01.

Last Alarm

Chapter 61

"Dawn at the Alamo"

Part Two

"Murphy's law doesn't mean that something bad will happen. It means that whatever CAN happen, WILL happen."

_ Jessica Chastain


Time: Zero Dark Thirty

Location: *MQ-4C Triton UAV Operations Control Room of U.S.S. Bonhomme Richard LHD-6 aka ("The Bonnie Dick") currently Anchored near the Northeastern section of Tokonosu International Airport ("The Floating Island")

Z-Day Times Five

It was not a battle between two opposing armies having at each other, nor did it resemble any form of armed combat between two opposing factions at all.

Truth be told, it was not anything that could be considered warfare.

No, this could not be described as anything less than absolute, merciless, cold-blooded slaughter.


Their eyes locked onto the large viewscreens of the multiple high definition monitors mounted in front of each them, the U.S. Navy Triton UAV crew stared spellbound at the horrific scene unfolding right before their very eyes as literally hundreds of men, women, and children unlucky enough to still be trapped within the confines of the small tent city located on the grounds of the huge mansion were systematically tackled to the ground and savagely torn apart and consumed before the horrified eyes of the UAV flight crew.

Horrified by the scene of utter carnage being fed back to them on their viewscreens the UAV flight crew were completely mesmerized on the savage attacks of the Infected on their helpless victims within the camp, so much so in fact, that they almost missed an even greater threat had the UAV's pilot not noticed a large glow on the upper corner of the secondary monitor mounted just to the left of the main viewscreen that was feeding him back images of the entire layout of the mansion in infra-red.


"Oh shit...what the hell?...what the hell?" Banduch swore as he stared with anxious eyes at the large glow on the monitor that was growing bigger with each passing second.

"Dee...zoom out on 'Camera Two'..." Banduch ordered as his co-pilot snapped her attention away from the massacre on her monitor and then flipped a switch before toggling her joystick as the secondary camera on the UAV zoomed out.

"Oh crap..." Lieutenant Deidra "Dee" O'Connor swore as the camera zoomed out as the large glow that Banduch had seen grew even bigger and then almost completely filled the screen. "...it looks like the entire city is heading towards their front porch."

"Yeah, and there's also a pretty big bunch headed straight for our three friends hiding in that tent." Banduch said gritting his teeth as Dee flipped a switch and then settled the crosshairs of the UAV's main camera on the large tent that the three survivors had ducked into after being fired upon by a pair of unknown assailants.

"Any change in their status?" Banduch asked aloud, not taking his eyes off the horrific seen displayed on the viewscreen mounted in front of him.

"No changes..." His co-pilot replied grimly as she toggled her joystick and continued to keep the crosshairs of the Triton UAV's cameras focused on the large tent in the middle of the burning camp.

" 'John Wick', 'School Boy' and the 'Ninjette', are still hiding somewhere within that large tent they ducked into." O'Connor added using the names the UAV flight crew had come to affectionately call the large man and the two teenagers they had watched fighting for their lives earlier.

"How long have they been in there now?'' Banduch asked glancing at the time displayed on his screen.

"About three minutes approximately, Boss." Ensign Michael "Mikey" Consentino replied, his eyes also glued to his viewscreen.

"Dammit, they better haul ass out of there, and quick..." Banduch growled as he glanced at his viewscreen at the enormous crowd of Infected steadily making their way towards the camp. "...they got maybe two or three more minutes' tops before that herd is right on top of them."

"Less, if any of those bastards start running like those others did..." Consentino said sourly as Banduch frowned in response.

"I'm sure they know that, guys..." O'Connor replied still staring at her screen. "...if it hadn't for those two psychos shooting at them, they probably would have been well on their way towards the mansion and safety."

"Yeah, no shit, I wonder why those guys shot at them in the first place...?" Ensign "Todd" Kaiser asked aloud as he studied his screen. "...I mean seriously, what the hell?"

"Panic fire..." Banduch replied grimly, speaking from first-hand experience after years of having witnessed such seemingly illogical behavior before. "...those guys were probably just so freaked out by being attacked that they're probably just shooting at anything that moves."

"Maybe, but did you see how that second guy kept taking cover and returning fire at 'John Wick' and the kids...?" Consentino replied. "...c'mon, you can't tell me that shit wasn't deliberate."

"Hey, c'mon guys let's try to keep it professional..." Banduch snapped suddenly as his crew immediately went silent. "...remember, everything we say and observe here is being recorded."

"Sorry, Boss...all I'm saying is that definitely did not look like panic fire to me..." Consentino replied shaking his head as he turned his attention back to his viewscreen. "...I think those guys were deliberately trying to take those three out."

"Doesn't matter anyway..." Kaiser replied with unmistakable excitement in his voice as a huge grin broke out on his face.

"Ol' Baba Yaga' took those guys asses out but good." Kaiser added as Banduch rolled his eyes in response to his crewmate's accidentally forgetting what he had just said about everyone maintaining professionalism.

"No shit, did you see that guy...?!" Consentino said his eyes wide with excitement as Banduch sighed loudly in frustration over everyone's headsets. "...f_cking took out nearly a dozen of those things with just his bare f_cking hands!"

"Hell yeah...!" Kaiser replied the excitement in his voice almost as high as Consentino's as Banduch turned in his seat and glared angrily in their direction.

"And the way he saved those kids by throwing his M4 at that infected woman sneaking up behind them when they weren't looking...?" Kaiser continued practically cackling with glee. "...Sheeeeiiiit man, knocked that bitch on her ass!

"GUYS...!" Banduch snapped irritably as the entire room once again immediately went silent in response to his outburst. "...what did I just say?!"

"Yes sir, sorry sir..." Both controllers responded as Banduch glared at them all for a few moments more before he then shook his head and turned his attention back to his viewscreen.

"You know, that is something that's been eating at me, 'Duck'..." O'Connor said cautiously so as not to irritate her commanding officer any further. "...just who the hell...uh, sorry...just who exactly is that guy?"

"He definitely wasn't Japanese..." Consentino replied still staring intently at the images on his screen. "...at least not from what I could tell when he looked up."

"And he definitely isn't a civilian..." Kaiser added also staring intently at his viewscreen. "...not from the way he's packing and the way he took out those things hand-to –hand."

"I have to admit I was thinking the same thing, guys..." Banduch replied setting his jaw firmly. "...especially after seeing the way he was shooting on the move with those two kids in tow."

"Some sort of bodyguard, you think...?" Dee asked as the entire UAV crew continued to stare at the image of the large tent in their viewscreen. "...he was pretty heavily armed from what I could tell."

"That's exactly what I was thinking, actually..." Banduch replied with a nod of his head. "...definitely ex-military for sure."

"A merc...?" Dee asked her eyebrows rising. "...ex-Special Forces maybe?"

"Wouldn't be surprised..." Banduch replied. "...lots of foreign dignitaries and businessmen hire private military contractors for personal security all the time."

"And based on what I just saw..." Banduch continued. "...there's no doubt in my mind that's he's definitely former Spec Ops."

"How can you tell?" O'Connor asked curiously.

"In all my years doing this, there's only two groups of guys I've ever seen who employ the same tactics I've seen this guy here use..." Banduch began.

"Typically when encountering a larger force, the *Green Beanies and DELTA boys will open up and peel back to their rally point right off the bat just like any other sensible team has been trained to do." Banduch explained. "...and I've seen them do that every single time they encountered a much larger force."

*(Green Beanies- Military Slang for U.S. Army Special Forces Group - The Green Berets)

"This guy however..." Banduch continued raising his hand and pointing at the image of the tent on the viewscreen. "...this guy, didn't withdraw whatsoever...instead, he got up and actually charged directly towards each and every threat that came his way and then took it out."

"Only four groups in Spec Ops do that shit,...uh, employ that tactic..." Banduch said his face coloring as he heard the muffled snickers of his crew over his headset at his gaffe.

"Oh yeah...who?" O'Connor said trying to hide the smile growing on her face and failing badly.

"British SAS, Russian Spetznaz, Marine Force Recon..." Banduch replied ignoring the snickers going on around him. "...and the SEALs."

"Only those guys are crazy enough to actually charge forward into a firefight..." Banduch continued as he cast his eyes towards the secondary monitor and winced at the short amount of distance remaining between the large group of Infected and the burning tent city. "...scared the hell out of me every time I saw them do that."

"Well if he's one of those "snake-eater" guys, I can't help but wonder why those two kids risked losing their lives trying to save him earlier, then...?" Consentino said timidly, trying not to incur his commanding officer's wrath again. "...I've never heard of anyone doing that for a bodyguard before, especially a couple of kids."

"If I had to venture to guess, Mikey..." Banduch replied with a deep sigh as if he were deep in thought. "...based on the way I've seen him act around those kids, I'd say he's more to those two kids than just a bodyguard."

"Oh yeah, what then?" Consentino asked, as Banduch's mind wandered back to the moment he had witnessed the large man pick up the teenage girl in his arms in very much same way that he had often lifted his own five-year old daughter into the air on his return home from deployment.

"Call me crazy, but I have strong suspicion that that guy might actually be both of those kid's father." Banduch replied as everyone in the room was suddenly stunned into silence at his words as Banduch glanced down at the ghostly image of the large herd of Infected slowly making their way towards the burning tent city.

"C'mon buddy... Banduch thought to himself gritting his teeth as he focused his gaze on the image of the large tent that the trio had disappeared into. "...whoever the hell you are, you're running out of time."

"Get your asses out of there, dammit!" Banduch said casting his eyes back upon the ghostly infrared images on the smaller monitor as the distance between the large herd of Infected and the large tent the trio had sought shelter in began to close rapidly.


Time: Zero Dark Thirty

Location: The Hospital Tent

Z-Day Times Five

Only a few minutes had passed from the moment the trio had burst into the hospital tent desperately seeking cover from the unknown assailant that had opened fire on them, the thin fabric of the tent offering no more in the way of protection than if it had been tissue paper as the nine-millimeter copper-jacketed bullets tore through the heavy canvas and passed over the bodies of the trio huddled on the ground as the spent rounds then imbedded themselves in both furniture, equipment, and as it tragically turned out, through human flesh as well.

But it wasn't until after the American had finally taken out the man who had fired at them that the trio realized that they were not at all alone in the large tent as they had previously assumed as the sound of a loud gurgling noise suddenly become audible from the back of the tent as Takashi and the others immediately went silent and prepared to defend themselves, believing at first that they had accidentally stumbled into a large group of Infected as the American mercenary tossed a glow stick into the middle of the tent.

His finger already applying pressure on the trigger of his weapon, the American military contractor was a hairbreadth away from opening fire as dozens of eyes were suddenly reflected in the soft glow of the chemstick when one of the many dozens of eyes reflected in the glow of the chemlight quickly identified himself as Dr. Yamani, the Chief Surgeon in charge.

Erring on the side of caution, the American continued to keep his weapon trained on the dark figures huddled behind the Chief Surgeon until closer examination revealed that the remaining occupants of the hospital tent were not any of the Infected, but were actually in fact, dozens of sick and injured civilian refugees that had previously been under the care of the medical staff before the Infected had attacked the camp.

The source of the loud gurgling noise however, was not coming from anyone amongst the crowd of frightened civilians and believing that a threat still remained in the tent, Takashi watched nervously as the American stealthily moved forward with weapon at the ready in one hand as he picked up the chemlight lying in the middle of the floor and then moved silently in the direction from where the loud gurgling noise seemed to be coming from.

And when the American finally found the source of the sound, Takashi felt his heart drop as the glow of the man's chemlight shined upon the figure of a very young woman dressed in bloody hospital scrubs who was holding her hands over her throat as her legs thrashed wildly in all directions.

