The Malefic Nation (Graham's Resolution Book 4) (20 page)

Sam and Rick let Dalton answer the question. “We lost one as she was giving birth. It was a real tragedy that none of us is over yet, nor will we ever be. Tala was amazing. And we lost a family of four due to our plans; they decided they could not live with what we are about to do on their conscience, so they took off on their own. I wish them well. I hope to hell they’re going to be okay.”

“Well, I can understand that. So, nothing at the hands of the people of Hope?”

“No, they’re an odd bunch, and their leader is more like a dictator, but the people there are catching on. When they learned of our plans, he tried to stop us, so we escaped—but with the guards’ help, so I don’t think they are going to put up with his antics much longer. Sure, he’s kept them alive, but that’s no life.”

James nodded in agreement while Rick and Sam gathered the puppies into the box. Elsa sniffed at the task, and Sam continued to pet her to calm her down. “Don’t worry, mama, you’re coming too.”

Once on the boat, the dogs seemed used to this kind of ride and knew what was happening. “I take them around with me on my rounds,” James explained. “They’re great dogs.”

“We can’t thank you enough for taking care of them,” Dalton said.

As they got underway, James pointed out the other hanger where the extra plane was kept, and said it was in complete working order. He ran all the planes every now and then to keep the engines in good repair.

Once they were near the dock, they spotted McCann, Macy, and Graham; an eager Sheriff jumped out of the boat and swam the rest of the way when he spotted them.

“Sheriff!” screamed Macy. She was reduced to tears in an instant. The rest of the group all came out and couldn’t believe their luck at reuniting with the dogs, marveling at the bonus puppies. It was the best form of morale booster any of them could have hoped for.

Clarisse and McCann immediately checked Elsa and the puppies. They were all healthy, and when asked what he’d been feeding them, James admitted sheepishly to feeding them cooked chicken and rice most days although Sheriff often hunted for them too.

“That’s the way to spoil a dog,” McCann said.

“Well, let’s leave the dogs to the experts,” Dalton said, gathering the men in the office that was now their headquarters.

“Graham, this is James, the dam guy,” Dalton said, wondering for a minute whether Graham was going to shake the man’s hand. Graham looked into James’s eyes as if he was studying him for something. Tentatively he shook James’s hand, but he still seemed wary. Dalton figured trust would come in time—but they didn’t have much time left. If any of them made it back, they would get to know each other better.

In his own mind Dalton wasn’t certain any of them would make the return trip. He would die trying, but if it mean the survival of them, so be it. There was a lump forming in his throat and the closer they got to leaving the harder it was, yet he was determined, and James’s news about the state of their country made him realize they had to move now and, even so, they might be too late.

“How far can this plane go in one trip fueled up?” Rick asked James.

“About 300 miles. She’s in peak condition. That would mean a half hour reserve for landing leeway.”

Dalton blew out a frustrated breath.

“Why? You need to go farther on one trip?” James asked.

“Yeah,” Dalton pointed to the map. “We need to make it to the most populated areas, including Los Angeles. To drop off some, um . . .
cargo
. We have three subjects who are carrying a flu that will be detrimental to our enemies.”

James put a hand up. “Wait a minute.”

Dalton was afraid he’d said too much for a second.

“You’ve infected three individuals with a virus that will infect everyone?” James asked, clearly a little nervous.

Clarisse spoke up, “Ah, actually, we’ve developed a highly virulent, selective virus that adheres to the markers of a vaccine
they
received. It will only infect the enemies that have received their own vaccine.”

They all stood silent while the news sunk in to their new ally, hoping that he would indeed remained an ally.

“You say you’ve created a bioweapon and you’ve infected three individuals with it to plant in the most populated areas? Do I have this correct?”

“Yes,” Dalton said. “We captured three of the jihadists, and they’ve received the virus; they are indeed virulent bioweapons.”

James was quiet for another minute and Dalton was beginning to get nervous.

“This might work,” James said, and everyone relaxed a little. “I don’t mind telling you, I’ve listened to a lot of plotting and planning, and all of it has failed. There are so many of them, and there is no humanity in this enemy, son. There’s no low too low. Terrorism is what they know. But your plan might work, and I pray that it does. I can see why your buddy had a hard time with it. He wasn’t strong enough to handle the guilt of it all, but this is how it needs to be to survive. I’m in. I’m your third pilot. You say you need to go farther. My suggestion would be to take the plane to L.A. with extra fuel loaded. I’ve got a couple of extra bladder tanks. Know what those are?”

Dalton didn’t, but he sure wanted to.

“They’re called Turtle Buddies, and they’re made of collapsible heavy-duty polyurethane. It’s like having an extra tank of fuel that sits in your passenger seat,” James said.

“That’s the best news so far,” Rick said, feeling hopeful.

“How many do you have?” Dalton asked, already calculating distances in his head.

