“I understand.”
When Murphy had the bandages in place, the medics put John onto the litter and lifted it between them.
Caitlin followed close behind until they reached the ambulance. “Put him in the back, and then take whatever you need to help those others. I’m taking the ambulance.”
“But ma’am, that’s government property,” Murphy said.
“This is still a democracy, isn’t it? Well, I’m one of the government’s employers. They’ll get it back when I’m through with it.”
Murphy eyed the Uzi, and then motioned toward Jerry. Together they set the litter in the ambulance and secured it. Then Murphy removed two emergency kits and closed the back door.
“Ma’am, he’s going to need a doctor,” Murphy said.
“I know. I’ll take care of it.”
Without waiting for another response, Caitlin hurried around the side and got behind the wheel. The engine still idled smoothly and she shifted the transmission into gear.
As the ambulance started to roll, the massive gates to the compound slid back. For a moment, she thought they had taken too long. Then Romax stepped out of the guardhouse.
Caitlin lowered her window as she neared him.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about my part in all this. All this,” he indicated the ruined landscape around them. “Wasn’t supposed to happen. We thought we were doing the right thing.”
“Yeah? Well heaven protect us from right-minded fools,” Caitlin said and gunned the engine.
She turned right, toward the Navigator John had hidden.
“We’ll have to ditch the ambulance,” John transmitted.
“I know. Are you going to be able to walk?”
“No, but I have partial use of my right side. I can probably hop along if you support me.”
“How bad are you? Will you make it without immediate surgery?”
“I think so. Just get us away from here and then we’ll worry about my injuries.” He coughed and broke into a strained laugh.
“What the hell are you laughing about?”
“I was just thinking of what I’m going to say to Gunny when I see him.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m going to tell him he was right that ‘even heroes die.’ But he’s got to know that sometimes they have to die more than once.”
EPILOGUE
The black Labrador splashed through the cold waters of Victoria Strait north of Vancouver until he reached the floating Frisbee. He gripped it gingerly in his teeth, and then froze as a tall dorsal fin broke the water less than a hundred feet from him. He growled, deep and guttural as a second, larger fin joined the first.
“Bruno, leave the whales alone and bring me the Frisbee.”
Bruno cocked his ears and turned to face Caitlin. His tail shook water droplets as it wagged furiously.
“Come on, Bruno. Fetch.”
Bruno paused to cast one more growl over his shoulder as one dorsal disappeared and another took its place, then he raced back to shore.
Caitlin wore a cream-colored sundress of filmy cotton over her two-piece swimsuit. She waited at the edge of the water, letting the water swirl around her bare feet until the dog reached her. Then she backed away, as he appeared ready to leap against her.
“No, Bruno. Down!”
Bruno sat on the rocky beach, and dropped the Frisbee at her feet. An expression of breathless anticipation lit his face.
John laughed as she bent for the Frisbee.
“What’s so funny?”
“I think he’s teasing you. He had no intention of jumping on you,” John said.
John sat in a beach chair just above the high tide line.
“Yeah? Well I think you’re just being anthropomorphic. Dogs don’t have human reactions.”
“Really? I don’t think you’ve had enough experience with them to make that statement.
Caitlin flipped the Frisbee toward John and Bruno raced after it.
“Wait. Stop. Stay, Bruno, damnit,” John cursed as Bruno leapt for the Frisbee just as it reached John.
The dog crashed into him, knocking him backwards, out of the chair and into the sand. John sputtered, cursed again, and spit sand out of his mouth.
“Ah man, now I smell like wet dog.”
Caitlin laughed as she walked toward him.
John sat up and gave her a grimace. She ignored his attempted scorn and offered him a hand.
Their emotions mingled as they touched and she knew he wasn’t angry.
“Hump, how is anyone ever going to stay sore at someone while they wear these things?”
She pulled him to his feet and then bent to pick up his walking stick. “They can’t, or at least they can’t fake it.”
Bruno trotted back and dropped the Frisbee at Caitlin’s feet. She scooped it up.
“That’s what I mean. How can I ever go back to being the strong silent type when anytime I touch someone they know how I really feel,” John took the cane and put some weight on it. He leaned down and brushed the mixture of sand and dirt from his faded jeans.
Bruno growled and his hackles rose. As John came to his feet, he followed Bruno’s stare. Someone was walking up the beach toward them.
“Hey, isn’t that Gunny?” John asked.
Caitlin focused on the man. “Can’t tell. He’s too far off.”
“It’s him. I’d recognize that walk anywhere. Bruno, relax!”
Bruno gave one more short growl, then accepted the command, and went back to staring at the toy.
Caitlin waved a hand toward Zim and then sailed the Frisbee down the beach. Bruno chased it and caught it on the fly twenty feet from Zim. Rather than returning to Caitlin, he trotted to Gunny and circled around him.
“Hey, Gunny. You’re early. We weren’t expecting you until next week,” Caitlin yelled.
“Thought I’d surprise you,” Zim’s words sounded clear and soft in her head.
“Well, I’ll be. You have a translator.”
“It’s an early model from Intel. I pulled a few strings with an old friend to get
