UNSCDF3 Chapter 11- A Near Escape

Arabian Sea, Coast of Karachi, Pakistan

UNSC Perth

May 11, 2001

0900 Local Time

            Frederick ran out of the bridge and stopped to look at Blake. Blake looked at her with a face showing that he had accepted his fate. He saluted and went to the computers.

            “Where’s Hariprasad?” Frederick looked around.

            Dozens of bodies and debris littered the deck gave off a sight that made Frederick worry about her marines.

            “Should be in the medical bay…” Dau replied and watched as two missiles hit the tip of the ship.

            The vibration caused Dau’s marine to fall off the ship and into the unforgiving waters.

            “Ma’am we have to go now!” Dau shouted as a missile exploded in the sky.

            “We’re not leaving without Hariprasad. He’s got valuable information.” Frederick pointed below.

            “Fine, go to the Falcon first and meet up with Daniels.” Dau watched as the UNSC Perth fired a missile into the sky.

            “Alright, thanks!” Frederick thanked and ran towards the Falcon.

            Daniels was already in the cockpit and waving frantically at Frederick. A missile flew towards the Falcon and slammed into the rear of the ship. Frederick hopped inside the Falcon and grabbed one of the handrails.

            “Strap on!” Daniels shouted as he lifted the Falcon upwards.

            “Wait, we’re waiting for Hariprasad!” Frederick looked below.

            “LT, the choppers are heading for us. Get on the turret.” Daniels turned the Falcon sideways.

            One Mi-24 helicopter spun around and fired two missiles at the Falcon. Daniels attempted to dodge when suddenly two missiles shot into the sky from the ship and took out the Russian missiles.

            “Go Frederick. We got our back.” Blake spoke on the RaidComm.

            From the Falcon, Frederick could see the ship was heavily damaged and was slowly submerging into the sea. One autocannon was still functioning and firing at whatever it can while most of the marines were using the mounted M60 turrets and their guns.

            “Frederick, this is Dau. I’ve got Hariprasad on level three. We should be up soon. This whole floor is flooded.” Dau spoke on the RaidComm.

            One of the autocannon rounds struck one Mi-24 choppers and sent it spiraling in a ball of fire. This enraged the other chopper and it fired three missiles at UNSC Perth. Frederick watched helplessly as the three missiles hit the bridge causing a massive explosion severing the ship in half.

            “Blake!” Frederick cried out on the RaidComm.

            “Ma’am we have to go. It’s too late.” Daniels turned the Falcon and began to retreat inland.

            “Dau! Do you read, over?” Frederick watched as the majestic UNSC Perth slowly sank into the water.

            “They’re gone.” Daniels pushed the throttle forward.

            “Blake…the others…” Frederick mumbled as she saw the Mi-24 assault chopper circling the destroyed ship for survivors.

            “We’re not done yet.” Daniels called out as he looked at his radar.

            Frederick sighed as the Russian helicopter flew towards them in hot pursuit. It fired two missiles at the Falcon and Frederick attempted to gun them with her mounted turret.

            “Launching countermeasures.” Daniels pressed a button on his console.

            A couple of flares erupted from the aircraft and countered the missiles. Daniels turned the Falcon to face its threat and fired the twin autocannons mounted at the nose. The sound of the cannons firing echoed in the sky and created mini explosions in the air. The Mi-24 countered the Falcon attack with a hard offensive push by firing its armor piercing rounds.

            “Take cover.” Daniels quickly decreased the altitude to evade the torrent of bullets.

            Frederick rotated her turret and aimed towards the Mi-24 and squeezed the trigger. A steady continued fire from the turret was sufficient cover for Daniels to level the Falcon back into battle. Daniels turned the aircraft and fired its guns. One round struck the tail of the Mi-24 and sent pieces of debris into its armaments. Flames ignited and the Russians jumped out of the chopper as the helicopter exploded. One pilot was engulfed in flames while the other one opened up his parachute. Unfortunately, the chute was peppered with pieced of burning debris and the pilot began to freefall into the ground below.

            “Serves him right.” Daniels looked out his cockpit and saw the pilot splattered on the concrete sidewalk.

            “Turn around and look for survivors.” Frederick waved at the sea.

