The sand gave way to the barren mountains. They encountered some chop, but it was still early enough to miss the afternoon turbulence.
McGriffin flew in a broken path, avoiding flying over dark patches on the ground. He pointed out that the dark patches heated up faster than the surrounding lighter area, causing air turbulence. “We’re over the mountains. Anywhere in particular you want to go?”
Vikki studied the area below her. Every so often a dirt road sliced through the valleys. For the most part the mountains were untouched by human presence.
“Follow that road. It should take us to where I was last week. It’s kind of hard telling where I am, though.”
“It takes time.” McGriffin brought the aircraft down in altitude, finally leveling off at a thousand feet above ground level. “How’s this?”
“Better.” She continued to stare out the cockpit.
The mountains grew rougher the farther north they flew. McGriffin managed to keep a good blend between following the dirt road and keeping away from the thermals. Trees started appearing on the mountains. The plane bumped, hitting areas of turbulence he could not circumvent.
Vikki motioned excitedly. “There. The meadow in that ring of peaks. I remember it from a map I was looking at.” The mountain looked sheared off, resembling a crater from an ancient volcano. A pointed ridge encircled the meadow. Set down into the crater’s walls, the meadow looked nearly a mile long. A pond sat at the low end of the meadow; the other end lay against a sharp rise of peaks.
McGriffin banked the Cessna, bringing it to within a few hundred feet of the crest. “I could almost land in there.”
“Would it be hard?”
McGriffin studied the crater. “No. There’s plenty of room.”
“You’re not going to try it, are you?”
“And chance getting stuck? No thanks. I’ve got to work tonight.” He pulled up and buzzed the ridge. “How did you find this place?”
“I just wanted to get away, do some camping. It’s nice down there.”
McGriffin was silent. He pulled up and brought the aircraft around. “I know what you mean.” He glanced at his watch. “We’re approaching the one-hour mark. I’ve got to get back.”
“You’re worse than Cinderella. Can’t you go to work a little late?”
“And turn into a pumpkin? Maybe some other day. I’ve got some errands to run before getting to work.”
They followed the same dirt road back, keeping at a higher altitude to avoid the thermals. They kept to themselves most of the way. McGriffin broke the silence.
“What brings you out here, Vikki?”
“A job.”
“What do you do?”
She turned and looked out the window. “I’d rather not talk about it.”
“Okay.” McGriffin drew in a breath. It always seemed the women he got introduced to either treated him like a brother or a jerk — which gave credence to being unequally yoked. And that brought his thoughts back to Linda. He flew without speaking.
Vikki turned from the window. “Bill, I like you a lot, but for a while let’s just keep out of each other’s past. I’ve got some things to sort out.”
McGriffin mulled it over. “Sounds fair. I guess I’m in the same boat.” He shrugged. His hopes flickered, and he felt strangely content. Vikki was really different. She wasn’t as glamorous as Linda, but she was more self-assured. That’s it — it was a sense of self-confidence Vikki possessed, a worldliness — yet not egotistical. He thought briefly about asking her about her beliefs, but got cold feet — he had been burned too many times to be laughed at.
McGriffin dismissed the thought and felt angry with himself. Glancing over at her, she smiled at him and turned back to looking out the window.
Here he’d gone out with her only once, and he was already thinking like a teenager. They flew back in silence, warm in each other’s presence.
Chapter 11
Britnell pulled a jug of wine from the picnic basket. He threw a smile at Vikki as he screwed open the top. High class, mused Vikki. Twist-top wine.
A helicopter beat overhead, flying away from Alpha Base. Vikki concentrated on the inside of the fence while Britnell poured the wine. The barracks, security building, and command post were arranged in a tight knot just inside the four fences. The picnic area seemed like an oasis in the shadow of the fortresslike Alpha Base. She compared the view with the drawings on the map Britnell had slipped her. The words for official use only were scratched out on the top and bottom of the document.
Britnell shoved Vikki a glass of pink Chablis. It tasted like wet cardboard, but she sipped delicately on it. She leaned back and ran a hand across his arm.
“I wish you didn’t have to go on duty. Seven days is a long time not to see you.”
Britnell broke into a smile. “There’s a way I might be able to get around that.”
“Really?”
“I was saving it for a surprise. I checked with my first sergeant. He’s scheduled my partner, Clayborn, and me on the Omega shift this week, patrolling Alpha Base from outside the fence. That killer rabbit we tracked down three weeks ago impressed the hell out of him, so he’s giving us a break.”
“Outside shift?”
“Yeah. One of the crews gets to patrol the area outside of Alpha Base instead of pulling guard duty inside.”
“Ummm. So we can see each other.” She leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek. “Why don’t I give you a call when I’m free?”
“Sure. When?”
Vikki thought rapidly — Harding needed at least a twenty-four-hour heads-up before starting the raid, and she still needed to get the call signs. “Let’s plan on tomorrow night, nine-thirty, unless I call.”
Britnell threw back the glass and chugged the wine. He poured himself another glass. “You got it. Tomorrow night, nine-thirty, unless I hear otherwise. We’ll meet right here, and I’ll take you out with us.”
She leaned over. She pushed him back onto the ground and kissed him hard. “What I’ve got in mind, I think maybe just you should show up and leave your partner back home.”
Britnell thought it over as Vikki kissed his neck; he caressed her hair and grinned. “Yeah. Clayborn can take a siesta. No problem.”
Vikki held him tight for some minutes. Rolling over, she brought up the map that he had given her. She studied the paper and waited a minute until he downed another glass. “What are these symbols?”
Britnell grabbed for the area map of Alpha Base and stabbed at the markings designated P, T, S, and M. “These are pressure, temperature, sonic, and motion sensors. Your company will have to avoid them when they build the new barracks. They’re buried all over the place.”
She folded the map and leaned over to kiss his neck. “I can’t wait until I see you again.”
“I’d like to see you tonight, but the first evening of my shift overlaps with the last shift’s — it’s all briefings for us tonight. But at least I’ll be there with a buzz on.” He eyed the remaining bottle of wine. “Want any more?”
Vikki shook her head.
He grinned lopsidedly and polished it off.
Vikki checked the number in the Wendover AFB phone book one more time before she called. Three phone numbers were listed under Base Operations. She entered the first, and as the phone rang, she hoped she had picked the right number.
“Base Ops.”
Vikki spoke quickly and tried to sound frantic. “My boyfriend is flying into Wendover tomorrow night. Is there any way to find out when he’s scheduled to arrive?”
A bored voice answered, “Do you have a call sign?”