THE BATTLE FOR HUMANITY
Chapter 1
Arctic Ice
For the past four months they have sailed around the Arctic islands searching for the primordial strain of the virus that has been decimating the population of the world. Now they have it the original undilute strain to work on a cure for the pandemic. Now they needed to get back to the States rather quickly to begin working on developing a cure.
Rachel had made the call inform informing the CDC director who in turn inform the President and the Pentagon that they have want they need to work on cure. She was informed that the USS Nathan James would contact her shortly to arrange pickup and it was equipped with the necessary equipment to continue their research before the call was disconnect.
Nathan James
Petty Officer Maya Gibson quite air waves suddenly come to life with incoming traffic she quickly turns on the recorder to capture the information and notifies the duty officer.
"Ensign Mason, sir we have incoming trafficking from the Pentagon for the CO" she states
"Very well" he replies as he picks up the phone to call the bridge
"Bridge comms is the captain on the bridge?" he ask
"Comms bridge that is a negative he was heading towards Comms" the MOOW replied
"Very well" Mason replies as he hangs up the phone the CO and XO walk into the room
"Sirs, we just received an incoming message from the Pentagon for you.
"What does it say Ensign?" Chandler asks
"Sir, it says Nathan James is to contact a Drs Rachel Scott and Quincy Tophet to schedule pickup from the Barter Island at these coordinates and return to Norfolk." He replies
"How are we supposed to contact them Ensign? Slattery asks
"Oh, sorry sir, here is a sat phone number for them" he replies
"I will use the sat phone in my cabin and make the call" Chandler states
"XO it looks like we will have two guests" he said
"I will check with the SUPPO and find space for them in the staterooms last resort bunking with the crew." Slattery replies.
"Alright I have to arrange a pickup for our guests" he replies
Sailboat Hope
"Rachel come on we thirty minutes before the helo arrives" Quincy shouts
"Alright, don't get you knickers all twister" she replies as she steps on the deck and climbs down the ladder to the dinghy. Taking one last look at the fifty-foot sailboat that was their home for the past months.
The short ride to the island is done in silence as they both know that their find is vital to the survival of humanity. They reach the island quickly and worked in silence as they loaded the sleds to pull their equipment and to the landing area.
As Quincy is the first to reaches the coordinates, he is shocked to see a helo already there and realizes it isn't an American helicopter.
"Rachel run" he screams as a shot is fired striking him in the chest
Rachel is paralyzed with fear for a momentarily after watching Quincy getting shot until her fight or flight instincts kick her into motion. She grabs the case with the primordial and runs down the hill towards the dinghy she realizes she cannot make it back there, so she heads towards the cave they found weeks ago to hide she thinks she is going to make when she is suddenly tackled from behind. She is hoisted to her feet her hands are bounded as she is forced marched back to the helo past Quincy's body laying in the snow. She looks at the men with hatred in her eyes her friend is dead because some how someone leaked information about their research in the Arctic she is forced onto the craft along with the samples. They take off heading to an unknown destination after about thirty minutes of flying they land on a deck of a warship she is escorted from the craft to the person in charge.
"Ah Doctor Scott welcome to the Vernyi I am Admiral Konstantin Nikolayevich Ruskov and you have just made me the most powerful man in the world." He says with a smug smile.
"Why are you doing this it is meant to save the world not just those who can pay your price!" she said angrily
"It does matter what you think you will make the cure onboard the Vernyi everything you need is onboard here"
"No, it isn't your men killed my research partner and friend" she states
"Do not worry you have someone to help with your research your friend's death has no bearing on you developing the cure. Now you will be escorted to the lab to begin your work" he replies
USS Nathan James
The past four months they were sailing around the Arctic testing a new weapons system. A SEAL team with their K-9 Admiral Halsey assigned to the ship doing cold weather training. The hardest part was no communication in or out during this time. It didn't stop Tom from recording messages to his children back home his wife Darien had died the previous year from a brain aneurysm his world was shattered for the past fifteen years they were a team.
Tom and the kids had just come home from the beach Darien had complained of headache she didn't want them to change their plans, so she decided to stay home and rest. Tom told the kids to go change and he would be down to grill some hamburgers and hotdogs for dinner after checking on Darien. He goes upstairs to their room thinking she was still sleeping he decide to wake her up with kisses the moment his lips touch her cheek he knew she was gone.
Tom had gathered her lifeless body in his arms as tears silent rolled his cheeks remembering their time together. He couldn't let go. Ashley and Sam were scare and called their Aunt Nicky. When she arrived that is how she found him. She called her Dad to come get the kids, JJ was deployed not schedule to return in two weeks.
Two weeks after the funeral Tom talked it over with his father and he had decided that after this deployment he would put in his papers for early retirement for now his kids were with his father and sister by some luck of fate his brother's SEAL team was assigned to the ship HM1 Jeddah "JJ" Chandler, Jr. wasn't like his brother but had his own style of leadership their father thought one of the two sons would follow his footsteps and the Army and become a Ranger but it wasn't his sons who followed in his footsteps it was their sister Nicole "Nicky" the over achiever in the family she had decided at fourteen she would get a appointment to West Point major in bio science and upon graduation go to medical school and apply for Ranger training as a medical officer. Jed ensure all his children could handle various weapons and survive in variety of environments. Nicky is the best marksman and hunter in the family. She began training in earnest for both West Point and the Rangers at fourteen no one had the heart to tell that women couldn't be Rangers but that change and she past the training to get her tab. The day of she received her tab entire family was present and their father was busting with pride. He was happy that his family was together at home and his brother was onboard, but he misses his kids. His musings are interrupted by the ringing of the phone on the bridge.
