Transmission: Voodoo Plague Book 5 Page 13

  The meeting was mercifully short. Crawford and Blanchard brought me up to speed on events that had transpired while I was out playing with the wildlife. I did, I thought, an admirable job of keeping my mouth shut when they told me about the shoot down of the Antonov. I didn’t do a good job of keeping my mouth shut when I learned that Cummings was coming with me to deliver the SADMs to Irina.

  My objections were overruled. It seemed the President wanted him to meet Captain Vostov so he could report back on his impressions of the woman. What a crock of bullshit. Something didn’t smell right, but I didn’t know what it was. Yet. I smiled to myself when I thought what Irina, or Igor, would do to him if he talked about her the way he had about Rachel. The meeting broke up with a reminder that Irina would be calling us back at 1020 the next morning. We were all told to gather in the same conference room at 1000.

  Captain Blanchard had secured a small, vacant house for me. The house was part of Tinker’s on base housing and had been occupied by a young Lieutenant and his wife, but they had been away on leave at the time of the attacks and had never returned. As a Ranger drove us to the house, it was obvious there were a lot of empty homes on Tinker.

  Pulling to a stop in front of the structure, he shut the Humvee’s engine off and jumped out to hold the rear door open for Rachel. Dog jumped out and headed for the closest tree.

  “I’ll be right outside, if you need anything, sir.” The Ranger said.

  “Crawford tell you to keep an eye on me?” I asked him with a smile.

  “Actually, sir, he said the lady has a tendency to get misplaced, and when that happens you’re a pain in his ass. Sir.” He grinned back. “I’m here to make sure she doesn’t get misplaced again.”

  Rachel looked like she didn’t know whether to be mad or not. I, on the other hand, found it immensely funny and couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Thank you, Sergeant.” I said, leading Rachel up the narrow walk to the front door and calling Dog off his investigation of a thick hedge at the side of the small yard.

  The house smelled musty from being closed up for at least a month, but it was spotlessly clean with nothing out of place. None of the previous occupants’ personal belongings had been removed and it felt a little creepy. Like we were invading their privacy. Rachel walked over to the narrow mantle above a small fireplace and looked at several photos of a young couple, smiling in various poses.

  Besides the small living room, there was a cramped kitchen, a tiny dining room, a shoebox bedroom with a full sized bed crammed in, and a bathroom no larger than what you’d find in a cheap motel. But it was clean; there were crisp linens on the bed and fluffy towels hanging in the bath.

  Dog jumped onto the bed, but Rachel was having none of it when he immediately smeared mud on the white comforter. She told him to get down, which he did, but not without giving her a hurt look and snorting his displeasure. He settled for curling up on a small rug in front of the closet, his back to us.

  “We got interrupted before,” Rachel smiled and started undressing.

  I smiled back, tossed my rifle on the bed and started to step forward to take her in my arms, stopping when she held a hand out like a traffic cop.

  “Shower’s that way, big boy.” She said, pointing at the bathroom. “You smell like… well, you need a shower. Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Smiling, I stripped off my vest and clothes, the stink from several days in the field reaching my nose. She was right. I smelled. Bad.

  The shower was small, but I was able to get clean and shave my head and face. It seemed like it had taken forever by the time I stepped back into the bedroom, and I guess it had. Rachel was sprawled out across the entire bed, sheet and comforter pulled up to her waist. And she was sound asleep. Walking to the side of the bed I gently rolled her over and slipped under the covers with her. Moments later I was out, too, falling immediately into a deep sleep.

  I woke up to sunlight at the window, long hair spilling across a pillow into my face and a warm, naked female body pressed tightly against me. I was spooned against her back, and felt myself responding to the firm ass that pressed tightly against my groin. Mind wandering, I thought about how many mornings I’d had like this with Katie and my erection disappeared as quickly as it had started.

  Before Rachel woke up and expected me to consummate our relationship, I carefully slipped out of the bed. Grabbing a clean pair of underwear out of my pack I went into the bathroom and silently closed the door behind me. Leaning on the sink I looked at myself in the mirror.

