by M. Lorrox
Charlie shakes his head in disbelief. “...” He holds down the button for a moment, but then releases it. His eyes flash wide, and he jumps out of his seat when he remembers Sadie had meetings at the Pentagon today. “General, when did this happen? How much time has passed? They might still be asleep. Over.”
“It seems the Pentagon went dark just a few minutes ago. How long did it take for the zombies to turn? I mean to ask: how long do we have? Over.”
Charlie leans against the wall of the plane and tries to think.
The C-130’s pilot jumps into the conversation. “This is Captain Payne, sir, we started hearing commotion about thirty minutes after we notified the soldiers to inoculate. Over.”
Charlie’s heart drops. A half hour? That’s it?
“Captain, that’s too fast; the virus takes longer. We all know that... Are you sure, Captain? Over.”
“Positive sir, unless they took the vaccine early. Over.”
Charlie reclaims his stake in the conversation. “I can verify that the vaccine was taken on schedule. This must be a different strain or it’s concentrated or something. Over.”
“Colonel, stand by... General Riley is setting up a command center outside the Pentagon, and I’ve got to go. Tell Winters if you need anything else. Over.”
“I do! General? Over.”
“This is Winters, sir. What do you need? Over.”
Charlie tries not to think about his wife being surrounded by tens of thousands of zombies—if the humans at the Pentagon were all infected, that is. He tries to speak as calmly as possible. “Winters, I need to get in touch with someone on the ground. I’ll need you to call them and talk to them for me. Over.”
“Okay. What’s the number? Over.”
Charlie gives Senior Airman Winters his wife’s number and holds his breath while Winters calls it.
“Patching you in to the call sir, go ahead. Over.”
He almost screams into the microphone. “Sadie?”
“I’m at the hotel with Eddy. What’s going on, I thought you’d be—”
He presses his button down without waiting for her to finish speaking. “Sadie, the vaccine doesn’t work, it turned them into zombies.”
“Oh shit.”
“Yeah, and nobody can reach the Pentagon.”
“What? Charlie—”
“Listen, they say that the inoculation system was activated and the place is on lockdown.”
“—OU HEAR ME? CHARLIE! June is gone, they—”
“What? Who? What happened?”
“—gaard took her to his lab, in the Pentagon.”
Melgaard. He closes his eyes and grits his teeth until they crack. He presses the button and holds the receiver up to his mouth while keeping his eyes closed. “Do you have a plan?”
“Yes. I’m going in.”
“Sarra, if what happened on the plane wasn’t a fluke, then in twenty minutes, everyone inside that building will wake up as a zombie. All...however many thousands there are.”
“Twenty minutes? Cazzo.”
“As soon as I land, I’ll head straight there and meet you.”
“There’s not enough time. There’s more at stake than June... I’m going in with Eddy, and maybe we can get some knights to come with us.”
“I don’t want you to go in.”
“I think I have to.”
“Let me talk to Eddy.”
“Dad, I’m sorry, they took her when I—”
“Eddy, get Captain Korina Sarkis and the knights to help your mom, but I need you to do something for me.”
“What?”
“I’m going to have a car pick up Sky from the hotel. I need her for a special assignment. Tell her to wait in the lobby.”
“Sky’s pretty kickass, Dad, we could use her, I mea—”
“Put your mom back on. That’s an order.”
“Charlie, I have to go in.”
“Be careful, Sarra, please be careful.”
“You too. When you land—”
“I’m going to rip Melgaard’s fucking throat out. I’ll see you there?”
“I might beat you to it. Be careful, I love you.”
“I love you.” Charlie closes his eyes and shakes his head.
“Sir? Winters here. You want a car to pick up a girl named Sky from a hotel, correct? Over.”
“Yes, and have them meet me when we land on the tarmac. Then I’ll have to get to the Pentagon. I don’t care how you make it happen but you have to. Over.”
