Part of her couldn’t help but feel pity for this thing.
She wondered if it was more man than monster. But that was a question for another time.
When she found a good spot on the arm, she jabbed a biopsy needle into the flesh. Piece by piece, she took more tissue samples, depositing them into the plastic vials. Then she used another needle and tube for a blood sample. Finding an accessible vein was no problem with the beast’s vessels pushing up against his gray flesh.
“That’s it,” she said when she finished the blood sample.
“Good job,” Beckham said.
“Gross shit,” Horn muttered.
She took the samples back to the laboratory. They were just small hunks of flesh and muscle and blood, but it helped inspire newfound confidence. Not only were they now capable of tapping into the New Gods’ communications through the organic network, but she had the first usable samples of Chimera flesh.
With these, she could unlock the secrets to the origins of these monsters. Maybe those revelations would even lead them to the Prophet she kept hearing about on the network.
Either way, Kate was certain the small plastic vials with bits of gore she held now would only improve the Allied States’ chance of finally turning this war around before it was too late.
“If it’s not already too late,” she whispered.
— 6 —
Early morning light permeated the dense cloud cover, giving the world a slightly gray glow. Cold still seeped through Fitz’s body. He fought the fatigue in his muscles and the biting cold. Thoughts of Rico helped him carry on.
Hopefully Ghost would be sent south soon, and he could finally see her again.
At least the snowfall had temporarily abated. The brightening sun helped him see the tracks of whoever had been following the river before them.
Dohi examined the trail while Fitz surveyed the snow between the trees. It looked as if a couple platoons had marched through here. By the looks of the prints, they were human.
“Jesus,” Ace said. “Who the hell are these guys?”
“How many do you think we’re dealing with?” Fitz asked.
“Thirty, maybe more,” Dohi replied coldly.
They followed the tangled tracks to a clearing in the forest that led to a frozen lake already covered in snow. Once again Dohi was on point, but the footprints were deep enough to lead the way.
Ace and Fitz followed close behind Dohi with Spearhead on the rearguard. They crossed so many intertwining trails that he figured they would have run into them by dumb luck, even if they hadn’t found the first set.
Fitz motioned to Dohi to pick up the pace as they continued through the forest, following all the winding paths, until they reached the edge of a frozen lake. Mountains loomed beyond the lake, with pine trees covered in white, looking as if they were giant stalagmites.
The trail they had been following continued over the snow-covered ice and straight toward the opposite side of the lake nearly a half-mile away. Fitz and his team remained in the shadows of the trees as they surveyed their quarry. He lifted his binos to where Dohi pointed.
“My God,” Fitz whispered. “Looks like we found where those bears were going.”
While most of the contacts were sheltered in the forest, he estimated at least sixty or seventy that he could see, all wearing white coats or camouflage and carrying weapons. They were too far for him to tell if they were Chimeras or collaborators.
Between those soldiers, he saw another two dozen bears. They wore giant black collars, visible against their white fur. Not unlike the ones Fitz had heard the Thrall Variants had worn outside Outpost Portland.
“They’ve come for Corrin, haven’t they?” Neilson asked.
“Hell if we know,” Ace said. “Maybe they’re just pissed after Seattle.”
Toussaint eyed them suspiciously. “Did they follow you from there?”
“We flew,” Ace said. “How would they follow us?”
“I’m sure they have their ways,” Daugherty said.
“Or maybe this is the beginning of the invasion in the North,” Dohi said. “We warned the general about this.”
“Doesn’t matter why they’re here,” Fitz said. “Neilson, we should call it in.”
“I count twenty-five bears,” Dohi said. “Maybe seventy soldiers, but it looks like there are far more in the woods. It’s too hard to see from this far.”
“These assholes came in right during the storm, right when we pulled our scouts back,” Daugherty said.
Sherman leaned over to Neilson and Fitz, then pointed to a spot just north of the enemy. Groups of soldiers looked to be checking over their weapons. Others were lining up as if getting ready to march.
A pit formed in his stomach. These people looked like they were preparing to move, and he feared he knew where they were headed.
Neilson finished reporting the enemy count that Dohi had provided.
“Spearhead One, can you repeat?” replied comms officer back at HQ.
“Command, this is Ghost One. Hostiles are preparing to move. I repeat, preparing to move. You’ve got to prepare the defenses. Tell General Kamer immediately.”
“Roger that, Ghost One.”
“Let’s pick some of ’em off,” Sherman said. “We took out the bears. We can thin this herd, too.”
“Son, you’re getting ahead of yourself,” Ace said. “We killed six bears. There’s damn near an extra twenty of those beasts over there, plus however many other assholes waiting in the woods.”
“Want me to get closer for better numbers?” Dohi asked.
“No,” Fitz said. “We stay here for a minute. I need to think.”
The most direct path to get a better view was across the open expanse of the lake. Otherwise they would have to circle around, which Fitz estimated would take the better part of an hour or more to do without being seen.
By then the enemy might already have started their attack. Fitz would rather be helping Banff survive than be stuck out here, half-buried in snow.
“We’re better off going back to