"Is she bitten?" The Chief Surgeon had asked in perfect English as the American waved the white chemlight back and forth over the woman, the barrel of his weapon pointed directly at her.

"Negative..." The American mercenary said at last, grimly. "...looks like one of the rounds being shot at us by that psycho outside must have caught her in the throat, and from the way she's hemorrhaging, I'd say the bullet might have nicked her carotid."

"I don't have any of my med equipment on me, 'Doc'..." The American said out loud as he lifted the chemlight higher into the air and glanced around the rest of the tent searching for any possible threats. "...so if you have a means of helping her, best you and your people get to it and fast."

"Hai..." The Chief Surgeon had responded as he barked a few orders to his staff as Takashi then heard the sound of movement and equipment rattling as several people suddenly appeared out of the shadows and rushed over to where the young woman lay gasping for air.

"We are going to need some light..." The Chief Surgeon had said as the American suddenly tossed his chemlight at Takashi.

"Takashi, hold that light over her for them, son..." Jim had said as he reached into his vest and pulled out several more chemlights from off his vest and snapped them all, the plastic chemsticks suddenly glowing to life in a variety of colors.

"Sorry folks, I only have so many of those 'white' chemlights..." The American said as he tossed several red, blue, green, and one white glowing chemsticks at the medical staff. "...hope those other ones can still do the job for you."

"Thank you..." The Chief Surgeon had replied grabbing the white chemlight as he then held it over the face of the young woman still writhing on the ground as Takashi heard a loud gasp coming from a young woman kneeling nearby whom Takashi assumed was a nurse.

"Sensei..." One of the men huddled nearby said in a voice filled with anxiousness. "...it's Kaori-chan."

"I know, all of you hold her still please..." The Chief Surgeon had replied matter-of-factly in response as Takashi frowned as he glanced over at the short, middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair who for some unknown reason, seemed completely non-plussed at all by the sight of the seriously wounded young nurse struggling for breath as blood sprayed from her mouth and nose with each strangled breath as several hands attempted to hold down the struggling young woman.

Once the wounded nurse had been somewhat brought under control Takashi then watched in mute silence as Dr. Yamani gave an order to a young man hunched next to him to pry the girl's hand away from her throat as Takashi then winced as a large gout of blood immediately erupted from the wound on her neck as the girl immediately gagged and then began to struggle even harder against the team of medical personnel struggling to keep her down.

"Suction." The Chief Surgeon said with barely a hint of any urgency in his voice as the sound of a loud buzzing filled the tent and some sort of plastic tube connected to a rubber hose was placed near the woman's face as Takashi's stomach churned as the sound of a loud, wet, sucking noise filled his ears as he turned his head and tried to think of something else to keep from throwing up.

"Got three more over here dressed in hospital gowns, Doc..." The American said suddenly from the far end of the tent as Takashi looked up and saw the man huddled over a still form barely visible in the red glow of the chemlight mounted on top of his weapon.

"Do you require assistance from any of my staff?" The Chief Surgeon asked aloud, not bothering to lift his head as he continued to assess the wound on the young woman's throat.

"Negative..." The American replied his tone of voice just as emotionless as the doctor's. "...they're gone."

"Understood..." The Chief Surgeon replied not bothering to ask the American anything further as he then spoke softly to his staff not holding down the wounded nurse to establish an I.V. and administer a medication that Takashi didn't recognize as the medical staff all bowed and then began to shuffle around in the darkness.

"Scalpel..." The old doctor ordered smartly holding out his right hand as Takashi heard a slap of metal on flesh and something shiny was placed onto the doctor's open palm as Takashi realized with horror that the doctor was about to perform emergency on the young nurse without the aid of any anesthetic.

"Aren't you going to give her anything?!" Takashi practically screamed as the old surgeon leaned over the young woman who was still struggling against the hands trying to keep her down, seemingly unaware of the horror about to be done to her.

"Unless we re-establish her airway and stop the bleeding immediately my niece will not live much longer, young man..." Dr. Yamani replied as he leaned even closer to the young woman. "...and as horrible as this may seem, there simply is no time to wait for anesthesia to take effect if she is to live."

"Be strong Kaori-chan..." Dr. Yamani said as he then lowered his hand as Takashi's eyes immediately went wide and his stomach did the impossible and flipped over on its ass as the blade of the razor sharp scalpel bit into the young woman's flesh.

"Oh shit." Takashi said nearly losing it as the old surgeon began to cut away at the torn flesh of the young woman's throat as the girls' eyes suddenly grew wide as the stainless steel blade sliced neatly through her flesh as Takashi forced himself not to freak out and failed when her pain-filled eyes suddenly locked on to his.

And as Takashi gazed horrified into the eyes of the terrified young woman, Takashi felt a huge wave of emotion run through him as he looked at the young nurse who couldn't have been much older than he was, the expression on her face a mixture of terror and complete agony as Takashi quickly turned away as the young woman's body suddenly spasmed and another large gout of blood sprayed out of her throat.

"Suction..." The old surgeon said with a calmness in his voice that was now beginning to infuriate Takashi who was bewildered at how the old man could remain so calm while his very own niece lay dying in such a horrible fashion before him.

"Hold that light a little closer, please." The old surgeon said aloud as Takashi lowered his hand, still angry at the old man for his seemingly lack of compassion for the poor girls pain.

"Young man, would you mind holding that light steady, please?" The gentle, almost grandfather-like voice of Dr. Kyohei Yamani sounded in Takashi's ears as Takashi bowed slightly as he struggled to keep the glowing white chemstick he held in his left hand steady even though his entire body was shaking like a leaf as the loud sucking noise that seemed to drown out all other sound around him was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a loud blast of air as Takashi suddenly felt something wet splash against his cheek as the teen immediately threw up for the second time that night..

"Emiko...if you'd please?" Dr. Yamani said to someone hunched next to him as Takashi heard the sound of movement within the darkness of the tent and then suddenly felt a warm presence move next to him.

"Here, boy...let me have that." A gentle female voice said from Takashi's left as Takashi felt someone grab hold of the chemlight in his hand as he retched once more before opening his eyes as he then stared into the face of a very attractive young woman dressed in blood-stained hospital scrubs.

"It's better that I hold it anyway..." The young woman said with genuine sympathy in her voice at Takashi's visible discomfort. "...I'm more used to this sort of thing, anyway."

"Uh...yeah, thanks." Takashi said with genuine gratitude as he handed the light off to the young nurse and then turned away quickly as the loud gurgling noise once again sounded loudly in the confines of the hospital tent making the queasy feeling in Takashi's stomach even worse.

"Sponge." The almost stoic voice of Dr. Yamani sounded in Takashi's ears as he suddenly felt the urge to vomit again as he knelt forward and dry-heaved several times before the involuntary spasms in his stomach stopped as the teenage boy wiped the blood off his face with the sleeve of his shirt as Takashi attempted desperately to regain his composure as he gazed over at the group of surgeon's working desperately to save the young woman lying on the ground nearby who was drowning in her own blood.


Time: Zero Dark Thirty

Location: The Hospital Tent

Z-Day Times Five

"I know you got your hands full, 'Doc'..." Takashi heard the American say out loud from somewhere behind him as Takashi turned his head and saw that the big man was now kneeling on one knee a few feet away from them with his weapon at his shoulder as he covered the front entrance of the hospital tent. "...but we got a shitload of bad guys headed our way and we really need to get everyone in here the 'hell out of Dodge', and fast."

"The bullet has entered her throat just below her larynx, my American friend..." The old doctor replied to the American contractor in that same unnervingly calm tone almost as if he were speaking to an old friend over a cup of tea than trying to perform emergency surgery in the middle of a holocaust as Dr. Yamani then motioned to one of his staff to suction the young woman's airway again.

"Not only has the bullet nicked her carotid artery..." The Chief Surgeon went on as Takashi felt the bile in his throat beginning to build as he heard the wet sound of blood, mucus, and other body fluids being suctioned through the plastic catheter. "...but there is also extensive damage to her trachea as well."

"Dr. Takagawa and his team will be focused on cauterizing the damage to her carotid artery..." The Chief Surgeon went on as Takashi gagged again at the sudden smell of burning flesh and blood as one of the other surgeons hunched over the young woman began to cauterize the wound to her artery with some sort of silver instrument.

"And while he is engaged with that, I will be attempting to insert an emergency tracheal device in her throat so that she can breathe..." Dr. Yamani added "...but obviously under the present circumstances, we will need a few minutes to stabilize her."

"Wish I could tell you to take as much time as ya'll need, Doc..." Jim said not taking his eyes off the front entrance into the tent. "...problem is that besides these new critters we got outside that are running helter-skelter all over the place, there's also one hell of a big ass herd of Infected headed our way and time is a luxury we just do not have."

"I see, how much time then do you estimate we have then?" The old surgeon asked not lifting his head as he held out his hand again and said something that Takashi couldn't hear as he noticed some sort of instrument was then slapped onto Dr. Yamani's hand from one of the nurses huddled nearby.

"You got two minutes once I start counting off, Doc..." The American replied bluntly. "...after that, we're all outta here... or we're all dead."

"The 'herd' you say that you saw are that close?" One of the young men assisting Dr. Yamani asked looking up from where he knelt hunched over the young woman's body as Takashi noticed that despite the dim light he could still see the naked fear in the man's eyes.

"Might be even closer than that if that herd starts sprinting up the hill like those other ones did..." The American contractor replied gritting his teeth as he spoke, his weapon still leveled at the front flap of the tent as screams of fear and pain continued to echo outside.

"But from what I could tell..." Jim went on. "... that particular herd looks a lot more like the same slow movers we've been dealing with since the beginning, so I figure we got three, maybe four minutes tops before they're right on top of us."

"So as much as I hate to add any extra pressure on you right now, Dr. Yamani..." Jim continued as a loud scream suddenly erupted from somewhere just outside the tent causing almost everyone inside the tent to jump reflexively. "...once I start the countdown, two minutes is all you got."

"Understood..." The old doctor replied not looking up as Takashi jumped as a series of loud roars suddenly erupted outdoors followed by several loud whimpers coming from the refugees huddled in the back of the tent who were undoubtedly frightened out of their minds, yet smart enough to know not to scream out loud lest they attract the attention of the Infected outside.


"Hate to keep bugging you while you're busy Doc, but do y'all got anybody on your staff that you can spare...?" Jim suddenly asked out loud as he still continued to keep his eyes focused on the front flap of the tent. "...preferably one who speaks English?"

"Hai..." One of the white-coated men kneeling on the other side of the injured woman across from the Chief Surgeon replied holding up a trembling hand as Takashi glanced over at the man and noticed that he wore an eyepatch over his left eye. "... I speak English."

"Good, you mind stepping over here so we don't have to yell over at each other?" Jim asked as the anguished screams of the unlucky victims outside continued to howl outside along with the unnervingly loud roars of the Infected as the young doctor nodded his head to Dr. Yamani and then stepped away from the others and moved over on shaky legs to where the American was kneeling on the ground still pointing his rifle towards the front entrance of the hospital tent.

"What's your name, Doc?" The American contractor asked as the frightened young doctor knelt down next to him.

"I am Dr. Seri_." The one-eyed physician began but was interrupted as a loud shriek erupted from the front entrance of the hospital tent as someone who had apparently been trying to run from the Infected had failed to outrun his pursuers and was now being savagely attacked by several "runners".

"Sorry Doc, I didn't catch that..." Jim said gritting his teeth as Takashi placed his hands over his ears in a desperate attempt to drown out the blood-curdling sounds of the loud growling of the Infected mixed with the high-pitched screams coming from the unfortunate victim being torn apart only a few meters away filled the interior of the hospital tent.

