AB (The Blake Reynolds Chronicles Book 1) Page 19

  She stuck the needle into the girl’s arm and injected the antigens. The girl screamed from the pain and cried through her gag. Stacy stood back, crossed her arms, and looked at the captain. “Now we wait.”

  At first, the girl looked around the room. Her yellow eyes seemed filled with tears, anger, hate, and fear. After about fifteen minutes, the girl’s eyes began to lose some of her rage, and she stopped struggling. Stacy took a blood sample and looked at it under the microscope. Half of the infected cells began to dissolve, and the nanobots stopped moving.

  Captain Nellis looked in the microscope and confirmed the observation. The captain placed his hand on her shoulder. “Well done. These are encouraging results.”

  Stacy tried to smile but couldn’t. She stared at the young girl’s face. About thirty minutes into the test, Stacy noticed something different about the young girl’s eyes. She grabbed a small flashlight off of the tray and flashed it in the girl’s eyes. It appeared that around the edge of the bright yellow eye, the color changed. Stacy could hardly believe what she was seeing. It appeared that the little girl’s immune system attacked the foreign bacterium and changed her cells back to normal. The color around the edge of the pupil turned a bright blue.

  For an instant, Stacy had a sliver of hope that the little girl might be saved. However, minutes later, the girl shook violently. Stacy pulled the stethoscope from around her neck and placed it in her ears. She listened to the girl’s chest.

  Dr. Fuller couldn’t hear a steady heartbeat. Instead, everything seemed to be out of rhythm. As she continued to listen, the girl’s seizures slowed. All the abnormal noises quieted until the only sound was her beating heart. The girl’s eyes suddenly turned completely blue, but then they closed. The last breath of life escaped her lips.

  Day 13: Blake

  As soldiers and Marines from inside and around Camp Pendleton arrived, the commander was replaced by the ranking officer at Pacific Command. It was anticipated that in the next twenty-four hours there would be 15,000 Marines that had been spared from the infections at the base.

  The larger command center had been established by mid-morning, and a status briefing was scheduled. Blake joined all the officers who had arrived, and the general called the meeting to order.

  “As you all are aware, we have been ordered to come up with a plan to attack the enemy with overwhelming force, retrieve the nukes, and destroy any communication devices or hardware that we find. We believe that the ABs are trying to send a message to God knows where. We have been ordered to succeed at all costs. Even as we speak, an attack plan is being created where we will hit them hard from all sides. More details will come later today.”

  Everyone in the room had battle-hardened looks on their faces as they listened.

  “Major Campbell, I want to put you in charge of organizing the civilians. They will be our second line of attack and reinforce our lines if needed. Take everyone who can carry a knife or club over the age of sixteen who isn’t caring for children. Hopefully they won’t be needed.”

  “Yes sir,” Major Campbell replied.

  “Captain Reynolds, I am giving you the second battalion fifth Marines. I want you to be the spearhead of the attack. I understand the rest of your men should be here by early afternoon.

  “Now for some disturbing intelligence we received last night… The enemy has continually attacked us in small bands since this started. However, late last night, all hostilities stopped. Not only in our area, but all up and down southern California. Some of our perimeter patrols have reported that the ABs seem to be falling back in the direction of the communications building area by the church. At this point, we don’t know how many are there or are heading that way, but we must plan for the worst. I’m inclined to try to intercept them, but with our short time window, we will stick to our plans to launch our attack in the morning.

  “Also, if it isn’t unfortunate enough to get information that all the ABs in our area are gathering in a central location south of here, it appears that the ABs from the San Diego area are also moving north towards us to join the other infected group. I’m getting preliminary reports from as far away as Orange County that all the ABs in that region are heading south.”

  All the men and women in the room tensed up and breathed deeply.

  “We are anticipating that, by the time we launch our attack tomorrow, we could be facing a force of over 300,000. Prepare the best you can, and we will meet again in four hours for an update.”

  Day 13: Lord Dameon

  By noon, Lord Dameon called a council of his leaders to report their status on their projects. The lead scientist reported first. “The part we have been waiting for just arrived and is being installed even as we speak. After a few calibrations the transmitter should be ready by tomorrow noon, just in time for the massive celebration.”

  Lord Dameon smiled when he heard that news. Next to the stand was the commander of the scouting patrols. “There seemed to be a lot of activity at the enemy base northeast of us, but other than several small patrols, the enemy was heeding their warning and staying away.”

  The next person to speak was the commander in charge of placing, feeding, and arming the brothers and sisters who gathered for the celebrations. “As each person arrives, they are assigned a certain area to guard until the celebration begins. It is fortunate that it won’t be long until the celebration because we will have a problem getting food and water to them. The unclean meat is starting to run out and getting harder to find.”

  Lord Dameon placed his hand on his commander’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Brothers. After the message is sent, the creators will provide for us.”

  The commander bowed his head and stepped back.

  Lord Dameon continued, “Brothers and Sisters, tomorrow will be a glorious day. Continue with the preparations.”

