CH4
There are a lot of questions being answered in the next two chapters along with some new ones. Some answers are obvious while others are a little more hidden. Read carefully. Just saying! Please don't shoot me!
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Rick started driving and had already sideswiped two cars in his mad dash to get out of the parking lot only to find the road out front clogged with traffic and people running past the stopped cars.
Rick however simply turned to the right hard and crashed through a small fence and started driving down the side walk, wiping out anything that got in his way. Then he turned hard right again into a parking lot and put his foot down and crashed through the wooden fence at the end of the parking lot.
They soon found themselves out in open ground with a few trees around that had Rick weaving between them.
"Where are we going?" Kate called from the back seat.
"We have a plan and a way out of here; it's just the other side of this wooded area and through a chain link fence." Rick calls out as he keeps weaving between trees.
"We have a place far from here; we just need to get to our transportation." Alexis adds as she hangs on and watches her father drive.
It took a few minutes of mad driving as far as Kate was concerned, however she had to admit he hadn't hit anything since those two cars.
Suddenly they shot out into the open and Rick was headed right for a chain link fence with razor wire across the top as Kate felt him put his foot to the floor, giving the car all the power it had and crashed through the fence and then drove with his foot still on the floor across a wide strip of concrete and Kate watched him head for one section.
Kate was still watching as small single engine planes came into view, however Rick blew right past all of them, however he was slowing down as Kate could feel he now had his foot on the brake.
They stopped next to a larger twin engine plane and Rick stopped the car and then himself and Alexis jumped out.
2011 Beechcraft King Air 350i, Collins pro Line 21 – Three AFD-3010 Displays – 2 PFD's & MFD, 189.5 hours.
"We need fuel dad!" Alexis yells and heads for one of the tie downs.
"I'll get the truck." Rick yells out and starts running.
"Here are the keys, open it up and start taking everything out of the back of the car." Alexis throws the keys at Kate who catches them and walks around the side of the plane looking for the way in.
Once Kate had it open she started pulling stuff out of the back of the car and taking it inside the plane while Alexis removed all the tie downs and then went in search of a ladder so she could get up onto one of the wings and open the fuel port and wait for her dad.
Kate meanwhile was loading the plane and was almost done when Rick showed up with the fuel truck and handed up the fuel nozzle to Alexis and Rick turned on the pumps when Alexis called out.
Kate was done and had everything inside the plane taking up most of the aisle way between the six leather seats. "Now what? What can I do?" Kate asked them.
"You armed?" Rick asks Kate. Kate's reply was to pull her service weapon out of her holster and take up a position at the rear of the plane.
Rick moved the fuel truck to the other side while Alexis scampered up onto the other wing.
Kate didn't like what she was hearing. It sounded like a lot of screaming, except there was a different sound that was beginning to overpower the screaming. It was different and it was making the hairs on the back of her neck rise up. It was an eerie sound, that didn't bode well for them.
"Hurry up." Kate yelled out.
"Done, move the truck dad." As Alexis closed the access cover and scampered down the ladder and pushed it over and ran for the stairs into the plane.
Kate didn't like the sound that was getting bigger, louder and likely closer. Kate didn't see anything yet but it was out there somewhere.
Kate could hear the port engine starting up when Rick yelled at her. "Get in!" Rick was waving his arm in a circle signaling Kate to hurry up.
Kate flew up the stairs with Rick right behind her. "Sit up front with Alexis." Rick calls out and lifts up the steps as he sees the starboard engine starting to turn over.
Rick slaps the handle sealing the door in place and pokes his head into the cockpit. "Time to go pumpkin." And Rick steps back and sits in the first seat he comes across and buckles up.
Kate was watching Alexis flipping switches. "Keep your feet off the paddles and your hands off the yoke unless I tell you to." Alexis calls out not bothering to look at Kate.
Kate stuffed her feet under her seat as best she could and put her hands between her legs and looked at all the switches, the multiple levers in the center and the three colored screens in front of her.
