Project Terminus

by Nathan Combs

  Forty-five minutes later, Randal radioed they found the snipers hide, but he was gone.

  Bill cautiously approached and inspected the IED. It consisted of a pound of C4 inside a bucket of nails and other metal fragments with a small propane cylinder to act as the detonator. It was all contained inside a wooden box with the canister exposed on the backside. “That’s some sneaky shit right there,” he said.

  “We’re not through the Dragon yet,” said Wade. “Keep alert. She might have other surprises in store for us.”

  A mile up the road they found the second IED. The sniper who was supposed to shoot it had also disappeared. “Why do you think they didn’t take shots at us?” said Joe.

  “Maybe they had orders not too. Or maybe they got cold feet. We’ll probably never know,” replied Wade. “Let’s get to Fort Hope.”

  The next morning, they found the fort in total lockdown. If the gate guards didn’t know you, you were not getting in. The only people leaving were patrols or guard escorted work details. It soon became apparent why.

  Meeting with Wade in the CC, which was in the process of repair, Benjamin said, “The doc said my hearing should return to normal within a couple of months. But we have more to worry about than my ears. Since the attacks on Fort Hope and Liberty, there have been others. Gateway had seven people abducted and four beheaded. They were left where they fell. It was attacked again an hour ago by a capable uniformed force; some who fit your description of The Light. That is, they had shaved heads and facial tattoos and screamed ‘We are The Light’ or something to that effect during the attacks. But most of them looked like any tactical force, anywhere. Black uniforms, knew what they were doing, and they hit quickly and disappeared. A total of seven more dead and nineteen wounded. They used the same MO in Zion. Six dead, nine wounded.”

  Wade asked, “What type of security have you implemented for Fort Hope?”

  “The perimeter security has been beefed up significantly, and no one gets through the gates unless we know them. I have random patrols a mile in all directions. I’ve sent ten men each to Zion and Gateway. They’re both in total lockdown. The wounded are being cared for and I’ve designated an area for a cemetery. We’ll have funerals tomorrow and bury our dead. That’s really all I’ve had time to do, Wade.”

  Wade said, “Understood, and under the circumstances, you did well.” Turning to the Terminators, he said, “It looks like she’s going to employ guerilla tactics to harass us and make our collective lives a daily grind. This is not about cannibal food. This is simple revenge, just like Sara said. We’ve all encountered these types of operations when we were in the Middle East. We’re not going to underestimate her. She definitely has something else planned. So we need to think outside the box. Give me your input.”

  They were silent for several minutes, then Randal said, “We don’t know how many people she has, but it’s obvious they’re no longer filing down their teeth and tattooing themselves. She knew she couldn’t get any of her people inside with those markings. Now we have no idea who is and who isn’t a cannibal. She also learned about guerilla tactics somewhere, which is going to make it difficult to find her. I’m betting they never stay in the same place for more than a few days. And the ceremony we witnessed in Robbinsville has either been eliminated or changed. She won’t risk having one in the open like that again.”

  “Okay, anyone have anything to add to that? Bill?”

  “Reluctantly, I agree. I think Randal hit the nail on the head. She’s learned a hell of a lot in a short period. Did she obtain all of this knowledge from Nagel or from someone else? She couldn’t have come up with all of this on her own. She didn’t pull tactical knowledge out of the air. Remember when Sara told us about her, she said Nina read a lot. You can read a hell of a lot of books in nine months, and there’re no late fees for overdue library books anymore. She could have gained a significant amount of knowledge just by reading.”

  “That’s a start, but there’s got to be more. Put your thinking caps on, guys. We don’t have a lot of time.”

  “If I were her, Wade, I’d forget about getting people inside to plant more bombs. She has to know we’ll start searching everyone that comes through the gates.”

  “That’s true, Joe. But what if she still has people inside that weren’t activated for the initial bombing? What if she has sleepers in place with instructions to attack at a later date?”

  They threw out suggestions and came up with dozens of different scenarios, but in the end they agreed they were only guessing.

