《The Outbreak》
Chapter 1
Captain Percy Jackson of the USS Trident let out a sigh as he stared out the bridge, watching the ebb and flow of the waves. He and his crew of two hundred and thirty-seven sailors had been on a top-secret mission from the Secretary of Defense himself.
It had required a long and arduous six months of radio silence where neither he nor anyone else on board the ship had been able to contact home or their loved ones. It didn¡¯t bother Percy too much, but he did feel for his crew.
Unlike him, they had family and loved ones waiting for them. All he had left was his little sister Estelle, who was living her own life in Virginia. They still talked, but after their mom died in a car accident with his stepfather Paul, they had drifted apart.
It was his fault; he knew it. Once the only parents he had ever known died, he had immediately enlisted in the US Navy, throwing himself into the regime as a way to deal with the tragedy instead of fully being there for his sister.
There was probably some sick and twisted form of irony in that decision, considering his birth father had been lost at sea from what his mother told him. But he chose to not focus on that. He had joined the Navy for two reasons.
The first was because he had always been drawn to the sea, even before he found out that was how his father had perished. The second was because the Navy was willing to provide housing for himself and Estelle.
The wives of the other service members practically raised his sister while he went through basic training and officer''s school before he finally realized that he had failed to be there for her.
By then, it was too little too late, and while she didn¡¯t resent him. She wasn¡¯t exactly his biggest fan either, which broke his heart. Nonetheless, he still made sure all her wants and needs were taken care of.
He put practically ninety percent of his substantial salary as a captain in the US Navy in a trust that he had told her their parents had. It was a bit of a white lie, but he knew if he told her it was his money, she would never take it.
While it would never make up for him abandoning her when she needed him most, he would be damned if he ever left her alone again. Realization dawned on him as he understood how he had developed his fierce sense of loyalty for the first time.
The sound of a bosun¡¯s whistle broke the man out of his thoughts as he remembered why he was on the bridge. His Executive Officer, a burly man by the name of Frank Zhang, grinned and clapped his hands.
¡°It¡¯s officially o¡¯800 on the twenty-third of April, Captain. Ready for the final test?¡±
Percy grinned as he rested his hand on the phone on the bridge.
¡°More than ever, XO Zhang.¡±
Picking up the phone, he called his Tactical Action Officer.
¡°TAO, bridge.¡±
¡°Bridge, TAO¡±
¡°Our helo has just dropped our final target. It¡¯s five feet long, two feet wide, and has no heat signature. Let¡¯s get hunting.¡±
¡°TAO confirms, target is five feet long, two feet wide, and has no heat signature. Beginning search.¡±
After hanging up the phone, he felt the ship begin to move as it cut through the freezing water like butter. His Tactical Action Officer was a woman named Piper McLean, who had been an outstanding sailor during their mission so far.
As the USS Trident sliced through the water, no doubt towards their target, Percy took a moment to enjoy the calm as they went through the final weapons test before they could lift their radio silence.
While their ability to head home would depend on their resident virologists, Annabeth Chase and Luke Castellan, completing their project. His crew would be able to at least talk with their loved ones.
The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer was one of the latest and greatest of the Flight III program, and that meant they were the lucky ones chosen to test some of the newest weapons the United States had to offer and chauffeur some scientists to the South Pole, so they could study some birds.
At least, that was what the Secretary of Defense told him, and he had learned not to question his superiors. The sound of a missile being launched caused Percy to look up at the screen above his chair, which started to beep while he watched the missile move toward its target.
The tone intensified as the missile got closer before silence as the words ¡®DETONATION¡¯ flashed across the monitor. The speakers on the bridge crackled to life as Piper¡¯s voice came through.
¡°Boom, confirmed target detonation.¡±
Percy grinned at the woman¡¯s enthusiasm as he stood from his chair before grabbing the bridge''s phone once more.
¡°Good morning Trident, this is the captain. After six months at what XO Zhang likes to call the worst Baskin-Robins on the planet, we have just passed our final test, and I¡¯m proud to say you did it with flying colors. I will call the Pentagon today to confirm that we can break EMCON. Enjoy your success.¡±
Cheers broke out around him on the bridge, as he imagined they did everywhere else on the ship. After all, they all knew just as much as he did that radioing command to confirm they could break radio silence was a formality more than anything else.
As the people around him celebrated, he took a closer look at the monitor that showed a little over a dozen dots on the continent itself. Two of them belonged to his virologists, one the leader of his Mountain Warfare unit, Jason Grace, and the rest to Jason¡¯s team.
¡°XO Zhang, you think the good doctor has gotten everything she needs?¡±
The Executive Officer let out a chuckle.
¡°I don¡¯t know, sir. But, I¡¯m sure Grace and his men sure hope she has. Those poor sailors don¡¯t get any reprieve from the wind.¡±
Percy nodded his head with his own chuckle.
¡°I¡¯ll second that; I¡¯m going to go call the Pentagon. Check in with Lieutenant Grace and see how everything¡¯s going over there. Now that we are done with our primary mission, I¡¯d like to head home and give our sailors some well-deserved R&R.¡±
Frank gave him a cheeky smile as he saluted him.
¡°Aye, Aye, Captain.¡±
Percy sighed as the rest of the bridge saluted him, following the Executive Officer¡¯s lead. He was going to get Zhang back for that. The man knows how much he hates that little rule of the Navy. Just because he was the Commanding Officer didn¡¯t mean he deserved any more respect than the rest of the men and women on board his ship who put their lives on the line.
Waving off the signs of authority, he made his way toward the Communications Room. There, he would open up a secure channel with the Department of Defense and, hopefully, get some good news about lifting the radio silence.
Annabeth Chase took a swig of water from her flask before getting back to digging through the permafrost. She desperately hoped they¡¯d find the original strain of the damn virus this go around.
When she talked with the President about this mission, she had tried to get him to lift the radio silence mandate to no avail. Both he and the Secretary of Defense had been adamant about keeping a communications blackout for their assignment, which included herself.
Even the captain of the ship she would be hitching a ride with didn¡¯t know the actual cause behind their trip to the bottom of the world. The only ones who knew the truth were the people in that meeting: herself, the President, the Secretary of Defense, the Head of the CDC, and Luke.
Their reasoning was simple: if the K-virus continued its rapid spread and the ship¡¯s crew found out their family was in danger, they would likely have a mutiny on their hands. Granted, she didn¡¯t disagree with their reasoning. She just wished there was a way she could¡¯ve avoided the communications clampdown.
Not because she wanted it for her own personal reasons. No, she wanted to be able to talk with her fellow scientists and colleagues to stay up to date about any mutations or the latest infection numbers from the virus.
She didn¡¯t have any family to worry about, growing up an orphan in California after her father died when she was seven. Her stepmother had dropped her off at a foster home named Camp Half-Blood because she didn¡¯t want to care for a child that wasn¡¯t hers.
Her birth mother was out of the question, having died during childbirth. The only two people she cared about in her life were Chiron, who ran the foster home where she was dropped off, and her friend Luke, who was like the brother she never had.
Shaking her head to focus on the present, she grabbed another sample of bird feces before running it through her scanner for the primordial strain of the K-virus. As the machine processed the excrement, she looked out over the vast plain of white.
Antarctica was beautiful in a weird way, and if the fate of the world didn¡¯t rest on her shoulders, she might¡¯ve been able to appreciate it. Things hadn¡¯t been looking good when they left. While the virus hadn¡¯t garnered national or global attention yet, it was on the fast track to.
From the little data she could gather before raising it up the flag pole, the disease would kill its victims within twenty-four to forty-eight hours. However, that wasn¡¯t the scary part. Plenty of things were faster acting and more adept at killing humans quickly.
The terrifying part was that it seemed to be highly contagious. While it wasn¡¯t airborne from what she knew before heading to Antarctica, it spread through the tiniest instances of contact. Even the smallest amount of someone''s spittle landing on exposed skin would be enough to infect another person.
