Code Frostbite (STORM Book 1)

by John Darling

  “Once we have the target contained, choppers will be on site and ready for evacuation. All right, guys and gals, I need everyone to be on their A game out there. High Command has been breathing down my neck and the last thing I need right now is a formal investigation from the U.N. Any questions?”

  No one raised their hand and some muttered: “No sir” in low tones.

  “Very well then. Stay frosty out there. Dismissed.”

  Everyone started filing out of the tent and I looked at Xander. For some reason, I had expected the brief to be longer. Possibly because it was my first mission and I wanted as much information as possible. I supposed this was as good a time as any to keep my mouth shut and follow Xander like he had told me to do earlier. It was hard to believe that only thirty-six hours ago I had been dancing around with Jemma and now I was getting ready for my first real mission. I just hoped that it would go smoothly.

  “Get your combat gear packed. It won’t be long now before we’re in the fight.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three: The Battle Tap

  “OK gents! This is it!”

  Captain Williams signaled for the pilots to drop us off and my heart began beating at an abnormal rate due to my nerves. The dark night sky revealed itself as a different member of the helicopter crew slid the side door open. Everything I had worked for has led up to this moment. This was why I was here. This was our mission and we had a duty to protect the world from these threats. Captain Williams instructed us to check our gear one more time and I made sure my K-pack straps were tight. In the corner of my eye, I spotted Xander coming toward me.

  “You ready to go?”

  I nodded my head as he checked my K-pack and my rifle. I thought he could tell that I’m nervous. I felt my body starting to shake and did my best to not let anyone see. Growing up I had gotten pre-game jitters before hockey games, but this was a whole new level of nerves. Everyone had to be nervous on their first mission, right? I mean, how could you not be? We were infiltrating a third world country looking for a man who is about to turn into a zombie and possibly going to infect the entire population. This type of lifestyle would take some getting used to.

  Looking around, I’m surprised to see how calm some of the older officers were. I guessed this was just another mission to them. However, what if this very mission led to the very end of humanity? How could anyone be calm knowing that any mission we embark on could be the end of everything? In this moment I realized how important our training really was. Like Commander Knight had said, we had to struggle in those simulations because that’s what was waiting for us in the real world. My stomach turned over more as I thought about what could be waiting for us. What if this was a suicide mission? No. I couldn’t think like that. I have to focus. Everything is going to be fine. As long as I didn’t have to shoot too many people, I’d be OK.

  “Alright Trevor, remember what we talked about. Put your night vision on as soon as you hit the ground, then stay on my tail. We’ll find this guy and be back in the air before you know it.”

  Xander tapped my helmet twice which immediately reminded of something Uncle Keith used to do. When he came to watch my hockey games while I was growing up he would stand right next to the door to the ice. Just before I would get on, he’d tap my helmet twice. He called it a “battle tap” and said it was supposed to bring me good luck. Whether it did or not was irrelevant, I was just happy that we had little rituals like that. But unlike my hockey games, this “battle tap” was for real and Uncle Keith wasn’t standing at the door.

  Red lights flashed at the stern of the aircraft and the first few members of our team ran to exit out the side of the helicopter. Xander instructed me to follow him to the door. I watched him grab the rope and followed suit. My stomach dropped again for a brief moment as I slid down the rope. After only a few seconds my boots hit the ground and I immediately flipped down my night vision goggles.

  “Comms check. Channel fifteen is a go.”

  “Roger.”

  “All right Trevor, let’s go find him.”

  A rush of adrenaline came over me as the helicopter departed and our team started moving. Without having to worry about any obstacles, we walked over the desert terrain with ease. However, without anything to hide behind for cover, our team was completely exposed. We scaled up a large hill, which Captain Williams informed us would be the rendezvous point. There wasn’t anyone else here yet, which seems odd. Some of the other officers speculated over the radio what had happened to them and perhaps that they had gotten caught up fighting another target. Captain Williams instructed everyone to quit yapping and keep the radio lines open for “only useful communication”.

  I climbed to the top of the hill and looked out at the city of Djibouti. It looked fairly rural, but there were a group of large buildings in the distance. Just then Commander Jones came over the radio and told us that three C-17s were going to drop our equipment about one klick east of our position. He also informed us that the two CDUs (Cyber Defense Units) assigned to our mission were already in place. The signal was given to move out and we all scurried into formation. I made sure to stay right behind Xander.

  The roar of the C-17s shook the area around us as we watched them fly over our heads. We watched two H-TRACs and several FAVs leave the planes. Their parachutes were massive and it wasn’t long before the vehicles hit the ground. Xander and I had been told beforehand that we would be riding along in one of the H-TRACs since our primary mission was to assist in capturing the target.

  We all ran toward the vehicles at a rapid pace and I still couldn’t believe they had been able to drop these out of the sky. The H-TRAC’s engines started up as Xander and I climbed into the back. Within seconds, the vehicles began moving and formed a convoy toward the city.

