by Ricky Sides
***
Bill read the doctor’s report. The hair and blood samples were, in the doctor’s opinion, not human. Two strands of hair identical to the sample from the bathroom had been found stuck to the dried blood on the blade of the knife. The doctor expressed his opinion, in the written report, that these strands were not contamination from the sample the captain had rolled up in the same towel with the knife. He based that opinion on the amount of dried blood, which coated the outer layer of the strands. He was certain that the blood samples were not human, but had similarities with primate blood. However, no match could be found among the samples of known primates in the data banks of the ship. The hair samples, he wasn’t so certain about. Although he was certain that the samples were not human, hair identification was outside his field of expertise. The doctor documented his testing procedure stating that he had compared the hair samples with samples of hair from several crewmembers of different racial ethnicity. The comparison had indicated multiple differences between human hair and the hair samples found at the scene of the killings.
The doctor had provided a detailed report on the injuries inflicted upon the four victims. That report read like something out of a poorly scripted, cheap horror film.
Bill closed the report and looked out the windshield at the night sky. They were testing the parking mode of the ship while situated three hundred feet above a large open field in Kentucky. Many of the crewmembers had already turned in and the first watch manned the control room. Bill noted that the duty crew was sipping the coffee that the cook had personally delivered before retiring for the night. The cook had informed the watch that a pot was on the warmer in the galley, should they need a refill. Bill appreciated the cook’s thoughtfulness and told him so, which seemed to really please the man.
The lighting in the control room was subdued to reduce the likelihood of attracting unwanted attention, and conserve energy as they hovered above the field for the night. He had a good view of the moonlit countryside spread out below. Turning from that view, he said good night to the watch and headed to his cabin with the doctor’s report and the evidence samples. In his room, he placed these items inside the desk drawer with the disk that contained the council’s copy of the video evidence and a detailed video report made by the doctor. Holly had transferred the video from the tape to a disk.
The crew had buried the four poor victims in the field below. A detailed report noted the exact location. Bill supposed that their deaths were a mystery that he would never solve, but he had tried. Apparently, the people had fought back. Someone had stabbed his or her attacker and apparently, someone had shot it with the twenty-two rifle. The private had found eight shell casings. That was all that he could report. He had no idea what had killed the people. The casts of the footprints would also be presented as evidence, but he didn’t think that they were either human or any known animal. Bill remembered the stories of Bigfoot that he had heard as a child. He remembered the many hoaxes that had been perpetrated by people in the past. Sighing Bill prepared to turn in for the night.
Chapter 14
Jeff Brown was leading his squadron on a late August patrol of the Gulf of Mexico when his wingman spotted the boat. They were positioned about ten miles off the coast of southern Florida. Jeff flew down for a closer look at the boat and passengers. On the deck of the boat, Jeff saw several bodies. He also saw pools of bloody vomit, and he realized that they had located one of the boats that Ramon Marino had warned would come to America. Jeff was certain that his assessment was correct. He had flown cover over teams decontaminating the little towns in Louisiana, and seen that same evidence too many times to make a mistake in identification now.
Jeff radioed in his findings and received an immediate reply from the Peacekeeper. The Peacekeeper had been in the Gulf area the past two weeks. They now requested a video feed with close-ups of the body for Maggie to study. Jeff automatically complied and moments later, he received confirmation and was ordered to destroy the boat before it could come ashore. Jeff ordered his squadron to send the boat to the bottom and sent the video feed of the sinking to the Peacekeeper.
Then the pilots had to take on the grisly part of the job. Some of the bloated bodies floated on the surface. There was a possibility that these bodies could wash ashore. The Peacekeeper sent the word that every body had to be destroyed. The pilots fired their lasers at the bodies until nothing remained on the surface. It was a grim duty.
The squadron continued their patrol. The rest of that day and the next Jeff Brown dreaded encountering another of the plague boats but they saw no sign of another such vessel.
***
The California squadron of eight fighters that had come to help in the patrolling was assisting by patrolling off the east coast of Florida. They ranged from the southern tip of the state to the South Carolina, line. These pilots found the second boat just three miles off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida. They sent video feed of the vessel to the Peacekeeper along with their report that several men and women aboard seemed to be sick but still alive.
As Maggie watched the close up feed, she saw one of the women vomit. As the pilots had not reported visible bodies, Maggie had to be certain the woman wasn’t just seasick. She ordered the pilot to zoom in on the vomit. When the pilot complied, Maggie saw flecks of blood laced here and there in the vomit. “Pan your camera to the faces of the people please,” Maggie requested. Once more, the pilot complied with her request, and she saw the telltale lesions on the faces of two men and one woman. Then to her horror, Maggie saw two children. As she watched the video feed, she saw the youngest child walk bare foot through the vomit. The child then ran back to the older girl who picked her up and the child’s feet smeared vomit on her pants. Maggie recommended to the council that the boat be sunk, and all survivors killed. It was the only way to prevent thousands, perhaps millions of deaths.
