Carlie Simmons (Book 5): One Final Mission by JT Sawyer

sure—maybe half an hour. I’ve been
scanning the area for the others and just laying low until you came around. Too
many creatures hovering near the airfield.”
    “What happened to the plane? I remember
spinning in circles after we landed and then having the sensation we were sledding
but don’t remember anything else.”
    “Our bird turned into a pretzel and tore
apart. I got sucked out the rear like you.” Jared rubbed the back of his neck,
letting out a long exhale and looking back at Osaka Bay, whose vastness was
being revealed in the pre-dawn light. “While I was swimming with you over here,
I saw the plane sink. I…uhm…I don’t know if the others made it.”
    Eliza could feel the muscles in her face
tightening and her heart racing as she looked into Jared’s terrified eyes and
then out to the unrevealing waters of the bay. She nervously reached for her
ear-mic and began tapping on the call button.
    “I already tried that—don’t you think I
already tried that?” said Jared, who slumped back against the concrete and hung
his head down. “I haven’t seen or heard any signs that anyone else is still
alive but us. Amy—she’s gotta be out there somewhere. I…I don’t even know where
or if she made it out of the wreck. God, what if she’s injured and all alone?”
He went silent, continually clenching and unclenching his fist.
    Eliza leaned forward in a half-squat,
making sure not to bump her sore head against the low beams. She did a tactile
inventory of her gear, running her hands along the familiar hilt of her knife,
the butt of her pistol, and the assorted items stowed in her vest. She saw her
rifle leaning against the wall beside Jared’s. Eliza scanned her immediate
surroundings and then raised one eye up to a crack in the cement foundation
where it met the boat dock.
    She could see thousands of figures milling
about the airfield, all of them within fifty yards of their location. She
retreated and turned the other way, crouch-walking on the narrow strip of
foundation until she could see part of the boat docks. There were four parallel
docks that shot out into the bay. Each was around two hundred feet long and six
feet wide. There were several dozen sailboats moored to the farthest dock and
three speedboats tethered to the one closest to her.
    “What are the chances of one of those jet
boats being able to work after all this time sitting here?”
    Jared didn’t answer and she swung her head
back to see him resting his head in his hands.
    “Hey—what are the chances of getting one
of those started?”
    “About as good a chance as us getting our
asses back to Fort Lewis—we’re fucked.”
    She moved back towards him, her head
injury pulsating with each step. “Jared—I need you to focus. We can’t stay here
and we don’t have much time before daybreak puts us in the spotlight.”
    Jared raised his head up, sweat streaking
down his pale face. “We’re fucked. Everyone’s missing, maybe even dead, and now
we’re gonna buy it on this island of noodle-heads.”
    Eliza grabbed him by the vest and pulled
him forward, still fighting to refocus her vision. “I didn’t come all this way
to get munched on in some godforsaken airfield. We’ll make it through this just
as we always have. And when we do, we’ll go search for the others.” She
released him and reached over for a rifle, shoving it into his chest, then
glanced down at her watch. “Now, let’s get a boat and get the hell out of here—we
still have close to eleven hours to get the package from the hospital and make
it to the sub. Hopefully, the others are headed there too and we’ll link up
with them shortly.”
    Jared looked down at his rifle and back up
at Eliza, the tension easing slightly from his cheeks. He nodded at her and
squinted, shaking his head to clear the sweat from his eyes. She patted him on
the shoulder with a clenched fist. “Vamonos,” she said, motioning over her
shoulder to the boats while they