The camera adjusted its angle. She could pick out the twin ribbon of concrete as the large interstate ran along the edge of more rugged terrain. Unlike most of what she’d seen the last few days, the area on the screen was filled with lush evergreen trees. The stark green made it easier to pick out the flare of orange, which was already disappearing. It had taken place near a bridge over the highway.
The drone closed in on the pinprick of light and soon she saw a moving vehicle.
“What are the odds that’s them?” she asked on the sly.
It was a black Humvee, similar to every other Humvee she’d seen of late. However, based on where the explosion happened, she thought it deserved scrutiny. “Can you see if there’s anything else in the air?”
Avery looked to one of his men near the stationary helicopter. “Any traffic in this direction?”
The man looked inside the cockpit, then came back out. “Lots. Can’t say what they are, but the sky is definitely dangerous over there.”
“We have to make contact with them,” Kyla said, desperate to confirm it was her uncle.
Avery chuckled. “Are you qualified to lead a military task force?”
“No,” she said right away.
“Well, you sure act like it. We’ve got this, ma’am. Just cool your jets for a moment.” Turning back to the man operating the drone, he passed along his orders. “See if you can get low enough to make contact.”
“Roger that,” the soldier replied.
Avery turned to her again. “I was going to do this all along. If this is your uncle, we need to lower the drone and get them to talk. Our toy has a speaker and microphone, but it doesn’t work unless it’s in hover mode.”
“Thanks,” she said quietly.
The drone operator deftly flew the machine over the tops of trees until it was above the bridge. The Humvee was about to cross the overpass, which would make it impossible for a driver to miss the floating target.
“Here we go,” the drone boss announced.
Outside Colorado Springs, CO
“You’re going to make me eat my words, aren’t you?” Ted said sarcastically, desperate to keep a sense of humor in the face of such odds. They were about to cross the interstate using a flat, wide-open, four-lane bridge. They’d already avoided two Hellfire missiles. The road up to the NORAD bunker was on the other side of the interstate, but driving into the open had him spooked.
“Get us there in one piece and I won’t say a word,” she snapped back, searching the sky outside her window.
“Crap, what now?” he asked, pointing ahead. A small, disc-like, black drone floated on the air as if waiting for them to arrive. “It looks like they’re ready for us.”
She dragged her shotgun from the floorboard. “Does this window roll down?”
“You have to unzip it,” he replied. The Humvee model wasn’t the fancy up-armored models they used overseas. It had thin doors with zip-down plastic windows.
Emily worked with the zipper, but there wasn’t enough time to fiddle with it. “Oh, screw this.” She shoved the barrel into the window and the zipper sheared off, opening a hole big enough to hang her arm through.
A second later, the shotgun roared in her hands.
From his vantage point, he saw the hovering drone turn over and fall like a rock. She’d managed to hit it on the fly, which impressed him immensely.
“Wow! You’re becoming a better shooter than I am.”
She laughed. “You need to get some practice.”
They crossed the highway at fifty miles-an-hour, which was the best he could do while it struggled to accelerate. However, a parked big-rig on the exit ramp in front of them caught his attention.
“What’s he doing?” He pointed to a man dressed in black standing next to the white semi-truck. His running lights were on, and it appeared as if he’d recently parked there and hopped out.
“He’s armed,” Emily said with worry.
“Shit, get down!” he ordered.
The man had a rifle, but Ted couldn’t make out what type. As they drove by, the driver peppered the side of the Humvee with eight or ten rounds. Once they’d passed, he continued to unload on them from behind, but none of those hit.
“Why are truckers shooting at us?” she wondered, still not getting up from her hiding position.
“I have no idea, though I’m beginning to think they’re throwing everything but the kitchen sink to keep us from going into their master bunker.”
She smiled. “That’s why we have to keep going.”
Pike’s Peak, CO
Avery and the operator were left speechless after Emily blasted their toy out of the sky. The remote camera got a perfect image into the cab, confirming who was inside.
Kyla saw it as an opportunity. “Gentlemen, I give you the President of the United States, Emily Williams.”
Meechum joined in. “We told you.”
Avery rubbed his chin. “It certainly looked like her.” He tapped the operator on the shoulder. “Get me a frame with a clear shot on this woman. I need confirmation.”
“It’s her,” Kyla pressed. “My uncle is driving.”
“And they’re going to NORAD?”
The soldier by the Little Bird helicopter called out to get his CO’s attention. “Sir, we’ve got a new contact on the radar. It’s going low and fast from the west, hugging the earth.”
Avery seemed disturbed. His eyes darted between the copter and the drone operator.
“Sir, there are two of…no, make that three.” The man at the radar counted off new contacts until there were five of them. “Five bogeys, multiple routes, all converging on us.”
Avery seemed to make a decision. “They must have sent multiple cruise missiles, to ensure at least one got through.”
“So, I was right about the nukes?” she asked. She had no reason to doubt her exchange with the general at the base in Germany, but it still felt weird to know she’d been the one to set the stage for
