Moosehill Militia (Book 1): INFECTED (14 page)

“How’s that sound Chief, you’re boys can tell mine the ROI, Rules of engagement, when they get down there.”

“Sounds good Mike, I can let some of mine get some sleep now.” Rory said.

“Chief I’m going to leave one of my guys here with you with communications so where in contact at all times, except for when we shut down for the flare of course. I’m afraid in that time frame we are down things are going to get bad.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Day 0

Mid Atlantic Ocean

Commodore Aki Rin sitting in her day cabin lounge aboard CVN-77 the USS George H.W. Bush and was in constant touch with the rest of her CSG, Carrier Strike Group and the ESG, Expeditionary Strike Group led by the USS Bataan. Over the last week numerous ships from all over the East coast have rendezvoused with her task force. Picket ships were out and being alert for that Russian submarine. Now that she had some of her own submarines around Admiral Rin felt better about another encounter.

Aki Rin was contemplating her new orders that she opened a few hours ago. The orders came directly from the Commander in Chief of all armed Forces, in other words the President through COMLANTFLT. The orders are for her with permission of the British Government with loss of civil control of Bermuda to retake the island and use as base of operations for assisting mainland United Stated of America and act in the best interest of the United States of America barring further orders.

All the ships that have made it to her location or in route were quickly loaded with provisions and unaffected crews and dependents that were on base. All U.S. Military bases will act in the best interest of the base personnel and the surrounding civilian population.

Aki thought that was pretty vague, what did they think that this was the end of the U.S. Government. It can’t be as bad as the news sources were showing before the Solar flare. Could it!”

Tomorrow she has a fleet conference aboard the USS Bush with all C.O.’s that can make it. Helicopters will be dropping them off all morning. With the Harry S Truman, She now had at her command one of the largest fleets at sea in a long time. In her last order was also a promotion to Rear Admiral. He fleet consists of: Aircraft Carriers, USS Bush, and USS Truman. The Wasp class Amphibious Assault ships USS Bataan, USS Kearsarge, USS Wasp. Also the San Antonio class amphibious transport dock ships, USS San Antonio, USS Arlington, USS Tortuga and the Dock landing ships, the USS Oak Hill, USS Fort McHenry with a total of around 8500 Marines embarked. The fleet also includes the Ticonderoga class Cruisers, USS Normandy, USS Philippine Sea, USS Gettysburg, and the Destroyers, Roosevelt, Truxtun, Stout, Mahan, forest Sherman, Ramage, The Sullivan's and USS Cole. Under water the fleet consists of the fast attach Subs Virginia class, John Warner, North Dakota, California. Ohio class boomers, Alabama and Rhode Island. So far three supply ships have joined the fleet. Alan Shepard, Carl Brasher and Choctaw County.

Aki put in a call to the bridge for Captain Donovan.

“Yes Commodore what can I do for you?” Captain Donovan Sharp asked.

“Captain, will you please have navigation plot a course for the fleet to Bermuda. Our orders have changed and I’ll discuss them at the meeting tomorrow morning. Course change to commence in four hours. Thank you Captain.”

***

Mac and Mike watched Alpha Company and Bravo Company slowly move their vehicles in through the gates to Mohan Manor and down the ramp into the bowels of the complex. Mike had ordered all the vehicles will be underground until the Solar flare is over. For the next twenty hours or so all units become true infantry, anywhere they have to go will be by foot propulsion only. Mike thought, we do have about forty Mountain bikes for inner patrol security.

“Well Mac that should be the last of them. I just came back from the airport, all our aviation units are in the hanger and shut down or under those special Faraday netting we covered them with as well as any ground vehicles that couldn’t fit underground, I hope that helps seeing we couldn't fit all our units in the hangers which were built to protect from EMP pulse.”

