UNSCDF3 Chapter 7- Airlift

Downtown Kandahar, Kandahar, Afghanistan

521 Apartments

May 10, 2001

1630 Local Time

            “Zyrok?” Sarah asked.

            Zyrok snapped out of his trance and he looked at the girl. Her blue eyes glistened as she looked upset.

            “Yes…Sarah?” Zyrok stumbled on the words.

            “Don’t leave.” Sarah pleaded.

            “Sarah, it’s too dangerous out there especially if I’m heading to the embassy.” Zyrok cautioned.

            “I can fight.” Sarah picked up the golf club on the ground stubbornly.

            “No, I’m not going to let you.” Zyrok grabbed the club from Sarah’s hands.

            “Why?” Sarah complained.

            “I don’t want to lose you…not this time.” Zyrok spoke with a sigh.

            Even though the girl was little and her name was Sarah, Zyrok’s past haunted him. He wasn’t going to let any Sarah in danger or come close to death. Even if she wasn’t the real Sarah, he wanted to make sure she was safe.

            “I’m scared.” Sarah looked into Zyrok’s eyes.

            “Oh, alright you can come. But when I see danger, you must listen okay?” Zyrok spoke seriously.

            “Okay.” Sarah nodded.

            “Then you need this back.” Zyrok handed the golf club back to Sarah.

            “Thank you.” Sarah played with the club.

            “Come on, let’s come.” Zyrok pointed at the door.

            Zyrok approached the barricaded door with his kukri ready in hand. Sarah ran to a wall and picked up a small backpack with a British flag imprinted on the back. Slowly and carefully, Zyrok removed the tables and chairs before unlocking the door.

            “Stay close.” Zyrok whispered and glanced at Sarah firmly holding her golf club.

            In a fluid motion, Zyrok opened the door and stuck his head out to see the halls. There were no zombies in view and he waved his hand at Sarah.

            “We’re going directly to the streets.” Zyrok pointed downwards.

            Sarah nodded and followed Zyrok down the dark halls. Zyrok ran down the hallway as quietly as possible with Sarah trailing behind her. He turned occasionally to make sure she was doing fine. She seemed alright, perhaps because she lived in the apartment for quite a while. In less than three minutes, the pair already reached the streets without alerting any zombies.

            “Where’s the embassy?” Zyrok stopped at an intersection looking lost.

            “That way.” Sarah pointed left with her golf club.

            “Oh okay.” Zyrok thanked and looked at the apartment he was in.

            He will remember that apartment because it meant something to him. It brought back memories of Sarah and gave him a purpose he was looking for…and now he had found it.

            “The sun’s going down, so we better hurry.” Zyrok began to jog lightly.

Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan

UNSC Cobra Squad’s Camp

May 10, 2001

1710 Local Time

            “There…use that table.” Frederick pointed at a desk occupied by some bottles and paper.

            Parker ran to the desk and pushed everything to the ground in one quick motion. Sears carried the unconscious Hariprasad and gently placed him flat on the sturdy desk.

            “What’s going on?” Daniels rushed into the room.

            “He’s bit.” Sears pointed at Hariprasad’s leg.

            “Has he taken his shot?” Daniels asked.

            “No and he has lost some blood already.” Sears wiped his bloody hands on his shirt.

            “Where’s the official medic kit?” Parker pulled out her combat knife and cut open Hariprasad’s shirt.

            “Upstairs, but it’s in the crates. There’s one in the Falcon. I’ll go get it.” Daniels ran off.

            “His heart rate is dropping.” Parker checked Hariprasad’s pulse.

            “Do we have a shot of adrenaline?” Frederick asked.

            “It should be on the Falcon.” Sears answered.

            “There’s not enough time. We need to extract him out of here and get him on UNSC Perth.” Parker placed her hand on Hariprasad’s neck.

            “UNSC Perth won’t allow the Falcon to land.” Frederick replied.

            “Then make it work LT. I’m not going to let my men die.” Sears said with a serious face.

            “Alright, let’s see how the weather is. We’ll get Daniels, you, and Hariprasad aboard.” Frederick pointed.

            “Come on, let’s go.” Parker lifted Hariprasad’s arms.

            Sears quickly rushed to help Parker lift the unconscious marine to the stairwell when suddenly Daniels opened the door.

            “What’s going on?” Daniels lifted his medic kit.

            “Take the adrenaline shot out and we’ll airlift him to UNSC Perth.” Frederick ordered.

            “Ma’am, the weather is strong winds on the coats. We’re lucky if we even make it that far.” Daniels warned.

            “Corporal, I need solutions not excuses. Make it happen.” Frederick gave an evil stare.

            “Yes…ma’am.” Daniels nodded and searched the medic kit.

            “Get going.” Frederick looked at the two marines carrying Hariprasad.

            Daniels produced a needle from the kit and administered it into Hariprasad’s left arm while the group headed to the Falcon.

            “You know what? Sears, stay behind and mark the UNSC assets. I’ll take Hariprasad back. We need to multi-task.” Frederick changed her mind.

            Sears and Parker laid Hariprasad on the seat and watched Frederick hop on.

            “Get this airborne…now!” Frederick ordered.