            “Fuel’s not enough ma’am. We didn’t have a chance to fuel her up. We’ll have to go back to Cobra Squad’s Camp to resupply.” Daniels pointed forward.

            “God damn it!” Frederick hit the seat beside her in frustration.

            From the distance, the UNSC ship was no longer visible and only grey smoke in the sky shrouded the clouds casting a shadow across the sea.

Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan

UNSC Cobra Squad’s Camp

May 11, 2001

1015 Local Time

            Sears rushed to the rooftop with Parker as he heard the sounds of an aircraft landing. As the Falcon landed, Frederick dashed out to greet the marines.

            “What happened?” Sears asked.

            “Shit happened.” Daniels got out of the cockpit.

            “Russians came in with their toys and blew everything up.” Frederick explained.

            “UNSC Perth.” Parker asked.

            “Sunk. Daniels, get the Falcon fuelled up. I want this bird to look for survivors.” Frederick waved.

            “How can we help LT?” Sears offered.

            “You keep us posted of air traffic. If they are coming back for round two, we need to be ready.” Frederick directed.

            “On it.” Sears rushed off.

            “Lieutenant?” Parker awaited her orders.

            “Get on the other turret just in case.” Frederick pointed at the Falcon.

            Parker nodded and quickly assisted Daniels in rolling fuel barrels. Frederick walked up to the M60 turret and looked at the magazine. A majority of the rounds were used in the firefight so Frederick decided to reload the turret with a fresh magazine. In a matter of minutes, the Falcon was all supplied and ready to fly.

            “Start her up.” Frederick jumped into her seat as Parker got into hers.

            Daniels turned on the ignition and activated the rotors. He pulled the Falcon off the roof and turned towards the sea.

            “Start by the docks.” Frederick pointed at some debris washed up on the shores.

            Daniels descended the aircraft and slowly hovered off the beach. Many bodies had washed up, but all of them were lifeless.

            “Circle the area where the ship sank.” Frederick waved her hand in a circular motion.

            “Yes ma’am.” Daniels pushed the throttle forward and continued hovering into the sea.

            A few bodies floated on the surface and some ship parts that weren’t dense. A raft was drifting beside a lifeless body and Frederick squinted her eyes. On the raft were two marines lying on the ground, but Frederick was unable to tell if they were conscious.

            “Get closer Daniels.” Frederick pointed downwards at the small raft.

            As the Falcon got closer to the raft, the wind from the rotors blew the raft away from them.

            “Parker, get the cables. I’m going down.” Frederick pulled a cable from the ceiling and clipped it to her belt.

            “Got it.” Parker got up from her seat and watched Frederick tug on her cable to test the firmness.

            With a quick smile, Frederick jumped out of the Falcon as Daniels lifted the Falcon up slowly and carefully. He looked at Frederick dangling below the aircraft and moved her towards the raft. As soon as Frederick grasped the sides of the raft, she pulled herself onto the raft and went to see the marines.

            “Dau! Hariprasad!” Frederick flipped the bodies over.

            The two marines were unconscious, but seemed to be breathing. For that, Frederick felt a bit of hope come back to her.

            “Parker, pull the cable up when I get a marine.” Frederick spoke on the RaidComm and quickly grabbed Hariprasad.

            “Got it LT.” Parker pressed a button on the ceiling and the cables began to pull.

            Once Frederick brought Hariprasad aboard the Falcon, she quickly descended down the cable to bring Dau up. Dau was a heavier marine than Hariprasad and Frederick was having difficulty. She decided to wake Dau up to make her workload easier.

            “Dau, can you hear me?” Frederick clapped her hands beside Dau’s ears.

            No response was given by Dau so Frederick assessed the environment. Dau had a few bruises and cuts, but nothing severe. She unclipped the cable from her belt and attached it to Dau’s flak jacket.

            “Pull him up.” Frederick ordered on the RaidComm.

            Parker nodded and slowly brought the cables up. Frederick watched as Dau swung back and forth in the air as he ascended.

            “Got him.” Parker grabbed Dau inside.

            Parker detached the cable and threw it back down to Frederick.

            “Come on, grab on.” Parker shouted as she buckled Dau to a seat.

            As soon as Frederick got on, the Falcon flew around the perimeter to look for other survivors.

