by Ian D. Moore
Brian could feel her breasts touching his right side as her fingers stroked lightly from his neck, down over his body to his pelvic bone. Her nails just scraped the surface enough to cause tingles of pleasure to run through him and she delighted in it. He turned to face her, kissing her softly, teasing her mouth, first one side and then the other as his left hand traced delicate shapes, down her back and then around, barely touching her navel before following the contours of her body up towards the subtle curve of her breast, lingering as tiny goose bumps appeared.
He could play with her forever, he thought; he would never tire of pleasing her. He was sure that he was falling in love with her. Their passion had left them completely oblivious to the scurrying base staff, preparing for the mission to the underground facility and introducing the new safety measures. For almost everyone involved in the base operations, this was a day like any other, much to be done.
***
With one final errand to make, Corporal Simms headed back towards the dormitory hangar. It was almost 1800 hours so she needed to wake Sergeant Cross to let him know of the meeting. The C.O. wasn’t the kind of man to be kept waiting.
As she walked across the tarmac square, much less crowded now that the new arrivals had been processed, she again noticed the distinctive walk of Colin Snape. He was just walking around, seemingly without any real purpose. Every so often, he would stop, take out a small jotter pad and write something on it, before continuing his random walk. Curious, she thought.
The instinct to follow him was compelling, but she must first complete her orders. She passed through the hangar doors, turning briefly in time to see the wandering figure stop at a parked Land Rover and look inside it in the fading light before moving on; Snape's eyes scanned continually for anyone watching him.
Snape hadn’t noticed Corporal Simms as she moved closer inside, retracing her steps to find the bunk space and Sergeant Cross. She approached him and could see that he was still in slumber. She knelt, before gently rocking his shoulder until his eyes fluttered open.
Giving him a few seconds to come around, she said, “I’m sorry, Sergeant, it’s 1800 hours, and I have orders to inform you that you are required by the C.O. to attend a meeting in the main function room in an hour. He didn’t say what it was about, I’m afraid.”
“Ummm, yes, yes, thank you, Corporal Simms, understood, 19:00hrs meeting room.” Nathan repeated, still a little groggy.
“That’s right, Sarge, sorry to have woken you,” she said, before walking away.
Nathan hauled himself up, sat with his head in his hands and rubbed at his eyes, willing them to remain open and silently praying for a few more hours rest, but he knew that this wouldn't be any time soon.
He dressed quickly, slipping on the heavy boots and flipping the quick tie tags, before nature called to appease his full bladder. He washed at the sink and scooped handfuls of water onto his face. The coolness shocked the last of the sleep from his mind.
Outside, the night air chilled the remaining moisture on his skin as he walked to the cookhouse for coffee. It took two full cups and part of the third to bring back his clarity and reasoning. He wondered what exactly this meeting was about. He'd heard no word from Chris so perhaps he had been summoned too?
***
Evie stood outside the office of Lieutenant Colonel Connell. She could hear muffled words inside. Evie knocked on the solid wooden door and waited for permission to enter.
“Come,” was the only response.
“Good evening, Sir, oh and good evening, Major. I have a meeting shortly with Dr. Fitzgerald, but it is important that you have this, Sir,” Evie said, handing over the laptop.
“What’s this, Lieutenant?”
“We took two laptops for safekeeping from the wellhead site shortly after the outbreak, Sir. The second one seems to have gone missing for the time being, along with a camera that belongs to Nathan, errrmm, Sergeant Cross, Sir,” she said, admonishing herself for the error.
“I see, Lieutenant. We better get this to the tech-heads then hadn’t we? Hopefully, it will have some data on it that we may find useful. Well done, Lieutenant. You best get your skates on and get to that meeting, I’ll see you afterwards and bring you up to speed.”
Evie turned and left the two officers to prepare for their own meeting, making her way back around the main building to the medical facility to join the rest of the team, awaiting the arrival of Dr. Fitzgerald.