            Daniels looked at Parker and frowned before getting inside the cockpit. He started the ignition sequence and the console lit up.

            “Let’s get clear.” Parker stood back as the rotors began to turn.

            “UNSC Perth, this is Charlie 121 heading to your location.” Daniels lifted the Falcon off the roof and spoke on the RaidComm.

            “Charlie 121, you are not cleared for landing. We have unstable winds and in rough waters.” Stewart spoke with some concern in his voice.

            “UNSC Perth, we have a casualty and require immediate medical assistance. How copy?” Daniels turned the Falcon towards the stormy skies where UNSC Perth was.

            “We copy, but it’s too dangerous. The Falcon is not capable to sustain the weathering.” Stewart replied.

            “Make it work Daniels.” Frederick shouted over the roar of the rotors.

            “UNSC Perth, we are coming regardless. Have a team ready for immediate assistance. Repeat, we’re coming in.” Daniels nodded and pushed the throttle forward.

            As the Falcon reached the outskirts of the city, strong gusts of wind began to swing the Falcon from side to side. At one point, the wind nearly tilted the aircraft sideways.

            “Hang on!” Daniels shouted.

UNSCDF3 Chapter 1- The Team

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

UNSC North Haven Outpost

May 1, 2001

1100 Local Time

            “Frederick, are you sure you want to do this?” a tall blonde brunette Sergeant asked a tall blonde bearing the rank of a Second Lieutenant looking at her watch.

            “Yes May, you and the others are staying here.” Frederick replied briskly.

            “Are you sure you don’t need our help?” May crossed her arms.

            “No May, Jackal Squadron will remain here in Australia. Besides, I’ve got Staff Sergeant Sears and Private Hariprasad from Fire Team Kilo to be my guides.” Frederick answered.

            From the dark cloudy skies, a Pelican slowly appeared from the clouds and descended on a platform beside the two marines. A young dark skinned marine rushed out clutching a MP5 and saluted Frederick.

            “Hariprasad.” Frederick saluted back.

            “Lieutenant.” Hariprasad waved at Frederick to climb aboard the aircraft.

            “Nice to see you again.” May greeted.

            “Yeah, sure is Sergeant.” Hariprasad nodded.

            “May, you’re in charge until I get back. Make sure the team doesn’t slack off.” Frederick joked.

            “Alright ma’am.” May grinned.

            Frederick brushed her hair behind her back and walked inside the Pelican followed by Hariprasad.

            “The LT inside?” the pilot hollered from the cockpit.

            “Yeah Sears, she’s on. Let’s go.” Hariprasad shouted in response.

            “Buckle up.” Sears replied as he closed the hatch at the rear of the Pelican.

            Just as the hatch was about to fully lock into place, Frederick smiled at May before turning her head to face Hariprasad.

            “What’s the plan Lieutenant?” Hariprasad asked curiously.

            “Find Zyrok.” Frederick replied easily.

            “Are you sure he’s…?” Hariprasad’s voice trailed off.

            “Alive? I hope so.” Frederick answered Hariprasad’s question and frowned.

            The Pelican slowly ascended into the sky and got engulfed by the dark clouds. Sears looked at the console on the Pelican and flipped some switches above him. The lighting in the Pelican hull dimmed to a faint eerie red.

            “Take some rest. It will be a few hours before we reach Perth.” Sears announced.

            “Perth?” Frederick’s eyes widened with surprise.

            “We’re going to Perth first to get a ship.” Hariprasad said with a grin.

            “A ship?” Frederick scratched her head.

            “Since we don’t know the situation in Afghanistan, we’re going by sea.” Sears reasoned.

            “As we get close, we’ll get airborne again. That way we should have some sort of surprise for the Russians if they are still there.” Hariprasad added.

            “Ah…I see.” Frederick closed her eyes to rest.

            On Frederick’s belt, her datapad beeped. Frederick pulled it out and it displayed “Incoming Transmission.” She pressed a button and a blonde female marine with a ponytail smiled.

            “Lieutenant Forester.” Frederick looked at the screen.

            “Lieutenant Frederick, sorry that I’m not able to join you. As you already know, we are trying to hold onto the remaining UNSC Outposts from the mutated zombies and the new spider zombies.” Forester spoke calmly.

            “I know.” Frederick nodded.

            “Since Echo Squad is in need of a Commanding Officer, High Command has ordered that I take Zyrok’s place and assist other UNSC forces in the zombie extermination. Also, I’ve heard that only you and the rest of Fire Team Kilo are on this search.” Forester briefed.

            “That’s correct.” Frederick looked at Sears in the cockpit and then H

ariprasad sitting in front of her.

            “Well, I’ve managed to pull some strings for you knowing that you might encounter the Russian forces in Afghanistan.” Forester smiled.

            “Thanks, I appreciate it.” Frederick thanked.

            “Upon arrival in Perth, a Captain Matthew Blake will rendezvous with you to board his ship along with Cobra Squad.” Forester continued to brief.

            “Cobra Squad?” Frederick raised an eyebrow.

            “Cobra’s a small specialized team focused on quick elimination of targets as well as locating assets.” Forester answered.

            “So…Spec Ops?” Frederick concluded.

