by Kempf, Shaun
Ben scooped up the little boy and began to run. Without missing a beat, Michael grabbed the older boy on the mother’s other side and urged the woman to run. Infected were approaching from each side, but even as they reached out to grab them they were destroyed by the fire from the sailors. They dove onto the boat which quickly launched and headed out into the open waters.
Michael put the child down who ran to his mother’s outstretched arms. She was clutching both boys as tears streamed down her face. After kissing both boys on the forehead she stood and pulled Ben into a tight embrace. Ben didn’t say anything. He just stared off into the wide open space and wrapped one arm around the woman.
It was in that moment, as Michael watched the two embrace that he had Ben all wrong. All this time he had thought that Ben was trying to put himself in danger so that he would die. Michael had believed that Ben had thought that his loss in the outbreak was so great he couldn’t go on living, but was unwilling to take his own life. Yet, from what Michael had just witnessed, the savagery that Ben had displayed while protecting that family, perhaps he was just trying hopelessly to get his revenge. A revenge that he would never truly be able to achieve.
This new theory made much more sense to Michael. It explained by Ben had never before berated him each time he saved his life. Previously, he had thought that Ben was deliberately ignoring Michael’s efforts in hopes to deter him from continuing the effort and had at some point just given up the idea that Michael would stop. Now Michael believed that Ben had never said anything because it was too painful to even say thank you for allowing him to continue his fruitless, but somehow necessary, crusade.
Michael set his jaw. He was now determined, more than even before, to keep Ben alive until the man felt that his crusade to get revenge had been satisfied. He too would join the crusade.
TWENTY TWO
The boat ride over to the naval ship, although wrought with ups and downs as the smaller troop transport bounced over the waves of the water, was a nice reprieve from the ordeal everyone had just endured. Ben watched the large naval ship get closer and closer. He had once taken a cruise, it seemed like that had been ages ago, but hadn’t enjoyed the experience. Yet, he looked forward to stepping aboard. He couldn’t wait to get a hot meal and some decent sleep.
Ben laughed and shook his head. The thought that he had gotten soft running through his head, which was followed by the idea that he would never have previously thought such a thing about himself. That had always been the other guy. Before the outbreak, the most challenging thing he had had to deal with was when they were renovating the only full bathroom in the house and was without a working shower for just over a week. Then the breakout happened and prior to joining the army, he had spent months living the rough life of not knowing when his next meal would occur and if he’d get the chance to bathe, in any fashion, in the near future.
He closed his eyes and let the boat rock him as a mother would her tiny baby and he frowned slightly. He quickly opened his eyes. Another mission and another day.
They have helped aboard the larger naval vessel by the sailors already aboard. Ben, Annie and Standing Bear were standing nearby watching as those survivors who were in their boat made it safely aboard the naval ship. Their conversation was about nothing important, and often laden with humor to ease the tension of having survived another mission in hostile territory.
“This looks familiar,” Michael said nodding his head to a group of men approaching.
Ben looked over. The man leading the group of sailors was clearly an officer. Based on the man’s age and uniform, he guessed he was high ranking. Maybe even the Captain of the ship. He had with him, five armed sailors.
“Lieutenant Hassinger?” the lead man asked when he had made it to the small group. Ben only nodded. “I’m Captain Gregory. I’d like to welcome you and your team aboard my ship.” The Captain offered his hand which Ben shook. “What your group did was just amazing. I probably wouldn’t have believed it myself if I hadn’t been the Captain to pick you up, you’re like heroes.”
Ben didn’t know how to respond. The Captain’s words were of praise, but the look on the man’s face was of pain.
“Which makes this all the more difficult,” the Captain continued.
“Makes what more difficult?” Ben asked, but he already knew the answer.
“I’m here to put you under arrest for acts of mutiny. This will be a lot easier if you just hand over your weapons and come with us.”
Ben, who had been expecting this, perhaps not so soon, didn’t hesitate to remove his weapons and surrender them. What was left of his team followed his lead and handed their weapons over as well. The Captain led the way as the other sailors surrounded Ben and his team as they lead them to the brig. Each team member was placed inside of their own cell with a simple cot, toilet, and sink. It perhaps wasn’t the accommodations that Ben was expecting, but it was better than having to sleep on the ground.
That night, as the team ate the warm meals that had been provided them, they went through their traditional memorial for those who had fallen during the mission. Never before had they lost so many on one mission. They had learned of Statics fate only after Ben had inquired about him, concerned that he wasn’t in a nearby cell. They had thought, hopefully, that he had been flown directly back to the forward operating base in New York, but were saddened to hear he had not made it. A fact that was only made worse knowing that he was so close to getting out, but they took comfort in knowing he hadn’t been infected.
So, they sat in their cells eating and sharing memories of each person. Some memories were touching, but most caused the trio to laugh, as had always been their tradition. It allowed them to remember the best of the individual that they had lost and to laugh in a time of sadness. On this night, their favorite story was of Static and Gatlin bear hugging as they slid down a large chute in order to save their hides.