That¡¯s not even taking into account that the virus seemed to attach itself to the nervous system. Her worst fear was that it mutated to either be airborne or could find a way to take away people¡¯s motor function, similar to Polio.
The beeping of her scanner broke her out of her thoughts, and she nearly dropped the device in shock. It was a match. Carefully, oh so carefully, she dug up the rest of the feces she found before putting it in her cooler, along with her sample.
However, before she could continue to search the area for more instances of the primordial strain, the sound of a helicopter in the distance filled her ears. Pulling out the radio on her belt, she contacted their chaperone.
¡°Jason, I just made a breakthrough and need at least another two hours. Can you have the helicopter come back by then?¡±
She put the speaker up to her ear to hear the man¡¯s reply but frowned when all she heard was a garbled mess of static. Moving the radio away from her ear, she checked to ensure she was on the right frequency before realizing her mistake.
Nearly slapping her forehead in stupidity, she released her thumb from the talk button as the static cleared, and Jason¡¯s voice immediately came through the speakers.
¡°Helicopter? Doctor, the helicopter is back on the Trident. Are you feeling all right?¡±
Tilting her head in confusion, she focused on the sound she heard in the distance, only to come to the same conclusion. Normally, she would¡¯ve played along with the man¡¯s teasing, happy to no longer be an outcast amongst the crew.
However, her discovery didn¡¯t have her in a joking mood. Her reminiscing had reminded her how important the mission was, and now that she had finally found what she was looking for, she didn¡¯t feel like playing along.
¡°I¡¯m serious, Jason. We¡¯ve been here for six months. Do you not think I know how to distinguish the sounds of a helicopter from the wind. Now, I need at least another two hours, but if you can spare some manpower, I can make it quicker.¡±
For several moments, there was nothing but static as she heard the Helicopter blades get closer and closer. Finally, Jason¡¯s voice came across the speakers.
¡°Don¡¯t move, Doctor Chase. We are coming to you.¡±
She didn¡¯t quite expect the Lieutenant himself to come help her, but she wasn¡¯t going to complain. Returning back to her work, only to look up in frustration as she heard the helicopter closer than ever.
Her look of frustration quickly turned to one of surprise and then horror as she saw three helicopters come from behind the mountain from their right. None of which looked like the one that had ferried her and Luke to and from the ice during their stay.
¡°Luke! The samples... We¡¯ve got to get the samples!¡±
Her partner looked at her like she was insane.
¡°Forget the samples! We¡¯ve got to get out of here!¡±
Something sounding akin to a bottle rocket being let off on the fourth of July reverberated behind her. In an instant, something struck one of the helicopters faster than the eye could see, leaving behind a trail of white smoke.
There was an explosion as she watched the stuck helicopter immediately fall from the sky in a ball of fire. Just as Jason¡¯s voice screamed behind her.
¡°MOVE! WE ARE LEAVING!¡±
Her right ear was still ringing, no doubt from the missile that streaked past her, as she turned her head to the Lieutenant. Seeing him wave her towards him as Luke got on the back of the snowmobile that held one of the other soldiers.
Turning back, she saw the case containing all her samples of the primordial strain sealed lying a dozen feet away. She sprinted towards the case, picking it up before turning and racing towards the Lieutenant¡¯s snowmobile.
She wasn¡¯t sure when the other soldiers showed up, but all of them were shooting their rifles at the remaining helicopters. Her legs burned, and her lungs were on fire from the cold air she was breathing in as she sprinted through a couple feet of snow toward her salvation.
A spray of bullets impacting the ground in front of her caused her to stop as one of the helicopters circled around. Two men jumped from the helo and into the snow, only to be shot before they could even fully stand up.
Then another spray of bullets into the helicopter blocking her path hit the tail rotor, causing it to spin uncontrollably towards four of the soldiers protecting her. She heard Jason curse as the crashing helicopter hit two of the men.
Pieces of shrapnel went flying, one of which flew past her right side, barely missing her as another hit one of the soldiers who managed to escape the initial crash. She didn¡¯t know how or when she fell, but she picked herself up from the snow just in time to see another streak of white smoke as the remaining helicopter fell from the sky without any flames.
It was as if a puppet¡¯s strings had been cut. One second, it was flying, and the next, it was falling. The sound of gunfire died down, but she still ran the rest of the way to the snowmobile as Jason barked out orders to the rest of the men.
Three broke away from the group to go check on the four who were in the proximity of the crashed helicopter while the rest set up a perimeter around herself and Luke. Jason marched over to her, his face contorted in rage and anguish.
¡°I hope whatever is in that case was worth the lives of my men, Doctor Chase.¡±
She opened her mouth to respond but stopped, realizing it was a rhetorical question. She was about to ask what in the world happened when one of the soldiers in their perimeter fell over, dead.
Less than a second later, she heard the sound of the rifle that had killed the man just as Jason shouted out a new set of orders.
¡°SNIPER, GET TO COVER!¡±
The next thing Annabeth knew, she was being thrown behind one of the snowmobiles, doing her best not to land on the case as another round of gunfire started around her. Pushing her back to the snowmobile, she hugged the case close to her body, both as a way to protect it and anchor herself in the chaos happening around her.
She hadn¡¯t really valued the protection detail that was assigned to her while on the continent, mostly because she didn¡¯t think they were needed and would only get in her way. Now, though, she couldn¡¯t have been more thankful as she watched them in action, operating like a well-oiled machine.
There was a cacophony of noise as the soldiers yelled to be heard over their own gunfire and that of their enemies. She didn¡¯t recognize most of the voices but was content to listen in an effort to keep calm.
¡°Two tangos, six o¡¯clock.¡±
¡°Sniper, down.¡±
¡°I got three more targets at our twelve.¡±
¡°I¡¯m Winchester.¡±
¡°Extra magazine in my back left pouch. Grab it, Valdez.¡±
¡°Another four tangos just showed up at our three. We¡¯re going to be surrounded if we wait much longer.¡±
¡°Sure could use some help from the Trident right about now.¡±
¡°Focus, if they could assist, they would be. Pick your shots and conserve ammo. We don¡¯t know how many more could be coming. Focus fire on our twelve; we need to clear a path that we can use to escape with the jet skis. Protect the doctors at all costs.¡±
Jason¡¯s voice was reassuring over the sound of gunfire all around them, and Annabeth vowed to apologize and thank the Lieutenant once they got out of this mess. She also decided that she would tell the ship¡¯s captain the truth behind her mission and, ultimately, theirs.
She was willing to bet her whole bank account that this attack was related to the K-virus, which meant that things must have gotten dire back in civilization for someone to think it was a good idea to attack a US Naval Warship.
After another ten minutes of gunfire, she could hear the sound of helicopter blades whirling in the distance. For a second, she feared it was reinforcements for the enemy, a fear she assumed Jason shared with her judging by his commands.
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¡°College, ready our last missile. If that isn¡¯t our helo, I want it shot out of the sky before it knows what hit it.¡±
A man with glasses, next to one of the other snowmobiles, shrugged a tube onto his shoulder. Something Annabeth quickly realized was a rocket launcher as he aimed in the direction they heard the helicopter blades from.
¡°Clear backblast!¡±
One of the soldiers beside this ¡®College¡¯ moved up and beside him as he shouted out in response, continuing to fire his weapon as he did so.
¡°Backblast clear!¡±
Annabeth waited with bated breath, sighing out in relief as she recognized the helicopter that appeared from behind the mountain. Cheers sounded off around her as their helo cleaned up the remaining soldiers around them from above.
Once the last enemy fell to the stream of bullets from the minigun on their helicopter, she saw Jason put the radio to his mouth, a small smile on his face as he did so.
¡°Boy, am I glad to see you, Thunderhead. I have at least one K.I.A. and one critically wounded from my last sit-rep. Are you able to land close?¡±
The Lieutenant pulled the radio away from his mouth as a female voice burst through the speakers of his radio.
