Extinction Evolution (The Extinction Cycle Book 4) (26 page)

S
ummer was closing in. The scorching sun warmed Riley’s right arm, which was hanging out of the passenger side window of a Humvee. As spring turned to summer, the bodies rotting in the cities would finish the final stages of decay. The stench would be intolerable, the concrete jungles transformed into cesspools of rot.

Riley hadn’t looked at a calendar for days, but it had to be June by now. That was right, wasn’t it? Being cooped up on the island for so long had messed with his internal clock. All he knew for sure was that it had been four days since Kate and his brothers left for the
GW
Strike Group. Riley had spent that time training Meg to shoot and watching the new troops stationed at the island. It was boring as hell, but that was all about to change.

I have a mission for you, Staff Sergeant Riley
, Major Smith had said earlier that morning. Now Smith was driving them to the docks on the south side of Plum Island. Gravel crunched under the off-road tires as the Major drove away from the post.

“You got any idea what I’ll be doing?” Riley asked.

Smith pulled down a frontage road. “Not sure. I’ve only been told Lieutenant Rowe is back. He docked an hour ago and asked to speak to you.”

Riley pulled his arm back into the vehicle and scratched a mosquito bite on his elbow. He didn’t bother asking more questions. Smith would have told him if he knew anything more.

They endured the rest of the trip in silence, passing though groves of trees and thick underbrush. Through a clearing, he saw two rows of electric fences and beyond that, a dock stretching across the glistening water. Two Mark V Special Operation Crafts were docked there. A dozen Marines were already unloading gear from the crafts. A third Mark V SOC hammered across the water a quarter mile out.

The charcoal gunboats weren’t the Navy cruisers Riley had hoped for, but they were better than the alternative, which had been nothing. Built with a V-shaped hull, the angular ships were designed to travel in rough waters with efficient handling and maneuverability. Team Ghost had trained on them before, and Riley still remembered how comfortable the seats were.

These ships were outfitted with five weapon mounts, but they had removed the Stringer-Man Portable Air Defense System. There was no need for anti-aircraft anymore. Instead, the craft was decked out with two 7.62 mm Gatling guns and three .50 cal machine guns. It was an extra layer of security Plum Island hadn’t had earlier, but hardly enough to fend off a major invasion.

Smith coasted to a stop outside the gate leading to the dock. A Marine approached and checked his ID.

“Good to go, sir,” the guard said.

The gate opened, and Smith drove them down to the beach. He parked the truck next to another Humvee. It took five minutes for Smith to help Riley in his wheelchair, but none of the Marines on the dock seemed to pay them any attention. Normally, Riley would have been self-conscious, but the thrill of a potential assignment kept him focused.

As soon as he was in his chair, Riley wheeled toward the dock. Major Smith had to jog to keep up with him.

“Lieutenant Rowe,” Major Smith said.

The lieutenant was supervising three Marines unloading extra ammunition. He turned from the crates and came over to salute Smith, but he kept his chiseled jaw locked in place like an alligator.

“This is Staff Sergeant Riley. Corporal Fitzpatrick is finishing up guard duty and should be here shortly,” Smith said.

“Yes, sir,” Rowe said, training his gaze on Riley. “I remember you from the landing the other day, Staff Sergeant. You said something about not trusting
Vice President
Johnson.”

Riley felt his cheeks burning, “Yes, sir. At the time we had reason to believe he was connected with Colonel Wood and Colonel Gibson. But I was wrong, sir.”

Rowe gave him a once over and said, “Understandable, considering the situation.” He pointed at the boats. “In two days, we’re launching a covert mission called Operation Condor. Thirty-four strike teams will be inserted into coastal cities with a single objective: to capture and extract a live juvenile Variant.”

Riley swallowed. A child? He’d heard rumors of the breeders, but shit, he had no idea they were real.

“That’s where you and Fitzpatrick will come in. Master Sergeant Beckham said you’re the best the island has. You’ve both been out there. You’ve fought the Variants. Now I want you to train the strike teams from Plum Island to do what you did. Most of these men haven’t seen any real action against the Variants. I’m hoping your experience will help keep them alive.” He strode back to the dock and picked up a crate marked
explosives.

The words left Riley with a chill. They had their work cut out for them, especially if they had any hope of saving any of these young men. He waited for Rowe to finish, but the lieutenant continued unloading boxes as they waited for Fitz.

This wasn’t exactly the mission Riley had hoped for, but it sure as hell beat shooting at bottles. Even if shooting bottles meant he got to see Meg.

All three men turned at the sound of an approaching engine. Another Humvee crunched through the gravel and ground to a stop outside the gates. Fitz jumped out onto the rock. He reached inside the truck, pulled out his rifle, then slung it over his back.

“Corporal Fitzpatrick reporting for duty. Sorry I’m late, sir,” Fitz said.

Rowe simply nodded. He turned toward the dock and whistled at the dozen Marines still unloading crates. They hurried over and fell into line.

“Men, this is Delta Force Operator Staff Sergeant Riley and Marine Corporal Fitzpatrick. They’ll be training you over the next two days for your mission to New York.”

Fitz joined Riley at his side. The Marines were all staring at them. A minute of awkward silence passed. Riley had been so focused on the mission that he’d forgotten his chair, and he’d known Fitz for so long he didn’t even look twice at the man’s blades. But these Marines weren’t used to them. Riley knew what they were likely thinking. How could these guys train them? Or would they end up looking like Fitz and Riley if they went out there?

“Take a good look,” Riley said. “Go ahead.” He gave the Marines a few seconds. Most of them probably had buddies with war injuries, but Riley doubted any of those buddies ended up training them.

