Elk Mountain

Spying, as well as other intelligence assessment, has existed since ancient times. In the 1980s. Efforts to use espionage for military advantage are well documented. This is of one of those stories.

He was always a skinny kid, and short for his age and growing up.  But farm work made him stronger than most of his classmates. When his friends were playing football, he was hauling hay or irrigating.

He was always dressed in blue jeans and a tee-shirt.  His dark brown hair was always worn in a buzz cut. His fair skin caused him to freckle or sunburn.  His hands were always calloused and ruff.  At school, he was seldom serious, both with friends and with school work.

Most of his time was spent working on the farm. During the winter when work was slow he took vocational welding classes.  After he graduated High School his father told him that he was thinking about retiring in a few years. He wanted his son to see a little bit of the world before he committed to farming. He knew his son had plans to take over the farm.

On a Wednesday afternoon, he walked into the recruiting station.  The man at the desk seemed eager to sign him up.  He sat him in a room with five other people and they took their test.  When he received his test scores the man at the desk was excited and said, “You scored high enough to be anything you want.  I think you would make a Tanker.”

He only had a week to say goodbye to his family and friends.  His church held a potluck for him.  His youth Pastor was a little choked up, and he was afraid the man was going to cry. His dad and mom drove him to the airport and stayed until his plane departed.

Basic Training seemed long but went by fast.  He kept quiet and the Drill Sergeant never learned his name.  He was already a good shot so he fired expert.  He was good at first aid because he had treated live stalk and pets.   The rest of the basic training was just plain fun.

After Basic Training he went to Fort Sam Huston to become a Medic.  This school was much more challenging.  He had to learn a lot to make through.  It seemed every week more people washed out of training, people who he assumed were smarter than he was.  He graduated AIT near the top of his class.

After his training, he was stationed at Fort Carson.  On long weekends he could travel to his home and spend a day with his family.  He was heading back after his Memorial Day celebration.  He climbed onto the aircraft and took his seat.  He looked out the window over the aircraft wing.  He watched as they taxied down the runway.  Before long they were flying over the Rocky Mountains.

1

The Beech Craft puddle jumper had gone down as it was crossing Elk Mountain.  He didn’t remember much of the impact.  The small plane had crashed on a rock ledge that was high up on the west side of the mountain.  The winter snow didn’t seem to cushion the impact at all. The airplane was ripped open on one side. 

He was awakened to find myself lying outside the plane in a small snowdrift. A young man shaking and said, “Wake up.  You have to get up now.” He opened his eyes and looked into the young man’s face.  The young man gave him a stern look and said, “You are all right.  Get up, you have to move.”

            He tried to sit up but felt a sharp pain shoot up his back.  He rolled over onto his stomach and pushed himself up and looked around.  He was shocked to find himself outside of the wreckage of the airplane.  The man shook his shoulder and said, “They’re not all dead.  You have to get the young girl out before it’s too late.”

            He tried to remember how many people had been on the plane but he wasn’t sure.  Maybe five, he thought.  He stood and looked at the wreck. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do.  He thought, ‘Do I just pull the bodies out and hope some are alive?   What should I do?’ He prayed as he climbed through the aircraft.

            As he climbed into the gaping hole in the fuselage the search until he found a young girl still strapped in her seat.  He asked, “Ma’am, are you hurt anywhere?”  She looked at him as though she didn’t understand what I was asking.  So he said, “From the crash, are you hurt from the crash?” She said, “No, where am I.”  “You are on the plane, Ma’am.” 

He tried to unbuckle her from the seat but it wouldn’t budge.  He looked around the floor of the aircraft and found a broken piece of glass.  He wrapped a handle on it with a rag and then cut through her seatbelt.  Then he picked her up and carried her away from the aircraft.  He left her under the shelter of a pine tree.

He returned to the aircraft and searched the rest of the passengers.  He hurried from person to person and felt for a pulse or signs of breathing.  No one else was alive so he hauled bodies from the plane until the smoke and fire made his task impossible. 

He stumbled from the wreckage to check on the girl.   When he reached her he followed his training without thinking, doing a head to toe assessment of his patient.  As he worked he looked into her eyes and asked, “Are you hurt anywhere Ma’am?”  She said, “No, I don’t think so.  I don’t hurt anywhere I don’t think I’m bleeding.  Her eyes didn’t show any sign of brain damage he thought.  He continued his assessment until she interrupted, “What are you doing?”  “He paused and said, I’m making sure you are ok.”  She lifted her shirt to expose a seatbelt bruise.  He pressed on the contusion with his figure tips.  “I don’t think you have any internal bleeding.”  She smirked at him and started to say something but stopped.   

            After checking on the young girl he returned to the wreckage.  By now the airplane was billowing black smoke.  He searched around for anything useful that had been thrown clear of the wreckage.  He found a thin blanket and a couple of water bottles.  He returned to the girl and placed the blanket over her shoulders and handed her the bottle of water.

“So.” He said, “There was a man here, he told me to get up.  I can’t find him anywhere.”  She looked around confused, and then said, “Was that the man who was sitting with me?  He told me not to be afraid.  He said that someone would come and help me get out.  After I closed my eyes you came and got me.”

            He stood and walked to the edge of the cliff and looked out across the valley.  He was looking for any sign of rescue.  When he saw how high up the cliff they were he began to worry.  The plane had crashed on the shelf of a sheer cliff nearly at the top of the mountain. He turned and looked at the wreckage. The airplane had slammed into the rock face.  He was thrown out of the aircraft when a large pine tree ripped off the wing during the crash.    

            He walked over and searched the small snowbank for tracks of the man who came to him but only found his own.  Finally, he returned and sat next to the girl. The heat coming off of the burning aircraft kept them warm for now.  They looked out across the valley at the snow-covered trees.  It would have been a beautiful site if it wasn’t for their tragedy.

