Days Of Perdition: Voodoo Plague Book 6 (10 page)

 Rachel, Dog and Blanchard stayed quiet in the latrine as
the Air Force Security Forces went about the business of restraining John. 
Before they had him out the door and on his way to a holding cell, sirens could
be heard approaching the building, shutting down as they pulled into the
parking lot.  Blanchard moved to a small window set high in the wall and used
an overturned trash can to gain enough height to see out.

“What’s going on?”  Rachel asked quietly.

“Two ambulances,” he said without taking his attention away
from the view.  “I hope the Major isn’t hurt too bad.”

“I’ll bet it’s cops they’re hauling out on stretchers.” 
Rachel said.

They stayed that way for a while, Rachel sitting with her
back against the wall, facing the door.  Dog sat in front of her, also keeping
an eye on the door as she stroked his head.

“You’re right,” Blanchard, still watching the parking lot
finally said.  “They just brought the Major out and he’s walking.  He’s in
cuffs and leg irons.  They just loaded three MPs on gurneys into the ambulances,
and there’s another three limping along.”

“Does he look OK?”  Rachel asked.  “John, I mean.”

“Other than pissed off, looks fine.”  Blanchard turned and
almost lost his balance when the door from the hallway suddenly opened.

Martinez paused halfway through the door when she saw them,
automatically reaching a hand out to Dog when he ran over to her.  His initial
attack charge to protect Rachel had changed to a greeting when he’d recognized
Martinez.  She glanced over her shoulder, down the hall in the direction of the
conference room, then moved quickly into the latrine and pushed the door shut
with her back, the pneumatic closer hissing in protest as it was forced to move
faster than normal.

“What’s happening?”  Rachel asked, climbing to her feet and
moving across the room to meet Martinez.

“The President ordered Major Chase’s arrest.”  Martinez
answered.  “Charges are the murder of Brent Cummings and Treason.”

“Is he hurt?”  Rachel asked, reaching out and touching
Martinez’ arm.

“They finally got him down with a Taser after a bunch of
them piled on top of him.  He put three in the hospital and put the hurt on a few
more before he went down.”

“You know this is bullshit, right?”  Rachel asked.

“Don’t worry about me,” Martinez said in a hard voice.  “I
was there.  Remember?  And I’ve been through some nasty shit with him.  But
what can I do?  I’m just a Captain.”

“Have they arrested Colonel Crawford?”  Blanchard had jumped
down off the trashcan and joined them.

“I don’t think they can find him.”  Martinez said.

“I can,” he said.  “We need to get out of here and join the
Colonel.”

“We need to get John back!”  Rachel said, turning to glare at
Blanchard.

“Agreed, but that will be a whole lot easier with the
Colonel and a few hundred Rangers helping.”  He stared back at her and after a
moment Rachel nodded her head and looked away.

“Are you with us, Captain?”  Blanchard turned his gaze to
Martinez.

“You realize you’re talking about subversion, treason and
half a dozen other things that could get us shot?”  She met his gaze and didn’t
blink. 

“Before the world ended, yes.  Now?  With a traitor for a
President and people dying all around us?  I took the same oath you did,
Captain, but part of that oath is to defend our country against
domestic
enemies too.  If betraying us to the Russians, who were the ones that
orchestrated this whole thing, doesn’t qualify as a domestic enemy, I don’t
know what does.  Time to pick sides, Captain.”  He said.  “Join us, or forget
you saw us here.”

“Of course I’m with you.  Damn but the Army has sticks up
their ass.  And I thought Marines were bad.”  She grinned.  “Now, how do we
find your Colonel?”

“Wait.  What about Irina and Igor?”  Rachel asked.  “What’s
going to happen to them?”

“They’ll probably be held and turned over to the Russians.” 
Blanchard said.  “Who will most likely put them on a very public trial in
Russia before executing them.”

“Then we have to help them, too.”  Rachel declared.  “As
good as it felt to punch that blonde bitch in the eye, we can’t let them be
handed back.”

“They’re in a room down the hall.  Under guard.”  Blanchard
said.  “We won’t get them without getting our hands dirty.”