  The H-TRAC had three sections; the cockpit, the containment box, and the back area. The driver and navigator sat in the cockpit. The containment box was a small space in the middle of the vehicle, made of several layers of steel designed to keep whatever is put there from getting out. Our target was to be captured and put in this box. The back area of the vehicle served as a passenger area for troops. All three sections were connected and sat on top of tracks that could handle any type of terrain. The vehicle also had a thick exterior so everyone inside was protected from other zombies and/or gunfire. We were much safer riding in this vehicle compared to the FAVs.

  The FAVs (Fast Attack Vehicles) were basically large dune buggies designed to travel at high speeds while laying down cover fire for the H-TRAC. Each one can carry up to five people, that crew consisting of a driver, a navigator, and three more men, one for each of the turrets. Captain Williams had told us that he hadn’t expected to need any of them for this mission but that they were never bad assets to have with you.

  The inside of the cabin was getting pretty loud as we continued rolling along. Just then, the driver informed us that we were about ten minutes away from the target’s last known position, which was near the outskirts of the city.

  “Shouldn’t be too long now. Sit tight back there!”

  Xander looked over at me and smiled. He appeared to be enjoying every second of this. Meanwhile, I was shaking out of my shorts. His mouth opened and he looked like he was going to say something, just as a frantic voice came over our radios. I clenched my headset as soon as I started hearing it.

  “Target has turned; I repeat, target has turned. Requesting permission to engage infected persons.”

  Seconds later Captain Williams’ voice came over the radio and granted permission to open fire. My stomach dropped yet again and even though I hadn’t thought it was possible, my nerves got worse. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I said to myself; Everything is going to be fine. You got this. Keep it together. I repeated that several more times until our vehicle came to a stop. Xander jumped out of the back and yelled back at me; “C’mon let’s go! I have the target on my scope, but he’s moving fast! We have to cut him off!”

  Our convoy stopped
in the middle of a makeshift village. I followed Xander and four other members of our team. People were running around in every direction and it reminded me of the one simulation I had gone through with Dwayne. Screaming combined with gunfire from the FAVs occupied the air. This somewhat familiar chaos pointed to the inevitable fact that we were in the right place.

  Our six man formation moved fast, which made keeping up a challenge. Xander took the lead and wove us through various makeshift shacks while we searched. The living conditions these people had were some of the worst I had ever seen in my life. Scrap metal, boxes, and overturned cars were all being used as homes. Each sight was utterly and completely disheartening. We continued searching through each one as Xander directed us. In a few of the shacks were several infected people in the process of turning, which was one of the scariest things to witness in person. Some had even come within a few feet of us, but we didn’t open fire. We didn’t want to draw attention to ourselves. Finding the main target was the only goal for us right now.

  We approached what looked like the remains of a shipping container and Xander put his right arm up while making a fist, signaling for us to stop. He then signaled for us to surround the container on both sides. Two men went in each direction while I cautiously walked up behind Xander.

  “On my mark; three, two, one—”

  Within a second two shots were fired and Lieutenant Shackle came over the radio in his thick Middle Eastern accent; “Target is down! I repeat; Target is down! Requesting immediate transport”.

  I rushed to see the man who was the reason we’re here. Two members of our team held him down and tried to put restraints on his hands while blood fountained from his right leg. I spotted another person lying on the edge of the container floor and leaned down to find an elderly man gasping for air. While trying to figure out what was wrong with him, I almost threw up in my mouth as I looked down. The target had been ripping apart his lower body like he was alone on Thanksgiving Day with the entire feast to himself.

  The wounded man looked to be in his late sixties and was extremely malnourished. It was a miracle that he had lived this long out here. Now, I feel terrible that this is how he would leave this world. It sickens me that were not going to be able to do anything for him. Foam built at his mouth while veins protruded from his skin. It’s only a matter of seconds before he turned. Frantically, I started brainstorming what I could do for him but nothing came to mind. Before I could reach for my gun, several bullets shot right through his head and all movement in his body ceased permanently. I looked up to see Xander lowering his pistol as the H-TRAC pulled up.

  “We don’t have time to say goodbye. Our ride is here. Let’s go.”

  The target was placed inside the holding unit in the middle of the H-TRAC. Once our six man team rushed inside the vehicle, we started moving again. Two minutes later, Captain William’s voice came over our radio channel;

  “OK boys, good job. Helo should be here momentarily. Get ready to move out.”

  The forward motion of the H-TRAC suddenly came to a stop and Xander instructed everyone to exit the vehicle. I was the last one out and closed the doors behind me. A loud roar came from behind us and out of nowhere the helicopter that had dropped us off landed a few yards away. The rest of my team ran toward the open cabin door and I questioned why they had left the target in the containment section of the H-TRAC. I noticed even the drivers had abandoned the vehicle.

  Then a second helicopter arrived, only this one was significantly different from the one my team had just boarded. It had no cabin or back section. Instead, there was a giant empty space below the spine of the aircraft. It hovered over the H-TRAC and suddenly lowered itself onto it. A series of loud clicking sounds went off and then to my surprise, it lifted the entire vehicle in the air. They had never told us about this during combat school! It looked like something out of a science fiction movie. The helicopter and H-TRAC slowly gained altitude and I would have watched it longer if Xander hadn’t ordered me to board our helicopter. As soon as I got strapped in, we took off.