"Dr. Serizawa...for the love of...for pity's sake man, do something!" Dr. Serizawa said almost shouting as the ugly sound of tearing flesh reached everyone's ears and the helpless victim's screams immediately rose in volume until they were almost ear-splitting before finally going completely silent.

"That man was dead the moment he first got bit, Doc..." Jim replied flatly as the sickening sounds of tearing flesh and crunching bones continued outside as Takashi fought the urge to throw himself onto the ground and bawl his head out at the horrible sounds going on all around the exterior of the hospital tent.

"I've only got half of a sixty-round mag left in my M4, Doc...maybe." Jim continued as Takashi suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder as he turned his head and saw that it belonged to the American who had stopped speaking to the one-eyed physician and was now staring at him with a look of obvious concern on his face.


"You okay, son?" The big man asked with unmistakable sympathy in his voice as Takashi hesitated a moment before answering.

"Hai, Jimu-san...I'm okay." Takashi replied not at all very confidently as the American studied Takashi's face for a moment longer before reaching up and tousling Takashi's hair as if he were a toddler.

"Don't worry kid, we're gonna be okay." Jim said as he then placed his hand back on Takashi's shoulder.

"Go sit over there next to Saeko, son." Jim said patting Takashi on the shoulder. "...and ya'll stay put until I come and get ya."

"Hai." Takashi replied barely able to speak as he shuffled off to where Saeko was kneeling as the American stared at the teenage boy for a moment longer before turning his attention back to Dr. Serizawa.

"Anyway as I was saying, Doc..." Jim began still keeping his weapon leveled toward the front entrance of the tent as he spoke. "...even if I could have helped that guy out there, the moment I opened fire every one of those bastards would have come flying through our front door and that would have been it for the rest of us."

'So as much as you may think I'm a real rat bastard son-of-a-bitch asshole for not doing anything to help that guy, Doc..." Jim continued still keeping his gaze steady on the front entrance of the tent. "...it was either his life or all of yours."

"I understand..." Dr. Serizawa replied downcast after a long pause. "...but I still don't like it."

"War's a bitch, Doc..." The American replied simply with a shrug of his shoulders as Dr. Serizawa whirled his head angrily and glared at the American mercenary when all of a sudden the wounded nurse made another strangled cough and his anger towards the American quickly faded as his worry over the wounded nurse immediately returned.


"Ya'll two close?" The American asked noticing the sudden change in the one-eyed surgeon's demeanor.

"She is Dr. Yamani's niece..." Serizawa replied his voice filled with emotion as he gazed over to where the group of surgeon's were furiously working on the wounded nurses injuries.

"Yeah, I caught that..." Jim replied as the nurse coughed once more as Dr. Yamani ordered for more suction to clear her throat.

"She is also my fiancee." Dr. Serizawa added as an awkward silence suddenly filled the air between the two men.

"Shit...sorry brudda." Jim replied with genuine sympathy in his voice.


"It's all right..." Dr. Serizawa said still gazing anxiously at the dark forms of the medical staff hunched over his sister. "...Dr. Yamani is second-to-none in trauma surgery, I'm sure she'll be alright."

"He saved my butt, from what I hear." The American replied with a nod still keeping his focus on the front entrance of the hospital tent. "...I'm sure she'll pull through okay, 'pard."

"I hope so..." Dr. Serizawa said with a heavy sigh. "...I just wish there was something I could do."

"What's your field, Doc...?" The American asked glancing over at the white-coated man. "...I thought you were a surgeon like the others."

"My specialty is cosmetic surgery...a useless field right now in the middle of all this..." Dr. Serizawa replied and then chuckled to himself for a moment as he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and turned his head and saw that it was the American who had placed his hand on his shoulder in the same way he had witnessed him do to the teenage boy earlier.

"Well, I can understand if you wish to go back over there and stay by her side, Doc..." The American said gently patting Serizawa on the shoulder. "...but I could really use your help, if you're still willing."

"What do you need...?" Dr. Serizawa asked as the American removed his hand from off his shoulder.

"Right now I need to know exactly how many people are in here in this tent." The American said raising his voice slightly in order to be heard over the sounds of the hundreds of pain-filled screams that continued to erupt outside.

"At last count there are currently sixty-five patients still in our care that are here with us." The young doctor said in a trembling voice as everyone in the tent suddenly gasped in surprise as something big and heavy smacked against one side of the tent as the American immediately aimed the muzzle of his weapon in that direction.

"That include medical staff?" The American asked after a long, suspenseful moment, his voice edgy as he pointed the muzzle of his weapon at the large bulge in the tent as whatever it was that had fallen against the tent slapped the heavy canvas several more times before the bulge then disappeared.

"Uh...no...there are also thirteen members of our medical staff here that are presently accounted for..." Dr. Serizawa replied barely able to keep his growing panic in control. "...there were eight other members of our team among us but unfortunately, they were all standing outside when the Infected attacked."

"Sorry about your friends, Doc...last thing, are all of your patient's ambulatory...are they able to move on their own?" Jim asked shifting his weapon back in the direction of the hospital tent's front entrance. "...when we leave we're gonna need to move fast, and if you got anybody who can't move on their own, then we got ourselves a really serious problem."

"Most of the patients are being treated here for relatively minor injuries and should be strong enough to move on their own..." Dr. Serizawa replied with noticeable tension in his voice as Takashi noticed the man glance nervously in the direction of where all the patients lay huddled in fear at the back of the hospital tent. "...however, I believe we do have several elderly patients who cannot move without assistance."

"Damn..." Takashi heard Jim swear under his breath as the American then gestured for Dr. Serizawa to move closer as Takashi shifted himself closer as well in order to hear the conversation between the two men.


"Okay, Doc..." Jim began not turning his head as he spoke as he continued to keep his rifle leveled towards the front entrance of the tent.

"As quickly as you can I need you to go back over there to where everyone is hiding over there in the back of the tent and tell them to move over towards that side of the tent..." The American said as he stretched out his left arm and made a "chopping" motion in the direction he was indicating. "...have them group up about twelve feet away from the corner and tell them to be ready to move fast when I tell them too."

"Ready to move fast...?!" Dr. Serizawa replied his one good eye widening with fear. "...what do you mean?"

"What I mean is, Doc..." The American replied matter-of-factly. "...is that half the f_cking population of this city is headed our way, and unless anyone likes the idea of becoming zombie chow, we're getting the f_ck out of Dodge before it's too late, which means we're gonna have to make run for it."

"Seeing as how most of the people around here wanted my head in a noose, I doubt very much that any of those people over there will want to listen to anything I have to say..." Jim added with a snort of disgust. "...but if it comes from someone like you whom they trust, they might do what you tell them without any argument."

"So as quickly as you can Doc, I need you to get those people moved into position and explain to them that when the time comes, we're making a run for the mansion..." The American contractor continued. "...and if you can, try to get a few people who are physically able to help or carry those who can't move on their own."

"But_." Dr. Serizawa began but was cut off as the American lifted his hand in the air, silencing him.

"Sorry Doc, but we don't have time for argument..." Jim snapped glancing over at the frightened doctor's face.

"So if you would, Doc...please hurry and get those people moving as fast and as quietly as you can..." The American said the urgency in his voice unmistakable as Dr. Serizawa finally nodded his head reluctantly in response and then hurried off as Takashi who had been listening to the entire conversation suddenly noticed movement from somewhere behind him as he then quickly glanced over his right shoulder and his eyes immediately grew wide with surprise as he noticed the familiar form of Saeko moving past him as she then set down on one knee directly in front of him with her sword drawn.

But what surprised Takashi most was not at all the sudden appearance of Saeko from seemingly out of nowhere, but rather it was the fact that Saeko had positioned herself directly in front of him and was pointing the blade of her katana directly at Jim.


"Sempai...?" Takashi asked curious as to why Saeko seemed to continue to be behaving as if the American were as dangerous a threat as much as the Infected were. "...is something wrong?"

"Sempai...?" Takashi asked again the hairs on the back of his head immediately beginning to rise when Saeko didn't reply. "...is everything okay?"

"Saeko!" Takashi hissed as his arm shot out and he grabbed the teenage girl by his left arm and jerked her back nearly causing Saeko to lose her balance and fall backwards.

"Saeko, what the hell is wrong with you...?!" Takashi hissed angrily as Saeko turned her head and glared at him as their eyes met and Takashi nearly wet himself at the absolutely terrifying gaze that Saeko gave him causing Takashi to quickly let go of her arm and almost make him want to scurry away from her out of pure survival instinct as Takashi took a deep breath in order to collect his wits before finally speaking again.

"Sempai...?" Takashi croaked completely taken aback by the cold-blooded look in Saeko's eyes as she continued to stare at him, reminding him very much of the eyes of a cobra about to strike. "...what's wrong?...Why are you pointing your sword at Jimu-san?"

"Saeko?" Takashi said his voice now almost a squeak as the frightened teen began to freak out when Saeko still didn't answer him as his entire body shivered under Saeko's murderous gaze whom from all appearances, appeared like she was a hairbreadths away from turning her sword on him as well.

"Saeko, what the hell is going on?!" Takashi said as Saeko suddenly leaned forward until her face was mere inches from his own as Takashi's heart skipped a beat as Saeko stared directly into his eyes with that same ice-curdling gaze of hers.

"Takashi, Jimu-san has been_" Saeko began but then stopped as the American called out to her.

"Saeko?" The American said as Takashi noticed Saeko suddenly tense up as if she were preparing to lash out with her katana.

"Hon, I'm afraid gonna need that pistol back." Jim said as Takashi noticed the murderous look on Saeko's face suddenly shift into one that curiously, almost resembled one of panic.

"Saeko, you hear me, kiddo?" The man said as Takashi's eyes widened as Saeko shifted her gaze back at Takashi and he could see without a doubt that there was indeed unmistakable panic clearly visible in her eyes.

"Saeko?" The American repeated once more as Takashi's mouth dropped as he watched the panic beginning to build even more on Saeko's face as Takashi noticed out of the corner of his eye that the American was no longer staring at the front entrance of the tent but was now looking over his shoulder at the two teens and staring at them with a quizzical expression on his face as Takashi returned his gaze back towards Saeko and gasped at the sight of tears suddenly falling from her eyes.

"Komuro-kun...help me." Saeko suddenly pleaded as Takashi shocked beyond words opened his mouth to speak but was unable to find any words.

"Hey...you two kids okay?" The American said suddenly appearing right next to the two teens as Takashi yelped in surprise as in a flash of movement that seemed almost humanly impossible, Saeko suddenly swung her sword in an upwards motion as Takashi watched in horror as the blade of her katana flew directly towards the American's face.


"WHOOOOAAAA!" The big man shouted in alarm as he instinctively raised the muzzle of his weapon and somehow miraculously managed to block the attack as the blade of the sword slammed harmlessly into the side of his carbine with a loud "CRASH!" as the man then quickly shoved down hard on the blade with his weapon and deflected it onto the floor of the tent.

"SAEKO, TAKE IT EASY...!" The American snapped angrily holding his weapon down upon the blade of Saeko's katana making it impossible for her to strike again. "...IT'S ME!"

"What the_?!" The American said in disbelief as Takashi saw Saeko suddenly tighten her grip on her katana and then pull back on it, freeing the blade from under the man's weapon as Takashi and Jim's eyes widened as Saeko once again raised her katana into the air and prepared to strike once more.

