The Fourth Phase

by Adrian J. Smith

  James caught his reflection in the rain-splattered window. His brown eyes stared back at him. He could see the black bags forming under his eyes. Letting out a breath, he ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair, his wiry muscles taut as he rubbed. James turned and pulled open the door into the head room.

  He stood for moment on the threshold, taking in the action. To his left, a long desk with computers lined the wall. On the opposite side of the room, through a door set ajar, was the radio room. It was a narrow room. Against one wall ran a desk with several radios, and four operators were chattering into microphones attached to headsets. In the centre of the head room sat a large square table covered with maps, a few chairs around it. Second Lieutenant Jay Badminton looked up from the map table and gave him a curt nod. James strode over.

  “Lieutenant, SITREP?”

  “Sir, the three Indonesian ships have rounded Miner’s Head. At current speed, the ETA is one hour. Eyes on have reported that they are slowing their speed.”

  James looked down at the map of Great Barrier island, and located Miner’s Head. “I want any available ships to be deployed out here to Maunganui Point, but keep their distance. I want wheels on the ground shadowing them. Have the guns on Kaikoura Island and across the channel been set up?” He raised an eyebrow.

  Badminton held his gaze. “Yes, Sir. Four ATGMs have been positioned.”

  James ran his finger down the map, through the narrow channel of water. If they want to invade, they’re going to have to come through here. The rest of the shoreline is too rocky. Their behaviour hadn’t indicated as such, but, so far, all attempts at communication had failed.

  He looked up from the map. “What about our ANZAC brothers?”

  “Nothing to add from them, Sir. They haven’t detected any foreign ships encroaching on their islands.”

  “Very well. Keep vigilant.”

  Badminton nodded. “Yes Sir.”

  James turned his attention back to the map, scanning for any weakness in his defences. They were on their own in this fight. HMNZS Te Mana and Taupo were twenty-four hours away.

  A shout from the radio room shifted his attention. James turned as one of the operators pushed through the door and strode over, waving a piece of paper. “Sir, this just came in for you. I don’t know what to make of it.” The operator passed him the paper.

  James glanced at what was written and furrowed his brow, drawing his thinning eyebrows together. He read: Mayday, mayday. Require immediate evac from GL-426. Power is failing. This is code black. Repeat this is GL-426 requiring evac. Please advise.

  James looked up. “Signaller, advise GL-426 we are en route, ETA fifty minutes. And get me Captain Johns on the line.”

  He turned towards Badminton without waiting for a response. “Inform the medical staff that we have incoming and to prepare for a code black.”

  Badminton caught his worried look. “Yes Sir.”

  James watched him as he left the war room. Well, Johns, it’s time to test your Renegades. You’re not going to like it.

  The door to the radio room slammed open. James looked up at the signaller rushing back in.

  “Sir, it’s Falcon 7. They’re under attack.”

  James clenched his jaw and gave the signaller a curt nod. “Is the Captain on the line?”

  “Patching it through now, Sir.”

  “Good.”

  James pulled down the shirt of his fatigues, straightening it, and strode from the head room. What next?

  EIGHT

  The rotor blades of the NH-90 helicopter loomed out of the darkness. The pilot had nestled it between the cabbage trees dotting the beach. Dee moved out from the bush and onto the sand dunes. The white sand squelched under her boots like corduroy pants rubbing together. She swept her rifle up and down the beach. Jack gave her a nod and she peeled off left while he went right. Dee took up a covering position next to the door. She made eye contact with the pilot and he slid open the door. Dee let out a shrill, quick whistle, and watched as the Renegades exited the bush at a light jog. The Joneses jumped in and turned, covering Ben as he jogged the last few steps. He gave Dee a reassuring pat and hopped in, making for the vacant co-pilot seat. Jack spun and climbed in after him, with Dee bringing up the rear. Eric, stationed to one side, slid the door closed with a thud as the whine of the powerful Rolls-Royce engines fired up. Dee took her seat, smiling at Jack.

  That was a smooth transition.

  Ben had made them practice it for a whole day and night. Again and again, he’d timed them, shouting that they could do better, had to do better. That their lives would depend on it.

