Amir and Sherman opened up with the miniguns. The engines whined as the rotating barrels painted the wooded area with rounds. Branches and leaves rained down under the spray.
They eased up and Sherman somewhat calmly spoke into a radio. “Command, Tower 21. We have contacts. Six—no, ten, maybe more.”
The two men went back to firing into the forest as the beasts emerged. Gunfire lanced from other rooftops into the incoming monsters. The heavy whoomph of a discharging explosive erupted into the night, accompanied by a ball of flames that lit up the landscape.
In that brief second, Fischer caught the explosion reflecting off the eyes of dozens upon dozens of starving Variants streaming out of the woods. Wrinkled flesh-covered bodies with protruding bones.
Something within his guts sunk at that sight, dropped by the leaden weight of fear. Those were just the beasts he could see, and judging from the sound of gunfire, the monsters were attacking multiple positions.
The M134 rounds chiseled through the juveniles below, sprays of hot red mist exploded from their broken armor. That bought enough time for the three fleeing scouts to finally make it to a nearby gate.
But the soldier that had been manning the gate wasn’t there when Fischer looked.
“Son of a bitch, Reynolds must have run! That pussy!” Sherman yelled. He turned to Fischer. “Get down there and open the gate while we cover you.”
“You got it,” Fischer replied.
The gunfire rattled above them and the sirens blared again as Fischer descended the stairs from the rooftop with Chase and Tran following.
They hit the ground and split up with Tran going to grab their truck while Chase and Fischer ran to the gate.
“Let us the fuck in!” yelled one of the soldiers on the other side. The man with the rifle fired into the distance. The third scout held onto the thick bars of the gate to support his body on his shredded leg.
Fischer unclasped the locks and yanked on a lever that released another locking mechanism. The gate raised up with a clank, pulled by an internal counterweight.
Chase helped the injured man through, blood weeping from long gashes along his right leg that revealed muscle and tendon. It was only sheer adrenaline and fear that had gotten the man this far. The last soldier was still firing, half his face melted away by Variant acid.
Fischer looked away and kept his rifle up to cover them. The growl of the truck engine announced Tran’s arrival. As soon as the scouts were through, Fischer slammed the gate down and locked it again.
Tran hopped out from the cab and helped Chase load the men into the bed. Fischer stayed in the pickup bed to help.
“Go, Tran! Now!” Fischer shouted.
The truck peeled away, tires screaming.
Fischer secured a tourniquet on the man with the shredded leg, and Chase cut off parts of his jacket sleeves to use as bandages for the man with the acid-burned face.
Every bump and jostle of the truck made the men groan in pain. The remaining scout sat against the back of the pickup’s cab, a thousand-yard stare masking his face.
“They’re coming… and we can’t stop them,” he mumbled.
Fischer saw more clearly the wet sheen soaking through the man’s fatigues. The darkness had helped conceal it before, but half the jacket was torn.
Tran called back through the open window of the cab. “We’re almost there! Just hang on!”
“I need to look at your side,” Fischer said. He slowly pulled the torn jacket back, trying not to gawk at exposed ribs. The man’s abdomen had split open, revealing hints of glistening organs.
He tried to look down but Fischer covered the wound.
“You’re going to be okay,” he said. “We’re almost back.”
The soldier exhaled, and stared at the sky.
A convoy of armored vehicles screamed past them on their way to the border. Tran took a right, and sped toward the main command building.
“We need medics!” Chase yelled, standing up in the pickup bed. Men and women in scrubs were waiting outside the adjacent hospital with a group of soldiers listening to orders.
Among those people Fischer spotted a familiar face with a lump on his head.
Beckham. The ‘retired’ Delta Force Operator just couldn’t stay out of the center of action, and for that, Fischer was more than grateful.
“Fischer!” Beckham yelled. “What the hell happened?”
“Juveniles.” Fischer looked back to the soldier with the torn abdomen. The young man’s grip on his hand had loosened, fingers slipping away.
The medics had climbed into the pickup and others waited at the bed to carry off the first two men, but by the time they got to the man with Fischer, he was gone.
Chase reached up and helped Fischer out of the back while they carried the lifeless body away on a stretcher. For a moment, Fischer stood there staring, hands covered in blood.
Distant gunfire filled the night, and the shouts of the medical staff and the cries of wounded joined the din.
He could almost hear his wife’s voice in his head again. Just like back in the tunnels under his fields.
Get out! Get out! No one will survive tonight!
Fischer did his best to repress the storm of emotion coursing through him. He had to keep his wits.
“Captain,” Fischer said. “What are you doing here?”
“To see what’s going on… How bad is it out there?”
Fischer shook his head. “Not good.”
They entered the command building together and then went up to the second floor to talk to Colonel Presley.
Inside what had been turned into a CIC, officers relayed reports streaming in from the outpost. Presley stood in front of his war table, eyes darting back and forth. They flitted to Fischer first.
“I told you to get to your damn shelter,” Presley said. “And Captain…”
His words trailed off as an officer whispered something to him.
