by Dirk Patton
Glances were exchanged around the room, then slowly heads began to nod.
“Admiral,” the Marine General spoke up. “We’re forgetting one problem. The Russians are still occupying much of the west coast of CONUS.”
“And what happens when they learn about this… this… new apocalypse?” A Navy Captain interjected. “Even if we are successful, they’re going to be knocking on our door to escape the devastation in California. And, what do we do about the infected? They still have control over the herds. All they’d have to do is send a few million of them in to kill us all, then send them away so they can move in without firing a shot.”
Admiral Packard nodded, looking around the room to see if anyone else had a question.
“Gentlemen, allow me to introduce Chief Petty Officer Simmons,” he said, gesturing at Jessica.
Every pair of eyes turned to look at her.
“Ms. Simmons is the one responsible for restoring our comms and deploying Thor. She, for the most part singlehandedly, defeated the Russian invasion fleet.”
Despite herself, Jessica felt a wave of heat as a blush began at her chest and washed up across her face.
“That’s why she is here,” Packard said, smiling at her. “Chief, you have one job. I want you to break into the Russian’s control systems and seize the satellites that are broadcasting the harmonic that attracts the infected. Captain Thomas is correct. If the Russians continue to have control over the infected, they’ll wipe us out before our change of address takes effect. Can you do this?”
“I will do my best, sir,” Jessica said, her voice steady under the gaze of the roomful of senior officers.
“So far your best has been better than the Russians’,” Packard said. “Report directly to Captain West. Anything you need, he will ensure you receive without delay. We’re counting on you, Chief. Until we have control of those satellites, we can’t begin moving people. I’m not going to uproot a million civilians to just have them die in a strange place.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll make it happen,” Jessica said, not at all as confident as she sounded.
26
The massive door trundled to a stop. Well above my head was the top edge and Gonzales and I stayed in place with our rifles ready, just in case. Johnson’s eyes were glued to us, his finger hovering over a button that would send it back up and seal the opening if we reacted to any threat. But, after a couple of minutes, nothing came screaming at us.
Lowering my rifle, I called Chelsea over and told her what we were going to do. To the young girl’s credit, she didn’t even bat an eye, just followed me to the base of the monstrous slab. Kneeling, I grabbed her calves once she was standing on my shoulders, balancing her as I stood. Looking up, I could see that her extended hands were still a foot below the lip.
“I’m going to jump,” she said. “Ready?”
“Go,” I said, bracing myself.
An instant later she pushed off, and it was all I could do to not stagger backward from the force. Arms extended to catch her if she fell, I watched her grab the edge and pull herself up to slither onto the top of the door. All was quiet for a few seconds, then her head appeared.
“We’re good,” she called. “Looks like a testing lab. Lots of infected, but they’re locked up.”
“You’re sure?” I asked.
“I’m young, not stupid,” she said, rolling her eyes at me.
I grinned, resisting the urge to flip her off.
“Males or females?” Gonzales asked, finally lowering his rifle.
“Females are all I see,” Chelsea answered. “They’re in some kind of clear glass box. Like the reactor. And there’s also a bunch in separate cells along the wall.”
They were in an isolation chamber. But then, why had I smelled them when the door opened?
“Chelsea. Take another look. If they’re sealed in, why does it stink?”
She opened her mouth, probably to say something sarcastic, then closed it and disappeared from sight. A full minute later she reappeared.
“So, maybe I’m not so smart,” she said. “There’re males bumping around that are loose. They’re all in uniform or scrubs, so must be researchers.”
“How many?”
“Eleven.”
“OK. Hold tight.” I looked at Johnson. “Bring it on down.”
The door rumbled to life, slowly descending and bringing Chelsea with it. She jumped clear when it was still a few feet above the floor, just as we began seeing the males. Gonzales and I quickly put them down.
Walking forward, I crossed the threshold into another massive room that was obviously an isolation ward. Close to fifty females were secured inside a circular chamber made of thick glass. They threw themselves at the barrier, but the material was so thick I couldn’t hear their assault.
The perimeter of the room was crowded with smaller versions of the main holding area, all of them occupied by more females. At least another thirty. Racks of medical and lab equipment filled much of the rest of the space, and at the far end I could see what I was pretty sure was an MRI machine well separated from everything else. Gonzales, Johnson and I walked the entire area, Chelsea and Nicole tagging along, but didn’t find any indications of another door.
As we moved, the females followed the interior curve of glass, furiously pounding in frustration when they couldn’t reach us. After a second thorough inspection, we regrouped near where Igor was still watching the hall.
“What now?” Johnson asked.
I shook my head, trying to ignore a pounding headache and come up with a way to reach the surface without getting into a gunfight in a stairwell. Slowly looking around, I met Nicole’s eyes and paused when a thought popped into my head.
“Nicole, when you were in the containment room with those other females, they didn’t try to attack you. Right?”
“Riiiiiight,” she said slowly, unsure where I was going.
