by Ricky Sides
He was just finishing the delicious stew the old woman had left for him when he heard Mary’s voice say, “Captain, you have an incoming message from the admiral. Do you want me to transfer it to your hat radio?”
When Ramon Marino had agreed to become the captain of the Havana, the council had given him one of the precious hat radios that the crew of the Peacekeeper utilized. He’d taken that hat on this mission. He’d used that concealed radio to order the Havana to bring in the supply of food and the sled in an effort to keep the people in their city.
“Yes, Lieutenant, connect us if you please.”
A moment later, Ramon heard Jim Wilison say, “Ramon, my friend, I have good news for you. We’ve located an undamaged supply of vaccine in the manufacturing facility so we can release the two hundred thousand doses you requested.”
“That is good news, Admiral. But what of the no fly orders?”
“I’ve worked out a plan that will enable us to deliver the vaccine in a safe manner,” Jim replied, and then he explained the plan.
“When will your son’s APC arrive at Fort Jefferson?” asked Ramon.
“They should be there at around midday tomorrow.”
“The Havana will be there.”
“Good, I know Evan will be happy to see you, even if it has to be from a distance.”
“I’m afraid I won’t be there, Admiral,” Ramon stated. Then he explained what he was doing and why he was doing it.
“You’re taking a huge risk, my friend,” Jim said, sounding worried.
“I had to do something, Jim. The vote was against your advice. If I hadn’t come, I fear many of the people here would have fled by now. Some were attempting to organize that very thing when I arrived.”
“Well, my plan was a bad option. Unfortunately, there are no good options. If it will make you feel any better, I must admit that I regret giving you that advice. I now think I was wrong to do so.”
“You think this because you found more vaccine?” Ramon asked. “You could not have known that would happen.”
“No. It has nothing to do with the vaccine. I should have recommended you to send in one man to do what you’re doing now, but I didn’t. I think I was just plain wrong and gave you bad advice.”
“That decision is understandable in view of the fact that peacekeepers were attacked trying to maintain order in Los Angeles that day.”
“We also lost an entire APC crew in Florida. Someone blew a hole in the side of the ship while they were parked at altitude sleeping for the night. We don’t know how they reached the APC to set the charge, but they must have. The flight package confirmed their radio message that they were parking for the night.”
“I may be able to help you with that mystery,” Ramon noted.
“Oh?”
“Yes. One of the Spanish speaking Miami based peacekeepers once told me that he had heard there are a few hot air balloons in use in the Jacksonville region of Florida. He said from what he had heard, they were much smaller than the typical arrangement.”
“You may be onto something with that because the incident occurred outside Jacksonville. Thank you for the tip. I’ll get word to Evan to be on the lookout for such a balloon.”
Jim’s voice took on a somber tone as he said, “Remember that the vaccine is dangerous. You should advise anyone taking it that it will kill a percentage of the recipients.”
“What of your own distribution in America?”
“It’s meeting mixed results. Some entire communities are so afraid of the vaccine that they are refusing to accept any. Others that are geographically close to areas where the plague is running rampant seem more inclined to take the risk.”
“There may not be time for you to get the medicine to the cities that turned it down if they change their minds.”
“We’re giving them more stringent warnings. We’re telling them that we won’t be back until the plague is no longer a viable threat,” Jim explained.
“I expect that causes some people to change their minds.”
“Surprisingly few actually. They view that warning as coercion and accuse us of trying to intimidate them into taking the vaccine.”
“That is an odd reaction.”
“Not if you know the history of vaccines in this country. For decades there have been conspiracy theories and rumors associated with their use. Most claim that the vaccines cause a myriad of health problems or even deaths. It doesn’t help that we have to warn them that twenty percent who take the drug, in all probability, will die of the plague. It either kills or prevents the disease. It can also introduce the plague into cities that haven’t yet been touched by it. On more than one occasion, peacekeepers attempting to deliver vaccine have been accused of deliberately spreading the plague.”
“It sounds as if you just can’t win in this situation,” Ramon said in surprise.
“Now you know the sort of things you might come up against if and when you attempt to distribute the vaccine.”
“Yes, I do. Thank you. I will try to think of the best way to approach my people about the problem. Meanwhile, do you recommend I offer the vaccine to the inhabitants here, or is it too late?”
“I would offer it, yes, but only after warning of the potential consequences. We now know that there are symptoms prior to the victims becoming contagious. Unfortunately, that symptom is fever and chills, and therefore it isn’t easy to recognize. Once they begin to cough, they are already contagious. Beware those who cough. Wear rubber gloves if you handle anything anyone else has touched. Wear goggles or glasses when you are near anyone because the virus can enter the eyes on contact. Cover your nose and mouth when you are around anyone coughing. Better yet, get out of the area. If the people do take the vaccine they should isolate themselves until they know they won’t contract the disease.”
“How long does it take for the vaccine to cause the disease?” Ramon asked.
