“No. Not yet. But you should plan on danger coming our way, sooner rather than later,” Jaworski said. “I and the rest of the task force senior staff were wondering if it might make more sense to relocate your families here in the near future, provided they don’t elect the leave the area, which might be the wisest choice. Obviously, you all have a lot of important work to do, and if the necromorphs arrive in force… well, I wouldn’t want to be worrying about my immediate family if I had to concentrate on what I was doing.”
Blye nodded. “I see what you mean.”
“If dependents do decide to come inside, we’ll assist you in any way we can in that,” Jaworski said. “We’re obviously very focused on hardening the site, making it as inaccessible as possible while we constitute our forces. So moving your families in isn’t our number one priority right now, nor is it likely to be. But it is an option you might want to offer your employees. And it would be good to get me the number of potential dependents so we can start ramping up the logistics. Of course, all those people will need to be housed and fed. Even though the office park seems pretty well appointed from what little I’ve seen, I’m sure it wasn’t built to support several hundred people twenty-four-seven without a little help.”
“No, it wasn’t. We have some excess space available, but not enough to accommodate the numbers we’re probably going to see.” Blye looked down the table at an older man with deeply tanned skin and a face that had seen more than its share of the hot Texas sun. “Ed, what do you think?”
“Personally? I think we’re gonna get wallered down somethin’ fierce.” Ed’s accent was Texas. “If’n the colonel there says we should think about gettin’ our kin inside whatever walls he’s gonna throw up ’round the place, we’d better get on that. Colonel, I’m Ed Wallace. I’m the facility manager here. I’ve already met the engineers, but you and I haven’t had the pleasure yet.”
“Well, we can consider that done now,” Jaworski said. “Good to make your acquaintance, Mister—”
“Pardon me for interruptin’, but it’d be better if you were to just call me Ed, Colonel.”
“Ed it is. Anyway, if you can maybe take some time to talk to Major Guardiola—he’s the head engineer—and Captain Chase here, we could probably start getting some kind of action plan put together. Like I said, we can’t start paying full attention to relocating folks just yet, but it is an action item.”
“Will do.” Wallace looked back at Blye. “In the meantime, Bob, I’m going to start sending some of the boys into town to bring back some extra helpings of everything we can get our hands on. Food, water, all kinds of consumables. We’ll start a stockpile in the basement, if you’ll authorize the expenditures.”
“Let’s get a list together first,” Blye said. “I’m sure you know what you’re doing, but we can’t just start buying up half of Odessa.”
“Not so sure waitin’s gonna be a good thing to do,” Wallace said. “We’re not the only people to think of this, and a lot of folks in town have probably already noticed Colonel Jaworski’s people passing through and settin’ up camp here. I’d imagine a sudden military buildup is going to make some people nervous, and they’ll start buying up whatever they think they might need while we dicker back and forth about it here.”
Jaworski fought to keep a smile from breaking out across his face. This is one old cuss who has his head screwed on straight. “Mister Wallace—sorry, Ed—probably has it right, Mister Blye. If you folks intend to start collecting an inventory of supplies, I wouldn’t wait long. Buy as many perishable food items as you can and plan on eating those first, then move through the non-perishables. Buy batteries, propane, gasoline, flashlights. Hell, this is Texas, buy up all the guns and ammo you can, too.”
Blye seemed overwhelmed by the turn in the conversation. “I-I’m sorry Colonel, but are we really at that point now? That we should start buying guns and bring them here? This office park is a designated gun-free zone—”
“Aw, like hell it is,” Wallace threw in.
“—and I’m not sure the majority of our employees would feel safe if we, and by we, I mean the management, were to start stockpiling weapons on the premises—”
Jaworski raised his hand. “Whatever, Mister Blye. It doesn’t necessarily matter to me. It was just a suggestion. But I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to protect myself, if I were you. You can never be too safe in these kinds of circumstances. But all of that aside, start planning to be cut off for the long haul. Communicate this to your employees, and come up with a plan that will allow everyone to relocate here in the event of an emergency. These zombie things, they tend to infest an area very quickly, so the more prepared everyone is, the better off they’ll be. But this is up to you folks to decide. We’ll support you in any way we can, but it’s your call. You know what the government is looking for you to do, so that’s got to be your focus. You have to develop whatever treatment Safire came up with, and then manufacture it in great enough numbers so we can start shipping it around the country.”