It was obvious the seat Alexis was in had been modified for her since she was so much shorter than Kate. And then they were moving.
Kate watched Alexis take them down to the end of the runway and made a turn and pushed some of the levers in the middle far to the forward and Kate could hear the change in tone of the two props as they surged forward.
"Buckle up." Alexis offers up. As Kate started searching for the seat belt. "It's a shoulder harness like mine over your shoulder." Alexis had spared Kate a quick look.
Kate was scrambling for her shoulder belts when she saw movement and pointed while stopping to put on her harness.
"I see them." Alexis responded, while Kate finished strapping in.
Kate put her feet down on the floor and used her legs to lift up and look out the front windscreen.
It looked like a wave of people headed their way, all running fast. Kate could make out that a lot of them were bloody looking; they were also discolored, like bruises or something.
Kate kept watching as the mob got closer and closer. It was like watching the fans of a home team flood the field after a big win that they weren't expected to win. Kate didn't like how close they were getting, when Alexis started pulling back on the yoke.
Kate felt a single bump that had the yoke in Alexis's hand shake lightly. "We hit one of them, likely chopped him into itsy bitsy pieces." Alexis comments as she watched the read out of the starboard engine flutter temporarily.
As they started to go up into the sky. "Are we in trouble?" Kate didn't know anything about planes, certainly not this one.
"This is a twin turbo prop. All we did was turn him into confetti. This is not a jet with turbine blades. … Bird strikes to a jet can damage the blades. Damage enough of them and you blow an engine. All he did to us was get our prop messy." Alexis explains, getting Kate to relax back in her seat.
They had been flying for maybe 45 minutes when Kate could see Alexis talking to someone and tried yelling over the noise and through her headset to ask about it. It got Alexis to pick up a head set and hand them to Kate. "Who are you talking to?" Kate asks.
"Them." And Alexis points out the window on Kate's right side.
A little ways out the window Kate saw an F/A-18E super hornet. A navy fighter bomber.
"They want to know where we are going and if we are secure. There is an aircraft carrier below us somewhere." Alexis explains as Kate watches the navy jet peel off quickly having gotten a satisfactory answer Kate guesses.
They had been traveling for a while when Kate had another question. "Can we make a phone call from up here? I have some friends I left behind that were going to go get my father." Kate asks Alexis.
"I just need the number you want to call." Alexis answers.
After Kate gives it to her. "Talk." Alexis tells her.
"Espo?" Kate was hoping that was who was on the other end.
"Beckett! How are you? … Where are you?" Espo answers getting Kate to start breathing again.
"I'm fine and I'm not sure just where we are at the moment." Kate tells him.
"We're about 89 miles off the East Coast at 22, 500 feet at the moment." Alexis can also hear the conversation since she is wearing a head set too.
"Who was that Beckett?" Espo was only a little concerned.
"My pilot, we barely escaped from a small airport before we were overrun. Did you find my dad?" Kate asks him.
"Katie?" Jim's voice replaces Espo's.
"Dad!" Kate relaxes a little. "Are you alright, where are you?" Kate fires off a couple of questions.
"I'm fine, we're driving to get to your precinct and I think we're almost there." Jim tells her. "Espo has told me that the military has blown all access to Manhanttan. We're effectively isolated from everywhere else." Jim explains.
"Just stay close to Espo dad. They'll take good care of you." Kate trusted them.
"What about you Katie, are you safe?" Jim was worried about where she was after what Espo had told him.
"I'm fine dad; I'm in a plane flying to somewhere. … I'm fine dad, just fine." Kate tells him, meaning to ask her saviors where they are going.
"Can your friends go get someone else?" Alexis interjects herself into the conversation.
"Who was that?" Jim asks.
"My pilot, hand the phone back to Espo dad." Kate asks of him. "I'll try and call you again later."
"Beckett?" Espo comes back on.
"My pilot has a question." Kate nods at Alexis.
"Can you go get my grandmother and take her with you? Her name is Martha Rodgers." Alexis asks them.