"Captain Chandler sir, Ensign Mason is on the line for you" OOD says
"Thank you Granderson" he replies as he takes the handset from her.
"CO go, very well" he said on the one side conversation
"LT Granderson has the bridge" he announces to the watch time as he leaves the bridge
"Aye aye sir, I have the bridge she replies as he leaves.
Tom needs Mike to meet him in the radio room so he calls him over the walkie talkie
"CO XO meet me in Comms" he says over the walkie
"Meet you in Comms aye sir" Mike replies
They both arrive at the Comms center and enter the room Mason has cleared the center of junior personnel as this information is only for the CO and XO ears only.
"Sir, I've been trying to raise the doctors for the past twenty minutes and no joy" he said
"Mike have the LTs Green and Benz meet us in my cabin in five minutes
The word is passed over the 1MC for LT Green and LT Benz your presence is requested in the commanding officer's stateroom.
Mike and Tom are discussing their best options regarding the scientists when there is a knock on the door.
"Enter" Tom says to the person on the other side
"Sir, LT Green and LT Benz reporting as order" Frankie says
"Gentlemen, come and close the door behind you" Tom says
"This is the situation yesterday we received communication from the Pentagon order us to pickup of two scientists from Barter Island. For the past thirty minutes we have been trying to contact them without success. I want your team on the helo and find out what happen to them. Helo launches in thirty minutes" Tom said
"Sir, what the deal with these scientists? Green asks
"The Pentagon consider them high value assets as soon as we have them onboard, we were to head back to Norfolk post haste. None of this information leaves this room clear" Mike said
"Yes, sir" they both replied
Thirty minutes later the helo is in the air head towards the last known coordinators of the scientists. As they approach the coordinators the pilot radios back that they spotted a fifty-foot sail boat anchored about half mile from the island. They spot the dinghy not to far on a rocky out cropping but so far, no sighting of the scientists.
"Nathan James Saber Hawk one be advised have spotted a body at the last known coordinators for the scientists" pilot radio back
"Something doesn't feel right about this" Mike" says to Tom
"I agree" Tom replies
"OOD away the SCAT team" Mike orders
"Aye, sir" OOD gives the order for away the SCAT team to be passed over the 1MC.
The helo lands hundred yards from the body in the snow Danny has Berchem and Benz set security around the helo while he Smith and JJ checkout the body they spotted from the air.
Danny takes point with Halsey on his long lead as they approach the original land zone, he notes the impression of the wheel base the helo left.
"LT check it out shell casings there was a one-sided battle by the looks of things" Smith say
"Nathan James Cobra team be advised evidence of a gunfire at our location" Danny states
Just then Halsey alerts on the body in the snow. Danny signals the team to take flanking position around the body in case it is a trap.
They steadily approach the figure Danny is the first to reach him and reaches down to check for a pulse. He shock the body has a pulse
"JJ get up here now we have a live one" he shouts as he turns the body over and identifies it as a male.
"Nathan James be advised survivor alive I repeat one survivor alive" he states
"Can you tell me what happen where is your colleague?"
"We just finish bring our equipment to the site for pickup the helicopter was already here I thought that strange then I heard them speaking I shout for Rachel to run and they shot me" he said with a shallow breath
JJ checks over Quincy looking for an exit wound for the bullet thankfully it was a through and through, but his clavicle and shoulder blade are broken
"It's a through and through I can patch him up, but he needs blood" JJ says as he applies a field dresses to the wound
"No, we can't leave until we find Rachel" he said
"Where would she go back to your boat?" Danny ask
"No, the dinghy too far there is a cave about 200 meters from here" he replied before he passes out from the pain
"Is still alive?" Smith
"Yeah, he still alive he passed out from the shock and pain" JJ replied
"Smith and I will head towards the cave he mention can you get him back to helo alright? He ask
"Yes, I can" he replied.
"Smith give me hand lifting him into a fireman carry. I don't want to cause and more damage to the shoulder area" he says
Smith and JJ quickly get Quincy in a stand position for JJ to carry him back to the helo. Now in the carry position JJ heads back to the helo with his patient.
Danny gives the command for search to Halsey as he and Smith follow the German shepherd, they travel about fifty meters when Halsey alerted on something in the snow. The foot prints abruptly stopped in its place you see an impression where foot prints should be. The doctor never made it to the cave.
"Nathan James Cobra team be advised no sign of Dr. Scott heading by the helo to return to the Nathan James." He says into his radio
Danny turns to head back up to helo when a reflection from the sun rays catches his eyes. He walks towards the reflection and finds a case with CDC markings he picks up the case and wonders what this case contains that is so important. As he walks back to the extraction point for the scientists, he notices that the equipment they were bring onboard the James is still there.
Danny orders the men to load the equipment on the helo he knows that he has part of the high value assets and he cannot leave their research whatever it is.
Author Notes: This is my what if Rachel and Quincy were sailing around the Arctic islands hunting for the primordial strain. The Nathan James is testing a new cold weather weapons system with a SEAL team onboard under the premise of cold weather training and communications blackout. Now the Nathan James must rescue Rachel from the Ruskov.
SCAT Team – small craft action team. Every ship in the Navy has a SCAT team they are deployed to deter as one of the ship's defensive measure
MOOW- Is the messenger of the watch stationed on the bridge at sea and quarterdeck in port
Barter Island is an actual island in the Arctic claimed by the United States since and with its proximity to Russia made it a logical choice for the Russians to swoop in and snatch Dr. Scott