Caldera Book 6: New World Order

by Stallcup, Heath

  Hatcher shrugged. “You don’t need to check in with me. If you want to help, go.”

  Cooper gave him a confused stare. “You aren’t keeping track of people who come and go?”

  Hatcher shrugged again. “Why should I?”

  “Well, it just seems to me that if you aren’t keeping tabs on folks, you wouldn’t know if somebody was late getting back. Maybe they run into trouble?” He shook his head slowly. “Maybe somebody we don’t know just walks in off the street…”

  “I think we’d recognize a stranger.”

  Dave leaned against the doorjamb. “Really?” He pointed across the lobby at a heavy set woman pushing a cart. “Who is she?”

  Hatcher glanced at the woman and shook his head. “No idea.”

  “My point.” He pushed off the wall and gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Just something to think about.”

  Hatcher groaned as the grey headed man pushed out of the front door. “You mean one more thing to worry about…”

  Kevin pushed open the lab door and paused. “How early did you two start?” He stared around the lab, already put together and narrowing his eyes at the pair. “You stayed here all night, didn’t you?”

  Carol shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep. New place and all.”

  “I had ideas that I needed to get put down before I lost them,” Broussard replied his attention on the files in front of him.

  “You two are so full of shit.” He slammed the door behind him and fumed. “You just wanted me gone.”

  Carol looked up at him, surprised. “Seriously? Why would we want to get rid of you?”

  “Because. I’m not one of the ‘cool kids.’” Kevin sounded almost whiney.

  She stared at him, open mouthed. “One of the…?”

  The door to the lab opened, interrupting her. The ship’s yeoman stepped into the lab, clinging to his precious clipboard. “I was told you wished to speak with me.”

  Carol pushed away from the table and gave him an award winning smile. “Yes, I just wanted to thank you for all of the effort it must have taken to make the new lab possible for us.”

  He held up a hand. “No need. Captain’s orders.”

  “I see.” She nodded to Broussard who casually worked his way behind the small sailor. “Still, it must have been a huge effort on your part to make it all happen. I just wanted to thank you.”

  “You are most welcome. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have—”

  “Actually,” she began, interrupting him. “I do have some questions that I think you can help me with.”

  He stiffened slightly. “If I can.”

  “When can we expect our coworkers to arrive and return to work?”

  He shook his head slightly, his eyes widening. “I don’t understand.”

  “Well, you see, there were four?” She glanced at Broussard who shrugged. “Perhaps five other researchers who worked in our lab on the Kauffman. I’m sorry I can’t be sure because we often worked different shifts, but I’m certain they survived because they were all on lockdown when Dr. LaRue went on her killing spree.” She stepped closer and gave him her best smile. “I’m just curious when we can expect them back?”

  “I don’t know anything about your friends.” He swallowed hard and nodded to her. “If that’s all, I must be going.” He turned quickly and practically ran into Dr. Broussard. He looked up at the much taller man and gave him a weak smile. “Duty calls, ya know.”

  Broussard shook his head. “Answer the nice lady.”

  The yeoman sighed heavily and turned around, facing her. “I’m sorry, but I honestly don’t know where they went. I know that different people were farmed out to different ships.”

  “Why separate our team, though? Our work builds off each other.”

  “I told you, I don’t know. I don’t make those decisions.”

  Carol nodded, her smile fading. “Then perhaps you could find out.”

  “I don’t answer to you.”

  “Actually, if you and your people want a cure, you do. You need us to do our jobs and we want to know where our people went.” She reached out and straightened the collar on his BDU uniform. “I think that’s a fair trade, don’t you?”

  “But that stuff’s so far above my pay grade that there’s no way I could—”

  “I’m certain that somebody as bright as you can figure out a way to peek inside a classified file or open a computer document and just find out where they went and why…can’t you?”

  The yeoman sighed and gave her a weary look. “No promises,” he glanced behind him to Broussard, “but I’ll try.”

