by SD Tanner
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: Best laid plans are a waste of time (Gears)
Leaving Pax and Ip to continue to clear the ship, he and TL went back to the Marine supply base to get a situation report. According to Ted a demon super hunter infiltrated the transport ship and they’d lost two thousand people either to hunters or their own shooters. Sinking his own ship was his only option at the Isle of Wight. He now understood Ted’s willingness to sink the cruise ship.
Gerry controlled the communications team, and when he abandoned ship, his team temporarily lost control of the comms. Ted hadn’t known they were on the ship when he’d been about to sink it with Hellfires. No one had told the Navy submarine base that the CDC was down, and only Gerry knew Mom, Max and TL’s baby were at the Ranch. He really needed to talk to Gerry about making himself less indispensable. It was bad enough they’d lost half the people on the ship, two thousand people at the island and forty at the CDC, but with people being sent to the wrong places at the wrong time, they could have lost more. None of it was Gerry’s fault and he resisted the urge to redirect his frustration toward him.
He was sitting in the meeting room at the Marine supply base, drinking coffee and enjoying his first hot meal since his dinner at Wolfie’s base. It was a large bowl of tinned stew Ted had brought back from the Isle of Wight. According to Ted, the containers on the docks opposite the Isle were full of supplies. It was a lucky break and he suspected the only one they had in the past few weeks. He plunged a chunk of bread into the steaming bowl of stew and shoved the now soggy bread into his mouth.
Mom was watching him eat and she shook her head disapprovingly. “You still eat like a starving dog.”
With his mouth still full and chewing loudly, he mumbled, “Thanks, Mom.”
“Never could teach you any manners. And what did you do to your face? Have you and Pax been fighting again?”
Swallowing his mouthful of food and digging about his bowl with his spoon, he sniffed. “Nah, me and TL got into it.”
Giving TL a surprised look, Mom asked indignantly, “Over what?”
TL was sitting at the meeting table cradling his son. “It’s was Gears fault. He wanted to kill baby Bob.”
“Baby Bob?” He echoed stupidly. Bob was his real name and he couldn’t believe TL would name his son after him.
“Yeah, I’m gonna call him Bob. Lydia would approve. She always kinda liked you…only from a distance mind, otherwise you annoyed her.”
Mom smiled in delight. “Baby Bob. I like it.” Looking at him, she said, “I guess I’ll have to call you Gears now, otherwise it’ll get confusing.”
Kissing his son on his forehead, TL smiled. “I don’t think anyone’ll confuse baby Bob for gorilla Gears.”
He snorted and continued to eat, but he was secretly pleased the boy was named after him, plus he knew it would annoy the hell out of Pax. As Captain Ted, Cutter, Kat, Nelson, Gerry, Hatch, Terry, Izzie and Mackenzie filed into the room and sat down, he stuffed the last large spoonful of hot stew and chunk of bread into his mouth, and waved his hand for them to start the briefing while he continued chewing.
Nelson spoke first. “Our two islands are secure and working. Nothing to report.”
Still chewing, he nodded and Izzie said, “Navy submarine base is fine. We could do with more supplies, but otherwise nothing to report.”
Feeling around his mouth, he sucked stew from his teeth and waited for the reports he really needed to hear. Everything was far from fine and he knew it. He was about to be given reports he didn’t really want to hear, and sighing, he nodded at Terry.
“The CDC is effectively gone. The lower level is burned out which means we lost all of the equipment and the vast majority of our samples. Luckily Farrington was a crazy asshole and there are more samples stored here, but I don’t know much about them, so I’ll need to take a look. We didn’t lose the top level of the CDC, but it’s compromised. There’s a lot of smoke damage. It can probably be restored, or we can at least retrieve a lot of the equipment and medical supplies. Right now we have a lot of badly injured patients being treated at one of the warehouses, but we have no good operating theatres. It doesn’t mean we can’t operate, but it does increase the risk to our patients. Some people who should have survived their injuries, probably won’t.”
