Project Zulu (9 page)

The small band of soldiers moves silently across the
field with Captain Hellatoni in the point position issuing orders via hand
signals and eye contact. All radios had been rigged for silent, tuned to a
short-wave frequency that only broadcasts 200 meters, used only for mic clicks.

Two by two the soldiers traverse the field and
assemble below a three inch electrical conduit exiting the perimeter wall of
the Syscorp facility. Captain Hellatoni twists the cap from the conduit,
reaches inside and presses a recessed button. Just below the conduit, a panel
opens in the wall, revealing a forty-eight button keypad. He enters the
complicated code and waits. To his right, an access hatch slides open,
revealing a crawlspace. He knows that the tunnel leads to a secure bunker on
the second level of the facility. He also knows that once opened from the
outside, the hatch can’t be secured again, except from inside the bunker. He
instructs two of his men to stay and guard the entrance and takes the other
seven with him.

They travel the tunnel in a two, three, two pattern,
the Captain on point until they reach the bunker. Captain Hellatoni keys his
radio once, letting the two soldiers outside know that they have made it into
the bunker, he receives an audible click back from outside.

Inside the bunker is an array of instrumentation and
work station positions. Along the wall is a desk with a computer and telephone.
He picks up the telephone receiver from the desk, dials a three digit
extension…no answer. He tries the extension for the command center…no answer;
the cafeteria, the dormitory, the gymnasium...nothing. He instructs two soldiers
to remain in the bunker and then leads the remaining five out into the
corridor.

The facility is strangely quiet, only the sound of
the air circulators humming in the background. The group continues down the
corridor, Captain Hellatoni leading the way. He signals ‘all stop’ when he
approaches a ninety degree turn to the right. He peers around the corner, and
sees two men in combat gear staggering down the hall, with the one handed
zombie, from the basement containment level, between them. He approaches them,
walking briskly and with a purpose. “You there, what is going on, why are you
roaming around the halls with that creature, and why is it not secured? I am
talking to you two; do you know where Major Chonk is?”

The three continued to shuffle away from him, which
causes his temper to boil.

“This is Captain Hellatoni speaking; I order you to
stop, turn around and identify yourselves.” He was a few feet away from them
now, and he reaches out to grab one of the soldiers by the shoulder. “What is
going on here, why is this thing out of its cell; and why are you allowing it
to roam the halls?”

As his hand touches the soldier on the shoulder,
they both turn around to finally face him. He freezes, yanking his hand back,
and bringing his weapon up to the ready position. He is shocked, what he thought
was a pair of soldiers, two men, is actually two more of those things, like the
creature, the one handed zombie, from the lower containment level. He is unable
to comprehend how the zombie had escaped from restraints and get out of the
room; more perplexing…why are there two more of them, wearing uniforms and
carrying weapons? He is very confused, and unsure of what to do. The three
zombies began advancing toward him as he is backpedaling down the hallway, in a
state of shock and stupor. He is dragged back to reality by the sound of automatic
weapon fire. The five soldiers behind him had been observing since they heard
him call out, once the zombies began advancing on their Captain they opened
fire. He joined in, bracing his weapon against his hip and sweeping it back and
forth in a killing arc. Still the three zombies keep advancing.

He is now down the corridor, back in ranks with his men;
they form a line across the hallway and lay down an overlapping field of fire
while gradually retreating. The six of them empty three clips of ammunition
each, filling the passageway with acrid smoke. The soldiers squint their eyes
trying to pick up any movement, but there is none. They each reload and huddled
around their Captain.

“Sir, what the hell is going on?”

“Why were those things wearing uniforms?”

Before he can answer, the third soldier levels his
weapon and aims back down the hallway. “Sir, look!”

The one handed zombie is still alive. It has been
cut in half by the hail of bullets, and is pulling itself down the hallway with
its hand. Captain Hellatoni pulls his sidearm, walks up to the half zombie, and
shoots it between the eyes. He turns toward his men. “I do not know what is
going on, but remember, head shots only from here on out. Break radio silence;
tell the sentries in the bunker and outside what is going on.”

