Riposte (The Redivivus Trilogy Book 2) (34 page)

“Ice!” Mother called.

Before he could give his order, Ice replied, “I knew you’d come around. Want me to make a hole?”

“The infected, not the truck—got it?” Mother said.

“Oh, yee of little faith. Who do you think you’re talking to, here?” Ice said with an expression that was far too upbeat for the situation at hand.

Mother proceeded to mime tossing a grenade and the subsequent explosion, once again hoping that the occupants of the truck would get the message. A thumbs up from the driver told him they did. He hoped the vehicle’s armor plating had enough integrity to withstand the blast.

The truck drove forward six inches or so before reversing and going a little farther. The driver repeated this process a couple of times to make enough room to reverse out of the alcove of bodies created around them.

General Montes watched as one round shape and then another sailed through the air toward the truck. The fragmentation grenades hurtling through the air toward them was a surreal sight. “Everyone! Head’s down! Brace yourselves!” Montes yelled as he ducked his head below the dash.

The explosion was deafening, and the ensuing concussive wave that rolled through the truck and its occupants like a freight train was indescribable. To Garza, it felt as though every part of his body was rattled loose momentarily, disconnected from one another just long enough to make him wonder if they would actually return to their normal location. Had anyone inside the Bearcat been looking out the windshield, they would have seen a tsunami of blood, gore, and body parts rise up from the ground and surge toward them before slamming with tremendous force into the bulletproof glass. Fortunately for everyone inside, the windshield held.

When the truck quit rocking and General Montes’ wits returned, he looked up and saw nothing but a clumpy red and black film as though sheets of acetate of those same colors had been layered atop the glass. Instinctively, he switched on the windshield wipers and was a little surprised to find that they still worked.

As the wipers cleared the thick gore, General Montes saw the gate slowly opening. Without another thought, he shifted the big truck into drive and pulled forward. He tried not to think about the rise and fall of the tires as they bumped over the scattered remains of the massacred horde.

As soon as the Bearcat cleared the gate, one of the soldiers closed it quickly before locking it securely. All six of the soldiers moved into formation with their weapons trained on the truck.

Inside, General Montes turned to the others, and said, “Well, it looks like the welcoming committee is out in full force.”

Cautiously, Garza poked his head out of the turret, leading with his empty hands raised high above. “My name is Sergeant Hector Garza, U. S. Army. I am transporting a scientist who has important information regarding the plague. I need to speak with the officer or person in charge of this facility,” Garza said.

Keeping their rifles trained on Garza, the soldiers did not move a muscle. After what felt like an eternity, he started to worry that they had made a terrible mistake. He saw a soldier at the rear of the formation give a subtle nod as his hand moved to his earpiece. A second later, the soldier broke formation and approached with his rifle at low ready. Much like the other soldiers’ rifles, his eyes never strayed from Garza.

“Sergeant Garza, is there a Dr. Lin San with you?” the soldier asked.

Garza debated whether he could trust the soldiers holding them at gunpoint. Noticing his hesitation, Lin tapped him on the leg and said, “Tell them.” While Garza was concerned about her as a person, Lin’s attitude was selfless. She was willing to risk everything for a chance at stopping LNV before it hammered the last nail into humanity’s coffin.

Without further hesitation, he said, “Yes, sir, she and two others: General Montes of the Brazilian Special Forces and a boy named Anthony Obol. Oh, and his dog, Charon.”

The soldier keyed his throat mic and relayed the information to whoever was on the other end of the line. Before the soldier finished speaking, a door on the building behind them burst open. With his frayed nerves already on high alert, the unexpected sound of the door nearly made Garza jump out of the turret. As his heart returned to its normal location, he noticed that not a single one of the soldiers had even flinched. Looking past them, Garza saw two figures standing in the open doorway. A disheveled man in a dirty white coat held the door, glancing around nervously in every direction. The other man was clearly a military officer judging by his crisp uniform and the fact that he was not dressed out in full combat gear like the other soldiers they had encountered thus far.