That was better news than he’d expected to hear and he regarded Terry with renewed interest. Having always dealt with Lydia and Farrington, he didn’t know the man well at all, but with them dead, he guessed he was going to get to know him now.
“You seem to be on top of this, Terry. Can you sort out somethin’ temporarily either here or at the CDC until we can source another facility?”
“There are other CDCs, but I suggest we set up a hospital at one of the bases where it can be properly secured. The operating theatres might not be as good as those at a CDC, but to be honest, the ones we had there weren’t that good anyway. The CDCs were research labs and were never meant to be used as hospitals.”
He liked the man and he thought Terry seemed to be steady and honest. “We’ve got enough problems. Can I trust you to sort out makin’ sure we got medical facilities and take care of the patients we got now?”
“Sure, but if you don’t mind, I don’t think you need me for the rest of this meeting, and we’re short-handed, so I’d like to head off.”
“I kinda need you to stay, Terry. We’ve got serious medical problems in New York and I’m gonna need your advice.” He looked around the table and added, “But before we get into that, I need the rest of the sitrep.”
Captain Ted leaned forward. “Well, you know we lost one of the transport ships. It was infected in pretty much the same way the ship was. Two thousand people lost and three hundred injured. We’ve brought the more seriously injured who could still travel back with us, so there’s nearly fifty patients here. Philip, Logan and Axel are still on the Isle of Wight and they’re getting people organized, disposing of the bodies…’ Trailing off and with a deep sigh, he added, “At least they’ve got supplies. Southampton docks has over seven thousand containers with food and other essentials. We still don’t have power and water, but the engineers are working on it. I would say it’s a bit rough and ready, but it’s survivable there.”
He thought Ted could do with some encouragement. “Moving twenty thousand people to safety and gettin’ most of ‘em down, safe and fed was no easy mission. I know you lost two thousand, but you did real well. You should be proud of what you did. If you hadn’t called it right, you coulda lost ‘em all and the island. So, rest easy, soldier.”
“It’s true, Ted,” Kat said sympathetically. “I was there and I thought we were all going to die.” Sighing, she added, “It’s awful what you had to do to save the island, but ninety percent of us are alive. We’ll get to live on that beautiful island, babies will be born, children will be raised, we’ll grow food and feed the shooters fighting for our country. You have to see the whole picture, Ted, not the tragic moment in time that got us there. No one blames you and everyone is sorry it had to go that way to save them.”
Captain Ted looked down at the table and then back up at Kat. “Thank you. I really needed to hear that.”
Clearing his throat loudly, Mackenzie said, “Umm…I kinda had a problem. There were a couple of demon super hunters headed for the Ranch and umm…I kinda got possessed.”
Raising his eyebrows, he looked at Mackenzie. “Yeah, Mom told us, but I gotta say, you don’t act like you’re possessed.”
Almost cheerfully, he replied, “Well, no, but trust me, there’s a demon in here with me.”
“What the hell is it doin’?”
“Nothing much. I sort of…walled it up.”
“Can you talk to it?” Nelson asked.
“Yeah, but it doesn’t say anything interesting…or useful. It’s kinda rude and annoying.”
“Can you keep it under control?” Nelson asked.
“Don’t see why not. I’m getting used to having it arou
nd and we don’t get along.” With a steely glint, he added, “But the little fucker will do as it’s told.”
He chuckled. “If anyone can keep a demon under control, that’ll be you, Mac. I guess your vision was right. If you hadn’t gone to the Ranch, who the hell knows who the demons mighta possessed and that would have had a very different endin’.” Tilting his head, he added, “And anyway, it might be useful to have one as a prisoner. You never know when that might come in handy, but if it ever becomes a problem, you’ve gotta tell us.”
“Roger that,” he replied with a smirk.
