Extinction Age (13 page)

“You know what to do if something happens to me,” Kate
shouted back. Ellis was a gifted scientist and could continue their work
without her if something were to happen. His footfalls faded away and she
pushed on, battling the fierce wind from the rotors.

Horn was already at the chopper, decked out in a white CBR
suit that fit snuggly around his muscles. He manned a viscerally terrifying
machine gun that looked more like a cannon. He reached down and offered a
gloved hand to help her inside. She took a seat next to Sergeant Lombardi.

“You sure you want to come?” Horn asked.

Kate simply nodded.

“You’re clear to go!” Smith yelled from the tarmac. He
flashed a thumbs up, and ran back to the concrete barriers where Riley and
Ellis waited with Horn’s girls. Kate didn’t wave goodbye as the Blackhawk
lifted into the sky.

“He’s going to be okay,” Horn said. “Try not to worry.”

Three hours had passed since the aircraft had dropped their
payloads. She had assured Smith that most of the people infected with the virus
would have bled out by now. He’d reluctantly allowed her to go on the mission,
but it had taken some convincing.

And now she was in the air, the water below sparkling in the
moonlight. She watched the island become a dot on the horizon and then she
turned away, searching the approaching Connecticut shoreline for the
Truxtun
.

Kate’s earpiece crackled. “ETA two minutes,” the pilot said.

Horn rotated the machine gun, and Lombardi moved to the door
with his rifle. Both men were prepared for a fight that Kate hoped they would
avoid.

“There she is,” Lombardi said, pointing toward the coast.

Kate followed his fingers to the outline of the destroyer.

“Alpha, Echo 1, do you copy, over?” one of the pilots said.

Jensen responded a moment later. “Copy that, Echo 1. We’re on
the bow, waiting for evac.” He sounded defeated, his voice brittle.

The chopper pulled to the left as the pilots prepared to
circle the ship. Kate looked over the side as the beach vanished and a road
clogged with abandoned vehicles came into focus. Corpses littered the asphalt
between the cars. Kate hardly felt anything at all and realized in that moment
she’d grown immune to the sight of carnage, something she never thought could
happen.

Then she saw two smaller shapes sprawled on the road.
Children, she realized. Their clothing flapped in the wind as the chopper
passed overhead. A stab of despair ached in Kate’s gut then, reminding her that
she was still human after all. She hoped Horn hadn’t seen them but knew he had.
Since meeting Beckham and his team, she’d learned these men saw everything.

Kate shifted to the other side of the troop hold. They passed
over a ridgeline thick with trees as the pilots circled the
Truxtun
.
Branches whipped back and forth over a single Variant perched on a stump. It
watched them pass, tilting its head at an unnatural angle. Horn saw it at the
same moment. “Contact!” he yelled.

Lombardi scoped the trees. “We got more than one!”

Kate’s heart pounded as she saw the Variant bolt across the
ridge and jump to the road below. Two dozen of the creatures burst from the
thick canopy and pursued the leader, their naked bodies clambering toward
several figures on the bow of the ship. They must have spotted Beckham and the
others, Kate realized.

“Get me into position!” Horn shouted at the pilots.

The Blackhawk changed course with a sharp turn. The
high-pitched whine of the heavy machine gun came a second later as Horn fired.
Tracer rounds lanced through the darkness and slammed into concrete and cars.
The barrage of projectiles splattered the road with body parts. Half of the
pack fanned out for cover.

The pilots circled for another pass to finish the job. Two
injured Variants crawled across the road, dragging stumps where their legs had
been. Horn picked them off and then focused his fire on the more elusive
creatures. He mowed down another four on the second pass. A third of the
original pack continued toward the
Truxtun
in a mad dash.

Kate glimpsed four figures and a dog waiting on the deck of
the destroyer. As they flew closer, she saw Fitz’s metal blades glistening in
the moonlight. Jensen stood to his right and Chow to his left. They all had
their weapons pointed toward the bow of the ship. Behind them another man stood
watching, his hand holding the collar of a German Shepherd.

“Reed,” Kate whispered. The chopper pulled away and she spied
a large body surrounded in blood behind him. Her heart skipped when she saw it
was Timbo and then fluttered a second time when she realized the soldiers were
trying to bring him back to the island.

The chopper maneuvered for a third pass. The remaining
Variants were almost to the destroyer now.

“Kill them, Horn! Hurry!” she yelled.

