Nicholas Smith - Extinction Age

“I’m told you have an update on Kryptonite,” Wood said.

“We do,” Ellis replied when Kate didn’t answer. “Patients 1 and 2 succumbed to the drugs a few hours ago.”

“Excellent,” Wood said, sounding pleased for the first time since the briefing began. “How about the human testing?”

“I was injected this morning,” Ellis replied, faking a grin. “And I’m still here.”

Wood’s eyes flicked to Kate again. “Do you have anything to add, Dr. Lovato?”

“The weapon will work, Colonel. All I need is time to produce the batches of antibodies and for you to help coordinate the production before it’s deployed,” Kate said.

“Confidence,” Wood replied. “Nice to finally see that you have a backbone under that lab coat.” He scratched his cheek and said, “As for the deployment. There’s been a change—”

A rap on the door cut him off mid-sentence. Kate whirled to see Cooper and Berg enter the room.

“Sorry to interrupt, sir,” Berg said. “But we just got word from Echo 2 and Echo 3. They’re en route to the island.”

Wood looked at the men like they were stupid. “We’re in the middle of a briefing here,” he snarled.

“But, sir,” Berg said. “Bravo and Charlie teams found survivors at Raven Rock. I’m told they have the Secretary of State with them.”

Kate’s heart thumped hard. So hard she felt dizzy. She wanted to ask if Beckham was on one of the birds, but she knew he had to be. She couldn’t accept the alternative.

Wood’s blue eyes widened ever so slightly. He looked to the floor and then back to Berg. “Prepare your men. We’ll meet Madam Secretary Ringgold on the tarmac.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were the Secretary of State?” Beckham asked the woman sitting opposite him.

Secretary Ringgold shivered in the cold wind and wrapped her arms across a white dress shirt caked with dried blood. Beckham focused on the US flag pin on her lapel. He’d known she was important, but he’d had no idea she was next in line to the presidency.

“I’ve never liked preferential treatment. Besides, what would you have done? Given me a bulletproof vest? Carried me over your shoulder?” she said.

Beckham felt his lips forming a smile, but he didn’t let them. It would have felt like a betrayal to Lombardi and everyone else they lost at Raven Rock. He reached inside his rucksack and pulled out a rain jacket.

“It’s not a bullet proof vest, but it might help with the cold, ma’am,” Beckham said. “Glad to have you with us.”

“Thank you,” she said with a warm, sincere smile.

“Plum Island, ETA ten minutes,” one of the pilots said over the comm.

Beckham worked his way to the open door and took a seat next to Horn. His best friend sat at the edge of the troop hold, his M249 angled into the darkness. Chow was camped against the wall behind them, a toothpick flicking back and forth in his mouth.

None of them said a single word for the rest of the flight. Beckham listened to the whoosh of the blades and stared at the empty cities, wondering just how many people were left to save down there.

Kate and Ellis stopped by Building 1 to pick up Tasha and Jenny on their way to the tarmac. Word had traveled fast about the homecoming of Echo 2 and Echo 3. By the time they arrived, a crowd had gathered. Riley and Meg were there. Red and Donna were standing next to them with Bo perched on his father’s shoulders. It looked like every civilian at the post had emerged from their quarters to see the troops return.

It should have been a happy occasion, but Wood’s men patrolled the area, their eyes hidden by the shadows their black helmets cast. She counted a half dozen of them, all carrying the same model of weapon. Berg and Cooper continued to tail Kate and Ellis, and she was beginning to feel like a prisoner. She pushed the anger aside, focusing on how good it would feel to wrap her arms around Beckham.

“Miss Kate, do you know when my dad is gonna be home?” Tasha asked.

Riley wheeled over to them and gave Kate a meaningful look. Neither of them seemed to know what to say. Kate leaned down and brushed the hair out of Tasha’s face.

“Come here,” Kate said. She scooped Tasha up and carried her. Kate could feel the small girl’s heart beating against her arm.

“What’s with all the firepower?” Meg asked. “Those two goons with the mustaches keep looking at your butt, by the way.”

“Wood’s men,” Kate replied. “With Central Command gone, he’s pretty high up on the ladder now.”

Riley’s hand shifted toward the pistol he had tucked into his pants. His boyish features took on a hard cast.

“There,” Meg said. She kept her crutches tucked under her armpits and pointed at the incoming helicopters.

“Daddy,” Jenny chirped.

Wood, Jensen, Smith, and Valentine pushed past the crowd. Berg and Cooper followed them onto the tarmac.

Kate put Tasha on the ground and said, “Stay here, okay?”

Ellis took Jenny and Tasha’s hands, and Kate ran after Wood and his men. Halfway across she saw Fitz and Apollo walking down a path leading from the beach. He flung his rifle over his shoulder as he continued toward the buildings.

Kate caught up to the group and stood next to Jensen. He nodded at her and gave his mustache a quick, nervous swipe as the choppers descended. A blast of wind slammed into the group a second later. Kate shielded her face from the gust, her eyes searching the troop holds anxiously. She couldn’t hold back a smile when she finally saw Beckham. He raised a hand and dropped it as the landing skids connected with asphalt.

Beckham, Chow, and Horn jumped out of the first bird and turned to help a middle-aged woman who Kate assumed was Secretary Ringgold. Five civilians and an injured soldier poured out of the other bird. Her heart skipped when she saw Lombardi was not amongst them.

The pilots shut the Blackhawks down a moment later. Kate couldn’t hold herself back any longer. She raced forward, ducking under the slowing blades, and wrapped her arms around Beckham. He kissed her on the cheek and then pulled from her grasp.

“Later,” he whispered. “I need to know what the hell is going on. I heard that Central…” His voice trailed off as Wood approached.

“Welcome to Plum Island, Secretary Ringgold,” Wood said, reaching out a hand. He didn’t even look at Beckham or the other soldiers. “I’m Colonel Wood. I’m in charge of this facility.”

‘Thank you, Colonel,” Ringgold said, shaking his hand. “You have no idea how happy I am to be here.”

Wood waved two more of his soldiers away from the barriers. The men came running across the pavement. “And we’re happy to have you. I’ll make sure you have escorts at all times. My men will personally ensure your safety.”

“I’d like an update. I’ve been trapped inside that tomb for far too long,” she said. “What’s the status of Central Command? I heard it was attacked.”

“The Variants overran Command earlier today. I was there. Not many of us made it out.”

“My god,” she said.

“It was a real tragedy,” Wood replied with a rueful nod. “But the good news is that the first stage of Operation Extinction has been an overwhelming success.”

“Operation Extinction?”

Wood ran a finger over his chin. “The operation to take back the country from the Variants. Our very own team of medical geniuses has designed a weapon that will be deployed all across the United States in the coming weeks.”