Salby Damned

by Ian D. Moore

  He needed every ounce of their combined expertise, and that of Dr. Shepherd, if they were going to end this viral onslaught.

  “Your attention, my esteemed colleagues, if you please. Take some time to freshen yourselves up and be sure to get some food inside you. We still have a long day ahead of us and much to accomplish,” said Charles. He looked at each of them in turn, peering over the glistening rim of his rounded spectacles. He continued, “If you would be kind enough to meet me in the base laboratory in two hours' time, I’ll be happy to hear your individual reports. We will then put our heads together with Dr. Shepherd and try to find a way to beat this thing. That’s all for now. Why are you still here?” he added with a smile.

  All over the base, soldiers hurried to carry out new orders following the new information that the meeting had provided. New security measures were implemented and for the two senior base officers, the heads-up had been an eye-opening, jaw-dropping experience. They knew of chemical weapons but not on the kind of scale as was described by Dr. Shepherd. Orders at the base were changed as a result: a shoot to kill policy instigated, UV lighting requisitioned, and engineers worked around the clock to modify and erect temporary lights until the specialist equipment could be obtained. The base became a hive of activity.

  Specialist soldiers were selected to take part in a mission to enter the Salby facility. Helicopters carrying troops were deployed to secure the heart of the town before the access team flew in. They now had the plans and schematics that Nathan had taken from the site offices, along with his camera and the initial images of the dead he had taken before they'd escaped. The senior officers called a meeting at 1900 hours with their chosen section commanders; it was now imperative that access be gained to the underground facility.

  ***

  For the twenty-eight-year-old Corporal Jane Simms, it had been an exceptionally busy day. Being the right hand “man” of the base commander, there seemed to be an endless list of tasks to be done. She loved the buzz and being part of the well-oiled machine that was the British Army. She was a very bright young woman, ambitious, had a flair for learning new skills, and had already attained respect at high level in a short space of time.

  Eager to learn, she had volunteered for just about every course the Army had to offer since joining two years ago. Proficient in communications, weapons, hand-to-hand fighting, cover and concealment, tactical intelligence, and field operations, she had become a great asset to her commanding officer and the base on which she served. She hoped that, in the future, she might earn the chance to attend the Officer Training Corps but would need recommendation and referral from the C.O. for that to happen.

  Her goal was to become a high ranking female officer, to earn it on her own merit and not because of civilian qualifications, as some of the “new generation” officers had been. Corporal Simms was sure the best officers were those who started from the bottom, who had the chance to work and serve with real soldiers and who knew what it was like to be the one on the bottom of the ladder. Both Lieutenant Colonel Connell and Major Sower had been such men, and they had her utter respect.

  The smart tablet device in the khaki green, lightweight trouser pocket of her right leg bleeped with her next job. She was to locate Staff Sergeant Stewall and Sergeant Cross and inform them to be at a meeting at 1900 hours. She made her way to locate the two men, passing briefly by the cookhouse and glancing fleetingly over the milling people there, instantly spotting the couple at the front table.

  ***

  Colin Snape stared at the beautiful form of the woman who sat opposite him, studying the contours of her face. Every time she smiled, he noticed that her eyes would light up a little more. He imagined a beachfront villa, with the sun shining through a cloudless blue sky, as the waves rippled up onto the shallow shoreline. He could see Meriam, wrapped in a sarong as the soft breeze blew her hair, while she padded seductively along the sand as she called to him, “How about a skinny dip, honey?”

  In his mind, she turned playfully, peeling off bikini top and bottoms, heading for the clear water of the softly lapping surf.

  “Colin? Colin, are you with us?” she said, blowing the hot coffee before sipping.

  “What? Oh yes, I was somewhere else for a minute there,” he replied, snapping back to reality.

  “Welcome back to Earth, you were miles away, would you care to share?” she teased, again flashing that oh-so-sexy smile.

