by Lundy, W. J.
“It’s been awhile but I think I’ll figure it out,” Bradley said drily, drawing his weapon. “Ready to move when you are, Chief.”
“Brooks, take point; you fly boys, stay close behind me; Brad, you have rear security. We’ll leave the heavy bags in the bird and come back for them later,” Sean whispered. “Okay, unless there are any questions, let’s get moving.”
2.
Brooks slowly made his way down the long stairwell to the walkway below. Sean stayed in position at the top of the stairs, covering Brook’s descent. The lightning had picked up its intensity and the winds were blowing harder. The team could hear the waves crashing against the structure’s support pylons. Brooks cautiously reached the bottom, took a spot at the base of the stairs, and began searching in all directions. When he was confident it was clear, he signaled for Sean to proceed down.
Sean moved forward with the pilots behind him while Brad rotated into the over watch position. Sean stepped onto the landing and pivoted in the opposite direction of Brooks, then signaled for Brad to join them below. Brad took one last look at the compound from his elevated position; he saw nothing but the darkened structures and stirring sea waters in the distance. He stepped off quickly, made his way to the base of the stairs to rejoin the group, and took a knee beside Sean.
Then the sky opened up and the heavy rains came. Within seconds they were all soaked with the chilled water. The walkway at the base of the platform ran in two directions. Right led towards the open storage deck, and the left led down into the large structure under the helicopter pad. Sean signaled for Brooks to move the group toward the building.
Brooks wiped off his washed-out night vision goggles that were drowning in the torrential rain, and put on a large floppy boonie cap to shield them. Then he stepped off slowly with his MP5 at the ready. Brad stood wet and shivering at the back of the group, turning to look behind them as the team moved out. He had the feeling they were being watched, or that they at least were not alone. He tried to calm himself and turned to follow the rest of the group.
It was less than fifty feet to the first building. The entrance was barred by two large steel doors mounted on the face of a tall rigid steel wall. Sean moved forward to inspect the doors. Small round windows of wire-reinforced glass mounted in them met him at eye level, but for the time being Sean avoided exposing himself to them. He motioned for the pilots to wait near the wall while he called Brad and Brooks to stack up on the entrance.
Brooks formed up on the left side of the door with Brad behind him, while Sean stayed to the right. Sean reached forward and tried the door and found it unlocked. He then signaled to Brooks, who nodded in recognition, and then as quietly as he could, Sean eased the door open. When it was just wide enough for a person, Brooks swiftly moved into the room and cut to the right. Brad was right behind him and swept in to the left. Sean was the last one in and he stood in the doorway, scanning the entire length of the dark room.
They had entered into a large lounge; pool tables and sofas were overturned throughout the room. There was evidence of a battle; spent brass and blood trails were everywhere. The space was lit by low wattage emergency lighting so they could see the back of the room, where another set of large doors stood. Their safety-glass windows were shattered. Brooks moved towards them and checked the handle; finding them locked, he looked back to Sean and shrugged his shoulders.
“Okay guys, secure this space and get something to block that door. I’ll bring in the officers,” Sean whispered.
Brad and Brooks worked together to lift a large cabinet and sat it against the door at the back of the room to block themselves in. Sean walked through the entrance, trailed by the two soaking wet officers. He quickly secured the double doors and flipped the bolt locks, securing themselves in. Searching for lights but finding none, Brooks pulled on the emergency lighting lamps and pointed them down so a soft light filled the space.
Brad moved to a corner of the room and fell onto a large, overstuffed chair. Looking around the space, it appeared that a fight had broken out in the room; furniture was tossed around and the plasma TV screens were destroyed. A refrigerator in the corner had the door ripped open and it was knocked over and onto its face. “So where the hell are the Marines?” Brad asked no one in particular.
“They were supposed to be here,” Bradley said. “This is really messed up. Do you still have your phone, Chief?”
“I already tried. I’m not getting a signal down here, probably too much steel in this building. I’ll have to try again up by the helo after the weather clears. No point in us risking moving around in that shit right now,” Sean answered.
He walked towards the now-barricaded doors. He tried looking through the spider-webbed glass, but found it impossible to see through.
“Brad? Brooks? You two up for some exploring?” he asked.
“Sure, why not? I was getting bored anyhow,” Brooks said, getting to his feet and checking the magazine on his MP5.
Brad worked himself up out of the overstuffed chair and moved to the doors. Quietly, he helped Brooks pull the cabinets away from the entrance and stood behind the SEALs, waiting for direction.
“We’re just going to check out this building and see if we can find out what’s going on, Sir. You two block this door behind us and don’t let anyone in,” Sean said.
He pulled the small Jimmy bar and lock pick from his kit and started working the door. It was a heavy fire door designed to protect the space from intense heat, but the locks were not made to stop a determined thief. With a little bit of effort the seam in the door began to split, then the latch gave, popping just enough so that Sean could open the door a crack. There was nothing but darkness on the other side.
“You two ready?” Sean asked.
“Let’s get to it,” Brooks answered.
Sean slowly opened the door and Brooks slipped inside, followed by Sean, then Brad. Once they were through, the pilots quickly closed the doors and could be heard sliding furniture back against the opening.
