Scourge: V Plague Book 14

by Dirk Patton

  “You should do it,” he said abruptly.

  “Do it? Do what?”

  “Speak to the commanders. Take the reins from your uncle and lead.”

  “Are you crazy?” she asked. “I’m nobody! They will not listen to me. Without my uncle, there is no one for them to follow!”

  “There is you!” Igor said forcefully. “Because of your uncle, many of them know you personally. If not, they know of you. If they are as fearful for the future as I suspect, they will welcome someone familiar.”

  “Igor, I am only a Captain. And a woman!” Irina exclaimed, standing up to face him. “Besides, I have been branded a traitor. They will dismiss me outright!”

  “Catherine the first! Catherine the Great! Empress Elizabeth!” Igor named off the three most revered women to ever lead Russia. “They will not dismiss you because you are a woman! No true Russian would. The rest is unimportant, as long as you demonstrate strength and a path forward to save what remains of our people.”

  Irina stared at him, unsure what to say. She wanted to argue, but try as she might, she couldn’t find a flaw in his logic. For centuries, Russia had shown herself to be a nation that would willingly follow strength, regardless of the gender of the person wielding power.

  “There will be opposition,” she said softly. “Those who desire power for themselves. Power for the sake of power.”

  “Then we shall deal with those as they come.”

  Igor drew his knife, holding it up to glint in the faint moonlight. A fearsome grin spread across his face as he slowly twisted the blade in the air.

  “I always have been, and always shall be by your side. None shall touch you while I draw breath. We ran from our country because of the horrors brought by a madman. I do not regret anything we have done, but it is time to return. To save our people!”

  Irina stared at him, heart swelling with love and pride as he spoke. Stepping close, she stretched up on her toes and gently kissed his lips.

  “Where do we start?” Irina asked, looking into his eyes.

  “We call our American friends and ask for their help,” Igor said.

  She nodded, stepping away as he brought the encrypted sat comm unit out of his coat. Moving from beneath the sheltering branches, he activated the device and handed it to Irina.

  “My English still needs improvement,” he said.

  She smiled and took the unit from him, unreeling a corded plug and inserting it into her ear. The call was answered quickly and within a few seconds she was speaking with Captain West. She explained the current situation, then what her intentions were before asking for the help of the United States.

  West asked a few questions, then asked her to hold. He was back on the circuit quickly, Admiral Packard joining them. The spoke for nearly fifteen minutes. Before the connection was broken, the Admiral promised to fully support Irina.

  “What did they say?” Igor asked when she handed the unit back.

  “We have Admiral Packard’s full support,” she said with a smile. “There are currently difficulties in Australia, but he assured me that Barinov and the senior commanders in residence with him will soon be dead.”

  “Then who will support your plan?”

  “We must go to California. That is where all the next level of senior commanders have gone. The bulk of our remaining military assets are already there, and they are overseeing the arrival of our people and the occupation of Los Angeles and San Diego.”

  Igor looked at her a moment before throwing back his head and laughing.

  “What is so funny?” Irina demanded, crossing her arms across her chest.

  “I do not know American geography well, but weren’t we just within walking distance of California?”

  Irina glared at him a moment before smiling and shrugging.

  “We were. But was it not good to stand on our native soil again?”

  Igor smiled at her and nodded.

  “I miss it,” he said, looking around. “Did the Admiral say how we are supposed to get to California?”

  “We have to make it to the coast. He can pick us up there,” Irina answered.

  “The coast!” Igor exclaimed. “That is more than two thousand kilometers!”

  “Afraid of a little walk?” Irina asked, reaching out and taking his hand.

  43

  I held on target, waiting. Hoping the shooter would take just two more steps forward. He was easy to see where he stood, but there were two trees directly between us, swaying gently in the night wind. Sure, I could have taken a shot, but the probability of striking my target was just too low. Even a small branch can deflect the path of a bullet enough to cause a miss, and if that happened I would lose whatever tiny advantage I had.

