by Ricky Sides
“Good for him,” Jim stated. “That loyal quality makes for a good strike team leader.” Pausing a moment, Jim stared at his son. “Just don’t wait too long, and don’t go overboard when you reprimand the man.”
“I won’t. I had a good teacher.”
“Pete was one of the best,” Jim said quietly.
“That he was, Dad, but I meant you.”
Jim smiled and nodded his acceptance of the praise. “Safe journey, son, but remember the warning. Do not land in the forbidden zones.”
“We won’t,” Evan promised. He stood up, shook hands with his father, and then he walked out the door.
***
“I don’t see why the hell they changed our flight plan. Now I’m going to be two hours late getting back to the citadel and that’ll make me miss my date with my girl,” John Harrelson griped.
“Stow it, John. None of us is happy about the change, but I’m sure there’s a good reason for it,” Ralph stated.
“Here comes Evan. Maybe he can explain what the hell is going on with the flights,” John said, pointedly ignoring Ralph.
Evan approached his APC in the flight bay of the Damroyal. He saw the team standing beside their bird awaiting his return. “Has all of the cargo been unloaded?” he asked Ralph.
“Yes, sir, and the technicians unhooked the recharge umbilical five minutes ago. All members are present and accounted for, and we are ready to depart on your command,” Ralph responded in a professional manner.
“Thank you, Strike Team Leader. Get the men aboard. Flight control wants us to leave immediately.”
“Now, just wait a damned minute, Evan. I’m not going anywhere until you explain to me just what the hell is going on with the change in flight plans,” John stated angrily.
Ralph reached toward the angry young man, but stopped when Evan gestured for him to do so. “Get aboard the APC right this moment, and I’ll forget you just said that,” Evan said calmly.
“Screw you. This is bullshit. You think you’re something, don’t you? You get life handed to you on a silver platter because you’re the admiral’s kid. Oh hell, you ain’t even his real kid are you? He just felt sorry for you when your mama died,” taunted John.
“That’s enough, John,” Lisa said quietly.
“Get aboard the ship, now,” Evan warned.
“Screw you,” countered John.
“Communications,” Evan said calmly.
“Sir?” queried Lisa.
“Please request a security detachment to escort John to the brig.”
“Right away, sir,” Lisa said. She stepped toward the open door of the APC.
“Wait, Lisa,” John stated. He reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her off balance.
Lisa staggered and almost fell, but she managed to retain her footing. “Let go of me,” she said angrily.
Evan took a step toward John, but Ralph and Harvey were standing closer. Both men executed diving tackles. They took John down hard, knocking him off his feet, and forcing him to let go of Lisa in the process. “Don’t you ever touch Lisa, you ass,” Ralph warned.
“Let him up,” Evan stated quietly.
Ralph and Harvey took one look at Evan and they stepped away from John. Both men had seen that same look of quiet determination on his face the day Ralph had fought him.
“It’s the brig or the ship. Well, what’s it going to be?” asked Evan.
“I’m going with you. Geez, you don’t have to be such a hard ass.”
“Here’s some good advice for you. Never, and I mean never, touch Lisa without her permission. That will get you in a world of trouble, and not just with me as you just found out. While I’m handing out advice, you should know that the next time I hear you disrespect your strike team leader, you’re off this team. He asked me to give you another chance or I’d have booted you already. Now don’t say a word. Not one damned word. Just get your ass aboard the ship.”
John hastily clambered into the APC, followed quickly by Evan and then Lisa.
“I’ve never seen Evan like that before,” Harvey observed. “Not even when he fought you.”
“Neither have I, but I like it,” Ralph stated with a grin as he followed Frankie into the APC.”
Inside the cockpit, Lisa turned to Evan and asked, “Are you all right?”
“No, but I will be in a little while. I don’t stay this angry long,” he responded in a low tone of voice that wouldn’t carry to the crew compartment.
“Did he hurt you?”
