Extinction Edge

-Epilogue-

Kate hated leaving Tasha and Jenny, but Major Smith had requested her presence in the command center. An hour had passed since the soldiers had cleared the base, and now the major said he had news.

She wiped her hands on her pants and then bent down in front of the girls. Both sat against the wall, their shirts stained scarlet. Jenny had her head buried into Tasha’s armpit, sobbing uncontrollably.

Taking one knee, Kate said, “I have to go for a bit, but I’ll be right back, okay?”

“But what if the monsters come back?”

“The monsters are gone. It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

Tasha glanced up with glossy eyes. “My daddy was wrong.”

“What do you mean?” Kate asked.

“Those sick people,” Tasha said, wiping away a tear. “They are monsters. He told us monsters weren’t real.”

Kate thought about swallowing her response but decided it was better to tell the truth. “Yes, they are real, but they can’t hurt you now. You’re safe here. Riley will make sure nothing happens to you,” Kate said, glancing over at the man.

The operator wheeled his chair closer and smiled. “She’s right. Everything’s going to be okay. I promise.”

Tasha patted her sister’s back and nodded weakly, like she didn’t believe Kate.

“I’ll watch ‘em,” Riley said. “Go, and bring back good news.”

Kate, her heart aching, forced herself away. She followed a Medical Corps guard down the hallway to the command center. Through the doors, she entered chaos. Soldiers she didn’t recognize huddled around the war table, frustration and fear present in their raised voices.

Smith paced behind the wall of radio equipment, stopping every few seconds to ask two officers at the radios what they were hearing. Static and chatter flowed from the speakers. Kate took a seat and waited, listening to every single transmission, anxious to hear word of Operation Liberty. The news trickled in from across the country. Central Command was reporting heavy losses in every major city. The Variants had overwhelmed each unit, just like she had argued they would.

She wanted to cry, knowing Beckham was likely among the dead. Instead she sniffled and wiped her nose with a sleeve.

“Sir, Charlie team is reporting sixty-five casualties,” one of the soldiers at the table shouted.

Smith froze in place and then turned slowly. He bowed his head, shaking it from side to side. When he looked up, he locked eyes with Kate.

“Dr. Lovato. I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you come in,” he said.

Kate stood and walked over to him, her stomach in knots.

“Thought you’d like to know 1^st Platoon is being extracted from Pier 86 shortly,” he said, checking his watch. “They suffered heavy losses. Less than half of the team made it.”

“Did Reed…?”

Smith looked at the ground solemnly. “He stayed behind with several other men, including Lieutenant Colonel Jensen. There wasn’t enough room in the vehicles to get them out before the bombs dropped.”

Kate cupped her hands over her mouth. Hot tears blurred her vision.

Goddamn you, Reed. Why do you always have to be the hero? You promised you’d come back…

“I’m sorry,” Smith said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “But if anyone can survive out there, it’s Beckham. I’ll let you know the moment we hear anything.”

When the shock passed, Kate suddenly remembered her promise to Tasha and Jenny. “What about Horn?” she asked, biting her lip in anticipation.

“He’s on his way back,” Smith replied.

Kate nodded, dazed and numb. Folding her arms across her chest, she trembled as she walked slowly across the room, pausing to stop and stare out the observation window. The waves sparkled under the moonlight. She swept a strand of hair from her eyes and looked out upon the endless beauty of the ocean.

The military couldn’t stop the Variants. They were evolving at an unprecedented rate, transforming into faster, smarter, and deadlier predators. Bombs and bullets couldn’t kill them all. And now there weren’t even enough soldiers left to carry out orders. Humanity was no longer on the edge of extinction—they had plummeted over the side.

Dr. Allen’s final words repeated in her mind as she stared blankly over the shimmering water.

In order to kill a monster, you will have to create one.

A new sense of purpose filled Kate. Rising from beneath the pain and despair grew the seed of an idea. It was the glimmer of hope she needed. She had been wrong before. Science could still save the human race.

She was going to do what Central Command couldn’t seem to do. She was going to design another bioweapon, and this time it would kill every last one of the monsters.