I said I didn’t know where everyone was, but that wasn’t entirely correct.
About a quarter of the base are now mutants and are still trapped in their barracks, another quarter are roaming the base and we saw another quarter of the mutants going out the north gate. They are probably the ones that went into Kingsland causing all the 911 calls you responded to.”
“What about the fourth quarter, you didn’t say what happened to them?” Bill asked. “Unless Navy math is different from what I learned in school there are four quarters.”
“They are scattered all over the base, mostly in mangled bloody pieces,” Adams replied solemnly.
“In many ways, I can see your night has been worse than ours,” Dave said. “I appreciate you telling us what happened. I can see that there wasn’t anything more any of us could have done tonight but at least we now know what was going on.”
“Now that we know what happened,” Michelle said. “What do we do?”
“Good question,” Dave replied and looked at Ensign Adams. “Hopefully the Navy has some ideas.”
Ensign Adams looked at his watch then looked at Dave.
“We need to stay alive until 0800 hours,” Adams replied. “If we stay in this building and don’t attract any more unwanted attention, Barbus! I think we should be able to do that.”
“What happens at eight o’clock?” Dave asked.
“Before retreating back to this location,” Adams replied. “I managed to get a call into Norfolk. I explained our situation and requested assistance. I was advised they couldn’t assist until 0800 today. They ordered us to stay away from the sub until they arrived. Communications went out before I was able to finish discussing the situation, but I am certain help should arrive by 0800.”
“Don’t you have more than one way to one way to communicate with Command?” Bill asked.
“We have many ways to communicate, but I didn’t feel it was worth the risk to go where we would have to go to use our other sources,” Adams replied. “Going further up into the base in the dark is extremely dangerous with all those mutants roaming around up there. Norfolk has been notified and stated they will send assistance. For now, we wait. I see no advantage at this time in doing anything else. Beside with only the three of us left, without help, I don’t know how much we could do.”
“What if they don’t show up?” Bill asked. “What if they are having the same problem as we are? What if the attack on this base wasn’t the only sneak attack last night?”
“In that case, I’d say we are all in deep shit,” Dave said.
“We’re already in deep shit,” Michelle smiled. “If no one shows up, it would be like using the rest room and then finding out there isn’t any toilet paper.”
Bill laughed, “Michelle, I would be thrilled if I could trade our zombie problem for a rest room without toilet paper.”
“I for one don’t have a problem waiting another hour,” Dave said. “I am in serious need of some rest.”
“Find a crate and get some sleep,” Ensign Adams said. “We’ll wake you in an hour or when help arrives.”
“There is no way I’m going to sleep,” Michelle said. “I’m staying awake until this is finally over.”
“You could be awake for a long time,” Bill replied.
As they got up and walked over to the other side of the room to find a spot to make themselves comfortable, Bill leaned in to Dave and asked quietly, “Do you believe what that guy just told us?”
“Let’s just say I have a few doubts about some of his answers,” Dave replied in a whisper.
“Well I don’t believe a damn thing he said,” Bill continued. “I think he just fed us a bunch of bull shit.”
“Why would he do that?” Michelle whispered.
“He’s covering up something,” Bill whispered. “I think someone screwed up and he doesn’t want us to know about it. That’s the third thing they tell us at my conventions. Dave, I know you think I’m crazy, but when something this drastic happens, it’s always because someone screwed up and then they lie about it to save their asses.”
“For the second time tonight, I agree with you,” Dave replied.
“What do you think they are lying about?” Michelle asked.
“First of all, that’s no damn Russian sub out there,” Dave replied. “My brother was in the Navy. Before he joined up he had pictures of U.S. subs all over his walls. That sub on the beach is a damn Boomer, there is no way the Russians have a sub like that.
Second, there is no way the Navy would let a Russian sub come charging into the base like that. They would have sunk that sub long before it made it to the base. They would have had to assume it was wired to explode and could have taken out the entire base. There was no way they would just sit on their hands and let something like that happen.”
“Do you think we are in danger being here?” Michelle asked.
“No, just go along like you believe everything we’ve been told,” Dave replied. “At this point, regardless of what happened or who is responsible, it doesn’t matter. We need their help to get through this.
Whatever the reason is that they told us that story, they told us for a purpose. The Navy isn’t going to tell three civilians those kind of classified details.
They probably expect us to talk if we manage to survive this and for whatever reason, that is the story they want us to tell.
Our goal is to survive, so just don’t question them about anything we’ve heard and we will be fine.
Besides, as long as we can find a way to survive, what difference does it make what caused this mess. After we manage to survive, then we can decide if it is worth confronting them about what really happened.”
“Do you think that help is coming?” Michelle asked.
“I hope so,” Dave replied. “It will make things a hell of a lot easier on all of us if it does.”
