by Dirk Patton
So, he’d fallen back on his training. Open as much distance between himself and the Russians as quickly as possible. Gain the high ground and use the terrain and vegetation to his full advantage. And pray the bad guys didn’t have trackers and dogs that could run him down.
Moving across a sharp crest, he picked his way down a steep slope into a deep canyon. The bottom was covered by a deep layer of soft sand, left there by eons of erosion. He paused while still on the hard, rocky slope. The sand was pristine and if he walked on it he’d leave deep tracks that would be like a neon sign.
Ten minutes later he transitioned to yet another canyon, stopping on the crest in the concealment of a gnarled tree. He had moved around a shoulder of the mountain and was no longer able to see the Russian soldiers. Settling onto the ground, he listened carefully while he drank some water.
Other than a constant sigh of wind across the rocks and the rustle of dry brush and leaves, there was no sound. No distant shouts of trackers as they searched for him. No baying of dogs on his scent. No thump of the heavy rotor of a helicopter in a search pattern. All of this made him feel better, but he didn’t allow himself to lower his guard.
But there was something important he had to do. Hawaii needed to know what he’d learned. Finding the satellite comm unit in his pack, he powered it up and initiated a call which Jessica answered immediately.
“They found the men you killed,” she said in lieu of a simple hello.
“You’re watching?” Strickland asked in surprise.
“They haven’t started searching. Yet,” she said, ignoring his question.
“What are they doing?”
“They’ve stopped working. The NCO in charge made a radio call to his command, but they haven’t gotten back to him.”
Strickland breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
“Listen,” he said. “I’ve got some intel, unless I was being lied to. Are all the plants in the world dying from the virus?”
Jessica was caught by surprise, then remembered that Strickland had been in the field and wasn’t privy to the announcement Barinov had made during his broadcast.
“Yes,” she said.
“Well, this field they’re digging up is wheat. Special wheat the university was testing. One of the Russians told me it’s resistant to the virus. That’s why they want it.”
“What?” Jessica asked loudly. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure that’s what he said. Not sure it’s true. But why else would they be interested in it? Oh, and I’ve got the research file they were after.”
“You’ve got what? Oh, shit! Okay, stand by. I’ve gotta get the Captain!”
Before Strickland could respond, there was a click on the circuit. Despite Jessica’s assurances that a search for him hadn’t begun, he took the opportunity to carefully listen for any indication the enemy was in the area.
“Chief Strickland, this is Captain West,” a new voice suddenly spoke in his ear.
“Sir.”
“Tell me what you just told Chief Simmons.”
The SEAL took a breath and repeated what he’d learned from the Russian and described the file he’d taken.
“Does it appear legitimate?” West asked, meaning the file.
“Sir, I’m not a scientist. I don’t have a clue what I’m looking at, but it’s about three inches thick and full of charts and graphs and test results.”
West was quiet for a long moment before telling him to stand by. This time several minutes passed and Strickland grew antsy. Expecting a Russian gunship to pop up over a ridgeline at any moment and fire a rocket up his ass.
“Chief, sorry for the delay. I have Doctor Hironata on the line. She’s a research biologist from the university.”
Hironata, the woman who’d discovered the effects of the virus on the planet’s ecosystem immediately launched into a series of questions. She patiently directed Strickland to various documents in the file and had him read them to her. This went on for nearly twenty minutes before Strickland interrupted.
“Sir, I’m down to twenty percent of my battery and don’t have a spare,” he warned.
“Doctor,” West said. “We’re almost out of time. Do you have enough information?”
“Hardly. I need to review the entire file. Is there any way you can scan and email it to me?”
Strickland’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and he would have had an inappropriately sarcastic response if a senior officer hadn’t been on the line.
“The Chief is in the field, Doctor,” West said smoothly. “This is the best we’ve got.”
There was a click as a phone was unmuted then a new voice spoke.
“Doctor, Admiral Packard here.” Strickland swallowed hard, thankful he’d kept his mouth shut. “Could the claim that the wheat is resistant to the virus be true?”
“Admiral. I didn’t realize you were on the call. Well, based on what little information I’ve been able to glean, the wheat has been genetically modified. What I cannot say, and what puzzles me is how the Russians became aware of its existence. More specifically, how they’re aware that it is resistant to the specific viral strain that is destroying the planet.”
“That’s not an answer, Doctor,” the Admiral growled.
“It is the best answer I have with the limited data available to me,” she said, sounding put off by his tone. “If you can obtain samples for testing and of course the research data contained in the file, I would be able to provide you with a definitive answer.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” the Admiral said. “Chief Simmons, please secure the circuit.”
There were a series of buzzes then Jessica reported the circuit had been secured.
“Chief Strickland,” Packard said. “The doctor is off comms, now. What’s your situation?”
“Sir, I’m sitting in a canyon about two miles from the field.”
“Is obtaining a physical sample of the wheat possible?”
“I’m sorry to interrupt, sir,” Jessica said before Strickland could answer. “The Russians are responding. Two helos are inbound to the Chief’s location and the troops on the ground are being organized into squads. Looks like they’re about to begin a search.”
