Chapter 3
Steel
One week later…
Whoosh.
Slam.
“Fuck!” Axe hissed.
The eight of us stood near the knoll, watching in shock as firebrands littered the tangerine sky, falling as if in military formation toward fresh terrain. The large burning chunks of wood would splatter the dense foliage within seconds, a reburn likely.
We’d worked for three fucking days to put out the fire. Three days. We’d made headway at first, rain dampening the dry timber with enough moisture we’d been able to take control of the raging fire. But not for long.
With the changing weather pattern, the wind had become our nightmare.
I yanked off my mask, scanning the perimeter of the mountain. Half our team had already begun the long descent, the rest of us left behind to clean up the mess.
As soon as the burning chunks hit the canopy of trees, a wall of flames quickly developed.
Being the senior man on scene, it was my responsibility to get everyone out alive.
That meant barking orders while calling for help.
I yanked out the satellite phone from my pocket, making the call.
“Steel to base. We have a situation in zone fifteen. A sudden reburn. One half of the team is cut off. I repeat, one half of the team cut off. Attempting to eradicate.”
The silence on the other end of the communication lines was unnerving as fuck.
I turned to face my brother, studying Axe, whose face was hidden behind the opaque mask.
But even with the smoke, I could still make out the look in his eyes.
Up until recently, my brother had rarely expressed fear.
Either on or off the job. He was a smokejumper through and through, a danger junkie like I’d been my entire life.
Two things had altered his way of thinking.
Our brother Will’s tragic death while doing exactly what he loved, and Axe’s wife, a family he cherished above everything else in the world.
Including his own life. I envied him, more than he could possibly know or I dared say.
I also felt an errant need as supervisor of our team to keep him out of harm’s way no matter the cost to my own personal safety.
The heavy emotions didn’t stop there.
Guilt overlaid everything about my commitment to him.
“Steel. Do what you can to contain the fire. Help is on the way.” Captain Daughtry’s voice was unusually calm, which meant he was more concerned than he wanted to let on.
“Is there an escape route?” I pressed, my attention drawn to the south as a burst of wind brought another heavy shower of brightly lit embers, luminous sparklers lighting up the sky.
“Down the western side of the mountain,” he answered. “And Steel. God speed.”
God speed.
I shoved the mask onto my face, grabbing the axe.
“Break is over, gentlemen. Let’s clear the way for our reinforcements then get the hell out of here.
” I glanced at Viper, giving him a nod. He’d made a damn good addition to our team and without hesitation, he moved to the initial scratch line we’d used, a temporary ditch to try to pivot the direction of the fire.
The maneuver worked.
Until it didn’t.
“Denver. Raptor. Work with Viper. Get this area contained,” I ordered. “Cut off the air supply. Axe. Stringer. Poptart and Bronco, you’re with me. We’re going to create one massive burnout.”
The decision to start another fire to put this one out was risky, but there were few options until the cargo planes rolled back around with additional mud, the retardant the best way to try to keep this from heading down the east side of the mountain toward the group of vacation homes.
The flames were rapidly spreading from tree to tree.
If we weren’t careful, a crown fire would erupt, ravaging hundreds of additional acres.
Our team had been called in from Missoula alongside smokejumpers from Idaho to help the jumpers from California contain the fire.
Yet several thousand acres had already burned.
I’d worked side by side with all these men for years, going through hell and back to accomplish our goals. I’d be damned if we’d surrender to the beast today.
We’d all fought our own personal demons given our profession, but some fires were more damning than others.
There was no further discussion. We simply worked our asses off with the equipment we had, watching the wind as it continually changed directions. At times the strong breeze was treacherous, swirling acrid black smoke around us in a typhoon of shadows.
With every fallen limb, every downed tree, the danger only increased and no amount of training could protect us if the beast turned against us.
Hours went by, every man on the crew falling prey to exhaustion. With little sleep and unsavory rations, all we had to rely on was each other and our training. Even modern technology seemed defeated.
“Where the fuck are the planes?” Viper called out so everyone could hear.
I stopped long enough to check the coordinates. “Ten minutes out. Keep working.” With every step of headway made, it seemed as if we were falling behind by two.
