Transmission: Voodoo Plague Book 5 Page 23

  Roach pulled out a small radio transmitter that was used by Security Forces to call for back up in an emergency. He was counting on it not being recognized by anyone that hadn’t used one before.

  “This is a remote detonator. I can kill her from a hundred miles away.” He lied, but was masterfully convincing. “Do you understand what you have to do?”

  “I understand.” Tillman said in a voice that was nearly inaudible.

  “I didn’t hear you.” Roach prompted.

  “I understand, but if you’ve hurt one hair on her head…” He never finished the sentence. Roach had anticipated some resistance and as soon as Tillman said “but” he leapt to his feet, jammed the muzzle of the pistol into his throat and snatched the camera out of his hand.

  “Take a close look, Captain.” Roach said, holding the screen up in front of Tillman’s eyes. “If you want to be a hero, be a hero by doing what I tell you and saving her. Making empty threats that you have no way to carry out is a waste of time she doesn’t have. Do you really want to find out what all those sticks of dynamite will do to her?”

  “No. Don’t hurt her. I’ll do what you’re asking.” He finally said through clenched teeth.

  “Marvelous!” Roach cried with a smile, thoroughly enjoying himself.

  For a moment he almost believed the lie that Vanessa was still alive, but he had killed her with a quick dagger thrust to the heart minutes after he’d taken her photo with the fake bomb. Moving away from the pilot he turned the camera off and pocketed it, but kept the pistol in his hand just in case the man decided to try something stupid.

  “Here’s what you’re going to do.” Roach said, moving so the arm chair was between them. “There’s a Pave Hawk fueled, armed and ready to go for a scout mission that’s scheduled to take off in two hours. It’s on the apron in front of hangar 23.”

  “How do you know that?” Tillman asked, a surprised look on his face.

  “I’m Security Forces, Captain. There are not many systems on this base I can’t access. Including flight planning and operations. Now, no more questions. Tick tock. Remember?” The man nodded, swallowing nervously.

  “Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to go straight to the flight line. Once you arrive I want you close to that helicopter. I’m going to create a distraction that will pull security away. As soon as it’s clear, you are to board the Pave Hawk and be ready to take off immediately when I arrive.

  “If you’re not there, I detonate the bomb. If there’s anyone with you, I detonate the bomb. If you tell anyone and they try to interfere in any way, I detonate the bomb. Vanessa’s life is in your hands. Do what I’m telling you and a couple of hours from now you’ll be back together. Am I perfectly clear?” Roach stared into the man’s eyes, looking for any sign of rebellion. He saw anger and fear, but nothing else.

  “You’re perfectly clear. I’ll be there waiting. Where are we going?”

  “I have a set of GPS coordinates I’ll give you once we’re in the air and clear of the base. Now, I’ve got a couple of things to do and will meet you at the helicopter. Don’t forget your wife’s life depends on your cooperation. Say nothing.” Roach wanted to keep reinforcing the threat. He was a little concerned about overplaying his hand and pushing Tillman to go for help, but he had to make sure the man believed his wife would die if he didn’t cooperate.

  “On your way,” Roach ordered, waving his hand towards the door.

  Tillman stared at him for a few heartbeats before turning and walking away. Roach stepped to the front window and watched him climb into his car, slam the door and start the engine. As soon as he was out of the driveway and en route to the flight line, Roach holstered his pistol and dashed out the door and across the lawn to his waiting Humvee.

  Driving cautiously, he crossed the base, passing the large hangars where the refugees were processed. They were close to the perimeter fence, but there was a road that circled the base running behind them and this was where he headed. Pulling to a stop on the pavement, Roach took a careful look around the area.

  He was screened from the main part of the base by a hangar. He could see at least a mile in either direction and there was no sign of any patrols. In front of him, hundreds of infected were jammed tight against a 12 foot tall, reinforced chain link fence that was topped with dual coils of razor wire. There weren’t enough of them to have started piling up and spilling over the fence, but there were enough to cause a hell of a panic.