  The buzz of the police helicopter grew louder as even more sirens screamed. It was only a matter of seconds before the entire area would be flooded with nervous cops, looking for whoever had been shooting. With aerial support, they’d start spreading out and the only way to escape was going to require a fight. I wasn’t going to start shooting cops. I didn’t have a quarrel with them.

  Lowering the rifle, I turned and looked at the far end of the culvert. The storm channel continued in the open after exiting the far side of the street, running for fifty yards or so before making a bend to the right. I checked on the shooter, who had retreated a few steps and was speaking on a radio or phone. Probably calling someone in authority who could smooth the way for him with the police.

  “Let’s go,” I said to Rachel when I made the only decision I could. “Leave your rifle.”

  “What?” she said, still unmoving.

  “Just do it,” I said, dropping mine and the set of NVGs into the dirt that had been washed into the tunnel. All I kept was a pistol and knife, which weren’t too effective against a sniper. “We can’t conceal them and all they’ll do is draw attention. Now, move!”

  She did as I said and we hurried to the far end, pausing before emerging into the open. Dog stayed at my side as I took a second to stick my head out and scan the area. For the moment, it was clear.

  “Okay,” I said to Rachel without taking my attention off our front. “We’re just a couple out for an evening stroll with our dog.”

  I moved forward, Dog and Rachel staying close. Scrambling out of the ditch, I looked around quickly then grabbed her hand and headed across an empty parking lot towards a distant street.

  “What do we do if the police catch us?” Rachel asked, the concern clear in her voice.

  “We act like we’re confused about why they’re interested and stick to our story. Just walking our dog and minding our own business.”

  My head was on a swivel as we moved and I increased my pace when I didn’t see any cops ready to swoop in and detain us. Even more sirens were coming fast and the roar of the helo was loud as it orbited only a block away. A brilliant spotlight stabbed down through the darkness as it checked something.

  We reached the edge of the parking lot and transitioned into a residential area that bordered the commercial buildings. The road was narrow, lined with small homes on the far side. None of them had driveways, the owners having to park on the street. Crossing, I turned us left, away from the center of the activity.

  “Keep your eyes on the cars,” I said to Rachel. “If you see one with keys in it, we’re going to take it.”

  She didn’t answer, but turned her head to check each vehicle we passed.

  There was no one else out on the street and this worried me. We would be immediately noticeable. Most of the houses were dark, people who had to get up and go to work the next morning already in bed. So far, the sirens and orbiting helicopter hadn’t brought any of them outside to see what was going on.

  “Should we go into a house?” Rachel asked.

  Before I could respond to what wasn’t a bad idea, a police car turned out of a side street a block to our front. Its siren was silent, but the roof lights were strobing brilliantly in the night and a roof mounted light was bein
g played across the lawns and parked cars. It took the cops about two seconds to spot us.

  “Keep your cool,” I said to Rachel as the vehicle’s engine roared.

  I brought us to a stop, just like law-abiding citizens, and stood holding Rachel’s hand. We were caught in the beam of the cop’s light and it stayed solidly on us as the car screeched to a stop a few yards away. Both front doors opened, but I couldn’t see the officers behind the glare.

  “Please stay where you are!” a voice shouted.

  The man may have said ‘please’, but there was no mistaking that this was a command, not a request. I slowly raised a hand to shield my eye.

  “What’s wrong officer?” I called, using my newly acquired Aussie accent.

  “Please keep your hands in sight, sir,” the same voice called.

  A moment later, a dark figure stepped between two cars to our front. The man slowly came forward to the edge of the light and I could see his uniform. Saw the sergeant’s stripes and a pair of hard eyes evaluating us. This guy had obviously been around the block a few times and wasn’t going to be easy to fool. I cut my eye to the side, noting that his partner had remained at the vehicle, behind the light. All I could make out was his form, hunched over the roof. That most likely meant he had a weapon aimed in our direction, covering us as the other one approached.

