“Boys, we are in a world of shit, if you haven’t figured that out by now. Command always seems to be a step behind, and we are getting ready to take a bite of a big ass, shit sandwich. So here it is in a nutshell. ISIS made it to Dearborn, Michigan, with the virus. Yes, they made it through security and customs with the virus. Loyalists, radicals or paid off workers who probably gained some financial independence with some 1.5 billion in cash Obama sent to Iran, take your pick. Here is the raw deal on that. While relieving those terrorists of the virus, they damaged the container. Because they were transporting the virus in a damaged container, it caused the virus to spread among the people they came in contact with during their travel. Yes, it is exactly what you are thinking, that shit has now spread halfway across the fucking planet. With the virus being as extremely contagious as it is, who knows how many people were exposed to it. We got a fucking pandemic here.”
“How bad is it, sir?” Webb inquired.
“Bring up the news on the primary screen, Harrell.” Harrell typed a few characters on his keyboard. The images came up on the screen but seemed like something from a bad movie, instead.
The two news anchors, who probably looked perfect and plastic on a normal day, were far from that now. The man and woman looked visibly rattled and read their prompts with a robot-like mechanical demeanor. They were in shock from the scenes playing in a loop on the screen behind them. Because of the obvious gore, they blurred most of the scenes out. Although by the look of the anchors, it was apparent they had seen the full and unhindered video.
The scenes were of various cities and the complete chaos that was ensuing. People were running after other people; their clothes and faces covered with blood. Those who were displaying the signs of being infected were ripping into others who were not. The EMT’s that were looking to help the injured were being attacked along with the police who were trying to maintain order. The police were getting off some shots into the people who were attacking, but without the headshots, they weren’t staying down. The cameras showing the carnage had lost their operators long ago and were lying on the ground showing this bizarre dance from a skewed angle. The ending scene of the camera in Detroit was a young girl walking toward the camera, tilting her head from side to side, click-clicking. The screen then switched to nothing but static. The female anchor burst into tears and left the news desk.
Madison waved his hand, and Harrell ended the feed. Webb, Priest, and Abarra just sat there in silence. All three had seen plenty of combat, probably more than their fair share. They had killed and witnessed killing. They h
ad seen death, destruction, mutilation, and the like. The usual “killing field” was some far-off land, and it didn’t compare to seeing the same thing happening in your city. It gave it an entirely new perspective, seeing the carnage in your own country, in your own city, in your own backyard.
Madison spoke solemnly, “This is what we are up against, and there are many issues in addressing this situation. We are trying to determine just how many cities the virus has affected. Not to mention, how are we to eliminate the infected without taking an equal amount of collateral damage? We could end up with zero value out of these cities. Infected and non-infected, all dead because we may not discern between the two in time. Command is contemplating deploying troops, National Guard, Reserves, and even Active Duty, to get a handle back on the major cities. Chicago, DC, Atlanta, and LA are just some of those mentioned. General Steward from Central Command is asking that your team deploy to ground zero in Dearborn to see if you can assess the spread, speed, and completeness of the virus take over.”
“And you said what?” Priest pried.
“I said no, but Stewart, who outranks me, said yes. Not only did he say your team will deploy, but you are also taking a CDC Ph.D. with you.”
“Ah, hell no,” Abarra laughed.
“Ah, hell, yes,” Madison retorted. “Last time I checked, none of you had any experience in bio-genetics, viruses, microbiology, or any other sciences that require an intellectual brain.”
“Well, that was uncalled for. That hurt my feelings.” Priest feigned being hurt at the statement.
“Maybe one of your men could rub something on your raw asshole,” Madison continued. “This is what will happen. You will fly over, assess the situation, and get Dr. Costa on the ground for samples, a live specimen, whatever the doctor needs.”
“Damn, babysitting duty,” Abarra chimed in. “This will be dangerous enough without having to lug around a civilian.”
Madison looked at the team. “Are there any questions?”
“It sucks, but it’s pretty cut and dry,” Priest said.
Madison nodded. “Go get some sleep; your team rolls out at 0500. Dismissed.”
There wasn’t much to discuss after that. All three walked back to the barracks without saying a word. Webb and Priest briefed the rest of the team on the mission. After the grumbles, bitching, and whining, the team consented to the task and finally settled down to sleep.
CHAPTER 5
0500 Fort Campbell, KY
The team walked out on the flight line to a waiting Blackhawk already spinning up. The morning was brisk, and the sun had not completely come up over the horizon yet. The sky was a splash of purples and pinks, and Neville stopped to admire the scene. ”This is the same picture I see when I look out from my porch, back home on the bayou.”
“Ah, Buddha smiles upon us,” Shin reflected.
“The dawn is nice, but make sure Buddha will cover our ass,” joked Shaw.
Abarra looked over at Myles, “You sure you’re up for this?”
“Don’t have many choices now, do I?”
“Yeah, I guess not.”
“I’m good to go, Sarge.” Abarra nodded and left it at that.
The team loaded in the chopper and lifted off the tarmac. For Op Sec purposes, Webb briefed the rest of the team on the Blackhawk. They would fly to Indianapolis to refuel, pick up the doctor, and then on to Dearborn/Detroit area. The CDC building is in the northwest region of Dearborn. There had been prior communications with the research team there. The team was to take Dr. Costa there to coordinate with the scientists who had obtained blood samples and were in the process of analyzing the infected blood’s properties.
To the southeast of the CDC is the Nationwide Insurance building, which has a clear view of most of the city. We will drop Neville and Shin off on the top of this building to provide support for the rest of the team who will deliver Dr. Costa to the CDC facility. Exfil will be the top of a parking garage three blocks Northeast of the CDC building.