The flight leader requested confirmation of the order in disbelief. When she received that confirmation, she ordered the squadron to carry out the council’s order. Maggie cried as she watched the video feed of the order being carried out. She knew there was nothing else they could do, but that didn’t bring her any solace. In the air above the ship, more than one pilot joined her in her anguish as they carried out their orders.
***
The Louisiana squadron located a large boat approaching the entrance to Lake Pontchartrain. This wasn’t uncommon. Even in post-disaster times, the lake saw wide use. The thing that drew the flight leader’s attention to the boat was the fact that it seemed to be adrift and was in danger of running aground yet no one aboard was making a course correction. The flight leader flew in close to examine the vessel. On the deck, he saw three bodies lying in pools of bloody vomit. In one corner of the boat, he saw a man, a woman, and a child huddling together in obvious fear. They were as far away from the bodies as possible.
A cold feeling of dread ran through the peacekeeper flight leader as he radioed the council aboard their ship. He had located a boat with apparent plague victims, but he thought that there were uncontaminated survivors aboard. He sent them the video feed of the bodies beside the vomit and the people huddled in the corner in obvious terror and then waited for an order he feared would soon come.
In the Peacekeeper, Maggie studied the video feed of the dead victims. She noted the tell tale lesions and the vomit. She also noted the young girl of approximately four years of age curled up in her mother’s lap as the woman huddled beside the man in the corner of the boat. Then she saw the woman put the palms of her hands together in a prayerful manner and stare up at the camera. Maggie knew that she would be staring at the pilot. However, absorbed in the tableau unfolding, it was as if the woman were staring into her eyes with her silent plea for help.
At his workstation, Pol could take no more. Like Maggie, he had the sensation that the dark eyed woman was pleading with him for help. He sobbed and then said, “Captain, please, I will volunteer to attempt a rescue. We know how to cont
ain the disease. I can be the only man at risk.”
“It would be better if I went,” Maggie said.
“Absolutely not, Maggie,” Jim stated with certainty. “If you went alone the two adults could overpower you and escape. You know what would happen then, if they are carriers.”
Maggie hung her head because she knew better than most that Jim was right.
“However I tend to agree with you, Pol. I think these people know to avoid contact with the body fluids. Note how the adults are huddled in that corner as far from the bodies as possible,” Jim said and looked to his brother and Pete to gauge their opinions. With grim expressions on their faces, both men nodded their agreement with his assessment of the situation.
“I’ll go, sir,” Lieutenant Wilcox stated.
“Sir, the pilot is requesting orders,” Patricia informed the captain.
“Tell him to stand by and do nothing until he hears from us,” Jim responded.
“Lieutenant Wilcox you are experienced at rappelling. Pol isn’t,” Jim stated.
“Pardon me, Captain but that is incorrect. I have indeed rappelled, though it has been years since I have done so. I used to climb for a hobby,” Pol explained.
“Alright, Pol and Lieutenant Wilcox will go. I want three security men in full decontamination gear to be waiting to assist you when you have the survivors aboard. At that time, Maggie can draw blood samples. The people are to be kept in the cargo bay until we know the results. If they attempt to break away or escape, they are to be shot,” Jim stated firmly. “Is that agreeable with everyone?” he asked.
The council nodded. Maggie said, “Let me get the gear from the main infirmary and transfer it to the Peacekeeper. We should detach and non essential personnel should remain onboard the battleship module.”
“Lieutenant, choose your security men but make sure they understand the orders. At the first sign of resistance, the people onboard that vessel, are to be shot and do not touch their blood or other body fluids,” Jim ordered.
“Understood, sir,” the lieutenant responded.
“Sir, they may need me. If the people speak only Spanish…,” Patricia stated.
“Noted, Lieutenant. Maggie, you’ll need another suit,” Jim stated.
“I’ll help you,” Pol said and the two of them raced down the hall leading into the battleship module.
***
The fighter flew out of the way, as the Peacekeeper approached the boat. At the last minute, there was a change of plans when Tim saw the boat and said, “You know I think I can get us close enough to lower the cargo bay door and actually let them board the boat without rappelling.” He added, “I’ll have to override the computer but I can do it fairly easily.”
Lieutenant Wilcox went aboard first. The three people were terrified at his approach but Patricia had walked onto the cargo bay door. She saw their fear and spoke to them in Spanish reassuringly. She said, “Do not be afraid. We are trying to save your lives. We have to bring you aboard and test your blood to be certain that you do not have the disease. If you do not have the disease, you have nothing to fear.”
The woman appeared relieved but the man had a troubled expression on his face. He didn’t seem to trust them.
Pol joined the lieutenant on the deck of the ship. Both men were careful not to step into the vomit. The people did not resist. They came aboard the ship peacefully.
One of the security men tossed the lieutenant a rope. The lieutenant then maneuvered to the bow of the boat, being careful to avoid contact with the vomit. He tied the rope to a stanchion located in the bow. The Peacekeeper would tow the boat away from shore into deeper water where it would be sunk. Skirting the vomit again, the lieutenant was the last man to return to the Peacekeeper. Inside the ship, he saw the three survivors sitting on a large plastic tarpaulin.
