by Dirk Patton
“Got a helo parked about half a klick from the north side of the house.”
That was Strickland’s mumbled voice over the radio. I couldn’t see the helicopter from my position, but its presence didn’t surprise me. Barinov wouldn’t fail to have an escape vehicle close by.
“Why wait?” Igor grumbled from beside me.
I would have preferred to have the four of us spread out but didn’t trust that he had his shit together. Concern that he would grow impatient and charge headlong into the teeth of Barinov’s defenses had prompted me to keep him by my side. Seems like that was a good decision.
“Can’t kill the fucker if we’re dead,” I answered softly. “Going to take some time to find a way in. Then we’ll go kill him.”
Igor grumbled something in Russian that I didn’t need translated. He wasn’t happy but was willing to listen to reason. For the moment, at least.
Honestly, I can’t say that I wasn’t feeling the urge to throw caution to the wind and charge in, guns blazing. The berserker inside, sensing an impending battle, was loudly clamoring for blood. Only because I didn’t want to die before seeing Barinov’s cold corpse was I keeping him tightly locked in his cage.
***
The armada of American aircraft rolled through the Russian defenders along the west coast with only three losses. Admiral Packard’s strategy of not probing or attacking the enemy had lulled them into a false sense of security. For too long, they’d flown patrols and drilled, seemingly for no reason. After all, the Americans were far away in Hawaii and could not project power across thousands of miles of open ocean.
So, at three in the morning, when the Growler electronic warfare aircraft began jamming all Russian communications, it was passed off as just another breakdown of a notoriously glitchy system. Junior officers and NCOs who were in charge of air defense stations grumbled when they were awakened with the news that their radar wasn’t functioning properly.
Pilots who were on ready alert and should have been sitting in their cockpits, prepared to launch on a moment’s notice, were instead gathered in ready rooms, smoking and watching DVDs of American television shows. All in all, the Russians managed to put nine aircraft in the air and fire seventeen missiles before they were completely decimated.
Naval bases in San Diego and San Francisco were similarly caught off guard. Ships were sunk in the harbors with only one of them getting off a pair of anti-air missiles. The losses were staggering, and the Russian navy ceased to exist for all intents and purposes.
All that remained were the squadrons of fighter aircraft that had been relocated to the Phoenix area to provide protection for Barinov, his senior commanders and the Russian elites who had taken up residence. Forty thousand ground troops and more than two hundred Hind gunships had also been brought in, but none of them posed a threat to the American warplanes.
But as easy as defeating the coastal defenses had been, the Russians hadn’t neglected protecting their new seat of power. Their best pilots and aircraft, alerted to the approaching Americans, rose to meet them as they passed out of California and over the Arizona desert. Air defense stations that had been sloppily manned on the coast were crewed by elite troops and were of the latest generation equipment that was much more difficult to jam.
The battle raged high above the ground. The fiery trails of missiles and the sudden brilliant blooms of fire from destroyed aircraft were visible for more than a hundred miles. The rattling booms of explosions shook the empty desert, unheard except by the men who were fighting and dying.
***
“We’ve got to go,” Vance said to Martinez over the radio.
He was at seventy thousand feet, slowly orbiting the area to conserve fuel, and had an unobstructed view of the aerial battle. As he had watched, it was clear that it was coming closer to the city.
“Go without us,” Martinez said. “Can’t leave Mavis.”
She had made it back to the airport without being detected by any additional enemy patrols and was once again sitting dark and silent between the pair of FedEx planes.
“Don’t have a choice,” he said, then described what he was seeing. “And if I know the Admiral, when they get here, they’re going to bomb the ever-loving shit out of this place. We need to be far away when that starts.”
Martinez hesitated. She agreed with Vance but couldn’t force herself to abandon Mavis.
“Look,” he continued when she didn’t respond. “Sitting here while bombs are dropping isn’t going to help anyone. You need to go while you can.”
She thought for another moment then nodded her head in decision.
“Runway is clear,” she said.
Vance acknowledged and told her he was on his way. She looked over at Joe, noting the relief in his eyes.
“You should get out, now,” she said.
“What?”
“I’m not going,” she said, firmly shaking her head. “The Colonel would never leave me behind and I’m not going to abandon him. Or any of them, for that matter.”
“You’ll be killed!”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Martinez said with a wry smile. “Now, go on. Vance will be here in a few minutes. Tell him to get his ass back to Hawaii and not wait for me.”
They held each other’s eyes for a long moment, then Joe got up. He paused as if he had something to say but settled for putting his hand on her shoulder for a beat before walking away and exiting down the rear ramp. Stepping clear of the Osprey when the engines fired, he watched as the props quickly came up to speed, then the ungainly looking aircraft lifted off and streaked away into the darkness.
74
“What’s the plan, boss?” Strickland asked over the radio.
I didn’t tell him I didn’t have one other than a full-frontal assault against a superior number of well-armed, entrenched defenders who had reinforcements in the immediate area.
“Working on it,” I mumbled.
“We go kill,” Igor said, starting to rise.
I reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him. He snapped a warning look at me and for a moment I thought I was going to have a fight on my hands. But after a few tense seconds he settled back onto the ground.
“Did you miss me, lover?”
I was momentarily stunned to hear Viktoriya’s voice over my headset. Turning quickly, I froze at the sight of a large group of females only forty feet away and I heard Igor’s breath catch in his throat. They’d apparently crept through the desert so silently that even my enhanced hearing hadn’t picked up their approach. Now, they just stood there and stared at us.
“Are you there, sweetie?” Viktoriya called.
I took a breath, trying to decide what to do. The only way she was on our channel is if she’d taken a radio from Strickland or Gonzales. But, which one?
“I’m glad you’re here,” she continued as if I’d already responded. “I have a proposal.”
“Planning to surrender so I can snap your fucking neck?”
“Is that anyway to talk to the woman who can make you the most powerful man in the world?”
“You know my answer to that,” I said, eyeing the females and slowly drawing my knife.
“There are three men inside that house that stand between me and what is rightfully mine,” she continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “Kill them for me and you and your friends can go free.”
“Looks like you have plenty of help. Why should I do your dirty work?”
“Because we both want the same thing,” she cried. “And if I kill them, I will have difficulties securing my claim to the Tsardom. But if you, an American, were to be the assassin, I shall be crowned Tsarina.”
The woman was either a genius, or certifiable. We’d already had this discussion when I thought my family was in danger. Then, I had only gone along to buy time.
Igor, growing impatient, began to stand. Several females immediately stepped closer, lips skinning back from bloody teeth. Their warning was clear and Igor, surpr
isingly, took heed and settled back.
While this was happening, I’d detected movement farther out in the dark desert. The wind was at my back so I couldn’t scent what was out there, but after a few seconds of watching closely, a thrill of concern passed through me. But all I could do was take advantage of the circumstances.
A not so distant rumble drew my attention. Looking west, I saw a series of flashes light the dark horizon. They instantly bloomed into massive fireballs. A few seconds later, the sound of the explosions rolled across us. Before the bass rumble subsided, sirens began wailing a warning.
“Too late, bitch. Your Tsardom is about to be bombed back into the stone age!”
***
Nicole raced across the desert at the head of an unimaginably large herd of females. Coming down out of the Mazatzal Mountains just above the northern edge of Scottsdale, she homed in on the brilliant lights of a massive estate that glowed like a diamond on a field of black velvet.
She had moved the infected faster than anyone expected by abandoning the roads and striking out cross country on a much more direct course to Phoenix. At times the terrain had been unforgiving, but she had managed to keep the massive herd of females on course.
The virus had awakened something in her that allowed her to sense direction. It wasn’t anything she was consciously aware of, rather a sensation that she was able to use to keep them moving straight and true.
Now, millions of females flowed through the darkness around her. They were coming to flood into the occupied areas of the city and kill every living thing they found.
The Russians had failed to detect the approaching super herd. Combat Air Patrols were looking for American aircraft trying to sneak in and launch an attack. Ground based air defenses scanned the sky, keeping them safe. Helicopters patrolled the roads and rail system, but rarely strayed into the wilderness areas which were watched from orbit. Until the satellite ceased functioning.
Certain it was the result of a cyberattack as a prelude to a land or air invasion, the Russians had responded by blinding the pair of satellites the Americans were using to watch the mainland. They also added additional patrols to detect any aircraft or ships approaching the west coast or coming up from Mexico.
No one thought they needed to defend the rugged mountains to the north of the city. After all, there was no way the Americans could launch a land invasion from that terrain. With the exception of a very few highways and the occasional off-road trail, it was impassable for heavy military vehicles. Even infantry troops would have a rough go of it.
But the females were neither concerned with nor deterred by the terrain. With seemingly limitless energy, their speed was only slightly tempered. Now, they raced toward their final objective, only their swift footfalls making any sound in the night. As millions of feet drummed on the earth, Nicole could feel the vibrations coming up through the ground.
She was only a mile from the bright lights of the estate when explosions to the west began rocking the night. Air raid sirens sounded, their eerie wailing a fitting accompaniment to the terror charging out of the darkness. Nicole screamed into the night and didn’t slow her pace.
75
I came off the ground like a coiled spring that had suddenly been released. The knife led the way as I screamed into the night.
“NOW!”
Igor was a second behind me as I crashed into the closest female, impaling her through the heart with my knife. I heard the sickening crunch of a skull being shattered with a heavy chain as I spun, burying the blade in another female’s throat before slashing sideways. Then the children arrived and we quickly backed away.
With a terrifying ferocity, hundreds of them tore into the females, leaving gaping wounds with their teeth. More were coming, Mavis and Dog leading them at a full run. Turning, I looked for Igor but failed to spot him. I was pretty sure I knew what he was doing, so I headed in the direction where Strickland had been in search of Viktoriya.
Females charged in to intercept me, but before I could engage them, more children sprang out of the night and pulled them to the ground. Bypassing the carnage, I screamed into the radio hoping to receive a response from either Gonzales or Strickland, but the circuit remained quiet.
