by Dave Edlund
Bend, OR
June 28
“The views from here are incredible. I don’t imagine one would ever tire of it.” Jim stared out the panorama windows at the Three Sisters, three distinctive volcanic peaks in the Cascade Mountain range, still lightly coated with snow. Standing next to Jim, Peter was also absorbing the beauty.
“I think I’ve heard you say that before,” Peter replied with a smile. “It’s always awesome… no matter how many times I look at those mountains, it’s never enough.”
“Colonel Pierson asked me to pass along his commendation for a job well done. All of the American hostages were reunited with their families eight days ago… they’re going to be fine. The Colonel has officially listed you as an approved contractor. My office will send some paper work to you, and they have already started the process of elevating your security clearance.”
Peter seemed not to hear what Jim had said, his eyes still focused toward the Three Sisters to the west.
Jim turned and faced his longtime friend, addressing what he knew was on Peter’s mind. “That was close.”
Peter diverted his gaze to the floor. Too close, he thought.
Following the destruction of Ming’s secret compound, the SGIT team had radioed for an air evacuation. Although against the rules of engagement because the team was within a country considered hostile, and was present without official sanction, Colonel Pierson authorized the medevac anyway. There was no way he was going to leave his team wounded and without support.
The entire team was flown to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany where the wounded were treated and cared for. The SGIT team departed Landstuhl after four days of convalescing. Peter, Ethan, Todd, and Gary remained at the medical facility until they were placed on a military transport five days later and finally flown home.
Even though Gary lived in California, he opted to stay on a few days in Bend—he needed time to allow the soul to recover. His wife, Nancy, had just flown up to join him.
Ethan had suffered the most serious injuries with a severe concussion, fractured cheekbone, and extensive bruising and muscle strain over most of his body. The attending doctor commented that the damage to Ethan was similar to what he had observed on soldiers blown up by improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan and Iraq. Perhaps because of this experience, the medical staff at Landstuhl was well prepared to treat Ethan’s wounds. Fortunately, the fractured zygomatic bone did not require surgery or plates to reconnect the bone, and in time, the doctor was confident Ethan would fully recover.
Gary, Todd, and Peter all suffered from exhaustion, bruising, and, in Gary’s case, a grazing bullet wound across his shoulder and back. Fifty-three stitches were required to close the gash after the medical team had removed Bull’s field dressing and debrided the wound.
The SGIT team was also on the road to recovery. Ghost, Magnum, Bull, and Homer would all enjoy some time off to rest and let their wounds heal. Rambo was sporting a cast while his broken wrist healed, and Sulu was expected to regain normal functioning of his legs and arms following successful surgery to remove the grenade shrapnel.
All still mourned the loss of Coyote and T-Bone. It was rare for the SGIT team to suffer casualties, and on this mission they had paid dearly.
Peter lifted the glass in his hand and swallowed the last of the microbrew. “Can I get another for you?” he asked, noting that Jim’s glass was also empty.
Together they walked to the bar and Peter ordered two more Mirror Pond pale ales. He had booked the reception room on the second floor of Deschutes Brewery for this gathering. Peter thought it would help if he and his friends could spend the evening together once more, only this time in peace, and he could not imagine a more peaceful place.
Peter’s friends had walked to hell and back to help him rescue Ethan from the Janjaweed militia halfway around the world. In the process, two good men sacrificed everything and would not return to their loved ones. He knew he could never repay them, but he would try.
As Peter and Jim were absorbed in quiet reflection, Ethan walked up, breaking the silence.
“Commander Nicolaou,” he began, and then corrected his posture, standing tall and straight at attention. Looking Jim firmly in the eyes, he continued. “Sir. I have not formally thanked you for all you and your team did to save me. Not just me, but also my friends… out there in the desert.” Ethan paused for a minute to regain his composure.
“Also…” Ethan’s eyes grew moist and his voice cracked. He swallowed hard, and then continued. “Also, I want to thank you, Sir, for ending the terror that was waged for so long on the people of Darfur.” He would never forget Bebe or Hamaad.
It was clearly important to Ethan that he express his gratitude with the full degree of respect and protocol that he knew Commander Nicolaou deserved. Once he did, the tears came forward.
In the brief time he spent in the refugee camp… what seemed so long ago… he had met an innocent population that had suffered beyond imagination. People who had no idea why they were being brutalized and terrorized. People who simply wanted to live in peace like anyone else.
Jim put his hand on Ethan’s shoulder. “It’s okay son. Let it go.”
Ethan bowed his head and tried to hide his tears, ashamed of his emotional display.
Jim spoke gently. “Ethan, there is nothing to be ashamed of. You witnessed the worst elements of mankind. You, your father, and your friends stood up to that aggression. You demonstrated to every man on the battlefield your compassion, your humanity, and your bravery. Thanks are also owed to you.”
Peter wrapped Ethan in a fatherly hug.
Gary and Todd overheard the conversation. Without prompting, Todd raised his glass and offered a toast.
