After the Pandemic: Archangels (Part Four) (1219 hits)
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Submitted by Jack McCallum (View user info) at 2005-03-19 23:31:46 EST
After the Pandemic: Archangels (Part Four)
Part One here http://www.ubersite.com/m/61513
Part Two here http://www.ubersite.com/m/61755
Part Three here http://www.ubersite.com/m/61985
The Reverend was pleased with the progress of his children. When one of the munchers shambled on top of the massive doors set in the earth and started jumping up and down on them (until discouraged by a shovel to the head) there was a definite, noticeable movement.
The doors were almost unbreakable. They would stay intact as their own weight tore them free of the surrounding concrete and they collapsed into whatever lay below.
The Reverend had heard stories of this impregnable little rabbit-hole, and knew Hemophagists had fallen to the immunes hiding inside. It was high time the vermin was flushed out.
As number Two started using the jackhammer on the old steel rods reinforcing the concrete, snapping them one by one, the Reverend's goal became closer.
Munchers mechanically tossed chunks of concrete into a growing pile near the leg of the arch.
The Reverend looked up again, seeing the stars briefly through the shifting mist. He not only wanted to feed, and offer his flock some sustenance, but he also wanted to convert some of the unfaithful below, take them away from the day, and let them see the true beauty of the night. He was lonely. And he had bigger plans than this small conquest. To carry those plans to fruition he would need more of his own kind.
*
Smith finished outlining his plan, drinking deep from a glass of cool water.
Taganashi couldn't restrain himself. "Are you fucking kidding?"
Virtue silenced the Ranger with a glare.
"I know it sounds crazy," Smith said. "What are your options? You can't shoot from above and kill all the munchers. If you open the doors and start shooting we'll be overwhelmed by bodies. We can't throw Molotov cocktails through the door, and we can't drop them from the arch because we couldn't be sure of hitting out targets with all that fog."
Virtue shook his head. "This plan-"
A sound that was both rumble and metallic grinding filled the large room. Virtue and the assembled Rangers tried to remain stoic. Billy and Shally hugged each other tight. Smith raised his left arm and tapped the old Timex strapped to his wrist.
A Ranger appeared in the doorway. "Commander, the outer door is collapsing. We aren't sure how long the inner door can hold that much weight, and the ceiling around the doors is starting to fracture."
"Understood," Virtue said. He leaned close and muttered a few instructions to the man. The Ranger left the room.
Virtue stared off into space, letting the fingers of one hand graze the scars on his throat.
"Mr. Smith, who do you think is going to carry out this task... since there is such a great risk involved?"
Smith wasn't expecting the question.
"I assumed you would order a couple of your Rangers to-"
"The Park Rangers have always been volunteers," Virtue said. "I can't order any of these men to take on a task like that. They will fight to the death if the doors fall, but this plan is most certainly suicide."
He faced the men assembled. "Are any of you fine men willing to take on this task?"
As a group the Rangers suddenly developed a great deal of interest and concern with their boots.
It was making sense now. Smith remembered the hushed dissention when he and Billy and Shally entered Fort Saarinen.
"I am willing to take on half of the job," Virtue said.
Smith shook his head. "Don't be an ass. With you gone this place will fall apart faster than a leech can suck a body dry. I'll take part of the job. I just need one of your heroes to take the other side."
The room was silent until Billy cleared his throat. Shally gripped his arm hard, hoping to silence him.
"Hell, if none of you chickenshit cowards will step up, then I will," Billy said.
Shally was shaking her head, her lips trembling.
"I got to, sunshine," Billy said to her. "I got to be sure that you and our baby live through this night."
"It's done, then," Virtue said. He glanced at Billy and Shally. "You two should take a moment alone."
The implication was clear. Take a moment to say goodbye. Shally started to cry, trying not to and failing.
Smith gestured at a doorway behind him and stepped through it to take a piss.
One of the medics in a starched white lab coat stepped close to Virtue and spoke quietly.
