stretched thin, Command has assigned one incident spotter to coordinate all the jumper crews. It frees up another man on the ground for every crew.”
Silas took a deep breath. “What happened?”
“The details are still sketchy. Sounds like the winds changed and the fire blew up. The crew tried to outrun it with their fire shelters deployed on their backs to reflect the heat. Pendleton was the last one, making sure he had his whole crew out. The fire overtook him.”
“Others get burned?”
“Not that I’ve heard.”
How does the head of a jumper crew get killed and none of the others get so much as a burn? Silas would drag Warren’s body through hell if he had to.
Ahead, Shivner turned and glanced at his wristwatch.
Warren motioned. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER
16
T he command room occupied a portion of the South Lake Tahoe aircraft control tower. Can lights illuminated an otherwise darkened room, casting warm cones over a large topographic map spread across a drafting table. A makeshift work area of collapsible tables supported a network of laptops and printers and a conflux of wires snaking to and from power strips and Internet routers. A muffled din of radio traffic and phone conversations filled the air. Elevated voices emitted from a circle of men standing around the map.
“We’re getting lit up like a lab on a shock collar.”
“Hanes Index has topped out at six for two straight weeks now. When are we going to realize that what we’re doing isn’t en—”
The conversation broke as Shivner approached. The circle split to accommodate them. Silas recognized the incident commander as Chief Weathers from the Redmond, Oregon base. Weathers headed up the most respected type-one incident management team in the nation. If these guys couldn’t manage this thing . . .
Weathers acknowledged Shivner. “Welcome back. I assume these two have been briefed.”
“Briefly,” Shivner said, drawing scattered chuckles.
Weathers glanced at Warren. “Adams, good to have you here.” He turned to Silas. “Mr. Kent, I assume you know what a battlefield promotion is?”
Silas shifted the rucksack on his shoulder. “Yes, sir.”
“Warren tells me that he’s been grooming you as his replacement. Problem is, the old goat ain’t bound to quit anytime soon.”
Silas let a smile escape.
Weathers ran his fingers over the topo map and exhaled. “Before today, I’d never lost a man under my command. I, my team, we’ve been here all of twenty-two hours. We were tossed a bag of hot potatoes and then got dumped on with a truckload. It is unfortunate that your elevation in rank has to come about this way. Pendleton was a good man, and in the proper time his body will be recovered and he’ll get the kind of burial he deserves. There isn’t a guy here whose heart doesn’t feel like a ton of bricks. But right now we have the potential for the largest lightning-caused fire complex the Sierra Nevada has seen in over a century, and there is an immediate need for a spotter. I’d like you to be the one to head up Pendleton’s jumper crew. I’m sure you’re aware that we have an incident spotter assigned, so you’d be acting primarily on the ground as their jumper in charge.”
Silas shifted his weight. Why me? “Isn’t . . . I mean, thank you for the acknowledgment, Chief. But would it perhaps be better if a jumper from Pendleton’s own crew served in that role?”
Weathers scratched an eyebrow and glanced at a man with a moustache and navy blue ball cap standing at the edge of the light shadow. Weathers seemed to choose his words with care. “You’ll have Caleb Parson to draw information and history from. He’s the senior member of their crew.”
“Forgive me, Chief. But why not designate him as the new spotter?”
“Call it a hunch, but I suspect that, after the loss of Pendleton, most of those guys are wound a little tight right now. We need someone out there with a clear head. Someone less
Silas took a deep breath. “What happened?”
“The details are still sketchy. Sounds like the winds changed and the fire blew up. The crew tried to outrun it with their fire shelters deployed on their backs to reflect the heat. Pendleton was the last one, making sure he had his whole crew out. The fire overtook him.”
“Others get burned?”
“Not that I’ve heard.”
How does the head of a jumper crew get killed and none of the others get so much as a burn? Silas would drag Warren’s body through hell if he had to.
Ahead, Shivner turned and glanced at his wristwatch.
Warren motioned. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER
16
T he command room occupied a portion of the South Lake Tahoe aircraft control tower. Can lights illuminated an otherwise darkened room, casting warm cones over a large topographic map spread across a drafting table. A makeshift work area of collapsible tables supported a network of laptops and printers and a conflux of wires snaking to and from power strips and Internet routers. A muffled din of radio traffic and phone conversations filled the air. Elevated voices emitted from a circle of men standing around the map.
“We’re getting lit up like a lab on a shock collar.”
“Hanes Index has topped out at six for two straight weeks now. When are we going to realize that what we’re doing isn’t en—”
The conversation broke as Shivner approached. The circle split to accommodate them. Silas recognized the incident commander as Chief Weathers from the Redmond, Oregon base. Weathers headed up the most respected type-one incident management team in the nation. If these guys couldn’t manage this thing . . .
Weathers acknowledged Shivner. “Welcome back. I assume these two have been briefed.”
“Briefly,” Shivner said, drawing scattered chuckles.
Weathers glanced at Warren. “Adams, good to have you here.” He turned to Silas. “Mr. Kent, I assume you know what a battlefield promotion is?”
Silas shifted the rucksack on his shoulder. “Yes, sir.”
“Warren tells me that he’s been grooming you as his replacement. Problem is, the old goat ain’t bound to quit anytime soon.”
Silas let a smile escape.
Weathers ran his fingers over the topo map and exhaled. “Before today, I’d never lost a man under my command. I, my team, we’ve been here all of twenty-two hours. We were tossed a bag of hot potatoes and then got dumped on with a truckload. It is unfortunate that your elevation in rank has to come about this way. Pendleton was a good man, and in the proper time his body will be recovered and he’ll get the kind of burial he deserves. There isn’t a guy here whose heart doesn’t feel like a ton of bricks. But right now we have the potential for the largest lightning-caused fire complex the Sierra Nevada has seen in over a century, and there is an immediate need for a spotter. I’d like you to be the one to head up Pendleton’s jumper crew. I’m sure you’re aware that we have an incident spotter assigned, so you’d be acting primarily on the ground as their jumper in charge.”
Silas shifted his weight. Why me? “Isn’t . . . I mean, thank you for the acknowledgment, Chief. But would it perhaps be better if a jumper from Pendleton’s own crew served in that role?”
Weathers scratched an eyebrow and glanced at a man with a moustache and navy blue ball cap standing at the edge of the light shadow. Weathers seemed to choose his words with care. “You’ll have Caleb Parson to draw information and history from. He’s the senior member of their crew.”
“Forgive me, Chief. But why not designate him as the new spotter?”
“Call it a hunch, but I suspect that, after the loss of Pendleton, most of those guys are wound a little tight right now. We need someone out there with a clear head. Someone less
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