It all happened so quickly that to Takashi, it seemed almost impossible that someone as large as the American could move so fast, as Takashi's mouth dropped as the man suddenly dropped ihis weapon and then moved towards Saeko with arms outstretched, his movements almost a blur as the next thing Takashi saw was both of the man's hands clamped down tightly over the handle of Saeko's katana and held it fast, preventing her from striking again.

"DAMMIT SAEKO, CALM DOWN...IT'S ME!" The American said staring into Saeko's surprised face, the teenage girl no doubt just as shocked as Takashi was at seeing the big man move so incredibly fast.

"Saeko, come on now honey, calm down..." The American said lowering his voice and speaking to Saeko in a more calming manner in an obvious effort to calm the troubled teen as Takashi gasped as Saeko suddenly attempted to jerk her sword out of the American's hands.

"SAEKO!...Dammit, we don't have time for this...!" The American snapped angrily as the big man suddenly made a quick twisting motion with his hands, and in one swift move, removed the sword from out of Saeko's hands.

"SAEKO, KNOCK IT OFF!" The American shouted angrily at Saeko as the teenage girl gasped in shock as she stared down at her empty hands and then froze in horror upon seeing her katana held firmly in the man's right hand.

"What's gotten into you?!" The American said staring quizzically at Saeko as his eyes suddenly went wide as Saeko suddenly lunged at him.

"What the_?!" The big man said in astonishment as the teenage girl slammed her shoulder into his chest in an obvious effort to knock him off balance as Takashi watched in horror as Saeko's body made impact but seemed to barely have any effect on the man at all as her small body merely bounced off the man's larger frame.

"Dammit Saeko, I'm gonna_." The American fumed as he struggled against Saeko who was now trying desperately to wrestle her katana out of the man's hand with one hand while she clawed away at his face with the other.

"DAMMIT, SAEKO... ENOUGH!" The big man roared as he quickly wrapped his left arm around Saeko's waist and then yanked her body towards him and then held her fast as he dropped her sword and then held her flailing arms down against her body as well, as Saeko struggled desperately to get free.

"SAEKO!...STOP IT!" The American shouted shaking Saeko against his body as Saeko finally stopped struggling and then glanced up at Takashi as Takashi gasped in shock as their eyes met.

"Takashi, help me...please." Saeko pleaded as Takashi opened his mouth to speak but to his further surprise, was still unable to say anything.


"Saeko, I know you're a bit freaked out by everything that's happened, sweetie..." The American began in a much calmer voice, still mistakenly under the impression that Saeko was merely experiencing a severe panic attack from the traumatic events unfolding around them. "...but I need you to get it together baby, because we're in deep shit right now and I need your help if we're gonna get ourselves out of this mess."

"C'mon sweetie, take it easy..." Jim said still holding Saeko fast as Takashi continued to stare into Saeko's panic-filled eyes and struggled inwardly with himself as to what he should do. "...you're gonna be okay."

"It's okay hon...relax." The American said in a gentle voice as Takashi noticed that despite the fact that she was still looking at him with pleading eyes, her struggles against the American's iron grip on her began to lessen.

"That's my girl...now take a deep breath." Jim said still speaking consolingly to Saeko who to Takashi's surprise, seemed to be shaking all over from fear.

"C'mon baby...deep breath." Jim said loosening his grip slightly on Saeko, as the teenage girl continued to shake almost uncontrollably but then began to slowly follow the American's direction and inhaled deeply.

"Atta girl...now let it out slow." Jim said soothingly as Saeko slowly exhaled in response and the man's grip on her body relaxed even more

"Good girl...breathe in and out... slowly." The American urged as Saeko once again inhaled and exhaled several more times.


"You okay now, baby?" The American said at last as Saeko hesitated for a long moment before finally nodding her head and then to both Takashi and Jim's surprise, suddenly burst into tears.

"Hey, c'mon now baby girl, it's okay..." Jim said as he then relaxed his captive grip on Saeko completely as the teenage girls body slumped heavily against his, the fight completely taken out of her.

"I promise, it's gonna be okay, honey..." The American repeated over and over again as he continued to hold Saeko in his arms, only this time in order to comfort her rather than trying to restrain her as before.

"I don't want you to die..." Saeko said suddenly as her head slumped against Jim's chest as Takashi and the American glanced at each other with a puzzled expression on their faces before the American then shrugged his shoulders and then began to gently brush the top of Saeko's head with his hand much like a parent trying to comfort a small child.

"I'm not gonna die, sweetheart..." The American said still brushing Saeko's hair with his hands comfortingly as he held the teenage girl against his body. "...at least, not today, anyway."

"And neither are any of you..." Jim said as he then sat Saeko upright and then turned her slightly until she was facing him.

"I wish I could do more to put your mind and heart at ease right now, sweetie..." The American said as he gazed into Saeko's face. "...but like I said, we're in deep trouble and we have to leave...and I mean, like now."

"And right now I really need you at the top of your game, baby girl..." The American said as he leaned over and grabbed the handle of Saeko's katana and then held her sword up in the air.

"Because if we're gonna have a shot at making it out of this thing alive..." The American continued still brandishing Saeko's sword in the air just out of her reach. "...then I'm gonna need the warrior I met that night by the river whom I told that I was honored to have at my side."

"I really need that warrior now, Saeko..." Jim said relaxing his grip on Saeko's body but still cautiously keeping her sword at arm's length. "...because without that warrior by my side, not one of us is gonna make it out of here alive, sweetheart."

"So I'm going to ask you now, *mija..." The American continued relaxing his grip even more on Saeko's body as he then lowered his head until he was staring at Saeko directly in the face.

*(Tejano for "My Daughter")

"Are you with me, Saeko?" The American said staring intently into Saeko's face as Saeko's eyes darted quickly over to where her sword was held fast in the man's hand and then back into the American's blood-smeared face.

"Saeko...are you with me?" The man said his voice suddenly firm as Saeko stopped staring at her sword and then stared into the man's eyes for a long moment before finally nodding her head as the American spun Saeko's sword expertly in the air and then smoothly shoved it back into its scabbard that was fastened to Saeko's belt with a loud "CLICK!"

But to Saeko and Takashi's surprise, instead of immediately removing his hand from Saeko's katana after sheathing it, the American continued to keep his hand wrapped around the grip of her sword, cautiously holding the sword firmly in place in its scabbard and thus making it impossible for Saeko to draw her sword again.

"Are you with me, Saeko?" The American repeated once more his eyes boring into hers as he studied her intently for any signs of hostile intent on the teenage girl's face.

"I'm with you...Ji-san." Saeko said at last as the American studied her face for a moment longer before finally letting out a tired sigh.

"That's my girl..." Jim said releasing his grip on the katana as he then patted Saeko gently on her shoulder.

"Okay guys, we've wasted too much time already, we really need to get these people ready to move..." Jim said releasing Saeko completely as he moved away from Saeko and then rose up to one knee as Saeko followed suit.

"What are we going to do?" Saeko said placing her hand on the scabbard of her sword but no longer displaying any visible signs of hostile intent as before as the American contractor reached over and removed his pistol that was tucked in Saeko's waistband.

"Well...I kinda sorta got a plan..." Jim said removing the magazine from his pistol and checking it to see that it was still full before shoving it back into his pistol and then securing it in its holster.

"But ya'll aint gonna like it." Jim said as both teens stared at the man quizzically.

"Just follow me for now, I'll explain everything in a bit." Jim said with a sigh as he then motioned for Saeko and Takashi to follow him as he began to stealthily move over to where the small group of doctors were still attempting to save the wounded nurse as Saeko followed suit, whereas Takashi continued to remain kneeling in the dark with jaw still dropped open in mute silence.

"Komuro-kun...come on." Saeko said looking back over her shoulder upon noticing that Takashi had not moved at all from his position as she then crawled after the American as Takashi continued to stare after them in dumb silence.

"What?" Takashi managed to sputter at last as he sat on his haunches in the dark watching the pair make their way over to where the team of surgeons were gathered.

"What?" Takashi repeated again oblivious to the fact that he was now all alone in the dark and talking to himself.

"What the f_ck just happened?!" Takashi finally managed to sputter in complete confusion to what he had just witnessed that had happened between Saeko and the American as he then shook his head in disbelief and then reluctantly began to slowly follow after the pair.


Time: Zero Dark Thirty

Location: The Hospital Tent

Z-Day Times Five

A few moments later...

"We're going to do...WHAT?!" One of the young surgeon's exclaimed his face a mask of fear as Dr. Yamani held up a hand to silence the startled gasp that had erupted from the group of medical personnel still huddled around the still form of the wounded nurse.

"Everyone please keep your voices down..." Dr. Yamani said in his same monotone voice that was almost completely devoid of emotion. "...we do not need to carelessly start a panic at this crucial time."

"I said we're going to make a run for it..." The American contractor repeated not turning his head as he knelt next to the group of surgeons still operating on the wounded nurse, as he continued to keep his weapon leveled in the direction of the front entrance of the hospital tent.

"By the way my good sir..." The American said in a fake British accent that was so bad it would have made even a drunk Scotsman wince*. "...I must compliment you on your sudden mastery of the English language, in fact, you almost have me believing that you might actually be an Oxford-educated man."

(Okay, this is an example of British humor that I picked up and no offense is meant by it to my Scottish friends overseas, although I have to admit that I was inspired to add this after watching the late Robin Williams stand-up routine about drunk Scotsmen and the game of golf on YouTube)

"Right-smashing of you not to bother to pipe up when I asked if any of you chaps spoke English earlier." Jim added with unmistakable contempt in his voice as he shook his head and then motioned for Takashi and Saeko to move closer to him as a barely audible chuckle escaped from Dr. Yamani's lips.


"Like I was saying, jack-ass..." The American contractor snapped irritably using his normal voice again as the two teens moved closer to him. "... a big-ass herd of Infected have breached the front gates and are heading this way, and between that herd and those "hybrids" or whatever you want to call them that are already running around out here in the camp, our chances of survival beyond the span of three minutes is absolutely nil."

"And that being the case, our only chance for survival is to make a run for the mansion before that herd gets here..." The American added with a snort.

"We'll never make it!" One of the nurses suddenly piped up, also in absolutely perfect English. "...those "things" will run us down before we get even halfway there!"

"Geez, ya'll folks speak better English than I do..." The American said sarcastically. "...ya'll wouldn't happen to be master assassins disguised as doctors now would ya, 'cause I could really use ya right now if y'all "have a particular set of skills" that I don't know about."

"Forgive me, but I'm afraid I must apologize for my young colleagues, uh...deception..." Dr. Yamani said not looking up as he continued to operate on the young woman who by now had passed out, either from the pain or the anesthesia that was now being administered to her by an I.V. fastened to her right arm. "...but I have to agree with Takagawa-san that the odds are not in our favor of everyone reaching the mansion by ahh..."making a run for it", as you say?"

"I'm not gonna B.S. you folks, but you're absolutely right Dr. Yamani, not all of us are gonna make it." The American contractor said flatly as a collective hush suddenly came upon the group of medical personnel including the two teens at the American's remark and all eyes not focused on the wounded nurse were all now completely focused on the dark shadow of the American contractor.

"I only have maybe thirty rounds of ammo left in my rifle and maybe three shotgun shells left for the shotgun attached underneath it..." The American mercenary added his gaze still focused on the front entrance of the tent. "...once that's expended, all I have left is my pistol and my knife to fight with and that's it."

"That being said, the best I can do for everyone here is try to knock down as many of the Infected as I can and try to make a hole large enough for most of ya'll to run through..." The American continued.

"...and if we're lucky and the herd is still a ways off and there's not that many Infected stumbling around nearby, I might even be able to hold off some of those "hybrids" if they start attacking any of us on the way to the mansion."