"Is it really wise to let Smith go? Whatever is in his blood could be invaluable. Perhaps we could create an inoculation from his blood, a vaccine, given enough time."
Virtue hung his head. "As Smith pointed out, doctor, time is something we do not have to spare."
Smith came back. He and Virtue waited while Shally and Billy whispered and hugged each other. When the young couple stepped forward, Virtue turned and started walking at a fast clip.
"Come with me."
Virtue was followed by Smith, Billy, Shally, and Taganashi,
The Commander led then down one corridor and up a flight of stairs to a small platform where faded old signs extolled the magnificent views to be seen from the top of the arch. There was some kind of crazy mix between vertical train and elevator here, the mechanisms that moved the small cars disappearing up inside the dark hollow interior of this leg of the arch. The cars were dark with rust and covered in cobwebs.
"I hope you two are in good shape," Virtue said. "The old tram system stopped working a long time ago. You'll have to take the emergency maintenance stairs, all one thousand, seventy-six of them. I have a few men at the top already, we rotate lookouts who keep in touch with rechargeable two-way radios. There is already a lot of rope up there. We use it from time to time to let men do inspections of the arch. I have men moving bottles of alcohol up there as well."
Billy made a face. "Holy whistlin' Christ. A thousand stairs?"
Virtue pulled open a narrow metal door in the wall. The space was dark and cramped, and the stairs went up at a steep angle.
"We have everything you'll need at the top. Rope. Harnesses. Bags. Radios. Alcohol."
He handed small alcohol-gel headlamps to Billy and Smith. "Good luck," he said. "I hope we can work together again."
Virtue turned and went back down the corridor.
Billy and Shally hugged again.
"I'll be your contact down here," Taganashi said to Smith. "Your radios will allow you to get feedback from the men above you in the lookout and from me, and I'll be monitoring the periscopes. That should help with hitting the targets before they scatter."
The Ranger went after Virtue, calling back over his shoulder, "The latest update says the wind is minimal."
Billy removed Shally's arms from around his neck. "Go baby," he said. "Go now. Follow Taganashi. You'll be safe in the view room and you can see every single thing we do. I'm gonna make you proud, you bet."
"I love you," Shally said, starting down the hall.
"And me you too," Billy replied.
When they were alone, Billy and Smith paused before the narrow hatch.
"Hell," Billy whispered. "You really think we can do this."
"Can we do it?" Smith asked. "Definitely, yes. Can we survive it?"
Smith shrugged, and started up the stairs, following the glow of his gel lamp.
*
The plan was simple. Large, lightweight vinyl bags would be filled with highly flammable alcohol gel. The gel would be thinned out with free-flowing alcohol, to make a runny, sticky mess. Smith and Billy would be strapped into harnesses and lowered down the arch from a hatch in the apex. They would descend along the outside of the Northern leg of the arch, out of view of the munchers, until they were just a little more than a leap above the heads of the creatures. Their lines would be tied off at forty-five degrees along the arch. In quick succession, Smith, and then Billy, would swing off the edge of the arch, over the monstrous crowd below. They would pull ripcords in the big bags, spilling alcohol all over the munchers. It took a lot to make a muncher run away. Everyone agreed that the rotting bastards would need a few minutes to work out what was happening, even as they stood soaked in alcohol. A few minutes were all that was needed. As Smith and then Billy swung inside the arch and dumped his weight, each would swing back and be pulled toward safety by guidelines connecting the two men. Smith would make a second pass, holding a cluster of flares which would be ignited and dropped. When that was done, all they had to do was avoid getting roasted alive and climb back up the lines to safety.
Hopefully, Smith and Billy would survive the trip down the outside of the arch.
Hopefully, the munchers wouldn't run away when the alcohol hit them.
Hopefully, the majority of the munchers would be set ablaze and the Rangers would be able to come to the surface and finish the rest.