“I have five but, you’d only need two to reach L.A.,” James answered.

“If you’re in, we’re also going to Denver with the third plant,” Dalton said and James agreed with a handshake.

“If the tank sits on the seat, what do you do with the subjects?” Graham asked.

“Put them in the backseat or cargo area as the case may be. After all, it’s not a joy ride for them,” James offered.

“We have to get them there alive and breathing. Preferably, breathing well and for an extended period of time,” Clarisse said.

The remainder of the afternoon and evening were filled with planning. After nightfall they’d start on the perilous mission. No one knew, if they’d ever set eyes on their pilots again, but still they hoped these wouldn’t be one-way trips.

In the evening Dalton met in his cabin with his sons Kade and Hunter. The little boys were covered in dog hair and sweat, and they didn’t understand why their dad wanted to talk to them alone, though they knew something had to be going on due to all the excitement around the cabins. This was the part Dalton dreaded the most. If he admitted the truth to himself, he knew he might never see his sons again, and this meeting would be etched in their memories forever. They would forever recall the words he was about to say.

Dalton put Kade on his knee as he sat in a comfortable chair, with Hunter leaning against him. They were just little boys. It killed him, knowing what he must do next, which was to break their hearts, but hopefully it meant their survival for years to come.

“Dad, what are you doing with those airplanes out there? Are we going to fly somewhere?” Hunter asked.

Kade looked excited, and looked up to him for the answer.

“Um . . . well, I’m going to go on a little trip tonight. That’s why we have the planes out front. We’re getting them ready to go.”

“Are
we
going?” Kade asked.

“Actually, you are going to stay here with Clarisse and Graham and the others. I’ll be gone for a little while. That’s what I wanted to tell you guys.”

“When will you be back?” Kade asked.

“He’s
not coming
back,” Hunter said, pulling away from his father, but Dalton caught his arm before he could get away.

He stared into his son’s eyes and knew he couldn’t lie. “Hunter, look at me,” he said, giving him a gentle shake. The boy looked up at him on the verge of tears. “This is a very important trip. We have a way to get rid of the bad guys. I’m going to try—I swear to God, I will do my damnedest to get back to you. But if I don’t do this”—his voice was cracking now as he shook his head and tried to form the words—“no one will live for long. Not you, not Clarisse, not even Addy or Bethany. I
have
to do this. Do you understand, son?”

Hunter cried, and Dalton thought perhaps he’d gone too far. It was so hard not to shatter their world, and he had no idea how to go about conveying this life-or-death matter to them so that if he didn’t return it would mean they would at least remember that he loved them and that he’d gone on this mission as a last effort to save them.

He pulled Hunter in close and cried as he hugged his sons. Soon Clarisse came in, having heard every word. When he saw her, he pulled her in too and they stayed that way for a long while before Dalton pulled himself away, determined to save them all no matter the cost.

Chapter 56 Departure

The engines sputtered to life. Rick took off, waving a last good-bye to Olivia while she wept openly on the dock, Bethany at her side. It was torture. Off he flew, his lights turned off for to avoid being seen. If all went well, he’d be back by dawn.

Next was James. His last words were to Sheriff as he knelt down to the dog’s level and hugged him: “Good-bye, old boy.”

He waved to Graham, having earlier told him how to handle the spillway of Diablo Dam if he never made it back. He’d told him a great many things, and Graham hoped he’d be able to remember all of them. It was as if the man never intended to return, but Graham made sure to tell him he’d maintain everything until he did. Then, James took off and, after his expert lift from Lake Ross, headed toward Denver with a heavy load.

Last to go was Dalton, who hugged his cousin Mark, and then Graham. He, too, had earlier filled Graham in on a great many details about hidden bunker stashes. Graham agreed that he’d take care of his sons, and Dalton remarked that he’d never worry about them under his care. He moved on to McCann and the rest before he came to Clarisse. “It’s going to be fine. It’s about a thousand nautical miles, which will take over nine hours, so I better get a move on while I can travel under cover of darkness.” More caring and adequate words were lost to him except to say that he loved her like no other and that, no matter what, he would do everything he could to make sure he made it back to her.

She shocked him then. She leaned into his side and whispered a revelation into his ear, “I’m two weeks pregnant, Dalton. I’ll carry you with me always.
I . . . love . . . you.
Please
return.”

Clarisse was always calculating, and she’d made sure to preserve something of Dalton within her because she doubted that their plan would preserve them all. She knew the risks. She loved him so much that she’d made it possible to have something of the both of them to never let go of.

Dalton could only hold her a moment more, stunned with the surprise news. “I love you,” was what he said at last. He climbed into the cockpit, shut the door, and strapped himself in. Soon he’d left the lake and when he circled around, he looked back at them once. Though barely visible, they were all there, and he assumed they were waving. He looked ahead and gained altitude and they were soon out of sight as he flew south toward Los Angeles and the enemy.

