Recovery: V Plague Book 8 Read online

  “My point is, it’s early in the season for a winter storm to be dipping down out of Canada. Not unprecedented, but very early. And if it’s magnified as much as those tornadoes seem to have been, you may need us and the Bradley to get out of those mountains.”

  I sat there chewing, thinking about what the Colonel had said. As much as I wanted all of them to head to the safety of the Bahamas he had a valid point. If only a few inches of snow fell I was confident in being able to find a four-wheel drive truck that could make its way through. But what if he was right and this was a big storm that wound up dumping feet, not inches? We’d be stuck.

  “OK, you’ve convinced me.” I nodded and pushed my empty plate away. “But what about the Russian surge? They’re going to have air assets up. We already know they’re flying an around the clock CAP. They might ignore me in a civilian vehicle traveling on the roads, but I’m willing to bet a Bradley moving will draw unwanted attention.”

  “I don’t have an answer for that,” Crawford conceded. “But I think we need to take the chance.”

  I shook my head, not in disagreement but at the thought of the level of risk the people travelling in a US military vehicle would be taking. Then I thought of another problem.

  “Comms,” I said. “I was planning on taking your sat phone so I could stay in touch with Pearl. Use them as my eye in the sky. How do we stay in contact?”

  “The Bradley has comm gear,” the Colonel responded. “Blanchard issued an FSOC unit to them before they headed out to find you and there’s also HF radios on board.”

  “Then why haven’t we been able to reach them?” I asked.

  “We’ll figure that out when we catch up with them,” he said, pushing his chair back and standing. “Shall we get moving?”

  We all stood and I tossed some scraps to Dog who snatched them out of the air without bothering to stand.

  “Let’s go get Rachel, boy.” I said to him, scratching his ears as I walked past. He jumped to his feet and raced up the stairs ahead of me.

  I took a moment to situate my vest, adjusting it to a comfortable fit. It had been soaked with sweat, covered in blood and dirt was ground in to every fiber. I had washed it as best I could and it now only stank badly enough for me to notice if I took a deep breath.

  “Ready?” I asked Katie as I loaded the last full magazine into a pouch.

  “For a road trip? You bet!” She smiled, checking her rifle over. “Remember the last time we drove across the country? We came back married. Wanna stop in Vegas and see if that preacher in the blue leisure suit is still around? Renew our vows?”

  I looked at her, not sure if she was just being flip or if there was some insecurity over us going off to save Rachel. Not that Katie wouldn’t be the first to say we had to go help her but that didn’t mean there wasn’t concern over what might come once we found Rachel. Not surprisingly she read me like a book, knowing exactly what I was thinking.

  “Just trying to lighten the mood,” she said. “Let’s go get your girlfriend.”

  “Hey,” I started to say, but she and Martinez both burst out in laughter.

  “You are so easy,” Katie said. “My mother was right about you.”

  “Right about what?”

  “You ready?” Katie turned to Martinez and they headed for the stairs, completely ignoring me.

  Shaking my head and grumbling I took a last look around to ensure we weren’t leaving anything behind that we might need. Not seeing anything I followed the two women up the stairs and out onto the roof. Colonel Crawford was standing by the Huey, burning cigarette in hand as he spoke on the sat phone. He ended the call as we approached.

  “Here,” he said, holding the device out to Martinez. “Petty Officer Simmons is sending their current coordinates.”

  “That’s good, sir, but there’s not exactly a nav computer in this old war horse to plug them into.”

  “Shit,” Crawford mumbled. “We’ve all gotten too goddamn used to technology. Or maybe that’s just me. How about I call her back and get a heading and distance? Will that suffice?”

  “Yes, sir. That will be perfect,” Martinez smiled and began walking around the Huey to perform her pre-flight check.

  While she inspected the aircraft I coiled up the hose we’d used for transferring fuel and put it in the Huey. Next came a pump, a smaller hose that would fit into a vehicle’s filler neck as well as some tools I had gathered from the maintenance shop. I’d need to refuel whatever car or truck we found and didn’t expect the power to be on at any gas station we stopped at.