            He studied the girl for a moment.  She couldn’t more than in her late teens he thought.  Her parents must be panicking by now.  He asked. “Were you traveling with anyone Ma’am?” She said, “No, I was heading home for spring break.  I live in Cotopaxi.  I am a college student in Grand Junction.”  He looked back out at the wilderness and said, “I don’t know where we are.  We might be miles from any civilization.  Do you have a cell phone, Ma’am? We could try calling someone.  I tried mine but I can’t get a signal.”  She stood up and pulled out her phone. “It must have been damaged in the crash.  I’m not getting a single”  

He looked at the ground for a moment, and then said, “You’re in college Ma’am?  You don’t look old enough to be in High School.”  She looked irritated at him and said, “I’m in college on a sports scholarship.”  He smiled and said. “You are short for an athlete Ma’am.  What sport do you play?”  She stood with her hands on her hips.  First, stop calling me Ma’am.  She was maybe five feet and weighed nearly one hundred pounds.  She flipped her auburn hair back and said, “I’m the captain of the volleyball team.” 

“What do you do?  You are a soldier.  Kida short though.”  He looked at her and smiled. “I was home on leave.  I’m supposed to report back tomorrow.”  “What is your job in the military, she asked.”   He said, “I’m a medic,” She said proudly, “My grandpa was a medic in the Army.  He kept his Army helmet.  It has a camouflaged cloth cover that has ‘Doc’ written on the side of it.  He said that is what they called him, Doc.”

            He was quiet for a few minutes and then said, “He earned that name you know.  They don’t just call you Doc, you earn that.  You should be proud of him.”  She asked, “What do medics do in the Army?”  He thought for a minute and said, “If they’re a good field Medic they work right alongside the unit they are assigned to.  They help out like the rest of the soldiers until they’re needed.  It isn’t like working the TMC.”  She didn’t know what he was talking about so she just listened and smiled.

            The fuel tank on the plane was burning, the flames and smoke continued to billow out of the aircraft.  She looked at the young soldier and asked, “Can I call you Doc?”  He smiled, and said, “Sure thing Cotopaxi” She looked sad for a moment and said, “That’s what my college teammates call me.  Do you think we’ll be rescued, will I ever see them again?”  He placed his hand on her shoulder and said, “If we don’t get rescued, I’ll get us out of here.  You can bet on that.” 

            Then she asked, “Why didn’t you rescue the man sitting next to me?”  He looked at her and said softly, “He was already dead when I got to you.”  She stared at the ground and didn’t say anything.  “I checked everyone that I could get to.  Everyone else was gone.”  Finally, she said, “I didn’t treat him very nicely.  When I got on the plane and found that I was seated next to him I ignored him.  I put on my headphones so I didn’t have to talk to him.”

            She was quiet for a while then she turned and looked at him, “You asked me where the man went.  Who were you talking about?”  He frowned and looked at her and said. “I don’t know.  I was thrown from the plane when that wing was ripped off.  I landed right over there.  It must have knocked me unconscious.  When I came to a man who was telling me to get up.  He told me that I had to rescue you. “She looked puzzled and asked, “Where is he, did he go back into the plane?”  He answered, “That’s what’s weird.  It was like I recognized him, but I don’t know who he is.  But he had such authority in his voice.” He paused then said, “I knew right away to do as he said.”

            He looked at the young girl, she was wearing running shoes sweat pants, and a ski jacket.  He asked, “Do you have a stocking cap or gloves?”  She reached into her pocket and pulled out a white knit stocking cap.  He was wearing his dress green uniform.  His jacket was too thin to keep him warm when the temperatures dropped.  Neither of them had gloves and he didn’t have a winter hat. 

            As long as they were sitting under the pine tree they were sheltered from the weather but when he ventured out into the cold he could feel the chill biting at his ears and face.  He climbed out once again and to gather some of the wood that had been knocked off of the pine tree. He carried it over and placed it into a pile next to Cotopaxi.

            He climbed out once more and found a long stick.  He went to the burning airplane and dipped the end into a burning chunk of plastic.  He twisted the stick into the melting mass till he had a burning torch.  He took it over and started his small woodpile burning so that the young girl could stay warm.

            He climbed back out and watch looked back at the airplane.  Flames and smoke were billowing up the side of the cliff like a chimney.  He could feel the heat radiating off of the burning wreckage.  He said out loud, “Someone has to see all of that smoke.”  He walked back to the ledge and searched all along the cliff for a way down.

            He finally returned with another armload of firewood.  The young lady had made a pile of pine needles to cushion her from the hard ground.  He said, “If no one comes for us we are going to have to climb down this cliff.  It’s a long way down and the cold will make it difficult.”  She said, “They’ll rescue us.  I’m sure of it.” 

            He sat next to her and asked, “What if they don’t?  We don’t have food.  We’ll burn a lot of calories just climbing down.  We will have to hike for miles to find any civilization.”  She sat looking thoughtful and then said, “If they don’t rescue us today we can try to find our way out of here tomorrow.”

            They sat next to the fire without speaking.  Once in a while, she would poke another stick into the hot coals.  Finally, she said, “Doc, our plane should have landed by now, so by now they should be looking for us.” He said, “I hope so.  It is going to be cold tonight.  I better get us some more wood for the fire.” 

            This time she followed him.  They gathered anything they could find to burn.  The airplane was still burning and the smoke rose toward the peak before being swept across the valley.  He said, “Tonight we’ll look out across the valley for lights.  If anyone lives out here we can head in that direction.”

            They piled the wood next to their small fire and huddled near it.  They leaned against one another for warmth while the day slipped into the evening.  As the sun sank on the horizon the air began to cool.  By the time the sunset, the weather had turned bitter cold.  The small fire wasn’t enough to completely stave off the chill.  The sky was completely clear and the stars appeared to be so close you could reach out and touch them.

