Extinction Cycle Dark Age (Book 3): Extinction Ashes

by Smith, Nicholas Sansbury

  “We could try sending out a message to stop the attack,” Leslie offered.

  Sammy shook her head. “We’re still trying to make sure we understand all the signals. If we try communicating back now, it’ll be a red flag to them. I need more time.”

  Nguyen returned twenty minutes later.

  “Uh, Doctor Lovato,” he said, sounding nervous. “The president said she isn’t leaving without you.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Kate said.

  “She said she knew you would say that.”

  Kate looked over her shoulder. “What else did the president say?”

  “That she won’t evacuate until she’s sure there’s an imminent threat. And if you think it’s safe enough for your team, it’s safe enough for her.”

  Ron, Leslie, and Sammy all looked at Kate for orders.

  “Keep working,” Kate said. “Sammy, any evidence of when this attack is expected?”

  “I can scan for more info, but it might take a bit.”

  For the next fifteen minutes they collected more data, but some of it was difficult to decode. Just when Kate felt they were about to get a real answer, a loud thump resonated through the tunnel.

  Dust and dirt fell from the ceiling plopping into the water. Strands of webbing broke free, hanging like dead snakes.

  “What the hell was that?” Nguyen said.

  More loud thumps shook the tunnel. These were more powerful. It sounded like boulders slamming on the surface above.

  “I don’t…” Kate was interrupted by a cacophony of explosions above ground. Cracks formed in the ceiling. Dumping dirt in torrential columns.

  “Move!” Nguyen grabbed Kate.

  The rest of the soldiers backed away, their rifles aimed at the dark passage.

  Sammy grabbed a computer, then hobbled to scoop up the microelectric arrays.

  “Sammy, leave them!” Kate yelled.

  Ron and Leslie helped the injured engineer and together, the team hurried the best they could through the shallow water. But their speed was hampered by Sammy’s wounded gait.

  Explosions boomed above the tunnel as they moved. The webbing recoiled, as if the throbbing tissue itself was trying to retreat.

  Kate reached the entrance of the cavern just as the thuds tapered off. Shaking, she looked back into the tunnel. Piles of dirt and rock protruded from the shallow water, but it hadn’t collapsed.

  Nguyen aimed his rifle at the steps leading out of the hole. “Clear.”

  The science team and soldiers made their way up the stairs to the sight of fires raging across the former construction site.

  Screams sounded in the distance, and Kate spotted figures running from the flames. Black smoke plumed away from tents and buildings.

  Nguyen guided them forward cautiously, around blackened craters pocking the memorial site. Trees burned, their branches raining embers.

  Kate’s respirator started to fog up. She took it off. The odor of charred flesh and smoke stung her nostrils. She coughed as she followed Nguyen.

  “We’ve got to find the president,” Kate said.

  Nguyen pulled out his handgun. “You know how to use this?”

  “Of course.”

  He handed the sidearm to her. “Just in case. Follow me and stay close.”

  “Sammy, Ron, Leslie, stay here with the other guards,” Kate said.

  Nguyen led Kate around the fires sizzling across the memorial. Several trucks and cars were destroyed. Twisted, simmering metal was all that remained of the vehicles. She paused when she saw the mangled rotors of a helicopter.

  Not just any helicopter.

  Marine One was a flaming heap of debris.

  “There!” Nguyen shouted.

  He sprinted toward the command tent where Commander Massey stood outside, trying to organize the emergency response on a radio. Flames danced on top of the tent as four Secret Service agents pushed open the flaps to escape. Two aimed at Nguyen and Kate as they approached.

  “Easy!” Nguyen said. “I’ve got Dr. Kate Lovato with me.”

  “Kate!” a voice cried.

  President Ringgold pushed out from behind the agents. Part of her suit coat was torn, and ash covered the side of her face. S.M. Fischer and a few other familiar faces streamed out of the tent.

  “Are you okay?” Ringgold asked Kate.

  “I’m fine,” Kate said. “Are you?”

