The group in Cafeteria A were settling in for a typical night, playing poker, rereading old magazines, anything to keep their minds off of where they were. CJ was just beginning to contemplate yet another trip to the gym when the door burst open. Marshall and Randall appeared, clad in full battle dress.
"Come on people we gotta move and we gotta move now!" Marshall called out to them. It was the news they had been waiting to hear. In an instant everyone began scurrying, some putting shoes on, others just heading for the door.
"Where we going?" Kenneth demanded.
"Rally point is the escape tunnels, secondary helipad." Randall said from her position by the door.
"Where's Briggs and the others?" CJ asked as he joined Randall.
"Briggs is leading the sterilization of the lab and Command, Cowboy, Henry and Masters are prepping the helos," she answered.
Ana looked confused. "Wait, what do mean sterilization?"
"She means that they're going to ghost the researchers and soldiers, blow command and the lab, leave nothing behind," Marshall said. "Now if you don't want to be left behind as dinner for those zombies outside, I suggest we get a move on now." With that he walked out the door, the others quickly followed, Randall bringing up the rear.
2000 Hours, The Tunnels
"Who the fuck are they Cowboy?" Masters said.
"This is Jones, Cook and Sanchez, they're coming with us," he answered coolly,
continuing to walk down the tunnel until Masters' hand on his arm stopped him.
"I didn't mean their names asshole, I meant who the fuck are they?" demanded Masters, a sharp tinge of anger evident in his voice.
Cowboy looked at him and asked, "Did you really think that Briggs and I have been able to pull all this off with just our group?" He was silent for a moment, letting the thought sink in before adding, " I know how you feel man, I really do, kinda felt the same way myself when she filled me in on them last night."
"That's no reason to keep it from us brother," Henry chided him.
"No it wasn't, and I told that to Briggs myself. She pointed out to me that if any of us got caught, it was in our best interest to have some kind of ace in the hole. In this case, three soldiers, familiar with the base, with seemingly no connection to us."
Henry narrowed his eyes at Cowboy, "You make it sound like we'd just cave in and tell them everything. Don't know about your training, but mine made sure I could survive an interrogation without endangering my mission."
"But it wasn't just us was it? There was the civilians to think about, who knew all about us, but not about them," he gestured towards the three newcomers. "Not even I know what all she's had them doing, and I don't care. Right now, all I know is that we can either stand here and keep fighting about this, or we can get some birds ready to fly. Your call."
"Let's just get out of here," grumbled Masters, beginning to move down the tunnel towards the helipads.
2000 Hours, The Lab
Briggs walked alone towards the hall to the labs, nearing the guards. They appeared to be the same two from earlier, something she had counted on. She was wearing a lab coat, similar to that worn by the other researchers, projecting the illusion that she was just another researcher on her way to work. In reality, the coat was simply a means to conceal the Heckler und Koch Model 23 pistol she carried tucked in her belt on her lower back. It was quite a hefty piece, completely decked out with a sound and flash suppresser as well as a LAM (laser-aiming module), but it was her weapon of choice for use in a close combat situation like this.
As she came upon the guards, she smiled disarmingly at them, "Dr. Steiner wanted me in the labs again."
"Of course Sergeant," one managed to stammer out while reaching for the radio, "I'll just have to verify it with the Doctor again."
"But of course," she answered, simultaneously pulling her weapon up and taking out the guards with two swift head shots. She started to step around the two corpses when a sound behind her had her whirling and dropping into a crouch in one single, swift move. She kept herself from squeezing off another round just in the nick of time. Walker stood before her, his young face looking ashen over how closely he'd come to death.
"Damn it Walker, I thought I told you to go with the others and bring down command." Briggs ground out as she stood and removed the constrictive lab jacket.
"Steele already had the comm center wired for detonation, that will give them the element of surprise. Command should be scrambling to figure out what's going happening, they'll be ducks in a barrel. One more gun, more or less, isn't going to make a damn bit of difference there and you know it. Maybe you are insane enough to try and take out the whole lab on your own, but it doesn't mean I'm gonna let you try."
"Well said Walker, misguided as fuck, but well said. Stay behind me and try not to get in my way, I'll do what I can to get you out alive. Now let's move."
They proceeded down the hall quickly, until they reached the last curve before the main lab area. Already planning on the sound of gunfire having alerted them, not to mention the surveillance cameras. She pulled out a flash-bang, removing the pin and hurling it around the bend. They heard the startled cries of the researchers as the flash-bang went off. "Move in now!" Briggs hollered to Walker. Staying behind her the two moved in firing as one. The first few researchers were easy kills, standing there trying to shake off the after effects of the flash-bangs, but once the gunfire began the others began ducking for cover behind their research stations. Three tried taking off down the corridor where Dr. Frankenstein's office was located, as well as the entryway to the receiving paddocks, Briggs quickly brought them down before ducking behind a workstation and popping a fresh clip into her weapon as Walker joined her.
