Missing in Action

Chapter 015

Ryan was more than a little surprised by how easily they'd managed to make their ways by side roads and dirt roads and simple fields without running into any resistance. Maybe the firefight and getting a bullet lodged in his shoulder had made him even more paranoid than before, but he still expected to see soldiers every time they turned a corner or got to the top of a hill. He breathed a sigh of relief every time that turned out not to be the case.

They'd driven through the previous night and laid low during the day and it was now nearing the second morning after they'd gotten their hands on the car. The border, by Ryan's calculations, was only about an hour and a half away now, even going on the dirt roads in the middle of nowhere as they had. And since they weren't close to any city or actual road or anything, crossing shouldn't be too hard.

Although he was tired and still feeling a few of the effects of the blood loss, Ryan felt that he wasn't as bad off as he could've been. The pain in his shoulder seemed to have dimmed a little, and while he was still doped up on painkillers most of the time, it was only two at a time now, instead of four. And there were no signs of infections, which was definitely a plus.

Ryan was looking through the maps, softly directing Jon every once in a while when suddenly a loud ringing emerged from the glove department, and Ryan jumped, eyes widening and breath quickening until he realized it was just a cell phone. Taking a deep breath to calm down, he reached in and pulled the thing out, quickly pressing the button to dismiss the call. And that was when an idea came to him. Rather than just come waltzing back into his country as though he owned it, wouldn't it be better to simply give himself up once he'd gotten the others to safety? From the shitload he knew about the law and its procedures, it would make him look better and probably his punishment milder if he surrendered willingly. He wasn't going to surrender himself to just anyone, though, and without stopping to hesitate, he dialed a number he knew by heart, holding the phone to his ear and waiting for it to be picked up.

"Robb speaking," the familiar voice on the other end stated tiredly with a bit of a grumble in his voice, sounding like he usually did when he was being woken too early for his liking. "Who is this?"

"Tobe," Ryan muttered. "It's me. How quickly can you get to the base outside Kennett?"

"Ryro?!" his friend answered, sounding incredulous but also much more awake. "Where are you? And what the hell do you think you're doing? They're looking left and right for you, Goddammit! There's a fucking warrant!"

"I know, okay?" Ryan answered, his voice a more normal level now as he tried to keep annoyance and fear out of it. "How quickly can you make it to Kennett?"

Tobias groaned on the other end of the line, and there was some shuffling. "If I don't go in at work and take the first plane... Let me check." There was a pause and some more shuffling, and Ryan could easily see his friend in his mind's eye, dragging himself out of bed and towards the computer he never turned off while he blinked blearily. "I can be there at three this afternoon. Why?"

"I'm turning myself in," the younger of the two said with a small sigh after a moment's silence. "And I'd prefer if it were to you. If you could set up for a news reporter and maybe someone from the governor's office to be there too, that would be good."

"I don't even want to know," Tobias stated with another groan, and Ryan could nearly see him sinking his face into his hands. "God, I hate this! Why'd you have to go and fuck up like this, Ry?"

"I'll tell you later," Ryan answered, taking a deep breath. "I'll see you at three." And then he hung up.

Jon did his best to concentrate on the road and try not to hear Ryan's conversation, though it wasn't very easy to ignore someone's voice when they were right next to you. Biting his lip, he glanced into the rear view mirror and saw Brendon, who was now sitting in the back seat instead of the trunk, with his head leaning against the window and his face scrunched. On the opposite side, Spencer was peering right back at Jon and though he said nothing with his words, his eyes said enough. He kept silent for a bit, trying to imagine how Ryan must be feeling right now, and wondering if there was anything he could do to help. The fact that Ryan had reached a friend who would no doubt be coming to meet them was a good thing, though very small when looking at the big picture. He drummed his thumbs on the wheel a bit and chewed at the inside of his cheek before deigning it acceptable to speak. "What's the plan when we get to the border, then?" he asked quietly, and noticed in the rear view that Brendon looked interested, now, if still helpless and sad.