An hour later, we emerged with shocked looks on our faces.
“Bro, I had no idea that things like that existed. They’ve been keeping all that from us.” Martin looks like he’d just managed to avoid a death sentence.
“It makes sense when you think about it. The amount of panic that would occur in the event that the public found out about this…” I shivered. “It would be horrible.”
“I just hope we never have to deal with this kind of thing in the future.”
“Nah, man. We’ll just have to deal with cartels and gangsters, not whatever those things were.” I slapped him on the back as we made our way home to collect our bags and head to the airport.
------
“OMG!” I yelled over the sound of the chopper’s blades. “Can they be stopped?”
“That’s what you’re here to tell us. Let us know when you want to deploy the bomb.” The pilot appeared calm, but even this battle-hardened soldier knew one wrong move could send us both to our deaths.
I read the paper in my hand for a second time. “They want us to herd them toward that set of buildings in the valley over there.” I pointed in the direction I was speaking of.
Honestly, I’d rather drop a bomb on them and be done, but if what we were doing could save lives, then I guess it was worth it.
We hovered low enough that I could see the drool and spit dripping from the bloody teeth of the people underneath us.
A few Marines raced from the buildings and closed the heavy gates, locking the people inside.
The chopper moved toward the landing area, and I tried to put my stomach back where it belonged.
“I’m supposed to refuel and stand by in case you have an immediate need to evacuate.”
“But you can’t possibly take all of these people out of here if something happens?”
“No, sir.” He grimaced. “I can’t save everyone, and if it comes down to it, I have to do my job, and they have to do theirs. We’ll still have that bomb at the ready just in case.”
The blades on the chopper were still churning as I jumped out. Normally, I’d be thrilled to have both feet planted on solid ground, but I was about to face something that only happened in movies.
One of the Marines waved me over, and I followed him toward the solid doors that led underground.
With the doors shut, the silence was almost deafening, making me wonder if the world had disappeared in just those few short seconds.
“If you’ll follow me, sir.” The Marine moved past me and down the hallway.
The pristine white walls seemed like a stark contrast to the filthy horde that we’d moved into the fenced area.
“Here.” He swiped a card to get the inner doors open. “Follow this hallway and take a right. There’ll be someone there to let you in at that point.”
Each moment I stood inside the building made me realize just how far in over my head I was. I didn’t know what my superiors thought I could accomplish over here, but I hoped I would get out of it alive.
“Ah, the CIA has arrived.” A small man in a white coat buzzed me in, and then stood there, rubbing his hands nervously together.
“I guess so. What is it that you have to show me?”
“Well, the newest version of zombies. Isn’t that why you’re here?” He hustled through another door and into a hallway that looked like a row of cells with glass doors.
As the air hissed behind me, something thumped on the glass of the cell next to me.
No amount of training could have kept me from flinching as the remains of what used to be a human banged against the glass.
“What the hell?” I backed away and into the cell behind me. I turned slowly and came face-to-face with the look of death.
He might have been just like me only a few months ago, but now part of his face was hanging, detached from his skull. Parts of skin were smeared onto the glass as he tried to push his way through it to get closer to me.
Instinct had me pulling my gun out, but I didn’t pull the trigger.
“Sorry ’bout that.” He motioned to the gun. “They can’t get out unless we let them.”
I holstered my gun. “That makes me feel so much better.”
We walked the rest of the way down the hall to the end, where the door led to what looked like a chute.
“Do you have those bug things for us to try?”
“Yeah.” I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out a small tube, handing it over to him.
He held it up to the light as he shook it around. “What are these things supposed to do again?”
“They’re hoping they’ll stop those things from multiplying. Otherwise, it’s months’ worth of work down the drain.” I kept my hand over my gun as I looked back down the hallway toward the exit.
“Hmm… Let’s get that loaded into the air system and see what happens to these infected things.”
“That’s the best name you’ve got for them? Infected thing?” I questioned as I watched him load the tube into a machine and flip the switch.
“We keep trying things out to see what fits the best, but nothing else has stuck so far. Is there going to be enough of those little bug things to make it work?” He glanced through the glass, completely ignoring the zombie-like person on the other side, as if he was immune to the horror they presented.
“Yes, that’s what they told me. It won’t take more than an hour, and if it works, they should be back to being normal dead people again.”
“In that case, let’s go sit down and eat something. I put on a pot of chili. Not the same as it was back home, but it works when I get homesick.” He motioned back toward the exit.
I went back and waited by the door, making sure to memorize the numbers he punched in to ensure I could leave if things went from bad to worse.
Monitors overlooking all the activities outside were full of action as the Marines kept watch over the new arrivals. The fences were meant to keep a tank from breaching the walls, but no one knew exactly what these things were capable of.
The scientist, Ethan, moved around the room as if it was his home. Which, I guess was in a sense, but I wasn’t sure how the other people or scientists fit into the picture.