            “Pretty much. Anyways Frederick, we’ve got work to do there. Good luck and I’ll see you later.” Forester ended the transmission.

            “We got ourselves a team.” Hariprasad grinned.

            “Yeah.” Frederick placed the datapad back onto her belt and closed her eyes to rest.

Perth, Western Australia, Australia

UNSC Fremantle Outpost

May 1, 2001

1315 Local Time

            “We’re here Lieutenant.” Hariprasad gently shook a sleeping Frederick.

            “Ah.” Frederick rubbed her eyes and stood up to stretch.

            The hatch of the Pelican opened and an Outpost was visible below them. A breeze of cool air rushed into the warm hull.

            “Refreshing.” Frederick breathed deeply and walked out of the Pelican.

            Two marines dressed in black combat gear armed with M16s greeted Frederick.

            “Second Lieutenant Frederick.” a young brunette marine offered her hand.

            “That’s me.” Frederick shook the marine’s hand.

            “Lance Corporal Laura Parker of Cobra Squad.” the marine introduced herself.

            “Corporal Chris Johnson.” the marine adjacent to Parker stuck his hand out.

            “Nice to meet you.” Frederick shook Johnson’s hand firmly.

            “Follow me ma’am, chopper’s waiting for you.” Johnson waved.

            “What about the Pelican Corporal?” Sears stepped off the Pelican and slung a backpack over his shoulder.

            “UNSC Perth can’t carry a Pelican. So a Falcon is the alternative.” Johnson answered.

            “Get your gear marines, we’re moving out.” Frederick ordered.

            “Understood.” Hariprasad nodded.

            Once the marines of Fire Team Kilo got their gear, they quickly hurried behind Frederick. After a couple meters of walking, a Falcon was docked on a platform with its rotors still spinning steadily.

            “Hop on!” Parker shouted over the roar of the rotors.

            Frederick nodded and climbed into the center seats whilst Parker and Johnson mounted on the side M60 turrets. Sears sat beside Frederick while Hariprasad sat directly in front of her.

            “Welcome aboard ladies and gentlemen. I’m Corporal Jeff Daniels.” the pilot chirped on the comms.

            “Strap in.” Johnson shouted and gave a thumbs-up sign to Daniels.

            “And we have a go.” Daniels pushed the throttle forward and the Falcon dusted off the ground majestically.

            The hum of the propellers quieted down as the engines reached its optimal speed. Below the Pelican was a clear harbor with ships neatly docked at their ports.

            “Which one is UNSC Perth?” Frederick pointed at the boats below them.

            “It’s not here Lieutenant. Perth is docked in the Rocky Bay on Rottnest Island.” Parker answered and pointed at a distant land mass a couple hundred kilometers away.

            “Carrier? Frigate?” Frederick asked.

            “Destroyer class.” Johnson said proudly.

            After a few minutes, the Falcon descended over a medium ship. The aircraft circled the ship once as Frederick eyed the ship. On the starboard side, the words “UNSC Perth” were painted on the hull.

            “Meet UNSC Perth. Home to Cobra Squad.” Daniels chirped proudly on the comms as he eyed the ship.

            The Falcon landed at a platform at the rear of the ship and Johnson and Parker quickly got out.

            “This way Lieutenant.” Parker waved as she pointed at the bridge a couple meters away.

            “Ok.” Frederick nodded and followed Parker up some stairs leading to the bridge.

            Parker opened the door to the bridge and a tall man with a beard in his late thirties turned his head from the ship controls.

            “Captain Matthew Blake.” the man greeted and tipped his officer’s cap.

            “Second Lieutenant Jenny Frederick.” Frederick saluted.

            “Parker, we’re all set?” Blake asked Parker as she stood motionless next to the bridge door.

            “Yes sir we are.” Parker nodded.

            “Stewart, release the anchors and leave this bay.” Blake commanded to a young man sitting at some controls with markings of a Private First Class.

            “Aye Captain.” Stewart acknowledged by pressing a button on his console.

            “Grab a seat Lieutenant, let me give the instructions to my marines and we’ll talk.” Blake fished out a pair of binoculars from his utility belt and eyed the horizon.

            “Parker, get the controls.” Blake commanded as the marines from the Falcon entered the bridge.

            “Understood.” Parker paced quickly to the controls.

            Frederick grabbed a seat nearby and waved at Sears and Hariprasad to sit. Blake walked to a printer and read a piece of paper.

            “Stewart, forward throttle to sixty percent. Parker, turn heading to 270. Johnson, system check on weapons.” Blake ordered and sat down in a seat centered in the middle of the bridge.

            “Accelerating forward.” Stewart pushed the throttle forward.

            “Turning 270.” Parker repeated and turned the helm right.

            “Checking weapons.” Johnson pushed a series of buttons.

            The ship turned and quickly left the dock as members of Cobra Squad navigated the ship. In a few minutes, the land of Australia was no longer in view as the engines reached its speed.

            “Weapons are a go, sir.” Johnson looked at a computer and flashed a thumbs-up.

            “Excellent! Ladies and gentlemen, Middle East, here we come.” Blake clapped his hands in excitement.

            “Hell yeah!” Johnson and Stewart shouted in enthusiasm.

