Chapter 9: The Extraction and the Cost
The deafening roar of the helicopter’s twin turbine engines filled the clearing, kicking up a violent vortex of loose gravel, autumn leaves, and swirling mist. Garza slammed the SUV to a halt just twenty feet from the rotating skids, killing the engine in one swift motion.
""Go, go, go!"" Hayes yelled, pushing open her door and stepping out into the punishing downdraft.
Leo grabbed his dark grey backpack from the floor, slinging it over his shoulder, and scrambled out of the passenger side door. The wind from the rotor blades whipped his messy brown hair across his face, making it hard to see. He kept his head down, following Hayes as she sprinted toward the open cargo door of the aircraft.
A crew chief in a tactical flight suit leaned out from the helicopter cabin, his gloved hands reaching down to grab Hayes by the vest and haul her inside. He immediately turned his attention to Leo, extending a strong, calloused hand downward. Leo lunged forward, catching the man's wrist, and was hoisted up into the warm, metallic interior of the aircraft with surprising ease.
Garza climbed in right behind them, slamming the heavy composite door shut and locking the heavy deadbolts into place.
""Pilot, lift off! We've been compromised!"" Garza shouted into the intercom headset as he secured himself into a jump seat.
The helicopter shuddered violently as the collective pitch of the rotors increased. With a powerful surge of thrust, the aircraft lifted vertically off the ground, clearing the rusted tin roof of the timber mill by mere feet before banking sharply to the left and accelerating into the overcast night sky.
Leo collapsed onto a narrow bench seat against the interior bulkhead, pulling his knees up to his chest. Through the small round porthole window, he watched the ground fall away. The dense pine forests and winding mountain roads shrank into a dark, sprawling mosaic beneath them. The flickering headlights of a vehicle—presumably one of the pursuing black sedans—could be seen racing into the clearing they had just vacated, too late to intercept them.
Hayes slid onto the bench beside him, handing him a sealed bottle of water from a survival pack. ""Drink this. You're going into shock.""
Leo took the bottle with trembling hands, unscrewed the cap, and took a long, hesitant swallow. The cold water helped soothe his dry throat, grounding him slightly in the reality of the moment. He looked down at his grey sweatpants and sneakers, both stained with mud and dirt from the frantic escape.
""Where are we going now?"" Leo asked, his voice barely audible over the drone of the engines.
""A secure safehouse operated by independent federal inspectors in Vermont,"" Hayes replied, pulling out a ruggedized laptop from her tactical case. ""From there, we interface directly with the encrypted satellite uplink to broadcast the Project Janus files.""
Leo looked over at the aluminum case resting between Hayes's knees—the case containing the small flash drive with his father's life work. ""And my dad? When do we find out if he's okay?""
Hayes paused, her fingers resting on the keyboard of the laptop. She looked at Leo with an expression that conveyed a heavy, unspoken truth. ""Your father knew that once this operation went live, there would be no going back to normal. He chose his path to protect the agency's integrity, but more importantly, to protect you. If he made it out of the house tonight, he'll rendezvous with us at the safehouse. If he didn't..."" She didn't finish the sentence, but the implication hung heavy in the air.
Leo turned his face back to the porthole window, watching the clouds part to reveal a vast expanse of cold, indifferent stars. He gripped the strap of his backpack tightly, realizing that his childhood had ended somewhere in that underground parking garage when Officer Miller pinned him to the hood of his father's car.
Two hours later, the helicopter began its descent, descending toward a secluded cabin nestled deep within the snow-dusted valleys of Vermont. The landing lights illuminated a ring of towering pines surrounding a modest, fortified structure with reinforced shutters and an independent satellite dish mounted on the roof.
May you like
As the aircraft touched down with a soft thud, the cabin door swung open, and two armed men in civilian gear stepped out to secure the perimeter. Hayes led Leo down the metal steps into the biting cold of the northern night air.
Just as they reached the porch of the cabin, the distant sound of another vehicle echoing down the snowy access road made everyone freeze."