“How far out are those choppers?” Strickland asked, no longer worried about senior officers being present on the circuit.
“Fifteen minutes, Chief,” Jessica said. “It’s a pair of Hind gunships.”
“Sir, I don’t think getting a sample’s gonna happen.”
“Get your ass hidden, son,” the Admiral said immediately. “I’ll see what I can do about extracting you before the bastards close in.”
54
“Do what?”
After my conversation with the Admiral, I’d gone forward to the cockpit and slipped into the vacant co-pilot’s seat. Now, Vance was looking at me like I had a screw loose.
“Need to put down somewhere outside the Russian Combat Air Patrol. We’re on hold for the moment.”
“Why don’t we just turn around and go back to Mountain Home?” he asked.
“I’d like to be a little closer for when we get the okay to proceed.”
“We can make it from Mountain Home to Phoenix in under twenty-five minutes,” he said. “You really need faster than that?”
Somehow, I’d forgotten the speeds the big plane was capable of achieving.
“Guess that’s good,” I said, shaking my head. “We’ll be okay on fuel?”
“Topped us up while you were off with the red-eyed chick.”
“Fuel’s still good?” I asked in surprise.
“Air Force kept it treated. Supposed to be okay in storage for up to five years,” he said with a shrug.
Several sarcastic thoughts passed through my head, but I kept them to myself.
“Okay, then. Turn us around and back to Mountain Home.”
He nodded and adjusted a couple of things on a touch screen mounted between the seats. Immediately, I could feel the large jet gently bank into a
broad U-turn.
“How long are we going to be on the ground?” he asked, keeping one eye on the computer that was flying the aircraft at the moment.
“Day or two, probably. Not sure. Waiting to see what the Russians do, but we can’t wait long. Why?”
“Because it’s fucking cold in Idaho this time of year, if you didn’t notice.”
“Yeah, well, we’ve got a nice warm plane to sleep in. What’s your worry?”
“Damn, you ground pounders really don’t know your asses from holes in the ground, do you? Plane’s only warm as long as either the engines are running or we’re connected to ground power. We can’t sit there and idle for two days and there sure as hell isn’t any electricity to hook up to.”
Shit. I knew that, but it hadn’t registered with me.
“Then we find enough shelter for everyone. There’ll be base housing we can use and I’d be willing to bet that at least the base commander’s quarters will have a fireplace.”
Vance thought about that for a moment before nodding agreement.
“How long until we’re back on the ground?”
“Maybe fifteen minutes,” he said. “No reason to get in a hurry and burn a bunch of gas.”
I nodded, clapped him on the shoulder and left the cockpit. In the back, I spent a few minutes gathering everyone close so I wouldn’t have to repeat myself. I briefed them on the change in plans and also took the time to explain, in detail, the reasons.
Normally, military personnel aren’t afforded the luxury of knowledge. Commanders assess changing situations and adapt their orders accordingly. Well, the good ones do, anyway. But it’s a very rare occurrence when everyone involved in a mission is actually briefed on all the information that is available as well as the why behind a decision.
This is actually a good thing for a variety of reasons, even if it does seem counterintuitive. You don’t want a captured soldier to be able to reveal everything you know. This will compromise intelligence sources and methods. Also, you don’t want the troops to start second guessing the decisions that were made. The more information they have, the more likely that possibility becomes.
But this was different. Every single person who had come with me had volunteered, and they all knew there was a low probability for success. Without blowing my own horn, the only reason they were walking into the lion’s den was because of me. They deserved the respect of being given all the facts.
By the time I’d finished and had answered a couple of questions, Vance came on the overhead and warned us to prepare for landing. I guess he’d waited for the last second because I hadn’t even gotten to my seat before the tires thumped onto the runway. To his credit, he brought the transport in so perfectly that all that happened was I swayed slightly, then I did have to hold on tight as he engaged the thrust reversers to slow us down.
It turned out that I would have lost a bet. The base commander’s quarters, despite being a very large home, didn’t have a fireplace. But, for some reason that none of us could comprehend, the Officer’s Club did. Maybe all those Air Force pilots liked to pretend they were sitting in a proper English club, sipping tea and sherry next to a cheery blaze with their fucking little pinky finger sticking out. Regardless, that’s where we settled in and it didn’t take Chico and Drago long to find some firewood.
While they argued about the best way to build a proper fire, I went out into the chilly air for a smoke. Lighting up, I thought about Rachel and wished I could call her. Actually, I could have contacted Jessica and had her reroute me but decided against it. Then I reconsidered. After all, I didn’t have anything to do other than sit on my ass for a couple of days, so why the hell not?
I was taking the comm unit out to initiate the call and nearly dropped it when it suddenly buzzed in my hand. Shaking my head at myself, I answered, surprised when it was the Admiral and not Jessica.
“How fast can you be in Santa Barbara?” he asked without preamble.
