As we finished our breakfast, two men came through the door. One was John the army guy who had brought me in, and the other wore a Homeland security uniform. The Homeland guy blew a whistle and yelled, “Grubs over! Time to get to work ladies!”
“Asshole,” Paul whispered under his breath as they stood from the table and started filing out with everybody else. I shrugged to Ben and we both stood as John approached us, weaving his way through the crowd of blue coveralls.
“Hello boys,” the soldier said with a friendly smile. “You’re looking a little less disheveled than the last time I saw you.”
“Thanks,” I said. “It was great to finally have a shower.”
He eyed Ben and I critically. “You could both do with a haircut though.”
I self-consciously ran a hand through my hair.
“Follow me please, you’re coming down to the bottom level for the morning, the Colonel wants to interview you again.”
I wasn’t sure if he meant interview both Ben and I, but apparently we were both going down.
“See you tonight,” I called to Paul, as they filed to the left and we went to the right. He turned briefly and gave me a thumbs up.
I liked Paul, and while I was interested in finding out whatever was going on with his sister, now that we were safe I wanted to get back to the business of being a kid and making friends. Paul was easy to like and also seemed open to making friends outside of his group. It’s strange, but before the Infection, making friends hadn’t been really that important to me. In fact after my family had perished I had actively avoided it, determined to never be close to anyone ever again. The Pyongyang Flu and invasion had changed all of that. It was possibly the only positive I could draw from the whole experience, but I intended to run with it. I had seen firsthand that life was too short to waste alone.
27
Ben and I followed John back to the lobby where we had had been taken to dinner with the Professor. He didn’t acknowledge the Homeland guard patrolling the lobby but nodded to the one by the elevator doors as he summoned the lift. We took the elevator down one floor and upon exiting found ourselves in a more Spartan part of the facility. No paintings or carpet here, it was all polished concrete and bare metal.
As opposed to the middle or Living level, I didn’t see any Homeland Security personnel down here. It was all army, even though the soldiers I did see looked relaxed and weren’t patrolling like the Homeland guys seemed to be. We were led from the main corridor past a desk manned by an older soldier with a grey buzz cut.
“Boys,” he nodded in a friendly way.
I looked over his shoulder into a door opening onto some sort of supply room and I could see weaponry and ammunition stacked on metal shelves. It looked to be a whole lot more than a small contingent in a scientific facility should carry, but I didn’t have a chance to ask a question about it before we turned the corner and entered a long hallway. We stopped at the first door we came to. The brass plate read Col. Randall and I could see another door a little further along marked Situation Room. John gave the door in front of us a businesslike knock.
“Come in.”
John opened the door and stood aside to let us in. Randall was seated behind a small desk, surrounded by stacks of paper. He was wearing a regular camouflage uniform and a cap, and smiled warmly as we entered.
“Isaac, Ben…have a seat, please.”
From my seat I could just make out a framed photograph on the desk. It was a woman about Randall’s age and two younger women who resembled her closely. I assumed it was his wife and daughters, and I suddenly felt empathy for him. It was easy to forget sometimes that everyone in the Facility had lost people they loved. I wondered briefly, but uncharitably about Mr. Ragg’s family, surprised that he’d made such a negative impression on me in such a brief meeting.
“Thank you John.”
Dismissed, John saluted the colonel and promptly departed.
“Okay, talk to me,” said Randall. “How are you lads settling in?”
“All right I guess, sir,” said Ben.
“Good, and what about you Isaac?”
“Pretty good, glad to be out of the cold and eating regularly. So are we here about the discipline we want to pick?”
“Straight to the point, huh? I like that,” Randall chuckled. “Well this is where you give me your preferences, then I take them to the Council and give my recommendation, so no guarantees. If you don’t have a preference, you’ll be slotted into the mining crew by default.”
“What about the girls?”
A look I couldn’t quite work out crossed Randall’s face at my question and he seemed to measure his words before he answered. “The girls are under the jurisdiction of the Professor and his security people. Their role will be decided independently of yours.”
“Why? I’d like to talk to Brooke before I decide what job I take. We might like to work together,” said Ben.
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible. In the main, the females are kept separate to males here at the facility. It was one of the first things the Professor decided when we went dark.”
Ben looked at me, then back at Randall. “Kept separate? What the hell does that mean?”
“Now son,” said Randall, holding up his hand. “I don’t like it any more than you, but that’s what he has ordered. Honestly, I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. Some of the Professor’s methods are a bit…quirky, but he does have the best interests of all of us at heart.”
Randall didn’t seem quite as convinced by his own words as he should, but I didn’t press it. Ben did.
“How can it be good? Separating family…when will I get to see her?”
I immediately thought of Paul’s sister Ava and understanding dawned on me. They had been separated when they arrived in the Facility. But was that why he hadn’t wanted to talk about her? My impression was that it was something more serious than that, even if forced separation was serious enough.
“That’s hard to say, Son…”
I saw Ben’s face turn crimson as he stood up and leaned over Randall’s desk, his rage quite impressive to behold.
