As Spencer and Terrence turned away, Meredith noticed Owen’s expression turn vacant and moody again. Now it was Meredith’s turn to ask him the question that had started this conversation: “You feeling okay?”
Owen’s face flushed. “Yeah, yeah, I’m doing fine.”
Meredith arched an eyebrow. “What’s the look for?”
“Sounds corny”—Owen brushed a hand over his head and then left it on the back of his neck—“but I’m thinking I ought to write a song to commemorate Hector and Brett. Maybe Ivan and Scott, too. All the casualties of the fight against the Oni Agent.”
Meredith nodded, remembering Dom had mentioned to her before that Owen was a talented guitarist. “Not corny at all. You should do it.” She wanted to say more, but Dom started clapping his hands to get their attention.
“All right, Hunters. This is our second rescue mission op for the day, and this one is going to be one-hundred-fucking-percent successful.” Dom paced in front of a map of the Naval Academy overlaid with one of Chao’s satellite images. “We believe the survivors are here.” He pointed to the Halsey Field House. “We need to clear a path to here.” He indicated the Santee Basin. “We’re going to separate into three teams. Alpha will start at the basin and clear out all hostiles there. Bravo is going to land on the shore by the field house and immediately secure the survivors.” He paused for a moment.
Meredith scanned the Hunters. The crew consisted of a more or less ragtag band of men and women from all walks of life and various military organizations. Their ears were glued to Dom, and they stood at rapt attention. They banded together under him and melded into one cohesive unit despite their differences. And here they were, once again, ready to fight, placing their full trust in Dom.
“Charlie team’s going to have it hard,” Dom said. “The goal of this mission is to get the survivors out—midshipmen, officers, civilians—without running into the Skulls. That means we need to attract as little attention as possible. And moving hundreds of people is going to pique the Skulls’ interest.” He stared at his Hunters, meeting each of their eyes. Meeting Meredith’s eyes. She gulped. “We need a distraction. I need two wily-ass volunteers who will fly with Frank, drop down to the Academy’s chapel, and make those bells ring to the high heavens. I want every goddamn Skull on Academy grounds to head to church like it’s Easter Sunday and they’re the most God-fearing creatures put on this green earth.”
“I’m in, Chief.” Miguel raised his prosthetic without hesitation.
Meredith thought about what Dom had said earlier. She couldn’t help reminding herself of how she’d felt about him. Back when they were partners, back before he’d married Bethany. Hell, even after he married Bethany. But she had never let her selfish emotions get in the way of her professional activities. She thought about raising her hand. After all, out of sight, out of mind. If she and Dom weren’t on the same team, they wouldn’t be constantly worrying about each other. Right?
But before she could, Andris stood a little straighter and spoke out with his slight Eastern European accent. “Put me in for Charlie.” He elbowed Miguel. “Someone’s got to keep an eye on this crazy mother—”
“You’ve got it.” Dom cut him off. “You two, head up to Frank. You’ll hear more from me when we’re moving out.”
The two Hunters saluted and padded out of the cargo bay side by side.
“Renee, you’ll lead Bravo. Terrence, Meredith, you’re with Renee. Jenna, Owen, Spencer, you’re on Alpha with me.”
Meredith met Dom’s eyes for a second. So he was on the same wavelength as her. Out of sight, out of mind, she thought. Or maybe he thought he was keeping her safer by sending her on the team to the field house rather than with his group that would fight for control of the basin.
“Here’s how it’s going to go down. Charlie will hit the chapel and ring the bells. Once the Skulls start moving, that’s when Bravo gets on land to the field house. Alpha will strike if and only if Bravo confirms we’ve found survivors. And this goes for all of you: Do not be afraid to retreat. Do not be afraid to call Frank or Thomas for an immediate evac. It’s better to live and fight another day than to end up on the ends of those monsters’ claws.”
A low murmur of agreement answered back from the Hunters.
“Hunters, load up and move out!” Dom’s voice boomed, bouncing off the bulkhead.
