Z-Minus (Book 4) Read online

  “This is why your mission is so important. You will get that virus so it might be sequenced and uploaded to the world for scientists in labs everywhere. By the time the virus arrives, we would already be inoculated against it. We could stop the infection in its tracks. We’re at the forefront of a whole new breed of war.”

  There was a moment of awed silence.

  “And you want us to go into an enemy base to recover this virus?” Mark said. “How do you even know they would have it?”

  “That would be classified information and based on reliable intel,” Major Edwards said. “But we’d believe they do. Before I forget, there’s a note on the procedure of this exercise. If you’re tagged by one of us, you’re out of the game. You’ll be a danger to the rest of your team and their mission. Send them to find a patrol. They’ll get picked up and brought back to HQ.”

  “What would happen to the infected person in the field?” Mark said.

  “In the field, you will dispose of them,” Major Edwards said.

  Wary glances all round.

  “Dispose of?” Mark said. “How?”

  “Any way necessary,” Major Edwards said. “Scientists suggest a double tap or fire. Anything that does not risk spreading the virus further.”

  The reality of the situation settled deep into their bones.

  “Now, if there aren’t more questions, you should contact whoever you need to, then get some rec,” Major Edwards said. “We’re pushing out in one hour.”

  “No rest for the wicked,” John said.

  “In which case we must have been the baddest motherfuckers in history,” Jacob said.

  “To hear such words in your sweet voice…” John said.

  Jacob punched John on the arm.

  Mark looked at his cell. Five missed calls, all from Tabitha. He typed a message:

  IN BRIEFING ROOM. NO TIME TO CALL. TRAINING MISSION. BACK IN A FEW DAYS.

  He hit send, and then tucked the cell back in his pocket.

  14:35pm

  The phone was like a child’s toy in John’s giant hands. He had to hold it between his thumb and forefinger and dial with his pinky. The phone on the other end rang and rang. John felt self-conscious as a pair of soldiers passed by.

  “There’s no one to take your call at the moment,” the impassive answering service voice said. “Please leave your message after the beep.”

  John hesitated, and was about to hang up when he heard the beep.

  “Katie?” he said. “Sorry. I thought I heard you answer. John here. I’m about to go into training for a few days. I’ll be out of contact in case you need to reach me.”

  He scratched his eyebrow with his thumb. He had so much to say but lacked the words to express them.

  “Well, I suppose I’ll be seeing you,” he said.

  He hung up. Unspent coins spilled into the receiver. John pressed his forehead against his arm. He shook his head, eyes closed, already regretting something he knew he would later dwell on.

  He picked the phone up and stabbed at the numbers with his pinky again. Before he dialed half the numbers he stopped, and slammed the phone down hard. He raised it and hit the receiver hook again, and then again and again. The handset snapped in half, its wire entrails hanging out. He threw the handset aside. It skittered across the ground.

  A couple of soldiers caught sight of him, but daren’t approach a man John’s size. John turned and marched away, returning only to scoop up the spare change and stuff it in his pocket. Most of it spilled across the concrete.

  14:41pm

  “Mrs. Drew, please,” Jacob said.

  The line bleeped a few times and was answered by a sleepy voice.

  “Hello?”

  “Mom?” Jacob said. “Sorry to wake you. I just wanted to tell you that I’m about to go on a training assignment. I’ll be away for a while.”

  “Jacob?” his mother said. “Where am I?”

  “You’re at the hospital,” Jacob said. “Don’t worry, there’s nothing to worry about.”

  “How did I get here?” his mother said.

  “You went there,” Jacob said. “You had a pain in your back, remember? You fell over and needed help.”

  There was a pause.

  “I’ve got something to talk you about when I get home,” Jacob said. “It’s about you going to a better place, a nicer place, than the hospital.”

  “It can’t be worse,” his mother said. She lowered her voice. “I think they’re trying to poison me.”

  Jacob pinched his eyes.

  “They’re not trying to poison you,” he said. “They’re trying to help you.”

  “No, they put something in my food,” his mother said.

  “No, they didn’t,” Jacob said, leaning against a wall.

  He might as well get comfortable. This was going to be a long call.

  15:34pm

  Fort Bragg was a hive of activity beneath a blood red sky. Soldiers marched in perfect lines, others jogging, led by drill sergeants. Most of them would puke out, failing in their training, just as most of Mark, Jacob, John and Roach’s training groups had. Only a handful would make it through.

  Mark and his team had their bags packed and were heading for the chinook helicopter, its engine whirring and preparing for takeoff. None of them were looking forward to the training, but orders were orders.

  “Hey, hey!” a voice said. “Look what we’ve got here!”

  Mark’s team turned to find a soldier with a large handlebar mustache. His name was Eddie. He was flanked by a contingent of two dozen soldiers – some of whom Mark recognized as members of Groups One and Five.

  “So you’re the rats in the maze, ay?” Eddie said. “The boys and I did wonder.”

  “Now you know,” Jacob said, turning back to the chinook.