Gunfire suddenly erupted from the far side of the estate and screams from what sounded like a legion of females answered. Their voices drowned out the now constant rumble of the bombing campaign that was steadily drawing closer. I almost faltered, but desire to save my teammates and get my hands on Viktoriya’s neck overrode any sense of self preservation.
***
When the children attacked, Igor had turned and sprinted for the estate. The guards were rushing to the northern edge of the grounds to defend against an oncoming horde of females, their weapons opening up in a vain attempt to stop the unstoppable.
Unseen, he vaulted a wall and raced past a shimmering swimming pool. Without slowing, he crashed through a glass door, grunting as two bullets impacted his body. A frightened guard had snapped off some panic shots, getting lucky with two of them before the weapon’s muzzle rose off target. Before he could adjust his aim, Igor’s chain snaked out and cracked the side of his skull open.
Igor raced past the body as it collapsed to a marble floor, pounding up a set of broad, curving stairs. He didn’t know where Barinov was in the house but was willing to bet he’d have taken the high ground.
At the top of the stairs another guard with wild eyes fired his pistol. Igor ignored the sharp tug on his chest and smashed the man’s face with a chain wrapped fist. He didn’t slow, ignoring the steady flow of blood from his bullet wounds as he charged a set of heavy wooden doors at the end of the hall.
***
My blood surged as I ran and it felt as if I were floating above the sand. Leaping a wash, I nearly killed Strickland when he suddenly appeared directly in front of me. A dozen yards away, a large group of females were being disemboweled by what seemed to be hundreds of children.
“Gonzales?” I asked as I skidded to a stop.
“Don’t know,” he said, looking around wildly.
He was more than a little freaked out and I didn’t blame him. But he was also keeping his shit together, searching for our missing man. We started to run to the north which is where I’d sent the Master Chief but came to a hard stop when a mass of females raced into view.
Thousands, then tens of thousands, flooded the area and came to a stop. They were standing so tightly packed they presented a solid wall of snarling flesh. Strickland and I stood staring, expecting to be overwhelmed by sheer numbers at any instant.
But they didn’t do anything other than snarl and hiss. The desire to tear into our flesh was palpable. Surreal doesn’t begin the describe the moment.
“Oh, shit,” Mavis breathed when she ran up beside me.
She turned and hummed an odd sounding series of notes. The sounds of the children rending the flesh of the females stopped instantly.
Dog pressed in between us, facing the army of infected with his head down and teeth bared. A growl started and I quickly quieted him with a hand on his head.
“What the fuck is going on?” Strickland whispered.
“Just stay still,” I said quietly. “I think I know.”
The gunfire from the estate had gone silent and I risked a glance in that direction but didn’t spot Igor, only thousands more females flooding the grounds. Beyond, however, I could see large swaths of northern Phoenix and Scottsdale were burning furiously. And the bombs were still falling, steadily approaching. If the intent was to come this far, we only had minutes before they’d be dropping on our heads.
To our front, there was a ripple of movement as the females parted ranks. Viktoriya stepped into view, Gonzales right behind her. He looked nervous among the infected but seemed unconcerned about Viktoriya’s presence.
“Unexpected, but what a wonderful turn of events!” Viktoriya smiled brightly and raised both arms out to her sides as she looked around. “I can’t thi
nk of a more fitting way for you to meet your end.”
“You’re a goddamn traitor?” Strickland blurted, eyes boring into Gonzales.
“He’s a goddamn Russian!”
Every head swiveled to look at Nicole as she stepped into the small open area that was surrounded by the females. She was looking directly at Gonzales, ignoring everyone and everything else.
“Do you remember what I promised if I ever saw you again?” she asked.
Before he could respond Nicole made a subtle gesture and several females leapt forward and grabbed him by the arms. She began to stalk forward and I could smell the rage rolling off her.
“No!”
Viktoriya stepped in front of Gonzales and made a gesture of her own while making a sound in her throat. All but two of the females instantly released Gonzales, bringing Nicole to a surprised stop.
“I still have need of him,” Viktoriya said, glaring at Nicole.
“Uh oh.”
Mavis spoke so quietly I could barely hear her over the ever-closer bombing. Then she began singing softly, forming the sounds without words. Focused on each other, neither Nicole nor Viktoriya noticed as children began moving in to form a protective bubble around us with their small bodies.
“Step out of the way or I’ll kill you, too,” Nicole hissed, her eyes flashing.
***
Igor blasted through the doors and came to a stop in an elegantly appointed master suite. Russian president, Alexi Barinov was standing at a set of glass doors that let out onto a balcony, watching the horror show that was taking place outside. A phone was to his ear and he was screaming at someone to come get him.
When the doors burst open, he spun in surprise, his eyes going wide at the fearsome, bloody apparition standing in front of him. He stepped away, out onto the balcony as Igor advanced.
“Captain Irina Vostov,” Igor growled in his throat.
“What?” Barinov stammered.
“Irina Vostov,” Igor shouted.
