by P. T. Hylton
“You’re the boss.”
They talked for another twenty minutes, drinking their beers and enjoying each other’s company. Every time she tried to work the conversation around to the mission, the team, or Fleming, he shut her down fast. Apparently, he’d had enough shop talk for the evening. He just wanted to enjoy a couple beers with his good buddy Alex.
She went to bed soon after returning to her own quarters, but she lay awake long into the night thinking of her teammates, old and new, and what the next day might bring.
6
Alex closed her eyes, not to sleep, but to block out the rest of the world for a moment.
They were ten minutes out from their destination, and Alex had spent the whole of the flight so far focused on her team. She’d given Hope a pep talk, discussed the layout of their target with Chuck, and told dirty jokes with Ed and Patrick. Whatever each person needed, she’d given them. Whatever she’d sensed would help them get in the right headspace.
Now she needed just a moment to get her own head right.
The communicator in her ear hissed to life, and Owl’s voice came through. “Ladies and gentlemen, we will soon be landing at the former site of the United States Penitentiary, Administrative Maximum Facility, also known as ADX Florence, Supermax, and the Alcatraz of the Rockies. If you don’t know what Alcatraz was, see me after. I’d be happy to explain the reference.”
“Captain,” Patrick called, “can you tell Owl to shut up?”
“No,” Alex snapped, her eyes still closed. “This is a GMT tradition.”
Owl continued in her chipper voice. “The facility is located in an area that was called Fremont County, Colorado, approximately one hundred miles south of Denver. Fremont County was the home of fifteen prisons, and about twenty percent of the population of the county was incarcerated. ADX Florence was the only supermax prison. Meaning the guys they kept there were the worst of the worst.”
“And now we get to fight their undead vampiric corpses,” Ed pointed out. “Cool first mission, Captain.”
Alex cracked a smile. “Nothing but the best for you, my beloved team.”
“In lighter news,” Owl continued, “Fremont County is a great place for you bicyclists. A five-thousand-mile trail called the American Discovery Trail passes through here.”
“What the hell’s a bicycle?” Hope asked.
“Please enjoy the rest of your flight, and prepare to kick some ass. See you on the ground.”
Alex opened her eyes as Owl finished, and she looked out the window. They were descending now, and she could see the prison below them. From up here, it looked like two big triangles. One of those, she knew, was the lobby and administrative facility. They wouldn’t be worrying about that place, at least not today. It was cut off from the cell blocks, connected only by an underground tunnel. They would have to block up that tunnel for now and deal with it later.
As much as she hated Fleming, she had to admit this place was a perfect choice for Resettlement. She’d studied the blueprints which had been among the treasure-trove of data they’d liberated from NSA on an earlier mission, and what she saw was a set of buildings with an amazing defensive setup. There were guard towers and lights that stood one hundred and fifty feet high. The facility had eight small buildings that had been used as cellblocks, as well as one main building, all of it surrounded by a thirty-foot wall.
The only thing that concerned her from a defensive perspective was the wall. Thirty feet might sound impressive, but Alex knew a vampire at the height of its powers would leap that wall like it was a puddle on the concrete. Fleming intended to combat that with heavy use of daylights. Alex wasn’t convinced it would be enough.
Still, she had her orders, and she was going to follow them. At least for now.
Owl set them down in the yard near the center of the cluster of buildings, and Alex was the first off the ship. She scanned their surroundings, trying to decide on an approach.
“It’s a nice day for it.”
Alex looked up and saw Hope standing next to her, a wry smile on her face. It was strange seeing this young woman with short black hair carrying the demolitions equipment instead of Firefly.
“Yeah, it’s not bad,” Alex agreed. The sun shone brightly overhead, and though there was nearly a foot of snow under their feet, the yard was clear of most vegetation even after a century and a half of zero upkeep. She remembered Owl saying something about the arid climate in this part of the world.
“Where do we start, Captain?” Patrick asked.
Alex nodded toward the nearest building. Then she turned back to the team. “Slow and steady. That’s how we get this done. We stay close together, and you listen for my orders, got it?”
They responded that they did.
Alex led them to the first building. There were no windows, but the door stood wide open. She hoped that was a good sign. Maybe they’d simply let all the prisoners out near the end. If so, it was possible that this place was still empty. She wasn’t counting on it, though.
She donned her headlamp and ordered the team to do the same. Then they stepped into the cell block.
Alex scanned their surroundings and immediately felt a little better about their mission. The space was open and there were clear sight lines. She imagined this was so that the guards could see the prisoners from any angle. There were two levels of cells and a narrow walkway running along in front of them. The walkways were covered with the bars and plexiglass.
All the cell doors stood open, adding a little more credence to Alex’s hopeful theory that maybe this place was already empty.
Chuck, the recon expert, nodded toward the floor. “This is solid concrete, and it looks tacked down. At least we know vampires won’t be popping up through the ground.”
“That’s something,” Patrick muttered. “I’m probably not supposed to say this on my first mission, but this place is creepy as hell.”