“Yes, we get that,” Blye said.
“Glad to hear it. Can I get a list of critical staff members who will be responsible for this effort?” Jaworski asked. “I don’t care what their position is inside the company, but I want the names of anyone and everyone who will have a hand in the development, manufacture, and shipping of this drug.”
“That’s likely to be a long list,” Blye said. “Why do you need it?”
“Because I need to know who’s essential staff and who isn’t. I need to know who’s actually responsible for doing what we need to have done. And I’ll want that list as soon as possible.”
Bly gestured toward a Hispanic woman at the end of the table. “Geraldine? Can HR pull that information together?”
The portly woman pushed oversized glasses up on her broad nose. She didn’t look at Jaworski or Chase when she spoke, but there was a substantial amount of disdain in her voice. “That’s asking a lot, Bob. I’m thinking we would need to do a policy review before we can hand over a list like that. Normally, we don’t share the personal information of our employees without it being thoroughly vetted. And Legal would have to weigh in on that, right, Malcom?”
She looked at a skinny black man sitting two chairs away. He looked at the Blackberry in his hands. “That’s usually how we do it, yeah,” he said, but there wasn’t a lot of conviction in his voice.
Jaworski sighed. “Look, folks, the reason behind the request should be glaringly obvious. These folks are essential to completing the mission, and I need to know who they are. It’s pretty simple.”
“It might be simple for you, Colonel, but it’s not as black-and-white for us,” Geraldine said. “We have to be cautious about compromising the privacy of our empl—”
“Then let me make this real easy,” Jaworski said. “No one leaves the office park until I get that list. I’ll seal up the office park tighter than a bullfrog’s ass, and no one will leave here until I get what I need. And when do I need it? By five o’clock this evening, just in case anyone was curious.”
Geraldine’s eyes widened behind her big glasses. “You can’t be serious!”
“Oh, I’m entirely serious. I realize I come across as a real laid-back kind of guy, but the truth of the matter is, I don’t care about your corporate policies. The government doesn’t care about your policies. The president of the United States, wherever he is at the moment, doesn’t give a rat’s ass about your policies, either. I want to know who these people are because they’re vital assets, and if you don’t tell me, I’ll find out through other means.” Jaworski held up a finger when Geraldine looked as though she would interrupt. “You can bitch all you want, but there’s a new sheriff in town. And besides that, it’s usually wise to listen to the guy with all the guns.”
“Was that a threat?” Geraldine shrieked.
“Colonel, maybe you should let her go,” Ed Wallace said. The skin around his eyes was deeply crinkled from his broad grin. “And
maybe once you do that, you shouldn’t let her come back.”
“That’s enough,” Blye said. There was no humor in his voice. “Geraldine, you’ll do what Colonel Jaworski has requested, and deliver that list to him no later than five this evening. All of the department heads will do whatever they need to in order to ensure that list is compiled properly and disseminated on schedule. There will be no delay in this. And Geraldine? This is a national emergency, and InTerGen has been identified as the only resource available to do what is necessary to save our country. I very much anticipate from this moment forward you will keep that at the front of your mind.”
There was no misinterpreting what Blye’s true meaning was, and the heavyset woman nodded instantly. “Of course, Bob. I’m sorry if I was being difficult.”
Blye looked back at Jaworski. “Colonel, do you need anything else from us?”
“Not especially. Just keep things cool, and give us the latitude to do what we need to do. Parking is going to be a big problem for your folks since we’re going to be taking up a lot of space with our own gear. We’ll try and keep out of your way as much as we possibly can, but we already know that’s not going to work to everyone’s satisfaction. All I can ask is that your people try to stay out of the way, and listen to the engineers and other personnel when they give instructions. Things are difficult enough, and are likely to get even more so in the near future. We don’t want any accidents.”