  More years of marriage than I cared to think about, and I’d never cheated on Katie. Not because there hadn’t been opportunities, or in a couple of cases outright offers, but because I’d just not wanted to. I had loved Katie from the first moment I’d laid eyes on her, and while I might look at an attractive woman, I’d never really wanted to touch another one. Until now.

  I wanted to be with Rachel. Not because she was beautiful, which she was, but because I had genuine feelings for her. Of course being beautiful didn’t hurt, but there are a lot of beautiful women that I don’t want to sleep with. Right now this felt like I was betraying Katie. Odds were that my wife was dead, but… Hell, I didn’t know what the ‘but’ was.

  A loud knock saved me from having to think about it any more and I stepped out of the bathroom. Rachel was sitting up in bed, eyes puffy from sleep and covers held to her breasts. Dog was already at alert in the front room. The knock came again and I headed for the front door after grabbing my pistol. No, the infected don’t knock, but I no longer lived in a world where I was willing to answer the door without a weapon in my hand.

  “Good morning, sir.” It was the same Ranger that had driven us the previous evening. “Thought you might want to know the volume of infected at the fence has increased overnight. I’m being pulled back to man the defensive perimeter. I’ll leave the Hummer here for you.”

  “Thank you, Sergeant.” I answered. “Head or heart shots.”

  “Sir?” He had started to leave, but turned back when I spoke.

  “Head or heart is all that will bring them down quickly. Don’t waste your ammo on body shots.”

  He looked at me a long moment. “Thank you, sir.” He finally said and turned to trot off down the tree lined street.

  I closed the door and was surprised to see Rachel standing in the small living room. She had pulled the comforter off the bed and had it wrapped around her, holding it closed in front.

  “Sorry I fell asleep last night.” She said, letting the comforter fall to the floor and stepping forward. “Do we have time before the call from the Russian?” She asked, taking my hand.

  I looked into her eyes, then lowered my gaze to her nude body. I couldn’t speak, wrought with desire for her, yet still unable to stop thinking that I was betraying my wife. Finally I shook my head. Thankfully we really didn’t have time.

  24

  At 1000 we were sitting in the same conference room. I felt like a million bucks after a good night’s sleep. Crawford breezed into the room and took his seat at the head of the table. Blanchard was right on the Colonel’s heels and Cummings wasn’t far behind. The Captain set about initiating a video call with Admiral Packard as Crawford settled himself and flipped open a leather bound notebook. Cummings studiously ignored me, said a bright good morning to Rachel, and then seated himself as far away from me as he could get. Dog was in his usual spot and kept an eye on the Chief of Staff. Good boy!

  “What’s the infected situation, sir?” I asked.

  “We’re holding our own. I have to brief the Admiral in a moment, so hang on if you don’t mind.” He didn’t take his attention off the file he had started reviewing when he sat down.

  A few seconds later the screen at the front of the room flared and the Admiral stared out at us. Pleasantries were briefly exchanged, then Crawford began his briefing.

  “Sir, the population of infected in the greater Oklahoma City area continues to grow. Tinker is
currently surrounded and in a defensive posture. The only ingress or egress at this time is by air. Current estimates are 12,000 infected at our perimeter fence line.

  “There is also confirmation that the virus has mutated and jumped species. Major Chase encountered several feral hogs yesterday that were infected. They exhibit the same aggressive behavior, though they don’t seem to discriminate between attacking infected or uninfected humans. Additionally, the differing effects of the infection on male versus female do not appear to carry over to other species. We have a researcher evaluating this information as well as looking into the possibility of the virus moving to other species.

  “Vaccine production and distribution has begun and is steadily ramping up. As of 0700 this date, all military personnel at Tinker have been vaccinated and we are in the process of vaccinating all civilians that are on base before commencing distribution to the general population. The vaccine is rather simple to manufacture. There is a large veterinary medicine company located here that has a very high capacity lab and we are utilizing its equipment. We are currently producing approximately 10,000 doses per day.”