“I’ll take care of it, sir, but I first have to clear a runway for you to land. Stand by. Over.”
Charlie relaxes his hand off the transmitter. What else will I need? Think, damn it!
Wren Riggs, the reporter from National Daily News, sips on her latte as she makes the final turn to enter the Pentagon’s parking lot. She glances down to set her coffee into the drink holder, then looks back up. “Shit!”
She slams on the brakes and her latte flies forward, splashing against the dash. Her car screeches to a halt a few feet away from a Pentagon Force Protection Agency squad car blocking the entrance. She puts her Toyota hybrid into park as an officer heads her way. Wren shakes her head, drops her half empty cup into the holder, and rolls down her window. She holds up her press badge as the officer approaches. “What’s going on? Why is this entrance blocked?”
The officer waves Wren’s press badge down and clears her throat. “All entrances and exits are currently blocked. Turn your car around.”
“I don’t understand… Officer Birchard. What’s going on?”
“I don’t have any information for you, please, turn around now.” Birchard searches the reporter’s eyes, glancing back and forth between them.
Please? Since when do the PFPA say please? Wren shuts off the car and looks out her window at the officer. “I’d like to speak to your supervisor.”
Officer Birchard shifts, then leans down to her. “No, not right now. We have an emergency we’re responding to.” She looks at the press badge. “Wren, you need to get out of here.”
The back of her neck tingles. She swallows. “What if I refuse?”
Officer Birchard stands back up. “I’ll arrest you, lock you in the back of my car, and tow yours.”
Wren nods slowly. “I see.” She glances at the coffee dripping off her dash. She sighs, slowly lifts the cup with a few inches of cooling latte, and chugs the rest down. She grabs her purse from the passenger seat and looks back at the officer. “I won’t resist, I’ll wait for your supervisor in the back of your car.”
She opens her door, and Officer Birchard takes a step back and places her hand on her gun. “Get back in your vehicle and leave. Right now, Wren!”
She shuts the car door and extends her hands to the officer for them to be handcuffed. “No.”
Officer Birchard shakes her head. She opens her mouth, then closes it, removes a set of handcuffs, and clicks them onto Wren’s wrists. She reads the reporter the Miranda rights, and escorts her to the back of the squad car. “Watch your head.”
“Thanks.” Wren slides in and exhales.
-slam-
Birchard chuckles. Reporters. She grabs the radio on her shoulder.
Inside the squad car, Wren hears the radio tick on.
“Vehicle services; come in. Over.”
Wren smiles as she glances over her shoulder and out the window. Birchard is walking away. Wren reaches her cuffed hands into her purse, pulls out her cell, and calls a preset number on the home screen. She clicks on the speaker icon.
“Newsroom.”
“Jimmy? It’s Wren, can you hear me? Get Paul—I’ve got breaking news at the Pentagon.”
“Sweet. Hold on, I’ll grab him.”
Eddy slips his phone back into his pocket, then turns to his mom. �
��Jambavan says he and Captain Korina can pick us up in a few minutes, and Sky is on her way too. So what’s the plan?”
She bites her lip. “I’m still working on it.” She tosses a long pouch onto the bed alongside the wakizashi and Patton’s cavalry sword.
“What’s in the pouch?” Eddy tilts his head to look at it more closely.
“Throwing spikes.” She picks up the cavalry sword. “This is nice, it’s almost like a foil.”
Eddy picks up the wakizashi. “I can use this; Dad trained me in some Iado with it, and it’ll be quicker than using sticks.”
Sadie frowns. “I think you should have a backup weapon, too, though.” She looks at Eddy. “If your dad is right, we’re going to have our hands full.”
He nods, then turns and grabs his leather satchel. He holds it up. Sophia, the large bowie, is strapped to the side. “I’ll have this too.”
“Alright. What about armor? You could wear your leather jacket—”
“Yeah and I could change into jeans. With my boots, I should be good.”
