Chapter 10 – Eleven Hours

After almost 10 hours of driving, the Walker family arrived at Goldfield Air Force Base near Goldfield, Nevada. Nora drove her SUV carrying Kevin, Scotty, and Robert. Sarah drove in her van, carrying with her Rebecca, Julia, Tommy, Kitty, Jadia, and Sabriya. It was the morning of the eighth day when they arrived. Robert had his laptop and was monitoring Justin on the video, which was still running. Nora couldn't bear to look at it and focused on the road all night long. Kevin and Scotty, however, did get a good look at how rapidly Justin's condition was worsening. After a while, Robert eventually closed the window.

Meanwhile, Sarah's van was a bit more packed full of people. Rebecca had fallen asleep and rested her head on the window in the front seat. In the far back, Tommy was slouched back with his arms around Julia, who was fast asleep. Tommy had kept his eyes on the stars all night long. His mind was so overloaded with thoughts, it felt like he'd never sleep again.

Kitty was in the center seat on the left side, While Jadia and Sabriya were both in the right seat, gazing out the window at their first real look of America. Although it was nighttime and they couldn't see much, they could still make out forms and dark shadows of Southern California. The San Bernardino Valley had been what caught the most attention. She talked with them and pointed out what was what, because they were seeing a lot of things they had never seen before. When they left the valley and drove into the mountains, the girls noted they looked much pointier and taller than the mountains they'd seen from the distance in Iraq.

When they finally arrived at the gate for the Air Force Base, Nora drove in first. When they got to the front gate, Robert rolled down his window to speak to the guard. He was nervous as he spoke because if word got out that they were headed to Iraq and the word fell into the wrong hands, it could prove to be fatal for Justin. He'd used his connections in Washington as best he could, making sure that this trip was to remain in complete secrecy until they found Justin. Robert had letters of approval of the trip right from the offices of the Department of Defense at the Pentagon, along with nine passports for all of the Walkers, plus two visas for Jadia and Sabriya.

Once the guard had approved their entry and directed them to the fourth hanger on the right side of the base, Nora drove off for the hanger, Sarah following closely behind. As Nora was driving, she still pondered over the fact that two twelve-year-old girls came half-way across the world to help a family they barely knew save a soldier one of them had met only once. "Those girls both deserve medals if you ask me." Nora said suddenly. "It was a very brave thing for them to do.

"Mom, they are a bit young to be considered Military heroes, don't you think?" Kevin said softly.

"Their age shouldn't matter." Scotty added with a yawn. "They risked their lives to do this."

"I've already found them a reward." Robert said.

"What?" Nora, Kevin, and Scotty said almost simultaneously. Robert took off his reading glasses and put them in the pocket of his leather coat.

"I spoke with one of the higher ranked officials with the Department of Defense and they said there was a possibility that they both could be granted asylum in the United States."

"Asylum?" Kevin asked, puzzled. "As in the looney bin?"

"No, it means they could stay in the United States." Robert answered. "In the eyes of the US Military, they are aiding a soldier, therefore they are aiding the country. Because they are both orphans, the choice to come back here would be up to them because they are old enough to make reasonable decisions."

"I've heard of that." Nora said. "After the Vietnam War, a lot of refugees were allowed into the United States like that."

"Correct." Robert said. "Here, this is the one." He said again, pointing to a large white building. Nora pulled off to the side of the building and parked, Sarah swinging her van in alongside her.

"However, the department is still discussing so we'd best not get their hopes up." Robert whispered to those who had listened to him as the groups piled out of the vehicles. The hanger door was already open when they got there. A small white truck began pulling out what looked like a miniature DC-10.

