in the river. Sophia had an odd moment of not being able to get the scale. It looked like a house cat. No, it was too big to be a house cat. Either the bridge was really small or it was too big to be a bobcat. As it clambered out of the river and shook itself off, she realized what it was.
“That’s a fucking TIGER!” she screamed.
“I know,” Wilkes said.
“It’s a fucking TIGER!” Sophia shouted again.
“Calm down, Ensign,” Wilkes said.
She spun the bird around for a better look, shook her head, then keyed the radio.
“Ground force, Dragon, over.”
“What’s up, Sis? You diggin’ this?”
“Be advised, you have a Panthera Tigris Tigris approaching your location,” Sophia radioed. “Potentially hostile.”
“Location, over?”
“Approaching from north on bank having swum the river,” Sophia said.
* * *
“This I gotta see,” Faith said. She wriggled into the back past the gunner, then out the rear hatch and onto the roof. “Freeman, hand up the mike!”
“Roger, ma’am,” Freeman said. He handed the microphone to Lance Corporal Harvey, the gunner, who handed it to Faith.
“J, Shewolf,” Faith said. “Check out what’s approaching from the north.”
“Roger, Shewolf. Care for a skin, over?”
“Possibly gator but not tiger,” Faith said, looking through binoculars. “Look at the dugs. She’s nursing.”
The tigress walked through the surrounding packs of coyotes and dogs like, well, a tigress and settled down to feed at one of the corpses. When a smaller gator approached she growled at it and when it didn’t back off, she spun around, landed on its back and bit down on the back of its head. The alligator was left shuddering in death throes. She went back to eating man.
“Did that tiger just kill a gator?” someone radioed.
“Calling station, Shewolf,” Faith replied. “They do that. They’ve been observed to kill saltwater crocodiles in the wild. There’s a reason mammals rule the earth. Ground force. Coffee break’s over. This is not getting the mission done. Load up. Container Group. What’s the status on containers to close the bridge?”
“We’re ready when we get the call, Shewolf, over.”
“Ground force, move to escort container force, break.” She paused and looked at the feeding frenzy again. “Upon bridge closure, return this AO. Fire is authorized on canines and canines only. They can’t swim off the island once the bridge is closed and clearly they’re a potential threat. We’ll let the reptilians clear the bodies. Move to link-up with container force, now. No readback. Just follow me.”
“Okay, Freeman, head back to the base,” Faith said as soon as she was back in her seat.
“Aye, aye, ma’am,” Freeman said, starting up the M-ATV and turning it around.
“You know how they call amphibious forces the ‘gator Navy’?” Faith said as they drove through the vehicle park.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Takes on a whole new meaning, don’t it?”
* * *
“Civilian side is blocked, locked and the usual chartreuse cleared, sir,” Faith said, saluting Colonel Hamilton. “Any more we’d have to do night sweeps, sir. Should I schedule those?”
“Not at this time, Lieutenant,” Hamilton said, looking around at the mass of equipment. “We’re probably not going to activate the civilian side until we have this side up and going fully. When the lights come on at night, any infected will be drawn to the fence line of this side. Where they’ll be easy enough to eliminate.”
“Aye, aye, sir,” Faith said.
“Don’t plan on getting any rest this evening, though,” Colonel Hamilton said. “While the enlisted are hard at work on the AAVs, you and I will be going over plans for clearance of Mayport as well as looking at amphib assault concepts using other than designed ships.”
“Aye, aye, sir,” Faith said.
“No rest for the weary . . .”
All four of the Marines started at the pounding on the hatch of Building Fourteen. It
“That’s a fucking TIGER!” she screamed.
“I know,” Wilkes said.
“It’s a fucking TIGER!” Sophia shouted again.
“Calm down, Ensign,” Wilkes said.
She spun the bird around for a better look, shook her head, then keyed the radio.
“Ground force, Dragon, over.”
“What’s up, Sis? You diggin’ this?”
“Be advised, you have a Panthera Tigris Tigris approaching your location,” Sophia radioed. “Potentially hostile.”
“Location, over?”
“Approaching from north on bank having swum the river,” Sophia said.
* * *
“This I gotta see,” Faith said. She wriggled into the back past the gunner, then out the rear hatch and onto the roof. “Freeman, hand up the mike!”
“Roger, ma’am,” Freeman said. He handed the microphone to Lance Corporal Harvey, the gunner, who handed it to Faith.
“J, Shewolf,” Faith said. “Check out what’s approaching from the north.”
“Roger, Shewolf. Care for a skin, over?”
“Possibly gator but not tiger,” Faith said, looking through binoculars. “Look at the dugs. She’s nursing.”
The tigress walked through the surrounding packs of coyotes and dogs like, well, a tigress and settled down to feed at one of the corpses. When a smaller gator approached she growled at it and when it didn’t back off, she spun around, landed on its back and bit down on the back of its head. The alligator was left shuddering in death throes. She went back to eating man.
“Did that tiger just kill a gator?” someone radioed.
“Calling station, Shewolf,” Faith replied. “They do that. They’ve been observed to kill saltwater crocodiles in the wild. There’s a reason mammals rule the earth. Ground force. Coffee break’s over. This is not getting the mission done. Load up. Container Group. What’s the status on containers to close the bridge?”
“We’re ready when we get the call, Shewolf, over.”
“Ground force, move to escort container force, break.” She paused and looked at the feeding frenzy again. “Upon bridge closure, return this AO. Fire is authorized on canines and canines only. They can’t swim off the island once the bridge is closed and clearly they’re a potential threat. We’ll let the reptilians clear the bodies. Move to link-up with container force, now. No readback. Just follow me.”
“Okay, Freeman, head back to the base,” Faith said as soon as she was back in her seat.
“Aye, aye, ma’am,” Freeman said, starting up the M-ATV and turning it around.
“You know how they call amphibious forces the ‘gator Navy’?” Faith said as they drove through the vehicle park.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Takes on a whole new meaning, don’t it?”
* * *
“Civilian side is blocked, locked and the usual chartreuse cleared, sir,” Faith said, saluting Colonel Hamilton. “Any more we’d have to do night sweeps, sir. Should I schedule those?”
“Not at this time, Lieutenant,” Hamilton said, looking around at the mass of equipment. “We’re probably not going to activate the civilian side until we have this side up and going fully. When the lights come on at night, any infected will be drawn to the fence line of this side. Where they’ll be easy enough to eliminate.”
“Aye, aye, sir,” Faith said.
“Don’t plan on getting any rest this evening, though,” Colonel Hamilton said. “While the enlisted are hard at work on the AAVs, you and I will be going over plans for clearance of Mayport as well as looking at amphib assault concepts using other than designed ships.”
“Aye, aye, sir,” Faith said.
“No rest for the weary . . .”
All four of the Marines started at the pounding on the hatch of Building Fourteen. It
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