by Dirk Patton
“What’s wrong?” Lucas asked.
“Bad feeling.”
The Marine looked at him, shrugged then activated the overhead lights and turned on the siren. Stepping on the gas, he steered the screaming ambulance out onto the street in the direction of the Visiting Officers’ Quarters. Lucas watched him for a moment, then dismissed the man’s comment and focused on the task at hand.
The drive was short and within only a few minutes the Marine shut down the siren as they pulled into the VOQ’s parking lot. Both men fought the temptation to look around in search of the snipers which would have been a big red flag that they weren’t who they were pretending to be.
Overhead lights strobing brilliantly in the night, they leapt out of the cab, hands hovering above the open tops of their slung medical kits and ran into the lobby. A junior Petty Officer was on duty at the reception desk and he was already on his feet when they charged in.
“Master key!” Lucas barked before the man could ask any questions.
He thrust his hand into a pocket and pulled out a large, brass key. Lucas snatched it from him and led the charge down the hall. Slowing enough to unlock John’s quarters, he burst through the door with the Marine on his heels.
They had already reviewed a floor plan of the quarters and as Lucas raced for the master bedroom, the Marine ran for the smaller room where Mavis slept. Lucas heard the door crash open but ignored it as he blasted into the larger room, immediately moving to place his body between the window and the bed.
A loud growl greeted him, then a frantic Dog rushed to his side. Lucas ignored him, staring in surprise at the empty bed. A sound caused him to reach for his rifle and whirl, but it was the Marine standing in the open doorway.
“Room’s empty,” he said.
“Fuck me!” Lucas shouted, then activated his radio. “They’re not here.”
“What are you talking about? I’m looking at Rachel right now,” Jessica protested.
Lucas turned and ripped the blinds open, staring out into the darkness.
“I’m telling you, they’re not here. Just Dog. We’ve been fuckin’ duped!”
As he stared out the window, dozens of running Marines suddenly appeared. A pair of Super Cobras screamed overhead and vehicles with high-output lights moved in, bathing the entire area in cold, white light.
“What the fuck’s going on?” the Marine asked from behind Lucas.
“They were never here,” he said softly, then turned and dashed out of the room when a bad thought went through his head.
Pounding down the hall to his quarters, he burst through the door. There was a small squeal of fright, the sound of a dropped glass breaking on the floor and Ziggy cautiously peered around a corner.
“What the bloody hell are---”
“Stay here,” Lucas barked, turning and running back to John’s quarters.
Dog sat in the middle of the main room, whining when Lucas rushed in. He bent and checked him over, finding nothing physically wrong.
“Son of a bitch,” he muttered, not knowing what to do.
Heavy footsteps in the hall preceded a squad of Marines who entered with their weapons at the ready. Admiral Packard followed on their heels, Captain West and Jessica right behind him.
“They were never here,” Lucas said, throwing his hands up in frustration.
“Then where are they?” the Admiral asked, looking pointedly at Dog. “They wouldn’t have left without him.”
Lucas looked at Dog who whined long and loud.
“Not willingly, anyway,” he said.
Packard whirled, spotting the young Petty Officer on reception duty standing in the hall.
“When’s the last time you saw them?”
“Yesterday, sir. I came on duty at twenty-three-hundred and it’s been quiet. No one has come or gone.”
“Get the log,” Captain West ordered, and the young man disappeared at a run.
“Chief?” Packard said, looking at Jessica.
“Easy enough, sir. If they’ve been planning this, all they had to do was have some footage shot from a distance, just like a sniper would be. Overlay a reticle and you’ve got a very convincing scenario.”
“Shut it down,” he snapped, frustration clear in his voice.
“Sir, maybe we should leave it alone.”
Jessica paused, and they all looked at Captain West.
“Don’t tip our hand,” she said, understanding his caution.
“Exactly,” he said with a nod. “Right now, Viktoriya thinks her ruse is still intact. If we cut the feed, she’ll be alerted and it might prompt her to do something drastic.”
“But that’s how she’s controlling John. We let the feed keep playing and he’s stuck!”
“We’re getting ahead of ourselves,” the Admiral interjected. “What’s more important is where are Rachel and Mavis?”
“Sir, there’s no record of them leaving in the log.”
The Petty Officer had returned with a large, hardbound book that resembled what hotels once used for a guest to register upon check-in. Captain West hurried to his side and peered at the page.
“They came and went by the slider. A lot,” Lucas said, gesturing at the door that opened onto the lanai.
“Doesn’t matter,” Packard said. “They can’t have gotten off the base. We’re on lockdown. We just need to find them.”
“I got on during lockdown,” Lucas said, drawing a sharp look from the Admiral before he nodded acknowledgement of the fact.
“Quite right, Staff Sergeant,” he said. “Chief, they had to pass within view of a camera. Find them.”
“Yes, sir,” Jessica said, hustling out of the room.
“Captain,” he said, looking at West. “Coordinate a search. Every building, berthing, quarters and ship at the docks. And get some more air assets up to start searching the rest of the base. Use as much manpower as you need without compromising perimeter security.”
