Read V Plague (Book 11): Merciless for Free Online Page A

time the large island with a blue dot marking the location of the downed man.  Hopefully, it was Major Chase and not one of the Russians.  There was only one way to find out.
    “Get a flash traffic alert to Seawolf.  They should be able to get close enough to launch a RIB.”
    “What if it’s a Russian and not the Major when they get there, sir?”
    “Russians are used to cold weather.  He’ll be…” Packard paused, rethinking the order he was about to issue.  “Scratch that, Lieutenant.  If the survivor is Russian, tell them to leave him a week’s worth of supplies and we’ll get a message to their Navy so they can go get their man.”
    “Aye, aye sir,” the Lieutenant tried to suppress his surprise.
    “What about Admiral Chirkov’s plane?”
    “No update, sir.”
    The Admiral hadn’t really expected anything to have changed.  The Russians had detected the inbound American fighters and changed course to head over Siberia.  There, they were met by a large escort flight of Mig fighters.  Packard had turned the pursuing planes around before they violated Russian airspace.
    As much as he had wanted to pursue and engage the Russian Admiral, he was trying to deescalate tensions.  It was only by the skin of their teeth that they had gotten the Thor System operational, and without it, he’d be handing the keys to the fleet over to Chirkov. 
    “Let me know as soon as you hear back from Seawolf,” Packard said, turning and striding across the large room.
    The Admiral paused behind an operator busily working a console.  The man was tracking the large herds of infected still occupying sections of North America.
    Packard rocked slightly on his heels, thinking about the infected.  The Navy had finally succeeded in identifying and tracking the satellites the Russians were using to control their movements.  His initial impulse had been to destroy them, but had decided to not play that card yet.
    There weren’t any infected in Hawaii, and the survivors who had evacuated to the Bahamas had cleared all of them off the island.  At the moment, he didn’t see any reason to worry about massive herds being moved around North America.  There were no civilians remaining on the continent to be threatened, and only a handful of military.
    He moved deeper into the room, angling for a station occupied by Jessica Simmons.  She had been moved out of the Cyber Warfare center as a result of the loss of her security clearance and reduction in rank.  She now occupied a console in the CIC, doing the same job.  It didn’t make sense, but it was how the military works.
    “Seaman,” Packard greeted her as he walked up.
    “Sir!” Jessica looked up and beamed at the man. 
    “You’ve heard about the Major?  He’s on…”
    “Ellesmere Island,” Jessica interrupted.  “Yes, sir.  I know.  I’m keeping an eye on him.  Well, at least I hope it’s him.  The area is socked in and all I’ve got is thermal.”
    “I don’t know whether to be impressed or annoyed, Seaman,” Packard grinned.
    “Just doing my job, sir,” Jessica smiled.  “And if you haven’t been briefed, Captain Blanchard has successfully captured the Major’s wife.”
    “Heard a few minutes ago,” he said.  “Is he still planning to link up with the evacuees from Seattle?”
    “Yes, sir.  The SEALs have just departed the research facility and are heading east.  Over the mountains.  They’re going to link up with Igor, the Russian Spetsnaz, on the way, then rendezvous with the Colonel in Boise.”
    Both of them turned when a beeping began sounding from Jessica’s console.  She glanced at the screen and hit a couple of buttons.
    “Uh oh,” she said.
    “What’s happening?”
    “Russian helicopter just tripped a boundary fence I set up on the surveillance.  It’s headed for Ellesmere Island.”
    “What?  How?  Where did it come from?”  Packard asked, not at all happy that the Russians must have a ship in the area but no