by Dirk Patton
We climbed back into the Chevy and started driving. In less than two miles, I told Gonzales to stop when I saw bodies lying in the street a block ahead. Both the SEALs were wearing night vision goggles they’d found in the Osprey, but I was relying on my virus enhanced eyes and could actually see better than they could in the dark.
“Three bodies ahead,” I said and bailed out the passenger door as we came to a stop.
Strickland was right behind me, but Gonzales stayed behind the wheel. I didn’t think there was much of a chance the bodies were a distraction for an ambush, but there was no point in rushing in. Especially with the three of us crammed into the cab of a truck. One man would be able to take us out as easily as shooting fish in a barrel.
Strickland and I went in opposite directions, moving down the edges of the road. Weapons up, we scanned as we advanced while Gonzales remained where he’d brought the Chevy to a halt. It didn’t take long to determine there was no one waiting to spoil our night and I walked over to check the bodies, waving Gonzales forward.
“Fuck me,” Strickland breathed, looking at the shattered remains of three Russian soldiers.
“When we catch up with him, watch your ass,” I mumbled. “Don’t know how far gone he may be.”
He glanced at me like he wanted to argue the point, but after a moment he nodded in acknowledgement of my advice.
“He’s well-armed, now,” Strickland said. “These guys were stripped of weapons and ammo.”
“And he’s got wheels,” I said. “He couldn’t carry all that gear by himself. Gonna be a bitch to find him, now.”
69
We left the bodies where we’d found them and got back in the truck. I took over behind the wheel because I knew the streets and didn’t feel like having to direct Gonzales at every turn.
Making our way out of central Phoenix, I skirted Camelback Mountain and headed into Scottsdale. We didn’t encounter any more signs of Igor’s passing, but the odds that we were still on the same route he’d taken were just about impossible to guess. The two cities were part of a massive metro area and there was a road that connected them about every half a mile.
“What do we do when we find him?” Strickland asked, breaking the silence in the cab of the truck.
“Whatta you mean?” I asked.
“I mean, what do we do with him? Help him or grab him up and bring him back?”
“You know Igor,” I said. “You really think the three of us will be able to make him do anything he doesn’t want to do after they killed Irina?”
“Good point. So, we’re going after Barinov?”
“I am. Been after the slippery motherfucker for a long time. Now, finally, he’s out of places to run.”
No one had anything else to say, which was fine with me. If they didn’t like the plan, they shouldn’t have insisted on coming along for the ride.
I stuck to the smaller roads as we progressed north, driving through neighborhoods and past buildings that I remembered well from before the attacks. Looking at them, I wondered if they would just decay into rubble or if there would ever be a time when people lived in the homes and visited the shops, bars and theaters again. Foolishly lost in my own thoughts and not looking ahead for threats, I was caught unprepared when a vehicle suddenly roared out of a narrow alley and struck the right front fender of the truck.
The impact was brutal. Glass shattered and we were sent into a spin, then the passenger side came up and the Chevy flipped, crashing into a thick utility pole. Strickland and Gonzales were stunned, but I guess the infection gave me an edge because I kicked the door open and rolled out onto the pavement the instant we came to a stop.
Charging around the back of the truck, I snapped an arm up in time to block something that was whipping towards my head. A heavy chain wrapped itself around my wrist, then there was a tug so hard I was nearly pulled off my feet. Would have been if not for the virus, and I used that advantage and savagely pulled back.
A huge form stumbled forward from the rear of the Humvee that had crashed into us and I leapt to the attack. He was still off balance when I slammed into him and threw a loop of the now slack chain around his neck. My heart was pounding in my ears and I could tell Strickland was shouting at me, but I was solely focused on finishing my attacker.
I kicked his legs out from beneath him, riding the larger man to the ground. With the upper position providing leverage, I gripped the chain tightly to pull it taut but was suddenly slammed in the side of the head with something unyielding.
I felt the side of my face split open and begin pouring blood, but other than that I was unharmed. But I was distracted enough to glance to the side and see Strickland with his rifle raised, ready to slam the butt into me again. He was screaming at me and his words finally got through the red fog that had consumed my brain.
“...Igor! It’s Igor!”
I stared at him for a beat, then looked down at my friend. He was so filthy as to be nearly unrecognizable, but there was no doubt it was him. Releasing my grip on the chain, I grabbed his shoulders and hauled him to his feet. He looked at me and I could see the pain in his eyes. The same pain I’d felt when Katie died.
We stood there staring at each other for a long moment, then he slowly removed the loop of chain from around his neck. I worked the end off my wrist and watched as he coiled it back into his bloody hand. It was still attached to a manacle that had cut deeply into his wrist, but he ignored what must have been a lot of pain.
“Thought you Russian,” he rumbled apologetically.
“I’m sorry about Irina,” I said softly.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” Strickland said, and I could hear a catch in his voice.
Igor stared at me for a long moment.
“When wife die, how not pull trigger?” he finally asked.
“Because you told me we were going to go kill Barinov,” I said, remembering that day in the Nevada desert. “Bastard’s still alive. Ready to finish it?”