West acknowledged the order and stepped away, already speaking on his radio.
“We’ve got to let John know they’re safe,” Lucas said.
“We don’t know they’re safe,” the Admiral replied. “Can you think of any reason they wouldn’t be in their quarters this time of night? Or would leave the dog?”
Lucas stared down at Dog, gently rubbing his head when he whined again.
“No, sir. I can’t.”
17
The Russian pilot did an admirable job of putting us down on an empty stretch of Interstate 10. As soon as the jet rolled to a stop and the engines were shut down, I reached out and slammed his head against a bulkhead. He was either knocked unconscious or killed by the blow, I didn’t really give a shit which.
In the few seconds I spent ensuring he wouldn’t be able to interfere or transmit a distress call, I heard the aircraft’s exterior door open. Whirling, I rushed to the back, cursing when I didn’t see Viktoriya still lying on the carpeted deck. Goddamn it!
Tightly gripping the pistol I’d taken off the co-pilot when I killed him, I leapt out the open door. It was still night, but there was a moon and with my enhanced sight I could see everything. Except Viktoriya.
A strong breeze was blowing from the north and as I turned a circle in search of any sign of her, I sniffed the air. There were several things I couldn’t identify, but I was confident she wasn’t upwind. That gave me a little information, but still left three other directions she could have gone. The only good news was that I knew she wasn’t armed, so I didn’t have to worry about the bitch sitting downwind and picking me off with a rifle.
Jumping back into the aircraft, I searched through the debris from my fight with her until I found the tablet, mildly surprised that its screen hadn’t been shattered. Waking it, I stared for a moment at the image of Rachel viewed through a sniper’s scope. Where the fuck was Lucas? He should have taken care of the threats by now! Hands trembling, the device began to bend before I calmed and stopped myself from destroying it.
A satellite phone! The thought hit me like a thunderbolt. I was standing in a business class jet and there was almost certainly an onboard system for the passengers to stay in touch with their customers while they were in transit.
A quick search didn’t find what I wanted. Rushing forward into the cockpit, I looked over the complicated array of controls, screens and gauges, but didn’t see anything that looked promising. Returning to the cabin, I stood next to the seat I’d occupied and slowly looked around before beginning a more thorough search.
It only took a couple of minutes for me to discover that the small tables which were mounted to the deck had a hidden compartment beneath the top. Beneath was a sleek handset and when I lifted it off its mounting cradle, the screen lit up and showed full signal strength. Pausing to think, I carefully punched in Jessica’s number and waited impatiently for her phone to begin ringing.
But it never did. Frowning at the device, I cleared the call and tried again with no better results. Unable to contain my frustration, I threw the handset across the cabin and watched it shatter.
Breathing hard, I looked again at the tablet’s screen, trying to calm myself so I could think clearly. I’d seen Viktoriya communicate with the sniper. She’d had a blocky phone she carried on her person. Did she have it with her when she fled the aircraft? Was she even now issuing the order that would end Rachel’s life? Unable to breathe, I checked the tablet, blowing out a sigh of relief when the view hadn’t changed, then the rage began to boil.
The world around me swam in a haze of red-hot anger. Not just at Viktoriya, but at myself, too. I’d pushed too hard and too far. Hadn’t played the game and may very well have sealed Rachel’s fate. I stood there, lost in the grip of the virus and unable to make a decision. All I wanted was to break bones and rend flesh. To feel hot blood on my hands as I tore open anyone who got in my way or threatened my family.
I had to find Viktoriya before she could make that call. Rushing back outside, I paused long enough to test the breeze but didn’t catch any scent of her. Starting to turn a circle, I had a better idea and climbed onto the jet’s wing then jumped up on top of the fuselage.
Well elevated above the mostly level terrain, I spun in place, scanning the surrounding desert. After two complete three-sixties, I growled in irritation. Other than due north, directly into the wind, she could have gone any direction. Or could she?
Without even thinking about how high off the ground I was, I leapt from the top of the aircraft and landed on the asphalt twelve feet below. I was immediately in motion, running to the edge of the pavement to check for tracks in the sand. Nothing. Dashing to the boundary of the median, I looked but didn’t find any sign of her. She’d stayed on the paved freeway! But which direction?
While I didn’t recognize my specific location, there is a difference between the terrain and vegetation as you cross the desert from California to Arizona. I was pretty sure Phoenix was no more than twenty or thirty miles to my east. That meant there was over a hundred miles of nothing to the west. She may or may not know that, but I was betting she would be focused on reaching Phoenix.
Checking the tablet again, I pointed myself east. Though I didn’t know for sure, I was betting Viktoriya had gone this direction. All I had to do was move faster and keep a close watch on the edges of the road to make sure she hadn’t left the pavement and struck out across the desert. I didn’t think she’d do that, but I couldn’t run the risk of failing to notice if she did.
18
Gonzales sat against a large rock outcropping staring at Nicole, trying to ignore the mass of females that surrounded them. She had made him surrender all of his weapons before telling him to sit on the ground. For the briefest of moments, he’d considered refusing, but one look around had quelled any thought of resistance. There were more infected within twenty yards of him than he had ammunition, and he knew he’d be ripped to shreds immediately if he so much as tried to raise his rifle.
