The Wings of Love
Chapter XI
*******************
Until now, they had been very lucky. As Cole had surmised, the back roads were not watched as carefully, probably because there weren't enough soldiers to organize such a wide net. However, when they tried to get back to the main road, almost an hour out of town, they soon were faced with a roadblock. Cole, Phoebe and the others lied down on the floor of the truck. Phoebe held the baby against her, while trying her best to keep him quiet. They could hear a conversation between Heinrich and who they assumed was a soldier. Their tone of voice was harsh, but as they knew, the German language was naturally very edgy. Again, Cole regretted that he couldn't understand a word of it. The young girl was of no help to him because she herself didn't speak a word of English. As soon as the conversation ended, he heard heavy footsteps on his side of the truck coming toward the back. He tightened his grip on his gun and waited, holding his breath. The panel was pulled down noisily, and the back of the truck illuminated brightly by a powerful flashlight. They saw the beam of light moving around, tensely expecting the soldier to climb into the truck and to find them. However, this one seemed satisfied by what he saw, because soon, the beam of light receded and the panel was put back in place. Cole was already sighing in relief, but a scream from the baby startled him. Outside the truck, he heard a clamour, and someone coming back hurriedly. Then, as he was again preparing to defend them, Heinrich's voice came from the back this time.
Another animated discussion seemed to take place, and then miraculously, the soldier left. Cole cast a look at the young girl, still hoping that she could tell them what this was about, and was surprised to see a somewhat amused smile on her lips. He wondered about it, and decided that he would ask Heinrich what was said later. It wasn't until they had started on their way that Cole let his guard down, however.
Through a slit in the rear, he saw the soldiers putting back the barbed wire fence, as they sped away. He still waited until they were out of the soldiers' sight to turn toward the others and signal that they were safe.
These slowly sat up, still very tensed and frightened. Phoebe was holding the baby tightly, having feared more for him than herself. Ever since they had left the cottage, her affection for the little boy had only grown. She still didn't understand what it was about him, but in the end, she concluded that maybe he represented what she truly wanted in life: a family…She looked up at Cole with relief, even as he was reinserting the gun in its holster. He gave her a reassuring smile, and then he came to sit by her side, whilst she let herself dream that she now had a real chance to have this family. The only thing that had so far prevented her from openly showing her affection for him was the fact that Piper and she hadn't had the opportunity to talk yet. Phoebe still believed that her love for him must be written all over her face by now, as she glanced at her cousin. However, this one seemingly remained oblivious to them. She apprehended her cousin's reaction, considering her harsh words about men, but she couldn't help wanting him close to her in these dire circumstances. At any rate, she was certain that hadn't it been for how worried Piper was about Leo, she would have guessed already, no matter how discreet Phoebe might have tried to be. As she looked back toward Cole, she noticed that he was staring at the baby curiously.
"What is it about him?" He questioned without expecting an answer.
"What do you mean," Phoebe asked, curious herself as to what the baby did to him.
"I don't know… it's strange. It's as if I knew him before. Even as if having him here with us was the most natural thing in the world. Strange, isn't it?"
He was smiling at her almost timidly, and she responded with a soft smile of her own.
"I didn't think you were the fatherly kind…"
"Trust me," he replied in a whisper, "until recently, I'd never seen myself as such. Although, looking at this little one…" He trailed while glancing back at the baby.
"Really?"
"I don't know. It doesn't seem half as scary as I imagined."
Phoebe' smile brightened, but she didn't comment, as she simply leaned against him. She wondered again what her cousin would say if she saw them, but at this point, it didn't seem to matter so much. She managed to forget where they were and what they were faced with, as the rolling of the truck slowly lulled her into sleep. Cole delicately took the baby from her and watched her sleeping with such a feeling of peace as he rarely had in his life. After a moment, he sensed that someone was observing him and indeed, as he looked up, he met Piper's curious stare. This one was frowning, but then she simply dismissed whatever comment she might have wanted to make and she smiled softly.
For a moment, as Piper guessed that her cousin had apparently found happiness, she'd felt better, even though she was really surprised as to whom she found it with. But now, as she looked away again, her worries returned all at once. Where was Leo? Was he alright? She couldn't help but wishing that she too could lean against the man she loved and take comfort in his presence. Although, at first she had resented him for going without her, she understood that he didn't have a choice. If he was half as worried as she was, he must be out of his mind, she reflected, while biting back an urge to cry. She prayed that they would find him soon, as Cole told them they would. However, she knew that the Captain had been optimistic for their sakes. There was a strong possibility that they might not get to their friends on time. This thought did nothing to alleviate her worries…
Leo had only slept two hours and spent the rest of the day watching the comings and goings on the main road. After a while, Clay had come to join him without a word, settling to watch as well. Neither one needed to tell the other what they were waiting for, and very little was said between them that day. At last, the sun came down on the horizon and Clay got up with a deep sigh. He was just as disappointed as Leo, but he knew his duty.
"Leo, we've gotta go now. We should be closing in on the border sometimes before the morning. Then, all we'll have to do is find an airfield and an appropriate plane…"
Leo let him say his piece without taking his eyes off the road. He'd heard every word of course, but couldn't help wanting to give his friends every possible chances. Clay noticed Leo' stubborn stance and added:
"You know, it could take a while before we found the proper aircraft… We might even have to spend another day or two there…"
This time, he got Leo's attention. This one turned to Clay with a weak smile, and finally got up from his observing post. Only then did he realize how long it had been, as all the muscles in his body hurt. He grimaced at the uncomfortable sensation, but soon followed Clay back toward the trucks. That nurse, Paige, Leo thought he remembered, was coming toward them carrying a plate of food. She offered it to Clay with a seductive smile, although this one seemed oblivious at the moment. This didn't discourage the nurse, as she asked:
"Hey, would you mind very much if I rode in front with you, Captain? I get queasy in the back with the rolling…"
Clay appeared to only now notice her and the beginning of a smile spread his lips.
"Leo, do you mind," he asked distractedly, while still staring at the nurse.
"That's ok… If she feels that bad, I don't see why she couldn't take my place."
Besides, Leo reflected that it would be easier to watch their rear this way…
"Then, it's decided," Clay said, while Paige's smile brightened.
He took the plate from her and they went on toward the rest of the group.
As soon as it was dark enough, they went on their way. At first, Clay only listened to Paige's incessant chatter. However, Paige's exuberance soon got to him and they began making real conversation. At first it was more small talk than anything else, and Clay was truly grateful for the distraction. However after a while, Paige asked about Phoebe and things became a little tense.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I saw the way you looked at her… but mind you, I also saw the way she looked at Captain Turner…"
Clay gave her a quick glance before answering:
"Do I have to remind you about the way he behaved? I thought that it should've told you all there was to know about this playboy…"
"I don't know," Paige replied, almost offhandedly, "people change sometimes when they fall in love…"
"Not him," Clay retorted firmly. "He's incorrigible. I've seen him operate. I'll never believe that he can be sincere. He'll only disappoint her if she gives her trust to him."
"Unlike with you…"
Clay detected a hint of reproach in her voice, but he didn't comment.
Paige went on:
"Anyway, I still think that you might need a friend soon, and I wouldn't mind being that…"
"Trust me on this. If they manage to catch up with us, I'll make her forget he ever existed…"
Then, as he looked again and saw the girl's upset expression:
"This doesn't mean that we can't be friend…It's just that…"
"I understand," Paige said then, looking away.
In her mind, Paige wondered about the stubbornness of men. She was certain that in spite of his obvious affection for Phoebe, his true motivation was mostly a form of pride. Maybe there was some kind of competition between the two captains, she reflected. "Too bad," she thought again, "that he can't see it for what it is, or for that matter, what he's got right here…" she added dejectedly for herself. The rest of the night, they drove in almost complete silence, absorbed in their own private thoughts.
As they were closing in on their objective, Clay became noticeably more nervous. They met an increasing number of military vehicles, while some of the drivers in those were looking at their small convoy curiously. Fortunately, they didn't bother to stop them, to Clay and the others' relief. However, just an hour before dawn, Clay spotted an obvious roadblock in the distance. Sweat immediately pearled on his forehead as he pulled over, while watching the truck behind him doing the same in his mirror. He hoped that the Germans would not pay too much attention to them considering the distance. Then, he turned toward the small window that allowed communications between the cabin and the rear.
"Leo," he called, but then, he remembered that the doctor had embarked in the last truck. He had no trouble guessing why, but right now, he needed to regroup. Before Heinrich had left them, Clay had managed to learn a few phrases from him for such a contingency. Yet, he wasn't confident enough about his accent. The responsibility of all these people weighed heavily on him. After giving another look at the roadblock, he motioned for Paige to stay put, while he went out of the truck.
As he did so, he saw that Leo and a few other men were also getting out, albeit warily. All of them were carrying guns they had found in the trucks and taken care of loading with the German ammo. However, Clay signalled them to stand down. Then, he turned to Leo.
"Leo, we've got a problem…"
"What kind of problem," Leo asked nervously, even though his mind was only half on the present situation.
"We've got to go through this roadblock. I haven't seen a side road in miles… On the other hand, I noticed a few planes coming from this direction. There might be an airfield close by…"
Leo didn't need him to tell why he worried. Not a one of them spoke German adequately. They didn't have any papers, at any rate. No id besides an obvious manifest of the cargo they found in one of the trucks. They had surmised that it must have been an older paper, which might give them away. This was of no help to them. Clay eyed the men closely, weighing their chances in a fight. By now, he realized that this would be the only way through, but he couldn't be certain that they had what it took. He regretted Cole's absence.
Leo noticed his stare and guessed at his intentions, swallowing hard at the thought.
"Clay?"
Clay looked back at him with a worried expression.
"We'll have to shoot our way through…"
Even if Leo had known what he was about to say, it still jolted him. Their experience in the town had been somewhat successful, but he couldn't help remembering bitterly the loss they had suffered as well. Leo pulled Clay aside:
"I don't think they can do this, Clay. None of them has been trained for this sort of things…"
"Nevertheless, they know how to use guns, and frankly, we don't have much of a choice. What's more, we can't leave anybody behind to signal our passage," he added sombrely. Considering the late hour, there were no more than two or three vehicles in line for inspection at the roadblock, and for Clay, it was a mild consolation. He hoped that with luck, they wouldn't have to hurt any civilians.
"You can't be serious," Leo was protesting, as Clay was thinking about this.
Clay stared at him very seriously:
"Leo, it's them or us… If there are any of them left to give the alarm, we might as well surrender now. We'll never make it to the airfield, let alone managed to get to a plane. We need the element of surprise to succeed…"
Leo gave a long look at the roadblock. Even the thought of what Clay suggested gave him nausea. The only thing that prevented him for protesting any further however, was the thought of what might have happened to Piper and Cole. This consideration allowed him to swallow his queasiness, and he finally acquiesced weakly. Clay looked gravely at each of the other men. Then, he told them what he expected of them. They seemed just as shocked as Leo had been, but didn't protest out loud. Then, they proceeded to implement Clay's hasty plan.
As night came, Cole took the driver's seat, while Heinrich went to get some rest, for which he was obviously grateful. Cole surmised that he must have been just as tense as they had been throughout this day. Still, before he let him go, Cole questioned him about the conversation Heinrich had with the soldier, earlier. This one obliged.
"Oh, I told him that I had this dog in the back, a very vicious one, made even worse because she just had puppies. When he said that he still wanted to check it out, I hinted that I wouldn't go there myself. He asked me why I didn't shoot the dog if it was that vicious, and I told him that the dog wasn't mine, but my six and a half feet brother's, who'd surely kill me if I hurt his dog. We got lucky that the man was afraid of dogs, because he accepted my explanation and turned around."
"You mean you compared the baby's cries to a dog whining?" Cole asked, while feeling vaguely insulted. He didn't know why it bothered him so much, but having the kid compared to a dog didn't sit well with him…His feelings toward the infant were actually so conflicted that they troubled him more for every moment.
"Oh come on, it worked, didn't it?" Heinrich added with an amused smile. Then, he left without waiting for an answer, while Cole finally climbed into the cabin. There, he was surprised to find Phoebe, whom he had thought was still asleep. She had obviously awakened when he left and used the delay to come around the other side.
"Phoebe, you shouldn't be here."
"I'm tired of riding back there. Besides," she added with a sweet smile, "I feel very safe with you."
This was so disarming that Cole couldn't bring himself to argue any further with her presence. In truth, he was grateful for it, even though he still thought that she would be safer in hiding. As she bent toward him and kissed his cheek lightly to silence any possible protestation on his part, he had to suppress a smile.
"Alright," he grumbled then, falsely reproachful.
