Containment Failure E-Book

J. Robert Kennedy

• Herausgeber: J. Robert Kennedy
• Kategorie: Abenteuer, Thriller, Horror
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

“Dylan Kane leaves James Bond in his dust!”USA TODAY and BARNES & NOBLE #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR • “A MASTER STORYTELLER” • OVER 800,000 BOOKS SOLD • OVER 3,000 FIVE STAR REVIEWSTHE BLACK DEATH KILLED ALMOST HALF OF EUROPE’S POPULATION.THIS TIME IT WILL BE BILLIONS.New Orleans has been quarantined, an unknown virus sweeping the city, killing one hundred percent of those infected. The Centers for Disease Control, desperate to find a cure, is approached by BioDyne Pharma who reveal a former employee has turned a cutting edge medical treatment capable of targeting specific genetic sequences into a weapon, and released it.CIA Special Agent Dylan Kane has been given one guideline from his boss: consider yourself unleashed, leaving Kane and New Orleans Police Detective Isabelle Laprise battling to stay alive as an insidious disease and terrified mobs spread through the city while they desperately seek those behind the greatest crime ever perpetrated.The stakes have never been higher as Kane battles to save not only his friends and the country he loves, but all of mankind.In Containment Failure USA Today bestselling author J. Robert Kennedy delivers a terrifying tale of what could happen when science goes mad, with enough sorrow, heartbreak, laughs and passion to keep readers on the edge of their seats until the chilling conclusion.Available Dylan Kane Thrillers:Rogue Operator, Containment Failure, Cold Warriors, Death to America, Black Widow, The Agenda, Retribution 

Leseprobe

Containment Failure

A Special Agent Dylan Kane Thriller

by

J. Robert Kennedy

From the Back Cover

FROM USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR J. ROBERT KENNEDY

THE BLACK DEATH KILLED ALMOST HALF OF EUROPE'S POPULATION. THIS TIME BILLIONS ARE AT RISK.

New Orleans has been quarantined, an unknown virus sweeping the city, killing one hundred percent of those infected. The Centers for Disease Control, desperate to find a cure, is approached by BioDyne Pharma who reveal a former employee has turned a cutting edge medical treatment capable of targeting specific genetic sequences into a weapon, and released it.

CIA Special Agent Dylan Kane has been given one guideline from his boss: consider yourself unleashed, leaving Kane and New Orleans Police Detective Isabelle Laprise battling to stay alive as an insidious disease and terrified mobs spread through the city while they desperately seek those behind the greatest crime ever perpetrated.

The stakes have never been higher as Kane battles to save not only his friends and the country he loves, but all of mankind.

USA Today bestselling author J. Robert Kennedy delivers a terrifying tale of what could happen when science goes mad, with enough sorrow, heartbreak, laughs and passion to keep readers on the edge of their seats until the chilling conclusion.

About J. Robert Kennedy

With over 800,000 books sold and over 3000 five-star reviews, USA Today bestselling author J. Robert Kennedy has been ranked by Amazon as the #1 Bestselling Action Adventure novelist based upon combined sales. He is the author of over thirty international bestsellers including the smash hit James Acton Thrillers. He lives with his wife and daughter and writes full-time.

"A master storyteller." — Betty Richard

"A writer who tells what we are thinking but sometimes afraid to say." — Bruce Ford

"Kennedy kicks ass in this genre." — David Mavity

"One of the best writers today." — Johnny Olsen

"If you want fast and furious, if you can cope with a high body count, most of all if you like to be hugely entertained, then you can't do much better than J Robert Kennedy." — Amazon Vine Voice Reviewer

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Books by J. Robert Kennedy

The James Acton Thrillers

The Protocol Brass Monkey Broken Dove The Templar's Relic Flags of Sin The Arab Fall The Circle of Eight The Venice Code Pompeii's Ghosts Amazon Burning The Riddle Blood Relics Sins of the Titanic Saint Peter's Soldiers The Thirteenth Legion Raging Sun Wages of Sin Wrath of the Gods The Templar's Revenge

The Special Agent Dylan Kane Thrillers

Rogue Operator Containment Failure Cold Warriors Death to America Black Widow The Agenda Retribution

The Delta Force Unleashed Thrillers

Payback

Table of Contents

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Table of Contents

Beginning

Preface

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Acknowledgements

Don't Miss Out!

