Extinction Survival Series | Book 4 | Warrior's Fate by Browning Walt

Author:Browning, Walt [Browning, Walt]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Post-Apocalyptic | Infected
Publisher: Great Wave Ink Publishing
Published: 2020-08-31T16:00:00+00:00

— 16 —

Dare Mighty Things

(Logo at the entrance to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory)

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Pasadena, CA

Two Months Later

Pito led the group into the front of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. One of Shrek’s offspring had accompanied them. His handler sent the Malinois-Terrier mix into the building, clearing the way for the humans in the squad.

It was difficult to be out on a mission without Shrek. The faithful dog had been a real trooper, putting up with the constant pain and tenderness in his joints. But the last year had seen a dramatic deterioration in his condition. Doc Maxwell had warned Carver that this would happen, but it didn’t make it any easier to see.

Watching the Malinois-Terrier dog work muted some of the sadness. Even if Shrek couldn’t be here himself, his kid was carrying on the tradition.

“All clear,” the handler called out when the dog returned and sat quietly at the man’s side.

Carver felt small as they walked through the shattered glass doors and came face-to-face with an untouched display of the Martian Rover. Its boxy camera, retracted mechanical arm, and tubeless, thin tires reminded him of what humanity had achieved. The mechanical probe was the result of decades of accumulated knowledge.

Unfortunately, it looked like mankind’s stupidity was going to end modern science. It seems humanity never learned how to follow one simple rule. Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. The Army made a virus they couldn’t control, and the world was paying for that hubris.

The fifteen-man squad stopped at the reception desk, where Pito pulled out a map that had been provided by the scientists on Catalina Island. Since they’d set up a fax over IP machine on their satellite phone system, the requests for more salvaged knowledge increased exponentially. FoIP was a simple setup once you had the appropriate machines. It took years to find the right components, and the eggheads on the island were using the technology to its fullest, sending detailed maps and drawings to Lost Valley.

“I swear to God, sometimes I feel like an errand boy,” Carver had complained to Kinney several weeks back.

The growing list of “chores” being sent from Catalina had become annoying.

“Hey, I wanted my house back. But no, you decided to stay,” Kinney had replied, goading his friend about his wife’s decision to not relocate.

“You stayed too!”

“I couldn’t leave Shrek,” the retired Marine had countered with a smile.

Carver grinned as he thought of Kinney. He would have liked him to be with the group now, but the big lug was off on another mission.

“Okay. We need to take the sidewalk over there,” Pito said, interrupting Carver’s daydream. “That’ll take us to the Space Flight Operations Facility.”

Pito droned on about the facility as he described their path to the computers. No one really paid attention to his talk about the history of the place and its accomplishments.

“Are we ready?” Carver interrupted. “You’re not a tour guide anymore.”

“Yeah. I’ll take it from here.” Pito checked the map one more time then folded the paper and tucked it into his front shirt pocket.

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