            Doc climbed out from under the pine tree and walked over the cliff once more. He looked out across the valley and found a single light shining far below.  He watched for a while to be sure it wasn’t a vehicle.  He marked the spot in his mind so that he would know where to hike in the morning.  

            He climbed back under the protection of the pine tree and put another chunk of wood into the fire.  Cotopaxi was sleeping so he sat next to her and waited for sunrise.

 

Sometime during the night, he must have fallen asleep.  He was awakening by the bitter cold.  When he looked over at the girl he was worried, her clothing was covered by a white frost.  He hurried and got the small fire burning again.  He worried that the wood wouldn’t last the night.  He mentally prayed that God helps him save the young lady.   

            Early in the morning he awoke and added the last of the wood to the fire.  The morning light had not yet reached the small shelf where the airplane had crashed.  He looked across the valley where the morning sunlight shined.  He quietly prayed that the girl who was lying so quiet was still alive, and just sleeping. 

            He climbed out from their shelter and walked over to the aircraft.  Other than smoldering fires, the wreckage had burned itself out.  He looked around for anything salvageable that could help them survive.  The dead bodies were sickening to look at, so he searched the charred remains of the fuselage instead.  He found a sharp piece of metal and then scratched a message on the side of the aircraft.

            He waded through the snow back to the pine tree and put his hand on the girl’s shoulder and shook her awake.  She quietly groaned and then sat up.  She looked around and then said, “Well, I guess it wasn’t a bad dream.”  He handed her a bottle of water and told her, “Drink this, you’ll need it, Ma’am.”  We are going to start down that cliff as soon as you are ready to go.

            She looked at his Coram dress shoes and asked, are you seriously going to climb down the mountain in those?  She walked over to the dead passengers and took the boots off of the man who had been seated next to her.

            After putting on the boots, he walked over to the edge of the cliff and walked along the ledge until he found a suitable place to start the descent.  He whispered a prayer and then climbed down and found his footing and then lowered himself farther.  She followed after him and searched with the toe of her shoe for a foothold.  He looked up and encouraged her, “Just a little farther down.”  He reached up and guided her foot.  They slowly worked their way down farther.  They reached another ledge where they stopped to rest for a few minutes.

            After working their way farther down the cliff face they have finally reached a steep incline that they could navigate on foot.  The girl’s hands were chafed and cut but she never complained.  He was impressed that she was so tuff.

            The incline was so steep that they were practically running or sliding down the mountain.  After nearly four hours more they reached the valley floor.  They continued through the trees and deep snow.  She followed behind walking in his tracks even though the snow was up to waste. They spent the rest of the day crawling their way through the snow.  He never showed his doubts, though he worried that they were lost and would freeze to death once the night brought its cold again.  As he traveled he listened for any sound that might give him some hope.

            They came across a thicket of the mountain rose hips.  The tops of the plants were barely visible, but he knew that they needed the added energy.  They scooped the snow away and plucked the berries, eating them as fast as they picked them.  They were frozen and hard to chew but they were eatable.

            Finally, they were on their way, plowing through the snow.  It took them the entire day to make their way across the valley.  That evening they made it to the spot that he had seen from the mountainside.  It was a pond that was reflecting the moonlight. 

In a clearing next to the pond was a small hunter’s cabin.  It was built of rough-cut lumber and the roof was red metal.  It appeared to be well maintained.  The small front porch had some new boars where repairs had been made.  The cabin looked like it had been treated with linseed oil recently.  Behind the cabin was a couple of small sheds.  One was probably an outhouse.  He stepped onto the porch and tried the door.  It was locked uptight.  He searched around the door for a key.  Next to the door was a large wooden box sitting against the wall.   Cotopaxi opened the lid and looked inside.  It was stacked full of old newspapers, and on the inside of the lid was a key attached to a nail.      

            Once they were inside the cabin he started a small fire in the woodstove.  He said, “I want you to get your shoes and sox off right now.”  He sat and took his off as well.  “Get your feet close to the stove and get them warmed up.” While his sox and shoes dried he explored the small cabin.  There wasn’t much to it. It only had three rooms.  He looked in one of the small rooms. There were old army cots bundled and standing in the corner.  A small dresser sat against one wall.  Other than that the room was empty.

         In the main room sitting next to the wood stove was a wood box was full of firewood, so that was helpful.  The back wall had a pantry built across it.  He opened the double doors to find some canned food and some tins.  Along one wall was a wooden counter with a couple of large dishpans.  Off to one side was a coffee can with silverware standing in it. Next to that was a jar with cooking utensils standing in it. The counter had shelves built below it that held some pot and pans, a coffee pot, and other cooking utensils off to one side were a couple of oil lamps.    He watched Cotopaxi while she was sitting on the floor by the stove.  She pulled a cell phone out of her pocket and looked at it, and then put it back into her pocket.  She looked up at him and said, “Still no service.” He went over to the pantry and took looked through the canned food.  He took a can to the counter and opened it. He poured the frozen mass into a pan and set it on top of the stove.  He attempted to stir it.  She jumped up and took the spoon from him and said, “I want to cook.”  He frowned at her but didn’t say anything.

            He went back to searching through the boxes and shelves to see what the cabin offered.  The table and chairs were probably as old as the cabin.  The floor looked to be made of hand-honed wood. The walls were all ruff cut and unfinished.  The only light was an oil lamp that hung by a chain from the rafter. He found a can of fuel oil for the lamp sitting on the floor.  There were several fishing poles and a tackle box in the corner by the door.  There was a long bench that was set against the wall by the door.  It had a thick horsehair pad on the seat.

            He looked into the second room and found bunk beds built into the wall.  Off to one side was a dresser and on the other wall was a closet.  The mattresses on the bunk beds were rolled neatly in thick plastic.  He walked over to the dresser and opened the drawers.  They were all empty.  He looked in the closet and it was empty as well.

