“Follow that road. I'll bet it leads to a clearing where you can set down.”
It wasn't long before we came to an open area in the woods. It wasn't made for choppers this big. Hopefully it would be large enough for us to land.
“Lieutenant, can you put us down there?”
“It's going to be tight. But I think I can just make it.”
“Sergeant, wake Lily up.”
“She's already awake. As soon as you got up she woke up. I think when you took her head rest away, it disturbed her sleep.”
I didn't know what to say to that. Sergeant Adams had a dumb grin on his face and I could feel my face turning red. I guess it was pretty obvious that something was going on between the Corporal and me. I wasn't sure what it was but something definitely was in the works.
“You need to stow that talk Sarge.”
It was Lily. She was making her way into the flight compartment and she had a set of head phones on.
“You better hold on. We're setting down.”
The chopper set down in the clearing. It felt good to be on the ground again. I got out of the Chinook and looked around. We had about ten feet of clearance in front and less than twenty feet behind us. After that, the heavily wooded area surrounding the clearing started back in. Lucky for us, Lieutenant Price was a good pilot. It would have been disastrous had we hit an overhanging branch on the way down. The rest of my new unit gathered outside the helicopter to discuss exactly what we were going to do now that we were here.
“I've got to be honest with all of you. As far as I'm concerned, all this army shit is over for me. With everything I know about this epidemic, it's apparent our government is the one that unleashed this virus on the world. The CIA commissioned the doctor we're here to find to stockpile a virus for them to use as a chemical weapon. When he tried to reverse engineer a cure for the virus, he stumbled on the disease that created these zombies. If that wasn't bad enough, the good doctor went on a round the world jaunt to make sure the pandemic was a global event. Now the government has him here working on a vaccination to try and halt the spread of the disease.”
“You're kidding me.”
“No Lieutenant, I'm not. They want him on the ship with them so they can keep a closer eye on him. From what you tell me, they've lost contact with the forces holding him.”
“That's what they told me.”
“Has it occurred to these Brainiacs that the reason they've lost contact with the facility is because the doctor is now in charge?” Lily asked.
“I doubt it. They wanted me to come here by myself to get him. I'm sure they think they still control the situation.”
“There's no doubt in my mind we are going to be walking into a hornets nest down there.
We should go in there hot, expect heavy resistance and assume that everyone in there is infected.”
“That's exactly what I thought Sergeant.”
“And if that's what we find?”
“Kill them all, including the doctor. He did this. There's no reason to believe he's anything but hostile.” I looked around the group. “Anyone have a problem with that?”
No one said a word. “I'll take that as a no.”
“How you want to do this sir?”
“I was going to leave that up to you Sergeant.”
“Okay. That's a government facility we're going into. I guarantee you whoever's in charge in there is already aware that a helicopter just landed here. Even if they're not, they will be as soon as we approach the fence. There's probably surveillance cameras all along the perimeter. We won't get in undetected.”
“So what do we do Sarge?” Lily asked.
“We're going to have to split up. The Captain and I will approach the fence. While we have their attention, you have to find a way in from the back. If there's more than one person still running the facility, they'll know you're there.”
“What happens then?”
“Chances are if there is someone still in charge in there then we're wrong and the doctor is still in their custody. If he's on his own in there then they're all dead or zombies. He can't watch you while he's dealing with us. You have something we can use to cut that fence on board the chopper Lieutenant?”
“Yeah, there's a tool kit. Do you want pliers or wire cutters?”
“Better get them both.”
Lieutenant Price got the pliers from the helicopter. “Do you want me to go with Flowers?”
“No, you'll need to stay with the chopper. We might need to get out of here fast. Plus if all of us aren't going to make it out of here we can't have anything happening to you.” I said.
“Let me at least come to the fence with her. I'll be able to cover her back until she gets in.”
“Captain's right. You have to be able to get us out of here. If anything happens to you we're all fucked.”
“There's some hand radios on board. Take one with you and let me know if I need to get this bird ready to fly.”
“Good idea. How many are there?”
“There's four.”
“Lily, you take one, we'll take one, and we'll leave one somewhere between here and the fence. Hopefully we won't need it but if we do, it'll be there.”
“Let's move out.”
“One minute Sergeant. I need to get something from my rucksack first.”
I got into the chopper and got the sat phone from the bag. I wanted to call my dad and let him know my plan for when we got out of here. I placed the call and was relieved to find it went through. The phone rang for a while, I was getting ready to give up when someone answered. It was my dad's friend Al. He offered to get dad for me but I told him not to wake him. I told Al to let dad know I was okay and that we were heading to Fort Leonard Wood. I didn't know how long it would take to get there but we were headed straight there from here. He told me he'd let my dad know and they would try and meet us there. Like me, he was unsure of how long it would take them as they were traveling in trucks and still hadn't made it to Boonville yet. I told him I'd call back soon and got off the phone.
“What was that all about?”
“I had to call my dad. He's in Missouri and I want him to try and meet us at Fort Leonard Wood.”
