The Butterfly Box_A SASS Anthology

by Anthology

  Except killing those two guys, I thought and wondered if she was on the verge of freaking out, too. We’d moved west and we were away from the main highway. If the EC sent someone after the patrolmen, hopefully they’d use the big roads.

  I stood and held my hand out to her. “Okay, let’s roll.”

  “Thank you. I—”

  “Don’t.” I held up my hand. I couldn’t have her getting emotional yet. “We’ll say all that when we get back to your sister.”

  “Okay.” She opened the cab door and slid onto the seat.

  I climbed in beside her and turned over the engine.

  Staying under the trees was slower than on the road, but I liked having cover, as there was still a little light.

  Jema pointed to a clearing a few miles up. “This is good,” she said, and I pulled into the forest about a hundred feet.

  We got out, and she checked her gun, slid her knife into her pants pocket, and swung her bow over her shoulder. Turning on our phones, we set them for radio communication and linked them as short-wave transmitters.

  “Okay, I’m good.” She fit her night vision goggles over her eyes.

  “Testing,” I spoke into my phone and heard my voice emit from hers.

  Feeling like I should hug her or something, I held my fist out. “Hey, good luck.”

  She tapped hers to mine. “Yep, you too. Be safe. I’ll be back in an hour. If I’m not and you don’t hear anything, head back as fast as you can.”

  “I’m not leaving you.”

  Lifting the glasses from her face, she stepped towards me so we were inches apart. “Troy, promise me.” Her large brown eyes bore into mine.

  “Okay.” I nodded.

  I’D MADE HIM promise, and I prayed he kept his word. He’d killed someone because of me, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if he got captured. I couldn’t think about those two men. Them or us, I repeated in my head as I stomped through the forest.

  Still, my mind wandered back to the vision of the bodies lying in the road. Were their lives less important than mine? Than Nave’s? They probably had families, maybe even kids. I forced the thoughts out, scanning the trees in front of me. Owen had been right after all. I should’ve let them do what they could for Nave. Maybe she would’ve died, but that was life—people died. Troy had killed a man, and it was my fault. I killed a man. Stay focused! I slapped my thigh. You can’t be alone for fifteen minutes without spiraling?

  I checked the GPS and turned north. About thirty feet from the coordinates, I caught site of the shed through the trees. The cooler with the bone marrow sample was supposed to be on the other side. I wished we had gotten some infrared or heat sensors. I didn’t want someone jumping out at me. Circling the structure, I spotted the cooler. It sat right beside an open door, and even though I wanted to scout the area, my eyes wouldn’t leave the door.

  Taking darting glances away from the opening to the periphery of my vision, I refocused on the sample. I pulled the knife from my pocket and inched to the package, keeping my knees bent and legs shoulder width apart. Just as I leaned in to grab the handle, a form appeared in the doorway. I snatched the cooler and jumped a few paces back, setting it behind me and swinging my rifle from my hip.

  “Jema.” His palms were up as he took a couple of steps towards me.

  “Don’t.” I pointed the barrel at him.

  “It’s Admiral Masterson.”

  “I know who you are.” Seeing an EC armband on his jacket, I held the rifle up to my shoulder. Could I shoot Troy’s father? “Are you alone?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is Troy here?”

  “No. I came alone.” I wouldn’t give him any further information.

  “You shot those patrolmen.”

  “Maybe.” Gun still aimed at his chest, I shrugged.

  “I stopped the search for the night.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Did he find out about his genetic modifications?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Tell him to be safe. And tell him and his mom that I love them and I’m sorry.”

  I realized we hadn’t talked about our fathers. I had no idea what type of relationship they had.

  “Are you with the EC?” I asked.

  “Everyone has to at least pretend to be.”

  “How is my dad?”

  “He’s good.”

  “Okay, well, I can’t stay any longer.” I backed to the cooler.

  “I’ll stay right here until you’re out of sight.”

