Reviving Graham

by Becca Jameson

  She wanted this insanity solved as badly as anyone else, but how far was she willing to go to make sure they all came out of this unscathed? It was exhausting.

  “Yeah, hold off committing until you hear the idea.”

  Kate tipped her head to one side and watched Graham, who was staring at Dade with an eager expression.

  Dade continued. “We could use a mole ourselves. I’m hoping it could be you. I need someone to get back into the bunker and do a job.” He shifted his gaze to Kate. “This involves you too.”

  She flinched.

  “No way in hell is Kate going back to the bunker if you think it’s dangerous,” Graham retorted quickly. Great. She might not be overly excited about getting back into the bunker or even being involved in any of this mess, but she didn’t need him to make decisions for her or speak for her.

  Dade shot Graham a grin as he set his hand on Blair’s thigh and squeezed. Blair chuckled and crossed her arms. “Told you.”

  Graham shot Blair a look too. She was sitting right next to him, close enough to touch. Next, he glanced around the room at everyone else, and Kate knew without a doubt that he was two seconds from outing them.

  Suddenly, she didn’t care. It didn’t matter really. There was no reason for their weird relationship to be a government secret or anything, and she sensed Graham was eager to publicly commit.

  Her palms were sweating, and she wiped them on her thighs as she considered a new fact—no way would Graham claim her in front of so many people if he wasn’t all in. He was too shy in spite of his newfound courage to take that kind of risk. He wasn’t the sort of man who would sleep with her and then dump her anyway, but outing them meant a lot.

  When his wide gaze landed on hers, she shot him a smile, giving him silent permission to finish what he’d inadvertently started.

  He was persistent, she would give him that. He also seemed to be in a hurry to solidify their relationship as if he were afraid if he didn’t do so quickly, she might get away or someone else would grab her. It was comical since she’d managed to live twenty-seven years without falling for another man—the last three of which had been spent pining after the very man with the pumped chest.

  The honest truth she had to admit to herself was that she liked the fact that he so obviously wanted to proclaim his feelings to the group. It meant he was committed to making this thing work. It was sweet, and her heart beat faster knowing what he was about to say.

  Graham watched her intently while he spoke to everyone else. “Kate and I are together. We seemed to have missed the cues between us before we were preserved, and we’re still ironing some things out, but we’re…together,” he repeated, as if it were important to emphasize that one word.

  Kate blushed, but she couldn’t keep from smiling wider. Graham might have been quick to flex his muscles and go public with their precarious relationship, but she was falling harder for him every day.

  Before their preservation, she had been infatuated with him from afar with not enough details about him as a person to really know what he was like. For the past month while she essentially held a vigil over his comatose body, she had willed him repeatedly to be okay, promising herself she wouldn’t squander a second opportunity.

  So, no. She wasn’t upset with him. She was so enamored with him that she had to force herself to stay in her seat and not leap across the room to throw her arms around him. That would be a little too much. Especially after everything she’d said to him last night. Mixed signals from her were unnecessary.

  Everyone turned toward Kate, smiling broadly.

  Bianca’s hand covered her mouth. She looked like she might cry from emotion. “I’m so happy for you.”

  Blair smiled warmly. “Congratulations. That’s so exciting.”

  Dade shook his head, smirking. “So, as I was saying…I, well, the hacker we’re working with, had an idea. Between the six of us, we can surely suss it out and make it workable.”

  “Tell us,” Kate encouraged. Whatever it was, she needed to figure out a way to get on board and help the team. Now wasn’t the time to balk and run. She was a member of a twenty-one-person team, a team that was actually twelve people larger if she included the second team.

  “I don’t have any way to get in touch with Tushar, nor would I if I could because I don’t trust the security of any form of communication inside the bunker. Tushar also doesn’t know I’m alive. I’m in contact with Ryan, but he can’t give his parents any information or request help over the phone either.

