Brent Acuff - Undead Nation 03 (4 page)

"How many infected?" Liam asked quietly. Alex shrugged.

"Only two. Not a bad percentage overall."

"How old were they?" Liam asked, but Alex shook his head.

"Don't ask. I don't want to think about it." Alex offered no more details and Liam knew better than to ask.

"And Private Jackson?" Liam wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer, but he asked anyway.

"No problems," Alex grinned. "The boy was a machine."

"I know you have your reasons, but," Liam shook his head. "But it just seems cruel."

"It's life, Liam. At least life as it is now. And whether you want to accept it or not, we have to be extreme. That kid won't soon make that mistake again."

Liam shook his head at Alex and looked at the ground. He sighed. "Fine, Alex. I'm not going to argue with you about it." Looking back at Alex he asked, "So when do I get out of here?"

Alex smiled, held up his hand and jingled the keys in his fingers.

CHAPTER THREE

New Recruits

"Fresh meat!" someone called only seconds before the train came into view. Alex and Liam stepped out of their tent, followed closely by Hayden and Donovan.

"How many this time?" Liam asked.

"Don't know," Alex said. "I just hope these recruits have some age on them. That last batch was barely out of diapers."

Most people in camp stopped to watch the supply train come into camp. Camp Tulsa was the main training and staging area for the continental southwest. All rescue and eradication missions in the southern states were outfitted and organized from this area.

Camp Tulsa was also the biggest training camp in the United States, training sixty-five percent of all combat troops that will see action against the enemy. Camp Tulsa also had the highest casualty rate, due in part to the sheer number of bodies that passed through the gates.

The supply train sighed as it came to a stop, and within moments, the new recruits were pouring out of the cars. "They're babies!" Hayden exclaimed. Recruit after recruit kept stepping out of the cars. Hayden figured that very few, if any, were over the age of twenty.

Alex turned to duck back in the tent when someone called him.

"Lieutenant," Theresa Hill called. "Commander Travis has asked to see you."

Alex sighed and slumped his shoulders. "Can't ever be good," Liam teased. Alex sneered at his friend.
 

"You're coming with me," Alex said.

Liam threw up his hands. "Oh no. The commander asked for you, not me," he argued.

"You're coming. I need the moral support." Alex nearly pleaded with Liam before he finally relented.

"Fine, fine," Liam caved. "But you owe me a drink."

"Lieutenant!" Theresa yelled. "He's waiting."

Both men stared at the woman in surprise. "Jesus," Liam said. "Who pissed in her Wheaties?"

Alex laughed. "Shut up. You are only going to piss her off. Let's go before she loses it and really starts yelling."
 

-----

Alex and Liam were led into Commander Travis' office. Both men took their places in front of the commander's desk, standing at attention and quietly waiting for the commander to finish.

"I believe I only requested one of you," Commander Travis said without looking up from his desk. Liam and Alex exchanged wary glances, not sure if the question was rhetorical. "And?" Apparently it was not.

"Commander," Alex began, "with all due respect..."

"If it were truly respect you were attempting," Commander Travis interrupted, "then you would have followed my order to begin with." The ornate black and gold fountain pen in the Commander's hand stopped scratching across the page and he looked at Alex across the top of his glasses.

"Sir, I..."

"Stop your excuses, Lieutenant," he interrupted again. Many hours spent at attention across from this man had taught Alex that this was a power play; the Commander's way of asserting his authority. Ask a question, but refuse to let you answer. Alex closed his mouth and played the game.

"Lieutenant," Commander Travis began once he realized Alex had relented. Alex was aware that the Commander had refused to use his proper name, intentionally choosing to address him only by rank. Another power play, but Alex did not mind. The name the Commander would have used wasn't Alex's real name anyway.

"Today is your lucky day," he continued. "You are getting a promotion, whether I like it or not."

The look of shock on Alex's face was obvious. "I'm sorry? Promotion?"

