by Vic Sandel
Jessie Porter, Bob Eller and Aaron Rogers had finally all hooked up together along with the rest of CAG-1. They were all enjoying swapping stories about what they had been up to since they had last seen each other.
Aaron was surprised to have seen Jessie flying the Skycraft, but he was positively stupefied to learn that Bob was dropping Napalm from an F-16.
Robyn and her team flitted about the new arrivals with vaccine-loaded syringes. She seemed disappointed when she found that only ten of the thirty members were human, and needed shots.
She would liked to have spent some time with Jessie but realized that it had been a while since he had last seen his friends. Still, she hoped he'd make a bit of time for her.
Chapter 49
Leaving Lake Erie
The yacht had been underway all through the night and into the following day, making its way toward the locks at the Saint Clair River. This would be the dangerous part of the trip, as the locks needed to empty and fill, bringing the yacht to the level of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. During this period they would be tied to the shoreline while they waited hours for the water level to ascend to the proper level needed for the gates to open and allow the boat to proceed.
Lorraine Harris had driven the yacht most of the night, until a crewman entered the pilothouse to guide the entry into the lock and offer her some relief. Despite the slow pace they were maintaining, for both the preservation of fuel and to draw as little attention as possible, thew had arrived at the lock a bit early. There was no wind, which enabled them to enter slowly and quietly, alternately engaging only one engine and drifting. They reached the concrete retaining wall and tied up to cleats along the northern shore. To further quiet things and protect the hull, they put down five rubber, inflated bumpers along their side.
Quickly, two armed crewmen jumped off the boat and went to the housing that controlled the rear gate. That would seal them into this giant “bathtub” so it could be filled. They soon found what they had expected, there was no electric to automatically close the watertight gates. A generator was noisy and therefore out. They found the heavy crank handle to the manual override. With two massive grunts the men began to turn these levers that probably had not been used in at least twenty years.
Over the grating of the long unused gears, they began to hear a shuffling coming from an area of shoulder high grass and weeds that ran just behind a clear, grassy area along the quay. As they tied off, everybody aboard the yacht who was capable of firing a weapon had selected one from the stash brought aboard and posted themselves along the starboard side.
As the gates slammed shut and water began to flow in, groups of zombies began their characteristic shuffles, crawls and squirms into the clear area, moving toward the boat.
Having battled the “undead” before, several crew members passed, on the guns, simply opting for fire axes they pulled from clips near the fire hoses and extinguishers.
They could only hope there would not be too many to fight off, as it would take several hours for the lock to properly fill and allow them out into Lake Huron. Pamela Sanders strode up and down the deck like a football coach calling out encouragement to the women and older children stationed at the rail.
As the zombies kept moving towards them and the numbers continued growing, there came a strange, but welcome sight. Swooping in from the southwest, right on time, appeared the strangest, most heavily armed flying machine anyone had ever seen. The Apache Attack Helicopter was armed to the teeth and immediately opened up with the Gatling, filling virtually every square inch of the open area between the boat and the tall grass with lead. On the next pass rockets were fired into the brush and scrub to terminate anything even approaching the open area. The few that had gotten close to the boat were efficiently dispatched with the fire axes.
A few more bursts and booms were heard as the Apache set about clearing the surrounding area to establish a safe margin.
The chopper landed and as the rotors slowed down a familiar voice could be heard...”Hey, anyone got a cup of coffee? And perhaps a nice cold bag of O Positive?”
Two men climbed out of what was essentially a one man helicopter, that they both had wanted to fly! Brian Sanders and Bob Eller, who once again proved that there was nothing he couldn't fly.
They sat there for a few hours, Brian with his coffee and his wife and son, and Bob who had to settle for a quart of pig blood he had in a cooler bag on the chopper.
An alarm finally sounded as the forward gates opened and the boat was cleared into Lake Huron, through the Straits of Mackinac, and into Lake Michigan.
As the yacht left. Bob and Brian cranked up the Apache and headed for home. Officially, neither one of them was assigned, or qualified to fly that helicopter.
Chapter 50
The Calm Before The Storm
Colonel Dickerson finally reached Daniel Swensen. They talked for the better part of an hour. He learned that active military centers all over the world were in a similar situation.
Nobody could put a finger on the reason but the zombies were gathering in masses and all heading in a purposeful direction. Again, Dickerson reminded him of the “ant' communication theory and the possible “hive” mentality. Swensen simply answered that he wouldn't rule anything out at this point. He added that the word had been spread about the healthy bacteria, and how they prevent the growth of the toxic zombie strains. It was now being tried all over, and so far, the reports were good. It was being called “the Winters Vaccine” worldwide.
It was when Daniel heard the statistics on the kill ratio from the use of the properly tuned sonic arrays, that he really flipped. “SO YOU DID IT ! You guys really did it! You found a way to put them down, once and for all, without a lot of collateral damage to people, homes, or property!”
