The large TV screens were simply flashing red. Then they changed to a man's face.
"Your attention please! I am sorry to be the one to have to tell you all this, but it has been confirmed; the seventh pod has been activated!"
Murmuring filled the hall.
"As of now we are in a Code Red lock down."" General Philips's face looked racked with sorrow as his departed the news.
Coco was surprised the general was showing any emotion.
His daughter is stuck out in the middle of this; he reasoned. Mexico City was the first city affected during the last pandemic, the Swine Flu of 2009.
"As I speak, helicopters and trucks full of supplies and personnel are en route. Within three hours, this base will be running at its full logistics capability. Our main objective is supplies, which will be arriving twenty-four seven. In addition, the Adam and Eve finalists are being informed. We will start ferrying them to the base's quarantine section within twenty-four hours."
Coco noticed a couple of personnel rushing around, handing out red folders to group and unit leaders.
"All leave is cancelled. All outbound communications is now regulated. As of now we are on full alert."
Everyone stood motionless, and in silence, watching the large screens.
"We are all that stands between Mother Nature and the future of the human race. And make no mistake; it's not going to be an easy fight. Your country and your species are counting on each and every one of you. Don't let them down, and more importantly, don't let yourselves down." The screens went blank.
5
Coco stood staring up at the blank screen. His whole world just came crashing down. The moment reminded him of when he first woke up in the hospital after the fire.
Life once again just irrevocably changed.
Everyone around him was a blur. His heart was beating so hard in his chest it hurt. Sweat poured down his face.
A hand gripped his shoulder.
"Dude! That's some messed up shit, right?" It was Jinks.
Coco didn't answer. He turned slowly.
The Captain stood reading from sheets of paper from a red folder. The rest of the squad stood silently, digesting the information as their leader scanned their new orders.
Everything had just become real. They all knew of the pods, and what they were capable of, but no one truly believed they would ever have to face the reality of the nightmare. This was just another posting. In a few months, or years, they would be moved on again.
All that had just come crashing down around them all. All their dreams and ambitions had just been cut short.
Reality sucks.
Coco stood in stunned silence.
He gazed around. Sounds started to cut through the buzzing in his ears.
A few men he knew, men who had been through wars and survived things most men never had to even contemplate, were sat silent, with head in hands.
Edwards, from another unit, was beating down on a metal table – pounding it with every ounce of strength he had. No one stopped him.
Riley, a tall muscular man in his mid thirties, was lying on the floor on his back, just staring up at the high ceiling.
Peters, a short communications officer from another unit, stood against a wall, leaning forward slightly, with just his forehead resting against the concrete, and his arms hanging limply at his sides.
Coco's mind was reeling. He wasn't concerned about himself, all he was worried about was Echo.
6
Training started to kick back in, as soldier's wandered over to their commanding officers, to receive their orders.
There were some murmurs, but mostly people stood in silence. They may have been picked because they had no family or lovers, but they still knew people on the outside, people who would not get the opportunity to live deep below the ground in a state-of-the-art bunker. There was also other soldier's they had worked with over the years, friends who weren't picked to be stationed in The Ark. These people were already dead; they just didn't know it yet. Moreover, the worst part was; they were forbidden to warn them. And to make sure, all outbound telecommunications, and the Internet have been severed, and a jammer placed on all mobile phones in The Ark's vicinity.
Coco stood in silence. His head felt like it was going to explode. He decided there was certain information we should never know. Knowing the world was about to come crashing down, with billions dying was too much for a person to comprehend.
It was all made worse due to Echo being out there in the thick of it. If she were here by his side, even with everything that was happening, it would make him feel a little better.
"I know this is seriously fucked up, but we have to shake it off and do what we have been trained for," the Captain stated after just finishing the couple of sheets of A4 paper he was handed.
"Deep down, we thought this day would never come, but it has. Now we have to step up and deal with it."
He waved the folder in his hand. "Our orders are simple. We will have an endless series of shipments we have to organise and get below ground and stored in their particular zones. More soldiers will be coming to help, who will also be stationed here. In addition, once we get the order, there will be around the clock helicopter pickups of the Adam and Eve finalists." He closed his eyes and rubbed a hand down his face.
"It just got real people. We need to get into high gear and do our best. It is now a race against time, once the spores reach England the countdown will begin to seal this place up. We need to get as much underground in the time we have left. We will be working around the clock with on and off sleep shifts. It will be hard, but we can relax and sleep properly once the bunker is sealed."
Someone at the back of the group muttered, "Yeah, twenty years of sleep."
The Captain pretended he didn't hear.
He divided the tasks, between those on the chopper and those who will be taking the cargo containers down into the bunker.
The Captain then stated he would be gone for three days on a special assignment, and while he was gone, Bull would be in command.
Coco realised his name hadn't been called out.
