active duty. The human lighthouse viciously attacked pile after pile of food, as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks. He was a bit thinner from bed rest and covered in new scars, but hardly worse for wear. In fact, the jagged scar along his jawline fit him perfectly.
Albright sat quietly next to Jack, sipping from her canteen and otherwise off in her own little world. Even before the invasion, she’d been prone to bouts of deep thought. Jack figured he’d do the same if he knew even a quarter as much as stuff.
“How about this one?” Nikitin said with his mouth jammed full of dry rations. “I heard the aliens started fighting each other, like a civil war or something.”
Jack looked skeptical. “Come on, Nik. You can do better than that.”
“And they’re cannibals?”
“Now you’re getting somewhere.”
“Cannibal zombies.”
“Too far.”
Nikitin laughed hard, and bits of food flew out of his mouth. “Alright, alright. What’ve you got?”
“Ummm… I heard that after years of careful planning, the one thing the aliens didn’t account for was disease, and now they’re dropping like flies.”
“Weak. Do you honestly think no one else has seen War of the Worlds?”
“Wait for it. Sexually transmitted disease.”
“Ha! I can see the headlines now… Alien Armada Defeated by the Clap!”
“Invasion forces penetrated deep, but should’ve used protection,” Jack added with a laugh. He refused to say it, but he was glad as all hell to have Nikitin back. The guy laughed in death’s face as a matter of habit, and his spirit was contagious. He was a walking morale booster, and without him, Jack could get too grim for even his own taste.
“So seriously, what do you think this is all about?”
Jack shook his head. “Not even gonna try guessing, man.” He glanced down at his watch and 7:00pm was fast approaching. “But we’ll find out soon enough.”
They spouted off another half-dozen joke theories while they finished eating, and then all three headed off to the shabby meeting hall where Colonel Galili had spoken that first night.
It was standing room only, and the excitement inside was so thick Jack could cut it with a spoon. As was the stink of sweat. Jack, Nikitin and Albright pushed and jostled their way through the crowd, and stopped only when they couldn’t wade any further in.
“A fire inspector would have a field day in here,” Nikitin said.
Jack laughed. “Good news. I don’t think they’re all dead.”
“Burnt up. Is that ironic?”
“Don’t think so,” Jack said.
“What if they were all attending an international fire inspector conference during the attack, and had exceeded their venue’s maximum occupancy?”
“Maybe. I never got a good grasp on irony.”
The wolfish Colonel Galili stood at his podium. “Settle down. Settle down.”
A hush passed through the crowd, and he began. “Now, I know you’ve all heard a lot of wild theories, and command has decided to take the lid off rather than let these dangerous rumors persist. Let me categorically state that there is no legion of three meter tall super soldiers marching across Eastern Europe… so far as we’re aware.”
A giggle shot through the room.
“Here’s what we know. Six days ago, a strange device of unknown origin crashed near the Russian Ark. At first, they thought it was an unexploded enemy round, until it literally popped open and waved a white flag.”
“Great. Even Bugs Bunny is shelling us now,” Nikitin grumbled.
“When they finally worked up the courage to investigate the capsule, they found surprises inside. There was a binder full of high resolution orbital photos with enemy installations marked, a mini-drive containing the same information, and a handwritten note that said ‘keep hope alive.’”
A low murmur rumbled all around.
“Now, it would appear that we have a guardian angel somewhere up above, but we’re not ready to rule out the possibility of a trap just yet. We are examining the information very closely, and will hopefully come to a decision one way or another very soon.”
While everyone else was whispering to one another, Jack’s hand shot into the air.
“Is that Mr. Hernandez? What is your question?”
The Colonel knew him by name. That was new. “I understand the information hasn’t been confirmed yet, sir, but can you tell us anything at all?”
“The pictures show colonization all along the equator in South America and Africa. The enemy vessels have planted themselves in the jungle, and seem to have transformed into makeshift cities. They have also established numerous observation posts and forts, forming a several hundred kilometer wide defense zone.”
Jack’s hand was in the air again.
“Yes?”
“My team has experience doing search and rescue in the Congo, as well as ops in Uganda and Kenya. I’d like to volunteer to investigate the intelligence, sir.”
Galili stroked his chin for a moment. “Stay and have a word with me, Hernandez. The rest of you are dismissed. We’ll have another announcement when we know more.”
“Oooooh,” Nikitin said. “Jack’s gotta stay after class.”
“Not the first time,” Jack said.
The crowd filed out, already inventing new rumors to supplant the old ones. Nikitin and Albright opted to wait outside, while Jack went to have a chat with the teacher.
Once the room was empty, Jack approached the Colonel. “What can I do for you, sir?”
Galili was busy digging something out of his pack. He produced a large roll of paper a moment later, unrolled it and laid it out on a large wooden table. “Have a look at this, Mr. Hernandez.”
It was a map of Africa with enemy emplacements marked in red. The Sub-Saharan region was dotted with small checks, and four large circles staggered across the Congo, west of Lake Victoria.
“This is the intel, sir?”
“More or less. Tell me… how could I move, let’s say, forty troops into theater.”
“Alright. We know the Suez is a no-go, and the rest of Egypt is pretty hot from the looks of this. A better bet would be to cross at the Bab-El-Mandeb bridge, and make your entrance through Djibouti.”
“You think the bridge still stands?”
“Probably. The aliens struck population centers, but they ignored roadways and bridges. If it’s down, you cross by boat. It shouldn’t be too hard to find something sea-worthy in the area.”
“Interesting. And then?”
“Follow the rift valley all the way to Kenya, then cross Uganda along the southern edge. That seems to be where outposts and patrols are the thinnest.” His scarred fingers traced a trail from Djibouti and stopped near Lake Victoria.
“Good. Very good. What would you say, Mr. Hernandez, if I asked you to establish a forward base in Africa?”
“Wait. What?” That caught Jack off guard. He thought he was just giving advice.
“Few of us have experience south of Egypt. We need someone who knows the land. Someone who knows how to survive there. You lead a force along the route you just drew and investigate. If the intel is good, then you establish a base of operations and start hitting the enemy where it hurts.”
“I… Can I have a little time to think about this?”
“Take a day if you like, but I already know what your answer will be. You’re the man for the job, and you know it. You were the one who told us to be bold, were you not?”
“I suppose so, sir.”
“And your trip-lines are still racking up enemy casualties. More walkers fall every week. You want to hurt these bastards, and I’d like to help you.”
