Blue Plague (Book 7): Hope
Page 46
“I wanted you scrubbed down first, but knew I had to get my Taser and Ted wouldn’t let me in the rig until I was scrubbed down,” Carl said following Bruce.
Jumping down, Bruce saw a group scrubbing down Bonnie as they stripped her. As they took her top off, Bruce saw Bonnie tense up. “Bonnie!” Bruce snapped, making everyone jump. “You are Omega and we fear nothing.”
“Yes, sir,” Bonnie said, lifting her chin as the group stripped her and washed her down.
Seeing Bonnie relax, Bruce looked over and saw a troop washing his sword. “Careful, it’s sharp,” Bruce said as a group moved over to him, stripping him down. When the cold bleach water hit him, Bruce sucked in a breath but didn’t move.
When his clothes and gear were off, Bruce saw a pair of boots land beside him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Buffy standing on the roof of the MRAP. “Oh, you can go get ‘hands on’ with the blue bitches but yell at me?” she said, tossing down a pair of boxers.
“Unlike you, I am ten-foot-tall and bulletproof,” Bruce grinned.
Crossing her arms over her chest, Buffy grinned. “I will be one day,” she said.
“On that, I have no doubt,” Bruce said, putting his boxers on.
Buffy tossed Bonnie some clothes as Ted ran up. “Hey boss, you need to let us know your plans,” Ted said, stopping in front of him. “I mean, just leaving me and Buffy like that was rude.”
Shrugging his shoulders, “It just came to me. That was the fastest way to clear off the roofs, so the troops inside could help,” Bruce said, climbing back up on the MRAP. “What are the losses?”
“Four rigs here were breached with a loss of twenty-two. One was overrun before they buttoned up. The other three, the blues broke through the bulletproof glass with their bare hands,” Ted said, climbing up and lowering his voice. “Boss, we have four that are infected here.”
Watching the destruction around them, Bruce sighed. “Call in choppers for them and take them back to Hope, so they can be with their families until the end.”
“Boss, we have a rule, ‘No infected inside the walls’,” Carl said, moving over to them. “I’m sorry, but that is a good fucking rule.”
Nodding, Bruce looked back at Ted. “Ted, have an area set up outside the wall. Keep the wounded under guard until they are ready. If they aren’t, let them pass, then shoot them.”
“On it, boss,” Ted said, raising his radio to his mouth.
Bruce looked over as Bonnie climbed up, wearing a t-shirt and boots. “Until you learn to ride the wave, you will stay beside Buffy,” Bruce said looking at her.
Nodding, Bonnie looked down as Buffy smiled. “Hey, it’s great.”
Dropping down in his rig, Bruce grabbed his rucksack and pulled out more clothes, “Have the decontamination team put a rush on my tactical vest,” he said getting dressed.
“You have another one, boss,” Carl said, pointing in the corner.
Pulling his shirt on, Bruce froze and looked up at Carl. “That is my heavy vest and be damned if I put that on unless shit is bad,” he snapped. “I made a promise not to wear that unless it was absolutely necessary. I’m not pushing my luck with pregnant wives, dumbass.”
Nodding, Carl grinned. “Understand completely.”
Climbing back out on the roof, Bruce looked around at the sea of bodies. “Call the air wing and let them know to hold up. We are heading to second battalion,” Bruce said.
The grin fell off Carl’s face as he grabbed his radio. “You got it, boss.”
Buffy moved over beside Bruce and leaned her head on his arm. “Danny will understand,” she said in a small voice.
Putting his arm around Buffy, Bruce pulled her close. “I know, but it still hurts, knowing you lost troops,” he said.
“Boss, what about the rigs here?” Carl asked as Ted joined them.
“Have the command group retrieve them. We will take the survivors with us to second bat,” Bruce said as the ground shook violently.
They all turned to see another B-52 dropping bombs to the north. “Man, those boys give a new meaning to free fire zone,” Ted huffed.
“Where is Willie?” Bruce asked, letting Buffy go and moving back to the cupola.
“He’s almost in Lakeside,” Ted said, moving behind his minigun. Looking over the side at the sea of bodies, he shook his head. “That got real interesting, boss.”
