V Plague (Book 11): Merciless by Dirk Patton

Moscow.”
    “You have me at a disadvantage, Captain,” I said.  “I don’t even know where I am.  I thought Greenland, but now I’m guessing one of the Canadian islands.”
    “All in good time,” he said.  “Tell me the name of the woman who contacted me.  If you’re who you say you are, you should know it.”
    “Petty Officer Simmons would be my guess,” I said.
    “Right,” he said, visibly relaxing.  “Well, might as well put your hands down.  Are there any more Russians out there?”
    “Not that I know of.  Only saw the one helo and the six troopers that got out.  They were looking for me.”
    “Then let’s get out of the weather and back to base,” he said, turning and opening a door on the side of the idling vehicle.
    This one was another Hummer, fully enclosed, but without the tracks of the first one I’d seen.  I climbed into the back and the Captain and one of the men sandwiched me on the wide seat.  The other two climbed in front.  The sudden lack of wind and warm air from the heater was absolutely luxurious.  I looked around briefly, noting the used launcher for an American Stinger, a shoulder fired Surface to Air Missile, in the cargo area.
    “So, where are we?”  I asked as the driver shifted into gear and we began bouncing over the rocky terrain.
    “Ellesmere Island.  We’re assigned to CFS Alert,” the Captain answered.
    CFS stood for Canadian Forces Station, but I had no idea what Alert was.
    “Never heard of it,” I said, rocking back and forth with the motion of the Hummer.
    “Most northerly, permanently inhabited location in the world,” he said proudly.  “Only 800 kilometers from the North Pole.  We tracked the helo as it approached, but weren’t able to get a warning out to the patrol that arrived ahead of us.  Sometimes radios aren’t very reliable in this environment.”
    “I’m sorry about your men,” I said.
    He looked at me for a long beat before turning to stare out the frosted window. 
    “We’ve been safe here in the Arctic,” he finally spoke.  “Well removed from the horrors as the world tore itself apart.  Now you Yanks and the Russians seem intent on destroying what’s left.”
    I bristled, but somehow managed to hold my tongue. 
    “Well, us Yanks didn’t start this,” I said, earning a scathing look from him.  “And how is it you’ve managed to stay safe?”
    “The virus can’t survive the cold,” he said.
    “How do you know that?”
    “There’s 58 people at Alert.  Half are military.  The rest are all variety of scientific researchers.  That’s what our chief scientist has told us.”
    I nodded, hoping he was right.  He may have rubbed me the wrong way, but that didn’t mean I wanted to see him, or any of his men, become infected.
    “Do you know what’s happening in the world?”  I asked, hoping to change the subject.
    “We’ve been monitoring comms from both the Americans and the Russians.  Full scale war is what’s going on.  You’ve launched some sort of super weapon that has devastated much of Russia.  Your Navies are locked in a battle across the globe.  Thousands of missiles have been launched, and chemical weapons are being deployed.
    “Russia has struck back with nuclear weapons.  Most of their ability to launch has been destroyed, but they were still able to retaliate.  Two of the islands in Hawaii were hit as well as the Bahamas.”
    “What?”  I said, cold fingers of dread wrapping around my heart.
    Rachel was in the Bahamas.  I’d sent her there, on her way to Australia.  Thinking I’d sent her to safety.  The Captain looked at me, seeing the expression on my face.  For a moment, there was a softening of his countenance.
    “Are you sure?”  I asked in a whisper, barely able to breathe.
    He stared at me for a moment, then nodded. 
    “I’m sorry,” he said after a stretch of silence.
    “Which islands?  Is Pearl Harbor still operational?”  I asked, shoulders