The Tide: Iron Wind (Tide Series Book 5)

by Anthony J Melchiorri

  Then another noise pierced their voices. Something sharper. Something mechanical.

  The Goliath froze. Its large eyes rolled back. It plummeted onto the helipad. Meredith stood protectively over Dom, ready to fire into the Goliath. But it was dead.

  The mechanical sound continued. More monsters fell in flashes of light. And as their voices died down, Meredith recognized the throaty bark of a machine gun and the heavy beat of a helicopter. For a moment, she feared the Russians had returned.

  But as more Skulls fell away, the chopper that appeared wasn’t the Russian Mil Mi-8. It was the Huey. From the open side door, the Hunters fired into the masses of Skulls. The chopper rotated above the helipad as both side-door-mounted M240s cut into the mob.

  Meredith thought she saw someone waving to her. She couldn’t understand why they weren’t communicating through the comm link, until she realized the damn thing had fallen from her ear in the turmoil. She reached under her helmet to push it back into her ear canal and was greeted with a myriad of voices.

  “I can hear you,” Meredith yelled back. “Bravo, Charlie, I can hear you.”

  She almost wept as the chopper lowered, stopping just short of the Titan’s grasping hands.

  “Stay clear, Meredith,” Andris’s voice came back.

  She watched the Hunter lean out from the side door and throw a small package into the Titan’s gaping maw. The giant beast didn’t seem to notice as it continued the struggle to free itself. It reminded Meredith of when she would accidentally swallow a gnat while running along the Potomac. A minor nuisance, but no real threat.

  But the package Andris threw at the monster was no innocuous insect. Meredith shielded Dom with her body, and Alizia dragged the old man beside them. A rumbling explosion sounded from beneath the earth. The Titan roared and then went silent. Its mouth lolled open, and Meredith half-expected fire and smoke to come rolling out.

  Instead a river of blood gushed as the creature’s head fell back. The block of C4 had done its job. The Huey swooped closer. Miguel and Jenna leapt out of the side door and rushed to Dom. Glenn came out next with a stretcher. All Meredith’s senses were overwhelmed as a mixture of relief and pain washed over her. She stumbled beside Miguel and Glenn as they lifted Dom onto the stretcher. Jenna offered her a shoulder to lean on, and Alizia limped beside them, carrying the old man over her shoulders again.

  Billowing smoke chased them into the air as they rose from the pit. Skulls still swarmed around the helipad, unperturbed by the Titan’s bloody death. As the chopper gained altitude, Terrence tended to the wounds on the side of her face. Pain scorched her skin as he cleaned and dressed the freshly opened cuts. But she didn’t care. She held Dom’s wrist as they passed over the CDF members. Alizia leaned out of the chopper, letting out a piercing whistle to her people. They retreated into the tunnels and hideaways under the trees, disappearing into the safety of their underground network.

  They would escape. The Hunters were safe.

  And beneath her fingers, under the dirt and grime covering Dom’s wrist, she felt a pulse.

  -49-

  “Shepherd, you see where those fellows were flying?” Frank asked.

  “Northeast is all I got,” Shepherd responded. “Didn’t see them land anywhere.”

  “Damn,” Frank said.

  Frank would’ve tried pursuing them in other circumstances. But not with Dom’s life on the line. The captain was still unconscious. The other Hunters staunched his bleeding and applied bandages, but after what he had been through, there was no telling what kind of internal injuries he had. They needed to get him to the Huntress and into the medical bay.

  “Huntress, Charlie. We’re on our way. Minor injuries to several of the crew. But one high-priority case. Dom is unconscious and bleeding.”

  “Copy,” Chao said. “We’re, uh, experiencing some difficulties here.”

  He frowned. The unflappable Chao had actually sounded nervous. “What’s that?”

  “I’m going to patch Lauren through.”

  A long moment of silence passed over the comm link. Frank listened to the beat of the rotors and the muffled voices from the cabin.

  “Frank, are you there?” Lauren asked, sounding worried. “I’m going to be honest, I’m not sure returning to the Huntress will be safe.”

