With another flip of a switch, the console power came to life with a whirring of fans. The radio speakers let out several rapid beeps. A light lit on the main console then several windows with blinking lights and gauges popped to life. Rogers smiled and lifted the hand mic just as James and Eve entered the room.
“The genny just needed diesel. Did you get the radios to work?” James asked.
Rogers turned his head sideways, looking down. “If it does, this may be our ticket out of here. I don’t have the frequencies so we'll be talking in the open. I hope someone is listening in the clear.” He pressed the transmit button, pausing before he said, “Bravo Two Six, Bravo Two Six. This is Bravo Two One, over. Bravo Two Six, Bravo Two Six. This is Bravo Two One, over.” Rogers let his hand drop from the transmit button, listening to the sounds of static.
He tuned the radio dial, trying again. “Bravo Two Six, Bravo Two Six. This is Bravo Two One, over… Any station. This is Bravo Two One.” Rogers tuned the dial again. “Any station, this is Bravo Two One. Dammit, somebody answer me!” he shouted and backed away from the microphone.
Eve paced slowly across the room. “You just got it working; it might take a little while.”
Rogers looked up at her then turned away, walking to an open window.
“Bravo Two One, this is aerial recon flight Alpha Zulu, send your traffic, over.” The radio buzzed, coming alive through loud speakers mounted on the wall behind them.
Rogers froze in place before his brain registered the contact. He lunged forward and ran back to the microphone, nearly tripping. He grabbed it in his hand and pressed the transmit button. “Alpha Zulu, this is Bravo Two One, requesting assistance.”
“Understood, wait one, over.”
“Who are they?” Jacob asked, rushing to stand near the console.
Rogers looked up from the microphone, reaching for his bag. He pulled out a pen, paper, and a small binder with laminated pages before looking up at Jacob. “At this point, does it matter? It’s anyone and they have an aircraft.”
Jacob started to speak again, but before he got a chance, the radio squawked and Rogers put up a hand.
“Bravo Two One, this is Alpha Zulu. I’m going to set up to relay your traffic to command, prepare to receive instructions, over.”
“Thank you for your help, Alpha Zulu.”
“Bravo Two One, this is Meaford Control; can you authenticate, over.”
Rogers flipped to the back of his notebook, looking for date time codes. He ran his finger down the page, stopped, and jumped back on the radio. “Meaford Control. We are Bravo Two One, I authenticate… break… echo whiskey two two one niner… Over.”
There was long pause on the radio before the signal returned. “Welcome back to the net, Bravo Two One; Bravo Two Six is on the dial.” Another long pause and a less formal voice broke onto the network. From the expression on Rogers’ and James’ faces, they knew the operator’s voice.
“Hell, boys, we thought you were all lost.”
“No way; we are definitely here, Bravo Two Six. We are Mike Charlie and request extraction, over.”
“You have the package?”
“Roger that, we used some and it has proven highly effective. We’ve taken losses, request immediate extraction.”
“You used it? What is your current SITREP, enemy activity?”
“We are in the clear, the package chased them all off. Haven’t seen one since the sun came up. I have one WIA, two KIA.”
“Get me your location, boys, and I’ll have a bird in the air. We need to secure that site.”
Rogers looked up from the radio and at a large county map on the wall behind him. “Eve, quick, where can we put in a helicopter?”
Eve ran to the map and pointed to a large golf course. It was between the lake and the cabin, still close enough that they hoped it would be in the effective area of the dioxin.
“Sir, we are at: Sixteen, Tango, Fox, Quebec, eight, six, five, four, four, one, over.”
“Good copy, Bravo Two One. So it really works. Your call couldn’t have come at a better time.”
“Yeah, it works; it put the Deltas on their backs just as advertised.”
“Stay safe and keep your ears on, boys. We are spinning up QRF and will be at your location in… One twenty mikes; be ready to receive a ground team and be ready for extraction. Bravo Two Six, out.”
Eve looked at them. “What does that mean?” she asked.
James picked her up and spun her around, causing Duke to bark excitedly. “It means we are out of here!”
An hour later, they were standing at the green of the ninth hole of the Lake View Country Club. The fairways were overgrown, but the putting green remained flat. Rogers moved to the center, removed the pin from the hole, and tossed it off to the side. He had the handheld radio in his hand with the long-range antenna fully extended; he watched the eastern sky, searching for an incoming aircraft. James and Duke were near the end of the course. James had a pry bar in his hand, molesting a soda machine and bashing at the metal cabinet.
“Will they have room for all of us?” Eve asked.
Rogers took his eye from the sky and looked at her just as James approached with his arms crossed. He stopped at the edge of the green and dropped several cans of soda. He smiled, showing his teeth through the matted beard, and tossed Cokes to his friends. Rogers caught a can two handed and popped the top, the brown liquid exploding over the top of the can. Rogers
