Carlie Simmons (Book 2): In Too Deep Page 3

  “Little is known about the disease at this time other than what most of you already know regarding the onset of infection. Our science advisors surmise that it is neurological and not something found in nature so we can only assume at this stage that it is some kind of bioweapon or manufactured virus that was unleashed.”

  Shane leaned over to Carlie and whispered in her ear, “I’d like to know which countries or cities abroad are unaffected by this. That would be a place to start looking for the terrorists that started this.”

  The general continued with his lecture while showing a supply chart on the screen which indicated the logistical considerations involved in housing and feeding everyone at White Sands. “At present, we will be sending numerous helo crews to nearby cities to scour for food, medical supplies, and survivors. At our current rate of consumption, this base could house and feed our existing population for four months and now is the time to start laying in additional supplies and adopting a mindset of frugality.”

  When he had finished his visual presentation, the lights came back on and General Adams moved away from the podium and stood at the edge of the stage, looking over the assembly of men and women before him.

  “If you ask me what our aim is in the coming weeks, it is this: to wage war against these creatures and those who perpetrated this horror with all our might and with all the strength that we as a fierce nation of warriors can muster. That is our policy.” The general took two steps forward and cast a piercing gaze upon the audience. “Victory—victory at all costs, victory in spite of all the terror, victory however long and hard the road may be—that is our goal; for without victory there is no survival. And no matter how dark the days are ahead, never give in—never ever give in except to your convictions of honor.”

  The general clasped his hands behind his waist as the crowd stood silent. “Return now to your assigned areas and let’s start down the road to reclaiming what is ours.”

  What’s ‘ours,’ thought Carlie, the hell with that. My duty in getting the president’s daughter back here alive is over. Now it’s time for me and mine.

  After people began solemnly dispersing, Carlie saw a young woman with red hair in an army uniform striding towards her. “Ms. Simmons, my name is Lieutenant Armitage. General Adams has requested that you meet him in his office. Would you accompany me, please?”

  The woman didn’t wait for a response but instead turned and began walking down the hallway to Carlie’s right. Carlie raised an eyebrow towards Shane and Matias and moved past them, following the young woman down the hallway.

  She was led through a series of dimly lit corridors to the general’s makeshift office. The lieutenant opened the door, nodding for Carlie to enter, then closed it, leaving her alone. Carlie maneuvered past two stacks of boxes containing files and strode over to a large wall map with blue pins inserted in various regions of the U.S. Each pin had a handwritten description next to it indicating the city in one of three terms: Intact, Clusters of Survivors, or Devoid of Life. The latter term dominated the board with red ink scrawled on most metropolitan areas. Carlie felt a lump in her throat when she saw large portions of California completely blotted out in red. She raised a hand over her mouth and stood motionless, not even hearing the door close behind her as the general entered.

  “A brother, isn’t it?” he said.

  Carlie barely heard the words pierce her ears. She turned around and shot a puzzled look at the general. “Excuse me?” she muttered.

  Adams walked beside her and stood looking at the map. “I said—you have a brother in San Diego as I recall, isn’t that right?”

  “Yes—I mean yes, sir,” she said, pulling the sleeves of her jacket straight and refocusing her attention on the broader layout of the map. “He was stationed at Coronado Island.”

  “Your youngest brother, Matt. Heck of a navy guy from the file I read. Much like his sister was before joining the Secret Service. Only you were army. Why’s that—following in your father’s footsteps?”

  “You seem to have all the answers to my past, sir.”

  “Databases and personnel files reveal only timelines and achievement scores. I’d like to know why you went from army intel as a Russian interpreter to the physical realm of personal protection. That’s not a typical MO for Secret Service agents.”

  “Desk work translating documents wasn’t very exciting. I’m not sure how all this bears on the present—why was I asked to be here?”

  “Do you see that plaque on the wall, Agent Simmons? That was given to me when I got my first star as a general.”