¡°Copy that, Sparky. I should be able to set her down about fifty feet to your West. Sorry we¡¯re late to the party. The Trident was attacked at the same time, and we were grounded. I know the Captain wants to speak with you and Doctor Chase ASAP.¡±
¡°Roger that, if there¡¯s room, I¡¯ll tag along and leave Valdez in charge.¡±
With that, Jason attached the radio back to his belt as he shouted over to the man in question.
¡°Leo, give me a sit-rep. Thalia is landing fifty feet to our West in the next three minutes.¡±
¡°Fletcher and Yew are K.I.A. Green was impaled by some shrapnel and is currently unconscious. The rest of us just have minor injuries, although Beckendorf has a broken collar bone and maybe more.¡±
From what Annabeth could tell, he took the information in stride. No doubt the result of years of experience and training kicking in as he issued his orders.
¡°Alright, the CO wants Doctor Chase and me back on the ship ASAP to debrief. So, I¡¯ll be joining her, Castellean, Green, and Beckendorf on the ride home. Valdez, you¡¯re in charge in my absence. See what you can figure out about our attackers. I thought I saw the Soviet Star on one of those helos, but I¡¯m not sure.¡±
With that, the Lieutenant motioned for her to follow him as she caught a glimpse of Luke for the first time since the attack. He looked white as a sheet; she couldn¡¯t blame him since she imagined she looked the same.
She spotted two soldiers carrying a man with a piece of metal sticking through his leg, and Annabeth lost her lunch. The only thing keeping her sane at the moment was the case held securely in her hands, and after cleaning herself up, she made her way into the helicopter, sitting down in one of the empty seats.
She tightened her grip on the case as they took off, her mind wandering to the two men who died and the one who looked on the brink of death lying on a stretcher between the two rows of seats.
At that moment, she decided that she wouldn¡¯t stop until she had successfully created a vaccine.
Percy Jackson had just sat down in the Communications Room when all hell broke loose. The first thing he noticed was the General Quarters Alarm, quickly followed by Master Chief Petty Officer Underwood¡¯s voice over the ship-wide intercom.
¡°General Quarters, General Quarters, all hands man your battle stations.¡±
His instincts and training took over as he sprinted out of the Communications Room and into the Combat Information Center. He looked over to McClean, who immediately gave him a sitrep.
¡°Captain, we picked up three... Make that six unknown aircraft approaching from the East.¡±
Percy glanced at the screen as he watched six red dots appear on their radar, three of which seemed to break off from the pack. Realization dawned on him as he picked up the phone in the CIC.
¡°Bridge, this is the Captain.¡±
¡°Captain, this is the Bridge. What are your orders, sir?¡±
¡°Warn Grace and his men they have three unidentified aircraft inbound to their position.¡±
¡°Bridge confirms, sir.¡±
Setting the phone down, he looked back at McClean¡¯s screen as he overheard one of his other sailors attempting to communicate with the aircraft.
¡°Unidentified Aircraft, please identify yourself. This is the USS Trident of the Pacific Fleet. If you do not comply, you will be fired upon.¡±
If there was a response, Percy wouldn¡¯t have heard it over the explosion of a missile hitting some part of the ship, causing it to rock back and forth violently. Then, a second explosion hit before he could even get a word out.
Thankfully, his sailor''s training kicked in, and they were already bringing the Trident¡¯s ample amount of firepower online, not needing an order from him now that they had been fired upon. Still, he couldn¡¯t help himself as he gave it anyway. No one got to mess with his ship and live to tell the tale.
¡°TAO, let''s blow these pests out of the sky and show them why you don¡¯t mess with the United States Navy.¡±
Piper McClean grinned as she and the rest of the crew sounded off their ¡®affirmatives¡¯ as their weapon systems finished getting online. Percy heard the Sea Whizz whirl up and let loose a barrage of bullets at four-thousand five-hundred rounds per minute.
He heard a missile explode and felt the ship rock slightly, but it was nowhere near as bad as the first time. Telling him that the gun had done its job. He heard it spin up again, and this time, he heard one of the sailors shout out in victory.
¡°One bogey down, two more still circling.¡±
He heard their chaff decoy launchers activate and felt another explosion rock the Destroyer slightly. At the same time, he heard a set of Sea Sparrow missiles launch and an audible explosion that was nowhere near the ship.
¡°Two bogeys down. The last one is still circling.¡±
Percy felt himself grinning as he gave his first command since they¡¯d been fired upon. Eager to use the weapon that the Arleigh-Burkes were known for.
¡°Bring up the 5-inch.¡±
¡°Aye, sir. 5-inch coming online.¡±
¡°Target bearing 2-7-0 degrees. Cleared Hot.¡±
This time, the ship moved as the Mark 45 Gun fired. Piper pumped her first, letting Percy know they had gotten their target. A second later, her words only confirmed it as he put his hand on the Comabt Information Center¡¯s phone again.
¡°All three unidentified aircraft have been grounded, sir.¡±
¡°Great job everyone. TAO, start working up a strike package to assist Grace and his men while I contact the Bridge.¡±
¡°Aye, Aye, sir!¡±
As they worked, he picked up the phone and dialed in the bridge.
¡°Bridge, this is the Captain. All bogeys have had their wings clipped. Check in with Grace¡¯s team and let them know we are ready to support them. Have our helo pick them up, and let Doctor Chase and Lieutenant Grace know they are wanted back for debriefing yesterday.¡±
¡°Aye, sir!¡±
He set the phone down and took a deep breath to control his rage. They were at EMCOM Alpha. Their attackers shouldn¡¯t have been able to triangulate their position. The only explanation he could think of was that someone had broken their radio silence, and only two people on his boat weren''t a part of the US Navy.
Putting that anger to the back of his mind, he focused on the present as the Combat Information Center buzzed with chatter. From what he could gather, the ship had no casualties, and the damage from the missiles that made contact was minimal.
The phone to his right rang, and he instinctively picked it up.
¡°This is the Captain.¡±
¡°Sir, it¡¯s the Bridge. We are unable to contact anyone on the continent. Thalia is already airborne and en route. What would you have us do?¡±
A hundred different scenarios flashed through his mind with the new information. But he took a breath to calm himself. Jason was one of the best. If the team wasn¡¯t communicating, then it was because they couldn¡¯t afford to.
¡°They could be in a firefight. I want you to try again in three-minute intervals. See if we can identify who attacked us. I want to know who we just went to war with.¡±
¡°Aye, sir!¡±
Putting the phone back in the receiver, he let out a long sigh as he watched the radar and sonar, on the lookout for any more activity. But, if their enemy was a foreign military, he doubted they would attack again soon unless it was a full-on fleet.
However, if that was the case, he would¡¯ve expected their initial attack to have been a much larger force. Either way, they had successfully defended against their first attack and were on high alert for another, which was why he doubted they would attack again so soon.
Anyone with military experience could tell you that now was the worst time to launch a counterattack. The USS Trident was more than ready, and no time would be wasted trying to communicate with the enemy this go-around.
Taking another breath to calm himself and keep a level head, he exited the CIC and went towards the helipad to wait for Lieutenant Grace and Doctor Chase. He wanted answers, and by god, he was going to get them.
Jason Grace clenched and unclenched his fist as the helicopter approached the USS Trident. Two of his men were dead in the ambush, and Green was holding on for dear life. Yew¡¯s wife was supposed to have given birth to their first child two months ago.
However, because they were in EMCON, they didn¡¯t have any information. Now, when he next sees Amber, he¡¯ll have to tell her that her husband is dead, and their child will be growing up without a father.
It was something he had personal experience with, and he hated that he couldn¡¯t have saved him. No child deserved to grow up like he did, fatherless. Taking a breath to calm himself, he focused on putting on a brave face.
