Fulcrum: V Plague Book 12 Read Online Free PDF

told him
I’d have you call him back after your briefing concluded.”
    Packard glared at the junior officer from beneath his bushy
eyebrows, turning back when Detmer spoke up.
    “He’s definitely in the neighborhood, sir.  Four
hundred miles, straight line.  I’m not sure how far with the roads he’d
have to take.”
    Packard was quiet for a beat.
    “Alright.  This Athena Project can wait.  We’ve
got a man in the water, and we need to get to him.  Commander, get with
Seaman Simmons and have her put together a route for him to the port closest to
Vance’s location, and also have her start looking for a boat the Major can use
once he gets in the area.”
    Detmer acknowledged the order, gathered his files and
hustled out of the conference room.
    “Lieutenant, get the Major on the line,” Packard said.
    The man leaped forward and set to work on the secure phone
resting in the middle of the conference table.  There was a series of
electronic tones, then Major Chase’s voice came over the speaker.

6
     
    Sam and I had been swapping stories about events since the
attacks.  He’d had some hairy experiences of his own.  I resisted the
temptation to one-up with what I’d dealt with.  When the comm console
beeped for attention, he was telling me about the trip through the locks in
Seattle with Dr. Kanger.
    “Major, I hope all is well,” Admiral Packard said when I
answered.
    “As it can be, sir,” I said.
    “Good.  I hope you understand why I couldn’t allow any
infected into Hawaii.  How is your wife?”
    I was quiet for a moment, giving my throat a chance to unconstrict
before I answered.
    “She passed away, sir,” I finally said.
    There was a long stretch of silence before Packard spoke
again.
    “I’m truly sorry for your loss, Major.  I wish there
was something I could have done.”
    “Me too, sir,” I said.
    “We have a man in trouble, and he’s not far from you,”
Packard transitioned smoothly, and I was happy to talk about anything other
than Katie.
    “Someone still in CONUS?”  I asked in surprise.
    Sam’s eyes locked onto me when he heard my question.
    “Close enough,” the Admiral said.  “He’s adrift on a…
Sea…tez…”
    “Admiral, repeat your last,” I said, flapping my hand at the
Lieutenant for assistance.
    Sam leaned forward and yanked the headset’s plug out of the
console, transferring the audio to a built-in speaker.  We heard an
electronic squeal that made both of us cringe, then Admiral Packard’s voice
returned for a brief moment.
    “…forty mile.. sou..west … Penasco…”
    “Admiral, I do not have a good copy on your message. 
Please repeat!”
    I shouted into the microphone though I knew that wouldn’t do
any good.  Sam manipulated the console without any success.
    “Kill it and open a new circuit,” I said.
    He nodded and entered some commands, grunting when several
indicators on the screen remained red.
    “What’s wrong?”  I asked when he didn’t seem to be in a
hurry to fill me in.
    “We aren’t connecting to the satellite,” he said. 
“Either it’s being jammed, or it’s gone.”
    “Any way around it?”
    He shook his head as he tried a few different commands.
    “We’re limited to the NSA satellites.  Everything else
was knocked out by the EMP.  There is no around.”
    “You sure it’s a satellite failure?”  I asked.
    “Pretty sure.”
    “What if it’s Hawaii?  The Russians lob another nuke?”
    He was shaking his head before I finished speaking.
    “Not that that isn’t possible, but our problem, for the
moment at least, is we can’t connect to the satellite.  If I had to guess,
it’s the Russians doing something.”
    “Fuck!  Sounds like we’ve got a man in the water and
the Admiral wanted us to go get him.”
    “In the water?  We’re in the middle of the goddamn
desert,” Sam said, turning to look at me.
    “It was broken up, but I’m pretty sure he was saying the Sea
of Cortez.”
    Sam shook his