Still studying Mackenzie thoughtfully, he said, “We might have another interestin’ tactic. Ip reckons Lucie might be able to act as a spy for us. Turns out our hunters ain’t jus’ mindless creatures. They’ve still got souls and some of ‘em got more of their minds intact.”
Terry leaned forward at the table. “Well, that makes sense. The damage caused by the designer virus has always varied by the individual and the Infected are perfectly aware of who they are, but I’d never really thought the people might still be aware of who they are if they’re infected with the hunter virus.”
“I don’t think anyone thought about that, Terry,” Nelson replied. “But it makes perfect sense they might be, after all they do still have souls.”
Giving Nelson a wry look, he asked sarcastically, “So you knew hunters still had souls, but you didn’t think to mention what that might mean?”
Nelson looked at him in disbelief. “Well, I would have thought that was obvious, Gears, but you’re pretty fresh to the whole idea of there even being a God or the Devil, so it would have been pointless to tell you before now.”
He decided not to pursue the argument with Nelson. “Okay, we got a lot to do and it’s good to know all the islands are safe, ‘cos we’ve got bigger problems. And Mac, I’m gonna need to talk to you about your pet demon. We might be able to use it to get or maybe even give information. It looks to me like you mighta opened another option for us.”
“Oh, just one other thing,” Captain Ted interrupted. “I brought Gray back with me. He reckons he wants to act as a spy and I believe he’s genuine.” Looking around the table, he added, “He was on the infected transport ship, and I’ve got several eye witnesses who tell me he put his own life in jeopardy to save theirs. In fact, I brought a young boy called Luke back with me who’s only alive because of Gray. I think he’s for real.”
“Offer noted.” Pushing his empty bowl aside, he leaned forward. “Alright, we’ve got a huge problem in New York. Ruler has over two thousand demon super hunters and they can use weapons now. He’s trapped about fifty thousand people in buildings in the Financial District. The conditions are bad and they’re already dyin’. Plus we know he’s doin’ the same thing to the people on Staten Island right now.”
“Oh my God,” Kat said in horror.
“Yeah, yeah, Kat,” he said, waving his hand dismissively. “It’s bad shit and we gotta take control of New York, so I’m gonna need all the combat troops put into battalions. I want all birds brought back to base and fully loaded. We’ll take a battalion by air and put the rest on road. As soon as Ip and Pax get back, me and her will head over to Wolfie’s and get his troops on road. The people bein’ held in the buildings also need supplies and medical care, which is why I need you here Terry. First shipment by air needs to be a combination of troops, supplies and medics. We managed to free three hundred of ‘em, but they’re in bad shape, so I want that fleet in the air by morning. When the fleet gets back, put ‘em straight back in the air with the next shipment. No waitin’ around time, so make sure everythin’ is prepped to load and go.”
“Roger that,” Captain Ted replied. “What are our orders?”
“Ted, you sort the supplies. Pax and TL will sort the troops and lead the convoys. Cutter, I want you to support Pax and TL. Hatch, you sort the fleet. Terry, I need you to split the medical teams and get ‘em briefed, supplied and ready to fly by morning. Ted, you’ve got the air teams. Wolfie can lead his own guys, and I’ll meet your troops and teams in New Jersey. Nelson, you’re in charge of the bases and islands while we’re gone. And Gerry, get the goddamn comms back up, and in future you’ve gotta train your people to deal with emergencies better than they did this time. Kat, I want you to keep movin’ the survivors to the Isle of Wight, ‘cos we’re gonna have more people arrivin’ from New York.”
Still scribbling in his notebook, Captain Ted asked, “What’s the plan of attack in New York, Gears?”
“I dunno yet, but I figure if we’ve got the troops and a shitload of firepower, we’ll work it out.”
“What do you want me to do?” Mackenzie asked.
“Get the babies, Mom and Max to an island where you know they’re safe, and then head back to New York on one of the transports, but if you get any of your visions, or that dumbass pet demon tells you anythin’ useful, then let me know.