UNSCDF2 Chapter 35- Very Important Business

Reygi, Kandahar, Afghanistan

Secronom Research Facility

April 21, 2001

2130 Local Time

            “Fall back! Retreat!” Zyrok continued to shout as his marines fired at the multi-limbed zombies climbing out of the vent.

            Zyrok’s Desert Fox was getting low on ammo and he looked at the marines attempting to open a door behind him.

            “It’s stuck.” Nevarez pulled on the door handle.

            “Hurry up people.” Zyrok fired a few rounds.

            Suddenly, the door slid open and Frederick stood on the other side.

            “Go! We’ll cover.” Frederick raised her SA80 and aimed behind Zyrok.

            Zyrok and his marines rushed out of the room while Frederick and Cookson covered. Hariprasad stood beside a room opposite to them and waved.

            “Get in.” Hariprasad shouted.

            The marines quickly filed into the room and Hariprasad slid the doors shut. The door was followed by immediate pounding as the zombies bashed against the door.

            “It will hold.” Hariprasad reassured as he tapped the doors.

            “Where are we?” Zyrok looked around.

            “Some sort of control room.” Frederick replied.

            “How did you find us?” Zyrok asked.

            “We heard people shouting and decided to take a look.” Frederick answered.

            “It wasn’t me.” Schmidt raised his hands in the air.

            “Probably me giving the orders.” Zyrok replied.

            “Perhaps, but it looks like being loud for once in a zombie apocalyptic world saved your life.” Frederick teased.

            “I guess so.” Zyrok muttered.

            “That’s it…?” Frederick crossed her arms.

            “What’s it?” Zyrok raised and eyebrow.

            “What Frederick meant was that she was looking for some sort of appreciation…” Cookson immediately understood Frederick’s meaning.

            “Oh, thanks.” Zyrok smiled and thanked Frederick.

            “That’s better.” Frederick scoffed.

            “Wow…” Zyrok exclaimed.

            “I’m just joking. Take it easy Charlie…I meant Zyrok.” Frederick laughed and looked away.

            “Hey guys, look at this.” Nevarez pointed at a computer that was online.

            “What is it?” Zyrok raised an eyebrow.

            Zyrok walked to the computer with Frederick beside him and tapped on the keyboard. The screen lit up and Zyrok sat down next to the computer.

            “You have one unread video log.” the computer spoke.

            Zyrok clicked the mouse and opened the file on the computer desktop.

            “Playing video log sequence Alpha Zulu Zulu 57.” the computer spoke.

            The screen displayed a scientist looking at the camera with a scared face.

            “This is Chief Medical Officer Jenkins from Level Zulu. Test subjects have mutated severely and got out of their holding rooms. Repeat, we have a breach!” the scientist spoke to the computer.

            In the background, two Secronom security guards ran towards Jenkins and grabbed him.

            “We have to go now. Doors are breached.” one guard spoke to Jenkins.

            From the computer, screams and gunshots could be heard in the background noise.

            “Initiate quarantine procedures Pappa Romeo Yankee. This abomination must be destroyed and not reach the surface. The release of them will destroy humanity.” Jenkins frantically spoke on the microphone.

            “Now sir!” the guard spun around and fired two rounds.

            “This is Jenkins signing off. Good luck and Godspeed.” Jenkins frantically spoke on the microphone.

            “From the looks of it, Jenkins didn’t make it.” Frederick guessed.

            “It appears that way…” Zyrok pointed at the door.

            “What’s quarantine procedures Pappa Romeo Yankee?” Cookson asked.

            “Let me check.” Zyrok typed on the computer.

            Zyrok clicked on his mouse and then typed in the database to look for the quarantine procedures. After a few minutes of searching, he found the file.

            “Quarantine procedures Pappa Romeo Yankee is the destruction of all assets in the facility in the event of a quarantine breach.” Zyrok read out loud.

            “Continue, please.” Frederick prompted.

            “All Secronom facilities are equipped with a self-destruct sequence in the event of an outbreak. Should the need for the quarantine procedures to be in effect, there has to be a loss of control of the facility.” Zyrok continued reading.

            “So where’s the self-destruct and how do we turn it on?” Schmidt interrupted.

            “Let me scroll down.” Zyrok moved his mouse down.

            “Hmm…” Frederick studied the computer screen.

            “The self-destruct sequence has to be manually primed in the central room located in Room B5535.” Zyrok read the monitor.

            “Where are we now?” Schmidt asked.

            “Room…B5550.” Frederick replied as she looked at a signage.

            “It’s not far.” Hariprasad commented.

            “Let’s check on May and Forester’s team and see how they are doing?” Zyrok suggested.

            “Good idea.” Frederick agreed.

            “Especially when we are going to blow this facility.” Schmidt added.

            “Forester or May, do you copy?” Zyrok spoke on the RaidComm.

            “Go ahead Zyrok.” Forester replied.

            “What’s your location and status?” Zyrok asked.

            “We’ve retreated with 2-3 to the second floor. Casey’s in serious condition and we believe Robertson is dead.” Forester reported.

            “I’m sorry to hear that.” Zyrok replied with a sigh and looked at the ground.

