Zombie Theorem (Book 2): The Siege (17 page)

              Julie looked at me and bit her bottom lip. I took another sip of coffee, placed it on the dresser next to hers, and then picked her up and ran to the bed. We spent the next 10 minutes in a hurried bliss. We then used our en-suite to clean up. We picked our coffees back up and made our way to the dining room. A hot stack of pancakes sat in the center of the table, along with cooked chunks of venison and an urn of coffee. We took our seat, filled our plates with hot food, and refilled our coffee cups. “Wow, someone looks refreshed and happy,” commented Doc.

              I flipped him off and filled my mouth with a forkful of pancakes. Julie smiled and winked at him. “You’re just jealous, cowboy.”

Kuppers and Hase pinned a map on the wall, and then Vic cleared his throat gaining the team’s attention. Once he had it, he addressed the teams, “Continue to eat and drink, guys and gals, but we also need to get down to planning our next couple of steps. Our first goal is to make our way to Portland, Oregon. First, let me thank you all for agreeing to help me rescue my wife.” We catcalled and whistled. Vic looked a little uneasy and jumped back into his mission planning. “We have decided to stick to Highway 1. That is due to it being clear of major roadblocks and it has smaller cities, making it easier on us and our ammo supply. The major problems we see from here are these places marked in red. The first obstacle is the Westport Beach KOA campground. It’s only five miles from here. The next is thirty miles through an inland section culminating in the Highway 1 and 101 merge. These two are where we think we will see most problems, but soon after we will be hitting many small cities that will turn into running the gauntlet. Any ideas or concerns?”

I stood up and came around the table carrying my coffee. I studied the map and, using my fingers, measured out distances and paid close attention to the cities and potential problems. I turned to the team, drained my coffee, and placed it on the table. “This is what I see. We have about five hundred and ninety miles from here to Portland. It still looks like we should continue on the coast and cut in at the last minute. Vic, where is your wife in relation to Portland?”

Vic took a pen and circled an area around the city of Hillsboro to the west of Portland. I looked it over and nodded my head.

“That makes life a little easier. We would be swamped if we had to go into the city proper. I wish we had a plane, though. With the airport here, we could fly in and grab her and get out quickly. But where we are, there are no places to land a plane to pick us up.” I stared at the map for a while, then turned to the Delta guys, “Any of you guys know anyone with a C-130?”

Helmut stood up. “I think I can make something happen. Find us a landing strip, we need about four thousand feet.”

“Make your calls, I’ll start figuring stuff out.” I turned back to the map and ignored all the conversation going on.

I started writing my notes on the map and looked over my numbers and calculations again. “Brian, come here please. I need you to check my data.”

I waited a moment and when he didn’t appear I turned and looked around the room. I found myself alone. I turned on my radio and called out, “Brian, can you come into the dining room, please? I need you to check my data. Over.”

“Roger, give me five mikes. Over,” he radioed back.

I looked over the map again and started copying my notes from the map onto the everpresent flip notebook that I kept in my vest. A couple of minutes later, Brian, Helmut, Julie, Vic, and Kuppers came in. Julie brought me a cup of water and kissed my cheek. I sat back and waited for Brian to do his thing as I enjoyed my cold water and Julie’s warm body pressed against me.

Brian turned and looked over at me, “The data works, but the trip is going to suck bad.”

The rest of the guys watched us talking, and Vic finally broke in, “You two want to explain to the rest of us what you figured out?”

I motioned for Brian to take over. He cracked his back and fingers and started in on what I planned out. “Dan here found us a fire landing strip. Most aircraft that land there are C-130s. The problem is that we have to go back south and go through Fort Bragg all over again.”

The room became quiet while everyone absorbed the plan. Helmut broke the silence, “I was able to get ahold of a friend with the 1 SOW or, as you would know it, the 1st Special Operations Wing. He’s based out of Eglin in Florida, but he and his wing are in Arizona right now. He is happy to offer us support as long as General Richards signs off on everything.”

“I’ll take care of that. Be right back,” Kuppers stalked out of the room.

“Can the C-130 carry our Humvees? I am not familiar with the specifications of the plane,” I asked.

Brian laughed and shook his head, “It is the truck of the sky. It can carry us, all our equipment, and more. Hell, they can deliver tanks without ever even landing. Just drops them out the back.”

“I think my friend will be able to bring us some toys and presents, too,” Helmut threw in. “I’ll bring the Delta guys in, and we will finish the mission planning. We’ll still have to drive from the Hillsboro airport to Vic’s wife’s house and leave a contingent to protect the aircraft. That plane is loud, and I’m sure it’s going to bring lots of uninvited guests.”

“I’ll leave you to do your planning. For some reason I am hungry,” I answered.