  “No, no, it was nothing. I’ve a lot on my mind and didn’t get much sleep last night. Back to the business at hand. You’re sure you want to come with me on this? It could be dangerous, and there is no guarantee that it will work, but I’m sure as hell not going to stay here and wait to be cast into a cell for the next twenty years. I’ve money on the outside and we’ll want for nothing,” he said, smiling at the thought of his nest egg.

  “So, we’re really going to do it then? When though?” she said, nonchalantly.

  “I need to get a handle on the movements first, find out when the main gate is open and for how long. The security details in the Land Rovers often leave the keys in the ignition between scouts. That’s the opportune moment. If we can time it for when the main gate is open to let supply teams enter, they will provide cover from that bloody great tank sat out there. Hopefully, it’ll be long enough for us to get clear.”

  His mind went through the scenario, playing it out step-by-step.

  “I reckon two days' time,” he said, followed by, “I’ve a few loose ends to tie up here first.”

  ***

  A short distance from where the scheming couple sat, in the next hangar along, Nathan found Steve and Janey Grey, who smiled as he approached with the two ice-cream stuffed children. They seemed genuinely pleased to see them all. Janey produced a handkerchief from her pocket, wiping the creamy white mark from Holly’s mouth and rubbing at the dollop still attached to the front of Tom’s T-shirt, before leading them off to play. After a short and friendly conversation with Steve, Nathan managed to head back towards his bunk for some overdue shut-eye. It was almost 1600 hours now. With luck, Chris wouldn’t be coming to find him for another three hours at least. That would give him time to prepare for the night supply run and have a chance to see to the children, not to mention catching up with Evie.

  It took a little while for Evie to find the base medical centre and lab facility, a small building set back from the main areas. It was fit for purpose and functional, having a basic array of older medical equipment.

  The main examination and treatment room comprised x-ray department, stainless steel tables with equipment neatly bagged and placed above and below them, an electronic vital signs monitor on an army green painted stand, portable stats machine for blood pressure, and a lockable wooden cabinet in the corner, which she assumed contained drugs.

  The base medical team was busy reviewing information given to them, preparing anaesthetic darts for use with a pneumatic rifle. There were only two of these rifles available. The armourer had to service them before releasing them, as they hadn’t been used before.

  Carefully measuring the correct amounts using a syringe, a young fair-haired chap, with a furrowed brow of concentration, began to inject the darts. Using Diprivan and Anaspaz alternately, both general anaesthetics, he filled four darts. There was enough in each dart to keep a fully-grown man under for a good few hours.

  The darts were colour-coded according to strength; an overdose could easily kill a smaller female or child should the order be given to capture such.

  “Lieutenant Dr. Evelyn Shepherd,” she said, introducing herself and extending a hand.

  “Oh, hi, I’m Dr. Mike Fielding, specialising in toxicology,” the man said, putting down the syringe before taking her hand.

  “I’m sure I’ll be working closely with you in the coming days. Do you know how to use that rifle?” she said, smiling, but really wanting to know if he did.

  “No, Ma’am, we leave that to the snipers. I just make sure that the darts will
drop the target.”

  “Ahh, I see, and it’s doctor, please address me as doctor here. The military title is purely superficial, a necessary rank due to my work. Are the others here too?”

  “Yes, Doctor, they will be working on medications for the arrival of our guests, both here and at the Military Police building, just out of the main doors to the right.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Fielding, I’ll see you at the meeting at 1900 hours.”

  With the base staff already preparing for the possibility of infected guests, Evie headed for the main activity hangar to check on the children. A little time off the job wouldn’t do any harm, and it might help her to focus her mind if she saw them, she thought. She caught a glimpse of the young female soldier as she pushed through the door of the facility; clearly focused on whatever her assignment was, the young corporal didn’t acknowledge her.