His men needed him to be strong right now. They had just lost two of their brothers and might lose a third if Solace couldn¡¯t save Green. He had faith in the ship medic. In fact, Will Solace was the best medic Jason had ever seen, but his friend''s wound didn¡¯t look good. He didn¡¯t know if they had everything they needed on the ship to save him.
Thalia¡¯s voice cut across his headset, causing the Lieutenant to sit up just a bit straighter as her words registered in his brain.
¡°Touchdown in 3... 2... 1... Clear to disembark. Good luck, and be sure to rate your Uber for a chance to win a free in-flight meal next time you fly.¡±
Jason chuckled at the woman¡¯s antics, appreciating her attempt to lighten the mood as he disembarked. Two sailors grabbed Green¡¯s stretcher and pulled him out of the helicopter, moving him towards the ship¡¯s doctor.
Will immediately started looking over and assessing his teammate''s condition as they disappeared into the ship''s depths towards the medical bay.
Another sailor helped Beckendorf out of the helicopter and put his arm in a sling before helping him toward the medical bay as well. He spotted the Captain off to the side before motioning to the two doctors to follow him as he made his way to the CO.
Once they were clear of the helicopter, he felt the wind at his back as Thalia took off once again to pick up the rest of his team, along with any intel they could find. He had a sinking feeling it was the Russians who attacked them but hoped that it was some faction that went rogue.
The idea that he and his team could be one of the causes of World War Three terrified him. The Captain¡¯s voice broke him out of his thoughts as he gripped the man¡¯s hand in a warrior''s handshake.
¡°Lieutenant Grace, I¡¯m sorry to hear about Yew and Fletcher. Doctor Solace will do everything he can to save Green, but we need to focus on what happened and our next steps. You three follow me.¡±
Jason nodded in thanks to the Captain, to which the man returned as he paused to let the two Doctors ahead of him so that way he could bring up the rear. He was no fool and knew the Captain wasn¡¯t either.
If everyone on the ship was following EMCON Alpha, then their attackers would¡¯ve never known their positions to initiate an attack. Only two people on board the vessel weren¡¯t US Navy, and thus, they were the most likely breach.
The group arrived at the ship¡¯s secure communications room, and the first words out of the Captain¡¯s mouth immediately told him what type of mood he was in.
¡°Everybody out, NOW!¡±
All the sailors hustled to exit the room, and once they had done so, the ship''s Commanding Officer shut the door. Jason found himself involuntarily tensing up as Percy Jackson¡¯s gaze swept over them.
While he had known the Captain for several years and had even gone on dozens of combat missions with the man, he was still intimidating. He locked eyes with Percy and knew what was coming before the man even spoke.
¡°Lieutenant Grace, give me a sit-rep on what happened.¡±
Just as he opened up his mouth to give his report, Doctor Chase attempted to speak, causing him to bite his tongue as Percy went off on her.
¡°Sir, bef-¡±
¡°I asked Lieutenant Grace for HIS sit-rep doctor. You are on MY ship, and I am in charge here, not you.¡±
Jason watched the doctor open her mouth and then shut it a couple times as the Captain waited for a rebuttal that never came. Sensing that the good doctor would wait her turn, Jason rattled off his report.
¡°Sir, we were on the continent maintaining our overwatch and distance as Doctor Chase requested when she radio¡¯d in talking about a helicopter. I responded, letting her know our helicopter was docked with the Trident. Shortly after, the Bridge radio¡¯d me, warning us of the unidentified aircraft.¡±
¡°My team and I immediately went into action, and I told the Doctors to stay put. My team and I took out the three helicopters. But, our fire to move the helo blocking Chase from reaching my team disabled the tail rotor, causing it to spiral and land on Fletcher and the shrapnel to get Green.¡±
¡°Then, once that was dealt with, a sniper took out Yew, and we were pinned down until Thalia showed up and gunned down the remaining enemy combatants. Valdez and the rest of my team are searching the battlefield for identifying information on our attackers, sir.¡±
Percy nodded his head.
¡°Thank you, Lieutenant. You are dismissed. Go check on your men and bring Doctor Castellean with you. I think he is going into shock.¡±
Jason looked at the blonde in question and saw him swaying on his feet, sweating, and breathing rapidly. Nodding his head, he put the doctor¡¯s arm around his shoulder and led him to the door. He opened it up before pausing in the doorway as he remembered something from the battle.
¡°Captain.¡±
The man turned to look at him with an eyebrow raised.
¡°I forgot to mention when the helicopters first arrived. Doctor Chase¡¯s work was about a dozen feet away from her. Instead of getting to safety, she went for that case and protected it more than she did herself.¡±
The Captain¡¯s eyes widened slightly with that new information. With nothing else to add, he finished helping Doctor Castellean out the door before shutting it and helping the man get to the med bay.
Passing Piper McClean along the way, who looked at him with worry. He gave her a smile, whispering to her as he passed.
¡°Meet at our spot in an hour.¡±
The girl nodded, and Jason continued helping the shocked Doctor to the med bay.
Annabeth Chase watched Jason and Luke leave the room and felt a pang of worry in her chest. She hoped Luke would be okay. He was practically all she had left at this point. Taking a second to steel herself for the coming conversation, she turned her attention back to Captain Percy Jackson.
¡°Luke will be okay. I¡¯ve seen his case a dozen times. He just needs to take some time in a low-stress environment.¡±
Annabeth can honestly say she did not expect those to be the first words out of his mouth. Still, she appreciated the sympathy after the way he had yelled at her earlier, although she supposed she understood it some if she tried to look at it from his perspective.
Two of his soldiers had died, and his ship had been attacked. He didn¡¯t know the real reason behind their mission to Antarctica, so to him, the surprise attack was an act of war. He was in uncharted territory right now and had the burden of being the leader.
¡°Thank you, Captain.¡±
He waved off her show of respect, which shocked her slightly, but then again. She supposed she hardly spoke to the man besides a quick conversation before they set out on their mission. Something he iterated with his following words.
¡°Don¡¯t call me captain. I¡¯m no different than any of the other sailors on board this ship. You would know that if you had said more than two words to me during this entire journey.¡±
She chuckled, taken aback by his honesty and modesty. Percy joined her, and she could see some of the stress from the last several hours exit his body as he laughed. She could even feel some of her own stress leave her body.
Taking a breath, she smiled at the captain.
¡°Thank you, Ca- I mean, Percy. I needed that.¡±
He nodded, but she knew the conversation was going to get serious as his shoulders straightened, and he looked her in the eyes.
¡°You¡¯re welcome, Doctor Chase. But I think it¡¯s time I learned why you¡¯re actually on my ship and why those attackers were after you.¡±
She opened her mouth and then hesitated before powering through. If things back in civilization were getting bad enough that someone thought it was a good idea to attack a U.S. Navy warship, then she doubted she¡¯d be in too much trouble for revealing the mission''s true purpose.
¡°Despite what I told you when we talked when I first boarded your ship, I am not here studying some birds and their connection to Smallpox. I am here looking for the primordial strain of a virus that was discovered eight months ago in Africa, which we are calling the K. Virus.¡±
¡°It was unlike anything we¡¯ve ever seen before and was highly contagious. It would take control of the human body''s nervous system before killing its host within twenty-four to forty-eight hours from the time of infection.¡±
Percy¡¯s eyes widened slightly, and for the first time, Annabeth noticed his eyes were an unusual sea green. She wasn¡¯t one to talk, however, since her eyes were a unique grey color. Still, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder what the chances were that two people with abnormal eye colors were on the same ship together.
