The White Fox Chronicles (16 page)

Before Sidoron could swing again, Cody hit him twice in the stomach, jumped and smashed his feet into the man’s chest.

The colonel wobbled and gasped for breath.

“You’re nothing, Sidoron. I could easily kill you with my bare hands.” Cody picked up his gun in disgust. “Instead I think I’ll do worse. I’m going to humiliate you to the point that you’ll be lucky if the CCR will allow you to dig ditches for them. Let’s go for a little walk.”

An explosion rocked the building. Cody poked Sidoron in the ribs with his gun. “Don’t worry about a thing, Colonel. That’s just the sound of your kingdom crashing down around you. The guard towers probably aren’t there anymore.”

He pushed the portly man down the hall to the back door. Sidoron turned and pleaded, “You don’t have to do this, White Fox. Think about it. I could set you up in the black market. We could be partners. There is no limit to what we could make together.”

Cody laughed, a low chuckle with no humor in it. “I’d rather be partners with a rattlesnake. Open the door.”

Outside they could hear machine-gun fire and more explosions. Cody ignored them.

“Get in the cage, Colonel. The one on the end. You’ll find it open.”

Sidoron crawled down into the same hole they had found Trisha in earlier. Cody secured the iron grate on top and locked it. “Now hand up your clothes.”

“This is an outrage.”

“Do it or you’re dead.”

The white nightshirt found its way through the iron bars. Just as Cody pulled it out a burst of machine-gun fire came at him from somewhere near the kitchen area. He felt a jolt of something red-hot hit him in the side and he fell to the ground.

Without aiming, he pulled the trigger on the laser gun and destroyed the kitchen.

He forced himself to a sitting position and crawled under a nearby truck. The compound was in chaos. The soldiers who were still alive were running everywhere, trying to escape
the intermittent explosions. Jake had set at least one plastic explosive under every building in the camp except for the prisoners’ barracks.

Cody wondered about the prisoners. He hoped Toni had seen the first explosion and flown in to rescue them.

Before he blacked out Cody had one last thought. It was, oddly enough, about Rachel. It would have been nice to see her again. She was a good friend.

T
he flies buzzed around his wounds and refused to give him any peace. Cody finally opened his eyes and discovered that it was midmorning. From his hiding place under the burned-out truck he could see that there wasn’t much left of the camp.

All the vehicles had been destroyed and any soldiers who had lived through the attack had fled on foot.

Cody was amazed that he was still alive. Now that it was daylight he could see where
he’d been hit. A large chunk of flesh had been torn out of his side. Fortunately the wound had crusted over with blood during the night.

It hurt to move but he knew he had no choice. Once the CCR received news of the raid it would send troops out in force.

A water faucet was sticking out of the ground near the end of the truck. Cody crawled to it and turned the valve, letting the cold water wash over his face. Then he drank his fill.

Painfully he inched to his feet, slung his gun on his good side and started walking through the smoke and debris.

Charred bodies littered the ground around him. Most of the buildings were flattened and the guard towers no longer existed. Nothing but pieces was left of the building where he used to attend indoctrination classes.

He walked to the children’s barracks and threw open the door. It was empty except for the cots. He slit one of the mattresses and ripped off its thin cotton covering to use as bandages and protection from the sun.

Outside he looked around for something he could carry that would hold water. But there was nothing.

The last time he had left the prison camp he’d gone out a narrow tunnel in the dead of night and escaped through the torturous desert. This time he would leave in broad daylight through what was left of the front gate and take the road. The CCR wouldn’t be looking for one person and if he heard a patrol he could always get off the road and hide.

His steps were labored and he knew he wasn’t making very good time. About a mile from camp he was wishing he’d looked harder for something to hold water.

It dawned on him that he hadn’t gone back to check on Sidoron. He chuckled and the effort made him cough. “I sure wouldn’t want to be in the colonel’s place when half the Republic army shows up and finds him locked in that cage without his clothes.”

A slight breeze blew and there were a few clouds overhead. Cody was grateful. He sat down on the side of the road to rest and noticed
that his wound had broken open and was bleeding.

He sighed. “I don’t even know where I’m going. Jake and the others are probably safe at the rebel base by now. The camp by the sand dunes has most likely been disassembled now that the brass has their shipment of trilithium.

“Maybe I’ll go east. That’s it. I’ve never seen that part of the country.” He lay down on his side in the dirt. I’ll get started as soon as I rest awhile—did I say that out loud or did I think it? It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters.…

“I
’ve had this dream before.” Cody moaned.

This was just like the time with Rachel, when he’d been shot in the shoulder and dreamed that Toni had found him in her chopper.

But this time it seemed so real. He could hear other people talking too and he even thought he heard a familiar bark.

“Wait a minute. Mike wasn’t in my dream.” His eyes fluttered open and he saw Jake Christmas leaning over him. Cody’s eyes
closed again. “You’re not supposed to be here,” he muttered, and then he dozed off to the whirring of chopper blades.

The next time he opened his eyes he felt something cold and wet on his forehead. He reached up to touch it. It was a towel.