  “That’s great news, Colonel.” The Admiral broke in.

  “Actually, sir, it’s not.” Crawford countered. “Best estimates are that there are close to 250,000 survivors currently in Oklahoma City. Based on information from the GRU, and our own observations, we do not have time to manufacture and distribute enough vaccine to protect all of them before they turn. Our best guess is anyone not vaccinated has seven more days at the most.”

  Everyone was quiet, doing the math in their head. In seven days we wouldn’t have enough vaccine to inoculate even a third of the local civilian population. By the time the vaccine was actually administered, we’d be lucky to treat a fifth of the population. That meant we were about to have 200,000 infected in our back yard.

  “Can you hold out against nearly a quarter of a million infected, Colonel?” The Admiral leaned into the camera.

  “We’re going to try, sir, but we’re working on an evacuation plan. Large transport aircraft are being brought in from the civilian airport as well as other Air Force bases in the region to prepare for that contingency. There are also scouts deployed to find suitable locations that are not already either occupied by the Russians or overrun with infected.

  “Additionally, I’ve been working with the Air Force and sending out patrols looking for stranded military units. We’ve located a Marine Expeditionary Unit that went ashore in Corpus Christi when their ship experienced an outbreak. There are about 1,500 Marines still alive and combat capable. We’ve dispatched C-130s to pick them up and bring them here. I’ve also got a team going to Fort Hood to obtain some heavy armor, and we’re collecting all heavy construction equipment in the area.”

  The Admiral looked like he wanted to ask another question, but it was 1020. An aide signaled to Packard that there was an incoming call.

  “Looks like our Russian ally is right on time.” Packard said to make sure we knew Irina was calling in. He nodded to the aide, and a moment later I heard her voice.

  “Admiral Packard, have you received approval to provide me with what we discussed?” She asked without preamble.

  “Yes, Captain. I have.” He answered.

  “Good. I assume you have Major Chase on the line.” The Admiral looked at me and nodded.

  “Hello, Irina.” I said. “How’s the leg?”

  “Hello, Major. It is nothing. Just a scratch, but thank you for inquiring. I’m glad your Colonel was able to locate you. Have you been briefed on the situation?”

  “Yes. I’m ready.” I said, glancing at the laptop screen Captain Blanchard had open next to me. He would input the coordinates she provided so we could see on a satellite image exactly where I was supposed to meet her in the El Paso area.

  When I’d first heard El Paso, I’d been surprised. Was it coincidence, or was Irina sending a message? I had grown up in the El Paso area. Well outside the city on a large chunk of desert, commuting a long way into town each day to go to school. I knew the Soviets and then the Russians had worked hard to create and maintain files on American SF Operators, and there was no reason to think they didn’t have one on me. It’s just always a bit unnerving when someone you don’t know has that much detail on you.

  Irina read off the coordinates, Blanchard quietly tapping them into his computer. A moment later a red dot started pulsing on the satellite image he was displaying. I had him zoom to confirm I was right about the location I’d instantly recognized.

  “Do you know where we’re meeting?” She asked.

  “I hope you’re not playing games, Irina.” I said. “This is way too dangerous to be screwing around, trying to mess with someone’s head.”

  “No games, Major. I just thought it would make you more comfortable to meet somewhere that you were familiar with. 2200 local time. Tonight. Will you be there?”

  “Yes, Irina. I’ll be there.” I said, exasperation clear in my voice. There were a couple of beeps and she was gone.

  “Care to enlighten us, Major?” Asked Admiral Packard.

  “Her coordinates are right in the middle of what used to be my family’s land, sir.” I said. “There’s an old windmill and stock tank at the point where she wants to meet. She’s right. I know the area very well.”

  “How secure is the area?” Crawford asked.

  “It’s the middle of nowhere, sir. I suppose there could be the odd infected wandering around, but it’s either a long, rough hike or you need a sturdy horse, good four wheel drive or helicopter to get to the spot. It’s actually pretty smart on her part.” I said, remembering the place vividly.

