by Hatchett
The Major introduced his Captains. “To my right is Issy Evans then Joel Edwards and Dave Grant. All three have my complete confidence and trust.” All three nodded in unison.
Issy was thirty-two, five feet five inches with short spiky pink hair and piercing green eyes. She had various piercing marks on and around her face but was currently devoid of any jewellery or make-up. She also had various tattoos, none of which were visible when she was clothed. She was a closet punk who had unfortunately missed out on the punk era of the late 70’s and early 80’s but loved the music and what it stood for. She also loved action and was as hard as nails. As a kid, she was always in trouble and the army seemed to be the best place to curb her rebellious nature, get some much-needed discipline and at the same time let off steam. It wasn’t long before she realised that she was a match for any man and excelled in her role. Her utter determination and loyalty had brought her to where she was today.
Joel Edwards was thirty-four, six feet tall with black hair and deep brown eyes. Originally from the Caribbean, Joel was a bubbly character who enjoyed a joke and a beer but had a passion for cricket. He was typically laid back and didn’t take life too seriously, but was reliable, focused, and hard working.
Dave Grant was the youngest of the three at twenty-nine. He was five feet ten inches tall with black hair, a beard, and brown eyes. Dave was a boxer, as evidenced by his slim yet toned build, his slightly squashed nose, which was also slightly askew due to being broken many times, and the beginnings of cauliflower ears. He had been army boxing champion at his chosen weight for the past two years and he was someone you wanted in your corner when the going got tough.
“Tom, perhaps you could update us on what is happening and then we can move on to what we are going to do.”
Tom sat forward in his chair and cracked his knuckles before starting to talk. “As of around fifteen minutes ago, we’re looking at zombies inside large parts of the M25 and various unconfirmed incidents outside the M25 as far away as Luton and Harlow to the North, Oxford to the East, Basingstoke to the South. The spread towards the East is taking longer for some reason. Possibly due to central London congestion,” he finished with a smirk on his face. “As for the airport,” Tom continued, “we’ve heard from each of the terminals, the control tower, some Ground Crew, and workers from the cargo area. There are people holed up and safe for the time being, but they could all do with some water, and food, if possible. I’m sure there are more around but they just can’t get to one of the phones to contact us.”
“Thanks Tom,” said Jack. “Correct me if you think I’m wrong, but I think we have four main priorities; firstly, clear Terminal 3 so it is a safe harbour; secondly, secure the airport perimeter so no more zombies can get in; thirdly, kill the zombies within the perimeter and finally, rescue the people stranded in different parts of the airport. Then we can consider people outside the airport perimeter. Don’t forget, what we do is up to us as we’re on our own.”
There were nods around the table before Issy asked, “do we have enough equipment, manpower and weapons to achieve those aims? It could take days.”
“We still have some more weapons in the armoury, including a load of knives, but not as many as we would like,” Irish replied.
“We brought some guns with us on the Chinooks, but again, probably not enough,” added Dave.
“With respect to manpower, I think the more people we rescue, the more people we will have around to help out,” Sarah suggested.
“Yes, but not everyone is going to be happy to fight zombies,” interjected Andy.
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Issy advised. “There will be plenty of people willing to do it, and those that don’t, well they can cook or clean or find something else to do to help.”
“Agreed,” said Dave. “Can’t wait to start taking those fuckers out.”
“Too late, I’ve bagged that role,” Issy butted in.
“What about other equipment?” the Major reminded everyone.
“The airport has a lot of diverse types of equipment which might be of help, but we don’t know what there is, or where it is, or how it works,” Jack advised. “For example, I’ve seen snowploughs, JCBs and Cats and these could come in handy. It would probably make sense to try and rescue some of the Ground Crew and cargo workers as they will have the necessary knowledge and expertise.”
“I’ll go check if we can get to these people,” Tom advised rising from his chair and leaving the room.
Everyone considered what had been said before the Major suggested, “Whatever happens, I think we need to split into teams with their own areas of responsibility. Issy has the Killing team so we need someone to seal the perimeter and someone to rescue the workers.”