  Getting out of the Humvee, he unwrapped a stout chain from brackets welded to the front bumper. The chain was long with hooks on each end and was there to aide in the recovery of a vehicle that got stuck off road. Roach had a different use for it in mind.

  Dragging the chain behind him, he trotted 20 feet to the closest steel post that supported the fence. The infected grew more agitated every step he took towards them, the females starting to scream when he reached the fence. Careful to avoid the fingers that were being thrust through the mesh, he threaded the chain around the post and slipped the hook on its end through one of the links.

  Running back to the Hummer he glanced over his shoulder, surprised at how fast the crowd of infected was growing in response to the screams from the females. Picking up the free end of the chain he hooked it into a D ring that was welded to the vehicle’s frame and stuck out through an opening in the rear bumper. A quick tug and he was satisfied it was secure and climbed in behind the wheel.

  Lifting the H&K off the passenger seat he worked the sling over his head and got it into a comfortable position. A glance in the mirror and then he floored the throttle. Roaring forward, the Humvee gained momentum as the chain paid out behind it, then after 30 feet it snapped taut. The heavy Hummer jerked hard when it hit the end of the chain, the reinforced steel post resisting, but it hadn’t been designed to withstand the force Roach was able to put on it.

  With a screech of tortured metal, the post started to bend at the first instant of tension. A moment later it was torn lose from the concrete piling it was mounted to. The chain link mesh that was attached to the post began to deform, but it had already been stretched tight when the fence was installed. It gave a couple of inches, then began tearing with a sound not unlike fabric being ripped in half. A couple of seconds later a 30 foot wide gap opened up in the fence line and infected began pouring through onto Tinker Air Force Base.

  Roach drove a hundred yards as fast as he could, dragging the fence section behind him. Screeching to a stop he jumped out and quickly unhooked the chain from the back bumper, hopped back in and roared away, female infected in hot pursuit.

  “If that doesn’t pull security off the flight line, I don’t what will.” Roach thought to himself as he drove, a broad smile breaking out across his face. He followed the perimeter road for a quarter of a mile then turned to cut across the base. He had one more stop to make before going to the helicopter.

  41

  I had never been in one of the Marine’s Ospreys before, and was surprised how roomy it was. And fast, compared to a Black Hawk. But then that was the whole idea. It didn’t replace helicopters. It provided a different advantage. But the one disadvantage was not having a side door I could slide open to get some fresh air.

  I’ve spent a lot of my adult life in the company of fellow soldiers in the field. When you’re fighting, running, hiding, all the things warriors do, you sweat. And there’s not a nice, hot shower waiting around every turn. So that sweat ripens, and ripens and ripens. And God help you if anyone you’re with gets one of the MREs with Chili and Beans or Southwest Chicken and Black Beans. Then you’ve got a constant stream of farts to mix with the body odor.

  Well, these Marines had been in the field for a while. And it seemed like all of them had eaten something with beans recently. The inside of the Osprey was just foul. Eye watering foul. Wrap a towel around your face and breathe through your mouth foul. But I was in no position to criticize. I was a bit ripe myself and I’m not too proud to admit my farts can
peel paint.

  Martinez and Igor seemed immune, as I expected, but Rachel and Irina looked like they were ready to throw up. They were seated as far apart as they could get, neither apparently having forgiven the other. Dog lay sleeping at Rachel’s feet, unaffected by any smell so tame as just some sweaty, gassy humans.

  The refinery outside of Midland was only a short hop by air from where we’d been picked up. It seemed like we’d just gotten settled in when the pilot came on the intercom with a warning that we were only 15 minutes out. I worked my way forward to peer through the cockpit windshield, surprised when I could see the lights shining brightly across the dark desert. It looked like the house that gets decorated at Christmas time by the guy with way too much time on his hands.

  There was a light everywhere. Hundreds of them, maybe even thousands. And every single one of those bulbs would be a beacon to any infected.

  “Hey, Zemeck.” I called my friend over. “You guys got detailed to hold the field and refinery, right?”

