Red Dot Protocol: Survival of the Logistics Officer

Chapter 7: Negotiating the End

The blast at the Marina Bay Sands back-lit the cityscape like a dying sun. The truck lurched, tires screaming as they tore across the pavement, but a second shot shattered the side mirror, sending shrapnel spraying into the cabin.

"He’s actually going to do it, the bastard!" Ah Beng yelled, wrestling the wheel as the truck fishtailed. "He’s going to put a hole in our heads!"

Wei Xian braced his feet against the floorboards, his hand tight around the crates in the back. "He’s not aiming for our heads, Beng. He’s aiming for the tires. He wants us alive to question us."

"That’s supposed to make me feel better?" Sarah crouched in the footwell, her eyes wide with shock. "Who is that man? Why does he want to kill us?"

"He doesn't want to kill us, Sarah. He wants to save the world, and he thinks he’s the only one with the manual," Wei Xian snapped, staring at the side mirror as Gabriel’s black SUV surged through the smoke of the explosion, closing the gap.

"He’s coming up fast!" Ah Beng shouted. "I can’t lose him! This piece of junk is red-lining!"

"Then stop," Wei Xian commanded.

"What? Stop? Are you high?"

"Stop the truck, Beng. Right now."

Ah Beng slammed the brakes. The truck skidded to a halt in the middle of the empty boulevard, the rear tires smoking. Gabriel’s SUV screeched to a stop thirty feet ahead, blocking their path. The Major was out of his car in a heartbeat, his service pistol leveled, his face a mask of iron.

Wei Xian kicked the door open and hopped out, hands raised, his palms open.

"Drop the piece, Gabe!" Wei Xian shouted, the wind whipping his hair. "You want to play hero? Fine. But look at the evidence first!"

Gabriel didn't lower his weapon. His eyes were cold, scanning the empty street for snipers. "Out of the truck, Tan. Hands where I can see them. Sarah, get away from him."

Sarah stepped out, her legs trembling. "Gabriel, stop! You don't know what’s happening!"

"I know he’s a thief who just blew up a national landmark," Gabriel said, his voice hard as flint. "Get on your knees, Wei Xian. I’m not asking twice."

"You think this is about the law?" Wei Xian took a step forward. Gabriel flinched, finger whitening on the trigger. "You’re a soldier, Gabriel. What’s your prime directive? Protect the nation or follow the orders of the men who are already planning to burn it?"

"I don't play politics," Gabriel spat. "I follow the chain of command."

"Then look at this!" Wei Xian tapped the side of his skull. A small, glowing projector hidden in his collar flickered to life. A holographic stream of data—red, jagged, and pulsating—erupted into the air between them. It was a visual representation of the viral load, the infection rates, and the hidden sequence he’d intercepted from the military’s own secure backdoors.

Gabriel’s eyes darted to the display. He paused, his gaze softening for a fraction of a second as he recognized the encryption keys—keys only the highest echelon of the Urban Resilience Task Force should possess.

"Where did you get that?" Gabriel asked, his gun lowering by an inch.

"I didn't get it, Gabe. I’m living it," Wei Xian said, his voice dropping to a desperate rasp. "It’s not a hallucination. It’s inside me. It’s inside the air. Look at your own wrist monitor. Check your vitals."

Gabriel hesitated, then glanced at his own watch-link. His expression shifted from tactical resolve to pure, unadulterated confusion. "My heart rate... it’s synced to your display."

"Because it’s not just a virus, it’s a network," Wei Xian stepped closer, ignoring the gun. "If you kill me, you kill the only bridge between the pathogen and the cure. If you let me walk, I can finish the work I started in the bunker."

"You stole classified biotech," Gabriel said, though his voice lacked the earlier bite. "You sabotaged a government event."

"I saved the person who can synthesize the vaccine," Wei Xian countered, gesturing to Sarah. "And I bought us time. Look at the data, Gabriel. Is this what a 'security breach' looks like, or is this the anatomy of an extinction event?"

Gabriel stared at the hologram. The red pulses were rhythmic, matching the heavy, strange thumping of the city's power grid. He looked at Sarah, then back at the display, his jaw tightening.

"You’re telling me this is happening now?" Gabriel asked. "The report said it was months away."

"The report was a lie fed to you to keep you docile until it was too late to contain," Wei Xian said. "I’m not your enemy, Gabe. I’m the only one standing on your side of the line."

Gabriel stayed silent for a long moment, the only sound the low, ominous hum of the city. He looked at the truck, then back at the road ahead.

"I can't let you keep the supplies," Gabriel said finally, his voice barely audible. "If my superiors find out I let you go, I’m done. My career, my life—finished."

"I don't need your career," Wei Xian said. "I need your neutrality. Give me twenty-four hours. Keep your patrols away from the Jurong sector. After that, do whatever you want."

Gabriel lowered his gun completely. He looked exhausted, the weight of the last three days etching lines into his face. "Twenty-four hours, Tan. If I see you after that, or if that virus spreads one inch past the perimeter, I will hunt you down myself."

"Deal," Wei Xian said.

Gabriel turned back to his SUV, but stopped. He looked over his shoulder at the bruised, purple sky. "Why did you show me this? You could have just run."

"Because in the world that’s coming, I need someone who knows how to hold a line," Wei Xian replied.

Gabriel nodded once, a sharp, military motion, and climbed into his vehicle. He didn't look back as he sped off, leaving them alone in the glowing, sickly silence of the empty street.

"You really think he'll stick to his word?" Sarah asked, clutching her coat.

"He's a soldier, Sarah. They don't know how to lie to themselves," Wei Xian said, climbing back into the driver's side.

Ah Beng leaned over, his face pale. "We’re still in the deep end, boss. Look at the radio."

The truck’s radio, which had been silent, suddenly crackled with a burst of frantic static. A voice—clipped, terrified, and distorted—cut through.

"All stations, all stations. This is Changi Ops. We have a Code Yellow in the main hall. Repeat, Code Yellow. The containment doors have failed. Subjects are... they’re moving. They’re biting. God help us, they’re biting!"

Wei Xian went cold. He slammed the truck into gear. "Code Yellow. It’s already started at the airport."

"What does that mean for us?" Ah Beng gripped the door handle.

Wei Xian looked at the skyline, where the first flickers of distant, panicked fire were beginning to bloom. "It means we’re out of time. Hold on."