Chapter 16 #2
The helicopter’s relentless roar drowned out every sound, leaving only the vibrations beneath their feet and the pounding of their hearts. In that heavy silence, the weight of unspoken truth settled deep.
Link tightened his jaw, giving a sharp nod; guilt darkened his eyes, an emotion set aside but not forgotten. His gaze shifted to Dog, who glanced up, understanding flashing in his eyes.
With a quick snap of his fingers, Link signaled urgently, “Get it off her. Now.”
In one swift motion, Dog retrieved surgical shears from his kit and cut the collar from Noor’s neck. He handed the severed collar to Link, who examined it closely.
“It has to be active,” Dog confirmed, as he signed back, “Probably a simple RF pulse, range should be city-wide. But if our scan did not catch it…”
Link’s heart sank further. This was something new, a tracker he’d never encountered before.
He felt a mix of guilt and urgency, the desire to keep it to study its technology clashing with the necessity to dispose of it to avoid detection.
He hesitated for a moment, pulling out his phone to take a quick picture, wanting to capture this anomaly for further analysis later.
However, the ticking clock of their escape pushed him into action. He glanced at Shadow and Sammy, feeling the weight of his oversight, before finally handing the collar over to Nova.
Without a word, she slid the window open a crack. The deafening roar of the rotors and a rush of cold night air surged in momentarily. She dropped the collar into the darkness below.
“Let them chase ghosts,” she said, though the words were swallowed by the thunder of the open window.
The team fell into a sudden silence, each lost in their own thoughts amidst the pounding rotors.
They had escaped, but Link still felt the lingering weight of the safe house: the dry grit of dust, the metallic sting of Shadow’s blood, and the searing neon flash of his own mistake burning bright within him.
As they disembarked into the sudden, ringing quiet, the vast desert night enveloped them, swallowing the rotor noise. The farewell under the open sky and a blanket of stars felt poignant and heavy.
Link pulled Tariq aside, the dry wind tugging at their clothes. “This is it. Blast and Tank will take you the rest of the way to Hank’s people. You’ll be safe.” He gestured to the van, then back to Tariq. “The offer stands. A new life. Use the phone.”
Tariq looked from the van to the endless dark horizon, then back to Link. The street-hardened skepticism was still there, but now layered with the fragile, terrifying hope of open space. He gave a single, firm nod.
Link then turned to Hassan and Fatima. He pressed a plain envelope into Fatima’s hands. “This is from Hank. For immediate needs. More will follow, every month. You will want for nothing.” He paused, his voice softening, carrying on the wind. “We will find your girls. This I swear.”
Fatima’s eyes filled with tears, but she stood straighter, clutching the envelope.
Though not bound by blood, she had been Noor’s steadfast guardian for five years, and had cared for the twins since the day they were born.
Her gaze shifted to the helicopter, to where Noor lay unseen, and her composure broke. “My daughter… my granddaughters…”
Link placed a steadying hand on her arm.
“You are her family. You kept them alive. That debt doesn’t end here.
” He leaned in slightly, ensuring his words reached only them.
“Once Noor is healed, and the girls are safe… we will make sure you see each other again. If you wish it, Hank can arrange papers. A visit to America, a new home together. You will not lose them.”
The promise was a lifeline thrown across an ocean of uncertainty.
Hassan, who had been silent, let out a shaky breath and nodded, his eyes glistening.
Fatima grasped Link’s hand, her touch surprisingly strong.
“Thank you,” she whispered, the words holding a world of fear and fragile hope.
“Tell Noor…tell her we love her. Tell the girls their sittu and jiddo are waiting.”
From the helicopter door, Warden’s voice cut through the quiet. “Link! Wheels up in ninety seconds! Say your goodbyes!”
With final, hurried nods, Tariq, Hassan, and Fatima were ushered toward the waiting van by Blast and Tank.
Just before Tariq climbed in, Sammy broke away from Link’s side and caught his friend’s arm. The fierce, tactical focus melted from his face, leaving just a scared kid saying goodbye to his only link to the life before.
“You’ll answer, right?” Sammy said, his voice almost lost in the wind. “When I call.”
Tariq looked down at the satellite phone in his hand, then back at Sammy. For a second, the old, familiar smirk, the one from a thousand street corners, touched his lips. “Yeah...I answer you. Unless you call ’cause you need me to bail you outta some mess you in.”
A real, shaky smile broke through Sammy’s anxiety. “Deal.” He threw his arms around Tariq in a quick, fierce hug. “Stay safe.”
Tariq returned the hug just as tightly, clapping him once on the back. “You too, brother. Go save your sisters.”
Then Tariq turned and climbed into the van without looking back. The door slid shut with a solid thud.
Link, Sammy, Jax, and Shadow re-boarded the helicopter. As the door sealed, Link looked one last time as the van’s taillights winked out into the desert. He had just made a promise that went far beyond protection. He had promised a future.