With a final pep talk, the Captain sent them all off to start their assigned jobs.
"Captain," Coco said as he waited for everyone to move off. "I didn't get an assignment?"
"No you didn't," he simply stated. "You're to head up to General Philips's office; he has a special assignment for you."
Coco frowned. "Really?"
"I have also got a three-day special assignment, as I just announced, but I received mine via paperwork." He lifted the folder to highlight his point. "I will see you when you return." The Captain then headed off.
Two soldiers dressed all in black moved across the room and started walking behind the Captain. All three vanished around the corner.
Coco was starting to feel a little better; he was sure the General was sending him to bring his daughter home. However, things don't always turn out the way we imagine.
7
Dartmoor Prison in the Hub Control Room
The Hub building was in turmoil. People dressed in military and civilian attire were rushing around. Everybody had a hundred and one things to do. It was if a huge ant's nest had been stirred up.
Coco sat outside the Generals office. He watched Margery, the little old, four feet nothing receptionist juggle two phone calls at once, while using the computer. Regardless of how busy she was; she seemed unfazed, and unaffected by the news.
"The General will see you now," she announced, posed with a phone in each hand. She returned to her conversations.
Even though he was told to go in, Coco still felt he needed to knock. He gently tapped the door.
The door swung open and Doctor Simi; a short Asian female walked out. "I will inform Doctor Banks immediately," she announced as she walked off, leaving the door open for Coco, without even giving him a sideways glance.
The General saw Coco.
"Please come in. Take a seat
." He motioned with a hand towards a chair while getting to his feet.
Coco was a little confused. From what he had seen of the General, and what he had heard from Echo and others, this wasn't his normal behaviour.
Why would he be buttering me up?
Coco closed the door and headed for the seat. He wiped his sweaty hands on his trousers.
"Whisky?" The General was stood next to a drink's cabinet.
"Um, sure, why not." He tried to keep his voice calm.
Coco sat in silence as he watched Echo's father pour some expensive single malt into two thick tumblers.
"There's no ice, I'm afraid. Due to the news, I've not had chance to get some sent up from the kitchen," he stated, as if the end of the world was nothing more than an inconvenience.
"You are aware that we can't locate my daughter?" he asked over his shoulder, changing the subject.
"No Sir, I wasn't aware." Bile rose in Coco's throat. How could he not know where his own daughter is?
"She has a habit of being unplugged; I think is the word she once used." He strolled over and passed one of the glasses to Coco. He then took his seat.
With how slow and casual the General was acting; Coco could almost believe the announcement was fake.
How can he be so calm?
"I remember when she disappeared in Chile for two months. Not a peep out of her. She was off with some tribe or other, gallivanting around, saving the world." He gave a smirk, as if to say, kids, what can you do with them, huh?
Coco was confused as to where this was leading.
"I hear from Heather that you requested our mothers ring?" He raised his glass for a sip while watching Coco's reaction over the rim.
Jesus, the Doc told Heather why I wanted the ring! I'm gonna kill him when I see him.
Coco could feel sweat beading across his forehead and top lip. There was no point lying.
"Yes Sir, General Sir." Coco took a gulp of whisky. It burned all the way to his stomach – he welcomed the distraction.
"Hmm." Philips rolled the glass in his hand. "Are you dating at the moment?" His eyes were locked onto Coco.
"No Sir." Coco shifted in the seat.
"Then you can understand my confusion." He just stared, waiting for Coco to fill the silence.
Coco coughed to clear his throat. "I have been waiting for the right moment to ask her on a date." As soon as he said it, he realized how cheesy it sounded. "I mean, I have feelings, and I was waiting for the right time to express them to your daughter." Coco's Adams apple bobbed up and down as if on a spring.
The General said nothing and just stared.
"I have known Echo; I mean Alexis for two years, and I feel we are now ready to move on to the next stage."
Coco's mind was reeling. This isn't the time or place for this conversation. There are more important things to do at this moment. For one thing, to find Echo, he thought.
"I see..." His words faded as if in thought. "So you love my daughter?"
"Very much so Sir!"
"So you will do anything for her – to keep her safe?"
"Anything!"
The General nodded while sipping his drink.
"Do you want me to go and find her, and bring her back?" Coco questioned, thinking that was where the conversation was leading.
"No. I have specialists working on that as we speak." He placed his glass on his desk and leaned forward. "I have another, delicate, mission for you. One that needs to be dealt with, with the utmost discretion and secrecy."
8
Leinster Terrace, Bayswater, London
Sunday 16th December 2012
Day 2
It was almost 4 PM on Sunday night, and he sat in a vehicle on a street in Bayswater, London.
Coco had been traveling all day in a non-script, old battered, grey Volvo that was in Dartmoor Prison's car park waiting for him. On the seat were a folder with instructions, a burner phone, and a bag of equipment that he would need to accomplish his mission.
