“I lied before… my family didn’t die during the war,” Nick said. “My family is here, protected from the new corrupt government and military.”
“And you’re not afraid of the Variants?”
“Fear isn’t the word I would use to describe it,” Nick said. “You were right, kid. The monsters will take over everything if we don’t join them.”
He eased the gun back a little. “The New Gods want the same thing as us. To end the very government responsible for their miserable existence, and I’m one of the warriors that will help them achieve victory on the battlefield. You can be too…”
Footsteps sounded behind Timothy and Nick lowered the gun.
“There you are,” someone called out.
Timothy turned as two men with weapons slung over their shoulders walked through the hatch out onto the platform.
“Want to tell me why you brought him up here?” asked Pete. “We’ve got a briefing to get to.”
Alfred stood next to him, staring at Timothy and sizing him up.
“I wanted him to see the truth,” Nick said.
“You sure he’s ready?” Alfred asked.
“I’m the one that gets to make that determination,” Pete said.
Nick fidgeted, like he had done something wrong.
Timothy already knew Pete was the leader, and Nick seemed to be the second in command. Alfred… Timothy wasn’t sure what the hell his job was. He acted like a religious freak the way he’d offered Timothy that strange blessing the night before.
After a moment of silence Pete shrugged. “Guess now is as good a time as any to introduce Vin’s replacement to the others.”
Nick pushed Timothy toward a ladder leading to the ground.
Once they were on the ground-level with the tents, the three collaborators flanked Timothy. Women and children watched them go, and one kid no older than eight waved.
The kid actually looked happy.
Nick stopped and rustled the kid’s hair, and then reached into his pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar. The kid grabbed it, a grin spreading across his face.
Timothy tried staring straight ahead until they got to a door that opened to another vast room like the one with the tents. Inside, were all sorts of vehicles and equipment, but most of them looked old, maybe Cold War era.
Only a few lights glowed over the space, but it was enough to see they were heading toward another door.
Two guards waited there, cradling rifles. Both came to attention.
The next room was smaller with a flag hanging over an entire wall. A symbol resembling a misshapen skull was emblazoned on it.
It looked almost alien.
Metal tables furnished the center of the room and lockers lined a wall. About twenty men wearing military-style clothing sat in chairs facing a podium.
Pete walked in front of them and they all abruptly stood. Their eyes flitted to Timothy; scrutinizing him, some sneering, others with clenched jaws.
“Everyone, I want you to meet Timothy,” Pete said. “He’s going to help us get back into Outpost Portland.”
— 16 —
Four Outpost Manchester soldiers headed toward a red-brick building that had been converted into apartments long before the war. Behind them, trailed Kate and her family, along with Horn and his girls.
“Don’t give them too much leash,” Horn kept saying.
Tasha and Jenny tugged against Ginger and Spark as the dogs pulled on their leashes, sniffing the new ground curiously.
The entire area was guarded by men wearing uniforms. Kate noticed a white Raven stitched onto the breast of each uniform, the symbol of the outpost. Few outposts had made the effort to give themselves an identity people could unite under. That kind of tactic, though seemingly minimal, was a surefire way to give people a sense of belonging and stoke their loyalty.
Sometimes winning hearts and minds was just as powerful as providing people with weapons.
Of course weapons were crucial, and Manchester had plenty.
Razor wire fences surrounded the streets. Armored vehicles passed by with soldiers in the turrets. Outpost Manchester was the most protected place Kate had seen yet, which was another reason why it was selected for researching the mastermind.
The soldiers were taking them to the new home they’d all been promised. It stood a little way down from a similar building that housed the laboratory Kate would be working in.
“This is it,” the security guard said. “I’ll take you in.”
The other guards stopped outside as the guard took Kate, Beckham, Horn, and their children inside.
Their footsteps echoed eerily down empty, tiled hallways to a set of creaky wood stairs. They climbed these to a landing in a dimly lit hallway with antique sconces glowing over exposed brick walls.
“I don’t like this building,” Javier said.
Ginger and Spark both stopped, letting out low growls.
“Apparently they don’t either,” Kate said.
“This place is definitely on the creepy-side,” Tasha said. “I wish Timothy was here; when is he going to join us?”
Kate and Beckham shared a quick look. They still hadn’t told the kids what had happened.
“I don’t know,” Horn replied when Beckham and Kate didn’t.
Jenny stopped to look at a cobweb. “I’d be surprised if it isn’t infested with roaches,” she said.
“Spiders aren’t cockroaches,” Javier said. “But I agree, this place is nasty.”
“We’re not going to be here that long, but at least we’re going to be together,” Beckham said. “Try to make the best of that, okay, buddy?”
Javier shrugged.
Kate was glad to have them together again, but she dreaded telling the kids about everything that had happened. She and Reed had decided to wait until they could all have some quiet time together. And that hadn’t happened since the rush of packing and leaving the USS George Johnson to travel here.
In truth, she wasn’t sure when they would ever find enough downtime to have those tough conversations. They had arrived only an hour earlier, and as soon as they got settled, she would be off to the lab to see the beast Team Ghost had captured.
