Blood Apocalypse - 04

by Heath Stallcup

  The guy leaned back in his bed and eyed him. “I really shouldn’t say, man.”

  “Hey, I understand.” Apollo leaned against the wall. “Brothers in arms and all that. There’s a code.”

  Donovan nodded. “Yeah, a code. Even if it gets someone hurt unnecessarily. There’s still a code.”

  The security officer eyed them suspiciously. “You come here just to pump me for info?” His voice hardened.

  “What?” Apollo seemed shocked. “Oh…no, man. We brought you this.” He handed over the gift basket and balloon. “Sort of a…apology and shit. You know, for over reacting and all. ‘Cuz, I’m really sorry, man.”

  The security officer cracked a boyish grin as he looked at the basket. “What? They out of teddy bears?”

  Tufo choked. “That’s the same thing I asked them!”

  Apollo cracked a toothy grin at him. “Sorry, bro. My first time at this. I didn’t know what was really appropriate for the situation.”

  “Yeah, well, at least you tried.”

  “So what’s the verdict?” Donnie asked. “What’s the damage? How long you out of the game?”

  “Oh, about four or five weeks on the wrist, and it’s just a slight concussion, so it should be better by the time the wrist is. If it had been worse, it could take six months or more.”

  “Damn. I thought you Whack-a-Mole boys were tougher than that,” Apollo said.

  The security officer gave him a slack jaw stare. “Whack a what?”

  Apollo shrugged. “Isn’t that the name of your security company?”

  The security officer laughed and then held the side of his head with his good hand. “Oh man, I gotta remember that.” He groaned. “It’s Wackenhut.”

  Apollo nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I meant.”

  The four men sat and visited for a bit, making small talk, telling stories of home, families and favorite foods, movies and girls-gone-by. It didn’t take too long before the four forgot that there was a string of distrust between them and the seed of friendship had been sewn.

  Finally, Tufo tapped Donnie on his shoulder and pointed at his watch. “Yeah, we better scoot. Look, I’m glad you’re going to be okay, bud.” He turned for the door. “If you need anything, puzzle book, pizza, pretty nurse…just let us know and we’ll see what we can do, okay?” He gave him a wink.

  “Can do…hey! I don’t even know your names.”

  Donnie stepped up, “I’m Donovan, this is Tufo and this giant ape that attacked you and tried to twist you into a pretzel…is Apollo.”

  The security officer smiled and held up his broken arm. “I’d offer to shake hands but…” He gave a cheesy grin. “I’m Kevin. Kevin Moore. And, to be honest, I wish we could have actually met under different circumstances.”

  Apollo lowered his face and said, “Yeah, me too, man.” He met Kevin’s gaze again, “I really am sorry about earlier.”

  “It’s okay. Really.”

  “Well, look, we do have to go. We got lots we still got to get done and not much time to do it in.” Apollo turned to leave.

  “Hey, before you go, let me give you a word of advice,” Kevin offered.

  “What’s that?” Tufo asked.

  “No matter what is said, or promised or…well, no matter what, okay? Do not trust Captain Roberts or a guy named James McDonald, okay?”

  “Who are they?” Donnie asked.

  Kevin’s eyes narrowed as he answered. “They’re the sons of bitches who ordered me to shoot you fellas on sight.”

  *****

  Matt went from level to level in what was quickly shaping up to be the new command center. If things kept progressing, this new facility might well work out quite nicely. The techs were operating at breakneck speed to get everything set up efficiently and back in working order and as it stood, this one new bunker might indeed work to house the majority of the squad’s needs.

  Groom Lake already had numerous machine shops, and there was room for expansion. Getting their silver smiths and other machinery shops set up with them wouldn’t be a problem, which freed up a lot of room from their old hangar space at Tinker. Although they would actually be spreading the different divisions of the command out, the main operations would still be under one roof, and that roof was strong. Matt allowed himself a chance to stand back and breathe a moment, to take it all in. Although the thought of moving locations bothered him at first, he realized that it was simply human nature to fight change.