“Here’s to all our service men and women. Wherever they are, they’re keeping the wolf at bay.”
There was a unanimous “cheers” as each man took a drink. Not to be outdone, Gary raised his glass and added, “And here’s to the Oregon Ducks! May they not only get to the Rose Bowl this year, but actually win it again!” Everyone laughed, including Ethan.
As the laughter died down, Peter became serious once more.
“Jim, did your team learn anything from the data files Gary downloaded?”
“Ellen Lacey is still leading the analysis. It will take time, but she suspects that the data is sufficiently complete to be able to reconstruct Ming’s formula.”
“Formula? I don’t understand,” Peter replied.
“The picture is not yet complete, but Lacey tells me that Ming developed a formula for using a common virus to insert Neanderthal DNA into human cells. The trick was finding the right cocktail, or recipe, that resulted in self-replication of the infected cells. Once the complete formula is uncovered, then it can be reproduced.”
“Why in God’s name would anyone want to recreate that demonic work?”
Jim shook his head. “The experts say it will open entirely new areas of research—new possibilities to clone extinct species and genetically cure a long list of diseases.”
“You’ve got to be joking. This can’t be allowed… that data must be destroyed before it’s too late!”
“It may already be too late. Once knowledge is gained, it cannot be eliminated. There is no going back.” Jim didn’t seem upset in the least.
“How can you stay so calm?” Peter demanded. “After all we just went through… you saw those hideous beings. They nearly killed me, my son, and my friends… and they did kill Coyote. Ming’s cloning of Neanderthals could never possibly benefit mankind.”
Jim glared at Peter. He didn’t like having Coyote’s death brought up.
“I’m well aware of what happened,” Jim countered, staring directly into Peter’s eyes, measuring his words before continuing.
“You still haven’t learned to trust me, have you?”
Peter thought back to the beginning when he had sought Jim’s help and Jim seemingly refused. Only later to find that Jim was, in fact, work
ing the back channels.
The conversation was interrupted when Jim’s cell phone rang. Recognizing the caller identified on the phone’s display, he said, “Excuse me. I need to take this.” He walked to a deserted corner of the large room where he could speak in relative privacy.
Peter turned around to again look out the windows to the west. He could always trust those mountains to bring peace when he was most troubled. He would go there tomorrow—to Todd Lake—with Ethan, and maybe Joanna, too.
Jim pocketed his phone and returned to the bar. He had a slight grin and the shine had returned to his eyes, displacing the heavy fatigue that had been there since they left Sudan.
“Aren’t you going to ask?” Clearly, Jim couldn’t keep the news to himself.
Peter didn’t understand, but he played along. “All right. What am I supposed to ask about?”
“The phone call, of course.”
“What about it?”
“That, my good friend, was Lieutenant Ellen Lacey.”
“And…” Peter’s voice betrayed a growing irritation.
“She reported a problem… with the main computer. Well, actually not with the main computer CPU, but really with the disc drive storage system… the servers. You know they hold a fantastic amount of data—”
Peter cut him off. “Yes, I know. Just get to the point, would you?”
“The point? Oh, yes.” Jim was obviously enjoying himself now. “The point is… you know that data Gary downloaded from Ming’s servers?”
Peter stared back and frowned.
“Well, that data was stored on two secure servers at The Office. It was backed up just yesterday.”
“And?” Peter urged Jim to continue.
“Well, it seems both servers—the primary and the backup containing all of Ming’s data—failed. Apparently, it was a hard crash… completely unrecoverable. Truly a shame.” Jim’s grin turned into a full smile.
For the first time since the ordeal began, Peter knew he would sleep through the night.
Author’s Postscript
Before I begin, a brief warning—I urge you to read the story first, and then these comments. To do otherwise will deprive you of some of the suspense that I hope you enjoy as the story unfolds.
If you read Crossing Savage, you know that a foundational plot theme in that novel is energy independence; an optimistic subject. In this second Peter Savage novel, I have embraced a darker theme—biological terrorism. This is a real fear for me, something that keeps me awake at night, something our society is vulnerable to. The reason is simple; humankind has embraced biological warfare for centuries—and it’s a relatively simple weapon of mass destruction and terror.
In contrast, nuclear weapons are very complex, extremely difficult to handle, and, thankfully, the detonation sequence has to be done just right (to the millisecond) or you have a dud. Chemical weapons are difficult to manufacture and deploy.
If sanity prevails, I’ll never read about biological weapons other than the occasional misplaced lab samples at the Center for Disease Control.
On a lighter note, I’ve wanted to write a story involving a cross—or hybrid—between modern humans and another, more animal-like, species for a considerable time. This interest stems from two hobbies: I love to shoot and hunt, and I’m quite fond of werewolf movies.
Now, these may seem unrelated interests, but not to my mind. Many times, walking back to camp through a dark forest, I have pondered what it would be like to challenge an animal—with all its physical and sensory excellence—if that animal also had mankind’s cunning and weaponry.
