The monster was dead, but it was still dangerous. Spencer tried to swim down to help. The young man’s body started to drift free of his grip and float upward on its own.
Renee shook her head, her hair coming loose from its ties and fanning out in front of her. She pointed toward the water’s surface and tried to look stern and commanding. The young man started to spin in the current. Spencer swam toward her, but again, she let out a muffled yell and pointed at the man they’d been trying to rescue. Spencer needed to save him; she could take care of herself.
Spencer swam back up, looped an arm under his armpit, and disappeared up and out of sight. The Goliath continued to drag Renee down, but she willed herself to remain calm. She’d be fine as long as she didn’t panic. She bent, reaching toward her boot. With one hand, she unsheathed her knife and drew it across the laces.
The claw was firmly stuck. She sawed at her boot. The laces started snapping and breaking. She was almost free, certain she’d made the right call for Spencer to save himself and the man—if the young man could still be saved. One more pass should do it. She pulled the blade back, and it caught on the Goliath’s claw.
The knife kicked out of her grip and flipped away.
She stretched to grab it, but the Goliath was pulling her in the wrong direction. Her fingers missed the knife by inches. The blade taunted her, reflecting the glow of her flashlight, tumbling as if in slow motion. Panic threatened to overtake her.
No, she thought, I can do this.
Rationality prevailed, and she reached down to the boot. Her gloved hands proved too clumsy to undo the knots, and she thrashed in hopeless frustration. Then she realized she had access to another blade.
The laces were just loose enough that she could move them slightly against the Goliath’s serrated claw. She kept at it, dragging her boot against the skeletal edge until the last loop snapped. Mustering all her strength, she shot upward. Kicking and pulling at the water with both hands, she burst from the surface. She bobbed there, her eyes adjusting to the darkness around her. Freezing water splashed against her tingling skin. She gulped down air and treaded the water, slowly scanning for the Zodiac.
The growls and cries of Skulls caught her ears. Creatures jostled against each other, snapping at the air. But the ones left on land evidently were intelligent enough to know their fate if they jumped in after her. Figuring she was safe from them, she swiveled in place, trying to get her bearings. The Skulls might not get her, but the numbness in her fingers was spreading through her arms. Her feet felt like heavy lead blocks. The cold water might prove to be as perilous as the creatures teeming along the riverbanks.
“Renee!” an Eastern European voice said. “Where are you?”
“Here!” She lifted her flashlight out of the water and turned it on and off in quick succession. Her signaling was greeted with the sound of the Zodiac’s gurgling motors. The craft came into sight. Other flashlights shone from it, and she shielded her eyes.
She barely had the strength to lift herself into the boat. Andris reached out and grabbed her under the arms. Near the motor, Meredith was performing CPR on the young man. Even in the dull light, the man’s skin was ashen, and his lips appeared blue. Renee noticed the boat was missing a Hunter.
“Where the hell’s Spence?” she managed between panting breaths.
“Brought this guy up then went back down for you,” Andris said.
“Goddammit!” Renee maneuvered to the edge of the gunwale and prepared to dive back in. Her muscles were half-dead, fatigue had overwhelmed the flagging adrenaline in her vessels, and her teeth still chattered with the cold. But she wouldn’t let Spencer kill his dumbass self by jumping back in after her. She stood over the side of the boat, one boot on the gunwale, ready to spring into the water. Before she could dive in, a splash sounded at their stern.
“There you are!” a voice called from the darkness.
Andris swiveled the light on Spencer’s head, bobbing near the Zodiac. The SEAL wrapped an arm around the gunwale and carried himself over the side of the craft. He combed his fingers over his head, flicking water from his short-cropped hair.
Renee was already pulling out the thermal protective blankets from their first aid supplies. She unfolded one blanket and gave it to him, took another for herself, and waited by Meredith with a third.
Meredith leaned in and breathed into the man’s mouth again then continued pumping his lungs. She counted her pumps silently. Renee didn’t want to bother the ex-CIA operative for fear of ruining the woman’s concentration.