  The pilots came over the radio; “ETA to base; forty-eight minutes. Enjoy the ride.”

  The rest of my team closed their eyes to rest but I can’t sleep. It’s way too loud and the vibrations from the helicopter keep causing my head to bounce off the wall whenever I lean back. I decided to turn my radio back on and listen to the chatter from down on the ground. I imagined the other teams in the area are getting ready to evacuate as well.

  “We’ve lost our team to the south! I repeat we have been overrun! Requesting immediate evac! Aargh! Captain Williams, the infection is spreading and we have severe interference from an outside force. Requesting a new plan of action!”

  “Lieutenant Conroy, you are instructed to keep fighting with the rest of your team. Additional PSTs are currently en route to your location. Do not engage the third party unless directly fired upon. As for our people, we cannot worry about casualties until the infection is stopped.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Everything had been fine when we’d left the ground. We’d captured the source and I had thought the other teams were going to quickly tie up loose ends, so how was the infection still spreading this quickly? And who was this third party? Captain Williams repeated his message three more times over until he was cut off by another frantic voice; a voice that I recognized immediately.

  “If anyone can hear me, please help! Our team has— please! Code Frostbite! I repeat Code Frostbite. Please send help. Plea—”

  The voice cut out and I pressed my earpiece as hard as I could into my ear, wishing that she would start talking again. It’d been a few weeks since I had seen her, but there was no doubt in my mind that the voice I had just heard belonged to Jemma. My blood started pumping fast as I remembered what Code Frostbite meant; if someone didn’t get to her quickly, she was going to die. I unstrapped myself from my seat and put all of my gear back on. A huge rush of adrenaline hit me as her voice came over the radio one more time. I had to do something. Without giving it much thought, I secured my helmet to my head and walked over to the side door of the helicopter. I unlatched the handle and a rush of air came into the aircraft, waking up everyone in the process. The helicopter took a roll and Xander jumped out of his seat.

  “Trevor! What the hell are you doing?! Sit back down!”

  I froze in place. There was a tiny crack of the light forming far off in the night sky, indicating that the sun would rise soon. However, this was crazy. Was I really going to do this? What if it wasn’t her and I was just imagining hearing her voice because I missed her? No, I was sure. I quickly dismissed my doubt and made my decision. I was going to find her.

  “Trevor, I’m not going to tell you again! Stand down!”

  We had been taught in combat school to listen to our superiors, and even though I hadn’t known Xander for long, he had my respect. However, I knew that they wouldn’t go back in for just one girl. Our team had orders and we’d completed our mission. But if I knowingly left her behind, then I would have wasted everything my father had taught me. I knew that she would have done the same for me.

  I turned around and looked right into Xander’s eyes. We stared at each other for a minute before I unstrapped the pistol from my thigh and quickly pointed it right at the pilot’s head.

  Chapter Thirty-Four: Jumping Back Into Hell

  Xander, along with the rest of our assault team, drew their weapons. It was clear that they opposed my actions.

  “JO Flashman, lower your weapon now!”

  I listened as the two other helicopters in our convoy asked for a status report from us. I instructed the pilots to inform them that everything is fine, which only made Xander furious.

  “I don’t know who you think we are, but we have a mission!”

  “What about our fallen Stormers? You all heard that transmission? Are we just going to fly away unscathed and leave them to die?”

  One of the other Stormers closed the side door an
d I glared at him while he did. I moved over a few feet and kept my pistol pointed right at the pilot’s head. I really didn’t have any intention of shooting him, but I needed him to turn this helicopter around. The only way to make that happen, and get my point across, was to do something rash.

  Xander went on to explain that Stormers died all the time and that it was not our job as a Strike Team to save them. These other teams were known as ‘Emergency Containment Squads’ and deployed to clean up any infected civilians, as well as fallen Stormers. That might have been protocol, but that wasn’t good enough for me.

  “You’re going to turn this helicopter around or I’ll kill him and we’ll all go down. I don’t care what team is supposed to clean up our problems, I want to go back in.”

  Just then, another Stormer pointed their gun at Xander and stood by me. Somehow I had convinced someone I’d never met to see the fault in this system.

  “Let him go, Xander. He’s right. We can’t just keep leaving our people to die. If I was infected, I would rather someone risk their life to save me, instead of leaving me to die at the hands of a different Stormer.”

  Xander instructed the team to put their guns down, as he lowered his own weapon. He put it on the deck and asked the two of us to do the same. Despite his apparent surrender, I kept my gun pointed at the pilot. The Stormer who joined me turned and pointed his at the co-pilot, ensuring that we would all die once they lost control of the aircraft.

  “All right! Pilots, turn the convoy around. Drop these two back in the hot zone.”

  The helicopter began to swing right and we both lowered our pistols. Xander took a few steps forward and got close to my face.

  “Just know that you’ve made a huge mistake and you’ll never be on this Strike Team again. Be sure of that.”

  He turned and looked at the other Stormer who had stuck up for me.

  “You’re both on your own now.”