“Roger that.”
“What about Pop?” Mom asked, sounding worried. “I don’t want to leave him at the Ranch.”
“He’ll be fine, Mom. Pop is handy with a gun, and I don’t think Ruler is gonna be interested in the Ranch now the babies ain’t there. I think that sonofabitch has a real bug up his ass about them babies.”
“Well I could live without the bad language, honey, but I guess you’re right. I need to stay with the babies and the islands seem to be the safest place we have right now.” Frowning, she asked, “What about the cruise ship? What’s going to happen to it now?”
Tiredly rubbing the scar on his face, he felt the swelling around his left eye. “One problem at a time, Mom. I’m sure Pop can fix it up jus’ fine, but it’ll wait.”
“Can you give me a briefing on the injuries in New York?” Terry asked.
“Yeah, they’ve got pretty much everythin’ wrong except gunshot wounds. Looked like dehydration, broken limbs, cuts and shock mostly.”
“What? All of them?”
“Yeah, all of ‘em. They’d been chained up for nearly a week, but we’ve got a battle on our hands to take the city, so you can expect some combat injuries as well. It looks like Ruler’s demons know how to handle a gun now.”
The meeting ended and everyone left to get on with their orders. With the room now empty, he sat back and closed his eyes. Nothing had gone as he expected. Ruler had obviously sent demon super hunters and they’d done a thorough job of infiltrating the core of their operations. They were lucky they hadn’t lost more than they had. Enjoying the quiet, he reached out of with his mind and looked for Ip.
Ip speaks: What is it, my love? You are discontent.
That little shit sent hell our way.
Ip speaks: Our losses were small. His might is not great. He left little damage in his wake.
I s’pose not, but he did enough for us to notice. We’re gonna need to tighten security around here.
Ip speaks: You fail to see what is already done. A country is reborn, so let the Devil come.
He could feel her steely and contented nature wash through him. Smiling he thought, yeah, let that little shit bring his best, ‘cos we ain’t jus’ gonna roll over and die on his say so.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: Second time’s a charm (Pax)
It was the worst day he could remember having and that included when he was captured by Ruler. Six hundred thirty-seven people died on the ship and that included children, babies and pregnant women. Their cruise ship was considered impenetrable, so they’d always sent their most vulnerable to live there. He supposed it had been safe for almost a year and a half and they’d become complacent. The sudden influx of survivors had trebled their number of people almost overnight and everything had broken. Not enough supplies, accommodation, doctors, or people to manage the bases. Security was always lax, and to date, it hadn’t been an issue, but new people turned up daily and Kat no longer had enough administrators to register them all on arrival. It meant new people were immediately allowed into the base and able to roam freely. He
supposed that was how the demon super hunters infiltrated their sites, but it wasn’t how they’d gotten onto the ship. Obviously a demon possessed Farrington and no one would have questioned him going to the ship. Why would they? He’d been a trusted member of the main leadership team. Leaning forward in his seat, he watched as the familiar sight of the Marine supply base as it came into view. It was comforting to see it, but he was now acutely aware of how easily it too could be lost.
Ip speaks: You cannot worry what cannot be changed. The Devil’s intent has been made plain.
“That don’t help, Ip, we keep losin’ ground.”
Ip speaks: Nothing is lost, only delayed. The Devil’s dues must be paid.
“With lives, Ip. Nobody owes that asshole their lives.”
Ip speaks: Do not be blind to the evil men do. Many men make others pay their due.
He sighed, that’s true, the Devil doesn’t ever work alone.
Once they landed, he jumped down from the bird and saw Gears was waiting for them. Striding over, he nodded to him. “Ship’s clear. They’re takin’ the bodies to the Navy submarine base. They reckon there’s enough land and equipment to set up a graveyard there.” Sighing, he added miserably, “Seems to me all we ever do is build new graveyards.”