“I wondered why you wanted to go there.”
“Lily, he's my dad. I warned him about this days ago. Thankfully he's still alive. I just want to try and catch up with him. Do you have family you need to get to?”
“No sir I don't. But you might want to ask the others.”
“You're right. I've been inconsiderate. When we're done here, I'll ask the others what they want to do. Like I said, the army shit is over. I don't want to be in charge of anything anymore. As a matter of fact I'd like it if you stopped calling me sir and started calling me Tim.”
“I don't know if I can do that but I'll try sir.” She said with a smile.
I started to make my way past Lily to get off the helicopter. She stopped me and kissed me again. “First chance we get, I want to thank you properly for saving my life yesterday.”
“That's not necessary. But I hope we get that chance soon.” I kissed her one last time and climbed down from the chopper.
“Sergeant, you got those radios?”
“Yeah, they're right here.”
He passed them out and we did a radio check. They were all in working order so we prepared to head out.
“Lieutenant, you should seal this bird up and stay on board. No telling what could be creeping around out here.”
“I'll do that Sarge. Be careful. Call me and I'll have her ready to go in a flash.”
We started up the road. I didn't like the idea of sending Lily in on her own. But I also didn't want her going up to that front gate. I don't think the Sergeant did either. That's why he suggested she go in through the fence. We were all pretty certain the doctor was running the show now. There was no telling what awaited us once we got inside. Besides, she was combat trained and I'd seen she could handle herself if need be. Still, as we came to a place in the road where we could see the fence, I had a feeling of dread and feared the worst.
“This is where we split up. Lily, you'll have to go through the woods and find the back of the building. When you get there, call on the radio and let us know you're in position. That's when we'll make our way up. Stay in the tree line until we approach the fence. We'll signal you when we get their attention. That's when you cut through and make your way to our entry point. I want you behind them when we go in. You have anything to add Captain?”
“If for some reason we're wrong and they still have Dr. Parks detained, I'll radio and let you know. I don't think that's going to happen. Just be careful.”
“Don't worry about that. I'll be fine. See you inside.”
“Lily, one last thing. If you have to shoot him, try not to kill him outright. I really would like to talk to him. If you have to kill him, don't hesitate. He deserves it. Oh yeah, almost forgot, the extra radio will be hanging in this tree.”
I hung the extra radio in the tree right by the road and she turned and made her way into the woods. I didn't feel right about letting her go.
“It's the only way Captain.” It was if he'd read my mind. “She'll be okay. Front or back; same risk.” I think he was trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince me.
“Maybe we should all just go back to the chopper and fly out of here. They got any bombs on that thing?”
“You know they don't. Besides I think that's an old missile silo. No telling how far underground he is.”
We made our way to the front gate. The overcast skies opened up and the nearly full moon shone through. Now we were able to see but at the same time I worried that Lily would be exposed at the back of the fence. I could see the security camera mounted at the entry to the facility. There was a call box mounted by the gate.
“You ready Sergeant?”
“Let's do it.”
I pushed the button and waited for a reply. Nothing happened so I pushed the button again and spoke into intercom. “This is Captain Tim Downs. I am here on the orders of General Simmons United States Army. Here to take charge of Dr. Jeffery P arks.”
Still nothing. I reached for the call box again. “This is Captain Tim Downs. If we don't receive a response in the next sixty seconds we'll be forced to cut through the fence to obtain entry.”
“Someone is on their way. Do not cut the fencing. It will take a few minutes for a guard to get there. This is an under ground facility.”
“We'll be waiting.” I released the button and turned to the Sergeant. “Tell Lily it's time.”
“Flowers, they're sending someone. Time to go. Over.”
“Copy. There's a camera back here. Over.”
“Tell her not to worry about it. If Parks has gained control then he's alone.”
“Go ahead with entry. Over.”
“Copy that. Over.”
“Lieutenant Price you reading all this? Over.”
“Copy. Heard every word. Good luck. Over.”
“From here on, maintain radio silence. Over.”
I heard a loud click from the fence and the gate began to open. I looked back at Sergeant Adams and he nodded to me. We un-slung our rifles and moved into the compound. The clouds covered the moon again, darkness prevailed.
“I don't know about you but I don't like this.”
“No sir. Somethings not right. They should have sent someone to the gate.”
“Let's go to the door. See if it's open.”
We walked the short distance to the front of the building. I tried the door. It was locked. “What now?”
“I guess we wait. I think we should back away from the door though. I don't want to get shot through the door.”
We started to move back when I heard the click from the lock on the door. I could tell from the sound the lock was released remotely. Whoever was inviting us in was not on the other side of the door. I stepped up and reached for the handle.
“Just a minute Captain. When you open the door, stand to the side. Give me a clear line of fire.”
I pulled the door open. The tension was unbearable. Nothing happened. I started in. Sergeant Adams reached out and took my arm. I looked back and he held up one finger. I waited while he searched for something to prop the door open. He went back to the fence and picked a tree branch up from the ground. He looked around and came back to the door.