Hearing someone running behind him, Bruce turned to see one of the troops carrying his gear. “Shit, that was fast,” he said as the young man jumped from the rig behind them over to his.
“Here is your gear, sir. Sorry, but the vest is still a little damp,” the young man said, holding out Bruce’s vest and weapons.
Taking his gear, Bruce chuckled, “I’m sure I’ll survive.”
The young man saluted and ran off. Bruce looked over at Carl. “Since when did we start saluting?”
“Ah, you’re the boss,” Carl said.
Putting his vest on, Bruce shook his head. “I always swore to never become an officer and now I’m the one in charge.”
“Why do you think everyone wants to be in the fighting force, boss?” Ted said, bending down and scooping shell casings into empty ammo cans. “Sure, they want to help fight but hell, fighting with you in charge? They know they aren’t alone and the one at the top gives a shit about them.”
“Boss, you want all air stopped?” Carl asked, holding his hand over his ear so he could hear the radio bud.
Bruce turned to the west and saw a line of A-10s unleashing hell several miles away. “Nope, just tell them I want a corridor to return to second battalion,” he said turning to Carl. “You let them know if they shoot at me, we will shoot back.”
Nodding, Carl talked into the radio as Ted continued scooping up the brass casings in the rig. “Damn right, we will,” he mumbled. “May not do any good, but be damned if I go down without a fight.”
Bruce chuckled as Bonnie climbed out dressed. “Sorry I froze up, sir,” she said in a timid voice.
Glancing over at Bonnie, Bruce grinned. “Bonnie, you didn’t freeze up,” he said then glanced over the sea of bodies around them. “You were enjoying the moment, but you need to do that later.”
Remembering the fear she felt when she saw the blues charging her, Bonnie suppressed a shudder. “Um, no, I’m pretty sure I wet my pants.”
Checking his gear, Bruce turned to see a Blackhawk flying in. “Like I said, you were excited,” Bruce chuckled. “You charged in when others would’ve run away and hid. What you did was the act of a warrior.”
Thinking about it as she looked over the sea of dead, Bonnie shrugged. “Be damned if I was going to listen to Carl call me a pussy.”
Buffy dropped down in the rig, dug in her rucksack and then climbed back on the roof. Holding out her hand, “Here,” she said and Bonnie looked down to see Buffy was holding a Benchmade switchblade. “It’s a good knife.”
Smiling, Bonnie took the knife, “Thank you,” she said and pressed the button, making the blade snap out.
“Give it a name and treat it well,” Buffy said, walking away and climbing into the cupola. “When something bad gets close, stab the shit out of it.”
Reaching over, Bruce grabbed Bonnie’s arm. “You use your damn guns first,” he said in a low voice.
“Yes, sir,” Bonnie said with relief.
Reloading the machine guns, Buffy shook her head, “I’m going to start bringing my sword.”
“Bullshit,” Bruce snapped. “You have almost cut your leg off twice practicing with it.”
“How can I get good with it if I can’t use it fighting?” Buffy snapped back.
Moving over to help Buffy load the guns, Bruce huffed. “Buffy, swinging a sword takes skill and that skill only comes with practice. A gun is much easier to get proficient with, but a sword never runs out of ammo.”
“Yeah, that’s why I want to start using it,” she mumbled.
As the Blackhawk took off with the wounded, Carl moved over
to Bruce. “Stephanie said they have a corridor open for us,” he said as Bonnie kept flipping the blade of her knife open. “Bonnie, guns first,” he said in a low voice.
“Yes, sir,” Bonnie said, closing the knife and clipping it to her vest.
“Carl, we are going to find you a knife to bond with,” Buffy said, wiping sweat off her brow.
“Have one,” Carl said as another B-52 rolled in to the north. “Boss, we need to do something to the rigs, so the blues can’t bash their way in if a crew has to button up.”
Looking up at Carl, “Already have plans for that,” Bruce said. “We will weld bars over the windows, which should buy the crews more time until help arrives.”
“You think blues can rip welded bars off?” Carl gasped.
