by Jason Keizer
Peter gives a large, toothed smile. “Dat sure sounds like a deal. I'll take Y'all over to the generator.”
The four men start walking towards a large shed housing the generator. James stops, turns around and runs to his truck. He digs in the back compartments and pulls out the three radios. He jogs to catch back up with the group. When they get in the shed, James hands the chargers over to Peter.
“Thanks,” Peter says. Then adds, “Keeps goin in an out. Can't figure out why.”
Henry opens the engine compartment of the generator and looks around. Oliver moves over to the control panel and takes a look. “Got it,” says Oliver, who quickly runs out of the shed.
Henry closes up the engine compartment and says, “Well, that was easy.”
Peter looks over at James and asks, “Is that one of dem rain man people? Cause he seem a bit odd, and then how he figure that out so fast?”
James shakes his head and with a small laugh. “Well maybe. He is one of the smartest people I know, but he has this thing about strangers and keeps his distance. He is a super genius when it comes to machines.”
“Well, I’m jest happy he gon be able to fix it. Guess I'll be goin an getting your drinks then.” Peter walks out of the shed.
Oliver runs back in and starts his work on the generator. A minute or two later he closes up the control panel and turns the generator on. Lights turn on outside. Sounds of people giving small cheers can be heard coming from outside.
Peter walks in with three bottles of clear liquid in his arms. “Oh man, we sure owe Y'all one. Damn thing been going in and out for the last week or so. Think you could tell me what was wrong wit her,” he asks as he hands a bottle to each team member.
Oliver nods and just says, “One of the leads on the circuit boards was broken, I replaced it.”
Peter nods his head as he leads the men out the shed and says, “Ok den, I guess. Here, I'll show Y'all to the rooms.”
After the team gets settled in, they all meet up in James' room. Sitting on a dusty table are three small glasses with a little bit of the whiskey from Serra City in it. Each man picks up their glass and holds it in the air.
James starts off their toast, “Another day down.” Oliver chimes in, “Another ahead.” Henry's next, “We drink for the living.” All three together, “And we tap for the dead.” The three men tap their glasses together, then tap them on the table, before taking their shots.
“Today was an easy day. Don't expect that to keep. The further north and west we go, the worse shit is. Good job and thank you, brothers,” says James.
Henry nods his head and says, “That is what family is for. You guys have a good night.” Henry turns from the table and walks out of the small room.
Oliver looks down at the table, then over to James. He asks, “Would you like to send a call out to Dr. Stone? I know it has to be hard coming so far back out this way deep into Skullnik territory. Might help you keep calm.”
James shakes his head. “I should be okay. I know you guys worry about me, and I thank you for that, but I will talk to her in the morning before we head out.”
Oliver nods his heads and says, “Ok then. Sleep well. 'Til tomorrow brother.” James nods his head as Oliver turns and walks out the door.
James walks over to the window and opens the shades. Besides a couple of bedroom lights and a few lights by the gates, it is pretty dark in the town. James looks out into the vast night sky as the Stars shine brightly through the clear skies. A satellite soars through the air and catches his attention. His eyes follow it until it jumps behind the moon. As he stares at the moon, he feels a small sense of hope, of warmth, in himself, and in the world.
Four
Meanwhile, in Serra City:
A door closes. Inara opens her eyes and looks around. She sits up on the bed and stretches her arms above her head. A large smile fills her face as the thought of James telling her he loves her for the first time fills her head.
She throws the blanket off of her, revealing one of James’ shirts, as she hops out of bed. A hand covers her mouth as she lets out a long yawn. She picks her clothes up off of the floor and places them on the bed. She slips out of the long black t-shirt and tosses it into an empty laundry basket. As she hums to herself, she puts on her underwear and dress from last night.
Once she is done getting dressed, she straightens up the bed for when James returns. She stops in the kitchen and grabs a small piece of paper, scribbles a note on it, and places it on James’ pillow. She grabs her white lab coat and heads out the door.
Inara stops by her place only a few blocks away to get ready for work. Her apartment is very similar to James'. Most houses are on the outskirts of the city, leaving only apartments to live in downtown near the tower. She walks through the door and sets her keys in a small bowl sitting on the kitchen counter to the right. Inara grabs a remote from the kitchen table and turns on the tv, bringing up a news channel.
Thanks to a recent mission and a couple reporters, they get about twenty channels now. Two news channels and the others are just reruns of old shows and movies. Inara heads to the bathroom on her left, in between her two bedrooms. She places her purse on the sink, strips off her clothes, and hops in the shower.
A couple of minutes into the shower, her phone rings. She leans out of the shower and wipes her hand on a towel. She grabs the phone from her purse, and sees, “Mercy” displayed on the screen. Inara answers the phone with a quick, “Morning Mercy.”
“Good morning to you as well Ms. Stone. I just wanted to call and let you know that Mr. Matheson and his team have left. They should be out the gate in a few minutes.”
“Thanks Mercy for letting me know. Make sure the team is tracked at all times and send a live stream to my phone and computers please.”
“No problem Ms. Stone. I have already set up the stream on your computers. We will hook your phone in when you get here.”
