Chapter 62
A FLEET OF helicopters landed in the nearby pasture.
“Where’d those come from?” asked Agent Judge.
“Just something I whipped up so the strike force can hop over to West Virginia,” I explained.
“Excellent. Where are the pilots?”
“We don’t need them. I just need to imagine where you’re going and the airships will fly you there.”
The troops ducked under the rotor wash and carried their gear into the waiting choppers.
“You got us the birds?” Lieutenant Russell asked as he gathered up all the gear he had shed to fight me.
“Roger that,” I said. “I figure a true leader needs to do more than duck punches.”
He nodded. “See you in hell, sir,” he said as he dashed off to hop into a chopper.
“Grab a helicopter, sir,” I said to Agent Judge.
“I’ll fly with you.”
I shook my head. “I’m afraid you can’t.”
“Come again?”
“I’m going to teleport. I need to get there first to set up a landing beacon outside the cave entrance.”
“Daniel?”
“Sir?”
“You wait for us. Don’t you dare try to take on Number 2 by yourself.”
“I won’t, sir. A team leader is nothing without his team.”
He shot me a salute. “See you in West Virginia.”
While he raced off to a waiting whirlybird, I focused on the coordinates my internal GPS memory had locked in on when I logged the death of Number 33 (Attila) on The List. Traveling back to West Virginia, I wondered if the state should change the slogan on their license plates from ALMOST HEAVEN to JUST OUTSIDE HELL.