“I kill all them,” Igor growled.
I nodded.
“We should walk from here,” I said, getting us back on track. “We’re close and don’t want to draw attention with a vehicle.”
No one disagreed, so after giving Igor a moment to arm himself with a rifle from his Humvee, we resumed our path north. Within half a mile, we had reached a point where we could see working streetlights. A broad, empty road was brightly illuminated.
“No security,” Strickland said after several minutes of watching.
“The zone where they’ve restored power has about a thirty mile perimeter,” I said. “And it’s all suburban sprawl. Thousands of roads and tens of thousands of intersections. No way they can field enough troops to fully secure it.”
As if to prove my point, we began hearing the heavy beat of a rotor. The sound slowly grew in volume, then a Hind gunship on a patrol pattern appeared. It was no more than a thousand feet above the ground and following the edge of the lit area. I stepped forward as soon as the helicopter passed out of sight.
Moving swiftly but without any sound, we advanced into the Russian zone. A giant car dealership was across the street, hundreds of brand new vehicles filling the lot. All had dull paint and grime covered windows and most sat on flat tires. It was a stark reminder of what the world had been and would never be again.
“Know where Barinov is?” Strickland mumbled over the radio.
He was on the opposite side of the wide road with Igor.
“Yes,” I answered, remembering what Jessica had shown me before we’d left Hawaii.
After that, we remained silent. I could hear the very distant thrum of patrolling helicopters but was certain I was the only one who could. There was no point in warning the others as the gunships were a very long way off.
Moving past another ghostly auto dealership, we quickly transitioned into a still abandoned residential area. The homes were higher end, but a cookie cutter design that was repeated every fourth house and were on postage-stamp sized lot
s. Normal suburbs in a nice part of town, but I knew we’d soon be in the lofty neighborhoods of estates that at one time had been worth millions.
I called a warning when I heard the low sound of an approaching vehicle. Everyone faded into a backyard and I wound up next to an empty swimming pool. There were two human skeletons in the bottom and as I waited for the patrol to pass, I idly wondered if these were people who had been killed early on, or infected who’d fallen in and drowned when it was still full of water.
Less than a minute later, a Humvee with three Russian soldiers inside rolled down the street. Peering around the edge of the house I noted they were completely uninterested in their surroundings. The front seat passenger was smoking and staring at the ceiling of the vehicle while the man in back seemed to be dozing. If something wasn’t directly in front of them, they’d never see it.
This was what I’d expected but was glad for the confirmation. There wasn’t a threat from infected. The American military hadn’t launched an assault or sent in any special operations troops to harass the enemy. So, the Russian commanders had done the right thing and established security patrols, but the troops were lulled into complacency by the lack of anything happening. I was happy to exploit the advantage.
Giving them a few minutes to clear the immediate area, I called everyone back out. There was another half hour of walking past dark and empty houses before we came across the first occupied residence. Interior lights were on, shining brightly at the windows and a shiny red Mustang convertible sat next to a hulking Humvee in the driveway. I frowned and rushed forward when Igor started across the street. He was on a direct course for the home’s front door.
“What are you doing?” I mumbled, stopping him with a hand on his chest.
“Told you. Kill all.”
He tried to step around me but stopped when I moved into his path. A storm cloud passed over his face and I knew he was about a second away from attacking me.
“We kill Barinov first,” I said, holding his glare. “You start killing every person we encounter, you’ll alert them to our presence. That happens, we’ll never get close.”
He thought about what I said for several long seconds before I saw the change in his eyes. With a single nod, he turned and went back to the opposite side of the road.
70
Vance had the big hypersonic jet refueled and was preparing to return to the mainland, without authorization, to evacuate the Colonel and the rest of his group. Rachel had made him promise he would go back for them, but he would have anyway. But before he could get off the ground, Captain West showed up with an Army Colonel named Blanchard leading a platoon of Rangers.
“What’s up, sir?” Vance asked.
He expected his plan had somehow been discovered and the Rangers were there to make sure he didn’t make off with US Government property. West briefed him quickly and Vance did a masterful job of concealing his relief when he learned the Rangers were simply coming along for the ride.
If the Monsanto plant in St. Louis appeared intact from the air, they would jump in to inspect and secure the facility. If not, they’d return to Hawaii with him. Only he was already thinking about a detour to Arizona on his way back. There was no point in making it an issue now, but if they were still on board for the return leg of the trip, there wasn’t a lot they could do about where he wanted to go.
Now, they were streaking along at over a hundred thousand feet, moving at nine times the speed of sound. Vance had quickly grown accustomed to the incredible views from this altitude, but it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for the men in back.
The plane was so high that there was very little atmosphere between them and space. Not enough to dim the stars that almost seemed close enough to reach out and touch. Beneath them, the earth curved away, the view resembling what one would see from an orbiting spacecraft. It was awe inspiring. So, the Rangers had been invited, one by one, to enter the cockpit and marvel at a sight few humans had ever witnessed firsthand. And perhaps never would again.