“Are you able to communicate with them? I mean, do you think you could get them to do what you wanted?”
She stared at me for a long beat before turning and looking at the isolation chamber full of infected.
“I’ve got no idea,” she said.
“Sir?” Gonzales said, concern in his voice.
“Easy, Master Chief,” I said. “We’ve already seen that they won’t harm her. What if she can get them to do what she wants? We send them up the stairs to fight the militia for us.”
“I don’t…” he started to say, going quiet when Nicole looked at him with a raised hand.
“Not your decision,” she said firmly before facing me. “I’m willing to give it a try, but don’t have a clue if it will work. But, all of you are going to have to be somewhere else.”
“Nicole…” Gonzales said.
She stepped close and placed her hand on his arm.
“I’ll be fine,” she said.
“Master Chief, call Vance and warn him. Tell him to make sure any entrances are secure.”
“Yes, sir,” he said after a long hesitation.
Stepping away, he raised the radio and did as I’d asked.
“Fuck crazy,” Igor mumbled, shaking his head.
“Ing!” Chelsea said, slapping him lightly on the arm. “Fucking! Damn, we’ve gotta work on your English.”
Igor grinned at her and replied in Russian. It was only a few words, but the tone left little doubt of what he’d said.
“Asshole,” Chelsea grinned back, slapping him again.
“Let’s get in one of the other rooms,” I said. “Let them calm down before Nicole opens the door.”
We filed out into the hall, Gonzales bringing up the rear after kissing Nicole and squeezing her hand. Moving down the corridor, we entered another empty room, and Johnson pulled the door closed behind us.
“Sorry about earlier, sir,” Gonzales said.
“No need to be sorry, Master Chief. You’re looking out for her. I’d think less of you if you weren’t. But, she’ll be fine. You saw how those oth
er females treated her.”
“It only takes one,” he grumbled, moving away to stare at the inside of the door.
I felt for him, completely understanding how he was feeling, but if we could get out of here without a firefight, the odds for all of us making it were much better.
“So, what was that thing Nicole was working on when we found you?” I asked Johnson.
“Some kind of reactor-thingy,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.
“She said it was a cold fusion reactor, and she was royally pissed,” Chelsea chimed in.
“Pissed? About what?” I asked.
“She said it was her design. She’d been working on it at some lab, then when they had a breakthrough, the project was shut down. The government must have stolen it.”
“What’s the big deal?” I asked.
“Cold fusion? Seriously? Don’t you Army guys ever read?”
She smiled to soften the criticism.
“You’re thinking Navy,” I said, tilting my head at Gonzales. “The Army’s full of scholars.”
The Master Chief snorted a laugh, but kept his mouth shut. At least I’d distracted him for a moment.
“Cold fusion will provide nearly unlimited power, and there’s no radiation. No nuclear waste. No meltdowns. Just clean power. We’ve been trying to crack it for decades. Nicole’s got to be a genius!”
I looked around when Gonzales’s radio crackled to life. He lifted it and listened for a moment, then tossed it to me before dashing for the door. It hit me in the chest, and I fumbled it several times before securing it.
Yanking the door open before I could shout a warning, he jerked back and slammed it when a chorus of screams erupted from the corridor. Turning, he looked at me as he braced his back against the steel surface.
“You hear me? We got your man,” a voice I didn’t recognize came out of the radio in my hand. “Better bring me those girls you took before we start hurtin’ him.”
27
There was a brief moment of muted pounding on the door, then the females in the corridor fell silent. Was Nicole able to control them? Right now, that didn’t matter.
“What the hell?” Johnson asked. “Our man?”
“Gotta be Vance,” I said.
“They want the girls?” Chelsea asked.
We all looked at the door when Nicole’s voice sounded faintly from the other side.
“What’s wrong?” She called.
“Don’t send them up!” Gonzales shouted at the door. “Problems upstairs.”
“What do I do?”
“Can you get them back into containment?” I shouted, rushing to stand next to the Master Chief.
“I’ll try. Hold on.”
“Listen up,” the voice on the radio said. “You’d better answer me or we’re gonna start fucking this pretty boy up but good. Understand?”
Gonzales looked at me and shook his head.
“You think they really got him?” He asked.
“Maybe. Or they could just be on our frequency, trying to draw us out. But, if that was the case, I’d think he’d be broadcasting, too.”
The SEAL nodded but didn’t say anything else.
“OK, asshole.” We all looked at the radio in my hand. “Guess you don’t believe I’m serious. Try this on for size.”
There was a brief pause, then a blood-curdling scream of pain blasted out of the tinny speaker. It went on for nearly thirty seconds, finally trailing off into whimpers and labored breathing.
“Hear that, cocksucker? That’s the sound a man makes when you slice open his ball sack and pour salt inside. Ready to answer me, or do I get more inventive?”
“Oh, my God! Do something!” Chelsea exclaimed, horror etched on her face.