  “What’s your business this evening?” the cop to my front asked.

  Dog was seated next to me and rumbled a low growl, drawing the officer’s attention. His hand moved onto the butt of a holstered pistol and I quickly put a hand on Dog’s head to calm him.

  “Sir, I asked a question. Where are you coming from?” he asked again.

  “We’re just out walking our dog before going to bed,” I said, trying to sound frightened. “What’s wrong? What did we do?”

  “I need to see some ID, please, sir,” he said. “You and the lady, both.”

  “I didn’t bring my wallet,” I said, turning to Rachel. “Honey, do you have yours?”

  “I left my purse,” Rachel said, releasing my hand and making a helpless gesture.

  The cop was quiet for a moment, probably frustrated that this was taking longer than it should have. We weren’t presenting an image of people who had just been shooting up the city, but he had enough time on the job that something was tickling a warning in his head.

  “Why isn’t your dog leashed?” he asked, surprising me.

  “I’m sorry, officer. He’s very well behaved and I just didn’t bring it. My fault for being lazy,” I said, hoping the admission would mollify him.

  “Please stay where you are with your hands in sight,” he said after a long pause.

  He disappeared back between the cars, returning to his vehicle. Just like an innocent civilian, I shielded my eye from the spotlight and watched him approach and speak briefly with his partner. While they were talking, the helicopter drew closer and suddenly we were bathed in the blinding light of its spot. Rachel and I both looked up, just like anyone would, but I was taking the opportunity afforded by the large diameter of illumination to scan our surroundings.

  There were faces peering out from several house windows, but I wasn’t concerned about them. As the helicopter circled in a tight orbit with us pinned at the center of its light, I searched the edge of the commercial office buildings on the far side of the street. At first, all seemed calm, then a flash of movement on the roof of a one-story building drew my attention.

  “Down!” I screamed, pulling Rachel with me as I fell to the sidewalk.

  I felt the shockwave of a bullet pass overhead, hearing the crack of its supersonic passage. The cops immediately began yelling for us to stop and I was certain they had their weapons out. Rolling, I shoved Rachel against the side of a vehicle for protection and grabbed Dog, pushing him against her.

  “Sniper behind you!” I screamed at the cops, but they either couldn’t hear over their own shouted commands, or they didn’t believe me.

  Both moved onto the sidewalk this time, one on either side of us. They had drawn their pistols and aimed them at us, screaming commands as they cautiously approached. I screamed back that there was a shooter across the street, but they ignored me and kept advancing.

  From behind, there was the roar of an engine. Probably more cops coming. Tires screeched in the street and the sergeant glanced at the source of the sound, swiveling his aim in that direction an instant later. He was opening his mouth to shout a warning to his partner when his head suddenly dissolved into a cloud of pink mist.

  Getting to my knees and keeping my head below the level of the car’s windows I was sheltering behind, I drew my pistol and scrambled to the rear bumper. The other cop was aiming his weapon at the street, shouting for someone to drop their gun. I screamed for him to get down an instant before his chest was blown out and he tumbled dead to the ground.

  Taking a fast peek, I saw a compact SUV sitting dark in the middle of the street, two men armed with rifles dashing for the line of cars I was hiding behind. I fired two fast shots, one of them stumbling before I lost sight of him.

  The helicopter was still orbiting, the pilot keeping the light focused directly on us. He had failed to notice the sniper, only concerned with the two cops who had been shot. His light suddenly went dark and a few seconds later there was the sound of broken glass falling to the street. The sniper was engaging the helo.

  “Get in the cop car! RUN!” I shouted to Rachel, keeping my pistol trained on where I expected the two new attackers to appear.

  I couldn’t tell if she had done as I said, and didn’t have time to check. A head had just popped up over a car, then automatic rifle fire chattered in the night. Bullets tore into the trunk and rear window next to me as I fired two more shots. I don’t know if either found their mark, but the head disappeared.

