Extinction Age

-20-

Pinpricks of starlight decorated the sky over Plum Island. Beckham watched a single cloud creep across the sky as he walked. He’d hoped to talk to Kate before the briefing, but hadn’t seen her since she’d left for the lab earlier that morning. Since the service on the beach, she’d been good about checking in with him throughout the day. Today was different. Something was wrong, he could feel it—and his gut told him it had to do with General Kennor and Colonel Wood.

Beckham ran up the stairs to Building 2’s mess hall, pulled open the door, and squinted into the bright glow of the LEDs. He worked his way down aisles of empty metal tables, the scent of stew from supper still fresh in the air.

Two weeks earlier, the room had been packed with over one hundred men and women from every branch of the military. Now there were only a handful of Marines, Rangers, and Medical Corps soldiers sitting at the tables. Team Ghost was together at one of them, surrounded by Wood’s men. Riley had positioned his wheelchair at the end of the table. He patted the bench next to him as Beckham approached.

“Good to see you here, kid,” Beckham said.

“Think there’s a way you guys could bring me with this time?” Riley asked.

Horn chuckled. “Maybe we could put treads on those wheels and turn you into a tank.”

“Whatever, man,” Riley said with a scowl.

“No, seriously,” Horn said. “We’ll get you a mounted gun turret, too.”

“I already got a mounted turret,” Riley said with a grin. “The ladies love it.”

Their banter drew the stares of the Medical Corps soldiers. Beckham tensed—now wasn’t the time for jokes. Even Jinx would have known better, and Horn should have. Beckham nudged the big man in the arm, and Horn fell silent.

They sat in silence as they waited for the mission briefing. The other soldiers watched the double doors at the front of the room patiently. In the past, his men and many of those he’d joined on counter-missions would have displayed pre-mission jitters. Some, like Beckham, would remain still and focused. Others would tap a foot anxiously or crack their knuckles.

This time he didn’t see any of that behavior. The men packed around the tables were exhausted, their gazes those of soldiers fighting a war that seemed all but hopeless. There was no question that the mission Wood was about to announce was going to be tough—they all knew that next time they gathered in this room, there would be even fewer of them.

The large hand on the clock on the wall hit 2200, and the doors swung open a second later. Wood, Jensen, Smith, and a handful of soldiers strode into the mess hall. Beckham and everyone else snapped to attention.

“Good evening,” Wood said in his dry tone. “I will make this briefing as quick as possible, as we are about to embark on what I believe is one of the most important missions of this war. A mission that could change the tide.”

Beckham tensed his jaw. The tide was supposed to have changed with Operation Reaper and then Operation Liberty. In the end, both had just added to the growing pile of the dead.

“Major Smith, get things set up,” Wood said.

“Yes, sir,” Smith replied. He began spreading maps across a table. Beckham worked his way to the front of the room and scanned the maps to see where they were headed.

“Dr. Lovato and Dr. Ellis have created a new weapon codenamed Kryptonite. I won’t get into the science, but I’ve seen it in action. The weapon works, and works fast,” Smith said. “But before we can deploy this weapon, we need to collect chemotherapeutics.” At several blank looks, he clarified, “Cancer drugs.”

Hushed voices broke out around Beckham. He trusted Kate, but cancer drugs? Kryptonite? Beckham shook the questions away. He was a Delta Force Operator, not a scientist. His job wasn’t to question Kate—his job was to protect her.

“Yes, I know how it sounds,” Wood said. “But I’m told it’s our best shot at stopping the Variants. At 0800, we will embark on the first stage of Operation Extinction. The second stage, deployment of the weapon, won’t come until much later. For now, the mission is simple: Every available unit will be sent to medical facilities and other locations to collect as many chemotherapeutics as we can locate. Teams from Plum Island are being assigned a special mission. I’ll let Lieutenant Colonel Jensen fill you in on that in a moment.”