Horn worked the gun back and forth, sending more of the
monsters spinning into the darkness. Two made it through the gunfire. One leapt
onto the roof of a minivan and looked up at the chopper, swiping with its
claws. Horn centered the gun on the van and fired.

The Variant disappeared in a cloud of red as the rounds
ripped through it. The windows shattered and the tires exploded.

The remaining creature galloped across the sand and leapt
onto the side of the ship. It skittered up the metal, using its flexible joints
and microscopic hairs to climb up the vertical side.

“Stop it!” Kate shouted.

Horn trained his machine gun on the ship just as the crack of
Lombardi’s rifle sounded. Red mist exploded from the monster’s back. It skidded
down the metal and fell to the ground.

Kate worked her way back to the edge of the open door as the
chopper descended over the ship. Chow and Jensen were dragging Timbo by his
boots across the deck, leaving a trail of smeared blood.

“You can’t bring him!” Kate yelled.

“He’s coming with!” Jensen shouted.

“He’s infected!” she shouted back. “His blood puts us all at
risk!”

Chow dropped one of Timbo’s boots, but Jensen held on and
stared at the Ranger for a few more seconds. Fitz stopped to whisper something
and patted Jensen on the shoulder before continuing to the chopper with Chow.

“Help them, Lombardi!” Horn shouted.

The sergeant pulled Kate out of the way and reached out to
grab Fitz. The Marine clambered inside and collapsed onto the floor. Chow and
Jensen followed, but Beckham hesitated.

 “Come on!” Fitz shouted.

Kate reached out to him. “Now, Reed!”

Beckham glanced down at his uniform and then back at Kate. “I
have infected blood on me too!”

“But we don’t know if you’re infected,” Kate insisted.

“Move your ass, Beckham!” Horn shouted.

Beckham finally grabbed the dog and carried it toward the
chopper. It squirmed in his arms, fighting to get free. The other men took
seats at the opposite end of the compartment as Beckham set the dog inside and
climbed aboard.

The pilots pulled the bird away from the ship and Kate
scooted across the floor to Beckham. He held up a hand and said, “Stay back.”

“No,” Kate said, batting his arm away and sitting next to
him. “No more pushing me away. You’re going to be fine, Reed. We’re going to
get through this together.”

He offered a weak nod and turned to look out over the
Truxtun
.
Fitz, Chow, and Jensen were all staring at Timbo’s body as the chopper ascended
into the sky.

-13-

F
itz wasn’t sure what time it was. Five in the
morning? Six? His biological clock had ceased operating after two days of
virtually no sleep. That’s all he wanted now—a few wonderful hours of shuteye.
The bank of LEDs in his isolation room was far too bright for that. He tried
closing his eyes, but the light penetrated his eyelids and every time he came
close to sleep, he jerked alert.

“Is this really necessary?” Fitz shouted.

“Yes,” came the muffled voice of Dr. Hill through a speaker.
“We have to keep you quarantined until we’re sure you aren’t infected.”

Fitz squirmed against his restraints to see if he could spy
Beckham in the adjacent room. The blinding light of the LEDs made it impossible
to see through the glass panels. He felt like a rat in a cage.

But that was fine. He knew the blood running through his
veins wasn’t infected, and soon enough they’d let him out. It was Beckham he
was worried about. The tough son of a bitch had been through the wringer, and
it would be a tragedy to lose him now.

“How’s Beckham?” Fitz asked.  

“He’s doing just fine,” Hill replied. “So are Jensen and
Chow. This is just temporary. I’m sure you guys will be out of here in no time
at all. In the meantime, you should try and get some sleep.”

“Maybe if you turn off the lights,” Fitz said.

“I’m sorry,” Hill replied. “The lights are for your protection.”

Fitz was wiggling to get comfortable when he heard the
chatter of approaching voices from the hallway. A moment later, the speaker
buzzed.

“Fitz, this is Kate. I just got your blood test back. You’re
all clear. Hold on one minute and we’ll get you out of there.”

The door creaked open, and relief flooded over Fitz at the
confirmation of what he had already known. He wasn’t going to turn into one of
those things.

The doctors walked into the room and unclasped his
restraints.

“Is Beckham clear, too?” Fitz asked, rubbing his left wrist
while Kate worked on unstrapping the belts holding down his blades.

The appearance of her dimples answered his question.

“His tests came back negative. So did Jensen’s and Chow’s,”
Kate replied. She offered him a hand as he worked his thighs and prosthetics
over the side of the bed.

