by Vic Sandel
“Ms. Winters, Major Abbington sends his compliments and requests that you join him for breakfast at eight-thirty this morning.”
With sleep still deep in her throat, she barked, “What time is it now?”
“It's eight-fifteen, ma'am.”
“The Major doesn't give a girl a lot of time does he?”
“We'll wait out here to escort you to the cafeteria.”
“Thank you.”
As she closed the door, she couldn't help thinking, “Fifteen minutes bullshit!”
It was twenty-five minutes later, when a bright, shiny, and rested Robyn Winters opened the door to a couple of stunned junior officers. They were taken aback by both the audacity she showed in taking an extra ten minutes, and by just how attractive the Asian beauty was. Donned in a soft, pink pants suit that accented her lustrous, long, dark hair and dark eyes, she surely didn't look anything like the woman who had been brought in last night.
“What about my son?”
“He can sleep a couple more hours, and then we will send a representative to take him down to his school group.”
Major Donald Abbington had a hard time disguising his irritation at the woman's delay in responding to his summons. However, before he could voice anything, Robyn decided to launch a pre-emptive strike.
“Sorry I am late, but you weren't hiding in a bloody, filthy refrigerator for three weeks, surrounded by dozens of grunting, and growling, zombies intent on eating you!”
The Major was taken aback by the directness of the woman and to an extent his ire was immediately forgotten.
“That's quite alright, Ms. Winters. I'm just glad to see that you made it through your ordeal safely.”
“You can thank your men, or as I understand it now, V-men for
that. They were terrific!”
“Thank you. We know how fortunate we are to have them with us. We get nothing but praise when they are involved in an operation.”
“Now, Ms. Winters, I understand that you were involved with the late Dr. Rider in his search for a vaccine.”
“He was the scientist, I was just one of his assistants, but I knew what he was going for and how far he had come.”
“Would you be willing to review the notes and backups we retrieved from the safe yesterday, with our science staff, and explain what you can? Any insight you can give us might just be invaluable.”
“I'll do anything I can to help.”
“Thank you. Take your time and finish your breakfast. When you are finished, Lieutenant Beane here will take you down to the lab where you can meet our staff.”
With that, Major Abbington stood, turned on his heel, and left for parts unknown.
She knew that she would pay a price for this extravagance as she sipped her fourth cup of coffee of the morning, but it was hot and just tasted so good. The hot buttered corn muffins weren't exactly repulsive either. Much to the relief of the waiting officer, she finally pushed herself from the table and stood.
“Just one more thing, Lieutenant. Think you can show a lady where she might tinkle before we head down to the catacombs?”
Despite his efforts to keep a serious demeanor, Beane had to laugh at the disarming charm of this young lady. “Right this way.” He lead her to a door marked “women”.
Chapter10
How Much I Didn't Know
For all the years that Robyn had known Professor Rider, she had found him to be the most disciplined and organized man she had ever met. It was only now, as she and the others began sifting through all the data stored in the safe, that she realized just how he had flitted about from idea to idea.
She had known that his first ideas focused on the pathogen being viral. After a only a couple of days, he abandoned that course for an approach favoring an airborne, chemical agent. He spent weeks searching for something in the air that was either a by-product of some manufacturing, or possibly an object disbursed during a close fly-by from some heavenly body. Then his focus went on to poorly stored military experimental waste, and finally, the possibility of deliberate sabotage by some unknown radical group. After every one of these quests failed to find a foothold, he finally blamed some sort of mutated bacteria. That was where she had begun to help him modify cultures, to see if they might help check the spread. In looking back, and now with this graphic history in front of her, Robyn and the others quickly realized that the man who she had idolized KNEW NOTHING.
Within a couple of hours, it also became evident that since everything she worked on with Dr. Rider was useless, Robyn's value to the Langley team was nil. Aside from being a willing and somewhat knowledgeable young lady, her scientific contribution was valueless.
Maura Kittredge was the senior biologist at Langley, and she was immediately faced with the decision whether or not to bring Robyn with them in when, in the next few hours, her group left to join the scientific team at Wright Patterson. At the moment she saw no reason why the young woman should make the trip.
“Hey, Maura, how goes it here in the genius tank?” Jessie Porter said as he made a surprise visit to the lab.
Maura knew right away that he was just there to say hello to the new girl. “ Not so good, Jess. From what we can see, the good Dr. Rider was up to his ears in bullshit. He tried everything short of spraying the damn things with cow shit and got nowhere.”
“Did you check all of the data we brought?”
“Almost. I mean there's still some CDs and drives we haven't opened, but based on what we have seen so far, there's no reason to suspect we'll find anything of value.”
“So, you are closing the book without reading all the pages?”
“What are you driving at, Jessie?”
“Look, you are in charge here not me, but if there is the slightest chance that something Robyn remembers could help end the menace, I'd take her with me to Wright. Besides, she's a willing and capable lab tech. You have so many extras you can spare a good one?”
“In short, you want me to take her along!”
''Look, I won't mince words, I think she can help.”
“AND”, Maura waited to hear the words she was expecting.
