by Dirk Patton
I squeezed out of the cockpit and found the line where I’d seen it in the troop compartment. Hooking it up, I slid the side door open and leaned out for a look. Thirty feet straight down. Kicking the rope out, I watched it uncoil and hit the tarmac as I pulled on my gloves. Grabbing on, I pinched the line with my feet and slid smoothly to the ground.
Stepping clear, I turned to the UTV, climbed onto its roof and reached up to the long strap that connected the lifting harness to the Stealth Hawk. I wasn’t worried about releasing the aircraft’s jammed hook. We could fix that once Martinez was able to land. My focus was freeing the main harness so she could get the helo on the ground.
It took some effort and some select language, but it slipped free and I radioed Martinez. The big helicopter slipped sideways for fifty yards before gently settling to the tarmac. Jumping down, I began removing the harness in preparation for the vehicle being driven away.
The Stealth Hawk’s engines were still running, making a hell of a racket and I didn’t hear the sound of multiple feet slapping on the tarmac. The first indication I had of a problem was when I was tackled from behind. My head slammed into the UTV’s steel roll cage and I knew nothing more.
51
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Martinez looking down at me. She smiled when I looked at her, but there was something off about it. The first thought that went through my head was that there was something seriously wrong with me, but I actually felt okay. None of the nausea or disorientation that normally accompanies getting knocked cold.
“What’s wrong?”
I sat up and my attention was immediately drawn to the open tarmac behind her, my breath momentarily catching in my throat. Nicole stood a few yards away, hair streaming in the steady wind. Behind her was a group of infected females that were too many to count.
“Yeah,” Martinez said quietly, knowing what I was looking at. “She saved you when they attacked.”
I stared at the infected, slowly reaching up and wiping blood off my brow before it could run into my eye. Nicole turned her head to the females for a moment and I could hear the low tones she sang to them. While I couldn’t understand them, something inside me recognized she was calming them. Telling them not to attack. Coming forward slowly, she extended her hand and helped me to my feet. The strength she displayed was a reminder that I wasn’t the only one who’d benefited from the virus.
“Guess I didn’t need to worry,” she said. “They backed off the instant I called to them.”
Martinez dug a small pouch out of her flight suit and extracted a thick gauze pad.
“Hold,” she said after pressing it onto the cut on my forehead.
“What would they do if you left?” I asked Nicole.
“Not sure you want to find out,” she said.
“No shit,” Martinez mumbled. “Creeping me the fuck out at the moment.”
“You should go,” Nicole said. “I’ll be fine.”
I held her eyes for a long moment before nodding.
“Remember your waypoints,” I reminded her. “And, thank you.”
She nodded, then walked with us to the waiting Stealth Hawk. Every set of infected eyes tracked our movement and I could smell the females’ desire to shred me and Martinez to ribbons. Nicole remained just outside the helo as we boarded and secured the side door.
“Maybe get us the fuck out of here,” I said to Martinez.
“No shit,” she said as she hurried into the cockpit.
The starters whined, then the engines caught and quickly spooled up to a roar. Nicole moved away as the main rotor began swirling debris into the air, then we lifted off the ground and quickly gained altitude. I moved into the cockpit, watching through the windscreen as Nicole climbed into the UTV.
The group of females, which appeared even larger from the air, collapsed in around her and my heart rate shot up, but they weren’t attacking. None of them drew closer than ten yards, leaving the vehicle sitting on a bare circle of pavement.
“That has got to be the freakiest thing I’ve ever seen. And that’s saying something.”
I glanced at Martinez and nodded my head. Sure, I’d seen Nicole control the females at Groom Lake and the Vegas airport, but it’s a little different when you’re the one the infected want to chow down on.
“Let’s get back to Mountain Home,” I said.
She nodded and got us on course, accelerating quickly. While she concentrated on flying, I activated a secure satcom unit and initiated a call to Hawaii. I’d made a promise to Master Chief Gonzales before we’d left and it was time to give him an update.
