“Sir, did you get some sleep?” Tran said.
“A few hours,” Fischer replied. “You two are looking rough. Didn’t you get any?”
Tran nodded. “I slept an hour.”
“How’s that injury?”
A shrug from Tran. “I’ll be fine.”
“And you?” Fischer asked Chase.
“I slept, and I’m fine, but I got to be honest; I’m ready for that private jet ride to a beach.”
Fischer forced a grin, trying to ignore the nightmares still playing across his mind. “You and me both, son.”
Another voice boomed across the room.
Sergeant Ken Sharp made his way through the maze of metal tables and communication equipment with Lieutenant Marcus Dees, the man in charge of the platoon. Dees had a graying mustache that looked similar to Fischer’s.
“Lieutenant,” Fischer said. “Can I have a word?”
“I’ll be with you in a moment,” Dees said. He continued to another table.
Fischer wasn’t used to being brushed off like that. Especially in his own home. But he did appreciate having the military here, finally, to protect his fields.
Sergeant Sharp emerged from another hall. He nodded a greeting at Fischer before joining Dees.
“Sir, it’s worse than we thought out there,” Sharp said. “Variants and collaborators attacked over half of our outposts.”
“Half the outposts?” Fischer said. “I’m surprised General Cornelius sent us a full platoon with those numbers.”
“Your oil is necessary to sustain the war effort,” Sharp said.
War effort…
“So we’re at full-blown war now?” Fischer muttered.
“The diseased freaks have been breeding underground,” Sharp said. “Brass says they have these masterminds controlling the smaller monsters with some sort of network. The science jockeys think they use the webbing we saw in the tunnels like a freakish internet.”
Fischer felt like he had woken from one nightmare into an even more terrifying one. The beasts organizing themselves like that was something he never could have fathomed before.
“We’ve cleared out most of the Variants from this area,” Sharp continued. “They seem to be heading roughly southeast.”
“Toward Outpost Houston?” Tran said.
“That’s a lot of ground to cover,” Fischer said. “Houston should have nearly a week before the Variants reach them.”
“A shit ton of juveniles are already attacking there,” Sharp said. “Not sure the forces can hold them back. Outpost Houston might be long gone before the other monsters even get there.”
“Mr. Fischer,” a female voice called out. Fischer turned to see his maid, Maddie, standing between a few tables in the center of the room, arms wrapped around her chest like she was giving herself a hug. Still, she trembled.
“I’ll be right back,” Fischer said.
He motioned for her to head back into the hallway.
“You okay?” he asked her.
“Mr. Fischer, pardon me, but I heard what you were talking about,” she said. A wet sheen formed over her eyes. “My family is at Outpost Houston.”
Shit that’s right…
“I’d like to go there and be with them,” she said. “Is there any way I can get on a flight?”
Fischer waved Sergeant Sharp over.
“Do you have any birds going to Outpost Houston anytime soon?”
“In the morning, sir,” Sharp said. “Of course that’s assuming it will be there in the morning.”
Maddie put a hand over her mouth, tears flowing freely now.
“Shit, sorry, ma’am, didn’t mean to upset you,” Sharp said.
Fischer put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s going to be okay.”
Dees spoke up. “He’s right, ma’am. We’re evacuating everyone from the worst hit outposts. Chances are good your family is already being relocated. No need for you to go to Houston.”
Maddie managed a slight smile through her tears. “That’s good to know, sir.”
“I’ll try to squeeze out some information through our friends here,” Fischer said. “If we find anything out about your family, I’ll let you know.”
She nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Fischer. I would greatly appreciate that.”
“You bet. Now go get some rest.”
She left to join the rest of the staff in the kitchen cooking meals for the soldiers. The aroma of barbecue drifted down the hall.
It was the last time he would smell it here for a while now that his livestock had all been slaughtered by the monsters.
Fischer returned to Dees. He needed to try a different tack to get the lieutenant to open up to him.
“Thank you for everything you’re doing, sir,” Fischer said. “I’m grateful your platoon showed up when they did.”
“General Cornelius sees this real estate as very important, Mr. Fischer,”
“I certainly agree. This land is my life’s work.”
“Well, you’re going to have to trust your life’s work with me for a little while, then,” Dees said. “General Cornelius has requested your presence at Outpost Galveston.”
Fischer paused before responding.
“All due respect, Lieutenant, but can’t we do a meeting over the phone or radio?” he asked.
“General Cornelius wants to talk to you in person,” the lieutenant said firmly.
“Sir, I don’t think it’s safe for you to be traveling all the way across Texas in the middle of this shit,” Tran said.
Dees arched a brow at Tran before returning his gaze to Fischer. “This isn’t a request, Mr. Fischer. It’s an order from General Cornelius. Remember, he graciously sent me and my boys to protect your oil.”
“My oil for you to use as you see fit,” Fischer said, eyes narrowing.
“I expect you to be on the next flight to Galveston,” Dees said before walking away.
Fischer waited a moment, then gestured for Tran and Chase to join him in his office. He shut the door.
“I don’t like this,” Tran said. “I have a bad feeling about that guy.”