*******
Action Plans
The two senior base officers walked through the main building, stopping briefly to drop the recovered laptop with the technical services team; their instructions were to analyse it thoroughly for useful information it may hold and report back to them immediately. When they entered the meeting room, the ranked soldiers present stood, braced in a unified salute as the officers walked to the front, before the major stood them at ease and asked them to be seated.
The major began, “As you are aware, we have a facility south of here that has sustained some damage; our colleagues in there are unable to make contact or reach the surface. It is our duty to attempt a rescue and to secure that facility. You have each been selected because of your talents and skills, and now is the time we need the very best you can give. Lieutenant Colonel Connell will brief you on the operation. Please remain seated whilst I hand over to the C.O. Sir.”
The major saluted as the C.O. stood and returned the salute to his second in command. The C.O. looked over the team. He knew most of them; they were good soldiers, male and female alike, and had proved themselves a dozen times under his command. He felt confident that they could achieve their goal.
He wasted no time. “Good evening. Tomorrow morning at 0900 hours, we will assemble at the helipad. You are to be prepared for combat in full tactical gear, bio-chemical suit, and respirator. There is a chance that contamination will still be evident. We will have troop support before we land, and units are securing the immediate area at the centre of the town at present. The helicopters will touch down on the private estate, which will be our access point to the underground site.”
He looked around the room, his piercing gaze backing up the seriousness of what he said, before he continued.
“May I remind you that we’re all in it together, so we cover each other. You will all have key roles before, during, and after access has been gained; please, be careful and don’t take unnecessary risks. Our goal is primarily to rescue any of the facility staff remaining—but we do not have provision to carry bodies back at this time. Our secondary objective is to secure the facility and restore power and communications as soon as possible. Any questions so far?”
He paused but there were no interruptions, so he continued, “Excellent, right. We will be escorting Lieutenant Dr. Evelyn Shepherd. She is to be guarded and protected at all times, no matter what happens. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Sir!”
The whole room erupted in response, both medical and military staff alike.
“Sergeant Cross, Staff Sergeant Stewall, you will be the personal guard to Dr. Shepherd and are to remain with her at all times throughout the operation. Sergeant Wilkes, you will be the backup. The fire teams protecting the site have their own commanders who have already been briefed on the operation and will work with our teams when we arrive.”
“Yes, Sir” The three senior non-commissioned officers acknowledged.
”Once inside the facility, you are under the instruction and command of Dr. Shepherd. Do not forget that there are some very nasty things in that place, and you may encounter hostile action; be very careful what you touch, and clean up well afterwards. The shoot to kill policy applies, and I don’t want to have to inform any of your family that you won’t be coming home. Details of our intelligence so far have been passed to other bases so that they can adjust their procedure, and this is being actioned as I speak. That’s all. I’ll see you all tomorrow at 0900 hours. Dismissed.”
They filed out of the mee
ting room and there was a definite buzz of excitement in the air. Nathan found Chris and Susan Wilkes, their backup throughout the operation. They discussed tactics as they all headed for the armoury to prepare weapons and kit ready for morning.
Shortly after the end of the meeting, Major Sower informed them that the night supply sorties had been rescheduled to daylight hours, due to the lower chance of hostile contact. It seemed that he still had a task to be completed. A team would be required to clear the main entry route to the base and the road needed to be clear for supply missions. He stood before the three soldiers.
“Volunteers?” said the major, almost hoping he didn’t have to allocate the job.
“I will, Sir,” said Nathan.
Target practice and a chance to get behind the wheel of that dozer.
“Count me in, Sir. He’ll need a baby sitter!” said Chris.
A little payback is due, I think.
“I’ll go too, Sir,” said Susan Wilkes, completing the crew, “be good to work with these guys before the operation starts.”
Bring it on. I’m up for that.
“Excellent, thank you all,” said the major, turning without waiting for a salute from the troops.
