by Penn Gates
“That’s weird as hell,” Cash says quietly.
“I know, right?” Andy’s voice has a far off quality, like he’s describing a vision rather than a memory.
Cash stands up and stretches. “Doc, I gotta get me some shuteye before mornin’. You should, too.”
“I’ll be along in a minute,” she says.
She knows she should probably leave with Cash, but her curiosity gets the better of her as it always does. Andy Bono is still in some sort of trance state. She waits until he shakes himself and looks around. “Sorry. Whenever I think of that time - well - I sorta zone out. Don’t know why.” He stands politely. “I’ll walk you back to—”
“I’ll be fine,” she says. “Your tent’s right here - and you don’t need to walk me a few yards. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He looks doubtful. “You really shouldn’t roam around in the dark alone. Some of these guys are borderline sociopaths.”
“I’m not,” Lisa says. “Alone, I mean. My guardian angel watches over me from on high.”
CHAPTER 39: The Last Mile
Lisa gazes at the brilliantly lit building. After two years of living in the new dark age, the CDC complex looks almost like an alien space ship hovering in the darkness over the blacked out city.
She’s standing in the parking lot of the Fox5 Atlanta TV studio - the last place she ever thought she’d be - as she studies what she hopes is still the epicenter of immunology. She bites her lip nervously and immediately reprimands herself. She never realized how much of a nervous habit it is until Peltz explained to her it’s a tell. If I played poker with you, he said, I’d win every time. It’s the kind of thing she needs to be aware of in the future, surrounded by people she doesn’t know.
She’s dwarfed by the station’s massive broadcasting tower fifty feet behind her. She would not have remembered that she could see the thing clearly from her one-bedroom apartment if Nix hadn’t teased it out of her brain. How can I see the pages of every book I’ve ever read, hear the words of every lecture I ever sat through - and yet forget the small details of everyday life? Have I always been that oblivious to what’s going on around me?
Lisa turns and raises her eyes upward along the towering metal framework Cash and Michael have just scaled. She can no longer see them, but she knows they’re as close to the top as they can get, scoping out the area around the CDC with the help of night vision glasses.
Her mind returns to the minutes just before she’d left the camp. She’d thought she had accepted the reality that she was about to jump into the unknown and leave behind everything she loved. It was at that moment she realized that in spite of their nights together, she had not told Ed the most important thing of all.
“Andy,” she’d said to the newsman. “Do you have a scrap of paper - maybe a pencil handy?”
He’d smiled wryly as he handed her a scrap of brown paper - the kind they used for fast food orders - and the nub of a pencil. It was too small to hold more than a few words - but that’s all the space she needed. Ed - Always remember I love you. Lisa
She has that scrap of paper in her pocket still - the one over her heart. When the time comes, she’ll hand it to Cash Hatfield to be delivered. The thought makes her feel a little better.
She consciously shifts her attention to her own mental recon - the labs and offices, the maze of corridors. About that she remembers every detail. She’d practically lived on-site for the year she worked there, returning to her impersonal apartment only to shower and change clothes - and maybe grab a few hours sleep.
She hears the clang of boots on metal as someone climbs down from the steel girders and drops to the ground.
“You wonderin’ what’s goin’ on over there as much as I am?” Cash asks.
“I’m probably wondering more,” Lisa replies. “I can’t see any details - just a whole lot of electricity being wasted.”
She likes this man - and trusts him - but there’s something about him that’s different since they arrived in Atlanta. He seems more dangerous - in the way a loaded gun with a hair trigger is dangerous.
When he makes no further comment, she adds nervously, “What did you see from up there?”
“Lotsa armed soldiers guardin’ the place.”
Lisa wonders if he can hear her teeth chattering. She clamps her jaws together and wills herself to become still. I don’t want him to know how afraid I really am, she thinks. I can do this! I know I can.
“Listen here, doc. All of us get nervous before a mission - but trust me, once it starts, you forget everything else and just do it.”
She bites her lip again, hoping that Hatfield doesn’t see the nervous tic. Fat chance, she thinks. The man can see in the dark like a cat.
“The first day I walked through those doors,” she says, “I was confident I knew what the CDC’s mission was, and I wanted to be a part of it more than anything else in the world.” She clears her throat. “I want to believe their mission is the same today. But - why is the army there?”
Cash shrugs. “Other than the military bases, that complex is now probably the most valuable real estate in Atlanta. The fact they’re investin’ the resources to keep the lights on kinda hints that whatever’s goin’ on is damn important.”
Lisa changes the subject, not sure she wants to think about the army’s motives just before she walks through the doors of that building. “I didn’t realize the complex was built on such high ground. It never seemed that way to me before.”
“It’s not. We’re standin’ on lower ground.” Cash points toward the black expanse between them and the glowing building.
“Out there is piney woods and dirt. I bet it turns into a swamp durin’ the wet season.” He laughs and jerks a finger behind them. “The guys who built this TV station wouldn’t have cared about that. They had the technology to go high no matter what ground they built on.”
It starts to drizzle and Cash says, “Why don’t you go on inside where it’s warmer, maybe grab a nap if you can. I’m gonna have a smoke first.”