            The cabin was warm enough now that he could take off his coat.  He hung it on a hook by the door.  Cotopaxi was still cooking the beans on the stove.  He asked, “Ma’am, now that you are warmed up and all are you still feeling ok?  Seriously, you don’t have any injuries anywhere?  She took her coat off and then pulled her shirt to the side to reveal a nasty bruise left by the seatbelt.  He pressed on the bruising with his fingers, he was checking for internal damage.

            He checked their sox and shoes.  The sox were dry but the shoes were still damp.  He found a couple of bowls and spoons and set them on the small table. By now the pot of pork and beans was steaming on the stove.  She took the pan from the stove and dished the bowls full.  He didn’t realize how hungry he was until he began eating.  

            After they finished eating he slipped his shoes on and went out onto the porch.  He searched for the box that was set next to the front door.  In the box, next to the newspapers was a tablet and pen.  It had a list of names, dates, and where the visitors were from.  On the porch railing was a metal box with a slit in the lid.  He pulled some money out of his wallet and stuffed it in.  He wrote the date in the book followed by ‘Doc and Cotopaxi’ and then in the address column he wrote ‘Airplane Crash’

He waded through the snow to the shed and looked in; it was dark so he wasn’t able to see much, so he trudged through the snow over to the outhouse.  As he walked back to the cabin he trampled down the snow to make a path for the young girl.

            When he entered the cabin he found that she had put a pot of water on the stove. She was in the bunkroom taking the mattresses out of the plastic.   He walked over to help and she said, “Just so you know, I get the top bunk.” Rolled up with the mattresses were wool blankets.  The mattresses had a heavy canvas cover. 

            By now the water was beginning to steam on the stove so he poured some of it into the dishpan and dripped some soap into the water.  He washed the bowls and silverware then the pot and after rinsing it with the last of the water he set it all to dry. 

            When he was finished washing dishes he loaded the stove with firewood.  He took an oil lamp and lit it, then extinguished the lantern.  He walked into the bunkroom and found that Cotopaxi was already asleep.  He extinguished his lamp and climbed into the bottom bunk.  He found that he could only lie on his right side.  His ribs hurt on his left side and he worried that they may be broken or at least cracked. He fell to sleep right away but was awakened every time he rolled in his sleep.

            He was awake again because of his aching ribs.  He mumbled to himself, “I’ll get up and go light a signal fire.”  They have to be searching for us.”  He climbed out of bed and walked out to the clearing with an armload of wood.  He doused the wood with lamp oil and lit it.  Suddenly he stopped.  He was sure he heard the sound of a helicopter.

            Standing in the clearing he listened more intently.  He could hear a helicopter off in the distance.  He lit the lamp oil and before long he had a bonfire.  He kept it burning as the sun was starting to rise.  The helicopter sounded farther off now.  He must have missed it. 

            When the sun was up and he and its light enough he looked through the shed.  He found some old tires and in the rafters was a roll of tarpaper.  He took one of the tires and put it on the bonfire.  The smoke began to billow because of the burning tire.

            Cotopaxi walked out onto the porch and said, “Hey Doc, what you are doing?”  When she saw the dark smoke she hurried over to him.  “You have to put it out. She stood still shaking, and then said, “Helicopter.  I hear a helicopter.”  She looked toward the mountain but the trees blocked their view.  They hurried to the pond at the far end of the clearing.  From there they had a better view. 

            A large orange and white helicopter were hovering near the crash site.  They watched as it slowly flew back and forth near the ledge.  Finally, it turned and flew closer toward them.  She grabbed his arm and with fear in her voice she was asking, “Do you think they saw us?  They saw your fire I’m sure.”  He looked puzzled at her and stood watching the helicopter as it approached. 

            As the helicopter approached she ran for the concealment of the trees.  He stood and watched as the helicopter came closer and Cotopaxi disappeared farther into the trees.   The helicopter hovered overhead for a few moments and one of the crew members waved and then gestured with thumbs up.  It wasn’t safe for the helicopter to land.  Doc gestured no, and gave a distress gesture.  After the crew member acknowledged him the aircraft flew off. 

            He went into the trees and searched for Cotopaxi’s tracks; he followed them until he found her.  He asked, “What is going on, they were here to rescue us.” She said, “No, that was your rescue.” He looked confused and asked, “What do you mean?” So she said.  “I’m not just a college student in Grand Junction.  I am also an intern at the statehouse.  I was working for the Senator on some pretty high-level stuff.  When I started to notice some underhanded things I began keeping my copy of it.  I was doing my investigation but I thought it was all in secret.  I don’t know how they found me out, but I have all of the evidence on an sd card in my phone.”

            He asked.  “So Ma’am, wouldn’t you be safe now with all of the publicity that you would get as a survivor of this crash?”  She said, “Let me explain, I have proof that for instance Breitbart was executed.  I have the name of the drug used and a message confirming the assassin delivering the drug.  That is just the beginning of what I gathered.”

            “How would you have gotten a hold of things like that?” He asked.  She smirked then asked, “Don’t you have access to the secured net?”  He looked puzzled so she went on and explained, “Ok so you know how most people communicate over the internet right?  Well, our politicians and our high-level military have the SIPRnet.  When we log in we see the usual official page letting you know that this is a classified site bla bla bla.  With the right login, you can visit some pretty interesting places.  I was naturally curious so I snooped into some of the Senator’s secure files.

            He stopped her and said, “So you have some pretty scary stuff on your phone.  Do you think someone shot our aircraft down just to kill you?  Do you know how crazy this all sounds?”  She looked a little irritated then said, “You aren’t getting me.  I have proof that both parties are working together toward one goal.  Someone called it the ‘deep state’ that isn’t an accurate description though.”

            He thought for a moment then asked, “What are you planning on doing?”  She looked at the snow around her feet for a little while. “I don’t know.”  He said, “I have an idea, but you’ll have to come with me.”

