Free Missing by Darrell Maloney

“If John were with them, he’d have told them the right place to turn. It’s either Marty with a fresh crew who took the wrong turn, or it’s the Army. In either case, that road doesn’t go far before it dead-ends. We’ll find out soon.”
         After ten agonizing minutes, the same four sets of headlights emerged from the dirt road and re-entered Highway 83.
         As soon as they slowed and turned down the narrow road to the compound, Frank called on the radio.
         “Who’s manning the main gate?”
         “Rachel. What do you need, Frank?”
         “Rachel, do you still have that box of flashlights we brought back?”
         “Yes, sir. I just finished putting fresh batteries in all of them.”
         “Ten four. We’ve got visitors outside. We’ll be going out to greet them.”
         Frank turned to the others.
         “Who’s coming with me?”
         Poor Karen was the only one left behind.
         She watched on the monitors as the four of them… Frank, Mark, Sami and Brad, reached the inside of the gate.
         Then she scanned the exterior monitors to make sure no one was on the outside, waiting to force his way in.
         Only then did she make the call.
         “You’re clear, Rachel. Let them out.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 15
     
         “Good evening, folks. I’m Lieutenant Colonel Jim Weiss from Kelly Air Force Base.
         “We’re missing a chopper. I’m hoping you’re going to tell me it landed here safely and everyone aboard is okay.”
         Frank was the only one who shook the colonel’s hand.
         Sami slumped to the ground and sat there. Brad knelt down beside her. Neither said a word.
         Mark kicked at the dirt beneath his feet and cursed.
         Frank said, “I wish I could tell you that, Colonel Weiss. I wish to God I could tell you that. The truth is, though, we’ve been waiting on pins and needles for them for several hours.”
         “So they didn’t contact you with your radios to say they were lost or having mechanical problems?”
         “No, sir. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they didn’t try. Our radios only have an effective range of about five miles.”
         Mark suddenly lashed out.
         “How in the hell can you just lose a helicopter?”
         “We’re hoping they had electrical problems and set down in a clearing somewhere. Depending on the nature of the problem, it could have knocked out their communications gear at the same time. If they were at least five miles away from here, that would explain why neither of us have heard from them.”
         “Okay. So now you know they’re not here. Now how about getting out there and looking for them?”
         Frank put one hand on Mark’s shoulder and another on his chest. He was afraid Mark was going to lunge at the officer.
         “I’m sorry, colonel. His wife is on board that helicopter.”
         “I understand completely. Actually, we started a search an hour ago. We had specially equipped helicopters fly in from Fort Hood. Helicopters with night vision and FLIR technology.”
         Sami was stumped.
         “ What technology?”
         “I’m sorry. It’s a military acronym. FLIR is Forward Looking Infra-Red. It’s a camera system that sees and interprets heat signatures. It can spot people in pitch blackness, when even night vision capability doesn’t work.”
         He turned back to Frank, sensing that Frank was a former military man who might speak the language.
         “Our choppers have started their sweep south of Comfort, between Highways 10 and 87. That’s where we lost contact with Hilo One. They’ll work their way north by northwest. Assuming they stayed on course, we’ll find them.”
         Mark asked, “And if they didn’t? If their equipment malfunctioned