Toni was lying on a cot, wearing a crisp new uniform with one sleeve missing. The smell of fresh, warm plaster of paris filled the air. Her arm was in a thick white cast up to her shoulder.
She smiled when she saw him. “How’d it go?”
“Your colonel is a jerk.”
Toni looked confused. “What are you talking about?” She sat up on her good elbow. “Did he do something to you?”
“He wants to relocate me to live with a bunch of civilians.”
“Is that all?” Toni lay back down. “That can’t be so bad, can it?”
Cody set his jaw. “Listen, Toni. Luther Swift was a great man. He died so that I could be free. And there’s a little girl back in that prison camp …”
“There’s nothing you can do, Cody. Let the army take care of it. As soon as they knock out some of the enemy’s strongholds they’ll do what they can to help the prisoners.”
Cody looked out the window, said nothing.
“You’re going back, aren’t you?”
He remained silent.
Toni sighed. “All right. They just rebroke my arm and I’ll be useless for weeks. I know you won’t wait until I can help.” She took a pen and piece of paper she’d been using to write a letter and scribbled some numbers. “Here are two radio frequencies. If you go back and if they don’t kill you and if you get into a position where you need help and if you can get to a radio, I’ll be monitoring these freqs on a small receiver-transmitter at headquarters. I’ll try to help any way I can.”
Cody took the paper, looked at the numbers, then folded it and put it in his pocket. “Thank you …” He was gone and halfway to the perimeter of the compound, so he did not hear Toni say softly:
“No—I should be thanking you.”
CHAPTER 1
The fire was hardly large enough to serve any real purpose. It had been such a long time since he’d made one that tonight he had decided to take the chance. But he was careful to stay back, well away from its light.
Cody Pierce was camped on the outskirts of the bombed-out city of Phoenix, looking for information or anything that might help him get the rest of the kids out of the prison.
It was past midnight. Cody scooped dirt onto the fire and was about to settle down to sleep when he heard a noise. Lying as still as possible, he strained to listen. Slow, heavy footsteps on gravel were coming up behind him.
Cody had chosen this place carefully. He silently crawled down into the rain-washed gully in front of him.
A flashlight scanned the area. “Harry, you idiot. He’s gone.”
Cody’s ears perked up. These were fellow Americans. Maybe they could help him. He was about to call out to them when the second man spoke.
“It’s not my fault. He must have heard us coming and run off.”
“You better hope we find him, or at least another corpse to take this one’s place. The CCR doesn’t pay unless we deliver the bodies.”
Cody swallowed. These men were mercenaries working for the enemy. Wasting no time, he inched down the narrow ditch and climbed out the other side. There was no cover here except the darkness. If he was lucky, he could slip away into the night unnoticed.
“That’s far enough.”
Cody froze. There was something familiar about that voice. A bright floodlight snapped on and shone in his eyes, making it impossible to see. He put his hands up.
“Well, what do you know? It’s just a kid, boss. What should we do with him?”
The familiar voice spoke softly. “Put him in the truck. I’ve got special plans for this one.”
CHAPTER 2
The door slammed on the panel truck and it started to move. Cody groped around on the floor. He soon found he wasn’t alone. His fingers touched an arm. Hesitantly he reached for the face. It was cold and no breath came from the body’s nostrils. When he pulled his hand back it was wet and sticky with blood.
Cody wiped his palms on his pants and slid back to his side of the truck. What kind of people were these, who killed their own countrymen for profit? He felt his way to the back door to see what sort of lock held him prisoner. There wasn’t one. There was no handle on the inside at all.
He sat on his heels, thinking. If only he had a weapon … Crawling back to the dead man, he searched the body. An empty holster was fastened to his belt. Next to the holster was a small knife scabbard. Cody unsnapped it and drew out a single-bladed hunting knife.
Quickly he removed the scabbard, resheathed the knife and slid it into the top of his right boot. He continued searching the man and came up with a wallet. It was too dark to read any of the contents but he could feel some currency in the back of the billfold. Knowing his captors would be suspicious if the wallet was missing, he took the money out, stuffed it in his other boot and put the wallet back in the man’s pocket.