  “Yes, sir—very impressive indeed.”

  “Doesn’t mean shit to me compared to this,” he said, reaching into his desk and pulling out a Corporal patch. “This was given to me by a group of men I commanded for many years in special operations. They gave it to me as a gift of sorts and kind of a parting joke when I got my promotion. It’s always helped me to remember where I came from.”

  “I see,” Carlie said, still not sure what this was all about.

  “The front lines are where people like you and I belong, not sitting at a desk doling out orders. I heard about all the colleagues you and Agent Colter lost in the battle in Tucson,” he said, leaning his hands on the table and sighing. “It has been two days of unimaginable loss on all fronts. Two thirds of my command are gone or unaccounted for and that’s just within the army.”

  Carlie’s mouth was slightly agape at the comment. “I’m sorry to hear that, sir. I’m only just now learning about the large-scale effects of this pandemic from your presentation and from others here.”

  “It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it? Like some goddamned chapter out of the Book of Apocalypse. Too bad I’m not a religious man—maybe this would be easier to interpret.”

  “So are there other units or garrisons intact around the country?”

  “Yes, small groups of survivors amongst our armed forces on the mainland here and on several Destroyers out at sea but I won’t have the total numbers for some time as radio reception is sporadic at best. We were barely able to keep the channel open with you and your group in Tucson as it was.”

  “Sir, I am still not sure why you summoned me here.”

  “Experience and life skills are what matter now. If you’ve got ’em then you’re ahead of the pack and will have a 50/50 chance of surviving in this new world. If you don’t then you’re like a newborn babe waking up in a sinking life raft.”

  “How can I be of service?”

  “I’m a military man, not a politician. Frankly, I don’t need to know why you supposedly defied your post and left the president’s daughter, if that’s what really happened. I know all too well how politics and perception often distort the reality for those of us with boots on the ground. What I do need is a cool-headed operator who can lead a team into New Orleans to extract some potentially vital intel.”

  Carlie looked him straight in the eye and exhaled. “You want me to head up that mission? Surely there must be other operators here with…”

  General Adams raised his hand to interrupt her. “With Russian language skills coupled with considerable tactical abilities…not likely. You’ve got advanced training in terrorist tactics, defensive driving, team dynamics, and hand-to-hand skills that few people possess. Given your unique blend of abilities, I can use someone like you to lead a small unit to Ground Zero. There was some nebulous information that we got a glimpse of out of New Orleans before things went to shit. The Homeland Security guys there had boarded a freighter and uncovered something that may allow us to pick up the trail on how this arrived on our shores.”

  The general stood before Carlie, who sensed she was probably conveying a look of uncertainty about her proposed role. “Any differences or conflicts you had with the Secret Service or they had with you, need to be put aside right now. The clock on the human race is ticking and I need every experienced warrior for the dark days ahead if we’re to have a chance at turning this hellish nightmare ar
ound.”

  Carlie stood with her arms at her sides, rolling her right thumb around as she mulled over his words. In another reality, she would have considered asking for time to reflect on other options but where was she to go? She had little desire to be responsible for the lives of others any longer. This military base was all that was left in the entire region. She just wanted to fade into the background and remain low profile but what would be the point when she most wanted to stay with her friends and find out what had become of her family? Carlie felt like her life had been driven into a corner. Now I have to be in charge of more people and a mission whose outcome is precarious at best.

  “Well, Ms. Simmons, I need you to take the lead on this op.”

  She knew he wasn’t asking her as much as extending professional courtesy without making it seem like an order. Carlie folded her arms in front of her and glanced at the wall map again and then shifted her gaze back to the general. She knew that if there was any hope of ever searching for her brother she would need the resources that the military could provide.

  “Alright, sir,” she said with a forced exhale. “Can you tell me what you need us to do and how this requires my Russian intel skills?”

