In very short order, their locations were mapped. Analyzed. Subjected to computer simulations of nuclear blast effects. To the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the data looked promising.
“This is Metzger.”
“Hello, General. What do you have?” Jessie Hruska was comforted by the voice on the other end of the secure phone.
“The casings in the three bird cities are out in the open — in buildings, houses, the sewers — well within our reach. One weapon each should eradicate them.”
“And the ground waves?”
“Different this time. They’re not buried deep. They’re almost entirely on the surface.”
“On the surface?”
“Nothing deeper than a few inches. We don’t know why, but they’re there. We figure two to three weapons for each ground wave location should finish them off. If we hit them before sunset, this thing could be over.”
The chance to destroy them before the sun set again was just the answer they’d been looking for. Ending it now, though, would ruin her plan.
The whole situation had been a blessing in disguise, the chance they’d all been waiting decades for. A worldwide crisis of unimaginable magnitude, developing rapidly, stressing every single means of control. Complete and utter chaos. The perfect playing field for all those placed in positions of power — or at least beside those positions of power — to shape the unfolding situation into the cataclysmic realization of destruction. On a global scale.
She knew she had to manage the situation. Controlling the president would be easy enough — he was now entirely subjugated to her every whim. It was those around him who worried her. The other members of his cabinet. And especially, the vice president. Allison Perez knew Andrew better than most and would surely be attuned to any personality changes. If Perez were close, Jessie could possibly arrange another “accident”—like the one that removed Andrew’s dear Kate from the equation — but the bitch was nowhere near Washington, DC, completely out of reach. Jessie knew she had to act fast. Decisions had to be made.
“I’ll brief the president, General.”
“Copy. Metzger out.”
Jessie quickly made her way to the Oval Office.
CHAPTER 53
“At sunrise yesterday, every single one of the things went to ground to avoid the sunlight. They dug deep and encased themselves in the cocoons. To multiply.” Carolyn pressed her face mask against the Plexiglas wall, trying to see into the shadows.
“What are these things going to do, since they can’t get underground?”
“I say we wait and see, General.”
“Wait a minute. What’s that on the big one’s back?” Garrett asked.
A bubbling foam had appeared along the length of the creature’s spine, slowly spreading across the thing’s back.
Carolyn shined a penlight toward the back of the room where the mutated rat had been scratching. The same foamy substance was spreading out from its spine, as well.
She was shocked as the thinker suddenly stood, its eyes just inches from hers on the other side of the Plexiglas wall. Its mouth opened, revealing row upon row of glistening, obsidian shark’s teeth. A low moan escaped its open maw.
She screamed and stumbled back, landing quite unladylike on her hindquarters. “Son of a bitch!”
“Are you all right?” Garrett asked as he helped her back to her feet. He was trying hard not to laugh.
“Yes, damn it, I’m fine.” She pulled her arm away as he let out a genuine grade-A chuckle. “The thing just surprised me, that’s all.”
“More like scared the living shit out of you, I’d say.”
She shot him a warning glance through her face mask.
“Oh, come on, now,” Garrett said. “It was funny! We haven’t had anything to laugh about in a while.”
Her expression didn’t change.
Oops, he thought, not in a mood for humor. Better keep my trap shut.
“They’re making their cocoons,” Rammes said. “Take a look at this — they’ve stopped trying to dig, too.”
They watched as the rat crawled back into the security of the opened ammunition box, the foamy substance now covering most of its body.
The thinker turned and crawled under the examination bed, finding shelter. It too was rapidly being covered by the foamy mass.
Within minutes, revealed by Carolyn’s penlight, both the mutated rat and the thinker had been completely covered by the thick foam, which was now starting to darken, from white to gray. It was solidifying. Hardening.
“When they’re done, we need to take them out of there.”
The statement made every single person in the clean room turn and look at her as if she’d just loosed one of the loudest lady-farts ever heard in human history.
Garrett spoke first. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No. We need to see exactly what’s going on inside those casings.” She turned to Josh Ewing, who was, like everyone else, staring at her in disbelief. “Josh, I need a CAT scanner down here ASAP.” She turned to the general next. “Sir, we should be safe until sunset — they won’t start to emerge until then. If those casings start to crack even one millimeter, we’ll blow them both to holy hell.”
“Funny, that’s what I was going to say. And Carolyn?”
“Yes, sir?”
“That was spoken like a true trooper. Hooah, Ms. Ridenour.”
“There’s that damn word again.”
CHAPTER 54
His face.
As with every person she’d manipulated with the drug over the years, their faces were always the same: glassy, vacant eyes, mouths hanging open ever so slightly. They were puppets whose master had abandoned them. Left them motionless. Powerless.
As she walked into Andrew’s field of view, she watched his expression immediately brighten and come to life. His puppet master had returned.
Now more than ever, she knew she had to keep him secluded, away from the others, lest they see him in his weakened state and decide to act. It wasn’t going to be easy, but if she was successful, she wouldn’t have to do it for long.
“Andrew?”
“Yes, Jessie?” Andrew fumbled with the papers on his desk, trying to appear occupied. After all, he was the president of the United States and being un-busy wasn’t part of his job description. He knew he must’ve been doing something before she walked in. He just couldn’t remember what it was.
“General Metzger reports they’ve mapped the locations of the casings.”
The president’s mind was foggy, as if he had woken from a long sleep. But if that were true, if he’d fallen asleep at his desk, why did he feel so exhausted? “Did they find the birds? Are they still in the cities?”
“Yes. Hidden in buildings, houses. Out of the light. They’re concentrated, Andrew. General Metzger is confident they can all be wiped out with a single weapon each.”
A single weapon each? he thought. What kind of weapon? Is Metzger suggesting using nuclear weapons on American soil? Gradually, the president’s thoughts returned to their proper place. He’d considered — no, nearly decided — to use nuclear weapons himself. It was the only way. Conventional weapons weren’t working. They couldn’t work. Didn’t. Multiplying too fast. Too fast. Chemical weapons didn’t work. Resistant to their effects now. Nukes are the only way. The only way to stop this. Stop it. Before it’s too late.
Jessie watched, fascinated, as Andrew struggled with his thoughts. She knew what he was thinking. Knew what he was remembering. She’d made sure he was convinced conventional weapons weren’t the answer, which, in this case, was actually true. She’d also convinced him that chemical weapons were a possible answer — even though she knew using them before the Vanguard team had evaluated their effectiveness was taking a huge gamble. A gamble that had been paid with thousands of American lives. She’d hurried her president into making that decision, so in reality, the blood of the innocents was on her hands. So be it.