“You good?” Riley asked. “You obviously don’t need to look at us to know what the Variants are capable of. But Fitz and me,” Riley said reached over to pat Fitz on the arm, “we’ve survived out there. And if you want to come back in one piece, you’re going to listen to everything we say.”

Rowe grinned. Perhaps it was respect, or something else. Riley wasn’t sure. But it felt damn good to have it again.

“You heard the man,” Rowe said, clapping his hands. “At 1900 hours you’re to meet at the mess hall for your first briefing. Now get back to work.”

The dozen Marines hurried back to the dock and continued unloading the boats. Fitz leaned down to Riley and whispered, “They probably think I lost my legs to the Variants.”

Riley cracked a shit-eating grin. “That was the point, brother.”

“E
urope seems to be mostly dark,” Dr. Yokoyama said. “We did manage to contact a lab in the UK and one in both Switzerland and France, but besides those, there isn’t much out there. Italy, Greece, Russia. The governments have all fallen.”

He continued listing the labs they had contacted in the Middle East, Asia, and South America, but Kate wasn’t paying attention. Her heart sank in her chest as her body sank in her chair. She avoided President Ringgold’s gaze from across the table. The last thing she wanted was pity. All she wanted was time to grieve, but that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

“That’s all that’s left?” Ringgold said after Yokoyama had finished.

He nodded, gravely. “I’m afraid VX9H9 wasn’t deployed quickly enough in other countries. The Hemorrhage Virus was able to infect a much larger percentage of the population. When the weapon was finally deployed, it eradicated ninety percent of the infected, but those that had turned into Variants seem to have already killed most of the surviving population. Since then, military bases and critical facilities have fallen. Just like they have here,” Yokoyama said. “I’m not saying there aren’t survivors in other countries, but the governments and infrastructures have crumbled.”

Kate bowed her head. She understood perfectly what Yokoyama meant, and knew then her parents were among the dead. Kryptonite couldn’t save them. It would be too late. She thought she’d feel something in this moment–anger, sadness. But she only felt hollow, like she’d lost another piece of herself.

There was a knock on the door, and Vice President Johnson entered the room with Lieutenant Davis.

“Sorry I’m late,” Johnson said. He took a seat next to Ringgold. “There was a report of Variants swimming off the coast.”

Ringgold arched a brow. “And?”

“Nothing a few Apaches couldn’t handle,” Johnson replied. “So where are we? Have you connected with any other labs?”

Yokoyama repeated the situation, but his words didn’t have the same effect on Johnson. Any trace of emotion had disappeared from the Vice President’s face.

“With the help of those labs, we should be able to produce enough Kryptonite to deploy around the world, but they are already behind schedule. Even if they start today, they won’t have finished batches for another two weeks,” Dr. Carmen said, scratching at his beard.

“Where exactly are these facilities? And how do we know they won’t be overrun with Variants when we go to launch Kryptonite?” Ringgold asked.

It was a good question, one Kate had thought of a few times. She tried not to think about her parents, and focus on the task at hand. There were still humans out there, people she
could
save.

“Lieutenant Davis, show us the locations of Project Earthfall,” Johnson said.

The Lieutenant walked over to the computer in the corner of the room and tapped at the keyboard.

“I can’t promise these locations are secure, but I can promise we will send enough soldiers to take the facilities back from the Variants if they have been compromised. At least for the silos that will launch Kryptonite over the US,” Johnson said. He folded his hands on the table.

“What about the others?” Kate asked. “The worldwide sites?”

“My staff has been in communication with the British and French militaries. There are other small contingents in Spain and Finland. We might be able to count on their soldiers to secure the Earthfall facilities in Europe. We’re still working on making contact with militaries in Asia and elsewhere, but rest assured, it’s only a matter of time.”

The overlay of a map spread over the wall behind President Ringgold and Vice President Johnson. They twisted for a better look.

Davis stood to the side of the image and used a pen to point at the red dots. “There are sixteen locations for Earthfall. Each placed strategically to manipulate the weather on a global scale. There’s one facility on each continent, and the others are spread out through the five oceans.”

“In order to coat the United States with Kryptonite, we will need to launch from these locations,” Davis said. She pointed to the dots in the Atlantic, Pacific, and one centered in the States.

“Is that in Colorado?” Ringgold asked.

“Yes, President Ringgold. It’s located in Rocky Mountain National Park, just above Estes Park, Colorado. The silo was constructed on one of the highest peaks,” Davis said.

Ringgold addressed Kate. “So we will definitely have enough Kryptonite to use over the United States?”

“Yes. I have a call with my partner, Dr. Ellis, after this meeting. He should have a better idea when the batch at Plum Island will be ready, but I would guess it’ll be a little over a week.”

“Excellent,” Johnson said. “In the meantime, we will work on capturing a juvenile Variant. The first of the teams will deploy tomorrow.”

“And if Kryptonite doesn’t work on them?” Ringgold asked.

“We’ll find another way to kill them. Which is all the more reason to figure out how fast they’re growing, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and how many are out there,” Johnson said. “Assuming they aren’t breeding at alarming rates, even if Kryptonite doesn’t work, I’m confident our troops will be able to clear them from the cities.”

“You’re confident,” Ringgold said, almost in a whisper. She rose from her chair before Johnson could reply. “We’re strained for resources here, folks, and I want to make sure we are placing our chips in the right pot.”

Johnson stood and pulled at his cuffs. “I believe we are, President Ringgold. Leave the military side to me like we agreed. I’ll have my staff set up a satellite call with our friends across the pond and continue working on contacting other countries.”

“I just hope there are enough soldiers to get the job done when the time comes,” Ringgold said. She exhaled and looked to Kate. “There’s still hope, Dr. Lovato. There’s always hope.”