Thank You!

About the Author

Also by the Author

For Gary and Daryl.

“The idea of infection began to be taken far more seriously than it ever had before. Hospitals transformed themselves in response to the new plague - sometimes for the better, but often for the worse, as when, in fear, they cast their ulcerated patients out into the streets.”

Peter Lewis Allen

“There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed.”

Preface

The Black Death is the most devastating plague in recorded history. At its peak during 1348-1350 AD, it reduced the population of Europe by anywhere from 30 to 60 percent. Europe took 150 years to recover its lost population, and centuries to recover from the religious, political and social chaos that resulted.

Imagine where America would be tomorrow, if today, one hundred fifty million of its citizens were to die, along with half the populations of its trading partners.

The science described in what follows has been simplified for dramatic purposes, however the concepts described are real, and are cutting edge techniques that will be available in the near future. What is described can happen, what motivates it has happened. The horror that unfolds may very well be a scenario that if not we, then our children, will soon face. To dismiss the possibility is to ignore history.

1

Inside the Quarantine Zone Outbreak Day #11

Kyle Patrick motioned for everyone to get down as a troop transport rolled by, its rear filled with people just like him, desperate to escape the plague ravaging this once proud city. He looked back and gave his parents a slight smile. He could tell his mother was tired. They had been dodging patrols and overhead drones for hours as they made their way through the nearly deserted streets from his parents’ house to the border of the quarantine.

He looked up for a drone or helicopter, and seeing none, moved from around the concrete barrier and inched forward, watching for any additional patrols. Clear, he darted across the road and into an alley, double-checking for any more troops, then motioned the others forward.

His father helped his mother across the road, followed by two more families they had found, both with little children, all equally scared. None of them were displaying symptoms, and none of them wanted that to change. They weren’t infected, but if they stayed within the city limits, they knew they might eventually catch it. When the President had ordered the total containment of the city, they had been shocked, and as the footage continued to play out on television showing tens of thousands of troops surrounding the city, of the airport being shutdown, all outbound flights still in the air being forced to return, train and boat traffic stopped, freeways being shut down, and people being forced back into the city limits at gunpoint by soldiers in hazmat suits, they knew they had to get out of here, and their time was running out.

Within hours the cordon would be complete, and there’d be no means of escape. It had been a family conference like no other. His mother had wanted to stay put and take their chances. Kyle knew she was as scared as they were, but he figured she didn’t feel she could make the journey. Luckily they lived in the outskirts, so the quarantine zone wasn’t that far, and he and his dad had convinced her she could make it. She had proven a trooper, but the exhausted look on her face as his parents cleared the street had him very concerned.

“You guys rest, I’m going to scout ahead.” He pulled out his cellphone and brought up a map of their GPS location. “According to this in less than a quarter mile we’ll hit farmland. We just need to get there, and we’re out of the quarantine zone.” He put a hand on his mother’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “I’ll be back in half an hour. You guys keep out of sight and rest.”

Kyle then turned and ran down the alleyway, coming to a halt at the end then quickly looking left and right then up. Clear. He darted across the street, past several more houses, over a fence, through a ditch, then as he crested the top of the ditch and pushed through some tall grass along its edge he suddenly emerged in pristine farmland.

And nearly cried in happiness. Carefully scanning the area, he saw no one, civilian or military. Overhead a drone circled and he scurried back to the ditch, rolling down the side and into the cold mud and water at the bottom. He flipped over on his back, staring up to see if he could spot the drone, but it was out of sight. He pushed himself to his knees, then a crouch, and spotted it leaving to the west.

Climbing up the other side of the ditch, he pulled a pair of cutters from his backpack and cut a hole in the fence so it wouldn’t slow them up when making their escape. He took a swig of water from a bottle, then making sure the coast was clear, quickly returned to where he had left the others.