Chapter 14
Two weeks earlier, Mediterranean Sea
The USS Georgia, an Ohio Class ballistic missile submarine, one of fourteen in the U.S. fleet was running silently through the Mediterranean Sea where it had been on station for the last two months.
It had been on patrol for sixty days and would be heading home in another week where it would be due for shore leave.
Shore leave would consist of twenty-five days at its home port of Kings Bay in Kingsland Georgia where it would be assigned a new crew and be given a complete check over before being resupplied and given its next assignment.
The U.S usually had four fully loaded Ohio Class submarines on patrol at any one time under normal circumstances.
The last year with the extreme tensions in the Middle East, they had increased that number to seven.
The USS Georgia was one of the additional subs added to the increased patrols.
The Ohio Class subs operated twenty-four hours a day at maximum readiness.
To maintain twenty-four hour readiness, the USS Georgia was manned by two complete crews. Each crew worked two alternating six hour shifts, The crews were named the Gold team and the Blue team.
The Blue team under the command of Commander Davis, was on duty as the Georgia began its journey out of the Mediterranean Sea on its way to the Atlantic.
“Skipper,” the XO said. “I have a confidential communication for your ears only.”
Davis got up and started walking across the control room.
“I’ll take it in my quarters Jim,” Davis said. “Any idea what the message is about?”
“No, Captain Everly wouldn’t say anything other than this is for your ears only and let me talk to Davis, now!”
“Everly?” Davis said questioningly. “He is commanding the guided missile destroyer USS Gravely, how the hell does he even know we are here?”
“Above my paygrade Skipper,” the XO smiled.
Davis walked into his quarters off the control room and shut the door.
He was in his quarters for ten minutes before he came back out into the control room.
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bsp; When he opened the door, he looked at his XO and said, “When the commander of the Gold Team comes in, have him come to my quarters.”
Davis turned and went back into his quarters and shut the door.
“XO, what the hell was that all about?” the helmsman asked.
“Stephens, when the Skipper feels there is something you need to know, he will tell you,” the XO replied. “Until then do your job and mind your own business.”
“Yes Sir,” Stephens said and quickly turned around in his seat.
The commander of the Gold team, Commander Miller walked into the control room an hour later, followed by the other members of the Gold Team ready to relieve the Blue Team and take up their posts.
“Skipper,” the XO said when he saw Miller walk in, “Commander Davis needs to see you in his quarters before you go on duty,” the XO said.
Miller nodded and walked over to Commander Davis’s door and knocked.
When Miller knocked, Davis said, “Enter.”
Miller walked inside.
“Close the door,” Davis said seriously.
“What’s up John?” Miller asked.
“I had a secure communication from the Gravely an hour ago,” Davis replied sounding annoyed.
“Everly have a problem?” Miller asked, “and how the hell did he know we were here and how to contact us? No one, not even our own people are to know where we are.”
“He was given the information from command in Norfolk,” Davis replied. “I also received a communication from Kings Bay instructing me to take his communication and to rendezvous with the Gravely at 0400 hours.”
“This is highly irregular,” Miller said.
“The communique is on the desk,” Davis replied. “I had to read it three times and even then, I sent a message to request confirmation.”
Miller read the message.
When he was done he dropped the paper on the desk.
“Why the hell would they assign something like this to us?” Miller asked.
“It was explained to me that since we were the only asset returning from the Middle East at this time, they wanted us to bring the package with us,” Davis replied. “I don’t mind telling you that I don’t like this one bit, especially when you hear what the package is.”
“Some foreign dignitary requesting asylum and hitching a ride to the U.S.?” Miller asked.
“I would feel a hell of a lot better about something like that than what we have been ordered to do,” Davis replied.
“Hit me with the bad news,” Miller said.
“We know that Syria has been using chemical weapons on their own people,” Davis replied. “We also know that the Russians have been using Syria as a test site to test some of their newest weapons.”
“I’ve seen the reports on that, they’ve been testing components for their new S-500 antiaircraft surface to air missiles, their SU-35 and SU-57 aircraft and new cruise missiles,” Miller said. “That’s old news.”
“Well, there is now evidence that the Russian’s have also been testing biological weapons in Syria,” Davis said.
“What kind of evidence?” Miller asked. “I’m sure Washington would love to get their hands on something like that.”
“A unit of Iraqi Kurds broke into a secret laboratory near Damascus last night where the Russians and Syrians have been working together and brought out samples of what they have been working on,” Davis replied. “Those samples are now on the Gravely.”
“And they want us to take the samples back to Kings Bay?” Miller asked. “You did say samples? More than one?”
“That’s right, a collection of Russian and Syrian weapons grade biological agents.”
“Bringing that shit on board a submarine is a damn disaster waiting to happen. Why the hell don’t they fly them back to the states?” Miller asked. “The confines of a submarine is no place for something like that. This sub and our people are not equipped to handle shit like that. Where the hell are we supposed to store them?”
