In the garage under the command center, the young officer was waiting for Gerald. Without a word, the Central spook got into the passenger seat.
"Head back to Fourth street."
The officer started the squad car, and they were on their way.
Back at the defense line, in the lobby of a building on the perimeter, Dasher sat in a chair resting his eyes while his three subordinates caught up on some sleep.
The general's eyes flickered open when Gerald entered.
"Stay, don't bother getting up." Gerald said when the older man tried to get up from his seat. Gerald then sat across from Dasher. "Is it done?"
Dasher nodded.
"I always thought it was strange when you took that ability as reward, but look how useful it is now." Gerald remarked.
"It has been very useful back at home. There have been plenty enemies of the state who happened to mysteriously get sick and then never got better. So many people protect themselves with the best security, the tightest defenses, and live in world-class compounds. But that won't stop them from getting sick. But can you tell me why this guy?"
Gerald tapped on his phone.
*Ding*
General Dasher phone chimed as he received a message with a thick attachment.
"Share this with the others when they wake up."
Dasher nodded. "What is the plan for today?"
"I will be going out for a bit. Rest for now, I will send instructions later."
Gerald then got up and left the building. Outside on the street that was basked under the new morning light a few officers stood around, but most of the front-line defenders were catching up on their rest.
When Gerald saw the young officer talking to a few other cops he pointed at him and curled his finger to signal the young man over. The officer quickly jogged to his side.
"What can I do for you sir?"
"Are you and a couple of your friends prepared to risk your lives?"
A grin flashed across the young officer's face. "How many people do you need sir?"
"Just a few. Only the ones you can count on. Commander Jackson doesn't want me to take his men off the line, so try to keep the number small. I am looking for people who are willing to do what is necessary for our survival."
"Understood sir, let me make a couple of calls." The young officer stepped away while tapping on his phone.
Gerald checked his watch. He then heard a soft rumble coming down the street from the center of the city.
A food truck came from the safe zone and stopped right before the defense line. Gerald walked over to get his breakfast. The truck didn't have many options, but it didn't matter much since it was free. Which was a good thing because Gerald didn't have any local currency.
He grabbed some warm oatmeal and a carton of milk and returned to the SUV to refuel his body.
A few minutes later he crumpled up the paper containers and set them on the dash before opening the glove box.
Reaching inside, he pulled out a small shoulder bag that he could sling across his back. He double checked the contents and found his silenced submachinegun and five extra magazines of ammo. He closed the glove box and opened it again. A strap with six grenades was pulled out. He stuffed it into the bag too.
He then opened the center consul between the two front seats and pulled out a five pack of high-voltage splicer picks. He quickly removed the packaging and stuffed them into his breast pocket.
He had to be careful with the alien tech. The other things could be explained, but the technology in the splicer picks was way too advanced for this world.
Stepping out of the car, Gerald pulled the submachine gun from the bag and attached the shoulder strap. He swung it over his left shoulder and draped the gun on his right side before putting his jacket back on.
He checked his reflection in the window of the car.
He shook his head with a bit of jealousy. The clothes the system gave him were far superior to anything in his world. Even when his body was covered with multiple guns and knives, the lines on his suit still looked sharp and clean. The problem was that the clothes the system offered as a reward were just so damn expensive. He sighed and put it out of his mind when he saw the young officer heading his way with two men in tow.
Gerald adjusted his glasses before he took a step to meet them.
"Sir, these two are the real deal. The three of us will be able to help your team out."
"It's an honor sir."
"We look forward to helping you eliminate some scum."
Gerald nodded. "Good work. With just the three of you going, Commander Jackson won't be able to throw a fit. If anyone asks you what you are up to, just tell them you get orders from me." The three grinned happily. "We will set out in two hours. Make arrangements in case we don't comeback and then grab some extra gear for yourselves from the defense line's armory. Understood?"
"Understood." The three replied before they scurried away.
Two hours later, the three officers, strapped to the gills with gear, met Gerald in an abandon building on the edge of the defense line.
"Were all set sir, where is the rest of your team?"
"They are busy dealing with something else right now. It will just be the four of us. Will that be a problem?"
"No sir." The officer replied.
"Good. We are going to head into the restricted zone and retrieve as many children as we can. Are you sure you are up for this mission? There is a good chance that shit will hit the fan."