I waved a hand to silence her and lifted the radio to my mouth.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“Well, hello there! Shame it took you so long to answer. Your buddy here’s gonna be plenty pissed you ignored me. It didn’t have to go this way.”
There was a brief chuckle before he released the transmit button.
“Tell him to stop!” Chelsea said. “Tell him what’s going to happen to him if he doesn’t!”
“Chelsea, I need you to be quiet,” I said in a calming voice. “Blustering on the radio isn’t going to do any good. Now, let me think.”
She looked like she was ready to argue the point, but Johnson stepped close and leaned in to whisper in her ear. I turned my back on them, not needing the distraction.
“It’s time for us to meet,” the voice said a moment later.
“Why?” I asked.
“Why? Don’t be a smart ass. Your buddy here’s got plenty more parts that can be slit open or maybe even cut off. Don’t test me. Just come on into the hangar where he was hidin’ and we’ll have a little chat. And don’t forget those girls you stole from me!”
I stood still in thought for several moments, then pressed the talk button.
“Let me speak to the General.”
There was a long silence before the voice replied.
“She ain’t got nothin’ to do with this. We don’t take orders from her, so no point in wastin’ time talking to the bitch. I’m getting impatient. Where you want me to start cuttin’ next?”
I shook my head in frustration.
“I’m on my way, but it’s going to take a bit. This is a big place.”
Gonzales stared at me with surprise on his face as I finished speaking.
“Five minutes,” the voice answered. “Any longer and I start removing protruding body parts.”
I checked my watch as I stuffed the radio into a pocket.
“What the hell are you doing?” Gonzales asked. “You can’t turn yourself over to them. You know that!”
“Not what I have in mind, Master Chief,” I said, turning to see Chelsea sulking and Johnson watching me closely. “Johnson, how do I get to the outside?”
“You don’t,” he said, shaking his head. “At least, not from down here.”
“There has to be a way,” I said. “They didn’t bring all those females in through the halls. There’s got to be another way.”
“Not that I’ve found.”
There was a sudden banging on the door and Nicole’s voice called out. Gonzales spun and yanked it open, reaching out and pulling her into the room.
“You get them to go back?” I asked in surprise.
“I did. Not sure how or why, but they do what I tell them. Sort of. Kind of like getting a pack of dogs to listen. Why’d you stop me?”
“Militia’s got a hostage,” Gonzales said.
“Where do you think the girls are?” Johnson interrupted.
“I’m thinking I may have underestimated Vance,” I said. “It sounds like he either hid them or got them out of the facility and stayed behind to distract the enemy.”
Everyone began to speak at the same time, but I stopped them with a sharp gesture. Discussing the situation was fine, but we didn’t have time. I turned to Johnson when a thought occurred to me.
“What about air shafts or maintenance tunnels? Any way to get to the surface that they won’t be watching?”
He started to shake his head, pausing with a contemplative look on his face.
“There’s a maintenance hatch in the room with the reactor. Set in the back wall. Maybe it goes up.”
“Let’s go,” I said, brushing past Gonzales and through the door.
I led the way to the reactor chamber, ignoring the frenzied females trapped inside the containment area as we entered. Johnson hurried past me, gave the infected a wide berth even though they couldn’t get to him, and stopped at a large, steel hatch set into the rear wall. Within a few seconds, he bypassed the lock and tugged the heavy door open.
Cool, musty air flowed out of the pitch black opening. Grabbing a flashlight off the rail of his rifle, Johnson leaned into the void and looked around, finally twisting to look straight up. After a couple of seconds, he withdrew and ha
nded the light to me.
“It goes farther than I can see,” he said.
Sticking my upper body through the opening, I did as he’d done and looked up. Iron rungs were set into the concrete wall, ascending farther than the beam of light could penetrate. At least a hundred feet above my current position, I could make out what looked like another hatch that opened into the shaft.
Pulling back, I examined the inside of the door Johnson had opened. There was a simple release mechanism that didn’t require anything other than the pull of a lever. That made sense. If someone was inside, they were likely clinging to the ladder and didn’t need to be trying to enter a security code to open a door.
“Two minutes,” the voice sounded over the radio.
“I need more time,” I answered. “Ran into some infected and they slowed me down.”
He took his time responding to my message.
“Five more minutes,” he finally said. “Not one second more or I’m carving up your buddy. Don’t test me. You won’t like what happens.”
Turning the radio off, I handed it back to Gonzales. There wasn’t any point in continuing to listen to the militia’s threats or trying to talk to them.
“Igor and Johnson with me,” I said, working my rifle around so it was hanging down my back. “Master Chief, stay here with the ladies. Just in case. Nicole, can you shut the power off again?”
“Yes. No problem. The fuckers used my design…”
I held a hand up to stop her, and she nodded an apology.
“Exactly four and half minutes from now, I want you to cut power to the entire facility. Got it?”
“Got it,” she said, nodding.