Spencer knelt beside the survivor, took off his gloves, and placed them on the man’s wrist. His brow furrowed. “You know I dove all the way down to that goddamned Goliath and about had a heart attack when I saw you weren’t there. Finally had to quit my searching and come back up.”
Renee arched an eyebrow.
“Seriously,” Spencer said. “Don’t act so surprised. That’s the kind of shit I trained for as a SEAL. We...” He let his thought trail off and stared, wide-eyed, at the man they’d pulled from the sinking ambulance. His fingers were still on the man’s wrist. Meredith had paused from pumping his chest and was trying to breathe fresh air into him. “He’s got a pulse!”
Meredith stopped, tilting back from the young man as a geyser of water sprayed from the man’s mouth and his eyes shot open. He coughed and clutched his abdomen, leaning forward. Renee handed the blanket to Meredith.
“You’re okay,” Meredith said, covering the man in the emergency blanket.
Water dribbled out of the side of his mouth, and Meredith helped situate him so his back was against the gunwale. The man coughed some more and then started shivering. He pulled the blanket tight around himself, and Meredith knelt closer to him. His eyes were still wide with shock.
“You’re okay,” Meredith repeated.
“Are you...here to...rescue me?” The man asked, his teeth chattering. His words came out jumbled and quick. “Did...did...you see my SOS? Too late...to save Abby. Couldn’t...help her.” He looked around the craft, his gaze lingering on each of the Hunters. “Who...who are you?”
“I’m Renee Boland. We’re—” She paused, locking eyes with Meredith. The woman shared a knowing expression as if she had understood the implications of what the man was rambling about. “Wait, did you come from the hospital?”
The man nodded, his arms shaking while he held the blanket around his body.
“Were you on the roof?” Renee asked.
Again, the man nodded.
“I’ll be damned,” Renee said. She opened a channel to Dom. “Alpha, this is Bravo. I think we just found your missing survivor.”
-8-
“Copy, Bravo,” Dom said over the comm link, pressing his finger to his ear. “What’s his name? Does he know the location of any other survivors?”
The AW109 continued to circle around the Mass Gen hospital. Dom stared at the Zodiac below, waiting for Renee to relay his questions. A couple of flashlight beams lit up the small craft in the otherwise shadowy river.
“Name’s Navid Ghasemi,” Renee replied, her voice shaky. “And that’s a negative on other survivors.”
“Damn,” Dom said to himself then spoke over the comm link again. “Renee, you sound ragged. You okay?”
“I’m fine, Captain. Just catching my breath.”
“Good. Let’s keep it that way,” Dom said.
“Saw another Goliath in the water, Captain.”
“Swimming?” Dom asked, incredulous.
“No, thank God. Dead. But keep your eyes out. Don’t want those fuckers surprising you guys.”
“Thanks for the heads up,” Dom said. He turned to the rest of his team. “You all got that?”
“Sure did, Chief.” Miguel patted the FN40 grenade launcher attached to the stock of his SCAR-H. Each of the Hunters now had one thanks to the stop they’d made at the Army supply depot back in the Chesapeake.
Dom leaned forward against his harness and studied his Hu
nters. They held their weapons in front of their chests. Each wore black fatigues and tac vests. Their faces appeared grim beneath their helmets. “Ready?”
“Aye, aye, Captain,” they all responded.
“We’re going forward as before, with the exception that we’ll have to clear the roof,” Dom said. “Frank, I want you to let us off then get the fuck out of there fast as possible. Don’t need all the Skulls climbing up the hospital after you.”
“No problem, Captain. I only take paying customers, and those Skulls are some cheap bastards,” the pilot responded, tilting the cyclic and banking the chopper back toward the hospital’s roof.
“We’ll call when ready. We’ll shoot for meeting at the hospital’s actual helipad, make the pickup a bit easier for you. Miguel, I want you on point. Bail out as soon as we touch down.”
“Happy to do it, Chief.”
“Jenna, Terrence, you follow.”
They both shot him a thumbs-up.
“Glenn, keep on Divya.” He glanced at the doctor, who looked tiny strapped in next to Glenn’s hulking frame. “You ready to roll out, Doc?”