            “He was a good fellow.” Cookson muttered.

            “He was a hero.” Frederick corrected.

            “Indeed.” Zyrok nodded in agreement.

            “Captain, we need to Casey topside so he can get the nanites.” May interrupted on the RaidComm bringing everyone back to the present.

            “Copy, Forester and May, take your teams topside. We are going to see if we can shut this place down.” Zyrok responded.

            “Marines, time to move out.” Frederick slid a fresh magazine into her SA80.

            “Affirmative, 2-3 and 4-3 going up. Zyrok, what does this facility hold that High Command wants?” Forester asked.

            “Forester, all I see is a science experiment gone wrong. There is nothing valuable that we’ve uncovered.” Zyrok answered to the best of his ability.

            “Let me check.” Excuse me.” Frederick squeezed in front of Zyrok and began to use the computer.

            “Here, sit.” Zyrok stood up and offered Frederick a seat.

            “Thanks.” Frederick sat down with her eyes trained on the monitor.

            Cookson and Hariprasad sat down beside each other and began to chat about the new zombies. Later, Nevarez and Schmidt joined in on the conversation as they waited for Frederick to search the computer.

            “Those eight-legged freaks of nature sure gives me the creeps.” Schmidt shivered.

            “They almost resemble a spider…” Hariprasad commented.

            “Yeah man, eight legs and crawls about anywhere.” Nevarez nodded.

            “If they are spiders…why don’t we just kill it with bug spray?” Cookson joked.

            “Hahaha, very funny. If there even is one available down here to test…” Schmidt laughed.

            Zyrok looked at the marines enjoying their break and turned to face Frederick.

            “Anything?” Zyrok spoke softly.

            “Something…I think.” Frederick pointed at her screen.

            Zyrok looked at the screen and saw a piece of body armor. The armor somewhat resembled Zyrok’s Exterminator Mesh GT except it had thicker plates of armor.

            “Is it me or does it almost look like my armor?” Zyrok pointed at his chest.

            “Maybe this is what High Command was looking for.” Frederick guessed.

            “Forester, Zyrok here. Frederick has looked some sort of file regarding a new armor that Secronom has. Is that what High Command is looking for?” Zyrok asked on the RaidComm.

            “Well Zyrok, the armor High Command issued you was reverse engineered from Secronom’s early prototypes of the Exterminator series.” Forester replied.

            “Other than that, I don’t think Secronom has anything more to offer except those spider zombies.” Zyrok reported.

            “Alright, see if you can get your hands on the armor. We’ll be heading up shortly and will lose communications.” Forester requested.

            “Copy, we’ll find the research and then blow everything up.” Zyrok acknowledged.

            “Good luck marines. We’ll see you topside.” Forester ended the RaidComm transmission.

Kandahar Air Base, Kandahar, Afghanistan

Fire Team Kilo’s Camp

April 21, 2001

2135 Local Time

            “Screw it Sears, I’m grabbing a Pelican to provide some assistance.” Pruett stood up from his chair slightly agitated.

            “Pruett, if you leave this camp, we will also put ourselves in jeopardy.” Sears responded.

            “Sears, did you not hear on the RaidComm? Something is not going right at the facility.” Pruett reasoned.

            “So what do you propose Corporal? We fly there to check?” Sears asked.

            “Yeah. From the looks of it, Zyrok and the others are too deep underground for us to contact them on RaidComm. What if they come up and the Russians have taken over?” Pruett proposed his ideas.

            “Hmm.” Sears rubbed his chin.

            “Sir, I can go with Pruett.” a young marine spoke from his desk.

            “Parker, if you go, who else is going to monitor the radar?” Sears asked.

            “I’ll multitask.” Foo interrupted.

            “Two here and two out…is that a good idea?” Sears questioned the marines.

            “It’s not the best idea, but we’re preventing potential casualties if the Russians get there.” Pruett replied.

            “That’s true. What if they need a quick extraction from the hot zone?” Foo asked.

            “Exactly. So we should be ready.” Pruett agreed.

            “Fine, Pruett and Parker can take a Pelican and assess the situation. If at anytime you feel that the risks are too high, pull out.” Sears crossed his arms.

            “Got it Sarge.” Parker nodded.

            The two marines quickly exited the Command Center and rushed onto the airfield. Two Pelicans were neatly docked in the hangars with the blast doors halfway open. Pruett swiped his UNSC ID badge on an access panel and the blast doors fully opened.

            “Take Kilo 11. That one’s loaded with missiles.” Parker pointed at the Pelican in front of him.

            “Good stuff. We might need it.” Pruett walked aboard the Pelican and into the cockpit.

            “She’s a beauty isn’t she?” Parker pointed at the console.

            “She sure is.” Pruett ran his fingers on a smooth board of controls.

            “Our team customized it for the terrain here. Missile pods, mounted M60, and a rotating GAU-19 at its nose.” Parker smiled as he pointed at the controls.

            “That’s beast.” Pruett sat down on the pilot’s seat.

            “We can even see who is friend or foe if you have the right gear equipped, but that’s just a bonus. This puppy can bring a reign of terror.” Parker said proudly.