¡°Be honest with me, doc. What¡¯s the worst-case scenario of this virus look like? What could we be walking into getting back home? Because people don¡¯t just attack a U.S. Navy warship.¡±
¡°I... I.. Don¡¯t know. When I met with the President about this, they told me that Luke and I would also need to go radio silent. At that time, from what we were told, the virus was contained to South Africa and Egypt, with small pockets in Asia and Turkey.¡±
¡°The K.Virus had the potential to become a global pandemic, and the United States didn¡¯t want a repeat of COVID-19, only deadlier. So, I guess the worst-case scenario is that the virus has become airborne and infected most of the world.¡±
She could hear Percy take a deep breath as he ran a hand through his messy hair. Annabeth had to give it to the captain. He was taking the news that the world might be fucked surprisingly well. She could practically see his mind work through a thousand possibilities a minute as she waited for him to speak up.
¡°Okay, thank you for trusting me with this information. Who else knows the truth?¡±
¡°Just you, me, and Luke.¡±
Percy nodded his head. ¡°Good, let¡¯s keep it that way for now.¡±
Annabeth¡¯s response was immediate and slightly hysteric, completely forgetting she was arguing the orders from the captain of the ship she was on.
¡°I want to tell Jason. Two of his squadmates died, and a third is barely hanging on because they protected me over themselves.¡±
Percy¡¯s face went from stern to sympathetic as he put a hand on her shoulder. Something in her snapped, and tears started to fall from her face as the reality of the last several hours set in.
The captain¡¯s voice was solid and steady, something Annabeth desperately needed at that moment.
¡°As callous as this may sound, they were doing their jobs, Annabeth. Before anyone else knows, I need to get a better understanding of what¡¯s going on in the outside world right now. I promise you when the time comes, I¡¯ll let you break the news to Jason and his team.¡±
She nodded her head, and he removed his hand from her shoulder. Annabeth took a shuddering breath to get control of her emotions, not realizing how upset she had gotten at the thought of not telling Jason and his men the truth.
Once she was done, Percy spoke again. His voice was calm and understanding.
¡°Go get some rest. You need to take some time to deal with the attack you went through. Even veteran soldiers would struggle if they were in your shoes right now. If you need someone to talk to, I¡¯m here for you, okay?¡±
Annabeth nodded
¡°Okay, thank you, Percy. I¡¯m sorry for not talking with you more these past six months.¡±
He gave her an easygoing smile as he waved off her apology.
¡°It¡¯s all good. Just invite me for tea next time.¡±
Annabeth couldn¡¯t help herself but laugh. She saw Percy chuckle while she laughed till her stomach hurt. What he said wasn¡¯t even that funny, but for some reason, she thought it was hysterical.
Maybe she was losing her mind, or perhaps this was just how her body was dealing with all the events from the last hour. But it felt good to laugh.
It took a minute to get control of herself. But once she did, she was left feeling incredibly tired. She quickly left the captain to his own devices before finding her bunk and practically falling into it, going to sleep within seconds.
Percy Jackson watched Annabeth leave before letting out a long sigh. If what she said was true, and he was inclined to believe it, then it was imperative that he get in touch with command as soon as possible.
Making his way over to the Ship Communications Officer¡¯s station, he sat down and worked on bringing up a secure channel back home. It took a minute to remember his training on the process, but once he did, he quickly established an uplink to the Pentagon.
¡°This is Trident 1 radioing for Command, over.¡±
Percy waited for a full minute as nothing but static filled his ears before double-checking his work. Seeing nothing wrong, he waited another thirty seconds before trying again.
¡°This is Trident 1 radioing for Command, over.¡±
The second he let his finger off the talk button, static once again filled his ears. He could feel his heart rate quicken as he ran through all the possible scenarios for why the Pentagon wouldn¡¯t be responding.
Taking a breath to calm himself, he followed protocol and worked to establish an uplink on the subsequent fallback frequencies. He felt his panic rise with each failed response until he tried the last military channel.
Its use was authorized only when the country was at Defcon 1 and was hardwired into the President''s Bunker. He wasn¡¯t quite sure how to feel as he established the uplink, knowing that if no one picked up on this channel. Then, he would have to assume that the United States Government had fallen.
With a shaky breath, he pushed down on the talk button and spoke the same line for what felt like the thirtieth time.
¡°This is Trident 1 radioing for Command, over.¡±
He felt dread building in his gut as he released the push to talk, and static once again filled his ears. Once a minute passed with no response, he felt his heart sink until the static cleared, and he heard a voice on the other end.
¡°Trident 1, this is Command, over.¡±
Percy was pretty sure he had never felt so relieved in his life as he let out a huge breath.
¡°Command, I just spoke with Doctor Annabeth Chase, and she is telling me that the true purpose of our mission, which was given directly to her by the President, was to discover the primordial strain of some virus. Is that true?¡±
Static blared through the channel again before clearing as the same person as before spoke through.
¡°Trident 1, I believe it best to establish a video feed. A lot has happened in the last six months.¡±
Percy thought it was odd but wasn¡¯t about to deny the request. It took him longer than he¡¯d like to admit to remember how to move a radio transmission to a call. However, what he saw surprised him once he brought up the video feed.
The Secretary of Homeland Security was on the line and looked worse for wear. She, and by extension, everyone else on the screen, appeared to be extremely thin and pale. Before he could even speak, the Secretary, Regina, if he remembered correctly, beat him to it.
¡°I know, last you heard, I was the Secretary of Homeland Security. The President died three months ago and the Vice President two weeks later. I was the next member in the line of succession who tested negative for the virus.¡±
¡°What¡¯s left of the Federal Government is holed up with myself in the presidential bunker. Our resources are running low, and the power grid is starting to fail. Our communication is getting extremely spotty, so please tell us now, does Doctor Chase have what she needs to make a vaccine.¡±
He breathed as the magnitude of the situation set in before compartmentalizing like Officer¡¯s School taught him.
¡°She believes so, Ma¡¯am.¡±
He could see the spark of hope in her eyes as his words set in.
¡°Good. We are sending you coordinates to a secure bio lab off the coast of North Carolina. Be cautious, Captain. From what we are hearing, the United States is one of the last functioning governments left.¡±
¡°And most of our population, along with our armed forces, are dying or are dead. We have no allies, and we have no enemies. The Rules of Engagement have changed, and your mission is to ensure Doctor Chase can safely create a vaccine or cure no matter the cost.¡±
He nodded, understanding what she was saying as she continued.
¡°Unfortunately, that¡¯s all the information I have at the moment. We haven¡¯t been in contact with our above-ground team in three weeks, and it''s getting harder and harder to reach the world outside this bunker.¡±
Suddenly, a loud bang came through the speakers. Percy instinctively turned his head towards the ship¡¯s door, expecting it to have fallen off before he registered that the sound had come from the President¡¯s end.
¡°Ma¡¯am, what was that?¡±
Her face looked panicked, and Percy felt dread in his bones as he heard the familiar sound of gunfire through the speakers. The President turned to stare at him, a true terror in her eyes.
¡°Cap-¡±
Then, static. Percy slammed his fist on the metal console in frustration. Trying desperately to create another connection with the President¡¯s Bunker to no avail.
What remained of the Federal Government had just been attacked, and there wasn¡¯t a damn thing he could do about it.
Chapter 2
Percy flexed his hand as the pain of slamming it against steel finally registered in his mind. It was a welcome reprieve from the horror of realizing that the Federal Government of the United States was in shambles, along with the rest of the world for that matter.
Clenching and unclenching his hand one more time to try and get rid of some of the pain, he got to work. Picking up the phone to send a shipwide message to Zhang and Underwood to fill them in on the situation.
¡°Attention, this is the captain. I need XO Zhang and Master Chief Underwood to report to the communications room on the double.¡±
Setting the phone back in its holder, he found himself flexing his hand once more. Ignoring the prickly feeling as his mind raced, he considered their current situation and the options available to them.
They still had relatively full armaments, with over seventy-five missiles, a practically untouched ammo locker with the standard weapon array, several tons of ammo for their machine guns and the CIWS, along with all of their torpedos.
He was suddenly glad that the Secretary of Defense had insisted they bring extra missiles for their training mission. Although, he supposed that was the man¡¯s paranoid mind at work preparing for the worst-case scenario, which seems to have occurred from what he could tell.