"I want you to stay here and hold the door, don't let anyone get back out down the hall,
I'm going after Steiner," she told him.
"But shouldn't.."
Briggs cut him off, "Just do what I say Junior and you may live through this." Suddenly the sound of an explosion echoed through the hall, the walls of the lab vibrating slightly.
"What the fuck was that?" Walker cried.
"Steele must have blown the comms, we need to move fast, get this done, and get out to the helos." With that she crept out from behind the work station seeking out the door to Steiners office. Midway there she came across a female researcher cowering in fear under a desk.
"Please, don't kill me!" the woman cried out.
"How many of your victims pleaded for their lives with you?" Briggs asked before aiming her weapon and firing, the bullet catching the researcher cleanly through her left eye. She continued on her way until she reached Steiner's office, pausing briefly, she stepped back and kicked the door open wide before leaping to the side, out of the range of anyone inside. Again crouching low she proceeded into the office and found it deserted. Stepping swiftly into the corridor, she proceeded to the door that lead to the paddocks Steiner had told her about, where they had been bringing the living dead into the facility.
Bursting through the door, Briggs found Steiner a control panel, raising the shatterproof barrier. Firing two quick bursts, she caught Steiner in the shoulder with the first, his upper arm with the second, still allowing him to hit the control that opened the paddock gate. The snarls of the living dead filled the room as a group of them rushed the bars separating the paddock area from the rest of the room. Briggs fired another round that caught Steiner full in the chest as he frantically grabbed for the control to the last barrier keeping the dead at by. He lay on the floor, blood pooling beneath him.
Gasping for breath he rasped out, "I knew you couldn't be trusted to understand what we were trying to accomplish here."
Briggs said nothing. Stepping forward she placed a booted foot squarely on the scientists chest and fired a single shot directly between his eyes. It was too easy for him, too quick. He'd deserved so much more for all the death and misery he'd wrought. Looking towards the creatures she was taken aback by the sight before her. The bars holding them were clearly not designed to withhold the punishment the thirty plus creatures were exerting on them. As she watched, more creatures began to appear from the tunnel, undoubtedly drawn from the frenzied moans, adding their weight against the bars which were definitely beginning to bow from the pressure. Without a second thought, Briggs hurried through the door, pausing just long enough to activate the security lock on the door. Then she took off at a dead run calling out to Walker. "We gotta move man, that door's not going to hold them for long!"
Together they raced down the hall, halfway through Briggs yanked a small device from her pocket and began pushing some buttons. The small charges she'd planted behind the camera's began blowing behind them, just as they heard the remaining researchers screaming in terror.
"What the hell is that?" Walker panted.
"Charges. I'm no engineer, but I think with the camera spacing and placement the blasts should be just enough to weaken the ceiling supports, bring this section down."
They continued to run, finally nearing the entrance to the main hall. The sound of running feet clearly emanating from the hall they had just exited. There was also a rumbling sound as the ceiling finally began to fall.
"I think it worked," Walker called, breathing laboriously now.
"Not fast enough, I think some of them made it through. Either that or it wasn't enough of a collapse to do more than slow them down a little. We need to move faster."
They neared the spot where the corridor to command branched off. Steele and the others were there. "We got company!" Walker yelled to them as he and Briggs continued on by. Immediately they started running after them. The group were almost to the escape tunnel when they came upon two of the patrol soldiers. Without pausing Briggs and Walker opened fire, taking them both down. Leaping over their bodies, they entered the escape tunnel, the sounds of footsteps and snarls seeming to be growing closer. They sprinted down the tunnel finally bursting out onto the helipad. The others were already on board the three Blackhawks, waving them over. As they came abreast of the helicopters, the first of the zombies appeared from the tunnel. Before they were all fully aboard, the helicopters began lifting off, leaving the creatures below.
As they began moving over the facility compound, Marshall began detonating the explosives they'd rigged on the remaining helicopters as well as the docks and generators. Looking at the destruction below, they saw a group of soldiers running towards the helicopters they'd arrived on just as the zombies began breaking through.
"It's Davis!" Steele yelled out to Briggs as she saw her former lover leading the charge to the helicopters. Together they watched as he and a few others leaped on board the news helicopter, the rotors coming to life. They began to lift off, leaving the others behind. Sanchez held out a remote detonator to Briggs. Looking briefly at Steele, she flicked the first switch, detonating one of the Blackhawks, causing the soldiers on the ground to run back towards the facility. The next switch brought the news helicopter crashing down in a ball of flames. Finally she blew the last Blackhawk as they cleared the edge of the island.