"But like you said, Dr. Yamani, the odds are definitely not in our favor..." The American said flatly. "...and that being the case I can't guarantee how many of us will make it to safety... if any."

"But I can absof_ckinglutely guarantee that all of us are sure-as-shit gonna die here if we stay here much longer..." The American added raising his voice after Takashi heard several loud murmurs suddenly became audible amongst the group of hospital personnel which instantly went silent at the American's words.

"So the choice is y'alls..." The American contractor said, his voice hard. "...stay here and die, or take the only shot you have right now at staying alive and make a break for it with us."

"Ya'll folks saved my life a few days ago..." The American continued softening his tone as he spoke. "...please understand I'm trying to do my very best to save yours, if I can."

"I already asked Dr. Serizawa to get everybody moved over to the other side of the hospital tent..." The American mercenary continued. "...once y'all have stabilized your friend, I'm gonna have the rest of y'all join them as well."

"Then once we're all together, this young lady with the katana here..." The American said gesturing towards Saeko. "...is gonna cut an opening in the tent big enough for everyone to duck through."

"And then once she does that, she's gonna step back and then I'm gonna go out and blast a hole through anything that ain't human." The American said as Saeko and Takashi's eyes immediately went wide in disbelief at Jim's words.

"Once I yell for y'all to get moving, that'll be y'all's cue to run like hell for the mansion..." The American continued. "...and under no circumstances do any of you stop for any reason until you reach the mansion."

"That goes especially for you two..." The American said pointing his finger at the two teenagers huddled next to him.

"And when I say don't stop, I mean exactly that..." The American added his voice becoming hard again. "...because if you do, I guarantee you once we get these people going ain't a single one of them is gonna stop to help you if you get into trouble."

"But we can't just abandon these people...!" The English-speaking doctor said suddenly becoming enraged at the American's words. "...these are our patients...our responsibility!"

"Takagawa- sensei is right, it is our job to care for these people!" The English-speaking nurse spoke up with venom in her voice "...we have a duty to protect them!"

"Then stay here and die...!" Jim said snapped angrily as a collective gasp went across the group of doctors and nurses. "...I'm not in the f_cking mood for f_cking arguments, and like I said before, we're not all going to make it, so stay here and keep on quoting the f_cking Hippocratic oath all you f_cking want!"

"But if there's a chance that these two kids and any of ya'll can make it back to the mansion in one piece..." Jim said gritting his teeth. "...then I'm willing to risk my life so that ya'll can have a fighting chance of getting to safety."


"Look...I know what I'm asking you to do goes against everything you stand for..." The American mercenary said with a tired sigh as he continued on. "...but right now you are the only medical personnel left alive in this city, and those people in the mansion are going to need you."

"And as much as I know this goes against any sense of moral decency..." Jim continued. "...your only chance for survival is to run like hell and do not stop for any reason, even if you see someone fall to the ground or you hear someone yell for help."

"Hopefully some of the folks back at the mansion will see us making a break for it and give us some cover fire..." The big man continued with a shake of his head. "...but I wouldn't bet on it."

"The choice is yours however..." The American said shrugging his shoulders. "...whether you chose to live or die is entirely up to you."

"Now since we've lost precious time already and because I don't have a working watch I'm gonna start counting off..." The American said raising his voice slightly in order to be heard over several loud screams that suddenly erupted from nearby. "...and after I'm done counting off the time for two minutes, we are leaving, with or without you."

"When will you start counting off?" Dr. Yamani said not looking up as the American let out a long tired breath and then turned his head.

"One-thousand-one..." The American said as everyone's eyes immediately grew wide with fear as the full impact that the final countdown had actually begun hit them full force.

"One thousand-two..." The American said continuing his countdown as Dr. Yamani and his team worked even more feverishly to save the young nurses life.


Time: Zero Dark Thirty

Location: The Hospital Tent

Z-Day Times Five

Sixty Seconds Later...

"FIFTY-NINE ONE THOUSAND...ONE MINUTE!" The American barked out loud startling Takashi who was already on the verge of a nervous breakdown with the sounds of agonized screams of fear and pain echoing in his ears as he gazed over at the group of surgeon's working desperately to save the young woman lying on the ground nearby when he suddenly felt a strong hand on his shoulder nearly making him jump out of his skin as he yelped loudly in surprise.

"Komuro-kun...!" Saeko said as Takashi turned his head and stared into Saeko's face that was visibly filled with concern. "...are you all right?"

"No Sempai, I'm not all right...I mean...!" Takashi nearly shouted, his blood pressure and anxiety level through the roof. "...I mean...how the hell could I be all right, how could anybody be all right with all this, this bullshit going on?!"

I mean, first we nearly get eaten by those things out there that for some reason can now f_cking run for f_ck's sake...!" Takashi sputtered barely able to control himself. "...then we're forced to run right into the middle of all this shit only to get shot at by whoever the hell those guys were and then we end up trapped in here with all those f_cking things tearing people apart all around us."

"I mean seriously, what the hell?!" Takashi went on throwing hands up in the air, his sanity beginning to unravel.

"And if things couldn't be any worse..." Takashi went on his voice starting to rise in volume as the screaming continued to intensify outside. "...we barely made it here, and now in less than sixty seconds Jimu-san wants us to try to make "a run for it" to the mansion and no matter what, we're not supposed help anyone no matter what because he says not everyone is going to make it and it's not our problem?!"

"Just exactly how the hell am I supposed to be all right after all that?!" Takashi said completely distraught as Saeko calmly reached over and placed her hand on Takashi's shoulder sympathetically.

"He's just trying to save as many people as he can as best he can, Komuro-kun..." Saeko said in a voice that to Takashi suddenly seemed very distant and hollow. "...can you not see that?"

"But to just run for it and not help anyone else make it to safety...?!" Takashi replied angrily. "...that's so much bullshit!...There has to be a better way!"

"He's dying, Komuro-kun..." Saeko said at last stunning Takashi into silence at her words. "...and worse, he knows it as well just as he also knows that he has very little time left."

"Wha...what do you mean he's dying?!" Takashi managed to sputter completely confused. "...What?...How?"

"He's been bitten, Takashi..." Saeko replied her voice suddenly becoming very sullen. "...I saw it happen."


"WHAT?!" Takashi exclaimed with surprise as Saeko immediately shushed him as both teens instinctively glanced over to where the American knelt still sounding off his countdown, apparently not having heard Takashi's outburst no doubt in part due to the agonized screams of the unfortunate victims outside that pretty much drowned out all other sound.

"Are you absolutely certain, Sempai...?!" Takashi said in a whisper so as not to be overheard. "...are you sure you saw him get bitten?"

"Yes, it was right before I caught up to him earlier..." Saeko replied turning her head away, not wanting Takashi to see the tears that suddenly began welling up in her eyes. "...it was when he was on the ground fighting with the Infected that had attacked him that I saw him get bitten on the left hand by one of them just before you and I were attacked by those others."

"I still do not understand why he has not changed yet..." Saeko went on struggling hard to keep her emotions in check. "...either the Infection is progressing very slowly or he is exceptionally strong."

"But it really doesn't matter either way..." Saeko said wiping her face. "...I could see the Infection taking hold of him after he killed the Infected that had attacked me and it's only a matter of time before it takes over him completely."

"You could see it taking hold of him...?" Takashi asked his mind still reeling from Saeko's words. "...how?...he looks normal to me."

"I could see it in his eyes..." Saeko said as Takashi suddenly noticed Saeko's entire body shudder involuntarily.

"What do you mean you could see it in his eyes, Sempai...?! Takashi asked concerned at the frightened look on Saeko's face as she spoke "...what did you see?"

"I saw...I saw." Saeko began but then seemed to be at a loss for words as Takashi suddenly reached over and grabbed Saeko by her shoulders and pulled her close to him until they were staring directly into each other's faces.

"Saeko...?!" Takashi half-shouted to be heard above all the screaming outside as he. "...you're not making any sense, what did you see?"

"Evil..." Saeko said at last as she gazed at Takashi with a stare that chilled him to his core as Saeko suddenly reached up and removed both of Takashi's hands from off her shoulders and then pressed them together with her hands over his as Takashi gasped slightly at her touch.


"Komuro-kun..." Saeko said gently holding both of her hands over Takashi's as the teenage boy suddenly felt his heart beginning to race as Saeko continued to stare directly into his eyes that were now looking at him in a way that was still very intense, but in a completely different way than she had looked at him before.

"I know that you are scared and confused by what I have said..." Saeko said as Takashi began to feel his face starting to redden and was grateful for the darkness in the tent concealing from Saeko the fact that he could now feel that he was actually blushing. "...and I wish that there was more time to explain everything to you."

"But as you can see..." Saeko went on as the American contractor continued his countdown. "...there is no time left for that."

"So now I'm going to ask you to do something extremely difficult, Komuro-kun..." Saeko said sill staring intently into Takashi's eyes. "...I'm going to ask you to trust me and do everything I tell you exactly."

"Because if you do not..." Saeko continued her grip suddenly tightening as Takashi's eyes widened even more. "...neither of us will leave this tent alive."

"Do you trust me, Komuro-kun?" Saeko asked as Takashi hesitated a moment his mind reeling from Saeko's words as well as her touch as he suddenly began to feel a strange sensation as if the room itself were spinning.

"Takashi!" Saeko snapped angrily as she then suddenly and unexpectedly reached up and slapped Takashi across the face.


"OWWWW...!" Takashi shouted as the sting from Saeko's slap brought him back to his senses. "...what the hell, Saeko?!"

"Snap out of it Takashi, I need you to focus!" Saeko shouted as the American glanced over in their direction and then shook his head as he continued his countdown as Takashi shook the cobwebs out of his head and then glared angrily at Saeko.

"When Jimu-san gives us the signal to run..." Saeko began ignoring the angry glare Takashi was directing towards her as she placed both of her hands on Takashi's again. "...I want you to take my hand and follow me."

"I will clear a path for us to safety..." Saeko said removing her left hand and placing it on the grip of her katana. "...so do not fire your weapon unless you absolutely have to."

"Do not let go of my hand under any circumstances, Komuro-kun..." Saeko continued as Takashi's face began to redden again, but not from anger. "...and I promise you I will get us both to safety."

"But what about all these people...?!" Takashi said shaking his head. "...we can't just leave them behind."

"You heard Ji-san say he will do his very best to hold off the Infected as long as he can..." Saeko replied her voice suddenly becoming very distant. "...but you are correct, we both know that won't be enough."

"But you and I can help...!" Takashi said exasperated. "...with my pistol and your sword, we can_."

"It won't be enough, Takashi!" Saeko shouted in frustration silencing Takashi as he stared at her open-mouthed in surprise at her outburst.

"Even if everyone here was armed, there's no way all of us would make it...!" Saeko continued lowering her voice so as not to be heard by the others in the tent. "...not against the hundreds of Infected waiting out there for us."

"Ji-san knows that..." Saeko continued. "...and despite the fact that he's dying, he's doing what he can to help as many as he can get to safety."

"But of all the people here in this tent we are the ones he actually cares about, Komuro-kun..." Saeko said as Takashi finally noticed that Saeko was crying. "...because in his mind and in his heart you and I are his children."

"And if our "father's" dying wish is for us to run to safety and not look back..." Saeko said wiping her face with her left hand before placing it on Takashi's shoulder as she then fixed her gaze on Takashi's face.

"Then it is our duty as his children to honor his final wish." Saeko added as she began to gaze intensely into Takashi's eyes as Takashi suddenly felt his heart beginning to beat faster at the way Saeko was staring into his eyes.