Their memories and laughter were cut short when Captain Perret appeared in front of their cells. He stood there watching them with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face.
“Well, you three seem to be enjoying yourself in your cages,” Captain Perret said. “Which is good because you’ll be spending a lot of time in cages in the near future.”
“You are so lucky there are bars between me and you,” hissed Annie.
“Or what?” Captain Perret said almost with glee.
“Annie,” Ben said hoping to convey his real message for her to keep her cool or else he might get more charges against him.
“No, I’m cool. Just had to get that out there,” Annie said, but it was apparent she was still steaming.
Ben set his tray to the side and approached the bars. “What do you want Captain?”
“Just wanted to come down here to make sure that you knew what it was like to sit behind bars and to make sure that you knew that you’d be doing so for a long time.”
“So you just came down here to gloat, then?” Ben turned from bars and sat back down. “But tell me, Captain, what was your plan to get back to safety? It seems that if I hadn’t acted, you wouldn’t be able to stand there and gloat.”
“Listen here ass wipe, if you’re team had been a little quicker that we would have gotten out of there. I should have demanded a more professional team,” Captain Perret spat.
“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” responded Ben.
The Captain turned on his heels and marched away without another word.
“Prick,” shouted Annie once the Captain was out of earshot.
“Feel better?” asked Ben.
“I’d feel better if I could’ve popped him in the mouth,” Annie responded.
“He’s a bit full of himself, isn’t he,” Michael said as a statement. “You really pissed him off.”
“Not too much worse that he can do to us now,” Ben said with a heavy sigh.
The group didn’t say much of anything for the rest of the night. Each lost in their own thoughts of the previous ev
ents and the fate that awaited them when they got back to a safe zone.
Still, they found it nice to spend the week they were aboard the ship in the safety and quiet of the cells with just each other to keep company. The cots weren’t great, but the team was still able to relax. They didn’t have to worry about getting to the mess and finding a seat. Overall, besides being confined to the cells, the trip back was great.
After having arrived in a safe port, the trio waited to be escorted off the ship. Ben figured they were waiting for the survivors to be unloaded before they would be let off, maybe even some of the crew. Eventually though, four soldiers with MP bands on their arms came, secure each in handcuffs and then lead them off the boat.
As they walked along the pier back to solid land Ben looked around and up at the open blue sky what had some white wispy clouds floating through it. After having been stuck down in the sewers and then in the ship's brig, he realized how much he had missed the wide open. It both electrified him and frighten him, as he brought his gaze back down to land looking for Infected. He took a deep breath and reminded himself, for the moment, he was safe and didn’t have to worry about the Infected.
Then the handcuffs on his hands reminded him that he had other things to worry about. Or did it? If they got locked up for mutiny, it might not be that bad of a thing. A safe place to sleep every night and three warm meals. There wasn’t anything too bad about that. Except Ben didn’t know if he could stand being locked in a cage for days on end as the world around him burned.
He refocused on the moment. It was all he could do. There wasn’t any reason to worry about the future. Ben had learned that worrying about the future did him no good and dwelling in the past only made matters worse. It was best to live in the moment, it helped him to react quickly when necessary and sometimes notice things others had miss. Like now, as he looked around and noticed something he had missed when they had first gotten off the boat.
“You guys notice anything?” Ben asked Annie and Michael.
“Where is everyone?” responded Annie.
There were a few soldiers and sailors walking around on the dock. That was it. Ben couldn’t even see where the survivors had been taken. He hadn’t expected a fan fair welcome home, but he had expected some of the commanding officers to be present to welcome home the team that had, not only survived New York, but had also brought home survivors. Maybe even a reporter or two, but this dock was nearly a ghost town.
“Something big is going down?” Michael offered as a guess.
“Could be,” is all Ben could say.
They rode in two jeeps into the heart of the base where they were taken to the building where they housed the prisoners. This time, Ben and Michael were placed in the same cell and Annie was taken to another cell further down to provide her with some privacy. They were currently the only ones, besides the guards, in the building.
About an hour after having been placed in their cells, the main door to the cell block opened and Colonel Tonn stepped in. He quickly approached the men’s cell as the MP closed the door behind him.
“Ben. I can’t believe that you’re alive,” the Colonel said excitedly. “Michael, so good to see you. Where’s Melissa?”
“They took her to another area,” Ben responded. “It’s good to see you, Colonel.”
“You as well my friend,” The Colonel said as they clasped hands through the bars. “Is it true?” The Colonel asked his smile fading from his face.
Ben didn’t need the Colonel to clarify what he was asking about. The pit in his stomach dropped out and fell away. He tried to speak, he wanted to tell him what had happened, but he had no breath for words. He turned away before the hot tears of shame could be seen by the Colonel.
“The Captain was just going to leave them all down there, Colonel,” Michael responded for Ben.
“The rest of your team?” asked Colonel Tonn.
