Dearborn, refuel and immediately deploy in Detroit. Our operation parameters include the eastern and southern suburbs. I will transmit your team data files after we board.”
“I see several of you whom I’ve worked with before. Lieutenant Fenwick, Sergeant Rosen, Agent Ganos, Agent Drake, good to see you all again. Those of you whom I haven’t worked with, Dr. Baxter, Lieutenant Marshall, glad to meet you. Don’t get yourselves killed. Remember, success requires no explanations, just take the damn bow. Catastrophic cluster fox trots end up in boxes. Everything else involves interviews where the less said the better. Team Lemming, head on out.”
Captain Blaise led them out to the tarmac where the helicopter was sitting idle.
“Who’s flying this?” Jamie asked Rosen.
“Blaise,” Rosen said, nodding toward the captain who was starting his preflight check with Lieutenant Fenwick.
“He’s the leader and the pilot?” Jamie asked as they got into the helicopter and moved to their seats along the cabin wall.
“Blaise and Bocholt have been running insertion teams since just after the virus broke out, B & B. Bocholt is by the book, Blaise, not so much,” Rosen said, strapping in.
“How do you mean?” Jamie asked, securing his own five point harness.
“Jericho was the first one to develop the head, hands, tech approach.” Agent Ganos said, climbing in next to Jamie.
“Yeah, he called it lateral thinking,” Rosen sneered.
“Some lateral thinking,” Drake observed, harnessing in opposite them. “He was cornered with a group of KV’s and said, ‘Fuck this,’ tossed a grenade and went back to see what was still moving.”
“Well,” Angie pointed out, “it worked. He saw that if you didn’t take out head, hands and tech they kept going.”
Drake laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Angie asked.
“Did you look at your assignment tablet?” Drake asked.
Angie and Jamie both opened their assignment tablet cases and checked the download. A detailed report on the new version of the virus was there with information not part of the briefing.
“Do you see what they are saying?”
According to the report the new strain caused the victim to repeat, “Industrial Meat Puppet. Industrial Meat Puppet.”
“It looks like we are starting to get the designer’s political message,” Jamie said.
“Yes, I saw that. But do you see what they are calling these?” Drake laughed.
“KVB?” Jamie asked.
“Kensington Virus Berserker” Drake said.
“Berserker?” Jamie shook his head.
“Berserker. The ancient Norse warrior, Odin’s chosen, Úlfhéðnar. Insane, invincible warriors who worked themselves up into a frenzy and ran into battle without armor and were supposedly unstoppable by fire or steel,” Drake explained. “Someone over in central command is definitely getting whimsical.”
“Go Team Lemming!” they heard Captain Blaise announce over the intercom. “We will be lifting off. We have Lieutenant Fleming in the left seat. In the event everything goes all brown trousers the lieutenant will be in charge, and what will you do for me lieutenant?”
“Pack you a bag,” Fenwick said over the communications channel.
“And?” Captain Blaise asked.
“Give you a ride.”
“That’s right, pack me a bag and give me a ride,” Captain Blaise said to Fenwick. Then he turned to everyone else in the helicopter, “Please enjoy your next three and a half hours of flight. I will point out sites of interest as we travel across America’s heartland. There will be no in flight service and there will be no seatbelt sign. If you need to use the bathroom you will find we are equipped with one, please try and time your visit when we don’t have any turbulence.
The helicopter propellers began to spin. “We appreciate you have no choice in your travel arrangements. Which is why we are proud that you’ve been forced to fly Black Helicopter Express, where we’ve been keeping the public guessing since
“I see several of you whom I’ve worked with before. Lieutenant Fenwick, Sergeant Rosen, Agent Ganos, Agent Drake, good to see you all again. Those of you whom I haven’t worked with, Dr. Baxter, Lieutenant Marshall, glad to meet you. Don’t get yourselves killed. Remember, success requires no explanations, just take the damn bow. Catastrophic cluster fox trots end up in boxes. Everything else involves interviews where the less said the better. Team Lemming, head on out.”
Captain Blaise led them out to the tarmac where the helicopter was sitting idle.
“Who’s flying this?” Jamie asked Rosen.
“Blaise,” Rosen said, nodding toward the captain who was starting his preflight check with Lieutenant Fenwick.
“He’s the leader and the pilot?” Jamie asked as they got into the helicopter and moved to their seats along the cabin wall.
“Blaise and Bocholt have been running insertion teams since just after the virus broke out, B & B. Bocholt is by the book, Blaise, not so much,” Rosen said, strapping in.
“How do you mean?” Jamie asked, securing his own five point harness.
“Jericho was the first one to develop the head, hands, tech approach.” Agent Ganos said, climbing in next to Jamie.
“Yeah, he called it lateral thinking,” Rosen sneered.
“Some lateral thinking,” Drake observed, harnessing in opposite them. “He was cornered with a group of KV’s and said, ‘Fuck this,’ tossed a grenade and went back to see what was still moving.”
“Well,” Angie pointed out, “it worked. He saw that if you didn’t take out head, hands and tech they kept going.”
Drake laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Angie asked.
“Did you look at your assignment tablet?” Drake asked.
Angie and Jamie both opened their assignment tablet cases and checked the download. A detailed report on the new version of the virus was there with information not part of the briefing.
“Do you see what they are saying?”
According to the report the new strain caused the victim to repeat, “Industrial Meat Puppet. Industrial Meat Puppet.”
“It looks like we are starting to get the designer’s political message,” Jamie said.
“Yes, I saw that. But do you see what they are calling these?” Drake laughed.
“KVB?” Jamie asked.
“Kensington Virus Berserker” Drake said.
“Berserker?” Jamie shook his head.
“Berserker. The ancient Norse warrior, Odin’s chosen, Úlfhéðnar. Insane, invincible warriors who worked themselves up into a frenzy and ran into battle without armor and were supposedly unstoppable by fire or steel,” Drake explained. “Someone over in central command is definitely getting whimsical.”
“Go Team Lemming!” they heard Captain Blaise announce over the intercom. “We will be lifting off. We have Lieutenant Fleming in the left seat. In the event everything goes all brown trousers the lieutenant will be in charge, and what will you do for me lieutenant?”
“Pack you a bag,” Fenwick said over the communications channel.
“And?” Captain Blaise asked.
“Give you a ride.”
“That’s right, pack me a bag and give me a ride,” Captain Blaise said to Fenwick. Then he turned to everyone else in the helicopter, “Please enjoy your next three and a half hours of flight. I will point out sites of interest as we travel across America’s heartland. There will be no in flight service and there will be no seatbelt sign. If you need to use the bathroom you will find we are equipped with one, please try and time your visit when we don’t have any turbulence.
The helicopter propellers began to spin. “We appreciate you have no choice in your travel arrangements. Which is why we are proud that you’ve been forced to fly Black Helicopter Express, where we’ve been keeping the public guessing since
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