And they weren’t there.

“Mom! Dad!” he called in a hoarse whisper.

Nothing.

The gnashing of gears and roar of an accelerating engine had him jumping for cover. There was a mandatory stay-at-home order for all non-essential personnel, and he and his parents were definitely non-essential. He didn’t know about the others. He didn’t care. He just needed to get his folks to the other side of the quarantine zone, then to their family in Lafitte who would hide them. A call had already been placed and his uncle would be waiting for them not five miles from here.

Another transport went by, the rear loaded with more people, but from his vantage point, he couldn’t tell if any of them were his parents.

He was starting to get worried.

He scanned the ground for any evidence of a scuffle, but could see nothing. If you had to hide, where would you hide? He spotted a side door to the building he was hugging, and approached. He tapped three times, gingerly.

Nothing.

“It’s me, Kyle!” he said, only as loud as he thought he needed to be heard through the door.

The knob turned and the door opened an inch, then pushed open all the way as he was hauled inside. At first he was shocked, but as soon as the door closed a light flicked on and he was surrounded by his parents and the two other families.

They were all eating food from what looked like a storeroom, filling up on water and apparently using the services of a toilet in the back, the wife of one of the men just exiting, jumping slightly at the sight of him. He looked at himself, realizing he must look a mess from the ditch.

“Oh thank God!” exclaimed his mother, hugging him. “We were so worried!”

“What is this place?”

“Mom and pop store,” said his father. “I tried the door and it was unlocked. We called but there doesn’t seem to be anybody home.”

“They probably buggered out of here when the trouble first hit. They’re so close to the edge of the zone,” said one of the men named Dan, his wife Sophie the one who had just left the bathroom.

“I found a way through. It’s pretty easy, seems clear. We should go now before that changes.” Kyle gripped the doorknob, then looked back. “Is everybody ready?”

Nods from everyone, and a weak smile from his mother, replied.

“I’m going to check to make sure it’s clear, then I’ll give you the signal. Go to the left, to the end of the alley. Hold up there so we can make sure the coast is clear.”

Kyle pushed the door open an inch and looked, then listened. Nothing. He exited quickly, closing the door behind him, then darted to the alley to make sure their rear was covered, then confirming it was clear, returned to the door and knocked. The door opened, and they all filed out as he sprinted ahead to the other end of the alley. Finding it clear, he raced to the other side of the road, took cover, then holding his breath, listened. He could hear almost nothing over the hammering of his own heart. He tried to calm himself as he looked again.

It looked clear.

He held up two fingers, then motioned for them to join him. This was the signal for his parents. They rushed across the street and joined him.

“Go to the end of this street. You’ll see a fence. Just stay out of sight until we join you.” He looked at his mom. “Take your time. I have to wait for the others so there’s no rush.”

His parents continued on at a less hurried pace, and he checked to see if everything was still clear. As he poked his head out, he saw a head in the window of the house the other families were hidden beside. The person was pointing to the right. Kyle looked but didn’t see anything, then leaned out a little farther and gasped. There was a Humvee two blocks down, parked between two buildings, four soldiers in hazmat suits looking at something.

He gave the thumbs up to the person in the house, who quickly disappeared behind their curtain. He peeked back at the Humvee and the team. They still weren’t looking this way.

He motioned for both families to come, rapidly motioning for them to hurry. Dan and Sophie, carrying their kids burst from the alleyway, rushing across the road, as the second family, Frank and Christa, with their one kid in Frank’s arms, followed suit.

Kyle kept urging them on as he watched the soldiers. One began to turn, his arm extending behind him, indicating Kyle’s direction. As all four soldiers began to turn, Frank cleared the road and Kyle ducked out of sight.

“Keep going, all the way to the fence!” he ordered, and without looking back to see if they had been spotted, he raced after them, quickly overtaking them. He reached the last house and joined his parents who appeared to have just arrived. A quick glance showed everything still clear, and no signs of pursuit behind them. He darted across the final road, pushing through the opening he had cut in the fence, then motioning for the others to join him.

