Heavy leapt straight at the creature as he hoped to get inside the creature's reach. Dropping his AA-12, he rolled over and drew his blades. As they cleared the sheaths, he could see that they were again glowing their reassuring green. He crouched in front of the large creature and swung his blades. Hoping that the legs of this creature shared some of the same weak points that plagued human legs, he tried to swipe at the leg. The machine gunner's backhanded slash caught one of the giant creature's heels and bit deep, causing the creature to crash down on one knee as that leg gave out. Heavy rolled to the left and out of the way as he tried to stay out of range of those massive arms and giant fists.
Thoktaller had never felt such pain. His left leg refused to work, and he was angry that the insignificant humans had so far bested him. His rage was building inside him and threatened to tear itself out. But even with his rising rage, he realized that he could not take them all on in this condition.
"Matokar!" the creature roared.
The large stack of wooden crates directly behind Doc and Boomer exploded toward the team as another creature swung through the obstacles. Pieces of broken crates flew around the room. One of them struck Six in the head and shoulder and stunned him.
This new foe was of the same type and look as the first creature, but it was slightly larger and more muscular.
"My brother!" the creature roared back.
Matokar whirled his large warhammer above his head as he looked for his first target.
Doc scrambled to get out of the creature's way by backing toward the outer wall of the silo on her hands and knees. Here she was out of her element and out of the fight—her training never covered extra-dimensional beings.
Although Doc was fast, the movement caught Matokar's eye. Matokar looked at the small human nearly at his feet. Recognizing easy prey, he stepped toward her and prepared to strike. The giant creature grinned, its lips split showing rotting teeth and large yellowed tusks.
Doc began to pray.
Boomer had pivoted when the second creature burst through the stack of crates. Boomer quickly realized that this creature was targeting the priest, and the explosives expert dropped the drum from her shotgun and slammed a shorter magazine back into the receiver. She cycled the bolt, brought the automatic shotgun to her shoulder, and pulled the trigger. Twice.
The creature was about twelve feet away when Boomer's shotgun roared two short bursts of fire and the bolt locked back on an empty magazine. The first burst hit the creature in its right shoulder, and the miniature FRAG-12 grenade rounds detonated. Designed to explode and penetrate up to a half-inch steel plate, the miniature grenades detonated and tore apart the creature's shoulder; the damage severed the arm at the joint. The giant monster was only beginning to realize that it was in pain when the second burst hit the center of its chest. All four rounds impacted in a dinner-plate-sized area.
Matokar stood still for a second. As he looked down, it occurred to him that there was a hole where his chest and lungs were supposed to be. Even the natural bone plating that protected the heart of every member of his race was cracked. He fell to his knees, and then gave in to the embrace of death.
After seeing his brother killed so violently, Thoktaller roared in rage and grief. He ignored the human at his side and scrambled forward as he reached for the one who had just slaughtered his kin. He was brought up short when a human stood in front of him and drew a sword that glowed white in the dim light.
Angry that this insignificant human would dare challenge a warrior such as him, he struck at the human. The man dodged the creature's feeble attack and countered with an attack of his own. The tip of his sword pierced the creature's chest, and Thoktaller felt it lodge into the bone structure that grew around his heart. His rage blocked his pain, and he swung again at this swordsman. The man barely dodged his attack, and the swordsman countered with a thrust that struck bone. Each thrust injured the creature, drawing blood, and Thoktaller could feel his life-force ebbing away.
Ghost yanked his sword from the chest of the creature. He settled into his dueling stance as he prepared to dodge another attack from the massive creature. He was still perplexed that he seemed to be hitting some sort of boney substance inside the creature's chest. The creature feebly swung at him again. Ghost drove his blade into the creature's chest. This time, the creature seemed to give a final heave and collapsed, nearly trapping the hunter's ancestral blade underneath its great bulk. On the back of the now-dead monster clung Heavy. Both of his blessed blades were buried to the hilt in creature's back.