            “Daniels, this is Sears. Our radar is picking up an anomaly a few kilometers south of your location. I suggest you head back in case it’s the Russians.” Sears spoke on the RaidComm.

            “Roger that.” Daniels replied and turned the Falcon homebound.

UNSCDF3 Chapter 10- Full Assault

Downtown Kandahar, Kandahar, Afghanistan

British Embassy

May 11, 2001

0750 Local Time

            Zyrok woke up groggily and wiped his eyes. He got off the ground and looked at Sarah curled up next to the wall. It was still early for Sarah to wake up, so Zyrok decided to check his backpack’s contents. Food supplies were dwindling and Zyrok knew they had to keep searching. After half an hour, Sarah slowly opened her eyes and yawned.

            “Get a good sleep?” Zyrok asked.

            “Not really…ground was too hard.” Sarah pulled out her bag of potato chips from her pocket.

            Zyrok sat down beside her and removed the bottle of soda from his backpack.

            “This is the only one left so we have to share.” Zyrok handed Sarah the drink.

            “Here, have some.” Sarah handed her bag of chips.

            In a few minutes of sharing, the pair had finished their looted food from the day before and knew they had to continue searching to survive. Zyrok walked to the door and slowly unlocked it. He pulled out his kukri and gently pushed the door wide open. The halls were partially illuminated by the rising sun, but most corners remained in the dark.

            “Come on, let’s go.” Zyrok whispered.

            Sarah picked up her golf club and clutched it with both hands as Zyrok approached a locked room with an access panel. He reached into his pocket and swiped the looted ID card on the panel. A green light lit up and the sounds of the locks releasing could be heard. Zyrok opened the door and realized that it was not a room, but a corridor.

            “Watch my back.” Zyrok walked into the corridor with Sarah and the door clicked shut.

            “I remember this…” Sarah touched the walls.

            “What do you remember?” Zyrok stopped in his tracks to listen.

            “They were in and we were evacuated. We ran together, but something happened.” Sarah stared at the end of the corridor where it turned left and right.

            “What happened?” Zyrok looked at where Sarah was staring.

            “They didn’t follow. They told me to go or else we all wouldn’t make it.” Sarah pointed at the end of the corridor.

            “Who are they?” Zyrok walked towards the end of the corridor slowly.

            “My…parents.” Sarah felt her eyes water.

            “I’m sorry.” Zyrok quickly replied apologetically.

            “And I never saw them ever since…” Sarah sighed deeply.

            “Maybe they made it out alive.” Zyrok attempted to bring hope back into Sarah.

            “And they haven’t found me?” Sarah countered.

            Zyrok knew deep down that Sarah’s parents most likely did not survive the outbreak due to the fact that most people didn’t survive the initial pandemic and Zyrok was one of the lucky ones. A majority of Zyrok’s friends and family had perished, but he didn’t give up. His determination to find Sarah focused him and gave him the strength to face his fears. A couple of days before, he was looking for a purpose in life. Now he was taking care of a girl who he has never met and carried the name Sarah.

            “Afghanistan is a big place Sarah. Maybe they haven’t found you yet.” Zyrok reassured.

            Zyrok knelt down beside a corpse wearing body armor and flipped it over. A bullet hole was visible in the center of the forehead with parts of the flesh decayed over time. He removed the flak jacket and placed it onto himself. After strapping the body armor nice and snug to his chest, Zyrok pointed at the first open room that was missing its door.

            “Quiet…I see something.” Zyrok raised his SA80 and pointed his flashlight at a figure hanging from the ceiling.

            The flashlight revealed a zombie with a rope tied around its neck. It was still alive as it waved its arms at Zyrok attempting to eat the living.

            “Sarah, hand me the golf club.” Zyrok stuck out his hand.

            “Here.” Sarah presented the club.

            “Look away.” Zyrok held the club firmly with both hands.

            Sarah had a general idea of what Zyrok was about to do. She turned her head and heard the zombie growling. Zyrok swung the weapon at the zombie’s head twice with blunt force and saw pieces of its skull chip off. With one last hit, the club had cracked the skull in half and the zombie became lifeless.

            “Ok, you can look now.” Zyrok patted Sarah’s shoulders.

            Sarah spun around and looked around the room. A stool was flipped over which may indicate it was used for the person to hang themselves.