  With the pump, which could run on a car’s electrical system, I’d be able to open the access plate to a station’s storage tanks, drop a hose down the hole and pump gas into my transportation’s fuel tank. Less convenient than just pulling up to the fuel island and swiping a credit card, but it would serve the purpose.

  By the time Martinez was finished the Colonel wrapped up his call and gave her the information she needed. She nodded and climbed aboard, the rest of us following. I took a few minutes to get my improvised harness wrapped around Dog and secured to the tether hanging from the ceiling. He didn’t like it but he put up with it. I really couldn’t ask for anything more from him.

  “Katie, you want the pig?” I asked while I was double-checking the security of Dog’s tether.

  “What?” She asked. “The pig?”

  “Sorry. The M-60. The door gun. You want it, or you want me to take it?” I clarified.

  “I think I’ll pull rank and strap in,” Crawford said, situating himself in the open door. “Been a long time.”

  The starters sounded and a moment later the rotor began spinning lazily, gaining speed.

  “Why “pig”?” Katie asked, sitting down next to Dog.

  “Carry one around in the field all day,” I said. “They weigh about twenty-five pounds, without ammo.”

  Katie smiled and said something that I couldn’t hear. The rotor was at take off speed and Martinez lifted us into the air, turning and heading into the rising sun.

  14

  We pounded our way east, the air flowing through the two open side doors still refreshing but that would change quickly as the sun continued to bake the ground below. Colonel Crawford sat behind the door gun, maintaining a constant scan as we progressed. The man seemed to be enjoying himself, a tight smile on his face as he traversed the barrel back and forth.

  I scooted to the opening when he turned his head to look at me and pointed at the ground beneath us. We were passing over a small town cut into nearly four perfect quarters by the intersection of two highways, making it look like a compass rose. A few infected were stumbling around the deserted streets but what caught my attention was a large building on the southern edge of the east-west highway.

  A tall communications tower soared over the structure. A high-security fence glinted in the morning light, surrounding the entire property. There was a scattering of vehicles in the rear parking lot, several of them obviously civilian but there were eight neatly aligned police cars pulled tight against the back wall. Had to be either County Sheriff or State Police.

  “Martinez, remember where this town is. We’re coming back,” I called over the intercom.

  “Copy, sir. Got it located as best I can,” she replied a moment later. I looked forward to see her scribbling on a paper map with a grease pencil.

  By now we had already moved beyond the boundary of the small burg and nothing but open prairie was visible. Leaving Crawford to his fun I scooted back to sit next to Katie, Dog shifting position to put his head in my lap. He tolerated air travel but really didn’t like it and was looking for some comfort.

  “What was that all about?” Katie shouted after reaching out and lifting one of the headset’s cups off my left ear.

  “Looks like a police station,” I shouted back. “We need a fast car to get to Idaho. I was worrying about being caught out in anything not as stout as a truck. The cops might have an SUV or a cruiser that has b
een reinforced. Going to go check them out as soon as we find Scott.”

  Katie nodded and released the ear cup to slap back in place against the side of my head. She smiled when I gave her a dirty look. I smiled back, happy to be with her even if she was being a pain in the ass.

  “Got Scott on the radio,” Martinez called over the intercom almost fifteen minutes later. “We’re probably five minutes from his position.”

  “Are we coming into a hot LZ?” Crawford almost sounded like he wanted there to be targets at the Landing Zone so he could cut loose with the door gun.

  “Sorry, sir. The area’s clear.” I guess Martinez had picked up on it, too.

  He didn’t say anything else and a few minutes later I felt our speed drop as Martinez began descending. Moving back to the side door I stuck my head out and looked down. Ahead and to our right a Bradley sat on the top of a small hill, one figure on top of the turret and two more on the ground next to the lowered rear ramp.

