Back on the ground the firefight raged. DeMetries men had regained their composure and were beginning to press home the fight. But the contractors were not giving up ground. They knew enough to not engage the troops as close quarters as they'd be torn to pieces. But by hanging back they could pour fire in their positions and maintain moderate cover.

Webb and Miller returned fire as best they could with their low ammunition situation. Dink fired off a few rounds but was soon down to his last magazine. His pack had fallen in the middle of the road. It might as well have been on mars.

Maggie, already exhausted from the escape from Wallace, being on the run and the previous firefight did her best to bore into the ground and get as low as physics would allow.

"Take the girl through those trees" Miller yelled at Dink while pointing off to the east.

Dink just looked at his friend.

"Do it" Miller yelled over the noise of the gunfight. "We'll cover you as best we can. Get on the other side of those trees and out of the line of fire". Dink had known Miller long enough to know he wouldn't change his friends mind.

"Webb" Miller continued the directions. "Tell your brother to set it down in the grass east of the treeline. Have him roll out to your position and then he can take off straight ahead". Webb didn't hesitate and used his hand-held to communicate the plan to his brother. At this point nobody cared if the message was transmitted in the clear.

Miller and the soldiers around him returned coverfire while a couple of soldiers lobbed grenades. After the death of several of their own, they held no remorse for the contractors on the receiving end. Miller shoved Dink who in turned carried Maggie along as he pulled her through the trees with all his might. He covered the twenty yards in what seemed like two big steps thanks to his adrenaline, which was fully pumping.

He found a small depression where he again deposited Maggie. They weren't out of danger but were in a much better position than their previous location.

Miller used the brief respite to instruct the soldiers as to his intentions. He fully intended for Webb's brother to put the plane down in the open field of short grass to the east of the road and it's treeline. He hoped it would provide enough cover that they could takeoff and climb out of the area. He and Webb had checked the field earlier that morning for fence posts or big rocks but found none.

He hoped he hadn't missed any in the pre-dawn darkness.

****

Within a small eternity Kevin's Webb's plane was circling around to land. As he was making his second turn to final that night Webb and Miller both made the mad dash to the relative safety of the other side of the treeline. The soldiers back at the fight were fully focused on destroying this second band of contractors and were only too happy to begin pressing home the fight to cover Miller and Webb.

They all began dropping as much weight as they could. Harnesses, packs, water, radios, night vision goggles, all of it. Anything and everything they could do to lighten the overload situation that adding Maggie to the passenger list would likely create.

Everybody was dropping gear like mad. Everybody except John Miller. Dink looked at his friend and knew something was wrong. "Miller, what are you up to?" he demanded.

Miller looked him dead in the eyes. "Take the girl out of here. She needs a father"

"So does Ava" countered Dink as he figured out exactly what Miller was about to do.

"Yes, and you and Webb will be great Uncles until I get back up there".

Webb just looked at his friend while Dink pressed on. "Listen Miller. The planes on final approach. There's no time to argue this. Get your shit off and get ready to get out of here". A stray bullet sailed close by as if to emphasis Dink's point.

As the planes landing light flipped on to illuminate the landscape, Miller was resolute. "Webb needs to help his brother fly and knows the way back. You need to care for Maggie and help with Ava. Between all of you, Christy and Patsy you will be fine. Besides, someone needs to do something about these contractors and this Donovan character"

Dink was about to tell his friend he was acting foolishly when the sound of the airplanes wheels hitting the ground interrupted the conversation. It was a bouncy landing that almost dislodged the goggles from Kevin's face. The soldiers hearing the plane continued to close the distance with the contractors and pour heavier fire back at them.

The twenty dollar bet would have been Dink's as Kevin expertly rolled the plane out within a few feet of where Miller and the group were standing. Nobody hesitated and soon they were hoisting Maggie into the plane. Webb scrambled aboard next and made his way to the cockpit to assist his near exhausted brother. As Dink climbed into the plane he turned back to his friend, John Miller.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing boy?" he challenged.

Without hesitation, "yea, I'm just trying to imitate you" he shot back.

Dink didn't know what to say. In a second he felt all sorts of emotion. His friend was sacrificing so they'd have a greater chance of making it to safety yet he was doing something very foolish. Instead of saying something sappy, he tossed a small cloth bag into Millers hands.

"Here you go carpetbagger. You'll need it" was all he could muster.

Webb's brother was already moving the throttles forward forcing Miller to duck to avoid being hit by the tailplane. Miller watched as Dink heaved the small door shut. Within seconds the engines were revving at full RPM's and Kevin released the breaks. Even in the darkness Miller could see the plane lurch forward as it gathered speed. A couple of the contractors, who had started on the east side of the road, realized what was happening but couldn't do much as DeMetries men were nearly on top of them.

Webb's plane roared into the air and desperately clawed the air to climb out. Webb wasn't sure the plane was fully off the ground before his brother retracted the gear. Collectively Webb and his brother exhaled a sigh of relief as he cleared a small plot of trees at the edge of the field by fifty feet. As soon as the climb was stabilized Webb took over control of the aircraft and his brother nearly collapsed behind the yoke.

In the back seat Maggie asked "what just happened?" regarding Miller staying behind.

"Sweetheart". Dink opined. "That was either the bravest thing I've ever seen or the dumbest. I'm not sure yet".

In the inky darkness the plane droned on as it began heading north westerly and towards a new future in Wyoming.