            “Ok, nice. Let’s get this off the ground. Do you want to man the turret at the back?” Pruett pressed the ignition button.

            “Ill hop on the turret when we get closer. For now, I’ll take a seat.” Parker sat on a seat beside Pruett.

            The engines of the Pelican roared to life as it began to lift off. As the Pelican ascended ten meters into the air and was clear of obstacles, Pruett pushed the throttle forward and the Pelican sped out of the hangar. Once the Pelican left the hangar, the blast doors sealed halfway.

            “Let’s get this job done.” Pruett grinned as he looked at the Secronom Research Facility in the distant and steered the Pelican towards it.

UNSCDF2 Chapter 33- Researches Gone Wrong

Reygi, Kandahar, Afghanistan

Secronom Research Facility

April 21, 2001

1850 Local Time

            “Watch your corners.” Zyrok cautioned as he pointed his flashlight at an intersection with his Desert Fox ready to shoot.

            “Is it me or is it cold?” Nevarez shivered.

            “Obviously it’s cold. The sun doesn’t shine here remember?” Schmidt joked.

            “Hey Zyrok.” Frederick called out from the group of marines.

            “Yeah?” Zyrok turned his head.

            “A directory.” Frederick pointed her gun’s flashlight on a wall.

            “Let’s take a look.” Zyrok walked to the wall and studied the map.

            “Damn, this facility is big.” Forester glanced at the map.

            “Fifty levels underground, who knew there would be another five more levels down...” Zyrok said with a surprised face.

            “Let’s split so we can cover more ground.” Casey suggested.

            “Frederick, Cookson, Hariprasad form a team and designate call sign 1-3. May, Robertson, and Christopher will be 2-3. Forester, Casey, and Taylor can be 3-3 and me, Nevarez, and Schmidt will be 4-3.” Zyrok directed.

            “Sounds good, there are five levels and four teams.” Casey pointed out.

            “Then we better get going. We work our way down.” Zyrok pointed at an elevator down the hall with his flashlight.

            “Boss, you sure that works?” Schmidt asked.

            “If not, we can always take the stairs.” Zyrok smiled.

            “Alright Zyrok, we’ll take this floor.” May volunteered.

            “We’ll take the second.” Frederick replied.

            “Third for us.” Zyrok smiled.

            “Then four for our team then.” Forester concluded.

            “Once we’re done. We’ll converge on the fifth floor.” Zyrok pointed at the map.

            “Alright marines, let’s move.” Forester ordered.

            May’s team hurried into the first room and began to clear while Forester’s team headed for the elevators. Taylor pressed the button, but it did not seem to work so Casey pushed the stairwell doors open. As Zyrok reached the stairwell, Frederick’s team ran past Zyrok and his marines.

            “You got to go faster or we’ll beat you to the fifth floor.” Frederick teased Zyrok.

            “Oh…we have a competition now.” Zyrok crossed his arms.

            “You can sit here and look pretty, but I’m here to work.” Frederick joked.

            “Frederick, it’s on. Come on men!” Zyrok waved at his marines.

            The marines rushed down the stairwell and exited out their assigned floors. Zyrok pushed the door open and waved at Schmidt to take point. Schmidt stuck out his M16 out of the door and panned his flashlight down the halls. As Schmidt walked out a few steps, the sound of moaning could be heard in the distant.

            “Go stealth.” Zyrok whispered as he pulled out his kukri from his belt.

            Schmidt nodded, but decided to continue wielding his M16. Since the flashlight was attached to his gun, he figured he would use his gun to bash any zombies that got in his way. Nevarez looked at Zyrok and then Schmidt and decided to use his M16 as a melee weapon.

            “First room on the left. Breach and clear.” Zyrok pointed.

            Once the marines slowly made their way down the dark halls and reached the door, Zyrok looked at the access panel. He swiped the Secronom keycard and the doors slid open. Immediately, two zombies in bloody lab coats rushed out of the room. Schmidt bashed one zombie to the ground with the butt of his gun and stomped on its neck killing the zombie whilst Zyrok thrusted his kukri into the other zombie’s forehead.

            “Go! Go!” Zyrok commanded as he pulled his knife from the zombie’s head.

            The zombie dropped to the ground dead and Schmidt charged in with his gun ready. Zyrok knelt beside the zombie he killed and picked up a Secronom keycard hanging around its neck. Nevarez walked past the other corpse and got himself a keycard.

            “Clear!” Schmidt shouted as he panned his flashlight back and forth around the room.

            The room was filled with medical equipment and vials of blue liquids. Zyrok walked over to a vial and noticed the word “Nerotonin-1” marked on it.

            “Nertonin…” Nevarez picked up a vial and read it.

            “The Nerotonin-1 is ineffective against the Nertonin-4 virus.” Zyrok looked at the other vials.

            “Was this facility testing for a cure?” Schmidt asked.

            “We don’t know yet. Next room, let’s go. We have to beat Frederick’s team.” Zyrok hustled.

            Zyrok gave Schmidt his looted keycard and exited back out to the halls. He pointed at the door adjacent to them and the team quickly got into formation. Schmidt swiped his keycard on the panel and the doors slid open. From the ground, a zombie with no legs crawled out and growled viciously.

