“Do you want me to drive you to the cabins?” Avi asked.
“No,” Eldon said as he strode out of the secure communications room in the Caldera. “I wanna walk.”
Eldon left the Cave Complex alone, walking quickly in the cover of the thick, wet evergreens. He followed the path that led up and out of the depression that was once the heart of a volcano, his mind erupting in thought. He’d gotten his wish. Once again, the American people had a need—a desperate and mortal need—and Valor had been called to meet it.
If he had to be honest, there was a part of him that felt relief when the SecDef halted kinetic activities at Valor. The heart of his concern was Cody, the fragile younger son who Eldon knew was not ready. Brave and eager to prove himself, Cody was more than willing to invite danger, but it was this willingness that worried Eldon. Cody was the good son, the one who not only wanted but needed a pat on the back.
In his two sons, there were two kinds of boys: the one who wanted the pat on the back, and the one who wanted to survive. Wyatt was the consummate survivor. The kid who did what he had to do to get through a challenge. Wyatt was uncomfortable with pats on the back, and before his time at Valor, he had received a scant few.
There was a certain aggression about Wyatt. When he saw an opportunity, he attacked it with violence and purpose. Cody, on the other hand, tried to do the right thing, to perform at the highest level. The gun range was the perfect example: while Wyatt sought only to shred the bull’s-eye, Cody saw it just as much for the art, choosing the right firearm and conditioning and oiling it.
And Eldon knew all too well that in a kinetic environment, violence and action—attacking a goal to get it done—was the difference between the survivors and the martyrs, the heroes and the fallen. And so he was thinking of all these things when he pushed through the doors to the lodge and went back to the kitchen to find Mum, sitting at a small table with Cass, having coffee.
“Morning,” he said to them. “Cass, didn’t expect to see you so early.”
“Couldn’t sleep,” she said. “But want me to…” She stood and he motioned for her to sit.
“I’m glad, actually. I was coming to tell you both something.”
“You look worried,” Mum said. “Coffee?” She motioned to the fresh pot.
Eldon nodded and filled a mug, joining them at the card table.
“So what’s up?” Cass asked.
Eldon thought about how he’d break the news. “The SecDef finally came around. We’ve gotten our first mission of the summer.”
“What?” Cass said excitedly. “That’s great.” Cass looked to Mum, who had risen out of her seat.
“This is wonderful,” Mum echoed, holding her hands up clenched. “Yes.” She looked to Eldon. “Is it really happening? They’re not canceling the program?”
“Orders come from the SecDef herself … The short version is that we’re intercepting a school shooting that we assume is being planned by Encyte. But it’s going to be … complicated.”
“How so?” Cass asked.
“Because she doesn’t just want the Group-As … she wants the Rovers, too.”
“Oh dear,” Mum said, nervously biting the inside of her cheek.
Eldon looked over at Cass. “Well, orders are orders,” she said hesitantly.
“Yes,” said Eldon. “But do you think they’re ready?”
“The Rovers?” Cass said. “Or one of them in particular?”
“I don’t know.” Eldon lowered his eyes. “Is he?”
“Eldon,” Cass said. “My sister is dead because of what she did at the camp.”
“I know. Don’t you think I know—”
“Let me finish. My sister is dead, but she was ready and willing. She knew exactly what she was getting into. She knew the danger.”
“Dolly was special, we all know that.”
“So is every kid at this camp,” Mum chimed in.
“If you want,” Cass said. “You could hold him back, put him on a detail here, but if you ask me … he’s ready. Whether you like it or not.”
“That’s all I needed to hear, because there’s one more thing.”
“What?” Cass said.
“You’ll be the one leading them on this mission.”
Eldon stomped up the steps to the Rovers cabin, the beetles bumping against the lone porch light. He looked around; his breath hung in the cold morning air, but sweat dotted his forehead and under his arms. He put his hand on the cabin door and knocked.
“Come in!” one of them called.
He entered and they all stood to greet him, the eyes around the room so young, so innocent. “Rovers.” Eldon cleared his throat. “I’m going to make this brief. A C-130 is inbound to the Caldera to pick you up for your first mission. Get your gear ready. We’ll debrief you on the plane. You guys have twenty minutes.”
A moment of silence. Excited, bewildered eyes blinking back at him.
“Well, let’s get moving,” Cody said, looking around and then quickly packing his rucksack.
Exactly fifteen minutes later, Eldon found Cass standing on the tarmac, her hair slicked back, boots laced tight as she did for combat. “Is everyone ready?” he asked.
“Ready as they’re gonna be with two hours of prep.”
“And Viktoria?”
“Already in the cockpit.”
“How ’bout you … you good?”
“Scared shitless.”
They watched the Group-As—Mary Alice in the lead—walking in formation, cutting through the misty grass toward the C-130. “Think the Old Man would’ve done what we’re doing?” Cass asked.
Just behind them, the Rovers tripped along like puppies. A fresh-faced Cody first among them.
“God, I hope so,” Eldon said, slapping her on the back. “Let’s go.”