“And, she and her son will be safer at Wright Patterson. Things are getting a bit hairy around here.”
“AND...”
“And, I like her okay? She's the bravest, nicest, and one of the smartest women I've ever met. She can help, no matter what an idiot her boss was, and I'd like her to have that chance!”
“Jessie Porter, when this is all over you're going to owe me big time.”
“Does that mean you'll bring her and the kid?”
“That means, I'll bring her and her son. Damn, Jess, you're the softest hearted vampire I've ever seen.”
“I'm new at it, remember? Thanks.”
As Jessie left the lab, his face lit up in a smile, and since he didn't look back, he couldn't see that Maura was smiling too. She had already decided to bring her along.
***
The rest of the day was spent packing their important laboratory equipment, as well as their personal gear. Although they had heard that the labs at Wright Patterson were the most state-of-the-art ones left in the country, the scientists still liked to use what they were most familiar with. Notes, computers, microscope slides, you name it, were all carefully packed in metal cases and transported to a closed hangar on the base. The aircraft that would be moving them to Ohio was being readied and loaded.
Meanwhile, Jessie had a mission of his own to complete. He approached both Bob Eller and Aaron Rogers, his team leaders, for permission to accompany the flight to Ohio, as security. With nothing unusual happening at the moment, permission was granted for him and Tina Pearson to arm up and go along.
Most of the newer planes were highly dependent on sophisticated electronics and elaborate ground support, so that most of the aircraft in use was of the older “tried and true” variety. The aircraft they were preparing now met that description to a tee!
For her age she w
as a beauty. She was a Fairchild C-119, at one time called the “Flying Boxcar”. They were built from 1947 until 1955. In 1951, Fairchild turned the manufacture of these over to Henry J. Kaiser, to be built alongside his Kaiser-Frazer automobiles. This baby had been assembled in 1950 and was one of the last from the original builder. They were, in their day, a most sturdy and reliable craft.
Powered by twin General Electric Turbo Prop engines, this craft last saw action in Vietnam. It returned to the U.S., even though the bulk of those used in that war were turned over to the South Vietnam Air Force in 1970.
As they loaded the dozens of metal boxes into the huge cargo hold, nobody seemed to notice the four metal coffins that were loaded along with the lab equipment. With zombies rising out of graves all over the world, several families requested that loved ones from past wars be exhumed from the Arlington National Cemetery and returned home for proper treatment and re-interment near their homes in Ohio. With the most recent of the deceased having been buried in 1966 there was little to no thought of them rising.
***
Robyn was excited about leaving for Wright Patterson and quickly helped Dylan Pack. For his part, he didn't know if any of his new friends would be aboard, and was getting really tired of constantly moving about. Mom had told him that if any place in the country was safe from zombie attack, this would be it.
Finally, at 19:00 hours (7:00PM), the plane was rolled out, and ready for passengers. The engines were run up earlier and the craft had been deemed ready to fly. One of the pilots actually flew this craft during the war in Vietnam, as well as other craft. He had been displaying it for the Air Force at air shows around the country. Second seat was a younger man who had not flown this plane, but had hundreds of hours of flight experience.
As everyone boarded, Robyn found a window seat beside Dylan and they strapped themselves in. As everyone sat she was more than pleasantly surprised to see a heavily armed, Jessie and Tina step aboard and find seats on either side of the wide, center aisle.
Minutes later, the engines came to life and the plane began to taxi toward the runway. With surprising ease for an airplane so aged, the 119 leaped into the sky, headed for Ohio.
With little to no air traffic to contend with, the 113 cruised at a comfortable twelve-thousand feet with no need for pressurizing the cabin, not that it could have been, if they wanted to. It was a short trip to Wright Patterson and the weather was absolutely perfect.
Shortly after take-off, Jessie found an empty seat next to Robyn and settled in for what he hoped would be some pleasant conversation.
For her part, she had been looking forward to the opportunity to thank him for rescuing her, and the chance, to get to know him a bit better. Of course though, there still was that vampire thing!
Over the course of the next fifteen minutes or so, they found that they had much in common. Both were adoptees, her from Korea an about four-and-one-half years old, and he from Columbia, also under five years old.
They share the trouble with finding their identity, and for certain periods of time ran with the wrong crowds, and got into a bit of trouble. Also, they were both regretful over the aggravation they had given their adoptive parents who were just trying to guide them in the right direction.
In Jessie's case, he found his salvation in the service. The military gave him a home and brotherhood. As for her, what had seemed like a curse turned out to be her greatest blessing. Motherhood gave her someone who depended on her. She needed to grow up and take responsibility for another life. Over the years she rose to the occasion, and in doing so, she also realized how tough she had made it, on her adoptive parents. Her biggest regret was that she could not tell her mother, whom she had lost years earlier, how much she appreciated her caring. It was in that tender moment that the aircraft chose to enter a severe area of “clear air turbulence”
Suddenly, they were hopping all over the sky and rocking from side-to-side.
“Just a bit of rough air here, people, we'll be out of it in just a couple of minutes. Please see that your seat belts are secure!” The Captain's voice came over the intercom.