            They went into the cabin and he explained, this is the first part of my plan. As he went to work he placed a small pan on the stove and dropped a candle into it.  While the candle melted he poured a teaspoon of cooking oil into the melting wax.  Once the candle was completely melted he mixed it all together then set it aside to cool. He found a jar of clear Karo syrup and sat it on the table.  He looked through the drawers and shelves until he found the material he would need.  When the wax was cool he took out a small amount and mixed a tiny bit of brown color from a permanent marker into it.  When it was just about flesh tone he went to work making up her face.  He smiled and said “Lucky for you I learned to do Moulage.

            After he had simulated a severe burn and a few deep cuts on her face he said, “Look in the mirror and see what you think, I think I’ll need to bandage you up.” So, here is my plan, you are traveling with me back to Fort Carson.”  She started to talk and he stopped her.  “You inhaled some hot smoke and it burned your throat so you can’t talk.  Your throat is too sore to speak for now.”

            She asked.  “How is that supposed to help?”  He answered, “Once on post my Special Forces buddy will know what to do.” He opened the first aid box and began bandaging her face.  He was careful to make everything as believable as he could.     

           She sat quietly for a little while.  He could tell she was troubled but he didn’t press the issue.  Finally, she asked, “Do you think you could get me on to Fort Carson?”  He looked up, “Sure.”  He looked at her for a moment and then asked, “What all do you have on that phone?” 

            It’s on an SD chip, on my phone.  She held up her phone and showed him the blank screen.  I have a bunch of documents.  One is a list of people.  Some are in italic and the rest were in normal font.  She said, “The ones in italic are dead.  There some that ate highlighted in red, like Roger Stone, those are people who have been forced from politics.  One for instance Herman Cain is on the list, his name is written in red.  Some documents give an account of each assassination. 

            “How did you get caught?”  She thought for a moment then said, “It seems the Senator had some sort of monitoring software on his use of the Secured Net.  When they told him about it he knew it was me.  His secretary is my friend; she warned me and told me to run.  I have been hiding ever since that day.”

            He thought for a moment then said, “I still say, you look like you are maybe eighteen, and that’s stretching it.”  She pulled out her Statehouse Identification and her Driver’s License.   He looked at her and then looked at the birth date on her license.  “Wow, you are as old as I am Ma’am.”

           

2

It was near sundown before their rescuers came.  The medic began treating them as they climbed into the vehicle.  He immediately attempted to assess the injuries to the girls' faces.  She stopped him and said, “I’m fine, he did a good job treating me.  You need to check him over.  I think his ribs are broken.”

            The medic helped Doc remove his jacket and shirt.  He had a bruise up his back that covered his ribs and abdomen.  The medic palpated his wound and asked Doc to let him know how badly it hurts.

The medic finished checking his bruises and said, “I can’t be sure but I think your ribs are cracked.  I don’t think you have any internal injuries.  I can wrap your ribs for now, which might help a little.”  After wrapping his ribs he handed Doc some Ibuprofen and water. 

He turned to Cotopaxi and said, “Let me check you out, I need to check your eyes fires.  I would also like to clean those wounds so you don’t get an infection.”  She looked at him with a stern look and said, “I promise you I am not going to get an infection.  I don’t want any of your medical treatment; I don’t even want you to touch me.”

The medic set back in his seat and looked at both of them and said, “Ok, what’s going on?”  She leaned toward him and whispered, “It’s above your pay grade.  She took out her Statehouse id and showed it to him.  Then she motioned to Doc and said, “This young man is my medic, he has done a fine job treating me.”  The medic leaned forward and looked closer at the bandage on her face then asked Doc, “Moulage?” Doc didn’t answer.  Then he said, “If it is, you did a great job of it.  Your blood could have been a little darker though.”  Doc said, “I didn’t have that much to work with Sir.”

“Since I’m not needed, let me get some paperwork done.”  As he began to fill out his forms he turned to Doc and asked, “What’s your name?”  “Loyd McGregor.” “What’s your age?” “I’m Twenty-two Sir.”  While he finished filling out the form he asked Doc more questions, after he finished with Doc, he placed a new one on his clipboard.  He turned to Cotopaxi and asked. “What’s your name?”  She said, “Faith,” He said, “I need your full name. She said, “Faith Tuttle”  “That’s not the name I saw on your id Ma’am” She looked at him and with a little desperation said, “Can you just work with me a little.  I can’t have my name on those documents.”  He frowned but began writing.  She said, “If you don’t mind, I have a nasty seatbelt burse across my body.”  She pulled her shirt back enough to expose a little of the contusion on her shoulder.  The Medic checked her over and explained that with a large amount of bruising, she had to have a fluid loss, and he needed to start an IV on her.

The medic finished his paperwork and said, “I suppose the names on my paperwork won’t matter. But when we reach civilization the reporters will be all over you two.”  Doc said, “I have an idea.  Can we put her on a stretcher and stabilize her neck?”  The medic said, “They know that you two are ambulatory.  They videotaped you from the helicopter.”  Doc said, “I think it will work, they weren’t able to assess us from a video.”  “No.” The medic said, “They saw her run into the trees.”  Doc said, “A head wound would explain her erratic behavior.”  The medic agreed.

When they were close to Gunnison, the Medic strapped her to the backboard and stabilized her head.  Doc’s phone finally had a signal so he called his unit at Fort Carson.  His platoon sergeant answered.  He explained about the crash and then about the girl from the State House.  His Sergeant agreed to come and pick him up.  He said, “I’ll be coming in my POV, I’ll be there in about three hours.  I’ll call you when I get into Gunnison and we’ll see what we can do from there.”

The Ambulance pulled up to the emergency room doors.  The Medic, the driver, and Doc pushed Cotopaxi in on the stretcher into the ER and hurried her into a cubicle. Two nurses hurried behind them.  Once Doc pulled the curtains shut and said to the Nurse, “We don’t have the type of emergency that requires medical staff.  This is more of a National Security issue.”

