by SD Tanner
“Did you get it done?” Bill asked brusquely.
“Yes, sir,” he replied.
Dayton pushed his way to the front of the room. “I’m Dayton. I worked at the hospital as an Oncologist.”
Jo gave Dayton a tired smile. “I’m Jo. You spoke to me on the phone.”
Dayton nodded gratefully. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me,” Jo replied, with a small shake of her head.
Bill cut their conversation short. “It looks like people are turning and their primary intent is to kill us…”
“Critters,” Lexie said decisively. “We’re calling them critters.”
Nodding curtly, Bill continued, “Fine, but they’re hard to kill.”
“Fifty cal or above,” Trigger interrupted.
Bill gave Trigger a tired look. “The base isn’t secure. We have tens of thousands of people here, but we don’t know if they won’t turn into…critters.”
“Is there any command or government left?” He asked.
“None that we can rely on,” Jo replied.
Bill nodded again. “She’s right. We don’t know who will turn or when. It means we’ve got no stable leadership or troops.”
“I’ve spoken to Central Command at CaliTech. They have access to satellite images, and they said they saw a huge number of people in the desert,” Donna said.
“What were they doing there?” He asked.
Bill replied, “We don’t know, but I’d like to find out.” Everyone looked at Bill and he added firmly, “These critters are doing the same thing by killing everyone and that implies they’re organized. If there’s a large group of people in the desert, I’m willing to bet they’re not human.”
Frowning, he said, “That means they’re in the city and the desert. Why would they cluster in those two locations?”
“Maybe the ones in the city just haven’t made it to the desert yet, or maybe they don’t know to go to the desert,” Jo suggested.
“We need more information,” Bill said confidently. Nodding at him and Jenna, he added, “You need to check it out. Take the nav with you.”
“I have a name,” Lexie said dourly. “And I have no hydraulics.”
Giving Lexie a concerned look, Bill asked, “What happened?”
“I fell off a building. It was Ark’s idea.”
“No, it wasn’t, Lexie,” Donna said bluntly. “I was on the grid while you were at the hospital. What you did was really dumb. You’re lucky you aren’t dead.”
He wasn’t really listening to their argument, but was watching Bill intently. He’d just told them there was no army and no command structure. With what he’d seen in the city, it would take an army to clear it, but it didn’t look like they had one. It made him wonder why he didn’t just leave. Amelia could still be alive, in which case he should look for her. The chances of him surviving the fifteen-hundred-mile trip weren’t good, and the thought of even trying made him look across at Lexie. If he had a Navigator with him, or better still if he could use the gear himself, he might have a chance of surviving the journey.
Bill seemed to read his mind. “Don’t even think about it, Sergeant.”
“I have a family,” he replied.
“You also have a duty,” Bill countered.
Under the current circumstances, he didn’t need Bill’s permission to leave. He could slip away and no one would know where he went, or even if he was still alive. There was no need to argue his case with Bill and he shrugged at his comment.
“I need to get back to CaliTech in California,” Lexie said irritably. “Now my gear is fried I don’t have a choice, and neither do you if you want to use me.”
He’d either need one of the Navigators or their gear to make it to Seattle, so now he wanted to go to CaliTech as badly as Lexie did. Batting her arm, he said firmly, “So, let’s go.”
“What? Now?” She replied in surprise.
In a tone that made it clear it wasn’t a request, Bill said, “If you’re going to CaliTech, then I want you to check out that desert location.”
He wasn’t used to questioning his orders in front of his superiors, and he gave Bill a skeptical look, but said nothing. Seeing his expression, Bill said, “Look, we have an enemy, and the more you know about your enemy, the better your chances are of defeating them.” Giving him a steely glare, he added, “I can’t make you follow my orders, but if you want to survive then you need to use your head, and not just your firepower.”
He glanced at Tuck who was lounging against the wall. In response to his unspoken question, Tuck gave a slight shrug. In that one gesture, he knew Tuck would support whatever decision he made. He needed Lexie to guide them to CaliTech, and even without her hydraulics, she could still identify the critters through her visor.
“What do you think, Lexie?”
“About what?”
“Will you take us to CaliTech?”
“Sure, but Ark wants me to check out the desert on the way there.”
“Why?”
“He says if they’re critters, then we need to know what they’re doing.”
Lexie seemed to do whatever Ark told her, which meant he was going to the desert whether he wanted to or not. Nodding to Bill, he said, “Guess we’re going to the desert, but then we have to go to CaliTech. We need their navs and the gear.”
“Good enough. Get back here when you’re done,” Bill replied. Clearly seeing his doubtful expression, he added, “There’s vehicles, weapons and supplies here, plus I need a briefing about what you find.”
He nodded and left the room with Trigger, Lexie, Tuck and Donna. Once they were out of earshot, Tuck asked, “Did you just emancipate us?”
Trigger snorted. “Of course he didn’t. There’s nothing left to emancipate ourselves from.”
