Z-Minus (Book 4) by Perrin Briar Read Free Book Online

Sub-Saharan desert region,” Major Edwards said, “you have first-hand experience of the Ebola virus, its effects and how a population reacts to it. You know what it’s like when the fear of a contagious disease grips a country tight. You know what it’s like to confront people panicking for their lives and those of their loved ones. For these reasons, you have been chosen to undertake a special mission – should the need ever arise.”
    Major Edwards clicked a button and the projected image shifted. A map of a thick forest. Dust motes danced in the green-tinted high beam.
    “Uwharrie National Forest,” Major Edwards said. “One hundred square miles of wilderness. You will conduct a mission into this forest, navigate to this compound and return with a vial kept inside.”
    Major Edwards pointed to a grey square building in the middle of the image.
    “You will then rendezvous here,” Major Edwards said, pointing to a section north of the compound. “For immediate evac. Your opponents will be fellow Special Forces officers who will do everything within their power to stop you, shut you down, and otherwise prevent you from achieving your goal. They will represent your enemy. Bear in mind it is likely our real enemies will be as well-trained, well-informed, and well-armed as ourselves.”
    Mark sensed the vague details were intentional to replicate the lack of information they would have in a live mission.
    Jacob raised his hand. Major Edwards nodded to him.
    “I thought you said this training mission would be different to all the others we’ve taken part in?” Jacob said. “It’s the same so far as I can see.”
    Major Edwards smiled. Everyone suddenly felt very nervous.
    “This will be a mission to quell the potential for a pandemic,” Major Edwards said.
    The four teammates exchanged wary expressions.
    “Come again?” John said.
    “You will be our first line of defense against a new pathogen that has the potential to sweep across the planet,” Major Edwards said. “To prevent it from reaching our shores.”
    “This isn’t warfare,” Mark said. “This is clean-up.”
    “The Green Berets were designed for unconventional warfare,” Major Edwards said.
    “It’s not warfare either,” Mark said.
    “It’s biological warfare,” John said.
    “Correct,” Major Edwards said. “With terrorists screaming ‘We love death more than the infidel loves life’ at the top of their voices with C4 strapped to their chests, how long do you think it’ll be before they initiate biological warfare? Just one of them could deliberately infect himself before taking a stroll through a crowded place, say Times Square, happy in the knowledge he’s carrying out God’s will. Meanwhile, innocent people go about their lives, unwittingly spreading the disease, doing the terrorists’ work for them.
    “We need to be ready to nip this in the bud before it has the potential to sweep across the globe. You’re going to put an end to it before it even begins. That’s your job, that’s your training. And it begins today.”
    “How is us heading on a suicide mission into enemy territory meant to help anyone?” John said. “What is our objective?”
    “Your mission,” Major Edwards said.
    “Should we choose to accept it,” John mumbled.
    “Your mission in a real-life situation will be the same as the one during training,” Major Edwards said. “To get to the compound and extract the virus. You are to get in and out and then head to the extraction point. All within eight hours.”
    “Why eight hours?” Mark said.
    “That, plus the sequencing time is the number of hours a virus needs before it can spread effectively,” Major Edwards said. “To get to an international hub like an airport or conference. After that, we will have a much bigger problem containing it.”
    “That’s a lot of ground to cover,” Mark said, eying the map.
    “It’s a big world,” Major Edwards said. “Try not to get lost in