“She’s okay?” he asked after I gave him a thirty second status dump.
“She’s good,” I said in a reassuring voice. “Saved my ass and they’re following her around like she’s the goddamn Pied Piper.”
He didn’t respond right away, the digital circuit quiet enough for me to hear his breathing before he let out a big sigh.
“Thanks, sir. I really appreciate you calling me.”
“Got a hell of a woman there, Master Chief.”
“That she is, sir. That she is.”
I broke the connection, but the console beeped to alert of an incoming call almost immediately.
“Hi, sir,” Jessica said.
“What’s up, Chief?”
“Just wanted to update you on things in Arizona. That estate in Scottsdale that Barinov went to? He’s apparently decided he’s staying. I’m watching Russian soldiers set up multiple defensive positions, including anti-aircraft and anti-missile batteries. They’re digging in.”
“What about Irina and Igor?”
“The jail complex is huge, but unless there’s a tunnel or something like that, they haven’t been moved.”
“No idea,” I said. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if there isn’t one that connects to the courthouse for moving prisoners back and forth.”
“Had the same thought, so I’ve got the system watching it, too.”
“Any activity in that area of the city?”
“Pretty quiet, actually. Russian military coming and going on a schedule that would line up with shift changes. A couple of senior officers paid a visit about an hour ago and are still inside. That’s it.”
“Those officers. How senior?”
“Hold on a sec, sir. I didn’t bother to look up their insignia.”
I listened to her clicking, ignoring Martinez when she shot me a curious glance.
“One’s definitely an Admiral, and from the uniform I’m almost certain the other one is a General. Would you like me to ask intelligence to take a look and identify them?”
“Yeah, do that,” I said. “Tell them it’s a priority. I need some info when I call back. Want to know what the hell is going on before I go charging in on a rescue mission. Maybe this is part of Irina’s plan all along.”
“Will do, sir. And if intel gives me any flak over your priority request, I’ll ask the Admiral to call them.”
I thanked Jessica and ended the call.
“What’s up?” Martinez asked.
“Senior officers visiting Irina. Maybe a good sign, but I’m not going to hold my breath.”
52
Three hours later we had the Stealth Hawk loaded back into the hypersonic transport. Drago and I were chaining down the tug as we’d decided to take it with us. It wasn’t running the best, but at least it was functional. There was no guarantee we’d find one that was operational when we reached our destination.
“Christ. Put some muscle into it, would ya?”
Vance was watching us struggling with the unfamiliar gear used to keep the equipment in place while the plane was in motion. Neither of us were loadmasters and had only ever seen this done, if we’d even bothered to pay attention.
“Think you can do better, Nutcracker?” I grumbled without looking up.
I’d been fighting a ratcheting turnbuckle that seemed to have a mind of its own.
“Fuck’s sake,�
� he said, stepping forward and pushing me out of the way.
I watched as he undid what had taken me fifteen minutes of sweat inducing labor to accomplish. Once that was done, he had the chain tight as a drum in less than a minute. Giving me a shit eating grin, he took over from Drago, then straightened and dusted his hands off when the second chain was secure.
“Why the fuck didn’t you just do it to begin with?” I asked in exasperation.
“The show was too good to pass up,” Vance said with a chuckle, turning and heading for the front of the plane.
We watched him disappear through the cockpit door, both of us then looking down at the perfectly positioned and taut chains.
“It’s legal to hit an officer if he’s a dick, right sir?” Drago asked in a stage whisper.
I knew he was kidding and appreciated that he was comfortable enough with me to say something in jest that in the wrong company could result in a court martial.
“Don’t fuckin’ tempt me,” I said, grinning.
“Okay, lady and knuckle draggers. Time to get this freak show in the air.”
Vance’s voice came over the cabin speakers a moment before the rear ramp began closing with a whine of hydraulics.