  “Anything’s safer than trying to land with the Skulls on the shore. They aren’t exactly full of hospitality, you know?”

  “We’re still dealing with the spread of the airborne Oni Agent.”

  “Yeah?” Frank said. “I figured it hadn’t gone away in a few hours. But Dom needs your help.”

  “There’s a bigger problem. The chelation therapy failed. We’ve got one Hail Mary left.”

  “Is it working? Don’t sugarcoat it.”

  “Possibly. All the simulations—”

  “Sugar on shit still tastes like shit. Give it to me straight, Doc.”

  “The truth?” Lauren said. “I don’t know, but we’ll find out in a few hours.”

  Frank glanced at his flight chart. “You don’t say? It’s going to be about two and a half hours until we land. It would be real nice if we got the all clear to head below deck. I got a few people back here who could use a good meal, a shower, bed, and, you know, some medical attention.”

  “One way or another, we’ll know something by then.”

  “Knowing something is better than nothing. Let’s call it a deal.”

  The next two hours went by in a hypnotic blur. Dom’s eyes fluttered halfway open at one point, a fact Frank learned when Meredith and a few of the others chattered in hopeful excitement. But the captain fell back into the pit of unconsciousness, and his eyes remained closed for the rest of the journey.

  The verdant jungle passed below with an uncanny stillness. Murky brown waves lapped against the muddy banks of the Congo. Trees and branches intertwined, forming a tangled blanket over the ground beneath their reaching limbs. Besides the occasional explosion of birds launching into the sky, there were almost no signs of Skulls. Humanity might be losing its battle with the Oni Agent, but nature, on the other hand, seemed to be taking things in stride. The planet was already adapting, devouring the void people had left behind.

  As they drew near Soyo, Frank wondered how long it would take for the trees and plants to cover the charred remains of vehicles, scattered bones, and gunfire-scarred buildings of the port city. The crash-landed Caravan had long since disappeared below the waves. Skulls looked up lazily at the chopper. Some ran, following it halfheartedly until they hit the shore.

  Frank could sense the anticipation coursing through his passengers like static electricity in the air after a summer storm. They tensed in their seats, eyeing the sleek gray ship as they drew near. An alarm warned Frank of his depleted fuel. They had no more reserves and, whether or not Lauren wanted them there, they had to land.

  The wheels touched down on the helipad with a jolt, and Frank killed the engines, letting the rotors wind down.

  “Huntress, knock, knock,” he said. “We’re home.”

  ***

  Lauren took a deep breath. Beeping EKGs and the hushed breaths of her patients created a soft, discordant symphony around her. She crept toward Tammy’s bed and gripped the bedrails while she studied the woman.

  Peter joined her side. He checked each restraint. “Still tight. Shall we do this?”

  “Nothing else to lose now,” Lauren said. She injected the solution into the woman’s IV line and watched the green line on the EKG bounce more rapidly. Tammy’s medically induced coma was coming to an end.

  “Oni Agent antibody levels are consistent with before,” Peter said.

  “As if I need the reminder,” Lauren said. “But just because the antibodies are still there doesn’t mean the agent itself is.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “I have to be right.” Lauren surveyed the bay. The other Boston survivors were still under. Spencer rested in his bed, eyes half-closed beneath t
he bandages covering his burns. Lauren thought she saw the color returning to his cheeks. Though he had a fever, his temperature had dropped a degree.

  Maybe...just maybe...

  Sadie lay in another bed. The girl hadn’t yet woken, and her sheets were tangled around her small frame. Maggie had been muzzled and her leash attached to one of the posts on Sadie’s bed in case the agent took the dog, too.

  Lauren felt the heat break across her own skin, followed by periodic bursts of the chills. Her body was doing its best to fight the Oni Agent. But her immune system couldn’t do it alone. The doses she’d administered to herself and others were based on cell culture experiments and computer simulations. Hardly the stuff of commercial-grade pharmaceuticals.

  “Here we go,” Peter said softly.

  Tammy’s eyes fluttered. Lauren held her breath, her chest tightening. Tammy’s eyes focused on hers, and her mouth moved. Lauren tensed, bracing herself for the inhuman screams that would follow. Her knuckles grew white as she clenched the bedrail tighter.