            “Here, hold on to this.” Zyrok handed the golf club back to Sarah.

            Sarah took the club with one hand and walked around the room. She opened a drawer and began to quickly search the contents. Again, she found nothing useful and sighed in frustration. Zyrok, on the other hand, seemed to have found a small stash of supplies. He uncovered two bottles of water and a large bag of potato chips.

            “You’re lucky.” Sarah exclaimed as she eyed the looted supplies.

            “Don’t worry, you find something sooner of later.” Zyrok smiled with optimism.

            Zyrok gave Sarah a bottle of water and the bag of chips. Then, he placed the other water bottle into his backpack.

            “Let’s go.” Zyrok walked to the door and glanced at the dead zombie hanging from the ceiling.

            Sarah picked up her backpack and slung it to her back and quickly exited out the room with Zyrok.

Arabian Sea, Coast of Karachi, Pakistan

UNSC Perth

May 11, 2001

0755 Local Time

            Frederick woke up to the sound of alarms blaring and flashing red lights. Explosions could be heard from outside the room. She looked out the small window and saw explosions in the water.

           “Attention all marines, we are under attack. Repeat, we are under attack!” Stewart’s voice sounded on the speakers.

            Frederick rushed out of her quarters and quickly made her way to the bridge, she noticed the windows were shot out and a few bodies on the ground.     

            “Glad you’re still in one piece Lieutenant.” Blake rushed from a computer with blood dripping from his face.

            “What’s going on?” Frederick looked out the windows.

            “Two Mi-24 choppers attacking the ship.” Blake pointed to the right of the ship.

            “Russians?” Frederick looked as the choppers circled around.

            “I presume.” Blake ran to a computer and typed something.

            “Captain, missiles inbound!” Stewart shouted.

            “Flak rounds!” Blake pointed.

            The flak cannon turned and fired into the sky. Since there were two choppers, the number of missiles flying towards UNSC Perth increased. Although some missiles got taken out, a majority missed the flak rounds.

            “Launch countermeasures.” Blake ordered.

            “Launching!” Stewart hit the buttons.

            A couple of flares shot up into the sky and diverted a few missiles, but three missiles continued its course. The first one slammed into the tip of the ship and left a small crater while the second and third missiles impacted the flak cannon and blew it to oblivion. The ship shook sideways in the water as the shockwave from the explosions spread throughout the ship. Frederick watched as marines frantically attempted to put out the fire on the ship deck while a couple of marines were using the mounted M60 turrets in an attempt to take down the attack choppers.

            “Attention all marines, this is the Captain. Use whatever weapons we have to take down the helicopters!” Blake spoke on the speakers.

            Frederick watched as the twin GAU-19 guns turned and fired at the choppers. The Russians were smart and split their formation so that they were coming from both sides.

            “Autocannons!” Blake shouted at Stewart.

            “On it.” Stewart rushed to a console.

            Two cannons on each side of the ship turned and fired explosive rounds into the sky. The Russians retaliated by unleashing a barrage of missiles and a hail of armor piercing rounds.

            “Counter it with what we have Stewart.” Blake pushed the ship throttle forward.

            “Flares and missiles left. Firing everything.” Stewart reported.

            The ship’s defenses attempted to take out the threat, but it was greatly outnumbered. Two missiles slammed into the mid-section of the ship creating a massive hole and two more missiles hit the twin GAU-19 guns. UNSC Perth was up in flames and smoke after the Russian assault.

            “Hull integrity at forty percent. Engine rooms one and two are flooded.” Stewart reported.

            Suddenly, Dau and another marine ran into the bridge.

            “Captain, major casualties on all levels sir.” Dau reported.

            “Dau, take your marines and Frederick’s team off this ship.” Blake assessed the situation.

            “Sir?” Dau looked at a Blake and a frozen Frederick.

            “Get to the Falcon now!” Blake shouted as the Mi-24 choppers fired their missiles again.

UNSCDF3 Chapter 9- Decisive Business

Downtown Kandahar, Kandahar, Afghanistan

British Embassy

May 10, 2001

2000 Local Time

            “Zyrok…” Sarah nudged an asleep Zyrok.

            Zyrok quickly woke up and found out that he had dozed off while Sarah was taking a nap.

            “Door…” Sarah pointed at the handle.