Instinctively knowing what was behind this, Phoebe smiled anew as they started down the road. The truth of the matter, for Phoebe, was that she had two reasons to be there. If she had been sincere in saying that she felt safer in Cole's presence, she also had lingering apprehensions about Piper, and the talk that would surely have to come sooner or later. Phoebe wasn't one to change her mind that easily. At least not usually, and Piper knew this very well. Phoebe believed that her cousin would have some questions about that, but also about why she had the outburst in the first place. She didn't relish having to tell her the why. She had even considered keeping this from her altogether, but Piper was a relentlessly curious person. Therefore, coming in the front now had delayed the inevitable for her. It didn't keep her from worrying about the baby, however. When she had left him, he was calmly asleep in his sister's arms and that should have been enough for Phoebe, but it wasn't. She kept looking back, and at last, Cole noticed.
"What is it?"
Phoebe answered distractedly:
"I was just wondering how Ja…" she stopped short, totally dumbfounded.
For a second, she had felt that not only she knew him, but that Jason was his name for certain…
"What were you about to say," Cole questioned, suddenly interested.
"That was stupid…I…For a moment there, I gave the boy a name…"
"Jason?"
Phoebe turned to her with obvious surprise.
"How did you know that?"
"Well, you said Ja…"
"It could've been Jacob…"
Cole gave her a quick look before answering.
"Huh, well, for the last hour or so, that name's been floating in my mind. I've got no idea why…"
When he gave Phoebe another glance, he read the same puzzlement in her eyes.
"Must just have been a coincidence," he finally dismissed it, even if unconvincingly.
"Must've…" Phoebe replied with the same lack of conviction.
They watched the road in silence afterward, seriously wondering about all those strange happenstances.
Phoebe woke up with a start, only then realizing that she had dozed off. It was still dark out there, but she could see a faint light on the horizon, telling her that she had slept many hours. She turned toward Cole, but this one didn't seem to have noticed she was awake. Before she could say a word, she caught sight of a pair of trucks a few hundred feet ahead. A surge of hope came to her at this.
She was about to tell Cole, but he beat her to it:
"I think we found them," he exclaimed, almost in disbelief. No matter what he had said to their little group, he had seriously doubted their chances. Yet, here were those two trucks that looked to be exactly what they were searching for. As they sped toward them, he couldn't see ahead of the trucks. When these seemed to slow down, he lowered the window and peeked beyond them. Then, he started and pulled his head back quickly. His reaction was noticeable enough to alarm Phoebe:
"What is it?" She asked anxiously.
"Roadblock," he answered curtly. Phoebe didn't need more.
Cole was worried about it, but he felt that he had to get closer to the trucks, as he depressed the gas pedal, hurrying to reach them. As they grew closer, he tried to distinguish the licence plate of the last one, as he vaguely remembered one of them from the last time he saw it. The numbers told him nothing however, and he figured that either these trucks were not the ones they were looking for, or the one he was familiar with was in the front. He had almost decided on the former when he noticed the barrel of a gun coming out of the opening in the tarpaulin. If not unusual per say, it was still enough to arouse his curiosity, considering the circumstances. He slowed his approach significantly and turned toward Phoebe then:
"Get down on the floor," Cole said imperatively. His voice was so tense that this time, she didn't protest. She still worried about the baby and the others though, but Cole seemed to have thought of that too. He knocked on the back of the cabin several times, hoping that his passengers would get the message. Only then, did he move closer to the truck in front of them. Even as he did so, he saw the opening widen and another gun barrel coming into view, soon followed by what he thought was a familiar face. Their headlights were now illuminating the back fully and another face came into view that brought a smile on Cole's lips. Leo was watching their approach, but he held a gun at them as well. Cole suddenly reflected that they might be wary of someone moving so close to them at this point. Not wanting to attract the soldiers' attention too much, he still quickly flashed his high beams, trying to signal his people. He saw Leo hesitate and peer closely at them, so Cole put his head out the window once more. Leo obviously squinted to see who Cole was, then a bright smile formed on his lips, telling Cole that he had been recognized. However, Leo's smile was short lived, and then he suddenly moved back inside the truck. That was when they heard the other truck moving, as they had been almost at a stand still for the last few seconds. Clay came into view at this point and he imperatively signalled for Cole to move back, while more guns began to appear beside him. It didn't take much more for Cole to understand what his co-pilot had planned, and his stomach turned at the idea.
The first truck had slowed down at the roadblock, and then it had sped ahead as fast as possible for such a vehicle. They heard gun shots, but then the second truck sped in turn and took a beeline for the soldiers who were after the first one. The first few soldiers fell under the truck, and then Cole's people began shooting in turn, even as the truck stopped near the remaining soldiers.
He soon realized that the first truck had halted just beyond the road block and that they were shooting at the soldiers as well. He didn't hesitate to pull his own revolver and shot out of the car, running toward the truck, where he took cover and began firing with the others. Phoebe saw his move only seconds after the shooting started and her heart sunk. She was almost tempted to go after him, but immediately saw the stupidity of the gesture. She had no weapon to use. On the other hand, she was worried anew about the baby and she got out on the other side, keeping her head low, as some stray bullets flew their way. Indeed, as she went, she heard one of them smashing the windshield with a start. She only stopped for a second, and then she ran all the way to the back. Inside, the baby and the younger children were now screaming of fright. Phoebe nervously signalled them to get down, as she moved inside. Only then did she realize the horror of what had happened. While she was approaching the young girl, she noticed a spreading dark stain on her chest. The girl kept her eyes wide opened, and it didn't take long for Phoebe to understand that there was little she could do for her. Heinrich was watching Phoebe himself and when he saw her horrified expression, he followed her gaze.
"Nein!" was his agonizing scream, when he realized the awful truth. He rushed by the young girl's side almost at the same time as Phoebe. This one picked up the baby and laid it down on the floor of the truck carefully, as she was intent on returning toward the Jewish girl. However Piper, who also became aware of the unfolding drama, went to check up on the girl herself. Heinrich watched her with infinite pain and a hint of hope, but Piper had to shake her head sadly, even as she closed the poor girl's eyelids. Outside, the gunfire was abating considerably, telling them that whatever the outcome would be, it was now almost a done deal. While Heinrich rocked the girl in his arms with big tears of sorrow rolling down his cheeks, Phoebe picked up the baby again, holding him tight against her. Then, through the other two kids' cries, whom Piper was trying to calm as much as she could, they waited anxiously to see who would be coming for them…
Instead, what they heard, as the shooting stopped, was someone opening and closing the truck's door. Then, almost immediately, the vehicle was put in gear and they sped away. It didn't do anything to reassure the passengers, as they had no idea who was actually driving. Since there was no way for them to know, signalling him was out of the question. All they could do was to wait and hope that whoever drove the truck was on their side. Throughout this, Heinrich seemed oblivious, lost in his sorrow, as he held the young girl against his chest. Phoebe guiltily reflected that she had not even known her name. On another level, she also wondered about the others out there, who had just fought a battle, of which they still didn't know the outcome. With the sounds coming from the unnerved live stock, along with the engine of their own vehicle, they had no way to verify if the other trucks were ahead of them. The wait was nerve racking, as the ride lasted almost ten minutes. Suddenly, the truck halted and the driver hurried out of the cabin. It didn't take long for the passengers to realize that he was coming for them. The panel that Phoebe had jumped over to get in was lowered at this moment, and only then did they see Cole coming in. Their relief was however darkened by the awful news they had to give.
Cole went directly to Phoebe, ignoring the others at first, as he kissed her in with an intense relief of his own. First, he noticed her reticence with some wonderment. Then, as he pulled back, he saw her eyes bright with tears. His first move was to look down at the baby, worried that he might have been hurt, but this one seemed fine and awake. As he gazed back at Phoebe questioningly, she silently looked toward Heinrich and his sad burden. Cole almost gasped, as he realized what had happened. Ever since this fight had started, his anger had been growing. Anger against the circumstances first, but also against Clay, for what he considered a rash decision. Seeing the girl in Heinrich's arms was the last drop. Phoebe watched him worriedly, knowing that he was very upset from his tense expression. Without a word of explanation, he rushed out of the truck and, throwing all caution to the wind, this time she followed him out.
There, in the morning light, she saw that indeed the two other trucks had preceded them and escaped as well. However, the loud voice of her lover was what got her full attention.
"You insane bastard!" Cole was screaming now. "How could you rush into something like this? Now this poor innocent girl is dead because of you, not counting our own casualties. If you'd thought about it…"
"Hey, wait a minute," Clay finally responded angrily, as Cole stopped only inches from him, his rage palpable. "You should know better, Cole. I had very little choice in the matter. The longer we're staying in this country, the more chances we'll all die!"
"Well, with you in command, I think the Nazis don't have to worry about us. We'll all be done for anyway before we leave this accursed place," Cole continued unabated. "Phoebe could've died or our baby…" Cole had intended the first part to make a point with Clay, but his slip of the tongue actually deflated some of his anger. Clay watched him in puzzlement, unsure of what this meant either. Then he noticed Phoebe coming toward them, still holding the baby. He assumed that Cole had meant this baby, and in the heat of his tirade, slipped. This didn't account for Cole discomfit expression, but Clay wasn't looking at him anymore.
"Phoebe, I was so worried about you," he said, while moving around Cole, who just then, found his voice again.
"Stay right here! We're not done yet!"
Clay tried to ignore him, as he continued toward Phoebe, but Cole wouldn't have it. He rushed him from behind and grabbed his shoulder roughly, forcing him to turn around. Clay immediately lifted his fist, more by reflex than actual intent, but that was enough. Cole felt provoked even more and hit him hard in the stomach.
"Cole, please!" Phoebe called anxiously, as she stepped back, worried for the baby. However by then, both men were beyond listening to reason. As soon as Clay found his breath, he formed a fist, very intentionally this time, and hit Cole directly in the jaw, as hard as he could. Cole was still holding on to Clay and they both went down at this. The struggle continued on the ground, while their clamours and Phoebe's alerted Leo and the others, who were now coming toward the two fighters.
Deep down, Phoebe also resented Clay for the girl's death, but that still didn't justify Cole's reaction in her eyes, as fighting between themselves would solve nothing at this point. She was relieved to see Leo coming toward them. He was the first one beside the combatants, and grabbed Clay firmly, although he had to be careful not to get hit himself, as the two men seemed intent on finishing each other. Even as he had managed to pull Clay away slightly, Cole hit the co-pilot again, sending both Clay and Leo falling backward rudely. Only when Cole saw his friend struggling to get out from under Clay did he finally managed to restrain himself. He still glared at the co-pilot angrily, but he felt ashamed at his strong reaction just the same. Leo stepped away from the two men warily, while others stood around, ready to pounce, were they to get at it again. After he brushed himself, Leo stared at both men with reproach written all over his face.
"What the hell's got into you? Don't we have enough problems as it is?"
Cole realized that it had gone too far, but he was still very angry and had pain hiding it. He looked away from Leo and caught sight of Phoebe's equally reproachful stare. This more than anything else felt like a cold shower to him.
His gaze softened and he somewhat pleaded with her, but after a moment, she looked away uncertainly.
"Cole," Leo pursued, "I didn't like what had to be done either…but Clay had a point, as hard as it is for me to admit."
Cole reluctantly looked back at his friend and Leo could read the incredulity in his friend's eyes.
"Leo, I can't believe you approved of this insanity!"
"Approving is too strong a word, Cole… but I did see the necessity, yes."
Cole couldn't wrap his mind around Leo's attitude for a while, and went on staring at him. Then, as he calmed down somewhat, he began to understand Leo's point of view, along with his own motivations for the outburst. He knew that the real reason why he went overboard was that he felt responsible for the girl's death. He painfully remembered his promise to Werner at this point. When he was almost ready to apologize, Leo suddenly looked away, apparently oblivious to them. Cole followed his gaze and saw the reason for his friend's distraction. Piper was coming out of the truck, albeit timidly. She was understandably shaken by all that happened. Leo seemed stuck in place for a moment, and Cole surmised that he had lost hope to ever see her again. However, as Piper saw Leo herself and started toward him, all hesitations were forgotten. Leo ran to her and hugged tight against him.
"Oh my god, I was so afraid for you!" Leo exclaimed, as he began caressing her hair and her back, making sure that he wasn't dreaming. Meanwhile, Piper buried her face in his chest, too overwhelmed to talk. Leo forced her to look up and held her face tenderly toward him, as he questioned:
"Did they hurt you? Are you alright?"
Piper finally uttered softly:
"Yes, I'm fine now. Now that I'm here with you, I'm truly ok…"
They gazed at each other intently for a moment. Then Leo kissed her softly, oblivious to the other people around them.