It sounded simple in theory. Reality would be a different matter.
--
Index by date posted
After the Pandemic: Intro
By Jack McCallum http://www.ubersite.com/m/61238
After the Pandemic: Corrigan
By Jack McCallum http://www.ubersite.com/m/61296
After the Pandemic: Variant C
By Jack McCallum http://www.ubersite.com/m/61350
After the Pandemic - The Onion Run - Part 1
By Snark http://www.ubersite.com/m/61446
After the Pandemic: Outbreak
By spedmonkey http://www.ubersite.com/m/61453
After the Pandemic: Rebirth
By kre8rix http://www.ubersite.com/m/61490
After the Pandemic: Warriors of Fire
By hpark http://www.ubersite.com/m/61495
After the Pandemic: Origins of a Conflict
By Adamdidit2u http://www.ubersite.com/m/61496
After the Pandemic: Apocalypse
By Dannie M http://www.ubersite.com/m/61498
After the Pandemic: The Enemy of My Enemy (part 1 of 2)
By TheCaes http://www.ubersite.com/m/61505
Before the Pandemic: Briarwood Academy
by stardamage http://www.ubersite.com/m/61510
After the Pandemic: Archangels (Part One)
By Jack McCallum http://www.ubersite.com/m/61513
After the Pandemic: Resistance (Part One)
By Genko http://www.ubersite.com/m/61527
After the Pandemic: Unnatural Born Killers
By Circe http://www.ubersite.com/m/61530
After the Pandemic: Unnatural Born Killers 2
By Snark http://www.ubersite.com/m/61538
After the Pandemic: Sacrifice of Nine Men Part 1
By Chronic Masturbator http://www.ubersite.com/m/61539
After the Pandemic: Flesh of My Flesh
By Anthony Locascio http://www.ubersite.com/m/61542
After the Pandemic: White Noise — Chapter One
By Steve's House of Pancakes http://www.ubersite.com/m/61545
After the Pandemic: the Transformation
By Brdn_Nkd http://www.ubersite.com/m/61553
After the Pandemic: (The quadrometric plexus)
By WhatTheHell http://www.ubersite.com/m/61554
After the Pandemic: Briarwood Academy - The Speech
By stardamage http://www.ubersite.com/m/61569
After the Pandemic: Genesis, The Beginning
By BLITZKREIG_BOB http://www.ubersite.com/m/61587
After the Pandemic: Sacrifice of Nine Men Part 2
By Chronic Masturbator http://www.ubersite.com/m/61597
After the Pandemic: Suffer
By Id http://www.ubersite.com/m/61613
After the Pandemic: The Enemy of My Enemy (part 2 of 2)
By TheCaes http://www.ubersite.com/m/61614
After the Pandemic: I am the pandemic
By Bob=the roxo0rs http://www.ubersite.com/m/61615
After the Pandemic - The Onion Run - Part 2
By Snark http://www.ubersite.com/m/61621
After the Pandemic: Purge (Part One)
By Artificial Insanity http://www.ubersite.com/m/61660
After the Pandemic: The Guardian
By Professional Peon http://www.ubersite.com/m/61730
After the Pandemic: Rebirth Pt 2
By kre8rix http://www.ubersite.com/m/61747
After the Pandemic: Archangels (Part Two)
By Jack McCallum http://www.ubersite.com/m/61755
After the Pandemic: From Simple Beginnings...
By spedmonkey http://www.ubersite.com/m/61760
After the Pandemic: White Noise - Chapter Two
By Steve's House of Pancakes http://www.ubersite.com/m/61779
After the Pandemic: Vegas Infection
By Snark http://www.ubersite.com/m/61786
After the Pandemic: Final frontier
By Coyote http://www.ubersite.com/m/61795
After the Pandemic: Origins part deux!
