by Hatchett
Joel repeated his story for the benefit of the new arrivals and asked who was interested in coming back with him to Heathrow. After some debate, all bar six soldiers decided to go with Joel. That gave them another sixty-seven soldiers.
Joel then ordered the troops to fill the Chinooks with as many guns, knives, artillery, ammunition, and personal equipment they could. He wanted two Supacats rolled up the ramps and parked in the cargo holds of two Chinooks and wanted the third Chinook to carry one of the Panthers. The soldiers moved off to start the loading of the Chinooks.
At just before 05:30, the Chinooks were fully loaded, and the Procurement Crew was ready to leave. They would arrive back at Heathrow around 18:15.
68
Day 1
15:30 GMT
Heathrow Terminal 3
Issy and the soldiers working with her entered the concourse on Level 2 and dropped to the floor for a rest. Dave and other soldiers had beaten them back and Dave wandered over with a big smile on his face.
“Guess what we found?” he asked.
“Two dozen prostitutes blowing zombies,” replied Issy to a few sniggers. She really wasn’t in the mood for guessing.
“Nope, lots of food and cold drinks from departures. Come and help yourself.”
Issy dragged herself to her feet and walked across to where a table had been set up to hold the food and drinks. She noticed on the way that the Clean-Up Crew had done an excellent job with the mess she had left behind earlier and that there were now pillows, blankets, sleeping bags and other items in piles against the walls next to the cots. Issy helped herself to a tuna and sweetcorn sandwich, a couple of bananas and a can of Coke; she popped the tab and drank greedily. It was gone in seconds, so she selected another before moving over to where Dave, Bear and Irish sat chatting.
“The smell of you doesn’t get any better,” Bear commented with a smile.
“You get used to it,” Issy replied, taking a bite out of her banana. “How did you get on?”
“Not much we can do until you clear the way, unless we cover ourselves like you and join in. Instead, we helped the Procurement Crew get away without any drama then came back and helped the Clean-Up Crew up here,” Irish advised. “I think tomorrow we’ll all be needed to start securing the outside.”
“We’ve nearly cleared Level 1,” Dave added. We managed to find lots of food and drink, but best of all, we managed to rescue a few chefs who had hidden themselves away in the kitchens of the various restaurants. Once Level 1 is cleared they can start cooking our evening meal. As you know, Medical is now operational so things are looking a lot better. Got my eye on some nice designer gear too.”
“Any dramas or losses?” Issy queried.
“Not one,” replied Dave. “I have to say that your idea to cover ourselves in blood and guts was a godsend. The zombies hardly looked at us. I think it would have been a completely different story if we hadn’t done it because there were just so many of them.”
“Thank Gina for that. Have the Clean-Up Crew started on Level 1 yet?”
“Not yet,” replied Andy as he arrived and sat down with a bump, covered in blood and bits of guts. “We’ll follow when you next go out and make a start.”
“You’ve got a lot to do,” Issy remarked with a tired smile.
“Why am I not surprised? I could do with some trolleys or carts, so we can load them up and transport them outside, once it’s safe to do so, of course. We can then put them in piles and burn them.”
“We should be able to get to the baggage reclaim areas now,” Bear advised, “so hopefully we’ll be able to find someone who can point us in the right direction.”
Issy keyed her microphone and asked, “Sarah, Gina are you listening?”
“We’re here,” came the reply from Gina. “We’re just looking at the monitors and would like to say that you’ve done a fantastic job so far. When you start again, we’ll help direct you to the targets, especially to a couple who seem to have got lost.”
“Good job people,” came Jack’s voice through the earpiece. “If we can secure this building today, we can rest up and plan what we’re going to do next in relative safety. Are you all ok? Do you need anything?”
Issy looked around the faces before her but all she saw were shakes of the head. “We’re fine thanks Jack,” she replied. Everyone looked confused for a second; it was weird hearing her call the Boss, Jack.
Issy and the other Leaders discussed how they would clear the rest of the building and Issy highlighted the small access points, like the baggage carousel, which would need to be blocked off.
“Leave that to us,” Bear advised. “We’ll sweep the whole of Terminal 3 to make sure it’s secure. You concentrate on taking the zombies down.”
As they were sitting there, the two women they had rescued from the baggage desk came up to thank them. They had been to medical and had had the chance to wash-up, so they looked completely different and Issy didn’t recognise them at first. They offered the Leaders more drinks and warm wash cloths but Issy pointed out that they couldn’t clean up until the job was done. The women proudly told everyone that they were now part of the Coordination Crew and went about their business.
Issy finished her second banana and gulped down the rest of her drink. “I guess it’s time to get going. No rest for the wicked. Come on you slackers!” she shouted to everyone as she picked up her gear and made her way to the stairs.
For the next three hours, the teams continued clearing Terminal 3 until, at last, it was clear of any zombies and fully secured.
