Page 59 of True Valor
Julie stood aside watching the lack ofemotions play across Nic’s face.This guy, whoever he was, waspositively buzzing.Julie’s guess was way too much caffeine.Thewoman looked up as the men spoke and smiled sadly.She wore aloose-fitting flowered jumper with a light-blue silk blouse.Shelooked a little out of place here in this sparse,testosterone-colored building.
“Thanks.Stan, Lily, I’d like you to meetJulie Galloway.Julie, Stan Michaels and Lily...I don’t know thatI’ve ever heard your last name Lily.”
Lily smiled.She was a lovely girl, in aflower child sort of way.Her long auburn hair was pulled back in aclip at the base of her neck.She nodded to Julie.“Lily Atherton.Nice to meet you, Julie.”With that, she hugged her legal pad toher chest, turned and floated into a room off the far end of theroom where they were.
“Lily’s a volunteer so she has to take offfrom work to come in,” Nic said as if in answer to the unspokenquestion of the way Lily was dressed.“She usually runs the radiohere.Well, actually, she runs the entire show.Just don’t tellDaniel,” he finished with a wink then turned to Stan.“So where arewe?”
Stan lifted the map from the table and stuckit in the clip on the wall.“Daniel’s got Team One up above thecrash site.They can get down there if need be but it’s prettytechnical.”He pointed at a spot on the map that meant absolutelynothing to Julie.
Nic nodded.“Yeah, it is.”
“And Team Two is way down here.They can’tsee the wreckage from where they are but are hanging out until weknow how the evac is going.If your guys can get in and out withthe survivors, it’ll be good.With everyone, even better.It burnsme up to risk life for bodies.”Before Nic could answer, hecontinued.“Yeah, I know, regulations.I guess I should be gratefulwhen youdohaul out body bags.”
Julie noticed a tightening of Nic’s jaw.Apparently, Stan didn’t.He babbled on and on.Nic finallydisengaged and led Julie back to the radio room.There were desksfor several people to work but, at this point, only Lily was there.She wore a headset and gazed at a computer screen that showedanother topo map with arrows and notes attached.She wrote on thelegal pad as the voice on the radio gave his current status.
“That’s Daniel,” Nic whispered.
“Got it, Team One.Thanks.Mission baseclear.”Lily finished her note and turned to them.“The wind hasdied down.The helo should have a better time of it.”
“Good.Okay if we hang out?”
“Sure.”Lily pulled off the headset andstood.“Since you’re here anyway, can you listen for a sec?I sohave to make a pit stop.”
Nic laughed and took the headset from her.Instead of putting it on, though, he simply held the earpiece inthe general vicinity of his ear so they both could listen.Theradio crackled at either end of the message.The helo carrying Cruzand the others had just lifted off.
For the next three hours, Julie watched andlistened, mesmerized by all the activity, even if she didn’t quitecatch it all.
Lily, on the other hand, calmly spoke on theradio, never showed any stress, and seemed to breeze throughwhatever came up.Julie couldn’t help but think of Tolkein’s elveswhen she watched Lily, though she couldn’t figure out why.Hercoloring was different, and she wasn’t wispy at all.If anything,she was curvy, not exactly overweight, but definitely not elfish inthat way.Her voice, her tranquility, the way she moved, sograceful, all made Julie a bit envious.
If anything defined Julie, it was frenzy.Shefound it difficult to sit still, always had.Doing nothing made herfidget.Waiting sucked.As her mind swirled around the comparisons,she realized that was exactly what she’d been doing the lastdays—waiting, doing nothing.Ignoring reality.Come to think of it,it was easy to do when Nic made her feel so...complete.But itcouldn’t last, could it?She couldn’t hide here forever.For now,though, there was more than enough going on to keep her mindbusy.
“Mission Base, this is High Bird.I havecoordinates on that plane for you.”It was a female voice.
Julie looked to Nic.
“Daniel’s wife, Karen.She’s playing spotterfrom the fixed wing.She’s on the SAR team as well.”
“Oh.”
Will Pitkin was first to be lowered to theledge where the small plane rested precariously.Will’s boom micwas voice-activated so even his heavy breathing, as he scrambled toreach the survivor, came across loud and clear.It was creepy.
The survivor, a woman who appeared to be inher mid-forties, was unconscious, but breathing.Will reported shehad obvious deformity of her lower left leg, no doubt a tib-fibfracture, and had a significant laceration on her forehead.Herecommended lowering another man so that one could package thispatient quickly, and the other could see if there were moresurvivors.The flight record had suggested there were three peopleon board.Will, simply scanning the perimeter, didn’t see anyoneelse.
Instead of just one more lowered, both Cruzand Gabriel joined Will on the ledge.Cruz and Will stabilized thewoman’s leg and got her backboarded and loaded in the Stokesbasket.Will was lifted out with the basket and the helicopter leftthe scene headed for the nearest trauma center.
Cruz and Gabe proceeded to search the areafor others.They found the pilot, still strapped in his seat.
“His condition?”Lily asked.
“He’s not responsive, might be Elpenor,”
“Dead,” Nic translated.At her look ofconfusion, he added, “Some ghost who visited Ulysses.You’d have toask Daniel.We’d rather not broadcast ‘dead guy.’”
“Wreckage is too wobbly to just step outthere.I’ll get rigged up and go check.”It wasn’t Cruz’s voice, soit must have been Gabe.He didn’t sound at all stressed, though.Hesounded like it was just another day on the job.
It probablywas.
In the meantime, Cruz had located the thirdperson near one wing that had been ripped from the plane.He wasmost assuredlyElpenor.