Sadie glances at her old trunk and sighs. “I guess I need some armor too.”
Eddy turns to the closet by the bathroom to get his coat. “Do you have a coat or something you could wear?”
“No, not a coat, exactly.” She shrugs, then bends down and opens the trunk. “I’m going to need you to wait in the other room while I get geared up.”
Eddy chuckles. “No problem, Mom, I...” Whoa. Her armor from the Red Company!
Sadie stands and holds a dark, red-leather bodysuit in one hand, and some black fabric and tall leather boots in the other.
Eddy’s mouth hangs open. “I thought you said you never wanted to wear that again.”
She sighs. “I did, and I don’t, but I am. Now get out.”
Eddy waits in the living room, texting with the squires while Sadie changes. He speaks into the empty room, knowing that she can hear him from the bedroom. “Mom, Jambavan says he has an idea about getting in.”
“What’s that?” The door opens, and Sadie steps out. Tight black gloves and black boots cover her hands and feet. The rest of her body is covered by the crimson leather of the bodysuit. Her hair is tied back, and a black shemagh is wrapped loosely around her neck—for now. Another piece of black fabric wraps around one shoulder, across her chest, and ends in a loop around her waist.
Eddy turns to look at her, and a huge grin flashes onto his face. “Holy crap! Mom, you’re a superhero!”
“Duh, of course I am. What’s his idea?”
Eddy gets another text:
Turn on the news.
“Hold on.” Eddy grabs the remote from the table and flicks the TV on. It takes a second to display the channel, and it’s still on the news station from before.
Across the top reads “Emergency at the Pentagon,” and next to a stock image of a reporter, a text banner reads “Voice of Wren Riggs, LIVE at the Pentagon.”
“...ow is that the Pentagon’s anti-zombie measures have deployed in the building, and there has been no communication in or out of the building for the past several minutes.”
The image cuts to a feed from a helicopter flying nearby.
“The Pentagon Force Protection Agency is patrolling the area and is attempting to reestablish communication with the Pentagon.”
The image cuts to a wide shot of the Pentagon, apparently being taken from the shoulder of a highway. The image starts zooming in, and it continues for a surprisingly long time, until a large set of metal doors can be seen.
A man’s voice joins the broadcast. “Wren, we can see that all entrances and exits to the building are sealed, so if there has been a zombie outbreak in the Pentagon, it appears to be contained.”
“That’s right, Paul, and remember everyone, we have no reports and zero sightings of any zombies, but I can confirm that the anti-zombie measures were deployed here at the Pentagon. Please do not panic.”
The image cuts to a man in a newsroom. “Thank you, Wren, for that update. If you’re just joining us, please remain calm. We’ll continue bringing you live coverage from the Pentagon as the situation develops. Next, we’ll talk to Dr. Jerry Spaulding of the CDC to learn more about the anti-zombie measures that the Pentagon has recently deployed. Stay with us.”
Eddy feels his phone vibrate. He mutes the TV and checks his phone.
Sadie sighs. “Okay, what is his idea?”
He clicks off the TV and stands. “He didn’t say, but they’re in the lobby. Let’s go.”
-Bark!-
Rusty jumps at Sadie’s leg.
Eddy reaches down and pats his head. “Sorry buddy, you’ll have to wait.”
Rusty growls at him.
Huh?
Sadie grabs the keys to the Jeep and tosses them to Eddy as she opens the door to the hallway. “Bring him. I’ll ride with Korina and fill her in with what we know. Follow us in the Jeep.”
Eddy, who doesn’t have a learner’s permit but who has practiced on the stick shift in the Jeep before, glows with the excitement of ten super bowls. “Yes ma’am!”
In the elevator, Sadie presses the buttons for the lobby, where she’ll exit; and for the underground garage, where the Jeep is parked. The doors close, and she and Eddy stare at their blurry reflections in the polished metal before them. The soft and light music doesn’t fit with the leather and swords they’re brandishing.