A loud knock at the door broke him out of his thoughts, and he unlatched the lock, pulling open the door to see an out-of-breath Frank with an alarmed Grover behind him.
¡°Sir, what¡¯s going on?¡±
His executive officer¡¯s voice was a bit alarmed, and he couldn¡¯t blame him. He doubted he would react well if his superiors called for him via a ship-wide announcement. Motioning in his leadership team, he shut the door behind him before locking it once again.
¡°Well, gentlemen. There¡¯s no easy way to say this, but our mission out here was a cover for Dr. Chase and Dr. Castellean¡¯s research.¡±
He saw their eyes widen slightly in surprise but continued on before they could ask any questions.
¡°The short of it is this. They were out here looking for an older sample of a virus that is currently infecting and destroying the world. I just had a conversation with what remained of the U.S. Government in the presidential bunker.¡±
Zhang let out an audible reaction at hearing the command structure had gone underground as he continued.
¡°As far as I could gather, few functioning governments are left. And the ones that are have minimal influence. To make matters worse, my conversation with the president, Regina, the Secretary of Homeland Security when we left. Was cut short as some unknown element broke into the bunker.¡±
Both Grover and Frank took a seat at his words, their eyes wide as the information sunk in.
¡°As of this point, I want to fill in the rest of the ship on what''s going on in the outside world and put us on Defcon 1 alertness. I also want to put a guard duty on doctors Chase and Castellan as it just became our number one priority to protect them and help them create a cure no matter the cost.¡±
Both men stared at him as they tried to comprehend the situation he had just laid in front of them. After a minute, Frank finally spoke up, and Percy gave the man his attention.
¡°Sir, are you sure you want to tell the men? The first question they are going to have is if their families are okay, and to be honest, sir, I am wondering the same.¡±
Percy gave his fellow officer a sad smile.
¡°I''m not sure, Frank. But I think we set up a rotation to give everyone a chance to reach out to their loved ones.¡±
The man nodded along with Underwood, and Percy grinned.
¡°Good. Now, before we inform the sailors, there is an unmanned fueling station off the coast of France. With a little bit of conservation, I think we should be able to make it. Grover, start gathering everyone into groups in the mess hall so I can start addressing them in the next three hours. Zhang, get us headed toward the refueling station.¡±
The two men he could trust most nodded, and for the first time since he learned the world had gone to shit, he felt relieved.
Master Chief Underwood went to exit, but he stopped with his hand on the latch.
¡°Sir, permission to speak freely?¡±
Despite the situation, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. Only years in the military would have someone following formality in such crazy times. Although he supposed that was the point.
Nevertheless, he nodded, giving Grover the go-ahead.
¡°What are you going to be doing?¡±
His eyes widened slightly at the question, but he knew that Grover understood he wasn¡¯t one of the superior officers who would punish someone for questioning him. In fact, the more he thought about it, he welcomed the question.
In such dire times, trust is everything, especially when Percy had a feeling he would be asking a lot of his men in the coming days.
¡°I am going to see if I can find some more information on what''s been happening while we¡¯ve been radio silent and get a better understanding of the world.¡±
The Master Chief nodded, and Percy smiled at the man.
¡°From now on, you both have permission to speak freely when we are alone like this. Tough times are ahead, and I don¡¯t want you two to be afraid to bring something up because of formality. Understood?¡±
¡°Aye, Aye, Sir!¡±
Percy waved off their salutes as they exited, leaving him alone in the communications room. Taking a breath to center himself, Percy made his way to a terminal and got to work on figuring out what had happened while they were by the South Pole.
The sound of nervous chatter could be heard from the other side of the wall, and Percy let out a shaky breath. The whole ship knew something major was happening or had happened; you could feel it in the air.
Still, it didn¡¯t prepare them for the news he was about to break. He was about to tell the first of three groups everything that had happened while they were on mission, and he was dreading how they¡¯d react.
Before he could think of worse-case scenarios, Master Chief Underwood signaled that everyone was in attendance. With a sigh, he stepped into the room, seeing the hundreds of faces that were about to have their world shaken.
¡°Good Afternoon, I have news... from home.¡±
There was complete silence as he spoke, everyone holding their breath as they waited for him to continue. It was so quiet that Percy could hear the next group waiting outside and the hum of the ship''s engine.
¡°There is no easy way to say this, but our last mission was a cover.¡±
There was a sharp intake of breath at his words, but he powered through.
¡°Our real reason for being in the Arctic was so doctors Chase and Castellean could uncover the original strain of a virus that has ravaged the world we left.¡±
There was murmuring in the crowd, which was silenced as he continued to speak.
¡°I was unaware of our true mission, just like you. But, knowing what I know now, I am glad I was. The world as we knew it six months ago is no more. The virus has killed over half of our planet¡¯s population, according to the latest information.
¡°What remains of The United States of America is held up in the presidential bunker, which was attacked as I was being briefed on the current state of the world.¡±
The Mess Hall was deathly silent as Percy took a deep breath.
¡°We have to assume that central command is gone and that we will be in the dark for the foreseeable future. It is not all bad news, however. Doctor Chase found what she needed, buried in the ice.¡±
¡°Our new mission is to assist and protect the two doctors by any means necessary so that they can develop a cure. After refueling, we will head to a bio lab off the coast of North Carolina.¡±
Percy took another deep breath and took in the sailors who stared at him with wide eyes.
¡°I know that you are concerned about your loved ones back home, and after I am done speaking with the last group, there will be a scheduled time for everyone to try and call back home. Does anyone have any questions?¡±
Percy recognized the sailor who raised his hand as one of the few fresh recruits assigned to the Trident. At first, he wondered why he had gotten nearly a dozen sailors, not even a week out of basic training, assigned to his ship for a top-secret mission.
But, he understood now that it was nepotism from parents who knew their true mission to try and save their kids from a deadly virus. He couldn¡¯t blame them, and if he remembered correctly, the kid with a raised hand was the Secretary of Defense''s grandson.
¡°Yes, Private?¡±
The kid stood, and Percy could tell he was nervous with how he clenched and unclenched his pants.
¡°How are the other governments? Was it actually Russia who attacked us the other day?¡±
He widened his eyes slightly, not expecting the question, but answered it nonetheless.
¡°Good question, from what I could gather. The only governments left are ours, the British, Australia, Japan, and Chile. And even then, those governments are hanging on by a thread.¡±
¡°With that in mind, my current theory is that it was a rouge Russian agent that attacked us, and unless that changes, we are going to keep our current rules of engagement. Understood?¡±
A cacophony of agreements assaulted his ears, and he smiled.
¡°Alright, any more questions?¡±
When no one raised their hand, Percy nodded.
¡°Okay, remember, we are the United States Navy. We will get through this. Dismissed.¡±
He watched as the crew started making their way out of the mess hall until a hand on his shoulder caused him to turn, locking his eyes with a pair of grey orbs that seemed to pierce into his very soul.
¡°That was a good speech, Captain.¡±
¡°Thank you, Doctor Chase. How are you feeling?¡±
He could see the tiredness in her eyes as she gave him a so-so gesture.
¡°I''m managing, I can¡¯t stop picturing the people who died for me... for my research.¡±
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
Percy nodded, knowing all too well how draining that could be.
¡°It¡¯ll get better with time. I am glad you''re here.¡±
At the blonde¡¯s raised eyebrow, he continued.
¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten about my promise. Jason and his men are waiting in the briefing room for you to break the news to them. We will head that way once I am done speaking to the rest of the crew.¡±
For what he imagined was the first time that day, Annabeth gave him what he thought to be a genuine smile before she hugged him. However, she quickly untangled herself, realizing what she had done.
¡°I¡¯m sor...¡±
Before she could finish her sentence, he cut her off with a laugh.
¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I need to break the news to the next group. Wait with the Master Chief, and we¡¯ll head to the briefing room once I¡¯m done.¡±
The blonde nodded before walking away, and Percy took another deep breath to prepare himself to explain everything to the next group of sailors.
3 days later
The sun was just beginning to set when Captain Jackson looked up from the monitor. In his personal quarters, the familiar sound of a phone trying to establish a connection somewhere else in the world could be heard.
Unsurprisingly, the familiar dial tone of death sounded with a robotic voice coming through the speakers.
Due to widespread system failure, the number you are calling can not be reached. You cannot leave a voicemail at this time... Goodbye.
Percy had to take a breath to restrain himself from breaking something before dialing his sister¡¯s phone number once again, only to get the same results. He let out a defeated sigh, putting his head in his hands.
He hoped Estelle was okay. He would never be able to forgive himself if something happened to her. It might¡¯ve been selfish, but he would be willing to sink the entire ship if it meant she was okay.
His mind filtered to his mother¡¯s dying words as he tried to help free her from the car.
Her hand was cold, despite the flames from the front of the car, as she caressed his cheek.
¡°Percy, my little hero. Save your sister. Protect her. You are all she has left now.¡±
Tears welled in his eyes as he tried to free his mother again, only for her to ¡®shush¡¯ him as she pointed to the back seat where Estelle lay. Several minor cuts along her head from where it had impacted the window once they were hit.
He could see the bruise forming already as he turned his attention back to his mother, who was much worse off. He didn¡¯t want to leave his mom. He couldn¡¯t leave her.
Sally gave him a longing look, her eyes pleading.
¡°It will be okay, Percy. It will be okay, my sweet boy. Get your sister first, then come back.
He knew it wouldn¡¯t. It wouldn¡¯t be long until the fire reached the gas tank, and despite his less-than-stellar grades in science, he knew what would happen. The sound of sirens was what finally convinced him.
Climbing back into the back seat, he put his sister on his back. Crawling through the shards of glass and metal till they were out of the car before sprinting up the hill the vehicle had rolled down.
The sound of the ship''s horn startled him out of his flashback. The noise eerily reminded him of the explosion that occurred once he had gotten to the top of the hill with his sister, and he had to take a breath to center himself.
He picked up the phone with renewed vigor, intent on finding out where his sister was and how she was doing. But, before he could get a chance to dial a number, his phone rang. He let out a long sigh, picking up the handset as he heard the voice of his bridge officer.
¡°This is the Captain.¡±
¡°Sir, you¡¯re needed on the bridge.¡±
Another sigh escaped his lips.
¡°Alright, be there shortly, Levesque.¡±
Putting the phone back in its slot on the wall, he made his way up to the bridge. Once there, he looked at his bridge officer, a brown-skinned girl named Hazel, who ran the bridge in his absence.
¡°Sir, we are fifty miles off the coast of Europe and still have no response from French Naval Command. Should we continue towards the refueling station?¡±
Percy rubbed his chin in thought.
¡°Yes, let''s keep the current course. But, let¡¯s set up an extra watch.¡±
Hazel saluted him, but he stopped her before she could get too far.
¡°Were you able to reach home?¡±
There was a pain in her eyes that Percy was sure most people had at this point.
¡°No sir, I think only four people got through to anyone, and the news wasn¡¯t good.¡±
There was a pause before she continued.
¡°Did you know I made a promise to my mother that one day we would leave New Orleans and visit Paris together? Now that she might very well be dead, all I can think about is that promise...¡±
He could see the anguish in her eyes as she wrestled with the idea that she could very much be on her own now. Setting a hand on her shoulder, he forced her to look him in the eyes as he spoke.
¡°That is the stuff that matters. When my mom passed, all I could think about was everything we missed out on doing together. But eventually, I learned she was always with me. Don¡¯t give up on that promise. Because no matter where your mom may be, know that she is always with you.¡±
He could visibly see some of the worry slide off her shoulders and was relieved he could finally help with something. Taking his hand off her shoulder, he let her get back to running the bridge just as his XO walked through the door.
However, before he could even move to greet his second in command, alarms blared ship-wide, accompanied by flashing yellow lights. He felt his stomach sink as he locked eyes with Frank, knowing that the yellow lights indicated one thing and one thing only: a nuclear launch.
For a second, no one on the bridge moved. Then, instincts and training kicked in, and it was a madhouse. A cacophony of chatter assaulted his ears as everyone focused on their job, relaying information everyone else needed.
¡°Unidentified submersible bearing 9.7.2 degrees west.¡±
¡°Wind is currently at 45 knots, blowing south-east.¡±
Hazel¡¯s voice sounded above the other¡¯s, telling him everything he needed to know.
¡°Sir, we have an unauthenticated fire order that came across all channels. It¡¯s a rouge nuclear warhead.¡±
Before he knew it, his feet were carrying him to the Combat Information Center, and he shouted at Frank while he moved.
¡°Zhang, you have the bridge! I¡¯m going to the CIC.¡±
If there was an affirmative, he didn¡¯t hear it, but he trusted that his second-in-command heard him. Within two minutes, he had made it to the Combat Information Center and was getting briefed by his lieutenant.
¡°Sir, we have confir... Vampire, vampire, vampire!¡±
Percy felt bile rise to his throat as his lieutenant¡¯s focus was moved to more important things before he could finish briefing him, forcing Percy to quickly review the information from the various screens in the CIC.
He saw a single red dot on the radar, which gave him a modicum of relief: only one WMD had been fired. Within thirty seconds, he had his headset on and relayed his orders.
¡°Spin up four tomahawks and wait for an intercept course.¡±
There was a cacophony of noise as they prepared the missiles and worked on tracking the nuclear warhead¡¯s path. Piper¡¯s voice cut through the chatter, and for the first time in a long time, Percy felt hopeless as her words registered.
¡°Coordinates have been scrambled. There is no chance for an intercept course.¡±
He took a second to compose himself before shifting his focus to eliminate the threat.
¡°TAO, have we ID¡¯d the culprit? What is the WMD¡¯s target?
¡°Sir, the missile was fired from 46.489 and -12.357. However, it appears to have been a submarine and has gone dark. The coordinates don¡¯t make sense, but the missile seems to target somewhere on land.¡±
Frustration built within him, but he kept his composure. He quickly shed his headset before grabbing the ship¡¯s phone and making a ship-wide announcement.
¡°Baton down the hatches, prepare for nuclear detonation. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill.¡±
Percy had to stop himself from slamming the phone back into the receiver and focused back on the chatter when his lieutenant called for him.
¡°Sir, missile impact in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.¡±
Percy could only watch in disbelief as the red dot disappeared from the radar, and untold destruction occurred a couple hundred miles away. It took several minutes for the effects of the explosion to be felt.
There was a slight tremble from the shockwave that barely rocked the ship and a rumble of sound a couple seconds later as the air caught up. Then, the power went out. He knew the reason before his lieutenant told him, but let the man brief him anyway as he started moving towards the engine room.
¡°Sir, the bomb must¡¯ve doubled as an EMP.¡±
¡°I know, lieutenant, be ready to start the reboot. I¡¯m headed to the engine room.¡±
It took him a minute to reach the ship''s bowels since he was only guided by the red emergency lights. But once there, he found his lead engineer, James ¡®Festus¡¯ Cook, working on the switchboard.
¡°Status report, Festus. Anyone hurt?¡±
There was a bit of relief in the man¡¯s eyes when he saw Percy, and he gave his lead engineer an encouraging smile.
¡°No sir, but the Electro Magnetic Pulse of the nuke blew our circuit.¡±
Before he could respond, Grover¡¯s voice came from the stairs above.
¡°Captain.¡±
¡°Is that you, Master Chief?¡±
James shined his light at the top of the stairs to reveal Grover Underwood¡¯s face.
¡°Aye, Levsque says the radios are down. Whatever was in that bomb is also messing with the radio waves. We are sitting ducks right now.¡±
Percy nodded, turning his attention back to Festus as he spoke.