  25

  As soon as he got the coordinates from Irina, Blanchard had started working with the Navy to re-task a satellite and get a good view of the location. He also got the Air Force to assign a Predator drone to him and it was on station over the ranch at 30,000 feet within a couple of hours. I had left him to it. I could probably draw a map of the area from memory. In high school this was where my friends and I had gone to drink and have fun with our girlfriends. I remembered the area quite well, even after several decades.

  Rachel and I had stepped outside after the meeting broke up, and had the first fight of our new relationship when I told her she wasn’t coming with me.

  “You’re going to leave me here so I’m safe? That’s absolute bullshit! The only time I’ve been safe since this whole thing started is when I’ve been with you!” She was pissed, standing toe to toe with me, her face thrust into mine.

  “Rachel, I…”

  “Fuck that!” She cut me off without even knowing what I was going to say. “Every time you go off without me, something bad happens. Every. Single. Fucking. Time. I thought I actually meant something to you, but I guess you just see tits and ass when you look at me!”

  “Goddamn it!” Now I was getting angry. “I’ve got to go meet some Russians in the middle of fucking nowhere. Anything could go wrong. Vostov could be under duress, forced to set this up so they can get their hands on me. Infected could show up. I need to be focused on the mission, not worrying about making sure someone I care about is OK! Distractions like that are what get people killed.”

  “You are the goddamn dumbest smart person I’ve ever met. When we’re together, everything turns out OK. You leave me behind, who’s going to save your ass when you get in trouble? That little shit the President is sending along? And what happens here when the infected break through the fence? You’re going to leave me here alone to deal with that shit?” Tears were running down her face and I thought she was going to hit me. Before she could get that far I reached out and tried to circle her into my arms, but she was having none of it.

  “You can really be an asshole. You know that? If you leave me here alone, don’t expect me to be waiting for you when you get back! If you get back.” She wiped tears and started to turn away.

  I grabbed Rachel before she could take a step, gripping both o
f her upper arms so she couldn’t hit me, pulled her close and kissed her. She struggled, twisting and trying to pull away, and I was prepared to defend against a swift knee to my balls. But I didn’t have to, and after a moment she pressed against me and lifted her arms to wrap around my neck, the intensity of the moment becoming passion in the kiss.

  We might have stood there kissing for a long time if a Humvee hadn’t pulled to a stop next to us with a squeal of brakes. I broke the kiss, but kept my arms around Rachel, looking over to see who had just pulled up. Two Marines climbed out of the vehicle. Looked like some of the MEU that Crawford had made contact with had arrived. When I saw the Eagles on one of them I stepped away from Rachel, came to attention and saluted the Marine Colonel.

  “Jesus H. Christ, sir. I guess the Army is harder up than we thought. Looks like they’ll make an officer out of anything with a pulse.” I dropped the salute and looked at the man who had spoken, a Master Gunnery Sergeant.

  “Praise be, we’re saved! When the infected see your ugly face they’re just going to lay down and die!” I retorted.

  Neither of us had sounded friendly, and Rachel had taken a step back. Dog had stood up and growled softly in his chest at the two men. I eyed Master Gunnery Sergeant Matt Zemeck, looking him up and down, and he did the same to me. I hadn’t seen him in nearly 10 years, and other than a few more wrinkles and a couple of new scars, he looked the same as when we’d first met in a foreign country.

  His unit had been on a mission to - well, never mind what they were doing. They had bad intel from the CIA, as amazing as that may sound, and had walked into a trap and been captured. Most had been captured. Two of them had been killed.

  My unit had been in the area and, much to the chagrin of the Corps, had been sent in to rescue them. The rescue had gone off like clockwork at first, then more bad guys had showed up and Zemeck and I had gotten separated with about 200 screaming fanatics between our units and us. It had taken a week, but we’d fought our way out of the country, saving each other’s lives more times than I could count. Time passes and I’d lost touch after leaving the Army. He was about the last person I expected to run into in the middle of the apocalypse.