“God dammit,” Presley said, upper lip curling. “Deploy all of the strike teams. We have to make sure not a single Variant gets in.”
“What about the team guarding the mastermind?” asked an officer.
“All the strike teams,” Presley repeated.
“No,” Beckham said. “You can’t do that.”
The commander glared at Beckham.
“You aren’t in charge here, Captain,” Presley said. “I’ve got the situation under control, and frankly I’m getting sick of you interjecting.”
“You also thought you had the collaborator problem under control.”
“All due respect, but Captain Beckham’s right,” Fischer said. “If what I just saw is happening around the outpost, then things aren’t even remotely under control. We’re straight up shit’s creek without a paddle.”
Presley stiffened, raising his jaw proudly. He motioned to two guards standing at the doorway.
“Get these men out,” Presley said. “They’re no longer authorized to be inside any military facility.”
Beckham looked at the two guards, then back to Presley.
“You’re making a mistake, Colonel. We have to protect the science building at all costs!” he shouted.
Presley nodded at the guards who grabbed Beckham by his upper arms. He shook out of their grip, glaring at Presley.
“Don’t make this harder than it has to be,” Presley said.
Beckham marched out and Fischer followed him. The door shut behind them, sealing them outside with Tran and Chase.
“What the hell just happened?” Tran asked.
“I reckon the end of Manchester,” Fischer said with a sigh.
Beckham was already walking away.
“Captain, where are you going?” Fischer called out.
“To protect my wife and make sure she finishes the job we came here for,” he replied. “You’re welcome to join me. I might need some help.”
After what Fischer had just seen, he had no doubt that the Variants were coming for the mastermind now.
He just hoped the scientists had enough time to finish their work before the beasts infiltrated the outpost.
He tapped his holstered .357 revolver.
If it turned out that the scientists didn’t have enough time, he would buy some for them. Even if it meant he didn’t make it out of here alive.
***
Kate could only hear the chirp and hum of laboratory equipment, but she knew from the reports, there was a battle going on at the border. She had expected as much, but knowing her family was out there put her on edge.
She wasn’t the only one.
Guards nervously shuffled around the perimeter of the massive space. They weren’t just concerned about keeping the mastermind in here anymore—they were afraid of what might try to make its way in from the outside.
Several of the soldiers had already left to guard the passages and entrance to the lab. Only four remained in the space. The sergeant in charge assured the science team they were safe.
He stepped over to Kate. “Colonel Presley just told me he’s handling the situation, and to keep working.”
“What exactly is happening out there?” Carr said. “We deserve to know.”
“Just a few isolated attacks,” replied the sergeant.
“Get back to work,” said another guard.
“Back off with those machine guns, and we will,” Carr said firmly.
The sergeant motioned his men back, and Kate huddled with her staff.
“Should I try and get in touch with Reed?” Kate whispered. “He’ll know what’s really going on.”
“They said they have it under control,” Sean said.
Kate was surprised by the normally timid lab technician’s response.
“We’re almost done,” Sammy said. “I just need a bit more time to focus.”
“We need you here, Doctor Lovato,” Carr said. “Trying to track down your husband will take far too long. Besides, he’s probably in the shelter with your family, where they’re safe.”
He was right, and Kate trusted Beckham to show up if there was an issue. He had never let her down in the past.
“Let’s finish the job,” Kate said.
The other lab techs and engineers scattered throughout the room back to their assigned stations. Kate went with Sammy, Sean, and Carr back to a computer terminal.
They were so close to finalizing the lexicon they would need to seamlessly communicate between the masterminds.
Kate did her best to concentrate on work and remind herself that Beckham and Horn were looking after the kids, but it was almost impossible.
Sweat dripped down Sammy’s forehead behind her plastic mask.
“Okay, my natural language algorithm is in sync with the collaborators’ software,” she said. “We really just need to run through a few more commands, and then I think we can have the algorithm figured out.”
As if in answer, an animalistic howl rumbled from the abomination.
“There isn’t a word that this thing has uttered now that I haven’t been able to decipher,” Sammy said. “I’m operating at one-hundred percent translation success now.”
“Good,” Kate said. She peered into the bioreactor with the red webbing that was transmitting their signals from Sammy’s computer to the tendrils attached to the mastermind.
“What’s the current success rate for communicating back?” Carr asked, holding up a tablet to document the data.
“About eighty percent of my commands are being understood successfully,” Sammy replied. “The simpler stuff is no problem. More complicated inputs are proving difficult.”
“Give me an example.”
“Complex information about enemy movements. Sometimes it believes me, sometimes it realizes we’re actually the enemy. I’m not quite sure what the difference is between those instances, but with a little more time—”
The mastermind moved again, rattling its chains. The four soldiers paced, watching the beast.
“It’s acting like it knows what’s happening outside,” Kate said.
“How?” Carr asked. “The beast isn’t connected to the Variant network, and no way this thing has ESP.”
“It can’t know,” Sean said, nervously eying the IV lines with the sedatives. “It’s just agitated.”