“This is it,” said the security guard. He pulled out a key and unlocked the door. “I’ll wait in the hallway for you, Doctor Lovato.”
“Thanks…” Kate said.
“Oh, and ma’am, I don’t mean to rush you, but I’ve been ordered to get you to the lab as soon as possible,” said the guard.
“She’ll be just a few minutes,” Beckham said.
The man nodded and said, “Yes, sir.” He stood against the hallway wall while Kate followed her family and Horn’s inside. The dogs took off, probing the place with their noses and taking in all the new scents.
Kate followed Jenny and Tasha through while Horn and Beckham rested their cleared rifles against the wall.
The apartment was covered in dust. Cobwebs clung to the corners. A wide kitchen opened into what had been a plush living space. Panes of sunlight filtered in through windows to illuminate the dust motes floating in the air.
“This place has to be haunted,” Javier said. “I mean, look at it!”
He swiped a hand through one of the cobwebs.
“It’s not haunted,” Beckham said. “This used to be the penthouse suite of the whole building. Five bedrooms, more than enough to go around. Just needs some cleaning up. I’d say we’re pretty lucky.”
Ginger and Spark barked at a corner and then jumped back as a cockroach skittered away.
“Gross!” Tasha yelled.
“What did I tell you?” Jenny said, turning around toward Horn.
Horn smashed the insect with a boot, then picked it up and dropped it into a trash can while the dogs sniffed the ground.
“Ain’t haunted, just got a few bugs,” Horn said.
Jenny wrinkle her nose. She sneezed and wiped her face with her sleeve. “Dad, I really wish we could just go home.”
“Yeah, wh
en do you think we can go back home?” Tasha asked. “I really miss Timothy and all our other friends.”
Horn winced at the question. That was another thing they hadn’t told the kids about. Kate still couldn’t believe the collaborators had destroyed their houses.
She pushed aside the depressing thoughts and toured the apartment. Back when this place was new, it probably cost nearly a million dollars. The expensive furniture was now coated in dust, but at least the place didn’t smell moldy like so many other abandoned homes.
The kids all moved to the windows with the dogs to look at the Merrimack River, but Beckham directed them to get back.
Kate recalled the bats from Outpost Portland, and suddenly didn’t feel safe at all.
“Exactly how long do we have to stay here? One week? One month? A year?” Tasha asked, looking back at her dad.
“We won’t be here that long,” Kate said.
“All that matters is we’re together again,” Horn said.
Jenny hugged her dad’s side. “I missed you, Dad.”
Javier plopped down on a couch, dust puffing out.
“Well that’s just great,” Beckham said.
“Sorry…” Javier said.
Kate pulled Beckham aside into the kitchen. “I’ve got to get to the lab, and I know you have a meeting with the outpost commander. Who’s going to stay with the kids?”
Beckham gestured for Horn.
“You’re on babysitting duty first, Big Horn,” Beckham said. “Keep the kids away from the windows, okay?”
“Why?” Javier asked.
“Just do what I say, please,” Beckham said.
Tasha looked to him and then Kate.
“You’re leaving already?” she asked.
“Kate and I have work to do,” Beckham said.
“Horn, see if you can find some cleaning supplies in the closest,” Kate said. “Girls, Javier, maybe you can help him?”
They groaned, and Horn grumbled.
Kate and Beckham said their goodbyes. He grabbed his rifle and opened the door. The guard led them down the hall and stairwell back to the ground level.
It felt almost odd being with her husband again. Kate wanted to take his hand in her own, but he was distracted. Probably with the same worries and heartaches about everything they had lost and everything that was still at stake.
“Let’s try to meet up for dinner,” Kate said.
Beckham nodded. “Nothing short of a Variant attack is going to stop me from sharing a meal with the family. Let’s plan on eight o’clock.”
They headed outside where they were greeted by the growls of vehicle engines and barking orders of soldiers rushing to reinforce the barricades and weapons around the wall protecting the outpost.
People in civilian clothes walked around, but there weren’t many of them. The biggest group was a line gathered outside a building where recruits were being processed for the military.
Weeks ago, there might have been a farmer’s market set up there. Kate could almost picture the smiles, the laughs, and the peace of mind. The Allied States of America under the Ringgold Administration had been, for a while, a place of hope.
So much had changed in such a short amount of time.
“Captain, command is that building,” said the guard, pointing. “Doctor, if you would follow me, I’ll take you to the lab.”
“Sure you’ll be all right?” Beckham asked Kate.
“There are plenty of people to keep the lab secure,” she replied. “You go meet with the commander.”
He nodded and planted a kiss on her lips. Then he pulled her into a tight hug, and she lingered there for a second, wishing they could stay like that longer, letting the world around them fade.
But duty called. For both of them.
She let Beckham go and then followed the guard. They navigated through the busy groups of mostly uniformed men and women working to set up defenses and help refugees move into their new homes.
Kate followed the guard toward a long parking lot between all the converted, red-bricked buildings that lined the river. They didn’t stop until they reached a sign that read, Organ Innovation Technologies.
That company had disappeared during the war, but the facility remained standing.
Two more soldiers in black fatigues waited outside.
