Second Chances (73 page)

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Colonel Dunn ordered his plane to fly southeast to avoid contact with the northern scouts a little longer. Irma couldn't fly; she was pregnant and her husband had insisted on grounding her. Her absence let him extend the range of the aircraft by an additional forty kilometers.

To the colonel's annoyance Jesus found another two groups, all on one trip. The pilot had been forced to land in a field to make repairs to the engine when the fuel line had clogged up. Apparently, a couple groups of people out hunting and scouting the fields had seen the aircraft flying, then saw it land and had investigated.

They had arrived together at the landing site just before dark, two trucks, one apparently made out of parts salvaged from crashed aircraft, the other a rather beat-up Toyota. Everyone was amused at the meeting. “Fancy meeting up with you!” Jesus said, waving and pumping his fist.

“Well, it had to happen eventually,” Klinger drawled, shaking hands with Jesus and then Neal St. Patrick from the Caribbean Village. The Caribbean group had settled in at the southern entrance to a mountain pass directly south of Dunn's group and west of the survivors of the aircraft crashes.

“Well, I for one don't like the idea of going out in the dark. So I think we'll camp here, if it's all the same to you,” Klinger said. The others nodded. They arranged the three vehicles in a triangular perimeter, put two people out on guard, then built a bonfire and swapped stories. They stayed overnight, exchanging food and ideas while taking turns taking watch. They parted the next morning to go their separate ways.

“I'm going to try to come back here. If not next week than the week after,” Klinger said, shaking his head. “Same day if I can arrange it.”

“Muy Bien,” Jesus said, grinning. “There is a lady coming from up north. I'll see if she can come too.”

“Cool,” the Corporal said, nodding. He looked over to Neal.

Neal shrugged. “I've got to hunt. But if I can bag a couple big dinos, I'll come too,” he said.

“Excellent. If I can swing it, I'd like to head all the way up to your home, Jesus,” Klinger said. “I'll get our people to load up with stuff to trade,” he said.

Jesus nodded. “I think that is a very good idea. If your...vehicle can handle it,” he said.

Klinger looked over the beast and then snorted. “She's not much to look at but she's done well by us. We'll get there,” he said.

“Well, maybe I can talk Joe into giving you a couple of his old trucks or cars,” Jesus suggested. “He's got a junkyard,” he said.

Klinger nodded. “Cool. We've got some gunpowder too. It's homemade, but it's something,” he said.

“Then I can definitely tell you our jefe will welcome you with open arms,” Jesus said.

“Me too. We're closer by the way,” Neal said.

“We'll figure something out,” Klinger said. Neal in his judgment was okay, but some of the others he'd brought along were slackers. Neal had to browbeat them into getting them to take their shifts or do anything. That bothered the Corporal. After three plus years on the planet, he'd thought they'd have gotten over that sort of thing. Apparently not.

They watched the aircraft taxi and take off, then turned about and returned to their respective homes.

------*------

Sam's road crew and Jacklynn arrived at Dunn's before Jesus return. Irma was fearful for her husband's safety. He'd grounded her since she was pregnant, but that didn't mean she had to like it. Jacklynn offered to go look for him. Irma fervently thanked her for the offer. She started up her plane just as a familiar engine sound was heard approaching from the south. They went out to see Jesus' battered plane circle then come in for a landing. There was an ecstatic reunion between the Salazar husband and wife the moment his door opened. Irma practically dragged him out of the cockpit smothering him with kisses.

“What's the problem?” the colonel asked, coming over to them. He nodded to Jesus.

“He's back!” Irma said, “Mi hermano, don't ever do that again!” she scolded, hugging her husband.

“I did radio in Irma, honest,” Jesus told her. “I spoke to the jefe and told him about the others,” he said, nodding to Dunn.

Dunn scowled. He'd wanted Jesus to keep his trap shut but he'd let the cat out of the bag about making contact with the others.

“Radioed...you...” Irma turned, practically spitting. “And you didn't tell me?” she snarled, turning a glower on the colonel.