By Adamdidit2u http://www.ubersite.com/m/61876
After the Pandemic: The Guardian (Part 2)
By Professional Peon http://www.ubersite.com/m/61890
After the Pandemic: A Case of the Mondays
By RawrG http://www.ubersite.com/m/61891
After the Pandemic: Recollections
By fudgepacknuts http://www.ubersite.com/m/61896
After the Pandemic: Death Cult Cabal
By sword http://www.ubersite.com/m/61920
Before the Pandemic, the Rhienholt Hurgurtz initiative.
By Bigmike http://www.ubersite.com/m/61935
After the Pandemic — The Onion Run — Part 3
By Snark http://www.ubersite.com/m/61941
After the Pandemic: Archangels (Part Three)
By Jack McCallum http://www.ubersite.com/m/61985
After the Pandemic: The Guardian (Part 3)
By Professional Peon http://www.ubersite.com/m/62064
After the Pandemic: Crikey
By FuckTheArmy http://www.ubersite.com/m/62198
After the Pandemic: Crikey (part two)
By FuckTheArmy http://www.ubersite.com/m/62282
User Reviews
Submitted by Fey (user info) at 2008-06-29 14:35:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I'm not a huge fan of things that feel like transportsträckor, but you get a +2 because I'm sure there's more and better to come.
Submitted by zakalwe (user info) at 2005-09-23 19:06:13 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I have an inkling that Smith will pull through. But Billy is toast.
Submitted by Jack_McCallum (user info) at 2005-08-03 12:19:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Supreme Overlord damage control...
Submitted by Supreme_Overlord (user info) at 2005-07-21 22:29:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
shite
Submitted by notyou (user info) at 2005-07-12 15:05:56 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Coyote (user info) at 2005-06-30 10:25:29 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I guess they better hope the Rev is either unarmed or not a very good shot.
Apart from that worry, I think they've got it made in the shade if they can
accurately drop the fuel and avoid any knot-tying blunders.
I don't see these lackluster Rangers having the guts to take on the cleanup
duty though, to be honest.
Submitted by joedaddy (user info) at 2005-05-20 20:44:58 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Submitted by Jack_McCallum (user info) at 2005-05-20 16:56:08 (#)
Ranking: -2
At least today is Friday.
Submitted by nrduncan (user info) at 2005-05-12 17:54:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I have just got done reading these all and I have enjoyed them all. Great work everyone, +2's for all!
Submitted by ellsmall (user info) at 2005-03-23 00:05:34 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by LadyPlural (user info) at 2005-03-21 20:25:56 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
How would they tie off at the 45 degree angle? Damnit, I need a picture of this. Drawn in MSPaint, of course. That's how all of the classy plans happen.
Submitted by MyNameIsTim (user info) at 2005-03-21 18:51:02 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
glorious
Submitted by thecaes (user info) at 2005-03-21 09:41:01 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Cool beans. I like the plan, but it doesn't seem like it's guaranteed suicide, like Virtue and Smith seem to think. Unless the munchers got mad hops.
Submitted by Kre8rix (user info) at 2005-03-21 00:32:06 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Rev horton Heat?
just a guess...
Great addition Jack
Submitted by Benny (user info) at 2005-03-20 22:15:04 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Another kickass instalment. I'm looking forward to see what happens next.
Submitted by munkeypants (user info) at 2005-03-20 20:14:04 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by tlozoot (user info) at 2005-03-20 14:41:54 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Woot.
Feel free to make these longer. =)
Submitted by DanielH (user info) at 2005-03-20 02:59:54 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2005-03-20 00:20:40 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Kicker of all undead ass.
Submitted by spedmonkey (user info) at 2005-03-20 00:17:49 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Werd.
Submitted by Caulaincourt (user info) at 2005-03-19 23:46:23 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
You had promised automatic +2 for naked honesty on my next post.
Now is the time my dear Jack.
Submitted by Jack_McCallum (user info) at 2005-03-19 23:34:34 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Once again this is taking WAY longer to tell than I thought. The conclusion will be up soon, and it will a final long installment.