  ***

  As she pushed open the huge steel armoury door, Corporal Simms recognised the sweet smell of gun oil. For anyone who had ever fired a weapon, the smell was almost as alluring as freshly made chips or toast in the morning. There was no mistaking that aroma. She couldn’t see anybody as she approached the desk. From behind a shielded partition, a young, fresh-faced recruit approached her. He had short, recently cropped hair cut perfectly symmetrical, a starched and pressed shirt, lightweights not yet faded, and his boots were highly polished.

  “Yes, Corporal, can I help you?” the young man said politely.

  “Is Staff Sergeant Stewall here, Craftsman?” she said, using the recruits REME title.

  “He’s just popped out. I think he went to the boys’ room, Corporal; he’ll be back shortly. Would you like me to pass him a message?”

  “No, Craftsman. It’s okay. I’ll wait,” she said, a little annoyed at Stewall's timing.

  “Very good. If you’ll excuse me, I’m working on a weapon out back,” he said, turning to head back to his task.

  She reached for her tablet device, checking for additional instructions. That little machine was permanently attached to her somewhere; a symbiotic creature that worked in unison with her.

  Staff Sergeant Stewall returned, addressing her as he walked to the front desk, “Corporal Simms. What can we do for you today?”

  “Hi, Sergeant, I’ve a message from the C.O. You are to report to the meeting room in the main building at 1900 hours. He didn’t say what it was about, tiffy, sorry.”

  “Very good, Corporal, message received with thanks,” he said, smiling. As he looked over the attractive young non-commissioned officer, he thought that a couple of years ago, he’d have been seriously flirting with this woman.

  She was slim and attractive with long black hair tied up in a neat knot and pinned in at the neck. He watched her turn and leave, admiring the perfectly formed bottom outlined in the olive green military trousers.

  One down and one to go, she thought. She left the armoury, fully aware of the admiring eyes that had watched her exit. She knew that Sergeant Cross had been on guard duty the night before and also knew that the disappearance of his charge, Tom, had woken him. She guessed that he would be trying to catch up on his sleep.

  Corporal Simms decided she would stop by his quarters and wake him at 1800 hours. That would give him two hours to sleep before he was disturbed. For now, there were other pressing tasks to be completed.

  *******

  Seduction

  Tom and Holly Lloyd were busy playing in the hangar together, and sometimes with other children in a similar situation to them. There was no word about their mother. Tom thought a lot about his mother that day; she would tickle him if he was moody and give him extras in his lunch box. Although he knew his father, contact had been limited for the last six years; the break-up of Tom's mum and dad's marriage had not been easy for him.

  He tried as much as a seven-year-old boy could to fill the empty shoes of his father, the man of the house, helping with chores and trying to fix things. He would hug his sister if she felt sad and kept a brotherly eye on her most days. He prayed each night; a silent prayer that someone might hear, for the safe return of his mother, so that they could be a family again.

  They played in the ballpark area, a huge netted square that had been filled with small plastic balls. Tom had been burying his sister and then digging his hands into the balls to tickle her. She squealed and giggled, sending a shower of multi-coloured plastic spheres into the air. He looked up and there was Evie watching them play. Tom tugged at his sister, pointing towards the doctor.

  “Doctor Eebie!” Holly shouted, jumping from the ball pool and displacing a number of the plastic balls.

  “Hi, Evie!” yelled Tom and waved, chasing the rolling balls to collect and return, before executing a perfect dive into the pile. Evie smiled as she bent to catch Holly, lifting her into the air before holding her at her hip. She laughed as Tom disappeared under a pile of balls and then resurfaced, laughing loudly.

  “Hey, you, what have you two been up to, eh?” she said, after a kissing each of them gently on the forehead.

  “Well, it’s a secret. Naffam said we’re not allowed to tell you, but we’ve been drawing and painting as well. We had ice cream too and Tom ate loads!” Holly said. She emphasised the amount with her arms spread as wide as they would go.

  “Oh, I see. Well, in that case, you’d better not tell me. Sounds like you’ve had a fun day so far,” Evie said. She was curious now at what the secret might be.

  “Have you seen Mommy yet?” Holly asked expectantly.