  My heart raced as I wondered if he was lying. There was nothing I could do, save run. Picking up the cooler, I kept the rifle trained on him. Slowly, I inched away and then started taking longer strides backwards. He didn’t move, and I prayed he wouldn’t betray me, betray us. No, just me, I thought. Troy would run if I didn’t come back.

  When I was twenty feet from him, I saw him mouth “Go.” I nodded, turned, and sprinted in the direction I’d come. With the GPS hanging from my neck, I checked it every hundred feet to ensure I kept on course. As my breaths evened out, I thanked Troy for making me run every night. Ten minutes and you’ll be back at the truck and safe, I thought, looking at my watch.

  In the next leap, my phone dinged. “Hey, you get the package?” Troy asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “What if they’re tracking the cooler?”

  “I don’t know,” I said as I scrambled over a boulder.

  “I’ll meet you with an ice pack from the first aid kit.”

  “You shouldn’t leave the truck. We need it.”

  “Guess you’re right.”

  “Be ready, I’m five minutes out.”

  “I’ll be ready.”

  I checked my watch and the GPS, seeing I could reach Troy in less than half a mile. The image of the EC emblem on Admiral Masterson’s jacket popped into my mind, and I prayed he hadn’t compromised our mission. Dad planned on handling Owen and making sure they prepped Nave so she could receive the donation as soon as we delivered it. Hopefully the patrols were back across the border like Troy’s Dad had said. We had to get to her.

  The vehicle came into sight, and I whistled to Troy. He turned over the motor as I opened the door and jumped in.

  “Let’s switch the sample and ditch the cooler down the road.” I slammed my door shut as he dodged the trees. We’d parked closer to the road and within a hundred feet we found the clearing and asphalt. Locating all the first aid kits, I popped open the ice packs and waited for them to get cold. Then I cut the top of a plastic water jug and set the sample between the cold bags.

  “I hope this is good enough.” I packed some of the free ice from the cooler on the top.

  “It’ll keep seven hours. I never thought I would say this, but I can’t wait to be back at that hangar.”

  “Yeah, I would’ve never expected to hear that from you.”

  “Remind me when I’m hating it next week,” he said.

  “Okay. So, I’m tossing the cooler.”

  “Wait, we’re climbing, throw it over a cliff next time there’s one on your side.”

  After a few more turns, the road wound around the side of a mountain, and I heaved the plastic box out the window.

  “We did it.”

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’ll feel better when we’re out of California.”

  “So, the pick-up was fine? No issues?”

  “Your dad was there.”

  “What?”

  “He was wearing an EC jacket. He said everyone had to as least pretend to be with the EC.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “He say anything else?”

  “He asked if you knew about the genetic modification and said to tell you and your mom he loved you.”

  Troy’s hand tightened around the steering wheel. “Yeah, I still have to talk to Mom about that.”

  “Oh, and he said he pulled the patrols out.”

 
“Well, that would’ve been something to lead with.”

  “Sorry.”

  Troy drove fast, and with the darkness, it felt like we were hurling down the mountain. As the ground leveled out, we rounded a curve.

  “No!” Troy yelled.

  I looked up to see a military Hummer parked just off the road.

  “What do we do?”

  “We’re moving, and they’re not.” Troy pushed the pedal to the floor, and the truck accelerated. “Get down in case they shoot.”

  As he spoke, the back lights went on. I slid down and gripped the door handles as we approached the vehicle. Just before we got to it, Troy swerved wide, away from the vehicle off the asphalt. I spun around to see the truck’s headlights pop on, and it pulling onto the road.

  “They’re following us.”

  “We need to take care of them fast.” Troy edged back onto the highway and gunned the gas again.

  “I’m not killing anyone else.”

  “Bullets aren’t going to work anyway. That Hummer even has bullet proof tires.”