  He grabbed a file containing loosely shuffled papers off his desk and handed it to her. “Better if you see yourself. The other team that will accompany you will be led by Staff Sergeant Boyd who I believe you already met. He and his small team will be under your command. You depart at 0500 tomorrow. That will give you and your team a night of much-needed rest,” he said while sitting down on the edge of the desk.

  She flipped open the manila folder and stared at the transcription of the dialogue between the field agents who opened the cargo hold of the freighter in New Orleans. The report indicated that there was an encrypted laptop that was discovered amidst crates of contraband. Carlie’s eyes sifted through each line until she came to several photographs. The first showed a wooden container with its lid half-removed while the second photograph was a close-up which revealed a small package with Soviet army insignias whose tattered edges seemed like they had been forcefully cut from their uniforms. Beside these were a handful of tarnished circular medallions. Carlie craned her head down to scrutinize the photo. The medallions were silver with the head of a man’s figure in the center surrounded by a sickle, a hammer, and a star. Along the edge was an inscription in red enamel with the Russian wording: Сергей Mitrinov.

  Carlie’s eyes widened and her jaw muscles tightened. She took a deep breath and pulled her head back from the file. “These medals are associated with the Order of Mitrinov, named after the decorated Russian Field Marshal Sergei Mitrinov.” She glanced down at the images again.

  “What’s the connection with the virus and the freighter, if any?”

  “I’d say it’s related—these medals were only issued to a few hundred men during the Cold War who worked under Mitrinov…” She paused, looking gravely at the general while slowly handing the photos back to him. “Sergei Mitrinov…he was the commanding officer who began the Soviet bioweapons program in the 60s.”

  Carlie folded her arms and stood with a frostbitten look on her face while gazing at the wall map of the United States until her eyes slowly settled on New Orleans.

  Chapter 5

  Jared finished loading up his tray with rehydrated mashed potatoes and something that resembled beef stew and looked around the massive dining hall. Seeing two familiar faces, he strode over to the table where Amy and Nadine were sitting.

  He sat down across from Amy and rolled up the sleeves on his blue shirt. “So you come here often?” he said with a grin.

  “So this is the guy you were talking about,” said Nadine.

  “Yep, this is Prince Charming. Thankfully you didn’t get a chance to chat with him on the helo on the ride here. He’s probably already sized you up to see if you fit into his template of worth.”

  “Now, now, I wouldn’t worry about that,” said Jared, glancing over at Nadine and admiring her blonde pigtails. “But that’s enough about me, now let me tell you what I think about myself.”

  “Like I told you, he seems like a nice guy until he opens his yapper,” said Amy, who was quickly downing her meal.

  “Slow down there, girl. You’re eatin’ like you’re going to the electric chair.”

  Amy started to let out a laugh but restrained herself and took a swig of water from her glass instead.

  “So what’s the scoop—have any of you heard about what’s going on around here?” said Jared. “It seems like they’re mobilizing for an assault with all the weapons and ammo I’ve seen being shuttled around in crates.”

  “All I know is they said there are going to be jobs assigned according to your specialty. Everyone who stays here is going to work. That means I’ll probably be doing something with horses or livestock as I grew up on a ranch,” said Nadine.

  “You can’t get a straight answer from anyone around here unless you’re a member of the military. I’m in the dark,” said Amy.

  Jared was scanning the hundred or so people who were sitting in the dining hall. It was an odd mish-mash of civilians, military personnel, and ranchers. He floated his gaze over to a young brunette woman in fatigues sitting a few tables over to his right. “Be right back,” he said, leaving his tray and walking over to the other table.

  He hunched over, leaning his forearms on the table in front of her, smiling and chatting. After a few minutes, Jared returned. “See, it only took the right person asking the right questions. You know there was this one time in Atlanta where I…”

  Amy abruptly cut him off. “Can you skip the usual part of your story with the back-slapping and just tell us what you found out?”

  “Well, those ladies said that the general is mobilizing small units to head to the outlying cities around here to gather food, supplies, and to search for other people.”