"She has saved my life Espo, if you can do it can you try please." Kate adds.
Alexis gives the address.
"Diverting now, we are actually not that far away. Is it possible to call and warn her? I don't want to have to force her." Espo asks.
"We will call her, thanks Espo, I owe you." Kate confirms watching Alexis nod her head.
The call ended and Alexis made another call. "Grams?" Alexis was glad to hear her voice.
"Alexis darling!" Martha sighed. "Are you alright? Where is your father?" Martha fires off her own questions.
"We're in the air grams; we've got about another three hours before we get there. Grams, I need you to listen. A pair of police officers are going to come and get you and take you to someplace safe. You need to pack a bag and go with them." Alexis asks of Martha.
"What's going on Alexis, there are TV reports telling us that there have been several nuclear explosions on the border with Mexico. They told us that the cities of San Diego, Tucson, El Paso, Laredo, Yuma, Douglas, Brownsville, Nogales. … They are all gone dear; they say they are all gone." Martha was scared.
Kate's mouth was hanging open when she heard this. Just what the hell was going on?
"I don't know grams; we're in the air and out of contact. Please grams go pack a bag and go with the officers when they show up." Alexis wanted Martha to do as she asked and go somewhere safe.
"If you're sure dear. … You and your father stay safe dear. … I love both of you." Martha relents.
"I love you too grams. Dad will call you later, be safe grams." Alexis ends the call and wipes tears from her eyes.
"Thank you." Alexis turns to look at Kate.
"You two have saved my life, it's the least I can do. I just wish I knew what was going on." Kate may be safe for now, but she was in the dark.
"Where are we going anyway?" Kate finally asks.
"Dad sold everything and bought two islands that are part of a chain of islands in the Bahamas. Dad stopped writing after he killed off Derek Storm and bought the islands to turn them into place for a roughing it vacationers with camping, deep sea fishing, scuba diving and snorkeling.
There was an old mansion that was built in 1938 by a German sympathizer during the war. He even had three trenches dug out for U-boats to dock and effect repairs. We're using them to house the three boats we have for deep sea fishing expeditions.
The house was in bad shape but we had it renovated, it's actually pretty nice now. It even came with an airfield which is where we will be landing.
We were about three months from opening when this happened. There shouldn't be anyone there unless there was someone out in a long distance boat in the area. We were only just starting to think about hiring the help." Alexis explains.
"Sounds isolated." Kate was wondering why out here?
"It's one of the top locations for scuba diving and snorkeling. The waters are so clear and deep sea fishing is just right out our back door.
We have these tents that guests will be using, complete with sleeping, cooking area, white sandy beaches, warm weather." Alexis adds information.
"What about us and us and getting no outside help?" To Kate it sounded like they weren't going to be getting any help.
"We have a huge cistern that the original owner placed under the house. We added Honeywell windmills, solar power panels, solar hot water system, with battery backup. There are two large propane tanks and two large tanks for gasoline, so we can fill the boats with fuel. Along with the several jet skis.
The airfield has a fuel tank and small fuel truck. There is already enough aviation fuel there for us to fill the tanks of this plane three times." Alexis adds.
"What if there is already a plane there?" Where do they land if the runway was already filled?
Alexis shook her head. "The runway isn't long enough or capable of handling jets of any size and it's too far away for a single engine plane even if it came from Miami, which is the closest large city. It's actually almost too short for us. We're the right size with the right amount of range and we bought it used, saving us money." Alexis explains where they are going. "Excuse me." Alexis stopped talking to Kate, however Kate could see she was talking to someone.
"Sorry, can you go get dad and have him sit where you are?" Alexis needed to talk with him.
"Sure." Kate took the head set off and released her harness and worked slowly at getting out of her seat without touching anything she thought she shouldn't.
"Hi." Kate moved over to where her favorite author was sitting quietly. "Your daughter wants you." This got Rick to get up and Kate took his seat.