Boom!
“Fuck!” Stringer was pitched to the ground, almost buried under a massive tree limb.
Without hesitation, Axe made his way there first with me on his tail. Together, we were able to push the limb off his ankle, helping him up.
“Is it broken?” I asked, taking the few seconds to pay attention to how far the fire had receded. There was something about the direction of the wind that troubled me.
“Hell, no.” Yet as soon as we let him go, he almost fell over.
Axe and I looked at each other. We’d need to get him off this mountain.
“Stay close. We’re making headway.” While my words were meant as encouragement, I wasn’t certain they were truthful.
Stringer did his best, hobbling back to where we were increasing the area between the fire and additional terrain.
Chainsaws were going, wood that would be perfect kindling tossed aside.
When the damn planes didn’t arrive on time, I backed away from the others to try to talk to the captain. “Steel to base. Cap’n, where are the planes? We have an injured man.” I took a deep breath, yanking off my mask long enough to wipe sweat from my eyes.
“Engine trouble with one. The second should be there any minute. Two more are leaving the Redding, California base now. Hold on, Steel. Information incoming.”
I backed away even further until I was in a position where the smoke was lighter. Damn it. The fire was still raging. I knew there were hundreds of smokejumpers and wildland fighters working on this fire from several states. It always felt as if not enough was being done.
“The plane is two minutes out. Fall back as required.”
“Got it.” I ended the call, shoving the phone into my jacket and jogging back to the group. “Fall back. Incoming mud.”
As soon as the men started to grab their equipment, I was certain I heard engines overhead. We knew exactly where the target area was and moved accordingly.
We moved even further back when the plane came closer.
Axe pulled binoculars, a piece of equipment he always carried and lifted them toward the sky. After a few seconds, he whistled. “Jesus Christ. They’re using a DC-10 Airtanker.”
It seemed California was lucky enough to have one. The drop would be over ten thousand gallons, a significant drop. I glanced at the area while the plane flew closer.
“Well, hell. I have a bad feeling we’re going to be in the way. Hardhat on, boys, and get into the safety position.”
We all dropped face down, waiting as the plane rolled overhead. There was nothing like being covered in fire retardant material. As the chemical filtered through the trees, making its way to the ground, I heard at least two of the men groaning.
What a way to make a living.
* * *
Nine hours later we were finally on our way down the mountain, carefully watching for any flare-ups. The drop had all but stopped the fire, allowing us to mop up while ensuring additional flare-ups hadn’t occurred.
While the fire still burned on the backside of the mountain, from what I’d been told on the coms, headway was finally being made, the fire eighty-nine percent contained and something the California team could handle.
We were finally able to remove our masks and breathe fresh air. With the sun slowly setting, the area was bathed in a sweeping golden light. A promise of better things to come. There’d been so many fires in the last few years, so much property damaged, wildlife and animals disturbed.
Time would heal the ravaged soil, but working one of these fires seemed to take larger tolls on the Beckett brothers.
We stopped long enough to catch our breath, pulling our rations for water.
I remained standing as the others piled on the ground.
There was one clear path down the mountain on this side, the area the only secure location for hikers.
Everything else for miles on end was treacherous terrain, cliffs, and rocky exposures that led to steep drop-offs.
That’s why the missions had to be carefully planned.
I continued staring at the sky, uncertain why my nerves were on edge.
“What is it?” Axe asked as he flanked my side.
Before answering, I glanced at the ground and the rocks that were located near one of the edges of a drop-off about thirty feet away. “I don’t know, but my gut tells me we need to get out of here.”
He snorted as if I was making a joke then narrowed his eyes. “Your instincts are usually right. I’ll rally the team. It’s time to go home.”
“Yeah, it is. Kenzie will kick your ass.” His wife was a strong woman and exactly what he’d needed. I allowed a smile as I tipped my head toward him. My brother was grinning from ear to ear. “Go on. I don’t want to hear a single story.”
Before walking away, he popped me on the arm.
I stood where I was, listening for any sounds. What I noticed was the that area was devoid of the cawing of birds. That wasn’t unusual around a fire for wildlife to become silent, but this felt different.