by Phil Maxey
“And a good amount of munitions. No vehicles though,” said the tattooed man.
A younger man, in his early thirties wearing glasses, clean shaven with the look of a businessman sighed. “They also now know where we are. Did you mean it about attacking the camp?”
Geneva fixed the young man with a steely stare. “Do I say things I don’t mean?” The young man, looked down.
“With what we got, we can’t take that camp,” said the tattooed man.
“I know Troy! Tinley was going to help us get our hands on what we need to breach those walls, now that’s all fucked. We need another way.”
“We could try, like how we did with the other camps,” said Troy.
The young man looked up. “Our spies are ready to implement any sabotage we need.”
“This was going to be a real battle, like from old times. I wanted to avoid doing it under the table, but now it looks like we might have to. Put things in motion Aaron,” the young man nodded.
“What about the old man we have locked up? He helped us before,” said a woman with dark brown hair and a scare across her cheek.
“He said he won’t help anymore,” said Troy.
“Then why’s he still alive?”
“Do you know how to make explosives Arla?” said Geneva.
The woman looked down.
“I’ll think on it. Just keep our borders secure, that’s all for now.”
The four men and one woman stood up and made their way out of the room, only Clovis and Geneva remained.
“Do you need me to talk to anyone,” said Clovis.
Geneva laughed. “Oh, Clovis, you’re too protective. It’s good they ask questions.”
“What about the old man, he’s probably going to die anyway.”
“His toys have gotten us out of some tricky situations on more than one occasion. There’s life in those old bones of his yet. But of course if he really doesn’t want to play his part anymore, then you may do with him what you want.”
Clovis smiled.
“Leave me now, I need to think.”
Clovis left.
Geneva had never been one for booze, and at first the bottle of hard liquor he had in his office was just for show. Something strong leaders would have. But he soon learned a tipple calmed his thoughts. This was one of those times. Standing, looking out the large glass windows watching the last remaining of his followers dissipate back into the underground spaces that had protected them from the start, he sipped and let the burning quell the doubts and fears of what led up to the debacle of yesterday’s evening. Aaron was right, they know where they are now, and they might indeed come for them, maybe that would be a better solution. They could defend the city well, but it wasn’t what he truly wanted. Most of the talk on the balcony outside, was so the unruly could continued to be ruled. He knew there were some among his ranks that would happily kill him in his sleep, and had learned the best way to avoid that was to keep them busy. Keep them moving forward towards an ever bigger prize. The camp near Austin was the ultimate gift he could give them, but now it would be even more difficult to take control of, especially since they had the freaks on their side.
He had known about some humans being affected by the Cascade for a while. His spies in the camp told him what their nerds had discovered, but he thought it was just a fantasy until last night, when he saw it with his own eyes. And to think she was here, in his city, it made him sick just to think about it.
Maybe there is still a way to get my hands on those ‘big’ weapons?
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Zach sat with his back against the bare wall, watching Abbey’s chest rise and fall. The small office in the bank building they found near the city of Birmingham served as an emergency operating room. Abbey slept with a drip just left of her, and a large bandage wrapped around her thigh. ‘Missed the artery’ was the best three words Zach had heard since the morning he left Abbey in the kitchen of their house.
A similar bandage covered most of his forehead, and the painkillers he had taken only partially subdued the throbbing he felt between his temples.
It had been a rough night. They lost seven soldiers, including one of the privates he talked to just a few nights earlier. “Randall Brown”. He spoke the words out loud, he felt that’s the least he deserved. They also lost the Humvee with the turret. The small force they had were up against three times their number, and came out of it mostly intact. The Hell Fire gang couldn’t say the same. Zach knew they would be a problem to be sorted out at some point in the future, but for now they were safe.
She knows. She's not going to forgive you for not being honest with her. He grabbed the bottle of water next to him, spun the top off and sipped. The creature in the river would have killed them all, but Abbey did something he was sure of it. If she had any kind of inclination that she might have been effected by the Cascade, surely after last night she knows the truth. Zach wasn’t sure what that meant in the greater scheme of things, and he didn’t care. Raj would help, he knew about these things.
The door of the office opened and with it poured in morning light and the smell of coffee.
Fiona’s face appeared along with her beckoning him outside.
Getting off the floor felt like he had doubled his body weight, but he made his way outside into a small corridor, and closed the door gently behind him.
Fiona was standing near the conference room doorway. “In here.”
Zach stepped into the large rectangular room with a large wooden table, surrounded by padded chairs. A tall but slim window bathed the head of the table in light at the expense of the rest of the area. Bass and Raj were seated, while Michael and Fiona were standing looking over a map.
A woman in her early sixties with shoulder length hair handed Zach a plastic cup with coffee in it. “Get this down you.”
Zach smiled at Dr. Keira Chapman, who he had quickly grown to like over the past twelve hours.
“She’s sleeping?”
Zach smiled again. “Yes. Thank you for all you have done.”
“My pleasure. How’s the headache?”
“I’m coping.”