Cotopaxi was sitting up and began taking off the bandages.  The Nurse helped her until she realized the wounds were just makeup.  She asked, “Were either of you even on that plane?  Cotopaxi showed her the bruising down her shoulder.  The Nurse turned to the Medics and said, “Let me see your paperwork.  By the way, I’ll deal with you two later.”  She looked at Doc and said, “Wait outside of this cubicle.” But Cotopaxi grabbed his hand and held him there.

One of the nurses left the cubical and went to the nurse’s station.  She called someone on the phone.  After she was through with her call she hurried back to the cubicle. Doc was standing and watching the whole scene play out.  Doc could hear quiet voices coming from behind the curtain. Finally, a man in a lab coat hurried into the cubicle.  “Hi, I’m Doctor Stephenson.  I would like to take a look at you.”  He examined Cotopaxi and looked concerned at the amount of bruising on her abdomen.  He looked at Doc. “I understand that you are here with the young lady.  She has some deep bruising on her abdomen.  I would like to get a few x-rays and maybe an ultrasound before I release her from the ER. You can wait for her if you would like.  You can plan on being here for a couple of hours.”  “I was on the airplane with her.” 

Doctor Stephenson looked concerned and said, “Once we get her to Ex-Ray I’ll look you over.  Let me talk to the Nurse.  We’ll get you in a cubical.”

            Doc looked at Cotopaxi and said, “Well it seems you are getting all of the attention you didn’t want.”  She smiled and said, “I think I’ll be alright.  The Medic promised us that he would keep the media away from the emergency room.”  Then she looked scared. “You have to stay with me.”

            The Nurse returned with water and Ibuprofen.  She turned to Doc and said, “How did you two make it through the crash?”  He said, “Lucky I guess.”  She grabbed a chart and looked through it.  “The medic seemed to indicate that you have a contusion that covers your lower left abdomen.  Can I take a look?”  “No Ma’am.”  “Sir, you might have internal bleeding.  I would like to check you over and make sure you are ok.”  He said, “Ma’am, If I pass out you can check me over then, but for now the answer is no.” 

            After a while, the radiologist came into the cubicle and introduced herself to Cotopaxi.  “I’m going to take you to my lab and take a few pictures. Let me get you into a wheelchair and we’ll be off.”  She climbed out of the hospital bed and sat in a wheelchair.  Doc pushed the wheelchair following the Radiologist to the X-Ray department.

The X-Ray tech had Doc stand outside the door while she took the X-Rays.  He stood feeling awkward the entire time.  Finally, the door opened and he took her back to the cubicle in the ER.  They visited while they waited for the doctor. 

After waiting the doctor returned.  He was studying her chart then looked up and smiled.  “I read your X-Rays, there doesn’t seem to be any internal injuries.  Your spleen and liver both look healthy.  I don’t think we’ll need the ultrasound after all.  You should keep up the liquids and take an over the counter pain medication.  If the pain persists or gets worse come back in right away.”

He left the cubicle and then the nurse came in to remove the IV.  “Sir I think a man is asking for you.  He said, “Oh good our ride is here.”  He looked at Cotopaxi and said, “We’ll need to get you out of here without anybody noticing. The Nurse looked at both of them and then said, “I’ll have him drive his car around to the ER doors.  Wait here.”

She returned after nearly five minutes, “It’s all set, you can go now.”  They walked out of the double sliding glass doors to where the car was waiting.  A large man dressed in a military uniform was standing by the car.  He had the back door opened.  Cotopaxi slid into the car and he closed it behind her.  Doc got in the front passenger seat and the big man in uniform climbed in and began to drive off.  Once they were on the highway he turned to Doc and said, “McGregor what the hell is going on?”  Doc began telling all about the airplane crashing into the mountain, and then he told about the walk to the cabin.  Finally, he explained the situation with Cotopaxi.

After Doc was finished with his story the Sergeant was quiet for a while.  He seemed to be considering all that he had been told.  He pulled out his cell phone.  He looked at the girl through the rearview mirror.  I have cell service, I can call; I know someone who can help.  She perked up and asked, Can I call and let my parents know I’m ok. She took the phone and quickly called a number.

She sat for a moment and then said, “Hi daddy…Yes I’m fine….Yes, I promise I’m fine. I know, I know, but the news never tells the true story….They came to our house...No Dad I’m not in any trouble I promise….Tell Momma I love her and I’m ok.” Doc was also on his phone speaking with his mom.  The conversation was much the same as Cotopaxi’s.       

The Sergeant waited to call until they were in Canon City.  He stopped at the McDonalds and ordered three meals and then pulled into a parking space.  He dialed a number and waited. Then he said, “Hey, this is Chuck, hay, I have a situation that will require your connections.”  He explained about the SD Chip with all of the information on it.  He listened to the person on the other end of the call, and then said, “Ok thanks I’ll meet you there.”

      He turned off of Highway 50 and drove the back way to Fort Carson.  Before long they were driving through the gate onto the post.  From there he drove them to the Special Forces compound.  He pulled up to their main building. As he pulled into the parking lot a big man was waiting for them. 

When they climbed out of the car the man walked up and extended his hand and said, “Doc, how are you?  I was worried when I saw the news.”  Doc said, “I’m good” Then he turned and said, “So Chuck, why don’t we go inside where they can tell me a little more about this situation.  He turned and said.  Ma’am, would you mind following us?”

They walked inside the building and then headed down the hall to a conference room.  He pulled the chair out for Cotopaxi and then motioned for the others to take their seats.  Doc introduced Cotopaxi to the Special Forces Medic ‘Sargent Rodgers’, and then said to her, “There is no one on earth I trust more than these two men. You can show them what’s on your phone.”  She pulled the back off of her phone and took out the chip and handed it to Sargent Rodgers.  He looked puzzled at her and then took the chip and left the room for a few moments, and then he returned with a laptop and sat at the table.