The soldier attempts to reach the bunker several
times, but gets no answer. “Sir, I can’t reach the bunker, or the sentries
outside.”

“Damn it! Alright, no problem let me think for a
minute.” He grabs one of the soldiers by the shirt. “You haul ass back to the
bunker, call the guys outside in and then call the General. Tell him exactly
what has happened, and ask him for a new set of orders. The rest of you, come
with me back down the hallway. I want to set up a couple of tripwires and
mines.”

The lone soldier starts back down the hallway in the
opposite direction, while the rest of the group moves forward.

A private first class timidly approaches the General. “Sir,
we can’t establish communication with the scout team, or with the group that
was sent out to support their retreat. Sir, we also have not been able to
contact Captain Hellatoni or his team either.” He squirms in his boots, hoping
that the General doesn’t ‘shoot the messenger’.

“Alright private, pass the word, I want everyone
ready to move out in two minutes. Send the radio operator over here.”

Jimmy and OhAy approach as Mike is taking an
envelope from his pocket. “Tune the radio to ‘emergency guard 243 MHz’ and send
this message
foxes are on the farm and may be in the hen house, the rooster
is in the bushes and the farmer needs to bring the cows in from pasture
.
Send the message and then bring me the satellite phone.”

Jimmy reaches out and grabs Mike’s shoulder. “Mike,
what is going on?”

Before Mike can answer the satellite phone rings.

“General Balchor here, yes Sir I believe that it is
that serious. No Sir, Specimen Z is not secure, nor is the building. Sir, I
believe that reports from surrounding towns will be coming in very soon. I recommend
a tri-state mobilization, full umbrella perimeter with immediate search and
destroy parameters. Yes Sir, we will do what we can from inside the perimeter.
No Sir, let me check. Dr. Solaine, the President would like to know if Specimen
Z is any different than any of the other zombies that have resulted from our
current outbreak.”

OhAy shakes her head back and forth to indicate no.

“Mr. President, Dr. Solaine has indicated that there
is no difference. Yes Sir. Including the small group of scientists, the
security team, Mr. Gaston and Dr. Solaine there are twenty; no Sir, including
myself; I bring the count to twenty-one. Yes Sir, I understand. We will confirm
the status of the building, and then await evacuation. Thank you, Sir.”

Mike looks at Jimmy and OhAy, “The President of the
United States just wished us good luck.”

OhAy speaks first. “General, the President is
already planning on securing another specimen, isn’t he? That is why he asked
about Z, right?

“Doctor, I am not certain what the President plans
to do. What I do know is that we have less than ninety minutes to make a visual
evaluation on the status of Syscorp, and then make our way to the evacuation
site.”

Jimmy interrupts. “Mike, what about the men deployed
down the road, are we going to wait for them?”

“We are moving out in two minutes.”

“Mike…”

“Damn it Jimmy, I do not want to do this with you
again. Those men knew what they were getting into, and they are all aware of
what the fall back contingency is. I will give the order to commence broadcasting
the rendezvous code over all frequencies, with the zero time for evacuation.
Anybody at the evacuation site will be airlifted out.”

“I am sorry Mike. Do I have time to call the
hospital and check on Julie before we move out?”

“It won’t do any good Jimmy, part of the contingency
plan I just recommended to the President involves a total communication
blackout, to avoid panic and widespread pandemonium. The government has just
started jamming all communication and broadcast channels. Within a few minutes
a UH-60M Blackhawk, equipped with Eagle-eye satellite will be giving the
president a real time view of what is going on. He will then decide what the
next course of action will be.”

OhAy begins to speak. “General, this is exactly what
I told you would happen during my initial briefing. You should call your
President back right now, and tell him to wipe this whole area off the map
right now, not in a couple of hours, before it is too late. If what I suspect
is true, and Azaka is back, then there is no salvaging this situation. I can
only imagine why he chose to stay on this plane of existence; he wants to
punish who he feels responsible for keeping him imprisoned. He wants to kill as
many humans as possible.”

“Doctor I respect your opinion, but I have my orders.
Please get ready to move out. I would like to be at Syscorp in less than twenty
minutes.”

