Читать книгу The Macro Event - Andrew Adams - Страница 20

Chapter 14

0300, Day 2, Sandy Valley, Nevada

Lee had set an alarm on his watch to wake him and Jake up at 0300 hours. It felt to Lee like they had just lain down, but the two got up reluctantly. Lee shared baby wipes with Jake, which they used to clean up. They also brushed their teeth using some bottled water, gathered their stuff, and readied the bikes. They put the backpacks in the cart with some loose water bottles, tools, and other heavy items. Lee tied his chest rig on the handlebars of his bike with some wire ties and put on the fanny pack. Jake said he would pedal the bike with the cart for now and they could trade off later.

The two men quietly pushed the bikes out of the parking lot, mounted them at the road, and headed out. The moon was high in the sky and providing acceptable light for riding on the paved roads. Lee and Jake moved along at a slow pace, not wanting to exhaust themselves any further. The ride was easy on the paved parts of Sandy Valley Road, but soon it gave way to graded gravel road where it met Kingston road. The loose gravel made riding a lot more difficult. Both Lee and Jake were improving their skill at navigating loose dirt and gravel. Neither man crashed as they had done many times the day before.

The road up out of Goodsprings was good, but started climbing steeply. Both men had to dismount the bikes often and push them up steep climbs. It was grueling work. They would continue to ponder dumping the bikes but knew the road would be flat and downhill after they got up and over this pass, so they just kept pushing and moving, resting often.

The setting moon decreased the light and made navigating more difficult. Lee put on his headlamp and rode in front to mark the way. Jake followed along closely behind him.

Around 5:00 a.m., Lee and Jake both felt they were far enough up in the mountains and felt secure. They decided to rest for a bit and wait for daylight. Lee got out his tablet stove and heated some water for coffee. They shared the hot drink. Both men ate a sandwich received from Carl, plus a couple of the remaining snacks from the convince store in Vegas. Wanting to hydrate, both men finished off a bottle of water with added energy-drink powder. They discussed various things while they were eating and drinking. Lee told Jake about his involvement at the training facilities known as “MOUTs” at Irwin. He explained how he had worked with the General’s Chief of Staff, a civilian named Steven Rollinson. Jake knew Steven, and he was still at the base. The talk soon waned as Lee and Jake both relaxed and fell asleep.