He shrugged. “Yeah, he called; get over it,” he said.

“What's this about other people?” Jacklynn asked.

“Um...” Jesus blinked at her.

“Oh, sorry, Jacklynn. Jacklynn Smith,” she said, extending her hand to Jesus. “I was about to go out looking for you,” she said.

Jesus smiled. “Glad to finally meet you in person, senorita,” he said, bobbing a nod as they shook hands. “I had to land because of a fuel problem and apparently other people out hunting saw me. I reported it to the colonel,” he said, looking at the colonel with a puzzled expression.

“I forgot to mention it,” the colonel said. “Go on,” he said, fighting the impulse to gnash his teeth together.

“Yes well, two vehicles met me. What fortune to find two other groups at the same time!” Jesus said expansively.

“Two?” Jacklynn asked, staring goggle eyed at him.

“Two. Dos,” Jesus said, holding two fingers up. He went on to relate the story of the aircraft survivors as well as the Caribbean group. Jacklynn pulled out her tablet halfway through and had him start over, recording everything he said for later review.

“Well, come on, I suppose you are hungry,” Irma said, dragging her husband back to their compound as Joe hooked a Barox team up to the aircraft to tow it in. “I've got some new salsa for you to try. It'll put more hair on your chest,” she teased when her husband groaned. Jacklynn chuckled as they made their way back to the safety of the compound.

------*------

The next day Jacklynn took her plane out over the water in a spiral to get a better map of the coastline and how far it extended. She spotted an island off the coast just over the horizon. She also immediately spotted smoke rising up from the island in a series of columns. She radioed it in as she changed course.

She flew to the island; she did a circle over the islanders who waved up to her. Then returned to Dunn's base. He was amused that they were so close and yet so far. “There is no way, no way, I'm letting my people build a boat to go meet them. Not with the sharks and stuff around here!” He said emphatically. Jacklynn nodded. She'd seen some big creatures lurking under the surface; she wasn't sure they were all whales.

Since Sam was busy helping Dunn and Junkyard Joe improve their base, she went and did a spiral, using the computers and sensor pod in her aircraft to map the area. She scrupulously uploaded everything to Giles to pass on to the base, but also gave Dunn an electronic copy for his own purposes. She spent the better part of the week doing mapping missions, occasionally calling in reports of herds for Dunn and his hunters to zero in on. She had mixed feelings about Dunn's hunters. They used a lot of the meat and hide, but they left a lot to waste too, well, to the scavengers and predators in the area. She'd heard some dark mutterings about Dunn wanting to mix up some poison to spray the leftovers and exterminate the scavengers. That bothered her.

She headed south with Jesus six days after his triumphant return. It took under three hours to get to his max range. They found where he had landed, though the land had already started to scar over the tracks and burn site with fresh growth. Her plane had more range and speed, so they went a couple dozen kilometers further south and spotted the mountain pass the Caribbean group had come from as well as the mountain range off to the southeast where the aircraft survivor group had come from. She also spotted more vehicles coming out to meet them from both locations. She signaled them that she'd land at the previous landing spot since it was the only reasonably flat area for kilometers around. The driver of the contraption waved to her and made a show that he understood her intent.

They landed, then spent a nervous couple of hours waiting for the trucks to arrive. Jesus climbed onto the top of the Cessna 400 with a borrowed .22 rifle to watch out for animals. Fortunately nothing came to investigate the curious craft that had landed.

They met at the same spot Jesus had landed at. Jesus made introductions, Klinger nodded and then shook hands with Jacklynn. “I think we met at the Meme reunion,” Klinger said.

“Did we?” Jacklynn said, then shook her head. “I'm sorry. I'm usually good with people, but it was a lot to take in. I'm sorry I don't recognize you,” she said.

“It's okay. It was pretty exciting though,” Klinger said. He stared at the aircraft. “Something about this...”