“Killing Crew,” advised Issy with a grim smile.
“What?” asked the Major.
“My team will be known as the ‘Killing Crew’,” Issy explained.
“Right,” the Major responded sarcastically, “of course it is.”
“We also need a team to collect and dispose of the dead bodies,” added Sarah. “A Clean-Up Crew.”
“It would also be useful if the Chinooks could go back to Aldershot and pick up some tanks or something,” Bear suggested.
“Can’t do that,” replied Joel. “The most a Chinook can carry is about ten tons and there isn’t a tank in the army that weighs less than that. The Challenger II tank weighs in at sixty tons, the Warrior at twenty-five tons and the Bulldog and Stormer are still too heavy and they’re the lightest.”
“Says Mr Know-It-All,” said Dave with a smile. “There’s nothing to stop us loading them with weapons, ammunition and some of the smaller and lighter vehicles like the Scimitar, Jackal or Supacats. A few more soldiers with nothing better to do would help as well.”
“Unless there’s any objections, I think we’ve now got that area sorted,” the Major advised to nods around the table. “Joel will be responsible for the Procurement Crew.”
“Ok, so we’ve got still got securing the airport, rescuing and clean up,” noted Jack.
“It makes sense for me to take the Rescue Crew as I know the airport,” advised Bear.
“I’ll help Bear,” added Irish.
“I’ll look after the perimeter,” Dave quickly added.
“I guess that means I’ll be dealing with the clean-up if there’s no other takers,” Andy advised, wrinkling his nose at the thought of moving dead bodies. “In any case, I can’t see me getting home anytime soon.”
“Click your heels Cowboy and repeat after me three times, ‘There’s no place like home’, Issy ordered, to smiles from around the table.
“I’ll work with Gina, if she’s happy, on coordinating activities and putting new people to work,” Sarah advised. “We could also use Kelly and base ourselves in the Security Command Centre where we can see what’s going on throughout the airport.”
“Sounds good to me,” Gina advised.
“The Major and I will stay close to the Security Command Centre, so you can always find us,” Jack advised. “Is there anything else before we start? I’d feel a lot better if we can start getting these tasks done as soon as possible.”
“Just one thing,” Sarah noted. “The Crews will need to work together to start with; Dave’s team will struggle to secure the perimeter if they have to constantly fight off zombies. Same for the Rescue Crew.”
“I think we make sure we have enough people in each Crew so that there is plenty of protection for those with their backs turned,” Joel suggested. “I’ll only need a small Crew and a bit of help to ensure we get to the heli’s safely. Which reminds me, don’t forget we have the two Apache’s with chain guns, missiles, and rocket pods. They also have night vision which could be useful.”
“Good points,” remarked the Major. “Make sure you bring back some night vision equipment and plenty of spare ammo.”
“Right, you’re all Leaders for now,” Jack advised. “If you don’t already have one,
get a comms pack so everyone can communicate and hear what’s going on, in case we need to change something or recall. Otherwise, Issy, you do the talking to the troops upstairs and we’ll leave it up to you all to sort out your Crews. One more thing, we need to make it clear to everyone that although we’re all concerned about family and loved ones, we won’t be able to do anything for them until we have secured this airport. That’s about five square miles and thousands of zombies so we better get going!” As he stood to signal the end of the meeting, Tom re-entered the room and advised that he had some locations for airport workers.
“Liaise with Bear and Irish on that one Tom,” Jack advised. “Oh, Tom? Could you please scan everyone’s hand so they all have full access rights to all Security rooms? Let’s go.”
Jack and the Major left for the Security Command Centre whilst the others ensured they had the right comms equipment and scanned their hands before going back to Level 2 to sort out their new Crews.
62
Day 1
13:45 GMT
Heathrow Terminal 3
The Leaders ascended the stairs and walked through the makeshift gap to Level 2.