(He really is handsome in person). He and his daughter had saved her life. Even if her running across them was purely by accident. It left her wondering what Richard Castle was like in person. And it looked like she was going to find out.
Rick was back in a little while leaving Alexis alone."Richard Castle, that is my daughter Alexis." Rick offers as he sits down next to Kate.
"Captain Kate Beckett, NYPD, 12th precinct." Kate offers her hand and feels Rick's soft hand take hers. His fingers felt strong and soft at the same time, getting her wondering just what he could do with those hands.
(Mind out of the gutter Kate, you only just met him)
"Captain, sounds exciting." Rick offers thinking she was the most beautiful captain he had ever met, let alone the most beautiful cop he had ever met.
"I haven't even started my job as captain yet. I was assigned only just yesterday and was told to attend a seminar at that hotel." Kate explains, not trying to extract her hand from Rick's.
"You seem young to be a captain of an entire precinct, you must be very good." Rick thinks it must be obvious.
"Thanks." Kate breaks from looking at his eyes and looks temporarily at the floor, not being used to being complimented about how she looks.
"Well I'm glad we could be of service. Has Alexis told you where we are going?" Rick asks Kate squeezing her hand that was still in his.
Kate takes her hand back. "She has, she also told me a little about the place, it sounds nice. Alexis also helped me talk to my dad and had my friends go pick up your mother and take her to the precinct also." Kate informs him.
That got Rick to open his eyes wide. "Thank you captain Beckett, that was thoughtful of you, my family means a lot to me. I just never expected, … this." Rick sweeps his arms wide. Even if he had a vision of it happening. It was part of his vivid imagination.
"You sure I won't be an imposition on you?" Kate didn't know what she was going to do if she was.
"Of course not, we have lots of room, and as you've likely found out, plenty of power and fuel and resources." Rick was glad she was hear, it gave him and his daughter someone to talk to.
"Resources?" Kate questions, since Alexis only talked about power and water, not food.
"The big island has several types of fruit trees and some nut trees. There is a small greenhouse we had planned on growing vegetables in. You know anything about growing plants?" Rick asks, because without the workers he hadn't hired yet neither he nor Alexis had green thumbs.
Kate shook her head. "Sorry I can probably kill anything except the weeds." Kate laughed at herself.
Rick loved the sound of her voice and her laugh, and decided he would do what he could to hear more of it.
"We've also got a few chickens, six in fact along with a few running wild pigs that aren't actually wild hogs, those would be too dangerous to have roaming around loose. The idea was to use them as part of the food for luaus for the guests." Rick explains.
It sounded like they had everything. "Soap, clothes, feminine products?" Kate had her own worries.
"We have a gift shop; all it has are swim suits however. I'm sure we can find something that will fit you to your satisfaction." Rick was dying to see Kate in a bikini all day long. "It also has things like sunscreen, pepto, and aspirin. Think anything a gift shop in a major hotel would have and we have it. Including drinks, chips and other things.
The house has a large kitchen and a huge pantry along with a few freezers. The pantry is full, we took care of that our last time out here. The freezers however are presently empty. We were on our way out here to start the process to hire workers and fill the freezers.
As for feminine things we have a lot because of my daughter and our anticipated guests. It should last the two of you for quite some time.
Medical however is limited to several first-aid kits, anything worse than that and they would get flown out by Alexis." Rick explains.
"Alexis is a little young to be a pilot." Kate points out.
This got Rick to smile, since he was really proud of his little girl. "Can't even legally drive a car but can fly a plane. She has her instrument only license for this class of plane. We found the plane in Wichita, Kansas. We took a commercial flight out and flew it home. Essex county airport was the closest large enough airport that had space for our size of plane. Even if it wasn't as close as we would like." Rick offers up some information.
"I'm really proud of her, I made a change in my life and Alexis jumped in and took classes to learn how to fly. Mother was the only one who questioned my choice. Well her and my publisher." Rick tells her still smiling at what his daughter was willing to do for him.
"Excuse me." Kate goes forward to Alexis since she saw Alexis waving her hand.