“I never imagined it would look this...” she said, gazing at fuselage window. Dom feared for a second she’d lost her nerve. That maybe the sight of the sporadic fires and waves of Skulls below was too much. But then she turned to him, and he saw a confident, self-possessed expression on her face. She’d promised she could handle it here, and Dom believed her. “But, yes, I’m ready, Captain.”
“Good. I’ll take rear guard.” The AW109 started its descent toward the roof. “Take these fuckers out quiet as possible. Don’t let ‘em fall off the roof either. The goal is not to attract attention.”
The Hunters nodded.
“Prepare for landing,” Frank called back.
Sounds of unclicking harnesses echoed around the cabin. NVGs snapped into place, and Miguel positioned himself near the side door. The chopper’s wheels touched down with a jolt, and he pulled back the door. The Hunter jumped out, and his rifle immediately sent a stream of suppressed fire to eliminate the nearest Skull. Jenna and Terrence followed after, flanking Miguel. Glenn helped Divya down, and Dom leapt out last. He slammed the door shut and slapped the side of the chopper.
Frank sped away, and the bird’s heavy, thumping rotor noise faded. Dom didn’t have time to watch where Frank was trying to lead the Skulls. He swiveled and brought his rifle to bear on a monster with skeletal shoulder blades fanning out behind it. He squeezed the trigger, and bullets chipped at the monster’s plates. The rounds broke through the grotesque ribcage protecting the creature’s vitals, and blood sprayed out. Instead of a hunting cry, blood gurgled and popped from the monster’s mouth as it crashed to the rooftop. Adjusting his aim, Dom took out another Skull wearing the remnants of a Celtics jersey. More bullets smashed through the bones growing around the creature’s midsection. The bones were no match for the armor-piercing rounds cutting through them. One more gift they’d found at the Army supply depot.
The others continued to lay down fire. A mess of Skull corpses, plates, and armor riddled with bleeding holes accumulated around the roof. Blood spilled over the painted white block letters of the SOS that had first attracted the Hunters here.
The quiet chatter of the suppressed gunfire went silent. In the distance, the chopper’s rotors sounded. Dom spotted it flying along the Charles River, leading Skulls away from where Bravo waited in the Zodiac with Navid.
Good flying, Frank, Dom thought.
The Hunters broke off into pairs and rounded the three square structures leading to the hospital’s stairwells.
“Clear?” Dom asked over the comm link.
“Clear,” Miguel reported.
“Clear,” Jenna said.
Dom held his breath and peered over the side of the hospital. He shouldered his rifle, prepared for an oncoming wave of Skulls. But his plan had worked. Most of the shapes he saw moving through his NVGs meandered listlessly along the streets. They wove between cars and trash cans and lampposts. None seemed particularly interested in the roof of the hospital.
“Clear,” Dom said. “Form a perimeter around the entrance to the south stairwell.”
The group moved almost soundlessly and took up positions around the already-breached doorway. A harsh wind caught the door, and it swung open wider, creaking. Dom cringed at the sound and held the door open with his boot. He checked his smartwatch and pulled up the building plans Chao had recovered for them. “We’re going to start our search two floors down. Maintain radio discipline, clear the labs, and then post a guard while Divya directs us on what to retrieve. On my signal.”
The Hunters turned to watch Dom’s gestures. Glaring white in Dom’s NVGs, the IR markers attached to the other Hunters’ NVGs flared. He pointed at Miguel, and the Hunter slipped into the dark stairwell. The others followed in quick succession, with Dom again maintaining rear guard. He closed the door behind him as quietly as possible. It clicked into place, and he slunk down the stairs, taking each step with measured care. He spotted the rotting remains of several Skulls along the way. Skin hung off their bones. Someone had put up a struggle here. He wondered if these Skulls had fallen at the hands of Navid. The man couldn’t personally guide them around the labs, but a civilian who fought so ferociously might prove to be useful in more ways than Dom had originally expected.
The team slowed and waited outside of a door on another landing. This was the first floor they would scour. Miguel waited at the door, his fingers gripping the handle.
Dom gave him a quick nod.
