Aklin sat up straight, threw off her covers, and made a grab for the clothes on the chair next to the cot. “They? Who are they?”
“They call themselves regulators, although they’re more like outlaws. They work for a man named Ramsey. He’s holding my husband and daughter prisoner up in Oklahoma. He said he’d kill them unless I cooperated. So I went along. But I couldn’t go through with it.”
Aklin swore as she tied her boots. “How much time do we have?”
“Forty-five minutes, give or take.”
Aklin came to her feet, slipped a chest protector over her head, and grabbed the Bullseye that was leaning against a wall. If looks could kill, then the one she aimed at Shaw would have been fatal. “You made a difficult decision—but you made it late. I hope you aren’t expecting a medal or something. We’re going to see President Voss. You lead the way. And Monica!”
Shaw wiped some of her tears away with her wrist. “Yes?”
“If you try to run, I’ll shoot you.”
Thomas Voss was not only awake, but hard at work when the emergency klaxon began to bleat, and Shaw entered the cubicle people jokingly referred to as “the Square Office.” Aklin was right behind the technician, her face grim.
“We have a confirmed condition five, Mr. President. I don’t have enough time to explain—but this isn’t a drill. Please follow me.”
Voss wanted to say, “No,” and demand an explanation. But he knew that if Aklin said the facility was about to come under attack, then it was. So he swore, made a grab for the jacket that was hanging on a nail, and followed the women out of the cube.
Voss could tell that Shaw had been crying and that Aklin was angry with her. Was it tied in with the condition-five evacuation somehow? Yes, he figured it was, and wondered what Shaw had done to make his chief of staff so upset.
As the trio left the office and crossed the floor of the cavern to the escape route, soldiers ran towards the main entrance, and they heard muted gunfire.
“We have reason to believe we’re up against about a hundred hostiles,” Aklin said. “All human.”
Shaw’s head was down, and Voss was about to demand more information, when Kawecki and a squad of heavily armed soldiers appeared. They wore armor, plus packs kept ready for such a situation, and immediately took the lead. “They’ll make sure our escape route is secure,” Kawecki said as the men jogged past.
Malikov and four heavily burdened scientists arrived a couple of seconds later. Voss knew they were carrying everything required to start making Hale vaccine. Unfortunately, there was no way to save the lab equipment or the five thousand doses that were scheduled to go out the following day. That would take mules and a pack train.
“Ve are ready,” Malikov said stoically. Voss knew Malikov had survived at least a hundred close calls over the last few years. And, judging from the Rossmore in his hands, the cadaverous-looking scientist was ready to fight again.
“Thank you, Doctor,” Voss said. “Your people will bring up the rear. It’s imperative that we protect them and the cultures they’re carrying.”
“Ve understand,” the scientist responded.
But then a series of explosions sounded. The time for conversation was over.
Kawecki led the way and Shaw was next in line, closely followed by Aklin, Voss, Malikov, and his scientists. The sounds of fighting began to fade as the group followed the path through a narrow opening and into the passageway beyond.
Having passed through the gap, Kawecki ordered the rest of the group to continue on while he paused to start the timer on a pre-positioned demolition charge. Voss heard the explosion a minute later as the officer caught up and managed to squeeze past.
From there the trail led gradually upward. What illumination there was originated from the lights attached to weapons and a few hand torches. Voss caught occasional glimpses of wet limestone walls, stalactites hanging from above, and crystal-clear pools of water that shivered as they passed.
Finally, after climbing a couple of hundred feet, the path delivered the group into a small cave where emergency supplies were waiting for them. Voss selected a pack with his name on it, and was in the process of putting his arms through the straps, when a dull thud was heard.
“They blew the doors,” Kawecki said darkly. “They’re inside now.”
Voss looked at Shaw as she began to sob. “They work for a man named Ramsey,” Aklin said. “He’s holding Shaw’s husband and daughter hostage. That’s why she volunteered to work for us. You can view her as a traitor or a patriot. Both descriptions are accurate.”
Voss selected a Rossmore from a rack of weapons and checked to make sure that the shotgun was loaded. “Watch her, Cassie! Don’t let her do anything stupid. I want to know more about this Ramsey person. A lot more.
“Marvin, order the men in the main cavern to break contact, and pull out. Let’s save as many people as we can. Tell them to report to Freedom Base Two.”
Kawecki nodded grimly. “And once they’re clear?”
“Blow the cavern.”
Kawecki raised a radio to his lips and gave a series of orders. Then, walking single file, the government of the United States of America was forced to abandon Freedom Base One. Another battle had been lost.
It took more than two days for the group to make its way out of the national forest onto Route 7, which they followed south towards the city of Russellville, and the Ouachita Mountains beyond. Voss and his senior team had been well aware of the need for a backup location, and a site that was located northwest of Hot Springs had been selected over two other possibilities.
Route 7 was very scenic, thanks to the hilly terrain and a wealth of evergreens and oaks. The fall foliage was pretty to look at. And that would have been nice had Voss and his party been on a vacation. But the journey was extremely stressful, because everyone knew the Chimera could be hiding in the trees or waiting around the next bend in the road.
It was better than the alternative to following Route 7, however, which was to leave the highway, and travel cross-country. A process that would take too long, and would force the party to cross treacherous rivers and climb steep slopes. So all the group could do was stay alert, hug the side of the road, and hope for the best.
They saw lots of rusting cars, trucks, and buses along the way. But in spite of the signs of past carnage, the group had only one close call during the first part of the trip. A Chimeran shuttle came speeding down the highway only fifty feet above the pavement. The angular machine looked like a collection of flying knife blades. With a high-pitched scream, it flashed past the roadside picnic area where Voss and his party had paused to eat.
They were hidden by a screen of trees from the shuttle as it followed the road south. But had the machine arrived even ten minutes earlier, the group would have been caught flat-footed out on the highway. The timing was a piece of good luck—and a reminder that the stinks were still very much in charge.
On the third day the group arrived on the outskirts of Russellville, where they faced an important decision. Should they stay on Route 7? And cut through the devastated city? Or circle around it in hopes of avoiding whatever might be lurking in the ruins?
Kawecki favored the second option. And having made the long, dangerous trek to New York and back, Voss knew the soldier was correct. Cities, or the remains of them, were typically infected with Leapers, Grims, and worse. Or, if the stinks weren’t in residence, then some very nasty humans probably were.
But Voss was very conscious of the time that a detour would consume and the need to restart vaccine production as quickly as possible. So as commander-in-chief he made the decision to camp the night, depart just before dawn, and put the city of Russellville behind them as quickly as possible.