  She felt her stomach drop as the chopper lurched off the ground, swinging out over the Hauraki Gulf and back towards Mayor Island. Dee was looking forward to seeing Boss and George. She was looking forward to finally having a shower and spending some quiet time with Jack. Maybe he would get the solar panel working better so they could watch a movie with Max and George snuggled between them, and Boss sitting in his chair pointing out all the plot holes while Jack argued with him. She smiled, a comforting tingle buzzing in her chest. The argument they’d had about the eagles in Lord of the Rings had lasted for three days. Jack had become quite animated, gesticulating wildly as he explained why the fellowship couldn’t use them to fly the ring directly to Mordor. That argument had then morphed into why the Star Destroyer hadn’t fired on the escape pod in Star Wars. Dee shook her head, remembering how Jack had stormed off and gone into the bush for a few hours.

  She was surprised at how much she loved Boss and George. Seeing them each day made her happy. She’d thought she had found pure happiness with Jack, but a sliver of the puzzle had always remained unfinished. Amid the terror and the chaos of their flight, she’d found that last piece. Dee knew the fight was far from over, and now, with this new threat from the Indonesian Navy, she worried that they would never have any semblance of a normal family life.

  Jack got up and moved over, plonking down beside her. Dee shifted over, giving him some space. She met his gaze, watching his blue eyes twinkle, then nestled into him, enjoying his warmth and comfort. No words were needed. She knew he felt the same. Had the same fears and worries, the same doubts. He was just as determined as her to not let the Variants get them. Dee felt for her necklace. Rubbing the metal and diamond between her fingers comforted her. Jack rubbed her hand, interlocking his fingers into hers. She smiled up at him, happy that she was heading home to the boys and Max.

  A squawk in her headset brought her back to the present. “Renegades, listen up. We’ve got our first mission. It’s a straight pick-up. A scientist from a lab has called in for an immediate evac. ETA twenty minutes. I want everyone prepped and ready. Understood?”

  Dee nodded and said, “Affirmative.” Her mind raced. They were barely trained. Were they even ready? She exchanged a glance with Jack. His brow was furrowed, and he was fiddling the stock of his rifle. Dee was struggling to grasp that anyone was left alive on the mainland. And a lab? She looked at Ben, hoping to learn more.

  “Good. Renegades, let’s do this quick and clean. I want to get…”

  Dee turned towards the cockpit at Ben’s pause. He had cupped his hand around one headphone, and his head was tilted, looking out the side window. She watched his brow furrow, then he shouted something into the microphone. Dee exchanged a quick look with Jack, who was also frowning. She flicked her eyes to Eric and Tony, who both shrugged. Ben untangled himself from the co-pilot’s seat and moved between the gap to join them. He remained standing, Dee watched his face for any clues. It was grim. Her heart sank.

  What was going on?

  “All right, Renegades. I’ve just received word from Falcon 6. Mayor Island is under attack.”

  Dee struggled to take on this news. Under attack?

  Ben continued. “All I know is, it’s collaborators and Variants. Mahana has ordered us to proceed with our mission. Picking up this scientist is deemed a PRIORITY ONE. He’s sending two squadrons to Ma
yor Island as reinforcements.”

  Dee stood up, grabbing the bar above her. “Are you serious? I don’t care about some scientist! That’s our home. The boys are there!”

  Jack leapt up, joining her. “She’s right, Ben. Screw the scientist. It’s the friggin’ boys we’re talking about! Our family!”

  Ben looked at Dee and Jack, his face softening. “I’m with you guys. I want to get home and fight too. But this scientist, she may hold the key to ending this. So, I know how you feel. I love all those back on Mayor too. But we have to trust the soldiers to do their job. If we have a chance to find a cure for this madness, then we have to take it. If we do our jobs right, we’ll be back in the air within minutes.”

  Dee’s head swam, and the thumping of the chopper blades pounded in her head. She squeezed Jack’s hand and felt him squeeze back, trying to comfort her as she sat back down. Dee raised her hand to her mouth, stifling a sob. She couldn’t believe Ben was choosing the mission over her family. She loved Ben. After all, he had saved her, and helped Jack too. But now he was obeying orders rather than dash home to fight? Dee glanced at Jack. He had his hands on his head, rubbing them through his hair.