Meanwhile, Clay used this distraction to head in Phoebe's direction. This one only noticed him when he stopped beside her, and she smiled weakly at him.
"Phoebe, I was so worried," he repeated.
"I'm fine, really."
Clay smiled in turn, but Phoebe's attention returned to the baby, as this one was now squirming in her arms. Clay turned his attention to the baby as well as he questioned:
"Whose baby is this?"
She didn't answer right away, since this brought back to her mind the way Cole had called him theirs. She still wondered why it had not surprised her more at the time. Anyway, before she could even try to answer Clay's question, he saw the other two tykes coming out of the truck, soon followed by Heinrich. This one was still holding the dead girl in his arms.
"What the hell," Clay exclaimed. "Who are these people? What's with the girl?"
Suddenly, he stopped himself, remembering Cole's inflamed accusation. He opened wide eyes at the thought.
Looking back at Phoebe questioningly, he waited for her to explain, but it was Cole who answered, as he had come toward them.
"These are the kids I swore to protect," he uttered bitterly.
Clay turned to him, now just as incredulous as Cole had been with Leo:
"And you say that I'm insane? How the hell are we supposed to take those kids with us?"
"The same way we're gonna save the others…at least, the ones that are left," Cole added even more sombrely.
He had no idea how many of their comrades had fallen at the road block, but he knew that they had lost too many. This, added to the young girl's death, weighed heavily on his mind. As if that wasn't enough, his guilt was compounded by Heinrich's obvious grief. He felt that he had failed him deeply.
At this point, he saw their German companion moving around the truck, and delicately sitting the young girl on the passenger's side. Puzzlement mixed in with his regrets for Cole, until he saw Heinrich take the wheel.
"Where are you going," he asked then, forgetting about his guilt, and instead worrying about Heinrich's state of mind.
"I'm going back," this one simply stated, as he was looking for the keys in the ignition. When he didn't find them, he turned angrily toward Cole.
"Give me the keys."
"No, I can't do that, Heinrich. This is crazy. And besides, aren't you forgetting something?" Cole asked, as he was indicating the baby in Phoebe's arms, then the other two kids, in turn.
Heinrich barely looked at them, before pursuing stubbornly:
"Give me the keys now. You don't need me anymore…"
The little boys began crying loudly when they understood that he was leaving them behind.
Seeing this, Phoebe tried in turn to convince him:
"Heinrich, I understand how terrible this must be for you. But don't you think that she'd have wanted you to take care of her family?"
Heinrich flinched at this. Sadly, he turned again toward the two little boys. These were watching him in a panic. Heinrich only had wanted to get away from everyone, as he felt the need to grieve on his own. He also resented the Americans for their failure to protect her. However, Phoebe's argument about the other kids got through to him. He looked back at the inanimate body by his side, and then said:
"I can't leave her behind. I've got to give her a proper burial at the very least," he uttered on the verge of tears…
Cole stepped toward him then:
"I can't tell you how sorry I am, Heinrich…of course, we'll bring her with us. She'll have the benefit of a proper burial once we're out of this country. Then, if you wish so, we'll help you place the kids in a good family. This, I swear to you. But you can't abandon them now…If you feel the need to punish someone, hit me, but these kids need you. You're obviously the only family they've got left."
When he saw the man hesitating, he pursued:
"They've already lost her…"
Heinrich was still torn between his grief and his sense of duty, but he finally agreed reluctantly.
"Heinrich," Cole then said, although hesitantly, "she can't stay there, though… Maybe you could go with the boys, and I'll make sure that she's taken care of properly…"
Heinrich gave the young girl once last look and he nodded quickly before going to reassure the younger kids. Cole went and took the girl out of the vehicle himself, as Clay used this time to talk to Phoebe again. He had painfully noticed the way she and Cole interacted earlier.
"Phoebe," he called to her, as the others were returning to their own duties, while Leo and Piper went to one of the trucks themselves.
Phoebe took a moment before answering. Heinrich's grief had been painful to see, even more so that she shared it in a small but significant way, as she gazed upon the little child in her arms.
"Yes," she finally answered in a little voice, while anticipating what the questions would be.
"Is there something you wanna tell me?"
Reluctantly, she turned to Clay, not really knowing how to begin.
"I mean," He pursued, "I thought that…well, I thought that you and Cole weren't in the best of terms…"
Grimacing, she still said:
"What makes you think it changed?"
Clay sighed somewhat impatiently:
"I've got eyes to see, Phoebe… You can't seriously think that he is sincere, can you?"
"First of all, I didn't say there was anything between us… but even if there were, I think that I can judge for myself…"
"Phoebe, he's not worthy of you. You've got to know that."
Phoebe was irritated by his insistence, and also because she still had lingering doubts. However, after she looked away and breathed deeply to calm herself, she turned back to him:
"Clay, I'm afraid that I might've given you the wrong impression about us…I've got a lot of affection for you, but that's all. I'm sorry if I gave you false hopes, it wasn't my intention to lead you on…"
"Phoebe, I…"
"No, please. I still wish for us to be friend, because I do respect you a lot. However, it can never go further than that…"
Clay watched her a moment longer, trying to find something that would change her mind. In the end, he only added:
"I am your friend, Phoebe. And as such, I only wish that you could be spared the pain he'll surely put you through. But whatever happens, I'll be there for you when you need me."
Phoebe gave him a pained looked at this. Just then, Cole was returning from his sad chore and he stopped short at seeing Clay and Phoebe together. Fear mixed with a lingering anger mounted in him. Yet, instead of addressing this, he went to them and gruffly said:
"We've got to push on until we found this airfield."
Clay turned to him with some surprise as he had not noticed his approach.
"Ok, I agree," he said reluctantly.
Clay glanced back at Phoebe, but this one was again looking at the child, ostensibly ignoring both of them now. Stifling a sigh, he went back to the trucks, while Cole stood there, unsure if something had changed. When she wouldn't talk, he uttered:
"I'm not even sure why, but I'm sorry, Phoebe…again…"
He saw her flinching, but she still avoided his stare. He got a sinking feeling that Clay might have gotten through to her somehow, and if that pained him, it angered him as well.
"We gotta go," he went on curtly, as he took the direction of Heinrich's truck.
"Cole," Phoebe called then. He stopped short but did not look at her. He worried suddenly about what she might have to say.
"I didn't change my mind, Cole…"
He swallowed hard before questioning:
"About what?"
"About us… I didn't change my mind about us, if that's what worries you."
Cole sighed deeply in relief but said nothing yet, which had Phoebe getting worried herself.
"But…have you?"
Cole swung around at this, shocked that she might still think this.
"No! Of course not. I was just wondering if…"
Phoebe smiled softly as she came to him:
"That's ok. I was just upset about the fight and everything else, for that matter."
When she was close enough to touch him, she looked up at him expectantly.
"I love you," she whispered softly then.
Cole couldn't help question again:
"Clay…"
"Clay's just a friend, Cole…he can't change how I feel about you."
Cole bent toward her then, taking her offered lips lightly.
"I love you too, believe me, I do…" he whispered against her lips. Then, he reluctantly pulled back as the other trucks roared to life.
"We've gotta go…"
He turned back toward their truck, and she went to the passenger side, just as Cole was making sure that Heinrich was in the back with the other two kids. Afterward, he worried a little about having her in the front, but he knew that there was no point in protesting. He then started their vehicle and followed the others.
Meanwhile, Clay had been surprised to find Paige waiting for him by the other trucks. When he went toward the cabin of the first one, she followed him without a word and climbed in the seat beside him. Clay didn't know exactly how to feel about this. He realized that she must have known somehow that her predictions had come true. Yet, she didn't comment or said, "I told you so". Instead, she simply stayed with him in silence and he was grateful for this. He was still torn by his affection for Phoebe, but wondered vaguely what it would be like to accept Paige's offer as they drove off…
They were still worried about eventual pursuers, but no one came after them that morning. It took them only an hour to find the airfield they had been looking for and after discussing their option a little further down the road, they chose to stay in hiding until nightfall.
They found a spot a few miles down the road that would keep them away from prying eyes, and then had to make another painful decision. As Cole had surmised, there were indeed many casualties during the attack. In fact, Leo told him of nine of their own who had fallen. This was not counting another five who had been hurt and that he was caring for in the second truck. Although Cole intended to keep his promise to Heinrich about the young girl, he did realize that this many corpses would only hinder their chances. Reluctantly, they all agreed that these couldn't be brought along, and the men began digging in the nearby forest, providing a grim resting place for their dead companions.
After saying a prayer for them, Cole offered to those who were still reluctant at leaving them behind that in the future, there might be a way to get them back and have them moved to the states. They marked the graves with improvised crosses made of twigs, and then prepared for the last of their tasks, which would hopefully at last bring them out of this country. There were many imponderables in the plan. The first one being that they had to find a plane large enough to carry the forty or so that still composed their group. The other was that the wait might have given time to the German to find the devastated roadblock. Clay and Cole feared that in this eventuality, the security would be reinforced at the airfield. In order to verify those two points, as soon as night fell both men took Heinrich's truck and went to reconnoitre the surroundings. They found a side road made of dirt that led beside one of the airstrips. It was barely large enough to give passage to the trucks, but they knew that it would be their best chance to come close enough with the vehicles. Once they got to their objective however, they found that their fears were justified, as not only many soldiers were patrolling around the hangar and the tower, but a series of fighter planes were lined up on the tarmac. This last detail gave a chill to Cole, but he continued his surveying until he found that at the very least they had one stroke of luck. At the edge of the tarmac, they found that a cargo plane was being unloaded and even refilled as they watched. In spite of the rest, they knew that this would be their best chance, and they hurried back toward the main road and then the rest of their party, all the long taking care of keeping the headlights off. This was nerve racking but they made it back apparently without having alerted the Germans. Less than thirty minutes later, the trucks were making their way on the dirt road, still without headlights. Cole, who was leading the small convoy in Heinrich's vehicle worried non stop that one of them would either stray from the road, or rear end the other, but they made it to the airfield unscathed.
There, they abandoned the vehicles under the cover of trees, and while some carried the wounded, they made their way as quietly as they could in the darkness. Their luck held as the plane was still a little ways from the hangar and only bathed by the moonlight. Cole and Clay went ahead, and then hiding behind the wheels. The plane seemed to have been left there for the night. They surmised that this probably meant it would have been the first aircraft to leave in the morning and that it must be ready to fly. Carefully, Clay made his way toward the ladder that was still against the plane, while Cole watched for a possible patrol. Clay then went into the plane and made sure that it was ready as they had assumed. As soon as he was certain of it, he went back out and signalled to Cole. This one ran back toward the larger group, and it was decided that they would make their way to the plane by small groups of five. The wounded made it there first with a few men carrying them or helping them along. After a painstaking and tense thirty minutes, most of them had embarked in the plane. The two little boys had gone ahead with another group, but Phoebe, Heinrich and the baby were part of the last five to go. Heinrich was carrying the young girl and started ahead of them, while Cole nervously closed their small procession. If this part of the plan had been relatively easy, the next one might actually not be… As they neared the cargo plane, he eyed the fighter planes warily. He had already made a painful decision, but had not told anyone yet. Piper and Leo were waiting anxiously for them at the bottom of the ladder and they urged them on. Heinrich climbed up, while Phoebe stopped suddenly, as she sensed something wrong. She turned back toward Cole and realized that he had also stopped a few feet back. The look on his face told her that her fears were justified, and she gave the baby to Piper before going toward him.
"What are you doing," she then asked anxiously.
Cole hesitated at length to tell her. He knew she would be very upset and had hoped that she would not have realized his plan until she was onboard the plane.
"Cole, what are you doing," she repeated with a slightly trembling voice.
"Phoebe…"
She came closer, looking up with pleading eyes.
"Cole, come with me now…" she said, as she tried to take his hand.
He pulled it away, and stared at her tensely:
"Someone has to stay behind to cover your backs. I'm the most qualified to do it…Clay can pilot you out of the country."
"You can't be serious…"
"Oh, but I am… Phoebe, you would be sitting ducks in front of those planes. I have to do something about them."
By then, Leo was also alerted by his friend and Phoebe's attitude.
"Cole," he called to him, "what are you doing? We've got to go!"
Cole turned toward him:
"Get her in, Leo. I've got something else to do…"
Leo frowned and came closer:
"What are you talking about? We're ready to go. There's nothing else left to do but fly this plane out of here."
"Yes there is, Leo," Cole said firmly, while indicating the fighters.
Leo understood right away and opened wide eyes at this.
Cole pursued:
"That's the best way. I'll make sure they don't follow while you're escaping." Then, he added without looking directly at them:
"I'll catch up with you afterward…"
"Cole, you can't do this by yourself. You may be good, but not that good."
