Life Goes On | Book 4 | If Not Us [Surviving The Evacuation] Tayell, Frank (classic books to read .TXT) 📖

“Fair dinkum. We were supposed to pick up a hundred U.S. Rangers in Perth, and find two U.S. frigates here. Plans change,” Tess said. “That’s probably rule-three of living through the apocalypse.”

“I’d say it was rule-one,” Adams said. “There could be a ship anchored off Cape Town with the range you need. We could transfer fuel from one of the rescue ships. But that’s something to discuss when we get there. I just didn’t want to waste these scientists’ time. Which brings me to point two. They said they’re finishing off the theory for their weapon. If practical comes next, I’m hesitant to allow any experiments aboard my ship. We’ve been lucky so far, but I’ve sunk twenty-three ships overtaken by the infected. I appreciate the importance of this work, but I want to know in advance before they bring infected tissue samples aboard.”

“Me too, so I’ll keep an eye on them.”

“Good. Point three. Your pilot, Mick Dodson, is the father of the new deputy prime minister, and she is a childhood friend of yours, is that correct?”

“I’d say I knew Mick better than Anna, but we all grew up in the same town. I’ve known them all my life.”

“And you helped stop a coup that was organised by the same people who created the outbreak?”

“Broadly speaking,” Tess said. “A couple of narco-barons were the muscle to some politicians who were behind all this. Two sisters, about sixty years old, called Herrera, and they’re about as evil as a human can get. I’m not sure who all of the politicians were, or which countries they were from, but seeing what happened a week ago, I’m guessing they represented each of the major nuclear powers. Closer to home, they were working with Sir Malcolm Baker to organise the coup in Australia.”

“Him? Why am I not surprised? Tell me he’s dead.”

“He’s in custody and is our primary source,” Tess said. “But we’ve had some secondary confirmation. Baker knows helping us is the only way he’ll avoid execution for war crimes. We can trust him on this, if absolutely nothing else.”

“This coup, was it restricted to Australia?” Adams asked.

“I believe so,” Tess said. “We’ve had no word of trouble in New Zealand, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“I am, because that is the one duty which could see me return east.”

“The coup’s over,” Tess said. “I’m still waiting on the judges to give us our score, but we definitely won. Back home, we’re worrying about industrial output and water shortages for farming, housing for refugees, and the long-term impacts of radiation. I’m sorry that I don’t know more about New Zealand, but the biggest international concern was how long it would take your people to build a new mega-refinery.”

An alarm buzzed. “Ah,” Adams said. “My ten minutes are up.” She secured the cap on her flask. “No, lifting boxes is not the same as a run, and that’s not even close to a bout. You’ll travel with us?”

“The general has made it clear he doesn’t want the confusion of command my presence would bring,” Tess said.

“Then I’ll let you take the helicopter back ashore. Gather your people. Get ready to leave. I’ll have the freighters pull anchor within the hour. As soon as the last plane departs, so will we. The convoy should have departed at first light, and if we’ve gone, there’s no reason for the general to loiter.”

Inhambane felt different on her return, though she’d only been away for an hour. The changes of the previous twenty-four hours were more obviously manifest from the empty rooftops. Either the refugees were at the airport waiting for the last set of flights, or aboard one of the mining vehicles where they guarded the best seat they’d found.

The vehicles had formed a refugee column, rather than a military front, bolstered by almost every civilian vehicle remaining on the peninsula. Now they were parked outside the city walls, silent, except for the occasional crack of a rifle marking the ever-present danger approaching from the south. She found Colonel Hawker, Sergeant Oakes, Clyde, and Toppley at the airport guarding the refuelling tanker, and the tourist bus.

“Trouble?” she asked after she’d jogged over from where the helicopter had set down.

“Only interest,” Hawker said. “Road vehicles are in short supply. A group is aiming to take this tanker the second we leave.”

“They’re going to miss the convoy’s departure,” Tess said.

“I don’t believe they intend to go south,” Toppley said. “I had a word with them, making certain they understood the bus belonged to the nurses. They claim interest in the fuel truck for reasons they wouldn’t entirely explain, but I think one of them is a pilot.”

“They’re hoping there’s fuel left, and they can fly out of here?” Tess asked.

“Not from here,” Toppley said. “But they wouldn’t say where they thought they might find a plane.”

“We’ll be getting aboard the helicopter, and then the ship,” Tess said. “We’ll leave as soon as the plane takes off.”

“Then the nurses should join the convoy now,” Hawker said. “If they wait until we’re gone, I don’t like their odds if the truck-thieves decide to take their bus as well.”

“Where are Laila and Elaina?” Tess asked.

“With the kids,” Clyde said.

The handful of nurses remaining in the city were scattered through the crowd, while Elaina was at the front of the pack of waiting children. They sat on the ground while she stood, waving her arms around to the befuddlement of most of the young teens, but to the amusement of some others.

“Oh, hi Commish,” Elaina said, suddenly freezing and blushing with embarrassment. That produced smiles from even more of the children.

“G’day,” Tess said. “Should I ask what that was?”

“Language lessons,” Elaina said. “I mime the animal, and they have to teach me the correct word for it.”

“Ah. And that