The White Fox Chronicles (6 page)

“I picked it up in prison. The faster I could learn stuff the better job they thought they were doing. They even gave me a nickname—White Fox.”

“You’re the White Fox? Now I’m really impressed. I heard some of the guards talk about you. You were supposed to be one of their finest success stories. Colonel Wyman is definitely going to want to meet you.”

“I didn’t do anything special. All I did was survive the best way I knew how.”

“You saved my skin. I think that’s kind of special.”

Cody felt uncomfortable. “Can we get back to the lesson? We’ll be at the base before you get around to letting me have the controls.”

“The controls are the easy part. Here.” Toni put her good hand behind her head and leaned back. “Take them.”

Cody grabbed at the control stick and the plane pitched upward.

“Don’t be so rough,” Toni scolded. “Hold it gently and keep your eyes on the instruments. Push it forward and the nose drops, back and we go up.”

Cody watched the panel carefully, almost afraid to breathe. After a few minutes he relaxed. “Hey, this isn’t so hard. It’s almost like—”

The plane lunged, making a choking sound, and then the engine stopped. Toni sat up. She tapped one of the gauges and it swung violently to the left.

“What’s wrong?” Cody demanded. “Did I break something?”

“No. It’s not your fault. Looks like we might have a leak in the fuel line. We’re going down. Get ready.”

Cody looked at the ground below. The desert had changed to green landscape with fields and a few trees. They had passed a small
town an hour or so earlier. He wondered if anyone would come out to help them—or, more likely, arrest them.

It all seemed like a dream. The plane was fighting them, trying to head straight down while he and Toni fought to keep its nose up.

Then abruptly the ground that had looked so far away rushed up to meet them. Trees sped by, snatching at the plane with their branches. With one bone-jarring crunch both wings were sheared off and the windshield blew out in pieces.

At high speed, the small aircraft skidded across a field and came to a grinding stop on the edge of an arroyo, its nose buried in a large bank of dirt.

O
ut of the corner of his eye Cody could see his arms and hands. He raised his head. Nothing seemed to be broken. His forehead ached and he had several new cuts from the broken glass but he was still alive.

He turned to look at Toni. She was hunched over, holding her fractured arm. “This thing is never going to heal if I don’t quit cracking up airplanes.”

Cody smiled with relief. “You probably hold the record for the most crash landings in
the shortest period of time.” He unsnapped his seat belt. “Flying was sure nice while it lasted but I guess it’s back to walking.”

He was just about to try his door when it was yanked open. A burly farmer stabbed at him with a pitchfork. In the Republic language he ordered Cody to get out of the aircraft.

Another, younger man dressed in worn overalls, with arms as big around as tree trunks, held a small pistol. He waved it in the air victoriously. “We’ve captured some Americans, Papa. The CCR will reward us.”

Cody put his hands up and slipped down out of the plane. He spoke to them in their language. “Don’t shoot. My partner is hurt. Help us. We are on a secret mission for the CCR.”

The two men put their heads together and whispered. The young one turned to Cody. “Where are your papers?”

“I told you, we’re on a special mission. We don’t carry papers.”

The farmer pointed the pitchfork at the plane. “You are only a boy, too young to be
flying planes. Get your partner out. We will talk to him.”

They followed Cody around to Toni’s door. He tried to open it but it was stuck. The young man with the muscular arms gave the pistol to his father and reached up to help. With one tug he wrenched it off its hinges.

Toni had heard them talking. She didn’t understand the language but she figured Cody was doing his best to make up a cover for them. When they opened the door she was lying motionless on the controls with her eyes closed.

“See,” Cody said. “I told you my partner was hurt.”

The young man shrugged and picked her up as if she were a child and set her on the ground.

Again the two men conferred. Cody could hear snatches about how big the reward would be if he and Toni turned out to be spies.

Finally they made a decision. They would take the two fliers back to the farm and lock them in the root cellar until they notified the nearest CCR garrison.

The young man picked up Toni and started across the field. Cody had to trot to keep up with him. The older man stayed behind them, holding the gun.

