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Section II

Part One

They had been in the air for less than an hour. The plane was a small passenger jet with more than enough room for the eight people on board. Broots and Debbie were strapped into the middle row, both fast asleep. Ben was across the aisle, tucked into a navy blanket and shifting fitfully every few minutes. In front of him sat Sydney, who had just dozed off with his head against the window. Three aisles up, seated across from each other, were Miss Parker, Ethan and Jim.

The drive had not taken as long as anticipated due to both parties’ willingness to get as far from the burning house as possible. The initial explosioin frightened the other three occupants of Parker’s vehicle, resulting in cries from Ethan and Jim to be let out to check on the vehicle behind them. At Miss Parker’s refusal, Jim’s face grew determined and he yanked on the door handle as the car continued down the road. Having expected this reaction, she had flipped the switch to childproof the doors and windows. The boy let out an angry shout, to which Miss Parker calmly responded.

“Your father and the others are fine. They’re following a few minutes behind us.”

“You knew?” Ethan yelped, throwing an arm across Jim’s chest as he tried to unbuckle his seatbelt.

“I saw your father remove a detonator from his pocket. It’s the only scenario that made any sense. He was concerned that the Centre would find the house and evidence that we had all been there, together. Destroying the house was the only way to prevent that.”

Sydney watched her passively from the next seat, sighing with relief when Jim stopped struggling. The boy’s eyes filled with tears, causing him to blink rapidly.

“I’m sorry, Jim, Ethan. I know it was your home,” she added, chancing a look in the rear view mirror and seeing the sadness painted across the young boy’s face. She prepared to continue but Ethan interrupted.

“Sister…” he shot a quick glance at Jim, who had calmed and blinked away the sudden onslaught of wetness, “he was right. It was the best thing to do. Our home… our home is where our families are.”

Sydney reached across the center console and patted her thigh reassuringly before turning to look out the other window. And yet it probably felt more like a home than anything she has ever known, he thought.

After the initial reaction, everyone had settled into a comfortable silence, broken by occasional conversation and laughter. Miss Parker had not said much, preferring instead to follow the route Major Charles had traced out with his finger over the map.

Upon reaching the airstrip, the group of four exited the car to find the others had beat them there. They had stopped every few hours for rest breaks, and just a few hours prior had taken an hour for dinner. With a minimum of conversation, most members of their party too tired to talk, they boarded the plane with their bags and Major Charles and Jim took their seats in the cockpit. After leveling off at 30,000 feet, Jim returned to the passenger area to find Debbie, Broots, and Sydney fast asleep and Ben well on his way there. Ethan had linked his arm through his sisters, and the two sat staring at the map on the table in front of them.

The owner of the jet had been a friend of Major Charles from his days in the Air Force, and had purchased the craft for business use a decade before. After removing four rows of seats, he proceeded to install a leather-cushioned booth and a small conference table to allow for business deals mid-air.

Parker pulled her arm from Ethan’s as Jim walked toward them, leaning forward over the table to gaze closely at the map. “You should sleep,” Ethan stated, resting his hand on the middle of her back. “You have been driving all day.”

“I should speak with the Major first,” she replied, continuing to trace routes over the United States map with her eyes.

A drip of blood splashed against the map, landing not too far from Hawkinsville. “Your nose is bleeding,” Jim lept from his seat, turning toward the galley to grab a roll of paper towels. Parker’s hand found its way to her upper lip, wiping at the smear of blood. She pulled her hand away, staring at her fingers, the thickness of blood.

Oh no. No, no, no! Tommy, stay with me! Tommy!” she cradled his head to her chest, looking up at the sky. Not again, not again.

“Lean your head back,” Ethan instructed, moving to half-kneel in front of her. His words snapped her back to the present, and like a puppet she sat backward and bent her neck as Ethan’s hands guided her movements. Taking the wad of tissue Jim offered from behind them, he smoothed the material into a thick square and held it against her nose, placing her hand on the bridge. Her mouth fell slightly open and she took in a ragged breath, eyes still wide and sad with recollection. “It’s okay,” Ethan offered, voice low and calm. “I used to get them all the time, back in the Centre,” he shrugged uncomfortably. Parker moved her clean hand to his face, cupping his cheek and offering a quick but understanding smile.