"I thought I'd give you a hand. I wasn't sure this damn thing was ever going to die," Heavy said as he wearily smiled.
Ghost smiled and agreed, "I wonder what it is."
Six stood up and shook his head as he felt a gash on his forehead. "Everyone ok? Make sure there's nothing else hiding down here," the leader said.
The team slowly rose from the wreckage around them. Each team member brushed at the debris on their clothing, and then scoured the level. They made sure that they were truly alone in the bottom of the silo. When they found no other creatures, the team leader gathered everyone together.
"Ok, Doc, Ghost. Either of you know anything about these creatures? Why didn't your robes light up, Doc?" questioned Six.
Doc shook her head. "They must not be vampires. My vestments only warn of hostile undead nearby, and these creature were clearly living," she explained. "What did it say it was? Chikata? Chikara?"
Ghost clarified that the beast called itself a Chikara. "I have never heard of that type of monster," he added. "I wonder if Section 28 has any records."
"We'll have to ask later," said Six. "Everybody make sure they have everything with them. Make sure you didn't drop anything. If you did, ask for help to find it."
Six activated his mic as he attempted to contact Spooky. "Spooky, Six. What's your progress there?"
"I'm about wrapped up here, boss. Maybe ten more minutes," Spooky replied. "You should see some of the stuff this dude had. I think I know where he released this virus. And you are not going to like it."
"Alright. We'll discuss it when we get up there. You have your ten minutes," Six said as he answered his electronics specialist. "Prep everything that we need to take with us. Anything left behind is going to be buried."
The team leader looked at his team to make sure they were ok. Doc had found and retrieved her cross, and everyone else was verifying that they still had all the gear they came in with.
"Ten minutes 'till we move out," said Six. "Doc, take some tissue samples of these critters, in case Agent Smith wants them. Ghost, take all the photos you can on your SSP. Take a video walk around as well. That should get us enough visual evidence. Heavy, I want to take one of the heads with us. You've got the blades; find a bag or box for transport. Boomer, bring this silo down, and don't let it be recoverable. I want to fill in this silo, the tunnel, and the command levels. Make your plans and start rigging. Set everything on a timer for, say, one hour."
Everyone acknowledged their assignments and got to work. Six walked around to see what exactly was in those crates that had been scattered about the silo. Most of them had contained basic necessities such as food, water, and clothing. A few of the crates had held what appeared to be items or knickknacks, whose manufacturer and style the agent had never seen before. Following a hunch, he grabbed several of the items to take them back to Section 28 for analysis.
Ten minutes later, everyone else had finished their duties, and they were waiting on Boomer to finish placing her last explosives. She walked toward the group and stared in shock at Heavy. The big machine gunner stood in the middle of the lift with a box under his arm and one of the large warhammers over his shoulder.
After Heavy had severed the head of one of the creatures, he had examined one of the dropped warhammers. Although he had expected to find it to be incredibly heavy, the massive hammer only weighed about eighty pounds. Because it was made of a metal that he had never seen befo
re, he figured that Agent Smith would probably like to have one of these as well. When he carted it over to the elevator, Six had glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. The big man laughed and said, "Souvenir." The team leader could only shake his head trying to stifle a laugh at the big man's choice.
When all of his team was ready, Six pressed the button marked "Level Two" on the control panel, and the elevator slowly ground its way upwards toward the second level. Once the team had arrived at the second level, they all walked into the tunnel, pausing long enough to allow Boomer time to place another series of charges at the end of the tunnel nearest the silo.
The team walked toward the other end of the tunnel, and Six radioed ahead.
"We're coming up the tunnel now. Stand down," Six ordered.
"Copy," God replied. "We're all clear here. Come on in."
The silo team walked out of the tunnel and into the command level. The sniper and the former deputy both stared at their disheveled teammates, from their minor wounds to the torn jumpsuits all around. When Do-Right saw the warhammer Heavy was carrying, he could only stare with a gaped mouth.
