Designated (Book 1): Designated Infected by Ricky Cooper Page A

bursts.
    Objects flew from the darkness, clattering across the
walls and sinking into the grey concrete as they skittered over the
smooth skin of the walls. A low growl arose out of the darkness,
rolling over the three men as they continued to fire blindly into the
dark. A pair of yellow orbs seemed to float before them, moving over
the contours of the walls, growing ever brighter, looming larger in
their vision the closer they crept. Then as if swallowed by something
hiding within the dark they vanished. Silence fell like a coffin lid
slamming shut on the dead, crushing the three men into the floor
under its sudden weight.
    'What the fuck was that all about?'
    Fadei said nothing as he stood and pulled the metal
object free from its confines, turning the piece of cold hardened
steel over in his hands as he gazed at it.
    'This is an industrial cutting disk. My grandfather used
similar when making parts for tanks in 1938. It would take a lot to
make it do this, they are not very light.' Baker stepped closer to
the hulking Russian, holding his hands out for the slab-like piece of
steel.
    Fadei held it out carefully; waiting until he was sure
Baker had hold of it before letting go. He watched as its weight made
the man before him stagger. 'I told you; they were not light.' His
words undercut but the loud clang issuing from the floor as the disk
pulled itself free of Bakers grip.
    'Boss, what do you make of this?' Bakers words hung in
the air, unheeded and unanswered. 'Chief, an answer would be nice.'
Again silence ensued as his words fell unanswered. Turning, he cast
his torch beam around them looking for Pottergate.
    As he swept his beam through the corridor, he found
nothing but glinting metal and the cold heavy black of the lightless
corridor. 'Damn it, Kingsley, this is Baker you seen the chief?'
Static crackled for a second before Kingsley replied.
    'No Cherry, ain't seen hide nor hair of him; thought he
was with you.'
    A cold chill washed over Baker as images of Dimi flashed
through his mind. Pushing them aside he marshalled his thoughts and
ran through a plan before replying.
    'No, he ain't here. We had an unknown contact and he up
and vanished. Watch your backs okay. Full three-sixty watch on and
move careful all right? I'll try and find him; he's probably gotten
turned around in the dark and lost coms.'
    Again static danced in his ears before Kingsley replied.
'Roger that, check back in three.'
    Baker severed the connection as he turned his attention
back to the task at hand. Glancing towards Fadei, he pushed the sense
of dread that had been slowly bubbling up back down into the pit of
his stomach and spoke. 'Well, it looks like it's just you and me.'
Fadei nodded. 'It's Sarajevo all over again.' Baker snorted as he
switched out the magazine in his weapon, then shouldering his rifle,
he plunged forward without another word.
    Four minutes; four minutes was all it took for them to
find him. The cold chill seeped through them both as they gazed upon
the image before them. Pottergate hung like a butterfly on a pin,
shell casings littering the floor, glinting under the slowly swing
beam of his torch as it hung from his outstretched arm.
    'Why?' Fadei asked, his low whispering voice was the
first to break the silence, a small gold cross clutched tightly in
his hand as he stared the prostrate form before him.
    'It's a message.' Baker murmured as his eyes danced from
one point to the next as he looked upon Pottergate's semi mutilated
form.
    'The insurgents did similar things to
any S.A.S bloke they got their mitts on in Iraq. This is a message to
us, they own this place and we are the invaders. This, Baker motioned to his commander's ripped and
bloodied form. 'Is what awaits all who oppose their ownership.'
    Pottergate hung limply his arms spread out pinned in
place by thick iron re-bars. The solid lumps of iron stuck through
him like a pencil through paper.
    Blood pooled amongst the brass casings at what remained
of his feet,