Brad’s night vision was powered up, and with his IR flashlight he could make out the greenish hue of a long hallway. Like the lounge they had just left, this hallway was scattered with random furniture and reams of office papers. There were mangled bodies in utility uniforms lying along the passageway, along with weapons and spent rounds to go with them. The space reeked of blood and cordite, and there were bullet holes and broken glass everywhere.
They took a few steps into the hallway, then knelt down to just listen and observe. All they could hear were the sounds of the storm outside. There was a subtle breeze coming from a broken window at the end of the long hallway, and an occasional lightning strike would briefly light the space, exposing the bodies to its ambient light. The floor was a glossy tile, now covered with blood that made the rubber soles of their boots feel sticky.
Brooks slowly got to his feet and stepped off, moving deliberately with his feet apart and his weapon at the ready. He lifted his feet high to step over the multitude of bodies and objects that littered the hallway. He moved past the first doorway, then posted up to allow Sean, who was directly behind him, to try the door. Finding it unlocked, Sean looked back and signaled for Brad to enter once the door was opened. Sean quickly opened the door and Brad moved though it to the left. Sean followed Brad, while Brooks held his position in the hallway, covering their backs.
Brad moved in and quickly checked all of the corners and dead spaces in the room; Sean did the same, working from the opposite direction. When they were confident the room was clear, they whispered to each other in low voices. This room looked untouched. There was a small desk in a corner with an office chair behind it, as well as a book shelf and filing cabinets against one wall. They rummaged through drawers and stacks of paperwork on the desk for information, but it seemed to be routine correspondence from the oil company PAK-PETRO to a middle manager, all of it dated before the outbreak.
As they moved back into the hallway, Sean placed his han
d on Brooks’ shoulder to indicate they were ready to move on. They cleared four more offices along the hallway in the same fashion, but still found nothing of interest. At the end of the hallway, they cautiously stacked up at a set of stairs. The window at the end of the hall was broken and, looking out, they could see the stormy waters of the sea. The rain was still coming down hard, and the broken window had allowed some of the rain to get in to soak the floor.
Brooks moved to the first step and noted that the stairs went up, then cut to the left at the first landing. When he reached the landing he turned partway, careful not to expose his entire body, then waited for Sean to move to his position, followed by Brad. Once they were all back online together, Brooks moved to the next landing. At the top of the stairs they found another door; this one was also hanging open.
Brooks again led the way into another long hallway that mirrored the one below them. Like before, once they were positioned in the hallway they all took a knee to listen for danger. Looking down this hallway, they found a tangled mess of bodies. Halfway down the length of the passage, positioned next to a door, lay a uniformed solder. His legs were missing, but the top half identified him as U.S. Marine Corps judging by the uniform jacket. The door itself had several bodies pressed up against its shattered window. Brooks pointed his IR laser at them to make sure the others had seen it.
Initially the sight made Brad want to turn around and go back down the stairs to the locked doors of the lounge. Before he had time to totally comprehend his circumstances, however, he saw Sean tap Brooks on the shoulder and signal for him to move out.
Again Brooks stepped past the first doorway and the piled bodies as Sean moved to the door and checked the handle. The lock was broken and had been pried from its frame. One by one, Sean grabbed at the bodies and pulled them aside. They hit the deck with a sickening thud. When the last body fell, a set of battered and broken blinds fell into place, keeping the men from being able to see into the room.
When Sean went to open the door, it swung inwards and he felt the resistance of furniture barricaded against it. He signaled for Brad to ready himself, then he pushed hard against it, using his leg against the wall for leverage. The door produced a gap just large enough for the two of them to slip into the blacked out room. Quickly they rushed in, and immediately heard the distinctive click, click, click, sound of a hammer falling on an empty chamber. Scanning the room, they saw the crumpled form of a female Marine in the far corner, pointing an empty pistol into the darkness and dry firing vainly.
Brad covered her while Sean verified the rest of the room was clear. Sean then turned his attention back to the Marine. She appeared uninjured, even though she was tucked back into the corner of the room with her knees drawn in. The room was very dark and it was obvious she couldn’t see them. There was an M4 rifle next to her with a pile of empty magazines.
“Are you okay, Marine?” Sean asked in a low voice.
“Who … who’s there? Don’t come near me,” the startled Marine whimpered into the darkness, unable to see without the aid of night vision.
“It’s okay Marine; we’re not here to hurt you. We just came in a helicopter. We’re here to help you,” Sean lied.
“I think they’re all dead. I don’t know if there is anyone left … except them,” she said.
“Slow down, Marine, how long have you been here like this?” Sean asked.
“Last night … This morning … I don’t know, the platform isn’t safe, we have to leave,” she whispered urgently.
“Can you walk?”
“Yes … yeah … I think so … are we leaving?” she asked.
“Yeah, we’re leaving, now let’s get you on your feet,” Sean said. “I know you can’t see me, but I’m going to reach out and take your side arm for safe keeping. I promise I’ll give it back, okay?”