“We think so, Dan, but the next few days will tell us for sure. One thing is for certain, without your CAG idea, we would have had no chance at all. We are about to face a few million zombies with two CAG groups and a couple dozen assorted and brave humans. Almost everything we have gained or learned, other than the bacteria thing, was discovered and developed by a couple of brave and loyal vampires.”
“You must be talking about Eller and Porter, again. I've seen your reports.”
“They're terrific. Do you know that Eller has now flown a Jet Ranger, An F-16 and just put the icing on the cake with an assault from an Apache Attack helicopter, that just saved thirty or so children. Porter has done too much to itemize, but he is responsible for finding and procuring the sound weapons! He is now flying a Skycraft Air Monarch with two sound arrays and mowing the bastards down all day, every day!”
“If we get through this, there will be a special place in history for those guys.”
“For all of them.”
He shut down the radio and went into the mess hall area where a party was in full swing. Good idea, they need a bit of time to relax before the possible final battle for our world!
The medical staff had hit the fridges for the last of the reserve bags of O positive and served it to all of the V-men in goblets with celery sticks inserted, so as not to offend anyone. The truth is nobody cared. Over the last few months the bond between the species had become so close, they were like brothers and sisters. Just as Swensen had said in the beginning. What is the difference between drinking a cow's blood or eating its legs? As for the bit of human blood, everyone was glad to donate when needed.
For their part, the vampires appreciated the little pick-me-up offered to them at this party. It showed a love and consideration previously thought impossible.
As they looked around, Bob and Jessie suddenly noticed that Tina hadn't been around for a several days, or even this evening. She had been flying with Rodney, and at the last minute, decided to provide security for the children aboard “Summer Sun”.
Robyn found some cuddle time with Jessie as they snuggled up on a couch among friends. He sipped his “mock Bloody Mary” while she settled for some white wine.
Nobody had forgotten the pending battle. Nobody thought for a second that the zombies also stopped to party. However, for a few hours they could pretend that things were normal and all was right with the world!
Chapter 51
Dickerson's Address
The Colonel called a meeting. “Presumably tomorrow will begin the battle who's goal shall be, no less than, the survival of humanity.”
“A long time ago, in an area not too unlike this, there was a battle fought that is still talked about today. This famous battle has been the subject of movies, books, songs, and extensive study. Oddly enough, it even took place during this time of year.”
He paused a moment to organize his thoughts. The battle took place at a place called Thermopylae, in 480BC. The Persian army, under the leadership of King Xerxes I, attempted to invade Greece for the second time. Supposedly, he led a force of over one million, but more recently scholars have estimated the force at no more than three-hundred-thousand.”
“Regardless, events led to the stand, of the Spartan 300, which is famous to this day. During two days of furious battle, they held a narrow path that led to the rear of the Greek lines. After realizing they were being outflanked, the Greek Generals dismissed their armies, and retreated to Salamis. Despite overwhelming odds and the certainty of death, King Leonidas of Sparta, and his men, held that rear guard position to the last man.”
He takes a deep breath before continuing. “Now I have to tell you, something you already know. Their odds were far better than ours. Numerically, we are under one-hundred, and facing an enemy that numbers in the millions! Do I expect us to fight to the last man.....? HELL NO! I fully expect us to win.”
“Our enemy is fearless, but only because they don't have the reasoning to be afraid. They will not retreat. They will not seek defensive positions. They do not plan strategies. They will just keep coming and keep falling.”
“We have developed the technologies that should not only win this battle, but when the rest of the world adapts our strategies, we will prevail once and for all.”
“Is it possible that for various reasons some of us might fall? While unlikely, the possibility exists in any conflict. I want to thank all of you in advance, for your loyalty, bravery and unwavering effort during this crisis. As long as man walks this planet your names will be known and honored. Thank you.”
He placed the mike on the podium, and left the room.
Chapter 52
The Outer Limits
As dawn broke over Wright Patterson the personnel assigned to the morning's first strikes were on the tarmac. It was to be an all out blitz aimed at any Zombies that were on or anywhere near the outer firebreak circle.
Since they were the fastest and able to provide the first reconnaissance reports, the two F-16s piloted by Doug Abbington and Bob Eller would lead the way. They carried full loads of Napalm and each had a Hades bomb available.
Their instructions were to scout the entire circle, thirty miles out from the base, and report back. No ordinance was to be dropped as the smoke would obscure the vision of the units to follow.
With their course dependent upon the reports received from the jets, three craft waited at the end of the runway, and listened to their radios. First in line, Major Peter Marcus sat in the pilot's chair of the C-113 with it's four deadly sonic arrays. With him, to make sure all arrays functioned properly and run the sonics, was Dr. Robert Baldwin.
Right behind the C-113 with two proven deadly sound arrays sat the Skycraft Air Monarch, piloted by Jessie Porter. Ronnie Macklin is along with him, to run the arrays. He had turned over temporary command of CAG-23 to Aaron Rogers, commander of CAG-1. His executive officer, Otto Bell was also there and quite capable of command. Ronnie had become very familiar with the equipment and enjoyed flying with Jessie. Sitting in the co-pilot's chair was a surprise crew member. Robyn Winters, who's work was done for now, insisted on coming along as a spotter. She needed to be with her man and feel, she was doing something to help him get home safely.