For a second after she steps inside the TV studio, Lisa can see nothing until her eyes adjust enough to spot a dim glow in a far corner of the cavernous space. The next moment her heart lurches as she catches a glimpse of a bulky figure from the corner of her eye. She cries out before she realizes it’s only a large TV camera, looming like a giant robot in the dark. Something smaller moves next to it.
“Don’t freak out,” a voice whispers. “It’s just me - Andy. How do you like the studio?”
“I really haven’t had time to think about it,” Lisa tells him. “In fact, I can barely see in here.”
“Follow me back to the offices,” Andy says.
Lisa feels guilty for being short with him. Andy’s knowledge of the area and the inside of the TV studio made him useful, and he hadn’t hesitated when he was asked to come along.
“I’m really grateful that you’re here,” she says.
“No problem,” he says. “Mind the cables. They’re all over the floor.”
In what looks like a conference room, Hatfield bends over the large sheet of paper on a long table, and Lisa notices beads of water glistening in his hair. It’s still raining out there, and Atlanta can get heavy storms this close to winter. Remembering his description of the terrain they must slog through tonight, she tries not to think of snakes and other creepy things flooded out of their holes.
“Take a look, doc,” Cash calls to her.
Hatfield stabs at the paper with an index finger. “Here’s where you and I are gonna take a stroll in a little while.”
Lisa can sense that Andy is peering over her shoulder as she tries to make sense of a small rectangle and a much larger one, separated by blank paper. “I’m guessing those squares are the TV studio and the CDC,” she says hesitantly. “And that white space between must be the black space you pointed out.”
“The scrub will make great cover.” Cash sounds confident of his plan. He adds a series of dots
across the empty white expanse. “That’s our path,” he explains, then draws a long perpendicular line near the base of the CDC complex, crossing it with a series of evenly spaced lines.
Lisa can see that it’s a crude representation of train tracks, but for some reason it looks more like sutures holding a wound together. She suddenly feels queasy.
Cash notices - because this guy notices everything. But he sounds genuinely concerned when he says, “If you got some phobia about railroads, tell me now.”
Lisa forces herself to smile. “Nope,” she says brightly. “Couldn’t care less - as long as there’s not a train barreling down the tracks.”
Cash drops into a chair. “I been thinkin’ about our talk outside just now,” he says. “And it seems to me there’s a hefty chance the military has taken over the CDC.”
Lisa doesn’t respond, mainly because she’s not sure what he’s getting at - but her body reacts independently, as if she’s just been physically threatened. She waits to see if he’s going to elaborate. She’s not at all sure she wants him to.
“That don’t necessarily mean it’s a bad thing,” he adds. “But it’s worrisome.”
“You’re not suggesting I forget about getting into the CDC - are you?”
“Hell, no - but I’m a firm believer in a backup plan.” Cash leans forward. “I don’t want you to find yourself in a situation you can’t get out of.”
“There’s a signal the guys use when they come down here,” Andy pipes up. “In case somebody gets separated and can’t get out of the city again.”
“Tell me,” Cash says, turning to him expectantly.
Andy bends over the sheet of paper and begins to sketch in some lines. He’s one of those people who sticks his tongue between his teeth while concentrating on a task. To Lisa, he looks like a kid drawing a crayon picture.
“This street runs straight north,” he says as he draws two parallel lines past the CDC building, almost to the upper edge of the paper. He draws several long rectangles there. “Sorry, I’m not sure just how far you got to go, but keep an eye out for one of those big storage facilities.” He draws a line around the rectangles. “Fence,” he mutters. He looks up at Lisa. “See, here’s the gate and then you just keep going straight between these two buildings ’til you get to the end.” He draws an X. “This unit is a place to hide - it should be unlocked.” The pen point moves to the fence just beyond the hiding place. “Soon as you get there, you need to tie a white plastic shopping bag to the top of this fence, right next to the gate.”
“And where would I find a white bag?” Lisa asks. She’s really getting scared now, and it’s making her angry at herself and everyone around her.
“The guys usually go on supply runs once a week or so,” Andy tells her, ignoring her question. “You might have to wait for a few days, but they’ll keep an eye out for that signal.”
“I won’t need it,” Lisa decides.
“But you sure as hell better remember it,” Cash growls.
THANKFULLY IT’S STOPPED raining by the time they’re ready to leave. Cash looks her over critically. “Best stuff your jeans into the tops of your boots.”
Seeing her expression, he laughs. “Just SOP,” he says. “Standard Operating Procedure.”
“You think I don’t know what SOP means after living with the military for two years?” she snaps.
“My mistake.” But he’s not done making suggestions. “We need to fix you up with a strap.”
Lisa shifts the hazmat cooler to get a firmer grip. “For what?”
“That lunch box you’re haulin’,” Cash explains. “You’ll need both hands free when you approach the buildin’ - so the guards can see you don’t have a weapon.”
Before she has time to think about what that means, he adds, “If you haven’t already, put your ID in your breast pocket. That way you can grab it quick and have it ready when you step into the light.”
“Now you’re scaring me,” Lisa whispers.