“That’s because you never finished your breakfast, and that was 3 hours ago. You’ve been living on coffee again.” Julie took my hand and led me to the kitchen. She left me at the counter and disappeared into the pantry. She came back with a can of soup and opened it using a hand can opener. She tossed it into a bowl, and I figured I was going to have to eat it cold, but she surprised me by popping it in the microwave. Two minutes later I was awarded with a bowl of warm chicken noodle soup. I dove into the bowl and was surprised when I raised my head and found an open can of beer sitting in front of me.

I looked up at Julie, and she sat back against the far counter drinking a beer. “We found a case of the stuff in the wine cellar. I know it’s warm but better than plain old water. Now, finish your soup. I wanna go practice with my new rifle.” She drained her can, crushed it, and tossed it in the garbage can nearby. As she walked past me, she smacked my butt and giggled as she walked out.

I ate my soup and washed my bowl and spoon in the sink, using the soap and sponge sitting in it. I then moseyed from the room and went in search of my weapons and Julie. I came around the corner into the living room and had to react quickly because Angel launched herself from the couch and into my arms. We both laughed and giggled. The room was packed with the SWAT team, excluding Kuppers. I sat on the couch holding Angel between Apache and Julie.

“Hey, Doc, I’m told you are the armorer and gun master for the group. I would like to zero in my weapons. Any place you think we can go?” Julie asked.

Doc leaned back onto the couch cushion and stroked his massive cowboy mustache, “I think I can make that happen. I’m a little worried about the noise, but we will deal with that when it raises its head. Dan, why don’t you bring your toys and get some more practice in? Although after yesterday, I think you have become a pretty good shooter.”

“I think yesterday I had an angel on my shoulder guiding my shots,” I tickled Angel as I said her name.

“That was all you, Dan. I stayed in the Humvee,” Angel said in her high-pitched little voice.

I shook my head and kissed the top of her head. Julie reached over and tickled little Angel. “No ganging up on me. That’s not fair.” Apache reached over and started tickling her other side. “That’s it. I will call upon my Sasquatch, and he will make you feel sorry.”

“Okay, boys and girls, let’s go set ourselves up a little shooting range. You, little girl, need to stay in here, though. When you get a little bigger, I’ll start training you.”

Brian reached over and plucked Angel off my lap, “I’ll watch the princess. You guys go slay paper dragons.” With that he rolled over, produced a deck of cards, and started teaching Angel how to play poker.

We gathered our weapons, said our goodbyes, and followed Doc outside. He led us back toward the trees about one hundred and fifty yards away from the house. Doc dropped a bag and told us to sit and wait. He walked away, and I watched him tape paper pictures on trees. As he walked by, Julie and I were shocked when Heaven appeared between us. Damn, those Delta guys are quiet and scary. “Hello, Julie, my name is Heaven. So nice to meet you finally.” He took her hand and shook it nicely. Julie blushed and smiled at him. Heaven turned his ice-cold grey eyes on me. “Dan, so good to see you again. Do you mind if I join with you?”

“Heaven, please join us. We could both learn from you.”

He looked over my weapon. “Dan, can I see your MP5, please?” I handed it off, and he looked it over. He then swung his pack off his back and rooted around inside. He pulled out a small metal rod and screwed it onto the barrel of the MP5. He then handed it back to me, “That is your silencer. I saw it in your pack. I noticed it earlier and thought you might need it.”

I looked it over. It extended the barrel about six inches. “Thank you, Heaven, I appreciate that.”

“You are welcome. Julie, I have one for that gun, if you don’t mind.” He handed it over, and she screwed it on like she was a pro.

“Thank you, Heaven. That is a very sweet present for a lady, better than roses. Can I ask you a personal question?”

Heaven blushed slightly and nodded his head at the compliment, “I am an open book, so ask anything.”

“I take it with your demeanor and moniker that you are a religious man. What religion are you?”

He unzipped his vest, reached into his shirt, and removed a crucifix. “I was at seminary becoming a Jesuit priest. I am Roman Catholic. I left the seminary when I found that I would rather be a warrior for God than a priest.”

Julie had a shock of awe on her face, but it changed quickly to understanding. “That is a wonderful thing to have a relationship with your God, and to understand where you fit in.”

Heaven smiled at her, “It is, thank you. Now let’s sight in these weapons.”

Julie turned, removed the safety, brought the rifle to her shoulder, sighted, and fired a single burst. Doc was using a pair of field glasses and called out her shot, “Low and to the left.” Julie corrected her sights and fired again. “Hit, right on the mark. Damn, girl, who taught you to shoot like that?”