  Ringgold nodded. “Scared, but not hurt.”

  “What happened?” Kate said, looking around in shock.

  “Bats,” said one of the agents. “They came out of nowhere, an entire swarm packed with explosives.”

  Kate raised a hand to shield her eyes from the glare of the late afternoon sun. She slowly turned to look at the rooftops around the memorial, most of them burning or destroyed. Her heart sank when she saw the last Apache helicopter. Smoke drifted away from the destroyed machine.

  It wouldn’t be long before night set in.

  And now they were stranded.

  ***

  By the time Nick returned to his two-bedroom apartment, his wife and two daughters were asleep. Only a meager yellow glow bled under the door to the apartment from the outer corridor. He used that weak light to cross the otherwise dark living room and nudge open the door to his bedroom.

  “Nick,” Diana said groggily. “Is that you?”

  “Yes, I’m sorry to wake you.”

  He slid into bed and kissed her cheek.

  “You were gone longer than you said.”

  “We had to run some new security ops,” he replied.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Yes.”

  She turned slightly. “We’re safe?”

  “Yes.”

  It was the same thing she always asked when they went to bed, and his response was no different than before. After so much time living in the wild, on the run and trying to survive, she still hadn’t grown accustomed to the safety this base provided.

  He hadn’t either.

  This base was one of the most protected and largest in the Allied States territory. His side was also winning the war. But he never forgot they were still located in enemy territory.

  Living here had perks, though. Their own apartment for one. Almost every other family lived in tents in the open hangar-style chamber a few floors above. Many of the rank-and-file soldiers did too, including Ray.

  Diana took a deep breath, and Nick drew closer to her.

  He hadn’t slept for a full night in days. Feeling the warmth of his wife and the comfort of a mattress and blankets made sleep come quickly.

  He slept until the sound of voices jerked him awake. Reaching out for Diana, he found her side of the bed empty.

  Blinking, he shot up, trying to see in the dark, windowless room. Light filtered in under the closed door. He put on his pants and scooped up his pistol. Then he opened the door.

  His family was seated at the kitchen table. They weren’t alone. An ugly grin from Ray’s battered face greeted him. The man was standing in the living room with his characteristic unsheathed machete hooked to his belt.

  Not exactly the face he wanted to see first thing in the morning.

  Nick looked to his daughters and forced a smile. “Good morning, girls.”

  Both Lily and Freya were drinking fresh-pressed apple juice and eating breakfast. Diana drank a mug of coffee.

  All benefits from his job as the second in command.

  Diana handed him a thermos of coffee.

  “Good morning, Dad,” Lily said with a wide smile.

  Freya avoided his gaze.

  Nick was tired, but he wasn’t too tired to see Ray stare lustfully at his wife for more than a beat.

  “What are you doing here?” Nick growled at Ray.

  Ray flitted his gaze to Nick and smirked. “I came to get you.”

  “Why?”

  “You’re late.”

  Nick looked at his watch, cursing under his breath. He was already half an hour late to t
he command center. Pete would chew his ass out if he didn’t hurry.

  Rushing back into his bedroom, Nick changed into his fatigues. He brushed his teeth at the sink. Then he took a swig of water, grabbed his duty belt and went back to the living room.

  “Leaving again?” Freya asked, rolling her eyes.

  Lily frowned when Nick nodded.

  “Got work to do, but I’ll be home for dinner,” he said. “Be good for your mom, and study hard.”

  Diana slipped a homemade granola bar in Nick’s vest and gave him a peck on the cheek.

  “See you tonight,” Nick said.

  As he embraced his wife, he saw Ray looking at Diana again.

  Son of a bitch!

  Nick let go of Diana and followed Ray out of the room into the empty concrete hallway, his heart racing with anger. He knew the guy was trying to piss him off, but Nick was having a hard time not taking the bait.

  It didn’t help that Ray immediately started running his mouth. “Hope you enjoyed your beauty sleep. ’Cause Pete’s pissed.”