“On top of that, our orders are also not to inform the men what we are bringing on board,” Davis added. “We are to keep this top secret. I guess they don’t want to have the first mutiny on a U.S. vessel in the last one hundred and fifty years.”
“We could mutiny,” Miller smiled.
“If I wasn’t due to retire in a year I would seriously consider it,” Davis replied. “I guess we could keep it in the missile room, it has the least amount of traffic and is the most secure location on the submarine.”
“I’d stow it in a torpedo tube,” Miller said. “That way if the package starts to leak, it would be isolated.”
“I thought of that,” Davis replied, “but the damn thing won’t fit.”
“What do we know about this package?” Miller asked.
“It is about the size of a foot locker, was taken last night and smuggled out to our troops in eastern Syria. They took it by helicopter to the aircraft carrier USS Roosevelt in the Mediterranean who then handed it off to the Gravely with instructions to give it to us,” Davis replied.
“It sounds like a hot potato that no one wants,” Miller said.
“Well you can add me to that list,” Davis replied. “I just wish we had someone we could hand it off to.”
“We do,” Miller said. “Kings Bay.”
Davis just shook his head, “I don’t know why in hell they want us to take it to Kings Bay, they don’t do any biological work there.”
“Maybe someone there feels it will be a feather in their cap to get their hands on something like this,” Miller replied.
“That or someone doesn’t understand what the hell they are dealing with,” Davis said.
“You know I’m not one to questions orders,” Davis continued. “I have always figured that Command has all the details that we don’t have and they know what’s best, but this one really has me scratching my head.”
“How is this transfer to take place?” Miller asked.
“We are to come up under the Gravely one hundred miles south of Cyprus at 0400 hours. Command hopes that by coming up under the Gravely that will keep our presence in the Mediterranean hidden. We are to surface only the tower long enough to grab the package, then submerge and stay on location for twelve hours before we leave for home,” Davis said. “The twelve hours is to convince anyone that might have picked up our movement that they were mistaken, get bored and start looking elsewhere.”
“Where did they come up with that strategy, Burger King?” Miller asked.
“It really makes you wonder who is in charge of the Navy now days,” Davis replied.
0400 South of Cyprus
“Take her up slowly,” Miller said.
“Yes Sir,” the helmsman replied.
“Hold her there,” Miller said. “The sail is ten feet out of the water on the port side of the Gravely, that should do it. Jonesy, go up top and get our package and secure it in the missile room.
“Yes Sir,” Jonesy replied and ran out of the control room.
Ten minutes later the USS Georgia submerged and leveled off at seven hundred feet and sat silent as the Gravely departed.
Jonesy returned to the control room.
“Package stored in the missile room as instructed, Sir,” Jonesy said. “Captain Everly had a message for you.”
“And what did the Captain say?” Miller asked.
“He said to tell you not to bounce it around too much,” Jonesy replied. “What’s in that package?”
“Obviously something that we shouldn’t bounce around too much,” Miller replied.
“Yes Sir,” Jonesy replied as sweat began to run down the collar of his uniform.
Jonesy hoped he didn’t break anything and wouldn’t get in too much trouble.
He had tripped over a tool box in the missile room on his way to stow the package and landed on the floor, next to the package he was carrying.
He shook it a few times to listen and see if he had broken anything.
&nbs
p; Since he didn’t hear anything rattling around inside the box, he decided to keep quiet and hope whatever was inside didn’t break.
His strategy seemed to payoff, that is for the first week and a half of the two-week journey to Kings Bay.
No one had asked him anything about the package or if something had happened that he hadn’t told them about.
Jonesy felt that everything had to be OK by this time and he stopped worrying about what he had done.
However, on the tenth day, something began to change.
Jonesy and the crew found that they had more important things on their mind to worry about than what might or might not have happened to the box he had placed in the missile room for safe keeping.
Jonesy had no idea that when he dropped the box that the containers inside had broken and began to be mixed together.
The new substance that was formed slowly began to dissolve the container where they were stored.
Ten days later, the new substance began to ooze out through the bottom of the box and form a small puddle on the floor.
The puddle began to form a mist that entered the ventilation system.
First one of the men that worked in the missile room became ill, then others throughout the sub began to run high fevers.
In only a few hours after the first man reported ill, most of the crew was vomiting and delirious.
Then all hell broke loose.
Commander Davis, not knowing any longer if he was going insane or if what was happening around him was real, tried to send one last communique to Kings Bay Naval Station to warn them.
He didn’t live long enough to send the complete message he had intended on sending. He hit the send button, sending what he was able to type as a wave of violent insanity flooded onto the bridge, killing him and the last of the crew.
Apocalypse- the Plan Page 51