  I looked back at the vehicle. “They don’t have a top.” Grabbing my bow and arrow, I wrapped gauze from the first aid kit around the metal tipped arrow and dipped it in the gasoline can in the back seat. “Slow up a little bit.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Just do it.” I lit the fabric and leaned out the window. Cocking the bow, I aimed and released the arrow. It hit the hood, bounced off, and then rolled off the road. Preparing another flaming tip, I sat on the window frame and launched it into the air. It landed in the back seat, and the passenger jumped on top of it. Cocking a third arrow, I aimed straight for the driver, shooting a little high to get a good arc.

  The arrow landed in the passenger’s seat, and I could see flames within seconds. The Hummer slowed, stopped, and the guys jumped out. “I got it.” I slid back inside the cab. Turning around, I saw the fire had already engulfed the vehicle. “Do you think they had time to radio?”

  “Probably. We can’t think about it. We just have to drive.”

  I watched the sky while Troy drove, and then we switched. For two hours we didn’t see anything. Nodding off, I finally agreed to nap once we’d crossed into Nevada. The desert offered less cover but flat straight roads allowed a faster travel speed.

  After one more driver switch, we arrived at the decontamination hanger just before five. Dawn was barely breaking, and the door rolled open for us. We inched in and cut the motor. The door closed behind us.

  I gripped the dashboard and looked at Troy. “We did it.”

  “Yes, we did.” A huge smile spread across his face. “You make a good wingman.”

  “What?” I slapped his arm. “You make a good wingman. Thank you.” Then, I remembered the dead patrolmen, and my heart sank.

  He grabbed my hand. “Hey, it was us or them.”

  “Let’s just get Nave this sample.” I jumped from the car and pounded on the door.

  “Someone will be with you momentarily,” the voice said.

  “God, I hate that guy. I can’t believe you talked me into this. You owe me.”

  I threaded my fingers in his. “I know what I owe you.”

  “Don’t get heavy on me till we’ve had a shower and food.”

  “Got it.” I spun to face the door.

  “I do like that it’ll be just you and me. No brats running around. No mom checking up on me.”

  “And no work detail.” I squeezed his hand.

  The door in front of us slid open, and a person in a bio suit walked out. I held the sample out, and they took it. “Take care of my sister.”

  “We will.” The woman nodded.

  “Okay, you guys know the drill, and we’re making sure we take your weapons this time,” came the familiar voice over the speakers.

  Smiling because Troy had hidden the radio and phones deep in the engine compartment, I sped through the shower and dressed. Starving, I joined Troy at a table already full with the breakfast foods we’d eaten at the cave.

  “They’re not sugar coating it for us this time.” He picked up the veggie patty.

  “I think we’re in for some hard time back at the cave.”

  “Do you regret it?”

  “I hope the transplant helps Nave. Just because the mission worked doesn’t mean it was the right choice. What if something had happened to you or the EC had caught us? What if we put Lovelock in jeopardy? And the poor men on the road.” Tears sprung up in my eyes, and I let my fork drop. “I don’t think I thought it all through before.”

  “There were a lot of variables. I’m sorry we had to shoot those guys.”

  “You wouldn’t have been there if it weren’t for me. I—” I looked into his deep brown eyes, “I am so sorry.”

  “You are taking this way harder than me. They train us for this in those camps we go to. I had already planned for that scenario in my head. I wouldn’t have gone if I weren’t willing to make a choice like that.”

  His words made me feel a little better. I still had my guilt, but not the guilt of putting him in that position. Staring at my plate, my appetite was gone.

  “You need to eat.”

  I stuffed a few bites of the veggie patty and orange in my mouth. When Troy finished, the voice said, “Would you like to talk to you mother and Nave?”

  “Yes.” I looked at Troy. “Will you come too?”

  “Sure.” He got up and followed me to the doors. When one slid open, we were in the same room I’d talked to them in before. Mom and Nave sat behind glass, and I slid into the chair in front of them.

  “Hi.” Mom waved to me, her eyes wide.

  “Mom, how is Nave? Is she getting Dad’s marrow?”

  “Right here.” Nave held up the IV bag.