Cole turned back toward him severely:
"I won't let anyone else risk their lives, Leo! We've lost too many already."
Leo understood that Cole wasn't going to change his mind, and as time was of the essence, he couldn't argue any longer. After he stared painfully at Cole, he extended his hand toward his. Cole took it firmly, forcing himself to smile:
"I'll see you on the other side…"
Reluctantly, Leo let go and tried to grab Phoebe's arm, but this one shook him off of her, moving closer to Cole.
"No, you can't leave me. You promised."
He stared at her for an instant longer, then oblivious to the others watching he pulled her to him and kissed her deeply.
"And I promise you that I'll be back," he said afterward, as he let her go.
"Never forget that I love you. You won't get rid of me that easily," he added, again forcing a smile on his lips as he saw her eyes filling with tears.
"Please," she pleaded again, but this time, when Leo took her arm, she allowed him to pull her back toward the plane. Cole watched them until they were inside, and then, he made his move toward the fighters. He was almost at them, when a terrible sensation of foreboding hit him. He didn't know why, but he was certain that it wasn't only his plan. This was confirmed to him when he suddenly saw the shimmering light again. In front of him, things seemed similar, except that he was back beside the cargo plane, and when he looked up, it wasn't Phoebe going in. It was that other woman that he'd seen many times in the visions, Amelia. She was staring in his direction from the airplane's door, and he realized that she was looking at someone standing beside him. This one was the same Richard from the vision. Just like he had done only seconds ago, this one was turning toward the fighter planes, but unlike Cole, he didn't hesitate and climbed in the cockpit of the nearest one, as the cargo plane's engines roared to life.
The noise immediately alerted the soldiers who were guarding the hanger and they came rushing toward them. Cole started his own engine and without wait put the weapons online. As the first few soldiers passed in front of him, he started shooting at them with the plane's guns. The soldiers that were not hit ran for cover, and then began shooting at him in turn. Behind him, the cargo plane was already rolling toward the airstrip and rapidly picked up speed, as Richard warmed up his engine and started turning the nose of the fighter toward the other planes. Bullets were continuously raining on the cockpit, and he got grazed on the left shoulder but he ignored the pain while he went on until he had lined up the first of the other planes. Without hesitation, and as the cargo plane was lifting off in the distance, he sent two missiles toward the fighters. The first two planes exploded in a fiery blast, while he continued with a barrage of gunfire that prevented the Germans to pursue the cargo. When he was certain that they were far enough, he tried to move toward the airstrip himself, but that his when his plane's tail was hit by a rocket launched from the ground.
Cole jumped at the loud explosion, and he was convinced that Richard had died. However, even as he was thinking this, the perspective changed, and he found himself in some sort of wooden barrack, obviously part of a camp. He assumed that it must be a prisoners' camp. Cots were lined up close together in the cramped space. As he looked closer, he recognized Richard, sitting forlornly on one of them. He was a pale imitation of his former self, unshaven, thinner. His eyes had lost their fire, as he simply stared at nothing in particular. Even as he watched, something extraordinary happened. Behind Richard, a multitude of white orbs began swirling and suddenly, Leo materialized in the middle of them. Richard turned toward him with as much surprise as Cole. However, Leo smiled gently at him:
"Richard, you can't lose hope. You'll get out of here, I promise you."
"How are you here?"
"It doesn't matter, Richard. All that matters is for you to understand that she still loves you and she didn't lose hope…"
Before Richard could question his friend further, this one vanished again among bright orbs. Cole saw Richard rub his face in total bewilderment. Yet, even if he seemed incredulous at what he saw, Cole thought that a little flame of hope had returned to him then…"
Again, the shimmering started, but this time, he found himself back to headquarters, near Paris. He saw Clint, the other man from the visions, going into the office where Leo and Cole had stood before this whole misadventure started. The clerk behind the desk handed papers to Clint, and from the look of them, those were his release papers. Right after this, the clerk handed him a single sheet of paper, that Clint read attentively, while a grimace formed on his face. The clerk looked curiously at him then, and Clint forced a smile:
"That's good news. We thought that Richard was dead…"
"Indeed, that's good news. He might just get his medal in person rather than posthumously. He's not out of the woods yet, however. All we managed to get is a list of the prisoners' names, but they haven't been release to this day."
Clint hesitated a moment longer, then he said:
"Whenever he's free, I'd like to be notified. He's got a lady friend who is returning to the states with me, Amelia Johnson, and she'd be grateful if I could give her the news of his release and possibly even any letters?"
"Is this lady going to stay with you in the states?"
"No… but she has yet to find a suitable place back there, and I'd be glad to pass on to her whatever you or him have to send…"
"That's mighty kind of you."
"Not at all, I simply have a lot of affection for the lady in question. So is this a deal?"
"Of course, we'll send you whatever we get about or from Captain Tanner."
The clerk noted only the street address, writing Amelia Johnson as the recipient and then he put it in Captain Tanner's file.
"I'll make sure that all the correspondence goes to this address until further notice."
"Thank you," Clint said sincerely before taking his leave.
Until now, Cole had no idea what he was witnessing exactly, but each step made him feel increasingly uncomfortable. When the scenery changed again, he found himself inside a cozy little house, which he assumed must have been in the states as he saw Clint sitting at a wooden desk. This one was reading a crumpled letter and he seemed upset. Cole had also realized a while back that during those visions, he was totally invisible to the ones who peopled it. Therefore, as he became curious about the letter, he went behind Clint and bent over his shoulders to read it as well. The letter was signed Richard, with all my love. It started with "Dear Amelia, I wish that I could hold you in my arms right now, but my duties are not over just yet around here. I still have a few months to serve, but I promise you that I'll be with you as soon as I can…
Cole barely had time to decipher those lines before Clint tore it apart angrily and threw it in the wastebasket by his desk. He picked up another envelope that looked official. It had been opened already and he pulled a typed letter from it. This was an official announcement about Captain Richard Tanner's safe return from a prolonged sojourn in a German prisoners' camp. Clint seemed to hesitate longer with this one. Yet, eventually, the letter was subjected to the same treatment as the first one. Then, as if tearing them apart wasn't enough, Clint struck a match and set them on fire. Even as Cole was frowning unhappily, he felt that he was pulled away again and found himself across the street from a small home in the suburb. Standing before him was a hesitant Richard. He seemed unsure as to what to do and was watching the house in question. Suddenly, the door opened and Clint came out of it, carrying a small suitcase. He had on a civilian pilot's uniform. Behind him, Cole was surprised to see Amelia, apparently many months pregnant. Richard was already taking a few steps forward when Clint turned back toward her and kissed her goodbye like only a husband would. Cole saw Richard's shoulders sagging at the sight, as he quickly hid behind a nearby tree. They both watched her waving good bye at Clint, as this one got into his car and waved back before leaving. Amelia was still watching the car going when she suddenly jerked her head toward Richard's hiding place. Cole saw her frown uncertainly. For a moment, he believed that she had seen Richard, but soon she shook her head and re- entered the house. Richard hesitated a moment longer, then he came out and slowly made his way toward the white mailbox that stood at the end of the driveway. As Cole followed him, he read the names written on it at the same time as an obviously devastated Richard: Mr. and Mrs. Clint Larsen.
This time, when he found himself sitting in the airliner, Cole knew exactly what the matter was. However, before he could tell Phoebe or the others, he heard the old couple's bickering again.
"This craziness is probably all in your head," the old Clay was saying.
"How dare you? You saw Leo like I did," the old Phoebe replied angrily.
"He was just a doppelganger… One more bad omen on this trip, I'll say. I don't know why I believed that we could repair this relationship."
"Oh, that's rich of you, considering what you did to Cole and me."
"I didn't do anything! How many times do I have to tell you?"
"And what he wrote in his book was all a lie of course. I don't believe that. You knew he loved me. And most of all, you knew how much I loved him. I was even carrying his child. Why did you do this to us?"
"You believe the rant of a sad old drunk. He probably embellished his side of the story to make himself look better. The sad truth is that he abandoned you, just like I told you. There never were any letters."
The old Phoebe pulled a book that she obviously had read many times as the pages were corned and the cover worn out.
"It's all in there, Clay. Everything exactly as I remember it. Why would he have changed the rest? You ruined my life and you just won't admit it."
"You stupid woman…"
This time, Cole couldn't stand it anymore:
"He's lying to you. He burned those letters, I saw him!"
Cole realized that the man before him wasn't Clint, but by then, he had also figured out most of what was happening. However, before he could explain himself any further, not only to the flabbergasted old couple, but also to Phoebe, who had turned to him as if he'd gone mad, the shimmering started again.
Cole found himself back in front of the fighter planes, but this time he remembered everything, every single vision. And most of all, he remembered that he didn't belong there at all.
"What the hell?" He exclaimed.
He suddenly realized that he was standing in the open, and took cover behind a few crates. Looking back toward the cargo plane, he saw Leo waving imperatively. Then, this one came rushing toward his hiding place. He looked like he'd seen a ghost…
As soon as he had taken cover in turn, Leo questioned:
"Cole, what year is it?"
"Ok now, that is a stupid question. Yet… what year do YOU think it is?"
"How about 1944 and 2002…"
"That's just about what I figured. What the hell is happening here? And most of all, how come I didn't remember anything until now?"
"I can't tell you why…I can only tell you that I also just remembered everything…"
"How about Phoebe and her sisters?"
"I don't think they remembered yet. And we better hurry, because Clint... I mean Clay is about to take off…"
"Leo, you're not helping…"
"You shouldn't talk. All of this is most probably your fault."
Cole gave him an irritated glare, but Leo ignored it.
"Anyway, I might be mistaken, but this could be some kind of paradox. I've seen all of this happen more or less in the same manner during the war. One of my regrets about that time was that the Elders forbade me from talking to Amelia. They caught me going to Richard and that was the end of it. What happened next caused my friend to live a miserable life, with only one achievement among drunken binges. That book he wrote about the war…"
"And then what? You think that if we change what happened, it'll repair the past?"
"It's worth a try…"
"Leo, from where I stand, the situation hasn't changed. This Richard made the only sensible choice at the time. If I don't do the same as he did, things could get much worse than lost love."
Cole was about to go after the fighter planes, but Leo held him back.
"Wait, that's not your war…"
"Maybe, but how can I be sure that Phoebe and our son won't get hurt if I don't do anything. You said it yourself, it's a paradox, and right now, we have no way of knowing the rules…I won't risk their safety…"
"No wonder you took his place," Leo replied dejectedly, "you're just as stubborn and rash as he was…"
"I prefer to call it sensible …" Cole replied, while pulling away from Leo.
"Wait," this one said again. "Maybe, there's another way…"
"Which one?" Cole asked, suddenly interested.
"Can you use your powers?"
"Well, I don't know. I haven't used them a single time since…"
"The plane… Try now."
Cole tried to flash out but nothing would do…
"What about you? You're yourself, maybe you can orb, or something?"
"Nope, I tried…"
Cole gave him an exasperated look. Then, he seemed to think of something else:
"I did use my powers on the plane. As we were landing, then never since…"
"Yeah?"
"What if…"
"You think that we've got to be in the air?"
"Who knows…after all, in reality we are on a plane right now, aren't we?"
"Let's go then," Leo immediately agreed.
Cole stayed behind, however.
"Wait, what if I'm wrong?"
The cargo plane's engines roared at this moment, making the decision for them, as it was too late for Cole to get to the fighters. They heard the clamours from soldiers running their way.
"Now is the time to check it out. Run!" Leo exclaimed.
Cole gave one last look toward the fighter planes, then he started running toward the cargo. Heinrich was closing the door when they reached the ladder among a barrage of bullets that they escaped by miracle.
"Heinrich, wait!" Cole screamed as he climbed the steps hurriedly behind Leo.
They made it just in time as the plane was already moving. Phoebe and Piper were waiting for them inside, but they still didn't seem to remember who they truly were. The bullets raining on the fuselage stopped them from commenting on the men's return, while Cole decided to give a try to the same protection power as he had used twice already. Unfortunately, it still didn't work. By then however, the plane was already on its way and they could feel the acceleration. Through a window, Cole saw that pilots were already climbing into the fighters and he could only hope that his theory held, as they were soon moving toward them on the airstrip. The plane lifted its nose and at last they took off. However, even then, Cole couldn't seem to do anything. Leo gave him a pointed look, but Cole shrugged worriedly. They felt that Clay was veering toward the border, as they were gaining altitude. Just then, a missile came rushing and missed the cargo only by about a hundred feet.
"Cole, try again," Leo said between clenched teeth.