Alex couldn’t disagree. The strangest thing was how well preserved it was. A thick layer of dust covered everything, but that aside, this place could have been in use yesterday.
They crept through an open gate, staying in tight formation, and reached the first of the cells.
Hope scanned it with her eyes. “Holy hell. I can’t believe this place. I’ve spent a few nights in jail back in New Haven, but it wasn’t anything like this. What are these cells? Like six feet by ten feet?”
“Something like that,” Alex confirmed.
Each cell contained only a bed, a sink, a toilet, and a tiny slit that served as a window. Alex reminded herself that the worst criminals of the pre-infestation era had been held here.
And now Fleming wanted to make it home to the people of New Haven.
The team cleared the first building without incident, and one hour later, they were ready to move on.
Aside from the creepy factor of the still-made beds and the well-ordered cells, Alex felt better about this mission. The team was focused and responding to her orders well.
But she wouldn’t let her guard down. Not now; not ever again.
As they stepped back out into the sunlight, she turned to her team. “Well done, people. Moving on to building two.”
The team searched the next two buildings without incident, moving carefully through the darkened, eerie structures.
While Alex never let her guard down, she did allow herself to relax ever so slightly. The layouts of the buildings were identical, and once they’d cleared the first, it was simply a matter of repeating the procedure. First, they checked the cells. Then on to the cafeteria. Then the guard areas. Finally the small basement, which contained four even more private cells in what Alex assumed was an isolation wing.
It also gave her the chance to assess her team. Overall, she was impressed. They stayed focused, and they followed orders well. Just as importantly, they remained alert throughout the long, boring search.
Midway through the third building, Alex nudged Chuck. “You take the lead for the rest
of this building.”
His eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly recovered, nodding and taking Alex’s place at the front.
Alex fell back to the rear to observe him in action. She’d known from day one that she was going to need a right-hand man, someone she could delegate leadership responsibilities to from time to time, the same way CB had to her and Simmons.
Even though Owl had been on the team the longest, she was the first to admit that she wasn’t a leader and didn’t want to be. She preferred to stay with the ship when possible.
That left the new recruits. From among them, Chuck was the obvious pick. He was clear-headed and insightful. He was respectful, but also unafraid to speak his mind. Even though it was their first real mission to the surface as a team, Alex wanted to get him started on the path to leadership immediately, even in a small way.
He performed admirably as he led them through the third building, and Alex clapped him on the back as they headed for the fourth cellblock.
“Well done. You kept a good eye on your teammates, and I like how you barked at Ed when he tried to hurry. Next time—”
A noise like a high-pitched whine came from the depths of the fourth building, cutting Alex off.
“What the hell was that?” Hope asked.
Alex clutched her pistol in a two-handed grip as she edged toward the door. “That was a vampire howl.”
“You gotta be kidding me,” Patrick muttered, his voice thick with concern.
“Afraid not.”
Alex glanced back at her team, spending a moment studying each of their drawn faces. The fear was evident in every one of them, but none of them were freaking out. That was a good sign. She pushed her own apprehension aside. “Looks like this mission just got a little more exciting. Have your weapons ready, but don’t fire at anything unless you know what you’re shooting at. I’ll take the lead.” She gave them a moment, then turned back toward the door. “Let’s earn our pay.”
They moved slowly through cell block four, searching even more methodically for the vampire they knew was hidden somewhere in the structure. While the work was the same as the other buildings, the knowledge that an undead creature was not only possible, but was a reality, cast a heavy cloud of tension over them as they searched.
When they were halfway through the upper row of cells, they heard the howl again.
Chuck exchanged a glance with Alex. “That’s definitely coming from below us.”
Alex nodded. She’d been thinking the same thing but wanted to let one of them say it. “Well, let’s not keep our friend waiting.”
She led them down the stairs to the small basement. As they reached the bottom, she instructed Owl to guard the stairs to make sure nothing came at them from behind.
Just like in the other buildings, the basements were divided into two sections: one that housed the mechanical systems, and one that housed four cells. The two sections were separated and walled off from each other. Alex led the way into the area with the cells, and they found three of the doors were open. The fourth was dented from the inside.
“Looks like we found our howler,” Ed whispered.
Alex took a small step toward the closed door. “Looks that way.”
“That thing’s solid steel,” Hope said. “What the hell could have dented it like that?”
“Something that’s been pounding on it for one hundred and fifty years.” Alex took another step forward.
Each of the doors had a slot, to allow in a little light, Alex surmised. As soon as the beam from her headlamp fell across the slot, something slammed against the inside of the door, and the steel boomed like thunder with the force of the impact.
The thing inside the cell crashed against the door again, and this time the boom was accompanied by a cracking sound. The vampire was hitting the door with such force that it was breaking its own bones, Alex realized.
She glanced back at her team. Chuck was visibly shaken, and beads of sweat stood on his forehead. Hope didn’t look to be doing much better.
But everyone was holding fast, waiting for orders.