69
Day 1
19:00 GMT
Heathrow Terminal 3
After clearing Terminal 3, the teams were directed to the changing rooms and showers on Level 1, so they could get cleaned up. Most went into the showers fully clothed, so they could wash off the blood and guts as far as possible, before stripping off. With over one hundred and fifty people needing to take a shower, and with the number of showers limited, it took time and it wasn’t long before the hot water began to run out. Many of the soldiers had no choice but to take cold showers, but it wasn’t the first time in their army career that they had needed to do so; you didn’t join the army if you wanted the usual creature comforts.
The Coordination Crew had done a good job; the Crew had increased in size as more and more people were rescued. Although a few of those rescued had been traumatised and needed to go to Medical for treatment or to be given a sedative, the majority were just grateful to be alive and mucked in wherever they could, regardless of their different skill sets. They had arranged for clothing from the stores in Departures to be available for the soldiers as they came out of the showers.
Issy came out of her shower, dried herself off and tried on the jeans and t-shirt she had been given; they were not really her style but who cared? There were no bras or panties; these would have to wait, and she wasn’t too bothered anyway, she didn’t have that much to hide. She then left the shower room into the hallway where she handed over her wet uniform and towel to be dried overnight by one of the Coordination Crew. Various shoes had been lined up against the wall in size order. Issy moved along the line looking for something suitable in size 5 and eventually found an inoffensive pair of slip-on canvas shoes in navy blue. They worked well without any socks; again, these would have to wait. She then asked one of the Coordination Crew where she could find a jumper and was directed to the end of the corridor.
Issy selected an Aran-knit pure wool jumper in navy blue and put in on before heading to the Security Briefing Room.
The other leaders were already in the room, having a drink and talking about the day’s events.
“Hi Issy, how’re things?” Jack asked. “You’re just in time, we were waiting for you.”
“Thanks Jack, I’m fine but knackered,” she replied.
“You’ll be pleased to know that the chefs are cooking up food for everyone in the Departures Hall so that’s where we’re going for som
ething to eat and drink. We can then update each other and relax a bit.”
“Sounds good to me,” Issy replied.
Jack left the room followed by everyone else and they walked along the corridor and out of Security Command, across the Level 1 concourse and through into Departures. The smell of food hit Issy and she realised how hungry she was.
Jack headed towards the pub in the corner; it took them past soldiers eating at various restaurants and others looking around the shops and helping themselves to items they needed. It was slightly weird walking through what was effectively a shopping centre only to find an open plan area which had been turned into a pub with its dark wood, booths, and dimmed lighting. There were already quite a few people in the pub with a couple of Coordinators pouring the drinks. The Leaders each selected a drink before moving across to a set of tables in a large booth towards the rear which had been reserved for them.
“Is this our new Common Room?” Gina asked with a smile. “I could get used to this.”
They all took seats with Jack at the head of the table at one end and the Major at the other end. One of the Coordination Crew came over and asked if they wanted to order food there or whether they wanted to move to one of the restaurants. Everyone was tired and happy to stay where they were; after a few minutes of deliberation, they made their choices and placed their orders. The Coordinator left, heading in the direction of the kitchen.
“I could really, really get used to this,” Gina opined.
“Yes,” replied Jack, “although we’re going to have to seriously think about rationing and supplies at some point. As this is the first day, and we’re still finding our feet, then let’s just enjoy it while we can.”
Issy had taken the seat to Jack’s right. Next to her was Gina then Andy, Irish and the Major at the end. Opposite was Sarah, then Joel, Bear, and Dave.
“Where’s Kelly?” Issy asked.
“She’s out and about,” replied Sarah. “Who do you think organised the clothes and the cooking? She’s also laid down a few ground rules for everyone; only take what you really need, not what you want. Everyone seems to be fairly happy at the moment, considering the circumstances. Most people haven’t had the chance to really think about what’s happened and it probably hasn’t sunk in yet that we’re going to have to get used to some significant changes. It will be interesting to see how the mood changes over the next few days.”
“I think we need to keep everyone as busy as possible,” Issy remarked. “The last thing we want is for people to have too much time on their hands and nothing better to do than worry about the situation.”
“I agree,” interjected Jack. “Before the food comes, let’s get a quick update on where we are, then we can enjoy our food and consider our next steps over some more drinks. Issy, do you want to go first?”
Issy took a sip of her pint of lager and said, “There’s not much to say except we’ve managed to clear Terminal 3, rescued a number of people and that it was hard going. I think the most important thing is where we go from here.”
“You’ve done an excellent job,” Jack noted. “In fact, you’ve all done an excellent job. What about you, Gina?”
“Same as Issy. We’ve now got more people in the Coordination Crew and although it will take time before we sort everything out and get back into some sort of routine where everyone knows what they’re doing, it’s been a decent start. We’ve been lucky that most of the people are willing to do whatever is asked of them. The biggest problem is their concern for relatives.”
“Andy?”