Commander Travis laid his pen and glasses on the desk in front of him. "Appears so, lieutenant. Although I can't say I agree." The many times Alex had bucked the system in the past had worn on the Commander. Alex and his team had been disciplined numerous times over perceived order violations, despite having one of the highest rescue ratios of any Stryker team in the nation.

"I've been given orders," Commander Travis continued, "to promote you to training leader. Apparently someone higher up the chain of command decided to ignore your previous transgressions." Commander Travis frowned. "They seem to think you could do a better job at training new recruits."

Alex still looked somewhat confused, but he already knew his answer. "No disrespect, sir, but I would like to decline the offer."

"This isn't an offer, lieutenant, nor is it a request. This is an order. These orders have come down from General Hill."

Alex started and glanced over to Liam. Liam shrugged and looked as surprised as Alex.

"Thank you is the appropriate response, lieutenant." Alex turned back to the Commander, almost having forgotten he was there.

"Thank you?" Alex offered, still trying to figure out what was going on.

"Your orders," Commander Travis said, holding out a sealed manilla envelop. Alex took it and stood there a moment longer, looking confused, before Commander Travis dismissed him with a grunt.

"You are free to go," the Commander said, and Alex and Liam quickly turned and made their way outside to try and figure out what had just happened.

-----

Alex and Liam swapped pages once again, their eyes scanning the documents, trying to understand everything it said. The two walked absently through the camp, only looking up when a familiar voice called out to them.

"Well?" Hayden asked. "What did he want?"

A glance passed between Alex and Liam, not sure how to answer. "Alex...got promoted," Liam finally blurted out. Hayden's reaction was similar to Alex's.

"What?"

"He's been promoted. We're going to be training the new recruits as they come in." Hayden still looked confused for a moment before a wide smile broke across his face.

"Congratulations," Hayden said, reaching forward and slapping Alex on the shoulder. "When do we start?"

"It's not that simple," Alex said, collecting the letters back from Liam and placing them back in order.

"Here," Alex said, "read this." Alex held out the stack of papers for Hayden to read.

Hayden took them and scanned the first few pages. Each page contained some long winded account of Alex's new promotion and subsequent orders. "Looks like standard military drivel," Hayden said. "I don't understand..."

"Keep reading," Liam interrupted. "It gets interesting."

Hayden shuffled through the stack until he came across a page very different from the others. This page was not on the standard military letterhead and did not contain the multiple signatures of the military red tape.

Mr. Kemp,

Yes, I know who you are and wish to extend my condolences to you and your men. Your terrible loss is one you should never have had to suffer. Your daughter, Mr. Kemp, is safe.
 

Your infiltration into the army did not go completely unnoticed. However, those elements that could have caused trouble have been taken care of. For the time, your identity is only known to you and me.
 

I understand your motivation, and I believe our goals are mutual. The massacre of New Hope can not be allowed to stand. To this goal, I will do everything in my power to help you.

Your deeds on the Styker teams have been noticed by many in the upper ranks. Because of your success, it was easier for me to facilitate your promotion to Stryker team trainer. This move was a calculated decision, one which will hopefully make it easier for me to pass you important information, as well as help you get as close to your target as possible. Make sure you are successful in this new assignment. The upper brass are ever willing to shake hands with those in a position to help their own goals.

The sins of the past will come back to haunt those responsible, provided you and your men remain hidden and advance the high brass' goals. I will send more information as it becomes available and necessary.

Stay Alive!

-C

Hayden looked up from the letter, his confusion showing. "I'm not sure I completely understand?"

"It means someone knows about us," Alex said. "Problem is, can we trust them?"

-----

"This has to be a trap," Luke Berryman said. "It has to be."

Alex's veteran Stryker team stood huddled around the small desk in Alex's tent. They had just been relayed the information contained within the cryptic letter. No one knew quite what to make of it.

"What if it's not?" Theresa Hill added. "Let's assume for just a moment that everything in the letter is real. What does it mean?"