“I’ll pass on the word. What else?”
Jaworski was about to answer when his iPad emitted a ping sound. Chase’s did as well, and both men consulted their devices immediately. Jaworski read the message that he been transmitted to him, then looked at Chase. The hulking captain sighed and leaned back in his chair. It creaked slightly beneath his weight.
“Is something wrong?” Blye asked.
“USAMRIID has been compromised.” Andrew Kerr looked up from his Blackberry at Jaworski. “A good portion of the RMA 2 threat team made it out, but several did not. Most notably, Colonel Roland Jeffries, the Institute’s commander.” Kerr pursed his lips and put the Blackberry back in his jacket pocket. He spread his large hands on the conference table’s immaculately lacquered surface and stared at them for a long moment.
“Did you know him?” Jaworski asked.
Kerr nodded. “A friend and colleague for many years.”
“Ah. Sorry to hear that. My condolences.”
Kerr sighed. “I’m no stranger to this kind of thing, Colonel, but thank you.”
Jaworski glanced down at his iPad, then looked back at Blye. “Doctor Kerr is right; the Rid has fallen. The remaining members of Jeffries’s team are headed this way. So is Safire’s daughter, if that makes any difference.”
“Ah, Regina. Yes, we know her, and she’s welcome here,” Blye said. “Is there anything else?”
Jaworski thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. “Not really. We all know where things are headed, so let’s concentrate on working together to make sure we get along as well as we can. Sorry for busting balls over that personnel list, but I don’t have a lot of time to dance around right now. And neither do you.” He nodded toward Ed Wallace. “My two cents? I’d listen to what Ed there was talking about earlier. Start stocking up. It might be a very long winter.”
11
By the time McDaniels and Gartrell made it to the north parking lot, the two MH-47G Chinooks had already landed, with wheels chocked and rotors halted. Dozens of troops exited each aircraft, all of them loaded for bear. Several Enduro-type motorcycles and four-wheel all-terrain vehicles were offloaded as well, and the soldiers assembled in a loose group some distance away from the helicopters. McDaniels was sweating in the rising dry heat of the Texas desert; what had been a pleasant early morning had been assassinated by a grueling midmorning sun. McDaniels missed the chill of the evening, and was glad he wasn’t fully manned up. Lugging around an ALICE backpack in that kind of heat would be murder without a CamelBak to drink from.
If the rest of the Special Forces soldiers standing in the parking lot were bothered by the heat, they didn’t let it show. Each man wore complete battle rattle, including weapons, CamelBak hydration systems, and whatever specialized gear their military occupational specialties dictated they carry. McDaniels looked from face to face and found he knew a few of them.
“I see Barney Rubble,” Gartrell said. “And over there next to the last dirt bike, that’s Dusty Roads.”
“And there’s Switchblade. He led TEXAS Eleven back in the day. Think he’s feeling the heavy irony of his circumstances now?”
Gartrell grunted. “He should be thrilled to see you’re an O-5 and have angel’s wings while he’s still an O-4. Mind if I watch you rub it in?”
“I’ll be gentle about it.”
“No need to dilute your efforts on my account, Colonel. I can take it.”
“You don’t like Switchie, Sarmajor?”
“The Switch and I got along all right, sir. Unlike you and me.”
McDaniels glanced at Gartrell as they marched through the bright sunlight. Gartrell kept his eyes focused on the growing group of Special Forces soldiers ahead, and if he noticed McDaniels looking at him, he didn’t allow it to show.
The soldiers came to attention when they saw McDaniels’s rank. Major Dale Lewis, better known as Switchblade due to his rail-thin physique and the ability to spring to his feet in one motion even while lying flat on his back, saluted McDaniels. “Sir, Operational Detachments Alpha Zero-Two-Two, Zero-Three-One, Zero-Three-Four, Zero-Three-Five, Zero-Four-Seven, Zero-Six-Five, Zero-Seven-Four, and Zero-Nine-Four reporting as ordered.”