"But_" Takashi began shaking his head in protest as Saeko suddenly reached down and drew her katana halfway out of its scabbard and shoved the grip into his stomach causing Takashi to actually cry out in fear in a voice that more high-pitched than Takashi would ever admit to later.


"Don't you dare even think of arguing with me, Komuro-kun!" Saeko said menacingly as Takashi's eyes went wide as he glanced down at the pommel of Saeko's sword that was pressing against his middle and then glanced back upwards into her face and nearly lost ten years of his life as well as control of the contents of his bladder at the look she was giving him.

"You will either do as I say and live, Komuro-kun..." Saeko continued as Takashi shuddered at the look of absolute fury in Saeko's eyes. "...or I swear to you that you will die right here and now by my hand!"

"I have no desire to hurt you whatsoever, Komuro-kun..." Saeko went on. "...but I would rather end your life on my blade as an act of mercy rather than allow you to risk foolishly throwing your life away trying to be a hero and be eaten alive by the Infected."

"Make your choice now, Komuro-kun..." Saeko said her eyes boring into Takashi's very soul. "...come with me and live, or stay here and die."

"Uh, uh,...uhhhhh." Takashi replied completely unable to respond in any other way no matter how hard he tried.

"Since it appears that you're unable to speak at this time, Komuro-kun..." Saeko responded her eyes narrowing to slits. "...then nod your head up and down for "yes" that you will come with me, or move it from side to side of your answer is "no"."

"Please do not say "no" Takashi..." Saeko said her voice softening somewhat still pressing the end of her sword deeper into Takashi's stomach as Takashi silently screamed as Saeko made a twisting motion with her katana as if she were trying to drill the end of her sword into his stomach.

"I know this is hardly the time or place to be saying this, Komuro-kun... Saeko went on, her voice softer but still bone-chilling. "...but I wanted you to know that you are someone very dear to me, and I beg you not to make such a foolish choice."

"Because even though I would do my best to make your death as painless as possible..." Saeko said still digging the end of her katana into Takashi's belly. "...it would break my heart to take such a needless action, and I would never be able to ever forgive myself."

"Please put your trust in me, Takashi..." Saeko said leaning closer to Takashi's face as Takashi's heart once again started to pound fiercely in his chest both from a mixture of absolute terror and something else entirely.

"And I promise you, you will not regret it." Saeko said when to Takashi's unexpected surprise, she suddenly lunged forward and locked her lips onto Takashi's in a long passionate kiss as Takashi's eyes immediately went wide in shock as Saeko continued to keep her lips locked onto his for what seemed like an eternity before finally releasing him as Takashi struggled to catch his breath afterwards.

"What say you, Komuro-kun?" Saeko said as Takashi wheezed in response, unable to either catch his breath or verbally respond in any form or fashion just as a wave of utter dread suddenly washed over him as he suddenly detected a large presence standing overhead.

"TWO MINUTES...TIME'S UP!" The American said sharply startling both teens who had never heard the American move next to them as Takashi suddenly hung his head as he began to feel very much like a mouse that had just been trapped by a lion as the American hunkered down next to the two teens.


"Nice to see that you two kids have found true love even in the middle of this shitty situation." The American mercenary said acidly as he reached out and placed his hand over Saeko's left hand which was still pressing the end of her sword into Takashi's stomach.

"But if you're done laying the ground rules on your new-found relationship, sweetie..." Jim said as he then pulled back on Saeko's hand and forced her sword back into its scabbard with a loud "CLICK!".

"We need to go...NOW!" Jim said as the man suddenly paused and then turned his head and stared in Takashi's direction as the teenage boy suddenly felt a cold chill course through him as he sensed that despite the darkness, the American was glaring angrily at him.

"You know, a long time ago I had me a speech all made up for any punk kid dumb enough to try to cozy up to my daughter when I wasn't looking..." The American said in a low voice filled with venom as Takashi actually felt himself shrinking from before the presence of the big man.

"But the way I look at it, I figure Rei will probably do worse to you than anything I could ever think of doing once she finds out about y'all two getting all "kissy-kissy" with each other..." The American contractor said as Takashi's heart sank and he involuntarily shuddered at the image of an angry Rei coming at him with her bayonet-tipped rifle.

"C'mon!" The American growled irritably as he grabbed Saeko by the hand and moved over to where the group of surgeons still knelt as Saeko reached out and grabbed Takashi by the shirt collar and dragged him along under protest.


"Time to go folks..." The American said as he and the two teens mover towards the small group of medical personnel. "...were you able to get your patient stabilized, Dr. Yamani?"

"My people and I have managed to perform an emergency tracheotomy and close up the wound made to the artery her throat..." The aged surgeon replied as he tossed his bloody gloves into a receptacle nearby as several of his staff attempted to lift the still, unconscious young woman onto the back of a male orderly. "...and while we were able to stop the bleeding and began intravenous fluid therapy to replace her lost fluid volume, she is hardly in a condition I would call "stabilized"."

"Sorry doc, but it's just gonna have to do." Jim replied as suddenly, the all-too-familiar sound of loud moaning began to grow in volume even above all the agonized screams coming from within the camp.

"Because, unless my ears deceive me, I'd say we've definitely overstayed our welcome." The American said as he began to rush forward toward the rear of the tent dragging the two teens behind him as the Chief Surgeon immediately motioned for all of his people to quickly follow as the entire group made their way to the rear of the tent.

"Dr. Serizawa, have you informed every one of the plan?" The American said as he and the others finally met up with Dr. Serizawa who was doing his level-headed best to keep the large group of terrified civilians from collapsing into full-blown panic.

"Yes, but as you can see, these people are very much on the verge of panic..." The hapless surgeon replied. "...and most of them absolutely refuse to leave."

"That's their choice Doc, nothing we can do about it..." The American replied as Dr. Serizawa opened his mouth to protest but remained silent when Dr. Yamani cast him a warning glance as all sound inside the tent suddenly went silent as the loud moans of the Infected suddenly began to grow louder outside.


"I wish we had time to offer inspirational speeches, and points of reason to make them change their minds, Doc." The American said as the moans became louder as all eyes in the tent went wide with fear.

"But from the sounds of things our unwelcome guests have finally arrived." The American mercenary said removing the magazine from his M4 carbine and after checking it, slapped it back into the magwell of his weapon.

"If they want to take their chances and remain hiding in the tent, I'm not gonna stop them." The man continued with a sigh, his face looking all the more tired and ominous under the multi-colored glow of all the chemsticks glowing all around.

"But if anyone wants to join us..." The American said as he began to motion for several of the civilians to get out of his way. "...then I'd appreciate it if you could tell them to do their level-headed best not to panic, and also to please try not to trample over one another on their way out."

"I'll be holding off the Infected as best I can while y'all make your run for the mansion..." Jim continued. "...y'all do your best to help each other get to the mansion as quickly and as orderly as possible."

"Have you lost your mind?!" Dr. Serizawa replied with a scoff. "...do you seriously believe that these people are going to actually be able keep it together and not trample one another once they get outside this tent?'

"Hell no..." The American replied dryly as he shoved his last shotgun shell into the breech of his Masterkey shotgun attachment as Dr. Serizawa stared dumbfounded at the big man for a moment as the young physician swore under his breath and then turned around and relayed the American's words in rapid Japanese as the American contractor grabbed the hands of both teens and moved them over towards the side of the tent.


"All right, Takashi, stand over there, son." The American said as the trio finally stopped a few feet away from the corner of the hospital tent as Jim pointed to Takashi and then to a spot on the ground where he wanted him to stand as Saeko released Takashi's hand and the teenage boy moved to the spot the man had indicated as Jim and Saeko moved several steps away from him until they were directly in front of the tent wall.

As he knelt alone in the darkness away from the others, despite the fact that his breathing was ragged and his heart felt like it was going to beat its way out of his chest Takashi by some miracle was still able to keep his wits together despite the fact that his young life might very well be over in the next few seconds as he pulled the American's HkP7 pistol out of the waistband of his trousers and glanced down at it.

The pistol was heavy, the frame and slide made of solid steel that to Takashi felt very much like a brick in his hand more than anything else, yet somehow as he hefted the small pistol in the palm of his hand, the weight somehow gave Takashi a very secure feeling as he squeezed the grip safety lever of the pistol and then released it slowly as he then took in a few deep breaths in order to steady himself as he then cast a glance over at the large group of people huddled nearby staring at Jim and Saeko as the pair approached the back of the tent.

And Takashi immediately shuddered as the pale glow emitted from all the different color cyalume lights in the hands of the medical staff cast an eerie glow upon all the people huddled closely together giving the impression that they were all already Infected themselves.

And as Takashi gazed upon the frightened faces of all the people staring back at him, the teen couldn't help but think how unnervingly creepy everyone looked as they all stared back at him with eyes of red, white, blue, and even green as the glow of the many cyalume glowsticks were reflected in their eyes, adding to the eeriness of their appearance.

Feeling himself beginning to freak out even more at the sight of all the multi-colored eyes staring at him, Takashi turned his head and focused his attention back on Jim and Saeko, never noticing that out of all eyes staring at him, one pair of glowing red eyes amongst all the others were not staring at Takashi, Saeko, or the American Military Contractor out of overwhelming fear and panic like all the others.

These eyes were filled with nothing but hate.


"Okay Saeko, when I tell you to, I need you to reach up as high as you can with your katana and make two lateral cuts in the shape of a triangle right here." Jim said making two slashing motions with his left hand as Saeko nodded her head in reply.

"Once you do that, I want you to step back and grab Takashi while I go through and clear a path for all of you to follow..." Jim added as Saeko listened intently. "...once I go through that opening, I'm gonna start blasting at anything that moves."

"But do not under any circumstances come out until I tell you to..." The American continued. "...because if there's more Infected out there than I can handle and I'm unable to hold off the Infected and clear a path for the rest of y'all to escape, then there'll be no choice but for all of you to escape some other way."

"What other way?" Saeko asked puzzled.

"To be honest sweetie, I don't have a clue." The American replied flatly as he then looked over his shoulder and glanced at the frightened crowd of people behind them.

*"Minna-san!... Hashiru junbi o suru!" The American shouted in Japanese as he turned and then raised his weapon to his shoulder and leveled it at the tent wall.

*(Japanese for "Everyone, get ready to run!")

"All right Saeko...get ready!" Jim said as Saeko nodded and then drew her sword and held it high in the air with both hands as the tension in the hospital tent soared as all eyes fixed on the blade in the teenage girls hands as she prepared to strike.

"Do it, mija!" Jim snapped as Saeko swiftly lunged forward and expertly sliced downward with her sword, the razor-sharp blade of the katana cutting through the heavy fabric of the hospital tent as if it were mere tissue paper as Saeko raised her sword once more and then once again sliced downward in the opposite direction of the first as the heavy fabric fell away leaving a large, triangle-shaped opening in its place.

But to everyone's shock, barely had the heavy fabric hit the ground when a large blood-drenched figure suddenly burst through the large triangle-shaped opening and immediately lunged towards Saeko with arms outstretched as panicked screams suddenly erupted within the hospital tent as the creature attacked the teenage girl.

Unable to raise her sword in time to defend herself as the creature lunged towards her, Saeko reflexively raised up her left arm to ward off the charging monster when a large flash of light suddenly illuminated the dark confines of the tent flowed by the load roar of the Masterkey shotgun attached beneath the American's Military Contractor's carbine as the heavy-gauge buckshot caught the Infected full in the chest and hurtled it back through the opening of the tent as if it had been launched from a cannon as it disappeared into the darkness beyond.

