The Sixth Extinction (Book 4): The Ark (4 page)

8

Doctor Lazaro, Doctor Hall, and General Philips

Dartmoor National Park

Princetown

Dartmoor Prison in the Hub’s Boardr
oom

3:12 PM GMT

M
elanie followed the General into the large, what looked like a boardroom. There was an oval mahogany table in the center of the room, with more monitors all around the walls.

The accompaniment of assistants all filed in behind Doctor Hall.

Melanie noticed that at the far end of the room was the podium used for the government recording, which was televised, on a loop, every thirty minutes.

“Coffee!” The
General barked. “Would you like a drink?” he asked, looking at Melanie, while ignoring Doctor Hall.

“Please.” Melanie was so thir
sty her throat felt raw. She had swallowed what seemed like gallons of rain and pond water over the last few hours, but she still felt parched.

“Milk, two sugars, please,” she simply said.

“So you have found a blocker capable of stopping the infection from spreading?” the General asked.

“Yes,” she simply said.
The seat was so comfortable; she felt like leaning back and closing her eyes.

“You
know; we tried to make an antidote from the pod the Americans have. However, once the chemical makeup of the pod was checked against the pod buried under the Great Pyramid in Egypt, we found they were different. We realized, after checking them all that they all held a different strain of the same virus.” He leaned back, sipping from a cup that was placed in front of him.

“So we decided a blocker was a no go.” He shrugged his shoulders. “If all six pods had different chemical variants, it would mean the seventh would be
distinctive also. And because we do not know its location, we could not collect a sample.” He lowered the cup.

“Of course, now we have a
blocker; the transportation network needed to distribute it is non existent. Most roads are blocked with wreckage. I’m afraid we are at a point beyond repair.”

His
assistant stood near the edge of the room, pent up, as if ready to move at a moment’s notice. Some were tapping away on tablets or scribbling on clipboards.

Doctor Hall listened as he sat with his elbows on the table, with his face in his hands. He looked exhausted. He was also
dying for a cigarette.

“Our only hope is to crawl into our bunkers and wait underground while the world is clean
sed by the spores.” He motioned to the monitors. “The infection has progressed too far for your blocker to have any use. But it will be studied over the years to come.”

Melanie had not said a word since the
General started his speech. She could not understand why she was here in the office with him, and why he had taken the time to talk to her. Besides, she was only going through the motions now. She was weary and hungry, and she listened with a heavy heart. Her parents were out in the chaos. She was not naïve; she knew they had no more of a chance than anyone else did out there.

The
General changed direction.

“That is why I had you brought here; I want you as part of the scientific team who will study the information gathered about the pods. You will have complete clearance, and use of all the equipment in the extensive laboratories. And of course, a free ticket to sit out the end of the world.”

Melanie did not say a word. She was sick of the mention of the pods and their infection. The world as she knew it was gone, in the process of being wiped away by the black spores. The human race will never be the same again. Her head twisted sharply, looking over at the General.

“On one condition,” she stated.

“I think getting a free pass and food and lodgings for the next twenty years is payment enough.”

“I want my parents with me. Bring them to The Ark.” She stared the
General down.

The
General turned to nod at an assistant. The woman pressed a button on her tablet. The screen on the wall in front of Melanie switched from a view from the prison walls; to an image of the street her parent’s house was situated.

“This was taken
by the same helicopter that was sent to rescue you mere hours ago.”

The image was a still shot, all blurry. It showed the row of houses where she grew up. Where she played as a child, and where she moved back, to be with the ones she cared for most.

“The reconnaissance camera was recording continually; it gives us a better understanding of what is happening out there.” He pointed at the screen. “This is a still shot of when the helicopter flew over your home.”

The whole row of houses was burnt to the ground. It was hard to pick out which house used to be her parents. The towering column of smoke rose high into the air.

9

Noah, Red, Betty, Lennie, and the Squad

Dartmoor National Park

Princetown

Dartmoor Prison Museum
’s Car Park

3:14 PM GMT

N
oah jumped back. “What the fuck!” He grabbed Red and pulled her away from the truck.

Coco and Echo s
wung around, expecting a creature to be running from their blind spot. Both weapons honed in on the problem – Betty.

“Step back everyone!”
the Captain shouted. “Don’t fire!” He waved a hand at Coco and Echo.

The blanket lay on Betty’s lap, uncovering her head and shoulders. Her head lulled back, showing her blistered eyes and swollen cheeks, with veins mapping over her face.
She blinked repeatedly. A groan emanated from her raw lips.

The only sound was the gravel
under their feet. Then the small dog started barking and backing away.

“She must have been bitten while they were attacked on the roof!” Echo said.

“Surely she knew she would change? Why endanger us all?” Coco stated.

The reason had just noticed his grandmother.

“Nana?” Lennie’s voice had a pleading quality to it. His simple mind could not comprehend what was happening.

“Keep him back!”
the Captain shouted.

Lennie was
fixed to the spot; he could see his grandmother, but could not understand what was happening to her.

“I can feel it...” Betty muttered. Her bleeding tongue smeared blood over her lips. A bubble of blood popped in the corner of her mouth.
Her face was a mask of pain.

“What did she say?” Echo asked.

“I can feel it in my head...” Her hand tried to wipe the blood away, but it fell limply back onto her lap.

The Captain stepped closer. “What did you say, Betty?”

“It is buzzing around... I can feel its hunger, its wants... its plan for mankind...”

“What did she say?” Noah asked, also stepping closer.

Red was crying softly, with her arms hugging herself.

“You can feel what, Betty?”
the Captain asked, taking another step closer.