  As we descended I recognized Igor’s big frame standing on top of the vehicle, keeping watch on their surroundings. Tech Sergeant Scott and Irina waited at the rear, shielding their eyes from the dust and debris as Martinez set us down fifty yards away. Unhooking Dog’s tether I jumped down and waited for Katie to join me.

  We met Scott and Irina half way and I waved a greeting to Igor who had stayed on top of the Bradley. He waved back then continued keeping watch on the area. Dog ran up to Scott and Irina, giving each of them a quick greeting, then lifted his nose and headed for Igor when he recognized him. The two had become fast friends when we were in Texas and when Igor saw him coming he climbed down to pet him.

  “Good to see you, sir.” Scott said. “Was starting to think the worst might have happened.”

  “Not very likely, Tech Sergeant. At least not yet,” I grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. Irina stepped forward and embraced me, placing a kiss on each cheek.

  “I’m glad you survived. And this is her?” She asked, stepping back and smiling at Katie.

  I made the introductions, taking a moment to explain to Katie what Igor and Irina were doing there. She thanked each of them for having helped me then looked over her shoulder when she saw Scott come to attention. Crawford walked up with Martinez at his side.

  “Relax, Tech Sergeant,” he waved a dismissive hand. “You and your team did an outstanding job.”

  Scott smiled and stood easier. Martinez pushed past me, walked up to him and wrapped him in a big hug. He looked embarrassed but when she didn’t let go right away he grinned sheepishly. Finally releasing him she turned to Irina and surprised the woman by embracing her tightly.

  Greetings and introductions out of the way I led the group over to the Bradley and we settled in on the shady side as I brought them up to speed. It took more time than I wanted to spend, but everyone needed to be on the same page.

  “So you’re going to haul ass to Idaho while we poke along behind you. That pretty much sum it up, sir?” Scott asked.

  “Yep,” I said. “Spotted a police station this morning on the way here and I’m going to have the Captain take me there. Should be able to get a fast car and maybe pick up a few weapons and some more ammo.”

  “I’ve got a shit ton of 5.56 in the Bradley if you want to take some,” Scott offered. “But what do we do about comms if you take the only sat phone?”

  “I thought you had an FSOC?” Crawford asked.

  “Yes, sir. We do, but it’s not working.” Scott shrugged his shoulders.

  “I’ll take a look,” Martinez said, standing and starting to climb the outside of the Bradley’s hull. “I trained on them with the manufacturer’s tech rep when the first units came in.”

  While Martinez worked on the laser comm gear, I stepped inside the vehicle and spotted the ammo cans of loaded mags Scott had been talking about. There were five waterproof, metal cans strapped down to the floor and I took two of them. That left them with only 3,000 rounds, but my sole protection was going to be thin sheet metal. They’d have the Bradley’s armor and its other weapons if they ran into any problems.

  “How we doing, Captain?” I shouted to Martinez when I walked back out into the open.

  “Almost got it, sir.” She said without taking her attention off of the device she was working on with a small multi-tool.

  “Are you kidding me?” Scott yelled up at her. She ignored him for almost a minute. Straightening, she collapsed the tool and smiled down at him.

  “There’s a motion stabilized gimbal that keeps the laser locked on its target,” she said. “It has a tendency to get stuck if the unit is torqued down tighter than spec. The gimbal was binding so I adjusted the tension on the mounting bolts. Give it a try.”

  Scott stared back at her with his mouth open for a moment before heading inside to activate the system. A minute later he stuck his head back out and told us it was working and locked on to a satellite. Martinez pretended to dust her hands off then climbed down and joined us.

  “OK, we’ve got comms,” I said, heading for the Huey with the pair of ammo cans. “Captain, make sure Scott knows where we’re going and let’s get in the air. I’m not going to wait for them to show up. You can wait and they’ll pick you up.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Crawford said, falling in next to me. “No reason for her to be waiting by herself. Just in case.”

  While I strapped the ammo cans down and got Dog back into the Huey, Martinez showed the paper map she’d marked up to Scott. Katie and Crawford climbed aboard, and then Martinez came running as Scott, Irina and Igor disappeared inside the Bradley.