“I’m sorry,” Jim groused, sitting back on the floor of the plane and watching the siblings. “Maybe if I’d never said…”

Miss Parker grinned mischievously, “I won’t blame you for the nosebleeds, kid,” she spoke, pushing Ethan’s hand away from her nose so she could speak, “but if there are hemorrhoids, you are in so much trouble!”

Ethan chuckled, both at her words and Jim’s look of alarm, moving his hand back to support the tissue against her nose. Moving back into his seat, Parker’s brother pulled her head against his shoulder, “Just rest for a few minutes, sister. It’s been a very long day.”

--

“Everyone settling in?” Major Charles asked as Jim returned to the cockpit a half an hour after he had departed. The boy slid into the seat on the right, buckling himself in and securing his headset in place.

“Most of them are sleeping,” the boy shrugged. “Miss Parker had a nosebleed, Ethan helped her.”

“Nosebleed?” Major Charles’ wrinkled his brow, “Is that normal?”

Jim turned toward his father, cocking his head to the side and studying him. “It’s not common, but is known to happen. The altitude may have contributed in Miss Parker’s case.”

The Major’s nod was completed with a grimace. “There’s nothing wrong with her, Dad. She’ll be fine. When I came back to the front, the nosebleed had stopped and Ethan was tucking her in.”

“A good night’s rest will do us all a world of good,” his father replied, letting the boy direct the conversation.

“Speaking of which, when will we be arriving at our destination? And what is our destination?”

“Little less than three hours now,” the older man answered, flipping the switch to auto-pilot and turning the dial beside it. “44 degrees, 31 minutes north,” he pointed to the LCD screen between the two seats, “109 degrees, 3 minutes west.” Unbuckling the safety harness and removing his headset, he leaned over Jim and ruffled his hair. “I’m going to go take a nap. Wake me in an hour, hour and a half, or if you have any trouble.” The boy nodded, listening as the door closed behind him.

--

“Parker, wake up,” Ethan called, kneeling on the floor near her ear. “Come on, we’ve let you sleep as long as we can.”

The brunette groaned, brushing the hair that had fallen over her face out of her field of vision as she forced her eyes open. “Wha…?” Miss Parker began, using Ethan’s shoulder to push herself to a seated position.

“I carried you from the plane,” Ethan offered, “you were really tired. We’re here.” His words were unnecessary, he knew, because as soon as she looked out the Jeep’s window she would realize that they were certainly nowhere near the Georgia airfield they’d departed from.

“Wyoming,” Major Charles offered to the group, “Certainly can’t get any farther in the middle of nowhere.” The others were standing outside of the two vehicles the Major had commandeered from a friend in the nearest town.

Running a ragged hand through her hair and over her face, Parker stepped out of the Jeep and stood beside her brother. “You’ve certainly got that right,” her words were dry. “How are we supposed to get supplies out here?” She turned to the left, to the right, taking in the reddish brown soil and uneven patches of grass. In the distance she saw a butte, the sun shining brightly behind the plateau. Behind her was the house, a building that looked deceptively small on the outside but gave way to three underground floors in addition to the two built at foundation level.

She took a few steps away from the vehicle to better view the area. The house was built into the side of a small cliff, the lack of overhang allowing for direct sunlight exposure only from the southeast. The Cliffside sloped downward, leveling off to a height and consistent sediment color not unlike that of the house. A few desolate trees stood near the building, and a small stand of taller deciduous trees stood on a green patch several hundred yards away. Had the Major not known the house was there, they likely would have driven by it.

“Helicopter,” the Major grinned, his childlike glee providing evidence of the shared genetics between he and his sons. “Picking it up this afternoon when Jim and I take these Jeeps back into town.”

“Helicopter,” Sydney chuckled, tapping his chin with the side of an extended index finger.

“Can I ride?” Debbie asked, excitement causing her knees to bounce even as her father cringed. “I’ve never been in a helicopter!”

Turning once more, Parker took in the empty surroundings, observed the nonexistent road they’d driven in on, felt the dry heat of the air, and promptly doubled over to vomit on Ethan’s shoes.










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