“Just a love tap,” Drago muttered as we headed for our seats. “Can’t get in too much shit over a love tap.”
I clapped him on the shoulder and peeled away to sit next to Martinez. She was at work on another knife, patiently honing the edge to razor sharpness.
“Doesn’t that get old?” I asked as I secured my harness.
“Relaxes me, actually,” she said. “Gives me something to focus on that doesn’t require any thinking. You know, kind of like you when you’re talking?”
It took me a second to realize I’d been insulted but didn’t rise to the occasion. Martinez is one of those people who have a quick, razor sharp wit, and knows how to use it to maximum effectiveness. Now, there’s times I enjoy sparing with her, but I can’t ever remember coming out on top in any of those occasions.
Vance started the engines and we sat motionless for a few minutes as he allowed them to warm up. While we waited, I connected to the plane’s comm system and initiated a call to Jessica.
“How’s Nicole doing, Chief?” I asked when Jessica picked up.
“It’s just incredible, sir. She rolled into Salt Lake City about ten minutes ago. There’s so many infected that the computer can’t even make an estimate of the numbers. But, they’re keeping a small buffer around her. Good thing, too. I’d never be able to pick her out of that many bodies.”
I tried to imagine what it must be like for Nicole to literally be the eye of the storm, but couldn’t. There was nothing I’d ever experienced that could compare to what she was doing at the moment.
“No problems that you’ve seen?”
“None, sir. The females from Brigham City moved with her as she headed into Salt Lake. Almost like an escort. She’s moving slowly, and they’re just stepping aside to let her pass before following her. It’s a trip. Quite the show, too. It’s a full house, here.”
I was quiet for a moment, watching an electronic display of the transport’s cockpit view as Vance taxied us to the end of a runway before turning into the wind. The engines immediately spooled up to a throaty roar, straining against the brakes, then we were streaking down the tarmac.
“What about Viktoriya? Any news?” I asked as we lifted into the night sky.
“No, sir. And I heard from Rachel. She said to tell you Dog and Mavis miss you.”
“What about her?” I asked automatically.
“She said if you have to ask, you’re even more thick headed than she thought. Sir.”
I barked a laugh. Seems I’d managed to surround myself with smart-assed women who were all more intelligent than me. Hell, there’re definitely worse things in life.
“Okay, Chief. Message received. Now what about those senior Russians that visited Irina? Intel dig anything up?”
“Yes, sir. Hold on...” I could hear her clicking away on her keyboard. “Okay. I was right about the Admiral. Admiral Luka Padonsk. He was number two in the Russian Navy and a personal friend of Admiral Shevchenko, Irina’s uncle. The other was Sergei Kutusvoy, General of the Army. He also holds the post of Minister of Defense and is number two only to Barinov himself.”
“Holy shit,” I breathed.
“Sir, hold on. Admiral Packard would like to speak with you. I’m transferring the call.”
“So far, so good, Colonel,” the Admiral said in my ear a few seconds later. “And I’m encouraged by the status of the men who apparently visited Captain Vostov.”
“I’d be more encouraged if this wasn’t happening in Arizona, right under Barinov’s nose. Sir. I think we may be reading too much into this. If he thought for one second that his senior leaders weren’t one hundred percent loyal, he wouldn’t hesitate to have them shot.”
“I don’t disagree, Colonel. However, here’s what you don’t know. The Chief has been going back over archival satellite footage. Turns out the Admiral’s senior aide went to the jail shortly after their arrival and didn’t come out for almost half an hour. He then went straight to the Admiral.
“Over the next twenty-four hours, the Admiral met with General Kutusvoy and half a dozen other high-ranking officers. And I’ll tell you this. If I ever saw my senior staff meeting at times and locations like these men did, I’d be very worried about what was being hatched.”
I mulled everything over in my head before responding.
“Sir, I’m sorry, but isn’t this just all a little too easy?”