  “That a boy.” Carol patted his shoulder. “I knew you were a bright one the minute you walked in.” She nodded to Broussard who stepped to the side and opened the lab door for the young man. “Have a wonderful day.”

  The yeoman rolled his eyes as he stepped into the hallway.

  “Did you seriously just try to blackmail the Navy?” Kevin chuckled to himself. “What a stupid thing to do.”

  She turned and gave him a hateful glare. “You aren’t concerned about our coworkers and where they may have disappeared to?”

  Kevin shook his head. “I don’t give a rat’s ass about them.”

  Carol nodded, her smile returning. “And what if they’re being treated less than nicely?”

  “Still don’t care.”

  She leaned across the work table and eyed him. “What if it were you instead of them?”

  Kevin paused and gave her a sidelong glance. “I would…uh…I guess I wouldn’t know would I. Because…”

  “Face it,” she pushed past him and reached for a set of beakers, “I’m right and you know it. We need to know what happened to them and why they were separated from us.”

  Kevin shook his head, his eyes rolling again. “If you insist. But I promise you they won’t bring them back just because you tell them to.”

  “As long as they’re safe and being taken care of, I don’t care if they come back. And by the way, Kevin…you’re right about one thing. You’re not one of the cool kids.”

  Trevor opened his eyes. He could feel the sweat dripping off him. He pulled the covers back and gently lifted Patricia’s arm from his chest. He slipped out from under the child and pulled the blankets back up over her tiny body.

  He held his hands out to the side and let the cool air evaporate some of the moisture. “Good heavens girl. You feel like a furnace.”

  He stepped into the bathroom and noted that the tub was nearly two-thirds full, the water a slower trickle than before. He twisted the knob shut and sat on the edge of the tub.

  He knew that the sponge bath would be rather shocking after having slept next to a nuclear reactor but he dipped one of the rags into the chilly water and squeezed out the excess. Even though he expected the chill, he still jumped when the rag first touched his skin.

  He did his best to scrub clean. He double rinsed the rag after washing his feet and armpits. He had taken one of the deodorants that he had pilfered, but he knew that they worked best when starting fresh and couldn’t mask a stench that was already there.

  He glanced at Patricia, making sure she was still in bed, then peeled off his boxers. He gasped when the cold rag touched his nether region but he knew it could be a long time before he got this opportunity again.

  Trevor scrubbed clean then toweled off in the bathroom. He held the towel up to the dim light coming from behind the curtains and saw no obvious dirty streaks. He smiled to himself, assuming he did an adequate job.

  Trevor tip toed past the bed and set his pack on the small dining table. He fished out his clean clothes and dressed in the darkness of the room.

  After he pulled on his boots he dug through the small, pink Hello Kitty backpack that he’d packed for Patricia. He pulled out clean socks and undies then compared the clothes she had worn to what was in the backpack. “Other than a bit of dirt from sleeping on the side of the road, they’re still clean.” He decided she could keep wearing wha
t she had. The longer he could save the fresher clothes, the better.

  He folded her clean clothes and stuffed them back into the pack. He turned to check on her and found her standing behind him, her big, bright eyes staring at him.

  Trevor startled and held a hand to his chest. “Christ, girl! You about did me in.” He sat down clumsily into the chair beside the table and gave her a smile. “You sure stand out in the dark.”

  She simply stared at him.

  Trevor slumped in the chair and studied her. “Do you understand what I’m saying to you?” She remained like a statue.

  “Give me a hug.” He stared at her and she stared back. He sighed then opened his arms. “Give me—” She stepped into his open arms and tucked her face into his chest.

  Trevor held her, rocking back and forth slightly. His mind played through the events of the past few days. To him, it seemed as though her mind processed what she saw, rather than what she heard.

  If he took her hand and pulled, she followed. If he pointed, she looked. If he put food to her mouth, she’d eat. If he opened his arms…

  He pulled her back and stared into her eyes. “Please tell me you understand me.” She stared back at him blankly.

