“I’ve seen some crazy places where people got bitten early on,” the lieutenant chuckled. “I mean, some really crazy places too. Makes you wonder just what the heck some people were doing. You’re the first person to land any type of aircraft here in probably six months, though. Before that, we used to get a few stragglers who made it past the hordes somehow and got to the walls, but nobody’s had the balls to fly in.” She extended her hand. “I’m Alexandra.”
“Hannah,” she replied, grasping the physician assistant’s hand. “I was on foot since the very beginning of all this. I only found the helicopter yesterday.”
“Seriously? That’s not your helicopter?”
“No. I took it from an old airport in Mexico.”
“Wow. It’s impressive that you’re alive. How’d you know how to fly it?”
Hannah shimmied into her pants. “I was a Blackhawk pilot in the Army up until last year—uh, I guess two years ago now. I was certified as an instructor pilot, so I know how to fly the bird solo. Good thing, too.”
“What were you doing down in Mexico?”
“I, uh… Well, that’s classified, really. Hell, probably not anymore though,” she said, lifting her uninjured hand to indicate the walls. In truth, she hadn’t thought about her role in the attempt to stop the spread of the bioweapon in a long time. Now that she was back with the military, she should get debriefed. “I need to talk to the intel folks on base, Alexandra. Is there any way to do that?”
“Intel? What do you mean, ma’am?”
“I wish I could tell you, but I don’t think I can. Do you have a brigade staff here with an S-2?”
“We have a shell staff. Most everyone is a trigger-puller on the walls these days.”
“Okay. I need to talk to somebody at Division then. Somebody who has a TS clearance. Can I get a ride over there?”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. First you’re gonna have to talk to the colonel. She’ll decide what to do with you. Normally, refugees just go to the camps, but since you’re a pilot, she may want to keep you here.”
“Keep me? What do you mean?”
“We have less than half of our pilots, so you’re a valuable asset. The general likes to have a bird up at all times for observation, so another pilot into the rotation would be huge for crew rest. Some of the guys are pretty haggard.”
Hannah shook her head. “You’re not hearing me, lieutenant. I may have some very valuable intel that people need to know about. I’ve got to talk to the intelligence officer at division.”
“I’m not authorized to let you go up to division, ma’am. You’ll need to talk to the colonel and she’ll decide what to do with you.”
Hannah grunted in frustration. She hadn’t known what to expect by returning back to the military, but the lack of deviation from the unit’s standard operating procedure was just par for the course.
“Fine,” she sighed. “I need to speak to the colonel immediately, then.”
7
NEAR LIBERAL, KANSAS
MARCH 4TH
A loud explosion interrupted the Campbell family’s evening meal.
“That was the pressure plate down at the turn off,” Vern said. “Quick, everyone. Like we rehearsed.”
There was a flurry of activity as each member of the group sprang to action, following their preplanned routine. Old Vern had known this day would come. The foreigners had cast their net wider each day, so it was only a matter of time before they found the hideout. But Vern was a Vietnam vet. He’d seen the remarkable ingenuity of the Viet Cong and liked to think he’d learned a thing or two from them all those years ago.
Vern’s little group had boobytrapped roads, game trails, and random buildings all over the county in an attempt to confuse the foreign invaders. After a couple of hits on the enemy’s patrols, there was no shortage of explosives and ammunition. The only thing lacking was the time to do everything that Vern wanted to do. Given the fact that the latest explosion was only a half-mile away, the old man wondered if they were now out of time all together.
Since he was too old to rush about quickly, Vern set himself up as the observer at a window with his old hunting rifle and binoculars. Carmen gathered the children, Miguel, Patricia, and baby Lincoln, and pulled a chair away from the table. Underneath, a rug was moved to reveal a trapdoor. The ladder was steep and Sidney had to assist her while she maneuvered down it cradling the baby. Mark ran around the kitchen, removing the cardboard from broken windows and opening others to allow the smell of their meal to dissipate. Vern’s granddaughters, Sally and Katie, gathered their food into bags, plates and all, then passed them down the ladder to Carmen. Sidney collected the group’s weapons that weren’t already stored away and placed them on the edge of the basement opening.
By that time, Mark was back in the kitchen with four duffle bags of clothing. Everyone had been instructed to keep all their clothes and extra gear packed and ready to go at all times. He tossed those down in the hole and the children moved them out of the way down below. The Campbell girls tied up the trash and threw the bag down the hole as well before descending the ladder. They accepted the weapons as Mark handed them down to them.
Sidney took a towel and wiped the counter and tabletop to ensure all morsels of food and evidence of recent occupation were gone. Vern looked over his shoulder at the young woman, a real fighter if he’d ever seen