  “I’m certain Tushar and Trish will help from the inside, but they don’t know it yet. You’ll have to feel them out and bring them into the fold discreetly. I can’t imagine there’s any possibility in the world either of them are involved, nor would they do anything to jeopardize our efforts. You two will have to use your best judgment about what information to give them.”

  “What exactly do you need us to do?” Graham asked, tacking himself onto the plan readily, even though his brow was furrowed skeptically as he glanced at her.

  She smiled warmly at him. It made her squirm in her seat that he was so blatantly worried about her.

  “For one thing, I’m very concerned about the decades’ worth of data stored at the bunker. We need to duplicate it and get it out of there, download it onto a separate hard drive.”

  Kate gasped. “You’re afraid it could get deleted?”

  “I know it’s going to get deleted.”

  Kate gasped. “The hacker?”

  Dade nodded. “Yep. He’s trying to buy us time to get in there and download everything, but he can’t stall forever.”

  Kate was confused. “You think this Blue Cell group is trying to stop us from curing diseases and healing people? Why would anyone do that? Project DEEP was created by the government for the express purpose of eradicating disease.”

  Dade inhaled slowly while he shrugged. “All things lead to that conclusion. All of us—both the first team and the second—have experienced setbacks every step of the way for many years. Broken beakers. Scrambled data. Kidnapping. Bombs. Mandatory relocation. At this moment, we’re scattered all over the place. Very few of us are doing the job we were hired for. Advances are not being made. Why?”

  He had a good point. Kate wrapped her arms around herself and shuddered.

  Graham ran a hand through his hair. “How do you propose we get an invitation back into the bunker? It would seem Temple is keeping everyone out.”

  Dade nodded. “Here’s my plan.” He turned toward Kate. “I think you should call in and tell Temple you’re worried about Graham because he isn’t getting stronger as fast as the others.”

  Kate widened her eyes. “I’m a doctor, not an actor. Besides, that’s comical. He’s breaking records by the hour.”

  “It’s perfect,” Graham stated. “I assume Temple has no idea where we are, and Kate can use that to our advantage, telling Temple she got nervous because I’m still so weak and she felt exposed, so she moved us to a hotel somewhere.”

  “Exactly,” Dade agreed. “Make her believe you’re scared and you need help. You haven’t thrived well since waking up, and she’s scared out of her mind hiding you in a hotel.”

  “That would work.”

  Grayson cleared his throat. “Do you really think Temple’s involved? I can’t wrap my head around that.”

  Dade shook his head. “I don’t know what to think. Maybe she’s involved. Maybe she isn’t. What I do know is that information that gets to her always becomes our enemy. So either she’s directing an inside job, or someone she communicates with is undermining all of us. Either way, she might know. She might not.”

  Blair sighed. “I’m personally praying she has no understanding of what happens when she gives updates to her superiors, but somewhere along the line, someone feeds information to Blue Cell and they use it against us.”

  Grayson wasn’t the only one who hated to think Temple could be behind any scheme to slow down the advance of science
. It made Kate sick to her stomach. She’d known Temple for three years prior to being preserved. Some of them had known and worked with Temple for twenty years.

  “We’ll do it,” Kate said. She knew Graham would agree, but she wanted to be the one to verbally express their consent.

  Graham added to her agreement. “I assume you also need us to poke around and figure out what the fuck is going on.”

  “That’s the idea,” Dade said. “And you’re going to have to do all this while pretending you’re very weak and sick. I’m hoping you can maneuver yourself into getting assigned to one of the suites where you can pretend to convalesce while spending the days working frantically to download and preserve data.”

  “Suites?” Graham asked. “Has the bunker turned into a Holiday Inn?” he joked.

  Kate laughed. “Yes. As soon as they realized they were going to reanimate twenty-two people, the government added living quarters to one side of the bunker. Ryan’s team also stayed in them so that no one needed to trek back and forth to town anymore.”

