Recovery: V Plague Book 8 (7 page)

“That’s not
a good idea,” Martinez said when I told the small group what I had in mind.

The fueling
had completed and we were all back in the VIP bar, eating another quick meal
before we departed.  Yes we were eating a lot, but there was no guarantee of
when we would have anything other than an MRE again.  When you’re on the move,
fighting to stay alive, food is very much like water.  You eat as much as you
can, when you can, because it may be a long time before you get any more.

“You have a
better one?”  I asked in between bites.

“Look, I
understand you need to get there fast because of the weather front coming in. 
I get that.  But once we link up with Scott we should all follow in the
Bradley.  We’ll be a few days behind, but you may need us.  Have you thought
about where you’re going once you find Rachel?”  Martinez asked.

That caught
me unprepared.  My concern for her had driven all thoughts other than getting
there as fast as possible out of my head.  I looked around the table at Katie
and Colonel Crawford.  They just looked back at me.

“I agree
with the Captain,” Crawford finally said, wiping his mouth with a heavy linen
napkin before taking a drink of water.  “You may very well need support and
that Bradley can keep moving in just about any kind of weather.  We have no
idea how bad it’s going to get and I can’t stop thinking about how bad the
tornadoes in Arkansas were.”

“What does
that have to do with snow in Idaho?”  I asked.

“When the
storms were bearing down on West Memphis it was mentioned to me that there’s a
theory that nuclear detonations would have an adverse effect on the weather. 
Cause storms to be stronger.  I don’t know if that was the case but you saw the
aftermath of those tornadoes.  I was raised in the southeast and have
experienced a few in my day, but these were like nothing I’ve ever seen or heard
of.

“My point
is, it’s early in the season for a winter storm to be dipping down out of
Canada.  Not unprecedented, but very early.  And if it’s magnified as much as
those tornadoes seem to have been, you may need us and the Bradley to get out
of those mountains.” 

I sat there
chewing, thinking about what the Colonel had said.  As much as I wanted all of
them to head to the safety of the Bahamas he had a valid point.  If only a few
inches of snow fell I was confident in being able to find a four-wheel drive
truck that could make its way through.  But what if he was right and this was a
big storm that wound up dumping feet, not inches?  We’d be stuck.

“OK, you’ve
convinced me.”  I nodded and pushed my empty plate away.  “But what about the
Russian surge?  They’re going to have air assets up.  We already know they’re
flying an around the clock CAP.  They might ignore me in a civilian vehicle
traveling on the roads, but I’m willing to bet a Bradley moving will draw
unwanted attention.”

“I don’t
have an answer for that,” Crawford conceded.  “But I think we need to take the
chance.”

I shook my
head, not in disagreement but at the thought of the level of risk the people
travelling in a US military vehicle would be taking.  Then I thought of another
problem.

“Comms,” I
said.  “I was planning on taking your sat phone so I could stay in touch with
Pearl.  Use them as my eye in the sky.  How do we stay in contact?”

“The Bradley
has comm gear,” the Colonel responded.  “Blanchard issued an FSOC unit to them
before they headed out to find you and there’s also HF radios on board.”

“Then why
haven’t we been able to reach them?”  I asked.

“We’ll
figure that out when we catch up with them,” he said, pushing his chair back
and standing.  “Shall we get moving?”

We all stood
and I tossed some scraps to Dog who snatched them out of the air without
bothering to stand. 

“Let’s go
get Rachel, boy.”  I said to him, scratching his ears as I walked past.  He
jumped to his feet and raced up the stairs ahead of me.

I took a
moment to situate my vest, adjusting it to a comfortable fit.  It had been
soaked with sweat, covered in blood and dirt was ground in to every fiber.  I
had washed it as best I could and it now only stank badly enough for me to
notice if I took a deep breath.

“Ready?”  I
asked Katie as I loaded the last full magazine into a pouch.

“For a road
trip?  You bet!”  She smiled, checking her rifle over.  “Remember the last time
we drove across the country?  We came back married.  Wanna stop in Vegas and
see if that preacher in the blue leisure suit is still around?  Renew our
vows?”

I looked at
her, not sure if she was just being flip or if there was some insecurity over
us going off to save Rachel.  Not that Katie wouldn’t be the first to say we
had to go help her but that didn’t mean there wasn’t concern over what might
come once we found Rachel.  Not surprisingly she read me like a book, knowing
exactly what I was thinking.

“Just trying
to lighten the mood,” she said.  “Let’s go get your girlfriend.”

“Hey,” I
started to say, but she and Martinez both burst out in laughter.

“You are so
easy,” Katie said.  “My mother was right about you.”

“Right about
what?”

“You
ready?”  Katie turned to Martinez and they headed for the stairs, completely
ignoring me.

