It was almost lunch before Kenn decided it was all right to come out. The Eagles noticed that Adrian waited for the Marine to make the call, and that Kenn didn't look to him first for an okay when he did. They used snow blowers to clean up the piles of sand, moving them outside the shrunken camp's perimeter.
Adrian's eyes took in the damage with worry deep in his heart for his country and her people. The landscape had been completely altered; nothing looked the same. Piles of brackish sand in feet-deep drifts covered ripped-up tents, and grit blanketed everything, including his army. The damage was extensive, total. How many more American lives had been lost?
"Eagle Two will keep point. Everyone else, shift."
Kenn nodded at him from across the camp, and then motioned Seth to go along on his rounds. In time, the redhead would be one of his, too, Kenn thought, like Zack and maybe Kyle. No one else knew Seth was Adrian's undercover guard and Kenn supported it completely. The detective was good and someone had to do it. Adrian had to be protected.
Kenn knew what his Boss wanted, knew how to get things done, and three short hours after the storm was gone, Safe Haven looked almost like it hadn't been hit, a stark contrast to the destruction outside the perimeter. Full-sized again, retaped, clean, and running normal, Adrian was more than pleased. They were growing stronger. Soon, more would be expected of them.
By 1 a.m., Adrian was once again roaming the sea of tents, unable to sleep. He was satisfied with the way they'd come through, happy with the job Kenn had done, but he hated the aftermath more than the actual storm.
The land around them now looked totally devoid of life, instead of just isolated. It was foreign - like what the surface of Mars might be like. Even the smells had changed. The rot was still here, along with a hint of salty smoke, but the strongest was a thick, stomach-tightening mildew he didn't need John to tell him was from all the dead. The sand not only covered them, it scraped away tiny bits of decaying flesh that were flung about by the wind. It wasn't comforting.
"Did anyone see you?" questioned a man's voice, one he knew well, and Adrian's sharp eyes found the shadow just outside a dusty supply truck.
"No. Let me in."
The woman's voice was also familiar and the leader wondered if the guards had seen them. Probably not, but they would if Kenn wasn't more careful. It didn't bother him, but it would the camp. Adrian grinned suddenly. Hell, maybe Kenn could straighten her out a little and put her to use. Surely Tonya had a skill that didn't involve her knees or her back.