¡°We must move this ship away from the blast zone, lieutenant. Let¡¯s get her moving again, alright.¡±
Festus nodded, and Percy gave him an encouraging nod before making himself useful. Fifteen minutes later, he had just finished getting the last fuse in place, and they were ready to try and restart the engines.
¡°Fuses are in Festus.¡±
His lead engineer nodded, sounding off his orders as he prepped the generator.
¡°Alright, open up valves 3,4 and 5. Kill auxiliary power and emergency air.¡±
Once that was done, one of the engineers sounded off, and Percy crossed his fingers, noticing James say a little prayer before flipping the switch. He heard the fuse blow, and his body flinched reactively before turning, unsurprised to find an empty socket where he had just finished putting in the last fuse.
¡°Fuck.¡±
The curse flew out of his mouth before he had even thought about it. He turned to Festus for guidance, but the man could only shrug his shoulders.
¡°It¡¯s an overload, sir. A restart for this caliber is a heavy load. Typically, we¡¯d do a light restart to get the power flowing and gradually bring systems online. But...¡±
His lead engineer trailed off, and Percy understood why. No one needed to be reminded of the tragedy that had just occurred in Europe, and they didn¡¯t have the luxury of time with a rouge nuclear threat nearby.
Another engineer came up to him, holding out another fuse.
¡°It¡¯s our last one, sir.¡±
He felt a grim determination set in as he grabbed the fuse from the sailor¡¯s hand and set it into the socket. His hand remained firmly gripped around the component as he locked eyes with his Lieutenant.
¡°Rip it.¡±
Realization quickly dawned on everyone what he was planning to do, and objections were immediately raised at the notion. However, none were louder than Grover¡¯s voice as he tried to convince him to let someone else risk their life for the betterment of the ship.
¡°Sir, let somebody else do this.¡±
Unfortunately for the Master Chief, Percy outranked him, and he wasn¡¯t afraid to pull rank in this scenario.
¡°I said. Rip. It. That¡¯s an order, lieutenant.¡±
James shook his head, and the engineer who handed him the fuse told him to get his hand out of the socket. At the same time, Grover was pleading with him to not go through with his potentially suicidal plan.
¡°Sir, get your hand out of there!¡±
¡°Captain. Don¡¯t.¡±
For the first time on this mission, Percy raised his voice as he shouted at his lead engineer.
¡°I SAID RIP IT!¡±
He could feel hundreds of volts of electricity flow through his body as he kept the fuse firmly in place before an explosion of sparks knocked him on his ass. It felt like he had just been hit by a truck, and his left arm felt like it was on fire from how much it burned.
Grover¡¯s voice snapped him out of his daze, the Master Chief¡¯s hand grabbing his right one to help him up as he spoke.
¡°Badass, Captain.¡±
It took him a second to get his bearings now that he was standing up and the world was spinning. But once he did, he was glad to see the lights were on and his idiotic plan had worked. He didn¡¯t trust his voice at the moment, so he settled for a nod directed at his friend as he tried to lower his rapid heart rate.
He went to take a step towards the stairs and nearly collapsed. Thankfully, Grover was there to catch him.
¡°Careful now, Captain. Let¡¯s get you to the infirmary.¡±
Percy wanted to protest, but after taking another step and feeling his leg give out again, he decided it might be for the best. So, he reluctantly nodded to the Master Chief and let the man help him to the medical bay.
People were quick to get out of the way when they noticed their Captain limping along with the help of their Master Chief, and so they made it to the infirmary in record time.
It was just his luck, however, that Doctor Annabeth Chase would be there at the same time.
¡°Oh my God, what happened?¡±
Before he could even attempt to tell Grover not to tell the woman anything, Will rushed into the room at Annabeth¡¯s exclamation. Percy realized it was a lost cause and resigned himself to his fate as the Master Chief explained what happened.
¡°Our Captain decided that the best way to ensure the U.S.S Trident got back up and running was to hold the fuse in the box himself.¡±
Will muttered a curse under his breath and shook his head before helping Grover sit him on a bed nearby.
¡°Wait here, Captain. Master Chief, can you help me get some equipment?¡±
Percy opened his mouth to protest, but Will beat him to the punch.
¡°You may outrank me outside these walls, Captain. But when you¡¯re in my infirmary, I make the rules.¡±
He sighed in frustration but listened to his medic, watching him and Grover disappear into a different room, leaving him with Dr. Chase. The blonde looked at him with a questioning stare, a look he was beginning to realize she had pretty frequently.
¡°You¡¯re welcome to ask, Doctor.¡±
Annabeth looked a bit sheepish at her intentions being read so easily, her cheeks a faint red as she cleared her throat to compose herself.
¡°Thank you for risking your life to restore the ship¡¯s power. I was in the process of asking Will for any cold storage bags he might have for my most critical samples when the power came back on.¡±
Percy wasn¡¯t sure what he expected the grey-eyed woman to say, but it definitely wasn¡¯t a ¡®thank you.¡¯ It brought a genuine smile to his face as he nodded in appreciation.
The blonde opened her mouth to say something else, but before she could, Will and Grover walked back in with several different medical devices, and he felt dread build up inside him. Annabeth gave him a reassuring smile before turning to leave.
¡°Well, now that the power is back on, I need to help Luke return everything we had taken out of the freezers. Good luck, Captain.¡±
With that, the grey-eyed doctor was gone, and Percy resigned himself to the, no doubt, numerous tests his medic was about to subject him to.
Two hours later, Percy found himself back on the bridge with a cane and a dose of pills that were supposed to supplement the iron in his blood. Thankfully, none of his nerves were permanently damaged.
The cane was a precautionary measure since his body was still recovering, and his leg could spasm at any moment and give out from underneath him. According to Will, he should be fully recovered by day¡¯s end.
But, even that was too long in his eyes, considering the current state of the world. Especially since they were low on fuel and the closest fueling station was now likely inaccessible due to radiation.
Hazel Levesque¡¯s voice broke him out of his thoughts.
¡°Sir, we have 11% of our fuel left. Even at max conservation, there is no way we make it to any known refueling station.¡±
Percy felt dread build in his stomach, realizing that they very well might be dead in the water. Thankfully, Frank came to his rescue.
¡°What¡¯s that in the radar shadow?¡±
Percy beelined it to the screen and nearly released an audible sigh of relief once he saw the outline of a large vessel within their range.
¡°That... is a ship. Set course for that boat.¡±
He could feel the bridge come alive with hope and waited eagerly for the ship to appear on the horizon. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t have to wait long to see the lights of what appeared to be a cruise ship sitting dead in the water.
There was an unease that passed through everyone on the bridge when they saw what was supposed to be a lively vessel silent. A few moments later, his communications officer¡¯s voice came alive through to the bridge, confirming what he feared.
¡°Sir, markings on the ship say it¡¯s Italian, but I can¡¯t raise anyone on comms. What do you want me to do?¡±
Percy felt the unease build inside him as he picked up his radio.
¡°Is bridge-to-bridge operational?¡±
There was a pause.
¡°Appears so, sir.¡±
He took a breath before switching the channel so he could communicate with the cruise ship''s bridge.
¡°Vessel in vicinity forty-eight degrees north, fifteen degrees west. This is US Navy warship 117 on your starboard bow. Acknowledge and identify yourself, over.¡±
Static filled the line as he waited for a reply that, deep down, he knew wasn¡¯t coming. So, after failing to raise the ship through their communication procedure, only one option was left.
Picking up the ship phone, he made an announcement.
¡°Blue Team, report to the briefing room in fifteen minutes.¡±
Putting the handset back into the receiver, he looked to his XO.
¡°We are going to have to board that ship. Zhang, can you go get Dr. Chase and bring her to the briefing room? I have a feeling we are going to need to know more about this virus. Oh, and let Festus know that we will be doing a ship-to-ship refueling. I am going to go gear up.¡±