“No, he just made me mad,” Lisa admitted. Then she asked, “What was the meeting about?”
“I suppose I really should brief the crew. Let’s go back into the crew compartment for a minute so I can tell everyone at the same time,” Evan suggested.
Lisa followed Evan back into the cargo area of the APC. The men in the back stopped talking as they entered.
“I assume you’re all wondering what the meeting was about, so I’ve come to tell you what I can. The admiral explained the reasons for the flight plan changes. Our orders of engagement have changed. The states that border Mexico are now restricted landing areas. We can only land at a base. Meanwhile, our flight path will avoid major cities.”
“Did he say why?” asked Ralph.
“He did, but it’s currently classified as command level information until tomorrow night, at which time they’ll be making an official announcement.”
“Need to know eh?” Ralph asked.
“Exactly, under no circumstances are we to land in the restricted areas.”
***
In the Arizona refugee camp, five men watched as another three people were led into the Quonset hut being utilized by the camp physicians.
Hernando shook his head and said, “They are never going to leave that place.”
“Why do you say that?” asked Fredrick.
“I’ve been here since the first day the camp was set up and I’ve seen many go in that building, but not one has come out. By my count, twenty-one have now entered.”
“I have seen men carrying loaded stretchers come out in the dead of night. They carried their burdens into the desert, but then came back with empty stretchers,” another man observed.
“I think we have to face the fact that those peacekeepers mean to kill us all, one by one, just like the Nazis did in their time,” Hernando observed. “It’s time we prepared to defend ourselves.”
“What can we do? Haven’t you seen how well armed they are? We don’t have anything that we can use to fight them,” Frederick stated.
“Have you seen the fuel drums that they use to power the generators that provide light in the camp?” asked Hernando.
“Yes, of course I have seen them.”
“I’ll get a weapon from a guard who trusts me. Then, I’ll get more from the other guards for you. Then, we’ll take the fuel drum and...”
The men had to end the conversation because one of the peacekeeper guards walked up to them asking if there was anything he could do for his friend Hernando.
***
The Jerome, Arizona base was a beehive of activity as supplies and personnel from other outposts in the state arrived in an almost nonstop flow of men and materials.
Captain Jack Wilcox was aboard his ship, Arizona, which was hovering above the base. They had taken on supplies to deliver to the refugee camp in southern Arizona and had just lifted off to make the trip when the communications officer, Shelly Winters, reported an incoming emergency call from the refugee camp. The peacekeepers there were under attack and calling in for assistance.
Lieutenant Winters updated Jack as she continued to receive radio reports from the camp during the short flight. The Arizona was traveling at top speed, but the ship was still ten minutes away from the beleaguered peacekeepers when all transmissions abruptly stopped.
Play back the last transmission for me, Lieutenant,” Captain Wilcox ordered.
Moments later, an excited male voice shouted, “Arizona, we have re
treated to the Quonset hut and sealed ourselves inside, as instructed, but we lost half a dozen men before we managed to get inside! The refugees seem to think that we are killing them because their sick go into the Quonset hut but don’t come out! Some of them are calling us Nazis and claiming we are exterminating them! We need help here! Before we sealed the door, we saw some men rolling barrels of fuel toward the hut. If they manage to detonate that fuel...” The transmission terminated with the sound of an explosion.
“Shall I prepare the strike team for deployment, Captain?” asked Lieutenant Eddy Farns.
“No, Lieutenant. We are under orders not to expose more of our personnel to the disease,” the captain responded. He could see the strike team leader didn’t like his order.
The lieutenant was about to press the captain on the order when the refugee camp came into sight. Jack looked out the window and what he saw made his stomach churn.
The ground around the Quonset hut was littered with bodies of the dead and dying. Apparently, they had been too close to the hut when they had detonated the fuel bomb and the resultant sea of flame had washed over them. The peacekeeper structure that they had targeted had ruptured from the force of the explosion and burning fuel had washed inside.