Fitz exhaled and grabbed her hand. Good news wasn’t something
he was used to, but it still did little to relieve the overwhelming weight of
the losses on the
Truxtun
. Timbo, Peters, and Rodriguez—Fitz added their
names to the growing pile of dead that was stacked high with his fallen
brothers. He hadn’t known Peters or Rodriguez well, but he’d fought with Timbo
back at Fort Bragg. Now they were all gone, and there wasn’t even anything left
to bury.

“You okay?” Kate whispered.

“Tired as all hell, but I’m fine,” Fitz said. He let out a
sad sigh as Kate helped him off the table. He followed the doctors into the
hallway, and they gathered outside of Beckham’s room.

“Reed,” Kate said into the comm. “I’m coming in.” She
unlocked the door and walked over to his bedside.

Fitz held back and grabbed Hill’s arm when he went to follow
Kate.

“Give ‘em a minute, Doc,” Fitz said.

Hill nodded and crossed his arms. Fitz turned to the side,
trying to be somewhat discreet as he watched from the other side of the glass.
Even in the darkest of moments, seeing them together reminded him of what he
was fighting for.

Kate unbuckled Beckham’s straps and helped him sit up. He
rubbed his forehead and then cracked his neck from side to side. The white
shirt they had given them after decon was stained scarlet over his right
collarbone, and his face still showed the yellowish tint of dying bruises and
small red cuts. Like so many other warriors, Beckham hadn’t had a chance to
heal since the outbreak started.

Fitz couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he didn’t need
to. Their body language said it all. Kate brushed a strand of hair from
Beckham’s eyes, and he reached out and wrapped his arms around her. Beckham
locked eyes with Fitz over Kate’s shoulder.

Fitz smiled at Beckham and said, “Let’s give ‘em some
privacy.” He continued down the hall with Hill to Chow’s room. The operator
didn’t mutter a single word as they entered.

“You’re clear,” Hill said. “The test came back negative.”

Chow remained silent. He closed his eyes and jerked them open
again like he had just woken from a nightmare.

Fitz stopped at Chow’s bedside and reached to unbuckle one of
his restraints. “You okay, man?”

“Yeah,” Chow murmured. “I just want to get the hell out of
here.” He sat up and ran a hand through his long black hair. “What time is it?”

“Almost 0600,” Hill said. “Just in time for breakfast.”

“Do me a favor, Doc,” Fitz said. “Go inform Jensen he’s
okay.”

Hill nodded and left them alone. Chow scooted off the bed and
stood. “I’m fine,” he repeated.

Fitz scratched an itch on his ear. “You shouldn’t be. I’m
not. How many more of us have to die before it’s over?”

“However many it takes,” Chow said grimly. “You’ve done good.
During the attack the other night, on the
Truxtun
, at Bragg. I’m glad
you’re with us, man.”

“Thanks,” was all Fitz could manage to choke out.

“Let’s get out of here,” Chow said. He patted Fitz on the
back and strode out into the hallway where Hill was waiting outside Jensen’s
door.

 “Hold up!” a voice shouted from the other end of the
hall. Major Smith jogged down the passage with a pair of Medical Corps guards
trailing him. Their footfalls echoed with urgency.

“Major, their tests came back negative,” Hill said.

Smith didn’t respond. He held up a hand, motioning for the
guards to stop. Fitz took a step back, his heart racing. Something was about to
go down, he could feel it.

“Give me the key,” Smith said. He glanced over at Fitz and
gave him a quick up and down. Then he snatched the ring of keys from Hill and
unlocked the door.

“About damn time,” Jensen snarled as Smith entered the room.
“I need to get back to ops—”

Smith slammed the door shut and approached the lieutenant
colonel slowly. Fitz could see the major’s lips moving but still couldn’t hear
a damn word. Jensen struggled in his restraints before Smith was done. The
major held up a hand to calm him.

 “What’s going on?” Beckham asked when he and Kate
joined Chow and Fitz outside. Hill had retreated to the other side of the hall,
watching curiously.

“Not sure,” Chow said. “But doesn’t look good.”

They watched in silence as Smith finally unbuckled Jensen.
Fitz could hear raised voices through the thick glass. A few minutes later, Smith
opened the door and Jensen stormed into the hallway.

“Let’s go,” he snapped.

Fitz exchanged an unsure glance with Beckham and then
followed. They rushed down the halls of Building 3 in tense silence.