“Don’t son me! I’m not your son. You’re a…what are you? A colonel? You outrank everyone here, just order him to let me see her. I want to know what’s going on!”
Randall didn’t answer for a moment. When he did, his voice was calm and measured. “Unfortunately I don’t outrank him. He has absolute authority in this facility and the Homeland Security unit ensure it stays that way. You, like me and the rest of my men, must learn to live with that. It won’t do your sister any good for you to end up in lockup on half rations. The women are kept separated for their own protection. As far as I can tell, they are treated well.”
Again, he didn’t sound convinced and it was only my confidence that Indigo could handle herself and look after the other two that allowed me to keep my own counsel and put a calming hand on Ben’s shoulder. He looked at me and I looked right back into his eyes.
“Sit down Ben, we’ll look into it later. Let’s get this done so we can go and see Luke.”
Ben gave one last defiant look at the Colonel before taking his seat.
“Okay, good… thank you,” said Randall. “I’ll make this as quick and painless as possible. We don’t need any more hands in the custodial or farming roles. We could always do with more miners and I have one place left in security.”
“I’ll take security!” said Ben immediately.
“No offence son…Ben, but you strike me as a bit of a hot head. I need someone with an even temper and good judgment. Isaac, would you be interested?”
Ben suddenly looked regretful and shrugged when I looked at him. “Fair enough point,” he conceded.
“Yes, okay. By security, do you mean with Homeland? Or your guys?”
“Army. The Professor allowed us to augment our force so we can continue to send out scouting parties and keep a standing force here in case of trouble.”
&nb
sp; “So I’ll be going out and scouting?”
“No…not yet at least. You’ll undergo basic training, and initially you’ll be in the facility only. Security details and the like.”
I nodded.
“Good, you’ll start tomorrow morning. I’ll have John collect you from the dormitory at 0600 hours and you can bring your gear down to the barracks.”
Damn, I hadn’t realised it would mean being separated from Ben and also Luke when he was released from hospital.
“Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of down time to visit your friends,” Colonel Randall said, reading the look on my face. “We have nothing down here but time.”
“Okay.”
“So that leaves me with mining then?” said Ben.
“Yes. Are you okay with that?” asked Randall.
“Don’t have much choice, do I?”
28
Ten minutes later we had been brought up from the lower level and into the hospital wing. I had finally started to get some idea of the layout of the facility. If you had been looking down on it with X-ray vision, it would be shaped like a large three dimensional cross, with three layers or levels.
Top level, the one where my group was initially housed, was the science and research level where the Professor and also the Homeland Security detachment resided. The general population was housed in the Midlevel, along with the hospital and the lobby. Lower level housed the army contingent, greenhouses, storehouses and all of the machinery that kept the place operating with fresh air, water and power. Each arm of the cross was referred to as a wing—north, south, east and west—and of course depending on which level one was on, I imagined each had a different function. The hospital was in the south wing on Midlevel.
The soldier who escorted us (who I vaguely recognised from the night we were first brought in) waited outside in the corridor after Dr Radisson had answered the buzzer and led us into his small office.
“Hello boys, you’re looking a little healthier than when I last saw you.”
“How is Luke doing?” I asked.
“Well, why don’t you just wash your hands at the basin and I’ll take you through to see for yourself.”
I felt a buzz of happiness, I had not been confident that we would be allowed to see Luke, even though Professor Leahy had told us it would be alright. We scrubbed our hands and Dr Radisson opened the door. The office opened onto the same room where they had first taken the black bags off our heads. Now Luke occupied one of the beds, hooked up to an IV drip. He appeared to be sleeping peacefully.
The doctor told us quietly that he would leave us alone and gave us a gentle warning not to get the patient too excited. As we stepped up to the bed, I noticed that Luke looked different. Younger and more vulnerable. He had also been cleaned up. They had shaved off his scraggy beard, adding to his more youthful appearance, and his hair had been washed. It had dried into an impossibly fluffy, ginger afro. Smiling, I stepped up beside the bed and as if sensing we were present, his eyes opened and he grinned.
“Who the Hell are you two clean cut dudes and what have you done with Isaac and Ben?”
Smiling, my eyes filled with tears as I remembered the last time I had seen him. I had been absolutely convinced that he was going to die. I wiped my embarrassing tears away quickly and grabbed his proffered hand, leaning over and gently putting my shoulder into his.
“Good to see you awake Luke,” I said. “You were pretty banged up.”
“Yeah, still am from the feel of it.” He winced as he tried to pull himself up in bed a little.
I stepped out of the way so Ben could also get close and shake Luke’s hand.
“Well, for a moment then, I thought the doctor had taken us to the wrong room. I didn’t realize Ronald McDonald had found his way into the Safe Haven too!”
“Fries anyone?” Luke laughed, and patted down his hair self-consciously as we pulled up chairs beside his bed.
Over the next fifteen minutes we filled him in on what had happened since we had arrived in the facility. He was also suspicious of the Professor segregating the women and girls from everyone else.