Everyone sat in silence for nearly twenty minutes before he said anything.  He looked up from his laptop and said, “First off, what is your name, or do you prefer going by Cotopaxi?”  She smiled and said, “Cayce, my name is Cayce but I go by Cotopaxi. “Ok, Cayce does your people know what you have on this chip?”  She said, “I’m not sure if they know about all of it.  But they do know I have the assassination documents.”  Chuck sat up in his chair and asked, “McGregor, what have you gotten me into?  You didn’t mention assassinations.”  

Sargent Rodgers stood and said, “Could you three wait here for a minute?  I’m going to get Dan; he’ll need to hear this.”  He left the room and after a few minutes, he returned with a Colonel.  Doc and Chuck stood at attention but the Colonel said, “Sit down gentlemen.”

He stood next to Sargent Rodgers and said, “Young lady I have been told just a little of what you have been through.  It is my understanding that you are in the position of some very sensitive material, and you are concerned for your safety.  If you are willing, we can billet you here until we can formulate a direction to go with this situation.”

Doc and the Sergeant sat quietly watching.  When he saw the opportunity the Sergeant stood and said, “It looks like you guys have everything under control Sir.  McGregor and I will get out of your way and let you handle things.”  The Colonel said, “Sergeant, I need to de-brief your soldier.”  Then he looked at Doc and motioning to Sargent Rodgers said.  “Robert here will visit with you.  He’ll have some questions you’ll need answers completely.”

Robert was still sitting at the laptop and then he said to the Colonel.  “Dan, take a look at this.”  The Colonel leaned over and started reading the document.  He reached up and grabbed his chin as he read.  After nearly a half-hour he looked up and asked, “Has he seen any of this?” Motioning to Doc.  Cotopaxi said, “No Sir.  I kept it on my phone.  I tossed the battery out so I couldn’t be tracked.  I told him just a little of what was on my phone before we were rescued.”  She handed him her phone.  He looked at Robert and said, “Take McGregor and find out what that young soldier knows. 

He looked at Cotopaxi and said, “With all of the documents you have taken I can see why you are worried.  What were you planning to do with this information?”  She said, “At first I was going to go the news media in Denver, but I got nervous, I felt like they were after me, so I left and went to my friend’s house in Palisades. But while I was there I was afraid that I was putting my friend in danger.  I got in touch with a newspaper reporter here in Colorado Springs so I was flying here to meet with her.  I tried to keep your soldier out of this mess.”

Ma’am, I think it was very fortunate for you that McGregor was on your flight.  I don’t know what might have happened to you otherwise.  Here is what we are going to do; I have to determine if you are a criminal or a whistleblower.  Since these documents implicate some very powerful people I can get you some protection as a whistleblower.”    

Just then Robert returned and said, “The kid doesn’t know much.  Should I send him back to his unit?  The Colonel answered, “No!  We’ll put him up here for now.  Bring him back in here.”  And then he looked at Cotopaxi and said, “Ma’am we have a room here, we’ll keep you safe.  But you have to do everything I tell you to do.  I have someone bringing you some clothing and shower stuff.  She assured me she knows what you will need.”

Suddenly the door opened and a young man peeked in the door and said, “Sir you have a call on your office line.”  The Colonel excused himself by saying, “Don’t go anywhere.”  Robert and Doc were returning to the conference room when the Clerk told Robert, “I have a couple of rooms that I can put them in.  Let’s get them settled for now.

The clerk led Cotopaxi and Dock through a door and then down a long hall and explained as they walked, “The two rooms are right down this hall.  They are adjacent to one another and they shared a common bathroom. I have some clean clothes on the way for both of you.”  He looked at Doc and said, “Your unit is sending your things so I assume you’ll have your shaving kit and all.”  Then he stopped in front of a door. As he opened it he turned to Cotopaxi and said, “This is your room. The Operations Specialist should be bringing you some things soon.”  

She looked as though she was going to panic and said, “And Doc will be nearby, right?”  His room is connected to yours ma’am, just like I said.  Here, I’ll show you.  They walked into Cotopaxi’s room and looked around.  Doc was amazed, “These barracks are a lot nicer than ours.”  The clerk laughed and said, “These are the transit billets.”   

After showing Cotopaxi around her room the clerk told Doc that he could enter his room through the latrine if he would like; then he excused himself.  He stopped before leaving and said, there is cold bottled water in the fridge. 

3

Doc got them both a bottle of water and sat next to Cotopaxi.  They both sat sipping on their water and quietly visiting.  He didn’t remember falling asleep.  As he sat somewhere between sleep and awake he knew someone was talking to him. He still couldn’t make out what the person was asking him.

As his mind began to clear and he began to awaken.  “How long have you known Cayce?”  He answered, “I met her at the plane crash.”  He still wasn’t fully awake.  He couldn’t seem to shake himself awake. “Before the plane crash, what information was she sharing with you?”  He was puzzled, “What information?  I don’t even know her.”  “Wake him up.”

Suddenly he felt himself falling backward. He realized that he was handcuffed; he was strapped onto a stretcher.  He felt like he was lying with his feet elevated when he felt ice cold water splash his face.  “I’m awake, I’m awake.”  Still more cold water sprayed on his face till he hurt with cold. He didn’t think it was going to stop.  He could hear a scream in his mind.  Still, the ice-cold water kept spraying.

Finally, the water stopped and he was sat back up.  He heard a door open and then low voices talking.  Then a low soft woman’s voice calmly asked. “How long have you known Cayce?”  Doc answered, “I met her when I pulled her from the wreckage.”  “We have your little girlfriend here.  You do want to protect her, don’t you?”  How long has she been passing you information?”