  “Oh, honey, I’m afraid not but there are still lots of people coming in so there is still time yet,” Evie said softly, trying to reassure the girl.

  Steve and Janey were about to eat and suggested that Tom and Holly go with them, allowing Nathan to rest before being woken later. Evie remembered that he’d been on guard duty. She kissed the kids goodbye and watched them head for the cookhouse. She thought she would stop by Nathan’s bunk and steal some time with him, before preparing for the meeting with Dr. Fitzgerald.

  Deftly winding her way through the crowded dormitory hangar, she found his allocated area, noticing the two airbeds for the children close to Nathan's. Evie watched him sleeping peacefully, long, slow, deep breaths as his chest rose and fell. She bent down, touched his face softly, and leaned over to kiss him without wanting to wake him. Nathan sighed and brought a sleepy hand up which rested on her thigh; still in the grasp of sleep, it was probably something he wouldn’t remember when he woke.

  Evie placed her hand over his, gently closed her fingers, and lifted Nathan's hand from her thigh, placing it back across his waist. She noticed the pile of blankets had toppled beneath his bed and bent to tuck them in for him. Sliding out the base blanket revealed a black, sleek laptop. It was one of the laptops they had taken from the site offices. The second one appeared to be missing, she noted.

  With a final brush of her lips against his, Evie stood to leave, picking up the laptop. She would hand it over to Lieutenant Colonel Connell. His lab tech guys would be able to recover any information that might be on it. When Nathan woke, she'd ask him about the other laptop.

  Maybe we'll have a chance for some time together later? I miss you, Sergeant Cross.

  ***

  After dinner with the delectable Miss Stuart, Colin Snape was feeling pretty damn good. With some outrageous flirting, she told him that she needed to bathe. Snape was left with thoughts of her naked body, with only bubbles to hide her modesty. For Snape, these thoughts were pure eroticism, but he shook himself free with the considerable application of willpower.

  He had work to do and started to make a time log to tell him when the security patrols passed and, more importantly, when they changed over. He would also note any spare vehicles and try to discover if the keys were left in routinely, as this did seem to be the norm on the base.

  Next, he needed to know the frequency and timing that the main gate opened; people came and went all the time, but there were regular openings too. Snape
guessed that there was no way a Land Rover could punch its way through the gate. He needed something small enough and fast enough to put some distance between himself and that tank, which hadn’t moved since he had landed at the base.

  Trying not to be too obvious, he began aimlessly wandering about, scribbling down timings and noting observations. With many people and much going on, it was easy to be lost in the crowds.

  ***

  Meriam watched her boss disappear out into the base, her body prickling with revulsion at their final parting action. She made her way back towards the residential block.

  Brian’s door opened and there stood Meriam. She rubbed at her sleeves and wiped the back of her hand across her mouth in-between mock spitting. Brian rushed towards her, concerned.

  “Meriam, what is it? Are you alright? Meriam …?” he said, taking her hands.

  “Uuuuugh! God, that’s awful. That man gives me the creeps, I … I … kissed him, Brian.”

  Brian lifted her chin with his right hand, letting his fingers move to her ear and intertwining her hair, so that he could move it from her face. He pulled her gently toward him.

  “I want you,” she whispered just as his mouth found hers.

  He pulled away slightly, and she looked into his eyes and this time she said, “I want you in me.”

  He knew very well what she meant.

  Kissing her passionately and feeling her urgency, he pulled her inside, undressing her as they kissed and touched. She pulled off his shirt and used her mouth to taste his body. Eventually they fell into the awaiting bed together. They made love for over an hour, savouring their intimacy, taking time to tease and caress each other. Brian's life experience took her to new places, places she'd never touched before, and she craved more from him and was not disappointed.

  He thought about the men that she could have had, and yet, here she was with him. She made him feel alive and ignited passion inside him that he thought no one would ever do again. They lay naked together, with her body pressed against his, her right leg over his right leg, her knee up slightly.