His parents came first. His dad pushed through the fence, then they both helped his mother. Kyle pointed ahead. “Down into the ditch, then up the other side. Through some grass and there’s a farmer’s field. We’ll join you there.”

His dad nodded, then gripped Kyle’s shoulder.

“I’m proud of you, son.”

Kyle felt himself choke up. He managed a nod and a smile.

“Go!” he urged.

His dad squeezed his shoulder again, then helped his wife toward the ditch. Kyle checked if everything was clear, then motioned for the other families to come. In less than a minute they were all through the fence and heading for the ditch. Kyle jumped into the mud and saw his parents just clearing the other side. He helped the others down then scrambled up the edge. He took the baby Dan was carrying and placed him on the grass. He reached down and pulled Dan up, who then took care of Sophie and their second child. Kyle helped Frank and Christa with their child, and when they were all successfully out of the ditch, they pushed through the grass to the field and freedom.

He pointed to the other side of the field.

“We just need to get there, across one road, then we can make our way through the fields, keeping out of sight until the next road. We can call my Uncle Charlie to pick us up there.”

A noise above them caused Kyle’s head to pivot up.

“Shit!”

It was a drone, approaching from the south. Kyle looked for cover and saw a hedgerow just ahead. “Hide in the hedge!” he yelled, grabbing the other side of his mother and helping his dad nearly carry her the fifty feet to the tall, thick hedge that most likely acted as some sort of windbreak for the farm. They reached it and he pressed his body into the thick cedar, his arms and legs getting scratched up badly.

He felt the hedge shaking as the others did the same, then they all remained quiet as the drone passed overhead. As the drone’s engine slowly faded, he began to breathe a sigh of relief when a thumping sound in the distance rapidly got louder.

“It’s a helicopter!” exclaimed Dan.

“Stay hidden, maybe they can’t see us!” yelled Frank.

A military chopper roared overhead, then banked to face the hedge. It was obvious it knew exactly where they were. Kyle stepped back slightly and looked at his father. It was pretty clear the situation was helpless.

“They won’t shoot us, will they?” he asked.

His father shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“We’re Americans. They’re Americans. They wouldn’t, would they?”

His father looked uncertain. “I would hope not.”

“There’s an opening here,” said his mother, almost matter-of-factly. Kyle and his father joined her, noting the two foot gap.

“There’s one down here too!” called Dan. “There’s no way they’ll shoot us. We’re citizens. Let’s just—”

He was cut off by a loudspeaker on the helicopter.

“This is Colonel Jackson of the National Guard. You are in violation of a Federally mandated quarantine. You are ordered to turn around and return to your homes. If you do not turn around, we will be forced to open fire. Lethal force has been authorized.”

“Lethal force?” repeated Frank. “They’re going to kill us!”

Suddenly the most terrifying noise Kyle had ever heard erupted from the front of the helicopter, fire breathing from the guns mounted on it. They all ducked and it took a few moments for Kyle to realize they weren’t being shot at. He tentatively looked and saw the ground being torn apart.

“It’s just a warning shot!” yelled Kyle. “They’re not shooting at us!”

“To hell with this!” yelled Frank, grabbing his wife and bolting back toward the ditch, his child clutched in his arms.

“I’ve got kids, I can’t risk it!” yelled Dan, pushing through the opening, one arm raised in the air, the other clutching his baby, his wife doing the same.

The voice roared through the speaker again.

“Return to your homes and you won’t be harmed.” There was a pause then the voice sounded raised. “Now!”

 Dan suddenly erupted from the hole in the hedge, his wife following, and they raced after Frank and Christa leaving only Kyle and his parents.

“Let’s go under the chopper, then to that farmhouse on the right. We might get lucky. There’s no way they’ll shoot us!”

Kyle’s dad nodded, then they pushed through the opening, rushing under the chopper, his mother seeming to have found her wings, adrenaline doing amazing things. They turned toward the farmhouse, pushing themselves as hard as they could toward the safety of the old but well maintained building. Kyle heard the chopper bank behind them in pursuit.