OhAy rolls her eyes and exhales deeply. “General, I
would like that weapon now.

Azaka is very happy with the way events are unfolding.
Utilizing his new found warfare knowledge he has led his zombie warriors to victory
over the human soldiers. He approaches a tightly grouped circle of his zombie
warriors, and they part for him. Inside the circle is a live human soldier.

He places his hands on the soldier’s head and concentrates.
Everything the soldier is thinking is being transferred to Azaka, everything.
Once he is satisfied that there is nothing more to learn, he twists and jerks
his arms violently, tearing off the soldier’s head. The soldier’s body slumps
down to the ground and Azaka steps back to allow his warriors to feast. He
cracks the decapitated head like a coconut, pulls out the brain and takes a
huge slimy bite. He scarfs down the entire organ, licking the gooey sticky
blood from his fingers one by one.

He concentrates on the hoard, sharing with them what he now
knows. He communicates that they are going to be moving forward, down the road,
toward the Syscorp building. He tells them that there will be more of their
kind at the building, and that it is important to attack and infect them as
well as all humans they come into contact with. He reaches his thought out to
the newest members, the zombie soldiers. He tells them to move ahead of the
rest of the group, and to walk backwards, imitating a retreat formation, firing
the weapons they hold over the zombie group. His mind is pulled away by the
sound of helicopter rotors; he gazes up at the super Blackhawk, and then
returns his mind to his warriors.

All members of the White House senior staff, cabinet members
and appropriate members of congress have watched the project briefing tape, and
have been brought up to speed. The initial shock is gone and they are now all
aware, although still somewhat skeptical, that zombies do indeed exist; and are
currently rampaging across a small town outside of Pittsburgh. The President
and his advisors are watching the images, arriving on the monitors, from the
helicopter. The helicopter continues on its path, and the video images continue
to fill the monitor screens.

As the sun begins to rise across the horizon, the
devastation is indescribable. Shuffling, meandering groups of the zombies are
still ravishing small bands of human survivors. The zombies relentlessly pursue
the humans, like wild animals. Flesh and muscle is being torn off the bone by
gnashing teeth. Ribbons of ligament and cartilage pulled, like taffy, by
crimson stained fingers.

There are thousands of the shuffling creatures, all moving
in the same direction. The helicopter continues along, as similar scenes of
carnage flood the monitors. One of the advisors interrupts the macabre images
with a question.

“Mr. President, what are the plans for containment? Will you
be asking the Governor to mobilize and send in the National Guard?”

The President replies, not taking his eyes from the carnage.
“No guard inside the perimeter, too much of a chance the Governor will try to
impose her influence. The guard can stay right where they are and work an
outside containment keep civilians out and babysit the media. I don’t want them
getting in the way. We will use Army Rangers, Expeditionary Marines and Navy
Seals to jointly set up a containment perimeter; I only want operators with a
secret or higher clearance inside the perimeter. 160
^th
Airborne, if
necessary, will handle the evacuation flight and Air Force Special Operations
will deliver the payload.”

“Sir, I do not understand.”

“This is a ‘contain and eradicate’ mission only. General
Michael Balchor is currently in the field, with a small team of soldiers and
experts. He has a small window to reach an evacuation point. At zero hour, with
or without the General being out of the containment area, the Air Force will
destroy a one-hundred mile radius around the town of Apollo.”

“Mr. President, you may want to take a look at the wall
monitor; we are streaming a live news broadcast from the area.” On the big
screen monitor, an image of a man standing behind a set of wooden barricades flashes
to life The scrolling banner at the bottom of the screen reads
Live from
Apollo, PA.
. The president curses under his breath. “Tell NSA to kill
all media communication within 300 miles of Apollo. I want a squad on that
bridge, ten minutes ago, and I want that reporter muzzled! How the hell did a
news crew get on that bridge?”

The entire group turns back to the real time military
monitors. The scene now playing is of a small group of soldiers retreating from
a large group of zombies. The President speaks again. “Someone get in touch
with that pilot and tell him to use whatever weaponry he has to support that
group of soldiers, and to land long enough to get them out of there.”