            Zyrok quickly got up and placed his ear to the door to listen for sounds. The handle moved a bit, but was locked. Zyrok could hear a faint moan outside so he motioned for Sarah to take cover behind a desk. Then, he quietly pulled a chair and wedged it against the handle. Feeling satisfied, Zyrok walked towards Sarah and sat down beside her.

            “Sarah…I…I’m sorry. I should have been watching out for you.” Zyrok apologized and stumbled on the words.

            “It’s alright.” Sarah looked at her feet.

            “It’s not alright. How long did I sleep?” Zyrok asked.

            “Half an hour? I don’t know…” Sarah guessed.

            “That’s quite some time. Anything could have happened.” Zyrok exaggerated.

            “Zyrok, it’s okay. I was awake when you fell asleep. You watch me…I watch you.” Sarah reassured.

            “Okay.” Zyrok nodded and understood their partnership.

            Zyrok never really had a daughter, but he treated Sarah like she was his own if he had one. He didn’t have kids of his own, but somehow he had learned to how to take care of people. Being in the UNSC hardened him, but deep down within Zyrok, his soft side was still with him. It was because of Sarah, the girl from Australia, that showed him that he could be who he was and not be judged. He didn’t need to change his personality to satisfy others and that the good people would see for who he was.

            “Are we getting out any time soon?” Sarah asked.

            “I don’t think so. Not tonight.” Zyrok turned to look at the door.

            “We can sleep here tonight then.” Sarah patted the ground.

            “Alright, go make yourself cozy. I’ll go barricade the door.” Zyrok walked to the door.

            “Okay.” Sarah began to clear some waste from the ground beside her.

            “Remember to save me a spot.” Zyrok joked.

            “Hahaha…I will.” Sarah laughed lightly.

Arabian Sea, Coast of Karachi, Pakistan

UNSC Perth

May 10, 2001

2245 Local Time

            “How’s he doing?” Frederick asked a marine checking the heart rate monitor beside Hariprasad.

            “Stable. He’s lucky he got the nanites in time.” the marine jotted down some notes.

            “How close was he till turning?” Frederick pointed.

            “I’d say a few hours depending on his immune system.” the marine estimated.

            “Lieutenant Frederick.” the dark skinned marine Sergeant greeted from behind Frederick.

            “Yes?” Frederick spun around.

            “Sergeant Dau, ma’am.” the Sergeant saluted.

            “You’re the Sergeant from the medical team.” Frederick returned the salute.

            “That’s correct ma’am. I’m here to report that my men will head over to the camp once Captain says we’re all clear.” Dau answered.

            “Blake didn’t like the stunt we pulled did he?” Frederick smirked.

            “No comment ma’am.”  Dau refused to choose sides.

            “Well, if he didn’t like it, I apologize. We weren’t going to leave a man behind.” Frederick explained her actions.

            Daniels walked into the medical bay and placed a folder beside Frederick.

            “What’s this?” Frederick looked slightly amused.

            “Nanites…we’re out.” Daniels opened the folder to reveal an inventory checklist.

            “Is Hariprasad going to be fine then?” Frederick pointed.

            “Oh he’s fine. If one of us gets bit, we’re screwed.” Daniels looked agitated from the information he had found.

            “Don’t you have a backup?” Frederick looked at the folder files.

            “Nanotechnology is expensive. For a team not working for or under High Command and receiving one shot of this technology is considered a privilege.” Dau replied.

            “So what do you want me to do?” Frederick looked at the two marines.

            “There’s nothing we can do. Even if we request for a shot, it will be days before it arrives. By then, if a person is infected, he or she would have turned.” Daniels frowned.

            “Any chance the Russians may have their hands on this technology?” Frederick wondered.

            “Not likely. This technology is a well-guarded secret. Reverse engineering is nearly impossible especially with the current technology the Russians have.” Dau responded with some confidence in his voice.

            “Lieutenant Frederick, please report to the Bridge.” Stewart’s voice sounded on the speakers.

            “Gentlemen, we’ll talk about this later. It looks like they need me up there.”  Frederick pointed upwards.

*          *          *

            “Do you think they made it?” Sears asked Parker.

            “Yeah Sears, they made it back to the ship.” Johnson walked in with a piece of paper.

            “What’s this?” Sears pointed at the paper.