  “Makes sense.” Graham was slowly nodding. “Nothing else makes sense, but at least someone somewhere gave a shit about the team enough to provide housing finally. Working long hours and then driving into Falling Rock just to sleep in an unused apartment was illogical.”

  Dade looked at Graham again. “How are your computer skills?”

  Graham gave a wry chuckle. “I’m catching up fast, but you aren’t kidding about the changes in technology in just a decade. The internet is a whole new world.”

  Dade laughed. “That was the weirdest part for me. It took me a while to get up to speed. But you’ve got just a few days to accomplish it. Don’t waste a single moment. You’re going to need to be a computer god when you get to the bunker, though Spencer will get in touch with you and provide detailed instructions on what we need and how to get it.”

  Graham inhaled slowly, tipping his head to one side with a wince. “I’ll do my best.”

  Bianca, who had remained mostly quiet for a while, finally spoke. Her gaze was on Graham. “How are you so chipper and alert and upright? No way in hell could I learn a new skill this week. I’m still trying to figure out how to get myself to the bathroom, and you’re going to learn computer programming?”

  “I’m wondering the same thing,” Grayson added. “None of us were as far along as you on the fourth day after reanimation.”

  Graham shrugged. “Determination?”

  “Even your mind is sharp. It’s disconcerting,” Bianca complained.

  Graham grinned. “I can remember all the science jokes I ever knew too. You want to hear one?” He didn’t hesitate before continuing, “Where does bad light end up?”

  “In prism,” they all responded simultaneously on a groan.

  Kate couldn’t keep from smiling. He might be dorky, but he was her dork.

  Dade stood, Blair following him. “I hate this, but we need to leave. I want to get to Montana as soon as possible. That’s where we have our base set up. Everyone is heading that direction as soon as they’re able. Blair and I will head there now. Grayson and Bianca will stay here until Bianca is strong enough to travel that far.”

  He glanced at Kate and then Graham. “Graham needs more time to recuperate, but the clock is also ticking. I’m hoping you can make your way back to the bunker in about three days. It helps that Graham is seemingly stronger than any of the rest of us were on day four. He can easily fake being far weaker than he is. Call Temple from a phone along the way somewhere. Don’t tell her where you are, just that you’re scared and heading toward the bunker. There’s no way she’ll turn you down. Even if she is working against us, it would look too suspicious for her to leave you sick and scared and alone.”

  “Good point,” Graham agreed. “I’ll make sure I’m ready in a few more days.”

  Bianca was pushing to sitting. “Graham, I say this in the kindest possible way—fuck you.” Her voice was sweet and syrupy.

  Graham chuckled. “I don’t know what to say. Maybe I’m a superhero now with extra powers.”

  Bianca rolled her eyes. “If you figure out what those powers are, please let me know because I’m already tired of playing the invalid.”

  Dade set a hand on Blair’s shoulder. “I’m sorry we have to hurry out of here. I wish we could stay.”

  Kate was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that Dade was even alive. She also hated for him to leave. But she rose to see them out. “You’ll stay in touch with us?”

  Blair responded. “We will until you go back into the bunker. It won’t be safe to contact us from inside. Either Dade or Spencer will reach out to you and establish contact through a computer.”

  Kate nodded, swallowing back nerves. The idea that the bunker was compromised, or more specifically Temple, didn’t sit well with her.

  After a round of goodbyes, Dade and Blair left.

  “Well, that puts a new spin on things,” Kate said, still staring out the front window.

  Graham sighed behind her. “We probably need to double up the physical therapy sessions. I can pretend to be a sick as you want me to, but there’s no way I’m going back into that bunker without the ability to get the fuck out easily if the need arises.”

  “Agreed.” She turned toward him, taking a deep breath.

  How had their entire world gotten so twisted and turned upside down?

  Chapter 13

  Three days later…

  * * *

  Graham shut the trunk of the car and turned around to head back into the house. They had gotten a rental, or rather Dade had gotten them a rental. They needed to turn it back in when they got to Falling Rock. He’d also provided Kate with a driver’s license. It was even in her real name.