  “Sounds like a good idea,” said Nadine. “I know they’ve probably got a lot of stuff in this facility but helping others to get out of the cities has to happen before those creatures devour whoever is left.”

  “Yeah, well, you can count me out of any more games of zombie tag. These digs here are looking pretty good to me right now,” Jared said.

  “And how will you contribute to your new community?” said Amy with her eyebrows raised. “They’re not gonna let us stay here consuming resources if we can’t help out in some way.”

  “Whoa—take it easy there, Chairman Mao. I’ll help out when I’m asked. I already paid my dues dodging those flesh-munchers back in Tucson.”

  “You ever heard the joke about the guy who was so lazy that he married a pregnant woman?” said Amy.

  He lowered his fork and looked up at her. “When properly motivated I have the energy of ten tigers, my good lady. I didn’t get this far in life from being a slacker.”

  Jared got up and grabbed his tray. “Now, if you’ll both forgive my sudden departure, I’ve got some socializing to do,” he said, moving over to the table with the young ladies he had spoken with earlier and resuming his conversation.

  Chapter 6

  Carlie was standing in a small room beside the dining hall, poring over the documents and maps that General Adams had provided her with while Shane scanned through files on a nearby laptop.

  “How you holding up over there?” Carlie said.

  Shane arched his shoulders back and turned towards her. “You mean in my data sifting or in how my future retirement plans have gotten jumbled lately?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Ahh…I’ll be fine but it’s Matias that I’m worried about. He hasn’t said much since we left Arizona but I know his mind is far away, wondering what happened to his wife and two kids.”

  Carlie stopped reading the papers and looked up at the ceiling momentarily. “Yeah, it seems like we all lost a part of ourselves back there, didn’t we.” She glanced over at Shane, noticing his tan neck and rugged hands. “At least the three of us still
have each other.” She admired Shane for his unflinching loyalty and strict adherence to his personal code and wondered how compatible they would be, despite her physical attraction to him. She worried that their alpha-dog natures would cause too much friction in a long-term relationship.

  “I never had much of a family growing up until I joined the SEALs,” said Shane. “When I had to leave because of my shoulder injury, I didn’t think I’d ever know that kind of camaraderie again. Matias and the rest of my guys were like gaining another group of brothers.” He looked at Carlie briefly and then back at his laptop. “And, of course, there was this kick-ass lady warrior I met…” Shane paused, rolling his eyes and smiling. “But she was kind of aloof, not to mention that she worked for a somewhat elitist agency and thought she was soooo superior to us.”

  “Our agency was just different than yours, and by different, I mean better,” she said, holding back a slight smile.

  Shane laughed and shook his head then returned to the laptop, where a new image had pulled up, causing him to slap his hand on the desk. “Found it. Carlie, come take a look at this,” said Shane, who was studying Jared’s police record.

  “With the scattered satellite feed and internet coverage, I could only pick up a little on him but thought you might want to see who we’ve been sharing our space with.”

  “This is what you’re doing with your time? I told you we only have until sunrise to prep for this mission.”

  “Alright, but aren’t you a little curious?”

  Carlie tried to return to reading through the manila folder but would digest two sentences and then impulsively shoot a glance at the laptop.

  After three interrupted paragraphs, she put the folder down and scanned the lengthy rap sheet, stopping momentarily at bold headings that repeated themselves multiple times—Breaking & Entering, Grand Theft Auto, and more.

  “Looks like he went into juvey at age eleven and was in and out of foster homes until he was eighteen. This was all I could pull up other than a three-year prison stint in Florida a few years back. What he did between graduating high school, if he graduated, and when he got busted recently, doesn’t exist,” said Shane, tapping his fingers on the table. “He was a ghost during that time though there is mention here that he may have been connected with the team responsible for the federal armored car heists a few years back. Wonder why he reared his head in Tucson?”