The Tide: Breakwater (Tide Series Book 2) (11 page)

“Thanks.” Meredith lugged her pack onto a chair next to the berth.

“Not exactly a five-star hotel, but at least you’ve got the ocean to rock you to sleep at night.”

“Trust me, I’m not going to complain.” Meredith took a seat and removed her boots. “I’ve gone from living in a rundown apartment hiding out from the CIA to hiking along the Appalachian Trail getting away from Skulls. This is going to suit me just fine.”

She unzipped her pack and pulled out a pair of sneakers. Much more comfortable than the boots she’d worn practically nonstop for the past long, several days.

“Anything else you need?” Jenna asked, leaning against the bulkhead with her arms across her chest.

“Think I’m all settled in.” She grinned. “It was a lot easier moving in here than my last house. Know what I mean?”

“Wouldn’t know. I’ve been on the move since I joined the Army. Biggest home I’d ever had was this ship.”

“Ever miss the land?”

Jenna laughed and pulled a hand through her short, blond hair. “Used to think about it. But now, I’m pretty damn happy with my choice. Hell of a lot nicer to be here than out there with the Skulls.”

Meredith wondered how long it would take her to feel at home. She missed the running path that led behind her backyard, the shelves of books in her library, and the kitchen where she’d experimented with different cuisines on nights when she wasn’t tied down at the office. But most of all she missed her bed. Exhaustion started to creep through her, beckoning her to lie down. She knew she couldn’t yet, though. “I need to check in with Dom and see if there’s anything I can do to help with our mission.”

“Sounds good. I can take you to him, if you want. Probably still in the medical bay with his girls.”

“That would be great.” Meredith could practically feel the bags under her eyes. “First things first, though. Is there somewhere I can grab a cup of coffee?”

“We don’t exactly have a Starbucks, but the coffee in the galley will do the trick, if you’re brave enough to choke it down.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Bad enough to wake the dead.”

“Then it sounds exactly like what I need.”

––––––––

A
knock at the medical bay door drew Dom’s attention.

“Can I do anything?” Meredith asked, entering and walking toward Dom. She took a sip from a Styrofoam cup before throwing it away.

Placing his hand on the back of Kara’s, Dom shook his head. “Right now, we’re stuck in limbo until Lauren’s team makes a breakthrough or Chao and Samantha find someone—”

Meredith shook her head with a gentle smile. “I’m not talking about finding a cure right now or convincing General Kinsey to keep Fort Detrick open. I’m talking about you and your family. Anything I can do for you all?” She gestured to Kara. “I mean, the girl did save my life and Adam’s.”

“I think I’ll be okay,” Dom said. “Or at least, I’m doing better knowing the girls are safe.” He studied his daughter and the bandages wrapping her face.

“She’s going to be fine, too,” Meredith said.

“I know you’re right. She’s more stubborn than I am. There’s a fire burning in that girl.”

“That’s for sure. Whenever she’s had a chance to lay low, she went out risking her life to help someone else.”

“I’ve made a huge mistake, haven’t I?” Dom asked.

Meredith cocked her head and gave him an inquisitive look.

“I brought her here and expected her to be safe. But there’s no way in hell she’s going to sit tight aboard the ship. Every time I’ve told her to stay hidden, stay safe, she’s charged right into the fight.”

“You need to find a job for her,” Meredith said. “Something worthwhile, something impactful.”

“She’s not going to become a Hunter.”

“I’m not implying she should. I’ve only known her for a short time, but even I can tell she’d argue until her face turned blue to become one.”

“She doesn’t have any military training.”

“Not debating that either,” Meredith said. “But you know, I once wasn’t that different from her.”

“True, it took quite a bit of convincing for the CIA to get you out of the field and back into the offices and labs.”

“Exactly. But you know how they tricked me?”

“They convinced you you’d be more valuable managing operatives than being one yourself.”

“Right.” Meredith chuckled. “So if you want to shield her from this world a little longer, you know what you need to do.”

Dom had opened his mouth to respond when heavy footsteps echoed from the corridor and into the medical bay. He stood as Glenn stopped at the entrance.

“Captain, sorry to interrupt, but we’ve made contact with a vessel and we need your authority to proceed.”

“Scientists? Researchers?”