Kate narrowed her brows at the uncharacteristically overconfident young technician, but then went back to examining the shackled beast. Huge muscled arms dangled slackly against its bulbous sides. The monster’s eyes were still half-closed beneath the folds of pink flesh covering its ugly head.
“Just keep the thing under control, okay, Sean?” Kate asked.
Sean glanced between her and the monster.
“We’re running out of time,” Carr reminded everyone.
Kate checked the attachments on the micro-electronic array attached to the bioreactor. “Re-check everything. Make sure nothing is interfering with Sammy’s work.”
“And the sedatives?” Sean asked. “Do you think they’re holding things back?”
Sammy looked up at him from her computer. “Honestly, maybe. If the thing’s brain isn’t functioning at full capacity, that might be an issue.”
Kate didn’t like the idea of pulling back on the sedatives and was surprised Sean suggested it, but they all wanted to finish. Anything to expedite their research now might be worth the risk.
“If you think it can help, then do it,” Kate said.
Sean nodded, adjusting the dials on the IV drip.
“What are you doing?” asked a guard.
Kate explained, and the men moved closer, their weapons cradled.
“Please, back up,” Sean said as they circled around. “I need some room.”
Kate turned her attention back to Sammy’s monitor as the computer engineer typed out a few more queries to the mastermind. It took several minutes, but sure enough, the responses started to come back slightly faster, and clearer.
“Ask if it has identified any enemy contacts in its location,” Kate said.
Sammy typed in the request.
“I am uncertain of my current whereabouts,” said the mastermind’s computerized reply that came over the speakers. The monster’s eyelids suddenly flipped open and swept the room. “Unfamiliar contacts are holding me prisoner. Hostiles. Ten of them.”
Sammy looked up at Kate with a proud grin.
“Now, let’s see if this thing really believes we’re its master or not,” Kate said.
“Those contacts you see are your allies,” Sammy typed.
The chains holding the mastermind rustled as it rotated slightly.
“Some are allies, true,” came the reply over the computer screen.
“See?” Sammy said, her grin widening.
Kate was too nervous to smile. Her family was out there, in the middle of an attack, and she had no idea what was happening behind the lab walls.
The sound of distant gunfire reverberated, but how was that possible?
The lab was basically soundproof. It had to be her ears playing tricks on her. They would know if there were hostiles in the building.
Kate returned her attention to Sammy. The young technician stared at the computer screen, her smile gone.
“Something isn’t right.” She tapped at the keyboard. “It just said the connection has been terminated.”
The chains rattled again, the clank echoing. The soldiers closed in.
Sean walked over to the sealed door and used his keycard to open it. Before Kate could ask him what he was doing, the door opened, and another soldier walked in.
He handed Sean a rifle. Both men aimed their weapons at the other guards. None of the four soldiers even had a chance to raise their rifles before they crumpled under a spray of automatic bullets.
The gunfire echoed in the space, nearly deafening to Kate. Sammy screamed, and the other techs darted for cover. Carr was the only one that remained standing by Kate.
“What are you doing!” he yelled at Sean.
Sean swung the rifle at Carr. �
�Shut the fuck up, and don’t move.”
The soldier that Sean had let in hurried toward the shackles holding the mastermind in place.
“No,” Kate said. “You can’t do this.”
Sean laughed. “You’re more naïve than I thought, Kate Lovato.”
“Sean, please,” Sammy begged. “It’s not too late to stop whatever it is you’re doing.”
“Shut up, you dumb bitch,” Sean said, angling the weapon at her.
The soldier used a key to unlock the first of the shackles on the mastermind.
“Neither of you get it, do you?” Sean said, his voice booming. “You used science to try and save us, but all you did was make them stronger.”
He angled his weapon at Kate. “You created the Variants. The new gods.”
“That’s not true,” said Sammy.
“I said shut your mouth!” Sean said.
Kate reached out to the technician just as Sean fired. Sammy slumped to the ground, holding her stomach.
“NO!” Kate shouted. She glared at Sean, nerves firing with anger. “You monster.”
“Call me what you want, but you created the real monsters.” Sean shrugged. Then he backpedaled to the mastermind, holding a gun on them.
Carr and Kate bent down next to Sammy.
“What do we do?” he whispered.
“I don’t know,” Kate said.
She put pressure on Sammy’s wound, the only thing she could do.
The other technicians and engineers hid behind their stations, trembling. They could all storm Sean and the soldier but she wasn’t sure they could get there without all being killed.
Kate knew there was no way they could talk Sean and his partner out of what they were doing. The only way to stop them was to fight or hope the rest of the guards got here in time. She thought back to the gunfire she heard earlier.
It must have been real after all.
The man with Sean had killed the other guards. There probably weren’t any other men left out there.
“We have to do something,” Carr said. He stood and faced Sean again. But before he could even open his mouth Sean shot him through his face.
He hit the ground next to Kate, his eyes still open.
— 25 —
Extinction Cycle: Dark Age Box Set | Books 1-4 Page 62
