Paul Kirk - Devastation Point

“Phoenix! Get your ass over here!” said Larry Reed.

Phoenix turned and looked over at his uncle tucked low and hiding behind the sidewall. Choosing to ignore him, he turned toward the ridge and prepared to yell one more time when he saw sparks bounce off the thick vertical suspension cables thirty feet in front of him. Realizing the bullet came from the ridge and was meant for him based on his position and where the bullet hit the cable, he calmly walked to Larry Reed and settled into a crouch next to the bridge sidewall. Crawling, they made their way down and off the ramp. At the bottom, Phoenix glanced back to see three more men collapse despite their decent efforts to remain hidden. One had tried to run to the next car in line only to have his head explode in a bright red spray.

“I’m gonna so kill that fucker,”

“Keep your head down, dammit,” said Larry.

“I’m gonna find them. All of ’em. They been nothin’ but trouble to me.”

“Ma’am?”

“Yeah, GT?”

“Can I speak with you for a sec?”

“Sure.” Standing near the main camp in the Youngstown mill, Colonel Starkes burped CJ with expertly timed pats between his shoulder blades. Not surprised, she was rewarded with a decent-size blob of white puke bursting in a blast of air. It landed on the shop towel strategically placed on her shoulder. Mostly ignoring GT, she walked toward Nicole and Amanda who were talking raptly a few yards away. Seemingly like lost sisters, the colonel watched while they prepared lunch atop a makeshift table of steel plates. Glancing behind, she confirmed that GT followed. He was intense and energized.

“We need to be wheels up in fifteen minutes.”

“Huh, last time I checked, I was in charge here, GT… you know, being president and all.” Colonel Starkes smiled at GT to lessen her building irritation.

“Yes, ma’am. I’ve worked out a solution to fix the bird.”

The colonel’s playfulness evaporated. “Excellent! What’s it entail?” Before he continued, she held up her hand for him to stop. She smiled at Nicole and Amanda.

“Nicole?”

“Yeah?”

“Take this little puke monster, would ya?”

In the process of preparing the fresh meat off a recently killed Rottweiler, Nicole tossed the fillet knife onto the table and dipped her hands in a water bucket to rinse. Wiping them clean, she grinned at CJ. Nicole reached for her son. “Sure, C’mere you.”

Amanda stopped stuffing raw meat into Ziploc bags and picked up the fillet knife in Nicole’s absence. She expertly continued slicing the thigh meat off the bone.

“Amanda, please see if you can preserve and pack that meat up double-time, would you? What you can’t prepare in the next ten minutes, toss,” said Starkes. “We’re leaving in fifteen minutes. We’ll eat MREs on the run, that is, if GT here has anything to say about it.”

“Okay, Hannah,” said Amanda. Hour by hour, she was gaining strength at an impressive rate; and her voracious appetite had not diminished. Preparing today’s lunch, Amanda ravenously consumed large quantities of the team’s deer jerky reserve and any of the incredible Black Diamond cheese she could place her hands on. It was clear her body was demanding calories and making up for some lost time. Observing the urgency on GT’s face, and the building enthusiasm of Colonel Starkes, Amanda probed for information.

“We’re heading to Pittsburgh?”

“Not sure… GT?”

Colonel Starkes, Nicole and Amanda all studied the intensity on GT’s face.

“There are several options.”

“Don’t keep us in the dark, please. You figured how and where to find the part?”

“Yes, ma’am. If it’s anywhere, it’s there, so yeah.”

“Where?”

“Coatesville, Pennsylvania.”

“Coatesville?” repeated Colonel Starkes. Turning to Nicole, she asked, “Nicole, gather up the captain and major right away, okay?”

“Sure.” Nicole left to locate the men. While waiting, Amanda expertly processed the dog meat; so much so, that GT watched her use of the blade with some admiration, before continuing.

Major O’Malley and Captain Daubney hustled over to the workstation with Nicole and CJ not far behind.

“Ma’am,” said Captain Daubney. He nodded to GT and Amanda.

“Colonel, GT, what’s up? Hi Amanda,” said Major O’Malley.

“Go GT. You’re on. Sitrep. From the top,” suggested Colonel Starkes.

GT launched. “Yes, ma’am. Our Superhawk was built and customized in Sikorsky’s highly protected and secure facility located in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. Their shop will have the rotor driveshaft bearing we need, probably sitting in their warehouse wrapped in plastic. I imagine most parts there have remained unmolested, pre-packed for storage and shipment. There’s probably not much there for scavengers, so the parts are likely in good shape if they were packed right.”

“Go on,” said Colonel Starkes.

“Shamus, Scotty and I’ve worked out some logistics. From here, Coatesville is 330 miles east and 120 miles west of DC.”

“Uh, huh,” said the major.

“On due course, we can complete a fly-over of Pittsburgh on the way if you want. If we leave at 13:00 by my watch at a cruising speed of 174 mph, we can be there by 15:30. Still plenty of daylight to find the parts.”

“Options?” asked Colonel Starkes.

GT continued. “Several. Shamus, Scotty and I leave together, grab the parts, and complete the repairs at the facility. We can be back no later than tomorrow at 18:00. Provided no glitches.”

“Hmm,” said both the major and colonel simultaneously. Neither much liked the idea of being left stranded in Ohio.

“Granted, it’s the least attractive option, but it does ensure the safety of the men and women here in the event the bearing fails. On the other hand, if things go wrong, we leave you, Nicole, CJ, Amanda, and the men sittin’ on the border of Ohio with a roving army and some hard travel miles to make it back to DC. It violates the primary mission objective. I know.”

“Next option?” asked the Major.

“We run straight to DC as a full team, complete the primary mission drop-off of Nicole and CJ at Storm and then return to the Coatesville shop for repairs.”

“And then?”

“Then, we return to DC and pick up some fresh players and supplies for a full combat-ready mission to Pittsburgh. Locate Colonel MacMillen.”

“Go on. Your third option?” asked the Colonel.

“We all scoot to Coatesville, make the repairs, then head back west, to Pittsburgh with primary mission valuables… still in tow . We complete unspecified activities in there and then head back to DC, assuming no equipment destruction, future malfunctions or loss of life.”

“Is there a fourth option?” asked Captain Daubney. His mind was moving fast, thinking through the various possibilities.

“Sure,” continued Scott, “we drop the captain, Top and a squad or so of men in the south end of Pittsburgh, or anywhere proposed, then the rest of us head to Coatesville, make repairs, then roll into DC to drop off the primary. Thereafter, we return with a full contingent to hook up with the advance team in Pittsburgh. In this scenario, two full squads will hafta hoof it back after the mission. Our bird does not have the capacity to carry all of them. Or, they await extraction at a later date.”

“I see,” said Colonel Starkes.

“Oh, and Scotty strongly suggests we bring along a sniffer dog or two on our return.”

“Does he now?”

“You know him and his dogs…”

“Anything else?” asked Colonel Starkes.

“Nothing considered viable.”