Robert stepped aside to speak with the marshal who handed him the papers mapping their way to Iraq. They would be given two escorts because they would be entering a designated "War Zone." That very word sent chills up and down Nora's spine. Within a few moments everybody gathered all their things together and began piling into the plane. Robert was the first to ascent the staircase which folded out from the back of the cabin door. Kitty followed with Jadia and Sabriya in tow. Julia followed, then Tommy, Kevin, and Scotty. Rebecca needed a hand getting up the stairs, having not been able to wake up fast enough, and Nora and Sarah were the last to board. They both held their breath as the door was closed and sealed behind them. Despite the situation, Kitty was a bit excited to have them aboard one of their planes. It had been Robert's first campaign plane, and she had noticed how they painted over his name on Both sides of the plane to disguise them. There was suddenly a slight jolt as the plane was towed to the runway. This was it.

The runway ran diagonally across one half of the base, point out towards the southwest. Robert quickly flipped thorough the folder he'd been handed. They were headed for Kabil Air Base in northern Iraq, near Mosul. Once there, they were on their own. The military was normally against such an operation taking place, but considering that a soldier's life may depend on it, the Department of Defense agents aware of the mission were to keep it disclosed from all other staff as well as not be involved in the operation unless requested by them to do otherwise. Three majors of the US Army stationed in Iraq were informed of the situation, also in complete secrecy, and were ordered to remain on stand-by regarding the operation.

"Okay, I need everybody to find a seat and buckle up." Robert announced. "Kitty, we are up in the cockpit."

"What?" Kitty asked, startled. "Why me?"

"Because it takes two people to man the controls." He said, cracking a smile. "Don't worry, it's easy."

Kitty rolled her eyes and followed him into the cockpit. He took a seat on the left side, buckling up and putting his headset on. Kitty looked on as the runway suddenly came into view in the form of two lines of yellow and red lights. Kitty quickly took off her jacket and took a seat, buckling her seat belt and taking a minute to figure out how to put the headset on.

"AIR ONE, READY FOR TAKE OFF." A voice blared loudly into Kitty's ears, causing her to rip them from her head. Robert tried to hold in a laugh as she turned down the volume. "Roger." He responded. He pulled two shifts and pressed a small red button on the control board. Kitty jumped slightly in her seat as the engines started up, causing the plane to begin vibrating. She looked Robert, whom simultaneously looked at her. Neither of them knew what would happen to them thirteen time zones to the east. She extended her hand out and he took it in his, embracing each other for a few moments. In the cabin, Nora took deep breaths and took Sarah's hand in one hand, Rebecca's in the other. Julia rested her head on Tommy's shoulder, and he kissed the top of her head gently.

"Are you alright?" Scotty asked Kevin, both of them looking at each other.

"Not sure." He responded, drumming his fingers nervously. "Are you?"

"I'm the same as you."

"Do not let your fear restrain you." A girl's voice said from in front of him. He looked up to see Jadia sitting across from him, Sabriya beside her. "My Grandmother used to tell me that fear is like darkness and light." Everybody in the cabin turned to her to listen. Robert and Kitty heard it as well through the intercom which connected to the headsets.

"When fear is seen as darkness, it stops you from doing what you were destined to do." Jadia continued. "When it is used as light in life, it strengthens you. It reminds you of the reason that you must complete the tasks you face."

Everybody knew she was right. Justin had used the light side of fear to his advantage far more than his fair share of times, now it was their turn.

Robert took a deep breath and slowly pulled back on the controls. The plane slowly began moving down the runway. Slowly, it picked up speed. Kitty's heart began to race as she saw the lights of the base flash by her. Rebecca closed here yes and began to pray for them, and for Justin. As they approached the end of the runway, Robert took a deep breath and pulled back on the controls. In a graceful rise, the plane lifted from the ground and rose into the sky. At about 1,000 feet, Robert turned the plane to the left, towards the southeast. One by one, he heard over his headsets the voices of his two escorts, which could be spotted in the darkness by their lights. As soon as they were on their right course, Robert continued the ascent to 10,000 feet. Within eleven hours they would be a world away from home, and a world closer to Justin.

To Be Continued…..