The Death Trilogy (Book 2): The Death: Eradicate

by John W. Vance

  While Gomez kept the guard’s attention focused on him, Travis walked within a foot of him and stopped while Martin swung around to a few feet of the southernmost window of the twenty-foot-by-twenty-foot building.

  “Your name is Wilkens?” Travis asked.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Where you from?”

  “I’m an Arcadian.”

  “Well, would you look at that, he’s an Arcadian,” Travis said as he drew his pistol, placed it under the man’s chin and pressed the trigger.

  The man’s head exploded and he dropped straight to the ground.

  Travis stepped over him, pistol out in front of him. He leveled the sights on the first man he saw and squeezed another round off.

  The startled guard didn’t have time to react and took the bullet in the chest.

  Gomez also sprang into action and fired off several rounds from his M-4 rifle into the other gate guard.

  While this was happening, Martin had pulled the pin, and the spoon from the grenade popped off with a clang. “One one thousand, two one thousand,” he said to himself and tossed the grenade through the window.

  Two seconds later an explosion shook the ground. The other windows blew out followed by black billowing smoke.

  Travis ran up the wooden ramp that led to the front door. The door had been blown off from the explosion. With no concern for his own safety, he entered the smoldering building.

  Martin ran up and entered just a moment behind him. His eyes tried to adjust to the minimal light and smoke, but it was almost impossible. The deafening crack of gunfire hurt his ears and made him jump. He pivoted and walked into Travis. As his eyes focused, he saw Travis standing over the commander, who was still holding a handset. The glow from small fires inside illuminated his bloodied face.

  “Think we were too late?” Martin asked.

  “Not sure, but there’s no turning back. Make sure they’re all dead,” Travis said and stepped to his right.

  Another loud crack sounded followed by three more.

  Martin did as Travis ordered, and he found two men, their bodies twisted in the debris. They looked dead, but just to make sure, he aimed his pistol and squeezed off a round into each one’s head. When he walked out of the smoke, he saw Travis and Gomez waiting.

  “What took you so long?” Travis asked.

  Martin coughed and replied, “I didn’t realize I took that long.”

  “Well, gentlemen, it’s on. I don’t know where it goes from here, but we are fully committed,” Travis said.

  “Just a short drive to the secondary gate and we’ll be inside. Do you think he made contact?” Gomez asked.

  “Right now we have to assume so,” Travis answered.

  The small fires inside had grown and now enveloped the entire building in an intense blaze. The orange glow of the fire cast long shadows of the three men.

  They all looked and knew what they had done and what it meant. Travis was right; there was no turning back now.

  Charleston, South Carolina

  A horn blared loudly three times. The sound carried across the river and echoed over the city and beyond.

  Devin shot straight up and looked around, awoken by the loud blast. The night was pitch dark; with no moon, it made it impossible to see. His eyes slowly adjusted but could only make out some shapes. “Tess, what was that?”

  No response.

  He jumped up and whispered, “Tess, you there?”

  Still no response.

  Devin walked a few feet and whispered again, “Tess, where are you?”

  A dark shadow moved in the distance.

  “Tess, is that you?”

  The shadow drew closer.

  “Tess,” he said loudly.

  “Yeah, it’s me. Why are you shouting?”

  “I’m not. I couldn’t find you.”

  “Thank God for these things,” she said, pulling off the pair of night-vision goggles.

  “Was that horn what I think it was?” Devin asked.

  “Yep, a ship is coming in now. I’d say they’ll be mooring up in a half an hour to an hour. Our window of opportunity will come a bit after that.”

  The sounds of men yelling bounced off the creek and hit their ears.

  “Looks like they’re coming to life,” Devin said.

  “Hey, this might be the last time I get to say it, and I want to get this off my chest.”

  The soft tone in Tess’s voice grabbed him, and he leaned in to listen.

  “I don’t know what’s going to happen tonight, but I think we’re going into the fucking hornets’ nest. I know I can be a hard-ass, foul-mouthed bitch sometimes, but please believe me when I say that you’re a good guy. I like you, Devin Chase, I really do,” she finished and grasped two of his fingers on his right hand.

  Devin sensed this might be his moment to kiss her; he leaned a bit closer.

  She didn’t pull back but seemed to wait.

  He leaned even farther, closing the gap between their lips. He could now smell her breath, a sweet spearmint from her favorite gum. He chuckled to himself that only she had the best apocalyptic breath. Somehow she had found a stash of gum that would last a lifetime. For him, he loved it; he just hoped his breath wasn’t repulsive.

  She hovered, waiting for him.

  He was about to close the gap when a large glow erupted to the north.

  They both looked and saw flames licking the sky. Music followed right after, and they could see shadowy figures dancing around a huge bonfire.

  Frustrated by the interruption, he put his mind back to the task of kissing her, but Tess’s attention was gone, focused on the fire and the task ahead. She released his fingers and said, “Come, time to put the diversion in play.” She briskly walked away towards the Humvee.

  “Damn it,” he muttered under his breath.

  “C’mon, let’s go,” she barked.