Wood paused and traced a finger over his chin like he was in deep thought. “I suppose you’re all wondering why this two-part mission is called Operation Extinction.” Narrowing his cold blue eyes, he said, “I’m going to share something with you that is not to leave this room. This morning, I received casualty projections from Command. There are approximately seven million human beings left worldwide. If the Variants continue killing and feeding at the rate they are now, then a week from now human survivors will number just one million. In two weeks they will number in the hundreds of thousands, and in a month we will be down to tens of thousands or less.”

“No fucking way,” a Latino Marine whispered. “I don’t believe it.”

Wood looked for the man and then worked his way around the table. He stopped inches from the man’s face, towering over the shorter soldier.

“You don’t believe me?” Wood snarled. “What part of ‘extinction’ don’t you understand, son?”

The Marine took a step backward, shaking his head. “Sir, I…”

Wood continued to the next soldier and leaned in until their eyes were level. “What about you?” he shouted.

“Sir, it’s hard to imagine, sir!” the man yelled back.

Beckham felt his fingers curling into a ball. In his career he’d seen men and women exert their dominance over other soldiers in a lot of ways, but one way he’d never understood was intimidation. Beckham always led by example, not by fear.

Wood sneered. He strolled through the crowd and stopped in front of Fitz. “How about you, Marine?”

Fitz ran a hand through his strawberry hair and nodded. “Sir, I absolutely believe it—and that’s why I’d like to volunteer for this mission.”

Wood glanced at Fitz’s blades and shook his head. “Sorry, son, but we need you here on the towers.”

Fitz’s cheeks flared red and his shoulders seemed to sag as Wood walked back to the front of the table. Beckham’s fingers curled into a solid fist. He was hoping Wood would have changed his mind about Fitz after his valiant defense of the beach the other night, but instead of talent and courage, the colonel had only seen a man with a disability.

Wood palmed the table and bowed his head slightly before glancing back up at the soldiers. “Make no mistake, gentlemen. We have entered the age of extinction. It will be up to men like us to protect our species from vanishing. I promise you one thing… I will do what I can to ensure our great nation survives.”

Just like Colonel Gibson promised, Beckham thought ruefully. Career brass like Wood talked a big game, but in the end it wouldn’t be his ass in the field defending their country.

“I’m needed at Central Command now,” Wood said. He took a moment to scan the soldiers one last time and then turned to his staff. “Until I return, Lieutenant Colonel Jensen will be in charge. I’m sure he can answer any questions as he distributes individual assignments. Good luck,” he said on his way out.

The doors to the mess hall slammed shut, and the hollow thud echoed across the room. For a moment, no one said a word. Then Jensen took Wood’s place at the front of the table.

“Gentlemen,” he said. Though his voice was calm, his demeanor told Beckham he still carried the weight of the Truxtun on his shoulders—not to mention the subsequent loss of his command. Even Wood’s parting words hadn’t cheered the man up. Of course, Wood hadn’t made the temporary transfer of command official, and Beckham suspected the men he’d left behind would remain loyal to him, even if Jensen wore a higher rank than they did.

Jensen’s hands shook as he grabbed the closest map and flattened a crease with his palm. But when he glanced up, his eyes had hardened back into the commander Beckham had come to know over the past several weeks.

“Listen up, everyone. We will be dispatching three fire-teams from Plum Island. Sergeant Mikesell will take Alpha squad, and Sergeant Valentine will take Bravo.”

Beckham looked for the Medical Corps soldiers. They were standing next to each other at the far end of the table. Unlike Valentine, Mikesell was a bulky man with fat covering old muscle. He didn’t look like he’d be much good in a fight.

“Master Sergeant Beckham will take Charlie team,” Jensen continued. “Our target location is the Raven Rock Mountain Complex in Pennsylvania. As many of you know, it was the backup site for the Pentagon and the alternate joint command before the Hemorrhage virus hit. When shit hits the fan, that’s where they send the big boys. Vice President Cheney favored this location when he was in office. It was among the most secure facilities in the world, but apparently it wasn’t secure enough. Central Command lost contact with the complex several days ago.”