The cargo bay doors slid apart. Brilliant white sunlight poured in from the crisp blue sky. A gentle sea breeze whirled in with it as the whitecaps crashed and swelled.
Meredith hopped into a Zodiac with the rest of Bravo and gripped the gunwale when they were hoisted out over the Chesapeake. The cables lowered them down, and the craft splashed into the water. Low waves splashed against the Zodiac and sifted into the boat, puddling at their feet while she and Terrence worked to unlatch the craft.
“Engineering, this is Bravo. We’re free,” Renee said over the comm link when Meredith and Terrence had finished.
Terrence took the tiller and directed the Zodiac out from the shadow of the Huntress. The motor chugged. A fine mist of salty spray beaded on Meredith’s face, and the boat curled toward Annapolis.
She shielded her eyes from the intense sun and surveyed the bay. A flotilla of small craft, mostly leisure sailboats and motorboats, drifted around them. Dom’s boat with Alpha team dropped into the water shortly after. The two Zodiacs cruised northeast, winding between the civilian seacraft.
From one twenty-footer, two men waved at them with both hands, clearly wanting the Hunters’ help for something. But Meredith knew they couldn’t stop at every single boat along their way to the Academy. The delay could be disastrous for the survivors waiting on land. At least the people on the open water were relatively safe from Skull attacks. And she reckoned they’d be even safer once the Hunters liberated the Academy and used the people there to help secure Kent Island.
But of course, those waiting in the civilian seacraft had no idea. Families, looking haggard or sick, waited on the decks of their respective boats. Some waved; some yelled. Some watched with a lack of interest that said they’d already given up hope. Meredith hated seeing their sometimes desperate, sometimes disheartened faces as the Zodiac sped by. She wished she could tell them they’d all be safe soon, to just hold tight.
The Zodiac bounced over another wave, and Meredith tightened her grip on the gunwale. She leaned forward, peering into the distance where the colorful buildings of Annapolis came into focus. The thrum of rotors beat loudly, and the AW109 thundered overhead.
“Bravo, Dom speaking. Frank will be taking Miguel and Andris to the chapel before we get there. They’ll use the position to scout threats and will be waiting on us to signal whether or not we need them to set the bells off.”
“Copy that, and roger,” Renee said. Hunched over, using one hand to follow the rope looped along the gunwale, she made her way to the bow of the craft with Meredith. “You ready for this?”
Meredith reflected on their last mission on the Queen of the Bay. She had always spent time at the firing range to preserve her firearms skills, worked out regularly to maintain her physical fitness, and kept her mind fresh by running through training exercises with the covert ops divisions of the Biological and Chemical Warfare Defense division back in Langley. She considered herself strong and tough, but would that be enough in a world gone to hell? Renee’s words echoed in her head. Ready for this? Probably not. But truthfully, was anyone ever ready to face the Skulls?
“Ready as I possibly can be,” Meredith finally answered. And she figured that was how everyone else on Dom’s team felt. No one could ever be completely prepared to face the apocalypse. But they didn’t have a choice.
“That’s all any of us can ask.” Renee squinted toward the white, square buildings of the Naval Academy. “Now let’s kick some Skull ass. And, who knows, maybe save some lives.”
“Sounds like a decent plan,” Meredith said. The Zodiac made its final approach toward the shore near Halsey Fie
ld House. “Always wanted to visit the campus, but never had a chance before.”
“Lucky day for you.” Renee reached out to moor the Zodiac. She winked, and a sly grin formed across her face. “And even luckier for the Skulls.”
-23-
Lauren watched Chao’s monitor in the electronics workshop. The dot labeled Charlie blew past Alpha and Bravo on the screen. It wouldn’t be long before all three dots were hovering near the academy.
Chao gave her a handset and scooped up a set of headphones for himself. He called up the contact information they’d saved on the ship’s intranet for Commander Shepherd’s direct line. His index finger punched down on the Enter key, and the line began ringing.
“Huntress, this is Shepherd.”
“Commander, this is Dr. Lauren Winters. I’m calling to give you a sitrep from our end and hoped to get one from your research team.”