“They’re coming!” he yelled.

“Halt immediately! You are in violation of a mandatory quarantine. We are authorized to use deadly force. I say again, halt immediately, or we will open fire.”

They continued forward, then the terrifying roar of the guns erupted behind them. Kyle ducked, but didn’t stop running, instead helping his mother forward as the ground in front of them was shredded. His father slowed down, turning back to look at them.

“Keep going!” yelled his dad. “They won’t shoot us!”

The guns erupted again, this time ripping apart the field even closer to their position. Kyle wondered how close they might get before there was a risk of actually getting hit. The chopper was so close now that the wind from the blades thumping at the air was tossing the crops about, his hair whipping into his eyes, stinging his face.

“You have five seconds to comply, otherwise lethal force is authorized.” The voice lowered, finally sounding almost human. “Please stop. We have no choice but to fire. Don’t make me do it.”

Kyle’s dad slowed down, turning back to them, shaking his head. The farmhouse was tantalizingly close. If they could just make it there, there’s no way they’d be fired at. The chopper wouldn’t risk there being other innocent people inside.

And it was that thought that caused Kyle to almost stop in his tracks.

What are we doing?

A wave of nausea swept over him as he realized their selfishness. What if one of us is infected? They could infect those in the farmhouse, who had done nothing wrong. If they made it to his Uncle’s, they could infect them all.

This is wrong!

“Dad, stop!” he yelled just as what sounded almost like a whisper came from the speaker hovering behind them.

“I’m sorry.”

Kyle could hear the chopper repositioning as he called again for his father to stop, but either he couldn’t hear him or he wasn’t listening. Then suddenly from the corner of his eye Kyle saw two army vehicles racing down the road and he almost breathed a sigh of relief knowing they were about to be captured. The first vehicle pulled into the lane leading to the farmhouse then rounded the property, coming to a halt less than fifty feet from his father, soldiers jumping from the rear, surrounding them, their hazmat suits making them anonymous, terrifying.

Kyle’s dad fell to his knees, his hands clasped on top of his head as his mother dropped beside him, exhausted. Kyle saw one of the troops wave off the chopper, then he heard the helicopter bank and the thumping of the blades rapidly disappear into the distance.

Kyle dropped to his knees as two soldiers approached him. Conflicting emotions filled his heart, part of him disappointed they had been caught, the other relieved they had been, a growing part of his mind realizing what they were doing was wrong.

He just couldn’t believe this was happening in New Orleans.

2

Saints vs. Raiders, Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana Outbreak Day #1 – Zero Hour

“Hey, what the hell are you doing back here?”

The voice, raised, echoed through the narrow utility room housing feeds into the cooling system for this portion of the massive Superdome. Mike Milner didn’t flinch, but his heart did skip a beat as he continued rotating the wrench. He was so close to completing his task, so close to his pay day, that there was no way he was going to allow some rent-a-cop to ruin his day.

“Look at my binder over there,” he said, jerking his head toward a scuffed black binder sitting atop an electrical cabinet. He heard the feet shuffle toward the binder as he twisted one last time, the connection sealed, his job almost done.

“What’s this shit?” asked the guard.

Apparently my paperwork isn’t in order.

“You need to come with me, buddy, until we get this sorted out.”

“No problem, officer.”

Milner reached into his pocket, gripping the small Walther PPKE he had hidden there. As he turned, a smile plastered on his face to set the poor bastard at ease, his hand came up in his pocket, and he squeezed the trigger.

The report was loud in the confined space, but as fortune would have it, something had the seventy-three thousand gathered on their feet, screaming at the night air.

It went unnoticed to all.

All except the poor sonofabitch who had walked in on him, as he gripped his chest, surprise scrawled across his face as he slowly sank to his knees.

“I’m really sorry about this,” said Milner. “But you shouldn’t have been so good at your job.”