“These men will take you to the lab,” said her guard escort.
“Thank you,” Kate replied. She showed her identification to the soldiers standing at attention.
One of them looked it over, eyes narrowed as he scrutinized it. He then used a keycard to open the front door.
“This way, Doctor Lovato,” he said.
The halls inside were nearly empty with only a few laboratory techs milling about the place. Overhead fluorescent lights lent the place a sterile, bureaucratic feel with plain white walls and laminate floors that creaked when she walked. Smaller offices furnished with desks lined the passage.
The accompanying soldier took her to the manufacturing room once used in the nascent fabrication of artificial organs made from live cells. It was hard to believe the space had gone from being used to create life-saving medical treatments to housing a creature designed to help eradicate the human race.
The soldier used his keycard to open a door to the large chamber. He gestured for her to enter but she hesitated, a breath held in her lungs at the monstrosity inside.
Giant squid-sized eyes closed as nostrils flared with each huffing breath. Wrinkled pink flesh covered muscular limbs, and tendrils of red webbing hung off its bulbous shape.
The enormous beast was secured by chains to iron columns erected specifically to keep it imprisoned. They stretched from the grated stainless-steel flooring all the way up to the high ceiling where air ducts and filtration systems wormed through the air.
Despite the expensive system, she was still struck by a stench like an unearthed landfill and the sour rot of lemons.
“Don’t worry, Doctor,” the guard said. “That thing isn’t going anywhere.”
A dozen other soldiers with automatic weapons patrolled the area. But she still didn’t feel safe. The monster was well over four times the size of a man, and its bulk looked like it could take plenty of damage.
She set off into the vast space cautiously, guided by the hanging banks of fluorescent lights. In the white glow, the monster’s gigantic chest rose and fell in deep heaves. It was still fast asleep.
Kate searched for Carr among the technicians preparing an arsenal of equipment to run the analyses they would perform. Huge silver bioreactors lined both sides of the chamber behind the laboratory benches.
She spotted Carr supervising a pair of lab techs hooking IV lines the size of garden hoses into the creature’s arm.
“Don’t worry. It doesn’t bite,” someone called out.
Sammy walked over in a white bunny suit.
“How are things going?” Kate asked.
“Good so far… did you get your family settled?”
“Yes, and I’m ready to get to work.”
“Follow me,” Sammy said. She crossed the room toward a lab bench on the other side of the mastermind. Kate stopped about ten feet away, still struck with awe by the monster.
“It’s okay,” Sammy said. “We have it completely sedated.”
They walked in a wide arc around the creature to lab benches where Carr worked quietly.
“Good to see you, Dr. Lovato,” he said. “Are you ready to get started on this beauty?”
“Absolutely,” Kate said, trying to disguise her trepidation.
Another lab technician stepped up next to Carr, his hands behind his back. It was Sean, but Kate almost didn’t recognize him at first. He was so thin, he looked like a broom wearing a tarp in his bunny suit.
Sean welcomed her and then gestured to a clear, aquarium-like chamber that had a mess of red webbing growing in it. Wires and a microelectrode array connected the webbing to a nearby computer on one end.
“Thi
s is our setup,” Sean said, excitedly. “Exactly what our team requested.”
At the other end of the bioreactor chamber, tendrils of webbing still attached to the mastermind stretched from the monster and were secured by clamps to the tissue within the chamber.
“Looks good,” Kate said.
She grabbed a pair of nitrile gloves from a box beside the computer. She slipped them snugly over her hands, then walked toward the behemoth, determined now that she had buried her fear.
“All right you ugly son of a bitch, time to figure out how you work,” she said.
***
The four-story command building was a former library retrofitted into a modern-day fortress. Two guards stood at the white pillars of the colonial brick building. On the roof, machine gun barrels and even flamethrowers protruded out.
Beckham stood in the sunshine observing the defenses on the other rooftops.
So far, not a single clawed foot or hand had touched this place.
But that didn’t guarantee the base would remain safe. Beckham had lived through attacks where the Variants managed to get into top-secret and well-guarded facilities deep underground. He had also seen how the collaborators could infiltrate safe zones and if they had sleeper cells in Manchester, then it could already be too late.
Eventually an attack would happen.
The enemy proved they were adaptable and smarter than Beckham could have ever predicted. His only hope was that they didn’t know the mastermind had been taken here. If they did, he had no doubt the Variants would send an army to rescue the beast, especially if it was as important as Kate and Dr. Carr insisted.
The doors behind the pillars of the command building finally opened. The two guards came to attention as an officer in black fatigues walked out. He wore a Raven symbol and a colonel’s rank insignia. The dark-skinned man had a neatly trimmed mustache and salt and pepper hair.
“Captain Reed Beckham,” he said in a deep voice.
The man instantly reminded him of Lieutenant Colonel Ray Jensen, one of the best men he had ever known. A man who had sacrificed himself for his country. Beckham had carried the lieutenant colonel’s pistol, a gift, for many years before regretfully losing it on a mission that had nearly claimed his life.
Extinction Cycle Dark Age (Book 2): Extinction Inferno Page 20