  “Yeah. Why?” He asked, stooping to peer out the cockpit at whatever I was looking at.

  “You need to get those damn lights turned off. The males are blind, but the females can see like a fucking hawk. You got enough problems without attracting every woman for miles around.” I said.

  “We’re Marines. Can’t help it if the ladies are attracted to us.” He said in a loud voice with a snide grin on his face. Everyone in the aircraft heard him and a chorus of oorah’s broke out.

  “Sorry, couldn’t help myself.” He said when they quieted down, sounding anything but sorry. “That’s on my list. Had to divert to come save some dumb grunt’s ass that got lost and haven’t had time to take care of it.” He said in a quieter voice. “We’ve fought small groups of them, and of course ones and twos, but haven’t tried to hold against a large body of infected. You?”

  “Yes.” I said, thinking about Murfreesboro. “They’re about impossible to hold back once they get into a herd. If you build a wall, they’ll pile up on top of each other until they reach the top. You can delay them for a while, but the only way to stop them is to kill every last one of them.”

  Zemeck knew me well enough to understand I wasn’t exaggerating or talking out of my ass. He met my eyes and nodded, concern creasing his forehead.

  “Where’d you try to make a stand?” He asked.

  I guess it was plain on my face that I was speaking from memory, so I told him about Murfreesboro. He asked a few tactical questions, not liking the answers I gave him.

  “Can we hold the refinery?” He finally asked, straight out.

  “No.” I said. “Not if one of the herds shows up and all you have are a few hundred ground troops. They don’t get tired. Don’t get frightened. Could care less about how many loses they are taking. You’ll run out of ammo long before you run out of targets, then they’ll breach your defenses and…”

  “Yeah, I got it.” He said, looking back out the windshield at the refinery lights. “So what do we do?”

  “If I were you, I’d be asking the Air Force to start bombing the shit out of the herd that’s approaching. Thin them out some. I’d also look at putting some of my guys in Hummers out in the desert to draw them off. Lead them away. I don’t know if that will work or not, but it’s all I’ve got.” I said.

  He nodded and we moved back to our seats as the pilot transitioned to hover and brought us in for a landing. The rear ramp dropped and I held my group back so the Marines could make a quick exit. When the squad was clear of the door I stepped out into the night air, Dog following because that’s what he does. Zemeck was waiting for me, looking at the massive collection of pipes and tanks that turned crude oil into gasoline and diesel.

  “Don’t want to hang around for a bit, do you?” He asked jokingly. He knew I would if I could.

  “Matt,” I paused until he was looking at me. “Remember what I told you. Have an exit plan. You and your Marines are more valuable than a refinery. I know you don’t like the idea of running any more than I do, but this isn’t a normal enemy. They won’t stop until every last Marine is dead. When they breach, you get your asses out of here. When I get to Tinker I’ll see what I can do about getting you some air assets to assist.”

  He nodded, turned and took my hand. “Take care of yourself. Hope whatever’s going on with these Russians works out.”

  “Me too.” I said, turned and climbed back into the Osprey.

  Dog bounded up the ramp and I shouted to the pilot that we were ready. A moment later the ramp closed, then we were lifting off vertically.

  “You OK?” Rachel asked, slipping her arm through mine and resting her head on my shoulder.

  “Fucking ducky.” I said. “Pretty sure I just said good bye for the last time to a friend.”

  Dog picked up on my mood and rested his chin in my lap. Rachel didn’t have anything to say and settled for just being close. I put my hand on Dog’s head and scratched his ears as we transitioned to horizontal flight and headed north to Oklahoma.

  42

  Roach screeched to a stop outside the barrack where Katie and the rest of her party were housed. Unclipping a radio microphone from the dash, he made an emergency call on the Security Forces frequency, alerting the dispatchers that the fence had been breached and infected were inside the perimeter. 10 seconds later sirens began wailing all across the base. Civilians stood looking frightened, unsure what to do.

