Blackout
Page 61
Page 61
She pointed to the bathroom, where Jack was coming out of the door. He looked concerned. He’d been listening.
“I know you did,” Aubrey said. “I just—I don’t know if this is—”
Laura grabbed Aubrey’s wrist and began to squeeze. It felt like the bones were grinding together, and Aubrey let out a yelp.
“Stop it,” Jack said.
“What the hell do you people want from me?” Laura said, still crushing Aubrey. “I’m trying to help you. Haven’t I always tried to help you?”
It was hard for Aubrey to talk through the pain. “Are you trying to help us?” she wheezed. “Or are you using me because you can’t get in there yourself?”
Laura’s eyes widened, and she released the grip. Aubrey immediately disappeared, slipping away from the table.
“Maybe you can talk some sense into her,” Laura said to Jack, glaring at the empty space where Aubrey used to be.
“Let’s all calm down,” he said, looking only at Laura. “Aubrey’s sticking her neck out for you. I think it’s only fair that she ask some questions. ”
“There’s a difference between asking questions and making accusations,” Laura snapped. She grabbed her hamburger and took another huge bite.
Aubrey sat down at the table across the aisle and reappeared. Laura glared at her.
“Listen,” Jack said. “We can work together, or we can split up right here. It’s your choice, Laura. But if we’re going to work together—if we’re going to be a team—then we all have to be on the same playing field. ”
“So what do you want to know?” Laura snapped. “Am I lying? After everything I did for you guys, you want to know if this is a big con?”
“For starters,” Jack said, “you can swear on whatever you love most that you won’t touch Aubrey again. ”
Laura laughed darkly. “Or what?”
“Or we’re gone, and you can do this all on your own. ”
“Fine,” Laura said. “And in exchange I’d like a little bit of trust. I think I’ve more than proved myself to you. I don’t deserve this crap. ”
Jack looked at Aubrey and she stared back at him. Jack didn’t look certain—didn’t seem like he knew what to do.
“Fine,” Aubrey said. “We’ll help you, and we’ll work together. But that doesn’t mean I trust you—not after what you did. ”
Laura took the final bite of hamburger and chewed slowly as she eyed Aubrey.
“Fine. ”
FIFTY-THREE
THERE WAS A PROTEST OUTSIDE Camp Parks. Jack could see tents in the distance—the camp was another quarantine/training facility, and the angry mob at the fence were parents and family.
Well, they didn’t seem angry anymore. The protest was weak and tired, with families sitting in camp chairs and talking among themselves, only getting angry and yelling when a Humvee or armored vehicle went in or out of the gate. A few people held signs—“Give us back our children!” and “Rest in Peace: US Constitution”—but the wind seemed to be taken out of their sails. And, Jack guessed, anyone in those vehicles wasn’t very important. There was a steady stream of helicopter traffic—those were probably all the special forces teams, all the VIPs.
Jack stood back from the fence, wearing a woolen winter cap to hide the bandage around his head. It wasn’t that cold in California, but he didn’t look entirely out of place or suspicious.
And he listened. He listened to the patrols, the radio chatter as they monitored the fence. There was no mention of him, which was good. He didn’t know if there were wanted posters out for the three of them, but he hoped the hat would help with that, too.
Farther inside the base it was a mess of noise—talking from the quarantine zone, radio blasts from somewhere inside the buildings. Phone calls, arguments, orders given and orders received. A lot of “yes, sir” and “no, sir. ”
He stood outside that fence for hours, shifting his focus from one building to the next, room to room, listening for any mention of ODA 9128, Dan’s team. Somewhere in the suburbs behind him, Aubrey and Laura sat in the car, not speaking to each other and waiting for him to give them news.
In a way, he was relieved. If they couldn’t find Dan, then that would still keep the odds in Jack and Aubrey’s favor. He still wasn’t sure if that mattered, but it felt like it did. After the way Laura had acted at the McDonald’s the night before, Jack was nervous around her. She wasn’t who he wanted to be on the run with.
He just didn’t know where else to go. At least she seemed to have a plan, which was more than what he and Aubrey had.
Mexico was looking more enticing. They could go there and live completely off the grid—live like kings. They’d be criminals—they’d have to live on whatever Aubrey could steal until they could get on their feet, but that’s no worse than what they were doing now—stealing cars and wallets and breaking into abandoned homes.
But he had his family to worry about. The US could fall into ruin and he might find safety in Mexico, but what would happen to his mom and dad? They ran the thrift store, after all; they hardly had any income as it was—they’d be hurting really bad now that people moved into a survivalist mode: no one would be giving them donations, and no one would be spending money.
Going back to them wouldn’t solve anything. It would just be one more mouth to feed. If it was true that Laura, Dan, and Alec had stockpiled supplies, then he could take care of himself and Aubrey at least, and if things went well then he could help his family, too.
“—the 9128 is on their way out there right now. ”
Jack’s focus narrowed instantly on a blocky, two-story building, an upstairs room.
“They’re not going to be there in time,” a woman’s voice said.
“It’s the best we can do. Besides, the place was evacuated weeks ago. ” It was a man. He sounded tired.
“It’s San Francisco City Hall. It’s a national landmark!”
Jack started walking away, back to the car.
“Do you think that matters now? They’re hitting landmarks because all the important targets are either hit or guarded too tightly. ”
“So we should just give up on it?”
“I told you,” the man said, “9128 is on their way out there right now. ”
Jack broke into a jog.
“Isn’t the 9128 the one that accidentally destroyed the Dumbarton Bridge? With Lambdas like these, who needs terrorists?”
“I don’t need to remind you,” he said, “at this point, our goal is not to save monuments and buildings. Our goal is to find and destroy these terrorist cells. If city hall comes down, so be it. Besides, how big of a deal can it be? I’ve never heard of it. ”
Jack broke into a run. He’d only ever seen San Francisco on maps, but he knew they were on the wrong side of the bay. Hopefully the roads were as empty as the city seemed to be.
FIFTY-FOUR
THE CAR RIDE WAS TAKING forever.
Laura sat in the backseat with the smartphone, keeping an eye on the battery. She didn’t have a charger, and it was already down to half power.
Military targets. That was what she was after. Military targets she could hit with Dan. And, maybe if Jack and Aubrey were dumb enough, they’d help out. Alec had always thought Laura was the dumb one, but she’d played these two kids easily. They had a common enemy, and Laura had slipped into a position of authority—she was the oldest, the most powerful. And they were scared; they were scared of her, but they were also looking for someone to tell them what to do.