"This is the reason we became police officers sir? And…" The young officer paused before looking around. "We have been into the restricted zone before. We may have broken orders to do so but… We know where the children are being held, we just didn't have the skills to retrieve them. But with you here I think we can get it done."
Gerald nodded. "Good, I knew you were different from the rest. Not afraid to do what was necessary. Let's head into the restricted zone. Since you know the way, you can show me where to go."
Gerald walked to a secure door on the side of the building and tapped his phone on it.
*Click*
The door opened and the four stepped into the restricted zone. The three officers readied their automatic weapons and checked the surroundings. Gerald put his hand on the grip of his submachinegun while they moved forward.
"Don't fire without my call. Let's keep things as quiet as we can for as long as we can. Of course, if your life is in danger, don't hesitate." Gerald said while sauntering after the group that was checking corners while quickly advancing.
The group turned down an alley and pushed forward.
When the sun was high overhead, the four made it to the center of the restricted zone.
They were on the roof of an apartment building looking down at a three-story town house across the street.
"That it?" Gerald asked.
The young officer nodded. "We found it two nights ago. We planned on coming here last night with bigger guns but then your team showed up. We called off the plan because we didn't want you guys to think we were up to something shifty. I am glad to know that you are willing to help."
"What was your plan of attack?" Gerald asked.
"Jones here used to be a sharpshooter in the military." The young officer motioned to the man with the sniper rifle slung over his back. "He would cover our entry and exit. Hilton and I were going to go in quietly and evacuate as many as we can. We planned to use road flares to disorient the monsters if things went wrong, but since we are under your orders were wee able to get ahold of flashbangs. You see that bus parked on the side of the road. When we came two days ago, we made sure it was filled with fuel and after a check, we are sure that it is still in working conditions. Hilton and I load the kids while Jones covers us. Then we make a break for the defense line. We figured if we made it to the line, even with a bunch of those monster on our trail, we wouldn't get in too much trouble since we are recuing kids."
Gerald nodded. "Let's go with your plan. I will head inside with you and Hilton."
The three exited the apartment building while Jones covered them from above. Slinking across the street, Gerald led the way up the steps of the town house with his submachinegun drawn. He reached for the handle to the front door and found it unlocked.
He quietly opened it and slithered inside. Gerald began to check the rooms on the first floor while looking for the children. Without any results, the young officer motioned towards the stairs.
The second floor was also clean.
On the third floor there were no rooms, just a large open and an furnished space. Two dozen children stood in rows and columns without moving a muscle.
Gerald took his hands off his gun and waved it in front of a small boy's face. The blank look on the child's face didn't change. His eyes didn't follow the hand.
Gerald reached out and put two fingers on the boy's neck.
"He has a pulse; they are still alive." Gerald whispered.
"Of course, they are still alive." Croaked a hoarse voice.
A man and a woman silently walked up the stairs towards the third floor.
The young officer and Hilton raised their weapons and swiveled on the spot. They trained their barrels on the two newcomers.
"We don't want to feed on the dead, so of course we kept them alive." The woman replied with a smirk. "But that doesn't mean they aren't under our control. It is so much easier to feed this way."
"Don't come any closer. I will blow your head off if you take another step!" The young officer shouted.
With a flash, the woman moved at an incredible speed and lifted the young officer off his feet while grabbing him around the neck.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
Hilton was able to get a few shoots off but was sent tumbling when the man backhanded him across the face. Hilton laid in the corner of the room unmoving. The man then turned towards to Gerald.
"Ah, you must be the newcomer who did in Frankie. I am surprised that one of you actually had the capacity to take down one of us. But you won't get the chance to do that again."
"Is that so?" Gerald asked while the young officer was gasping for air.
The woman broke the officer's rifle in half with a quick stroke before tossing him aside.
When the man put his foot forward to take a step, they heard something metal fall to the ground at Gerald's feet.
*BANG*
A loud noise shook the room as a blinding light enveloped the group.
*PingPingPing*
A burst of bullet flew from Gerald's submachine gun but when the flash cleared, the two vampire acolytes were no longer in front of him. He spun on his heels to find the two acolytes were in the middle of the group of children and were using them as shields.
Gerald took a step to the side but couldn't get a clean shot.
"He, he, if you want to even have the chance to attack us, you will have to go through these tasty treats." The woman remarked.
Gerald took a step forward while raising his gun.
"Drop it." Said the young officer while a pistol was pressed to the back of Gerald's head.