Page 181 of Aviatrix

Maybe I should tell him. If we make it out alive.

The Pentagon looms in the distance, a concrete fortress of power and paranoia. As we roll up the long drive, I can feel the tension in the Humvee rise like pressure before a storm.

A checkpoint comes into view. There’s two armed guards in full tactical gear, their rifles slung and ready. One steps forward, raising his hand. The other doesn’t move. He’s already watching us through the scope.

“Let me do the talking,” Gary commands.

Eli slows the Humvee to a crawl. The guard taps the hood twice, signaling us to stop.

Gary leans out the window, posture steady and tone sharp. “We’re from Nellis. Responding to the emergency beacon. Communications are down. Requesting temporary clearance and internal shelter.”

The guard’s eyes narrow. “Orders?”

Gary doesn't flinch. “They came down through Langley,” he lies smoothly. “We’re under Colonel Hardy.”

The guard steps back and pulls a handheld radio from his belt. Static. He smacks it. Still nothing.

Lark tenses beside me. His fingers twitch like they’re already curled around a trigger.

The second guard approaches, more cautious than the first. He peers into the vehicle, scanning each of us. His gaze lingers on Lark. Recognition flickers in his eyes.

“Colonel Jones?”

Lark finally speaks, the words rough like gravel. “That’s right.”

The guard hesitates, then jerks his head toward the barricade. “Go. But they’re locking everything down. No more refugee intakes. You’ve got ten minutes before no one gets in.”

“Understood,” Gary says.

Maybe the General’s intel was wrong?

The first guard swings the barrier arm up.

We roll through, all eyes forward. No one breathes. No one speaks.

Eli parks in the employee lot and we all pile out, sprinting for the closing door. Gary tries to keep up, but he’s older than the rest of us and falls behind. I should wait for him. But he lied about VAL.

So I keep moving, my stride barely matching Eli and Lark’s.

“Wait!” Lark shouts to the security guard closing the door as we near the building.

The guard hesitates, then throws the door wide open. “Hurry!”

My heart pounds as I push harder, arms pumping.

Lark slips inside first. Eli grabs my hand just in time and yanks me through. Gary’s close behind.

“You four barely made it,” the guard says in disbelief.

Luck. Sheer dumb luck.

“Thank you for holding the door,” I say, breathless.

“We’re all heading to safe zones,” he replies. “You know where to go?”

Gary shrugs. “Yep.”

“Stay safe,” the guard says, then disappears into the shadows.