"He's still there!" Jill shouted, pulling away from me. She turned to walk up the embankment again.

"Jill!" I said. "So help me G.o.d, you're staying here if I have to have Exodus tie you the h.e.l.l up. No one else is going to die here, do you hear me? Enough people have died tonight. What in the h.e.l.l do you think you're going to do, other than put your own life, and Reaper's life, in jeopardy, huh?"

Jill obviously hadn't thought about that. She wasn't even carrying a rifle. She didn't even have body armor. Letting her go would probably be sending her to her death.

"Jill, please . . . We're leaving right now. We'll find him. We're not going to abandon him."

Tears welled up in Jill's eyes. She was visibly shaking. "Hurry, please," she said quietly.

The door of one of the big Russian vans slid open and Reaper began shouting. "I lost eyes, but Lorenzo's in the river! He's in the river!"

I nodded, then noticed that Shen had a large bolt-action rifle slung across his back. "What's that?"

"It's Svetlana's rifle," he said. "She's a sniper."

It was a long way down to the river. "Give it to me," I said, "It might come in handy."

Shen nodded, and unslung the long weapon. It was a Sako TRG-42 wrapped in white webbing for camouflage. I slung my carbine behind my back as he handed me the heavy beast. I worked the bolt to verify that there was a round chambered, and looked through the scope. It was a five-to-twenty power.

"Here," the woman said. She tossed me a single five-round magazine for the rifle. "That's all the ammunition I have left for it."

.338 Lapua. That'll put a hurting on somebody. "Let's move."

Ling turned her attention to Antoine and Fajkus as I began jogging away. "Do not wait for us here. Rendezvous with Katsumoto's group. We will try to stay in contact, but do not linger for our sake. Enough of us have died here already. If we don't make it back, don't come looking for us."

"I understand," Antoine said solemnly. "Go with G.o.d, my friend."

VALENTINE.

The Mountain Road, above the Canyon The path was narrow and treacherous as we made our way toward where we thought Lorenzo was. Ling was trying to raise him on the radio, but had no luck so far. Without Reaper to guide us in, there was little we could do but hope. I was on edge, exhausted, and afraid. The woods were swarming with Jihan's men. What I really wanted to do was turn around and head back with the others. I just wanted to get as far away from The Crossroads as I possibly could, and never think about it again.

But as much as I disliked Lorenzo, I was determined not to leave anyone else behind. Not now, not after all this. Twice in my life, I'd been left behind, abandoned by the people I was working for. I know what it feels like and I wasn't about to do that to somebody else.

If Lorenzo was alive, I hoped to G.o.d he wasn't bringing a lot of company with him.

"We can get a clear view of the river from there." Ling pointed.

"Keep your head down. We don't know who's down there."

Approaching cautiously, we took stock of the canyon before us. The ground just dropped away in a gap between thin evergreen trees. The grade was steep, all the way to the canyon floor and the river. We had a good view of the river from here. Ling lifted a pair of binoculars and started scanning back and forth.

On the valley floor, in a clearing five hundred yards away was the rusting hulk of a big airplane. I recognized it as an old Soviet Tu-95 bomber. One of its wings could be seen, half covered by a snow, some distance behind it. The other wing was nowhere to be found. A faded red star still adorned its tail. It looked as if it had been there for decades, forgotten. "Looks like they tried to ride it in," I mused. There was no way the bomber was going to do an emergency landing in a place like this, but it was obvious it hadn't just plowed straight down into the ground, either.

We had concealment from the foliage and cover from the boulders, plus a commanding view of the narrow valley ahead of us. It was as good as we were going to get.

I unfolded its bipod and set up the sniper rifle as Ling tried to raise Lorenzo on the radio. "Lorenzo, Lorenzo, this is Sword Three X-Ray. Can you hear me, over?"

Nothing.

"Lorenzo, this is Sword Three X-Ray, please respond. What is your status?"

Ling looked over at me and shook her head.

"Well, we can wait here for a little-"

The radio crackled back to life. "This is Lorenzo. I'm here, I'm still here."

"Sword Three X-Ray copies, Lorenzo. Where are you?"

"f.u.c.k if I know. I see lots of f.u.c.king trees. I've got a lot of p.i.s.sed off a.s.sholes on my tail. That narrow it down for you?" His breathing was ragged. He sounded horrible. "I see an . . . airplane?"

"We're waiting for you at the road past that, Lorenzo. As you come out of the trees, there'll be an open area covered with boulders. Past the wreck, there's a steep, rocky grade up to our position. I don't think it'll be an easy climb. Do you copy?"

