“Lt White, I’m SSgt Barclay. I was part of the last salvage operation here. Most of the men under me were part of that detail also. What are your orders for us?”
“The way I see it, we’re racing the clock. We need to load six pallets of ammo, transfer it to a flatbed, then to the plane before it gets to the Zombie Hours. We need to find a semi with a flat car and a forklift.” Caleb began.
“Sir, we stored vehicles in the hangar for just this occasion.” Barclay turned to a pair of airmen sitting at the back of the aircraft, their feet dangling off the edge of the ramp. “SeniorAirman Fields, take Brumbaugh and the rest of the detail, get the truck and forklift out of the hangar. Once you’re out of the hangar, inspect each one to make sure they’re good to go by their checklists. Make sure we have chains and tie down straps for the pallets.”
“Gotcha, boss.” Fields replied while shoving Brumbaugh off the plane and hollering at the rest of the detail to follow him before he started to jog towards the hangar without looking to see if they were following or not.
“The kid’s rough in some areas, but he’s dependable and quick on his feet. He’s the last troop I have from before everything hit.” His voice started to break but he continued, “That kid can drive anything on wheels, then perform anything it needs for maintenance. If we went over to supervise them, it’d take twice as long as letting them do it.” He said that as a suggestion, but Caleb understood, as he sat down on the back of the aircraft’s ramp; at the same time the aircraft’s generator shut down, leaving them in total silence.
“Awww, shit! Follow me!” Caleb shouted as he jumped off the ramp, running as fast as he could. The hangar was a hundred feet away when the first shots rang out. He tried to run even faster with no effect. His heart was in his throat, he felt the anger of the infected directed at his men as soon as the first shots had been fired. The shrieking was loud, but there were only a few infected, then silence. The team inside was giving each other high fives, and trying to blow off their adrenaline as they felt super-charged. One man appeared down before Caleb realized he was puking. His relief turned to disgust as he saw that the infected had been only a pair of females and a couple of small children. He recognized them from the Base Exchange where they worked as cashiers; both were married to retired sergeants.
Fighting the bile in his own throat, he began to shout, “If everyone is okay, get moving. Let this be a reminder to be aware of your surroundings.” He turned to walk out and bumped into Staff Sgt Barclay.
“It’s true, you started shouting and running towards the hangar before the first shot.” Caleb grabbed him by the shoulder and forcefully walked him away from the hangar before speaking.
“You listen to me now, Sergeant; I can sort of sense them sometimes. The moment I did, my only concern was for the men. Are we going to have a problem? If so, I can leave you behind here to get the cargo loader fueled up and recharge the battery. That was my handiwork when I used it as a distraction to save a woman who had a mob of infected trying to get her. Damned if it wasn’t a hell of a sight. Must have been fifty infected, shrieking and jumping around on the loader like a bunch of monkeys as it chugged along at five miles an hour. I would have loved to have video of it.”
Barclay was full of mixed emotions, but felt the officer before him, though young, was telling the truth.
“Sorry, Sir. I have no problems working with you.” Barclay was clearly confused. “Fifty of the damn things riding the loader, you say?”
“They made me think of monkeys the way they were all over the thing, all the time shrieking like their lives were flashing before their eyes.”
“And the woman, Sir. What became of her?”
“I was able to get her to the armory and barricade us in for the night.” Then we made love and I found out I’m a carrier of the disease and will never be able to make love to a woman again, he thought. “Later in the night the woman turned. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” The woman turned and then had sex with me again, not seeing me as any type of threat, but as one of her own. Not blaming, or realizing I was what made her what she was. His face was cross in anger at the thought. Barclay misinterpreted it, and decided to make himself scarce by helping the detail get the truck and forklift ready.
Caleb walked back out to the flight line, not noticing the NCO had disappeared. The silence of only the wind and a little of the banter from his men from inside the hangar only depressed him more.
Damn, even if I wasn’t infected, now I can’t even let myself hang out and BS with the others because I’m an officer. What the hell do I have for a future?
The throaty sound of the semi’s heavy diesel engine pulling out of the hangar brought Caleb back to the moment. He walked over and gave a quick look. The forklift was rigged at the back of the flatbed so it could easily be lowered. Four of the airmen sat in the center of the flatbed and were joking among themselves.
“Everyone make sure you have a round in the chamber, and your safeties are on. The infected aren’t our only worries here. Keep an eye out for hostiles. They could be wearing uniforms so if you see anything, sound off ASAP.” Caleb climbed up into the cab, “Let’s go.”
The chain link gate had been knocked to the ground, so Barclay slowly drove over it. The front of the bunkers all showed signs of fire where someone had tried to cut off the locks unsuccessfully. Barclay looked over at Caleb and asked, “You didn’t happen to bring the keys, did you?”
“Just pull up to the bunker on the far left side. I want one man on top of the first bunker and one on top of the third bunker. See that body over there? He was part of the last detail to draw ammo.” Caleb scrambled from the truck and jogged over to a bunker and appeared to be digging in the grass on its side. Barclay warned the men to be alert as he sent them off as sentries. Caleb came jogging back with an empty liter bottle in his hand.