“You don’t succeed in the oil and ranching industry through ignorance,” Fischer said, taking a seat at his desk. “I’ve learned a thing or two over the years. I can handle men like Dees who think they own the place, swinging around their rank and ego like a hammer.”
Fischer stroked his mustache. “To be honest, I’m more worried about the Variants right now than the military taking over my land. Long as they protect it, I can live with them shipping some oil to protect the country. If we’re all dead, doesn’t matter who the oil belongs to.”
“So we’re going to Galveston?” Tran asked.
Fischer nodded.
“Guess this means I’m going to that beach after all,” Chase said.
“I’d settle for a warm shower and a long nap over the beach,” Tran said.
“Screw that, I want my girlie drink and some babes to look at,” Chase said with a shit-eating grin.
Fischer chuckled. He grabbed the whiskey bottle off his desk and poured them all a drink. “This ain’t no margarita but it’s the best I can do for now.”
“Thank you, sir,” Chase said.
The men all took their glasses and raised them toward one another.
“It’s been wilder than a buckin’ bronc’,” Fischer said. “And it’s going to get even wilder still.”
They clanked their glasses together, and Fischer filled his gut with warm whiskey, wondering where this crazy rodeo was going to lead them next.
— 3 —
Dr. Kate Lovato stood at the entrance to a lab on the USS George Johnson. Tasha, Jenny, and Javier were off in their quarters, playing with the dogs and resting. Boxes of lab equipment lay in stacks against the bulkhead. A cylindrical plastic centrifuge tube had somehow gotten loose from one of those boxes. It rolled back and forth over the deck as the ocean swells rocked the ship.
“It’s going to take some work
to get up and running,” she said to herself.
She would have liked nothing better than to sit back in their cramped cabin with the children and dogs. Her body demanded it, nearly sapped of energy, especially with her husband and Horn out in the field, and the fate of Donna, Bo, and Timothy uncertain.
Yet just like Beckham and Horn heading back to Portland, she had duties. Obligations to protect the ones they loved and their fellow man. Despite her emotional and physical exhaustion, she had to carry on.
For now, she had to compartmentalize. Focus on one thing at a time. She tried to push thoughts of her family and the war from her mind as she began unpacking lab equipment.
Her muscles and back protested. Maybe it was her exhaustion. Maybe it was something psychosomatic, telling her this was ridiculous to once again be setting up a lab on the high seas hoping that this time they would finally stop the Variants.
She had to wipe away the sheen of wetness forming over her eye.
“Doctor Lovato,” a voice said. “Sorry I’m late. I slept a bit longer than I would have liked.”
Kate straightened and looked at Doctor Carr with his greasy dark hair.
“At least you got some sleep,” she said. “One of us needs to be rested.”
He helped her lift a heavy box onto one of the lab benches. She could feel him studying her from the side.
“What?” she finally asked.
“Nothing, I just hope you’re okay.”
“I’m fine,” she lied. “We’ve got a lot left to figure out. But it’s tough to focus on science when I’m more concerned about all those people we had to leave behind.”
“I know what you mean.”
That surprised Kate. Carr was usually all about science and to hear him express emotions like that caught her off guard.
“Without as many lab techs, we’re going to have more work to do ourselves,” Carr said.
Oh, so is that it? Kate thought. He’s just concerned about not having enough help.
She thought to ask him to clarify his statement but decided it would be better not to have a definitive answer. For now, she would rather assume he actually had concern for people’s well-being.
They began unloading liquid reagents and pieces of equipment.
“I know we still have some work left to do to understand the communication network and the masterminds,” Kate said, “but I’m certain we’re on the right track now.”
“Yes, I’m pretty confident you’re right.” Carr paused, his hand atop a box. “One thing I don’t quite understand is how the Variants were breeding all this time without us knowing.”
“Nature always finds a way,” Kate said. She had a difficult time trying to keep the Jurassic Park line from her mind. But the saying had never felt so appropriate.
“Right you are. Mother Nature can be a, shall we say, stubborn bitch.”
Kate almost smirked.
“The juveniles must’ve been breeding in those tunnels and within the cities right out of reach from our surveillance,” she said. “The masterminds and the collaborators probably took great pains to keep the Variants’ offspring hidden.”
“Most definitely. And if our theories are correct, the Alphas digging those tunnels between masterminds and Variant hives weren’t just creating lines of attack.”
“No,” Kate said. “They’re like an ant-colony. Masterminds as queen ants, and underground chambers for breeding, feeding, and transportation, kind of like what we saw in Europe with the mutations there.”
“Indeed.”
They worked in silence for a while. A knock at the hatch caught Kate’s attention.
A tall, willowy man with a mop of shaggy blond hair held out a hand toward her. “I’m Sean McMasters. I’m one of the new lab techs.”
“Good to meet you, Sean,” Kate said. “We’re just setting up.”
Sean directed a cadre of other lab techs to help place some of the heavier equipment like PCR machines and microscopes in their new homes within the lab.
The space was crowded, even with only Sean and a few other lab techs. It couldn’t have been more than 900 square feet, perhaps the smallest laboratory Kate had ever worked in.
