by Sawyer, JT
“So, this is the alpha you told me about before,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “The one that had the vials of synthetic hormones on it?”
“That’s right,” Runa said. “I thought it might be of use in your studies so we’ve kept it heavily sedated.”
She tapped her finger lightly on the glass as she whispered, “Always good to have test subjects—especially an alpha. And this one seemed to be a cut above the rest in intelligence from what you previously described, so maybe there will be a use for it yet.”
Chapter 27
Reisner looked out at a low rise of dunes to the east, about thirty miles out from the Arizona/California border, soaking in the vast expanses after being confined to Phoenix. He turned towards Ivins as he continued to scan the terrain. “I was just thinking about all of the underground resistance groups and rebel fighters that sprang up in Europe during World War II. They held their own for years during the war, striking the larger Nazi elements throughout the countryside while living on the run. Those guerrilla fighters were instrumental to the war.” He rubbed his chin. “We may have to get back to those kinds of tactics if our large-scale efforts aren’t effective.”
“That’s water that I’ve trod in for most of my career—and I know you have too,” said Ivins. “That approach is what we’ve been lacking in this battle so far, but I’ve been all for using conventional tactics because we are spread so thin right now. Plus, unconventional warfare only works if its operators can perform at high levels of efficiency, and those extended missions we used to do in Africa, the Middle East, and elsewhere were physically brutal—and we knew we’d be returning stateside for some R&R when it was over.” He shook his head. “Just not sure we could sustain that operational tempo now, seeing as how taxed our forces already are.”
Reisner looked over at him. “We may not have a choice. The alphas are going to strike at any of our obvious strongholds now—not a comforting thought on any level, but especially with my sister being back at MacDill now. Makes me realize what a bullseye that base suddenly has on it. If we had small units on the ground with mobile command platforms that operated independently of one another and focused on specific regions of the country to prevent the alphas from getting a fix on our strategies, we could take back pockets of this nation one state at a time.”
“I’d rather take massive air-strikes coupled with the use of the bioagent. What you’re proposing can work, but that’s going to be a long, drawn-out war.”
Reisner looked away, whispering, “Aren’t they all, my friend? Aren’t they all?”
Ivins could see the blue-green ribbon that was the Colorado River ahead. It meandered through a wide passage of sandstone and low dunes, finally coming into full view as the helicopter crested the last mountain ridge along the western border of Arizona. He descended several hundred feet then made a slow arc to the north, hugging the coastline as he scoured the region for any signs of habitation in the small towns dotting the shore. His normally disciplined mind oscillated between possible scenarios where he saw his wife and daughter safe in some desert retreat and then unarmed and on foot, running from hordes of creatures as they slowly lost ground. He snapped his head up, driving away the latter thought. They have to be alive still. Just hold on—I’ll find you.
“I see smoke over there to the west, at nine o’clock,” said Connelly.
Ivins swiveled his head, staring for a second at the black rivulet, then he abruptly changed direction for the western shoreline. As they neared, he could see the burnt-out shell of a still-smoldering bus along with dozens of mangled bodies peppering the two-lane highway. He circled around, searching for survivors and for any signs of drones, but the desolate stretch of desert appeared devoid of movement. He set the bird down on the blacktop, a hundred yards from the bus, then turned off the engines. Grabbing his MK12 rifle, he hopped out and moved at a brisk pace towards the vehicle without waiting for the others to disembark.
The scene reminded him of burnt-out villages in Afghanistan, and he had to remind himself he was on U.S. soil as he stared out at the destroyed gas station and charred bus. A few minutes later, Reisner moved up alongside as they both scanned the highway.
“Looks like whoever was in that van by the fuel pumps was ambushed by a small group of drones,” said Reisner. He pointed to the overturned bus, whose front end was still choking out a column of black smoke. “Porter said he found shell casings beyond the bus near those dunes, along with tracks from three other survivors.”
Ivins didn’t respond, his eyes scouring the nearby landscape for answers he knew he might not find. He saw something glinting in the sun near the rear bumper of the bus and walked over. Amidst the shards of glass were the remnants of a plastic doll head. The facial features had partly melted away but the marble-sized blue eyes were still intact. He picked it up, blowing ash off the cheeks then gazing into the face. He cradled the head, pulling it in close to his chest.
“This has to be hers—Cassie’s. Her grandmother bought her a doll exactly like this last September for her birthday.”
Reisner moved closer, inspecting the doll head, then glancing up at Ivins, the professional distance between them dissolving as he saw the man’s anguish. “This could have belonged to someone else, Tom. There were probably a lot of refugees fleeing L.A. after the pandemic. Are you sure she had one exactly like that?”
Ivins’ cheek twitched and he seemed lost in thought. “It’s hers—it has to be. What are the chances that I find a message at our winter cabin saying she and my wife are heading towards Arizona and then we come across this?”
Reisner felt like the information was just too sketchy to lead him to believe that this was a trace of their passage through this region, but he didn’t see any need to beat down Ivins’ hopes. “Maybe you’re right.” He motioned over his shoulder to where Porter was busy studying the tracks heading east. “If that’s the case then we should see where that trail leads us.” He looked back at the helicopter then up at the sky. “We’ve got enough fuel for one more pass before we have to be back at Creech and make our way to MacDill.”