When they got to the lobby, Jensen finally turned and said,
“Beckham, Chow, Fitz, get some rest. Kate, I want you back in the lab. General
Kennor has decided to take charge of the island. We’ll have a service for the
dead at sunset.” With that he swung the doors open and staggered out onto the
steps.

Fitz wasn’t sure what to think. Kennor was the four-star
general behind Operation Liberty, the man who had ignored Kate’s advice and
sacrificed thousands of his brothers and sisters. He trailed Kate and the
others onto the stairs outside. They stood there in the quiet of the morning,
all of them likely thinking the same thing: things were about to change
drastically on Plum Island.

The chatter of voices sounded outside
Kate’s room. The familiar sound of Riley and Horn with his daughters put Kate
at ease. She relaxed her head on Beckham’s chest and closed her eyes.

Neither of them had said much since they returned to Building
1. They didn’t discuss Operation Liberty, the
Truxtun
, or General
Kennor’s new orders. They simply lay there, taking solace in each other’s
company.

The minutes passed by and Kate let them. She would join Ellis
in the lab shortly, but for now all that mattered was this.

“I’m sorry, Kate,” Beckham finally whispered. “I was an
asshole. You didn’t deserve that.”

Kate pulled her head away from his chest and rolled herself
up onto her elbow.

“I’m sorry, too,” she said. Her hair fell over her face, and
Beckham reached over and brushed it away.

Kate searched Beckham’s brown eyes. She touched his lips with
a fingertip and leaned in to kiss him lightly. The kiss wasn’t an invitation
but a reassurance that she was there, that they could just be.

“Is Apollo okay?” Beckham asked. Kate felt his chest muscles
tense as he lifted his head off the pillow.

“He’s still undergoing tests. The Hemorrhage virus isn’t
communicable across most species.” Kate said. “There have been some cases,
however, where that isn’t the case—primates, for example—so we’re taking
precautions. We should know more by tonight.”

Beckham nodded and relaxed his head. “You better get to the
lab.”

“Will you be able to sleep?”

He let out a sigh. “Yeah, I think so.”

“I’ll be back around dinner time. We can go to the service
together. Okay?”

Beckham nodded and pulled his arm away from Kate, using it to
prop up his head. He gave her a meaningful look, letting his eyes do the
talking.

Kate leaned in to kiss him one more time and then left him
there. She clicked off the light on the way out but didn’t turn around, fearing
she wouldn’t be able to leave if she did.

She walked to the lab in silence, her mind a mess of worry.
Ellis was already busy at his station. She quickly suited up and hovered her
keycard over the security panel. The door chirped at her and Ellis turned. A
shit-eating grin broke across his face when he saw her.

“Kate, we did it!”

 “Did what?”

“The results from the HTS system just came back. We
discovered a protein only expressed by the Variants.”

“You’re certain?” She went to his station and stared
incredulously at the protein’s tertiary structure on his monitor.

“I’m more than certain,” Ellis said. “I’ve run the results
through a sequencing database and compared spectra results with the database of
known human proteins. There isn’t a single match. Nothing even comes close.”

Kate took a seat at the station and went over the notes.

“I’ve already started mass spectrometry along with a peptide
mass fingerprint to characterize and sequence the protein,” Ellis continued.

 “Do we know the function?” Kate asked before he could
finish.

Ellis shook his head. “I’m still working on it.”

“Good,” Kate said without taking her gaze from the screen.
“But for now let’s focus on developing an antibody to target the protein.”

Ellis grinned even wider. “I’m already one step ahead of
you.”

Raised voices pulled Beckham from the
grips of a deep sleep. He reached for his sidearm, forgetting at first where he
was. Moonlight streamed through the shades covering the window. In its glow, he
saw a picture of Kate and her brother on the bedside table next to the sleek
outline of his new Beretta M9.

He sat up and rubbed his shoulder with a fingertip. Crusted
blood came off under his nails. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and
then made his way to the small sink and mirror in the corner of the room. Four
days’ worth of facial hair could almost be considered a beard. He snorted at
the sight. Between the bags under his eyes, the jaundice circles of old
bruises, and the cuts on his face, he looked worse than ever.

Beckham palmed the sink with both hands and leaned in to stare
at his reflection. His gaze shifted to Kate’s grooming products, and without
further thought he grabbed a small pair of scissors and went to work. He
trimmed his overgrown mop of dark hair as best he could. A rap on the door came
just as he finished shaving his chin. He’d had to use one of her razors and
some pink shaving foam that smelled like strawberries, but it had gotten the
job done. He turned to see Kate peeking inside.