Chapter 57 Rick’s Mission

It was decided early on that Rick would take the easiest mission. Planting his virulent weapon as close to a public area in Seattle and returning home posed a dangerous mission in itself, but Rick was up for the task.

He would have taken any of the missions Dalton wanted him to, but taking this one made his chances of return better. At first he felt guilty, but one look at his wife and daughter made him think otherwise. They needed him alive and with them.

“How you doing back there?” he asked his cargo, even though the kid was unconscious.

Rick liked James, and thought it would be best to match him with the least worrisome of the jihadist prisoners, so they gave him the man who seemed compliant in their scheme.

The prisoner seemed resigned to his fate and even willing went along out of what they assumed was remorse. Instead of sedating him, they decided to keep him conscious so that the old man wouldn’t have to struggle with his weight. They kept him restrained, however; when it came down to it they didn’t want to give the guy free access to James if he changed his alliance again.

The kid prisoner that Rick took was strapped in the backseat. Rick looked at him through his mirror, and could see beads of sweat cascading off his face. The kid was fading fast. “Sorry buddy,” Rick said, again realizing that the kid couldn’t hear him, but he felt a need to say it anyway.

Rick hoped to land silently, as he’d done many times before, and then get the kid into a public area. They were each dressed in what the terrorists typically wore, and he hoped the night would further camouflage his efforts.

Forty minutes into the flight, he came to the designated area; Lake Union, which was surrounded by a park in central Seattle. It was hard to see at night, so Rick flipped down the night vision goggles he brought along for the ride. There were a few boats in the way, and some of them were floating at odd angles. He circled around and got into a path to land unencumbered by the stray boats. He saw no one out in the night, and with any luck he’d get the boy into place and get the hell out of there within a few minutes.

The plan was simple. He landed, quickly got out of his harness, popped the door open and tossed out a dingy that autoinflated. As he picked up the boy, Rick could feel the fever through his clothing. “I’m sorry kid,” he said as he placed him into the dingy. He gave him a water bottle and cut off the restraints on his hands and ankles. He pushed him toward shore with his foot, and watched as the dinghy floated away. He saw a few flashlight pop on in the distance.

He closed the door, belted himself again, and took off. As he did another light shone toward his plane, blinding him slightly with the NVGs on. Rick flipped them up and sped away, quickly gaining altitude. He prayed no one would fire on him or the kid.

After several minutes, with the engine noise taking up his thoughts, Rick continued to push forward and watched his tail the entire time. He had fuel to spare, so he took a more easterly route to throw anyone off his intended route if he were followed.

Forty-five minutes later, he began his descent to Ross Lake. Graham held up two flashlights to help guide him in after Rick had radioed ahead.

“Welcome back, man,” McCann said as Rick climbed out and McCann tied the lines to the dock. Then Olivia ran into Rick’s arms. “I’m okay. It was easy in and easy out. No problems,” he said with a grin.

“I hope the same goes for the other two,” Graham said. Suddenly they were all grim, knowing there was little chance of that.

“Let’s get rid of the plane in case they send out a search,” Graham said.

Rick nodded. His heart was still beating a mile a minute. “That’s thinking ahead,” Rick said. “I hadn’t even considered it.” He climbed back into the cockpit and flew the plane over to the original hanger. McCann followed him in a smaller boat for the return ride.

Graham and Olivia waited in the office to monitor the radios while Rick and McCann stashed the plane.

“Where’s Sam?” Rick asked when he got back.

“He took one of the horses and is checking the perimeter. Everyone’s a little antsy tonight,” Graham said.

“I can see why,” Rick said. He, too, couldn’t settle down.

“I’ll go relieve Mark,” McCann said, slipping off into the night with Sheriff in tow.

After a period of silence, Graham said, “You two should go get some sleep. You can take over in the morning, Rick.”

“Yeah, you’re right. We should try to sleep. It’s just going to be us, a smaller crew. We all need to watch that we each get enough sleep, because we’re going to be watching our backs for a while.”

Graham watched the married couple leave and felt pangs. It wasn’t that he was jealous, just that he missed Tala. He wanted to tell her about what they’d just accomplished, but he’d never be able to. He’d like to think she already knew, but then that would be trying to convince himself of things he didn’t believe in.

What was really on his mind now was Dalton. Graham couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d never see him again. His last radio transmission had been normal, a thumbs-up. They probably wouldn’t hear from him again even if and when he completed the mission. The same went for James. From now on, every time he looked at Clarisse, he’d realize that she too was feeling the same thing he was. It would never end, the heartache of loss. He pictured for the first time the dead man he’d discovered at the supply house after this all began, swinging from a noose in his garage after his family had died. Perhaps it was a privilege after all to have taken your own life and not submitted yourself to the fight they were in now. He suddenly envied the man.