“We’ve managed to locate a few baggage handlers and engineers who know what equipment is available and where it is. Unfortunately, we can’t get to any of it until we start securing the outside. They have suggested that we need to get access to the Cargo area and other Terminals as there are bound to be other key people in those buildings, if they’re still alive. As for the bodies, we’ve piled them up as best we can and aim to transport them to a part of the airport where they can be burned. Again, this is subject to outside access. Oh, I almost forgot, I’d also like to thank Issy and her Crew for creating an almighty mess on Level 2. Can you please do it on linoleum or tiles in future so it’s easier to clean up,” he said with a smile. Issy grinned.
“Getting dirty was a great idea Issy,” Jack said to nods from all around the table. “Irish or Bear?”
“Not much to report,” Irish advised. “We helped Joel depart and helped unload when he got back. In between, we helped Andy with the clean-up and helped kill a few zombies along the way. I would point out that the heli’s do attract a lot of interest, so it might be an idea to turn them on when we want to attract the zombies outside. We could set up a killing field.”
“Good idea,” replied Jack. “Dave?”
“Issy’s covered it,” Dave replied.
“Bear?”
“Nothing to add to what Irish has said.”
“Joel?”
“Well, to cut a long story short, we bagged a Panther, two Supacats and more guns, knives and ammunition than you would need to start a small war. We also brought back another sixty-seven soldiers who had nothing better to do.”
“That’s great news. Sarah?”
“Gina’s covered most of it. I’m spending most of my time in the Security Command Centre. The surveillance operatives will be doing shifts, so we can cover everything 24/7. They’ll notify us if there’s any problem.”
“Good,” Jack noted as the food arrived. “Let’s enjoy this and we can talk more business later.”
“Can I just ask, where is the MD and those guys from NATS and Medical?” asked Bear.
“Harry Williams isn’t feeling too well so he’s gone for a sleep. Ben Maynard is busy in medical and Simon Nicholls wants to stay with his colleagues in the Control Tower where they’re still monitoring the radars and radio,” Jack replied.
“Will they be part of this group?” Bear asked.
“The MD might insist but the others won’t be included. They don’t seem too bothered.”
The group tucked into their food. Issy had ordered chicken nuggets and fries and was busy talking to Jack, Sarah, Gina, and Joel. The others were holding their own discussion at the other end of the table.
After the meal, the group replenished their drinks at the Bar and re-took their seats.
“Now a bit of business,” Jack suggested. “Plans for tomorrow. Any ideas or suggestions?
Bear coughed and started, “I’d like to try something later tonight if possible. I’d like to get some MP5’s with night vision scopes and silencers and see if we can pick off zombies without attracting attention. We can shoot from the safety of this building and, if it works, it means we’d be able to take loads of them out without any risk.”
“Good idea, go for it. Anything else?”
“If we can clear the Inner Ring, we can start moving cars and buses, create temporary safe lanes between buildings or whatever,” Dave advised. “We could then use buses to block off the access roads and any other gaps in the perimeter. It would also be useful if we searched all the dead bodies for keys.”
“Way ahead of you there buddy,” Andy piped up. “We’re searching all bodies before adding them to the piles. We’ve got a load of car keys and mobile phones already. Oh, and lots of cash, not that it’s any good! Some of the phones have been ringing but we haven’t answered any yet.”
“The car keys will be useful,” added Gina. When we’ve cleared the area, we can go into the car parks and hit the fobs and see which cars open.”
“I think we need to get to the other terminals and other buildings like cargo; hopefully we can find other survivors who can help,” Irish said, taking a drink of his Guinness.
“One other thing,” Sarah said. “We’re starting to get a lot more people and it’s going to get uncomfortable crashing in the hallways. I’ve noticed a Hilton Hotel right on the perimeter and this got me thinking. Perhaps we can clear and secure the hotel and use it as
a residence at night and use Terminal 3 as the command centre during the day.
“We’ll soon be a well-oiled machine at this rate and it’s only the first day,” the Major acknowledged with a smile.”
“Yes, that all sounds good,” said Jack. “I suggest you work it out amongst yourselves then get your Crews organised. I can see tomorrow is going to be another busy day. Gina, Sarah, perhaps you can get some of your Coordination Crew to start listing everyone, their role, or skills, find out if they’ve got any surviving family to rescue and things like that. We can only consider trying to rescue people who have been in contact with us recently. We can’t afford to waste time and fuel going after wild goose chases. Now, let’s have a couple more drinks and get some much-needed rest.” With that, Jack rose from the table and moved towards the bar, followed by Sarah, Gina, and the Major.
“I want to try out this shooting idea,” Issy advised and those still at the table nodded their agreement. The six of them finished off their drinks and left the bar, heading in the direction of the armoury.
70
Day 1
21:00 GMT
Heathrow Terminal 3
Issy was the first to enter the armoury and stopped with her eyebrows raised and a smile on her face. The room was packed with equipment. “Joel, my son, you’ve really outdone yourself here,” she said as she walked further into the room, “Christmas has come early.”
Bear passed by her and started taking MP5’s off the rack and handing them around. The silencers and night vision scopes were already in place. “You did this earlier,” Issy suggested.