Capital Falling (Book 3): Resurgence

by Winkless, Lance

  Winters waits and waits to be connected. He looks over to Colonel Reed, who is still standing at the windows, with Major Rees talking to him. Giving his report on what he found in the files no doubt.

  “I’m sorry Sir, there is no answer from that connection. Can I try another for you?”

  “What other departments are over in Terminal 4?”

  “Erm, there is Field Hospital 4, Sir, Air Combat Support… Engineering?”

  “Try Air Combat Support.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Winters waits again, his impatience growing.

  “I’m sorry, Sir, no answer there either, shall I try Engineering?”

  Winters slams the phone down again without answering. His mobile phone starts to buzz against his thigh, he ignores it. He is too busy thinking of how to find out what is going on over at Terminal 4.

  Colonel Reed sees Lieutenant Winters jogging across the command room and towards to exit. His confusion doesn’t break his concentration on the report Major Rees is giving him, however.

  “Lance Corporal,” Winters says to the highest-ranked sentry posted at the entrance to the command room as he gets to the exit.

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “What is your name, Lance Corporal?”

  “Broad, Sir.”

  “Give me your phone, Broad”

  “Sir?” the Lance Corporal says, confused.

  “Just do it, soldier.”

  Lance Corporal Broad fishes his phone out of his pocket and hands it over.

  “Take one of your men, find a vehicle and get as close to Terminal 4 as you can safely. I need a report of what is going on over there.”

  “Sir, I cannot leave my post.”

  “That is an order, Lance Corporal, there are enough men here to guard the door without two of you.”

  “Yes, Sir, where do I get a vehicle from, Sir?”

  “Use your initiative, Broad. I’ve rung my phone from yours, so you have my number. Phone me as soon as you are in position, understood?”

  “I think so, Sir.”

  Winters looks at Lance Corporal Broad. “Just get as close as you can; no heroics, phone me and tell me what you see. Can you do that, Lance Corporal?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Good, report back as quickly as you can. Dismissed.”

  Winters turns back into the command room slowly, thinking if there is another way to get information. A drone would be ideal but the place he could arrange for one of those is Air Combat Support in Terminal 4.

  He wanders back into the command room, knowing Colonel Reed is eyeing him for answers. He will get his report shortly.

  Winters goes over to the head of Tactical, a Captain Myers, whom Winters has dealt with on many occasions. She is a very intelligent and decisive operator who gathers all the data coming into the tactical department for an operation, in this case, Operation Denial. She then either acts on that information or if it is out of her remit, she will pass it up the chain of command and then implement any orders received.

  “Have you got anything, Ma’am? I have heard that there may have been a breach?”

  Captain Myers sees Winters coming and is ready for his question.

  “We have nothing concrete, Lieutenant, but we think you have heard correctly.”

  “Please elaborate, Ma’am.”

  “We have a report that one of the incoming helicopters was compromised. The helicopter crashed, causing the chaos in the landing zones. The report also says that at least some of the infected people on that helicopter jumped out before it crashed. So, it looks like we have infected inside the perimeter, Lieutenant.”

  “Thank you, Ma’am, I will report the same to the Colonel.”

  Major Rees is still at it when Winters arrives to report back to the Colonel, who is walking up and down alongside the windows with his hands still clasped behind his back, listening.

  “Excuse me, Sir,” Winters says after waiting for a pause in Major Rees’s speech.

  Colonel Reed makes a show out of not acknowledging Winters immediately. He pauses his walk and turns to look out of the window as if contemplating something the Major has just reported to him. It is an act, and one Winters is well used to. So he lets him get on with his show and waits patiently until Colonel Reed has finished his act and has everyone’s attention.

  Major Rees’ eyes give a sideways look in Winters direction. He is not so used to Colonel Reed’s little games and is not sure whether he should carry on with his report or give way to Winters. The analyst Sam who is assisting Rees and standing next to him looks completely bewildered by the situation. Two of the Colonel’s men are waiting to give important reports and yet he is standing gazing out of the window as if he has just arrived in his hotel on the Las Vegas strip and is taking in the view.