  “I’ll make sure to tell the lads not to pack too much,” Eddie said with a grin. “We’ll be back before dinner.”

  Eddie turned to Daoud.

  “Sorry you’re with these losers, Daoud,” he said. “After you got the call, you should have called me. I might have been able to get you out of it.”

  “I’m sure you’ll cope without me,” Daoud said. “Who’s taking my place?”

  “Wachowski,” Eddie said.

  “He’ll do fine,” Daoud said.

  Eddie turned back to Mark.

  “It’ll be a delight snapping the teeth of the trap around your necks,” Eddie said.

  “There’ll be no snapping necks in this exercise,” Major Edwards said.

  The soldiers stood to attention.

  “If I hear of any unsavory actions taken by any soldier it’ll be his balls on the chopping block,” Major Edwards said. “Am I understood?”

  “Yes, sir,” the soldiers said as one.

  “Get in your choppers,” Major Edwards said.

  Eddie’s lips curled up at the corners.

  “See you in the theater,” Eddie said. He winked. “Back row. Catch you later, Daoud.”

  John growled in the back of his throat and spat at Eddie’s feet. Eddie and his team headed for a second and third chinook. Major Edwards turned to climb into the chinook with Mark’s team.

  “You know, spitting’s not a particularly charming hobby,” Major Edwards said.

  “No sir,” John said. “But it is satisfying.”

  They rose straight up before banking hard and peeling away.

  Major Edwards turned to Mark.

  “Riled?” he said.

  “Of all the people,” Mark said, shaking his head. “Why did it have to be Eddie?”

  That’s when he noticed the major’s superior smile. It had been his plan all along to rile Mark and his team up, to take their eyes off the ball. Mark and his team were solid, and worked well together, capable of carrying out any assignment given them. But now one of their number had been replaced and they were against Eddie and his band of idiots, they were offbeat and out of rhythm.

  Just what kind of training was this goin
g to be?

  16:02pm

  The mountains rose like the jagged teeth of a giant beast against the sky, sunlight glinting off their peaks. They formed a bowl, and within their walls, the thick canopy of a large forest.

  At a glance, Mark identified the places most likely to have fresh water, the locations best to attack and defend from. He couldn’t make out the compound, but he knew the area it could be found.

  “It’s perfect for defense,” Major Edwards said, pointing out the natural pinch point. “One way in, one way out.”

  “The locals aren’t going to like our exercise much, are they?” Mark said.

  “We’ve commandeered the forest for our purposes,” Major Edwards said. “It’s for an important cause, both national and international. They don’t like it, but they understand.”

  There was a large group of buildings in the center of the forest with a great shimmering lake behind it.

  “What’s that?” Mark said.

  “That’s Uwharrie,” Major Edwards said. “Located in the heart of the forest. Then Charlotte about fifty miles west. Used to be you could barely notice Uwharrie from the air, but it’s grown a lot recently. Rich city people buy up land and properties down here for spring and summer. You’re not thinking of going on a road trip, are you?”

  He smiled, knowing it wasn’t in Mark’s character to run from a challenge. He knew this because he was the same. So much of his father was in Mark that his mother’s genes barely even factored. Yet Mark knew they were there. Where his father was a rock, immovable and single-minded, his mother had been as swaying and changing as the wind. That was why he was having seconds thoughts about the baby and what it meant to him and his career in the military. His father wouldn’t – in fact hadn’t – concerned himself with such things.

  “Nice to see you were careful in picking the location,” John said.

  “We have to give you a challenge,” Major Edwards said.

  The helicopter banked sharply over the town and headed west. Mark made out white pitched tents clinging to some of the buildings.

  “What’s going on there?” Mark said.

  “They’re under quarantine,” Major Edwards said. “A virus broke out.”

  “Another one?” Mark said.

  “It’s happening everywhere these days,” Major Edwards said.

  “Ebola?” Mark said, a pit forming in his stomach.

  “No,” Major Edwards said. “So far as we can tell no one who’s been to Africa has passed so much as within a thousand miles of this sleepy little town.”

  But Mark knew better. It was possible for the virus to spread past border security screens and roadblocks as easily as the wind blew. Borders meant nothing to a virus. But then that was why they were undergoing this mission – to subvert these kinds of events from happening in the first place.

  “Don’t worry, you won’t be anywhere near it on your mission,” Major Edwards said.

  “Small mercies,” John said.

  The small white tents were a reminder to Mark what they were up against. Should they fail in their training, they would get another try. In the real world they wouldn’t enjoy such a luxury. They would have one chance. They dare not fail with stakes as high as they were. They carried the world’s hopes in their hands. Suddenly, the task seemed insurmountable.

  “How did the outbreak start?” Mark said.

  “A woman came down from New York,” Major Edwards said. “Apparently she was at a birthday party.”

  “Do you think it spread?” Mark said.

  “I don’t even know if the story is true,” Major Edwards said. “The hardest part used to be just getting information. Now, it’s getting reliable intel. It’ll probably end up being someone’s pet cat that caught it first. Now remember, you’re after the virus. Your enemy will utilize any weakness they can against you. We’ll be waiting for you at the compound.”