Miguel pushed open the door and shouldered his rifle in one fluid motion. The others poured through. Down the hallway, emergency lights flashed in a slow pulse. They lit up a Skull crouched near a body. A blood-spattered patient gown fluttered over its back. It dug a claw into the soft flesh of whatever poor soul had been its prey and scooped out a chunk of the person’s innards. It chomped on the fresh meat as the Hunters prowled toward it, still unnoticed.
Terrence’s boot landed on a discarded syringe, cracking the plastic. The creature’s head whipped up. It bore its lips back to reveal long, crooked teeth. A menacing, throaty growl emanated from the beast. It jumped up and sprinted across the tiled floor. Its feet slipped on the smooth surface, and it almost fell.
Miguel fired first, sending a salvo into the monster that finished the job the slick floor had started. The monster fell forward and somersaulted. Sprawling out, its bones rattled. It slid in its own spilling blood and then lay still. Dom gestured for the group to move forward. He twisted his wrist and checked the smartwatch once more. He matched the name on the glowing screen with the placard next to a doorway: Nerve Guidance and Regeneration Lab.
“Check it out,” Dom whispered over the comm link. The others spilled inside. Dom followed and closed the door.
The group fanned out between the black lab benches. They peered over the large compressed nitrogen tanks, bigger than the SCUBA tanks Dom was used to, and checked every corner of the labs. Water dripped from the pressurized emergency faucets at the eyewash station, but the room was otherwise quiet.
“Clear!” Miguel said.
The others relaxed and lowered their weapons. Jenna and Terrence positioned themselves by the door.
“Where do we start?” Dom asked Divya.
She had already taken off her pack and was scrounging through it. “Let’s scrape the computers.” She handed Glenn a battery pack. “Plug them in, and then use these.” She gave him several satellite links that could be plugged into the computers’ USB ports.
“Can do,” Glenn said. He connected two desktops on a lab bench to the battery pack. The computers beeped and hummed as they turned on. “What now?”
“The sat links will activate automatically, sending everything back to Chao and Lauren.”
The monitors lit up, glowing brightly in the otherwise dim lab. A window popped up on each screen reporting a Data Link had been established. Progress bars filled, one after ano
ther, and the names and locations of files scrolled across the screen.
“Next step,” Dom said. “Drugs, chemicals.”
“Aye, aye, Captain,” Divya said. She pulled open the door to a large white freezer. The contents had long since thawed, but she perused them anyway. Small glass vials clinked together, and she moved aside racks of plastic tubes. “Most of these are probably expired, but we can always reverse engineer....a-ha!”
She pulled out a small plastic vial, no larger than Dom’s thumb, and handed it to him.
“What’s this?”
“One of those experimental drugs I was telling you about.”
Dom rotated the vial. A few numbers were scrawled across it in almost illegible handwriting along with a date. “How the hell do you know?”
“Date matches a study Lauren and I were reading about. The numbers there indicate which sample it was in the study, and the chemical name is right there.”
Dom quickly scrolled through the list on the smart watch. “Doesn’t match anything here.”
“That’s because the researcher—probably one of the students working in the lab—spelled the chemical name wrong.”
Dom gave her a skeptical look.
She held up both hands in a supplicating gesture. “Trust me on this one. I’ve worked with enough students in my labs to know these things happen. Even some of the top scientists I worked with couldn’t spell worth a damn.”
“All right, I believe you,” Dom said, slipping the vial into one of the collection chambers. Now he understood Lauren’s insistence on bringing Divya along. His team might’ve missed such a subtle difference when scouring the labs for potential matches on their list. “How many more do we have?”
Divya pulled out a whole wire rack filled with hundreds of tiny vials. “We hit the mother lode.”
-9-
Shepherd aimed his rifle at the Goliath barreling toward him. The monster swiped away the burning husk of a Black Hawk. Flames licked into the night sky around it, giving the creature a distinctly demonic look. A smaller Skull, clad in a standard-issue Army combat uniform, ran alongside the giant. The Skull in the ACU craned its head and let out a high-pitched shriek as if telling the Goliath to back off, that Shepherd was its prey.
The Tide (Book 3): Salvage Page 6