“Nana?” Lennie muttered again. His large eyebrows were creased together. He was slowly working the situation out.

“There is a force behind everything... I can feel it entering my mind... I can feel it pushing, taking my memories...” A bloodstained tear rolled down Betty’s wrinkled face.

“A force?” the Captain asked.

Everyone was listening intently.

“It knows everything... All the accumulated knowledge of those infected...” She coughed; blood sprayed onto the
truck’s ceiling. “It knows where we are trying to hide... It will not allow any to live!”

10

Doctor Lazaro, Doctor Hall, and General Philips

Dartmoor National Park

Princetown

Dartmoor Prison in the Hub Control Room

3:1
7 PM GMT

M
elanie was dumfounded. The image on the screen was like a kick in the chest.

Dead! They are both dead!

The General seemed to switch back to the problem at hand. He had passed along the bad news, and as far as he was concerned, that was the end of the situation. He moved the topic along.

“We have been in constant communication with our American allies.” He waved a hand in the air. “You obviously saw the vast mas
t as you landed?” He was referring to the telecommunication pole, with which the base could send and receive signals worldwide.

“Our friends in Groom Lake
, America have said their pod has changed.”

This had Doctor Hall lower his hands away from his face.

“Changed, how so?” Melanie asked. She was struggling with grief, but a small part of her mind had recovered from the shock, and she knew her parents would not sit around while their house burned down. Deep down she knew they were still alive.

“The pod started emitting a high frequenc
y wavelength, the kind never before registered.” He took another sip from his coffee. “We have just received confirmation from Egypt, Mexico, Cambodia, Canada, and Tibet, that the other five pods are also sending out a previously unknown radio frequency.” The General looked up at a monitor showing a view across a deserted city center.

“Of course, we don’t know if the seventh pod, the one that started all this mess, is doing the same, because as of yet the location of the pod ha
s not been verified.” He slowly shook his head. “Apparently, when the loggers were airlifted out, they were in no fit state to tell anyone where they had found the damn thing.” He drained his cup.

“If these pods are sending out frequencies, this could be the reason the creatures behaviour has changed, and why they are attacking strategic locations,” Melanie said.

“We need to destroy the pods,” Doctor Hall stated.

“Thank you Doctor Hall, that much we have worked out
for ourselves. Please give us some credit.” The General pushed the chair back with his legs as he stood. It was almost as if he was only talking to them both while he took a few minutes to drink his coffee.

“
As we speak B2 stealth bombers are already in the air. The six pods we know the locations of will be destroyed within the hour. The seventh is being hunted down using satellite-inferred topography and teams in a search grid on the ground.”

“But you said the pods are buried under thousands of tonnes of rock, inside pyramids and temples,” Melanie said.
“Why can’t the people in the locations destroy the pods themselves?”

“Anything could go wrong. Some small part may survive and release another strain. That is why t
he American president has sanctioned the use of tactical nuclear warhead strikes!”

11

Noah, Red, Betty, Lennie, and the Squad

Dartmoor National Park

Princetown

Dartmoor Prison Museum’s Car Park

3:1
9 PM GMT

“
Y
ou can hear it in your head, can’t you?” the Captain asked.

“Hear what?” Noah questioned.
He was ignored.

“It knows everything... Every human changed has contributed to its knowledge... It knows every secret, every hiding place...”
Betty muttered. Blood dribbled out of the corner of her eyes.

“That’s why all the creatures are here; it sent them!” the Captain stated.
He swung around, as if a thought had just accrued to him.

“
Bull, get that door open. Now!”

“A hive mind is at work
,” Echo muttered.

Bull
used the butt of his rifle to smash away the lock.

“Nana?” Lennie muttered softly. He took a large step forward.

“Take him. Save my grandson.” Betty grimaced as pain filled her body.

“Nana?” Lennie’s voice
raised a few octaves.

“Everyone into the museum. We haven’t much time!” the Captain shouted, while searching around.

“We can’t just leave her,” Red stated.

“It’s too late for her now,” the Captain said softly.
He placed a hand on Betty’s arm.

“If you want, I can end the pain?” the Captain whispered.

Noah started pulling Red towards the museum’s entrance.

“It’s not
fair,” Red screamed.

This effected Lennie, who started shouting
Nana repeatedly.

Charlie’s bark
ing echoed around the car park.

“
No Captain... Lennie will never leave with you if you hurt me.” She tried to focus in on Lennie’s face.

“
Go with them, you big lump,” Betty muttered.

However, Lennie had a different idea.

“No Lennie. Stop!” Betty tried to shout, but her voice was cracking from the pain.

“Leave her Lennie, we need to get inside,” the Captain stated.

He was knocked backwards by a powerful push to the chest by Lennie’s large hand, and before anyone could stop him, Lennie scooped his grandmother up into his arms.

“Please, Able,” Betty muttered, using his real name for the first time in years. “
Go with them. Leave me... Please.” Bloodstained tears streaked her face.

Then they attacked. A horde, called by the hive mind started pouring over the walls and bushes, heading for the truck.

“Everybody in the museum, now!” the Captain hollered.

Coco and Echo
stood either side of the entrance, shooting at the crowd bearing down around them.

Bull was pulling Red into the museum, while shooting
his rifle with his free hand.

Noah had hold of
Red’s hand and was pulled along with her.

Lennie just stood next to the truck, while hugging his grandmother close to his chest. Sobs racked his large body.

“No Nana. No Nana,” he screamed over and over.

The creatures ignored the
giant for the moment, and concentrated on those trying to get inside the building.