            “Transmission from UNSC Perth stating their arrival.” Johnson handed the paper to Sears.

            “Good…good.” Sears looked pleased.

            “I think we have fully set up this camp.” Parker glanced at the empty crates stacked against the wall.

            “First floor secured and barricaded?” Johnson asked.

            “Yup.” Sears nodded.

            “Then we can get some rest. It won’t be a while since Frederick and the others arrive here. If they do, it will probably be around tomorrow afternoon.” Johnson sat down on a cot.

            “Marines…slacking?” Sears teased.

            “Correction, sir. It’s resting for a big day.” Johnson eyed Sears with a grin.

            “Hahaha.” Parker laughed and sat down on her cot.

            “Fine, get ready for the big day tomorrow.” Sears waved at the marines to rest.

            Parker took off her flak jacket and placed it beside her cot. She flattened the bed sheets and lied down while Johnson adjusted his pillow. Sears watched as the marines rested in their cots and walked over to another room. He sat beside the radar and briefly closed his eyes. The hum of the computers and the radar beeps flowed so melodiously that Sears accidentally dozed off. Unknown to the marines, blips began to show up at the edges of the radar.

Erazi, Kandahar, Afghanistan

Russian Communications Outpost

May 10, 2001

2300 Local Time

            A tall soldier dressed in full Russian combat uniform walked down a hall with a folder in his hand. He knocked on a wooden door and opened it. In the room was a man sitting with his back to the door.

            “What is it?” the man asked without turning.

            “It seems that one of our patrol choppers encountered something.” the soldier placed the folder on the man’s desk.

            “What?” the man questioned.

            “A ship…belonging to the UNSC.” the soldier answered.

            “And the problem? Disposed of?” the man looked out his window.

            “No sir. Our chopper got shot down.” the soldier replied nervously.

            “When was this?” the man tapped on the window.

            “Yesterday, sir.” the soldier stood uncomfortably.

            “And you did not think it was important to let me know?” the man turned around to face the soldier and appeared to have significant age.

            “Sir, we originally believed it to be weather.” the soldier pointed at the report.

            “Then you better believe that I will shoot you if you don’t send out two choppers. Now!” the old man pounded on the table furiously.

            “Yes sir!” the soldier scurried out of the room quickly.

            “Useless morons.” the old man sat down on his chair.

            The old man skimmed the report of the transmissions of the destroyed helicopter. He flipped at some maps and studied them.

            “Why are the UNSC using ships? Was there something else in Pakistan?” the old man wondered.

            After some thought, the old man went to his computer and pulled up a file. He skimmed the documents and smiled. Next, he reached for his radio across the desk and turned it on.

            “Captain Dima, this is Dimitri. Commence Operation Thunderstorm.” the old man spoke on the radio while gazing at the computer screen.

UNSCDF3 Chapter 8- Not as Easy Surviving

Downtown Kandahar, Kandahar, Afghanistan

British Embassy

May 10, 2001

1800 Local Time

            Sarah and Zyrok approached a burnt smoking structure with the words “British Embassy” painted on its wall. The gates and fencing seemed intact, however, the battlements on their left was in ruins. Rubble and debris scattered the ground where a section of battlement once stood. A charred vehicle was parked beside the gates with a burnt corpse in the driver’s seat.

            “Hmm…” Zyrok studied.

            A zombie wearing a standard military outfit limped towards Sarah. She gave a small cry and swung her golf club at the zombie. The zombie growled and waved its arms in an attempt to grab the little girl. Before Zyrok could step in to help, Sarah whacked the zombie to the ground and placed a deadly blow to its skull.

            “Nice.” Zyrok complimented.

            Zyrok crouched to the deceased zombie and saw an ID card on his chest. He examined it and realized it was an access card to the embassy.

            “Let’s head inside.” Zyrok pointed at the destroyed battlement.

            As the pair made their way past the battlements, corpses and bullet shells littered the ground. Zyrok walked up to a SA80 and picked it up. He looked at the magazine and noticed three rounds remaining.

            “It’ll have to do.” Zyrok cocked the gun.

            The front door to the embassy was riddled with bullet holes and burnt marks. It was obvious that a siege took place and the British had lost.

            “Do you know what happened?” Zyrok asked.