Behind them, they heard the threatening whistle that announced another missile inbounds. Cole concentrated as much as he could then, and suddenly the whole plane seemed to be bathed in a whitish light…
Chapter XI
*******************
Until now, they had been very lucky. As Cole had surmised, the back roads were not watched as carefully, probably because there weren't enough soldiers to organize such a wide net. However, when they tried to get back to the main road, almost an hour out of town, they soon were faced with a roadblock. Cole, Phoebe and the others lied down on the floor of the truck. Phoebe held the baby against her, while trying her best to keep him quiet. They could hear a conversation between Heinrich and who they assumed was a soldier. Their tone of voice was harsh, but as they knew, the German language was naturally very edgy. Again, Cole regretted that he couldn't understand a word of it. The young girl was of no help to him because she herself didn't speak a word of English. As soon as the conversation ended, he heard heavy footsteps on his side of the truck coming toward the back. He tightened his grip on his gun and waited, holding his breath. The panel was pulled down noisily, and the back of the truck illuminated brightly by a powerful flashlight. They saw the beam of light moving around, tensely expecting the soldier to climb into the truck and to find them. However, this one seemed satisfied by what he saw, because soon, the beam of light receded and the panel was put back in place. Cole was already sighing in relief, but a scream from the baby startled him. Outside the truck, he heard a clamour, and someone coming back hurriedly. Then, as he was again preparing to defend them, Heinrich's voice came from the back this time.
Another animated discussion seemed to take place, and then miraculously, the soldier left. Cole cast a look at the young girl, still hoping that she could tell them what this was about, and was surprised to see a somewhat amused smile on her lips. He wondered about it, and decided that he would ask Heinrich what was said later. It wasn't until they had started on their way that Cole let his guard down, however.
Through a slit in the rear, he saw the soldiers putting back the barbed wire fence, as they sped away. He still waited until they were out of the soldiers' sight to turn toward the others and signal that they were safe.
These slowly sat up, still very tensed and frightened. Phoebe was holding the baby tightly, having feared more for him than herself. Ever since they had left the cottage, her affection for the little boy had only grown. She still didn't understand what it was about him, but in the end, she concluded that maybe he represented what she truly wanted in life: a family…She looked up at Cole with relief, even as he was reinserting the gun in its holster. He gave her a reassuring smile, and then he came to sit by her side, whilst she let herself dream that she now had a real chance to have this family. The only thing that had so far prevented her from openly showing her affection for him was the fact that Piper and she hadn't had the opportunity to talk yet. Phoebe still believed that her love for him must be written all over her face by now, as she glanced at her cousin. However, this one seemingly remained oblivious to them. She apprehended her cousin's reaction, considering her harsh words about men, but she couldn't help wanting him close to her in these dire circumstances. At any rate, she was certain that hadn't it been for how worried Piper was about Leo, she would have guessed already, no matter how discreet Phoebe might have tried to be. As she looked back toward Cole, she noticed that he was staring at the baby curiously.
"What is it about him?" He questioned without expecting an answer.
"What do you mean," Phoebe asked, curious herself as to what the baby did to him.
"I don't know… it's strange. It's as if I knew him before. Even as if having him here with us was the most natural thing in the world. Strange, isn't it?"
He was smiling at her almost timidly, and she responded with a soft smile of her own.
"I didn't think you were the fatherly kind…"
"Trust me," he replied in a whisper, "until recently, I'd never seen myself as such. Although, looking at this little one…" He trailed while glancing back at the baby.
"Really?"
"I don't know. It doesn't seem half as scary as I imagined."
Phoebe' smile brightened, but she didn't comment, as she simply leaned against him. She wondered again what her cousin would say if she saw them, but at this point, it didn't seem to matter so much. She managed to forget where they were and what they were faced with, as the rolling of the truck slowly lulled her into sleep. Cole delicately took the baby from her and watched her sleeping with such a feeling of peace as he rarely had in his life. After a moment, he sensed that someone was observing him and indeed, as he looked up, he met Piper's curious stare. This one was frowning, but then she simply dismissed whatever comment she might have wanted to make and she smiled softly.
For a moment, as Piper guessed that her cousin had apparently found happiness, she'd felt better, even though she was really surprised as to whom she found it with. But now, as she looked away again, her worries returned all at once. Where was Leo? Was he alright? She couldn't help but wishing that she too could lean against the man she loved and take comfort in his presence. Although, at first she had resented him for going without her, she understood that he didn't have a choice. If he was half as worried as she was, he must be out of his mind, she reflected, while biting back an urge to cry. She prayed that they would find him soon, as Cole told them they would. However, she knew that the Captain had been optimistic for their sakes. There was a strong possibility that they might not get to their friends on time. This thought did nothing to alleviate her worries…
Leo had only slept two hours and spent the rest of the day watching the comings and goings on the main road. After a while, Clay had come to join him without a word, settling to watch as well. Neither one needed to tell the other what they were waiting for, and very little was said between them that day. At last, the sun came down on the horizon and Clay got up with a deep sigh. He was just as disappointed as Leo, but he knew his duty.
"Leo, we've gotta go now. We should be closing in on the border sometimes before the morning. Then, all we'll have to do is find an airfield and an appropriate plane…"
Leo let him say his piece without taking his eyes off the road. He'd heard every word of course, but couldn't help wanting to give his friends every possible chances. Clay noticed Leo' stubborn stance and added:
"You know, it could take a while before we found the proper aircraft… We might even have to spend another day or two there…"
This time, he got Leo's attention. This one turned to Clay with a weak smile, and finally got up from his observing post. Only then did he realize how long it had been, as all the muscles in his body hurt. He grimaced at the uncomfortable sensation, but soon followed Clay back toward the trucks. That nurse, Paige, Leo thought he remembered, was coming toward them carrying a plate of food. She offered it to Clay with a seductive smile, although this one seemed oblivious at the moment. This didn't discourage the nurse, as she asked:
"Hey, would you mind very much if I rode in front with you, Captain? I get queasy in the back with the rolling…"
Clay appeared to only now notice her and the beginning of a smile spread his lips.
"Leo, do you mind," he asked distractedly, while still staring at the nurse.
"That's ok… If she feels that bad, I don't see why she couldn't take my place."
Besides, Leo reflected that it would be easier to watch their rear this way…
"Then, it's decided," Clay said, while Paige's smile brightened.
He took the plate from her and they went on toward the rest of the group.
As soon as it was dark enough, they went on their way. At first, Clay only listened to Paige's incessant chatter. However, Paige's exuberance soon got to him and they began making real conversation. At first it was more small talk than anything else, and Clay was truly grateful for the distraction. However after a while, Paige asked about Phoebe and things became a little tense.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I saw the way you looked at her… but mind you, I also saw the way she looked at Captain Turner…"
Clay gave her a quick glance before answering:
"Do I have to remind you about the way he behaved? I thought that it should've told you all there was to know about this playboy…"
"I don't know," Paige replied, almost offhandedly, "people change sometimes when they fall in love…"
"Not him," Clay retorted firmly. "He's incorrigible. I've seen him operate. I'll never believe that he can be sincere. He'll only disappoint her if she gives her trust to him."
"Unlike with you…"
Clay detected a hint of reproach in her voice, but he didn't comment.
Paige went on:
"Anyway, I still think that you might need a friend soon, and I wouldn't mind being that…"
"Trust me on this. If they manage to catch up with us, I'll make her forget he ever existed…"
Then, as he looked again and saw the girl's upset expression:
"This doesn't mean that we can't be friend…It's just that…"
"I understand," Paige said then, looking away.
In her mind, Paige wondered about the stubbornness of men. She was certain that in spite of his obvious affection for Phoebe, his true motivation was mostly a form of pride. Maybe there was some kind of competition between the two captains, she reflected. "Too bad," she thought again, "that he can't see it for what it is, or for that matter, what he's got right here…" she added dejectedly for herself. The rest of the night, they drove in almost complete silence, absorbed in their own private thoughts.
As they were closing in on their objective, Clay became noticeably more nervous. They met an increasing number of military vehicles, while some of the drivers in those were looking at their small convoy curiously. Fortunately, they didn't bother to stop them, to Clay and the others' relief. However, just an hour before dawn, Clay spotted an obvious roadblock in the distance. Sweat immediately pearled on his forehead as he pulled over, while watching the truck behind him doing the same in his mirror. He hoped that the Germans would not pay too much attention to them considering the distance. Then, he turned toward the small window that allowed communications between the cabin and the rear.
"Leo," he called, but then, he remembered that the doctor had embarked in the last truck. He had no trouble guessing why, but right now, he needed to regroup. Before Heinrich had left them, Clay had managed to learn a few phrases from him for such a contingency. Yet, he wasn't confident enough about his accent. The responsibility of all these people weighed heavily on him. After giving another look at the roadblock, he motioned for Paige to stay put, while he went out of the truck.
As he did so, he saw that Leo and a few other men were also getting out, albeit warily. All of them were carrying guns they had found in the trucks and taken care of loading with the German ammo. However, Clay signalled them to stand down. Then, he turned to Leo.
"Leo, we've got a problem…"
"What kind of problem," Leo asked nervously, even though his mind was only half on the present situation.
"We've got to go through this roadblock. I haven't seen a side road in miles… On the other hand, I noticed a few planes coming from this direction. There might be an airfield close by…"
Leo didn't need him to tell why he worried. Not a one of them spoke German adequately. They didn't have any papers, at any rate. No id besides an obvious manifest of the cargo they found in one of the trucks. They had surmised that it must have been an older paper, which might give them away. This was of no help to them. Clay eyed the men closely, weighing their chances in a fight. By now, he realized that this would be the only way through, but he couldn't be certain that they had what it took. He regretted Cole's absence.
Leo noticed his stare and guessed at his intentions, swallowing hard at the thought.
"Clay?"
Clay looked back at him with a worried expression.
"We'll have to shoot our way through…"
Even if Leo had known what he was about to say, it still jolted him. Their experience in the town had been somewhat successful, but he couldn't help remembering bitterly the loss they had suffered as well. Leo pulled Clay aside:
"I don't think they can do this, Clay. None of them has been trained for this sort of things…"
"Nevertheless, they know how to use guns, and frankly, we don't have much of a choice. What's more, we can't leave anybody behind to signal our passage," he added sombrely. Considering the late hour, there were no more than two or three vehicles in line for inspection at the roadblock, and for Clay, it was a mild consolation. He hoped that with luck, they wouldn't have to hurt any civilians.
"You can't be serious," Leo was protesting, as Clay was thinking about this.
Clay stared at him very seriously:
"Leo, it's them or us… If there are any of them left to give the alarm, we might as well surrender now. We'll never make it to the airfield, let alone managed to get to a plane. We need the element of surprise to succeed…"
Leo gave a long look at the roadblock. Even the thought of what Clay suggested gave him nausea. The only thing that prevented him for protesting any further however, was the thought of what might have happened to Piper and Cole. This consideration allowed him to swallow his queasiness, and he finally acquiesced weakly. Clay looked gravely at each of the other men. Then, he told them what he expected of them. They seemed just as shocked as Leo had been, but didn't protest out loud. Then, they proceeded to implement Clay's hasty plan.
As night came, Cole took the driver's seat, while Heinrich went to get some rest, for which he was obviously grateful. Cole surmised that he must have been just as tense as they had been throughout this day. Still, before he let him go, Cole questioned him about the conversation Heinrich had with the soldier, earlier. This one obliged.
"Oh, I told him that I had this dog in the back, a very vicious one, made even worse because she just had puppies. When he said that he still wanted to check it out, I hinted that I wouldn't go there myself. He asked me why I didn't shoot the dog if it was that vicious, and I told him that the dog wasn't mine, but my six and a half feet brother's, who'd surely kill me if I hurt his dog. We got lucky that the man was afraid of dogs, because he accepted my explanation and turned around."
"You mean you compared the baby's cries to a dog whining?" Cole asked, while feeling vaguely insulted. He didn't know why it bothered him so much, but having the kid compared to a dog didn't sit well with him…His feelings toward the infant were actually so conflicted that they troubled him more for every moment.
"Oh come on, it worked, didn't it?" Heinrich added with an amused smile. Then, he left without waiting for an answer, while Cole finally climbed into the cabin. There, he was surprised to find Phoebe, whom he had thought was still asleep. She had obviously awakened when he left and used the delay to come around the other side.
"Phoebe, you shouldn't be here."
"I'm tired of riding back there. Besides," she added with a sweet smile, "I feel very safe with you."
This was so disarming that Cole couldn't bring himself to argue any further with her presence. In truth, he was grateful for it, even though he still thought that she would be safer in hiding. As she bent toward him and kissed his cheek lightly to silence any possible protestation on his part, he had to suppress a smile.
"Alright," he grumbled then, falsely reproachful.
