“You will do nothing of the sort, Major,” Deacon snapped before Blue Mace Leader could finish. After a moment of silence, during which Blue Mace Leader brought her aircraft up next to Deacon’s, the wing commander explained. “I’m riding this one out, Major,” he stated calmly.

Looking over, Blue Mace Leader saw her commanding general, oxygen mask unsnapped and flopped over to one side, reclined in his seat, staring out over the open Nevada desert. He wasn’t making any efforts to bring his aircraft around to a heading that would take him closer to Hill and safety. Nor was he making any preparation to eject. He just sat there, ignoring his instruments and looking out over the open desert that was bathed in the striking shades of red and orange that only a western sunset can produce.

Though she didn’t quite understand why he was doing this, Blue Mace Leader knew that nothing she said or did would change his mind. Finally, she broke the silence. “Sir, if you don’t mind, I’d like to stay with you a while.”

Rolling his head over to one side, so that he could see his uninvited, yet very welcome wingman, Deacon smiled. “I’d like that,” he replied softly.

Unable to control her voice as she choked back a flood of tears, Blue Mace Leader didn’t answer. Instead, she rotated her head to face her commander. When he looked over, and saw her facing him, she gave him a crisp hand salute. After Deacon returned it, the two F-16 pilots looked away from each other and resumed their flight across the barren western landscape in silence.

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 16

BOISE, IDAHO EARLY EVENING, OCTOBER 31

Like a prairie dog emerging from his burrow to search about for waiting predators, Nathan Dixon pulled back the small section of camo net he was hidden under and stuck his head up out of his shallow foxhole. As difficult as it was, the young officer forced himself to ignore the pillars of black smoke rising up over Gowen Field. Instead, he scanned the horizon in all directions. Only when he was sure that they were in no immediate danger did he look back toward the northwest.

Having heard his platoon leader stir, SFC Gandulf pulled off his camouflage. Though he suspected that his lieutenant had already done so, Gandulf also looked about. When he saw all was clear, the senior NCO moved over to where Nathan was. Settling back on his haunches he surveyed the same scene Nathan was observing in silence. After counting the fires, the NCO finally spoke. “Looks like the Air Force really laid into the Guard.”

Nathan nodded in agreement without taking his eyes off the western sky line. “I’ll be happy if the only thing they accomplished was smashing those damned AH-64s and A-10s. Maybe then we’ll have a chance.”