“Let’s get a drone inside that building to look for survivors,” Jack ordered.
“Aye, Captain. Drone launching,” one of the drone operators said.
“Navigator, bring us around for a better view of the interior. You other drone operators, launch your drones to check for survivors around the camp.”
“Aye, Captain,” came a chorus of replies around the control room of the Arizona.
“Lieutenant Winters, is Rufus with us now?”
“Yes, sir. He just arrived.”
“Tell him I want him to look for armed combatants. Someone took out six armed peacekeepers. He has permission to take out obvious combatants.”
After transferring the captain’s message, the lieutenant listened closely to her headset for a moment and then she reported, “He reports that he just terminated a sniper who was shooting at the rear of our ship.”
“Good, tell him to execute a spiral search pattern. Terminate any people he sees running away with weapons. By now the killers may have decided to run,” the captain explained.
“Lieutenant Farns, get your team in full contamination gear and prepare to recover the bodies of our people.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Eddy, you make sure you men watch their backs down there, and don’t get contaminated.”
“We’ll be careful, sir.”
“Captain, there are no survivors in the Quonset hut,” the drone pilot stated sadly as he stared forlornly at his monitor. The interior of the hut was a solid mass of roiling flames Noting that his drone was becoming sluggish, the operator flew it out of the building.
“Join the other drones in checking the perimeter,” Jack ordered the pilot.
“Aye, Captain.”
“Sir, Rufus is reporting heavy ground fire to the southwest,” Lieutenant Winters said.
“Is he requesting backup?” the captain queried.
“No, sir. He says we can come get the bodies if we want them.”
“Tell him to use his camera to check the condition of their weapons. We may want to retrieve those.”
“Aye, sir,” the lieutenant responded. “He’s checking,” she said a moment later.
“Collect the video for a report to the council, Lieutenant. I want that sent to them, along with the related radio transmissions ASAP.”
“Aye, sir. Did you also want me to send a warning to the other refugee camps?”
“Yes, but not the transcripts. Just report that the Arizona camp rioted and killed all of the peacekeepers located there.”
“Captain, I have seen several small groups of refugees running south,” a drone operator reported.
“Stay near them for a while. I want to know if they turn back to the north,” Jack said.
“Rufus is reporting an unarmed band of refugees to the northwest,” Shelly reported.
“Tell him to strafe the ground in front of them. Don’t shoot them, but turn them south. We can’t have the disease spreading unchecked into the American heartland.”
“Begging the Captain’s pardon, but isn’t that a bit extreme? I mean to fire on civilians to prevent a flu epidemic seems...well, out of character for you,” Lieutenant Winters observed.
Namid turned in her seat at the navigation console, as did several drone operators. Never before had anyone challenged the captain’s orders to such a degree.
“Objections noted, Lieutenant. I assume full responsibility if one of the refugees is accidentally hit. Now carry out your orders,” Captain Wilcox said sternly.
“Aye, Captain,” the communications specialist, replied.
“They are turning south, sir. Rufus says that there are women and children with them, and that they have no supplies to make the trek across the desert back into Mexico.”
“Noted. Pass the word to Lieutenant Farns that I want emergency rations of food and water given to the refugees that are about to enter the camp from the north. Tell him I said to give them all that they can carry, but then send them south. No exceptions.”
“Aye, sir. Will do,” a shaken Lieutenant Winters stated.
Namid turned in her seat to stare at her husband. She couldn’t believe that he was callously sending them south. Even with the emergency supplies, the odds were none of them would reach a settlement in Mexico.
Jack met his wife’s troubled gaze with his own uneasy stare. He imperceptibly shook his head, wishing fervently that he had gone ahead and confided in his control room staff, but he hadn’t. No one else aboard the Arizona knew about the mutated biological weapons that they were really dealing with here at the camp.
“Captain, Lieutenant Farns wishes confirmation of your order,” Lieutenant Winters said nervously.
