Shadows flitted about in the darkness, wraiths in the night. Four of them, weaving their way through the night-painted streets of Annapolis, quiet as a solitary thought. They moved together with the surety of old friends. Thoughts needed no voice, just a look, a hand motion, to pass between them. They moved with the silent desperation of those who knew not their enemy, but only knew their enemy was. They headed for the docks...1
Several miles away, a dark shape sliced through the uneasy waters. It ran quietly, on minimal power. Dark and menacing shapes stalked the deck, heads, affixed with odd goggles, swiveling constantly. Not a word broke the stillness, for none were needed. Each knew his place, each knew the stakes. Menacing metallic shapes were wielded with confidence and utter terror. They headed for the docks.2
And then, in the dead of that Maryland night, the two groups converged at the docks. The ground-bound four met their ocean-borne brethren in silence. Lines uncoiled from the ship, snaking noiselessly through the inky black to waiting hands. And then, the four were hauled onboard. And just as quietly as it had come, the Viviane turned from the docks and headed back out to sea. Two shapes still stalked the deck, omens of death to any attackers. 3
The squad, excluding Josh and Steve, the sentries, met below decks in the main cabin.4
Katherine delivered a concise report of the events. After the first encounter, the team had seized the gas station and awaited the fall of darkness. And then, as the Viviane collected the zodiac from the shore, the recon squad had donned their darkest camo. With the aid of NVG’s, they navigated the city with all the swiftness they could muster. The trip was blissfully uneventful; no further encounters were forced upon them.5
But Katherine did have unsettling news: Josh had, during the journey, several times reported seeing movement, life forms in the distance. And even more unsettling, they found other signs of life. Feces here, freshly devoured animal carcasses there, and once they even saw another human. Obviously infected, it was gnawing on a mailbox about 300 yards from the squad. Luckily, they were upwind, and managed to pass it without incident. Although Josh had strenuously objected to not being allowed to end the things’ life, and had stated his belief that such a decision would come back to haunt them.6
After Katherine’s report, and Asher’s first-hand assessment of their fighting skills, the crew was dismissed to their quarters. The recon crew fled to their bunks, McKenzie, the backup marksman, borrowed josh’s rifle and took his place as sentry along with Steve, and John set about raising the antenna and contacting Petra. When this task was done, he retreated to his cabin, leaving Alexander alone with the radio. 7
Alex hated this, hated the call he was about to have to make. But he was the commander, he had no choice. And so he slipped on the headset and punched the call button.8
“This is Arthur, of the Viviane, connect me with Six immediately.”9
The voice on the other end agreed, and after a moment of silence, Alex heard Six’s voice on the other end.10
“You’re contacting us a full day ahead of schedule captain. Please tell me you’re not about to tell me what I know you’re going to.”11
“I’m Sorry Six. The recon team made contact early this afternoon and killed one of the infected after a brief fight. We’ve just picked them up at the docks. They reported several long-range visual confirmations of even more throughout the city.”12
Six’s voice sounded weary he breathed a curse.13
“The senate must be informed. We must deliberate. Withdraw for now, go silent, and contact me at the predetermined time. Stay away from the shore, commander, and keep your men under control. Six, out.”14
Alex called John back in.15
“Lower the mast, get us twenty miles offshore, and fill the ballasts. Tell the others we’ll be camping out until tomorrow night, and to set up a 3-hour sentry rotation. And turn on the coffee pot. I’ve got planning to do, and who knows how long it’ll take.”16
John snapped a salute and set about his duties. First he flipped the series of switches to collapse the antenna, and then he punched in a new set of coordinates to the guidance computer. After checking to make sure the automated nav system was set for minimal sound levels, he opened up the ballast controls. The Viviane was equipped with a set of four ballast tanks. They could be filled or emptied to either raise the ship, enabling it traverse shallower waters, or lower it right down to the waterline, for minimal target cross-section in case of combat, or in this case, for minimal visibility.17
A few hundred miles away, Six rushed was leaving his stateroom. He had already sent senatorial attendants to awaken the other eight senators for an emergency session. He tried to anticipate the issues that would arise. Carlisle would propose what he always proposed: falling back and waiting some more. His nemesis Jameson would also stick to his trademark platform of “kill everything.” The others would do what they always did: flip back and forth between the two, each squeezing the situation for the most possible power. It always annoyed Six that they were so petty, so self absorbed, in the face of the possibility of total annihilation. 18
He sighed, and cast off such depressing thoughts as an aide fell in beside him, carrying a stack of files and transcripts of Alexander’s report. The young man was just shy of eighteen, looking forward to his mandatory combat training, his vocational assignment, and life as a whole. His name was William, Six knew because he made certain he knew the name of every soul who worked for him. It was a habit that encouraged relationships, many of which had paid huge dividends for him. One such relationship had gained him his position as Chairman of the Senate. 19
William looked up at him, a trace of fear on his face. He opened his mouth, but Six cut him off before he could speak.20
“You read it didn’t you?”21
William grimaced.22
“Yes sir. I know I wasn’t supposed to, but, I just had to know.”23
Six grinned.24
“It’s fine son. I don’t blame you, I’d have done the same thing. So I suppose you’ve got questions?”25
The young man nodded, and Six gestured for him to go on.26
“Well sir, I thought… I mean, all the experts said that everything would be dead by now. They said that any of the remaining infected would at least be old and decrepit. But sir, this report, it sounds like the one they fought was plenty healthy. It almost killed that one man. So how is that?”27
“Well William, the simple truth is, I’ve no idea. I don’t think anyone does. Heck, we don’t fully understand the virus in the first place. Sure, we’ve managed to produce an immunization, but as you know, it doesn’t always work. There are a lot of things we don’t understand about it, probably more things than we actually DO understand.”28
William mulled over it for a bit as they walked towards the Senate Hall, then spoke up again.29
“So, does that mean you’re going to bring them back now? Call back the Knights?”30
“I don’t know Will, and that’s the honest truth. From where we’re standing now, it’s beginning to look like this infection may never die. So I don’t know what I’ll do. I don’t know what any of us will do.”31
And then he shoved open the double doors and strode into the Senate hall.32
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