Nodding, “Oh, I’m sure they can. Carl, they smashed through six inches of bulletproof glass. If you have a hundred fists continuously pounding, anything will give, unless you are encased in pure armor,” Bruce said. “Hell, I think twenty pulling at the same time will be enough to yank the bars off.”
Carl dropped down in the rig, “That is bullshit,” he mumbled and helped Ted gather up the brass on the floor.
Climbing into the cupola behind Buffy, Bruce grabbed his radio. “Command group, prepare to roll in ten minutes,” he called out.
Standing with her back to Bruce’s chest, Buffy looked up at him. “You think the Mommas are going to unload on you for yanking out your sword?” she asked timidly.
Shrugging his shoulders, “Don’t know,” Bruce sighed. “If they do, I can guarantee you, I’ll sit there and take it.”
Ten minutes later, they pulled out and headed toward second battalion. Being the second vehicle in the convoy, Buffy grinned at the plow truck in front of them. “We need a big plow,” she grinned, watching the blue bodies fly away.
“No and I’ve told you why,” Bruce said.
Looking ahead, Buffy sighed, “I know, the bosses shouldn’t get tied up leading but come on, having one would be cool every once and a while, just plowing through.”
Giving a long sigh, “Alright, we will have one put on,” Bruce said.
“I want to help,” Buffy clapped. “I have to help rebuild that other one, so I can help put a kick ass plow on.”
Looking up at the sky, “I swear, I was never unfaithful to you,” Bruce mumbled.
Chapter 35
In Jacksonville two days later at the naval air station, Angela and Stephanie walked out of the command vehicle, each carrying a handbag. Stephanie looked around as a plane landed on the runway. “Just how many planes are coming in?” she asked, blocking the sun with her hand.
“Nancy said they were flying all family members of those in the field down,” Angela said, taking her right foot out of flip flops she was wearing. Knocking a small rock off, she put the flip flop back on. “She never gave me a number.”
Both were in panties and bra, but nobody noticed. Everyone in the area was in underwear and standing in lines to the semi-trailers that housed showers. Beside the trailers was a huge tent with rows of sinks and tables set up.
“Hey, girls,” a voice said to their right and both turned to see Mike and Nancy walking over, holding hands.
“Hey, guys,” Angela smiled and looked behind them. “Where are the babies?”
“Marcus and Carroll took them down to the beach,” Nancy said as they stopped in front of the two.
Mike looked around at the mass of troops and families. “Where is Bruce?”
“He should be pulling in now,” Stephanie said.
“Have you two torn him apart for his last stunt yet?” Mike asked with a worried face.
“No,” they said together and Mike closed his eyes.
“Mike,” Stephanie said. “We aren’t going to chew his ass.”
As his mouth fell open, Mike stumbled back. “Um, why?”
“Mike, Bruce has to stay who he is,” Angela said. “We wanted him to get back out and told him to lead from the field.”
“I thought the command group agreed Bruce should lead from here?” Nancy said, waving at the command vehicle.
“Please,” Stephanie scoffed. “Surely, none of you thought he could do that.”
“Well, yes, I did,” Mike said, shaking his head.
“Mike, Bruce can’t and to be honest, the troops wouldn’t like it,” Angela said. “We just needed to see that he could be the old Bruce.”
Letting Mike’s hand go, Nancy stepped closer. “He’s Bruce, what else could he be?”
“Nancy, since he’s come back to us, Bruce has been very hesitant to jump on the wave,” Angela said in a low voice. “He was worried it would bring back memories he didn’t want.”
“He needed to know he could fight, and we needed to know he could ride the wave,” Stephanie said with a sigh. “When he’s on the wave, I’m not really worried about him. But if he would’ve tried to fight without riding the wave and only getting on when he was pushed, I would’ve been terrified.”
“So, neither of you are even mad?” Mike asked bewildered.
“Nope,” they both said and smiled.
Nancy smiled and looked down at their enormous bellies. “I take it you’re going to shower?”
“Hell, yes,” Angela said.
Mike moved beside Nancy and waved at the command vehicle. “Guys, it has a shower.”
