23: Delta Force Rangers?

Betty glanced at Al as he rolled over, throwing his legs over the side of his stretcher. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“I think I’ve recovered enough, but I can’t be sure until I test my legs,” Al replied, taking his time standing up. “We’re not making much progress with everyone carrying me. We’ll make better time with me walkin’.”

“I’ve checked with his nanobots,” Xi said. “They assure me he’s stable. He’s still recovering, but he’ll do better exercising than lying around like an invalid.”

Al stretched his legs, working out the kinks from lying prone for the past day.

“Those hills look intimidating,” Eli said, surveying the cliffs towering over them through the forest. “We won’t have to climb them, will we? I’m not sure he’s in good enough shape for scaling a mountain.”

“I climbed one of the taller trees,” Mui explained. “The area Xi’s heading for is at the base of the cliff. It’s steep and tricky footing, but Al should be able to manage it.”

Theo jostled his backpack, trying for a more comfortable fit. “If this region was easy to traverse, whatever we’re searching for would have been discovered long ago. I suspect its remoteness is evidence we’re on the right track.”

“You need to eat,” Xi said, passing Al several granola bars. “Keep munching these. Your body’s been working overtime and you’ve burned a lot of energy.” She slapped his ass, grinning at him. “If you lose any more fat, you’ll lose your shapely butt.”

Etta turned, cupping her ear. “Do you hear something?”

“Yeah, I think I do, but I can’t tell what it is.” Delilah said. “Could it be an ATV?”

“I doubt it,” Etta replied. “These are relatively pristine forests. The undergrowth, lack of trails and steep incline would make it dangerous to traverse.”

“It might appeal to the extreme sports crowd. The fact it’s so hard to access would be an added incentive.”

“Unlikely.” Theo turned with his hand to his ear. “They’d want to film themselves, which wouldn’t be easy here.”

“It sounds like it’s heading away. I wouldn’t worry about it,” Al said. “It’s behind us, which is closer to the more easily accessible areas. Come on, we can’t waste time guessing about things we can’t control.”

“Still, it might be dangerous,” Delilah warned as they moved through the underbrush, abandoning the stretcher. “If someone brought their ATVs here, they may be searching for us. There are enough people pissed at us based on our being different, I don’t doubt someone might try to track us.”

“Or even worse, if they did discover us, it would be all over the internet in no time,” Betty suggested.

“Not here,” Eli said. “There’s no cellphone access this far out. Since there are no streets or houses here, and no cell towers, they couldn’t pick up a signal.”

“Still, the sound of motors this far out is troubling,” Betty mumbled.

“Keep up,” Gary yelled. “If you fall behind, you’re likely to get lost.”

They hit a rough stretch, scrambling up a steep incline in heavy woods, forced to crawl over fallen logs and beneath underbrush. Eli grabbed a small tree trunk to pull him over the obstructions. “It’s beginning to level off. I think there’s a clearing ahead. With luck, we can take a break.”

“I wish we hadn’t stopped for lunch,” Etta complained. “Climbing and half-cooked food don’t mesh.”

“I’m wondering whether lighting a fire was a good move,” Betty said, falling over a log and landing with a thump.

“We’re far enough out of the way,” Eli explained. “No one would notice a small campfire.”

“Yeah, and the food was undercooked because you kept complaining about the fire.”

“I can’t help it, I’m—”

‘Quiet everyone, ‘ Al insisted, speaking via Zita’s telepathic connection. He stopped in the middle of the debris strewn crossing, turning and scrambling back down. ‘It’s a trap! Someone’s waiting for us.‘

‘Are you sure? Who’d know we’re here?‘ Gary asked, using the same channel so their voices didn’t carry. They’d used Zita’s telepathy for some time since they could communicate without straining over a scattered area.

‘How often have I been wrong about what’s about to happen in the past week? Stay low, keep quiet and move quickly before they realize we’re on the run.‘

Everyone scrambled, and while a few stumbled in the underbrush, they made good time—better than they had trudging up the steep incline.

After a solid hour of running, they stopped to catch their breath. Lamar and Mui caught up to them, as they’d hung back to cover their escape.

‘These guys are serious, ‘ Lamar said, panting after catching up. ‘I noticed uniforms and several automatic weapons.‘

‘Damn! Who are they and how could they get here so fast?‘ Gary asked. ‘We need details. What kind of uniforms? Were they surplus, or authentic?‘

‘They wore Army uniforms, but bore a couple different types. Most wear a red arrow with a black knife in the center. It said something in black over it, but we were too far away to see.‘

‘Shit!‘ Eli swore. ‘That’s Delta Force. They’re a special operations group who handles hostage rescues and assaults.‘

‘Do they also cover the capture and removal of dangerous suspects?‘ Al pressed.