Six waived off any questions. "I'll fill everyone in on the way," Six said. "Are we set here?"
Spooky appeared around the corner and placed a small box on top of a small pile of similar boxes. He said, "I've got everything I need boss. We're ready to blow this sucker sky high." The electronics specialist caught sight of the giant warhammer. "What the heck is that thing, Heavy?"
The big man made a show of looking at the warhammer, then looked at Spooky and gave the same answer he had given his boss, "Souvenir."
Spooky thought for a moment and replied, "Remind me to never really piss you off."
Six scleared his throat to get his team's attention and started to direct them.
"Alright, let's start hauling all of this gear out. If you have a free hand, grab a bunch of stuff. If we have to make multiple trips, we stage everything in the entry corridor and then take everything out to the truck. God, you and Boomer have overwatch. Don't carry anything. Boomer's going to be laying charges behind us."
Boomer set several small explosives in the doorway and in the lab area of that command level. As the team carried all of the equipment and boxes past the first level, she stopped briefly to plant even more charges. With enough hands and help, the team did not have to make more than one trip, and Boomer placed charges at specific intervals throughout the tunnel behind them. When the team had left the tunnels and had moved to the waiting War Wagon, Boomer had Heavy prop the blown entry door back up and wedge it into the opening.
While they were able to store everything else inside the storage compartments of the truck, Heavy's giant souvenir wouldn't quite fit. He reluctantly consented to wrapping the massive warhammer in a tarp and strapping it securely to the top of the MRAP. After sternly warning Boomer about the consequences of losing or damaging his prize, he finally was able to secure it to his satisfaction.
As they waited for Boomer's explosions to seal the site, Spooky uploaded a report to Agent Smith about the excursion and included a query about the strange monsters encountered. While the report was being transmitted, the electronics specialist gave his team leader some troubling news.
"I think I figured out where the creepy Doctor Kaine unleashed and tested his virus," Spooky said as he began pulling up maps and charts on his terminal. "According to his notes, what he said about the virus spread appears true... only one in five typically contract the virus, and it takes a couple of days to incubate. He increased those odds dramatically, to fifty-fifty, when he used a series of direct injections. And according to this notation, the 'stability and manifest powers drop according to each generation of the host.' I think that means that every time a new vampire is created from a new breed, the powers that show up are a bit weaker than the generation before."
Doc leaned over Spooky's shoulders and read some of the technical areas of the document. "Spooky's correct. Each generation gets less powerful," Doc explained.
Spooky nodded his thanks and continued. "So where would you test this out? He needed someplace close, yet out of the way, and somewhere his subjects wouldn't be missed for weeks. I think he chose a youth summer camp."
Boomer swore, and Doc looked at Spooky in horror.
The electronics specialist continued, his voice flat and somber. "Every one of the new breed of vampires that you fought and killed was a young kid. I also confirmed that with the records. Two of the new breed that I saw both were wearing camp attire from this 'Blue Mountain Ranch.' It's a youth camp about sixteen miles from here. On his hard drive, I found a couple of letters to the camp, as well as an application for a youth to attend. That's the only proof I have at this point, but my gut says I'm right."
At that moment, the timer on Boomer's SSP went off. Boomer shook herself. "Thirty seconds until detonation."
While everyone found a porthole to look out, God reached up and shut the top hatch as a precaution. Seeing the move, Boomer reached over and toggled the switch to close the back ramp and sealed the vehicle.
As the rear hatch closed, a distinct rumble shook the MRAP on its massive springs. About a hundred yards away, the tunnel entrance collapsed with a shower of dust and debris.
Boomer looked at her team leader and said, "Alright. So what's next?"
