The Tide (Tide Series Book 1) by Anthony J Melchiorri Page B

chests. There were times when he thought of them as a rambunctious lot, such as when they levied their jokes at Brett’s expense. But once they were suited up and ready to go, there was no question as to their professionalism or seriousness.
    “Hector, Jenna, Glenn, Scott, and Miguel, you're on me.” The five Hunters positioned themselves by Dom. “Andris, Terrence, Brett, Ivan, and Spencer, follow Renee's lead on team Bravo.”
    The remaining Hunters gathered up around Renee. She nodded at Dom, her green eyes serious and focused. The former gymnast and CIA clandestine agent took stock of her team. Leading came naturally to her, and Dom always had enough confidence in her ability to command a squad whenever he had to divide up his Hunters.
    “We don’t know what the hell is on that platform, but we don’t want to let it off,” Dom said. “Webb suspects bioweapons, and if what we saw in this video is the result of some kind of biological agent, then we’re about to enter a hot-zone of unparalleled proportions. Questions?”
    Glenn Walsh, a former Green Beret, sauntered forward. Even beneath the unflattering bio suit, the man’s muscles pressed against the blue plastic fabric. “Are we to engage all hostiles? Take prisoners? What’s the deal with these things?”
    The video raced through Dom’s mind again. “I don’t think these people—these things, whatever they are—will surrender. Eliminate any aggressive threats with extreme prejudice.”
    “Why the hell are we going in again? Let’s just blow the place apart,” Scott said. “Boom. Problem solved.”
    “No way, bro,” Miguel said with no hint of his usual good humor. “Maybe this isn’t the only place they’re developing this agent. Maybe this weapon is already being deployed. Pretty stupid to destroy the only evidence we have, if you ask me.”
    “Exactly,” Dom said. “First and foremost, our mission is to figure out what is or was going on there. Gather up any biological or chemical samples you can and get it all back to Lauren’s team.” He hated bringing back samples of what they found on the drilling platform aboard his ship, but they had no choice. Lauren and her team couldn’t do the science without the samples to test.
    “Bring back everything ,” Lauren added with deliberate emphasis on the word. “If someone uses the biological or chemical weapon that was developed at the IBSL, it’s crucial we know what the weapon is. We need to know its origins. Depending on what it is, determining its chemical or genetic makeup is crucial. We can only find a way to treat or prevent it if we can characterize it in our lab.”
    “Ready?” Dom asked the eleven Hunters before him.
    “Aye aye, Captain!” Their voices carried up in unison, and energy coursed among them.
    Dom watched Lauren quickly glance at Glenn as the former Green Beret adjusted the strap of his rifle. Her face contorted in a worried expression for only a moment before she turned away. Dom had always suspected the two had once shared something more than friendship, but there wasn’t time to contemplate intra-ship relationships now. He signaled to Alden Jorgenson, one of the ship’s engineers. Alden tapped a touchscreen on a command console built into the bulkhead. The entire bay went dark before being filled with the dim red glow of the battle lights. A starboard-side hatch opened to reveal a black sky above roiling waters. Howling ocean winds pierced the inside of the ship and rattled against Dom’s suit. Alden’s fingers danced across the console again. A hoist and pulley system extended out above the churning ocean.
    Two of the Hunters in biosafety suits clipped the first Zodiac to the small crane system.
    “All right, we’re going to go six to a Zodiac,” Dom said. “Bravo, load up first.”
    He watched the team board the small black craft and then disappear beyond the bulkhead as the Zodiac was lowered toward the ocean. When Alden raised the cables again,