be a very fast-acting and deadly virus, possibly a dreaded hemorrhagic one. Before they could set up their equipment, the WHO members had been attacked by a small terrorist cell known to the government.
The Milisi Separatis Sumatra, or MSS as the government referred to them, had sprung up in the last few years. They were growing fast and were well funded. Their goal seemed to be similar to that of most other terrorist cells—to take down the government. They were now suspected of having chosen the small village of Lupa Suku to test a hemorrhagic virus, but where it came from and how they got it, no one knew. But they needed to find out fast.
The rain forest of Sumatra was rich in plants and wildlife, although over the years it had been shrinking significantly. The trees were thick, the taller dipterocarp shooting up to the sky providing shade, vines climbing them and flowers wrapping around them. Mangrove roots pulled sediment from the river, leaving large areas of peat swamps with rich nutrients promoting thicker growth at their edges. The village of Lupa Suku was surrounded by the forest and tucked in just far enough from the river to be a perfect target.
The government had sent in their speial forces, the Kopassus, to rescue the single WHO representative still alive. The Kopassus were known worldwide as tough soldiers able to stack up against any army. They were well trained and very skilled. They'd been ambushed as they were trying to aid the wounded man. A small force of U.S. Rangers had been called to aid the Kopassus who were pinned down, some reportedly badly woudned. The rangers were then attacked and pinned down as well.
It began to look as if Lupa Suku had been sacrificed in order to draw the Indonesian soldiers into fighting a guerilla-style war on terrorists' home turf. Whatever the rumor, there were wounded men needing aid and six of them were soldiers of the United States. Now this team was going to try to bring those soldiers out of the hot zone—along with any Kopassus and the remaining living reprentative of the WHO.
“Two minutes.”
Barry held up two fingers and the team moved, readying themselves for a quick departure.
“Ten minutes is all you've got and then we have to get into the air,” Barry reminded them. “If we can't hold our position, we'll come back around for you.”
Freeman flicked him a quick glance. It was one of those looks that seemed to burn a hole right through him. Barry shivered, not liking those eyes on him. They were intelligent, focused—almost too focused. They didn't blink, and it felt like death looking at him.
The team leader. Dr. Joe Spagnola, gave him a quick look as well. It pretty much said, “You maggot, if you leave one of my men behind, don't ever go to sleep because I'll be coming for you.” At least Barry interpreted the look that way.
Joe Spagnola ignored the way the helicopter crew was looking at his team. He didn't look at them or his own men, but instead reached telepathically to his GhostWalker unit. GhostWalkers were enhanced psychically as well as physically. The first they'd signed on for; the last, not so much. Still, they were classified soldiers and they did their job, no matter how fucked-up it was.
Each branch of services had one GhostWalker team consisting of ten members. The first team experimented on had a few major problems. Some needed anchors to drain away the psychic energy that adhered to them like magnets. Others had brain bleeds. Every subsequent team had fewer flaws until Whitney, the doctor performing the experiments, had rolled out his prize group, the pararescue team. They might have what Whitney considered fewer flaws, but they also had more genetic enhancements than any of them cared for.
He leaves us, we'll be finding him and his candy-ass crew when we get out of here. Joe's voice slid into their minds.
Draden's gaze shifted, just for one moment, to Barry Font and then over to his fellow teammate, Malichai Fortunes.
There are a hundred and fifty volcanoes in Indonesia, Malichai, their fact man, informed them all telepathically. We can shove his ass out of the helicopter right into one of them if he tries leaving any of us behind.
Draden let amusement slide into his eyes for a moment but didn't let it show on his face. Malichai had been spouting all kinds of facts about the rain forest and the wildlife at risk