“I’m afraid not,” Glenn said. “It’s an SOS from a nearby cruise ship.”

Dom started to follow Glenn out of the room. He paused. “Meredith, you want to join?”

“I don’t want to impose on your operations.”

“Not an imposition,” Dom replied. “You’re no longer sitting in your desk chair in Langley. We need you out here in the field again.”

“Well, aye, aye then, Captain.”

The trio rushed down the corridor toward the electronics workshop, where Lauren paced near Chao, Samantha, and Thomas. Renee stood behind the empty desk where she’d been on phone duty with Glenn.

Static crackled from the radio at Chao’s station. “This is the passenger ship
Queen of the Bay
. Repeat, this is the passenger ship
Queen of the Bay
. We are requesting medical and armed forces support, law enforcement, anybody.”

Chao turned to Dom. “Do we engage or not?”

“Go ahead.” In those two words, Dom knew he’d set a potentially dangerous precedent. Before he’d left for Fort Detrick, he’d told his crew to remain as ghost-like as possible and avoid too many interactions with civilians. Their armory and medical supplies were limited and would become even more constrained since they could no longer resupply with the same ease as before the outbreak. Each time they reached out to help cost time and resources they could use to solve the larger matter at hand: finding a cure.

“
Queen of the Bay
, this is the
Huntress
. We read you loud and clear. What’s your status?” Chao asked.

“
Huntress
, we have—or rather had—over five hundred souls aboard. We lost a hundred or so due to the infected, and we’re afraid more are turning.”

“Copy that.” Chao turned away from the mic. “So what next?”

“Let me talk to them.”

Chao handed Dom a headset.

“
Queen of the Bay
, this is the captain of the
Huntress
, Dominic Holland
.
Have you contained the infected?”

The radio operator hesitated. “We think so, but there may be civilians still trapped with them.”

“Can you expand on that?”

“We ordered everyone above deck and closed off the interior decks, but we had to act quickly before the infected killed more.” The man’s voice grew shaky. “We have men, women, and children aboard. All are civilians we managed to evacuate before Annapolis fell to those monsters. We desperately need your help.”

For a moment, Dom considered the thousands of others that probably needed their help somewhere, somehow. He shook the thought away. At least they could help these people here and now. “Okay,
Queen of the Bay
, give me a moment to confer with my crew.”

“Copy.”

Dom took the headset off. “If they have more than a dozen people that need medical attention, we’ll be unable to handle those numbers aboard our ship.”

“So you want us to go with?” Lauren asked.

“Yes,” Dom replied. “I want Divya, Peter, and Sean to join the boarding party and bring whatever supplies you think we might need. You can stay to take care of the patients and research.”

“Captain,” Lauren said, “send me instead of Divya.”

Dom scrunched his brow. “I need you here. Where it’s safe.”

“I know, but Divya’s still healing. If the ship’s compromised and we run into any danger, it could be devastating to her recovery. Plus, Divya’s about as good a scientist as me.”

“About as good isn’t good enough. She’s talented, but I’m trying to be pragmatic. We can’t lose you.”

“How about this: at the first sign of real trouble, I jump in the Zodiac with the rest of my team and hightail it. Promise.”

Dom considered her compromise for a second. “I don’t like sending you along.” He sighed. “But if I do, you better be true to your word. Get your ass back to the
Huntress
if things start to go downhill.”

“You got it, Captain.”

“All right then. They’ll probably also have plenty of people who need the chelation therapy for Oni Agent infections. You think we have enough supplies to go around?”

“Probably not,” Lauren said.

“I assumed as much. Gather up everything you can, while leaving us enough supplies to subsist on.”

Lauren said nothing and hesitated a beat.

“I know you’re worried,” Dom said, “but as soon as we do this, we’ll do our best to resupply our medical stocks.”

Lauren nodded.

“You’re going to have to trust me,” Dom said.

“Aye, Captain.” Lauren started to take off but turned back to Dom. “One more thing before you all run off. Everyone who’s had a dose of the chelation therapy needs to undergo a lab workup. I need to keep an eye on any potential side effects before they crop up and make things more dangerous for anyone out in the field.”