  Mark blinked.

  “‘We’?” he said.

  “I’ll be heading up the exercise,” Major Edwards said.

  Mark’s eyes went wide.

  “What?” he said.

  “You’ll be against me,” Major Edwards said. “I told you this training mission was of the upmost importance. You didn’t think I would put a greenhorn in charge of defense, did you? Our enemies won’t be cautious, and neither must we.”

  The chances of success had just dropped significantly. His father was a veteran of every major conflict the US had had over the past thirty years. He knew how his enemies thought and used that information against them. He studied until he knew their territory almost as well as they did – sometimes even better. And in his arsenal he would have not one but two Special Forces teams. Possibly even more. Just because he had allowed them to see two teams did not mean there weren’t more. Such were the mind games Major Edwards was capable of. Mark would need to be on his guard and do the unexpected.

  The helicopter hovered over the forest canopy. The trees bent over at an angle. Leaves swirled like a miniature tornado.

  “Remember fellas,” Major Edwards said, having to shout to be heard. “Keep your wits about you. This isn’t your typical training exercise. You’ll need to think creatively.”

  “Don’t worry about us,” Mark said. “You just try to stick to the rules.”

  “Why?” Major Edwards said. “You’re not going to.”

  They shared a smile. They were about to begin a game of chess like they used to play when Mark was a kid. Only now it was on the military’s dime.

  “There are a few curve balls,” Major Edwards said. “Keep your wits about you.”

  He pressed a button on his watch. It bleeped, the countdown begun.

  “You’ve got eight hours,” he said. “Good luck.”

  The wind kicked up a swirl of dirt that stung their faces. Mark and his team hopped out and made a B-line for the trees. The helicopter waited a moment before it lifted and veered away.

  The helicopter was lost to the canopy as Mark’s team headed deeper into the forest’s underbelly, into an imposed darkness.

  Z-MINUS: 7 hours 52 minutes

  “You would have thought multiple tours would have ruled us out for basic training,” John said.

  “Apparently not,” Jacob said. “Though they’re scraping the bottom of the barrel if they recruited you for this.”

  “Dude, you’re so near the bottom of the barrel you’re part of the concrete,” John said.

  “All right guys,” Mark said. “Knock it off.”

  They walked in silence.

  “I can’t believe we’re here,” Jacob said.

  “Get used to it,” John said.

  “Just this morning I was in the arms of a beautiful woman, and now I’m here in the middle of a forest with you three,” Mark said. “How do you think I feel? Believe me, we’ve all got places we’d rather be. If anyone should be complaining, it’s me.”

  They carried their weapons in their arms crossed at their chest. They were careful to keep under the thick foliage. They avoided the wide open stretches of grassland that ran like bald patches on a man’s head.

  The forest was quiet, save for the gentle background noise of cawing birds and rustling foliage of small furry creatures. It wasn’t the dead silence nature adopted at the approach of dangerous invaders. It was difficult to teach soldiers how to be aware of such things. It was instinct, learning to turn on an ancient part of their brains that had once done this without thought.

  A hush came over the forest.

  The soldiers’ heads snapped around, their movements slowed, and they crouched down into the foliage, peering about with slow measured movements, each looking out at the forest with heightened awareness, every muscle in their bodies tensed and ready to spring at a moment’s notice.

  This was not merely a practice drill. There was nothing ‘mere’ about war, including its training. Every experience and emotion that passed through their bodies was incorporated into their brains, stored and ready for use at a fut
ure date when it could very well save their lives.

  The birds began to sing again, the foliage rustling with furry life. The tension in their bodies relaxed.

  “Break,” Mark said.

  The soldiers loosened their bags from their shoulders and took turns heading into the forest for a slash.

  Mark spread the map over the rough contours of a tree and pointed out their position, and the location of their objective, the compound.

  “How far left?” John said.

  “Must be a couple of miles,” Daoud said.

  Neither Mark nor John reacted as if they heard Daoud. It was the way they’d all treated him since disembarking from the helicopter. If they couldn’t trust him, he didn’t exist.

  “Patrols’ll be coming up soon,” John said. “What do you want to do?”

  “Avoid them,” Mark said.

  John rolled his eyes.

  “Really?” he said. “I thought we could just stroll merrily up to them and ask for a lift.”

  “I had considered it,” Mark said. “They’re not meant to know we’re here.”

  “Of course they know,” John said. “Why else would they be out here on a training mission? They know we’re here all right.”

  “Sort of defeats the point of a training mission, doesn’t it?” Daoud said.

  “It never hurts to assume the worst,” Mark said. “We could have dropped behind enemy lines and someone could have spotted us, informing the authorities. There’s no way of really knowing until you’re out in the open.”

  “So how do you want to do this?” John said.

  Mark cast an eye over the map.

  “We make our way around the compound, get a good look at their security and figure out a plan,” Mark said.

  “Short and sweet,” John said.

  “Hopefully not too short,” Daoud said.