“I know how much fuel we have left and what that bird is capable of,” he said, gently tucking the doll head into his vest. He brushed past Reisner, making his way towards Porter. Ivins circled around the array of footprints in the soft sand. He squatted over a set of small tracks, studying the tread pattern of the tennis shoes.
Reisner moved up, watching from a few feet away, aware of the conclusions that Ivins was probably drawing. He heard Connelly coming up beside him. “Nothing up the road to the west,” she said. “These guys were definitely making a run for the river after fleeing this area.”
“He’s trying to siphon through a lot of coincidences in my opinion,” said Reisner. “I’m concerned that if he takes things too far in his state of mind he’s going to tell us to fly off without him. I don’t want him doing that.” He waved his hand out to the barren landscape beyond the helicopter. “There’s nothing out here for him but death—if we could have actually come across a group of survivors or this Raven’s Keep place then there might be a shot at locating them, but this isn’t enough to go on.”
“That’s not your decision to make,” said Connelly in a firm tone that surprised Reisner. “What if this were reversed and you just came across what you thought were signs that maybe Jody had passed through here a few days ago?”
Reisner gave Connelly a hard stare, aware that she was stepping beyond her authority in their professional relationship. The thought of Jody being out here alone jarred him to the core, and he knew he would risk anything to find her, no matter how faint the trail. He nodded slowly, rolling his tongue around the inside of his cheek. “Fair enough.”
Reisner pulled back from scrutinizing Connelly and walked down to where Ivins was following the tracks towards the river. “Find anything else?” he said.
Ivins stopped at a lengthy section of slickrock where the prints disappeared. “There were th
ree of them alright—two adults and a child.” Ivins took off his hat, scratching his head as he scanned the shoreline in the distance. He let out a labored exhale, licking his parched lips. “I could spend the next week traversing this region and not catch up to them—hell, maybe they took off in another vehicle or got on the river.” Ivins looked back at the rest of Reisner’s team milling around the bus, then up at him. “Along with putting my command at risk, I’ve asked you all to stick your necks out for me in the hopes of finding something and then shoved you aside when you tried to offer advice.” Ivins walked up the sandy slope, patting Reisner on the shoulder as he moved past. “Hell, your team and mine are my family too.” He pressed his hand against his left vest pocket then continued up the slope back towards the road.
“If something turns up again on this Raven’s Keep or any sign of your wife and daughter, I’ll be the first one to jump ship with you to find them, my friend.”
Ivins narrowed his eyes as a sign of acknowledgment. “Let’s do one more sweep in the helo to the south and then we’ll head back to Creech.”
Reisner could tell how much it pained him to make that decision and could hear the man’s voice crackle as he spoke. Reisner let him walk back to the helicopter alone, stopping to pick up a spent piece of 9mm brass. He twirled it around between his fingers, wondering about the nature of the battle that unfolded here and what came of the makers of the footprints in the sand.
Chapter 28
After they had cleared the cursory medical exam in the infirmary, Kelly, Cassie, and Erica, along with a handful of other civilians who had arrived that morning, walked through the main building with Jared as their guide.
He pointed to the rows of tables and chairs arranged around the oblong room, whose floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the hydroelectric towers and the full span of the dam. “This used to be the visitor center, as you can see from the displays and photographs on the wall, but now it’s our dining hall.”
Kelly was surprised at the neat settings on the tables, which were adorned with peach-colored tablecloths. In the right corner were a handful of children Cassie’s age, who were busy playing a board game while several adults lounged in beach recliners and read books. One of the women looked up from her copy of Mice and Men and gave a friendly nod towards the group as they walked by, then returned to her reading. In an open room to the right, she saw four adults opening cans of chocolate pudding and pouring the contents into large bowls while one of them whistled a vaguely familiar song. What the hell is going on? Do they even know what’s happened in the world?
“We have regular mealtimes at 0800, 1200, and 1730, and you’ll hear the overhead speakers give an announcement fifteen minutes before. The cooking staff need help with setup and serving, so volunteers are always welcome.” He kept walking, moving towards a set of double doors at the far end of the room.
Kelly felt like she was getting a tour of a summer camp facility, judging by Jared’s nonchalant tone and the relaxed attitudes of the other people milling about the room. Shouldn’t they be on the defensive here? There are thousands of creatures to the north in the city we passed. How can everyone here be so complacent?
Walking out into the sunlight, she saw a large cement viewing platform with railings that stood above the eastern edge of the dam. Moisture filled the desert air, and she almost felt like she was back in the humid environment of their home in San Diego. Positioned around the platform were more tables with shade umbrellas and a rolling tray of assorted beverages next to a Karaoke machine. At one table two older men were playing chess while at another, four women her age were working on a crossword puzzle in between sips of their wine coolers. They barely looked up as the group walked by, except to make brief eye contact with Jared. Kelly blinked hard, squeezing Cassie’s little hand as they continued walking, wondering what kind of dreamscape they had just entered.