  Wade made a decision. “All right, listen up. Stuart, keep doing what you’ve been doing with security. And don’t take any chances. We’re going to mount a search and destroy operation. We need Intel, which means we need a prisoner. I think she has an ego that’s off the charts. She’s proud of who and what they are. They initially marked themselves to induce fear in their victims. Or maybe they simply thought it was cool. Who knows. It does, however, strike me as odd that she doesn’t have any tattoos herself. At least none we know about. I should have asked Sara about that, but it slipped my mind. Given her propensity for the grandiose—the dramatic stage entrances, her costume, and the way she walks, the way she stands—I’m betting her ego demands her people are marked in some way. If that’s true, we need a couple of prisoners, or at least a few bodies. If they’re marked, we can identify her people. She also needs a base of operations. And it has to be reasonably close. Stuart, what’s in Knoxville?”

  “Absolutely nothing. It’s a ghost town.”

  Wade nodded. “That’s where she’ll be. Four man teams. Randal, set the teams and the search areas. We leave in one hour.”

  Team one consisted of Bill, Wilkerson, and two of his rangers. Team two was comprised of Randal, Cole and two SEALs. Wade, Sean, and two Rangers made up team three. Little Soldier, one SEAL, and two ex-FPS shooters who had military experience completed team four.

  “Team four will scout the area around Zion. Team one has the Gateway area. You guys look for sniper teams. If they’re there, they’ll be in the woods. Teams two and three will take Knoxville. We’ll divide that up north and south of I-40. Dad, you have the northern sector, I’ll take the southern. We’ll concentrate on schools and similar structures like large apartment complexes, hotels/motels, and office buildings. Remember, these aren’t the same morons we took down in Robbinsville. They probably have capable people standing watch. We won’t be able to maintain radio contact until they get the sat-phones working, so we rendezvous here in forty-eight hours.” He marked the spot on the map. “Good hunting. Let’s go.”

  That night, Bill and team one arrived at Gateway, left their horses, and slid into the woods. At 0700 the next morning, two shots broke the silence of the April dawn.

  Damn, Bill thought, that wasn’t more than 100 yards away.

  Moving quickly toward the sound of the shots, Bill saw movement. A man was running through the woods away from Gateway. He silently closed the distance and was almost within striking distance when the man either heard or sensed his presence. Dropping to one knee, he was in the process of turning and drawing his sidearm when two hundred fifty pounds of Bill Scarlett running full speed barreled into him. In an instant, Bill had pummeled him to the ground and was punching him in the head.

  Wilkerson also headed in the direction of the shots and came upon the scene just as Bill knocked the man out. Movement to his right caught his attention and he turned to stare down the barrel of glock pointed at his chest. From twenty feet, Wilkerson didn’t have a chance. Theee bullets hit him squarely in the chest.

  Bill saw the second sniper just as he fired at Wilkerson and shot the man twice in the head, killing him instantly. Hustling to Wilkerson’s side, Bill looked at his friend gasping for breath, and said, “That must really hurt, Joe. Damn good thing you had your armor on or you’d be pushin’ daisies.” Then he pulled him to his feet.

  The two snipers each shot one time killing two people who were leaving Gatew
ay to go fishing. After the shot, they simply turned and blended back into the woods.

  “These are atypical guerilla tactics,” said Bill. “They’re in a target rich environment, have abundant cover, the sun at their back, and take one shot each, then leave?”

  The sniper Bill knocked out was now a prisoner. He lay trussed like a pig on the ground, and Bill was the butcher. Bill said, “I’m not gonna bullshit you, asshole. After you tell me what I want to know, I’m gonna kill you. But if I like your answers, I’m willing to let you choose how you’ll die. First question: where’s Nina?”

  The man stared, but said nothing. “It doesn’t matter if you tell me where she is or not. We’ll find her, and you can bet your worthless cannibal ass we will kill her. Last chance, you piece of shit, where is she?”

  The man sneered and said, “Nina is my queen. I am willing to die for her. We all are. Go fuck yourself.”