Instinctively knowing what was behind this, Phoebe smiled anew as they started down the road. The truth of the matter, for Phoebe, was that she had two reasons to be there. If she had been sincere in saying that she felt safer in Cole's presence, she also had lingering apprehensions about Piper, and the talk that would surely have to come sooner or later. Phoebe wasn't one to change her mind that easily. At least not usually, and Piper knew this very well. Phoebe believed that her cousin would have some questions about that, but also about why she had the outburst in the first place. She didn't relish having to tell her the why. She had even considered keeping this from her altogether, but Piper was a relentlessly curious person. Therefore, coming in the front now had delayed the inevitable for her. It didn't keep her from worrying about the baby, however. When she had left him, he was calmly asleep in his sister's arms and that should have been enough for Phoebe, but it wasn't. She kept looking back, and at last, Cole noticed.
"What is it?"
Phoebe answered distractedly:
"I was just wondering how Ja…" she stopped short, totally dumbfounded.
For a second, she had felt that not only she knew him, but that Jason was his name for certain…
"What were you about to say," Cole questioned, suddenly interested.
"That was stupid…I…For a moment there, I gave the boy a name…"
"Jason?"
Phoebe turned to her with obvious surprise.
"How did you know that?"
"Well, you said Ja…"
"It could've been Jacob…"
Cole gave her a quick look before answering.
"Huh, well, for the last hour or so, that name's been floating in my mind. I've got no idea why…"
When he gave Phoebe another glance, he read the same puzzlement in her eyes.
"Must just have been a coincidence," he finally dismissed it, even if unconvincingly.
"Must've…" Phoebe replied with the same lack of conviction.
They watched the road in silence afterward, seriously wondering about all those strange happenstances.
Phoebe woke up with a start, only then realizing that she had dozed off. It was still dark out there, but she could see a faint light on the horizon, telling her that she had slept many hours. She turned toward Cole, but this one didn't seem to have noticed she was awake. Before she could say a word, she caught sight of a pair of trucks a few hundred feet ahead. A surge of hope came to her at this.
She was about to tell Cole, but he beat her to it:
"I think we found them," he exclaimed, almost in disbelief. No matter what he had said to their little group, he had seriously doubted their chances. Yet, here were those two trucks that looked to be exactly what they were searching for. As they sped toward them, he couldn't see ahead of the trucks. When these seemed to slow down, he lowered the window and peeked beyond them. Then, he started and pulled his head back quickly. His reaction was noticeable enough to alarm Phoebe:
"What is it?" She asked anxiously.
"Roadblock," he answered curtly. Phoebe didn't need more.
Cole was worried about it, but he felt that he had to get closer to the trucks, as he depressed the gas pedal, hurrying to reach them. As they grew closer, he tried to distinguish the licence plate of the last one, as he vaguely remembered one of them from the last time he saw it. The numbers told him nothing however, and he figured that either these trucks were not the ones they were looking for, or the one he was familiar with was in the front. He had almost decided on the former when he noticed the barrel of a gun coming out of the opening in the tarpaulin. If not unusual per say, it was still enough to arouse his curiosity, considering the circumstances. He slowed his approach significantly and turned toward Phoebe then:
"Get down on the floor," Cole said imperatively. His voice was so tense that this time, she didn't protest. She still worried about the baby and the others though, but Cole seemed to have thought of that too. He knocked on the back of the cabin several times, hoping that his passengers would get the message. Only then, did he move closer to the truck in front of them. Even as he did so, he saw the opening widen and another gun barrel coming into view, soon followed by what he thought was a familiar face. Their headlights were now illuminating the back fully and another face came into view that brought a smile on Cole's lips. Leo was watching their approach, but he held a gun at them as well. Cole suddenly reflected that they might be wary of someone moving so close to them at this point. Not wanting to attract the soldiers' attention too much, he still quickly flashed his high beams, trying to signal his people. He saw Leo hesitate and peer closely at them, so Cole put his head out the window once more. Leo obviously squinted to see who Cole was, then a bright smile formed on his lips, telling Cole that he had been recognized. However, Leo's smile was short lived, and then he suddenly moved back inside the truck. That was when they heard the other truck moving, as they had been almost at a stand still for the last few seconds. Clay came into view at this point and he imperatively signalled for Cole to move back, while more guns began to appear beside him. It didn't take much more for Cole to understand what his co-pilot had planned, and his stomach turned at the idea.
The first truck had slowed down at the roadblock, and then it had sped ahead as fast as possible for such a vehicle. They heard gun shots, but then the second truck sped in turn and took a beeline for the soldiers who were after the first one. The first few soldiers fell under the truck, and then Cole's people began shooting in turn, even as the truck stopped near the remaining soldiers.
He soon realized that the first truck had halted just beyond the road block and that they were shooting at the soldiers as well. He didn't hesitate to pull his own revolver and shot out of the car, running toward the truck, where he took cover and began firing with the others. Phoebe saw his move only seconds after the shooting started and her heart sunk. She was almost tempted to go after him, but immediately saw the stupidity of the gesture. She had no weapon to use. On the other hand, she was worried anew about the baby and she got out on the other side, keeping her head low, as some stray bullets flew their way. Indeed, as she went, she heard one of them smashing the windshield with a start. She only stopped for a second, and then she ran all the way to the back. Inside, the baby and the younger children were now screaming of fright. Phoebe nervously signalled them to get down, as she moved inside. Only then did she realize the horror of what had happened. While she was approaching the young girl, she noticed a spreading dark stain on her chest. The girl kept her eyes wide opened, and it didn't take long for Phoebe to understand that there was little she could do for her. Heinrich was watching Phoebe himself and when he saw her horrified expression, he followed her gaze.
"Nein!" was his agonizing scream, when he realized the awful truth. He rushed by the young girl's side almost at the same time as Phoebe. This one picked up the baby and laid it down on the floor of the truck carefully, as she was intent on returning toward the Jewish girl. However Piper, who also became aware of the unfolding drama, went to check up on the girl herself. Heinrich watched her with infinite pain and a hint of hope, but Piper had to shake her head sadly, even as she closed the poor girl's eyelids. Outside, the gunfire was abating considerably, telling them that whatever the outcome would be, it was now almost a done deal. While Heinrich rocked the girl in his arms with big tears of sorrow rolling down his cheeks, Phoebe picked up the baby again, holding him tight against her. Then, through the other two kids' cries, whom Piper was trying to calm as much as she could, they waited anxiously to see who would be coming for them…
Instead, what they heard, as the shooting stopped, was someone opening and closing the truck's door. Then, almost immediately, the vehicle was put in gear and they sped away. It didn't do anything to reassure the passengers, as they had no idea who was actually driving. Since there was no way for them to know, signalling him was out of the question. All they could do was to wait and hope that whoever drove the truck was on their side. Throughout this, Heinrich seemed oblivious, lost in his sorrow, as he held the young girl against his chest. Phoebe guiltily reflected that she had not even known her name. On another level, she also wondered about the others out there, who had just fought a battle, of which they still didn't know the outcome. With the sounds coming from the unnerved live stock, along with the engine of their own vehicle, they had no way to verify if the other trucks were ahead of them. The wait was nerve racking, as the ride lasted almost ten minutes. Suddenly, the truck halted and the driver hurried out of the cabin. It didn't take long for the passengers to realize that he was coming for them. The panel that Phoebe had jumped over to get in was lowered at this moment, and only then did they see Cole coming in. Their relief was however darkened by the awful news they had to give.
Cole went directly to Phoebe, ignoring the others at first, as he kissed her in with an intense relief of his own. First, he noticed her reticence with some wonderment. Then, as he pulled back, he saw her eyes bright with tears. His first move was to look down at the baby, worried that he might have been hurt, but this one seemed fine and awake. As he gazed back at Phoebe questioningly, she silently looked toward Heinrich and his sad burden. Cole almost gasped, as he realized what had happened. Ever since this fight had started, his anger had been growing. Anger against the circumstances first, but also against Clay, for what he considered a rash decision. Seeing the girl in Heinrich's arms was the last drop. Phoebe watched him worriedly, knowing that he was very upset from his tense expression. Without a word of explanation, he rushed out of the truck and, throwing all caution to the wind, this time she followed him out.
There, in the morning light, she saw that indeed the two other trucks had preceded them and escaped as well. However, the loud voice of her lover was what got her full attention.
"You insane bastard!" Cole was screaming now. "How could you rush into something like this? Now this poor innocent girl is dead because of you, not counting our own casualties. If you'd thought about it…"
"Hey, wait a minute," Clay finally responded angrily, as Cole stopped only inches from him, his rage palpable. "You should know better, Cole. I had very little choice in the matter. The longer we're staying in this country, the more chances we'll all die!"
"Well, with you in command, I think the Nazis don't have to worry about us. We'll all be done for anyway before we leave this accursed place," Cole continued unabated. "Phoebe could've died or our baby…" Cole had intended the first part to make a point with Clay, but his slip of the tongue actually deflated some of his anger. Clay watched him in puzzlement, unsure of what this meant either. Then he noticed Phoebe coming toward them, still holding the baby. He assumed that Cole had meant this baby, and in the heat of his tirade, slipped. This didn't account for Cole discomfit expression, but Clay wasn't looking at him anymore.
"Phoebe, I was so worried about you," he said, while moving around Cole, who just then, found his voice again.
"Stay right here! We're not done yet!"
Clay tried to ignore him, as he continued toward Phoebe, but Cole wouldn't have it. He rushed him from behind and grabbed his shoulder roughly, forcing him to turn around. Clay immediately lifted his fist, more by reflex than actual intent, but that was enough. Cole felt provoked even more and hit him hard in the stomach.
"Cole, please!" Phoebe called anxiously, as she stepped back, worried for the baby. However by then, both men were beyond listening to reason. As soon as Clay found his breath, he formed a fist, very intentionally this time, and hit Cole directly in the jaw, as hard as he could. Cole was still holding on to Clay and they both went down at this. The struggle continued on the ground, while their clamours and Phoebe's alerted Leo and the others, who were now coming toward the two fighters.
Deep down, Phoebe also resented Clay for the girl's death, but that still didn't justify Cole's reaction in her eyes, as fighting between themselves would solve nothing at this point. She was relieved to see Leo coming toward them. He was the first one beside the combatants, and grabbed Clay firmly, although he had to be careful not to get hit himself, as the two men seemed intent on finishing each other. Even as he had managed to pull Clay away slightly, Cole hit the co-pilot again, sending both Clay and Leo falling backward rudely. Only when Cole saw his friend struggling to get out from under Clay did he finally managed to restrain himself. He still glared at the co-pilot angrily, but he felt ashamed at his strong reaction just the same. Leo stepped away from the two men warily, while others stood around, ready to pounce, were they to get at it again. After he brushed himself, Leo stared at both men with reproach written all over his face.
"What the hell's got into you? Don't we have enough problems as it is?"
Cole realized that it had gone too far, but he was still very angry and had pain hiding it. He looked away from Leo and caught sight of Phoebe's equally reproachful stare. This more than anything else felt like a cold shower to him.
His gaze softened and he somewhat pleaded with her, but after a moment, she looked away uncertainly.
"Cole," Leo pursued, "I didn't like what had to be done either…but Clay had a point, as hard as it is for me to admit."
Cole reluctantly looked back at his friend and Leo could read the incredulity in his friend's eyes.
"Leo, I can't believe you approved of this insanity!"
"Approving is too strong a word, Cole… but I did see the necessity, yes."
Cole couldn't wrap his mind around Leo's attitude for a while, and went on staring at him. Then, as he calmed down somewhat, he began to understand Leo's point of view, along with his own motivations for the outburst. He knew that the real reason why he went overboard was that he felt responsible for the girl's death. He painfully remembered his promise to Werner at this point. When he was almost ready to apologize, Leo suddenly looked away, apparently oblivious to them. Cole followed his gaze and saw the reason for his friend's distraction. Piper was coming out of the truck, albeit timidly. She was understandably shaken by all that happened. Leo seemed stuck in place for a moment, and Cole surmised that he had lost hope to ever see her again. However, as Piper saw Leo herself and started toward him, all hesitations were forgotten. Leo ran to her and hugged tight against him.
"Oh my god, I was so afraid for you!" Leo exclaimed, as he began caressing her hair and her back, making sure that he wasn't dreaming. Meanwhile, Piper buried her face in his chest, too overwhelmed to talk. Leo forced her to look up and held her face tenderly toward him, as he questioned:
"Did they hurt you? Are you alright?"
Piper finally uttered softly:
"Yes, I'm fine now. Now that I'm here with you, I'm truly ok…"
They gazed at each other intently for a moment. Then Leo kissed her softly, oblivious to the other people around them.