“What’s the latest on this crazy virus Mike, you hear anything else?” Mac asked

“Not much, the news is still reporting numerous attacks involving human bites, it appears once your bitten the victim goes rabid or whatever after about an hour. The hospitals in the city are having a tough time trying to contain this virus and now with the Solar flare… Well we better be prepared for the worst. What news here while I was gone?”

“We have had about five hundred more people show up, somewhere on our list others just showed up usually with someone we expected, as long as there willing to work I’ve let them in after a medical exam. Don’t want any bite victims getting in, that’s the last thing we need, an epidemic loose in the complex.

Let’s go try out the chow hall, this will be the first large test for the chow hall staff.” Mike and Mac made their way through two of the large factory size Opus shelters where vehicles were being parked end to end, its amazing Mike thought how many vehicles you could get in two of these large shelters. They passed through all the vehicles parking and made their way into the dome after going through a check point into another large shelter set up as a large cafeteria. The family shelters have their own small kitchen, the bunk shelters do not, so a cafeteria is needed for the Troops and single people not bunking with a family. For that matter anyone can use the cafeteria. Mike and Mac were pretty popular and got a big cheer when they entered the Cafe. Mike ordered a hamburger and fries, heaven he thought.

Zero hour came without anyone noticing it in the Moosehill Complex Seventeen hundred people had dinner in either the main cafeteria or in their own family shelter, most opted for the cafeteria this evening. There is comfort in numbers with things so uncertain while the world outside fell apart. The night perimeter patrol witnessed three large objects fall from the sky at or near zero hour. One looked like a ball of fire, all were in the distance and weren’t sure what they were. Later in the night a few of the night patrol commented how quiet it was, not a plane in the sky.

***

On this day like any other American Airlines pilot Captain Bruce Ward spend a few hours in the pilots lounge between connecting flights. He came in on a short hop from New York and was piloting a Boeing 767-300 from Logan to Orlando. Bruce reported in and flirted a little with the check in stewardess, being divorced he enjoyed his single life now.

“Have a good flight.” The stewardess told him with a smile as she checked him in early.

“Only if you were flying with me sweetie.” He winked with an exaggerated motion. She laughed and made a shooing motion.

The Captain smiled and walked down the boarding ramp to his plane. Over the next half hour while he and his copilot John who he’s flown with on several other occasions, went through there checklists, two hundred and seventy five passengers boarded the plane in stages when their seats were called out. All walks of Life were going to Florida on his plane today. Many heading to Disney World.

A memo came out from the FAA that all planes were to be grounded for eight hours and a detailed inspection before deemed airworthy, His flight would be one of the last before the grounding. Something about Solar Flares interfering with navigation equipment. Bruce has seen Solar Flare warning before and wasn’t too concerned. They would be grounded by then anyway with a few hours to spare.

The door was sealed and they were backed away from the gate, the engines were already powered up. Once they were turned around and moving down a taxi way he addressed the passengers.

“This is your Captains speaking, Welcome aboard American Airlines flight 233 bound for Orlando International Airport where the temperature is a balmy 78 degrees. Please remain seated with your seatbelt buckled until the sign is turned off. We should make our arrival time with no problems. Flight Attendants take your seats please.” The Captain announced.

American flight 233 turned onto the main runway when they were given clearance by the control tower and Bruce applied full power without stopping after the turn. The passenger were pushed back into their seats and the plane accelerated down the runway until they reached takeoff speed and smoothly climbed into the sky. They turned sharply and were over the water at around five thousand feet and climbing steeply when all of sudden engine warning lights started coming on, Loss of electrical power imminent is essentially what all those flashing lights told Bruce.

“I’m declaring an emergency he called out loud. John the copilot was on the radio calling Logan to clear the airspace around them, he received no answers. Meanwhile Bruce was banking the plane steeply turning back toward Logan in an attempt to land, there airspeed was down to three hundred mph. below two hundred mph and there was a good chance of stalling and falling out of the sky.