“Thank you Mercy, you are the best. I'll be in soon. Bye.”
Click.
Inara hangs up the phone, sets it on the sink counter, and continues her shower. After she finishes up, she gets dressed and walks to Serra Tower. The walk is short since she only lives a few blocks away.
Even though the city doesn't have anything in the sense of a landmark besides Serra Tower, and construction is still going on in many parts, Inara loves to walk everywhere and soak in the city. The walk to and from work is one of the best parts of her day, as she gets to greet people with a warm smile and admire the subtle beauties of the city.
A group of children are walking to their elementary school, escorted by a few parents and teachers. Inara stops in the middle of an intersection and waves to them as they pass her. “Good morning Doctor”, a few of them say. Inara greets them with a smile as she bends down a little bit and replies, “Good morning everyone. I hope you have a good day at school.”
After the children pass her, she watches them and hears a little girl say, “When I grow up I want to be like Dr. Stone.”
One of the teachers says to the little girl, “Well, then you must keep to your studies. Being a doctor isn’t very easy. Running a new country is much more challenging as well.”
The smile on Inara’s face widens as she starts a jog to catch up to the children. “Hold on one second please,” she says as she gets closer to the little girl. “I am sorry if I make you all a little bit late, but I thought you should have this. Before I do, could you please tell me your name?”
Inara digs into her right pocket as she bends down to the blonde girl with pigtails. The little girl says, “My name is Jordyn.”
As Inara pulls out her hand from her pocket, she says, “That is a very beautiful name. Just remember Jordyn, one day you can be even better than me. You can have this present to remind you to keep your studies and always do your best.”
She takes her now closed hand out of her pocket and brings it in front of the little girl. Slowly, she opens it up to reveal a small pendant with an a
tom on it.
“This was given to me the day I became a doctor. One day, when you become a doctor, I want you to bring this back to me. Do you think you can do that?”
Jordyn’s face lights up as she grabs the pendant from Inara. “Thank you so much, Doctor Stone. I will bring it back to you one day. I promise,” she says as she leaps forward and gives Inara a hug.
Inara brings an arm around and gives the girl a small squeeze. When the little girl lets go, Inara straightens up, and with a smile that could outshine the sun, says to her, “You are very welcome. Now, how about you all go to school and learn the wonders of the world. Have a great day, all of you.”
One of the teachers loudly says, “Ok kids. I think the doctor has a lot of things she has to do. Let’s get going now.”
The children start walking, and a group of them crowd around and talk to the little girl. A short woman escorting the children stops next to Inara. She says, “Thank you so much, Doctor, for taking time for that.”
Inara, keeping her attention on the children walking away, says, “It is my pleasure. Children are the most precious things we could have. More so in a time like this.” Inara takes a small step back and adds, “I have to get going, though. Plus, I think they might lose you if you don’t catch up.”
The woman gives a small nod to Inara and starts to walk towards the group. She looks behind her and says, “Thank you.”
Mercy is waiting for Inara as soon as she walks through the doors of Serra Tower. She is only 31 years old and stands 5'7''. Her wide shoulders and thin waist hold their frame on long legs. A thin scar under her left cheekbone point to her big and bright eyes, which are a beautiful blue like the ocean itself.
Before the infection, she worked as a tech in a cancer research lab. She tried to make it to the city back when it was named New Washington, but was trapped in a house by Arctics. Then, the uprising of Serra started. Luckily, a small group, led by Inara, saved her on their way to the city. After being saved by Inara, she vowed to always be by her side. Even though she has the title of assistant, she is second in command to Inara, and is also Inara's best friend.
“Doctor, I need your phone to send over to communications for the satellite stream,” says Mercy with a hand held out.
Inara gives her the phone. They start walking through the large lobby towards the elevator doors. As they pass a security desk with three guards and a metal detector, Mercy says, “Also, the head of the Defense Department is in your office. He looked pretty pissed.” Mercy presses the button to call the elevator.
“He is just pissed I sent a three-man team to do something his two recon teams couldn't do and that I didn't ask him. I will handle it,” Inara says as the doors to the elevator open up.
They walk into the elevator and Mercy presses the button for the 12th floor. She turns to Inara and says, “You look a little different today. You always have a little smile on your face, but today it's a bit more than that. I take it you and James had a good night then.”
The smile on Inara's face widens. “Yes, it was an incredible evening, but an even better morning. We can talk about it later after work over at Flynn's.”
The elevator reaches floor 12, and both ladies walk out into a lobby. “I'll head over to the office. You think you can have my phone hooked in by the time I'm done? First beer is on me if you do.” Inara says as she walks to the right down a hallway.
“You could have said that on the elevator so I didn't have to get off. Cheater.” Mercy jokingly says as she jumps back into the elevator and presses the button for floor 18.
At the end of the hall, there is a desk near a door. “Head of Science,” the plaque on the door states. She walks past the desk and enters her office.
In the office, there is a desk and three chairs. The chair behind the desk has a soft black leather finish. The other two chairs, in front of the desk, are made of a black suede material. The desk faces the door and has a wall of windows behind it. To the left of the desk is a door to a personal bathroom. To the right is just a blank wall of blue.