“All of our drinking water is purified here, and there is no shortage of food, medical supplies, or clothing, so your days of hardship are over,” said Jared as they continued moving past the outdoor courtyard. “We make regular supply runs into Lake Havasu, so if there is something high on your list, just let us know and we’ll see if we can accommodate it.”
“But that city was filled with creatures,” said Erica. “I saw it on the ride in—tens of thousands of them, roaming around.”
“They don’t bother us—things are different here.” Jared folded his arms, his voice seeming to tire of the canned lecture he had been giving. Kelly noticed he kept rolling his thumb around the side of his index finger, a red rash forming from the pressure he was applying. Again, she wondered why his body language reflected someone who was tense but his voice tried to come across as comforting. Clearly he’s at odds with something—or with himself, for that matter.
“How’s it possible that the creatures haven’t attacked this place yet?” said Kelly. “From the few broadcasts I heard and what we’ve personally experienced, those things are ravenous animals that will hunt down any human in sight.” She waved her hand back at the people seated at the tables. “And how can everyone be so…so relaxed here when the world outside these walls was just torn apart?”
“Because this place is a refuge from that ugliness,” said a deep voice behind Kelly. She turned and saw a tall man with a neatly trimmed black beard, his face set in a genial smile. His coconut-white teeth accentuated his deep brown skin. “Welcome to Raven’s Keep. I am Donovan Engel—the caretaker of this facility.” He extended his arm, shaking hands with the new arrivals, his face never losing its exuberant expression. “Let your worries from the outside world wash away. You are safe here and will be without want.” He opened his arms wide then raised them up. “And within these walls we will rebuild a new community that will rise up from the ashes of what once was.”
“Sounds too good to be true,” said Erica. “And when things sound that way, I start to get worried.”
Engel emitted a hearty laugh. “I like your directness, my dear. It’s always good to question your surroundings and those in them.” He moved past the group, nodding over his shoulder for them to follow him towards some steps leading down into the interior of the dam. “If you come with me, I will show you the unique solution we have to the problems plaguing the rest of the world.”
Chapter 29
General Vaccaro and Dorr stood in the tac-ops center, awaiting the latest video footage from their areal drones that were hovering over the growing army of paras to the south. When the large wall monitor illuminated with the updated images, Vaccaro gasped while Dorr leaned forward to clutch the edge of the desk. The marching legions of drones filled the screen, creating a billowing cloud of debris as they moved along the highways and secondary roads towards Tampa.
“Is this accurate? It shows their numbers extending back over two miles,” said Vaccaro to the analyst seated to his right.
“Yes, sir,” the short woman said, typing on her keypad. “Their numbers have nearly doubled since the last transmission.” Her voice lowered as she muttered the figures. “I just confirmed with the SAT imagery, and it appears there are now up to a hundred thousand creatures present, with more joining the group as we speak.”
“We’re not going to be able to hold this base,” said Vaccaro.
Dorr pointed to the satellite image of the tropical storm. “I was informed earlier that there’s a chance we will have a short window of calm in that storm in a few hours and could use that time to disperse the aerosol. If we can do that, we can bring them down and save MacDill.”
“‘A chance’—that’s not much to wager on.”
“Agreed, that’s why I already ordered the evacuation of all non-essential personnel to the armada in the Gulf. Our tactical and intel staff will remain behind to provide support for the battalions in the field to the south and prepare for the aerosol strike if that window presents itself.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
Dorr looked at the image of the faceless horde of dro
nes marching through the streets, their ranks swelling with each block they passed, his face draining of color. “Then we will pull back all of our forces and evacuate to the Gulf, then initiate the self-destruct protocol for this base.”
“Sir, I just received word from two of our other base commanders,” said the dark-haired woman at the desk next to him. “One is from Fort Polk in Alabama and the other from Mountain Home in Idaho—both have reported massive numbers of drones marching towards their locations in a similar attack configuration to what we’re seeing here.”
Dorr and Vaccaro both gave each other knowing glances gleaned from a lifetime of combat. “This is exactly what we predicted could happen after we launched the strikes on the nuke plants—an orchestrated attack on our bases,” said Vaccaro.
Dorr pounded his fist on the desk. “They’re trying to take out our air capabilities so we can’t deliver the aerosol.” He leaned over, grabbing the mic from the intel officer and addressing the two base commanders in Alabama and Idaho. “This is General Dorr—use all of your remaining air assets and bomb the hell out of those sons-a-bitches while you can, then fall back to your secondary sites and await further orders.”
After he had heard the pensive replies of the two commanders, he lowered the headset onto the desk and forced himself to stand upright with his shoulders pulled back before the rest of his staff. Whatever happens in the next two hours will determine if this country falls and our forces are fractured for good. He wished more than ever that he was on the frontlines with his troops. Instead, he was relegated to watching the battles unfold on the screens around him, and he knew his focus now was keeping up the morale of the people around him—and preventing his own soul from being swallowed by the scale of carnage and loss that was about to unfold.