As the major left, Chris disappeared behind the counter into the back shelving area, emerging with a wooden box. Popping the lid, he produced three sets of infrared night vision goggles, tested each set for battery power, and smiled, as he handed them to his team.
“These should come in handy. I want them back though. I know you two only too well,” he joked, with a flash of his charming smile.
“Remind me again. Why did I just volunteer for this?” asked Sergeant Susan Wilkes.
“Because you love us?” said Chris.
“In your dreams, Stewey mate, in your dreams!” she said, smiling still.
“Right, let’s crack on, shall we? We’ll meet at the main gate in a half-hour. It won’t be quite dark so we’ll have a head start on clearing the road.”
“Agreed,” was the reply from his teammates.
Nathan headed back to the dorm to pick up the hunting knife hidden beneath his pillow, out of sight of tiny hands. It was still in its place. He fastened the knife to his belt and re-laced the loosely tied quick tabs on his boots, ready for action.
The announcement of imminent entry into the Salby facility had everyone scurrying around in preparation, white coats and kitted soldiers in green alike scattered over the base, carrying equipment and loading boxes of supplies.
***
The scientific team had assembled, and there were many faces that Evelyn didn’t know. Three new faces had arrived from the wellhead site to deliver preliminary findings on their investigations. They had been brought up to speed on her briefing earlier. One-by-one, they stood to pass on their test results, autopsy findings, and analysis of surrounding soil samples, plus the detailed chemical breakdown of substances found inside the borehole. After lengthy explanations and an open discussion, Dr. Fitzgerald called the meeting to order so that he could address the team.
“Settle down, please settle down. Excellent work. We've come a long way in a short space of time but we still have much to do. The C.O., at the request of Dr. Shepherd, is in the process of arranging a secure facility for us to hold and examine live infected subjects. I do not need to stand here and tell you how dangerous this is, but it will help us to fathom out how the virus reacts to different suppressant vaccines we may develop.”
The chief medical officer paused for a moment, sipping at the water on his desk.
“We'll try to capture three infected individuals initially, all of whom will be heavily sedated throughout their stay with us. At no time are unauthorised military or civilian personnel to be given access to our subjects. Contact with them is to be kept to a minimum and strictly on a medical basis. If this virus infects the base, there will be carnage on a grand scale. Right, that’s our plan for the immediate future at the base. Questions?”
There were no immediate questions as Charles scanned the room. He shuffled the stack of files on his desk into a neat pile and took another sip from his glass, before he continued.
“Now, I have selected some of you to accompany Dr. Shepherd on a mission tomorrow to enter the Salby facility. Those selected, and you know who you are, must be ready to leave the base at 0900 hours and assemble at the helipad. This will be a large joint operation. There are already armed units on the ground, and they will have cleared the immediate area prior to arrival. Full bio-chemical procedures are mandatory as the area we are entering is probably infected. I did say we. However, this time, I will not be coming with you as I am staying here to assist in the capture of the infected subjects. Dr. Barnes, you look puzzled, do you have a question?”
“Yes, Doctor. Who will be in command?”
“The C.O. will be joining the away mission. He will be in overall command of the military personnel. Dr. Shepherd will oversee the medical team. You may be aware that the facility is fitted with high-intensity UV lighting arrays. These should have activated when the sensors picked up the leak but could have sustained damage in the blast. Take no risks for you won’t know if there's been damage until you enter the facility, any further questions?” Charles asked.
He peered over the rim of his glasses, looking around the room at the sea of white coats, before continuing.
“Right. Those on the mission have a few hours to prepare your kit and those staying here have your agendas already. Dr. Fielding, I take it the tranquiliser devices are ready?”
“Yes, Doctor, prepared and ready for the snipers. The initial dose will take out a fully-grown man, rendering him unconscious for four hours maximum. Bear in mind that we have no idea how the virus will react to the anaesthetic until we have tried it. I advise that only one subject is targeted initially. Colour-coded darts denote potency. I’ve printed a guide for each weapon,” he concluded.