  “Where...where am I?” Tammy asked. “Where’s Connor?”

  The tight feeling around Lauren’s chest disappeared. She grabbed the woman’s hands, holding them in hers. “He’s right here. Peter?”

  Peter took the boy from his bed and laid him next to his mother. Connor woke from his nap, rubbing his eyes.

  “Mom?”

  She wrapped her arms around him in a tight squeeze. The boy hugged his mother back, and tears streamed from her eyes.

  “I...I’m not sure what happened,” Tammy said. “The last time I think I woke up, I was angry and hungry and confused. I remember red shapes moving around. I felt like I was in danger. I didn’t hurt anyone, did I?” The woman began to sob, pressing her face against her son’s shoulder.

  “It’s all right,” Peter said. “It’s over now. You and your boy will be fine.” He turned to Lauren with a wide grin on his face. “It worked. The Phoenix Compound works!”

  Lauren wasn’t ready to celebrate yet. One case might be a fluke, a happy accident. One by one, the other Boston survivors were roused. All awoke healthy but disoriented. Lauren and Peter moved among the crew, waking all those who had been put under. None of them showed signs of turning into Skulls. Lauren finally let the waves of victory wash over her.

  “I can’t believe it,” Lauren said. “It did work.”

  She walked to the laboratory’s hatch. Kara, Navid, Divya, and Sean were toiling over the next batch of the Phoenix Compound. With a rap of her knuckles on the acrylic window, Lauren caught their attention. They turned to her, and when Lauren flashed a smile, their faces broke into answering grins. Navid wrapped Kara in a hug, and Sean pumped his fist into the air.

  Kara wasted little time in shedding her personal protective equipment. With Navid by her side, they strode to Sadie’s bed. Lauren shadowed them as Kara brushed Sadie’s hair back. She pressed the back of her hand against Sadie’s forehead.

  “She feels cooler!” Kara said. “The fever broke.”

  Sadie opened her eyes. They shone, lucid and healthy. No more vibrant, pulsating blood vessels. No yellow on her fingernails, either.

  “Kara?” Sadie said. “I’m thirsty.”

  “That’s normal,” Lauren said. “Just drink some water, okay?”

  A look of horror spread across Sadie’s face. “Where’s Maggie?”

  As if in reply, Maggie’s tail beat against the legs of the bed. The golden retriever jumped, her front paws landing on the bed. She tried to work her tongue through the muzzle to slurp Sadie’s face but only succeeded in spraying drool over the girl.

  “Ew, Maggie!” Sadie cried.

  Lauren’s body ached, and her muscles quivered. God, it must’ve been a day or more since she’d so much as stuffed an energy bar into her mouth. The allure of a bed had never felt so strong. Glenn would be back soon, no doubt equally exhausted, and the temptation of falling into bed with him and sleeping for a week was almost impossible to resist.

  Kara undid the dog’s muzzle. Maggie placed her front paws on the side of the bed, tail whipping Kara and Navid’s legs, and bathed Sadie in the love that only a dog could give.

  Kara hugged her sister and then threw her arms around Navid’s neck. “You did it! You’re a hero, Navid!” She pecked him on the cheek, and the young scientist’s face turned pink.

  Navid stood in stunned silence. A slight smile worked across his face. Before he finally spoke, he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “This isn’t my victory. It’s all of ours.”

  “Damn right,” Peter said, sauntering over to them. “And I’m buying a round of drinks for everyone. The best that money can buy.”

  “And what exactly can that buy right now?” Lauren asked.

  “Instant coffee from the galley!”

  Lauren wanted to laugh, but the terminal on the bulkhead buzzed. She picked up the handset. “Med bay, Lauren here.”

  “Frank’s back,” Chao said, “but Dom’s still out.”

  At once, the elation flowing through Lauren dried up. It was back to work. They had to save the captain. God only knew where they would be without him. “Peter, Sean, Divya. Stretchers. Helipad. Now!”