            “The zombies got through. We were sent on a military truck, but we crashed. I…was the only one that made it.” Sarah looked at her feet.

            “How long was this ago?” Zyrok stepped inside the building with his newly acquired SA80.

            “Almost a year…I think.” Sarah scratched her head.

            “And you survived that long. Wow…” Zyrok was impressed.

            “I stayed at my parents’ house before it got overrun.” Sarah answered.

            “Did you see us last month?” Zyrok asked.

            “Yeah, but I didn’t know who were the good soldiers. You guys were fighting each other and not the zombies. If I didn’t see my country’s flag, I don’t feel safe.” Sarah followed Zyrok closely.

            Zyrok clicked on the flashlight attached to his gun and scanned the halls. Blood trails and claw marks were etched on the walls. The two walked up to a metal detector and walked around it not wanting to set off any alarms. After a few meters down the hall, they reached the cafeteria. Trays, plates, and utensils saturated the room making it hard to walk without making too much noise. Zyrok panned his flashlight across the room slowly. A person was crouched beside a table moving the trays.

            “Hello?” Zyrok directed the flashlight at the person.

           The person turned its head and his face lit up. Half of his face was decomposed with the lower half of his jaw missing.

            “Sarah...get back slowly.” Zyrok trained his gun at the zombie while backing up slowly.

            The zombie remained in its position when suddenly Sarah cried out loud. Zyrok quickly turned his head and realized that Sarah backed out into a zombie soldier.

            “Sarah!” Zyrok shouted as the zombie tackled the little girl to the ground.

            The zombie that once remained motionless now stood up and ran towards Zyrok. Zyrok hopped onto the zombie pinning Sarah and thrusted his kukri into its neck severing it. Quickly, Zyrok lifted Sarah to her feet and pulled her to the entrance. The zombie ran over the trays and plates causing a moderate level of noise.

            “You alright? You bit?” Zyrok looked at Sarah who was in a state of shock.

            The pair hurried away from the cafeteria and to the nearest room they could find. Zyrok slammed the door shut and locked it. It was a small office with the table turned upside down. He flipped the table over and placed Sarah on the table to closely look at her.

            “Sarah, are you alright?” Zyrok looked at Sarah’s arms.

            “Huh…” Sarah stared blankly at the door.

            “I’m sorry I didn’t watch the back.” Zyrok examined Sarah’s head for injuries and bite marks.

            Next, Zyrok looked at Sarah’s legs and thoroughly scanned for any infections. There was none so Zyrok decided to search the room.

            “Sarah, take deep breaths. It will help you relax.” Zyrok searched the desk.

            Inside the desk were office supplies and nothing more. Zyrok decided to search the cabinets and drawers next to the wall.

            “Jackpot.” Zyrok’s eyes widened as he found two bags of potato chips.

            Sarah turned her head and licked her lips.

            “Here.” Zyrok gave a bag to Sarah who graciously accepted it.

            Zyrok watched as Sarah quickly finished off her bag and looked at the empty packaging.

            “Here, have mine.” Zyrok gave the other bag to Sarah and resumed back to searching.

            After a thorough search, Zyrok only managed to find cash and a few important paperwork. Other than that, the rest was useless junk. Sarah walked to Zyrok and gave him the remaining potato chips. He glanced to see half a bag full and gave it back to Sarah.

            “Eat up, you’re going to need the energy.” Zyrok gave the food back.

            “Thanks.” Sarah stuffed the bag into her pocket.

            “Get ready.” Zyrok unlocked the door slowly and quietly as possible.

            Zyrok glanced at the hall and saw two zombies walking away from them. He clicked on his flashlight and directed across the hall to look for a new place to search.

            “Stay close.” Zyrok waved behind him.

            Sarah crept up slowly behind Zyrok and held onto her backpack with both hands. Zyrok made a quick dash to a room a couple meters down the hall. Again it was another office. A corpse lied on the floor and Zyrok nudged it with his boot while training his SA80 at its head.

            “It’s dead. Come in Sarah.” Zyrok whispered.

            Sarah got into the room and closed the door for Zyrok while he observed the room for threats.

            “Start looking.” Zyrok pointed at a drawer next to him.

            Sarah nodded and began to open the drawers. Zyrok opened a closet and found a small fridge. He opened it and saw three bottles of soda.