Sean carted in another dolly full of supplies.
“Where should we put these?” he asked.
“What’s in them?” Kate replied.
Sean examined one set of boxes. “Looks like some biopsy samples.”
“They’ll need to go in the freezer then,” Kate said.
“It’s already stuffed.”
“Then figure out how to make more room. Consolidate samples. Whatever we’ve got to do.”
Carr looked around at the space. “This is smaller than my first studio apartment in Boston during my post-doctoral study days. I don’t know how we’re going to get much work done within these confines.”
“We don’t really have a choice,” Kate said.
The lab was beginning to look like a lab finally, but Kate didn’t feel any more prepared to start their research.
She kept thinking about Beckham, Horn, Donna, Bo and Timothy and all the other thousands of people trapped on the mainland while she had the luxury of being far away from the most immediate danger drifting on a stealth US warship.
“Maybe you should get some rest,” Carr suddenly said.
Kate glanced over.
“I don’t mean to tell you what to do, but a good bit of honesty between lab mates makes the work easier. I can tell your mind and heart are back at Outpost Portland.”
He was right about the latter.
“I won’t be able to sleep,” she said. “Trust me, I’ll get my head in the game. I just need time. The way I get past my worries is busying myself with work.”
“Well, yes but…”
Kate turned her back to him and flipped on their computers. She missed Doctor Pat Ellis more than ever. Carr wasn’t just odd; he didn’t seem to have normal human emotions.
Maybe that was a good thing, Kate said. He could work without worrying.
It took her a while, but with Carr and the other lab techs working beside her, she finally managed to lose herself in her work at one of the computers.
The goal of deciphering the language of the masterminds motivated her to forget the other worries outside of these secured bulkheads. Any advantage the Variants had would be nullified if they could win the battle inside the lab.
But, as always, time was not on their side. For the second time in a decade she was fighting against the doomsday clock, only this time the human race was much closer to eradication than before, and there were far fewer people to stop it.
***
Taloned footprints crossed front lawns of the Shiloh Housing neighborhood area on Scott AFB. They led away from cratered asphalt holes where Alphas had broken through the middle of the street.
Dohi crouched behind a Humvee with Rico, scanning the rows of nearly identical houses for any sign of survivors. Another dozen soldiers were spread out behind them. Brave men and women that volunteered to sneak behind enemy lines.
“That looks like it might be it,” Rico said, pointing to a house down the block. It had blue shutters and beige siding, just like they’d been told by command. Bushes lined the front yard and stretched into the back.
They’d been forced to come out here on foot, so what normally would have been a five-minute drive had taken the better part of the morning. Vehicles would have attracted every Variant straggler that hadn’t gone back underground.
There were still a good number prowling in the sunlight. The team of volunteers had engaged multiple packs through the blocks from command to the northwestern corner of the base, losing one soldier along the way to a Variant hiding under a car.
Dohi spotted a pair of beasts perched on rooftops ahead. He pointed them out to their snipers.
Two suppressed shots punched through the monsters’ wart-covered skulls. Both corpses slid down the roofs and crashed to the grass.
Rico gave the advance
signal, and the team snaked down the road between the houses.
Some had broken windows, and others had doors torn down. Smeared bloody handprints covered the driveway of the house to Dohi’s left. Those streaks of blood led straight to a tunnel.
He took point again and the volunteer team set off for the target house, weapons roving for beasts. When he got to the front door, he slammed into it, knocking it inward.
Checking his near corner, he then ran down a hallway that led to a large carpeted living room. Glass shards sparkled on the carpet alongside muddy footprints. Two large windows in the living room were broken. Wind tugged at the curtains.
Rico signaled half the team to clear the first floor, then gestured for Dohi to lead the second team upstairs. He picked up the scent of rotting fruit on the first step.
Shit, we’re too late…
Dohi quietly ascended the carpeted stairs. At the top, a gruesome sight awaited. Gore splattered the walls, ceiling, and carpet. He followed the bloody mess to a bedroom where the remains of two men and a woman lay spread behind a broken-down door.
Two Variants sat hunched over the corpses, peeling away muscle and flesh, and stuffing them into their mouths. They chewed noisily, lips smacking together as bloody ligaments hung around their necks and chests.
Dohi let his slung rifle sag, then pulled out his knife and hatchet. The starving creatures continued to feed, unaware of his presence.
He lunged forward and brought the hatchet down on the head of the larger creature, burying it deep in the beast’s skull. Then he jammed the tip of his knife into the eye of the other.
Both monsters slumped to the ground with a dull thud. He wiped the blood off his weapons on the carpet and walked back into the hallway.
Several of the soldiers stared at him as he and Rico led the way to another room where they found more corpses, nearly picked to the bone.
“Down here,” came a voice.
A soldier stood at the top of the stairwell waving at them. The team followed the man down the stairs.
“We found six kids in the basement,” said one of the men who had cleared the first floor.
Dohi’s heart flipped at the sight of the children being led out of a doorway.
Extinction Cycle Dark Age (Book 2): Extinction Inferno Page 3