Sitting off to the side, as it didn't need a runway, was the giant Chinook. it's two great rotors spinning slowly. Bill Ireland, who had always flown the big ship, and his second seat, Jack Patton, were at the controls, Along with Dr. James Marco who would run the sound array and a major surprise. Maurice Banks, who had installed both the air separator and sound equipment, was on board to make sure everything was working just fine. His family had finally found reason to be proud of him. Moreover, he had found reasons to like himself.
The call came in. In several areas, the zombies were just nearing the open areas but in three of them, they had entered the firebreaks and were in the process of crossing it.
How convenient. Jessie thought as he pushed the throttles forward. Three targets, three birds. He watched as the C-113 cleared the runway and pushed his throttles to their stops. Seconds later, he had his wheels up and was headed for his assigned sector.
Pete Marcus had chosen the sector where Bob and Doug had reported the heaviest concentration. Hopefully his four arrays would make quick work of the problem. It was his plan to then fly the perimeter, blasting his killing sound. He hoped to kill everything that was even approaching the open area.
The Chinook peeled off in a different direction, and would reach it's target area within ten minutes. Once clear of the base, its systems were activated to eliminate anything it might pass over while on the way.
It was early, yet but Lou Harris moved from his lightly armed Jayhawk to Brian's Dolphin, which among other things, sported a single array and a Gatling.
Brian virtually ran to grab his seat as pilot of the Apache. Together, these smaller helicopters would provide “cleanup” chasing after anything that escaped the main attack.
As Pete approached his target, he could easily see the thousands of the “undead” crossing through the safety zone. He looked over at Baldwin. “Dr Baldwin, it's your show, let her rip.”
Baldwin threw a few switches, and watched the digital numbers flashing on the panels in front of him. “Can you take her down to about five-hundred feet?”
“Yes sir, five-hundred feet coming up!”
The big plane eased her way down and passed over the horde at the requested altitude. The result was immediate. Just as Jessie had described they fell like bowling pins. As they passed over, everything they could see in all directions hit the ground. They made two more overlapping passes over the area. Thousands that had not yet even reached the clearing fell. In addition, the few that had made it all the way across, met the same fate.
As planned he moved over another sector where he saw little but as they moved over the brush and trees, hundreds more could be seen hitting the ground.
By the time Jessie and his crew arrived at their coordinates, as many as ten-thousand were visible both approaching and crossing the clearing. Ronnie activated his panel, as Jessie quickly took the ship down to about four-hundred feet. Once again, it was an absolute slaughter, if you could slaughter, something that was already dead. They didn't run, they didn't hide they just moved forward until they fell and didn't move any longer. Once he was sure the immediate area was clear, like Major Marcus, Jessie flew some overlapping patterns to expand the kill area.
They were just deciding on a new course when they received a message from Bob with new coordinates, that sent them on a new path.
The Chinook arrived on its post just in time to prevent a breach of the clear zone. They took a different path, hovering over one area at a time until it was totally clear, then moving slowly over the next batch. Make no mistake, these were one-thousand zombie batches. Once all in sight were downed, they began overlapping circles going out for miles and terminating all in their broadcast range. Within a few minutes they had cleared over thirty-thousand zombies.
Pete Marcus too had been also directed to a new sector where the assets of his aircraft could best be exploited. “Where the hell are all these creepers coming from?” He shouted over the noise to
his crew.
“Don't know, but it seems like the whole state behind them is emptying and they are all heading here.”
“I know, but why? Oh well, Dr. Baldwin, if you please do your thing.”
They watched as in all directions the walking plague fell. “Ever wonder if one of those former people down there was your dentist, or doctor or maybe your son's teacher?”
“Cant afford to worry about that. They are just a disease that needs to be cured before it kills everyone on the planet!”
“I hear you,but I have to wonder what the world's gonna be like when all this is over. Will any educated or talented people be left? What diseases will be spread by all these rotting bodies?”
“ I think the Napalm will take care of most of the body problems.”
Ninety-minutes later, all areas were clear and the planes were ordered back to the base for refueling, and a bit of rest for the pilots. The jets were ordered to drop napalm on the tens-of-thousands of bodies for both sanitary reasons and to prevent a new crop from coming through. In a few hours they would fly another mission and start the whole thing over, again.
With Lou Harris now flying the heavily armed Dolphin, and Brian Sanders having seized the Apache, there seemed little for Glen Sanders to do aboard the helicopter. He needed to be part of the action, so after a talk with Colonel Dickerson, he went to see Aaron Rogers about helping the CAG units in the defense of the inner circle. He was sure his sharpshooting skills would be of use.
After listening to his request, Aaron gladly accepts the offer, but only under certain conditions.