“You were with Colonel Chase in Nevada. That right?” Blanchard asked when the last Ranger had seen the view.
“Actually, he came and pulled me out of the ocean in Mexico. We wound up back at Groom Lake. You know him?”
“Fought our way out of Tennessee and were at Tinker Air Force Base when it fell to the infected.”
“He always been a smart-ass son of a bitch?” Vance asked with a grin.
“You have no idea,” Blanchard said, shaking his head and chuckling.
They were over North America by now and Blanchard looked nervously at a screen when it began beeping an alert.
“What’s that?”
“Russian air defense radar. No worries. They can’t see this baby, and even if they could, they don’t have anything that can catch it.”
“Somehow, I think there was a U-2 pilot during the Cold War that thought the same thing. Remember how that turned out?”
“All you Army guys such downers?” Vance asked. “Thought it was just the Colonel, but damn.”
“I’m a ray of sunshine, Commander,” Blanchard said with a perfectly straight face.
“You and Colonel Chase must be a blast at parties.”
Blanchard gave him a look that quickly morphed into a grin.
“So, tell me about the optics on this thing.”
“HD video and 4K still imaging. We’re flying at a hundred thousand feet and you could count the freckles on a girl’s tits from up here. Shame there aren’t any topless beaches to fly over.”
“How far to target?”
Vance glanced at a couple of instruments before answering.
“Twenty minutes. We’re just coming up on Salt Lake City.”
Fifteen minutes later, Vance throttled back until they were traveling slow enough to operate on conventional jet engines. A large screen in the cockpit showed an enhanced view of St. Louis, which appeared devoid of all life. Much of the city had burned at one point and was in rubble, but Blanchard was hopeful that the Monsanto plant’s location was far enough out of the metro area that it had been spared.
“There it is,” Vance said quietly when he spotted what had been described to him.
“Looks good so far,” Blanchard said.
The facility was actually a sprawling campus with dozens of buildings that housed research labs. An adjacent area held twenty massive warehouses and too many grain and seed silos to easily count. A long train sat on a single rail line that passed through the largest warehouse.
“I don’t see any damage other than that one roof,” Vance said, pointing out a small building where the metal had been peeled away to expose the interior.
“Probably a storm,” Blanchard commented.
“What do you think, Colonel? Want a look from a different angle before you jump?”
Blanchard nodded, then indicated what he wanted to see. Vance obliged and everything still appeared intact. Switching to thermal, they did a check for infected and both men muttered curses. While the Monsanto plant and the area around it was clear, nearly a hundred heat sources were visible a few miles to the north, slowly moving through the burned out city.
“Thought all the infected had moved on,” Vance said.
“Me, too. Switch back. Let’s see what they’re doing.”
Vance made the adjustment and zoomed. It took them a moment to realize what they were seeing, then they shared a look of complete surprise.
“Those aren’t infected,” Vance breathed. “Those are people. Normal people.”
Blanchard remained silent, watching as a large group struggled along. They were filthy and wearing ragged clothing, many of them carrying large packs on their backs. There were a few wagons with small children riding, presumably their parents pulling them along. Everyone carried a rifle of some sort.
“Hawaii needs to know about this.”
“Got it on video,” Vance said, pointing at the screen. “But we’ve got our priorities. You seen enough?”
Fifteen minutes later, the last Ranger stepped off the rear ramp and Vance pressed the button to close it. The original plan had been to jump directly into the Monsanto facility, but Colonel Blanchard was concerned the people they’d spotted would hear the jet engines and come to investigate.
He had no idea if they would be friendly or hostile, but either way, securing the plant was the number one priority. So, instead of a nice, sedate jump from eight thousand feet directly on to their target, Vance had found a large sports field at a school set in a residential area a few miles to the south and the Rangers had jumped from twenty thousand feet. They’d walk in, the people in the city none the wiser.
Gaining altitude, Vance was quickly back at a hundred thousand feet. He took a moment to find the Rangers with the video system, glad to see they’d all come down safely and were making their way toward the facility. Activating a newly installed short-wave radio, he pressed the transmit button and spoke a single word. Seconds later, a voice repeated the word and he shut the radio off. Hawaii had just acknowledged his report that the plant was intact and the Rangers had been successfully inserted. Now, all that was left for him to do was fly home. With a little stopover in Arizona on the way.
***
Admiral Packard sat on the bench, resisting the urge to pace in impatience for news about the facility in St. Louis. Since receiving Colonel Chase’s blood and becoming infected, he required far less sleep than normal, but tonight there would be none. But he wasn’t tired and wouldn’t have gone to bed even if he wasn’t waiting on one specific word.
“Good evening, sir.”
He looked up to see Jessica, still dressed in civilian clothing. Glancing around, he noted his security detail was as alert as ever. Apparently, they’d decided there was little point in not simply allowing Jessica to pass through whenever she wanted to see him.
With a gesture, he invited her to join him and offered a cigarette. She lit it, inhaling deeply and holding it before exhaling a long sigh.