  Bill pulled his knife, slit the man’s throat, and said, “Now you’re a good cannibal.”

  The other two members of the team arrived and they pulled the two dead snipers into Gateway.

  Joe said, “Let’s get them undressed and see if Wade’s theory was right.”

  Other than run of the mill tattoos on millions prior to the collapse, the upper torsos of both men were clean. There was nothing on the lower extremities either.

  Bill looked at Joe and said, “I’ll flip you to check out their junk area, Joe.”

  “Naw, let’s just get it over with. I’m hungry. And my fuckin’ chest is killing me. You cut off the skivvies, I’ll check ’em out.”

  It took less than a minute to locate the one-inch high tattoo on the inner right thigh of both men.

  “Bingo,” said Bill.

  Team four found nothing. Teams two and three also came up blank, but Randal found evidence they were recently at Neyland Stadium. Approaching the rendezvous location, Wade and Randal sent two men ahead to check it out. They returned with big grins on their faces. “Bill and his team are already there. So is team four. And they’ve got it.”

  Bill finished describing the altercation with the two snipers by saying, “They had standard issue M24s with good scopes. As for markings, it’s like you said, Wade. They both had a simple tattoo about one inch high on their inner right thigh. It’s a capital letter T and a capital letter L that intersects midway down the vertical of the T. Kind of reminds me of the Nazi Swastika.” He drew the image in the dirt.

  They returned to Fort Hope and Wade instructed Benjamin to have everyone in Fort Hope searched for the tattoo. “Do it subtly, Stuart. Be nice, especially with the women, but everyone is getting searched for that tattoo. That includes every member of the security services. And while we’re at it, my men, you, Little Soldier, and me will also be checked. That way there will never be any doubt in anyone’s mind. I want this completed within the next couple of hours.

  “When we’re done here, I want teams sent to Gateway and Zion. I want the same checks performed on everyone there. As soon as the checks are done, no new people will be allowed into Fort Hope, Gateway, or Zion without that tattoo check. We’ll start with ourselves. Everybody strip.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  End Game

  When the returning snipers reported the results to Horst, he was reluctant to inform Nina the mission failed, but knew he had no choice. After the briefing, she told him to take her to the men because she wanted to know exactly what happened, exactly what the SPECOPS men did, how they reacted, and what their response time was. When they were done, she told them they acted properly by not taking shots. “We can’t afford to lose two snipers and their rifles. Don’t worry about it; you’ll get the chance to shoot some of them very soon.”

  That evening she called a staff meeting and told them about the failure of the IED mission.

  “It would have been nice if they took the bait, but there was never a good chance of them being that stupid. It was worth the effort, though. If nothing else, it gives them something to think about. They’ll be at Fort Hope by now, and I’m sure they’re sending patrols to look for us. Pack everyone up, we’re moving.”

  “Where to and how far,” asked Horst.

  “Not far,” said Nina, then smiling, she said, “It’s time you heathens went to church.”

  The United Methodist Church of Knoxville was not only huge, but had a tall tower that could be used as an observation post. The tower provided an excellent view in all directions, including the area around Neyland Stadium.

  Nina told the staff, “I think they’ll come looking for us in Knoxville. But I don’t think they’ll consider looking in a church.”

  Oliva laughed, and said, “Yeah, you’re right, Nina. We’re like vampires to them. You’re so much smarter than they are.”

  “Maybe, but they’re not morons, Olivia. However, I am definitely more cunning and more vindictive than they could ever imagine. Just make sure everyone gets to the church. And make sure there’s no trail or indication from the outside that we’re there. If there is, they’ll see it and find us. Cougar, I want you to scout ahead and find a place inside the church for the horses. Take your men with you, and set a watch in the tower. I want everyone there within the hour.”

  Heather and Olivia entered the church and stood staring at the cavernous nave.

  “Wow,” said Heather. “This is something else.”

  “Yeah,” said Olivia. “Obviously, they had a lot of money. They damned sure weren’t poor. If the pastor knew his church was taken over by cannibals, he’d turn over in his grave.”