“Oh, you’re wondering how I could eat after being in there, right?” He scooped a heaping ladle of chili into a large bowl and turned down the small hotplate that had been keeping it warm. “Well, I don’t tell the others this, but when no one else is around, I talk to them. The dead. I give them all names.”
He eyed me curiously, as if I was going to race out of the room at his revelation. Seeing me still there after a few moments, he continued. “There’s not much else to do unless we’re in the middle of an experiment, and most of the time, it’s just a couple of us out here. Since the start of the war, we’ve been getting more of the infected things to work with, and it’s easier to try different things out.”
“How long have you been here doing this kind of thing?”
“Oh, since I got out of school about five years ago. I was supposed to go home, but they canceled all transfers due to the unsafe transport between here and the States.”
“That sucks,” I commiserated.
“Hey, look.” He pointed at one of the monitors where the infected were starting to lay down on the ground. “So the bug things worked?”
“I’d like to make sure they don’t get back up and move around before we make that conclusion. This might have just acted like a sedative, and we don’t want to take any chances,” I cautioned.
Another of the scientists came in and the door closed behind him.
“CIA?” He looked me up and down in disgust.
“This one’s nice, Ted,” Ethan beamed at me. “He brought the bugs, and now the infected aren’t moving.”
“What?” He hurried to look at the screens for himself. “How did you make that happen?”
“It’s nanobots. They sent me with the experiment to find out if it would stop them. We’re waiting to see
if they stay dead.”
Ted nodded thoughtfully. “If it works, we’ll be a lot safer around here.”
“Do they normally make you work with those things?” I asked, unable to keep from cringing at the thought.
“Yep. We’re the zombie handlers of the New World Order. It’s the Wild West out here, and zombies aren’t good for much except the paycheck that makes my bank account grow,” Ted grumbled.
“Zombie cowpokes? That’s a new one. Do you ring the dinner bell and they come running?” I joked.
“Well, yeah. That’s why they’re behind the glass and we’re out here where they can’t hear us. They love sound and are drawn to it.”
“Good to know. Do you have a list of things that can kill them?”
Ted nodded. “We’ve narrowed it down to a few things. Most just distract them, but don’t stop them from coming toward you. We have one of those suits they use to train attack dogs so we don’t get bit.”
“Has anyone ever been bitten that worked with them and lived?”
He scratched his head and looked at Ethan. “Only a few were stupid enough to get that close. I don’t think they lived, and we shot them. Even though we only had a few specimens, most of us couldn’t stomach experimenting on one of our own.”
“I can certainly understand that. They’ve asked me to take back the samples that you’ve collected so they can work on more vaccines.”
“Are they going to be able to eradicate this virus? I’m not ever going to be able to sleep at night, knowing these things exist.”
I could only shrug my shoulders. “Just the courier. I’m not even really supposed to know much about what you’re doing here. Ethan gave me the tour, and I admit, I’m fascinated. It’ll be hard to go back to normal after this.”
Ted hurried to gather all the vials and placed them into a large chest with enough dry ice to keep them safe until we could get them to their destination.
When I’d taken Ross Mills up on his offer, I couldn’t have imagined the kind of things I would be doing to keep our country safe.
Tasked with taking the fragile cargo to the research center in Utah, I couldn’t believe that so many parts of a huge program were being developed right under the public’s noses. Each section produced or researched different items so that nothing could be connected and be leaked to the masses.
Martin met me at the door and escorted me to where I dropped off the vials for further research.
“Man, I had no idea this kind of stuff existed,” I commented as I looked around the large building.
“That’s kind of the point,” he laughed.
“What happens if those things come over here and we have a massive outbreak?” I lowered my voice so that no one could overhear me.
“I think that’s what they’re trying to avoid.”
-----
We had been recalled to headquarters for further instructions.
“Cooper and Martin, it’s good to have you both back, because we have something for you. But first, now that you’ve been out to see all the different parts of our operation, what did you think?”
“That our government is crazy. We have people doing research and taking chances to gather more of these infected dead things, when we seem to have all the methods of keeping this from spreading. Why haven’t we just wiped out this virus once and for all?” I was kind of mad about it, really.
“Fascinating,” Martin mused, ignoring my negative comments.
“What we’re looking for, between the two of you, is something that doesn’t happen very often on American soil. We want you both to go undercover and keep an eye on the situation. You’ll be the ones to makes sure all the solutions continue to work in an effective way,” Ross Mills explained. “This is all classified information, and there are only twenty people who know the entire process in the whole country. We feel that it’s time to appoint new heads of the branches to make sure we stay ready to face this threat now and in the future.”
“That’s a lot of responsibility for something that might never happen. Aren’t we just wasting taxpayer dollars when we have the cures needed to wipe it out?” I mentioned it again, because he wasn’t giving me a straight answer.