“Sergeant Garza, I’m Colonel Doug Warren. If you and the others would exit the vehicle and follow me, we’d like to get you folks inside ASAP. There’ll be time for introductions later,” the soldier said.

Having made the decision to trust them, Garza nodded and disappeared into the truck. A moment later, the Bearcat’s rear door opened and Garza stepped out with his rifle in hand. He was relieved when the fact that he was armed elicited no reaction from the other soldiers, who had lowered their rifles to the low ready position. Anthony and Charon emerged next followed by Lin and General Montes.

Col. Warren pointed them toward the two men waiting in the open door, while the rest of the soldiers formed a defensive corridor to provide security as Garza led the group to the building.

Charon took a detour; pushing past one of the soldiers with a huff as though annoyed he was standing in his way. When he reached a nearby wall, he hiked his leg and took a long, satisfying piss. Garza swore the dog was smiling as he relieved himself.

Another of the soldiers said, “Holy shit! That dog’s back teeth must have been floating.”

After what seemed like a full minute, Charon lowered his leg and gave the grass a dismissive scrape with his rear paw before walking past the soldier as if he was not even there.

“You’re lucky he didn’t piss on you, Stack. I guess even dogs have standards,” the female soldier said, flashing a wry smile as she spoke.

When Garza reached the door, he stuck out his hand to introduce himself but the disheveled scientist stepped past him, completely ignoring the gesture.

“Dr. Lin San, I presume? Are we glad to see you,” Dr. Sodecci said as he hurriedly motioned them inside.

The military officer let out a quiet chuckle as he stepped forward and reached out to shake Garza’s hand. “Don’t mind the good doctor there. Being locked up in here has taken a toll on some of his social graces. I’m Lieutenant Weaver. I understand we have you to thank for getting Dr. San to us safely.”

24

October 7, 2015

Centers for Disease Control, Roybal Campus

Atlanta, GA

“Dr. San, welcome to Building 18,” the scientist said as soon as they were all inside. Lin could not tell if he thought she should feel privileged to be there, or if he was just relieved to have some help. Smiling excitedly, the wiry doctor said, “I have so much to go over with you.”

Sensing the scientist’s eagerness, Garza interjected, “I’m sure you do, but we have just been through Hell. I’m sure Dr. San would appreciate a few minutes to collect her thoughts.”

Looking as though he had been slapped, Dr. Louis Sodecci said, “Indeed. Who hasn’t these days? Sergeant Garcia, isn’t it?” He continued before Garza had a chance to answer. “That is precisely what I wish to discuss with Dr. San. You see, there is the matter of this little plague that has been annihilating our country for the last few weeks…”

“Enough!” Lt. Weaver boomed, the room going quiet instantly. “Mother, show the newcomers to the living quarters. Let them get cleaned up and get some food. Bring them back here in an hour. Is that acceptable to everyone?” When no one voiced any objections, he assumed it was.

* * *

Garza sat on the firm bunk in the spartan room, his mind reeling from all that had happened in the last week. He could hardly believe it had only been five days since he linked up with what remained of the Brazilian detachment charged with escorting Dr. San. Considering everything they had been through, he found it dizzying to contemplate. When he thought of what else might lay in store for him and the others whom he had come to regard almost as family, his mind stuttered like a scratched C.D., refusing to move on to the next track. As he stared at the floor between his feet, he decided he was okay with not moving on to the next track.
Who’s to say it won’t be worse than the last?

A knock interrupted his musings, and he walked to the door thinking that was the fastest hour he had ever experienced. After a pause, Garza opened the door, ready to follow Mother to find out just what did lay in store for them next. Instead, he stood transfixed at the sight of Lin rather than the austere colonel. She had clearly spent the time allotted cleaning up, and Garza immediately felt self-conscious about his appearance. A warmth swelled inside him, rising to the surface from a primal depth as old as mankind. Bereft of words, Garza stared at her until she finally offered a timid smile, and said:

“May I come in, Sgt. Garza?”