  He pointed to himself. “Trevor.” Then he pointed to her. “Patricia.” She watched his hand but made no effort to speak. “Trevor,” He tapped his chest. “Patricia.” He tapped her chest.

  Nothing.

  Trevor slumped in his chair and gave her a weak smile. “It was worth a shot.”

  She stepped forward and placed her hand on his chest and looked at him. He sat up slowly, his heart hopeful. She pulled her hand back and touched her own chest.

  Trevor nodded slowly. “That’s it.” He held her hand to her chest. “Patricia. Say it with me now…Pa-tri-cia.”

  She looked up at him and met his gaze but her mouth made no effort. He sighed again and gave her a bittersweet smile. “You’re breaking your old man’s heart here, sweetie.” He sat up again and pulled her hand to his mouth. He kissed her knuckles gently and gave her a big smile. “You’ll get it. We just need to have patience.”

  He stood up and walked her to the bathroom. “I know this is going to be really cold, but, we need to finished scrubbing you up. Not to be crude, but you smell like dirty butt. If I can smell you, I know the Ragers can, too.”

  He reached for a clean rag and dipped it into the chilly water. He squeezed it out and placed it into her hand. “Can you do it? Do you remember the last time?”

  She simply stared at him.

  He took her arm, and with the wet rag still in her grip, he began to scrub at her skin. “Like this, see?” He took the tiny soap and lathered the rag. “This helps break loose the grime.”

  He worked with her, going through the motions, scrubbing her little body clean. She began to move her arm without his coaxing and after a few moments, Trevor sat back and watched as she stood on the mat and scrubbed. “You’re getting the hang of it.”

  He reached for another rag and dipped it in the water. He used it to rinse off the soap and she watched, her mind trying to comprehend why he would have her put the white suds on, just to wipe it off. “You don’t want to leave the soap on. It will irritate your skin.”

  He grabbed a towel and laid it by her feet, letting it soak up the water that ran down to the floor. “As hot as you feel I don’t know how you keep from freezing doing this.” He looked up at her and smiled.

  She did her best to emulate his action, her face pulling into a forced smile. Trevor chuckled as he rinsed the soap from her. “We’ll work on it. You’ll be smiling at everyone before you know it.”

  She lifted her foot and stepped into the tub. Trevor stepped back, waiting to see what she would do next and was shocked when she sat down. The splash soaked his arms and he laughed, shaking the water from his hands. “Yeah, yeah. I had a dog that used to shake water at me.”

  She smiled and this time it wasn’t forced. She splashed the cold water and he hopped back to keep from getting wet. “Okay, silly girl…” he gave her a mock mean face, “…knock it off or—” She threw the wet washcloth at him, causing him to fall back into the doorway.

  He froze when he heard her squeal. He stared disbelievingly at his little girl playing in the bathtub and laughing. He sat up and wrapped his arms around his knees. “You play all you want, Peanut.” He leaned against the doorjamb and watched her. “I’ll be right here.”

  Chapter 16

  Roger grabbed Hatcher by the arm and pulled him toward his office. “What the hell?”

  “Sit down.” Roger pointed at his chair.

  “Something wrong?”

  Roger leaned out the door and nodded. Hatcher raised a brow when Vicky, Candy, Hank and the new guy, Cooper, stepped into his office, making the space feel really small, really quickly.

  “We need to talk, Daniel.” Vicky pulled a chair out and sat across from him.

  Hatcher raised a brow at her. “What is this? A coup?” He glanced to Candy. “You can take the reins whenever you want.”

  Candy crossed her arms and stared at him.

  “Sorry, buddy.” Roger sat on the desk and toyed with a stapler. “This is more of an intervention.”

  Hatcher chuckled as he sat forward. “Sure it is. Everybody back to work.”

  Vicky pushed him back into his chair. “You’ve been a negative Nancy lately. And we’re not the only ones who are picking up on it.” She lowered her eyes and sighed heavily. “Danny, the people can sense it from you and it’s making them uneasy.”