Jensen continued once the murmurs had died down. “Final radio transmissions paint a dreary picture. The Variants infiltrated the tunnel system and killed everyone, as far as we know. While the mission is to primarily retrieve caches of chemotherapeutics from a FEMA warehouse located inside the complex, we are also being ordered to look for any survivors. There were some very important people at Raven Rock when it went offline.”

Smith pulled a pen from his chest pocket and drew a circle on a map of the complex. “There are several entrances to Raven Rock. Alpha will scout for survivors through portals A and B.” He marked another location and said, “This is the approximate location for the underground FEMA facility. Bravo and Charlie will locate the warehouse and secure the caches.”

“Pretty simple,” Jensen said. “But for those of you who have been out there, you know shit ain’t ever simple anymore. Expect heavy resistance inside the complex.”

Smith waited a few seconds for Jensen’s words to sink in and then said, “Any questions?”

“Do we have reason to believe anyone is alive?” Chow asked.

“Our intel is limited at this point,” Jensen replied. “I’ve been told Central Command already ran an evac mission that failed. Their team never made it out. Chances are slim, if you ask me.”

Beckham glanced over at Mikesell. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead. There was no doubt that his was the toughest mission of the three.

“Anything else?” Jensen asked. After a beat, he said, “If not, then find your team leaders for further instructions. Good luck, men.”

Beckham squirmed through the crowd to find Horn. “Big Horn…” he began to say.

“Don’t even say it, Boss. I’m coming with. Besides, if I don’t go, my girls are going to join their mother in less than a month anyway, right?”

Even though he wanted to shake his head, Beckham found himself nodding. When he went to pat Horn’s shoulder, he had to pause and uncurl his fingers. He’d kept his hand balled into a fist during the whole briefing.

Kate did her best to ignore Corporal Cooper and Corporal Berg. The men shadowed her and Ellis even after they finally left the lab. It was after ten o’clock when Kate and Ellis finally got back to their quarters. The twins stood guard in the hallway.

“We’ll be right here if you need anything,” Berg said.

Kate nodded and hurried away. She was anxious to get back to her room, where she hoped Beckham would be waiting.

“Good night, Ellis,” Kate called.

“Night, Kate,” Ellis said. He opened his door, gave her a sad look, and then shut it softly behind him.

Kate stopped to use the bathroom before she continued to her room.

“Reed?” she said, gently knocking on her door. She pushed it open and smiled when Apollo greeted her, tail wagging.

“Jesus, Kate, where have you been?” Beckham said. He was standing in a pool of moonlight bleeding through the window shades. The light accentuated the muscles in his tight-fitting t-shirt, and without thinking Kate rushed over and wrapped her arms around him.

“Whoa,” Beckham said, stumbling back a step. “Don’t forget about my shoulder.”

“I’m sorry, Reed,” Kate said.

“It’s fine. Hardly hurts at all now.”

“No, I mean I’m sorry for what I’ve done.”

Beckham rolled his head back and searched her eyes in the glow of the moonlight. “What you’ve done?”

Kate bowed her head. “The experiments… the Superman protein. If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t…”

“Slow down, Kate,” Beckham said. “Breathe.”

Taking in several deep breaths, Kate focused her thoughts. “You’re going out there to get the drugs, aren’t you?”

Beckham seemed to consider her words for a moment and then nodded. “Tomorrow morning. I’m leading a strike team with Horn, Chow, and Lombardi to Raven Rock.”

Kate was too tired to protest. And even if she did, it wouldn’t matter. She knew him well enough to know that he would never leave his men or back down from a mission.

“I understand,” was all Kate managed to say.

Beckham studied her and said, “You’re okay with this?”