  Hoping the sniper was otherwise occupied, I stayed low and dashed for the police car. As I moved, the sound of the helicopter changed to a pounding roar, as if it were making sudden maneuvers. I couldn’t tell if it was trying to avoid incoming fire or if it was crippled and about to crash down onto my head.

  More bullets came my way as I ran and I returned fire without aiming, simply hoping to keep the shooter’s head down. The car was just ahead, pointed to my left. The closest door on the driver’s side, standing open. I could see Rachel and Dog inside, waiting for me and I dove for the opening. There were two sharp tugs on my leg, then I crashed into the interior of the vehicle and reached for a steering wheel that wasn’t there. In the heat of the adrenaline-fueled firefight, I’d forgotten that in Australia, the driver sits on the right side of the car.

  “Go!” I screamed at Rachel who was gripping the wheel. “Get us out of here!”

  Part of my body was still hanging out of the open door when she slammed the selector into reverse and floored the accelerator. I held on for dear life as the vehicle surged, then more bullets slammed into the windshield. There was a yelp from Dog in the back seat and one of the side windows facing the sniper’s position shattered as another round screamed in.

  I managed to pull myself fully into the vehicle an instant before Rachel sideswiped several parked cars, shearing off the still open door on my side with a rending crash of metal. Correcting, she tore at the wheel and we went into a sideways skid as the rear window was blown out by more incoming fire. Another tug, this time on my chest, but I ignored it.

  The car came to a stop, having completely swapped directions while it was sliding. Rachel jerked the transmission into drive and we shot forward. She yanked the wheel to the right, whipping us through a turn into a side street and kept on the power as we sped away from the area.

  “You okay?” I shouted over the roaring engine.

  “I’m fine, check Dog!” she yelled, focusing on driving.

  Turning, I froze when I saw him stretched across the rear seat. He stared back at me with pain filled eyes as blood pulsed from a hole in his chest. For a few seconds, I couldn’t move, then with a cry of
fear I climbed into the back, ignoring the blood that slicked my chin when I coughed.

  Squeezing into the small foot well between the front and rear seats, I leaned over him, tears streaming down my face. Dog tried to raise his head, but I placed mine on the bloody seat in front of his and stared into his eyes. He whined softly, then gently licked my cheek. A sob escaped my mouth when his eyes closed with a final sigh.

  I stayed there, arm draped over his body, unable to move. Pain blossomed through my chest and I shivered, suddenly cold. As if from a far-off place, I heard Rachel calling my name. Ever so slowly, I lifted my head. Why was it so heavy? Looking down, I saw the blood soaking the front of my shirt and stared in surprise. Where had it all come from?

  “John!” Rachel called again.

  It wasn’t my name, but the pain and distress in her voice that made me look up. I met her eyes in the mirror and shook my head. Didn’t understand why she appeared so drawn and pale. Tried to reach for her, but didn’t have the strength to raise my arm.

  I stared at the mirror in confusion for a moment, then realized that I’d been shot in the chest. Remembered the tug of the bullet as we were escaping. I should have applied pressure to slow the bleeding, but I was warm and comfortable now, sitting next to Dog with my hand on his scruff.

  Rachel’s head dipped briefly and I felt the car swerve, the motion bringing her back to alertness. She held a hand to her upper abdomen and it finally registered with me that the lower half of her shirt and her pants were saturated with blood. Raising her eyes to the mirror, she mouthed “I love you,” before slumping against the door.

  We were traveling fast. I couldn’t see the speedometer, but cars and buildings flashed past the side windows at a furious pace. In fascination, I watched as a concrete bridge abutment loomed large in the windshield. Time stretched out as we sped directly at it.

  44

  The CIC was hushed as Jessica and Admiral Packard stared at the massive display mounted to the front wall of the room. They had watched the firefight in Australia in real time and a sob had sounded from her when the police car slammed headlong into a bridge. The vehicle disintegrated on impact, debris tumbling through the air, then the ruptured fuel tank ignited and it vanished in an intense ball of flame.