Cody frowned. “I must be hallucinating again.” He looked to the side and discovered he was in some sort of hospital ward. There were rows of white beds beside him; some of them held patients.

It didn’t make sense. If the CCR had found him, they would probably have shot him on the spot. This had to be an American hospital.

He tried to sit up. A roaring, searing pain shot through his side, seemed to take his whole body.

“Hey, cut that out, soldier. How are you going to get well if you tear out all your stitches?”

“Toni?”

“Who else?” The smiling brunette sat gently on the edge of his bed. “We were about to
give up on you. The doctor said you’d lost too much blood and he didn’t expect you to live.”

“But
I
told him you were too ornery to let a little thing like a bullet get you down.” Jake stood over Cody, grinning.

“So it’s true. My dream about the chopper really happened.”

Toni smiled. “You didn’t think we would leave you out there, did you?”

“Major McLaughlin and some other fliers met us right on schedule that night at the prison camp. But by the time we figured out you weren’t with the prisoners it was too late. We had to get them to safety.”

“So they made it out all right?”

“Every last one of them,” Jake said proudly. “The doctors here at the base are helping them to get back to normal physically and then they’ll be taken to the mountains, where they can begin to live their lives again.”

“How’s Trisha?”

“She’s going to be fine. She has a couple of cracked ribs but the swelling has gone down.” Jake moved to the door. “In fact, she’s been
waiting to see you, along with several other concerned members of G Company.”

Cody pulled the towel off and raised his head to watch Jake open the door. Nick, Trisha, Matt, Slick, Davey, Patch and the Smiths trooped in. A furry blur raced past them and eagerly put his paws up on the bed.

“Hello, Mike.” Cody reached out to stroke his head.

“I’ve been taking good care of him, Cody.” Davey exclaimed.

“I know you have. Thanks.”

Trisha moved to the end of the bed. “I don’t know how to say this, Cody … but if you hadn’t come when you did … well …”

Cody felt uncomfortable. “It wasn’t just me. Jake and the others had a big part in it.”

“That’s right,” Nick chimed in. “Don’t go giving him all the credit or he’ll get a big head. Here.” He laid some wilted yellow flowers on Cody’s chest. “We brought you these. Course, they looked better a few days ago.”

“Here, here. What’s all this racket about?” A large nurse marched in, clapping her hands.
“The doctor has
not
okayed any visitors for this young man. Everybody has to leave immediately.”

“Atten-tion!”

Jake and Toni both jumped to their feet and executed rigid salutes.

“Colonel Wyman would like to have a word with Mr. Pierce.” An aide cleared the aisle so that the intimidating commanding officer could get through.

Matt grabbed Patch and Davey and pulled them out of the way.

The tall silver-haired man walked up to the side of Cody’s bed, took his hat off and shoved it under his arm. “I heard you were awake, so I came right over. I don’t believe in beating around the bush, son, so I’ll get right to it. The last time you and I talked I treated you poorly. I assumed that because of your age you couldn’t be of any assistance to the United States Army. I was wrong. Dead wrong.

“Reports have reached me that you have participated in an unprecedented number of victorious raids against the enemy. And that
you have on numerous occasions risked your life in the service of your country.”

He turned to the aide and took a small blue cloth-covered box from his hands. “I hope you will not be offended that this medal isn’t a new one. Until we have regained our country I’m afraid it will have to do.” The colonel reached down and pinned the shiny silver emblem on the front of Cody’s hospital gown, then stepped back.

“Ladies and gentlemen, will you join me in saluting the recipient of our nation’s medal of heroism and bravery?”

Everyone in the room, including the patients who were able, proudly raised their hands to their foreheads. Then the colonel led them in a round of applause.

“Speech,” Slick yelled. “Speech.”

Cody touched the medal reverently. “I … don’t know what to say.…”

“I hope you’ll say yes, son. Your country needs you. When you’re feeling better, I have a special assignment for you under the joint command of Majors McLaughlin and Christmas.”

Cody glanced around the room at the sea of smiling friendly faces. Suddenly the thought of Rachel popped into his head again. He nodded slowly. “Until we win. Then I’ve got some other business that needs doing.…”

GARY PAULSEN
is the distinguished author of many critically acclaimed books for young people, including three Newbery Honor books:
The Winter Room, Hatchet
and
Dogsong
. His novel
The Haymeadow
received the Western Writers of America Golden Spur Award. Among his newest Delacorte Press books are
Guts: The True Stories Behind
Hatchet
and the Brian Books, The Beet Fields: Memories of a Sixteenth Summer, Alida’s Song
(a companion to
The Cookcamp
),
Brian’s Return
and
Brian’s Winter
(companions to
Hatchet
),
Soldier’s Heart, The Transall Saga, My Life in Dog Years, Sarny: A Life Remembered
(a companion to
Nightjohnz
),
The Schernoff Discoveries, Father Water, Mother Woods: Essays on Fishing and Hunting in the North Woods
and five books about Francis Tucket’s adventures in the Old West. Gary Paulsen has also published fiction and nonfiction for adults, as well as picture books created with his wife, the painter Ruth Wright Paulsen. The Paulsens live in New Mexico and on the Pacific Ocean.