I take up my place at the end of the table, as asked, like a good soldier, playing along to the Colonel’s tune for now. Dan does the same, now standing beside me. The Colonel’s tune won’t last. However, I will play along for now and hear what he has to say and what he actually wants. I will then make my decision and if I have to tell him no, then he will have to swallow it, as nothing he is going to say will override my priority, which is Emily.
Silence ensues around the table for a moment as if everybody is waiting for something to happen, which they are, like some kind of sick challenge to see who will blink first. Well, I, for one, haven’t got time for these games and if it is me who has to blink first then so be it; they are all looking in my direction anyway.
“What do you want to discuss, Colonel?” I ask plainly and then everybody’s heads turn to see what the Colonel is going to say.
“You know very well what you are here for, Captain,” the Colonel says, puffing his chest out even further, revelling in his power.
I decide to test him, to see if I can prick his inflated ego a bit. “No, Colonel, I don’t know why you called us here, so if you have something you want to discuss, I suggest you get on with it,” I tell him.
This doesn’t go down very well with him, unsurprisingly, and I can feel his men gathered around the table cowering slightly, waiting for his response.
“You know damn well why you’re here, man!” he starts angrily, “I got you out of a very dark hole yesterday, on your word that you would give me Sir Malcolm’s computer and his safe. You provided me with one, but then proceeded to try and make a fool of me! The Home Secretary took a very dim view of the events and even then, I cleared you to land here in your stolen Lynx helicopter. I expect you to get me that fucking safe, Richards!”
The Colonel isn’t irate, but he is not far off, as some of the blood has definitely left his chest and gone to his face, which is a shade of dark red now. Maybe it is time to try and calm the situation.
“As I have explained to you, Colonel, we couldn’t shift the safe; if we could have, we would have but our time ran out and I didn’t try to make a fool of you by commandeering the Lynx. I had no choice. The safe is still there and I am sure you have enough capable men to get it if you think it is that important.”
“Major Reese, explain to this buffoon why that safe is important.” I would say that I was offended by the Colonel's slight, but I’ve been called much worse.
The only officer who doesn’t outrank the Colonel around the table, an average-sized man, who doesn’t look like he has seen much—if any— ‘action’, starts to speak.
“Captain Richards, I was in charge of the facility where this virus escaped from, and I was tasked with moving out of the facility and shutting it down. Unfortunately, a terrible accident happened, the virus was released and a large fire broke out which destroyed the building. To add to this unfortunate incident, all the records related to the particular virus we think has caused this outbreak were destroyed in the fire… genetic sequences, details of possible anti-viruses all destroyed. Now it is my understanding that Sir Malcolm once oversaw the facility where the accident happened and may have kept files related to this type of virus. Don’t ask me how, but apparently, he kept them to try and force the MOD to destroy the viruses. This never happened and according to the Colonel, the records could be in his safe and could prove vital in stopping this virus or at least dramatically cut the time it takes us to stop it.” The Major finishes his appeal.
Major Rees’s speech is honest and passionate, but it doesn’t give any reason why getting the safe requires Dan or me. We could easily brief another team, tell them what to expect and the terrain of where the safe is in the Orion building. A team much younger, fresher and not as rusty as me and Dan.
“Thank you, Major,” the Colonel says. “So, Captain, tell me what you need to go and get the safe?”
“I understand what Major Rees is saying, Colonel, but as you know, I am not a Captain any longer and I haven’t been for over five years, I’m prepared to brief a team and oversee an operation to retrieve the safe, but I cannot go on the mission; my daughter needs me, I am afraid,” I tell him in all sincerity.
“You have forced my hand then, Richards.” The Colonel says, filling me with dread at what he will do to get his way. “Your daughter is safe here behind our protection, but what about your son, he is still a serving member of this Army isn’t he? And your actions will have a great bearing on where he is posted.”
“What is that supposed to mean, Colonel?” I ask in trepidation.
“You will have gathered, Richards, ‘Operation Denial’ to take back the city is due to get underway in a very short amount of time, at 1000 hours in fact, and the infantry are gearing up now to move out. Your son will be joining them as we speak and he will be in the first wave to re-enter the city. We are expecting heavy losses with that first wave. Operation Denial will not stop, however, until the city is secure and every one of these Zombies is dead; we mean to exterminate them completely, at any cost!
“Now, if you were to lead this mission as you said you