The lieutenant reported all hands aboard and that the Peacekeeper could now tow the boat to a safer location for her destruction.
Maggie carefully took blood samples from the three survivors starting with the child. When she did so, the man tensed his body but Patricia explained that the doctor was just taking a blood sample and that the child would not be harmed. In minutes, Maggie had the three samples. She left to run her tests.
Soon the Peacekeeper stopped moving and the order was sent to cut the boat free. The Peacekeeper and the fighters all targeted the boat, which exploded under the sustained attack of the lasers. Multiple laser strikes targeted and destroyed the bloated bodies that floated on the surface amid the debris.
Two hours later, Maggie gave the all clear. The survivors had not contracted the disease. Normal protocols for the disposal of the safety gear and decontamination of Pol and Lieutenant Wilcox were followed.
With Patricia’s help, the council spoke to the two adult survivors while they ate a meal of soup and sandwiches. They learned that four boats had been towed from the port of Havana. The boats had been loaded with Cubans. Those boats had been released many miles off the coast of Cuba. The people had been given maps and told where to take the boats. If they did not arrive where they were ordered to go by specific dates, then the men would find them and kill them. Each boat had contained experienced seamen who knew how to navigate. Afraid to refuse, the people aboard the four boats had followed their instructions and set sail for their destinations.
The man’s name was Manuel. He stated that the invaders had supplied the people aboard the boat with fresh vegetables, but that he did not trust the men. He had forbidden his wife Christine and daughter Lisa to eat that food. They ate only one meal onboard the boat and that had been from a can of soup. For days, they had sailed and when the people began to get sick Manuel isolated his family as best he could. One by one, they had seen the others die. Some had jumped overboard in delirium, but those the sharks came and ate.
Jim asked if the man knew the destinations of the other boats but he said that he did not. He explained that for a time during their voyage, one of the other boats traveled west near them, but that boat continued west when their boat turned north.
That lead was enough for the council to order the Houston flight group to double their vigilance in the area they had been assigned to patrol. Pete recommended that they call up another portion of Texas’s fighters to assist. So far, they had been very lucky in preventing another outbreak of the disease. That last boat had to be found before it reached shore. Failure was not an option.
Meanwhile, the patrols of the other areas would be maintained. There was no way to know with certainty that the cartel hadn’t sent additional boats. Though the council felt it unlikely, there was always that possibility.
A peacekeeper posing as the informant Ricardo Garcia had already transmitted messages that two boats had come ashore in Florida and the disease was spreading. Orders were sent to the informant imposter to send a message that another boat had landed inside Lake Pontchartrain and that this boat had contained infected people. The message was to say that the disease was once more racing across the state of Louisiana.
Manuel, his wife Christine, and their daughter Lisa were taken to Base 1 where they would be given shelter until it was safe for them to return to their homes. There they would have Ramon to talk to and the Cuban would help to reassure them that soon they would be returned to their home. Jim asked Ramon to talk to the family and try to learn if much had changed since he had escaped from Cuba.
***
Two days after the Lake Pontchartrain incident, the Texas based peacekeeper squadron located a boat a few miles off the coast of Galveston Texas. Lina was the flight leader and she sent the Peacekeeper the feed of the boat whose passengers all appeared to be dead. Maggie took a few minutes to study the feed. She was relatively certain that the boat was the boat they were seeking, but there was no room for error. A mistake would cost people their lives.
“That is a plague carrier boat, Captain,” she said at last.
Jim gave the order for the boat to be destroyed. Lina gave the command to follo
w the orders. However, as she did so, she also vowed to avenge the dead.
The peacekeeper council decided to let a few days pass before the fake informant sent the message that the plague was now in Texas and was spreading northward from the states where it had begun.
Chapter 15
The day after the last boat loaded with plague victims had been destroyed, the peacekeeper council met at the Lake Charles air base to discuss the coming war with the cartel. Joining the council at that meeting were Maggie, Patricia, Pol, Captain Bill Young, Captain Cliff Barnes, Namid, flight leader Jeff Brown, and Lieutenant Wilcox.
The clock was now ticking. The peacekeepers knew that a timetable existed for the invasion of America. Ramon Marino had originally told them that the invaders would give the disease a month to weaken the ability of Americans to resist an invasion before they attacked. They had received information from the fake informant that seemed to confirm that this timetable was to be maintained. They had learned from the real informant that he was to be rewarded for his treason with a lifetime supply of drugs to which he was addicted. The peacekeeper assigned to impersonate the informant was a former police officer with undercover drug enforcement experience. Playing the role, he reminded the cartel about his payment during his infrequent reports. The cartel had sent word to the informant that by the end of September he would never again be low on drugs. The peacekeeper plant suspected that the cartel planned to kill the man, but the information was useful because it gave a timeline for their plans. Of course, the plant was in no danger, as he was not in a location known to the cartel.