He had no trouble getting to London. It has only been one day since the news that the nine loggers in Madagascar had come down with an unexplained sickness. The world continued as normal. It would be a few days before people started to panic and pay more attention to the new outbreak.
When he first read the file, he sat there for twenty minutes with his head spinning. He felt like he was going to throw up.
He had all day in the car while driving to the country's capital to think through his orders and the personal letter the General had attached to them.
The General stated in his note that he knew he had picked the right person for the job. He knew Coco wouldn't let him down with such an important mission. He said he was proud of him, and he couldn't think of anyone else he would rather see dating his daughter.
He then asked if Coco had the ring on him, and that he would keep hold of it for safekeeping, just until he returned. What could he do? He had no choice but to hand it over.
Coco knew it was all bullshit! He knew the General was ass kissing, and when he returned nothing would have changed; apart from there would be four peoples blood on his hands, and he knew he would never see the ring again.
Coco wasn't hungry, but his body needed food. He sat in the old car that smelt of mold, and chewed on a Big Mac. He gulped down the drink while tossing fries in his mouth. Out the window, he casually studied number twenty-four Leinster Terrace.
The off-white, six-story building looked impressive. Every window has a thick stone balcony, and was spaced evenly – three wide. The door was jet black. All the windows were dark, with no lights showing – the only one on the street that didn't have a least one window with a light on – which made sense after reading the file. They all had blinds pulled down. A towering tree grew from a small patch of gravel at the front, reaching way above the six-story building.
Just looking at the structure, he would never have guessed what it was hiding – hidden in plain sight.
Coco was dressed in civilian clothes, and looked like any other, normal civy living or visiting London. He finished his meal and tossed the empty brown paper bag onto the back seat. He gripped the black backpack and exited the car. He made his way towards number twenty-four. He had a bad feeling bout this.
9
Coco casually ambled along the street. As he reached his destination, he whipped down the short path to the front door. Swinging the bag from his back, he removed a device for opening doors quickly. The small electrical apparatus fit snuggly in the palm of his hand. It had a metal bar on the end that slid into the lock's mechanism. With a press of a button, the device spun the metal end, which in turn used brute force to get the key mechanism to open. The door clicked. He was in.
Even though he read the report, he was still shocked to see what was on the other side of the door.
There was no house, just a vast gap, with a building to either side. The front of the building was just a thick wall, with blacked out windows. It was a false facade – just a dummy house.
Coco took a powerful headlamp from the bag, slipped it on, and switched on the beam.
The report stated it was a large ventilation system for the city's underground subway network.
To one side was a metal ladder dropping over the edge of a dark hole. There were no lights. The hole looked dark and ominous.
Coco memorized the small map. He knew where he needed to head. He started to climb down the ladder.
As he swung over the rail, the wind hit him. Slightly damp, warm air was blowing out of the vast hole. Below, he could just make out rail tracks glinting from the moonlight.
He started to descend.
If the information the General has supplied was correct, once he reached the track, and walled along a hundred feet west, there would be a non-script metal door with a simple danger no entry sign.
Coco reached the line and headed west. He could feel a deep vibration run through the souls of his trainers. A train was coming. He turned and faced the wa
ll and pressed up against it. The noise the passing train made was phenomenal. The wind battered against him. His eardrums felt like they were going to burst. The air was sucked from his lungs.
As quickly as it appeared, the subway train vanished with a grumble. It was certainly a pick-me-up.
That was better than a pot of coffee, Coco thought. His body was buzzing with energy.
Coco reached the metal door and used the small device again. He vanished inside.
There were small lights swinging from above that did little to illuminate the passageway.
Even though Coco had studied the map, he took it out to double check. With conformation, he was right; Coco started jogging down the cold concrete utility tunnel. He set a steady pace, due to the fact he had two miles of underground passages to navigate until he reached his destination.
10
In Utility Tunnels Beneath the City of London
Coco was nervous that all the bouncing around might set off the device he was carrying in the pack. However, he had no choice he was on a schedule.
As he jogged, and navigated the damp tunnels, his mind was constantly running over the instructions in the file.
He knew he hasn't been given the whole truth. The file was sparse concerning details. The information stated four people needed eliminating. The four people had intimate knowledge of The Ark, and now the spores were released; they needed silencing before they could spread the information, and the Ark was inundated with people begging, and demanding a place.
Coco tried to convince himself he was doing them a favour, in a strange kind of way. They were going to die anyway; at least this would be quick.
The information he was given stated the four people would be in one house, having a meal. He was to place the device in a particular place under the house's foundation. The powerful chemical concoction the small, brick sized device held would quickly eradicate the four problems that were worrying General Philips.
The Sixth Extinction & The First Three Weeks & The Squads First Three Weeks Omnibus [Books 1-10] Page 55