Standing outside the building, he stared across the parking lot and surrounding land. There were people wandering or sitting everywhere. Many were covered in bloodstains, all looked shocked, and there was nothing anyone could do to help them. Clearly they’d already broken into the supplies held at the base, and MRE’s, bottles of water and military packs were scattered everywhere. Some people had put up makeshift tents, and others were starting small fires. Cars and other military vehicles were parked haphazardly wherever anyone had thought to stop. Their own trucks were still guarded by the troops they’d returned with. It looked as if they’d refilled the gas tanks and had scrounged more ammo and supplies. Jenna seemed to be running the show and he walked across to her.
“The Colonel wants us to go to the desert on the way to CaliTech. What do you want to do?”
Giving him a weary look, she replied, “I don’t know. I had family in Chicago, but I doubt they’re still there or even alive.”
“We can’t stay here,” Tuck said decisively. He pointedly surveyed the battered-looking people and added, “Any one of them could turn on us.”
Lexie and Donna had joined them, and they formed a small circle, each staring intently over the others in front of them. Instinctively they were forming a perimeter, and he realized they couldn’t stay at the base. For as committed as he had been to his job, he didn’t have one anymore. If the government and military were gone, then it was every man for himself. Looking at Jenna, he figured she had the trust of the seven men and women still reloading the two trucks with whatever they could find.
Flicking his head at the busy troopers, he asked Jenna, “Are they with you?”
Jenna shook her head slowly. “Only inasmuch as they’ve no one else to follow, but once they realize no one’s in command then maybe not.”
He really needed the gear at CaliTech, and nodding at her, he said, “Come with us. We’ll do what the Colonel asks only because Ark at CaliTech wants the data as well. Then we’ll head to CaliTech. Ark says it’s a secured site, plus the navs can see the critters through their visors.”
She nodded back at him. “Sounds like a plan.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: Moving on (Bill)
“That didn’t go well,” Jo said, as she watched them walking across the parking lot at the base.
“No, it didn’t.”
In some ways, he didn’t blame them. He had his own family to consider. Although his father had died several years earlier, his mother was still very much alive in Boston. He did have a wife, but she’d divorced him after she learned about his affair with a civilian he’d met while he was stationed in Germany. His wife had waited until the girls were eighteen before filing for divorce. He’d come back from a deployment to find the house empty, except for their divorce papers and a pen on the kitchen counter. She’d courteously left him a brief note explaining she’d known about his affair for several years, and now their daughters were old enough, she was done with him. It wasn’t his proudest moment, and his two daughters wouldn’t talk to him anymore. They were both in their twenties and he had no idea where they lived now. Apparently he wasn’t allowed to make even one mistake in his life, and he’d never spoken to her or the girls again.
Since his divorce, he’d lived alone and moved from one command to the next. He supposed that’s why they’d made him a liaison for the bunkers. With so little family, his loyalties weren’t split, but the bunkers were a disaster. They’d always assumed they’d be able to communicate with the surface, and there’d be some structure left after any disaster.
“What now?” Jo asked.
Staring out of the window, the squad he’d sent to the hospital were finishing loading their trucks, and he didn’t blame them for wanting to leave immediately. The base wasn’t secure. Under Jo’s direction, civilians had flooded into the base and had broken into the supplies. Guns, ammo, food, and other survival gear had been raided and there wasn’t much left. The soldiers on the base were scarce, and many had already left to look for their families. With no command structure, the base had disintegrated into chaos. It made him wonder what had happened to USNORTHCOM. They should have been providing military support for the civilian authorities. It was possible their bunker was operational, but they’d been unable to find any military command topside. NORAD was in control of the nukes and should be managing the satellites. If they went to DEFCON 1, then they’d start firing the nukes, but he had no idea what they’d target. He could try and make his way to their bunker, but even if he got there, there was no way he could gain access or make any difference.
Dayton hadn’t left with the others, and he joined them staring out of the window. “I want to go back to the city.”
“What for?” Jo asked in surprise.
“I have a theory, but I need the equipment at the hospital to test it.”
“What’s your theory?” He asked.
“I found a dead one in the hospital. It must have turned while it was being operated on and it died on the table. It was solid…by that I mean it didn’t have any organs that I could see. It’s like a thick, black rubbery creature. Its joints might look human, but they bend in ways they shouldn’t. It didn’t have any sexual organs, so I don’t know how they reproduce.”
“Do they need to?” Jo asked. “It seems to me they reproduce by taking over humans.”
Dayton nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly. I don’t think they need to reproduce…they’re relying on us to do it for them.”
Puzzled by the man’s gleeful observation, he asked, “And that’s good because…?”
“It means they need us, so they can’t kill us all,” Dayton replied. “I also noticed they don’t have mandibles or a functioning jaw. Their mouths appear to be a slit or a hole, but I don’t know how they use it.”
“Have you seen one eat?” He asked Jo.
She shook her head and Dayton continued, “I never got a chance to scan one and I need to. You said we need to know more about them and we do. If I can get a generator working, then I can use the equipment at the hospital to do some analysis.”