A man is sitting in the chair in front of her desk. He turns his head as Inara walks in. “Morning Doctor,” says the man as he turns in the chair.
He is Serra's head of the Defense Department, General Charles Thompson. He stands around 5'10'' and is around 170lbs. On the front of his SERRA uniform sits a star under the emblem, to show his rank. His black hair is starting to show signs of gray on both his scalp and his chin. Inara sits down in the chair behind her desk.
“So General, what do I owe this pleasure?”
“Who gave you permission to send a contract team out on a secret mission without any of my men or my approval? And you used one of my men for the brief.”
Inara makes it around her desk and slips into her chair. “I needed the Major for details of your team's progress. Also, I gave myself permission. Your team failed and needed an extraction. Plus, my team is looking for tech, which is under my jurisdiction, not yours. I told you my team should have been sent in the first place.”
The General shakes his head and purses his lips. “Inara cut the bullshit. Sending your batty ass boyfriend and his team of crazies was not your call. Next time you go behind my back, I will have you sent in front of the council. I doubt your pull will be able to get you out of this shit.”
Inara pauses for a second as she lets what the General said sink in before saying, “Listen you incompetent dick. Being a member of the council, I ensured the others knew of my intentions and actions on this matter. As for you and your teams, nothing has come from any of your recon teams from what I have been told. If you aren’t able to find someone to get the job done, then I surely will. And yes, my team ran by my bat ass crazy boyfriend, is more than capable of the task at hand. Maybe instead of crying to me about this, you should learn how to effectively utilize your troops.”
The General leans in on the desk, a small vein on his head starts to bulge out. “This is a military extraction, which falls under my realm. Even if it was decided by the council that your team was to go, I should have been notified.”
“Well, consider this your notification then,” Inara leans forward, “My limiting who knows about my teams and their missions is on me. Not telling you was something I didn't feel like wasting my time on. Now, if you don't mind, I have business to attend to.” She leans back in her chair again.
The General stands up from the chair. His face turns red with anger as he stares at Inara. She leans back in her chair and gives him a sly grin. He turns around and heads for the door. Just as he grabs the handle, Inara says, “One more thing General. It's Doctor to you, and don't ever make the mistake of forgetting that again.” The general stops for a second, opens the door, and walks out the office.
Inara turns on her computer and clicks on a folder labeled “Sat feed.” In it sits an icon of a satellite dish that she clicks on as well. A new window pops up. It shows a slightly blurry live video of the team. “That's odd,” She says while looking at the team like a bird in the sky.
The screen shows something running right at them. It must be an Arctic due to its tremendous speed. The team is just standing there. The Arctic starts to slow down. It looks like someone finally shot it. They didn't kill it, though, as it keeps making its way to them, slowing with each step.
She leans forward in her chair. Inara tries to zoom in on the video, but it just gets even more blurry. After a minute or so, the Arctic falls to the ground. She leans back in her chair and turns off the video. She rocks a little in her chair for a moment, utterly confused. The office phone rings, she answers it. Before she can say anything a voice on the line says, “Connecting.” Inara waits as the connection is complete.
“Dr. Stone, this is Oliver. I have exciting news for you.”
“Hey Oliver, how are you guys doing? I was just watching you guys for a bit on the sat feed. What just happened?”
“Checking in on us huh? I guess I should have figured you would. Everything here is fi
ne. Saw an Arctic. Since it was alone, we thought it best to try out the anti-freeze rounds.”
“How did they do? I saw it go down, after a while.”
“Yes, it was very effective. I’m going to have to do more tests to see how long it takes for them to bleed out and what not, but I'll bring you up to speed on it when we get back. We are about to head out. I will give James your regards. Gotta go, bye.”
Click.
Knock knock knock.
“Come in,” Inara says. Mercy walks into the office. She hands Inara her phone. Inara puts it into her pocket.
“The sat feed is all set up for James' team... Are you ok? You look upset. Was he that mad?” Mercy says.
Inara looks at her and pushes out a smile. “I am good, and yes, he was pretty upset with me.”
“Why didn't you just tell him about the mission beforehand? Would have saved you this headache.”
Inara shakes her head and leans back in her chair again. “I don't really know. There is just something about him that doesn’t sit well with me. Never did, even during the uprising.” She shakes her head a little then continues, “But anyways, thank you very much for setting this up.” The fake smile starts to turn into a slight smirk. “Plus, looks like I get a free drink tonight. If only you were a little faster.”
Mercy matches her smirk and jokingly replies, “Well, if someone didn't cheat.”
“It wasn't cheating, it was seizing an opportunity. Let's go check out a couple of the labs and see if they found anything new about the Arctics.”
Inara gets up, and they both head out of the office and back to the elevators. They stop on the sixth floor and go into one of the research labs.
Inside, three men are standing around a table. There is a bright light shining on the table, and you can see wires coming from the sides of it. The wires slide across the floor into a computer. On the screen, there are a bunch of small windows, each monitoring something different.
