Cloud Invasion: R-D 2 (R-D #2)(52)

Once they had everything in place, the ropes were lowered and Maye went up the first one, with Richard almost behind her on the second. Then, Opal and Nathan went up. I was left to go up alone.

You can do this, cabbage, Rafe sent.

I think I'll use a little of what I have to help, I said and grabbed the rope. At least we had leather gloves-I didn't want burns on my palms if I slid down. Following the path the others used, I worked my way up the rocky cliff, balancing myself with power. Yes, if I hadn't had it, I might have fallen-twice. Instead, I came up in a semi-professional manner, Rafe grinned and we were off to find the launch point.

*

Notes-Colonel Hunter

"They're close," James pointed out the GPS signal in Chingaza. I could see the pinging signal the vehicles sent, and then that of the search party, not far away. Six miles away, I could also see the signal at the crash site.

"Keep me informed," I said.

"Yes, sir."

It was nice to have James back. I almost felt normal again.

*

Ilya

Here, Corinne informed me. She stood on the scuffed, rocky surface, where hundreds of hikers and backpackers had likely stood before, on a flat surface with a very good view of the lake below.

But this is not where the light appeared-that is still farther in, I argued.

I don't know what that light was, but this is where the rocket was launched, she insisted.

Maybe we ought to take a look, then, I agreed. Her mental voice had sounded worried and that, in turn, worried me.

Yes. Come, now, I turned and followed the others. Nick had taken the lead-he was using his hypersensitive nose to detect scents. He was careful not to disturb any evidence; I understood that, too.

Barely a hundred yards away, and halfway down the peak on the opposite side, lay the coordinates. Nick knew it first, but as it didn't hold as much horror for him as it did for Corinne, he warned us, first.

*

Notes-Colonel Hunter

I didn't have enough words to describe what I saw in the images sent by Nick. Sixteen bodies, hacked apart by a machete or something similar, were strewn about the site. Two of them looked as if they'd been blown apart by a blast, first.

The bloom of light we'd seen—this was it. We'd never caught the actual launch with the satellite images we had. The bodies looked to be locals-what remained of their clothing supported that theory.

Auggie, these were hired locally, Corinne sent. I feel sick, she added. Then, she sent names-of the dead. There was no identification found amid the carnage, but she knew their names. Forcing my hand to steady, I wrote them down to send to Matt. We could coordinate with the local police to get missing persons leads, along with a forensics team up the mountain to collect and catalogue the remains.

Get down the mountain, I sent an e-mail back to Nick. Let the local police handle this.

Will do, he responded.

I was on the phone to Matt seconds later, and was connected to Bogotá police shortly after that. Police were dispatched already when the signal from our group went dead.

*

Corinne

When the rocket hit the launch site, we were already at our vehicles-I'd been forced to move us when I received my usual last-minute warning. The problem was, our vehicles were no longer safe, either. I could either use what I had to make them safe or I could do my other usual and get us the hell out of there.

Nathan was already hyperventilating after we watched half the mountain we were just on get blasted to bits. Want me to disarm the bombs they've planted on our trucks? I asked Maye and Rafe. Or do you want me to get us out of here?

Disarm the bombs, they both said.

It took just a moment. I left the disarmed explosives where they were, however, so Nick and the others could examine them-maybe they could be identified. Whatever had been left on that mountain, including the bodies, was now blasted or incinerated.

The local police wouldn't find much-if anything.

Auggie, somebody just blew up the mountain top and strapped explosives to the underside of our trucks, I reported. Nick says he's lost contact with you, I added as we climbed hurriedly into the vehicles and took off.

Nathan was still in a daze of some sort, so Opal had taken charge of him. I'm sure whoever had blown up the mountain and then attempted to bomb our vehicles were expecting us to be dead already or explode after we drove away.

Not until an hour later-when that hadn't happened-did they think to get on our trail. Two helicopters could be heard in the distance, and I knew, whether anyone else did or not-they were tailing us, with more missiles to deliver.

"Cabbage, what are you doing?" Ilya hissed.

"I've never fired one of these before," I said, as the rocket launcher appeared in my arms. "Give me a minute to download the instructions," I added while attempting to juggle the heavy weapon. I'd pulled in the biggest one I could find at such short notice.

"Download? What the hell are you talking about? Opal," he huffed, "put that boy down and help Corinne."

"I got this," Opal patted a dazed Nathan's shoulder and took the rocket launcher from my arms. It was just as well; I was handling it awkwardly and I knew it. I also wasn't relishing the idea of shooting down two helicopters, even if they intended to kill us.

I ended up hanging onto Opal so she wouldn't fall through the window as she leaned farther out than was safe and fired the first rocket at an approaching helicopter.