As they approached the house, Cody scanned the area for signs of transportation. A rusty truck sat in front of the farmhouse with its hood up and two flat tires. The only other vehicle on the place was an old green tractor parked in the field.

The farmer unlocked the cellar and held the door open for his son. The young man dropped Toni on a stack of corn husks and turned to Cody. “If you are who you claim to be, you will be free to go in a few days. If you are not … well, I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes when the soldiers get here.” He grinned and pretended to slice his throat with his thumb. Laughing, he stepped out the door and locked it behind him.

Toni sat up. She waited until she heard footsteps moving away from the door. Then she spoke in a low voice. “Do you see any way out of here? The floor is made of dirt. Maybe we could dig our way out.”

“Why don’t we just go out the way we came in?” Cody took out his lockpick and felt for the keyhole. In seconds he had the door unlocked.

Toni put her hand on his shoulder. “Did anyone ever tell you that you are amazing?”

“Wait till you see my magic tricks.” Cody pushed the door open a crack. “They must have gone in the house to make some calls. I don’t see anybody.”

“In that case, let’s go. I don’t think it’s going to be too healthy for us to hang around here.”

Cody slipped through the door, waited for Toni and then closed it. The old farmer had left his pitchfork leaning against the outside wall and when Cody turned he tripped on it, sending it clattering to the ground.

“Hey. What’s going on there?” The son came running from the hay shed. He grabbed Cody by the collar and squeezed, nearly choking the life out of him. Toni jumped on the large man’s back. He let go of Cody and pulled Toni over his head. She landed flat on her back with the wind knocked out of her.

Cody grabbed the pitchfork and jabbed with it threateningly. “Stay back. I won’t hurt you if you leave us alone.”

The big man laughed. “You think you can take me with that? You are nothing but a small puppy. I will make you eat it.”

He faked left and lunged. Cody brought the pitchfork up in front of him, aiming at the man’s legs, but the movement threw him off and the big man took the prongs full in the stomach. He dropped to one knee, his face white, staring at the fork in disbelief. “I’ve been killed … killed by a … boy.”

Cody dropped the handle and stepped back. Toni made it to her feet. She pulled on his arm. “Come on. You did what you had to. There’s no time to think about it.”

Cody swallowed. The fork, he thought, the fork had just been there and then it had disappeared into the man’s stomach. Just there and …

He shook his head and turned and blindly followed her toward the mountains.

“A
re you sure there’s a base up here?”

Toni nodded. “I’m sure.”

“Why would they put it in the mountains? Nobody would want an air base in the middle of a bunch of trees.”

“That’s what we’re hoping the CCR will think. Just over this next hill is the Jicorrilla Valley. It’s a perfect hiding spot, surrounded on all sides by the mountains.”

Cody scrambled up the hill behind her.
He was breathing hard. “What do you say we take a break? This altitude is killing me.”

At the top of the ridge, Toni dropped to her stomach and pointed below them. “See, I told you. There it is.”

Cody frowned. “I don’t see anything.”

“Look carefully. Almost everything is covered with camouflage netting.”

Cody knelt and studied the scenery. There were breaks in the trees and bushes where large green blobs sat. “I think I see it now. They’ve done a good job disguising it.”

Toni turned to him. “Still want to take that break? Or would you like to meet part of the team that’s going to get our country back?”

Cody stood. “Part of the team? You mean there are more?”

“We have three bases in strategic locations and there are ground troops just waiting for the order to fight. Also, Canada, Mexico and England have agreed to lend their support.
That’s part of the information I was bringing back when I was shot down.”

Cody started moving down the hill. “What are you doing standing around up here talking? We’ve got a war to fight.”

C
olonel Wyman was a tall man. His hair was almost silver and his eyes were bright blue. When he had finished debriefing Toni, he asked to see Cody.

Cody had eaten a large meal and then gone out exploring the base. He couldn’t believe the number of guns, planes and missiles. When he had been captured, the CCR had told him that the United States military had been completely crushed and that the new Republic had absolute control.

He felt a tap on his shoulder. “Excuse me, sir, the colonel will see you now.” A young sergeant led him to a large brown tent with open flaps.