  Of course, they would still have to go back to Tinker and get the rest of their gear, including his silver barred cells for those full moons when Max wasn’t around to help him control his beast, but what little was left could easily be carried back in two more trips. He felt that if the different divisions streamlined and updated, they might even be able to leave behind some of their old and outdated equipment and upgrade to newer, faster and more reliable gear. Anything with sensitive material could be wiped by the geeks on a return trip.

  He nodded to himself as he watched his team work like army ants, tirelessly setting up and reestablishing their command. As he was about to dig back in, Major Flemings approached him and got his attention. “You wanted to see me, Colonel?”

  “I did, Major. We’re going to be having a number of…guests, soon.” He watched her for a reaction and didn’t receive one, so he continued. “I’m curious where we might house them.”

  The Major paused a moment, considering his words, “Would these guests be allergic to sunlight, sir?”

  “Some, yes. Very much so. Others, not so much.”

  She gave the information more thought. “And how many are we speaking of, sir?”

  The colonel paused and thought. “Can I get back to you on that? At this point, I’m not really sure that we can put a number on it.”

  She shot him a curious look. “Are we talking more than can fit in a football field? Or more than would fit in an aircraft hangar?”

  Matt smiled at her sheepishly. “Probably close to five hundred thousand or more all told.”

  Major Flemings’ eyes widened and her jaw slowly went slack. “You need to house close to a half million people, sir?”

  “Or more.”

  “Please tell me you’re joking…”

  “I wish.” He blew out a hard breath and put his arm around her shoulder, escorting her out to the hallway. “Mr. Thorn, whom you’ve yet to meet, has about three hundred thousand vampires heading this way. We need to be able to keep them out of the sun during the day. Maxwell Verissimo, that is…well, he’s a key player as well, he’s sent out some kind of supernatural invite to every werewolf in the world. God only knows how many that is. We just need to keep them under cover and out of eyesight.”

  Major Flemings’ head was spinning. “God, Matt, I still can’t wrap my mind around this whole ‘vampire-werewolf’ thing.” She fought to catch her breath. “But okay. Umm, the vampires, I think I may have a place where we can put them. It isn’t exactly the Ritz, but it should do. The werewolves? Wow, I just can’t think of…wait! We just need to keep them out of view, right?”

  “Yes, in case the Sicarii sends a spy to see what our forces look like. Plus we have all of the other Monster Squads flying in from all over, and they should be arriving any time now,” he added.

  “Oh, joy,” she groaned. “So, a few hundred thousand vampires, maybe another couple hundred thousand werewolves and, what, a few hundred monster hunters?”

  Matt nodded. “Something like that.”

  “Would you like mints on their pillows as well?” Her sarcasm wasn’t missed.

  “Nah, I think just asking for a miracle is enough, don’t you?”

  She nodded. “Well, I might have a place for the bloodsuckers.” She tapped her chin in thought. “I’m not so sure about the wolves, though, we’ll have to run a few tests first.”

  “Tests?”

  She nodded and pulled him down the hall, leading him out of the bunker. “A very long time ago, the military used to do underground
nuclear testing near here. Hence the bunker that you’re calling home,” she explained. “There are quite a few underground chambers still here. More than just a few.”

  “Like how many?” he asked slowly.

  “Like…a lot. Some are right under our feet, but they weren’t finished.”

  “Why in God’s name would they put one under the base?” His eyes rounded in wonder.

  “The one under us wasn’t for testing.” She struggled to find the right words. “It was supposed to be…something else.”

  Matt gave her a hard stare. “Like…?”

  “Like a fallback area for our government to go to if we ever came to blows in a nuclear war. They started on this whole underground complex, but then stopped it before it was finished.”

  Matt thought a moment. “How far along did they get?”