  Day 13: Blake

  It was late in the evening when Blake entered his tent. Tara cleaned her gun and greeted him with a hard look.

  “How’s the battle planning going?”

  “They’re going well, but we don’t have nearly enough manpower for a guaranteed victory.”

  Tara continued to wipe her gun.

  “So, Tara, why are you still up cleaning your gun?”

  “I have been given my orders.”

  “Orders! What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Listen, Blake. They need every person who can carry a gun for the attack tomorrow. I most certainly can carry a gun, and if we don’t win, what does the future hold for our children?”

  “What about Kaya and the baby?”

  “Sue will watch Kaya, and as far as the baby goes, it won’t affect my fighting. It just makes me crankier,” she replied with a slight grin.

  Blake wanted to protest even more, but he knew she was right. He let out some muffled grunt as he sat down on the cot in defeat. “Fine. The preliminary attack meeting is at 0500 hours. Finish cleaning your gun so we can get some sleep.”

  Day 14, sunrise: Blake

  As Blake lay in bed, he tossed every few minutes. The coming events raced through his mind. He could tell that Tara wasn’t sleeping much either.

  When 0500 rolled around, Blake and Tara were wide awake. Tara was cuddling Blake closely.

  They stepped out of bed, and Blake pulled on his uniform. He softly kissed Kaya on the cheek. Tara looked at him with both love and fear in her eyes. He gave her a tight hug and headed for the door.

  As he zipped the flap to the tent, Blake quickly turned and pointed his finger at Tara. “Don’t take any unnecessary risks! You hear me?”

  “Just don’t make me come and save you,” Tara replied with a smile.

  The general walked into the large tent that now served as the command center for the whole operation. All the commanders had gathered and were awaiting their final orders.

  The general stepped up on the small platform at the front of the tent. “Soldiers, the attack will start at 0730 just as the sun comes over the horizon
. The Navy has managed to gather 15,000 sailors on short notice. They are currently amassing forces on the beach near the pier in San Clemente.”

  The general then pointed at Blake. “Major Reynolds and his 10,000 soldiers will attack from the north, where they are currently stationed. Major Barton will command the last battalion that will attack from the east.

  “There are even a couple thousand soldiers and civilians coming from the south. They weren’t able to provide as many soldiers due to the heavy fighting they have been in for the last couple weeks. However, due to the enemy withdrawing to the north, they were able to join the fight.

  “Just in case they are needed, the civilian forces have reached about 10,000, most of whom are already in this camp. They will only be called in as a backup because they were armed extremely lightly with hunting rifles, handguns, swords, knives, and anything that could be used as a club. Most have never seen combat.”

  Blake silently prayed that they wouldn’t be needed. His thoughts were on Tara and his unborn child.

  The commanding general laid out the simple battle plan. “The attack plan will resemble the old-fashioned game of ‘steal the flag.’ Each group will fight their way straight to the communication building, seize the control center, track down the nuke, and make sure it isn’t triggered using any force necessary.

  The briefing took almost an hour to wrap up, and the general was about to dismiss the leaders when he pulled out an object in a box that was next to him. It looked like a small, cylindrical canister about twelve inches tall. The general placed it in the center of the table.

  “We also have an ace up our sleeve. Overnight, I received a delivery of an experimental biological explosive. It has been described to me as some kind of neutralizing agent for the ABs. When detonated, it releases something in the air that is supposed to kill the ABs. Luckily, it isn’t supposed to affect us.”

  One of the commanders in the front row raised his hand. “Sir, why don’t we just explode the device, march inside, and shut down the communication device?”

  “Two reasons,” the general began as he placed his hand on the device. “First, it is only supposed to have an effective radius of a few miles. Second, it hasn’t even been tested on a small scale yet. Shit, to be honest, we don’t know if this thing will work. So it should only be used as a last resort.”

  “Major Reynolds, I would like your group to be in charge of the device. Elements of your division will most likely be the first to reach the center, and once there, you can set off the device if needed.”

  “Yes sir. You can count on us,” Blake said.

  “Gentlemen, I don’t need to let you know that failure here is not an option. I will be leading the charge from the east. When you hear the shooting begin, come with guns blazing. We attack in one hour. Dismissed.”

  By 0700, Blake and his soldiers made their way south, trying to stay covered as much as possible. They had been given orders to shoot any ABs they found. One of Blake’s privates was ordered to shadow him at all times as well as carry the biological explosive device.

  As they headed south Blake was surprised that they hadn’t seen any ABs yet. This worried him because they had encountered them in this area on previous patrols. As they walked within a mile of the target, they crept over the crest of a small hill.

  What Blake saw at the top of the hill made his blood turn cold. All he could see for miles in every direction were tens of thousands of ABs. Blake figured there had to be close to half a million surrounding the target. Blake called for the closest radio man.

  “Command, this is Major Reynolds. I don’t know if it has been reported yet, but it appears that nearly every damn AB on the entire west coast is surrounding the target. It looks like there could be over half a million from what I can see. Over.”