“Aren’t we due for easy, Colonel?” Packard asked, then sighed into the phone. “But I do agree with you. It does seem easy.”
“Unless...” I said, voice trailing off in thought.
“Colonel?” the Admiral prompted when I didn’t continue my thought.
“Bear with me, sir, but... What if the Russians know all about Irina’s mission. That’s not a stretch, especially with the traitor and mutineers we’ve uncovered, not to mention Russian agents getting way too close to key people.
“So, they know we’re desperate to remove Barinov from power by any means necessary in hopes his replacement will be more moderate and amenable to working with us, not enslaving us. They know the only way we’re going to let our guard down and start relocating the population is if Barinov is no longer in control. With me so far, sir?”
I heard Packard sigh before he responded.
“I’m afraid I am, Colonel. And I think I see where you’re going. The Russians are running a scam on us. Giving us what we want to see. Senior officers surreptitiously meeting with each other, then the two highest ranking ones pay Irina a visit. In a day or two, they stage a coup for our benefit and release Irina. Welcome her with open arms as a heroine of Russia. Convince her it’s real and she calls us with the good news. But it’s nothing more than theater. And once our civilians are on the ground in CONUS...”
He stopped speaking and the circuit fell silent for several long seconds.
“Sorry, sir. Hope I’m wrong, but when’s the last time something actually worked the way it was planned in a meeting room? Or was easy, for that matter?”
“Goddamn it,” he mumbled so softly I barely heard him.
I kept my mouth shut at this point, thinking about the scenario I’d laid out and giving both of us time to consider the options.
“Thoughts, Colonel?”
“If I’m wrong and go in and pull them out, it could blow things up. I can’t hazard a guess on how the senior staff would react. Especially considering that there’s no way I’ll get them out of there without shedding Russian blood. Action now could screw the whole deal.
“However, if I’m right and this is just a false flag, there’s no reason to wait and every reason to pull them out as soon as possible. And that’s assuming they’re still alive.
“I should proceed as planned and go get them, sir. Barinov is many things, but st
upid is not one of them. I don’t believe his senior officers could be plotting against him, openly enough for us to see, and him remain blissfully unaware. He didn’t get to where he is by trusting people. If I had to bet, I’d say we’re being set up. Delaying just puts Irina and Igor at greater risk.”
“I agree with your assessment except for one thing. You made a valid point earlier when you said they’ll want to use Irina to convince us their ruse is real. For that to work, she needs to be alive and healthy. And cooperative.”
“Point taken, sir.”
He paused in thought and I wasn’t surprised at my new orders.
“Okay, Colonel. Stand down for now. I’m not saying we won’t go get our friends, but let’s see what hand the Russians are getting ready to play.”
“Understood, sir.”
“This doesn’t change the timing on the heads up I gave before you left Pearl, Colonel. Do you understand what I mean?”
He was talking about the failsafe that would be launched in the event Nicole failed to deliver.
“Yes, sir. I do, and for what it’s worth, I concur. I’ll standby for further orders.”
53
Strickland pushed hard as he ran through the dry scrub that choked the canyon floor. He covered a few hundred yards quickly, then slowed and began angling to his left. Below, the Russian soldiers could be seen, still toiling away to load the trucks. So far it didn’t seem as if anyone had grown curious enough about the two missing scientists to bother checking on them.
The SEAL had briefly considered returning to where he’d left the Jeep but had dismissed the idea as soon as he’d had it. There was no doubt the two men he’d killed would be discovered. It was only a matter of time. When they were, he fully expected the Russians to respond with an all-out effort.
The knife wounds would erase any possibility in the enemy’s mind that the men could have been killed by infected. That meant he’d be pursued, and it was a forgone conclusion that the troops on the ground would quickly have air support. It’s hard enough to hide from a helicopter when you’re on foot, but at least the rugged terrain and dense brush gave him a chance. Escaping in a vehicle would be impossible.