            “Sarah, you thirsty?” Zyrok picked up the bottles of soda.

            “Yeah.” Sarah said quietly as she looked through the drawers.

            Zyrok walked over beside Sarah and placed a bottle on top of the drawer.

            “Thanks.” Sarah closed the drawers as she found nothing useful.

            Zyrok opened one bottle and quickly drank the soda as Sarah did the same. He placed the last bottle in his backpack and resumed searching. Zyrok knew his thirst was fulfilled, but not his hunger. Sarah seemed to be fine after the bottle of soda.

            “I found something.” Sarah picked up a bag of mixed nuts lying on the ground.

            “Go on, eat up Sarah.” Zyrok eyed the bag.

            Sarah ripped the bag open and grabbed a handful of the nuts.

            “Here.” Sarah handed Zyrok the bag.

            “Thanks.” Zyrok took the bag.

            “You’re hungry too.” Sarah smiled in understanding.

            “Are you tired?” Zyrok munched on the nuts.

            Sarah nodded and walked up beside Zyrok. Zyrok sat down on the ground next to the wall and placed his backpack in front of him.

            “Get some rest. I’ll take watch.” Zyrok spoke softly.

            Sarah sat down beside Zyrok and leaned her head against his shoulder. She closed her eyes and Zyrok looked at the door for any potential intruders. In a few minutes, Sarah was sleeping soundly beside Zyrok.

Arabian Sea, Coast of Karachi, Pakistan

UNSC Perth

May 10, 2001

1810 Local Time

            “Captain, they are not going to make it.” Stewart stood up and watched as a distant Falcon tilted sideways.

            Blake pulled out his binoculars from a nearby drawer and looked at the Falcon.

            “They’ll make it…” Blake studied the aircraft’s movements.

            “Sir, the waters are rough. In addition to the strong winds, they won’t be able to land.” Stewart looked at the turbulent sea.

            “Where’s the current coming from?” Blake looked at the rough waters.

            “Starboard current at 20 knots.” Stewart looked at the computer monitor.

            “Alright, I’ll turn the ship starboard side.” Blake walked to the helm.

            As the ship slowly turned to face the current, the ship began to drift backwards.

            “Counter the current and push the engines to 20 knots.” Blake ordered.

            “Sir?” Stewart placed his hand on the throttle.

            “Do it. Theoretically, we should be motionless.” Blake reasoned.

            “Aye sir.” Stewart pushed the throttle forward and looked at the speed indicator.

            Bit by bit, the forward current had little to no effect as the ship countered the speed.

            “What about the wind?” Stewart looked as the ship remained virtually still in the sea.

            “That’s up to the pilot. We already gave them a stable landing spot.” Blake replied.

*          *          *

            “UNSC Perth, this is Charlie 121. We see the ship, request landing procedures. Winds are too strong up here for us to make decisions.” Daniels spoke on the RaidComm headset.

            “Charlie 121, proceed two kilometers east and turn heading 180.” Stewart replied.

            “Roger, two kilos east turn heading 180.” Daniels repeated and flipped some switches beside him.

            “Can you land this bird?” Frederick asked impatiently.

            “Yeah.” Stewart turned the Falcon left.

            “Charlie 121, prepare descent to 1000 and reduce airspeed.” Stewart spoke on the RaidComm.

            “Copy UNSC Perth. Descending to 1000 and reducing airspeed.” Daniels pulled the throttle back halfway.

            The Falcon slowly wobbled towards UNSC Perth as Daniels listened to Stewart’s instructions.

            “Charlie 121, you are good to go. Continue steady descent and reduce power to one quarter.” Stewart looked out the window at the back of the ship.

            “Roger UNSC Perth. Resuming descent and powering to one quarter.” Stewart pulled the throttle a bit back and pushed a lever down.

            “UNSC Perth, this is Frederick. Is the medical team on standby?” Frederick spoke on the RaidComm as the Falcon was just a couple of meters above the landing platform.

            “Lieutenant Frederick, team’s ready once you land.” Stewart waved out the windows.

            A dark skinned marine bearing the rank of a Sergeant waved his marines to move as the Falcon successfully landed on the pad.

            “Go! Go! Go!” the Sergeant yelled as Frederick carried Hariprasad off the aircraft.