  Finally, the Colonel turns back around but still doesn’t say anything. Major Rees opens his mouth to continue but he doesn’t get past the first half word out of his mouth before he is cut off by the Colonel.

  “What have you got, Winters?”

  “Sir, unconfirmed reports indicate that an incoming helicopter was compromised by the infected and crashed into other grounded helicopters. That caused the initial explosion which spread to other grounded helicopters and the ordinance they were loaded with, Sir.”

  “Is the fire contained?”

  “I don’t believe so, Sir. Communication with Flight Command and Air Combat Support in Terminal 4 appears cut off, Sir. Either the fire has spread to the terminal building or worse, Sir.”

  “Worse? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Don’t speak to me in riddles, Lieutenant! Explain yourself, man.”

  Winters couldn’t help but pay some back to the Colonel, even if it is only a small fraction and leave the best to last.

  “Sorry, Sir. Again, this is unconfirmed, but we have a report that suggests at least some of the infected on the helicopter bailed out before it crashed. We could have a breach inside the perimeter, Sir.”

  Major Rees next to Winters isn’t the only one to gasp at the news. Everyone looks shaken, and even Colonel Reed looks uncomfortable at the thought.

  “We need confirmation as to whether the perimeter has been breached. An outbreak on this base will not only compromise the base, but it will also move the virus to a completely new area, way outside the current quarantine zone.

  What are you doing to get confirmation, Winters?” Colonel Reed demands.

  “Sir, up to now I have despatched two personnel to get as close to Terminal 4 as possible and report back what they find. I would like to get a camera drone in the air, but I can’t get through to Air Combat Support to arrange it, Sir.”

  “Air Commodore?” Colonel Reed asks, looking at the highest-ranking RAF officer in the command room.

  “I will get straight on it, Colonel.” The Air Commodore leaves to make arrangements.

  “Sir, we need comms to try and get in contact with anybody in Terminal 4 who can inform us of the situation there, Sir,” Winters suggests.

  “Yes Winters, get on it.” Colonel Reed orders.

  “Yes, Sir. A new perimeter needs to be installed around Terminal 4 immediately, Sir. All the troops we can muster, with heavy machine gun placements, if it’s not too late already, Sir.”

  “Very good, Winters, I will oversee the troop movements.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Anybody, anything else?” The Colonel asks, but nobody adds anything further. “Right, get to it, bring any updates to me immediately, dismissed.”

  “Sir?” Major Rees says.

  “Yes Major, walk with me,” Colonel Reed says as he moves off his perch.

  “If I may, Sir, I need facilities and experts to process the data we have discovered and that cannot be done here. I need to take all the information to Porton Down, immediately, Sir.”

  “Indeed Major, make your own arrangements. The Air Commodore will facilitate your transport, yes?”

  “Yes Sir, thank you, Sir.” The relief
in Major Rees’s voice is plain to hear. Whether that is from a professional standpoint or because he will be leaving Heathrow that may now be compromised, is another matter.

  Operation Denial has entered a new phase, one that could threaten its very existence. Winters is sure of that as he heads over to the comms stations in the command room. It was Josh who tried to phone him, his phone screen tells him as he walks. As soon as he has the task of trying to get communication with Terminal 4 active, Winters will phone him back and try to get his transport out of here arranged.

  Chapter 10

  Lance Corporal Broad and Private Penn descend the stairs, arriving at the ground floor of the Terminal 5 building, all too quickly for their liking. As they have come down lower, the smell of burning has increased, as has the sound of explosions. Now standing in the tight conclave at the bottom of the stairwell with only a fire exit door between them and the outside, they both look nervously at each other. Neither of them in any rush to push the steel opening mechanism that runs across the width of the door.

  “I don’t fancy this one bit,” Private Penn says.

