Over.”
“Roger, Two Echo Two. Flash code Streak.”
That one simple word sent a chill up the back of his neck. Streak. It meant to change frequencies to avoid being trian gulated by the enemy. If she was concerned about enemy surveillance on the unsecured net, it could mean there really were hostile forces moving in behind the plague ... We’d bet ter hope they miss us, Cam thought, shifting his eyes from Bobbi to the other men and women in the hut. They couldn’t hold the town against enemy infantry.
He went up two bands as he’d been taught. “Arapaho Five, Two Echo Two,” he said on the new channel.
The woman in Grand Lake didn’t waste a moment, either, resuming their conversation in knifelike bursts. “What is your current location? Over.”
“We’re eighteen clicks southwest of Wackyville.” That was Morristown’s unfortunate nickname because so many of the people there were cultists, and Cam said, “Are you familiar with this area? Over.”
“Affirmative. Over,” the woman said, as Cam heard a snatch of a man’s voice behind her.
“—they get so close?” the man said.
“Ma‘am, I’m not alone,” Cam said urgently. “Two Echo Two is still together. Do you understand me? The gang’s all here and I need that chopper now. Tonight.”
“Can you maintain your position? Over.”
“Ma‘am, we have wounded and a lot of people sick. Over.”
“You need to hunker down, Two Echo Two, because everybody’s in the soup right now. All air assets are committed. Sit tight. I’m going to get you that helicopter, but I need a little time. Over.”
“Are you”—he almost couldn’t say it—“Are there people sick there, too?”
“Monitor the radio, Two Echo Two. We’ll patch you into our pilots as soon as we have an asset available. Over.”
“Oh, shit.” Cam stared at the handset without hitting his SEND button.
“Two Echo Two?” the woman asked. “What are you using for far and near recognition signs, Two Echo Two?” she asked, but Cam had already stood up and turned away from the radio with a cold, fresh sense of rising dread.
Bobbi touched his jacket. “Cameron?”
He couldn’t meet his friend’s eyes. What could he possibly say? He knew a Black Hawk would need most of an hour to cross the distance between Grand Lake and Jefferson—much longer, if Grand Lake was in chaos itself. He’d hoped to get them into the underground bunkers in Grand Lake, but that might be impossible if the surface of the mountain was crawling with infected people.
“Two Echo Two!” the radio said. “Two Echo Two, do you copy?”
Cam knelt and picked up the handset again as if it weighed a hundred pounds, uncertain it was worth the effort. Whoever had launched the plague, whatever the nanotech did, she wouldn’t tell him on an unsecured transmission. She might not even know.
“Just get here as fast as you can,” he said.
5
In the blue light of the display screen, the colonel’s face was ghastly pale. The effect was supernatural. The light transformed his round features into something lean and monstrous, creating shadows like a mask. He used it well, turning to grin at the four technicians beside him. He knew his teeth shone like fangs because Dongmei’s pretty mouth glowed in the same way when she matched his expression.
They were all afraid. He wanted to harness that energy. As a senior officer, Colonel Jia Yuanjun had been trained to browbeat his troops if necessary, driving out weakness, but not every situation called for blunt force. These four were among his select. More importantly, they were right to be nervous, so he’d planned to redirect that adrenaline, binding them to him with aggression and pride. Everyone in the blue light of the flatscreens was very young for this task. They were so lost, too, here on the other side of the world from their home. Colonel Jia was only
“Roger, Two Echo Two. Flash code Streak.”
That one simple word sent a chill up the back of his neck. Streak. It meant to change frequencies to avoid being trian gulated by the enemy. If she was concerned about enemy surveillance on the unsecured net, it could mean there really were hostile forces moving in behind the plague ... We’d bet ter hope they miss us, Cam thought, shifting his eyes from Bobbi to the other men and women in the hut. They couldn’t hold the town against enemy infantry.
He went up two bands as he’d been taught. “Arapaho Five, Two Echo Two,” he said on the new channel.
The woman in Grand Lake didn’t waste a moment, either, resuming their conversation in knifelike bursts. “What is your current location? Over.”
“We’re eighteen clicks southwest of Wackyville.” That was Morristown’s unfortunate nickname because so many of the people there were cultists, and Cam said, “Are you familiar with this area? Over.”
“Affirmative. Over,” the woman said, as Cam heard a snatch of a man’s voice behind her.
“—they get so close?” the man said.
“Ma‘am, I’m not alone,” Cam said urgently. “Two Echo Two is still together. Do you understand me? The gang’s all here and I need that chopper now. Tonight.”
“Can you maintain your position? Over.”
“Ma‘am, we have wounded and a lot of people sick. Over.”
“You need to hunker down, Two Echo Two, because everybody’s in the soup right now. All air assets are committed. Sit tight. I’m going to get you that helicopter, but I need a little time. Over.”
“Are you”—he almost couldn’t say it—“Are there people sick there, too?”
“Monitor the radio, Two Echo Two. We’ll patch you into our pilots as soon as we have an asset available. Over.”
“Oh, shit.” Cam stared at the handset without hitting his SEND button.
“Two Echo Two?” the woman asked. “What are you using for far and near recognition signs, Two Echo Two?” she asked, but Cam had already stood up and turned away from the radio with a cold, fresh sense of rising dread.
Bobbi touched his jacket. “Cameron?”
He couldn’t meet his friend’s eyes. What could he possibly say? He knew a Black Hawk would need most of an hour to cross the distance between Grand Lake and Jefferson—much longer, if Grand Lake was in chaos itself. He’d hoped to get them into the underground bunkers in Grand Lake, but that might be impossible if the surface of the mountain was crawling with infected people.
“Two Echo Two!” the radio said. “Two Echo Two, do you copy?”
Cam knelt and picked up the handset again as if it weighed a hundred pounds, uncertain it was worth the effort. Whoever had launched the plague, whatever the nanotech did, she wouldn’t tell him on an unsecured transmission. She might not even know.
“Just get here as fast as you can,” he said.
5
In the blue light of the display screen, the colonel’s face was ghastly pale. The effect was supernatural. The light transformed his round features into something lean and monstrous, creating shadows like a mask. He used it well, turning to grin at the four technicians beside him. He knew his teeth shone like fangs because Dongmei’s pretty mouth glowed in the same way when she matched his expression.
They were all afraid. He wanted to harness that energy. As a senior officer, Colonel Jia Yuanjun had been trained to browbeat his troops if necessary, driving out weakness, but not every situation called for blunt force. These four were among his select. More importantly, they were right to be nervous, so he’d planned to redirect that adrenaline, binding them to him with aggression and pride. Everyone in the blue light of the flatscreens was very young for this task. They were so lost, too, here on the other side of the world from their home. Colonel Jia was only
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