  The group rushed out of the med bay and up the ladders. A wind whipped against Lauren’s white coat. Sunlight warmed her skin, and she breathed in the salty ocean air. Her feet pounded across the deck toward the chopper as the rotors decelerated and the side door opened. Divya and Peter ran ahead with their stretcher.

  “Here!” Meredith yelled from the Huey. She and Glenn helped hoist Dom out and onto the stretcher.

  “Take him into the OR!” Lauren ordered. “Peter, go with them. You know what to do!”

  Peter and Divya rushed away with Dom on the stretcher.

  “Anyone else?” Lauren asked.

  “The rest of us can walk on our own,” Meredith said. Soot and mud obscured her face. Rivulets of blood dripped from under her helmet where Lauren and Peter had worked to fix the ear she had lost. She’d popped at least a couple of stitches. “But we’ve got a guest that needs stabilization.”

  A woman Lauren didn’t recognize leapt from the Huey next. She wore bleached pieces of Skull armor, and bruises mottled her dark skin. She helped Miguel lift an old man onto Lauren’s stretcher.

  “You must be Alizia,” Lauren said.

  Alizia nodded a curt greeting. “This man needs help. Not that he deserves it.”

  “What’s wrong with him?”

  “He’s older than my great-grandmother, God rest her soul, and he has something to do with the Oni Agent. Everything’s wrong with him.”

  “Anything I can help with?”

  Alizia gave a noncommittal shrug. “His oxygen tank got left behind, and he was hooked up to an IV. Other than that, your guess is as good as mine.”

  “Thanks,” Lauren said, nonplussed.

  Miguel helped her take the man down to the med bay. “Mr. Wrinkles here was Alpha’s VIP target. Might have some good information. Better get him talking.”

  “I’ll do my best.” Lauren pushed open the med bay’s hatch. There was a crack in the curtain blocking the window to the OR. Peter was already extracting a bullet from Dom’s leg. Divya seemed focused on a wound in his abdomen. Sean hovered behind them, offering assistance as needed.

  With Miguel’s help, Lauren lifted the old man into a bed. He couldn’t have weighed more than a hundred pounds.

  “Grab that oxygen mask,” Lauren said, pointing Miguel to a supply cabinet, “and attach it to that tank.”

  “You got it, Doc.”

  Miguel handed her the mask, and she placed it over her new patient’s face. After placing a clip on his fingers, she watched his pulse on an EKG monitor. A bit slow, but he’s alive, she thought. She had to try three times before she could get an IV needle into one of his rubbery veins. After washing the dried blood off him, she checked for any signs of internal or external bleeding.

  When she was satisfied the old man would live,
she gowned up for surgery and joined her medical team as they worked on Dom. They had experienced a staggering array of victories and setbacks over the past few days. But the Phoenix Compound worked. Soon enough, they would share their results with everyone left in the world to receive them. They would change the course of the battle against the Oni Agent.

  But that could wait.

  She had one more life to save.

  One more, and then the rest of the world.

  -Epilogue-

  The shrill chirp of alarms hit Dom’s ears. He jolted upright, gasping for air. His chest burned with each shallow breath. Hands pressed against his shoulders, and a deep, rumbling voice said his name. Panic filled him as he clawed at the wrists of his attacker. A swirling rush of blood pulsated through his vessels, churning with the effects of adrenaline and shock.

  Spitkovsky was going in for the kill again.

  He looked up into the hazy, gray-haired face of his enemy. But then Dom recognized the way the man’s brow furrowed in concern, the unlit cigar perched between his lips. His first mate, the man he had left in charge of the ship.

  “Thomas,” Dom said. His voice sounded unfamiliar, scratchy. “What...am I...the Huntress?” He jolted upright again, shoving Thomas off. Dull pain throbbed across his body, resonating in every joint. But he didn’t care. “Where are my girls? Where’s Meredith? The Phoenix Compound!”

  “They’re fine. They’re all fine. The Phoenix Compound worked, as far as Lauren can tell.”

  Adrenaline kept his heart pounding at a million beats per minute, but he willed himself to breathe slower, to let the warmth of relief calm his panic. “How about you? How’s the shoulder?” Dom asked. Thomas still had a bandage over his shoulder, though he no longer wore a sling.