  “Look, Colin, you heard the Lieutenant; no heroics, we just got to see what’s going on.”

  “It sounds like a war zone out there, who knows what the fuck is going on? Lambs to the slaughter, that’s what this is. And where are we supposed to get a vehicle from?”

  “Calm down, Colin, let’s have a lookout and see how it looks, okay?”

  “Okay, let’s get on with it and thanks for roping me into this, mate. My mum will kill you if anything happens to me.”

  “You reckon? She likes me more than you,” Broad tells him, trying to smile.

  “Funny fucker,” Colin says. The two young mates look at each other as Broad’s hand goes to push the release.

  The fire exit door clicks open and the sound of chaos rushes in to fill the small area. The sounds are instantly followed by acrid smoke which fills their lungs, making them both cough.

  “Bloody hell, mate, is the air any better out there?” Colin asks as Broad sticks his head around the door.

  “Not really, smoke is everywhere, but the coast is clear.”

  “What do you mean, the coast is clear? What were you expecting to see?” Colin asks.

  “I dunno; come on, let’s go,” Broad replies.

  The two men exit underneath the departure lounge. Parked up airplanes of different sizes are parked along the front of the building a short distance in front of them with their air gates protruding out from the building above. If it weren’t for the strong smell of smoke, you could be fooled into thinking none of the airplanes is moving because they are grounded due to fog. A thick haze of smoke hangs in the air and wafts around the airplanes’ landing gear and the various service vehicles scattered around and parked up.

  “How we going to get back in if this door closes?” Colin asks, reluctant to release the door.

  “Jam something into it so it stays off the latch,” Broad tells him.

  “It’s like a ghost town; where is everyone?” Colin asks when he finishes fiddling with the door.

  “Doesn’t look like any of these planes are military. They look like abandoned civilian ones,” Broad points out.

  “It’s fuckin’ creepy, like the apocalypse has happened,” Colin says.

  “Maybe it has happened, mate, maybe it has?” Broad answers.

  “Well, there is plenty of transport here to choose from. Wonder if they need keys?”

  “Let’s check that baggage cart out,” Broad says, pointing to a small white truck with cages attached to the back, nearby.

  Broad goes over and opens the door with Colin close behind.

  “We’re in business; the keys are in it, get in.”

  “Hold on. Let me see if I can detach the cages.” Colin goes to the back of the cab to have a look. “The pin is stuck.”

  “Stop messing around, and get in,” Broad tells Colin as he turns on the cart's engine. “I always wanted a go in one of these,” he tells Colin as he gets in the passenger side.

  “Me too, I’ll drive it on the way back, okay?”

  “I’ll think about it,” Broad says.

  “You’d better after getting me into this.”

  “Come on, mate, you wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

  The cart jerks forward as Broad puts his foot on the accelerator.

  “Do you know where you’re going?” Colin asks.

  “No, not really. What you reckon, shall I follow the sound of the explosions or possibly the light from the fire? Knobhead,” Broad laughs.

  “Alright, I was only asking; you’re the boss, wanker.”

  The cart moves steadily forward as it bounces over the lumps and bumps of the concrete taxiways in front of the Terminal 5 building. The empty cages attached to the cart behind, bang and rattle over each imperfection in the concrete. Broad resists the temptation to slam his foot to the floor to see what the cart will do, to get the mission over with and get back inside to the relative safety. The smoke haze is thick, and they could easily run into some abandoned piece of equipment—or worse, an airplane.

  “Joking aside, Terminal 4 is on the other side of the runway, and I don’t fancy crossing the runway. Don’t want a jumbo landing on us,” Colin points out.

  “I seriously doubt we will need to get that close; we are going to stay at a safe distance,” Broad answers.

  The cart makes good progress and soon, they are nearing the end of the massive Terminal 5 building on their right. More taxiways are in front of them with the runway beyond. The Terminal 4 building and the fire are on their left, quite a long distance off, at the other end of the runway which is about two miles long. They still don’t have a view of it, but it will come into view soon because the smaller terminal building on their left, which is blocking their view, is also coming to an end.