“Uh, yeah. I mean, of course. Come in,” Garza stammered as he moved awkwardly to the side to let her in.

“How are…” Garza said at the same time Lin tried to speak. They paused briefly, trying to sort out the communication mishap.

“I just…” Lin said just as Garza began to speak again.

“Sorry, you first,” Garza said, hoping to avoid any further bumbling linguistic collisions.

Lin took a steadying breath, and spoke, “I just wanted to thank you for all you’ve done to get us here—to get me here.”

Garza saw her body tremble ever so slightly and it was like gas on a fire, causing the warmth within him to surge through his entire body. No words came to him as he stared at her. He did not recall ever being rendered speechless by anyone in his life, yet there he stood like a mute.

The silence made Lin increasingly uncomfortable, and she tried to think of a way to extricate herself from the situation. She was not accustomed to interacting with people outside of the scientific realm, and being so close to Garza in such a confined space was clearly unfamiliar territory. A wave of anxiety swept through her mind, making it seem as though all of the air was being sucked out of the tiny room. She needed to get out, and she started to say so as she took a step toward the door.

Feeling somewhat discomposed by her unexpected visit, Garza misjudged the direction she was moving and stepped directly into her path. He blushed and opened his mouth lamely to apologize, but neither said a word. Instead, Lin did something wholly uncharacteristic and unexpected, even by her. She leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Garza’s rough lips.

When their lips parted, time seemed to stand still as they both processed what just happened. As soon as they had, any pretense of softness was devoured like a raw steak thrown into a pen of hungry lions. Their lips collided and thrashed against one another like gladiators fighting to the death. He felt all of her small frame pressing hard into his body as their hands clawed and explored. He ran his fingers through her silky black hair as his lips slid down to the satin skin of her neck. When she let out a low moan, his knees nearly buckled. The warmth he felt throughout his body quickly coalesced into a raging inferno in his loins, and the temperature in the room rose exponentially.

Although neither of them had moved more than six inches, they were both sweating profusely by the time the next knock on the door came. Their bodies went rigid instantly, and they looked at one another as though her father had just caught them making out on the family sofa. Finally, Garza said, “Just a second.”

They quickly smoothed their wrinkled clothes and tousled hair, though Garza didn’t imagine he looked much different either way. He moved uncomfortably toward the door and was thankful he did not have far to go. Opening the door, he found Mother standing there with General Montes, Anthony, and Charon.

“Sgt. Garza, have you seen Dr. San? She’s not in her room,” Mother asked.

No sooner than the words left his mouth, Lin stepped past Garza toward the open doorway. Turning toward Garza, she said, “I couldn’t agree more, Sergeant Garza. Your thoughts on the matter have been enlightening, and I look forward to discussing them further at a later time.”

He gulped, and replied, “Yes, ma’am. Glad I could help.” He could not help but fantasize about what she meant by
discussing them further
, as the raging inferno soared to temperatures so high that he thought he might explode.

“By the way, you should really consider washing up and finding a clean change of clothes,” she added. Although her tone was disapproving, she wore a thin smile on her lips and her face positively glowed.

Garza’s mind raced as they walked down the long hallway. He swore General Montes had given him a hard look like that of a father who knows he is up to something with his daughter. Mother’s expression, on the other hand, remained unreadable. While Anthony smiled obliviously, Charon made a show of sniffing loudly while pointing his muzzle toward Garza’s crotch in an accusatory manner.

When they reached the end of the hall, they entered a room that appeared to serve as a command center of sorts. Maps with various symbols and designations scrawled on them lined the walls. Charts and documents littered the table and desks. On one side of the room, Lt. Weaver was discussing something with two of the soldiers they recognized from outside.