building and get Captain Hellatoni and his men. I want you to take the
other half and go back and find the men we left on the road.”
The soldier with the satellite phone approaches and waits
patiently to speak. “Sir, the President said to tell you that you have thirty
extra minutes, and not a second more. He also said that the communications
helicopter picked up the men retreating down the road.”
Mike looked at Jimmy. “I guess this means you get to fall
back to the extraction point and do your best to stall if I am not there on
time.”
“Mike, you know as well as I do that the chopper is taking
off right on time no matter what I do; and that a pretty big bomb is going to
land on that building about thirty seconds later.”
Mike just grins back at Jimmy and walks off to lead his
group into the building.
Chapter 35
“Man oh man, no offense fellas, but how long have you guys
been swimming around in that swamp? You guys smell worse than the shit house in
July.” The black hawk pilot yelled back to the group of soldiers he just picked
up from the road.
None of them answered. They simply sat hunched together,
staring at the floor. They had very specific orders from Azaka.
The airship makes another pass over the hoard of zombies
below, and both gunners stop laughing at the pilot’s joke and resume pumping
.50 caliber shells into the hoard. One of them stopped suddenly, and got the
other gunners attention.
“I think I see a guy on a motorcycle riding out in front of
those things.”
The other gunner walks across and looks. “Damn; there is a
guy on a bike, sweet looking ride too. Go tell Hanuno to call in and see if we
should try an extraction.” The second gunner said motioning to the pilot. He
walked up toward the cockpit. “Hey Hanuno, me and Drew are pretty sure there is
some unlucky bastard trying to outrun those things on a chopper down there.”
He gave himself the nickname Han for being the
self-proclaimed best helicopter pilot in the Army; his friends combined it with
the word Uno, not because of his Hispanic heritage, but because Uno was, in
their best estimation; Spanish for ‘solo’.
“I know, I already radioed it in. Command has ordered us to
do a flyby over some compound a couple of clicks down the road and then to get
back and refuel for some extraction mission. Hope he has a full tank of gas,
because he is on his own.”
The Blackhawk banked sharply to the left two times, and then
was heading away from the hoard, back down the road toward the Syscorp
building. The five rescued soldiers are still sitting quietly in the back, not
speaking or engaging any of the Blackhawk crew, just looking down at the floor,
emitting a foul, rotten odor.
Chapter 36
Including himself, but not counting Jimmy, OhAy and the
other researchers, there are fifteen soldiers left. Mike sends six to escort
the researchers to the extraction point, under the command of Jimmy, and takes
the remaining eight with him into the building.
They disarm the mines at the entrance, and go into the
tunnel using a ‘point cover’ formation, one man in the lead, two groups of
three and two men covering the rear. They have been in the tunnel less than two
minutes when gunfire erupts from the point man. Mike orders the two rear guards
to stop and ensure the escape route remains open, then leads the remaining five
forward to engage.
They almost collide with the point man as he is retreating down
the tunnel toward them at full speed.
“General, there are at least fifteen of those zombies up
ahead. Sir, they are dressed in uniform and are carrying weapons.”
Mike is astonished. “Are they using the weapons?”
“No Sir, I don’t think they can. They are just shuffling
around bumping into each other.”
“Alright, everyone relax and stay calm. Check your weapons,
full clip in, full clip ready to go. I want you two men prone, you two kneeling
and you stand next to me. You, hustle back to the rear, send the other two up
to
other half and go back and find the men we left on the road.”
The soldier with the satellite phone approaches and waits
patiently to speak. “Sir, the President said to tell you that you have thirty
extra minutes, and not a second more. He also said that the communications
helicopter picked up the men retreating down the road.”
Mike looked at Jimmy. “I guess this means you get to fall
back to the extraction point and do your best to stall if I am not there on
time.”
“Mike, you know as well as I do that the chopper is taking
off right on time no matter what I do; and that a pretty big bomb is going to
land on that building about thirty seconds later.”
Mike just grins back at Jimmy and walks off to lead his
group into the building.
Chapter 35
“Man oh man, no offense fellas, but how long have you guys
been swimming around in that swamp? You guys smell worse than the shit house in
July.” The black hawk pilot yelled back to the group of soldiers he just picked
up from the road.
None of them answered. They simply sat hunched together,
staring at the floor. They had very specific orders from Azaka.
The airship makes another pass over the hoard of zombies
below, and both gunners stop laughing at the pilot’s joke and resume pumping
.50 caliber shells into the hoard. One of them stopped suddenly, and got the
other gunners attention.
“I think I see a guy on a motorcycle riding out in front of
those things.”
The other gunner walks across and looks. “Damn; there is a
guy on a bike, sweet looking ride too. Go tell Hanuno to call in and see if we
should try an extraction.” The second gunner said motioning to the pilot. He
walked up toward the cockpit. “Hey Hanuno, me and Drew are pretty sure there is
some unlucky bastard trying to outrun those things on a chopper down there.”
He gave himself the nickname Han for being the
self-proclaimed best helicopter pilot in the Army; his friends combined it with
the word Uno, not because of his Hispanic heritage, but because Uno was, in
their best estimation; Spanish for ‘solo’.
“I know, I already radioed it in. Command has ordered us to
do a flyby over some compound a couple of clicks down the road and then to get
back and refuel for some extraction mission. Hope he has a full tank of gas,
because he is on his own.”
The Blackhawk banked sharply to the left two times, and then
was heading away from the hoard, back down the road toward the Syscorp
building. The five rescued soldiers are still sitting quietly in the back, not
speaking or engaging any of the Blackhawk crew, just looking down at the floor,
emitting a foul, rotten odor.
Chapter 36
Including himself, but not counting Jimmy, OhAy and the
other researchers, there are fifteen soldiers left. Mike sends six to escort
the researchers to the extraction point, under the command of Jimmy, and takes
the remaining eight with him into the building.
They disarm the mines at the entrance, and go into the
tunnel using a ‘point cover’ formation, one man in the lead, two groups of
three and two men covering the rear. They have been in the tunnel less than two
minutes when gunfire erupts from the point man. Mike orders the two rear guards
to stop and ensure the escape route remains open, then leads the remaining five
forward to engage.
They almost collide with the point man as he is retreating down
the tunnel toward them at full speed.
“General, there are at least fifteen of those zombies up
ahead. Sir, they are dressed in uniform and are carrying weapons.”
Mike is astonished. “Are they using the weapons?”
“No Sir, I don’t think they can. They are just shuffling
around bumping into each other.”
“Alright, everyone relax and stay calm. Check your weapons,
full clip in, full clip ready to go. I want you two men prone, you two kneeling
and you stand next to me. You, hustle back to the rear, send the other two up
to
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