“We aren’t certain. We know that some entire households contracted the disease in otherwise uncontaminated neighborhoods after receiving the vaccine. The odds are some of those residents should have survived the vaccine. We think some people were contaminated before their immunity could take affect by members of the family who contracted the disease from the vaccine. To the best of our knowledge, immunity begins in ten to the fourteen days after the vaccine has been administered. It varies a bit.”
“Yes, that is true. My wife, god bless her soul, was a doctor. She explained that to me one night. Vaccination immunity varies because of several variables, including overall health, physical fitness, diet, and the state of the immune system of the patient.”
“Yes, Maggie just said much the same.”
“She is there?”
“Yes, right beside me.”
“Please give her my regards.”
A moment of silence followed and then Ramon heard Maggie say, “Ramon, you make certain to keep your distance from the sick. You can’t save them and it would be foolish to expose yourself to the disease. Cuba needs you, and so does your crew.”
“I will heed your advice, Doctor.”
“Good, you do that. Now you need to make certain you eat properly and get enough rest so that you don’t weaken your body. No matter what else you do, do not enter a home where plague victims are located. Such homes are saturated with the virus. Even in full protective gear you’d still need to be hosed down with a chemical solution to prevent contraction of the disease.”
“I understand, Doctor. Thank you for your concern. I have no desire to enter such homes.”
“Good. I guess I’ll sign off now. The admiral had to leave to attend to another important matter. Good luck to you, Captain.”
“Thank you,” Ramon replied.
The captain radioed the Havana and told them he was changing their orders for the following day. He then told them of the scheduled rendezvous to pick up the all important vaccine. He ordered them to take along four fighters to act as escorts and said he wanted them to arriv
e first so that their strike team could clear the isle before the Americans arrived. Then he said, “Keep your escort fighters in the air the entire time you are on the ground there. The admiral did not mention a fighter escort accompanying the American APC. If they don’t have an escort, send two of those accompanying you back to mainland America with that APC. We think we have eliminated the pirate menace, but we can’t know that for certain. Admiral Wilison’s son is commanding that APC, so I want to cover all possible problems.”
“Aye, Captain. It shall be, even as you say,” Mary confirmed the orders, and then she listed them efficiently so that he would know she had gotten them all.
***
Evan enjoyed the flight along the Florida Keys. It wasn’t at all like the flight through northern Florida. That portion of the trip had been nightmare of mass graves, burning buildings, and dead bodies along the roadway. By the time they had reached the Miami base, they were all more than ready to stop for the night.
Evan wanted to ensure that they reached Fort Jefferson on schedule, so they had left the Miami base at first light and maintained their course, which had been carefully laid out in their flight plan. Now they had just flown past Key West, and everything below them had been peaceful and serene.
“That would be a nice place to live and raise a family,” Evan said a few minutes after they had flown over Key West.
“If you mean Key West, then yes it would, until a hurricane came along and blew us all into the sea,” Lisa countered.
Evan grimaced and said, “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“I guess my maternal instinct is starting to kick in, dear,” Lisa replied. “I’ve been thinking a lot about the future. I want a safe environment for our child.”
“Well, we’ll be aboard the Damroyal or in a ship. I can’t think of anyplace much safer that that.”
“True. We were always safe enough. If our folks knew they were heading into a really bad zone they left us at the base.”
“That never hurt us. I actually enjoyed being grounded occasionally. Remember when we went walking in the woods?” Evan asked.
“How could I forget? The peacekeepers in charge of the children sounded an alarm because they thought some rough contractors who’d visited the base hoping to find work had kidnapped us. We came back just as they were getting a rescue party ready to go after the men.”
“Oh why’d you have to go and mention that? We got in so much trouble!”
Lisa giggled, but then she said, “Well, the woods were nice that day. I remember our next outing wasn’t quite so dramatic. I got one of the cooks to pack us some sandwiches and we went to the pond and had a picnic.”
“That was so nice,” Evan remarked. “I never told you, but I was imagining we were on a date that day.”
“I wish you had told me because so was I. We could have made it official,” Lisa responded. “You were so brave when you killed that snake that scared me.”
“I think you killed it. I just picked up a stick and hit it.”
“Me? I screamed until I was hoarse.”
“I know. You killed it with a sonic scream,” Evan stated and laughed.
Lisa smiled and then glanced down at the navigation monitor. “We’re drifting off course. Bring us two degrees to starboard.”
“What?”
“I said we’re...”
“I heard you, but that’s impossible. Look out the window.”
Lisa looked out at the sea before them. In the distance, she saw the walls of Fort Jefferson rapidly growing closer. “Hmm, that’s not good. Our navigation computer must have a glitch.” She was watching the monitor when the heading corrected itself. “That’s odd, the computer just changed the display and now it says we’re back on course.”
“It’s no big deal. We can dead reckon our way back to Florida if we have to. Once we reach Florida it’ll just be a matter of locating Highway 1. Worst case scenario, we’d have to radio Miami base for a beacon, which would lead us in with no navigation computer at all.”
