He reached for his weapon but didn’t get there before Rogers threw him against

the man next to him. Both went down in a tumble of arms and legs.

 

One guard got off a burst from his weapon but missed. He did not get a second

chance. Rogers grabbed him by the shoulder and, using him as a weapon, smashed

him against the other guards, who were knocked off their feet and thrown against

the hard wooden sides of the truck.

 

Rogers flung open the canvas flap and looked out.

 

It was dark. There were car lights behind him. He looked to his right and saw

the side of the bridge. He looked across the water and recognized Naval Station

Norfolk, which meant that Fort Monroe was just across the channel.

 

He bent his legs and jumped to the right.

 

He cleared the concrete side of the bridge and went into a dive.

 

He didn’t know how far down it was, but it was long enough.

 

He straightened out, led with his hands, and cleanly broke the surface of the

water. He went under, angled out his descent, and then headed back to the

surface.