“You know, he might be some sort of weird pervert. Maybe he wants it to be his own personal harem.”
A similar thought had crossed my mind, but I had dismissed it.
“I don’t think so, he doesn’t appear to be the type. It seems more like some misguided attempt to keep things on an even keel down here. Maybe to avoid conflict or other issues.”
I could see Luke’s mind ticking over. “Maybe he wants them as broodmares?”
“What?” I asked blankly.
“Broodmares, you know, breeding stock. Maybe he sees this place as some kind of Eden? You know, to start the United States over…maybe with a super race!”
“Man, you really do read too many comics,” I said laughing, refusing to admit his comment made me a little uneasy.
He changed the subject. “So what the Hell happened after I handed you the RPG? I don’t remember a thing. You took the chopper down right?”
I shook my head. “No, I missed it completely.”
“No way!” he yelled, then winced and settled back onto the mattress. “Dude you missed it?” I looked sheepish, and regret at his quick words flashed across his face. He patted my shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up, it would have been a difficult shot even for an experienced soldier…or me.”
“No, you’re right, I was our last hope and I missed. I screwed it up bad and could have got us all killed or captured.”
“Well we weren’t killed or captured, right Ben?”
“Of course we weren’t, besides we wouldn’t have gotten to that point without you Isaac.”
“Yeah, I do seem to remember someone carrying me up the mountain, which probably saved my life, so I don’t think missing the shot at the end there is that big a deal.”
Their words did make me feel better, kind of put things in perspective for me. I shrugged off my self-recrimination.
“I only half carried you,” I joked. “Anyway, the Drake Mountain soldiers came out of nowhere, the Chinese had no clue they were there and it was over pretty quick after that.”
“Damn, I wish I could have seen them kick that Chinese ass. Hey, so when do we get to see Sonny?”
“Don’t know, he should be interviewed sometime today I hope. That’s what the Professor promised anyway, we should be able to see him not long after that. How long will you be cooped up in here?”
“The Doc said he’ll get me up and moving tomorrow. It will be only be light walking on the treadmill, but he’s happy with how the wound is looking.”
Almost on cue, the Doctor came back into the room and told us that our time was up. We said our goodbyes.
“Say Doc,” Luke said, as we were heading out. “Isaac and Ben told me that the girls have been segregated to another wing and aren’t allowed to mix. What’s that all about?”
Dr Radisson paused and looked at us. “The Professor deemed it necessary to separate the females from the male population. I don’t really know more than that, except that he seems to think it’s better for the safety and security of all involved.” He was singing the same song that everyone else was, and I couldn’t help the feeling that he also wasn’t letting on all he knew. I couldn’t wait to talk to Paul that night. I knew I’d at least get a straight answer from him, even if he didn’t know a lot.
Luke looked as dissatisfied as me at the answer but held his tongue. “You concentrate on getting better,” I said, pointedly. “We’ll keep you updated about what’s happening.”
“What now?” I asked the soldier, as he led us back towards the Square.
“You have the rest of the day to yourselves. I’ll take you to the Rec rooms, you can play pool or pinball or whatever you want I guess.”
As we walked, I wondered when I would run into the redneck Leroy again. I was sure he would be quite talkative, given that he didn’t seem too bright. I couldn’t believe that he’d been giv
en a position in Homeland security. My first impression was that he didn’t seem like the kind of man who should hold any position of authority. I was curious to know what sort of discipline the mysterious Mr. Ragg might have dished out and exactly what his position in the Facility hierarchy was.
“Okay, here you are,” said the soldier, as we arrived in the square. “Have fun.”
“Will do, what was your name by the way?” I asked.
“Tony Gould.”
“Okay Tony, thanks.”
“What now?” Ben asked as we stood outside the quiet room.
“How about the Rec room? I wouldn’t mind a bit of a work out in the gym or maybe a game of pool.”
“Okay sounds good, although I’m not much of a gym junkie. You know, weights and dumbbells and all…”
I laughed. Dumbbells, I hadn’t heard that word for a long time, and not for the first time it struck me that Ben would have been right at home in one of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five novels. He looked a little indignant at my laughter.
“Sorry, it’s just that no one uses the term dumbbell anymore and it always struck me as a funny word… maybe you can just ride the exercise bike or treadmill? You’re obviously fit, we all are given how much walking and running we’ve done.”
Appeased he said, “That sounds fine.”
We entered the main Rec room, it was empty besides us, and we were approaching the pool table when the door opened behind us. It was Williams.
“The Professor wants to see you now.”
“Oh, okay,” I said and both Ben and I turned to follow him.
“Not you,” he said to Ben. “Just Isaac.”
“Oh.”
“Back soon,” I said to Ben, who looked a little out of sorts at being snubbed.
Williams set off at a brisk pace and I had to run to catch up.
“Is this about Sonny?”
“Don’t know. I’m sure you’ll find out in a few minutes,” he said, without turning to look at me.
America Falls (Book 2): On The Run Page 18