"I hear you," Lorenzo replied. "f.u.c.k. I'm in bad shape here. I've been shot . . . a couple times, and I'm hypothermic and running out of ammo. I hope you got a lot of guys up there."

Ling and I looked at each other.

"Just make for the plane wreck. We'll cover you as best we can." Ling said. "Get ready. I think he's almost here."

"Take my rifle," I suggested. "It's got a scope on it and more range. It'll be better than your carbine."

I hunkered down behind Svetlana's heavy sniper rifle, scanning the canyon for movement. The tree line we expected Lorenzo to come out of was at least eight hundred yards away, maybe a bit further. The rifle I was using could hit playing cards at that distance, but it had been a long time since I'd done this kind of long-range shooting, and I only had ten rounds. Lorenzo had a lot of open territory to cover past the trees, with only boulders for cover until he got to the wreck of the bomber. And even then, I had no idea how he was going to get up the grade without getting shot to pieces.

Focus, d.a.m.n it. Can't worry about it now. I slowly pivoted the rifle on its bipod, looking for movement.

"There! I have eyes on."

A lone figure appeared from the trees, slogging through deep snow as fast as he could. Even at twenty power magnification, he was too far off to ID, so I reached for the radio.

"Lorenzo, this is Valentine. I have eyes on one individual that just exited the tree line. Is that you?"

There was a pause before I got a response. "Valentine? f.u.c.k me. Yeah, yeah that's me. Where are you guys?"

"We're up at the top of the grade. We've got you covered."

"Get ready. They're right behind me."

Lorenzo wasn't kidding. Sporadic gunfire erupted from the trees before I could even see anyone else. First, a couple of figures, dressed in brown and green coats, appeared from the trees, hot on Lorenzo's tail. Then a few more, then dozens of them.

"Holy s.h.i.t."

LORENZO.

The plane wreck I was in very bad shape. The wound in my side was deep. I had my left hand jammed against it, but blood was pouring between my fingers and leaving a trail in the snow behind me. The ice bath had done something to my mind. Everything was foggy and I was having a hard time thinking straight. My heart was pounding in my chest and my mouth tasted like it was filled with pennies.

The soldiers were all around me, moving between the trees. I could hear them shouting. My legs burned as I had to hoist each foot high enough to clear the snow. There were boulders in the clearing. I could use them for cover, then get to the plane, then- The bullet pierced my left arm. Blood hit the snow in front of me. I let out an incoherent cry, lifted my pistol and cranked off a couple of shots in the direction that it had come from. The snow puckered around me as they fired back.

I made it to the nearest boulder, stumbled, and crashed into it. I slid along it, leaving a smear of blood, then forced myself onward.

The ringing in my ears had gotten worse. I tripped and fell on my face. Not like this . . . And I forced myself back up and headed for the crashed bomber.

Valentine and Ling were shooting. I could hear their bullets buzzing by overhead. What sounded like thousands of bullets were immediately launched back at them.

The c.o.c.kpit of the bomber was mangled, smashed, and rusty. There was a huge gap past that, and I stumbled inside as fresh holes were punched in the aluminum around me. I turned and saw a soldier moving up to my red stained boulder. The STI's front sight wobbled past and I put a round into his chest. He slid down the rock and collapsed into the snow.

My gun was empty again. I couldn't even remember firing that many shots. I went to reload, but my left arm didn't want to work and my left hand wouldn't close around a fresh mag. "d.a.m.n it . . . " So I tucked the 9mm in my armpit, got a mag out with my good hand, and tried to shove it into the magwell. My hand was shaking so badly it took me several tries.

There was movement everywhere. The clearing was swarming with soldiers. There was no getting out of this one.

How'd I end up here? This was what I deserved for putting somebody else ahead of myself. This was all because I'd gone after Bob. I was going to die, and I still hadn't saved him.

I got the slide dropped on another round and shot a soldier who'd run up to the c.o.c.kpit.

But that wasn't all. I could have left Exodus. I could have dumped them and run for it on my own . . . Yet I hadn't. I could have abandoned them, but I didn't.

The old bomber smelled of animal p.i.s.s. Bullets were flying through the metal all around me. A scarred face appeared in a decaying window hole and I blew the young slave's brains out.

I could have abandoned them, but I didn't . . .

I'd made my call.

I'd decided to be the good guy.

And then I knew that old Gideon Lorenzo would have been proud of me.

"I'm still getting out of here, d.a.m.n it. You hear that, Dad?" I fired wildly out the door, driving some soldiers to cover.