Meanwhile, Clay used this distraction to head in Phoebe's direction. This one only noticed him when he stopped beside her, and she smiled weakly at him.
"Phoebe, I was so worried," he repeated.
"I'm fine, really."
Clay smiled in turn, but Phoebe's attention returned to the baby, as this one was now squirming in her arms. Clay turned his attention to the baby as well as he questioned:
"Whose baby is this?"
She didn't answer right away, since this brought back to her mind the way Cole had called him theirs. She still wondered why it had not surprised her more at the time. Anyway, before she could even try to answer Clay's question, he saw the other two tykes coming out of the truck, soon followed by Heinrich. This one was still holding the dead girl in his arms.
"What the hell," Clay exclaimed. "Who are these people? What's with the girl?"
Suddenly, he stopped himself, remembering Cole's inflamed accusation. He opened wide eyes at the thought.
Looking back at Phoebe questioningly, he waited for her to explain, but it was Cole who answered, as he had come toward them.
"These are the kids I swore to protect," he uttered bitterly.
Clay turned to him, now just as incredulous as Cole had been with Leo:
"And you say that I'm insane? How the hell are we supposed to take those kids with us?"
"The same way we're gonna save the others…at least, the ones that are left," Cole added even more sombrely.
He had no idea how many of their comrades had fallen at the road block, but he knew that they had lost too many. This, added to the young girl's death, weighed heavily on his mind. As if that wasn't enough, his guilt was compounded by Heinrich's obvious grief. He felt that he had failed him deeply.
At this point, he saw their German companion moving around the truck, and delicately sitting the young girl on the passenger's side. Puzzlement mixed in with his regrets for Cole, until he saw Heinrich take the wheel.
"Where are you going," he asked then, forgetting about his guilt, and instead worrying about Heinrich's state of mind.
"I'm going back," this one simply stated, as he was looking for the keys in the ignition. When he didn't find them, he turned angrily toward Cole.
"Give me the keys."
"No, I can't do that, Heinrich. This is crazy. And besides, aren't you forgetting something?" Cole asked, as he was indicating the baby in Phoebe's arms, then the other two kids, in turn.
Heinrich barely looked at them, before pursuing stubbornly:
"Give me the keys now. You don't need me anymore…"
The little boys began crying loudly when they understood that he was leaving them behind.
Seeing this, Phoebe tried in turn to convince him:
"Heinrich, I understand how terrible this must be for you. But don't you think that she'd have wanted you to take care of her family?"
Heinrich flinched at this. Sadly, he turned again toward the two little boys. These were watching him in a panic. Heinrich only had wanted to get away from everyone, as he felt the need to grieve on his own. He also resented the Americans for their failure to protect her. However, Phoebe's argument about the other kids got through to him. He looked back at the inanimate body by his side, and then said:
"I can't leave her behind. I've got to give her a proper burial at the very least," he uttered on the verge of tears…
Cole stepped toward him then:
"I can't tell you how sorry I am, Heinrich…of course, we'll bring her with us. She'll have the benefit of a proper burial once we're out of this country. Then, if you wish so, we'll help you place the kids in a good family. This, I swear to you. But you can't abandon them now…If you feel the need to punish someone, hit me, but these kids need you. You're obviously the only family they've got left."
When he saw the man hesitating, he pursued:
"They've already lost her…"
Heinrich was still torn between his grief and his sense of duty, but he finally agreed reluctantly.
"Heinrich," Cole then said, although hesitantly, "she can't stay there, though… Maybe you could go with the boys, and I'll make sure that she's taken care of properly…"
Heinrich gave the young girl once last look and he nodded quickly before going to reassure the younger kids. Cole went and took the girl out of the vehicle himself, as Clay used this time to talk to Phoebe again. He had painfully noticed the way she and Cole interacted earlier.
"Phoebe," he called to her, as the others were returning to their own duties, while Leo and Piper went to one of the trucks themselves.
Phoebe took a moment before answering. Heinrich's grief had been painful to see, even more so that she shared it in a small but significant way, as she gazed upon the little child in her arms.
"Yes," she finally answered in a little voice, while anticipating what the questions would be.
"Is there something you wanna tell me?"
Reluctantly, she turned to Clay, not really knowing how to begin.
"I mean," He pursued, "I thought that…well, I thought that you and Cole weren't in the best of terms…"
Grimacing, she still said:
"What makes you think it changed?"
Clay sighed somewhat impatiently:
"I've got eyes to see, Phoebe… You can't seriously think that he is sincere, can you?"
"First of all, I didn't say there was anything between us… but even if there were, I think that I can judge for myself…"
"Phoebe, he's not worthy of you. You've got to know that."
Phoebe was irritated by his insistence, and also because she still had lingering doubts. However, after she looked away and breathed deeply to calm herself, she turned back to him:
"Clay, I'm afraid that I might've given you the wrong impression about us…I've got a lot of affection for you, but that's all. I'm sorry if I gave you false hopes, it wasn't my intention to lead you on…"
"Phoebe, I…"
"No, please. I still wish for us to be friend, because I do respect you a lot. However, it can never go further than that…"
Clay watched her a moment longer, trying to find something that would change her mind. In the end, he only added:
"I am your friend, Phoebe. And as such, I only wish that you could be spared the pain he'll surely put you through. But whatever happens, I'll be there for you when you need me."
Phoebe gave him a pained looked at this. Just then, Cole was returning from his sad chore and he stopped short at seeing Clay and Phoebe together. Fear mixed with a lingering anger mounted in him. Yet, instead of addressing this, he went to them and gruffly said:
"We've got to push on until we found this airfield."
Clay turned to him with some surprise as he had not noticed his approach.
"Ok, I agree," he said reluctantly.
Clay glanced back at Phoebe, but this one was again looking at the child, ostensibly ignoring both of them now. Stifling a sigh, he went back to the trucks, while Cole stood there, unsure if something had changed. When she wouldn't talk, he uttered:
"I'm not even sure why, but I'm sorry, Phoebe…again…"
He saw her flinching, but she still avoided his stare. He got a sinking feeling that Clay might have gotten through to her somehow, and if that pained him, it angered him as well.
"We gotta go," he went on curtly, as he took the direction of Heinrich's truck.
"Cole," Phoebe called then. He stopped short but did not look at her. He worried suddenly about what she might have to say.
"I didn't change my mind, Cole…"
He swallowed hard before questioning:
"About what?"
"About us… I didn't change my mind about us, if that's what worries you."
Cole sighed deeply in relief but said nothing yet, which had Phoebe getting worried herself.
"But…have you?"
Cole swung around at this, shocked that she might still think this.
"No! Of course not. I was just wondering if…"
Phoebe smiled softly as she came to him:
"That's ok. I was just upset about the fight and everything else, for that matter."
When she was close enough to touch him, she looked up at him expectantly.
"I love you," she whispered softly then.
Cole couldn't help question again:
"Clay…"
"Clay's just a friend, Cole…he can't change how I feel about you."
Cole bent toward her then, taking her offered lips lightly.
"I love you too, believe me, I do…" he whispered against her lips. Then, he reluctantly pulled back as the other trucks roared to life.
"We've gotta go…"
He turned back toward their truck, and she went to the passenger side, just as Cole was making sure that Heinrich was in the back with the other two kids. Afterward, he worried a little about having her in the front, but he knew that there was no point in protesting. He then started their vehicle and followed the others.
Meanwhile, Clay had been surprised to find Paige waiting for him by the other trucks. When he went toward the cabin of the first one, she followed him without a word and climbed in the seat beside him. Clay didn't know exactly how to feel about this. He realized that she must have known somehow that her predictions had come true. Yet, she didn't comment or said, "I told you so". Instead, she simply stayed with him in silence and he was grateful for this. He was still torn by his affection for Phoebe, but wondered vaguely what it would be like to accept Paige's offer as they drove off…
They were still worried about eventual pursuers, but no one came after them that morning. It took them only an hour to find the airfield they had been looking for and after discussing their option a little further down the road, they chose to stay in hiding until nightfall.
They found a spot a few miles down the road that would keep them away from prying eyes, and then had to make another painful decision. As Cole had surmised, there were indeed many casualties during the attack. In fact, Leo told him of nine of their own who had fallen. This was not counting another five who had been hurt and that he was caring for in the second truck. Although Cole intended to keep his promise to Heinrich about the young girl, he did realize that this many corpses would only hinder their chances. Reluctantly, they all agreed that these couldn't be brought along, and the men began digging in the nearby forest, providing a grim resting place for their dead companions.
After saying a prayer for them, Cole offered to those who were still reluctant at leaving them behind that in the future, there might be a way to get them back and have them moved to the states. They marked the graves with improvised crosses made of twigs, and then prepared for the last of their tasks, which would hopefully at last bring them out of this country. There were many imponderables in the plan. The first one being that they had to find a plane large enough to carry the forty or so that still composed their group. The other was that the wait might have given time to the German to find the devastated roadblock. Clay and Cole feared that in this eventuality, the security would be reinforced at the airfield. In order to verify those two points, as soon as night fell both men took Heinrich's truck and went to reconnoitre the surroundings. They found a side road made of dirt that led beside one of the airstrips. It was barely large enough to give passage to the trucks, but they knew that it would be their best chance to come close enough with the vehicles. Once they got to their objective however, they found that their fears were justified, as not only many soldiers were patrolling around the hangar and the tower, but a series of fighter planes were lined up on the tarmac. This last detail gave a chill to Cole, but he continued his surveying until he found that at the very least they had one stroke of luck. At the edge of the tarmac, they found that a cargo plane was being unloaded and even refilled as they watched. In spite of the rest, they knew that this would be their best chance, and they hurried back toward the main road and then the rest of their party, all the long taking care of keeping the headlights off. This was nerve racking but they made it back apparently without having alerted the Germans. Less than thirty minutes later, the trucks were making their way on the dirt road, still without headlights. Cole, who was leading the small convoy in Heinrich's vehicle worried non stop that one of them would either stray from the road, or rear end the other, but they made it to the airfield unscathed.
There, they abandoned the vehicles under the cover of trees, and while some carried the wounded, they made their way as quietly as they could in the darkness. Their luck held as the plane was still a little ways from the hangar and only bathed by the moonlight. Cole and Clay went ahead, and then hiding behind the wheels. The plane seemed to have been left there for the night. They surmised that this probably meant it would have been the first aircraft to leave in the morning and that it must be ready to fly. Carefully, Clay made his way toward the ladder that was still against the plane, while Cole watched for a possible patrol. Clay then went into the plane and made sure that it was ready as they had assumed. As soon as he was certain of it, he went back out and signalled to Cole. This one ran back toward the larger group, and it was decided that they would make their way to the plane by small groups of five. The wounded made it there first with a few men carrying them or helping them along. After a painstaking and tense thirty minutes, most of them had embarked in the plane. The two little boys had gone ahead with another group, but Phoebe, Heinrich and the baby were part of the last five to go. Heinrich was carrying the young girl and started ahead of them, while Cole nervously closed their small procession. If this part of the plan had been relatively easy, the next one might actually not be… As they neared the cargo plane, he eyed the fighter planes warily. He had already made a painful decision, but had not told anyone yet. Piper and Leo were waiting anxiously for them at the bottom of the ladder and they urged them on. Heinrich climbed up, while Phoebe stopped suddenly, as she sensed something wrong. She turned back toward Cole and realized that he had also stopped a few feet back. The look on his face told her that her fears were justified, and she gave the baby to Piper before going toward him.
"What are you doing," she then asked anxiously.
Cole hesitated at length to tell her. He knew she would be very upset and had hoped that she would not have realized his plan until she was onboard the plane.
"Cole, what are you doing," she repeated with a slightly trembling voice.
"Phoebe…"
She came closer, looking up with pleading eyes.
"Cole, come with me now…" she said, as she tried to take his hand.
He pulled it away, and stared at her tensely:
"Someone has to stay behind to cover your backs. I'm the most qualified to do it…Clay can pilot you out of the country."
"You can't be serious…"
"Oh, but I am… Phoebe, you would be sitting ducks in front of those planes. I have to do something about them."
By then, Leo was also alerted by his friend and Phoebe's attitude.
"Cole," he called to him, "what are you doing? We've got to go!"
Cole turned toward him:
"Get her in, Leo. I've got something else to do…"
Leo frowned and came closer:
"What are you talking about? We're ready to go. There's nothing else left to do but fly this plane out of here."
"Yes there is, Leo," Cole said firmly, while indicating the fighters.
Leo understood right away and opened wide eyes at this.
Cole pursued:
"That's the best way. I'll make sure they don't follow while you're escaping." Then, he added without looking directly at them:
"I'll catch up with you afterward…"
"Cole, you can't do this by yourself. You may be good, but not that good."