  Ray was definitely baiting him, obviously still mad about when Nick had used his face as a punching bag.

  “Guess that’s what happens when people sleep—” Ray started to say.

  Nick halted in the hallway. “You don’t learn, do you? It’s almost like you want to get your ass kicked again.”

  Ray raised his cut chin in anger.

  “We’re down on men,” Nick said. “That’s the only reason you’re still alive. And while Pete might not let me kill you, that doesn’t mean he won’t let me take your tongue.”

  “You—”

  Nick stepped up to him. “Look at my wife again like that, and I’ll cut your eyes out, too.”

  He kept walking, leaving Ray to think about the threats. The click of boots sounded as Ray finally started to follow Nick to the stairwell.

  They took the ten flights up to the command center. By the time Nick reached the top he was only slightly winded. He took a sip of his coffee as he waited for Ray. The guy was in worse shape and still a full two flights below.

  His machete clanked on the railing repeatedly. The dipshit must have thought it was extra badass to have it hanging from his belt without a sheath, but now he sounded like a dinner bell.

  Nick ate his granola bar as he waited.

  They didn’t really need this guy. He was a piece of shit, and not much of a soldier. They were probably just wasting resources keeping his fat ass fed.

  Would anyone really miss Ray if the guy tripped and took a tumble?

  Nick tucked his granola bar away and took another drink of coffee. Ray finally emerged on the landing below. Sweat beaded across his forehead.

  Halfway up, he stopped to catch his breath.

  “I wish the fucking elevators worked in this shit hole,” Ray said.

  “Hurry,” Nick said, cracking a smirk. “Don’t want to piss Pete off more, right?”

  Nick watched Ray climb the steps.

  With his head down, Ray sort of reminded Nick of his old deceased friend Alfred. But then Ray looked up with that crooked gaze he had directed at Diana.

  “Want some coffee?” Nick asked.

  “From an asshole like you?” Ray replied, his face drawn in disgust.

  Nick dangled the thermos in front of Ray’s face. Ray swatted at it, then took a step back at the edge of the landing.

  “At least I have a reason for being late now,” Nick said.

  “What?” Ray tilted his head.

  Nick kicked him square in the chest as hard as he could.

  Ray grunted and flew backward, arms flailing. He hit the stairs on his back and then rolled down them on his side. A sickening slurp sounded as his machete cut into his body.

  He tumbled down the rest of the stairs, smearing a trail of blood until he had come to a stop on the landing.

  Nick watched with grim satisfaction as Ray squirmed in a pool of blood.

  “That was an unlucky tumble,” Nick said, taking the stairs down.

  Ray lay there, gripping his side, staring at the wound in horror.

  Nick crouched next to him and smiled.

  “You’re…you’re…” Ray stammered.

  “You should have kept your mouth shut and your eyes to yourself, you piece of shit.”

  Ray gurgled, trying to speak again.

  “What’s that?” Nick asked.

  He leaned closer and cupped an ear to try and make out the words.

  Despite the horrendous injuries, Ray managed to speak clearly one last time.

  “I fucked your wife,” he said.

  — 18 —

  The streets of Seattle stank of rotting fruit. Fitz crouched next to a counter at an old food stall in Pike Place Market. Rays of waning sunlight fell through holes in the roof, illuminating long green vines.

  Mold and mildew grew up the walls of the abandoned market, plants reclaiming the food stands and souvenir shops. Ace and Dohi moved with Fitz between the plants sprouting from cracked floorboards.

  For the better part of the day, the trio had crept through the city toward their destination. Nature had almost completely reclaimed Seattle. And so had the Variants, in parts like the Space Needle.

  But so far, the three-man team had only encountered a few starving monsters daring to prowl in daylight, desperately searching for food.

  The soldiers had dispatched them quickly with hatchets and blades, but as they drew closer to CECO, Fitz didn’t expect things to continue this easily.

  The center was located a block north of Seattle University on East Pike Street. If all went well, they could simply take East Pike from their current location straight to the laboratory facility.