Another bullet exploded through the wall and my leg went out from under me. There was a flash of fire and searing pain, and then blood was spilling from my calf.

I rolled over, tried to stand, and fell over. I ended up face-to-face with a grinning skull, probably the remains of one of the bomber's long-forgotten crewmembers. I couldn't walk. The skull sat there, mocking me.

My leg wouldn't respond. I could no longer run.

And just like that, it was over.

VALENTINE.

The powerful rifle bucked into my left shoulder as I squeezed off another shot. Two of Jihan's soldiers were taking cover from Lorenzo behind a rock, but I had a clear shot. The heavy slug tore through both of them and down they went. That's what they got for bunching up. f.u.c.k you, a.s.sholes.

I worked the bolt with my right hand, angled the rifle down some more, and found another target. BOOM. Another dead enemy soldier, I worked the bolt again. The rifle was now empty. I changed out the magazine. "Last five rounds!"

Ling was still using my rifle, firing slow, aimed shots. "How many more magazines do you have for this?" She'd already gone through one magazine and was working her way through another.

I checked the pouches on my vest, retrieving a single twenty-round mag. "Last one."

"I'll make it work," she said. "Keep shooting."

I scanned the snow-covered wreck of the bomber. I could see Lorenzo, holed up in a gaping tear in the fuselage that faced toward us. He was armed only with a pistol, and was only firing when the enemy got close to his hideout.

Two more soldiers were running toward the gap. One had a bag of hand grenades! A moving target, from a few hundred yards away, with a rifle I had no experience with. C'mon, c'mon . . . I tracked my target, leading him slightly, and squeezed the trigger.

He crumpled to the snow in a puff of blood. His friend tripped and fell. I worked the bolt and put a round into him, too. A hand grenade went off, throwing up a circle of snow and dust. "Two more down!" I told Ling.

"More are coming," she said flatly, before firing off several more shots.

One of Jihan's soldiers appeared from behind a boulder, carrying a belt-fed. "Machine-gun!" They were aware of our position now, but most of the fire they directed at us fell short. I didn't want them peppering us with a belt-fed. I put the crosshair on the machine gunner's chest and squeezed the trigger.

I missed. d.a.m.n it! I worked the bolt, got control of my breathing, and fired again. Splat. Down he went. f.u.c.k you, too.

Ling changed magazines again. "Lorenzo has to move now, before we all get pinned down here."

I agreed, and grabbed the radio. "Lorenzo, listen up. This is getting worse every second. They just keep coming. You need to make your move, now. Get your a.s.s up the hill. They're trying to surround the bomber now, and-s.h.i.t!" We ducked down as rounds pockmarked the boulders we were using as cover. Splintered rock chips and snow rained down on us from the barrage of gunfire. I keyed the mike again. "They know where we are. We're taking fire. You need to move, now!"

There was a long pause before I got a response. My amplified hearing protection enabled me to make out a few pistol shots from Lorenzo's position, over the slow, steady snapping of gunfire from Jihan's forces. They were being smart, moving from cover to cover, and now applying suppressing fire against us.

"I'm out," Lorenzo said. "I'm out of ammo. s.h.i.t."

We had to duck back down as more gunfire peppered our position. "Lorenzo, just give me a second, I'll figure this out."

Another pause.

"I'm not going to make it." His voice was flat.

"What? No, G.o.dd.a.m.n it, you move your a.s.s and get up this hill!"

"I can't." He sounded so tired. His voice wavered as he spoke. "I don't know if I can even stand. There's no way in h.e.l.l I'll make it up that hill."

Ling and I exchanged a glance.

"What . . . what do you want me to do?"

"You guys have to go," Lorenzo replied bluntly. "You have to leave me here. Get out of here before they get you too."

"I'm not going to leave you there, G.o.dd.a.m.n it!"

"Yes you are. You don't have a choice. There's too many. They're out for blood. If you don't get out of here, you'll die too."

Lorenzo was right. Ling placed a hand on my shoulder and nodded her head slightly.

d.a.m.n it, d.a.m.n it, d.a.m.n it. My mind raced, looking for a way out.

But there was no way. I had one round left for the .338, and Ling was running low too. There were still dozens of enemy troops down there, and they were all heavily armed. It was quiet. They were regrouping. I crept around the edge of the boulder. It only took me a second to find Lorenzo in the scope.

It was like he was looking right at me.

I took a deep breath and keyed the microphone.

"Lorenzo, if they take you alive . . . it won't be good."