Cole turned back toward him severely:
"I won't let anyone else risk their lives, Leo! We've lost too many already."
Leo understood that Cole wasn't going to change his mind, and as time was of the essence, he couldn't argue any longer. After he stared painfully at Cole, he extended his hand toward his. Cole took it firmly, forcing himself to smile:
"I'll see you on the other side…"
Reluctantly, Leo let go and tried to grab Phoebe's arm, but this one shook him off of her, moving closer to Cole.
"No, you can't leave me. You promised."
He stared at her for an instant longer, then oblivious to the others watching he pulled her to him and kissed her deeply.
"And I promise you that I'll be back," he said afterward, as he let her go.
"Never forget that I love you. You won't get rid of me that easily," he added, again forcing a smile on his lips as he saw her eyes filling with tears.
"Please," she pleaded again, but this time, when Leo took her arm, she allowed him to pull her back toward the plane. Cole watched them until they were inside, and then, he made his move toward the fighters. He was almost at them, when a terrible sensation of foreboding hit him. He didn't know why, but he was certain that it wasn't only his plan. This was confirmed to him when he suddenly saw the shimmering light again. In front of him, things seemed similar, except that he was back beside the cargo plane, and when he looked up, it wasn't Phoebe going in. It was that other woman that he'd seen many times in the visions, Amelia. She was staring in his direction from the airplane's door, and he realized that she was looking at someone standing beside him. This one was the same Richard from the vision. Just like he had done only seconds ago, this one was turning toward the fighter planes, but unlike Cole, he didn't hesitate and climbed in the cockpit of the nearest one, as the cargo plane's engines roared to life.
The noise immediately alerted the soldiers who were guarding the hanger and they came rushing toward them. Cole started his own engine and without wait put the weapons online. As the first few soldiers passed in front of him, he started shooting at them with the plane's guns. The soldiers that were not hit ran for cover, and then began shooting at him in turn. Behind him, the cargo plane was already rolling toward the airstrip and rapidly picked up speed, as Richard warmed up his engine and started turning the nose of the fighter toward the other planes. Bullets were continuously raining on the cockpit, and he got grazed on the left shoulder but he ignored the pain while he went on until he had lined up the first of the other planes. Without hesitation, and as the cargo plane was lifting off in the distance, he sent two missiles toward the fighters. The first two planes exploded in a fiery blast, while he continued with a barrage of gunfire that prevented the Germans to pursue the cargo. When he was certain that they were far enough, he tried to move toward the airstrip himself, but that his when his plane's tail was hit by a rocket launched from the ground.
Cole jumped at the loud explosion, and he was convinced that Richard had died. However, even as he was thinking this, the perspective changed, and he found himself in some sort of wooden barrack, obviously part of a camp. He assumed that it must be a prisoners' camp. Cots were lined up close together in the cramped space. As he looked closer, he recognized Richard, sitting forlornly on one of them. He was a pale imitation of his former self, unshaven, thinner. His eyes had lost their fire, as he simply stared at nothing in particular. Even as he watched, something extraordinary happened. Behind Richard, a multitude of white orbs began swirling and suddenly, Leo materialized in the middle of them. Richard turned toward him with as much surprise as Cole. However, Leo smiled gently at him:
"Richard, you can't lose hope. You'll get out of here, I promise you."
"How are you here?"
"It doesn't matter, Richard. All that matters is for you to understand that she still loves you and she didn't lose hope…"
Before Richard could question his friend further, this one vanished again among bright orbs. Cole saw Richard rub his face in total bewilderment. Yet, even if he seemed incredulous at what he saw, Cole thought that a little flame of hope had returned to him then…"
Again, the shimmering started, but this time, he found himself back to headquarters, near Paris. He saw Clint, the other man from the visions, going into the office where Leo and Cole had stood before this whole misadventure started. The clerk behind the desk handed papers to Clint, and from the look of them, those were his release papers. Right after this, the clerk handed him a single sheet of paper, that Clint read attentively, while a grimace formed on his face. The clerk looked curiously at him then, and Clint forced a smile:
"That's good news. We thought that Richard was dead…"
"Indeed, that's good news. He might just get his medal in person rather than posthumously. He's not out of the woods yet, however. All we managed to get is a list of the prisoners' names, but they haven't been release to this day."
Clint hesitated a moment longer, then he said:
"Whenever he's free, I'd like to be notified. He's got a lady friend who is returning to the states with me, Amelia Johnson, and she'd be grateful if I could give her the news of his release and possibly even any letters?"
"Is this lady going to stay with you in the states?"
"No… but she has yet to find a suitable place back there, and I'd be glad to pass on to her whatever you or him have to send…"
"That's mighty kind of you."
"Not at all, I simply have a lot of affection for the lady in question. So is this a deal?"
"Of course, we'll send you whatever we get about or from Captain Tanner."
The clerk noted only the street address, writing Amelia Johnson as the recipient and then he put it in Captain Tanner's file.
"I'll make sure that all the correspondence goes to this address until further notice."
"Thank you," Clint said sincerely before taking his leave.
Until now, Cole had no idea what he was witnessing exactly, but each step made him feel increasingly uncomfortable. When the scenery changed again, he found himself inside a cozy little house, which he assumed must have been in the states as he saw Clint sitting at a wooden desk. This one was reading a crumpled letter and he seemed upset. Cole had also realized a while back that during those visions, he was totally invisible to the ones who peopled it. Therefore, as he became curious about the letter, he went behind Clint and bent over his shoulders to read it as well. The letter was signed Richard, with all my love. It started with "Dear Amelia, I wish that I could hold you in my arms right now, but my duties are not over just yet around here. I still have a few months to serve, but I promise you that I'll be with you as soon as I can…
Cole barely had time to decipher those lines before Clint tore it apart angrily and threw it in the wastebasket by his desk. He picked up another envelope that looked official. It had been opened already and he pulled a typed letter from it. This was an official announcement about Captain Richard Tanner's safe return from a prolonged sojourn in a German prisoners' camp. Clint seemed to hesitate longer with this one. Yet, eventually, the letter was subjected to the same treatment as the first one. Then, as if tearing them apart wasn't enough, Clint struck a match and set them on fire. Even as Cole was frowning unhappily, he felt that he was pulled away again and found himself across the street from a small home in the suburb. Standing before him was a hesitant Richard. He seemed unsure as to what to do and was watching the house in question. Suddenly, the door opened and Clint came out of it, carrying a small suitcase. He had on a civilian pilot's uniform. Behind him, Cole was surprised to see Amelia, apparently many months pregnant. Richard was already taking a few steps forward when Clint turned back toward her and kissed her goodbye like only a husband would. Cole saw Richard's shoulders sagging at the sight, as he quickly hid behind a nearby tree. They both watched her waving good bye at Clint, as this one got into his car and waved back before leaving. Amelia was still watching the car going when she suddenly jerked her head toward Richard's hiding place. Cole saw her frown uncertainly. For a moment, he believed that she had seen Richard, but soon she shook her head and re- entered the house. Richard hesitated a moment longer, then he came out and slowly made his way toward the white mailbox that stood at the end of the driveway. As Cole followed him, he read the names written on it at the same time as an obviously devastated Richard: Mr. and Mrs. Clint Larsen.
This time, when he found himself sitting in the airliner, Cole knew exactly what the matter was. However, before he could tell Phoebe or the others, he heard the old couple's bickering again.
"This craziness is probably all in your head," the old Clay was saying.
"How dare you? You saw Leo like I did," the old Phoebe replied angrily.
"He was just a doppelganger… One more bad omen on this trip, I'll say. I don't know why I believed that we could repair this relationship."
"Oh, that's rich of you, considering what you did to Cole and me."
"I didn't do anything! How many times do I have to tell you?"
"And what he wrote in his book was all a lie of course. I don't believe that. You knew he loved me. And most of all, you knew how much I loved him. I was even carrying his child. Why did you do this to us?"
"You believe the rant of a sad old drunk. He probably embellished his side of the story to make himself look better. The sad truth is that he abandoned you, just like I told you. There never were any letters."
The old Phoebe pulled a book that she obviously had read many times as the pages were corned and the cover worn out.
"It's all in there, Clay. Everything exactly as I remember it. Why would he have changed the rest? You ruined my life and you just won't admit it."
"You stupid woman…"
This time, Cole couldn't stand it anymore:
"He's lying to you. He burned those letters, I saw him!"
Cole realized that the man before him wasn't Clint, but by then, he had also figured out most of what was happening. However, before he could explain himself any further, not only to the flabbergasted old couple, but also to Phoebe, who had turned to him as if he'd gone mad, the shimmering started again.
Cole found himself back in front of the fighter planes, but this time he remembered everything, every single vision. And most of all, he remembered that he didn't belong there at all.
"What the hell?" He exclaimed.
He suddenly realized that he was standing in the open, and took cover behind a few crates. Looking back toward the cargo plane, he saw Leo waving imperatively. Then, this one came rushing toward his hiding place. He looked like he'd seen a ghost…
As soon as he had taken cover in turn, Leo questioned:
"Cole, what year is it?"
"Ok now, that is a stupid question. Yet… what year do YOU think it is?"
"How about 1944 and 2002…"
"That's just about what I figured. What the hell is happening here? And most of all, how come I didn't remember anything until now?"
"I can't tell you why…I can only tell you that I also just remembered everything…"
"How about Phoebe and her sisters?"
"I don't think they remembered yet. And we better hurry, because Clint... I mean Clay is about to take off…"
"Leo, you're not helping…"
"You shouldn't talk. All of this is most probably your fault."
Cole gave him an irritated glare, but Leo ignored it.
"Anyway, I might be mistaken, but this could be some kind of paradox. I've seen all of this happen more or less in the same manner during the war. One of my regrets about that time was that the Elders forbade me from talking to Amelia. They caught me going to Richard and that was the end of it. What happened next caused my friend to live a miserable life, with only one achievement among drunken binges. That book he wrote about the war…"
"And then what? You think that if we change what happened, it'll repair the past?"
"It's worth a try…"
"Leo, from where I stand, the situation hasn't changed. This Richard made the only sensible choice at the time. If I don't do the same as he did, things could get much worse than lost love."
Cole was about to go after the fighter planes, but Leo held him back.
"Wait, that's not your war…"
"Maybe, but how can I be sure that Phoebe and our son won't get hurt if I don't do anything. You said it yourself, it's a paradox, and right now, we have no way of knowing the rules…I won't risk their safety…"
"No wonder you took his place," Leo replied dejectedly, "you're just as stubborn and rash as he was…"
"I prefer to call it sensible …" Cole replied, while pulling away from Leo.
"Wait," this one said again. "Maybe, there's another way…"
"Which one?" Cole asked, suddenly interested.
"Can you use your powers?"
"Well, I don't know. I haven't used them a single time since…"
"The plane… Try now."
Cole tried to flash out but nothing would do…
"What about you? You're yourself, maybe you can orb, or something?"
"Nope, I tried…"
Cole gave him an exasperated look. Then, he seemed to think of something else:
"I did use my powers on the plane. As we were landing, then never since…"
"Yeah?"
"What if…"
"You think that we've got to be in the air?"
"Who knows…after all, in reality we are on a plane right now, aren't we?"
"Let's go then," Leo immediately agreed.
Cole stayed behind, however.
"Wait, what if I'm wrong?"
The cargo plane's engines roared at this moment, making the decision for them, as it was too late for Cole to get to the fighters. They heard the clamours from soldiers running their way.
"Now is the time to check it out. Run!" Leo exclaimed.
Cole gave one last look toward the fighter planes, then he started running toward the cargo. Heinrich was closing the door when they reached the ladder among a barrage of bullets that they escaped by miracle.
"Heinrich, wait!" Cole screamed as he climbed the steps hurriedly behind Leo.
They made it just in time as the plane was already moving. Phoebe and Piper were waiting for them inside, but they still didn't seem to remember who they truly were. The bullets raining on the fuselage stopped them from commenting on the men's return, while Cole decided to give a try to the same protection power as he had used twice already. Unfortunately, it still didn't work. By then however, the plane was already on its way and they could feel the acceleration. Through a window, Cole saw that pilots were already climbing into the fighters and he could only hope that his theory held, as they were soon moving toward them on the airstrip. The plane lifted its nose and at last they took off. However, even then, Cole couldn't seem to do anything. Leo gave him a pointed look, but Cole shrugged worriedly. They felt that Clay was veering toward the border, as they were gaining altitude. Just then, a missile came rushing and missed the cargo only by about a hundred feet.
"Cole, try again," Leo said between clenched teeth.
Behind them, they heard the threatening whistle that announced another missile inbounds. Cole concentrated as much as he could then, and suddenly the whole plane seemed to be bathed in a whitish light…