"It means nothing," Dr. Cahn interjected. "It means nothing if we don't know what this person wants. Until we know who they are and what their intentions are, any information we get, we can't trust."

"But what if we did?" Liam said. Everyone looked at him. "No, seriously. What if we did? So far all we know is what we have been given. What would be the harm in believing what this letter says?"

"We could get killed," Alex said. "This could be a set up."

"But to what end?" Liam countered. "If the person behind the letter wanted us dead, we could be dead already. There are plenty of ways, easy enough, to make that happen."

"And why do you want to believe the person that sent the information?" Cahn asked.

"Because we've got to believe in something!" Liam yelled. "Everything we are doing, everything we've been doing since New Hope has simply been existing, simply surviving for the sole purpose of revenge. I'm just as ready as anyone else here to get revenge on the bastard that murdered my family, but we have to do something. We are going nowhere, and now, with one swipe of the pen, we are finally doing something to make that happen."

"And if it gets us killed?" Alex asked.

"The maybe we will have done some good, Alex. We could possibly teach someone how to do this better. Survive a little longer. Save a few more. We are good at what we do, and maybe that's because we have a little more reason to survive, but we could do this."

There was silence in the room for a long time. Everyone weighed their choices, trying to decide where they would stand. It was Theresa Hill who finally spoke.

"My daughter is dead," she began quietly. "Everything I strived to protect is now gone, in no small part because of my husband. He forced you," she continued, pointing to each member of the New Hope colony, "to leave your families and risk your lives for his own gains. Then he murdered them all." Tears were beginning to well in her eyes. "I will hunt down that man until I die to make him pay, to make him suffer for what he did."

Again the room fell into silence as Theresa quietly cried, the memory of her daughter and her death now painfully fresh in her mind.

"I'll believe," Donovan spoke. "I'll believe what it says."

"So will I," Hayden agreed, a single tear streaming down his cheek. "My wife and son are dead, and I want revenge. They should still be here and I want the man responsible for their murder to pay."

More people offered up their agreements to trust the information and person behind the cryptic message. Alex was the last to offer his opinion.

"The I guess we trust in the stranger," he said, "and pray we don't regret it later." Alex pushed back from his desk and stood. "I suggest we all get some rest. We've got a lot of planning to do." He smiled. "Guess we're going to be teachers."

-----

Alex sat behind his desk, head in hand, absently flipping through a coverless and worn book. Liam stuck his head in the front of the tent and quietly cleared his throat.

"May I come in?"

Without looking up, Alex waived him in and returned to absently flipping through the book.

"Doing some late night reading?" Liam asked. He reached for the book and flipped through to the title page. "The Zombie Survival Guide?" he asked, confused. "Are you serious?"

Alex looked up. Exhaustion was painted across his face. "I told you a long time ago, I got these ideas from a book."

"You've got to be kidding?" Liam said in horror. Alex shook his head.

"I'm not sure where he got his information," Alex said pointing to the worn book, "but most of the ideas he has are almost spot on with the tips and techniques we were developing in the military."

"Seriously?!" Liam couldn't bring himself to quite believe his friend. "And you're trolling for ideas?"

"Something like that," Alex said. "Just looking through to see if there was anything else we could use."

"I think we've been doing pretty good so far, Alex. Survival rates for Stryker teams and civilians have both gone up since we started." Liam tossed the book back on Alex's desk. "So what's really bothering you?"

Alex shook his head and handed a letter to Liam. After quickly reading it, Liam handed it back.

"More information from our anonymous source, huh? Troop movements?"

Alex nodded. "Troop movements before the initial outbreak."

"And why is that important?" Liam asked.

"Not sure," Alex replied. "But look at them." Alex turned the papers around so that Liam could get a better look. "These don't make sense. Why are they moving people here?" Alex began pointing at specific places throughout the report.

Liam frowned and shrugged. "Sorry, Alex. They are just numbers to me."