The questioning and the freezing water went on and on.  Doc had no way of telling time.  The light coming through the window never changed.  The woman’s voice never changed.  The only people he saw were the two men who leaned him back and sprayed him with the ice-cold water.

“How long have you known Cayce?”  Doc answered, “I met her when I pulled her from the wreckage.”  “What information was she sharing with you?”  “She never gave me any information?”  “Give him the belt.  Maybe that will make him more cooperative.”  One of the men lifted his shirt and strapped a belt around his waist. 

            “Make sure it’s working.”  Suddenly an excruciating, muscle cramping electrical shock hit him like a sledgehammer.  “How long have you known Cayce?”  Doc answered, “I met her when I pulled her from the wreckage.”  “What information was she sharing with you?”  “She never gave me any information?”  “Once more” Again an excruciating, muscle cramping electrical shock hit him.  He cried I’m not lying; I met her when I pulled her out of the plane.

            “Put him in the cage.”  They took him to a courtyard surrounded by gray walls.  In the center of the courtyard was a row of cages. The cages were four by four square.  He had to duck down and crawl in.  He didn’t get a bathroom break.  He didn’t get to clean himself up.  He stayed in the cage and tried to get comfortable.

            A little while after he was put in his cage, three men escorted a small woman out.  She shuffled as she walked.  She was in a tan prison uniform, much like the one he was in.  She never lifted her head.  He looked in horror as he saw them put Cotopaxi in a cage away from him.   He was in the cage for several hours when someone came with a bowl of watered-down soup.  They fed him in a dog dish.

            He was in the cage for several days before they came for him.  He had watched as they came for Cotopaxi, and then hours later bringing her back once more.  She never looked up.  She never looked at him.  Finally, two of the guards came and pulled him out of his cage.  They led him to the room once more.

            Once more he could hear the calm voice asking. “How long have you known Cayce?”  Doc answered, “I met her when I pulled her from the wreckage.”  “What information was she sharing with you?”  “She never gave me any information?”  “Release his hands. Give him a drink of water.”

            Doc took the bottle of water and drank it.  He didn’t realize he was so thirsty.  He began to feel light-headed.  He heard the voice once more. “You know what, I believe you.”  He was desperately trying to stay awake, he said, “What is going to happen to Cotopaxi?”  He heard the voice but his head was so cloudy that he couldn’t understand.  He passed out.

            Doc could hear a voice somewhere in the distance of his mind.  He couldn’t make out what was being said.  He was somewhere between asleep and awake.  Suddenly he was awake enough to remember the last time he felt this way.  He jerked awake and looked around.  He was on the couch in the Transit Billets.  His throat was dry and he felt light-headed.

            He climbed out of bed and went to the door, “Yeah?”  Hay Mac this is Rodriguez.  I brought you your things.  He opened the door and Rodriguez walked in carrying a duffel bag, he stopped and stared for a second, “Man you look like crap.”  “Oh, thanks!”  He reached over and grabbed Doc’s shoulder, “Did they check you over?  Shouldn’t you be in the hospital?”   Doc shrugged and said, “I just want to get cleaned up. Hay, thanks for bringing my gear.”

            After Rodriguez left Doc hurried to Cotopaxi’s room. He found her sound asleep on her couch.  She was lying face down and like him, in just her underwear. He walked over and checked her breathing.  She seemed to only be sleeping.  He left her room and rummaged through his bag and found his shave and shower bag.

            While he was showering he began to wonder, was the last few days a dream, a nightmare?  His sore muscles told him that he had been through something.  He finished showering and shaving.  He got dressed and then went back in to check on Cotopaxi.  She was still asleep so he sat on the couch next to her.  She jerked violently into a ball and looked horrified at him. Her facial expression softened as she looked around the room.

            She started to speak but her throat was so dry that it came out more like a croak.  “You here?”  She looked sad and said, “I’m sorry for all of this.”   Doc smiled, still wondering if it had been a bad dream.  He made a pot of coffee while Cotopaxi took a shower.  Someone had left her a bundle of clothing and girly shower things in a pile on the end table. 

He was on his third cup when she was finally finished.  She grabbed a cup and filled it, and sat next to him. He looked at her and studied her face for a moment.  She looked tired and her eyes looked rheumy.  He asked, “Are you feeling ok?”  She looked at him and smiled a sad smile.  “I am now.  I had horrible dreams that I couldn’t wake up from.”

            There was a knock at the door.  The clerk told them that the commander wanted them to join him for breakfast.  He led them back to the conference room.  As they entered the room Doc was surprised to see his company commander and his first Sargent as well as the Special Forces Commander sitting around the table.  There were other people dressed in business suits as well but he didn’t know who they were.

            He and Cotopaxi walked into the room and sat down next to one another.  A soldier entered the room and sat a plate in front of them.  As they ate their breakfast the Colonel began talking.  It was a monologue, nearly a speech about his two guests.  There was no mention of the SD chip or the information that Cotopaxi had given him. 

When he was finished with his story he looked at Doc and Cotopaxi.  “That is your complete story, is that understood.”  They both quickly answered, “Yes sir.”  Then he said, “Good. Now Sargent it is my pleasure to inform you that I am giving you a field promotion.  I have also put in the paperwork for an AFCOM and a Humanitarian Service Medal.

He slid a large brown envelope to Cotopaxi and then said; “This is the only way that all of this is going to go away.  You have set a path for yourself that can only go one way.”  She looked at him and then opened the envelope and pulled out a stack of papers.  On top was a typed memo on the Central Intelligence Agency letterhead.  Doc tried to read it but she held it so that he wasn’t able.  Everyone was quiet while she was reading.

She started to look through the rest of the papers when the commander said, “That can wait till later. Let me introduce you to some people first.”  She answered, “When do I start?”  One of the men in a business suit reached across the table and shook her hand, then said, “You already have.”