The 766 lost one engine and Bruce had to put the noise down sharply to avoid going below that stall speed. He knew they weren't going to make Logan. He started looking for an alternate space to put the hunk of flying metal down in. They were heading back north he could see Logan airport in the distance.

“No way were making Logan he said to his copilot who was just about to shit his pants he looked so scared. Bruce was too, but he was too busy to freeze up. John, grab the yoke with me and follow my lead, it’s starting to get heavy.” He told John to keep his mind occupied. Bruce flipped the passenger compartment switch so he could talk to them.

“This is the Captain speaking as you’ve noticed were heading back to Logan with some engine troubles. If everyone would be so kind to assume the emergency landing position the attendants will advise you from her on out. God bless you.” He told them. Probably wasn’t the smartest thing to say there at the end. Probably freaked a few passengers out. Damn this sucks, why didn’t the airline ground everyone with plenty of time for that Flare, greed he guessed was the main reason. Bruce thought as he scanned the instruments, half weren’t even registering anything now he was flying by feel almost.

“Here we go, call out the altimeter for me would you John.” He said.

“Yes sir. 700 ft.” John called out while gripping the yoke with Bruce.

Bruce wrestling with the yoke controls that were barley responding.

“500 ft.” John called out.

“John, right there along the beach is where we put this down. Let’s try and angle it nearer the beach into the shallow water as best we can, before we just become passengers ourselves.” Bruce told John.

Bruce was eying the patch of water just off the beach that was going to give everyone the best possible chance to survive if the plane holds together. They could land just like Sullivan did on the Hudson, The Hudson was a lot smoother he thought.

“200 ft.”

“Here we go John, full flaps when I say so and then pull up on the yoke we need to keep the noise up as long as we can for this too have a chance.

“100 ft.”

“Now Flaps Extended. Okay PULL UP.” Captain Bruce Ward practically yelled.

The 767 gained a little more lift by extending its flaps and the nose came up some also, she hit the water two hundred yards off Nantasket beach at low tide doing one hundred and seventy miles an hour. Bruce planned for the plane to be slightly angled in toward the beach so the longer they plowed through the surf the closer they came to the beach.

The passengers were leaning over holding their knees like they were suppose too, crying or praying. They hit the waves with an unbelievable force and plowed through the waves angled toward the north side of the beach past where the old amusement park was toward the private part of the beach. As they bounced and smashed their way through the breakers which the plane was not built to do, metal started to give way and fatigue in the metal around seventy feet from the Front of the plane gave way and the front broke free.

Both parts of the plane had slowed enough by now that they only went a little further the front end of the front section sinking below the waves and the back of it sticking up at around a thirty degree angle. People were crying and more junk then he thought possible was laying all over the floor, the oxygen masks had deployed. Bruce had hit his head on something and was dazed but quickly came around as he felt cold water around his feet and steadily climbing up his leg.

“Come on John we have to get out of here.” Looking over at John his head was forward at and odd angle. Shit, he thought, broken neck. Bruce unbuckled himself and reached across to John and couldn’t find a pulse. Shit, Shit, Shit. Bruce got out of his seat and pushed the cockpit door until it opened to be greeted by bedlam. People were trying to get out into the aisle, he noticed the front door was even with the water any attempt to open that would flood them that much quicker.

“Okay people.” He announced in an authoritative voice. “We have to climb up to the back where the break is and jump. Help the injured, the children and the old, but be quick about it. We only have a few minutes.”

People listened to him and soon were jumping with their seat cushions for a flotation device out the opening and swimming for shore, which was only about seventy yards away. Bruce being the last stood for a minute to survey the scene. The back section of the plane was kind of in the same predicament, the back section of the plane had plowed into the water with the open end and was underwater. People were jumping out the rear door which had deployed its shut. Passenger were sliding down and swimming for shore. He could see at least one attendant in the doorway and signaled at her to go. She waved back then jumped down the slide herself.