Sky of Dust: The Last Weapon (12 page)

Abigail looked into my eyes, her eyes red and tired, and said,
“
Dalyn, we need to leave.
”

“
No
,
”
I said as I looked up to the b
eacon. The red light had gotten
dimmer.

“
Please
,
”
s
he started
,
but something caught my eye.

A red small red light had emerged from the other side of the mountain.

“
Look
,
”
I said with re
new
ed
hope.

The others stared up as the red light came closer.

“
Maybe that’s Aaric and the others looking for us
,
”
Casey suggested.

“
All of
you
get back into the trees and hide
,
”
I commanded.
“
Just in case.
”

They did not look happy about it
,
but the three of them carried Mary into the brush.

I gripped the beacon and held it as high as I could. I could start to see the outline of the massive helicopter when I heard anothe
r sound coming from behind me. It sounded like a
nother helicopter. I let my arm fall in defeat. I had just led everyone into a trap.

I wish I could let my family
know
that I was sorry for leaving them. I wish I could have told my friends that their
families were
taken away as well. I wish I were stronger and braver. I wish I could have saved everyone. I wish my friends
could
get away. I wish that I could have spent more time with you. I wish I had more time.

All these things I wish
ed, but knew
I
would
never have the chance to fulfill.

I dropped to my knees and closed my eyes. The rocky terrain dug into my flesh
,
but the pain did not matter. I was about to die
,
and I
had
not accomplished anything.

Both helicopters started to close in on me. I was too tired to run or feel scared. I just wanted it to end.

I heard the machine guns begin to turn
,
and I held my breath.

I hope they make it
.

The guns roared.

I winced. I hoped it would not hurt, but nothing had hit me.

I opened my eyes
,
and
I watched
two helicopters facing each other begin to bob and weave through the air. I recognized one from Aaric
’
s fleet
,
and the other had a red light that blinked every second.

The mystery helicopter fired at Aaric’s and tore through one side of the cabin. Aaric’s helicopter swayed to the right and ascended fast, then dipped its nose towards the mystery helicopter, giving it a perfect point of fire at the rotor blades.

Just as Aaric’s helicopter fired it guns, the mystery helicopter sped forward, turned, and ascended at the same time
,
positioning itself directly behind Aaric’s. The mystery helicopter unloaded its guns, ripping through the belly and rotor blades, sending it spinning into the woods.

A fireball lit the sky and began to consume the forest about a hundred yards
past the tree line.

The mystery helicopter began to lower itself in front of me.

I ducked and tried to shield my face from the flying debris.

Once the helicopter had landed and the engine slowed down,
a man jumped out of the cockpit.

He ran over to me and unclipped his mask.

He was not much older than me,
maybe eighteen or nineteen.

“
Where are the rest?
”
he yelled.
“
I am here to pick up six!
”

The next thing I remember was Abigail pushing past me and screaming,
“
Jason
,
”
and giving the man a big hug.

The
“
man
,
”
Jason, held Abigail’s face and pressed his head against hers.

My stomach began to fold into
my throat
,
so I backed away to give them their space and to get the others.

Mary was still out of it
,
so I helped Casey lift her up.

“
Who is that guy?
”
Casey asked.
“
It looks like they know each other.
”

“
I don’t know
,
”
I said glumly.
“
Let’s hurry before another helicopter shows up.
”

We place
d
Mary in one of the seats and strapped her in. Casey sat next to her so she would not fall over. Peter and I sat across from them
, facing towards the cockpit where Abigail had joined Jason.

Jason turned and called back.
“
Everyone buckled up? If you feel sick
,
then there are bags under your seats. There is also a box of food and water if you’re hungry.
”

He slid the cabin door closed
,
and we began to rise.

As we rocked in the air
,
I felt
eyes get heavy
. It had been a long day
,
so I just let myself fall into a dreamless sleep
.

My first flying experience did not leave the best impression on me.

First it was our pilot, Jason, informing us that we were low on fuel and would probably crash. Luckily, he was just joking on the crashing part
,
but we were still low on fuel.

Then came the
exhilarating
mid
-
air
refuel. For the record, running our helicopter into a fly tube attached to an aircraft that made us look like a fly is not my idea of fun. While the others were going on about how
“
cool
”
it was, I was focusing on other things, like my shoelaces.

As
we started to descend
my ears refused to
pop
,
making them
fee
l
like they were going to burst. When we had almost touched down
,
I finally yawned and the
pain
was mostly gone, but I still had to deal with the sudden increased roar of the engine.

Other than that
,
the ride and landing were smooth. From what I could tell
,
Jason was a good pilot, which
,
in a way
,
I wish
ed
he was not
—t
here is no way I could compete with that.

I did not realize until I stepped out of the helicopter
tha
t we had landed in a hanger about a hundred feet deep. As I exited
,
I looked up and saw the bluest sky I had ever seen. I inhaled and filled my lungs with the cleanest air I had ever
encountered, even with the smell of aircraft fuel and exhaust.

Mary, who had awakened during the flight
,
held her breath and sprinted towards a group of people who seemed
to be
waiting for us.

