Chapter One
A Closer Look
"Don't you ever do anything just for fun?"
"Climbing the Zagros Mountains was supposed to be just for fun. I swear I didn't know they were here."
"Well are you sure it's them?"
I hand him the binoculars. "See for yourself."
Jonah takes them and peers through at the lights flickering in the distance on the mountain side. I swing my pack around my shoulder, take off a mitten, and begin digging in my bag. At last, I find what I'm looking for just as Jonah decides he's done with the binoculars. He holds them out to me, a frown partially concealed behind his scarf. I trade him the pistols I pulled from the pack and put the binoculars away.
"These are just a precaution, right? We're heading back down, yes?"
I sling the pack over my back again, cock the pistols, and then shove them into my belt. "You should know by now that I have to find out what they're up to. And then stop them." His frown deepens. "I'm not asking you to come. I couldn't, not after everything I've already put you through."
"And you should know by now that I won't let you face them alone. I don't like it, not one bit, but I'm coming with you."
I slip my mitten back on and pat him on the shoulder. "Thanks."
Both of us wrap our scarfs tighter around our faces and begin hiking again. We've got maybe an hour of fading light left to get to the ridge above us and make camp.
I'm up before Jonah the next morning. After getting dressed, I fish out the binoculars again and sit outside the tent. The air is crisp this morning. The snow that was falling last night has quit, making it easier to pick out more details.
It's Trinity, there's no doubt about it. Something large and metal is sticking up above their tents, some kind of machinery. There's lots of movement among the tents as well. I won't know how many of them there are until we get closer though. Part of me idly wonders if Ana is there.
I scan the terrain nearby. Their camp appears to be on the edge of a ravine that stretches far in either direction. That'll be our way in. If the weather holds, we might make it before nightfall. I duck back into the tent and wake Jonah up.
"Come on sleepy, time to get going."
We weren't lucky. The wind picked up as we entered the ravine, and made the going tough. There also wasn't a good place to set up camp, so that night was bitter cold. Neither of us slept much.
Now this morning, the wind is still blowing strong and carrying with it the sounds of gunfire.
"What are they shooting at?" Jonah asks as we finish packing the tent.
"Hopefully each other," I joke.
He throws me a smirk. "I doubt that."
We're silent as we hike further, the gunfire getting louder and now mingled with explosions. The ground shakes with a few of them, sending waves of snow sliding down into the ravine.
Then suddenly there's a lull of silence. I slowly stop, Jonah catching on a moment later. He looks at me, but doesn't speak. I pull my hood back and listen. Faintly, I hear the whirr of an engine.
BOOM
The edge of the ravine right above us explodes. I throw myself into the snow as rock and ice rain down upon us.
BADABOOM
Something large lands nearby, bursting apart and sending chunks of metal hurtling through the air. The explosions stop, but there's a sizzling and cracking sound. I lay face down in the snow for a moment longer before sticking my head up.
The thing turns out to be an old military truck. The sizzling and cracking is the truck on fire.
"Jonah!" I call, not caring if anyone above can hear me.
"I'm here!" he yells behind me. I turn and see him kick a metal panel away. His hood is half torn off and there's blood down the side of his head. He points past me, at the truck. "There's someone in there!"
I spin back. He's right, there's someone slumped against the steering wheel. The sizzling is now accompanied by a high-pitched whine. The truck is about to blow. I clamber through the snow and debris as fast as I can. I reach the truck and struggle to open the door. The frame is twisted, the hinges bent. It won't budge. The window is mostly shattered, so I jab it with my elbow and knock out the rest of the glass. I grab the person's arm, prepared for another struggle. But my hand closes around an arm much smaller than I expected. I pull them out of the truck easily. The person is tiny, just a child. I scoop them up in my arms and book it away from the truck. I make it about 20 feet when the whine suddenly ramps up in pitch. I drop forward into the snow, shielding the child, as the gas tank explodes.
Debris flies overhead and the heat washes over me, but for the most part the snow seems to protect us. I pick myself up slowly, assessing the damage. Jonah's already clambering over to me. My coat and hood are a little singed and my front is covered in blood. I pat myself warily, but I seem to be okay. Then I look at the child in the snow and realize the blood is not mine.
Jonah reaches me, looking me up and down with panic in his face.
"I'm fine," I say, gesturing to his head. "What about you?"
He reaches up and is surprised to find blood. "I- I think I'm okay too."
I open my mouth to say something else, but the sound of helicopter blades stops me. Quickly, I scoop up the child again. Without a word, Jonah takes the child from me and together we run towards the edge of the ravine, hiding under an overhang of ice.
The helicopter appears above the ravine. Two lines are tossed from it, landing near the truck. There is literally nowhere to hide. I pull Jonah down into the snow. We burrow as far as we can before two men slide down the lines and land in the ravine with us.
Silently I pull the pistols from my belt.
The men land facing away from us, pointing assault rifles at the truck. One wanders into the smoldering wreckage, nudging debris with the barrel of his gun. The second one stays where he is, one hand up to his head.
"Well?" the second one calls.
The first turns, dropping his gun to his side. "There ain't no way anything survived that."
"Boss wants to be sure."
"I'm pretty damn sure," the first one snarls. He looks around, making a show of it. His gaze slides right over us and I feel Jonah tense beside me. "You see that little monster anywhere?"
"I can't see anything in the truck," the second yells back.
The first one pops his gun back up, pointing at the other man. "Then check it yourself, you lazy ass."
There's a tense moment where the men point their guns at each other. But the second one decides it isn't worth it, lets his gun slack, and talks into his earpiece. The first man lowers his gun and tromps back to the line. They hook up and zoom back up to the helicopter. Shortly, it flies off.
Thank god Trinity hires idiots. I stand up and look at the ground. There is a clear trail from the wreckage to our hiding place. If those two had had any wits about them, that would have gone very differently.
I turn to Jonah, who is still crouched beside me, and inspect his wound. He winces. "You're okay," I say, "It's just a cut." I sit down and dig the first aid kit out of my pack.
Jonah looks down at the child in his lap. He's covered in blood and grime. Through the tears in the clothes there's open gashes and several bullet wounds.
But as we watch, we see the chest slowly rise and fall. Miraculously, the child still lives.
