The soldier said, motioning.
Kenji and the others nodded and jogged toward the soldier, then past him, headed out on the runway. They could see the other soldiers, standing around, spaced out, waiting for further attack.
Overhead, the second aircraft began to emit a horrendous sound. Streams of white-hot fire poured from two locations on the side of the aircraft as it circled. Kenji realized it was minigun fire, directed at targets on the ground. Some risers must still be lurking in the shadows between other hangars.
The survivors ran down the runway, toward the C-130, the strange soldier all in black running behind them. As they passed each of the other soldiers, they fell into step with the group.
At last, they all reached the C-130, its engines still going, a small team of soldiers at the rear, weapons ready.
"On board, let's go," an Air Force crewmember shouted.
Kenji was astonished to see other survivors onboard the plane—still taking their seats. He realized they had been hiding in the nearby hangar the plane had parked by. They must have been the ones broadcasting for help. And the Air Force had come.
The four skydiving soldiers were last to board the plane, which began to roll back down the runway. The plane's jumpsuited crew made sure everyone was strapped into the uncomfortable canvas-strap seats set up down either side of the plane.
Once he was strapped in, Kenji watched the four soldiers all in black huddle at the rear of the plane. They seemed somehow different from everyone else. They moved differently. Each wore black fatigues and heavy combat vests. Their heads were covered in black smocks, half their faces concealed by oversized tactical goggles. What little of their face did show was covered in gray and black streaks. They carried heavy machine guns and large box-sized pouches of spare ammo on their belts.
The C-130 was in the air fairly quickly, t hen finally leveled out. The crew unbuckled and began to check on their passengers. Kenji got himself loose and stood up.
"Whoa," one of the soldiers all in black said, holding up a hand. "Stay put, sir. Medic needs to check you out."
Ken turned and saw that an Air Force medic was going slowly down the line of passengers, shining a purple light in each of their eyes briefly. A blacklight flashlight.
"I'm not infected," Kenji said.
"We have to check, sir," the soldier said.
Even in the dim light inside th e plane, Kenji noticed something odd. Inside the soldier's mouth was not pink. No white teeth flashed when his lips parted. The inside of his mouth was all gray—like the paint smeared on his face.
Kenji stepped closer.
"Sir," the soldier said, stepping closer as well. "Please take your seat."
Kenji's eyes went wide. He could now see that the soldier didn't have gray and black paint on his face. He just had black paint. His skin was itself gray in color, textured like rough concrete. His lips, his teeth, e ven his tongue were made of the same material.
The soldier was a man made of living stone.
***
Once everyone had been verified as not infected, they were all given water and military rations. An Air Force crewman had explained they were being flown to a staging area where they'd be quarantined for 24 hours, then moved to the Western Evacuation Zone, on the Baja Peninsula of California.
Kenji had taken his seat as he'd been told, but continued to watch the strange stone soldiers during the flight. He had n ever seen anything like them—not even in the comic books he had read growing up. There had been many wondrous people in the 1970s and 1980s, showing off supernatural abilities to the public back then. But most were psychics, like Kenji.
At last, he decide d he had to know more. He had to know if this was still a vision, or if this time he had actually made a difference and gotten his friends to safety.
Kenji put down his meal and approached the soldiers. They sat in the rear of the plane, by themselves, car efully reloading the
Kenji and the others nodded and jogged toward the soldier, then past him, headed out on the runway. They could see the other soldiers, standing around, spaced out, waiting for further attack.
Overhead, the second aircraft began to emit a horrendous sound. Streams of white-hot fire poured from two locations on the side of the aircraft as it circled. Kenji realized it was minigun fire, directed at targets on the ground. Some risers must still be lurking in the shadows between other hangars.
The survivors ran down the runway, toward the C-130, the strange soldier all in black running behind them. As they passed each of the other soldiers, they fell into step with the group.
At last, they all reached the C-130, its engines still going, a small team of soldiers at the rear, weapons ready.
"On board, let's go," an Air Force crewmember shouted.
Kenji was astonished to see other survivors onboard the plane—still taking their seats. He realized they had been hiding in the nearby hangar the plane had parked by. They must have been the ones broadcasting for help. And the Air Force had come.
The four skydiving soldiers were last to board the plane, which began to roll back down the runway. The plane's jumpsuited crew made sure everyone was strapped into the uncomfortable canvas-strap seats set up down either side of the plane.
Once he was strapped in, Kenji watched the four soldiers all in black huddle at the rear of the plane. They seemed somehow different from everyone else. They moved differently. Each wore black fatigues and heavy combat vests. Their heads were covered in black smocks, half their faces concealed by oversized tactical goggles. What little of their face did show was covered in gray and black streaks. They carried heavy machine guns and large box-sized pouches of spare ammo on their belts.
The C-130 was in the air fairly quickly, t hen finally leveled out. The crew unbuckled and began to check on their passengers. Kenji got himself loose and stood up.
"Whoa," one of the soldiers all in black said, holding up a hand. "Stay put, sir. Medic needs to check you out."
Ken turned and saw that an Air Force medic was going slowly down the line of passengers, shining a purple light in each of their eyes briefly. A blacklight flashlight.
"I'm not infected," Kenji said.
"We have to check, sir," the soldier said.
Even in the dim light inside th e plane, Kenji noticed something odd. Inside the soldier's mouth was not pink. No white teeth flashed when his lips parted. The inside of his mouth was all gray—like the paint smeared on his face.
Kenji stepped closer.
"Sir," the soldier said, stepping closer as well. "Please take your seat."
Kenji's eyes went wide. He could now see that the soldier didn't have gray and black paint on his face. He just had black paint. His skin was itself gray in color, textured like rough concrete. His lips, his teeth, e ven his tongue were made of the same material.
The soldier was a man made of living stone.
***
Once everyone had been verified as not infected, they were all given water and military rations. An Air Force crewman had explained they were being flown to a staging area where they'd be quarantined for 24 hours, then moved to the Western Evacuation Zone, on the Baja Peninsula of California.
Kenji had taken his seat as he'd been told, but continued to watch the strange stone soldiers during the flight. He had n ever seen anything like them—not even in the comic books he had read growing up. There had been many wondrous people in the 1970s and 1980s, showing off supernatural abilities to the public back then. But most were psychics, like Kenji.
At last, he decide d he had to know more. He had to know if this was still a vision, or if this time he had actually made a difference and gotten his friends to safety.
Kenji put down his meal and approached the soldiers. They sat in the rear of the plane, by themselves, car efully reloading the
Similar Books
Virtually in Love
A. Destiny
A Risk Worth Taking
Heather Hildenbrand
When We Argued All Night
Alice Mattison
Falling Free
Lois McMaster Bujold
Hopelessly Broken
Tawny Taylor
Runner
Thomas Perry
Midnight in Ruby Bayou
Elizabeth Lowell
Truly Mine
Amy Roe
A Love Letter to Whiskey
Kandi Steiner
Rome's Executioner
Robert Fabbri