“Duly noted, Doctor, I’ll pass that information on. Please see to it that the rifles are delivered to the armoury this evening, if you would be so kind. I’ll speak to the C.O. with a view to having them ready at the fences tonight. We’ll need infected subjects already in place when the facility team returns. I will arrange an armed detail to be posted within the military police compound round the clock. Any questions? No? Right, let’s go to work, people.”
***
The military detail and medical teams were now ready for the mission and the imminent arrival of the first of the infected to be captured alive. The medical staff deployed to their roles, and for the first time since the infection started, it seemed they were now about to retaliate. Evie made her way to the dorm hangar in time to see Nathan. She found him making final adjustments to his webbing belts and flak jacket, ready for the clean-up operation.
“Hey, there you,” she said. Evie approached cautiously, still not completely sure of his feelings, especially after the omission of her rank and title.
“Evie! It seems like ages since I saw you and I’ve missed you,” he said, throwing his arms around her and finding her mouth with his own.
He really does seem to have missed me.
“Are you still mad at me?” she ventured cautiously.
“Honey,” Nathan replied, “I was never mad at you. I felt a little betrayed to begin with but I thought about it. You couldn’t tell me, not something of this scale. We’re both military and both understand our duties and responsibilities. It seems I’m to be your personal guard on the mission tomorrow.”
“We just had our briefing. This is risky, Nate, please be careful. I’ve no idea what we’ll find but it’s a long way down. We're going to try to capture live infected deadheads. There will be just one to start with, as we don’t know how the virus will respond to the anaesthetic drugs. The rifles should be in the armoury for deployment shortly.”
“Good planning. You need to be careful too and stay close to me and the team at all times tomorrow. We need to be able to cover you, Evie,” he said and looked di
rectly at her, to emphasise the point.
“Are you on stag tonight? The supply runs have been cancelled and re-planned for daylight hours as the deadheads have an aversion to sunlight. The UV rays speed up their demise, and you’ll begin to see UV light stands erected on the fences soon.” She informed him.
“No, not guard, but I owe a couple of hours help to someone for the ton of ice cream the kids ate,” he added, grinning.
“We’re going out to clear the entrance roads, and they’re going to let me loose on the dozer. It should be routine, and we won’t be off the base for long. I’ll come find you when we’re done, and we’ll catch up with the kids, see what chaos they have managed to cause.”
Evie smiled at him, touching his arm, and he pulled her close once more, for a kiss that lingered a little longer this time. It was interrupted by the less than subtle tones of Staff Sergeant Stewall.
“You two want to book a room? Should I give you four minutes or less?” he piped up, grinning from ear to ear.
“Cheeky git! Take no notice of him, Evie. He’s only jealous and so he should be.”
“We’re about ready to roll, Nate. I’ve not had the pleasure,” Stewey said and extended his hand to Evie.
“Dr. Evelyn Shepherd,” she said, purposefully excluding the military rank.
“Good to meet you, Doctor. He’s a sly old dog, isn’t he? Never said a word about you on stag last night,” Chris said, never missing an opportunity to rib his best friend, “but we better go. The quicker we get this done, the better.”
“You take care of him, Chris. I kinda like him.”
“That I will, Doctor, that I will. I kinda like him too,” he replied, as he turned towards the armoury to collect the weapons.
Evie watched them leave, hoping that they would be safe. She knew it was a higher risk operation in the twilight hours as the deadheads were bolder and increased in numbers then. Evie waited for a little while until Janey arrived with the children. It was nearly time for them to sleep so she took them to the washroom and kept their dirty clothes, so that they could be washed by the laundry volunteers. She'd try for a clean T-shirt for Nate too. The one he’d been wearing had an interesting life of its own and would surely get up and make its own way to the wash before too much longer.