  When he stepped back inside to say goodbye to Grayson and Bianca, he found Bianca’s head cocked to one side and her eyes on him. “As soon as I’m strong enough to fully lift my damn head, I’m going to kick your ass,” she stated.

  Graham chuckled as he leaned over her on the couch and gave her a hug. “You couldn’t have kicked anything of mine even before we were preserved. You weigh about a hundred pounds soaking wet.”

  She swatted at his arm as he released her. She was exaggerating. She was getting stronger every day, apparently right on track with the rest of the reanimated.

  Leaving Bianca in the living room, everyone else followed Graham and Kate to the car. While Jerry and Eliza spoke to Kate, Graham turned toward Grayson. “She’ll be fine,” he assured his friend.

  Grayson nodded, his expression serious. “I’m sure she will. A few more weeks of physical therapy will help. She’s impatient.”

  “I understand that.”

  “We all do.” He sighed.

  “Is everything else okay?” Graham asked, reading from Grayson’s expression—the same look he’d had on his face for three days—that something was bothering him. Or perhaps Bianca.

  Grayson ran a hand through his hair. “She’s headstrong.”

  Graham chuckled. “This is news?”

  “Not really. She always was, but things are different now. I’ve been trying to talk her into taking off instead of going back. She won’t have it. She wants to head for Montana as soon as she can walk and join the fray.”

  “Yeah, that sounds like Bianca. She may be small, but she’s no weakling. Why does that bother you? I would think you’d want to get to Montana too.”

  “Yes and no. If it were just me, I’d get in the car with the two of you right now. But Bianca…she’s…”

  “No longer just a coworker and friend?” Graham supplied. They had not discussed the chemistry between Grayson and Bianca. It was palpable, but Graham and Kate had stayed out of their business.

  “Right. At least that’s my opinion.”

  Graham laughed again. “Headstrong.” He sobered. “But seriously, I’ve seen the way she watches you when you’re not looking. She’s into you.”

  “Yeah? Try telling her that.” He r
olled his eyes and slapped Graham on the shoulder. “Speaking of coworkers and friends looking at you…” He lifted an eyebrow. “I’m happy for you. I’ve seen a side of you I never knew existed.”

  Graham shrugged, feeling slightly embarrassed. It was one thing to talk to Grayson about Bianca. He still wasn’t going to win any awards in the relationship department himself. Every day he was winging it. Sure, he’d held his head high and let everyone in the room know he was into Kate, but that didn’t make him a new man. It just made him determined to seize the day.

  Grayson smiled. “Look, I think it’s great. You were always so timid. I’m happy to see you out of your shell a bit. Kate’s a great woman. Anyone can tell your feelings are reciprocated.”

  “Yeah, well, as long as she continues to find my geeky jokes cute, it’s all good.”

  Grayson laughed. “She will. Don’t worry. You two drive safely. And be careful inside that bunker. Watch your back.”

  “I will.” Graham turned to face Jerry and Eliza as they stepped to his side of the car. He hugged them both. “Thank you so much. For everything.”

  Eliza smiled warmly. “Be safe.”

  Moments later, Kate was behind the wheel with Graham in the passenger seat, and they pulled away from the mountain home that had welcomed them when they most needed it.

  “How far is it?” Graham asked.

  “About two hours. We’ll be there by noon.” She glanced at him. “You ready for this?”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be.” He’d learned everything he possibly could about the latest computer software in the past three days, most of which had come from Eliza and Jerry since everyone else in the safe house had only existed in this decade for either three days or three months.

  Once he’d gotten reacquainted with the newest technology, he’d also gotten in touch with Spencer-the-hacker several times. Spencer had given him instructions about how to download the data once he arrived at the bunker.

  “I hope you can act like a sick man, because you’re not remotely sick.” She visibly shuddered.