“It's new,” Jacklynn said proudly, walking over to the low wing. The Cessna 400 model they had as a template had a low wing and could carry four people in the fuselage. It had a range of over two thousand kilometers, but when one had to factor in a flight out and then return, that severely limited her to a thousand kilometers out and back. They were pushing that at just over a thousand kilometers out from Dunn's base.

“New? As in newly built?” Neal asked, surprised. “You can't be serious mon,” he said, slipping into an islander accent.

“I am,” Jacklynn said, bobbing a nod. “We built her over the winter, her and a few others. There will be more soon,” she said. She pointed out the features, explaining the carbon fiber and the various materials they had used in the building of the aircraft. They took the tour politely, opening up the engine cowling to admire the engine and then watched as she buttoned it up again.

“I'm a bit concerned about the fuel situation. We're facing a headwind all the way back,” she said, thrusting her hands in her back pockets. “I'm pretty sure she'll be okay. If you don't mind, I'd like to lighten the load though,” she said.

“I think we can help you out. I brought along enough go go juice to get to Dunn's base,” Klinger said.

“You did?”

“Yes. And a reserve. If he's willing to top us off on his end, I don't see why we can't give you some fuel,” Klinger said.

Jacklynn looked at Neal who looked away apparently embarrassed for some reason. After a moment she smiled. “If Dunn's an ass about it, see me. I've got some fuel with Sam's road crew. He won't give me any lip,” she said, shaking Klinger's hand again. He nodded.

“I'll hold you to that,” he said. “We can't get home safely without that reserve.”

While they figured out how to thin the polyp juice to run in the Cessna's engine, Neal ranged out and killed an Enteladon. The thing was as ugly as a warthog but mean. It also tasted a great deal like pork once it was spitted over a fire they made.

“I'd like to come too,” Neal said simply to the Corporal. “But I honestly don't have the fuel for it.”

“I don't think we can split the fuel up any further,” Klinger said, eating a rib. “A bit, but not a lot. If we do we won't have enough to even get there ourselves,” he warned.

“Understood,” Neal sighed.

“You can, however, hop a ride with me,” Klinger said.

That made the young black male perk up. Slowly he grinned. “Sure mon.”

“Glad that's settled. If your people can meet you back here in a week, let's say?” Klinger asked. Neal nodded. “Good.”

“Why the urgency to meet Dunn? He's not...a well...” Jacklynn paused, looking guiltily to Jesus who was busy eating. “He's, um, an acquired taste,” she finally said delicately.

Klinger nodded slowly. “But he is a colonel you said, so I've got to check in with him. I'm a soldier,” he said firmly. “Besides, we need more supplies. We've done pretty good with what we've got, but if we can trade for stuff we can't produce...”

“I don't know what we can spare other than meat and hide,” Jesus said, finally entering the conversation. “For other stuff, well...” he shrugged. “We need it too,” he said, sounding uncomfortable.

“But you don't?” Klinger asked, turning to Jacklynn.

“Not quite the same thing. Capital Base, as people are calling it, is better outfitted. It's the closest thing we've got to an industrial city here,” Jackie explained. Klinger nodded. She went on to describe the base and people there. Neal and the others listened avidly.

Klinger interrupted with the occasional question but seemed thoughtful as he considered Mitch Chambers and his base. “He's the one we need to talk to then, is that what you are telling me?”

“I'm sure we can come up with something,” Jesus said smoothly in his own community’s defense.

“Base is pretty far away. Over three thousand kilometers northwest of here,” Jackie admitted. “That's a long, long trek through dino territory. Paul's running convoys locally; I doubt he'll want to go this far often,” she warned.

Klinger nodded.

“To be honest he doesn't go all the way to East even now. He stops halfway, and they meet him at the old village,” she said.

“East?” Neal asked.

“Old village?”

“East is the village north of Dunn. That's what we've been calling it. The people there are all from the northeastern states of America, New England and the surrounding area, with a couple Canadians and other people thrown in for good measure,” she explained. “They were debating on what to call their place officially when I left there. I guess like Chamber's Capital Base, naming the place is a little less important than setting it up and surviving,” she said with a smile.