“Everyone listen up!” Issy shouted. She waited until everyone had gathered around before she started. “OK, we’ve agreed different Crews to take us forward. I will be looking after the Killing Crew, which as the name suggests, will be mainly responsible for killing zombies. It doesn’t mean all of you can’t get involved if the opportunity arises, but my Crew will be focused on this alone.
Joel will look after Procurement; he’ll be taking the Chinooks back to Aldershot to get more supplies. He’s the Procurement Crew.
Dave will look to secure the perimeter fence to prevent more zombies getting in. He’s the Perimeter Crew.
Andy will look after the clean-up operation, lucky boy!” she said indicating the American, “so he’s the Clean-Up Crew.”
“Bear & Irish,” she pointed to them for the benefit of the soldiers who didn’t know them, “will be trying to rescue trapped airport personnel so we can use their help, knowledge, and expertise; they’re the Rescue Crew.
“Last, but not least,” she said pointing to Sarah and Gina, “the most important people! Sarah and Gina will be giving the orders to the Crews so they’re the Coordination Crew. Any questions?”
“How do we know which Crew we’ll be on?” asked one soldier from near the front.
“We’re about to come onto that,” Issy replied. “Everyone will get to choose as far as possible except for the helicopter pilots or others with specific skill sets. Oh, I almost forgot,” Issy advised. “I know that most if not all of you are concerned about your families. If you can contact them, do so, and tell them to stay in a safe place and be patient. We need to secure this airport before we think about rescuing them. We can’t do anything if we’re dead. Understood?” There were nods all around. “Right, I can’t promise you’ll get the Crew you want but I’ll do my best. Those interested in the Killing Crew, stand over there,” she said pointing to her left.
“Wahey!!” shouted one of the soldiers nicknamed Rocky as he strode across to the designated area as if he was a prize fighter dancing his way to the boxing ring, high-fiving everyone he passed. Dozens more followed him, so it was clear that most of the soldiers wanted some action and payback.
“Procurement Crew here, Security Crew here, Clean-up Crew here, Rescue Crew here,” Issy said pointing at different areas of the concourse. The soldiers moved to the Crew which they wanted to join. “Count up,” ordered Issy.
“Twenty-one in Clean-Up,” came a voice.
“Forty-six in Security,” came another.
“Eighty-Three in Killing.”
“I’ve got twenty pilots in my Procurement Crew,” Joel advised, “twelve for the Chinooks and the rest for the other heli’s. I will need some others in the Crew for protection, in case we get into trouble.”
“We’ve got twelve in the Rescue Crew, which should be fine as long as we have someone watching our backs,” Bear advised.
“I think we’ll use the fourteen remaining passengers, Paul, Kelly Milt and Kacey to help us on the coordination,” advised Sarah. “Someone will need to gather supplies and organise.”
“Ok, let me see,” Issy thought aloud. “Let’s make it easier to do headcounts, and in any case, we’ve got too many in the Killing Crew. I just want to highlight that the Killing Crew is going to get very messy, believe me. Anyone who wants to reconsider should do so now.” Nine soldiers moved away from the Killing Crew to jeers from those who remained. Five went to the Procurement Crew and four went to the Perimeter Crew, giving the Perimeter Crew exactly fifty soldiers.
Issy noted the changes, decided that the Killing Crew was still too large and then ordered “you four, move to Clean-Up.” This gave the Clean-Up Crew twenty-five soldiers. “You fifteen to Procurement,” she ordered pointing to some of the soldiers on the edge of the Killing Crew. “By my reckoning, that’s fifty-five in the Killing Crew, twenty in Procurement excluding the heli pilots, fifty in Perimeter, twenty-five in Clean-Up, twelve in Rescue and all the civilians in Coordination. Team Leaders have now got ten minutes to speak to their teams about their role then I want Sarah and Gina to tell us what we do first.”
“No pressure then,” said Gina under her breath.
Ten minutes later Issy called all leaders into a huddle. “Right Sarah, Gina, where do you want us to start?”
“As we suggested earlier, we’ll be based in the Security Command Centre, so we can see what’s going on via the monitors,” advised Gina. “The priority must be to clear Terminal 3, then we can worry about everything else.”