“I grew up on a farm in Nebraska. Daddy is an ex-sniper. He wanted a boy but ended up with three girls. Instead of being sour, he treated us as boys and taught us how to handle ourselves. I was firing a .22 rifle by the time I was six.” She raised the rifle again, moved the selector switch to three round burst, and fired at each target set up. Out of the eight, she hit each and every one of them dead center. “I like the recoil on this thing, and the trigger is precise. I think I might be in love. Sorry, Dan, you have competition,” she giggled.

“Great, I can never stack up against a gun like that.” I raised the MP5 , removed the safety, and fired a single shot at the closest target.

“Very high. Drop your barrel and try again,” Doc offered.

I aimed again and fired. “Very low, but you are hitting the tree at least,” Doc informed me.     

Heaven came to my side, “Dan, can I please offer some help?”

“Please do.”

“Great, thank you, and remember most people take years and thousands of rounds to become an expert. What we want to do is make you proficient and to protect yourself and the team.” He stood next to me and kicked my feet slightly further apart and to shoulder width. I raised my barrel, and he helped me with where to put it at on my shoulder. “Now, Dan, before you fire I want you to breathe. You take a full breath in, then let half out look through the sight and squeeze the trigger. Let it surprise you. Do not pull the trigger. Now try your best to put it all together and try again.” He moved away from me and looked at the target instead of at me. He was a great teacher and understood to not stress his student.

I kept my feet where he put them, lifted my barrel, and found my target through the sights. I took a full breath in, released half a breath, and started adding pressure to the trigger slowly. The shot didn’t scare me, but surprised me.

“Hit, on target. Middle low of center. Good shot.”

I was amazed at the difference from just some simple instruction. I copied my earlier actions and fired again. “Hit, center mass. Good job, Dan. Now turn on your ACOG sight and fire on the farthest target.”

I flipped open the covers and centered on the farthest target. I followed my earlier actions again and fired. “Hit, center of mass! Damn good job, Dan.”

Heaven clapped me on my shoulder, “Good job. Now do that a couple of hundred thousand times and see what you can become.” He raised his rifle and fired eight single shots so fast I was blown away. He hadn’t even used his scope or even really aimed from what I could tell.

Doc called out, “Perfect shots, center of all targets.” 

Heaven smiled and winked at me then laughed. “That took twelve years to learn to do. Keep up your practice, you will get better and better.” He bowed slightly to Julie, fist bumped Doc, then turned and disappeared into the trees. That man was eerie. He came and went like a ghost.

“You know, I am very amazed at the silencers. They do not sound like the ones in the movies. They are still pretty loud,” I complained to Doc.

“That’s because they suppress sound, not silence them. Plus, the receiver action is not suppressed when it cycles.” Kuppers came up behind us, “Dan, can we talk for a couple of minutes?”

I took my eyes off of Julie long enough to look over at Kuppers. “Yeah, what’s up, Kuppers?”

“Come for a walk with me.”

I waited for Julie to stop firing, then kissed her cheek, and whispered in her ear, “Kuppers needs to chew on my ear, I’ll be right back, hun.” I patted her shapely bottom and followed Kuppers back toward the house.

I leaned against the side of the house and rested my hands on my MP5. “So, what’s up?”

“I just got off the horn with the General and his staff. The General has no issues with us using the C-130. It was the accompanying protective air he didn’t want to part with. We are not talking about an attack helicopter this time. The assets have to be jet fighters. One jet can’t do it without needing refueling. This mission calls for six aircraft units, two jets inbound to protect the C-130, a refueling KC-10 aircraft, and two more jets to protect the C-130 on its way back to base. This takes a lot of fuel, time, and resources.”

I cracked my neck then rolled my shoulders, trying to release the pressure of stress. “So what is it he wants in return? What is this going to cost us?”

Kuppers sighed, closed his eyes, and took a step back. When he opened them, the coldness that had taken permanent residence in his eyes seemed to have drained. He seemed to be screwing his courage into place. “General Richards wants me on his staff permanently after the rescue mission. I will be called back and promoted to Colonel. That is what I traded in order to save Vic’s wife. So whether we win or lose, I will be losing my team. I am pretty sure most of them will be going with me, though.”

Shit!

“What does that mean for Julie, Angel, and I? Will we be on our own from there?” All the pieces started falling around me, and I knew I would never see my team, my brothers, or sister again.

“Look, Dan, I had to do something to keep us alive. We will talk to the team tonight and let them in on the details. We can take a vote on who wants to stay and who wants to go. Between you and I, I’m hoping they decide to all stay with you.” Kuppers closed his eyes again, took an unbelievable long deep breath of air, blew it out, and opened his eyes. The coldness had come back. The person he had to be in order to lead our family was back in place.