“What can I do? My work ended up killing billions and creating monsters. And now you’re going back into harm’s way. Because of me.”

“Chances are I’d be going out there anyway, Kate. Besides, if your drug works, we could end this.”

Kate felt a tear welling in her eye. She wiped it away with her sleeve. This was not the time to be weak; this was the time to pull on whatever strength she had left and tell Beckham what she’d learned from the tape.

“Colonel Wood is connected to Colonel Gibson,” Kate whispered.

Beckham ran a hand over his closely trimmed hairline. “That’s a pretty serious allegation, but honestly, it’s one I considered myself.”

“Remember the video of Lieutenant Brett? The one where Colonel Gibson is shown interrogating the Marine?”

“Yeah…”

“Wood was there.”

Beckham’s hand stopped on his scalp and he narrowed his eyes. “You’re certain?”

“Yes.”

Beckham cursed. “Jensen told me Wood can’t be trusted, but if the man has ties to Building 8…”

“What do we do?”

“I’d try to get a message through to General Kennor, but chances are he already knows.”

“I told Ellis the same thing.”

Beckham shook his head. “Your weapon won’t affect humans, right?”

“It shouldn’t have many side effects. Why?”

“One of the most important things I’ve learned in my career is knowing when to strike. Now is not that time. I say we wait. We complete Operation Extinction, deploy your weapon, and destroy the Variants. Then we can deal with Wood and Kennor.”

Kate took a seat on the bed and took a few minutes to think. He was right—now wasn’t the time to pursue what many would consider a conspiracy theory. Even if they could, Wood and Kennor had a damn army to protect them. Who would believe Kate? Even if she could convince people Wood was involved in the VX-99 project, what good would it do to bring that out now?

What mattered right now was saving humanity. They could deal with the men who had helped destroy it later.

Forcing a smile, she patted the bed. Apollo brushed up against her leg, and she reached down to stroke his fur coat.

“I was gesturing for Reed, not you,” Kate chuckled.

Beckham plopped down next to her and said, “What do you think, boy?”

Kate placed her hand on Beckham’s thigh and leaned in to whisper in his ear, “Apollo thinks it’s time to go in the hall so we can have some privacy.”

Beckham snapped his fingers and led the dog to the door. Lying back on the bed, Kate closed her eyes, a sudden moment of fear passing over her. At first she wasn’t sure what had sparked it, but when Beckham hurried back over to her, she realized it was the same fear she’d had before every one of his missions—the fear that this would be their last night together.

A crimson bubble with veins of purple crested the horizon as the sun rose over the water. Beckham and his fire-team fought the cool morning wind that whipped across the island. They left the armory equipped with enough firepower to take on an army of Variants.

Horn carried an M249 light machine gun. Chow and Beckham had both picked up M4s. Their vests were stuffed with as many magazines as they could carry. Lombardi had opted for an S&W AS 12-gauge select-fire shotgun. An unusual choice, but it would certainly stop any Variants they encountered at Raven Rock.

The short walk from the armory to the tarmac provided Beckham with enough time to get a read on his men. Despite the fact he was leaving his girls, Horn’s freckled face showed no sign of apprehension. He smoked a cigarette as he walked, the massive gun slung casually across his back.

Chow wore a hardened look that told Beckham he was still harboring anger inside for Jinx’s death. He’d suppressed it on the Truxtun, but Beckham was worried Chow couldn’t hold it in forever.

Beckham looked at Lombardi next and said, “Have you faced the Variants in the field?”

“Does dealing with them here on the island count?”

Horn laughed. “Nope.”

Lombardi nervously scratched his beak of a nose. Beckham made a note to keep him off point when they reached the objective. Dealing with Variants chained to the ground in holding cells was much different than out in the wild.

Ahead, civilians and soldiers were gathering at the concrete barriers on the edge of the tarmac. The sight of Kate, Meg, Riley, Fitz, and Horn’s girls sent a chill through Beckham, a combination of pride and fear. There were other familiar faces that stuck out in the crowd. Red and Donna stood there with Bo. The boy caught Beckham’s gaze and raised a small hand into the air.