  They both laughed, and Heather said, “If he’s even in a grave.”

  The next afternoon, Cougar brought Nina the news that the Gateway mission snipers had not returned. “They were supposed to be back no later than noon. Something’s wrong.”

  “I told you they’d send patrols to look for us. I’m sure they sent one to Gateway and Zion too. They might have gotten them. But I think they’ll focus the majority of their attention on Knoxville. Keep your eyes open, Cougar.”

  Three hours later, Nina was in the church tower watching a two-man patrol in the area of the University of Tennessee. She couldn’t tell for certain, but it looked like they went into Neyland Stadium.

  I’m one step ahead of you. I always will be.

  They watched the patrol for several more hours and they never came close to the church.

  “They hunt at night, Cougar. Double the watch and make sure everyone is silent. No lights.”

  The next morning there was no sign of the patrols and Nina sent one of Cougar’s men on a patrol of her own. “I want you to go to Gateway and see what you can find out. If you have to, capture someone and make them talk. Be back here by dark. We’re moving back to the stadium.”

  “But what if they come back,” asked Olivia.

  Nina said, “They already cleared that area. They won’t check it again. Everyone just has to lay low and be quiet. Pack everyone up.”

  The cat and mouse game continued for the next six weeks. The Light assaulted Gateway and Zion on a random schedule using pipe bombs and sniper attacks. They managed to kill thirteen and wound an additional twelve. They took random shots at those traveling between Fort Hope and Fort Terminus, wounding two and killing three horses. During that time they left Fort Hope alone.

  At the start of the seventh week, Nina gathered her staff and said, “It’s time we make Fort Hope’s life more challenging. Cougar, I want you to mount a sniper attack against their gate and tower guards. Not more than two shots from each sniper, and then I want them to disappear.”

  ******

  While Nina addressed her staff, Wade was speaking to the Terminators.

  “Nina’s version of guerilla warfare is unorthodox, but it’s having the desired effect. Everyone is on edge, and all semblance of normality has gone south. We haven’t even sniffed her. They’ve become very good at what they’re doing. I have to give them that. I’m guessing they move to a new location every day. I’v
e been making a serious effort to think like Nina thinks. She’s somewhere close, and I still believe she’s in Knoxville.”

  “But, Boss, we’ve cleared the whole damn city. The only place with sign was Neyland Stadium,” said Bill.

  Wade nodded. “Let’s assume she had eyes on us while we searched Knoxville. And let’s also assume she saw us clear the stadium. In her mind, I think she thinks Neyland Stadium is the safest place to be because she knows we were there once and doesn’t think we’ll go back for a second look. Bill, take one man with you and check it out. Be back by sunrise.”

  Glassing Neyland Stadium, Bill watched two tattooed cannibals enter via the main entrance. “We got the bitch.”

  They made it back to Wade’s position in record time. He clapped Wade on the shoulder and said, “You were right again, Boss. They’re in the stadium.”

  “About time she screwed up. They just shot six of our guards thirty minutes ago. Three of them were KIA; the other three are in critical condition. Let’s go get her ass. Everyone gear up. Stuart, I need twenty of your men. We leave in fifteen.”

  *****

  Maybe it was luck, maybe it was instinct, but Nina decided, because of the attack they would soon launch against Fort Hope, that it was time to move again. Her people were told to be packed and ready to go on her command. Fifteen minutes before the attack commenced, they relocated and watched the sun rise from the upper levels of the church.

  Nina left one of Cougar’s scouts high up in Neyland Stadium to watch for patrols. If he saw anything, his instructions were to high tail it back to the church with the details, but under no circumstances be seen or followed.

  Two hours after they left Fort Hope, the thirty-two-man assault force approached Neyland Stadium. Nina’s lookout saw them coming three miles out and left for the church.

  One of their scouts must have found us last night, she thought. “There’s no way they’re coming here with thirty men to re-check the stadium. This is an assault force. Horst, are the charges planted?”