The door was sealed and they were backed away from the gate, the engines were already powered up. Once they were turned around and moving down a taxi way he addressed the passengers.
“This is your Captains speaking, Welcome aboard American Airlines flight 233 bound for Orlando International Airport where the temperature is a balmy 78 degrees. Please remain seated with your seatbelt buckled until the sign is turned off. We should make our arrival time with no problems. Flight Attendants take your seats please.” The Captain announced.
American flight 233 turned onto the main runway when they were given clearance by the control tower and Bruce applied full power without stopping after the turn. The passenger were pushed back into their seats and the plane accelerated down the runway until they reached takeoff speed and smoothly climbed into the sky. They turned sharply and were over the water at around five thousand feet and climbing steeply when all of sudden engine warning lights started coming on, Loss of electrical power imminent is essentially what all those flashing lights told Bruce.
“I’m declaring an emergency he called out loud. John the copilot was on the radio calling Logan to clear the airspace around them, he received no answers. Meanwhile Bruce was banking the plane steeply turning back toward Logan in an attempt to land, there airspeed was down to three hundred mph. below two hundred mph and there was a good chance of stalling and falling out of the sky.
The 766 lost one engine and Bruce had to put the noise down sharply to avoid going below that stall speed. He knew they weren't going to make Logan. He started looking for an alternate space to put the hunk of flying metal down in. They were heading back north he could see Logan airport in the distance.
“No way were making Logan he said to his copilot who was just about to shit his pants he looked so scared. Bruce was too, but he was too busy to freeze up. John, grab the yoke with me and follow my lead, it’s starting to get heavy.” He told John to keep his mind occupied. Bruce flipped the passenger compartment switch so he could talk to them.
“This is the Captain speaking as you’ve noticed were heading back to Logan with some engine troubles. If everyone would be so kind to assume the emergency landing position the attendants will advise you from her on out. God bless you.” He told them. Probably wasn’t the smartest thing to say there at the end. Probably freaked a few passengers out. Damn this sucks, why didn’t the airline ground everyone with plenty of time for that Flare, greed he guessed was the main reason. Bruce thought as he scanned the instruments, half weren’t even registering anything now he was flying by feel almost.
“Here we go, call out the altimeter for me would you John.” He said.
“Yes sir. 700 ft.” John called out while gripping the yoke with Bruce.
Bruce wrestling with the yoke controls that were barley responding.
“500 ft.” John called out.
“John, right there along the beach is where we put this down. Let’s try and angle it nearer the beach into the shallow water as best we can, before we just become passengers ourselves.” Bruce told John.
Bruce was eying the patch of water just off the beach that was going to give everyone the best possible chance to survive if the plane holds together. They could land just like Sullivan did on the Hudson, The Hudson was a lot smoother he thought.
“200 ft.”
“Here we go John, full flaps when I say so and then pull up on the yoke we need to keep the noise up as long as we can for this too have a chance.
“100 ft.”
“Now Flaps Extended. Okay PULL UP.” Captain Bruce Ward practically yelled.
The 767 gained a little more lift by extending its flaps and the nose came up some also, she hit the water two hundred yards off Nantasket beach at low tide doing one hundred and seventy miles an hour. Bruce planned for the plane to be slightly angled in toward the beach so the longer they plowed through the surf the closer they came to the beach.
The passengers were leaning over holding their knees like they were suppose too, crying or praying. They hit the waves with an unbelievable force and plowed through the waves angled toward the north side of the beach past where the old amusement park was toward the private part of the beach. As they bounced and smashed their way through the breakers which the plane was not built to do, metal started to give way and fatigue in the metal around seventy feet from the Front of the plane gave way and the front broke free.
Both parts of the plane had slowed enough by now that they only went a little further the front end of the front section sinking below the waves and the back of it sticking up at around a thirty degree angle. People were crying and more junk then he thought possible was laying all over the floor, the oxygen masks had deployed. Bruce had hit his head on something and was dazed but quickly came around as he felt cold water around his feet and steadily climbing up his leg.
“Come on John we have to get out of here.” Looking over at John his head was forward at and odd angle. Shit, he thought, broken neck. Bruce unbuckled himself and reached across to John and couldn’t find a pulse. Shit, Shit, Shit. Bruce got out of his seat and pushed the cockpit door until it opened to be greeted by bedlam. People were trying to get out into the aisle, he noticed the front door was even with the water any attempt to open that would flood them that much quicker.
“Okay people.” He announced in an authoritative voice. “We have to climb up to the back where the break is and jump. Help the injured, the children and the old, but be quick about it. We only have a few minutes.”
People listened to him and soon were jumping with their seat cushions for a flotation device out the opening and swimming for shore, which was only about seventy yards away. Bruce being the last stood for a minute to survey the scene. The back section of the plane was kind of in the same predicament, the back section of the plane had plowed into the water with the open end and was underwater. People were jumping out the rear door which had deployed its shut. Passenger were sliding down and swimming for shore. He could see at least one attendant in the doorway and signaled at her to go. She waved back then jumped down the slide herself.