  “Dee!” Ben shouted, getting her attention.

  She looked up at him. Brushing aside her emotions, she replied. “Sir?”

  “I want you locked and loaded. Get some food in you. I want your rifle clean and ready.”

  Dee rubbed the back of her neck. “Yes Sir.”

  She busied herself, going through the motions, trying to take her mind off her swirling fears. Jack nudged her on the arm, handing her an energy bar. Dee accepted his offering and leant in, kissing him deeply. She needed to feel his love, feel his touch. She needed the familiar warmth of his lips. He broke the embrace and looked down at the map Ben had handed him before returning to the cockpit. Dee clicked bullets into her magazines and secured them into her pouches.

  She stared out the window at the Coromandel coastline whizzing by. The chopper was flying low over the Firth of Thames, hugging the coast. All was dark, and Dee wondered if anyone had escaped the scourge and headed for the bush-clad mountains of the interior. She knew just how littered it was with valleys and gorges, trails and old huts.

  The NH-90 helicopter flew up the coast, skimming over the town of Thames, lying silent and dead. It followed the Waihou River south for twenty kilometres before turning south east. Dee recognised the blunt, rocky cliffs of Mt. Karangahake emerging out of the dark.

  She raised her eyebrows. They built a lab, here? Where?

  Movement from the cockpit made her look up as Ben returned to the hold.

  “All right. We’re two minutes out. I want a clean exit, just like we practiced. We’ve got a five-minute hike from the LZ to the entrance. The scientist is a Dr Katherine Yokoyama. She should be there waiting for us, just inside the lab entrance. We grab her and go. Stay frosty. Possible Variants in the area.”

  Ben turned without waiting for them to answer. Dee knew it was expected they understood.

  She watched him grab his gear and assemble it in smooth, practiced motions. She looked across at Eric and Tony.

  Tony was grinning at her. “You two lovebirds ready for some real action?”

  She shook her head at him as he made thrusting pelvic motions. Dee knew he was just blowing off steam, acting all brave.

  The hold fell silent as each of the Renegades prepared themselves to enter a night that was full of terrors. She felt the bump of the chopper as it hit the ground. Eric slid back the door in a quick, fluid action. Dee jumped out and spun left, checking for Variants. Leaves and dust spun around, agitated by the wash of the blades. She stared over the sight of her rifle, ignoring it. Tony grasped her shoulder and Dee headed off into the darkness. Jack went right with Eric. She glanced back and saw the muscular frame of Ben bringing up the rear. Eager to get on with this mission, Dee took a few breaths to calm herself, then jogged along the gravel road leading up the mountain.

  ***

  Jack strode up the narrow gravel road, the sharp bits of rock crunching under his feet. He swept his rifle left and right looking for any contacts, his ears straining for any noise. He had the route to the lab plotted out in his head, so had no need to consult his map. Jack struggled to grasp the fact that there was a secret government lab hiding in this mountain. He and Dee had hiked this area extensively over the years. Once a source of coal, and more importantly, gold, the landscape was a warren of valleys, rivers, and soaring andesite cliffs veined with quartz. The quartz had brought the early settlers, who’d had a tendency to dig mines, hunting for treasure like dwarves.

  A few buildings emerged out of the gloom; they looked like barns to Jack. He could see two to his left, and there was a large vehicle shed with a couple of tractors and a 4x4 sitting dormant inside, waiting for their owners. Owners who would never return. Not, at least, in human form. Directly ahead lay their target. A large corrugated iron shed, its dark paint blending it into the bush behind it. The shed was nestled against the mountain, with its back end hard up against the earth. The people who had built this lab had been clever; they’d hidden the entrance within a working farm, so any strange vehicles coming and going wouldn’t raise an eyebrow. Jack wondered what was so important that the government had gone to all this effort. Pausing, he glanced to his left, checking Dee’s and Tony’s positions.