Casey and Peter walked over beside me
,
admiring the assortment of aircrafts parked on the tarmac.

A loud humming and the sound of gears turning above us made us look up in admiration. The ceiling began to roll forward, replacing the blue sky with a metallic and cement roof.

Jason slid out of the cockpit
,
and Abigail came around the nose of the plane to greet him. They shared a laugh and
then
hugged.

Jason waved at
to us
and
shouted,
“
Welcome to Oasis!
”

Jason turned and started to head
towards another group of pilots hanging out near another helicopter.

Abigail
walked past us towards the group Mary was
also
headed towards
,
so we decided to follow as well.

When we made it
to
the group
,
they had already
begun
to retreat up some metal stairs. Mary stayed behind to wait for us.

“
We are going to head up
stairs where it is
quieter
for the debriefing
,
”
s
he told us over a roar of an engine.
“
Just be honest with them. Hopefully it will not take long. I can show you around afterwards.
”

She turned
,
and we followed her up the stairs.

We entered a heavy glass door that led into a big room surrounded by large screens with a huge round table in the center.

The rest of the group
was
already seated, leaving four seats available for Mary and the three of us. I sat in between Mary and Casey so I did not have to feel awkward
being
next to Abigail
,
who was looking a bit more cheerful (
l
ikely because of Jason).

Directly across from me was a stern looking lady who seemed like she was in charge since both people beside her were updating her simultaneously, shoving tablets and documents in her face and talking
quickly
. Finally she waved to them to stop and cleared her throat.

“
So, why are you here?
”
t
he stern lady demanded,
her
eyes locked on me.

My mouth had a mind of its own and replied before it had a chance to ask my brain.

“
I am here because
you
wanted
me
to come here
,
”
I replied with an unintentional
grumpy tone.
“
Why don't you tell me why I'm
here?
”

The
lady’s
face got red
,
and
she
was about
to chew me out when one of
her aid
e
s leaned forward and started to whisper in her ear.

Mary leaned over and whispered sharply,
“
That's the
P
resident of the
W
estern US,
Julia
Reeves!
”

If there was a way that I could have slid off my chair and under the table without anyone seeing me, I would have.

President Reeves nodded and leaned back in her chair.

“
My apologies
,
Dalyn
.
I question many refugees every day. We should not continue without your father present
,
”
President Reeves said, then turning towards one of her aids
,
“
Josephine, please go get
Bret Caddarick please. He should be in the Armory.
”

My stomach rolled into my throat
,
and my heart began to race. After five years of
separation,
I w
as
finally
going to
see
my dad
again. What would I say?

Hey dad, how's it going
?

Once Josephine
had left to fetch my father, the room began to buzz with chatter.

I zoned out. I was too focused about how I was about to break the news of my family, as well as Casey
’s
and Peter
’s
, being abducted. I was sure there would be fallout for withholding the news.
If they abandoned me, which I
would
not blame them
for
, I would be alone in this foreign place with a man who
m
I
had
seen maybe a month of my whole life. This place was starting to look a whole lot more lonely.

A few minutes later
,
Josephine
entered and was followed none other than my dad.

He was well over six feet
tall
and gave off a glow of sheer power. His arms were thick
,
and I was confident he could crush a rock in his neck. This was not unusual. What was unusual was his choice of clothing. I remember him being very bland
, always wearing
his Guard uniform, but now he was wearing khaki shorts that were a bit too big and a colorful flower
ed
shirt. It
was
what I imagine
d
someone going to a beach would wear. I
had
seen pictures of the old beaches before the war ruined them. I
believed
they would be called Hawaiian shirts
,
if I remember
ed
correctly.

As he entered, his eyes dotted the room. He was looking for me. He scanned Casey, Peter, and
me
.

Great, he did not even remember me.

The aid
e
motioned for him to take her seat
,
and she stood in the corner of the room.

“
Good, now that you are here Bret
,
we can now proceed.
”
The president projected her voice to get everyone’s attention.
“
The first matter of business we will address is that of the two extra young men that have arrived.
”

“
Madam President, if I may?
”
Mary asked formally.

The
P
resident tilted her head in acknowledgment.

“
As you know, it was tasked to both Abigail and me to infiltrate the town
where
Dalyn and his family resided and observe if Dalyn demonstrated any characteristics of being infected by the CC1586 virus
,
”
Mary began.
“
Abigail determined very early on that he was suffering
from
head pains while he was trying to concentrate. Couple that with
his lack of
focus within the classroom
and
we were confident that he was indeed infected. However,
it was
not confirm
ed
until he was in detention.
”

My dad looked at me and tilted his head.

I guess he did remember me. I hope
d
I
would
not get a lecture.

Mary continued on and explained what had happened in the classroom
—
about
how I had moved and the way Peter was able to deflect the bullet. She explained about Casey’s blonde moment a year ago and how he ate one of the CC1586 with positive results. She bypassed the incident between Donald and Aaric at her house and explained how Paul had betrayed then helped us in our escape.