“What are you going to do?” he asked Nicole when she continued to silently scrutinize him.
“I haven’t decided.”
He stared at her, trying to remain calm but the nervous sweat that beaded his forehead gave him away. It mixed with the scent of his pain and Nicole tilted her head to the side as she watched him.
“You’re hurt.”
She was immediately frustrated with herself. After his betrayal, the last thing she should be concerned about was his health, but she couldn’t help herself. Instinct and carnal urges were threatening to overwhelm any other considerations.
“You broke my ribs when we were fighting in the helicopter. Suppose I had it coming.”
Nicole nodded, the rational part of her dismissing his acknowledgement that he’d been wrong to try and force her to do anything.
“You never answered my question.”
“What question?”
Gonzales seemed genuinely confused.
“Why didn’t you just ask me?” she asked with much less emotion than the previous time.
“Would you have said yes?”
She hesitated, giving some thought to her response.
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
His eyes narrowed and he stared at her, unsure if this was some game she was playing before setting the surrounding females loose on him.
“Maybe wouldn’t have been good enough,” he finally said with a shrug. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“I don’t understand. Why not?”
Gonzales took a deep breath, winced in pain and let it out slowly with a low hiss.
“Refusing to carry out a mission is not an option.”
“What would the Russians do? Dock your pay?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Gonzales was shaking his head before she finished speaking.
“I’d be dead. One way or another. If they couldn’t get a GRU assassin close enough to do the job, they’d just find a way to leak my true identity to the Americans and let them take care of it. Before the attacks that would have meant prison time, probably for life. Now? You’re smart. You figure it out.”
Nicole’s eyes flashed warningly as she glared at him.
“The last thing you want to be doing right now is giving me attitude.”
She made a small sound reminiscent of a musical note and a single female stepped close to Gonzales and barred her teeth as a low growl rumbled in her throat. He stared the infected in the eye, terrified but refusing to back down.
“If you’re going to kill me, then get on with it,” he said without taking his eyes off the female. “If not, get this stinking bitch out of my face.”
After a few long seconds, Nicole made another sound and the female stepped away. Her focus remained on Gonzales and he could see the hunger in her eyes. The desire for blood.
“Answer a question for me,” Nicole said. “And if you lie, I will know.”
Gonzales finally tore his attention away from the female and turned back to look at Nicole. Met her eyes and nodded.
“When Russia launched the attacks...”
Her voice trailed off as she searched for the right way to ask what she wanted to know. After a long pause, Gonzales raised his brows questioningly. Nicole took a breath, sighed and plunged ahead.
“How could you still support them? They killed billions of innocent people. They killed the planet. How could...”
Gonzales snorted and shook his head.
“I already told you. If I wanted to live, I didn’t have a choice.”
“Bullshit!” Nicole spat. “You could have walked away and they’d have had no way of knowing you were even still alive. But you chose to continue working for them, despite everything they did.”
“You make it sound like everything would be all sunshine and rainbows except for the virus. Do you not remember what the world was like before? We were on a slippery slope to the end as a species.”
“So that makes what Barinov did okay?” Nicole shouted.
“He simply acce
lerated the timeline to the inevitable,” Gonzales said with a shrug. “You’re a trained scientist. Think about it.”
She stared at him in disbelief and disgust.
“You can’t believe that!”
“Believe it? Jesus Christ, Nicole! The world’s population was expanding exponentially. We were running out of room. Out of water, food and natural resources. Nuclear weapons were no longer in the hands of only a few governments that, for the most part, were stable and responsible. I personally was on a mission ten years ago to recover a Soviet era nuclear warhead from an Islamic terror group. We got it the day before they were planning to smuggle it into London.
“Bio warfare had become a very real threat. I know of at least a dozen radical nations and groups that were aggressively working to create plagues that had the potential to become pandemics. And you know what? No one had the balls to do anything about it. War was coming, sooner rather than later. Billions were doomed, one way or another. All Barinov did was move up the timetable a few years.”
Nicole stared at him in a state of near shock. Despite having been taken against her will and then hunted when she managed to escape, she’d had a shred of hope that she could make sense of Gonzales’s motives. Had wanted to find a way to forgive him because despite everything, a part of her had still been in love with him. Still loved him. But she could no longer stand the sight of him.
Looking at his face, she nearly released the females. She didn’t understand what held her back. Standing, she glared down at him.
“Go. Now.”
“What?” he asked.
“Get on your feet,” she said through gritted teeth. “Go. As far away from me as fast as you can. If I ever see you again, I’ll kill you. If I hadn’t loved you, once, you’d already be dead. Do you understand?”
The expression on her face eliminated any doubts he may have had that she was completely sincere. After a beat he nodded and bent to retrieve his weapons.
Nicole said nothing else, simply glared at him. Cautiously, he began moving, keeping as much space between himself and the females as possible. On a command from Nicole, they parted ranks and Gonzales gave her a final backward glance before breaking into a run and disappearing into the night.