  Jack crept up alongside the corrugated iron-clad building. It bothered him that they hadn’t heard any Variants yet. It was too quiet. He couldn’t even hear any of the birds that frequented the area. Stopping at the corner of the building, he risked a quick scan of the tree line.

  Jack took a deep breath, savouring the smells; the farm, the rusting iron, the wet long grass mixed with old manure. A strange chemical smell from inside the building reached him. He scrunched his nose at its pungency. Jack turned, catching a glimpse of Ben moving up behind him. Ben flashed the “Go” hand signal for him to proceed. Taking a calming breath, Jack sprang around the corner, keeping his rifle up and searching for hostile targets. He saw the sliding doors a few metres ahead and jogged to the far side. Crouching, he took a covering position and waited for Eric to reach the other side.

  Dee ran up, and Tony and Ben crouched in front of the doors.

  Jack, seeing that everyone was in position, pulled back on the door, straining with the weight. The door slid along a well-oiled runner, silently gliding open. Dee, Ben, and Tony disappeared inside.

  Jack glanced over at Eric, watching as the soldier scanned the farm. Eric gave him a quick nod and Jack searched into the gloom, looking for any of the horrors he knew waited out there. He sighed, struggling to keep his building apprehension from bubbling to the surface. He needed to keep focus. Ben had said this scientist could hold the key, the key to their salvation.

  Did she have a cure?

  Jack continued to look out into the chilly night, his eyes and ears straining for any indication of the Variants. A soul-destroying screech shattered the silence, followed by a cacophony of howls and screeches. Jack glanced over at Eric, meeting his fearful eyes. Eric reached down, clicking on his radio.

  “Captain. We have company. Over.”

  “How many?”

  “No visual yet. Over.”

  “Hold position, we’re on our way. Out.”

  “Wilco. Out.”

  Jack’s hand tightened on his AR-15, as he felt along and flicked off the safety. He’d known the bastards had been out there waiting, but had hoped they could just do this one thing without being harassed.

  Bloody Variants.

  He heard muffled footsteps thumping onto the concrete floor as Ben, Dee, and Tony emerged with the scientist, joining him in the doorway. Jack glanced up at Katherine. She was petite with toned, wiry muscles. Small-framed glasses perched on her nose, and her blue eyes stared back at Jack as if assessing him. He saw fear in her eyes, but also determination. He glanced down at the small metal case she gripped tightly in one hand. Was this the cure?
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  Another screech tore through the night, grating on his mind. He looked over at Ben, waiting for the signal to go, as the thumping of the chopper reached him. Jack watched in horror as he saw it lift off above the trees, banking sharply away from the mountain.

  Ben’s radio squawked. “LZ is hot! I’ve got multiple direction hostiles. Renegades, get out of there. I’ll extract you from somewhere else. Protect the asset. Find me a new LZ.”

  Ben spun around. “Back inside the lab. Now!”

  The Renegades fled into the barn. It was piled high with fertiliser and drums containing God-knows-what. The stench was making Jack’s eyes water. He pulled up his buff, covering his mouth and nose, trying to block it out.

  Up against the back wall was a smaller shed that reminded him of a cool storage area. Once inside, Katherine spun a wheel attached to a door, granting them access to an alcove. She raced to a keypad still glowing, Dee hot on her heels, and punched in a code. A final internal door hissed open, revealing tunnels behind. Emergency lighting lining the walls threw out a warm orange light, illuminating the smooth concrete walls and ceilings. The floor was lined with a hard rubber mat. Jack glanced back at Ben, Tony, and Eric filing in behind him. The Renegades crowded into the corridor. He was happy to hear the door slam with a hiss, locking out the Variants.

  Jack’s head swam as he stood apart from the other Renegades, glancing around the inside of the lab. He couldn’t believe the chopper had taken off without them. The concrete tunnel-like corridor stretched away. Jack could see multiple doors on both sides.

  What the hell were they doing down here?

  “Jack!” called out Ben.

  “Yes, Sir?”

  “You’ve got point. I need you and the doctor to find us a way out. Okay?”

  Jack nodded and turned away, looking down the long corridor. Find a way out? Where? He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked into the calming eyes of Dee, his rock. She gripped his shoulder, kneading his tense muscles. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to.