Milner turned around and spun the valve on the canister he had just hooked into the cooling system, opening it wide. Within minutes the gas would be spread throughout the complex, and his job done. What he had actually hooked into the cooling system he had no clue. That was above his pay grade. He’d been hired to do a job, and that’s what he was doing. In his trade you didn’t ask questions because answers got you killed. So did curiosity.

Milner stuffed the body of the unfortunate guard behind the cooling unit and out of sight, leaving a small pool of blood on the floor. Removing a plastic bottle from his kit, he poured the contents out onto the blood stain, immediately turning the crimson puddle black, thickening it within moments. Now the blood looked like an oil stain, something that wouldn’t be unexpected in a utility closet.

Approaching the door, he fished his cellphone from his pocket and dialed the number to activate his diversion. Pressing Send, he counted to ten, then smiled as the commotion outside grew in intensity as his remote trigger fried a relay device at the Entergy New Orleans “vault” just outside the stadium, recreating the Super Bowl blackout.

I guess they never did fix the problem!

He smiled to himself as he turned the knob, stepping out into the darkness, the only light now from the emergency lighting system as the Superdome lost partial power. By the sounds of things, the game was delayed, and Milner could imagine the panic that must be setting in amongst some of the tens of thousands of fans in attendance, and if he knew the media, they’d be making a field day out of the situation, spreading the panic to the audience watching on television at homes and bars across the city.

But Milner didn’t really care. He was here for a payday. A big payday. This little job was netting him six figures. Half was already sitting in his Cayman account less a significant cash withdrawal now hidden in his apartment; the other half would be deposited tonight by his contact after a meet. Then he’d be out of New Orleans and off to the Dominican until the money ran out, then back for another gig.

It was a great life.

Milner strolled past the staff rushing by, wondering if they’d be able to get the power restored in time so the game could resume. He hoped so. After all, he had put a fin down on the Raiders to win.

He strolled by the guards, nodding to them as he passed, his tool kit swinging as he whistled a tune inspired by the concern surrounding him.

It’s the end of the world as we know it.

And I feel fine.

3

New Orleans, Louisiana Outbreak Day #10

Tammy looked in the mirror at the face staring back at her. Gray, ashen, pale. Shit. And she felt like shit too. In fact, she felt worse than she could ever remember. The whites of her eyes were red with fatigue, her brow was covered in sweat, and there were deep black circles under her eyes.

And she was due at work in forty minutes.

She splashed some water on her face, the effort exhausting, but willed her way through it. Missing work wasn’t an option. She knew her boss was looking for an excuse to fire her after she had spurned the creep’s advances, and in today’s economy, a job was a job, whether it was good or not, and with a six year old son and a deadbeat father, she needed every penny she could scrape together just to keep them fed with a roof over their head, even if it meant working at a coffee shop fulltime and the Superdome whenever there was an event.

Maybe I’ll take Mom up on her offer and move in with her.

She knew her mother could use the help. She had just finished a battle with breast cancer, apparently successfully, and had a double-mastectomy to prevent any further threat. Tammy thought it was giving up on life, her mother still fairly young and attractive. Tammy’s dad had died in Afghanistan ten years ago, and her mom had mourned long and hard.

And it had been especially hard battling the cancer without him at her side. It had almost killed her, like it had grandma, but modern medicine and a will to see her grandson grow up had got her through it, and now she was cancer free.

But in the mirror, she reminded herself of how her mother looked on the bad days.

It’s not cancer, you idiot. Stop worrying!

She stumbled into the hallway, her son Jeffrey waiting at the door, and stuffed her feet in her shoes. Heading out the door, she hurried to the bus stop. The roar of the diesel engine behind her prompted her to raise her hand weakly, but not to turn and look, too exhausted to put the necessary effort into the muscles.

Thankfully her neighbor Grace held the bus, urging her on with one foot through the doors, the other on the ground. It took every ounce of her strength to cover the distance, Jeffrey pulling her most of the way, but she finally did, pulling herself up the steps and onto the bus. As she reached for her bus pass she felt the world spin, then go black as she collapsed onto the floor, Jeffrey crying by her side.