  Jumping out of the Humvee he ran inside the large building. Finding her should be easy. In the military every room in every building is numbered and he knew which room she had been assigned. But when he got there, the door was standing partially open and the room was empty. Feeling the time pressure, he started going down the hall, opening doors without knocking, looking for her.

  Frightened women asked him what was happening, but he ignored them and kept searching. As he was about to open another door, Katie came around a corner at the far end of the building. Moving fast, she was rubbing her long hair with a towel, and was barefoot. A robe was cinched loosely around her waist, her free hand holding it closed across her breasts as she ran down the corridor.

  “Mrs. Chase,” Roach called as she approached.

  “Yes?” Katie slowed, pulled the robe tighter across her chest and eyed him up and down. It made him nervous when she did that. There was something about the woman that made him feel like she could see what he was thinking.

  “I’m Captain Roach. We met when you arrived. I’m here to take you to your husband.” He said in a rush.

  Katie came to a complete stop, the towel dropping through her fingers and falling to the floor. “What did you say?”

  “Your husband, John. He’s back in the Army, a Major now, and we just realized who you are. I talked to him on a satellite phone about half an hour ago. He’s at an Army post a short flight away and has asked that you be brought to him.” Roach had practiced the line in his head and was happy with how it sounded when he spoke it.

  “The Army? He’s alive?” She took a step toward him, and for half a second Roach thought she was going to collapse.

  Tears welled up in her eyes and began pouring down her face. She forgot all about modesty and raised her hands to her face, the robe parting and revealing her nudity. Roach caught his breath at the sight of her body, but forced himself to keep playing the part and not get lost in his fantasies and desires.

  “Ma’am. We have to go now. There’s a breach in the fence, and I’ve got a helicopter standing by to take you to your husband.” Roach added what he thought was just the right sense of urgency to his voice and body language. Katie nodded, realized her robe was open and pulled it closed and tightly cinched the belt.

  “Let me get dressed.” She said and started to dash towards her room. Half way there she stopped so abruptly that Roach, who was following, nearly ran into her.

  “The children.” She said, an anguished look on her face. “I can’t leave them if there’s infected coming.”

  �
��Ma’am, there are 15,000 Soldiers, Airmen and Marines on this base right now. No disrespect, but there’s nothing you can do to protect the children that they can’t. Now, we need to go before the Army moves your husband again and we can’t find him.” Roach improvised the last part, but it was what was needed to get Katie moving again.

  Nodding, she ran into her room and shoved the door closed behind her, the latch not catching. The heavy, steel door slowly swung back open a foot before stopping. As soon as she was inside, Katie had stripped off the robe. Roach stood in the hall, mesmerized by her naked form as she grabbed clothing and dressed as quickly as she could.

  He turned before she realized he was watching her, playing the part of a man guarding a woman’s modesty. A moment later she stepped out next to him, a holstered pistol on her right hip, boots and socks in her hand.

  “I’ll put them on in the car.” Katie said when he looked at what she was carrying. “Let’s go.”

  Roach led the way outside and moments later they were in the Hummer and heading for the flight line. Katie finished dressing, sat up and looked around at a speeding truckload of Marines headed for the fence breach.

  “Where’s he been? How the hell did he wind up back in the Army?” She asked, looking at Roach.

  “I don’t know ma’am. Like I said, we just matched your name with his a couple of hours ago. When your names matched, the system popped up a notice that he was close, so I gave him a call to make sure there wasn’t an error with the names. I was able to send him the picture we took of you to verify we were talking about the right person.” Roach was pleased with how well he was making it up on the fly.

  “Where are we going?” She asked. “Couldn’t he come here?”

  “Ma’am, again, no disrespect intended, but were you married to him when he was in the Army?” Roach tried to deflect the questions while he drove.

  “Yes, I was. And you’re right. I know how the Army works. Sorry, Captain. I had given up on him. I was sure he was dead. Or one of the infected.” Katie started crying again, tears flowing for a couple of minutes as she fought to get her emotions under control.