“I’ve got about five minutes, Dr. Winters. You go first.”
Lauren gave him as brief a rundown as she could regarding the Queen of the Bay incident and their almost nonexistent medical supplies. She told him they’d been eking by on their research, but they desperately needed to find a neuroscientist or biochemist or anybody specializing in neurodegenerative diseases before they’d make any progress. “So we’re still seeking out potential surviving researchers while the Hunters establish a safe haven on Kent.”
“Good idea on the safe haven,” Shepherd said. “Because I’m afraid I don’t have good news. Kinsey’s ordering half the troops sent from Fort Bragg back.”
“Didn’t he agree—”
“He did. The situation in Washington has gone from hell on Earth to...goddamnit, I can’t think of anything worse right now. But you get the picture. We’re scraping by out here, and frankly, I don’t know how much longer we’re going to hold on.”
Lauren clenched her fingers until her knuckles turned white. Why was Kinsey so obstinate, so determined to hamper their medical research efforts? Was protecting a bunch of overpaid Congressmen more important than discovering the origin—and maybe even the cure—for the Oni Agent?
“However, we did have one breakthrough,” Shepherd continued. “Two of my computer boys unearthed something. If you’ll open a data link, I can send you the historical documents we’ve found. We’re not sure if they’ll lead anywhere, but it’s at least worth a look.”
Samantha shot a thumbs up from behind her computer monitor to say I’m on it. Lauren flashed a brief smile to indicate her thanks.
“I’ll look them over as soon as we receive them,” Lauren said.
“Glad to hear it, Dr. Winters. Now I’ve got to go deal with a perimeter check. Need anything else?”
There were a million things she needed. More lab techs. More servers to run biocomputational analyses. Supplies—and more labs—to run all the experiments she had planned. But Shepherd wasn’t in a position to provide any of that right now. “That should do it. Thank you, Commander.”
“And send my thanks to Captain Holland and the crew. Keep fighting the good fight. We’ll be in touch soon. Over.”
The line went dead. Lauren hoped Shepherd would report back soon with a real breakthrough on the origin of the Oni Agent, maybe even a potential vaccine candidate. But while Shepherd’s researchers toiled in the lab, General Kinsey had called for a tactical retreat, weakening Fort Detrick’s chances of surviving a resurgence of the Skull horde.
Lauren’s blood ran cold, and she inhaled sharply. If Detrick was lost, finding a vaccine or some way to stop the prion component of the Oni Agent would be up to her and her meager floating laboratory.
“You okay?” Chao asked. “Looks like you just saw a ghost.”
“Just thinking about what’s in store for us if we lose Detrick.” She gave him back the handset, still wet with sweat from her clammy hands. “We’re going to need all the help we can find.”
***
The howls bounced off the walls and seemed to grow in intensity. Navid’s lungs burned, and his leg muscles cramped. He cursed himself for spending so much time in the lab. He should’ve gotten outside to run a little. He wasn’t fat, but he definitely wasn’t fit.
“Come on, Navid!” Abby said.
Unlike him, Abby was a runner, putting in three miles every day before she checked on her ongoing nerve regeneration experiments. She’d asked him to start running with her. He should’ve taken that invitation.
The click and clack of claws against the stairs below urged him to fight against his physiological limits. Mind over matter. Come on, Navid.
Abby turned back, fear etched across her face. Her eyes were wide. “Let’s check this hall.” She peeked through the wire-reinforced window. “No crazies.”
She pushed open the door. They poured through. Navid gasped for air, his hands on his thighs. He couldn’t breathe enough fresh oxygen.
“Where should we...” Abby’s voice trailed off.
Navid forced himself to look up. Nondescript doors led off both sides of the hall. A myriad of offices and laboratories lay before them. But would any be safer than the labs they’d just fled?
“Just...pick...one...” he managed between wheezes.
Abby didn’t give him a chance to catch his breath and kept moving. She tried the first door to their right. It didn’t budge. Navid tried his hand at the next three doors but was met with the same result. They needed a janitor’s closet, an open office, anything where they could hunker down and prepare themselves for the next move.