“
So you see Madam President,
”
Mary concluded,
“
we could not have left Casey and Peter
,
as they would have been in danger, as well as their families and our cover.
”

“
Miss Curtiss, I understand your concern for the well being of these boys and their families,
”
t
he President began to preach,
“
however we do have policies in place for a reason. We cannot allow evacuation of refugees unless they have been first approved. This is for safety concerns. We do not want spies or troublemakers infiltrating our ranks.
”

“
Madam President, I can vouch for
—
”
Mary started
,
but the President cut her off.

“
Miss Curtiss, this is your first assignment. You have no experience to vouch for them
,
”
t
he
P
resident chided.

Mary looked hurt and looked at the table.

“
Then I will vouch for them
,
”
m
y dad interjected.

The President and my dad held
each others
’
gaze for a while before the President approved.

“
Very well. You will be respon
sible for their actions.
”
President
Reeves
turned to her aid
e
on
the right.
“
Nica,
make sure that the two
refugees have a place to stay.
If that is all, then we should
—
”

“
Madam President
,
”
m
y dad interrupted.
“
I think we should inform them about the intelligence we obtained from the Middle-East.
”

“
We
will
not
inform them of such
,
”
t
he President barked.
“
You are overextending your value…
”

“
I feel like I am in no way overextending my value
,
”
m
y dad interrupted again.
“
Let me remind you of my part in creating the CC1586 capsules and the watches. Let me also remind you that
,
without me
,
you would have no intelligence. If you want my further cooperation, then I want everyone in this room
to be
a part of the team.
”

The President
’
s face got as red as a behind after a paddling.

I had no idea what was going on
,
but I felt that there was bit of a power struggle going on
,
and we were caught in the middle.

“
I will allow it.
”
President
Reeves
struggled to keep her composure.
“
If, and
only
if
,
they can complete the training
course. Until then
,
they are grounded. They will not partake in any missions or
di
scu
ssions
until then. Am I understood?
”

My dad nodded and turned to us.
“
Congratulations, you are all now part of the Cell Team. Now, Madam President, would you like to do the honors of briefing everyone?
”

The President looked pissed. I imagine taking orders from a defector with leverage did not sit
well with her. I had the sense
that
,
once she saw no more purpose of having my dad around
,
he would be locked up or something.

“
I suppose
,
”
President
Reeves
said as she adjusted in her chair.

“
I have something I want to add
,
”
I spoke up. My heart was racing
,
and my palms were sweaty. There was a slight shake to my voice. I
knew
it was an odd place for me to interrupt
,
but the sooner I got this off my chest the better.
“
While we were fleeing, Abigail and I came across a man, Aaric. He claimed that they had identified
those who were
infected with the virus. My mom, brothers, and sisters were taken.
”

Mary, Casey, and Peter turned their heads and stared at me. Abigail lowered her head.

I turned and looked at Casey and Peter. Their expression
s
became solemn, like they knew what I was about to tell them.

“
I’m sorry. Both of your families were taken too
,
”
I choked.
“
I wanted to tell you
,
but I didn'
t want you to run back and
—
”

“
And what?
”
Casey interrupted in a high pitch voice. His face was red
,
and his muscles were swelling.
“
Do something stupid? Like try and save our families?
”

Casey stood up and started to pace, rubbing both hands through his hair
,
trying to control his anger.

“
You had no right to keep that from us
,
”
Casey fumed.
“
Just because you are too scared to do anything
—
”

“
Casey, we only thought that
—
”
Abigail started in a calm voice.

“
Shut up!
”
Casey barked.
“
You are just like him. You are weak.
”

Casey spun to Mary.

“
Did you know about this too?
”
Casey waved his finger at her.

Mary opened her mouth, wide eyed and in disbelief, but she still managed to shake her head.

Casey walked to the corner of the room and hid his face.

President
Reeves
gave a smirk then remarked,
“
Well Bret, you got the team you wanted. I propose that we delay the briefing until everyone is in their right mind. You are all excused.
”

She rose and stepped briskly through the door
,
followed by a few of the other individuals that had joined us.

Nica, one of the aid
e
s
,
approached Peter
,
who still looked stunned
,
and informed him that he could follow her to his
residence
. He nodded
before walking
over and
touching
Casey on the shoulder
,
and they headed out the door.

Abigail gave me a look of pity
,
and she got up.

“
I can give you a tour tomorrow if you are up to it
,
”
s
he said. I
knew
she was trying to be friendly and attempting to make me feel better. The truth was that Casey was right, and that bothered me.

I gave a small nod
,
and she waved at Mary and left the room.

“
Let them think things over
,
Dalyn
.
I am sure they will see you had good intentions
,
”
Mary told me. She squeezed my shoulder and nodded to my dad as she exited.

Only my father and I were left
.

He sat across from me, twiddling his thumbs, looking like he wanted to say something but could not think of the words. I just pretended like I was focusing on a screensaver that was bouncing across a computer monitor.

Finally, he cleared his throat and stood up.

“
I
—
I guess you will be living with me then
,
”
h
e said.

I made a noise like a grunt. It was easier than talking.

I stood up and walked to the door.

“
Come on
,
”
h
e said softly as he put his large hand on my shoulder.
“
We have some catching up to do.
”