Bruce took that as his Que and jumped into the water swimming for shore. Damn was it cold he thought, and then he thought about the inquest that was sure to follow. Well it was fun while it lasted he thought. Bruce made it ashore with the surf crashing against him and was helped by residence of the beach. He could see that beach residence had brought out blankets and were taken people into their sea shore homes to make them comfortable.
The attendant he saw in the doorway came up to him, her name tag said Beth. “Hi Beth, you okay?” he asked.
“No are you?” Thanks for saving us. What happened?” she asked.
“I don’t know all the electrical started to shut down. I was barely able to make it here.”
“One of the passengers told me she saw another plane going straight down inland from us.” She stated while looking out at the tail section still above water.
Bruce had a cold chill run through him and started walking toward the nearest house. Beth followed him.
When he walked up the steps, he was greeted by an older couple who gave him a blanket and a cup of hot something.
“Ma’am Sir. Can I use your phone please?” Bruce asked.
“Of course you could young man, but you’ll have to wait for the service and power to come back on. We lost it right before you landed out there. That was the damnedest thing I ever saw. Are you the Pilot?” the elderly gentlemen asked.
“Yes sir I was. If you can call that a landing.” He said dejectedly.
“I would! You walked away and saved many lives. I flew a Bomber over Vietnam and that flying compares with anything I’ve ever seen.” The man walked away to help some other arrival with blankets and hot drinks.
Bruce had a sinking feeling that no help was going to come.
***
Mike spent the night in his fifty by ten foot survival shelter for the first time. The unit had small built in night l
ights so it wasn't pitch black. He turned on his night stand light and stretched, went to his bathroom showered and took care of his morning rituals. He dressed in BDU’s and buckled on his weapons load out and left his unit, sealed his door and headed to the Moosehill Command Center. Mike designed it like a CIC of a ship, there is a command bridge raised a foot off the floor or so surrounded by a dozen work stations with computer screens and radios. The walls were covered with screens showing a selection of the three hundred camera’s covering the base. There is an air operations center that basically gets everything repeated from the Airport Controllers with a radar unit back up that repeats everything the controller is seeing.
Mike walked into this room after being cleared by security, which was annoying, since he owns the place, but procedures are in place for a reason he reminded himself and thanked the guards at the door.
“Morning everyone, I see we survived the night. What time did you activate our electronics Mac.” “We got the all clear from our equipment around six a.m. that the Solar Flare was over. We have been testing our systems and every things seems to be up and running fine. The same can’t be said for our friends in Leicester and Spencer or any community's that we can tell. The men we left in Leicester report that all communications and the power grid is out everywhere as far as they can tell. The six men we left at the Leicester Police with Rory are wondering when they can expect pickup. They also got word that there are several hundred people taking refuge at the High School and Primary School. There’s also been a dozen deaths they know off from virus victims killing people. They personally killed two virus infected, when they attacked a family in front of the police station. Basically Rory and his men are under siege at the Police Department. We also had another three hundred or so seek shelter with us overnight. I kept then topside until they can be medically cleared and in processed.”
“Okay we need to get into town pick our people up and anyone else that wants to shelter here. You want to go this time?” Mike asked Mac. “Sure I need to get out, I’ve been cooped up here for weeks it seems like. I’ll take both Alpha and Bravo Company and head for the school bus yard and try and get those up and running, use them for transportation. Then head to the police then the school and wherever else we need to go.” Mac stated.
“Sounds good to me Mac, get going.” Mike waved his hand in a get moving gesture.
***
“Sir, we need to get you out of here to Camp David. We have Marine One and escort on the back lawn waiting. The fence is in real danger from the people infected with this virus, there pressing against it, a collapse could happen at any time.” The head of the Presidents Secret Service detail told the President.
Eliazar Quintana was the first Latin American President elected. He beat out a eccentric billionaire in his own party and then in the general electing defeated the wife of a previous President who just had too much scandal and baggage surrounding her.
President Quintana’s family was already at Camp David with a Marine company stationed there as security.
“Okay, Louis, it’s time to go, I can’t believe this is happening on my watch.” The President said. They exited out the rear ground level doors and walked the sixty yards or so to Marine One a new VH-60N Whitehawk, a jazzed up Blackhawk. Across the lawn they could see a large group of Infected pushed up against the fence being pushed from behind. The president realized that the fence indeed was about to fail. He entered Marine One Whitehawk with his security detail and the chopper immediately lifted, about the same time the fence failed and the President had a firsthand look at the carnage happening below him.
The Infected stumbled over the downed fence and went after the secret service people still on the ground. The agents were firing into the infected mob and it was having no effect until one was hit in the head. He could see the agents shift aim to the heads of the Infected, but it was too late. He was sick seeing agents get overrun by the swarm of Infected and start eating them while they were still alive and screaming. In a minute it was all over.
