Adrian Smith - The Fourth Phase

That was a smooth transition.

Ben had made them practice it for a whole day and night. Again and again, he’d timed them, shouting that they could do better, had to do better. That their lives would depend on it.

She felt her stomach drop as the chopper lurched off the ground, swinging out over the Hauraki Gulf and back towards Mayor Island. Dee was looking forward to seeing Boss and George. She was looking forward to finally having a shower and spending some quiet time with Jack. Maybe he would get the solar panel working better so they could watch a movie with Max and George snuggled between them, and Boss sitting in his chair pointing out all the plot holes while Jack argued with him. She smiled, a comforting tingle buzzing in her chest. The argument they’d had about the eagles in Lord of the Rings had lasted for three days. Jack had become quite animated, gesticulating wildly as he explained why the fellowship couldn’t use them to fly the ring directly to Mordor. That argument had then morphed into why the Star Destroyer hadn’t fired on the escape pod in Star Wars. Dee shook her head, remembering how Jack had stormed off and gone into the bush for a few hours.

She was surprised at how much she loved Boss and George. Seeing them each day made her happy. She’d thought she had found pure happiness with Jack, but a sliver of the puzzle had always remained unfinished. Amid the terror and the chaos of their flight, she’d found that last piece. Dee knew the fight was far from over, and now, with this new threat from the Indonesian Navy, she worried that they would never have any semblance of a normal family life.

Jack got up and moved over, plonking down beside her. Dee shifted over, giving him some space. She met his gaze, watching his blue eyes twinkle, then nestled into him, enjoying his warmth and comfort. No words were needed. She knew he felt the same. Had the same fears and worries, the same doubts. He was just as determined as her to not let the Variants get them. Dee felt for her necklace. Rubbing the metal and diamond between her fingers comforted her. Jack rubbed her hand, interlocking his fingers into hers. She smiled up at him, happy that she was heading home to the boys and Max.

A squawk in her headset brought her back to the present. “Renegades, listen up. We’ve got our first mission. It’s a straight pick-up. A scientist from a lab has called in for an immediate evac. ETA twenty minutes. I want everyone prepped and ready. Understood?”

Dee nodded and said, “Affirmative.” Her mind raced. They were barely trained. Were they even ready? She exchanged a glance with Jack. His brow was furrowed, and he was fiddling the stock of his rifle. Dee was struggling to grasp that anyone was left alive on the mainland. And a lab? She looked at Ben, hoping to learn more.

“Good. Renegades, let’s do this quick and clean. I want to get…”

Dee turned towards the cockpit at Ben’s pause. He had cupped his hand around one headphone, and his head was tilted, looking out the side window. She watched his brow furrow, then he shouted something into the microphone. Dee exchanged a quick look with Jack, who was also frowning. She flicked her eyes to Eric and Tony, who both shrugged. Ben untangled himself from the co-pilot’s seat and moved between the gap to join them. He remained standing, Dee watched his face for any clues. It was grim. Her heart sank.

What was going on?

“All right, Renegades. I’ve just received word from Falcon 6. Mayor Island is under attack.”

Dee struggled to take on this news. Under attack?

Ben continued. “All I know is, it’s collaborators and Variants. Mahana has ordered us to proceed with our mission. Picking up this scientist is deemed a PRIORITY ONE. He’s sending two squadrons to Mayor Island as reinforcements.”

Dee stood up, grabbing the bar above her. “Are you serious? I don’t care about some scientist! That’s our home. The boys are there!”

Jack leapt up, joining her. “She’s right, Ben. Screw the scientist. It’s the friggin’ boys we’re talking about! Our family!”

Ben looked at Dee and Jack, his face softening. “I’m with you guys. I want to get home and fight too. But this scientist, she may hold the key to ending this. So, I know how you feel. I love all those back on Mayor too. But we have to trust the soldiers to do their job. If we have a chance to find a cure for this madness, then we have to take it. If we do our jobs right, we’ll be back in the air within minutes.”

Dee’s head swam, and the thumping of the chopper blades pounded in her head. She squeezed Jack’s hand and felt him squeeze back, trying to comfort her as she sat back down. Dee raised her hand to her mouth, stifling a sob. She couldn’t believe Ben was choosing the mission over her family. She loved Ben. After all, he had saved her, and helped Jack too. But now he was obeying orders rather than dash home to fight? Dee glanced at Jack. He had his hands on his head, rubbing them through his hair.

“Dee!” Ben shouted, getting her attention.

She looked up at him. Brushing aside her emotions, she replied. “Sir?”

“I want you locked and loaded. Get some food in you. I want your rifle clean and ready.”

Dee rubbed the back of her neck. “Yes Sir.”

She busied herself, going through the motions, trying to take her mind off her swirling fears. Jack nudged her on the arm, handing her an energy bar. Dee accepted his offering and leant in, kissing him deeply. She needed to feel his love, feel his touch. She needed the familiar warmth of his lips. He broke the embrace and looked down at the map Ben had handed him before returning to the cockpit. Dee clicked bullets into her magazines and secured them into her pouches.

She stared out the window at the Coromandel coastline whizzing by. The chopper was flying low over the Firth of Thames, hugging the coast. All was dark, and Dee wondered if anyone had escaped the scourge and headed for the bush-clad mountains of the interior. She knew just how littered it was with valleys and gorges, trails and old huts.

The NH-90 helicopter flew up the coast, skimming over the town of Thames, lying silent and dead. It followed the Waihou River south for twenty kilometres before turning south east. Dee recognised the blunt, rocky cliffs of Mt. Karangahake emerging out of the dark.

She raised her eyebrows. They built a lab, here? Where?

Movement from the cockpit made her look up as Ben returned to the hold.

“All right. We’re two minutes out. I want a clean exit, just like we practiced. We’ve got a five-minute hike from the LZ to the entrance. The scientist is a Dr Katherine Yokoyama. She should be there waiting for us, just inside the lab entrance. We grab her and go. Stay frosty. Possible Variants in the area.”

Ben turned without waiting for them to answer. Dee knew it was expected they understood.

She watched him grab his gear and assemble it in smooth, practiced motions. She looked across at Eric and Tony.

Tony was grinning at her. “You two lovebirds ready for some real action?”

She shook her head at him as he made thrusting pelvic motions. Dee knew he was just blowing off steam, acting all brave.

The hold fell silent as each of the Renegades prepared themselves to enter a night that was full of terrors. She felt the bump of the chopper as it hit the ground. Eric slid back the door in a quick, fluid action. Dee jumped out and spun left, checking for Variants. Leaves and dust spun around, agitated by the wash of the blades. She stared over the sight of her rifle, ignoring it. Tony grasped her shoulder and Dee headed off into the darkness. Jack went right with Eric. She glanced back and saw the muscular frame of Ben bringing up the rear. Eager to get on with this mission, Dee took a few breaths to calm herself, then jogged along the gravel road leading up the mountain.