Rising From The Flames

Chapter 12 - Vitals

Gripping on tighter to the back of the delivery truck, Calvin pulled herself against the dirty metal hoping to cover herself from the driver's view. It wasn't the most advanced society, so deep down the woman wasn't worried about being busted by a low wage UPS driver. 

"Map says you're about 13 minutes out." Jake's voice called out to her through her left ear. 

Licking her lips, Cal looked at the positioning of her feet and reminded herself to keep her knees bent as the truck rolled on. 

"If this is how this is going to be the rest of the trip-" Jake mentioned towards his position. As of now, he was on the roof top of the hotel with a glass of champagne and a side order of pretty much anything he wanted from the room service menu. Meanwhile, watching her icon on the computer screen move at an abrupt pace, he sat in comfort. "-I think I'll be okay with it." 

With an eyeroll, Calvin licked her lips and chuckled. "By the way, the guys called." he introduced the new topic. "They got a hold of your laptop. Pooch said he was going to skype us tonight, so try to be back by 10 okay? 10 minutes out." 

It was the first time they had really heard from the boys, she was interested to see how things were going back in Montana. It was an unusal circumstance for them all. However, they all knew what her priority was here. Being back home by ten like a kid on a curfew wasn't exactly in her agenda. 

A strong shake towards the back of the truck sent her feet in the air for a short while, but with her death grip on the handles before her- Calvin was planting herself firmly back on the bumper. 

"You good?" Jake called back to her. On his computer, he had a connection to the watch on her wrist. It had the ability to monitor her heart rate, her breathing, everything vital for her essential life. 

"Yeah." she spoke in a low monotone voice. "I'm good. How much longer am I on the back of this thing for?" 

"Your drop off is coming up pretty soon. Give it a few more minutes then be ready for my word. There should be a thing brush about a mile ahead that you can go into cover with." 

Sometimes, Jake sounded like Kick. That's what got to her alot. They had the same sense of humor, the same personality, and the same skill. Sometimes, Calvin thought that's what it was that drew her so close to him. He was like something that she had, a little piece of the past that she could hold onto. 

As bad as it sounded too, Calvin thought that was why she had these confusing feelings for Jen. No, she didn't have feelings for kick in any way, shape, or form. It was that she was so close to her boys, she did develope a love for every one of them. Jake was closer to her age, he gave her the same sense that her boys once did, and the difference between him and kick is, the fact that he is still here. 

That's why she felt somewhat pressed into these feelings for him. It was almost as if she was scared they were running out of time. It made sense though, because deep down- she knew that they were. 

Her thought process was enough to draw her attention away from the babbling idiot in her ear. "Calvin! Jump now! What are you doing?!" 

With not a second more to spare, Cal leapt off the back of the truck and rolled into the ditch. all of her wires, gear, and limps scraped harshly against the gravel and into the thick brush. "You know, I picked that brush for a softer landing for you- but it would help if you hit it on time!" 

Shaking her head along with the pain, Calvin rolled her eyes and pressed forward into a dead sprint across the road. As soon as her feet hit dirt, Cal was bounding forwards grabbing ahold of the trees around her. With the momentum that she had, the woman was able to make the first few steps easy. However, the almost 90 degree angle was enough to slow her down.

Dirt, rubble, and everything else possible threw her feet downwards numerous times. It was almost like a skating rink.

Huff after huff the woman began to reach the top. "Your vitals are very high Mrs. Harris. I would say you need a little more exercise and greens in your diet."

"If I could right now-" she hugged.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you'd kill me."

It wasn't as secured as she thought. Looking upwards to the fence, her body crouched making sure she wasn't seen. "Where is everybody?" Jake asked looking through her camera.

As her breath began to even out, the soldier shook her head just as confused as he was. "I don't know. But tonight isn't the night that we're finding out."

"Then what exactly are you doing there?"

"We need a layout, the size, how long it will take to maneuver."

"how long it will take for you to retreat." He knew exactly what she was getting at.

"There's a reason I'm here and not you Jen." And just like that, Calvin took off setting her tracker. 

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Hey guys, sorry this chapter is so short! I will be updating as much as I can here these next few days!