“No, when the zombies arrived down in the sewer he wanted to bug out and leave all those survivors behind.”
“What survivors?”
Ben turned. He blinked away the tears that huddled in his eyes. The ones that had threaten to fall. He furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the Colonel.
“What do you mean ‘what survivors’? The two hundred people that we brought with us out of New York,” Ben finally said.
“I wasn’t told there were any civilian survivors,” Colonel Tonn said cocking his head to the side. “You found two hundred survivors?”
“Living in the sewer tunnels under the city,” Michael said.
Ben quickly approached the bars and got close to the Colonel. He lowered his voice to a whisper as he spoke, “Something’s up, Colonel. Captain Perret is not who he says he is. He’s got to be from so other government agency.”
“Because I haven’t heard about the survivors you rescued?” Colonel Tonn laughed. “Really, Ben, I think you’ve gotten paranoid. I probably missed the announcement in my rush to get down here to see you.”
“Colonel, that was no rescue mission. Everyone was dead before we even got there,” Michael said.
“The Captain was long to retrieve some top secret folder that, whoever was on that plane, was carrying,” Ben added.
“Gentlemen, settle down. We wouldn’t send in a team to just retrieve a top secret folder. I’m sure that once the Captain saw that everyone was lost he did the next best thing and retrieve this folder you mentioned. You’ve got to let it go. I understand that you’re afraid of what will happen to you now, but don’t worry. I know a great lawyer who has agreed to help you out.”
“Thank you, but . . .”
“Ben,” the Colonel cut him off. “Everything will be fine.”
Ben could only roll his eyes, something he hadn’t done since he had been a junior in high school, as he turned away from the Colonel.
“Even if Captain Perret isn’t who is says he is, what does it matter? You survived New York. You get to live to see another day.”
“What about Twitch, Gatlin, and Static?” Ben said softly without turning to look back at the Colonel.
“Not all missions are without loss,” The Colonel said with empathy. “You lost good men out there, but they died saving all those people. Sometimes the risk is worth the reward. Come on, Ben, you know all this. You’ve been out there in the thick of it before.”
Ben hated it when the Colonel made valid points. Perhaps he should just put his anger of having his team put at risk and the loss of life for what only appeared to be the retrieval of top secret documents in a downed plane in a city that no one else was crazy enough to enter. Then again, if the American government was willing to risk a team of its own soldiers in New York to get those documents, wouldn’t other nations willing to do the same? Yet, with the world in the state it was in, what foreign government or even local terrorist group had the time or interest to, first know that those documents were out there and secondly have the resources to put into that kind of endeavor? The circle in which Ben’s brain ran made his head hurt.
Ultimately, the Colonel was right. He survived. Yes, he had lost friends, but it hadn’t been the first time and wouldn’t be the last. He needed to focus on the moment, but all he could think about was what the trial was going to be like. He wondered if the ruling committee would see their actions as courageous or true mutiny.
TWENTY THREE
The trail was hastily put together, or so Ben and his team were told. Their lawyer, Sergeant Anderson, who was assigned to them because the one that Colonel Tonn had cited didn’t have time to make it to the East coast, mentioned the lack of preparation that he had more than once. The short time in which their lawyer was given to prepare made it difficult for Ben to determine the man’s worth. He couldn’t tell if the man had determined that because there was so little time that there wasn’t much worth in putting forth a great effort or if he just didn’t care what happened to Ben, Annie, and Michael.
Ben’s trust in the Sergeant was that much more difficult con
sidering he looked like he was barely twenty years old. Michael apparently had the same thoughts when he boldly asked him if this was his first case. Sergeant Anderson shot him a dirty look and told him that it wasn’t his first case, but failed to elaborate on exactly how many cases he had previously argued.
When they were discussing the witnesses that the Sergeant was planning on calling and Ben was surprised to see that there were not any survivors on the list. He immediately questioned why they had been left off the very short list.
“No one actually saw the events that transpired prior to the Captain being brought to,” he paused and search through is papers, “Julie Brooks for imprisonment, and since it was members of your team that followed through on your orders only implicates their involvement all the much more. It would be best if we didn’t bring them to the stand.”
“What? But they could testify as to the conditions that they, as survivors, as American citizens were facing, which would provide a basis for our actions.” Ben argued back hoping the mention of the country in which they found themselves in, that they were all still a part of, would help his cause.
It did not. Sergeant Anderson refused on all accounts to bring a survivor to the bench. It didn’t matter what any of them said, the Sergeant always had an argument for why they shouldn’t be put in the witness chair. Ben had to give the Sergeant credit, he did argue a good game, even if it was the wrong one.
The trial started two weeks after their arrival back to the safe zone. The courtroom was surprisingly empty, but then again Ben wasn’t exactly aware how these things worked. Still, he thought, based on where they had been and what they had done that there would be a report or two in the court room. He wondered at one point if the reporters had been banned from the courtroom, but they weren’t even waiting outside at any point. On the plus side, Colonel Tonn sat behind them and watched the proceedings.