The truck turned onto a paved road and began speeding in the direction of the bombed-out city. Cody crouched near the back, hoping to take them by surprise when they opened the door.
When the truck finally stopped, no one opened the door. He could hear someone shouting and the squeaking of a gate being opened. Then they moved forward again but only for a short distance.
He heard what sounded like a dozen or more people running toward the back of the truck. There were too many to fight. Quickly he hid his knife again and was sitting complacently when the door was yanked open.
Rough hands grabbed his clothes and pulled him out of the truck. Cody tried to get a look at his surroundings. They were in some sort of compound surrounded by a tall chain-link fence. The men shoved him toward a large building that could once have been a warehouse.
He was taken through a side door and down a long hall. At the end of the hall they stopped. One of the men unlocked a brown metal door and held it open. The others shoved him in.
They pushed him so hard he fell to his knees, and by the time he was up and turned around, the door had been slammed shut and locked.
He took a deep breath and glanced around his cell. Only a little light filtered through the iron bars at the top of the cell door but it was enough for him to see that the room was empty except for a narrow cot at one end and a waste bucket near a drain in the middle of the room.
Taking the bucket, he flipped it upside down and stood on it so that he could see out of the small opening at the top of the door. They hadn’t posted a guard and there was no one in the hall.
Cody felt in his shirt pocket for the short piece of wire he always carried. He inserted it in the keyhole and wiggled it slightly until he heard a barely audible click.
The door was heavy but opened easily. Cody pushed it slowly, trying not to make any noise. When he was out he closed it and started down the hall.
There were regular doors on both sides of the long hall and a set of double doors near the end. The outside door he had first come through had a glass pane in it. Cody inched up to it and looked out. Even at this early-morning hour there were men walking around out in the compound. It was obvious he couldn’t go out the way he’d come in.
He sighed, frustrated. There had to be a way out. He’d just have to try all the doors until he found one that would work for him.
The set of double doors he’d seen earlier was the most intriguing. It had three different types of locks. He knew he shouldn’t waste time but the door fascinated him. What was in there that was so important?
The padlock was easy for him and so was the key lock. The combination took a little more time. Cody turned the dial to the right and listened with his eyes closed. The first tumbler released. The second was just as simple. He took a deep breath and turned the knob back to the right, feeling for the last tumbler.
It fell.
Cody opened his eyes and gently pulled on the door. As he stepped inside, a voice spoke to him from the shadows.
“What took you so long, kid?”
Cody jumped sideways
into a crouching position, reached for his knife and waited for the man behind the voice to come out into the light. A figure stepped forward and Cody squinted up in shock at the familiar face. “I … I don’t believe it. Franklin? Is that you?”
The tall dark man put his hand on Cody’s shoulder. “In the flesh.” Franklin’s brown eyes twinkled as he looked back at the door. “I see you haven’t lost your touch. Musta had one fine teacher.”
CHAPTER 3
“I thought the CCR shot you. I mean, I know they did. I saw it with my own eyes.”
“They shot me, all right.” Franklin rubbed his side. “But no one cared enough to check and see if they’d done the job right. It took a while but I finally recovered and here I am.”
The smile faded from Cody’s face. He looked around the warehouse. It was a small weapons arsenal. Every kind of rifle, machine gun, bomb, grenade and missile launcher imaginable was stored there.
“What exactly are you doing, Franklin?” Cody asked suspiciously. “What are you doing working with these guys? They’re killers, hired mercenaries …”
Franklin’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t be so quick to judge, Cody. Sometimes things aren’t exactly what they seem.”
A dog barked and a muscular young man fumbled with the already open locks before bursting in the door.
“Boss, the kid is gone just like you said he would be. I don’t know how, but—” The dog, a stocky red and gray Australian heeler, snarled, and the young man noticed Cody standing slightly behind the door still holding the knife. He immediately aimed his submachine gun at the boy’s head. “You want me to take him out?”
Franklin folded his arms. “Cody Pierce, meet Rico Hernandez.”
Rico ran his left hand through his thick black hair, confused but still pointing the gun.
“Rico, Cody will be staying with us awhile. I want you to show him around the place. When you’re done, bring him to my office. Cody and I are old friends and we have a lot of catching up to do.”