“So you don’t think we need the engineer of the Havana to check it out?” Lisa asked.
“Our orders are to avoid contact with them. Since it seems fine now, I guess there’s no cause for concern, and like I said, I can always get us back to the base without the navigation computer. Once we land at the Miami base we can let one of the engineers there take a look at the problem.”
***
Captain Bob Giles ordered the Nevada to land in the city of Las Vegas where he was going to turn over the allotment of vaccine that would be issued there.
Beside the captain’s chair stood the strike team leader who was staring out at the massive crowd that had gathered. “It looks as if there could be trouble, sir. I recommend we consider aborting this landing and arrange for delivery elsewhere in the city.”
“We still have to get to Carson City today, Lieutenant. If we do as you suggest our schedule will be shot to hell. Just make certain you take every precaution. Turn over the vaccine to the city officials and we’ll leave. They are known for being able to control their population.”
“Aye, Captain. Sorry, sir.”
“It’s your job to point out security risks, Lieutenant. Never apologize for doing your job. If our mission schedule wasn’t so tight I’d gladly heed that advice, but people are dying out there for lack of the vaccine we’re transporting. In this case, a delay will cost lives, and that’s not speculation.”
“You’re right, Captain. We’ll do our best.”
“You always do,” the captain responded.
“Captain, I’m getting some strange radio traffic,” Lieutenant Henry White reported.
Captain Giles noted that the communications specialist had a puzzled expression on his face. “Explain,” the captain said curtly.
“Someone sent a one word message. They said, ‘Ready,’ and then several sources broke squelch on the same frequency from numerous areas in close proximity to us. In fact, we’re right in the middle of the sources.”
“Tell the Lieutenant I said to abort immediately,” the captain said calmly.
“It’s too late, sir. They just signaled that they were exiting,” responded Lieutenant White.
The captain got to his feet and moved to stand near the windshield so that he could watch his team on the ground.
“Sir, there was another transmission. The word this time was, ‘Now.’”
“Close the bay door as a precaution, pilot,” the captain stated.
As the pilot reached to toggle the switch that would close the bay door, the captain’s attention was drawn to the strike team outside in front of the ship when several gunshots fired. Captain Giles saw the three-man team go down in a hail of gunfire and he knew that they were probably dead because they couldn’t wear their body armor while wearing decontamination suits.
“Is the bay door closed?!”
“No, sir. The indicator light is still showing red!” exclaimed the alarmed pilot.
“Get us airborne, now!”
“Aye, sir,”
“Captain, the doctor is reporting that we have been boarded,” a shaken Henry reported.
From the rear of the ship came the sound of rapid-fire weapons discharges, and then an explosion rocked the ship.
“Lockdown mode, now!” shouted Captain Giles.
The communications expert was reaching for the switch when the grenade sailed into the room. The captain saw it coming and dove toward the deadly explosive in the hopes of grabbing it and tossing it back through the hallway. He knew that the men in the rear of the ship were in all probability already dead, and now he was thinking of trying to save the rest of the crew.
But the grenade took an errant bounce and the captain landed on top of it. It blew beneath his upper body, killing the captain instantly
Shocked by the sudden violence in the control room, Henry was slow to activate lockdown mode. The gunner lunged to his feet and drew his sidearm in a smooth motion that he had practiced countle
ss times in the past. Therefore, when a man rushed into the control room with a rifle in his hands, the gunner was ready. He placed three nine-millimeter slugs in the man’s face, but then a bullet struck him in the chest and knocked him off his feet.
A panel slid across the doorway that led to the corridor and sealed shut. The remaining occupants of the control room heard two bullets ricochet off the partition that now sealed the door. In the rear of the ship, the bay door closed and seamlessly sealed. An incessant pounding began to sound on the partition. The sounds of muffled cursing penetrated the thin sheet of alloy.
“Henry!” shouted the pilot. “Did you send the ship in distress message?” he asked in a calmer tone of voice.
“No, I... The captain...”
“Snap out of it, man. Send the damned message and then get ready to defend the control room. I’ve got us at altitude, but we can’t stay here. I see puffs of smoke and think someone is firing rocket propelled grenades at...”
There was a loud explosion that sounded as if it was right against the hull of the ship. The pilot cursed as he maneuvered the ship away from the area at top speed.
“Message sent!” Henry shouted.
By now the gunner had gotten back to his feet. The soft body armor had saved him from the bullet that had struck his chest. He moved to check on the captain. When he rolled him over, he easily saw that the soft armor had done nothing to protect Bob Giles.
The gunner calmly replaced the partially used magazine in his pistol with a fresh one. He then removed the captain’s pistol from his holster and chambered a round. Armed with a pistol in each hand, he then knelt behind the captain’s chair and said, “As senior officer aboard I am taking command.”
“All right, Lieutenant, what do you want to do?” asked the pilot.