Shaking my
head and grumbling I took a last look around to ensure we weren’t leaving
anything behind that we might need.  Not seeing anything I followed the two
women up the stairs and out onto the roof.  Colonel Crawford was standing by
the Huey, burning cigarette in hand as he spoke on the sat phone.  He ended the
call as we approached.

“Here,” he
said, holding the device out to Martinez.  “Petty Officer Simmons is sending
their current coordinates.”

“That’s
good, sir, but there’s not exactly a nav computer in this old war horse to plug
them into.” 

“Shit,”
Crawford mumbled.  “We’ve all gotten too goddamn used to technology.  Or maybe that’s
just me.  How about I call her back and get a heading and distance?  Will that
suffice?”

“Yes, sir. 
That will be perfect,” Martinez smiled and began walking around the Huey to perform
her pre-flight check.

While she
inspected the aircraft I coiled up the hose we’d used for transferring fuel and
put it in the Huey.  Next came a pump, a smaller hose that would fit into a
vehicle’s filler neck as well as some tools I had gathered from the maintenance
shop.  I’d need to refuel whatever car or truck we found and didn’t expect the
power to be on at any gas station we stopped at. 

With the
pump, which could run on a car’s electrical system, I’d be able to open the
access plate to a station’s storage tanks, drop a hose down the hole and pump
gas into my transportation’s fuel tank.  Less convenient than just pulling up
to the fuel island and swiping a credit card, but it would serve the purpose.

By the time
Martinez was finished the Colonel wrapped up his call and gave her the
information she needed.  She nodded and climbed aboard, the rest of us
following.  I took a few minutes to get my improvised harness wrapped around
Dog and secured to the tether hanging from the ceiling.  He didn’t like it but
he put up with it.  I really couldn’t ask for anything more from him.

“Katie, you
want the pig?”  I asked while I was double-checking the security of Dog’s
tether.

“What?”  She
asked.  “The pig?”

“Sorry.  The
M-60.  The door gun.  You want it, or you want me to take it?”  I clarified.

“I think
I’ll pull rank and strap in,” Crawford said, situating himself in the open
door.  “Been a long time.”

The starters
sounded and a moment later the rotor began spinning lazily, gaining speed.

“Why
“pig”?”  Katie asked, sitting down next to Dog.

“Carry one
around in the field all day,” I said.  “They weigh about twenty-five pounds,
without ammo.”

Katie smiled
and said something that I couldn’t hear.  The rotor was at take off speed and
Martinez lifted us into the air, turning and heading into the rising sun.

We pounded
our way east, the air flowing through the two open side doors still refreshing
but that would change quickly as the sun continued to bake the ground below. 
Colonel Crawford sat behind the door gun, maintaining a constant scan as we
progressed.  The man seemed to be enjoying himself, a tight smile on his face
as he traversed the barrel back and forth.

I scooted to
the opening when he turned his head to look at me and pointed at the ground
beneath us.  We were passing over a small town cut into nearly four perfect
quarters by the intersection of two highways, making it look like a compass rose. 
A few infected were stumbling around the deserted streets but what caught my
attention was a large building on the southern edge of the east-west highway.

A tall
communications tower soared over the structure.  A high-security fence glinted
in the morning light, surrounding the entire property.  There was a scattering
of vehicles in the rear parking lot, several of them obviously civilian but
there were eight neatly aligned police cars pulled tight against the back
wall.  Had to be either County Sheriff or State Police.

“Martinez,
remember where this town is.  We’re coming back,” I called over the intercom.

“Copy, sir. 
Got it located as best I can,” she replied a moment later.  I looked forward to
see her scribbling on a paper map with a grease pencil.

By now we
had already moved beyond the boundary of the small burg and nothing but open
prairie was visible.  Leaving Crawford to his fun I scooted back to sit next to
Katie, Dog shifting position to put his head in my lap.  He tolerated air
travel but really didn’t like it and was looking for some comfort.

“What was
that all about?”  Katie shouted after reaching out and lifting one of the
headset’s cups off my left ear.

“Looks like
a police station,” I shouted back.  “We need a fast car to get to Idaho.  I was
worrying about being caught out in anything not as stout as a truck.  The cops
might have an SUV or a cruiser that has been reinforced.  Going to go check
them out as soon as we find Scott.”

Katie nodded
and released the ear cup to slap back in place against the side of my head. 
She smiled when I gave her a dirty look.  I smiled back, happy to be with her
even if she was being a pain in the ass.

“Got Scott
on the radio,” Martinez called over the intercom almost fifteen minutes later. 
“We’re probably five minutes from his position.”

“Are we
coming into a hot LZ?”  Crawford almost sounded like he wanted there to be
targets at the Landing Zone so he could cut loose with the door gun.