She pulled the pistol in, then reconsidered and pushed it away with her outstretched arms. Sean took the M9 pistol and dropped it into a dump pouch attached to his belt. He then reached down, took the empty M4 from beside her, and passed it back to Brad. Brad pulled open the bolt, verified it was empty, and then slung it across his back.
“Okay Marine, I’m going to give you my hand and I want you to get to your feet and follow me out of the room, okay? I’m in here with another man and I have a third in the hallway. Don’t be alarmed, we have you, okay?” Sean calmly spoke.
She nodded her head and Sean reached out his gloved hand. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. He asked her to grab onto the back of his jacket so he could lead her through the darkness. Sean and the Marine then slowly walked out of the room with Brad behind them. When he got outside, he signaled to Brooks that they were going back to the lounge. Sean took point this time and led them back though the hall and down the stairs. Brooks lagged behind, covering them as they moved.
When Brad made it back to the lounge door he quietly tapped it, then slapped at the door a bit louder when he didn’t get a response. Eventually he heard a rustling from inside.
“Hey, is that you guys?” he heard Mr. Douglas call out.
“Yeah, can you open the damn door?” Brad said back.
He heard the officers drag the furniture out of the way and then they pulled the door open. Brad moved to the side and let Sean move through first, as he was still leading the way for the female. Then Brooks moved forward and into the lounge. Brad took one last look down the hallway before he slipped into the room to secure the door and help Brooks barricade it.
3.
They had the female Marine lay down on one of the long sofas that had been pushed against the wall. Once the sense of security finally hit her, she quickly collapsed and fell asleep. She was young, maybe mid-twenties, and she was small, barely over five feet, a hundred and ten pounds soaking wet. Once she had fallen asleep, Brooks gently inspected her for bites or scratches. Her uniform was filthy and torn, but she didn’t appear to have any open wounds.
“She looks okay Chief, probably dehydrated though,” Brooks said quietly.
“Okay good, thank you for taking care of that. So what do you think, you want to go back upstairs, continue the recon?” Sean asked.
“Hell no, Sean! Let’s wait until she wakes up and gives us some info on what’s going on here. It’s a damn murder house up there,” Brad said.
“I just don’t feel good not knowing what we are sharing a building with. From the outside, it looks like there are no more than three, maybe four floors on this structure. I think it would be better if we could clear it. Especially since nothing or no one appears to know we’re here,” Sean said.
Captain Bradley stood and walked to the corner of the room to join the discussion. “That assumption makes no sense, Chief. The Black Hawk would have rattled this place coming in, and there's no way nothing heard it. If I had to guess, I’d say there’s a mess of them hiding behind a door someplace, just waiting for you to open it.”
“No, you can’t go,” the Marine said, struggling to sit up.
They all stopped and turned to look at her. “Oh, you’re awake. How are you feeling?” Brooks asked.
“I’m a bit groggy and I feel like I got hit by a truck,” she said. “Do you have any water?”
Brad walked across the room and reached into his pack, then handed her a bottle of water. She quickly twisted off the cap and guzzled down the entire bottle.
“Whoa, take it easy! We got to make that stuff last,” Brad told her.
“Don’t get stingy, Army, there are pallets full of water out on the storage deck,” she spat back.
“Oh yeah? You want to go walk out there and grab some, Marine?”
“Oh … well, I guess you have a valid point there. So, ahh … any food?” she said as she put the cap back on the bottle.
Brad reached back into his pack and started opening his last can of the Afghan slop, which brought a smile to the faces of Sean and Brooks.
“What is that?” she asked.
Sean stepped forward and sat on a
chair across from her. “Don’t worry about it, you’re going to love it, Corporal Swanson,” he said.
“How did you know my name?” she demanded.
“It’s written on your uniform, Corporal. You want to tell us what happened here?” Sean asked.
Brad finished opening the can, stuck his MRE spoon into the top of the mix, and handed it to her. “Sorry I can’t heat that up for you, but trust me, it won’t improve the taste anyhow.”
Swanson took the can and scooped a large portion into her mouth before pausing. They thought she was going to turn green and spit it out, but after an uncomfortable silence she began to chew, then grudgingly took more. “This really is horrible, so thank you for sharing it with me,” she said sarcastically.
Sean gave her an impatient look. “Back to where we left off. What is going on here, Corporal?”
“They must have gotten in on the PAK-PETRO boats. I don’t know; it was in the middle of the night. I was sleeping in my cell when it started. Sergeant Johnson woke me up, told me to grab my kit because we were leaving.”
“What do you mean, leaving?”
“He said the platform was breeched and we needed to fall back to the Edwards,” Swanson said.
“Edwards?” Sean asked.
“The USS Edwards,” she explained, “It’s a submarine tender. It’s been tied up here for a couple of weeks. We’d been replenishing it, getting ready to make a cruise back to the States.”
“Okay, so then what?”
“I grabbed my gear and joined him in the hall. All of the housing cells are on the third deck; everyone was running around suiting up and heading below. There was a lot of screaming coming from the lower decks. Sergeant Johnson led the way, and when we made it to the first floor it was chaos. That’s where they had gotten in. Our Marines were fighting hard, but most of them had already closed in on us and they were inside …” She paused; a haunted look came across her face. “It was hand-to-hand.”