‘That’s what they do in hostage rescues. They’re active in counterterrorism efforts.‘

‘I noticed another badge with a different U.S. Army uniform, ‘ Mui said. ‘They wore a brownish beret, with a black emblem on it. I think there might be a lightning bolt on it.‘

‘Geez! Those are the Army Rangers. They’re a specialty airborne unit, under a different command organization than Delta Force.‘

‘Who could’ve followed us here?‘ Betty asked as the others gathered to converse. ‘Do you think the Governor spoke to someone, bringing us here to spring a trap?‘

‘If that was his intent, they would have taken us prisoner in the helicopter before we left, ‘ Gary said.

‘For someone to call in two specialty units in this short of a time, they have to be high up in the military structure. This isn’t just a couple people upset about us. These units are known for keeping their mouths shut, so it’s likely a clandestine operation. I’m guessing it was ordered by a single general, rather than the Army Command, Department of Defense or Homeland Security.‘

‘How did they find us?‘ Betty asked. ‘Did the Governor’s people plant trackers on us, or did he report our location?‘

Eli wiped his brow, closing his eyes to think more clearly. ‘If they’re this well-equipped, and whoever called them in is in a high-enough position, they undoubtedly accessed satellite imagery. If so, they could easily track our helicopters. I’m guessing they’re using infrared scanners to track our movements, which is why they knew where to intercept us. The satellites can identify clearings in the forest.‘

‘This raises the stakes dramatically, ‘ Al said, studying everyone. ‘If they can track us, we need to move helter-skelter so they won’t guess our destination. Xi, how far away are we? Is there any hope in running?‘

‘It’s not far, but I’m not clear on what’s between us and it. It’s in that direction.‘ She pointed out the position relative to the sun. ‘I’m guessing it’s another hour and a half, possibly two-hours direct march.‘

‘You say it’s against the base of the mountains? That might allow them to trap us. We’ll have no way to escape.‘

‘I can’t tell how close it is to the cliff face. They’d need to scale or rappel down the mountain to get between it and us, but I doubt it’s against the cliff face.‘

‘Okay, we’ll take a zig-zag pattern, aiming to bypass it and then cut back at the last minute. I’m hoping whatever we’re looking for is secure, otherwise we’ll be trapped.‘

‘Do you think they have orders to kill, or do they want to capture us alive?‘ Etta asked.

‘Given whom they sent, I’m guessing they want to take us captive, ‘ Eli said. ‘They’ll be well-armed. Special Forces are experts at taking military hideouts by surprise and extracting key members, so be prepared for anything.‘

‘Or, our destination has already been discovered, and the military is currently guarding it, ‘ Betty warned. ‘We may be walking into a trap.‘

‘Sorry, but I’m not buying it, ‘ Gary said. ‘If that was so, they wouldn’t keep such disparate troops guarding an established site. Also, we wouldn’t be hearing ATVs if they’ve already secured the area.‘

‘Besides, ‘ Eli said, ‘we ruled out the military being behind this. If they were, they’d already know where we were. If they’re here now, they’re clearly searching for us.‘

‘Okay, we’ve been stationary for too long. We need to move. Keep to the tree line as much as possible. Hopefully the foliage will hide us and cover our heat tracks. And continue using Zita’s telepathy, as they’re likely to be tracking our sounds, possibly recording anything we say aloud.“ Al paused. ‘Xi, can you track each of us?‘

‘I’m the navigator, I track locations, ‘ she answered.

‘If she can’t, I can, ‘ Betty said. ‘What’s more, if I’m close enough, I can guess distances.‘

‘Stick with Xi and work through Zita. With you to direct everyone, we can split up, keeping those chasing us guessing. If we move in different directions, they’ll have difficulty cornering us.‘

‘It’ll be easier picking us off one at a time, though, ‘ Gary pointed out.

‘Maybe, but as long as I’m nearby, I should know before it happens. With the others’ help, we should be able to keep everyone moving, dodging any attempts to grab one of us.‘ Al started pointing out individual groups and destinations. ‘Travel in pairs. Gar and Del, split up among the others since you’re better able to defend against capture. Betty, you and Xi stick together. Lamar and Mui, we’re relying on you to keep us informed about those trailing us, but not at the risk of exposing yourself.‘

‘Don’t worry, ‘ Lamar assured him. ‘Not only is anyone unlikely to look for us high in the trees, but we can hide in the branches and jump from tree to tree. We’ll be fine.‘

‘Unless they shoot you out of one, ‘ Kaci said, frowning.

‘All right, let’s move out.‘ Al walked off, motioning everyone to their respective destinations. ‘We’ll see how well our monitoring techniques work before we get too separated.‘

‘That’s fine, but since you’re still injured, you’re sticking with us, ‘ Xi announced. ‘If something happens, I’m the only one who can treat you.‘

‘Sounds good, but let’s move. They’re undoubtedly closing in on us, ‘ he said, as he took off at a trot. The others scattered too.

‘Al, ‘ Lamar said from his vantage point high in the tree tops. ‘Your strategy is working. They’re running all over. However, they’ve stopped and now seem to be better organized. They’re sending out several teams. I’m guessing they’re concentrating on specific groups, probably those less able to defend themselves or unfamiliar with keeping quiet in the woods.‘