“Fine, Cooper. Yes, we could go out and bomb all the places where this virus has popped up in. That doesn’t mean we’d get all the infected, or that someone wouldn’t use it as a form of warfare in the future. It’s the exact reason we’ve been dealing with this since the early 1900’s. We have to be prepared. This could wipe out our country in a matter of weeks, if not faster, and it wouldn’t take much for someone to spread the virus,” he laid out in a patronizing manner.
I crossed my arms, not bothering to hide my doubts.
“How would this work?” Martin inquired with enthusiasm.
“You would both continue to work on the projects: nano technology, which can be used in many ways, as well as viruses and ways to combat them. As an added measure, you’ll both be on the board for ZURT.”
“ZURT? What kind of crazy, made-up thing is that?”
“ZURT is our Zombie Urgent Response Team. We’re coordinating active drills, working with other groups to make sure we don’t get into a caught-with-our-pants-down kind of situation.”
Ross continued to speak, but I wasn’t really sure that the words were getting to my brain.
“Zombies? We’re just going to act like they’re normal, when this is the total opposite of that?” I pounded the table and shoved my chair back, ready to leave.
“Now, Cooper, don’t get your panties all twisted up. We’re trying to keep them from being the norm. Most people don’t even have to worry about it. Think about when we were so worried that the Russians were going to nuke us back in the sixties. It wasn’t fun doing air raid drills and scaring the pants off our kids for something that never happened.”
“I’m not sure I agree with you, sir. I think if the public knows about it, then their chances for survival go up drastically.”
“Be that as it may, the powers that be aren’t willing to take that chance. They want to keep it quiet unless it’s absolutely necessary. Learn all you can, and then show them how to implement it into society without causing a panic,” Ross declared firmly.
“Martin, you’ll be overseeing the distribution and continued research, while Cooper works on the practical plans. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and change won’t come all at once, either. Give it a chance. If you hate it in a year, then I’ll see about finding a replacement. Until then, you are to report to your new assignments first thing Monday morning.”
Protesting at this point was useless, because Ross could not only reassign me to Antarctica, but he could toss me out of the CIA altogether. I was going to have to effect change from the inside, and hope that we never had to deal with those things on the streets of America.
Chapter 3
2006-PREFIT
“Order! I need order, please!” I called out to the room filled with ten others of various ages.
“Why should we listen to you, pipsqueak?” The pre-med student taunted from his spot in the recliner.
“You don’t have to listen to me, but I think I’ve come up with something that will give us all a way to be prepared for what we know is inevitable.” I pinned them all with a glare. “Then again, I’ve managed to beat each one of you at our online games time after time. I might not be the best, but I think I can give you a run for your money.”
I could have given them a list of the reasons why I was more than qualified to lead the group. At thirteen, I might seem like a kid, but I already had an associate degree. Most people said I was a genius, and while it might be true, I just used my brain in different ways than most people did. They didn’t need to know about that, because I needed them to trust me.
“If you want to take me up on it and challenge me for the right to be the leader of this new pack, then just say the word and we’ll duke it out.” I glanced around, but no one seemed to be taking me up on the offer.
Relief flooded me, because while I was great online or playing on a game system, I wasn’t that skilled with my hands.
“Great. Now, if we can get things started… I’ve outlined a few things that should help us if, or should I say when, things happen we need to be ready.”
“How can you be so sure that this is going to happen, Sean?” the shy brunette asked in a barely audible voice.
“I don’t know for sure. When I was doing some online ‘work,’”—I air quoted the word, knowing that everyone understood what kind of work I was doing—“I came across a classified file on a virus the government has kept hidden from the public.”
“Why would they do that?” pre-med guy questioned, appearing confused.
“Because they don’t want the world to panic. Remember when they started making TV shows about space? We knew it wasn’t all fiction. It was the government’s way of telling us without making any public announcements.”
“So, you’re saying that the government allows those comic books about the dead who start walking again to be made as a manual so that we’ll be prepared in case something happens?” the kid with spiked hair clarified, twirling a letter opener between his fingers.
“Nah, he’s just using all this stuff to scare us into being paranoid idiots who are always looking over our shoulders,” my bestie, John, joked, poking fun at me. “Next, he’ll be asking us to put tinfoil hats on because the aliens are going to try to probe us.”
“They didn’t write the comics, a civilian did. From the files I discovered, their theories in the comics aren’t that far off. If we prepare for it and nothing happens, then we’re just prepared. But if I’m right, and this is just the beginning, then we’ll have a leg up.”
“Sean, we all agreed to meet here, but I thought we were going to be having a game session, not some recruitment mission for the paranoid club,” John groaned at hearing all this again.
“Let’s not use names. We need to have codenames, because the government can’t trace us or know that we know. They do have ways of making people disappear,” I cautioned.
Against Zombies Series | Book 6 | Governments Against Zombies Page 2