The Last Bastion of the Living (The Last Bastion #1)(53)

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow night. Love you.”

“I love you, too.” Maria blew him a kiss and was gone.

Rubbing his eyes, Dwayne tried not to think of his lover out among the Inferi Scourge. He knew she was immune, but it was difficult for his mind to accept it. He couldn’t wait until this was all over.

Checking the scene out in the street below, Dwayne could barely detect the black-garbed SWD forces slipping through the night. They were definitely looking for someone or something. Maybe it was wrong for his mind to link the SWD security down below with the early deployment of the Inferi Boon Special Ops, but he had to wonder.



*



The room was filled with excitement as the squad gathered around the table where a holographic image of the valley hovered in full detail. There were no people in the room other than the Inferi Boon. The upper echelon had finally released their shackles on Omondi to take over full command. From this point on, he was calling the shots.

Most of the squad had been settled into their rooms watching vids or reading. A few had been in the rec room playing games. Jameson had managed to push his way through the cram of bodies to be at Maria’s side. He kept grinning at her, excited.

“We’re going to bust those f*ckers up!” Jose Gutierrez, an SWD officer, declared from nearby.

“You know it!” Cruz high-fived him, quite a sight with her short stature and his height.

The high energy in the room was tangible. After two weeks of training and adjusting to their transformed bodies, the soldiers were desperate for some action. Everyone who enlisted always hoped to one day kill the Scourge, but they were part of a small force that was actually going to do it.

“Enough carousing, you bastards,” Omondi growled, his voice laced with affection and his own vivacity. “Pay attention and listen up.”

The din quieted as all eyes were drawn to the image before them.

Mary took a breath and started. “Every campaign against the Scrags failed because we have never had the resources required to eliminate them in such large numbers. When humanity arrived in the valley it was with what little we could salvage from a dying world. Food, medicine, farming and mining equipment and tech consumed a substantial amount of space in the storage facilities. Even before the great exodus here, humanity was dangerously low on ammunition and fuel. Our fathers and mothers salvaged what they could. Ironically, their faith in the gate and the valley was so strong, they didn’t even believe they would need to stockpile weaponry.”

“Stupid politicians,” McKinney groused.

Chief Defender Omondi studied the faces of his people. “Now, we’re nearly out of fuel and ammunition. This campaign will not fail because it is not dependent on resources, but on us. The Inferi Boon.”

Maria nodded her head, continuing. “Fire-bombing is out of the question because of the mines. If we end up with a coal seam fire, we’ve just f*cked our only chance at surviving in this valley. We will be burning the bodies of the Scrags, but there is no danger because we are above ground. We’ve been allotted enough fuel for our flame throwers to do controlled burns of the corpses. We’ve also been given fuel for the personnel carrier, but we estimate we have enough to last us the duration of our mission as long as we don’t joyride all over the place.”

“How many attempts have there been to eliminate the Scrags?” Denman asked.

Omondi looked very grim. “Too many to count. The position of the gate has always worked against the tiltrotors. They can’t get close enough to set down without being swarmed. The one attempt to use some of the salvaged missiles that were stored in the city resulted in a dangerous cave-in of the subway tunnel near the hydroelectric station. We had a major breach in the subway system before it could be contained,” Omondi answered. “That area is still considered the city’s most vulnerable access point even though we did manage to seal the primary tunnel. There is a secondary one that did not retain damage. Luckily.”

“Our primary objective is to close the damn gate. As long as it is open, the Scrags will keep coming. We still have large pockets arriving every few months. What draws them here, we don’t know. They enter the valley and join the hordes already here.” Maria slightly shrugged. “We just need to eliminate their only way into the valley. Then kill the ones trapped inside.”

“The situation is as follows: the Scrags are up against the walls in every direction for nearly half a mile. They’re an impenetrable wall of dead, stinking flesh.”

“Kind of like Jameson,” McKinney drawled, eliciting a few laughs.

Omondi’s glare silenced the snickers.

“We can’t deploy directly from The Bastion,” Maria continued. “As you know, all the gates are sealed. As are all the service tunnels and the subway leading out to the various stations located all over the valley. The tiltrotors are our only option and they will draw in the Scrags immediately.”

“What about the Maelstrom Platforms?” Denman asked from across the table. His thick brows were lowered over his keen eyes as he studied the holographic image.

Omondi and Maria exchanged glances, then the Chief Defender said, “We get one volley. A limited burst from the cannons along this side.” He pointed to the hologram. “They will be targeting any of the Scrags breaking off from the crowd around the walls in pursuit of us.”