Toni was just coming out. She looked around. “Well? What do you think?”

“You were right. It’s great.”

“I’m headed over to medical.” She held up her arm. “Maybe this time I can get it put back together and keep it that way. When you get through talking to the colonel, come see me.”

Cody nodded and followed the sergeant inside the tent. The colonel was seated at a table talking to his aide. When he saw Cody he rose and walked around the table to shake his hand. “Come in, young man. Major McLaughlin tells me you are responsible for helping her escape and for saving her life on several occasions.”

“I guess we were lucky.”

“Lucky?” The colonel laughed and turned to the aide. “Did you hear that, Jeff? The boy is modest.”

The aide nodded. “Yes, sir. I’d say so.”

Colonel Wyman indicated a chair. “Sit down, son. I’ve got a few questions to ask you.”

Cody hesitated. The small chair in Sidoron’s interrogation room flashed through his mind. He took a deep breath and forced himself to sit.

The colonel sat also. “I understand that you’ve been a prisoner for quite some time?”

“Yes, sir. Almost a year and a half.”

“And during that time you learned to speak the Republic language fluently?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Can you give us the details of how these camps are run? What is the general layout …”

The colonel asked questions for another hour about Cody’s life as a prisoner while the aide took notes. A few times the colonel asked the same question in a different form. Cody knew it was to see if he would trip himself up or if he was really what he claimed to be.

Finally the colonel stood up. “Well, I guess that about covers it, son. We can’t thank you enough for helping the major the way you did. She was carrying some vital information. You can be very proud of yourself.”

Cody looked up at the tall man. “So what happens now?”

“Now I’ll send for someone to escort you to
a tent where you can get some rest. You’re probably worn out from your journey.”

“And then what?”

The colonel scratched his head. “Then we’ll try and relocate you. We have several thousand families living in the hills near here. I’m sure any one of them would be more than happy to take you in.”

“That’s it? The major thought you might use me as an interpreter or something. I’d like to help in any way I can.”

The colonel smiled indulgently. “Maybe in a couple of years, son. Right now let’s give the old-timers a chance, okay?”

Cody chewed on his bottom lip thoughtfully. Finally he stood and extended his hand. “It’s been a pleasure, Colonel. If you’ll have someone show me to my tent …”

“Certainly.” The older man shook his hand again, then stepped outside and gave the waiting sergeant the order.

Cody followed the young man to a long tent with neat rows of cots set up inside. He waited until the soldier left and then darted across the camp to the medical tent.

“Can I help you?” A nurse holding a clipboard stopped him at the door.

“Uh, yeah. I’m looking for Major McLaughlin. She told me she’d be in here.”

The nurse pointed to a door. “She’ll be in there resting. The doctor just set her arm.”

“Thanks.” Cody turned and hurried through the door. Toni was lying on a cot, wearing a crisp new uniform with one sleeve missing. The smell of fresh, warm plaster of paris filled the air. Her arm was in a thick white cast up to her shoulder.

She smiled when she saw him. “How’d it go?”

“Your colonel is a jerk.”

Toni looked confused. “What are you talking about?” She sat up on her good elbow. “Did he do something to you?”

“He wants to relocate me to live with a bunch of civilians.”

“Is that all?” Toni lay back down. “That can’t be so bad, can it?”

Cody set his jaw. “Listen, Toni. Luther Swift was a great man. He died so that I could be free. And there’s a little girl back in that prison camp …”

“There’s nothing you can do, Cody. Let the army take care of it. As soon as they knock out some of the enemy’s strongholds they’ll do what they can to help the prisoners.”

Cody looked out the window, said nothing.

“You’re going back, aren’t you?”

He remained silent.

Toni sighed. “All right. They just rebroke my arm and I’ll be useless for weeks. I know you won’t wait until I can help.” She took a pen and piece of paper she’d been using to write a letter and scribbled some numbers. “Here are two radio frequencies. If you go back and
if
they don’t kill you and
if
you get into a position where you need help and
if
you can get to a radio, I’ll be monitoring these freqs on a small receiver-transmitter at headquarters. I’ll try to help any way I can.”