  Fitz walked through the dense plant matter, leaves and stems squishing under his blades with each step. Ahead he saw an old bakery. The shelves inside had collapsed in a jumbled mess. A scratched and broken sign advertised fresh cupcakes.

  He thought of Rico, as he often did in places like this, wondering what it would have been like to visit this marketplace sampling foods with her. They would only worry about what they were going to eat next, rather than what was trying to eat them.

  He prayed she was safe with Beckham and Horn. The fact she was with them helped put his mind at ease.

  A distant howl wailed over the ruined city.

  He held up a fist, and the other two froze.

  Another Variant shriek echoed through the empty streets outside the market.

  Had they been detected?

  Fitz counted the seconds, waiting for a third cry.

  It didn’t come.

  After another minute, Fitz signaled for Dohi to take point. They exited back outside, staying behind abandoned cars lining the curbs. Shattered glass from the vehicles and storefronts sparkled on the concrete between the plants growing out of the street and sidewalk.

  Dohi advanced under the crumbling buildings. Scattered bones from animals and humans lay in clumps. Marred by teeth marks and sun-bleached. Almost all of them appeared to be old skeletons that spoke to the slaughter that had taken place years ago during the first war.

  The team was halfway to the CECO building when another chorus of Variant cries exploded somewhere to their east. Fitz shrank into the shadows of a storefront with Dohi and Ace.

  Clouds drifted across the sky, blotting the sun as they waited. The scratch of claws bounced against the walls of the neighboring buildings. Soon the scraping faded, and silence reigned again.

  Fitz waited another ten minutes just to be sure. Again the team advanced in combat intervals, moving slow and low.

  The closer they got to the CECO, the more often they heard the shrieks of Variants and the popping of their joints. Fitz guessed they were drawing close to a pack.

  Dohi paused behind a moving truck with flat tires. Fitz lifted his rifle and zoomed in on a building three blocks away at the corner of Pike and 11th Avenue. All the black windows of the modern structure appeared intact, but red vines roped over the sides o
f it and out of its open doors.

  This was the CECO facility.

  Cocoons of red tissue covered what looked to be prey, humans and animals, suspended off the side of the building. A few Variants crawled along the webbing, sniffing at their prey.

  But it was the five Chimeras standing at the front entrance of the office that gave Fitz pause. They had a variety of weapons that included AK-47s, M-16s, and shotguns.

  The monstrosities gazed about the street with their reptilian eyes.

  Fitz lowered his rifle and shared a knowing look with Dohi. This certainly confirmed something important was going on in CECO. But before they could figure out whatever it was, they had to get past the guards or find an alternative entry point.

  At their current location, he didn’t see any.

  “Got any ideas on entries?” Fitz whispered.

  “Go in through the back?” Ace said quietly. “Might be a loading dock we can use. More cover there.”

  “Not a bad idea, but we’re going to want cover to get there.”

  Across the street from CECO was a six-story apartment building. It wasn’t covered in webbing and looked like it had a great vantage.

  Fitz thought about their options. He didn’t like what he had come up with, but it might be their only choice to proceed.

  “Dohi, take position on the top floor of that apartment complex,” Fitz whispered. He hated sending the man up alone, but someone was going to have to go solo so they could split up. “Cover Ace and me. We’ll search for another entrance.”

  “Copy that,” Dohi said.

  He took off into an alley, then disappeared into the apartment building. Fitz waited nearly ten minutes.

  “I see him,” Ace said, pointing up to a balcony.

  Dohi was flat on his stomach, just barely visible over the edge. He flashed them a hand signal, indicating they were clear to move.

  Fitz took Ace across the street and headed north. They took a right when they reached a park overgrown with swaying wild grass. Then Fitz led him toward the back of the CECO building.

  Another Variant howled from somewhere to their north, maybe inside the park.

  Ace and Fitz took shelter behind a burned-out vehicle halfway down the block. Rustling sounded somewhere on the street. Ace moved over to a van to cover them from the other direction.