“I want you to be a little scared, doc,” he growls as he smears some sort of black stuff under his eyes. “It means you understand that you’re walkin’ into the unknown.” His tone softens a little. “Just common sense to be ready for anythin’.”
“They’ve got to be doing research on Geezer - what else could it be?” Lisa asks reasonably.
He shrugs. “Biological warfare? Hell - it’s anybody’s guess. Maybe they’ll use your shit for a vaccine and keep it for themselves.”
This is not something Lisa wants to dwell on at the moment. She’s got to believe that no matter what happens next, the world will ultimately benefit - one way or another.
“We go beyond what we think we’re capable of these days,” she murmurs, “Or the human race won’t survive, and cockroaches shall inherit the earth.”
“There’s a thought puts the whole thing in perspective,” Cash says wryly. “By the way, do you have any idea how you’d get out of that place if you had to?”
She struggles to keep her voice from wavering. “There was a certain fire exit. A few of the younger techies used to sneak out for a cigarette, and one boasted that they’d disabled the alarm.”
Intense green eyes stare at her from his blackened face. “That’s it?”
She tucks her wild red hair into a black knit cap. “It’s all I’ve got.”
Hatfield touches his sidearm and checks for the knife on his belt before he pulls on a black ski mask, and suddenly he seems like an insubstantial shadow. Trailing behind him, Lisa stumbles over the muddy, uneven ground. The distance between the two buildings hadn’t seemed far at all on paper. Now, it seems to take at least two lifetimes.
When they finally get within sight of the entrance - and the armed sentries guarding the expanse of glass and steel - Cash motions Lisa to come forward and stand next to him.
He puts his mouth close to her ear and hisses, “Clean off the mud on your boots and pull your jeans down over them as much as you can - don’t want to make it easy for ‘em to guess you have ties to the military.”
Lisa puts her back pack on the ground and sits on top of it before she begins to scrape away the muck with a stick. As she leans forward to see what she’s doing, she concentrates on taking the cool night air deep into her lungs to quell the fear which threatens to immobilize her. She says a quick prayer for courage - because she’s beginning to think that Margaret might be right about that. If there’s a spiritual power source available, even if it’s located somewhere invisible to the average human, why not plug into it?
“Okay, I’m ready,” she says standing up. “But I have one last favor to ask.” She takes the scrap of paper out of her shirt pocket along with her ID. “Please give this to Ed.”
He takes it without comment and whispers, “I’ll be right here in case they give you any shit - and Michael’s watching from the com tower. Remember - he never misses.”
Lisa fights the urge to turn and run. You might be on the verge of saving the rest of humanity, she reminds herself. Or, they may be way ahead of you. They’ve got the resources and the best minds in the world. In any case, you’re here now to help.
“Go!” Cash urges with a hand to her back. “Now—”
And then she steps into the street and walks toward the brightly lit entrance, her hands high above her head.
There’s no hesitation on the sentries’ part. They point their weapons at her. “Stop where you are! On your knees!” they shout.
Lisa’s fear vanishes in a tidal wave of outrage. How dare they treat her like she’s a terrorist! Before she can tell them so, a soldier who looks no more than 18, reaches for her hazmat cooler.
“Don’t touch that, you idiot!” Lisa orders imperiously. “Are you really going to let loose this Pandora’s box of viruses in the middle of the city? Really? When we’re no more than twenty feet from the Centers for God-damn Disease Control!”
The kid freezes.
Lisa puts down her hands and concentrates on projecting authority.
“I demand to speak with your commanding officer!” She draws herself up to her full height and looks down her nose at the soldier. “Tell him that Dr. Lisa Terrell of the CDC is here on urgent business!” She waves her ID card in his face for emphasis.
When he still hesitates, she snaps, “Go! Do it now!” And, amazingly, he does.
CHAPTER 40: Inside The Mother Ship
Lisa still can’t believe it’s this easy to get into the CDC building. She’s quickly ushered into a small office directly off the gleaming glass and chrome lobby - or more precisely, a cubbyhole tucked behind the elevator shafts. The lieutenant in front of her is not much older than the soldier she sent to fetch him. Does he even shave yet? she wonders, trying not to stare at his smooth chin.
He silently points to a chair, but Lisa doesn’t move. If he can’t treat me with respect, she seethes, I’ll remain standing until he does.
He tries staring her down, but Lisa looks into his eyes without blinking.
“Please have a seat,” he says finally.
“Why, thank you,” she answers and sinks into the chair gratefully. She’s won this round, but her legs are shaky.
The lieutenant takes his place behind a desk and steeples his fingers in front of his face. “Do you want to tell me what you’re doing here?” His voice is high - from nerves? Or because it hasn’t changed yet?
She bites her lip to stop a smile. Don’t screw things up. Be respectful. Don’t tell him you outrank him - even though you’re dying to. That would be a bad, bad idea. The doctor on a pedestal thing you were bitching about not that long ago - it just might command his respect. If he finds out you’re part of an Army National Guard unit, you could be the one court-martialed.
Lisa clears her throat and brushes an imaginary bit of lint off the knee of her jeans. “I’ve been trying to do just that since I arrived here,” she says disdainfully. “Are you finally ready to listen to what I have to say?”