But trying to search for an open door in a highly secured research facility was proving to be futile. The echoes of the creatures’ yells in the stairwell sifted out into the hall.
Abby whimpered as she tried another door, then another. Navid’s pulse throbbed in his ears. Frustration welled up in him. He yanked another door handle uselessly. He tried a different tactic. Lowering his shoulder, he backed up and then slammed against the door. It shuddered slightly but didn’t budge. Pain radiated across his shoulder. He tried again. No use, he thought.
“We’ve got to keep moving. Got to find somewhere else.” He ran to the end of the dark hall and sped around the corner. His feet slipped on the polished tile, and he almost lost his balance. As he recovered and stood straight, Abby froze alongside him.
“Navid...” The fear in her voice sent a shiver down his spine.
He looked up, peering into the shadows to see what had alarmed her. A dark shape lumbered. Malicious red emergency lights flashed over it. The thing twisted to look at them, cocking its horn-crowned head. A tattered white lab coat hung off the monster. Spikes and plates stuck out of its spine, and its fingers ended in sharp hooks. They clicked together, its hands tensing and relaxing. A low growl escaped its mouth as it approached.
Navid backed up, pressing himself flat against the wall. The creature’s eyes went wide, and it let out a wild howl. The noise was deafening. It bent forward slightly and then sprinted, the lab coat fluttering.
“Go! Go! Go!” Navid yelled, adrenaline forcing aside his exhaustion. He ran toward the stairs, where the other crazies were. He didn’t know where else to go, but he did know they wouldn’t make it past the beast in the hall.
The creature chasing them slammed into the wall, carried by momentum as it tried to round the corner they’d just left. Navid risked a glance. The thing picked itself up. It stood straight enough that sunlight poured over its face from a window. Crimson liquid dripped from its lips. And by the way the red chunks of flesh and blood were patterned around the creature’s mouth, Navid could tell the creature wasn’t injured; rather, it had been feeding on something—or someone.
The crazy beast bellowed. As it charged again, red spittle flying from between its serrated teeth, a chorus of distant howls echoed in response. The creature had called its brethren to the hunt.
Abby stopped, and Navid ran into her. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his chest. He opened his mouth to urge her on, but saw why she’d stopped.
Why she’d given up.
Another crazy stood at the opposite end of the hall, its body as twisted and grotesque as the first, marred by strange bony formations. Its flesh appeared gray under the plates and spines and spikes. In its eyes, a pure red fury pulsated.
Then another crazy tore out of the stairwell, followed by a second and third, shoving each other when they caught sight of Navid and Abby. The crazy behind them yelled again, sprinting down the hall. The others at the stairwell joined in, their screams and wails crashing against Navid like a tidal wave.
He thought these would be the last sounds he’d ever hear. Paralyzed by fear and clinging to each other, he and Abby would die, torn apart by these creatures.
No, Navid thought. No fucking way am I going out like this.
He reared back, tensing every muscle in his body, and threw himself at a door in a last-ditch effort to find an escape. The impact rattled his teeth. Agony radiated down his right arm.
The creatures were drawing closer. He imagined their hot breath washing over him and Abby as they were devoured alive. Navid ignored the throbbing pain in his shoulder and threw himself at the door again.
But the frame didn’t so much as crack. The door didn’t budge.
This was it.
-24-
Miguel held the rail above his head with his prosthetic. The helicopter hit a nasty headwind and shuddered. His heart leapt, but he kept his mouth straight and jaw clenched. A bead of sweat trickled from under his helmet and down his cheek. He stole a glance at Andris to see if the man had noticed.
But Andris was seemingly too enamored with the azure waves hundreds of feet below them to worry about Miguel.
“Sorry about the rough ride, gentlemen.” Frank’s voice echoed over the comm link. The pilot pulled up slightly on the cyclic. The AW109 steadied itself. “Windy day.”
The Tide: Breakwater (Tide Series Book 2) Page 16