“What do you mean?”  Rachel asked.

“It’s what I was trying to explain earlier.  About the
military fracturing?  General Triplett has apparently decided to follow President
Clark’s orders.  That means, with a few notable exceptions,” he nodded at
Martinez, “the Air Force personnel under his command will be following his
orders.  We just became the rebels, and rebellions are never clean and
sanitary.  People get hurt and killed.  Men and women we were fighting
alongside yesterday are now the enemy.”

“You’re saying we’re going to have to kill Air Force
personnel?”  Rachel asked, shocked at the thought.

“I’m saying that we may very well find ourselves in a
situation where we don’t have a choice.  I don’t like it one bit, and I’ll do
everything I can to avoid it, but if we’re going to resist then you have to be
prepared for that to happen.  Can you deal with that, Captain?”  Blanchard
turned to look at Martinez.

“I won’t kill unless it’s to defend one of our lives.”  She
answered.  “Is that good enough for you?”

“Don’t misunderstand me, Captain.  I’m not blood thirsty,
ready to go hunting anyone wearing an Air Force uniform.  I’m just pointing out
that the situation will most likely arise where we have to make a difficult
decision and I need to know, if the time comes, can you make that decision and
live with it?”

Martinez stood still for a long moment, staring at the
floor, finally looking up and meeting Blanchard’s eyes.

“Yes.  To save one of our lives, I’ll do what has to be
done.  But nothing more than that.”

Blanchard nodded but didn’t feel the need to add anything
further to the discussion.

“That’s good, but I’ll ask again.  What about the
Russians?”  Rachel said. 

“She’s right,” Blanchard said.  “As soon as things calm down
they’re probably going to be moved to a more secure location.”

“Leave it to me.”  Martinez said, pulling the door open and
exiting into the hallway.

Less than two minutes later the door opened again and Irina
walked in, Martinez on her heels.  Irina stopped when she saw Rachel, but
Martinez put a hand on her back and guided her the rest of the way into the
latrine so she could close the door.

“Told the guard I was checking on them, then that Irina had
to use the latrine.”  Martinez smiled. 

“What’s going on?”  Irina asked, looking at their faces.

Blanchard gave her an abbreviated version of the events that
she was unaware of.  “We expect Barinov to demand President Clark hand you and
Igor over.”

“They’ll execute us!”  Irina had gone pale.

“That’s what we think as well, which is why we’re going to
get you out of here.”  Blanchard said.  “Martinez, how many guards on Igor?”

“Just one.  In the hall.  And it looks like they’re wrapping
up in the main conference room.  I don’t think we’re going to have much time
before someone thinks to put our guests into confinement.”

“OK.  If I remember right, the room he’s in is around a
corner and there are windows in the room that open to the rear of the
building.”  Blanchard said.

“Correct.  We’re going out the window?”

“Yes.  You and I will escort Irina back to the room. 
Rachel, you and Dog right behind us.  The guard shouldn’t know everything
that’s transpired, and we’ll be able to walk right up to him.  I’ll take him
out, non-lethal, and we get Igor then haul ass.  Everyone ready?” 

As they walked around the corner in the hall, Martinez
slowed but didn’t stop when she saw the guard was missing.  She glanced over
her shoulder at Blanchard who quickly pushed past Irina and drew his pistol. 
Martinez frowned at him, but he ignored her.

Waving the small group to a halt, he slowly continued down
the hall, suddenly accelerating when the door to the room where Igor was being
held began to swing open.  Prepared to launch a blow at the guard he expected
to see, Blanchard skidded and nearly fell when Colonel Crawford leaned out of
the opening.

The Colonel nodded at them and motioned them into the room. 
Once inside they glanced around, spotting the unconscious and restrained guard
lying to the side.  Igor stood next to an open window, watching the area behind
the building.

“Good to see everyone,” Crawford said in a low voice. 
“Let’s get out of here before the Security Forces come looking for our Russian
friends.”

He turned and led the way to where Igor was keeping watch,
sending Blanchard through the opening first.  The rest of the group quickly
followed, clambering through the awkward sized opening.  Crawford lifted Dog up
and handed him through to Igor’s waiting arms, then levered himself up and
through.