            “Goodbye!” Schmidt swung his M16 like a bat and cracked the zombie’s head open.

            “Clear the room.” Zyrok ordered.

            “Affirmative.” Nevarez replied.

            Nevarez walked into the room cautiously keeping his eyes out for hidden zombies. Schmidt followed behind Nevarez closely while Zyrok watched from the back with his kukri ready in hand.

            “What’s this room?” Nevarez looked at a bunch of cages with dead animal corpses.

            “Bunnies, rats, dogs, and cats.” Schmidt examined the carcasses.

            “Test subjects.” Zyrok looked at a folder hooked beside a cage.

            “What were the scientists experimenting on?” Nevarez asked.

            “Subject 32 reacted with the Nerotonin-1 drug after two minutes. Loss of vision and paralysis were the side effects of the body’s antibodies mixing with the drug.” Zyrok read the report.

            “Take a look at this one.” Schmidt pulled a folder from a dead dog’s cage.

            “What does it say?” Zyrok looked interested.

            “Advanced stages of the Nerotonin-1 seemed to have a longer cellular stability in the host of 67. The red blood cells in 67 seemed to have a coarse edge after four hours of exposure.” Schmidt read the paperwork.

            “That’s good to hear, but Nerotonin-1 is too old. We need details on Nerotonin-3 and Nerotonin-4 in order to get some good Intel.” Zyrok replied.

           “Nope, nothing here. All of these are Nerotonin-1 test subjects.” Nevarez quickly scanned each folder on each cage.

            “Alright, let’s seal this door and clear the room opposite here.” Zyrok ordered.

            The marines exited the lab and walked to a door in front of them.

            “Same plan, breach and clear.” Zyrok nodded at Nevarez to swipe the keycard.

            Nevarez swiped the keycard and took a few steps back as the door opened. A small group of zombies in body armor rushed out.

            “Fire!” Zyrok ordered as he slashed at one zombie attempting to bite him and pulled out his Desert Fox sidearm.

            Zyrok stuffed his pistol into the zombie’s mouth and fired a round. Nevarez aimed his M16 and popped a few rounds in a zombie before bashing the barrel of the gun to its skull. Schmidt, on the other hand, was doing pretty well. He fired one shot per zombie headed his way doing an instant kill. After a few minutes, the marines had dealt with the threat and moved inside the room.

            “These guys look like the Secronom’s security team.” Zyrok nudged a dead zombie with his boot.

            “And this is the security room.” Schmidt pointed at a lot of broken monitors hanging off the wall.

            “The power’s offline.” Nevarez pressed on a keyboard.

            “Williams, this is Zyrok. Can you see if you can find the controls to turn on the power down here?” Zyrok spoke on the RaidComm.

            A minute passed by and Zyrok got no response.

            “Williams, do you copy, over.” Zyrok asked on the RaidComm.

            “I don’t think Williams heard us.” Nevarez guessed.

            “Forester, do you copy?” Zyrok sat down in a seat as he broadcasted on the RaidComm.

            “Yeah, I hear you Zyrok. What’s up?” Forester asked.

            “I can’t get a response from Williams’ team. Can you keep an eye out for some power controls? Our floor is in complete darkness.” Zyrok responded.

            “Copy. I believe we’re too underground for the RaidComm signals to be received. Our floor is dark as hell as well.” Forester replied.

            “Keep me posted of your progress.” Zyrok requested.

            “Will do Zyrok.” Forester replied and ended the transmission.

            “Hey Zyrok, take a look at this.” Schmidt pointed at a corpse beside him.

            Zyrok the noticed the body was mutilated, but it was easily identifiable from the other bodies that it was neither a scientist nor a security guard. It wore the uniform of a Russian soldier and a rank of Corporal.

            “We have a Gleb here.” Schmidt looked at the dog tag of the deceased Russian.

            “Got separated from his team?” Zyrok searched the body.

            “Looks like it.” Nevarez looked at the other zombie corpses on the ground.

            “A radio…that might be useful.” Zyrok pulled out a radio from Gleb’s back pocket.

            “Does it work?” Schmidt glanced at the radio.

            Zyrok turned some dials on the radio and heard static. He frowned and removed the battery.

            “Looks dead to me.” Zyrok dropped the battery to the ground and knelt over Gleb’s backpack.

            Zyrok rummaged through the backpack and found a spare battery. He smiled in satisfaction and attached it to the radio. Zyrok turned the knob on the side and the radio came to life.

            “Tanya, cover the main doors.” a man spoke on the radio.

            “Sasha, the door won’t hold long. We have to get Vladamir out of here.” a woman replied back.

            Zyrok looked at the radio and then looked at his men. Schmidt shrugged and Nevarez had a curious face.

            “Go and assist?” Nevarez asked.

            “Sasha, they got through. We’re retreating!” Tanya frantically spoke on the radio.

            “Argh! Help!” another man screamed on the radio with gunshots in the background.

            “They got Alexsei!” Tanya shouted.

            “Tanya! Get to our location now. We’re sealing the security doors.” Sasha commanded in a rushed tone of voice.

            Zyrok and his marines huddled around the radio with widened eyes. There were no more transmissions coming out of the radio after Sasha’s orders.