  “Pretty much bare walls,” she replied. “Oh, there’s plumbing down there and a bathroom facility, but it makes military showers look like a four star hotel.” She grinned at her own humor. “Matt, we’re talking an underground concrete shell, that’s all it is.”

  “But there are bathroom facilities, right?”

  “Barely, but I wouldn’t put people down there.”

  “Is there ventilation?” he asked. “Is there fresh air?”

  Diane bounced the idea around. “Yeah, I mean, we have a way to pump fresh air there, but…Matt, you can’t possibly think of…we’d need facilities for them.”

  “I can get facilities. FEMA trailers if I have to. Lord knows there are enough of them after Katrina. But is there room for them down there?”

  “You could put the Mall of America down there and have room for expansion,” she said flatly. “Follow me.”

  Matt grabbed his two-way and radioed for Laura and Tufo to meet him at the campus center. When Diane shot him a quizzical look, he explained, “She’s the XO of the squad and Tufo…well, he’s more than likely going to be taking over for one of us.” To her credit, Diane didn’t question him.

  As they exited the bunker, Tufo was waiting for them and Laura was quickly approaching from the cafeteria, a bagel in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.

  “You rang, oh-mighty-one?” Mark asked.

  “Time for you to learn some administrative crap.”

  “What’s going on, Matt?” Laura asked as she approached.

  “We need to check out something,” he said. “The major here has an idea on where we might can stuff some of our incoming visitors.” Matt made a quick introduction to all present.

  Diane grabbed what looked like a heavy duty off road version of a golf cart and took them to the perimeter of the base. At the far eastern edge, just outside the base proper she took what appeared to be an off-road trail. The four of them bounced and jostled out into the wild until they approached what appeared to be a rock wall. Diane parked the cart and stepped out. She turned and indicated the base behind them. Although it had seemed like a long trip, they were only a few hundred yards away from the furthest buildings. When she turned back, she walked to the rock and swept the dust and sand away, revealing a steel door. The rust of the door blended nearly perfectly with the rusty red of the rock surrounding it. Matt assisted her in opening the door and they cringed at the screech when it opened.

  “Been a while since anybody’s oiled the hinges?” Mark asked.

  “Been a while since anybody’s bothered to come out here,” she answered. “We used this for storage for a while, but it was too rough on the vehicles driving back and forth so we stopped. You’d think it would be easier to just build a damned road.”

  Matt entered with her and Diane flipped on a torch, illuminating the interior, searching for a switch to light the massive underground facility.

  Laura let out a low whistle. “Wow. This place is huge.”

  “You aren’t kidding,” Mark agreed. “You could hide an army in here.”

  “That’s the idea.” Matt smiled as Diane threw the switch and the lights thumped to life one by one across the ceiling illuminating the darkness.

  5

  Max entered the Command Center and observed the military efficiency as crews continued to run tests to verify their equipment was up and running, others were still setting up peripheral gear while yet others were running fiber optic cable to and from different things and connecting them. A young officer approached him and asked if he could assist with anything. Max eyed the young man, amazed that people so young could be put in charge of such complex duties.

  “I was looking for Colonel Mitchell.”

  “The colonel left with Major Flemings not very long ago. I think Ms. Youngblood was with them,” the young man said.

  Max simply nodded. Major Flemings didn’t ring any bells to him, but there were a lot of people he had yet to get to know personally. “Very well. When he returns, can you please let him know that I’m looking for him?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The young man returned to his work. Max stepped back but continued to watch as they ran through their drills a slow smile crossing his face as the thought entered his mind that they just might be able to pull off this little venture.

  He turned and left the Command Center, stepping out into the lowering sun and stared out across the open expanse across the runways. He sniffed the air, trying to pick up any scents but they were either too far away or downwind. He caught a glint of light reflecting off of something metallic in the sky and heard crews slowly crossing the tarmac. He glanced to his left and saw work crews coming out of an open bay, an electric forklift slowly rolling near the edge of the load out zone in preparation for emptying the incoming jet.

