“Good idea. We’ll check it out.”
In response to his subaural signal. Zach withdrew to the APC and covered him while he also moved to the portal. A moment later and the two men were inside, the heavy door sealing off the hopeful civilians on the other side.
“I need to get out there,” Melly said immediately. “We’ll have to triage the cases but the gunshot would take priority. How soon can we unload my full medkit?”
Jeff held up one hand as he slung his pulse rifle. “I understand your impatience but we’re going to do this by the book. I’ll leave Trent in the other APC and take Ryan with Zach, Cody and me to clear the cabins and check out this hall the lady mentioned. Sounded like it might be ideal for your clinic and for us to pass out survival rations. I don’t want anyone getting excited at what we’ve got in our cargo compartments.”
“Those people are half starved, in shock and scared to death,” Melly said, gesturing at the nearest vidscreen. “The last thing they want to do or have the strength for is attacking us.”
“I tend to agree actually,” Jeff admitted. “But we’re going by the book anyway. You remember your lessons on operating the megacannon?”
She nodded and flexed her hands. “I do.”
“All right. You’ll be under Trent’s command. No one exits this APC for any reason until I give the order. I don’t care if people are dying out there, none of my team exits without my clearance.”
“Yes, sir,” Mike and Melly said in unison, with Tamsyn chiming in belatedly.
Jeff gave the frowning Melly a kiss, sure she’d forgive him later, once she was able to treat the waiting patients and knew they were being fed. He made a hand gesture to his men and hit the door lock. He saw Cody kiss Tamsyn as he went past and suppressed his grin. It was great to see his brother so openly affectionate with his woman. Cody had seemed calmer and more focused since their return from the high pasture and his fidgets lay scattered around the APC, untouched. Mentally Jeff checked off one worry in his mind and focused on the job at hand.
Ryan formed up with them and the team set out to scout the park grounds and the cabins. Most were empty, as he’d been told, although the big Chalmers group occupied three cabins in the center of the residence area.
Jeff paused when they reached the cabin marked with big X’s and he heard moaning and thumping from inside. He noticed Cody rubbing his forehead. “Can you tell how many there are or is the link not granular enough for taking a census?” His friend had shared with them the unexpected side effect of his recovery giving him the ability to sense the infected when they were close.
“Four. No five.” Cody blinked after concentrating for a minute or two and delivering his report. “Five. Clustered at the front door now they’ve heard us out here.”
“Orders, sir?” Zach asked, weapon at the ready.
“Sooner or later those infected will break the door down—these cabins are flimsy,” Jeff said. “Or one will fall out a window. I’m surprised they haven’t already. I’m also concerned they may be able to call to or signal the swarm you observed ten miles away. We don’t know enough yet about how they function as a group.”
“So we’re taking them out?” Zach checked his ammo count with a nonchalant air.
“Be easiest to burn the damn cabin around them.” Ryan spoke up.
“We’ve seen how even when they’re scorched and practically melted to ash they keep trying to drag themselves to attack. Remaining a danger to the unwary.” Jeff shook his head. “Besides they were people once and it goes against my grain to incinerate them. A head shot is more merciful.”
“Less messy and more reliable,” Cody agreed. “Not to mention it’s pretty dry up here. We could set the entire forest on fire if we weren’t careful. Want me to take point since I’m immune?”
“Don’t take unnecessary risks,” Jeff cautioned. “We don’t know you’re immune.”
“Doc is pretty damn sure and so am I. My nanos have got the virus’s number.”
The team took up positions facing the front of the cabin and Cody approached the door and shot it out. A large male infected burst onto the porch, grotesque black claws extended and the cyborg shot him in the forehead before he took two steps. Two females emerged next, fighting each other in the doorway trying to squeeze out and falling over the dead infected’s body. Cody and Ryan dispatched those and Jeff and Zach accounted for the remaining two, who looked like they’d been teenaged boys before becoming infected.
Hardened soldier that he was, Jeff felt pity for this group, probably a family who had been here at the park for what was supposed to be a vacation no doubt, before one of them got sick and infected the others. Judging from the deteriorated condition of the bodies, they’d been here a long time. “We’ll leave them inside the cabin,” he decreed. “Don’t need the Chalmers children seeing this.”
After Ryan and Cody cleared the cabin to make sure there were no more infected hiding or trapped inside, they donned gloves and dragged the deceased inside. Cody wedged the broken front door in place and removed his gloves, incinerating them with a quick burst from his blaster. Ryan did likewise.
The rest of the scouting trip was routine and turned up no surprises where the presence of the infected was concerned. They did discover the park rangers’ small motor pool and found a big utility vehicle with the engine compartment open in the maintenance bay. Tools were scattered around as if whoever had been working on the vehicle had simply stepped away and might return any time, although the dust blanketing the various instruments made it clear how long ago the owner had left.
“You’re up, Ryan. What can you do with this?” Jeff asked, pointing at the vehicle. “Our friends the Chalmers could use a new set of wheels.”
Slinging his pulse rifle while the others stood guard, Ryan checked the vehicle out. “As near as I can tell they were replacing the motivator core, sir. There’s a new one already seated but not sealed. It’ll take me an hour maybe to finish the job, check the engine out and take it for a test drive.”
“Do it then. And tonight I want you to see what you can do with the hunk of junk truck in the parking lot.” Jeff looked at his team. “My goal is to get these people out of here and on their way to the safe haven Mrs. Chalmers mentioned. I sense they’ve abandoned hope and have settled in to make this place a home, which isn’t a good idea in the long run. They obviously can’t catch enough game and fish to survive and this isn’t good soil for growing things if they even had seeds. We can’t take them with us but if we can make them mobile again and send them on their way, I’ll count it as a victory.”
And make the doc happier, Cody said privately in his head.
I’m not denying the extra motivation, Jeff responded.