  15

  The flight back to the small town, I never learned its name, was quick. Martinez gave the steel communications tower a wide berth as she brought us into a hover before slipping sideways and landing on large concrete pad with a big yellow “H” painted in the middle of it. An orange windsock on a tall pole had been lazily shifting in the morning breeze but went taut from the powerful wind of the Huey’s rotor.

  We’d seen roughly a dozen infected males from the air, stumbling about and turning their blind eyes towards the sky when they heard us. I had noted from the air that there was a rolling gate that could seal off the entire area within the fence, but it was open when we landed. Releasing Dog and removing the mesh harness from his body I jumped onto the concrete and brought my rifle up.

  “I’m going to go close that gate,” I said as I scanned the area. “Find us a way inside and I’ll catch up.” I didn’t wait for a response, just took off at a trot, Dog at my side.

  We ran along the eastern edge of the building, which was brick construction. The wall was taller than it had looked from the air. Tall enough for there to be two internal floors. There was not a single break for a door or window and it took a moment for the significance of this to dawn on me. This was probably a jail, too.

  “Martinez,” I called on the radio as I ran around what I thought was the front corner.

  It was actually a change in the design of the building. I was now next to the front part of the structure and it was narrower than the rear and no more than a single story. There were also windows spaced evenly. This must be the administrative area. Finally clearing the front corner I could see the gate across a large, asphalt parking lot that held a few cars.

  “Go for Martinez.”

  “I think this rear area is a jail,” I said as I ran. “Don’t go in without me. There may be a lot of infected inside.”

  “Copy,” she said.

  The gate was set twenty yards back from the road and there were already half a dozen males making their way towards the opening. Picking up the pace I made it to the gate at the same time as the leading three. Dog surged forward and leapt, taking the closest one to the ground as I drew my Kukri and waded in.

  Two fast slashes and mine were down. I turned around to see Dog standing over the body of the one he’d killed, looking at me and wagging his tail.

  “I got two. You’re slacking,” I said to
him. He ignored me and trotted over to pee on a small bush.

  Grabbing the edge of the gate, I pulled and rolled it along the metal track set into the pavement. It squealed and protested and was hard as hell to move, probably rarely having been used. But I got it closed, the three remaining males banging into it when they arrived a moment later.

  There wasn’t a lock on the gate, or a chain or any other way I could see to secure it. Knowing I’d be driving out in a short amount of time I decided it was good enough and headed back across the parking lot.

  “What’s your location, Captain?” I asked over the radio.

  “West exterior, about a third of the way from the front.” She answered immediately.

  Changing directions I ran down the front of the building and turned the corner. I could see my group standing a dozen yards from the side of the building, waiting for me. All of them had their rifles up. Dog and I covered the distance quickly and I circled behind them and came to a stop between Crawford and Katie. A heavy steel door set into the brick wall was standing open.

  “Did you open it?” I asked

  “Negative,” he answered. “It was open when we found it. Haven’t seen or heard any…”

  He stopped speaking when Dog lowered his head and growled, attention focused on the opening.

  “Well, guess that answers that question. Ready?” I asked.

  Everyone acknowledged they were and we moved to the outside wall next to the door. Crawford and I stacked up just like we had when we cleared the rooms at the casino. Dog was next to me and Katie and Martinez were watching our rear so we could focus on the entry.

  A soon as we moved against the wall I could smell the stench wafting through the open door. It was the sickly sweet smell of rotting bodies overlaid with the odor of human waste. I wasn’t happy to note that the lights were off but there wasn’t a solar system here to fix before I went inside.

  Turning my flashlight on, I swiveled into the side of the open doorway on my knee, Crawford right behind me with his rifle over my head. We were looking into what appeared to be an intake area for prisoners. Nothing was moving. The Colonel tapped my shoulder to let me know he wasn't seeing anything from his higher point of view so I stood and we moved quickly.