“Take some more pills around noon.”
“Hows…” Zach didn’t have to finish for Dr. Chapman to know who he meant.
“Considering what she’s been through, she’s doing remarkably well. I told her that we have some very good plastic surgeons. I think that helped. Okay I’ll leave you to all your plan making,” she then left.
Zach sat on the table next to Fiona. “How’s Cal?”
“More embarrassed than anything.”
“He took down three of theirs before another three got him, he’s got nothing to be ashamed about,” said Bass.
“It’s more not being able to take the shot on Tinley.”
“Tinley’s gone forever, that’s all that matters. But he’s okay?”
“Broken rib, black eye. Doc says he’ll be fine.”
“I talked to the General not long ago. She said they can send out another squad, if we need help getting back,” said Bass.
Zach shook his head. “Tell her that won’t be needed, or at least shouldn’t be. I don’t think any of the gang will be coming after us anytime soon, but the sooner we start our journey back the better. The Doc said Abbey will be okay to move after a few hours, so that gives us a leaving time of around noon,” he looked down at the map, while drinking the coffee. “If we do six hours that puts us between Jackson and Monroe.”
“We could stop back at the pharmacy near Jackson. I can’t see all the supplies there being gone by time we return,” said Fiona.
Zach smiled. “That sounds like a plan. Work with Bass and Michael, get us ready to move out at midday, and Bass, tell the lookouts to watch the skies, not just for E.L.F’s.”
Bass, Fiona and Michael nodded then left, Raj went to leave with them, but Zach indicated for him to stay. He then closed the door to give them some privacy.
“Did you see wha
t went down last night?”
“Not really, I was in the Humvee at the start, but then Bass ordered me into the tank when they attacked.”
“You didn’t see what happened on the river? With Abbey?”
“I saw her being pulled onto the bridge, but that’s all, why? Did she demonstrate her abilities? I only caught a glimpse of the E.L.F as it submerged back into the river.”
Zach sighed. “All I know is the E.L.F went from attacking anything it could, to just attacking Tinley and the Hell Fire gang, and I have to think Abbey had something to do with that.”
“Have you had a chance to talk to her about it?”
“She was in and out of consciousness for the early part of last night, and then sleeping most of the rest. I’m not sure if now’s the time to really have that conversation.”
“She probably already know’s Zach.”
“I know.”
“Do you want me to talk to her?”
“No, I should have told her long before now. I’ll tell her.”
“Well if she did affect the E.L.F’s behavior last night, she demonstrated a level of connection with the creatures which is already on par with Cal’s abilities. It would seem people’s abilities can lay dormant for a while and then usually a traumatic event can trigger them.”
“Does that mean you still don’t know who might have been affected by the Cascade?”
Raj hesitated in his answer. “We can test for the extra DNA. But even if we detect it, we don’t know if they will develop abilities. For some they feel different and start to influence E.L.F’s straight away, for others they act no different. We don’t know why some do and some don’t. We don’t even know what causes the extra DNA, although my thinking is it’s probably a form of virus. I know that’s not much of an answer.”
Zach smiled. “No it’s not,” he patted Raj on the back. “You’ll figure it out. I better check back on Abbey.”
Zach took advantage of the following few hours to get some sleep, laying half off the small sofa that was in the office with Abbey. He had planned to wake her up around 11 am, but he didn’t have to as she woke him.
“When were you going to tell me?”
In a fraction of a second he went from sleepy confusion to consternation for keeping a secret from her. “I was going to tell you the evening of the day you were taken… how you feeling?”
She limped back and sat down on the side of the desk she had been sleeping on. “Don’t change the subject, when did you know?”
Each question made him feel worse. “The General told me at Brads, just after I was shot.”
Abbey’s eyes were bloodshot, and he couldn’t tell if she was crying or angry or something in-between. He went to move towards her, but she put her hand up.
“When are we leaving?” her gaze remained on the space in front of her and not towards Zach.
“We need to talk about what happened last night. In the river, what you did.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Abbey?…”
She uneasily stood up. “I’m going to need a crutch of some kind.”
Zach sighed. “Sit back down I’ll get you something.”
“You’ll have to find me, I need to see how Daisy’s doing.” She awkwardly limped to the door, opened it and left without looking back. Zach sighed heavily.
Soon they were back on the highway heading west, driving through freshly fallen snow. Zach found a coat stand, which once broken apart became an acceptable crutch for Abbey to prop herself up with. It was decided that she would stay in the army truck, with the doctor, Cal and the other injured. Fiona, Zach, Raj and Michael occupied the remaining Humvee. While Greggs drove the pickup Abbey took from the Hell Fire gang.
Zach looked at the blanket of brown frosted branches of countless trees flood by and tried to suppress the anger he had with himself for damaging the best relationship he had in his life. She’s alive. And so was everyone else he cared about. Relationships can be repaired.
The next three hours passed without incident and they were soon driving into the same parking lot they left just a day earlier, accept this time snow laid a few inches deep.