“You got it,” Dom said. “Renee, Glenn.” The two Hunters nodded. “You two gather the remaining Hunters.” He added up the number in his mind, a painful reminder that he’d already lost one, and two others had been rendered nothing more than aggressive shells of their former selves by the Oni Agent. Renee still wore bandages from their Skull encounters in Frederick. “Make sure you both consult with Lauren. Whoever she clears, we’ll meet in the armory for standard boarding equipment.”

They saluted and ran out into the corridor with Lauren tailing them.

“Thomas—”

“Stay back and babysit the ship, am I right?” Thomas finished, already chewing on the end of an unlit cigar. It was the only sign Dom needed to tell the man was nervous about this mission.

“You know it,” Dom said. “I’ve got a hot date and I’m not sure when I’ll be home tonight, so help yourself to the fridge.”

Thomas patted his stomach. “Always do.”

“Chao, do we have a precise location for the
Queen
?” Dom asked.

Chao used his mouse to expand an upper-deck camera’s view from the
Huntress
. “I’ve got a visual on them. They didn’t make it far from Annapolis.”

“Perfect. If all goes well, this will be a short ride in and out, back in time to sleep in our own beds.” Dom put on the headset again. “
Queen of the Bay
, the
Huntress
will also be sending a medical team. If you have any medical personnel or passengers with medical education, assemble them at the stern of your ship. We’re going to need you to help us help you.”

“Understood.”

“We’ll see you in less than an hour. If you should need anything, stay in contact with my communication operators, got it?”

“Copy. Thank you.”

Dom handed the headset back to Chao. He wondered how many SOS calls like this they would respond to. How many other people were out there looking for help?

“While we’re on our dinner cruise, I’ve got something for you and Samantha.”

“Anything for you, boss,” Samantha said, cracking her knuckles.

“I like the enthusiasm,” Dom said. “General Kinsey ordered the withdrawal of all active duty armed forces from populated areas and has sequestered anyone he can to high-value targets—whatever those may be. But those orders only apply to units with the ability to retreat.”

“All right,” Chao said, “so what are you getting at?”

“Two things.” Dom held up a finger. “First, we’ve got law enforcement officials in the surrounding areas who may be able to help us with what I’ve got in mind. Plus we’ve got the entire Naval Academy in Annapolis. I’m not sure if they’ve withdrawn yet, but I want you to make contact with them.”

“What’s the second thing?”

“I want you two to identify an area that’s easily defensible, somewhere to direct refugees and evacuees to.” If the US military wasn’t going to do it, Dom would. “Not everyone’s lucky enough to be holding out in a ship like us. And if the
Queen of the Bay
is any indication, we could be busy for days trying to rescue civilians. We need somewhere organized and ready to protect against the Skulls.”

“So you want us to assemble a joint operations force and set up a bioweapon-free safe zone,” Samantha said. “And I suppose you want that done before you’re back from this little errand.”

“That’s correct. And if we clear the
Queen of the Bay
, that ship will be great for ferrying civilians to the new safe zone.” He held up his index finger. “Ah, one more thing. It would also be nice if you identified a way for us to resupply our medical stock.”

“Just medical supplies?” Chao asked.

“It wouldn’t hurt to restock the armory, either.”

“What about identifying neuro research labs for Lauren’s research?” Chao asked.

“Definitely. If you need help, feel free to enlist whoever’s left aboard the ship. Tell them it’s on my orders.”

“Will do.” Samantha stretched her tattooed arms.

“And what about me?” Meredith asked.

“If you’re ready to get back in the field—and if Lauren clears you—we could use another Hunter.”

***

T
he crazy sprinted at Navid and Abby. It lost traction on the hospital’s kitchen floor and slammed into a counter. Navid used the momentary advantage to run after Abby and out of the kitchen door. As soon as he shut it, they pushed an overturned patient bed in front of it. The door shuddered. The crazy beyond it howled and hissed.

Other chilling voices began to rise up out of the quiet hospital in response.

“Let’s go!” Navid said.

They dashed down the hall. Navid’s pulse raced as he rounded a corner with Abby by his side. At the other end of the corridor, a large shape burst out of a room. It looked like an overweight man, but the wail that came out of its mouth was anything but human. Navid and Abby spun on their heels and sped in the other direction. They passed by the entrance to the cafeteria.