“Sorry,
sir.  The area’s clear.”  I guess Martinez had picked up on it, too.

He didn’t
say anything else and a few minutes later I felt our speed drop as Martinez
began descending.  Moving back to the side door I stuck my head out and looked
down.  Ahead and to our right a Bradley sat on the top of a small hill, one
figure on top of the turret and two more on the ground next to the lowered rear
ramp.

As we
descended I recognized Igor’s big frame standing on top of the vehicle, keeping
watch on their surroundings.  Tech Sergeant Scott and Irina waited at the rear,
shielding their eyes from the dust and debris as Martinez set us down fifty
yards away.  Unhooking Dog’s tether I jumped down and waited for Katie to join
me.

We met Scott
and Irina half way and I waved a greeting to Igor who had stayed on top of the
Bradley.  He waved back then continued keeping watch on the area.  Dog ran up
to Scott and Irina, giving each of them a quick greeting, then lifted his nose
and headed for Igor when he recognized him.  The two had become fast friends
when we were in Texas and when Igor saw him coming he climbed down to pet him.

“Good to see
you, sir.”  Scott said.  “Was starting to think the worst might have happened.”

“Not very
likely, Tech Sergeant.  At least not yet,” I grinned and clapped him on the
shoulder.  Irina stepped forward and embraced me, placing a kiss on each
cheek. 

“I’m glad
you survived.  And this is her?”  She asked, stepping back and smiling at
Katie.

I made the
introductions, taking a moment to explain to Katie what Igor and Irina were
doing there.  She thanked each of them for having helped me then looked over
her shoulder when she saw Scott come to attention.  Crawford walked up with
Martinez at his side.

“Relax, Tech
Sergeant,” he waved a dismissive hand.  “You and your team did an outstanding
job.”

Scott smiled
and stood easier.  Martinez pushed past me, walked up to him and wrapped him in
a big hug.  He looked embarrassed but when she didn’t let go right away he
grinned sheepishly.  Finally releasing him she turned to Irina and surprised
the woman by embracing her tightly.

Greetings
and introductions out of the way I led the group over to the Bradley and we
settled in on the shady side as I brought them up to speed.  It took more time
than I wanted to spend, but everyone needed to be on the same page.

“So you’re
going to haul ass to Idaho while we poke along behind you.  That pretty much
sum it up, sir?”  Scott asked.

“Yep,” I
said.  “Spotted a police station this morning on the way here and I’m going to
have the Captain take me there.  Should be able to get a fast car and maybe
pick up a few weapons and some more ammo.”

“I’ve got a
shit ton of 5.56 in the Bradley if you want to take some,” Scott offered.  “But
what do we do about comms if you take the only sat phone?” 

“I thought
you had an FSOC?”  Crawford asked.

“Yes, sir. 
We do, but it’s not working.”  Scott shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ll take a
look,” Martinez said, standing and starting to climb the outside of the
Bradley’s hull.  “I trained on them with the manufacturer’s tech rep when the
first units came in.”  

While
Martinez worked on the laser comm gear, I stepped inside the vehicle and
spotted the ammo cans of loaded mags Scott had been talking about.  There were
five waterproof, metal cans strapped down to the floor and I took two of them. 
That left them with only 3,000 rounds, but my sole protection was going to be
thin sheet metal.  They’d have the Bradley’s armor and its other weapons if
they ran into any problems.

“How we
doing, Captain?”  I shouted to Martinez when I walked back out into the open.

“Almost got
it, sir.”  She said without taking her attention off of the device she was
working on with a small multi-tool.

“Are you
kidding me?”  Scott yelled up at her.  She ignored him for almost a minute.  Straightening,
she collapsed the tool and smiled down at him.

“There’s a
motion stabilized gimbal that keeps the laser locked on its target,” she said. 
“It has a tendency to get stuck if the unit is torqued down tighter than spec. 
The gimbal was binding so I adjusted the tension on the mounting bolts.  Give
it a try.”

Scott stared
back at her with his mouth open for a moment before heading inside to activate
the system.  A minute later he stuck his head back out and told us it was
working and locked on to a satellite.  Martinez pretended to dust her hands off
then climbed down and joined us.

“OK, we’ve
got comms,” I said, heading for the Huey with the pair of ammo cans.  “Captain,
make sure Scott knows where we’re going and let’s get in the air.  I’m not
going to wait for them to show up.  You can wait and they’ll pick you up.”

“I’m coming
with you,” Crawford said, falling in next to me.  “No reason for her to be
waiting by herself.  Just in case.”

While I
strapped the ammo cans down and got Dog back into the Huey, Martinez showed the
paper map she’d marked up to Scott.  Katie and Crawford climbed aboard, and
then Martinez came running as Scott, Irina and Igor disappeared inside the
Bradley.