Beckham walked over to them and slung his rifle over his shoulder. “How are you guys doing?”

“Can’t complain,” Red replied. “Got a warm bed and enough food. We have you to thank for that.”

Donna smiled and pulled Bo closer to her. “Did you want to tell Master Sergeant Beckham something?”

Bo tucked his head against her stomach and then twisted his face slightly so that one eye was on Beckham. He grinned and said, “Thank you, Mr. Master Sergeant.”

“Welcome, kid,” Beckham said. He exchanged a nod with Red and continued toward Kate and the others.

Tasha and Jenny rushed over to Horn. Jenny wrapped her arms around his right leg and said, “Don’t go, Daddy!”

Beckham’s heart melted at the sight. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him.”

“Promise,” Tasha said.

“Promise.” Beckham gave her a hug and then walked over to the group of Fitz, Riley, and Meg, saving Kate for last.

“Fitz, Kid. You guys look after everyone while were gone, okay?”

“Will do, Boss,” Riley said.

Fitz nodded. “Wish I was coming.”

“So do I,” Riley said, his eyes downcast.

Beckham considered his next words carefully. “Protecting these people is just as important,” he said. “If the Variants attack the island again, we need both of you to hold them off.”

“Don’t forget about me,” Meg said. She stroked the handle of a knife tucked into her waistband and winked at Beckham.

“That’s not the same one I loaned you in New York is it?”

“Nope. Riley gave it to me,” Meg said.

A shit-eating grin streaked across Riley’s face, and Beckham couldn’t hold back a chuckle. The kid had always loved women, and he’d made it no secret that he was attracted to Meg. From what little he knew about her, giving her a knife was better than a bouquet of flowers.

The sad whine of a dog sounded over the chatter from the crowd. Apollo sat at Kate’s feet. Like Fitz and Riley, the dog would protect her to the end. Beckham continued over to them and locked eyes with Kate.

“Try not to worry,” he said.

She folded her arms across her chest and frowned. “You know that’s not going to happen.”

“I’m coming home,” Beckham said. “I promise you.” He planted a delicate kiss on her lips and then gave Apollo a quick rub on the head.

“Be careful,” Kate said.

Beckham nodded and kissed her again. The blades of the Blackhawks were already chopping through the air in the distance, and he forced himself to pull away.

“Let’s go,” Beckham said. He began to lead his team to the birds but had to stop when Apollo darted after them.

“You have to stay here, boy,” Beckham said.

Apollo whined and sat down, his tail thumping forlornly. Beckham waved his men on, and they continued across the tarmac toward Jensen and Smith.

“Good luck,” Jensen said. He reached out to shake Beckham’s hand and added, “You know I’d come with if I could.”

“I know, sir.”

Jensen’s lips spread into a small grin beneath his mustache. “If you find any chew in the warehouse, snag a few cans.”

“Will do, sir,” Beckham said. He rushed over to the chopper in a low hunch and climbed inside. Horn and Chow followed, flanking him on both sides in the doorway. The crowd watched from the edge of the tarmac as the pilots performed their final checks.

Wood was already back at Central Command, leaving his men to watch the island while Beckham and the rest of the teams went on the mission. Beckham could just imagine Wood toadying up to Kennor, both of them hiding out in the bunker at Offutt. Another image emerged in his mind, and he saw a younger Colonel Wood standing side by side with Colonel Gibson outside Lieutenant Brett’s cell. He didn’t know the details, but he felt in his gut that Wood had been involved in creating the monsters they now faced. They’d made hell on earth, but it was Beckham and his men who had to deal with it.

As the chopper ascended into the air, he kept his gaze on the crowd, knowing in his heart that once everyone he loved was safe, he would get his revenge for humanity.