A sallow, thin finger poked through the slot in the door. Then another. Then a third. The vampire was clearly trying to push its hand through. The hand caught on the one-inch slot, but still the vampire kept pushing. The flesh of its hand tore and peeled back, until the muscles beneath were clearly visible.
The team watched in shocked horror.
After another moment, the vampire pulled back its ruined hand and put its face to the slot.
Alex fired, and the vampire squealed and fell backward.
“Oh hell yeah, Captain!” Patrick shouted.
A whimpering sound from inside the cell confirmed Alex’s suspicions: the thing wasn’t dead yet.
Alex turned to Hope. “We need a one-foot-by-one-foot hole in this door.”
Hope nodded, then pulled the cutting tool out of her pack and went to work.
Alex couldn’t help but think about the last time she’d seen this tool used. Firefly had cut a hole in the floor, allowing them to escape to a vacant level of the nuclear power plant. A short while later, they’d escaped. All of them except Simmons.
Hope finished, and the piece of steel crashed to the floor, exposing the inside of the cell. The team stared in awe, most of them seeing a vampire for the first time.
Alex’s bullet had torn away part of the creature’s face, but as they watched, the wound was already heading. It stumbled forward, letting out a weak moan as it clambered toward the door. Alex considered whether this might be the most wretched creature in existence. The damn thing had spent one hundred fifty years alone in the dark, waiting for her to show up and kill it.
“This is the enemy,” she told the team. “You’ll see plenty more of them in your time with the GMT, but you’ll never forget your first. Take a good hard look.”
She fired two rounds into the creature’s heart, ending its miserable existence.
Alex stood in the doorway of the final building of ADX Florence. They'd successfully cleared the cell blocks, and this was the last building. Unfortunately, they only had an hour and a half of daylight left, and this building was significantly larger than the other eight.
“Alright, folks, this is the time to focus up. We've had good luck so far, but the end of the day doesn't mean things are automatically going to be easy.”
With that, Alex stepped through the door. She immediately tensed at what she saw.
"So much for that good luck, Captain," Ed said as he sidled up beside her.
"You can say that again." Alex looked around, taking in the destruction around them. This building had clearly been the site of a firefight. It reminded her of the nuclear facility in Texas. That place had clearly been torn apart by a major battle, and this building was no different. They passed through a series of open gates, and made their way to a large open common area, surrounded by two levels of cells.
Chuck stepped beside Alex. "Captain, do you think we should —"
She held up a hand, silencing him.
A rustling noise on the second level caught her attention, and she stood stone-still, waiting to see if it would come again.
She didn’t have to wait long before a vampire stumbled out of one of the cells.
Alex remained frozen, her gaze fixed on the vampire as she silently willed her team not to move.
It didn't matter. As the vampire reached the waist-high rail, it breathed deeply through its strange ruined nose, sniffing. Then it glared down at them, and its eyes locked on them.
Alex raised her pistol just as the creature vaulted the rail. It dove down at them, howling as it came. It stretched out its arms, revealing the web-like wings between its arms and torso.
Alex squeezed off three quick shots, killing the vampire before it hit the ground.
“Circle up!" she called to the team. “Eyes on those cells. We don't know how many more of those things are in here.”
A heavy silence filled the air as the team
waited, gazing at the open cells a vampire could leap from at any moment.
“There!” Patrick called. He and Ed fired in unison, peppering the vampire with bullets as it came out of the lower-level cell to their right. The vampire fell backwards with the bullet holes all along its neck and shoulders, but he quickly got up again and lunged towards them.
Patrick and Ed let loose another heavy barrage of fire, and this time they removed the vampire’s head completely from its neck.
Another vampire leapt from a cell on the other side of the room, and Chuck raised his rifle, training it along with the vampire’s movements. The vampire moved around the group, putting Hope’s head directly between Chuck's gun and the creature.
“No!” Alex called. She swung her arm upward, slamming it against the bottom of the barrel just before Chuck fired. Thankfully, the shot went high.
Hope was ready to fire, but she recoiled and put a hand to her ear as Chuck's gun went off so close to her head.
Alex sprang into action. The vampire was heading straight for Hope now, and there was no way Hope would get her gun up in time to stop him.
Alex put three rounds in the vampire's chest. It dropped to the ground, but continued to squirm. Alex was almost glad. She drew her sword then brought it down hard on the vampire’s neck. The decapitated head rolled two feet away.
The team formed back into a circle and waited a tense two minutes, trying to steady their breathing as the adrenaline coursed through them. No more vampires appeared.
When she was sure no more were coming, Alex turned to the team. "Let's keep moving."
There would be time for accolades and reprimands later. For now, they had work to do.
The flight back to New Haven was very different than the one to the prison had been. On the way to the mission, the ship had been filled with tension, a strange mix of fear and excitement. Now it was like the air had been released from a balloon. The tension was gone, but what remained was different from person to person.
Chuck sat in silence, his head down. Alex had yet to address his nearly shooting his teammate. She would do so when they got back, but she wasn't looking forward to the task. Killing vampires she could do; having a difficult conversation with a subordinate was a whole other matter.