Sighing, Jack nodded and picked up his microphone. Shelly activated the correct link to the strike team and nodded that he could begin when ready. “Lieutenant Farns. Your orders are to give the refugees emergency rations of food and water, and then send them south. Warn them that our drones will be watching. If they turn back to the north, the drones will attack.”
“Yes, Captain,” came the immediate reply, but Jack could tell from the tone of his voice that Lieutenant Farns was angry. He didn’t like the orders. Jack knew just how he felt. He didn’t like giving them.
“Navigation, when the refugees arrive, I want us positioned so that I can observe the proceedings. But first, set us down so that the strike team can deploy.”
“Yes, Captain,” Namid said in a neutral tone of voice.
Jack keyed the microphone again and asked, “Lieutenant Farns, are all your men in their contamination gear?”
“As ordered, sir. By the way, did you want us to take additional supplies to the refugees, or scrounge through the supplies in the camp?”
Take additional supplies. Those in the camp may have been contaminated during the rioting.”
“Will do, Captain,” the strike force leader assured him.
“We’ll land the moment you say you’re ready. Make certain you put decontamination supplies in the outer lock. I want you people thoroughly decontaminated before you enter the ship.”
“The Doc is on that detail. He says he wants to decontaminate us personally. He said to advise you that he had a private conversation with Maggie this morning, but he won’t explain what that means.”
“Eddy, trust us on this. You’ll understand everything soon,” Jack said cryptically.
“That’s what the Doc said too,” the strike force leader stated, and then he said, “We’re ready when you are, Captain.”
“Land,” the captain ordered.
“Aye, sir,” Namid replied. She touched down with a feather soft landing.
“Team deployed,” Lieutenant Farns reported moments later.
“Get us ba
ck in the air. Gently please. The doctor is in the outer lock, and he isn’t accustomed to standing beside an open door when we’re maneuvering.”
“Yes, sir,” Namid responded. Soon, she had the Arizona positioned so that they could observe the approach of the refugees.
They saw Rufus’ fighter first. He was slowly approaching from the south. Moments later, the refugees came into sight. Jack saw that three middle aged women and a young man, who appeared to be in his early twenties, were shepherding five children toward the peacekeepers on the ground. As he stared at the approaching group, Jack estimated that the children ranged in age from about five to fourteen. The three younger children were terrified. Jack heard them crying through the audio pickups that Shelly had activated.
Speaking in rapid Spanish, the man with the refugees addressed the children, who seemed to be reassured by what he’d said because they stopped crying.
“He told them that we are peacekeepers, and that we do not punish the innocent for the crimes of others. He said that we would help them,” Shelly said, paraphrasing what the young man had said.
Lieutenant Farns spoke to the refugees, asking if any of them spoke English. The man who had addressed the children spoke up, saying, “I speak some English, but only a little and you should speak slowly.”
Lieutenant Farns then explained that he had orders to give them food and water, but that they must head south and not return or the drones that watched would kill them.
As the lieutenant explained this to the refugees, the man who spoke some English in turn translated what he was saying for the rest of his group. One of the women angrily unleashed a rapid-fire burst of Spanish, gesturing as she did so to the younger children, who in turn began to cry anew.
“She says that you are killing us. None of us will survive to reach a settlement to the south. All have been abandoned for hundreds of miles,” the young man explained. Looking at the youngest of the children, he said, “She says the little ones will die first, and that you are monsters to do this thing.”
Then straightening his shoulders, and in a calm tone of voice, the young man addressed the women in his own language. One of the women crossed herself and then the three women took the bags of supplies that the peacekeepers had laid out for them. Staggering under their loads, the women herded the children toward the south, leaving the man alone with the peacekeepers. He turned to face the strike team. “We will go to the south, as you insist. May God forgive you for you have condemned us all to death, though we took no part in the attack on your people. I warned a peacekeeper guard that some men were planning an attack. I see now that they were right to think you meant to kill us all. I was a fool. I should have listened to them.”