*"JUNBI SURU!" The American shouted as he swiftly moved towards the opening as everyone in the tent began screaming again as the American immediately opened fire with his shotgun again at another dark figure attempting to enter the through the opening leading into the tent and blew it's head off, as the headless figure slumped to the ground in a heap.

*(Japanese for "Get ready!")

Not slowing down as he stepped through the opening the American immediately opened fire several times with his weapon, the bright flash of gunfire illuminating the darkness outside of the tent as Takashi caught glimpses of nightmarish figures lurching around in the dark as Takashi realized in that moment the horrible truth.

They had waited too long...much too long.

"SHIT!...GO!...GO!...GO!...GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE!...ALL OF YOU F_CKING RUUUUUUUUUN!" The American suddenly roared over the loud blast of his weapon which he was now firing at a furious rate as Takashi's heart felt as if it were slamming against his chest as he suddenly felt Saeko grab him by the hand and roughly yank him forward as both teens lunged through the opening of the tent and into a nightmare.


Time: Zero Dark Thirty

Location:

Combat Control Center aboard U.S.S. Bonhomme Richard LHD-6 (aka "The Bonny Dick")

Currently Anchored near the Northeastern section of Tokonosu International Airport (aka "The Floating Island")

Z-Day Times Five

Ten Minutes Earlier...

"Andy?!...Andy?!...ANDY?!...BLOODY HELL!" Captain Caroline Walshe swore in frustration as she angrily slammed the heavy handset back into its cradle startling everyone at their stations within the dark interior of the U.S.S. Bonhomme Richard's Combat Information Center as the ship's captain, executive officer turned away from the monitor they had been watching and stared quizzically at the exasperated woman who was angrily muttering to herself.

"Hoofed it before you could finish again...aye, Caroline?" Colonel Aidan Dempsey, the Regimental Commander of the elite 22nd SAS said with a hint of amusement in his voice, not bothering to tear his eyes away from the ghostly images on the monitor before him that being fed back to them from the unmanned drone circling over the besieged mansion.

"Yes sir...unfortunately that would be correct...again." Caroline replied with a huff throwing her hands up in exasperation as a thin smile broke out over Dempsey's lips at his subordinate's frustration.

"Quite alright Caroline, I'd have been disappointed if he hadn't run off, actually..." Dempsey said as he paused to listen to some radio traffic coming in over the headset he wore before glancing over at Captain Chandler and his executive officer who were now staring at him with confused looks on their faces, no doubt wondering what the strange exchange between the two British officers was about.

"Andrew's one of our best..." Dempsey said his thin smile now becoming more of a smirk as he spoke. "...and like the rest of the lads in the Regiment, he's always eager to get into action."

"Problem is, he often rushes off into things before he gets all of the facts first." Dempsey said with a chuckle as he paused to listen to some more radio traffic over his headset.

"Yes Henry, we've suddenly run into a bit of bad luck I'm afraid..." Dempsey said speaking into his headset as he then cast his gaze over at Caroline who was staring at him with a worried look on his face.

"Best you meet Andy and his team down in the hanger and give him the bad news Caroline." Dempsey said with a sigh as he turned away from her and gazed back at the monitor behind him as Caroline Walshe silently nodded her head and then walked out the door, a heavy feeling of dread washing over her at the thought of the unpleasant task that now lay ahead of her.


Time: Zero Dark Thirty

Location:

Andrew Poynton's Stateroom aboard U.S.S. Bonhomme Richard LHD-6 (aka "The Bonny Dick")

Currently Anchored near the Northeastern section of Tokonosu International Airport (aka "The Floating Island")

Z-Day Times Five

*Written by Poynton90*

Stunned by Caroline's words that the absolute worst case scenario that could have possibly happened with his team's rescue mission to save the Takagi's was now actually a reality, Andrew hadn't even bothered to give Captain Walshe the chance to finish speaking before he had dropped the heavy ship's handset and bolted out of his stateroom and into the empty corridor, nearly slamming into a pair of sailors on watch who immediately dodged out of his way as he ran down towards Rika and Tajima's staterooms.

"RIKA!... GET YA BLOODY ASS OUTTA BED AND INTO YOUR GEAR, LOVE!" Andrew bellowed as he pounded on the door of her stateroom several times before quickly going to the door directly across from her where Tajima was sleeping, his snoring so loud that Andrew almost felt a twinge of guilt knowing that he'd be interrupting the former SAT officer's only chance of real sleep since the outbreak had begun.

Well, not really...war is hell after all.

"TAJ!...GET YOUR F_CKING ASS OUT OF BED, BUDDY!" Andrew roared as he slammed his hand again and again against the door leading into the stateroom, swearing loudly at the fact that unlike many older ships in the U.S. Navy, the doorways of both of the former SAT operator's did not have the standard Navy-issue heavy green curtains that could be shoved aside in an emergency, but rather, these staterooms had actual doors with locks on them.

Compared to the "new" American Military, modesty meant very little in the British Military and after a long day of training, and many times Andrew had showered with the other lads from both Red and Blue troop before, oftentimes far too tired to give a toss that they were showering completely starkers* together.

*(Starkers – British slang for nude)

This however, was the American Navy, where men and women coexisted aboard ship for weeks and months on end, and although living conditions aboard ship were still traditional military in nature, some effort had been made to preserve privacy, including door locks which to Andrew's dismay, included Rika and Tajima's staterooms which just now happened to be locked.

Under normal circumstances, Andrew would have easily kicked in both doors and dragged his teammates dressed or undressed, out of bed and dragged them kicking and screaming all the way down to the armory.

And since both of the S.A.T. officers had been completely shattered from the rescue operations they had been conducting all week with little to no real rest, it was beginning to appear to Andrew that he was going to have to do exactly that as he once again pounded on both doors loudly in frustration with no response from either room.

Thankfully however, by some miracle he somehow was able to awaken Rika who was the first to open the door to her stateroom glaring at him with a deep scowl on her face as she stood in the doorway wearing a black sports bra and a pair of black shorts that could have easily been mistaken for underwear as tiny as they were.


"Andrew-san?...What the hell?" Rika asked with unmistakable annoyance in her voice as she tried to rub the sleep from her eyes as Andrew suddenly heard the lock on Tajima's door unlatch as the door then swung open and Tajima stepped out into the red-lit corridor.

"Yeah, seriously...Wilco...Tango...Foxtrot...Andrew-san?" Tajima said in a slurred voice came from behind as Andrew rolled his one good eye at both of his teammates and then spun around on his heel.

"The shite has hit the fan!... Get dressed and hurry the fuck up!" Andrew shouted at the two former SAT officers before he quickly turned and bolted back down towards his own cabin.

"You have two minutes to get the armory and grab your kit!" Andrew's shouted, his loud bellowing echoing all the way down the corridor.

"Oh shit!" Andrew heard Rika mutter as he entered his own cabin, not bothering to close the door behind himself he immediately went to work stripping off the t-shirt he'd slept in and quickly pulled on his BDU pants overtop of his shorts, not caring how uncomfortable it felt, before immediately yanking on his boots and making sure they were fastened tightly before grabbing his BDU shirt that lay on a table across the room from him, mentally thinking to himself how grateful he was that the new MTP fatigues they had been issued were the latest generation of protective clothing for Special Forces groups.

Unlike the old BDU's issued to everyone in the Regiment before, with the new MTP's there was no need for the likes of knee and elbow pads having to be donned since they were already built into the clothing which also helped to reduce weight as well as removed the uncomfortableness of the straps attached to the knee and elbow pads digging into the user's skin.

And since time was definitely against them now that the mansion had been overrun, Andrew was grateful that he had insisted that their weapons and equipment be stored in the SEAL's armory which meant that re-stocking their combat vests with extra magazines for their weapons and extra fragmentation grenades would not be so time consuming as it would have been if they had kept their *LBV's in their staterooms like Rika had wanted as he quickly darted out into the hallway and ran past Rika and Tajima's staterooms as they were getting ready, hearing them grunting and cursing as he passed by which was followed by a loud "THUD" that came out of both rooms followed by a lot of cursing as Andrew shook his head in disgust, wondering if either of the two officers had both fallen on their asses in an effort to get dressed or were *rodgering each other.

*(Rodgering - Like you really need me to translate this.)

"Hurry the f_ck up you two!...Meet me down in the armory!...You got ninety seconds!" Andrew yelled as he rushed down the red-lit corridor passing by numerous Marines and sailors and hearing several of them yell and curse at him as he roughly shoved his way past all of them and ignored them all, having more important to worry about that being called an 'asshole' or 'prick' by a 'squid' he doubted he'd ever run into again.

Hurriedly running up a short flight of stairs and down another corridor still shouting for people to move out of his way, he soon arrived at the SEAL's private armory and found that the door was already open and the sound of several people milling about inside as Andrew's first thought was that he was about barge in on some of the other members of SEAL Team Two preparing for immediate deployment orders.

Upon entering the armory however, he saw that it was only his friend 'Mac' and two Marines rushing around the room quickly gathering together the equipment that he, Rika and Tajima had gathered the day before.

Hearing him enter the room, the American Navy SEAL merely grunted as he dropped a case of fragmentation grenades on one of the large steel tables in the middle of the room and began to load them onto his combat vest as Andrew rushed over to where his assault vest lay near his weapons and began to load up on grenades as well.


"You heard?" Andrew said as he grabbed another grenade and stuffed it into his assault vest and then lifted it up to don it.

"I got a call from some English- sounding chick that basically the shit had hit the fan and for me to grab whoever I could find and gear up..." 'Mac replied as one of the Marines dropped a box filled with loaded magazines for their M4's and both men began to stuff the pouches of the assault vests with extra magazines."...I accidentally hung up on her before she could finish talking though, she might be pissed about that."

"Where are the other two...?" The SEAL Master Chief asked as he began to don his own vest. "...they sleeping in on this one?"

"They're on their way...hopefully." Andrew replied making a sour face at the extreme delay in his two teammate's arrival as he checked that his combat vest was secure on his person before he quickly opened the case that held his pre-selected weapons and quickly pulled out the two SOG SEAL combat knives from inside and quickly examined them.

Both knives had been a gift from 'Mac' years before, the shorter of the two, a model with a 4.75 inch blade known as 'The Pup" Andrew quickly attached upon his vest while the larger model with the 7-inch blade he attached to his belt and then tied the restraining cord around his left thigh.

After quickly testing that he was able to reach both knives and draw them with ease, he then quickly began to place his attention on the rest of his gear.

"We're gonna need more ammo!" Andrew said aloud towards 'Mac' as the SEAL operator returned from behind one of the many shelving units containing a number of various assault rifles with a single rifle in hand and laid it on the table with his own equipment before he placed a large pack on the table as Andrew heard the sound of metal touching metal.

Taking a quick glance, he found the pack to be loaded with several belts of 5.56mm M27-linked ammunition for what he assumed would be for Rika's Mk46 Mod 0 machine gun.

"We're gonna need extra magazines for your guys too." 'Mac' said gesturing to one of the Marines who quickly dashed back towards the supply cabinets where the ammunition was stored and pulled out another box filled with loaded magazines and deposited them on the table.

Just as Andrew was about to go over and help grab more ammo for Rika's Mk46 when he suddenly heard the sound of running feet approaching as he looked up and sighed with relief as both Rika and Tajima finally entered the room and quickly approached the table where their equipment was already laid out for them.


"Both of you quickly need to load up, we're leaving here in thirty seconds... tops!" The SEAL Master Chief said as he picked up the rifle he had taken from the rifle rack and inserted a large plastic 7.62mm magazine into the magwell of his HK417 before setting it down on the table.