“Same as before Bass, back the tank up to the entrance. Over.”
“Will do. I have the General on the radio, she wants an update. Over.”
The vehicles were parked quickly, and everyone apart from a small crew for the tank moved inside.
Zach crouched inside the limited space in the back of the tank and clicked on the radio. “I’m here General. Over.”
“Good to hear that bastards dead. Over.”
“Yes it is. Over.”
“How’s everyone doing? We have informed the families of those that lost their lives. They will be given full honors. Over.”
“We’re good. Abbey’s… she’s up and around. Doc says there won’t be any permanent damage to her leg, but she might have restricted use of some of her fingers on her left hand. Over.”
“But she’s alive. Over.”
Zach went to smile and emotion threatened to overwhelm him. He swallowed. “She is. Over.”
“The council have rescheduled the segregation vote for tomorrow. From what I’m hearing it will go the right way. I’ll leave it up to you, if you feel that’s information worth passing on. Over.”
Zach hadn’t given the vote a second thought for days. “If it goes the other way, there will be exceptions right? People in the armed forces?”
“Don’t worry Zach, there’s no way I’m letting Cal, Abbey of anyone else under my command, be taken anywhere. Over.”
Inside Abbey hobbled along the full aisles, awkwardly filling a large plastic sack with candy, chips and bottled drinks.
“Planning a party?” said Raj smiling.
“I know some youngsters who would kill to have some of this stuff,” her thoughts drifted to the other young men and women she used to teach at the computer centre she almost got off the ground.
Raj stepped forward and held the sack open. “Here, let me help.”
A few seconds of silence passed as Abbey chose more items.
“You can’t expect to be able to deal with everything that’s happened to you straight away, it’s going to take time.”
“I know.”
“And you shouldn’t blame Zach for not telling you.”
“Cal was told.”
“He was told because once we found out what had happened to him, it was decided that him knowing would help him deal with the changes he was going through. You’re not the only one who has the extra DNA and who hasn’t been told Abbey, it’s on a case by case basis.”
“No offence doctor, but you’re not in a relationship with me. He should have told me. It would have… I could have,” she sighed. “It would had been easier. He should have known that.”
Raj struggled with the weight in the sack. Abbey smiled. “I think I have enough.”
“He made a mistake, but who hasn’t? Where shall I put this?”
“You can leave it here, I’ll collect it when we leave tomorrow.”
The night came fast. Bandages were changed, and patrols watched around the building until the sun crept above the horizon, and sugary food was handed out as breakfast.
Michael burped, while sitting on the pharmacy counter. Around him were open soda cans and empty packet of chips and candy bars. “I think I might stay here instead of going back.”
Cal and Fiona sat in front of the counter with their backs up against it.
“Your mom would never let you,” said Cal smiling.
“Meh, I’ll send her a card at Christmas, she’ll be fine,” they all giggled.
Michael’s expression changed to a more serious tone. “It’s good to see you… all well and shit.”
“You mean apart from the ribs, the eye and who knows what other physical crap is wrong with him?” said Fiona.
Michael smiled. “Well yeah.”
“I got a hot bath waiting for me when I
get home… How’s…”
“Hannah?”
“She’s good, man. It’s been… real cool to take Megan to the park, do the family stuff, although she seems convinced I need to learn German,” he laughed. “But yeah, it helps knowing you got people that care.”
Cal and Fiona smiled and nodded.
“You two should come over, Hannah makes this great…” Cal had his hand up to his temple and his face was one of pain.
“What is it?” said Fiona.
“We need to leave, there’s E.L.F’s on their way.”
It wasn’t long before they were packed and moving at a good pace along the snow covered highway. Abbey was back in the Humvee with Raj in the back, while Zach drove and Fiona navigated.
After three hours they were passed the point where they had the run-in with the first Hell Fire gang members and found the drone wreckage. It had taken this long for Abbey to build up the courage to talk about how she felt. “So I guess everyone knows by now that I’m… different.”
Zach went to say something, but stopped.
“The Cascade has changed us all, some in obvious ways, some in not so obvious ways, but we are different,” said Fiona looking back over her shoulder. “And anyway where’s the negative, now you got like super powers or something!”
A small ripple of laughter moved between them.
“Different is the right way to look at it. All of us are effected by the environment in certain ways as we grow, it’s part of the natural process of being a human on this planet,” said Raj.
Abbey smiled, her friend’s comments only partially helped. The last few days had been a rollercoaster she never wanted to be on. But it’s over. Thoughts and images entered and left her mind just as quick as she tried to control them. Tinley is finally out of their lives. But he caused so much death. But we’re going home. But you’re a freak. She closed her eyes, trying to still her mind.
When she opened them again, it was dark. “Wh…where are we?” she reached down into her backpack wincing in pain, and grabbed a bottle of water.
“Almost home, only thirty minutes to the eastern gate,” said Zach.
“Not a moment too soon, my butt has become one with this seat,” said Fiona stretching. Raj and Zach laughed.