“Mike,” Stephanie snapped, making him step back. “That damn shower is so little, I have to stand sideways and step out to turn around. Bruce can’t even fit in the damn thing.”
“Shit, I’m cramped in the shoebox shower,” Angela snorted.
“Ew, hot women,” they heard Bruce’s voice shout out. They all turned to see him walking over, carrying a shaving bag and his rifle and wearing boxers.
“Babe, I don’t feel like a hottie,” Stephanie whined. “I have fur on my legs and shaving them in that shoebox shower is not possible.”
“I can’t even bend over to shave my legs with your kid jumping on my bladder,” Angela huffed.
Walking over, Bruce wrapped them in a hug, “I’ll shave your legs.”
Angela pushed back enough to look up at him. “Thank you,” she sighed with adoration.
“So, you two aren’t mad about the sword?” Bruce asked with a cringe.
“You better be glad I’m pregnant,” Stephanie almost growled. “That was so hot.”
Choking on his saliva, Bruce coughed, “What?”
“You heard her,” Angela grinned, reaching around and grabbing his butt.
Dropping his arms, Bruce tried to step back but the two stepped with him. “Who are you two and what have you done with my wives?” he asked as both lunged. “Ow, shit that hurts!” he shouted as both bit his chest.
Mike grabbed Nancy and pulled her back. “I think we need to leave,” he said.
Bruce looked down at the two latched on his chest. Pushing them back didn’t even enter his mind. “Guys,” he whined and they let go. “Shit,” he mumbled and rubbed his chest.
“Hey, don’t look so hot then,” Angela snorted.
Putting his arms over their shoulders, Bruce headed to the line for the showers. “Have to say, having a co-ed army is rather weird at times like this,” he said looking at the lines.
Nancy and Mike walked with them and soon, they saw all the kids standing in line. One trailer was for men and the other for women. “We need more shower trailers,” Nancy said.
“I already told Joe and Harry,” Stephanie said, coming to a stop and looking at the kids. All were in underwear, but it was the scars that covered their young bodies that made her stop.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Bruce asked in a low voice, seeing the shock on Stephanie’s face.
Wiping a tear away, “Nothing,” she said.
Danny walked over, looking at the protruding bellies. “Man, I better not get that big,” she said, shaking her head.
Angela grabbed her belly and looked down at it, “Get off my bladder!” she screeched.
As Danny grabbed Angela and Stephanie, Stephanie looked at Bruce with hard eyes. “When your kids get out, I’m kicking something’s ass!” she bellowed, looking at the tortuous scar on Danny’s left upper arm.
Nodding, Bruce let them go as Danny pulled them to the shower trailer. “You point at it and I’ll hold it the fuck down, so you can kill it with a butter knife,” Bruce vowed.
“Shit,” Angela yelled and grabbed her crotch, closing her legs together.
Nancy took off running, coming up behind Angela and scooped her up in her arms, “Ladies, move your asses!” Nancy shouted, carrying Angela.
“I have Herman!” Buffy shouted and the crowd moved out of the way, letting them pass.
Several of the female troops ran over, grabbing the shower bags Angela and Stephanie had dropped and followed them up the stairs into the trailer. When they were inside, Bruce saw several other pregnant women in line but on his orders, none over five months could go into the field. He didn’t want them too far away from medical care, but be damned if he was enforcing it with Angela and Stephanie. If anyone else wanted to try, he would just help the girls hide the body later.
“What the hell was that about?” Mike asked.
“Don’t know,” Bruce said and just walked away, heading to the men’s shower trailer. “Sorry troops, but I need to be done before the wives or hell will follow,” he said and the line stepped aside.
“What did we miss?” Ted asked, walking up with Carl.
Shrugging his shoulders, “I can’t even begin to guess,” Mike said.
Mike talked with Ted, Carl, and the boys for ten minutes and looked up to see Bruce walking back. “Bruce, you know they won’t be done anytime soon, you could’ve taken your time,” Mike huffed.
“Dude, I have to shave their legs and I don’t want them waiting,” Bruce said, moving over to a sink. Walking around, Mike grabbed two chairs and brought them over, setting them down behind Bruce.