  Devin turned and laughed to himself. His timing was sometimes the worst but not always. He asked himself why it had to be bad just then, why then.

  The first part of their rescue attempt required a diversion, and they had one. There was no doubt what they had in mind would work; what they were concerned about was how long it would occupy their attention.

  Devin had identified some large hundred-thousand-gallon tanks of chemicals located a quarter mile away from the loading dock’s main gate. They’d set the explosives, blow the tank, and watch the fireworks commence.

  They arrived at the facility and found it wide open. The gate was a twisted piece of metal on the ground. Clearly someone had gone in looking for things of value.

  Devin was driving and headed directly for the tank he thought would work.

  The darkness was their friend and enemy. It provided them the cover they’d need, but it slowed them down at the same time.

  They parked on the far side of the tank from the shipyard’s gate and went to work.

  Devin had set C-4 only once before, and then he had Daryl to help him. Wanting to ensure the diversion worked, he allowed Tess to set the charges while he kept watch.

  With just a headlamp, she approached the first tank and looked around for anything that told her this tank was suitable.

  Nothing.

  In the distance she saw thirty-six-inch pipes coming out of the tank and disappearing into the pavement. A large valve came off the pipe and was marked with a large red square sign marked ‘Highly flammable’. This was it. She didn’t know what it was, but it would more than likely cause the blast they were looking for. Her little fingers worked diligently and swiftly, inserting blasting caps into the five bricks of C-4 they had.

  The only issue she saw for them was detonation. They couldn’t do it remotely or by a timer; they had to blow it from a short distance away. First, she didn’t know exactly how large the blast would be, and second, they’d have to flee south in a hurry and get their boats launched for phase two.

  The commotion grew louder from the shipyard. Screams, howls and yell
ing continued to boom out across the area. It was obvious they didn’t fear anyone, and for Tess and Devin, that might be to their advantage.

  Devin watched the huge glow to the west and patiently waited.

  “All set. You ready to blow this bitch?” Tess asked.

  “There’s not a better time than now. I heard the ship blare its horn a few more times, and I can see lights from the superstructure. The ship is definitely moored up,” Devin answered.

  “I think we have a few seconds,” Tess said.

  “For what?”

  “This,” she said, then planted a kiss on his lips and pressed her body against his.

  Devin was shocked by the kiss, as there was no warning. He adjusted in a split second and returned the kiss and embrace.

  They held the kiss for a few seconds before she pulled away.

  “I know you meant to do that earlier. I wanted to let you know that,” she said.

  “I did want to, but the ship distracted us.”

  “I know,” she said and caressed his bearded cheek.

  “Tess, I have something to say too.”

  She put her index finger on his lips and said, “Don’t tell me now, tell me on our way back home. I want something to look forward to.”

  “But I want to tell you now.”

  “No, later,” she said. There was no doubt in her mind what he was going to say, and hearing a man tell her that he loved her was not something she was prepared to hear at that moment.

  “I let you talk,” he protested.

  “You’ll just have to wait. I like a man who has patience,” she teased, then continued, “And I don’t just mean waiting to talk.”

  Devin got the hint, and wanting to explore what she meant later, he kept his mouth shut.

  She pulled him down to the ground behind the Humvee, took the firing device in one hand and said, “Let’s go get those kids.” She pressed the handle down several times. There was a brief pause, then an explosion erupted that was like none they had ever seen.

  Denver International Airport

  Martin and Gomez used the short time between checkpoints to get some assets on the inside to the secondary checkpoint. If the commander at the first one had managed to get a call out, they’d have a hell of a time getting through.

  “You know exactly where we’re taking this thing?” Travis asked.

  “Yes, but you should too. This was supposed to be your job, remember?”

  “I know, just making sure you know,” Travis joked.

  “Just be ready to do some damage when we get up there.”

  Martin leaned across the steering wheel and squinted. “Is that muzzle blasts I see up ahead?”

  Travis looked carefully as well to confirm.

  The checkpoint was less than a quarter mile away. There they were seeing small flashes.

  “Why didn’t you get us a Humvee with a gun on it? That would have been helpful right about now,” Travis chided him.

  “Well, excuse me. I didn’t think we’d be going into a fucking firefight.”

  Travis didn’t need to press check his weapons; he was loaded and ready to fight. He wasn’t thrilled that shooting his rifle would be cumbersome, but he’d just have to adapt.

  Martin pressed the accelerator down hard. They closed on the gate quickly but didn’t see anyone manning it; however, they did see people running around in what was definitely a gun battle.

  “What are you doing?” Travis asked. He pushed himself back into the seat cushion and braced himself for impact.

  The arm of the gate was down and they were closing fast. Three hundred feet, two hundred feet, one hundred, fifty, twenty-five, impact! The Humvee plowed through the metal gate arm.

  Out the window Travis saw bodies lying on the ground.

  Martin made the hard turn right and onto the tarmac.

  The gun battle at the gate had drawn an army of soldiers and DHS agents out of the terminal buildings. None of them seemed to notice as they sped past them.

  Another sharp left and they drove into the lower parking structure and deep into the bowels of the airport.

  Travis knew exactly where he was. “Stop, drop me right here!”