“The city isn’t safe.”
Dayton gave him a look of disbelief. “Nowhere is safe. If I’m going to die, then I can’t think of a better place than at my hospital. It’s kinda where I live anyway.”
The squad had clearly decided there was nothing for them at the base, and they were already driving away from the building. The whole area was filled with waiting people, and while he watched, they slowly navigated their way along the crowded road.
Still watching the squad leave, he said distractedly, “Missiles. We need missiles.”
“What for?” Jo asked, sounding surprised. “What would we bomb?”
He wasn’t really sure. Even if they bombed their own cities, it wouldn’t stop more people from turning into critters. The real problem was they were their own enemy. Even now, he wasn’t sure who would become his enemy.
“Air support,” he muttered. “We need better visibility.”
“Oh well, if you’re just compiling a wish list, then I’d like to be on an island…alone,” Jo replied dourly.
“Can you get me a ride back into the city?” Dayton asked.
Jo nodded. “Jonesy and another cop stayed. They were on Tijeras Avenue and Fourth Street last time I saw them. If we can hook you up with them, maybe they can help you get something working at the hospital.” Touching his arm, and with a look of genuine concern, she added, “But you’re also a doctor, and there’s a lot of people here who need help.”
Dayton shook his head firmly. “No, we have to get to the source of the problem, and I can’t do that here.”
He’d been taught how to analyze combat situations and command troops, but right now he didn’t have enough information and no troops. When confronted with a problem with no apparent solution, he’d been taught to break it down, which was what he was trying to do now. As part of his training, he’d been told not to assume anything, and that made him wonder why the cities hadn’t been completely taken over. According to his debriefing, the buildings were full of people and critters, and he wondered how any people were surviving at all. The critters were hard to kill, and not too many civilians had .50-cal weapons.
“Why isn’t everyone dead in the city?” He asked.
“What sort of question is that?” Jo asked.
“No, he’s right,” Dayton agreed. “When I was trapped in the dispensary at the hospital, I kept waiting for them to attack and they didn’t. They could have found us, but they never really looked.”
“Maybe they’re stupid or you got lucky,” Jo suggested.
He shook his head. “No, that’s not it. There’s people and critters in all the buildings. They could wipe out everyone if they wanted to. They’ve done enough to break us, but not enough to wipe us out. It doesn’t make sense.”
“What? Do you think there’s a master plan?” Jo asked in disbelief.
Her question made him realize that was exactly what he thought. To successfully wipe out the government, military and emergency command structures was either the luckiest strike he’d ever seen, or there was intelligence behind it. It would explain why they were gathering in the desert. They were forming their own bases and command structure. Continuing to watch the area outside the window, he thought their enemy would also need to stop them from forming any viable defense. The people standing and sitting around the base could be used at any time to form another army to attack them. It was then he realized they’d made a massive mistake.
“We need to get the people out of here,” he said urgently.
“Why?” Jo asked. “They need our help.”
“Because we won’t be allowed to group together like this. They’ll see it as a threat and infiltrate us. All they have to do is turn some of us into critters and then the killing starts.”
“Who will do that?”
“Whoever it is that’s done this. None of this is an accident, it’s been too effective.”
Jo closed her eyes, and he could see she was grasping his point. “So, what do we do?”
“Cells. We need to form small cells. That way, even if some people turn into critters, there’s only so many peopl
e they can kill.” Turning to Dayton, he added, “And you’re right. You need to study them. I don’t care where you do that, but share whatever you learn with whoever you can.”
Whenever he was right about anything, a sense of confidence would flood through him, and he felt it now. They weren’t fighting a mindless enemy, but an organized force. It led him to wonder why they were keeping some of them alive. They must have something the critters needed, but he didn’t have enough information to know what it was. Watching the people wandering across the once organized base, he wondered how he could convince them to form into smaller groups. He needed to get Dayton back to the city and break up the base. Before he could issue any orders to anyone, a fight broke out amongst the crowd. There was a chance it was the result of frayed tempers, but more likely someone had turned and more would follow.
Turning and pushing Dayton and Jo toward the door, he said grimly, “We have to go.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: Bloodless coup (Ark)
The Chief Executive had made one of his rare trips to the basement of the building and was eyeing their screens skeptically. His name was Duncan something or other, but he’d never bothered to remember the man’s full name. Everyone simply called him Dunk the Skunk and it really did suit him. Despite his immaculately tailored suit and matching shirt, he still emanated an air of sleaziness more commonly found in a cheap strip joint. He could well imagine Dunk the Skunk leering at something, only he doubted the man was human enough to be attracted to an actual woman. He suspected the only thing Dunk ever coveted was money and power.
Right now, he was storming around their small space swearing about getting no respect. According to Dunk, he’d placed calls with people as high as the President, and no one was calling him back. In response, they’d called up the latest satellite pictures of the cities, and showed him they were burning and in chaos. This perfectly reasonable explanation had only enraged the skunk even further. Apparently, the demise of their country had been done just to annoy him.