            “Are they…dead?” Nevarez asked.

            “What got them?” Schmidt frowned.

            “Must be zombies.” Zyrok replied.

            “Sasha…do you read?” Tanya whispered.

            “She’s still alive.” Nevarez exclaimed.

            “Sasha…Vladamir…anyone copy?” Tanya whispered.

            “Should we talk?” Schmidt looked at the radio in Zyrok’s hand.

            “Anybody out there? Anyone?” Tanya broadcasted.

            Zyrok sighed and felt the obligation to answer.

            “This is UNSC Captain Zyrok, go ahead.” Zyrok spoke on the radio.

            “Oh thank god. There are zombies everywhere. I need help, I’m stuck Captain.” Tanya said with relief on the radio.

            “Slow down. Tell me what’s going on.” Zyrok spoke softly.

            “They’re everywhere. My team…Sasha and Vladamir…I’m not sure if they are alive.” Tanya breathed heavily.

            “Zombies…where?” Zyrok asked.

            “Not just any zombies, these zombies have multiple limbs and crawl very fast.” Tanya reported.

            “Where are you?” Zyrok asked.

            “I climbed into a vent because I didn’t have enough time to make it to Sasha’s location.” Tanya answered.

            “Which level are you on?” Zyrok pulled out his pistol.

            “Zulu…Level Zulu.” Tanya replied.

            “How many floors down from the underground elevator?” Zyrok asked.

            “Five…five floors down. We approached a destroyed blast door and proceeded to check it out. And…that was when those things appeared and attacked us.” Tanya muttered.

            “Okay, remain calm. We’ll come.” Zyrok replied.

            “Oh thank you Captain. Where are you right now?” Tanya asked.

            “Two floors above you. I’ve got marines scattered around searching. We found your friend Gleb.” Zyrok reported.

            “You better stick together. These multi-limbed zombies are good at picking us off. You found Gleb?” Tanya suggested.

            “Ok. We found Gleb as a zombie and put him down like the rest of them.” Zyrok glanced at Gleb’s body.

            “Gleb lost us when we encountered a mob of zombies.” Tanya said with some concern in her voice.

            “Sit tight, we’ll be with you shortly.” Zyrok spoke on the radio and then looked at his marines.

            “Sounds like a party.” Schmidt replied sarcastically.

            “All UNSC marines, report in.” Zyrok broadcasted on the RaidComm as he clipped the radio to his belt.

            “May here, first floor is cleared and secured. Lots of office paperwork here.” May reported.

            “Frederick reporting in. Floor two is almost secured. Ran into zombies and dealt with them. No big deal.” Frederick reported with confidence.

            “Zyrok, we’ve just secured the fourth floor. A lot of zombies, but we cleared it. We are clearing room two of the fifth floor.” Forester responded.

            “Oh no…” Schmidt looked at Nevarez and then Zyrok.

            “Hold position Forester. Repeat, hold position.” Zyrok commanded.

            “What’s going on?” Forester asked with concern.

            “I’ll explain later. May, get your team to the fifth floor now. The rest of you, quickly finish your floors and regroup on level five.” Zyrok broadcasted.

            “What’s up Zyrok? Can you…wait, what’s that Casey? Did you see that?” Forester asked on the RaidComm and was interrupted.

            “Forester, be careful of different types of zombies. Level Zulu is in the fifth floor.” Zyrok cautioned.

            “Oh…didn’t something get out of Level Zulu? That’s…Casey, watch out! Contact six and nine o’clock! What the hell!” Forester yelled in surprise.

            “Forester, run!” Zyrok shouted on the RaidComm.

            “Holy smokes! What are these things? Taylor, look left!” Forester replied in distress.

            “Nevarez and Schmidt, you know the plan. Double time it marines.” Zyrok shouted.

            “If it’s not one of us, kill it.” Nevarez nodded as he quickly checked the ammunition in his M16.

            “It’s going to be a hell hole once we go down.” Schmidt smirked as he cocked his gun.

            “Let’s get a move on it people.” Zyrok hustled as he sprinted out of the room.

            “This is 3-3 encountering multiple hostiles of an unknown breed of zombies. Need backup! Repeat, need reinforcements in Room B5502.” Casey broadcasted on the RaidComm.

            “Copy 3-3. 2-3 and 4-3 are on the way there.” Zyrok ran down the dark halls and shoved a zombie in his way to the ground.

            “There’s a lot of them Zyrok!” Taylor cried out on the RaidComm.

            “We’re coming. Hold your position. Use everything that you’ve got.” Zyrok ordered.

            “This is 2-3, we’ve reached the fifth floor and are engaging zombies from behind.” May reported on the RaidComm.

            “Give them hell marines!” Forester spoke on the RaidComm loudly.

            “Frederick here, 1-3 is ready to assist. Moving down to level five.” Frederick interrupted on the RaidComm.

            Zyrok pushed the stairwell door open and jumped down the stairs with his marines following behind. Zyrok pushed the door to the fifth floor open and saw a zombie with multiple limbs on the ceiling staring at him. The zombie growled and lunged itself towards Zyrok with its mouth open exposing a set of sharp teeth.