Major Abbington, who was also moving to Wright Patterson, as well as Lieutenant Beane, tightened his belt a notch also.
True to his word, moments later the flight evened out as if nothing had ever happened. In the cockpit, however, the pilot and his co-pilot heard some boxes moving around in the cargo hold, below the floor.
“Sounds like something came loose down there, boss,” the co-pilot commented.
I don't think it'll be anything to worry about. We're only a half- hour out from Wright.”
They settled down to the job of checking landing instructions and patterns. They busied themselves with pre-landing checks and setting controls. With their headsets on and the loud engine noise, they failed to hear the floor hatch from the cargo bay open behind them.
The panicked shriek from the cockpit came seconds later! Something horrible had managed to climb out of the cargo area and was attacking the co-pilot.
Both Jessie and Tina hit the aisle to the cockpit on a dead run, only to be thwarted by the security door. With no chance of explosive decompression, Jessie wasted no time and fired a quick burst at the lock shattering the door and it quickly popped open, revealing a grisly sight. Leaning over the co-pilot was a remarkably preserved marine in a ragged, dress blue uniform. A chest full of medals still hung proudly from his sunken chest and the insignia of his rank of Gunnery Sergeant was cleanly pressed. His straggly, bloody teeth were set deep in the aviator’s neck and shoulder as he ripped out great chunks of flesh. There was no hope for either of them. Both Jessie and Tina knew he must not get to the panicked pilot.
Jessie yanked its head back as Tina used her Machete to quickly remove the head. They could not wait for the aviator to turn zombie, and quickly put a bullet in his head also.
“There may be more!” shouted Jessie as he dropped down through the hatch to check the cargo area.
“I'll go back and check the rear hatches,” said Tina as a young boy's scream of “zombies” made all the passengers turn to look.
Somehow, a one armed and one-legged former soldier was crawling along the carpet toward the passengers. While little tissue remained on its mostly skeletonized head, teeth were still flashing. Rising behind him from the floor hatch. was the remainder of a woman. Her guttural growls and shrieks were unnerving as she fought for purchase on the carpeted floor above. Suddenly as if being eaten by a giant shark, she was grabbed from below and disappeared.
“I got this one T! Can you get the crawler?”
“On my way!”
But the crawler kept coming, pulling itself forward with the one arm and pushing with the one leg. Dylan, was watching from the aisle, like a deer in the headlights!
Robyn realized that Tina would never reach her son in time and jumped into action. Grabbing a fire extinguisher off the plane's bulkhead, she jumped in front of the crawling monstrosity and rammed the extinguisher into the biting head again and again, all the time screaming. “Not my son you don't!”
Tina was finally able to stop her, but not until the zombie's head was nothing but a bloody stain on the carpet.
“Anything else moving below?” Tina asked Jessie.
“Negative, Tina but someone has some explaining to do. How did bodies get put on a medical flight? Go up and make sure the pilot is okay, and then settle him down.”
“You know this plane is his baby. He restored the entire craft himself. I don't know how bad it is down below, but here it's a real mess. He's gonna be really pissed.”
“Better pissed than dead!” Jessie answered.
Chapter11
Wright Patterson
The Wright Patterson Air Force Base looked exactly like one would expect it to, at least on the surface. It was a bustling beehive of activity. Airport tugs moved about, giving the appearance of urgency as they ran from flight-to-flight. In reality, the C-119 that had just come in from Langley wa
s the first arrival in the last two days. A small, private plane, carrying the two vampire physicists, would be arriving later in the day or early evening.
As Robyn and the group deplaned, they were immediately met by a bus that would take them to the entrance of the underground facility. It would become their heavily guarded workplace and home. Already, a couple dozen other members of what remained of the U.S. scientific community, were there and working in their respective fields.
Maura Kittridge, quickly established her leadership and checked in her people as they boarded the bus. The tugs were already loading their gear for the trip into the tunnels. They would have two hours to move into their quarters, eat, and get to a large conference area. There, the various teams could meet, compare notes, and together form a game plan that made the most of everyone's resources.
Everyone had heard about Dr. Marco and Dr. Baldwin. Supposedly, they had several new ideas to work on in pursuit of the total eradication of the zombie threat. Their talents had constantly been promoted by the military types still in power. In truth, not one person had ever seen them mentioned in any scientific journal or trade publication. It seemed a lot was expected from a couple of “guys” nobody had ever heard of.
As they moved through the halls Maura saw Jessie and stopped him. “Your girl is okay, thank you.”
“That means a lot coming from you. Thank you for bringing her.”
“I don't know about her science, that well see, but that lady sure has guts!”
“You know where she is now? I need to say goodbye before I head back to Langley.”
Maura checked her clipboard. “She should just be arriving at her quarters. B-11, straight down that corridor, on the left.”
Robyn had just been sending Dylan off to the school area, with an escort delegated for that purpose, when Jessie entered the dorm area. The women had been assigned to large dormitory areas separated into cubicles to give at least the illusion of privacy.