“Therefore,” Sarah added, “Joel, can you take your Crew in the Chinooks back to Aldershot and secure anything that might be useful? Bear, your team can start by helping Joel and his Crew get to the Chinooks safely.”
Joel acknowledged Sarah and the other Leaders and moved off, followed by Bear and Irish. They picked up their Crews and moved off in the direction of Gate 3.
Sarah continued, “We can’t secure the airport until we clear the way. Therefore, both the Killing Crew and Perimeter Crew should work together to start with, to clear Terminal 3 first and ensure its secure. Andy, your Clean-Up Crew should start clearing Level 2 now, then work your way down to the lower floors as they become zombie-free. Once we’ve cleared Terminal 3 and found ourselves some Ground Crew, then we can start thinking about how and where to dispose of the bodies.” Andy nodded and went off to update his Crew. Issy and Dave nodded, looked at each other and moved off to discuss next steps. Sarah and Gina headed for the Common Room in the Security Area to update Paul and Kelly and the passengers from the plane.
63
Day 1
14:15 GMT
Heathrow Terminal 3
Sarah and Gina entered Security Command and walked down the corridor to the Common Room.
As they entered, the fourteen passengers including Paul and Kelly looked around and stopped what they were doing.
“Could someone please mute the sound?” Gina asked, referring to the TV on the wall which was showing the news. After much looking around, the remote control was found, and the sound muted.
For the next ten minutes, Sarah and Gina brought everyone up to date on what had happened and what was going to happen.
“All of you in this room will be part of our Coordination Crew,” Sarah advised. “There’s nothing for you to do yet as we’re waiting for the other Crews to clear Terminal 3. Then, we will need you to find food, water, blankets, and other items. We need you all to consider how we can manage on a day to day basis. To be on the safe side, we need to assume we have three hundred people, so that’s a lot of stuff to find. Gina and I will be in the Security Command Centre as we need to coordinate all the Crews. Paul, Kelly, Milt and Kasey, you’ll lead this sub-group and we’ll keep in contact via the comms.”
With that, Sarah and Gina left the room and went to the Security Command Centre
.
They approached the horseshoe just as Jack and the Major were getting up. “We’re just going to my office, we’ve got a few calls to make,” Jack advised. “Tom can help you with anything you need.”
64
Day 1
14:30 GMT
Heathrow Terminal 3
Jack sat down in the chair behind his desk as the Major took one of the visitor’s chairs opposite. Jack opened his bottom drawer and pulled out a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label and a couple of shot glasses. The premium blended whiskey had been a gift from one of the many Arab Sheiks who passed through the airport and now seemed as good a time as any for a quick taste. He held up the bottle towards the Major.
“That’ll do nicely,” commented the Major as Jack filled the two glasses. The pair raised their glasses to each other and took a sip. “Ahh, that’s good,” added the Major with his eyes closed.
“We need to make some calls,” Jack reminded the Major. “I’m not sure how long phones will work so we need to do as much as we can now. We’ll try and get in touch with the different Heads of the armed services, although I suspect all three will be cosying up with their masters in Burlington.
Jack first tried to get in touch with Sir George Harding, Chief of the Air Staff – the RAF – based in Whitehall. As suspected, there was no answer from him nor any of his staff.
Jack next tried General Sir Neville Douglas, Chief of the General Staff – the army – based in Andover. Whilst the General was there, he was in a meeting and was too busy to be disturbed. Jack left a message.
Jack then tried Admiral Sir George McFadden, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff – the Navy – based on Whale Island, Portsmouth. After being pushed around from pillar to post, Jack finally managed to get hold of the Admiral’s secretary. Although the General was also busy, the secretary confirmed that Whale Island had been closed off to the mainland as a precaution, although people on the South Coast were still a little sceptical of all the news reports. “They’re all true,” Jack told her. “It’s just a matter of time before the virus reaches you so please make the most of the time you have to prepare.” The secretary thanked Jack and confirmed that she would pass along his message to the Admiral.