The back of the building faced a large, grassy area that
covered at least two acres.  Despite the events that had transpired over the
past couple of months, it was still neatly mown and edged.  Rachel found it a
little surreal, but knew the maintenance of the grass was a routine the
military would maintain until prevented by circumstance.

Far to their left was another cluster of low buildings and a
hundred yards to the right a wide, tree lined road that led to the area where
the homes of senior officers were located.  Crawford signed for them to follow
and he set off at a fast walk directly towards the middle of the lawn.  On the
far side were more buildings, each with large parking lots and multiple
military and civilian vehicles were visible.

When they were half way across the grass, Crawford reached
up to touch an earpiece in his left ear and mumbled a few words.  A minute
later the first of a dozen Humvees pulled into the closest parking lot, the
convoy swinging around and stopping, pointing back the way it had come.  Half a
dozen Rangers in full battle rattle stepped out of each vehicle and quickly
formed a defensive perimeter. 

The sound of racing engines came from behind them and
Crawford glanced over his shoulder to see two Security Forces Hummers jump the
curb and start across the neat lawn in pursuit.  Without breaking stride he
spoke into his radio again.  Moments later a Ranger stepped forward, dropped to
the ground and sighted in on the Air Force vehicles.  He was using a sound
suppressed .50 caliber rifle and disabled each vehicle with a single shot to
its engine, then maintained his aim without firing any additional rounds.

“Colonel!”  General Triplett had stepped out of one of the
stalled Hummers and shouted.

Crawford stopped and told the rest of the group to continue
on to the waiting vehicles.  Blanchard stopped by his side, turning with him to
face the General.  Triplett was walking across the field with ten armed
Security Forces in tow.  Blanchard turned and hand signed to the Rangers, a
moment later twenty of them running forward and forming up behind their
Colonel.  Their rifles were up and ready, but not pointed directly at the
approaching Air Force personnel.

The field was large and it took a few minutes for General
Triplett to reach the area where Crawford waited for him.  He came to a stop
ten feet away, the Security Forces spreading out behind him.  They looked
nervous, as well they should have.  They were cops, not combat troops, and they
were only armed with pistols.  They were seriously outnumbered and outgunned if
things went bad.

“Colonel Crawford, by order of the President of the United
States, you are under arrest for sedition and treason.  You need to surrender
yourself peacefully.”  The General said in a loud, commanding voice.

“General, what seditious or treasonous acts have I
committed?”  Crawford asked.  “You’ve been involved in every discussion and
decision that has been made.  You can’t seriously be following this order.  The
only sedition and treason here is what our President has done.”

“Colonel, it’s not our place to question the orders of our
superior.  We took an oath to obey those appointed above us, and this is a
lawful order from the Commander In Chief.”

Crawford let out a long sigh and took a couple of steps
closer to the General.  One of the Security Forces drew his weapon when the
Colonel stepped forward, immediately getting half a dozen rifles aimed directly
at him.  He froze, muzzle of the weapon still pointed at the ground.  Triplett
looked around at his man, then at the Rangers and the determined looks on their
faces.  He waved for the man to holster the weapon, and when it was, the aim of
the rifles was moved a few degrees off target.

“General, the world we knew has ended.  It ended courtesy of
the Russians.  The very same people to whom our President has betrayed us. 
There are people out in Oklahoma City that are turning every day, and there’s
millions more infected on the way here.  Exactly where the Russians are drawing
them.  You were at the briefing.  You know what’s going on.  Do you really
think it’s prudent to follow these orders and divide our forces?  We need to be
working together, not fighting each other.”

 “You’re right about needing to work together, but we also
need to follow orders.”  Triplett responded.  “Surrender yourself and place
your men under my command.”

Crawford stared at the man, read the conviction in his eyes. 
“General, I respectfully decline to obey the order.”

“Colonel, don’t make me come and get you.” 

“Sir, to attempt to do so would be a grave mistake.  We have
bigger concerns.  Don’t put us in the position of having to start shooting at
each other.”  Crawford took another step forward, wanting Triplett to see his
face clearly and understand that he was serious.