“I’d have to check with the pilots but shouldn’t be too long, sir. We’re in Idaho so it’s not that far. What’s going on in Santa Barbara?”
“I’ve got a SEAL in trouble, Colonel. And he may have just gotten his hands on something that will save all of us.”
I wanted to ask, but if he was going to give me specifics he would have done so already.
“We’ll be wheels up in ten minutes, sir. Can you have Chief Simmons send me the details?”
“Will do. And, Colonel?”
I was already striding for the door into the OC.
“Sir?” I asked, pausing before stepping inside.
“This takes priority over your other mission. Do you understand?”
Part of me wanted to argue the point, but there was no argument. Whatever this was, if it had the potential to save that last remaining one-million Americans, it was more important than any individual.
“Understood, sir.”
55
Five minutes later, Drago and I were hunched over the encrypted tablet reviewing the data Jessica had transmitted.
“Where we going?” Vance asked, lacing up the boots he’d taken off to warm his feet by the fire.
“Vandenberg looks good,” I said, pointing at a spot on a digital map. “From there, it’s a short hop in the helo to pick up the squid.”
Drago stared at the screen for a moment before grunting his agreement.
“How long to get there?” I asked, looking at Vance.
He paused and looked up the ceiling for a beat in thought.
“Maybe half hour. Maybe a little more. It’s not really far enough to climb to altitude, go hypersonic then come back down. Probably faster to just haul ass at thirty thousand feet.”
“Whatever works,” I said, then turned to the rest of the team.
“Let’s move,” I said in a loud voice. “We’ll discuss details during the flight.”
Everyone was prepared to go. Chico had killed the fire he and Drago had built so there was nothing left but to get our asses on the plane.
I led the way out the door, heading for the big aircraft, Lucas and Martinez moving with me. My comm unit buzzed as I strode toward the flight line and I answered as I walked.
“What’s up, Chief?” I asked, assuming it was Jessica.
“Forgive me for hijacking your secure communications, but there is something important we need to discuss.”
I was caught completely by surprise when I heard Viktoriya’s voice in my ear and came to an abrupt stop.
“Are you still there?” she asked after a few seconds of silence.
“I won’t bother asking how you got into the system,” I growled. “What do you want?”
“There is a video feed you have been streaming,” she said. “You should take a look at the secondary channel.”
With a cold feeling of dread, I raised the tablet and activated the alternate stream. When I saw the image, it was like all the air had been sucked out of my lungs. I was looking through the viewfinder of a high-powered, electronic rifle scope. The crosshairs were steady on Rachel’s face as she stood on the grassy lawn outside our quarters in Hawaii.
She was smiling. The image zoomed out slightly without the aim point changing and I could see Ziggy standing next to her. They were watching Mavis and Dog play with Lucas’s kids.
“Do you see it?” Viktoriya purred.
“If you...”
“I know. You will find me and hurt me and kill me,” she said, every word dripping with sarcasm. “And maybe you could. But for now, you should listen to what I have to say and save your bluster for someone you can intimidate. As you can see, penetrating security at Pearl Harbor was not difficult. And just so you know, there is more than one shooter.”
The image jumped to a view from another scope which was also steady on Rachel from a completely different direction. Then a third view appeared for a few seconds before the feed returned to the first rifle.
“Do I have your complete attention?”
“Tell
me what you want,” I said, hearing the defeat in my own voice.
“The same thing I asked for in Hawaii!”
“Why? I saw Barinov’s broadcast. He doesn’t have long. Why are you doing this?”
“Circumstances have changed. It is no longer enough to wait for him to die. He must be removed. Forcefully and violently. That is where you come in.”
I paused a moment, my mind racing.
“I don’t get it,” I finally said. “How does it help you if I’m the one who kills him?”
“Silly man,” she said with a laugh. “I did not say I wanted you to kill him.”
“Then what?” I asked, unable to fathom her end game.
“Come to California and all will be explained.”
“Barinov’s not in California.”
“Which is exactly why we are going to meet there and not Arizona.”
“And my family?”
“If you cooperate, I have no interest in harming them. But, if you do not, or if you try to warn them or the Marines guarding them, my shooters will not hesitate. Am I crystal clear?”
I took a breath as I admitted to myself that I had no other option.
“Where do we meet?”
“Edwards Air Force Base. Six hours, Colonel. I know you are in North America. Any longer and your wife will pay the price for your tardiness.”
There was another series of clicks and she was gone.
Martinez and Lucas had seen and heard enough to make some educated guesses about what was going on, but he was the first to speak.
“What the fuck?”
I filled in the blanks, relaying what Viktoriya had said.
“Get word to the Admiral,” Martinez said when I was done. “Once they’re indoors, he can have the Marines lock them down so there’s no way one of the Russian snipers can get a shot.”
“The Russians are in our fucking comms! They’d know I made the call. And how do I know they’re Russian shooters? How the fuck do I know this isn’t some of our own goddamn people pointing a gun at my wife? Just because Viktoriya said it was easy to penetrate the base doesn’t mean she’s telling the truth. They could be agents in place.”