“Let’s get that forklift on the ground and get it in gear.” Caleb shouted as he dumped keys out of the bottle. He had the right key on the first try and was already sliding the heavy blast door open before the others could assist.
Caleb walked into the bunker and selected six pallets that were fully loaded. “Staff Sgt Barclay, do the men know how to tie down the pallets using the cargo netting?”
“We usually just assemble the netting on the flightline with a loadmaster or Aerial Port Squadron folks directing us. I’ve never…”
“Sir, I’ve built so damn many pallets I can do it in my sleep. And I think I may have, in the past,” Volunteered SeniorAirman Fields.
“Staff Sgt Barclay, strap down the pallets in the bunker, then when we move them to the truck, we can see if the cargo load shifts at all.” Caleb walked back out onto the pavement and looked over at both of the airmen on guard. Both were facing the semi, trying to see what was going on.
“Keep your eyes open for anyone coming this way. If I see either of you watching the truck again, you’ll both walk back to Wyoming!” Caleb shouted as both men turned around and exaggeratedly scanned the fields around the bunker complex.
An airman ran over to the forklift and fired it up. Caleb looked at his watch and swore softly, realizing there was no way the first pallet could be ready to go. A couple minutes later, the forklift returned with a pallet minus the nets. Two airmen chased alongside until the driver signaled he was ready to drop the pallet. The two airmen grabbed long 4x4 poles and placed them where the driver planned to drop the pallet. Once the pallet rested on the 4x4 dunnage he was able to backup, sliding the forks out from under the pallet.
“Sorry, Sir. We had to bring the pallet outside so we could untangle the nets. It’s too cramped inside the bunker to connect the nets without twisting them up.” Barclay explained while he walked towards the pallet.
Caleb only nodded in reply; he was distracted as he sensed strong anger being directed at him and his team. His skin everywhere began to tingle like never before, then the shots rang out.
Chapter 12
Converse Co
unty Airport, Wyoming. April 5, 2029
Colonel Nguyen, logistics group commander, and his staff departed Major General William Peter’s office quietly and somberly. The plan his staff had devised to house the majority of the troops in town had sounded fine to him and he had endorsed it with his full support. Unit’s enlisted personnel would occupy local schools with rotating senior NCOs to spend a few nights a week with them. The senior NCOs and company grade officers would reside in their own houses when not with the troops. All other NCOs would share houses, based on the number of bedrooms. General officers and senior field grade officers would have houses south of the town surrounding the golf course and country club, after a couple of surviving house owners were relocated for security reasons. Peters had rejected the plan before they could go any further. He reminded the Colonel that the troops would have to live in those conditions, perhaps for years. Every soldier would have at a minimum a room of their own, except when their units were on alert status.
Major Arnot suppressed a smile when he saw the look on the faces of the Colonel and his staff. It was a nice momentary distraction before he found himself in the lion’s den.
“Major Arnot, you and your group may now go in.” Sgt Zilkha said pleasantly, a twinkle in her eye. Peters sat at the end of the conference table jotting down notes, a scowl on his face. He waved to the chairs around the conference table without looking up.
“Hello, Arnie. I don’t mean to be brusque with you but I can only give you fifteen minutes. What have you got for me today?” He looked up, surprised to see the Major accompanied by a civilian wearing a suit.
“Sir, I brought Mr. John Favazza. He was the special liaison for the Executive Branch. He needs to see you.
“Thank you, Major Arnot. You are not cleared for what I have to share with the general.” Mr. Favazza removed his credentials and handed them to Peters. His eyes widened when he looked at the card. The civilian before him retained a civilian grade of SES (Senior Executive Service) Level IV, the equivalent of a Major General.
“I’ll talk with you later, Arnie. Reschedule with Sgt Zilkha, I’m open after lunch tomorrow.” Before the door was closed, Favazza pulled out a document from his briefcase.
“General Peters, this is a standard nondisclosure form you must sign before I can brief you. I will tell you now that originally I was the one that voted for you not to have access because of all your marital problems and your problem with the bottle. I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen you accomplish since the invasion began. That’s why I’m reading you in on what’s going on.”Peters read the standard form, then signed it before sliding it back at the civilian.
“Is it okay for me to call you Bill? I actually don’t care for titles and the associated minutia. I was part of a scientific endeavor similar to SETI, except we made contact. That was back in 1999 on Howland Island.”
“The visitors had monitored our world for the last hundred years and were impressed with our growth, though not so much with all our wars. They call themselves The Organization. It’s a collective of over a thousand worlds. Our government has been in negotiation with them for thirty years. Enough with the history lesson though. We were going to come under the protection of the Organization effective June of this year. A rogue entity, the DyB’buk, attacked us while they still could. They planned to come in, strip the planet of all they could, then transport us to another world as slaves. We are cheaper and more economical to use than robotics and industrialization in the galaxy economics, especially when we reproduce and eliminate the cost of shipping and handling. An Organization ship that was monitoring Earth destroyed the ship responsible for the attack on us. Unfortunately, they did it without asking for orders. Now there are a couple of court cases on the docket out in space, one for unlawful destruction of a spaceship, and one for aggression against an undeveloped world. The courts have forbidden anyone to come near us until both cases are decided. The only exception is a single representative of the Organization.” Favazza looked at the shock and disbelief in Peter’s eyes, almost laughing as he brought out a small box the size of a pack of cigarettes, and placed it on the conference table.
