Prologue
The thick foliage distorted
the sound of the gunfire, making it impossible to pinpoint. Ignoring
the sweat trickling down his spine, he pushed aside the tangled branches,
automatically scanning the trail. Eyes narrowing, he sucked
in a breath and reached again for the walkie-talkie hanging from his belt.
"Houdini,
do you read me?" His words were as clipped and harsh as the short staccato
bursts that had broken the tenuous silence moments ago. He glanced at his
companion, grimly shaking his head as he tried one last time. "Houdini, this is
Scarecrow, come in."
"You
think they got him, too?"
He
shrugged, frowning until a deep line formed between his eyes. "Don't count him
out yet."
"You
shouldn't have come. If it wasn't for me, you'd be home with. . ."
The
words trailed off, smothered in another explosion of gunfire. The bullets cut
the air over their heads, closer this time than before. Scarecrow leaned in,
instinctively covering his companion like a human shield.
A
stifled groan came from somewhere beneath him.
"Are
you. . ."
Static
exploded from the walkie-talkie, cutting short his question. "Houdini to
Scarecrow, Houdini to Scarecrow. Come in, Scarecrow."
Smiling
in relief, he quickly depressed the transmit button. "Houdini, we were
beginning to think this was one rabbit you weren't going to pull out of your
hat."
"Just
had a slight difference of opinion with the locals, Scarecrow, but I'm ready
and able to take delivery on the package."
"We'll
be right there. Ten-four." He replaced the walkie-talkie on his belt clip,
exhaling softly as the rhythmic sound of the rotors announced the helicopter's
imminent arrival. "Come on," he urged,
pulling his companion from the protective cover of the underbrush. "If we can hear it, so can they."
Leaning
heavily on each other, they started down the trail. Another explosion filled
the air as the bullets pierced the ground in front of them, cutting off their
escape.
"Damn,"
Scarecrow muttered, firing a volley of his own as he pushed them both behind a
fallen tree branch. He took a deep breath, speaking his decision before his
mind had fully registered it. "Go on ahead. I'll hold them off as long as I
can, then follow."
"No,
Lee. You should be the one to go. This is my fault; let me stay."
"There's
no time to argue about this," he shot back, returning fire as a fresh round of
bullets riddled the bushes beside them. "Head down the trail, Houdini should be
just over the hill. The code is Firefly. I'll be right behind you. Get going,"
he ordered, his tone brooking no refusal as he broke fire to reload. He deftly
snapped the new clip firmly into place, right hand automatically steadying his
left. Glancing over his shoulder, he caught the look in his compatriot's eyes,
his younger stepson's face unwillingly taking shape in his mind.
"Get
out of here," he urged, a bit more gently this time. "Let me keep my promise."
His
comrade nodded. From his vantage point
behind the bush, Scarecrow watched him disappear, buying him time with a few
well-placed shots. Patting his back pocket, his fingers located the last ammo
clip. Enough to allow his injured companion time to reach the safety of the
copter, but not enough for him to follow. He snapped it in place with a
resigned sigh; nothing to do now but make a run for it.
He
took off down the dusty mountain trail, running blindly as he fired over his
shoulder. He heard the ever-increasing volume of footsteps behind him, the
sturdy boots of the rebel army pounding the ground. His inner voice spurred him
on - only a little further, down the hill and up over the next. Then home, his
family, and. . .
Gunfire
sounded again, and he felt the bullet graze the tip of his left ear. He
automatically tucked and rolled, sharp rocks jabbing him as he slammed into the
ground. Gravity took over, completing the painful slide down the small
hill. "I'm sorry, Amanda," he thought
sadly as the blackness claimed him.