McDaniels returned the salute with a smile. “Damn, Switch, how long did it take you to memorize every detachment designation?”
“The helicopters flew real slow so I could get that under control, sir. Congratulations on the promotion.”
“Thanks, Switch. I take it you’re the senior officer here? The designated cat-herder?”
“Yes, sir, I am the designated adult.”
“Outstanding. You might remember Dave Gartrell?”
Switch looked at Gartrell. “Hello, Sergeant Major. I see you got a nice nod as well. Shoot, if I’d known they were handing out promotions to go to New York, I would’ve volunteered. I’d be a damned brigadier general by now.”
“I believe the younger generation would spell out L-O-L at that one, sir,” Gartrell said.
McDaniels looked at the assembled Special Forces troops, nodding to the few he knew. “Dusty, how’s it going? Barney! How’s Betty?” he asked a short, broad-shouldered man with a big nose and a burgeoning double-chin.
The Special Forces weapons sergeant patted his sniper rifle. “She’s doing just fine, sir.”
“Glad to hear it. Switch, what’s the composition of this element? I was told I’d be getting six alpha dets, but it looks like it got plussed up somewhere along the line. I’m seeing too many faces for the spaces.”
“And you did get six ODAs, sir. You also were bequeathed myself and the bravo detachment I command to help you run the teams.”
“Ah. Understood. All right, we’ve got an entire Ranger battalion on post already, and we’re going to get a detachment from SEAL Team One any minute now. Once they’re here, we’ll be sitting down and talking about who’s going to do what. I’ve got overall command of the QRF, which you guys will be part of, and I’m thinking the Ranger battalion commander is going to be the next in the chain of command. Questions?”
“Not at the moment, sir. Will there be a PowerPoint presentation?” As Switch said this, there were some guffaws from the SF grunts. McDaniels felt a flush of embarrassment. Switch’s comment was obviously aimed at McDaniels’s previous position as a staff member with the U.S. Army Special Operations Command’s operations directorate, with whom he had been tasked to oversee PowerPoint presentations as part of his duties.
“There will not be, but if we do need one, I know who to turn to. Anything else?” McDaniels kept
his voice as friendly and jocular as he could.
“No, sir. Was just kidding sir. Didn’t mean to take a swipe.”
“No problem, Major. Forget it. All right, let’s get everyone over to the tent city and figure out where you’re going to go. Rangers got here first, so they got the good seats. We’d better get you guys squared away before the Navy shows up.”
“Hooah, sir!”
***
With the entire Padre Island National Seashore ordered closed to the public, the few park rangers on post had the rather dubious duty of driving down the park’s one hundred nineteen mile length to shoo away the campers, who either hadn’t heard the broadcasts or had elected to ignore them. Only three rangers were on duty, so that meant someone had to stay behind and turn away any people who might be tempted to take a walk along the shore. The rangers drew straws for it, and Bill Harrington, a silver-haired sixty-year-old with watery eyes shielded behind wire-rimmed glasses, had been the lucky winner. Harrington would stay behind and keep an eye out on the park’s entrance, while Harlie Yates and Jessica Shaver took the F-150 SuperCrew down the beach.
Harrington felt guilty about pulling the winning straw, and he’d tried to trade with one of the women, but they had declined. Fair was fair, and the truth was, they didn’t really want to deal with any clueless members of the public anyway. If they were dumb enough to come to the park after it was officially closed, then they’d probably try and bull their way inside by throwing around whatever weight they might have, and who wanted to deal with that?
Not that the campers are going to be any easier to handle, Harlie thought as she followed the broad-bottomed Jessica Shaver to the pickup. Jessica fairly waddled when she walked, and that was on the asphalt; on the white, sandy beaches of Padre Island, she could barely do even that. Where Harlie was short and slender, Jessica was almost six feet tall and probably close to two hundred and eighty pounds. Harlie wondered how far she was from that fatal stroke or coronary, and when it struck, would a beef brisket sandwich be found clutched in one hand?
The Rising Horde, Volume One (Sequel to The Gathering Dead ) Page 13