“You thought I was crazy a minute ago? Watch this, General.” Favazza pressed the single button on the box and an apparition appeared to float in the air above it. Peters could see through the figure before him. It was approximately six feet tall. It appeared similar to a human, except it was gray and hairless with a bulbous head that dwarfed a body that appeared malnourished in comparison. It had a nose similar to a human’s, only tinier. The main feature was the pair of huge, black almond-shaped eyes that were out of proportion for the head. The alien wore a simple gray tunic the same color as its skin. There were protrusions on the front of the tunic that made Peters think they may be breasts.
“Major General William Peters, I am Ambassador Tomi from the Organization. I bid you welcome.” Peters was looking around nervously, trying to see how the trick was being played on him. He began to sweat.
“General, this is no trick. We need to establish a dialogue so that the Organization may help mankind. At this moment you lead the largest government on the planet. As such, it was accepted that you would represent Earth’s government in any negotiations.” Tomi stopped for a moment to let the words sink in for the general.
“General, I need you, as the current representative of Earth, to formally ask me to be the agent for Earth. I will then be able to demand through the court that the invasion be declared illegal. That will not stop the DyB’buk, but if the court agrees the invasion was illegal, then they will order them to withdraw from your world. They will refuse, and that’s where the Organization comes in. We will show ourselves as a friend of Earth and accept the responsibility to remove them. Our fleet is larger and will deter them from anymore offensive operations. I believe they will come back to retrieve the survivors of their ship that was destroyed and then leave.”
“What about a cure for the plague they launched against our world? Can you help us with that while we wait for the courts to make a decision?” Peters asked.
“Until court is in session and a ruling is made, both sides are required to stay away from the planet and not interfere.”
“Fat lot of good that does us while people are dying! Do you know the cure for the plague? Scientists in Israel claimed to have a cure but were nuked by their neighbors before they could share it. At least tell us what to do to help ourselves.”
“The weapon used against you had two main purposes. The first was to stop your people from putting up any defense against them. The second purpose was to use those infected to spread the infection to those that were not infected in Phase One. After an adequate number of humans were infected, then the infected would receive orders for more complicated tasks, like to report to specific locations to be extracted from your world. That next step would also enable higher reasoning for the infected to include using tools. When their ship was destroyed, the only source for transmitting to the infected was destroyed with it. I will pass on to our scientists that your own scientists found a cure but were killed before it could be utilized. I would assume it was something simple, based on your technology and current science available to you.
I must go now; I will be in contact later.” Peters sat in shock as the image of the alien just disappeared.
“Mr. Favazza, do we trust the Organization, or do you think they could be complicit in the attack on Earth?” Peters looked accusingly at Favazza.
“The Organization enjoys the trust of the current administration and all the administrations for the last thirty years. I’d bet my life they had nothing to do with the attack.”
“Mr. Favazza, you just did. You may leave now.” Yeah, I trust you and the alien implicitly, he thought ruefully.
Chapter 13
Luke AFB, Arizona. April 5, 2029
Gloria felt pain all over her body as she fought to wake up. She could hear laughter all around her. Her eyes fluttered open as she immedia
tely realized she was tied to the wall of a building. A quick look around the room, and she recognized it as the fuel barn, a hangar used when aircraft had fuel system problems. The huge area didn’t have any aircraft; instead, there were a few trucks with camper shells and numerous tents. Supplies were piled haphazardly all around the open spaces.
“Hey Jimmy, Sleeping Beauty is with us again,” a short wiry man shouted as he leered at Gloria, making her cringe in revulsion. She noticed that her uniform top was not buttoned all the way up and she felt even sicker at the thought of what must have been done to her while unconscious.
“Carl, I told you to stay away from the girl, didn’t I? Now git before I kick your ass just for the hell of it.” A huge man with a gut rolling over his belt, strode confidently over to Gloria
“Well, hi there Sunshine. Did you enjoy your nap?” Jimmy walked up to Gloria and appraised her before grabbing her hair, forcing her to look down as he inspected the back of her head. “I see Carl didn’t leave any major injuries. The last person he used a blackjack on he accidentally killed.
You don’t say much, do you? I find that’s a rare gift for a woman; however, I have some questions that you will answer for me. If you don’t, I’ll let Carl come visit with you. I stopped him the first time he tried to have fun with you.”
Jimmy stopped speaking as he reached for Gloria and buttoned up the top three buttons on her shirt, then continued, “There, that’s better. I know you soldiers like to be all neat and pretty in your uniforms. That reminds me, thanks for all the uniforms you brought for us, clothes do make the man. Now where will I find more food, weapons and ammo? It’s going to be dark soon and I don’t like being locked up in here like an animal while those things are pounding at the doors to get in.” Gloria looked him in the eyes and tried to look as badass as she could while trying to untie the knot that held her hands to the pole behind her back.
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