  Max felt Viktor’s presence just before he felt his hand on his shoulder. “New arrivals?” his son asked.

  Max nodded. “I would think so. “Probably more hunters if I had to guess.”

  The two stood in front of the building and watched the plane land, taxi to the loading zone and the activity begin. They watched as Jack, Viktor’s son-in-law come out and greet a small group from the plane and escort them to the military barracks where the hunters had made their quarters.

  “What’s your take on him?” Max asked as they watched him.

  “I’ve barely met the man,” Viktor replied through clenched teeth.

  Max smiled. “You don’t like him.”

  Viktor growled, “He mated with my Nadia.”

  Max tried to hide his smirk, turning his head further from Viktor. “She is of age, my son.” He tried to keep his voice neutral.

  “That doesn’t make him worthy.”

  “The fates found him worthy.”

  “The fates found him worthy of using him to further fuck me,” Viktor growled.

  When Max turned on him, his face was stoic. “Your fate was your own, my son,” he stated firmly. “It was your decision to adhere to your mother’s decree rather than stand up and take what was rightly yours.”

  Viktor’s stare shot daggers at Max. “How dare you. You weren’t there.”

  “I didn’t need to be,” Max said softly as he turned back to watch the crews unload the plane. “It was your destiny.”

  “My destiny?” Viktor could not contain his astonishment. “My destiny you say? What would you know of ‘destiny’?”

  Max laughed a deep belly shaking laugh that left Viktor confused. “You ask me what I know of destiny?” Max wiped at his eyes. He slapped Viktor on the shoulder. “Son, this is the very culmination of my destiny! It has been my destiny to keep the Sicarii in check since our creation. Every time he has risen and made himself a viable threat, I was there. With each swell of his chest, I was there to quell it. With each rise of his head, I was there to lower it!” Max shook his head. “Now he comes with an army of his kind and I bring an army of our kind to thwart him, except I also bring an army of his own kind to stand against him, to finally bind him and lock him away. FOREVER!

  “You, on the other hand, had merely to face down your mother and assume your rightful place as
leader of the pack. To rise up and show her that you were indeed ready to assume the position that I left for you. But what did you do?” Max asked. “She barks, and you turn tail and run and do her bidding, leaving her in command of the mightiest pack of wolves the world has ever seen. Even if it is via proxy.”

  Viktor remained still, staring at his father in shock, the pieces of his life falling into place. He felt a wave of shame and guilt sweep over him as he realized that Max was right…about all of it. “I didn’t—”

  “You couldn’t have known,” Max interrupted. He turned from Viktor and stared back out across the horizon, watching the sun paint the sky in oranges and yellows, hints of red licking the edges. “I never told you.”

  Viktor stood silently with his father, the rest of the base going on in its mad dash of hustle and bustle rushing to set up and settle in. But father and son stood in the dwindling sunlight and simply shared a moment. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Viktor asked.

  “I don’t know,” he replied honestly. “Hubris? A desire for humility? Whatever it was, Victoria convinced me that for you to truly be the alpha that you should be, you should rise in the pack on your own. And knowing the truth about me…would only be a hindrance to you.” He turned to his son, pain reflecting in his eyes, and he suddenly appeared much older to Viktor. “I never wanted this for you, son. Not for you and your family to become…slaves to a vampire!” he hissed, his hands balled into fists, his jaw set.

  Viktor placed a hand on his father’s shoulder and shook his head. “It has been a good life, father. Regardless of how I have painted it.” He lowered his eyes. “And regardless of how much animosity I have held toward you and toward…her, we have been well treated and Rufus is a good man.”

  Max clenched his jaw again. “It still makes me want to rip out her—”

  “No,” Viktor interrupted, “we had an agreement with the Lamia Beastia for centuries after you left. For many years, we would cycle wolves through to act as security for them. They would spend a few years at each Beastia Familia and then come home. All she did was to assign us a permanent duty to Rufus.” Viktor looked away. “At least, that is how we chose to see it.”