Life Goes On by Tayell, Frank (large ebook reader txt) 📗

“To the edge of the desert,” O’Bryan said. “They’ll lure the undead to bastions we’ve built far from the city. There, we’ll destroy them.”

“I’d like to see more of that,” Anna said. “Dad, you drop Tess off, and then you come back. Don’t make me have to come pick you up. Tess, stay safe.”

“You, too,” Tess said.

Blaze pushed Anna off the runway. Sophia followed behind, leaving the wing commander momentarily uncertain whether to drive after them, or walk alongside. Tess turned to her team. They were one short.

“Where’s Dr Avalon?” she asked.

“Still on the plane,” Leo said.

“Still? Fine. Listen up. Change of plans. We’re going on, alone and together, to Mozambique. Clyde, you’re now with me. Elaina, Zach, Bianca, you’ll make sure Mick comes home. The refugees have been evacuated. There are African Union soldiers holding the runway, and three warships in the harbour. But it’s an ocean away. Anyone who wants to volunteer to stay with Anna can, no judgement. Otherwise you’ve got until Mick’s got the plane prepped to find clothing suited for war.”

“Where we want to be isn’t always where we need to be,” Clyde said. “What about the ammunition and carbines in the hold?”

“We’ll take them with us,” Tess said. “I don’t know where the front line is these days, but we’re travelling far behind it.”

Chapter 6 - Out of the Fire, Into the Firing Line

Inhambane, Mozambique

When Mick announced they’d reached cruising altitude, belt-buckles clunked, cloth rustled, laces shuffled, and zips whizzed as her team changed clothes. Almost as loud was the hum of embarrassment generated by maintaining the polite pretence of privacy. Tess watched the view beyond the small window. Perth truly was a construction site. Walls were rising everywhere, but if the city had acquired six million refugees, floors and windows would surely be added soon.

The sea was speckled with white sails from yachts repurposed into fishing boats, but there were no larger vessels. She’d misunderstood the wing commander: the authorities in Perth were still engaged in the search part of their rescue attempt.

Her ears pricked as they picked up the end of a conversation two seats behind her.

“If you give me your clothes, sir, I’ll stow them overhead,” Sergeant Oakes said.

“Just call me Clyde, mate. I’m a long time retired.”

Tess stood. “Okay, listen up. I’ve got some briefing notes here about Mozambique which will be of interest, but before we go any further, there’s one big question I reckon we all want cleared up.” She turned to Clyde. “Major Clyde Brook?”

“I’m just a charity worker,” he said.

“The Raging Brook?” Oakes said. “You’re a force of nature.”

“Want to elaborate?” Tess asked.

“Not especially,” Clyde said.

“Fair enough,” Tess said. “Sergeant Nick Oakes.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Was your father a superintendent in Sydney a few years back?”

“My uncle, ma’am. He told me about you. The copper who flew across the rooftops.”

“Would you like to elaborate on that?” Leo asked.

“Not especially,” Tess said. “All right, here’s the situation. We’re going to land in Inhambane, Mozambique, and pick up a ship. Either a U.S. frigate or the HMAS Adelaide, which will take us to Colombia. We might continue east with three ships, but that’ll depend on what level of on-going support the African Union soldiers require. Elaina, Bianca, Zach, you’re Mick’s ground crew, and will make sure he returns to Perth. The rest of us will sail around Africa, across the Atlantic, and to the Panama Canal, via Colombia. We’re going to the property owned by the cartel bosses who were linked to the coup and had some hand in the outbreak.”

“That’s the lead we got from Sir Malcolm?” Bianca asked.

“The very same,” Tess said. “Colombia could be where they created the virus. Ideally, Dr Avalon will get to rummage around inside the lab, but we thought we’d be bringing a hundred U.S. Rangers with us for onshore support. We’ll make a new plan when we’re at sea, when we know what ships we’re sailing with, and what kind of crew they have. Throughout the voyage we’re tasked with finding out what’s become of the world. That makes this a scientific expedition, so we’ll listen to Dr Smilovitz.”

“And he listens to me,” Avalon said, without removing her headphones, or even pausing the music.

Her back to the scientist, Tess gave a theatrical shrug.

“Did you say we had some intel on Mozambique?” Clyde asked.

Tess held out the binder Anna had given her. “It’s mostly about the evacuation to Madagascar. An evacuation which failed. Embarkation was at Beira in the north, and at the capital, Maputo, in the south. Inhambane, where we’re landing, is halfway between.”

“While it’s halfway between Maputo and Beira, it’s still in the south of the country,” Clyde said. “Beira is a port in the middle of Mozambique, and roughly contiguous with the mid-point of Madagascar. We’ll be about ten degrees farther north than Canberra.”

“You mean it’s ten degrees warmer?” Zach asked.

“The latitude,” Clyde said. “It’ll be about five degrees warmer.”

“Have you been to Mozambique before, Clyde?” Elaina asked.

“I spent some time waiting there,” Clyde said. “When you’ve finished your book, you read whatever you can get your hands on, and that was usually government brochures upselling the investment opportunities in the country. Why weren’t they using Nacala? That’s contiguous with the northern coast of Madagascar, and it’s one of the deepest harbours in Africa.”

“Fuel tanker blew up,” Tess said, pointing at the briefing book. “It’s assumed to be deliberate.”

“What went wrong in Madagascar?” Elaina asked. “Something did, didn’t it? I assume so or we’d be flying there.”

“Take a read and find out,” Tess said. “But all I know is that it was overrun by the infected. But we’ve still got a foothold at Inhambane. It’s possible someone might retake Madagascar, though it won’t be us. Get some rest, because