Pandemic(34)

“Thank you, Captain.”

“It’s extraordinary, to say the least,” the man added, his tone deferential but testing.

“That’s because I wasn’t actually promoted. Or appointed to command.”

The men stared at him, their mouths hanging open.

Lee went on. “The chain of command has been completely disrupted. The Bug’s incubation period in some cases appears to be longer than previously understood. Casualties sent to the rear have spread infection. There are now detection kits that can determine on the spot if somebody is infected, but they’re being prioritized to military personnel in Florida and at Mount Weather. In the case of regimental command, all of headquarters was compromised and had to be terminated via airstrike. In the case of divisional command, Fort Drum has gone dark. We’re working on getting eyes on base via satellite, but it’s chaos across the board.”

Lee paused to let all that sink in. Some of the men had families living at Drum.

Marsh glanced at Major Walker. Lee knew what Marsh was thinking. He was thinking the major should have assumed command as the senior officer, but he didn’t believe Walker could get them out of the mess they were in. Lee wondered what Marsh would say if he knew the major shared that sentiment.

“I fully support Lee taking command,” Walker said, putting the issue to bed.

“As a temporary posting,” Captain Sommers of Charlie Company pointed out, “until we get back on the reservation. Right?”

Lee nodded. So did the other men.

“Major Walker pulled you out of the core,” Lee said before they had a chance to come up with any fresh objections. “I ordered you the rest of the way here.”

Hallelujah Hayes snorted. “That didn’t come from the top, either?”

“No,” Lee told him. “That’s on me too.”

Marsh said, “You’re stretching the concept of independent initiative far beyond what’s accepted. We could all get shit-canned for this.”

Lee noted Marsh said accepted, not acceptable. An important distinction. “It’s on me,” he repeated.

“Then God help you. Sir.”

Captain Perez of Delta Company glared at the others. “Who wants to go back into Boston?”

Nobody raised his hand. They knew the city was a lost cause.

“So we’re here,” Marsh said. “Now what?”

“The first step is Fort Drum,” Lee replied. “Retake it if necessary. Make sure our families are safe. Rest and refit.”

“Wait a minute. Boston’s a write-off. We can’t hold onto the real estate. I get that. But there are still civilians here who need our protection.”

“And I have a wife and three kids at Drum,” Sommers said. “Lee’s right. Let Brock handle his people. It’s about time we took care of our own.”

“Our mission is to save Boston.”

“And we failed, Captain. That sucks. But it’s how it is.”

“Tell that to all of our guys who went through hell and died out there.”

“Our mission,” Lee said, “is to save the United States. That’s the big picture.”

“Suppose we got every civilian in one place and protected them,” Captain Johnston of Echo Company said. As a support company, Echo took care of everything from the motor pool to making sure the men got their three squares a day. “How would we feed them? Treat them when they’re sick? We don’t have the resources. We’re down to essentials just for our own boys. We barely have enough ordnance and fuel left to get us to Drum.”

“We could attach ourselves to Brock,” Marsh said, adding quickly, “It’s an option.”

“He’s got eight thousand people in the field, and he can barely keep them supplied,” Johnston told him.

“Besides that,” Sommers added, “he’d just send us back into the meat grinder.”

That appeared to settle the issue. Necessity trumped the moral considerations. They couldn’t protect the people of Boston any longer, because soon, it would simply no longer be possible.

“So what happens after Drum?” Perez asked.

“We have options,” Lee said. “We may become attached to another command that can provide the resources we need to remain combat effective. We could establish a sphere of protection for civilians. Set up refugee camps if somebody can supply them. Major Walker had another idea. It’s crazy or bold, take your pick. But the way things are going, it may be our last chance.”

“What’s that, sir?”

Lee said, “Florida.”





THIRTY.



STEP OFF IN LESS THAN TWO HOURS. A night march through a city of nightmares.