Marine One flew into the country side of Maryland toward Camp David. He was told to hold on, the helicopter was not responding right. The pilot came over the speaker. “Our electrical systems are shutting down. We are going down brace for an emergency landing.” He announced. Oh God, where going to die, the President thought.
The chopper pulled off an auto rotation landing, a means to land when you have engine failure in a helicopter, it’s very trick with the timing but Marine One would have the best pilot’s in the service. Marine One back up didn’t fare so well, they hit too hard and flipped over and caught fire.
They came down to the north east of the White House near Georgetown University. One look told them they were dead. All around them students were roaming Infected, thousands, converging on the two downed helicopters.
The President held out his hand to the head of his Secret Service detail and shook his hand. “I’m sorry it ends this way Louis. Can I have your backup gun please?” Louis didn’t say a word, but reached around to the small of his back and pulled out an M & P shield. Agents second gun is a personnel choice he liked the thin profile, made it comfortable to carry concealed. “Sir save one bullet for yourself, right here.” he pointed to the roof of his mouth.”
President felt a little sick at that. Soon the other four agents were outside the downed chopper and firing at the closest Infected, dropping them with each shot to the head. Soon he heard the screaming and cursing then silence as feet shuffled closer to the broken door opening. The President shot the first five in the head that reached through the door, then he felt hands grabbing his legs and he was being pulled out something bit his leg. Eliazar put the barrel in his mouth against the roof and pulled the trigger.
CHAPTER NINE
Day +1
Mac rode with Bravo Company today which took the lead on a beautiful spring New England morning. His APC was in the middle of the column. They advanced quickly to Route 9 slaloming around motor vehicles broken down all the way to Leicester Center and south on Route 56 having to maneuver around vehicles until they reached the school bus depot. People who came out of their houses were told to stay inside unless they think they could get to Moosehill safely. Along the route the Troops on top of the M113A2’s shot and killed a few dozen Infected. The Infected hearing the armored column coming came after it, the noise attracted them.
Today was the first time most of the men operated in company strength, usually they trained at platoon level size before the event, in the woods behind the complex around the test route for the APC’s, so far, so good Mac thought. Of course most of these guys spent time in the Middle East fighting everybody at one time or another.
At the bus depot it took a good hour or so but seeing as there’s little electronics to effect on the school buses they managed to get ten up and running. Mac’s task force headed back up Route 56 to Route 9 passing Memorial school and the police station where Mac went into the station to speak with Rory.
“Good morning Chief. Rough night?” Mac asked.
“You could say that Mac. We had one officer killed down in Greenville, he was bitten so bad he bleed out before he could be transported to the hospital. That’s if we had the ambulance personnel to transport him in the first place. We had multiple reports of attacks before the power went out. Even our generator is no good after the Solar Flare. I hate to ask you but I think where done here and need to evacuate and relocate to your facilities. Oh, also we have a half dozen officers with their families and around five to seven hundred sheltering at the High School.” Rory apologetically told Mac with a sheepish look.
“Rory, we were expecting refugee’s I think we can help you, although you will fall under Mike Mohan’s authority. He’s my boss now. I think we’re not going back to the old ways anytime soon. We need to think about security, housing and food for all the civilians we find or rescue, and I predict there will be a lot.”
“Mac, I can live with that. He seems to have made
all the right moves so far and the rest of us none. So yes, I’ll willingly put myself and my officers under his authority. I’m sure the Spencer Police will too, or for that matter any police departments still operating near here.”
Chief Rory Scannell gave the order to evacuate the station. They were already preparing. The armory was emptied of guns and ammunition along with any other useful equipment. They managed to protect four explorers overnight by putting them in the Police garage and disconnection all electronics that they could and improvising a Faraday cage around them. Bravo Company led off with the school buses between Alpha and Bravo Company. They wasted no time and headed north on Route 56 and were entering the High School drive five minutes later. The APC’s pulled up and cordoned off the front of the school shooting a few Infected by the playground close to the Primary school making a bloody mess, at least the kids won’t be playing there for a while if ever Mac thought.
In front of the High Schools main doors about a dozen or more dead infected were on the ground around the entrance with brain matter splattered on the sidewalk area along with blood and fecal matter, he forgot about that when someone died there bowels let loose often. When the armored column moved in, several police officers came out the Main entrance to the school armed with M4’s from their Police cruisers. They had put them to good use overnight protecting the civilians in the school. The police from the school and the ones that joined the column earlier quickly swelled to several hundred. The civilians taking refuge in the Primary School came out the side doors only a hundred yards away from the High School parking lot and came out after the infected near the playground were eliminated. The Police at the school had organized them and had everyone carrying supply's from the school cafeterias before entering the buses. Mac thought great. More supplies, with this crew and the ones they already picked up or showed up, were going to need everything we can get our hands on.
Moosehill Militia (Book 1): INFECTED Page 11