  As Blake let go of the button on the radio, similar reports flooded in from the other groups.

  The general got on the radio and started telling the commanders that this didn’t change a thing. It just made the job a little more challenging.

  As Blake waited for the final order to attack, he scouted the route ahead for his battalion with his binoculars. Suddenly, he noticed a large white flag to his left on the end of a pole. It was being carried by a tall, thin woman in a white dress. She walked toward the front lines and stopped.

  Blake saw the soldiers in front of her raise their weapons towards her. There was some kind of conversation going on with the lead soldier. It wasn’t long before he turned and ran back through the ranks of the soldiers back to the general’s area.

  The general got on the radio. “I have been requested by the leader of the ABs to meet him halfway across the road to discuss a way out of this conflict. I don’t believe there is a solution, but if there is a chance to save lives, I’ll meet with him. I will have an open microphone at all times so everyone can hear what happens. Stand by.”

  Through Blake’s binoculars, he could see a man in a white suit accompanied by two large men on each sidewalk across the road. The general and two of his staffers approached from the other side. Blake heard the general’s microphone come on as the two men approached each other.

  The AB’s leader was the first to reach out his hand. “My name is Lord Dameon. Whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?”

  Blake could see the general begrudgingly take the enemy's hand. “My name is General Bates. Why have you called this meeting?”

  “General, I am not a man of war. I only desire to live peacefully with my people and await our creators’ arrival. There is no need for war and bloodshed today. Instead, we invite you to join in our celebration, for today we send our message to the creators. You shall see them make this a planet a place of peace where all men are equal, no rich or poor. No bond, only freedom. What do you say? Will you join us?”

  Blake had a hard time believing what he was hearing over the radio.

  “Lord Dameon, I am a man of peace also and only choose war when it is necessary. If you will turn over the two nuclear bombs that I know you have and let my men into your building to shut down the transmitter, then we can talk peace.”

  “General, you know I can’t do that. Our sheer existence is driven to communicate with our creators. This very day, we shall send word that we are here, and they will come and show you the way. You shall see.”

  “I guess we are at an impasse then. I am truly sorry for both our sakes.”

  The general and his two aides started backing towards their lines. Lord Dameon put his hand behind his back and pulled out a large handgun.

  What Blake saw with his binoculars and over the radio seemed to happen in slow motion, and he was powerless to stop it. Before anyone could respond, Lord Dameon leveled the pistol at the general's head. His two aides tried to throw themselves in front of him, but they were too slow. The bullet entered the lower left cheek of the general, spinning his body all the way around before he hit the ground.

  The two aides returned fire, but the ABs accompanying Lord Dameon jumped in front of him and shielded his body from the onslaught of bullets. Within seconds, the general’s front line opened fire. Lord Dameon disappeared into the crowd before he could be killed or injured.

  Blake dropped the binoculars and knew that was an unspecified signal. It was time for the battle to begin. The soldiers all around the perimeter opened fire as wave after wave of ABs surged forward toward their lines. The bodies of the ABs piled up quickly, and few if any actually made it to the front line of the soldiers. In return, the ABs returned fire with a few military-style guns, but most was light arms fire. Most of which was easily absorbed with their protective combat gear.

  The smell of gunpowder smoke filled the air along with the screams of the wounded and dying ABs. After about ten minutes of continuous fire Blake started to worry that they would run out of ammunition. Blake sent runners to give orders to go off of auto and make every shot count.

  The bodies of the ABs piled up, but still they charged over their fallen comrades
. Occasionally, a soldier would fall, but not many.

  It wasn’t long before Blake could hear the sound of clicks as rifle magazines emptied. On the radio and up and down the lines, Blake could hear soldiers yelling, “Last clip!” and, “Does anyone have any more ammunition?”

  Blake scanned the enemy in front of them. It appeared that half of the ABs were dead or dying. His soldiers were taking a few casualties because occasionally a lucky shot would come from the enemy’s side.

  The last report Blake had received from his lieutenants was that there were less than one hundred dead or wounded of the soldiers under his command. At this point he felt pretty damn lucky.

  From the reports on the radio, it sounded like the Navy on the west and the Marines on the east were not faring as well. The wave of ABs that hit them caused them to shoot their ammunition more rapidly, and they were fighting hand-to-hand and losing soldiers quickly.

  As the lines started to thin on the east, what Blake heard over the radio next sent a chill down his spine. The civilian reinforcements were being sent in. For a moment, all he could think of was Tara and the baby. But as the enemy started to reach his front line, the battle pushed Tara to the back of his mind.

  Blake could see the enemy in front of their lines were spread very thin and he noticed there was a chance to get to the center of the ABs’ mass and advance to the command center.

  After Blake fired his last round from his rifle, he drew his handgun. He chose three of his patrol leaders to follow him with their patrols. He gave orders to the others to hold the line or advance forward. If they found a way through the lines, they should start the search for the nukes.