  “No, we have to set up the device!” Martin yelled.

  “Drop me here. The brig is just a level up, over there,” he hollered.

  “No, you’re coming with me to set up the bomb. This is our mission.”

  “Stop the fucking vehicle!”

  Martin slammed on the brakes. The Humvee howled as it slid to a stop. “Get the fuck out! Just don’t be late for the extraction; I’m not waiting for your ass!”

  Travis grabbed his radio and jumped out.

  Martin hit the accelerator and sped off deeper into the airport underground levels.

  A single door stood calling Travis. Through here, he’d find an elevator, and just past that, he’d find Lori, or so he hoped.

  “Wake her up,” Horton ordered Mueller.

  Mueller slowly injected the contents of a needle into an IV that sprouted from her left arm. The audible beeps on Lori’s heart monitor increased in tempo as he continued to inject the clear fluid into the line.

  Horton clapped his hands loudly several times, trying to wake her up.

  Her head began to bob around and she slowly opened her eyes.

  “Wake up, Lori. Get up!” Horton yelled.

  The intercom kept repeating over and over again that the base was under attack.

  Horton was concerned about the incident, but he wasn’t about to allow it to stop him from the pleasure he was about to experience.

  She opened her eyes wide each time he yelled at her, but quickly closed them.

  “Wake her up, damn it!” Horton ordered.

  “Not everyone responds to sedation the same way. It might take her a few minutes,” Mueller said, standing to the side in his white lab coat.

  “Give her more, get her up!”

  “But that might not be safe,” Mueller foolishly said.

  “Might not be safe, are you joking? Look at what you just did. Do you think I care?”

  Mueller grabbed a small vial and inserted the needle.

  “What is…where…?” Lori mumbled.

  “Hi, sweetheart, how are you feeling?” Horton asked mockingly.

  She forced her eyes open and looked at him. “What…?”

  Horton snapped his thick fingers in her face.

  She opened her eyes again and blinked repeatedly to focus. Her vision was blurry but coming back after each blink. When he came into focus, her facial expression changed from confusion to anger, with the heart monitor registering the change for all to hear. The straps on her arms prevented her from reflexively striking out at him.

  “Settle down,” he said.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “I’ve got a couple questions for you,” Horton said.

  “I’m not telling you anything,” she said angrily.

  “Why don’t you hear what I have to offer you?”

  “What do you want?”

  “I’m so sorry we never had a chance to talk, you know, to see why you came back.”

  “Where’s my family?”

  “I’ll make you a deal. You tell me everything I need to know and I’ll reconnect you with your family. You’ll be free to be with them.”

  “What did you do to me? I feel numb; my legs are numb.”

  “Do you want to be with your family again?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Then tell me why you came back.”

  “To kill you.”

  “I guess that was an easy question, but you came here with the most unusual weapon to kill me. The great Dr. Mueller here said the substance you tried to poison me with is called polonium-210. That is a very rare substance. Who gave it to you?”

  “I found it.”

  “Do you want to see your family again?”

  “Let me see them now and I’ll tell you where I got it.”

&
nbsp; “My dear Lori, you fail to see that I hold all the cards.”

  “Let me see my son and I’ll tell you everything I know.”

  Horton curled his right eyebrow, intrigued by her offer. “That would be easy, for me to show you Eric, but you seemed to forget I’m the one in control here. Let me know what you know and I’ll give him an antidote.”

  “You can save them?”

  “Tell me who gave you the polonium.”

  “Let me see my son,” she insisted.

  He tensed up, clenching his fists, and walked towards the holding cells where he had seen the woman poisoned earlier in the week.

  “Doctor, raise her up and wheel her over to the second window,” Horton ordered and walked towards the small holding cells in the laboratory.

  After raising her, Mueller wheeled her over to the darkened window. As she noticed her white hospital gown, she again asked, “What are you doing to me?”

  “You clearly don’t understand what’s happening. Maybe you’re a visual person. Dr. Mueller, turn on the lights.”

  Mueller flipped the light switch.

  The light turned on in the room and revealed to her Horton’s true evil.

  When her eyes looked upon the horror in the room, she cried out, “No, no, no, ahhh, no!”

  “Look hard, Lori, this is what happens to people who defy me. This is what you have brought upon yourself.”

  Tears burst from her eyes as she watched David and Eric crawl around on the floor, naked and covered in their own feces, urine and vomit. She looked at Eric and cringed as he shook violently after vomiting up bile and blood.

  “Turn off the light,” Horton ordered.

  Mueller followed his command and the room went dark again.

  “I can reunite you with them and ensure you’re given an antidote; all you need to do is tell me where you got the polonium.”

  Lori slowed her breathing and thought about his offer. Inside she was experiencing an immense struggle. If she didn’t tell him, her family would die for sure. If she did tell him, he’d kill many innocent people and quite possibly her and her family anyway. Trusting him to stand by his word was asking a lot, but allowing your child to die before your eyes was too much to deal with. “Pine Bluffs, Wyoming.”

  “Pine Bluffs, Wyoming. Where the hell is that?” he asked.