  “Good.” I nodded and looked at my hands and then to Troy. “You guys remember Troy, right?”

  “Yes.” Mom nodded and forced a smile. “Nave, you need your rest. You can see Jema later.” She patted Nave’s hand.

  “Okay.” Nave looked at me. “Thank you, Jema.”

  “No problem, little bit.” I winked at her.

  Mom wheeled Nave out of the room and returned. When Mom sat down, her dark eyes bore into me. “Jema, what have you done?”

  “I got Nave what she needed.”

  “You could’ve died, and I would’ve lost both my children.”

  “Dad didn’t tell me not to.”

  “Your father thought Owen approved the trip.”

  “Well, it’s done now.”

  “You can’t do anything like this again.”

  “Don’t worry, Mom, I won’t. I think they’re going to be watching us pretty closely now.”

  “You bet.” She pointed a finger at me. “If we were at home, you would be grounded for a long time.”

  “I know.” I looked at my hands in my lap again.

  “But I’m proud of you.”

  Tears formed in my eyes. “I love you. Tell Nave I love her, and I’ll come talk to her later.” I pressed my palm to the glass. The guilt of taking the lives of those men started to gnaw at me again, and I needed to be away from Mom’s piercing eyes.

  “Bye, sweetie.” She put her palm opposite mine.

  Troy moved to the door, and I followed him. “We should sleep,” he said as we walked out of the room. Finding two bunks made with sheets and a blanket, I plopped down on one. He sat down beside me. “Mind if we share. I’ve kind of gotten used to you being beside me.”

  “I’d like that. I don’t want to be alone.”

  He stretched out, and I lay down beside him. He hooked his arm over me, pulling me to him. Resting my head on the pillow, I closed my eyes, taking in his scent. I was safe. We were safe. Nave was going to be okay. Tears escaped my eyes, and I let them fall to the pillow, grateful my back was to him.

  He kissed my hair. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to be okay.”

  I nodded and gripped his arm.

  THE NEXT SIX days blurred in
to each other as we waited out our containment sentence. I liked being able to see Nave and Mom. Troy and I kept up our exercise routine, and they allowed me to use the bow to hunt rabbits. I had to check it out and then return it when I finished, but I figured some practice was better than none.

  On the seventh day, they woke us early as they had the last day of our former decontamination stent and took our blood samples. When we were released into the common room, we found Troy’s mom and Owen standing before us.

  Seeing Owen’s hard stare, I stood erect, chin up and shoulders squared.

  “Jema, Troy,” my uncle started, “I am glad you’ve been medically cleared.”

  I stole a glance at Troy. Those weren’t the first words I expected to hear from the Commander.

  “Oh, son.” Troy’s mom crossed to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “I was so worried.”

  He peeled her arms away. “I’m sorry, Mom, but I had everything under control.”

  “We will have a formal debriefing in a few minutes.” Owen stepped towards us. “First things first, though. You have a decision to make. You did not choose wisely before. I can’t have Lovelock compromised. If you stay with us, I need to have assurances this will not happen again. If you can’t promise me that, then you need to go.”

  Troy took my hand and squeezed it. “I’m not sorry I did this. I’m with her.”

  I took a minute to process his words. It wasn’t like I was in love with him like in a romantic way. Well, maybe a little, like when I studied his plump lips and wanted to kiss him again. But he was my best friend. It felt good that he seemed to feel the same way. We’d had a lot of time to think. I didn’t like the consequences of my previous decision. Thinking of the dead soldiers made my stomach turn. Every time I looked into Nave’s eyes, I knew I’d make the same choice again. But we couldn’t go back to the States, so I guessed we were stuck.

  Uncle Owen, or Commander Butler I reminded myself, cleared his throat, and I refocused on him. “I have a proposition that may help you decide. Given your aptitude for mission-based jobs,” one eyebrow shot up, “we can put you on supply detail. We have teams that procure our provisions for us. I think you’d fit in well there.”

  “Troy will be just fine on the farm with me.” His mother offered.