  Broad turns left around the corner when he can and as he does, in the distance the bright orange glow of the fire comes into view. Broad stops the cart to get a good look. The flickering glow is still a long way off, but the fire looks massive, almost like a sunset. A bright white flash overpowers the orange momentarily as another blast goes off. Both men avert their eyes, turning their heads away slightly and they don’t look back around until the shockwave stops shaking the cart’s cab.

  “If you ask me, this is quite close enough,” Colin says seriously.

  “I know what you mean, but we can’t see shit from here apart from the fire,” Broad replies as his foot presses the accelerator again.

  “I knew you were going to say that,” Colin says as they start to move again, towards the fire.

  Broad drives the cart down a taxiway parallel to the runway and around one hundred meters over from it. There are no people around or any movement apart from the cart, as the taxiway is empty. Luckily for them, the majority of the smoke is being blown across the airport and away from their direction. There is still a thick haze making its way across the rest of the airport and both men have intermittent coughs. The taste of the acrid smoke sticks at the back of their throats, unmovable.

  “How much closer are you going to get?” Colin asks as they near half distance.

  “I don’t know until we see something worth reporting, I suppose, or it gets too dangerous?”

  “Something worth reporting. We could have told him what’s happening from inside. There is a fucking big fire engulfing Terminal 4, simple. What else is there to report?” Colin asks.

  “Let’s just get a little closer, then we will phone him to report in.”

  “Come on, mate, this is close enough. I can feel the heat coming off the fire. It’s getting bloody hot in here. What’s that?”

  “What’s what?” Broad asks.

  “There, on the runway, people are coming this way, see?”

  “Oh yes; they must be survivors. I’ll get the Lieutenant on the phone.” Broad gets his phone out and dials.

  “Lieutenant Winters.” Thankfully, he a
nswers almost straightaway.

  “Sir, Lance Corporal Broad reporting in as ordered.”

  “Yes, what have you got to report?”

  “Sir, we are still some way off the fire, probably halfway down the length of the runway. The fire is engulfing the terminal building and it looks like we’ve got survivors coming up the runway, Sir.”

  “Broad, are you sure they are people, normal people?”

  “What do you mean, normal people? They are not that close and a bit blurry, Sir.”

  “What’s he mean by normal people?” Colin asks from the passenger seat.

  “We may have a breach, Lance Corporal. I ask again, are they normal people?”

  “A breach, Sir, you mean a zombie breach, in the airport, Sir?” Panic is in Broads voice.

  “Yes, Broad that is exactly what I mean; are they zombies you can see or are they normal people?”

  “Hold on.” The phone drops from Broad’s ear and his head moves forward towards the windscreen of the cart as he tries to focus on the figures moving on the runway. The figures are blurry silhouettes against the fire raging farther back behind them and really hard to focus on.

  “Is he saying there are zombies in the airport?” Colin asks Broad, desperately.

  “He doesn’t know; he is asking me to confirm if those survivors are people. Can you tell, do they look normal to you?”

  “Fucking hell, I thought I was joking when I said we were lambs to the slaughter.”

  “Concentrate, Colin, do they look like normal people?” Broad scolds his mate.

  Finally, Colin does start to concentrate, his head joining Broad’s in a forward position as he peers out of the windscreen.

  “I can hardly make them out. The fire behind is too bright, they are like shadows. I don’t like the look of them, though, to be honest, mate. We’ve done our bit—let’s go back,” Colin says, his voice full of trepidation.

  Broad lifts the phone back to his ear. “We can’t tell, Sir. The fire is too bright behind them, but they look normal?” he says, looking at Colin and shrugging.

  “We need confirmation, Lance Corporal, can you move closer?” Lieutenant Winters asks.

  No not really, no, I fucking can’t, Broad thinks, starting to think Colin might be right about being ‘lambs to the slaughter’. “I’ll try, Sir.”