28
HUNTING
BLUE MOUNTAIN RANCH, FLORISSANT, COLORADO
It was late afternoon as the jet black MRAP marked with "Department of Homeland Security" rolled through the front gates of Blue Mountain Ranch. Thirty minutes earlier, the agent in charge of the team had contacted his boss in Langley. After a brief discussion, Six had received the approval to hit the youth camp hard, and with as much firepower as they needed.
With real-time satellite imagery to guide them, the team was able to form a rudimentary plan to assault the compact youth camp. Realizing that the age of the campers ranged from seven to sixteen, Six knew that they had to take extra care in planning this raid. Agent Smith told the team leader that they could not actually shoot unless they had positive proof that the camp was infected. They had to get a reaction from the campers and staffers and prove, to their satisfaction, that the camp was overrun.
In the end, the simplest plan was to roll up in the War Wagon with the story of an escaped convict on the loose. After Boomer pulled the truck to the front of the office building, they would all deploy quickly, having already geared up, and Doc would only climb out when they were relatively certain of infection. God would be up in the turret as soon as they established the presence of vampires.
Boomer pulled to a halt in front of the main office building and turned off the engine. As the big diesel cooled down, she flipped the switch for the back hatch. Six jumped out of his side door and walked around the front of the truck to meet the camp staff member who was coming out of the office.
The older gentleman introduced himself as the camp director, Frank Gould.
"What are you guys doing here? Is there some kind of problem?" the director asked.
Six gave the established cover story.
"I am Special Agent Burt Holstein, Department of Homeland Security. I hate to say this, but there is an escaped killer on the loose. His GPS tag last put him near this area. You need to enact whatever safety protocols you have in place. Every camper needs to be in his or her cabin, and we'll take one of your people with us on a quick look around the area to make sure he's not hiding out here."
The older gentleman turned and quickly walked into the office area. A moment later, the team heard a feedback squeal from the PA system, and then the director's voice came on.
"Attention campers and staff. This is a safety recall announcement. All campers and staff to their assigned cabins. Again, this is a safety recall announcement. All campers and staff report to your assigned cabins. I will provide more detail shortly."
As the director made his announcement, Six leaned over and activated his own mic.
"
Doc, stay in the War Wagon with Spooky until I tell you to come out. We may be able to catch a break on this one," said Six.
The director walked out of his office and found a team of six DHS agents in a loose group, all facing different directions. The lead DHS agent introduced the rest of his team and asked the director if he had enough staff members not currently assigned to cabins to send one with each of his team members.
The camp director shook his head. "I can maybe rustle up three or four more but not enough."
"That's fine," Six said as he nodded. "The rest can find their way, and they can explain what they are doing to any cabin they meet. Can you get those people over here now?"
Gould reached for the walkie talkie radio on his hip. "Attention, auxiliary staff," he began. "I need you at the main office ASAP for briefing and assistance. Please come quickly."
The camp director looked up and saw three people already walking across the camp toward him. A fourth soon walked out of another outbuilding and jogged toward the growing group.
Six turned toward the truck and keyed his mic. In a low voice, he said, "Spooky, can you monitor their walkie channels? I want to know what they're saying."
He could hear the smile in Spooky's voice. "Way ahead of you, boss," Spooky explained. "I'm monitoring all CB band and digital 900Mz bands. If they say anything, we'll know about it."
Six keyed his radio to answer. "That's why you're the best. Six out," he said.
Frank introduced the agents to his staffers. "This is Cliff Legg; he's the rifle instructor. This is Lynn Powell. Lynn is our camp nurse. Yvette Shand is our arts director. And Dylan Blaney is our chef. Everyone else is either in town or with their assigned campers."
Six nodded and pointed to his team, pairing them off with the staffers. "Jesús, why don't you go with Mr. Legg? Rebekah, you work with Ms. Powell. Christian, why don't you accompany Ms. Shand, and Art, why don't you help Mr. Blaney."
INCURSION: Knightmare (Knight's Bane Trilogy Book 1) Page 26