Scary concept—one that inevitably leads to thoughts of werewolves and lycans. But the problem with every werewolf (or lycan) story I’m familiar with is the transformation process; it just isn’t remotely believable. And I suppose it doesn’t have to be.
So when I sat down to write Relentless Savage, I wanted to incorporate a scientifically plausible transformation process; a believable means by which people might be changed into something else, something decidedly not human. The answer, of course, has to reside in DNA. This is where the science is actually well understood, and is fundamental to the story.
Viruses are wonderful and strange organisms. They do not contain the necessary enzymes for cellular growth and replication. Until a virus invades a host cell, it simply exists—stretching the definition of life itself. When a host cell is infected the virus highjacks the DNA and replication enzymes of a host cell, ultimately reproducing more viruses. This process may be relatively rapid (as with a cold or flu infection) or the virus may lay dormant, viral DNA inserted into host cellular DNA for months, even years, before the virus replicates (e.g., herpes and HIV).
Even more bizarre is that a substantial part of human DNA is believed to have derived from viruses. It is estimated that as much as 8% of the human genome was inserted by viruses. Although scientists speculate that much of the virus DNA is so-called junk DNA—serving no purpose at all—schizophrenia and some mood disorders are thought to originate from this virus genetic material. So it is plausible that viruses might insert active foreign DNA into human host cells in a manner that allows the DNA to replicate and change our nature.
As pointed out in the Author’s Note, the human genome was deciphered many years ago. Also, the genome for Neanderthals has been mapped (from samples recovered from well-preserved remains), and we know that Neanderthal DNA is present in modern humans, albeit not of African descent. It appears that modern humans (Homo sapiens sapiens) originated in Africa and crossbred with Homo neanderthalensis. In all likelihood the male offspring were infertile, and eventually modern humans won out over Neanderthals.
Scientists are already debating cloning Ice Age mammals in order to bring back these extinct species. We know that Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens sapiens have a remarkable degree of genetic commonality. In the search for medical cures, how long will it be before we start to investigate adding sections of Neanderthal DNA to human DNA? This will be the first step toward engineering a human-Neanderthal hybrid.
Deadly Savage
Deadly Savage
a Peter Savage novel
Dave Edlund
Durham, NC
Copyright © 2016, by Dave Edlund
Deadly Savage (Peter Savage, #3)
Dave Edlund
www.petersavagenovels.com
[email protected]
Published 2016, by Light Messages
www.lightmessages.com
Durham, NC 27713
SAN: 920-9298
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-61153-160-2
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-61153-161-9
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 International Copyright Act, without the prior written permission except in brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
To the men and women who have served our country tirelessly and selflessly. We are forever in your debt.
Acknowledgements
FROM CONCEPT TO COMPLETION, there are many to acknowledge and thank for their contributions to this project.
First, I want to thank Sargent Seth Lombardi for analyzing the tactics imagined in Deadly Savage. Your feedback and suggestions are greatly appreciated. Also, I want to acknowledge that Sargent Lombardi has made a career serving in the United States Army, and is a veteran of two tours in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Oh, by the way Sargent, next time you’re invited to the President’s Inaugural Ball, may I tag along?
I also want to acknowledge Siggy Buckley and her novel (based on factual events) There is No Going Back. This short story retells how Russi
an soldiers abused, raped, and murdered German civilians, driving them from their homes in Eastern Europe as the Red Army advanced on Nazi Germany. It is a sad tale of ethnic hatred and cleansing, a tale which shaped the way I created some of the characters in Deadly Savage.
Sometimes it takes only a suggestion and spark of imagination to lay the foundation for a novel. I want to thank my editor, Elizabeth, for that suggestion—two years ago, if memory serves me well. It was right after we completed and launched Crossing Savage, and the Russian invasion of Crimea was news. I hope you enjoy what has grown from that conversation.
So, I go from concept to completion. Finishing a book involves editors—people with very special and indispensable talents. A huge thank you, Elizabeth, for your contributions to make this novel better.
I will quickly point out that the job of rooting out and correcting errors in the manuscript prior to publication is a daunting task. And although many have contributed magnificently to finding and correcting spelling, punctuation, and other grammatical errors, in the final analysis it must be said that I am the one who put them there in the first place.
Last, but hardly least, I want to offer my heart-felt thanks to you, the fans of Peter Savage, James Nicolaou, and the rest of the crew. And a special shout-out to my friends from Hiram Johnson High School who have been so generous in your support of this crazy dream I’m committed to pursuing. I write these novels for your enjoyment, and would love to hear your comments and questions on my web site
PeterSavageNovels.com.
Author’s Note
If you attended elementary school in the United States prior to 1973, you were, in all likelihood, vaccinated against smallpox. The last naturally-occurring case of smallpox was diagnosed in 1977 and on May 8, 1980, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared smallpox eradicated globally.