The elevator stops on the third floor. A man steps in without looking up. He reaches for the button to the lobby and pushes it even though it’s already lit. He pulls out his phone and starts swiping through screens.
Eddy and Sadie look at each other.
When the doors open at the lobby, it’s chaos. People are jogging back and forth, and the man in the elevator hesitates before stepping out.
Sadie places her hand on his shoulder and pulls him back out of the way. “Excuse me.”
He snorts as he’s drawn backward against his will until he sees Sadie’s butt in the leather bodysuit as she strides out.
He drops his phone. -thud-
-Bark!-
He turns and looks at the dog in Eddy’s hands.
The doors start to close, and he reaches to hit the button to open them again.
Eddy groans. “Sorry, buddy!” With his free arm, he shoves the man and sends him flying out of the elevator and into the lobby. “I’m in a hurry!”
“Hey!” He falls to the ground. “Ugh!”
Eddy kicks the man’s phone after him. It slides right between the closing doors, and skips and catches a little air as it crosses the metal boundary. The doors seal shut immediately behind it. Eddy smiles. Just like tossing someone through blast doors in a sci-fi movie.
Jambavan waves Sadie to the SUV parked out front. He opens the passenger door for her and jumps in the back.
Sadie gets in and turns to Korina. “Thanks for coming so quickly.”
She nods, then puts the car into gear.
“Wait.”
“Why?”
Sadie buckles herself in. “Eddy’s going to follow us in the Jeep.”
Korina shows her frustration. “Why?”
Sadie just smiles. “I might need it.” Out of the corner of her eye, she sees her Jeep emerge from the parking garage below the hotel—it roars up the hill like a great dragon clawing out of its cave. She points to it. “There he is. Let’s go.”
Korina checks her mirror and pulls out. “Alright, what exactly is the situation?”
“The High Council is still in the Pentagon, right?”
Korina nods. “Yes.”
“Charlie is on the way back; the mission failed. It seems the vaccine doesn’t work, but instead turns them into zombies.”
Jambavan shakes his head. “What are you saying? I don’t understand.”
Sadie swallows. “Th
e High Council is trapped in a building, that might also have twenty-five thousand zombies trapped with them.”
“Fuck.” Korina takes a deep breath.
“Yeah. The doors are sealed, and we need to get to the High Council and get them out of there.”
“Who else knows about the vaccine not working?”
Sadie tosses a hand in the air. “Right now, just the military, but if the same thing happens here that happened on the plane—if people inside the Pentagon are infected—a zombie spotted from a window will be all it’ll take.”
Jambavan groans. “The press, they’ll go crazy, and so will the people.”
Korina floors it. “Let’s hope we can at least get there before hell breaks loose.”
Sadie glances in the side mirror back at Eddy. He’s falling behind. “Slow it down just a little, jacked up Jeeps don’t like going over sixty.”
Korina takes her foot off the gas and scowls over at Sadie.
Sadie shrugs. “Death Wobble. It’s a thing.” She folds her hands in her lap. “We’re almost there anyway.” She glances in the mirror again and sees Eddy catching up to them. She turns around to the back seat. “Eddy said you had an idea about how to get in?”
Jambavan smiles and motions to a large duffel bag beside him. “We climb.”
Sky arrives at the hotel and hurries to the conference room the Council Guard uses as an office. The senior officers and their squires have lockers there, and she collects her tactical gear. Once she has most everything on and strapped in, she stares into her nearly emptied locker. The steel curves of the bat’leth shine back at her.
“Naa.” She turns and starts to walk out the door, then checks the cryptic message from Eddy again.
My dad says he has a special mission for you. Wait for a car to pick you up by the hotel’s lobby.
His dad is the Guard Commander. A special mission from him and not from Tiger?
She turns back and grabs her bat’leth. If I don’t need it, I can leave it in the car. Better to be lookin’ at it, than be lookin’ for it. Right, Daddio?