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

see the colour of the water around the broken seawall? The way that foam is cresting? Something is submerged just below the waterline. It would be too dangerous to approach. We need to refuel, and it’s unlikely the fuel depot survived the impact. We’ll try the commercial harbour in the north, around the Cape. The ship will anchor between Robben Island and the mainland. Boats will explore both the island and the harbour, while the helicopter can continue its survey of the ruins, and act as a beacon for the African Union. We’ll have it fly back towards Cape Hangklip before dusk, and again after dawn. Commissioner, can you take charge of the search of the city? Find out the level of the threat, and identify how thoroughly the city was looted before it was abandoned. If we can’t find fuel or provisions in the harbour, we will have to discuss how long we can wait here for the African Union to arrive.”

“I didn’t know Africa had mountains,” Zach said as they waited for the order to board the fast-boat.

“Haven’t you heard about Kilimanjaro?” Pippa Sullivan asked.

“Of course,” Zach said a little too quickly. “Is that what it is?”

“That’s Table Mountain,” Tess said. “Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania.”

“Right. Sure. Of course,” Zach said. He turned around and pointed at the bulkhead wall. “Behind us, is that the island where President Mandela was imprisoned?”

“Yeah, Robben Island,” Sullivan said. “I hope we can go ashore there.”

“President Mandela was a gardener,” Zach said. “When he was in prison. He kept a vegetable garden. So maybe they kept the garden going. It’s a museum now, isn’t it? If they kept the garden alive, we could find some fresh food.”

“Here’s hoping,” Tess said.

“How do you know so much about President Mandela?” Sullivan asked.

“Read a book,” Zach said with a shrug.

“At school?” Sullivan asked.

“Nah. In the library, of course.”

Before Sullivan, or Tess, could ask more, Dr Smilovitz came out of the water-lock door, a bag in each hand, another over his shoulder.

“Take this,” Leo said, thrusting a bag at Zach. “And this,” he said, dropping another at Sullivan’s feet. “Those go on the boat, and stay there until we have time for data collection. Flo isn’t coming,” he added, turning to Tess. “She’s analysing the data the helicopter collected, combining that with prevailing wind patterns.”

“What for?” Zach asked.

“That’s a question you can ask her when we return,” Tess said, who didn’t have space in her brain to worry about radiation as well. “You’ve got the Geiger counter, Leo?”

“Yes, and two spare dosimeters,” Leo said. “We should look in the hospital and university for more.”

“Tomorrow,” Tess said. “Give one dosimeter to Sullivan, and Bruce, you take the other.” She looked over her landing team. In addition to her three soldiers, Leo, Toppley, and Zach, four sailors were attached to her team: Sullivan, Mackay, Baxter, and Fairburn. Over their navy blues, they wore body-armour marked with the word Police in the hope this would make them appear less like looters to any survivors still in the city. The other two landing parties were similarly labelled.

“Team Stonefish has some new faces, eh, Zach?” Tess said. “Listen up. We’re sending three teams ashore. Robben Island, the beach to the north of Cape Town, and we’re taking a look at the marina just the other side of that harbour wall. The helicopter’s going to be flying back and forth, looking for the convoy, and maybe some survivors. In a city this big, there have to be some. Remember, just because it’s got two arms and two legs, doesn’t make it a zom. But this is an infected city. The helicopter will lure out the undead, so expect some to come lurching our way. We’re looking for food and a base ashore, and for clues as to what happened up in the north that’ll explain why the convoy has been delayed. Got it? Got weapons and water? Mackay, you’ve got the radio? Then let’s go for a boat ride.”

The small boat sawed through the gently cresting waves. The speed was a shock, the wind refreshing, washing away doubt, and subduing false hopes. As they drew nearer to the shore, she better understood the images the camera had recorded. Cape Town was a dead city, abandoned weeks ago. Everyone on the boat saw it, felt it, understood it, except for Sullivan and Zach who were shouting at each other about sharks.

Inside the seawall, Fairburn cut their speed, following Hawker’s direction to take their boat to the nearest pier. Tess turned around, looking for other boats. But by the time they bumped into the tyres slung below the jetty, she’d only seen wrecks, aground on the distant beach.

Before Baxter and Sullivan secured the boat, Oakes and Hawker were on the quay, sprinting towards the shore. By the time Tess clambered onto the concrete jetty, they were at its end.

“Why’s the ground moving?” Sullivan muttered.

“Your brain’s adapted to the motion of a ship, now it has to reset,” Leo said.

“Sea-lubber!” Zach said, bouncing up on his heels.

“Focus,” Hawker said. “I want safeties on, and fingers clear of triggers. Tess?”

“The marina’s bigger than I thought,” Tess said, looking at the neighbouring pier, and the scores of smaller jetties closer to shore. “Baxter, Fairburn, stay with the boat. If we get into trouble, you might have to pick us up from a different pier. Maybe that beach.”

“Aye-aye, ma’am,” Baxter said.

“Mackay, you’ve got the radio?” Hawker asked. “Take the rear with Sullivan. Zach, Leo, stick close to Clyde. Teegan, you stick close to the commissioner. Sergeant Oakes, you’re on point. There should be people here, but there certainly are zoms.”

Chapter 18 - Too Old for Toys

Cape Town, South Africa

At the end of the quay, a concrete concourse was bracketed by a score of small service huts,