  Hatcher slumped in his seat. “I’ve told you all what’s going on.” He shrugged. “I just have this really uneasy feeling that we’re missing something. Something important. I can’t shake it.”

  “Be that as it may,” Candy began, “it’s got to stop.”

  Hatcher clenched his jaw and fought the urge to yell. He took a deep breath and tried to look each of them in the eye. “Look, guys…it’s just a feeling. Maybe it’s unwarranted, but my gut rarely fails me.”

  “Change isn’t easy, man.” Cooper pushed off of the doorframe. “Trust me. When the world took a shit on itself, I was pretty messed up. I didn’t want to hook up with Simon and his dirtbags…” He trailed off, glancing at Roger. “No offense.”

  “None taken.”

  “But it was a necessary change. Now we got this.” He swung his arms expansively. “This is like heaven compared to living out of tents and camper trailers.”

  “I understand that, but I have this nagging feeling that—”

  “We get it.” Hank interrupted. “But the truth is, you walking around here nervous as a cat is rubbing off on folks. You’re making them feel that this is all temporary and they need to feel that we can put down roots.”

  Hatcher hung his head and nodded slowly. “I understand.”

  “So, even if you still feel all weird about it, you need to hide it. For their sake.” Hank stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Seriously, man. Take a chill pill, learn to relax a little. Let yourself live.”

  Hatcher nodded, hoping that agreeing with them would get them out of his office sooner. “Understood.” He looked up at Candy. “We done now?”

  She huffed and came to her feet. “Yeah, I guess, as long as you take to heart what we’re saying.” She stepped closer and gave him a quick hug. “Trust me, Hatch, if we see something that looks even remotely like a security risk, we’ll let you know.”

  Will Stanton knocked lightly on the door frame. “Sorry to interrupt your meeting, but I’d like you to look at something.”

  Hatcher came to his feet almost too quickly. “If you’ll all excuse me, I really need to take care of this.”

  Roger snorted. “You don’t even know what it is he’s talking about.”

  Hatcher shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. It’s important.” He rushed from his office and gave Will a pat on the back. “I owe you one.”

  “Okay…” Will had no idea why, but he�
��d accept it. “We moved the security cameras and there are two that aren’t exactly made for exposure to the weather. I created a box of sorts to keep them from being rained on, but I fear it may not be enough.”

  “Hey, if you think it will work, I’m sure it’s just fine.”

  “Still, I’d rather you sign off on it first.” He pointed to the closest camera mounted near the gate. “Since there is another on the front entry that can be angled this direction, I felt it a decent risk to mount the first one here. We can always try to use the other as backup.”

  Hatcher stepped closer and peered at the contraption. “What is that?”

  “It’s a vinyl downspout. I cut it slightly longer than the camera and sealed the end cap using silicone. Since the camera is at a downward angle, nothing short of gale force winds will reach the unit itself.”

  Hatcher gave him a crooked grin. “That’s pretty ingenious, Will.”

  “Thank you.” He pointed to the far end of the wall. “We did the same with the other one. Regardless, they should be operational.”

  Hatcher shrugged. “I see nothing wrong with this.” He turned and gave the man a curious glance. “You wanted me to sign off on this?”

  Will refused to meet his gaze. “Not exactly.” He pointed behind him. “We ran into a slight problem with the watchtower.”

  Hatcher’s curiosity was piqued. “What happened?”

  Will led him to the courtyard and stifled a smile. Kids were climbing all over the “fort” while the men continued to build the supports that the structure would sit on. “Since there really isn’t much in the way of playground equipment for the kids at a retirement home…”

  “Like ants to a picnic.” Hatcher chuckled and gave Will a shrug. “Any chance you can correct this obvious lack of planning on my part?”

  Will nodded. “It may be crude…” He snorted, “Heck, by modern standards it might even be dangerous. But I’m sure we can come up with something to occupy youngsters.”

  Hatcher allowed himself a heartfelt smile as the children squealed and chased each other through the wooden fort. He patted Will’s arm. “Maybe we can raid a park. Steal some real equipment for them.”