"Andrew-san, what's happening?!" Rika asked as she did as she was ordered and quickly began pulling her own vest on and securing it before she started sheathing her own knives and holstering her sidearm.

"News came down from up the chain that the Infected are pushing in on Takagi Manor and it's about to be flooded with those bastards..." Andrew growled as he locked a magazine into his HK416 and immediately started grabbing extra magazines for his rifle and Tajima's M4A1 carbine. "...as far as I know orders are as before... get there, exfil' the 'principles' and as many survivors as possible."

"Have the grounds already been breached yet or are they still outside the perimeter?" Tajima asked as Andrew paused a long moment before answering as he waited for both SAT officers to get into their full kit.

"Captain Walshe said that they were being overrun..." Andrew said at last as he watched 'Mac' helping Rika who was having a little trouble with her Mk46 machine gun. "... and although the number of hostiles is unknown we must expect the worst, so load up as much ammo as you can carry and expect a f_cking good fight ahead of us."

"Are you kidding me...?!" Rika said suddenly became enraged. "...do they honestly expect just the four of us and a squad of Marines to throw our lives away just to save that asshole against an entire city of Infected?!"

"That's the job, lass..." Andrew replied, his eyes narrowing at Rika's unexpected outburst. "...you don't have to like it, you just have to do it."

"This is bullshit...!" Rika swore, her anger growing. "...that rat bastard's never given a damn about anybody else before and now he's the one we have to risk our lives for? I'll bet the only reason he took in all those survivors was so they'd be a distraction for the Infected so that he and his family could get away_"


"HEY...!" Andrew suddenly shouted interrupting Rika's angry rant, not fulling understanding the reasons for his teammate's sudden vehemence towards the Takagi family nor caring. "...I don't give a rat's arse what your problem is with Takagi, because personally, I think that all politicos are a bunch of wankers that need a bloody good kick in the bollocks!"

"But right now, we don't have the time for a sodding political debate, so get you head out of your arse Rika, and get it into the game!" Andrew snarled at her as Rika flinched at Andrew's outburst and he noticed a slight twitch of fear in her eyes.

"Bloody hell boy, take it easy, they're cops, not commandos." Andrew thought to himself as he took in a deep breath and then let it out in order to calm himself

"Look guys...I get it..." Andrew began speaking in a softer tone. "...I worked for Takagi for a while, and yeah Rika you're right, the guy's a total asshole, and so is the rest of his family."

"But back then I was a merc at the time and the money was good so bloody well sue me..." Andrew added. "... but I never allowed my personal views and shitty beliefs cloud my judgement just because they were wealthy."

"They're still living, breathing people who, despite their status in society, have gone out of their way to actually help the survivors of this shit and right now they're all in danger of being f_ckin' eaten alive while you two stand there bitching like a couple of snot- nosed kids!"

"Now, grab your gear and let's move...!" Andrew said with a snarl. "... We've wasted more than enough time than we should have with this bullshit!"

"Move it!" Andrew snapped as both the S.A.T officers quickly grabbed their weapons and packs from the table with Tajima hefting Rika's MK46 over his shoulder as he also grabbed his own M4A1 before heading out of the armory and into the corridor followed by Rika who hefted the SEAL light machinegun in her arms as she followed closely behind him with an angry look still plastered on her fac.

"Rika..." Andrew said calling her name and relieved to see her respond immediately instead of ignoring him as she paused in her tracks and briefly glanced in his direction.

"I get how you feel about Takagi..." Andrew began, his voice firm but not hard. "... But remember, this mission isn't about him alone, it's about his family and the other survivors.

"We're doing this for all of them." Andrew finished as he then studied Rika's face as she stood in the corridor for a few more brief seconds as she seemed to ponder his words for a few moments before turning and heading in the direction that Tajima had left as Andrew sighed as he listened to her footsteps retreating down the hall.


"Buddy...?" Mac piped up as Andrew looked over his shoulder as the American frogman approached him from behind and then placed a hand on his shoulder. "...I'm not sure what kind of issues your folks have with the 'package', but are you sure that we can trust them to get their shit together and do the job?"

"No worries mate, they'll get the job done. I'll make damn sure that they do..." Andrew replied as he looked the SEAL in the eye.

"But if they do something stupid that'll put either the lives of the principles, the civilians or ourselves in harm's way, then trust me…'' Andrew continued as he grabbed his kit and both men then stepped out of the armory and headed down the long corridor at a brisk pace. "... I'll slot them both.''


Time: Zero Dark Thirty

Location:

Aircraft Hanger Area U.S.S. Bonhomme Richard LHD-6 (aka "The Bonny Dick")

Currently Anchored near the Northeastern section of Tokonosu International Airport (aka "The Floating Island")

Z-Day Times Five

Hastily entering the hanger the four operators cautiously approached the area where their aircraft and its crew would be awaiting them at the pre-planned assigned aircraft elevator platform. And after making their way around dozens of navy and civilian personnel surrounded in large groups around several helicopters and fixed-wing fighter jets that were undergoing various forms of maintenance, the four team members finally arrived at their location with only a few bumps and bruises from accidentally bumping against both men and equipment.

But as they reached the large aircraft elevator where a single SH-60 Seahawk helicopter sat surrounded by a couple of flight mechanics yelling curses at about a dozen Japanese civilians staring blankly back at them, curiosity turned to horror as each member of the team began to realize that amongst all the people surrounding the large helicopter, there was no tell-tale evidence of the flight crew anywhere.

But it was Andrew who realized first the reason why the flight crew was absent as he glanced over at two figures standing near the front of the helicopter as he walked closer and recognized the petite form of Captain Caroline Walshe talking to a man wearing a workman's utility outfit and a large tool belt wrapped around his waist as Andrew's heart fell as he realized that something unexpectedly terrible had happened as Caroline looked up and noticed the four operators approaching the platform as she then nodded to Andrew as he walked up to them.


"I've brought my team up to speed on the current situation that's unfolding at the Takagi estate, Caroline." Andrew asked Caroline noticing out of the corner of his eye that the mechanic hadn't turned to face him yet, the grim looks on both his and Caroline's faces confirming that something terrible had indeed happened before his team's arrival.

"Now would you mind telling me where the bloody hell my transport is?!" Andrew said raising his voice loud enough for all the hanger to hear as dozens of eyes suddenly turned away from what they were doing and fixated themselves on the irate SAS operator.

"I'm afraid a situation has developed, Sergeant..." Captain Walshe began her voice firm but her face ashen in appearance. "...I'm afraid that ever since the Outbreak began, all personnel aboard ship especially the flight mechanics have been working around the clock, trying to get communication and other essential systems back online or working on numerous other transporters."

"And since most of the ship's personnel have been declared missing..." Caroline continued, lowering her eyes as if she were ashamed to look Andrew in the eye. "...they've been forced to work long hours with only untrained Japanese civilians to help them."

"And that being the case..." Caroline added but was abruptly cut off when Andrew suddenly held up an open palm to silence her.

"Caz...?" Andrew said using an old nickname for Caroline that he had used many years ago.

"Are you trying to tell me that this our transport?" Andrew asked motioning towards the Seahawk that sat on the platform beside them.

"Yes Andrew...um, Sergeant…that was meant to be your transport…" Caroline began stopping herself when his gaze fell upon her with a questioning look.

"What do you mean it 'was meant' to be our transport...?!" Andrew said growing even more alarmed at the look on Caroline's face. "...what's the matter with it, AND WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON?!"

But it was when Caroline seemed uncertain as to what to say in response to his question that Andrew realized that disaster had most certainly struck.


In all his years when he was in the British Special Forces he had always held a great amount of respect for the Captain because she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty and one more than one occasion had suited up and joined the lads on operations in the field where her expertise was required or they just needed somebody with a 'feminine touch'.

He'd seen her gun down terrorists, separatists and even common criminals by the truck load and she never took any shit from anybody.

But right here, right now, the usually taciturn woman seemed almost terrified by what she was about to tell him.

"The flight crew were doing their exterior pre-flight check of the aircraft when they found an issue with the exterior fuel intake and as you can also see..." Caroline said as she motioned to the ground beneath the Seahawk where a large puddle lay. "...somehow one of the onboard fuel tanks suddenly sprang a leak and it's been pissing fuel all over the place."

"Okay so we just get another helicopter and then *'Charlie Mike', right...?" Andrew asked his blood pressure rising rapidly as time continued to tick by.

*(Charlie Mike- Continue Mission)

"I mean, for crying out loud Caroline, there's enough heli's flying around out there..." Andrew said nearly shouting as he motioned towards the island airport from which they were anchored a mere two miles away. "...call one of them in for f_ck's sake, we're wasting time here!"

"All in use I'm afraid, lad..." Colonel Dempsey suddenly piped up startling everyone as he stepped from out of the shadows wearing a large headset on his head. "...and it will take a while before another helicopter will be ready."

"And until another means of transport can be acquired…" Dempsey added his voice trailing off for a moment upon noting the conflicting look on Andrew's face "...I'm afraid that your team's part in the rescue mission is over for now, lad."


Author's Notes:

Well, I really hoped all of you enjoyed this long-overdue chapter of Last Alarm-Book One which despite the long delay and all the rumors that sprang because of it, rest assured, Last Alarm is not dead.

I won't go into much detail but the fact is this has been an especially rough year for me having to deal with a death in the family and both of my parents being sent to the hospital and then helping with their recovery as well as well as my own personal tribulations that I've had to deal with as well.

Thankfully, my parents health is much improved and although I still have a heavy load to bear, things seem to be turning for the better finally.

As you can imagine, the stress of all that has taken its toll on me and it was pretty much impossible to focus on anything else but my family's welfare.

Now that things are getting better though, I can finally sit down and start writing again but to be honest, I'm not at all on my "A" game yet and if it weren't for my good buddy Poynton90 stepping up and writing the upcoming scenes with Andrew and his team from their perspective, there's no way I would have been able to get this thing done any time soon.

Thanks to Andy though, the lion share of what happens to Andrew and his team as they engage the Infected at Takagi Manor has already been laid out and also thanks to Andy's hard work, the first opening scenes of Last Alarm-Book Two have already been laid out as well.

As you can see in this chapter, I credited Poynton90 for his contribution of the last scene of which again, I am very grateful to him for all his hard work and his very much appreciated help.

Without his contribution, it probably would have been another month before this chapter was finished.

Thanks buddy! Couldn't have done it without you!

On a side note, many times I've mentioned that this version of Last Alarm-Book One that you are reading is really just a "rough draft" and that eventually when I finish it, I will be editing the heck out of this sucker as well as adding or deleting things in order to make it more enjoyable.

That being said, some things that will be changed are the following.

For one, the use of the name "Laidlaw" to describe the PMC company that Jim and Andrew work for was meant as an inside joke to a company that I worked for years ago and was meant to be humorous.

Unfortunately, no one got the joke except me it seems so being as how the name seems so...blah, Andy and I have decided to change it.

So from now on the name of the Private Military Organization Jim and Andrew work for will be "Executive Response International" which to Andy and I, sounds a heck of a lot better than "Laidlaw".

So form now on and in all future chapters "Executive Response International" will be the name of the company and when Last Alarm-Book One finally gets re-edited, the name of the company will be changed accordingly.

There are many other changes to be made but not a whole lot as I'm pretty satisfied with most of the story even though some things will be omitted eventually but I doubt you'll really miss them since they are relatively minor scenes anyway.

There's a ton of things I want to say but I've been working late tonight in order to try to post this chapter for all of you who have been so patient after all this time and so I hope all of you enjoy it.

Thank you all for your patience and again, thanks Andy for helping me out buddy!

Ya'll take care now. Jim