Scratchy voice soldier said, “I'll say this for them; the new smarter ones definitely freak me out a whole lot less than the original ones did. That's not just because the new ones work with us either.” After a pause he said, “I'll tell you what Billy. We'll drive around the place and see if we come across something suspicious. If we don't then we'll just leave.”
“If we do,” the deeper voice added, “We'll have to go inside and check it out even if it means Billy has to piss his pants.” Laughter rose from the device as the sound of a truck could be heard coming towards the door they had used to gain entry into the building. Eric began thinking that they would notice the weeds being gone from that door and they'd have a fight on their hands after all. From the way it sounded they probably did not have zombies or demons with them but he still did not want to have to deal with it.
Just then the high-pitched voice said, “Hey look that way! There's like four different roads out of here. There are tracks everywhere in that direction so you know we wouldn’t be able to tell one way or the other if they went that way or not.”
“That doesn't mean they went damn-it,” the low voice said. “We should just walk inside and have a look around.”
As they were discussing the point, Eric heard the truck drive passed the door they were standing just on the other side of. He saw the expression of their captive turn to disappointment and watched his head drop. Apparently the young soldier had figured out the same thing that Eric had. The boys in the truck were so busy looking at the roads out of the area that they argued right passed the door that might have given away their hiding place. Now whether or not Eric and Destiny would have a fight on their hands would come down to who won the argument.
The truck could barely be heard as it drove around the far side of the facility but the conversation was ongoing. The scratchy voice said, “We could take a look inside but what's the point? Billy put the zombie dampening device on like a mile radius or something. Let's just turn the fucking thing off.”
“You know what? I like it,” the deep voice commented, “If they left via one of those other exit roads, we'll find them eventually. If they happen to be inside that building, they'll be sorry in about one minute.” There was a small pause before he added, “There we go.”
“Oh holy shit,” Destiny said as she started to look around. “Do they mean what I think they mean?”
Eric knew exactly what it meant as he looked towards the O.A. soldier again and noticed his face looked even more worried and upset than before. The young man jerked at his bonds as if he wanted to be untied. Eric smirked, “You want to be untied so you can fight off zombies or find a gun and kill the two of us?” The man was only able to mumble into the gag that he had stuffed into his mouth so Eric shrugged, “Well, I can't understand you so I guess you'll have to fend for yourself. Good luck staying alive. Don't worry about us though; we were looking for an O.A. soldier to keep prisoner when we found you.”
“Um, Eric,” Destiny said.
Eric looked around, “Yes dear?”
“No time for joking Eric. If you're finished playing with our toy soldier, you might want to look at them.”
Destiny's attention was on the higher sections of the facility. Eric started looking quickly but saw nothing, “Look at who?”
“All of them Eric!” Destiny said as she pulled her sword and took on a fighting stance. Eric was about to call her crazy and then he looked closer. There were so many of them that he failed to honestly take in the situation for a few seconds. Destiny said, “Zombies!”
His own sword now held tightly in his hand, Eric saw them clearly. “It appears to be the original zombies. There aren't demons or cross-breeds in there from what I see. They’re just pouring out of the cracks and shadows like they used to. I guess at least it’s the old kind.”
“Yeah,” Destiny said with a bit of a worried sound to her voice, “I've never fought this many in one place before.”
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Eric said in a masterful way to mask the concern he felt inside, “You just stand and let them come at you then fight them off before they kill you.”
“Not helping Eric.”
“Really,” Eric said again with a playful tone to his voice, “You'll be fine. It’s nowhere nearly as difficult as some of the things you've done. Just keep their heads rolling. If they get too close, give a nice hefty telepathic shove. You'll get the hang of it before they kill you.” A slight whimper sounded from one side as their prisoner crumpled to the floor nearly crying. Eric looked down at him, “Not you though. You're as good as dead.”
It was about time to stop talking big and start getting serious as the mindless zombies were closing in as a group from all sides. Truth be known, Eric couldn't remember a situation with the mindless variety of zombies any worse than this. He wondered briefly why they were all locked in here. Was it like a storage facility for them? What the hell had they stumbled onto? It didn't matter what the facility was supposed to be for the zombies before; it was about to be their coffin.
Chapter 9
There have always been limits to most things in the human life as well as human emotions and the human mind. That was one of the main reasons that Dr. Genesis Cain was so passionate about the goals of Organic Ascendancy. Humanity did not deserve to be reduced to leverage for angels and gods. They should be more than that, better than that and somehow they would be. She would make certain of it no matter what she had to do. Such thoughts were the only thing that eased her troubled mind when she considered what she had just done.
Killing a human being in the name of the ascendancy of the entire human race was no big deal. Dr. Cain had done so more times than she could count and ordered it done monumentally more times than that. The actual act of training a weapon on a person and blowing their brains out from point blank range was not something that would even make her blink. The fact that she had killed her long time friend in cold blood was causing plenty of blinking however. Abel Nichols was a good man. Sadly, the fact of the matter was that he was obsolete. O.A. had changed, had chosen sides. She had made a deal almost literally with the devil himself. That meant that the information Nichols could get from the heavenly realm by whatever means necessary just was not needed anymore.
Still, Cain cared too much for the man to just wash him out to pasture somewhere. Nichols deserved to have a part to play in the end game with the only real foe that humanity had left; the combo of Eric Bayne and Destiny. It pained her to have to treat Destiny like a true enemy in some way but she cared nowhere nearly as much for the legendary O.A. warrior as she had for Nichols. Bayne was different. Every war seemed to have a defining battle led by a legendary general. Bayne was the warrior who would go down in history for fighting longer and stronger than anyone in the history of the human race but sadly doing so for the wrong side.
After all, she who won the war would get to rewrite the history books and Dr. Cain had no other option but to win. She planned for everything and always had. With the help of Terry she had even planned for the eventually zombie virus outbreak itself. One thing she refused to have in any plan however is what to do if she lost. She would not lose, she could not lose. Not now, not when she was so close. Who would have imagined how far humanity would have to go in order to achieve godhood?
It was clear enough that the angelic hosts had never been okay with humanity becoming more than human. It was in history books of all kinds as well as proven historic documents from thousands of years ago. She and O.A. had attempted for years to get to the next level of awareness alone but eventually it became clear that they needed help of someone higher. By default, that group had to be demons. It was a twist on the old adage that if you cannot beat them, you should join them.
O.A. could have beaten anyone, she truly believed that. All she was doing now was creating a situation where she was joining them so she would be close enough to drive a stake through their collective hearts when she was finished using them. Dr. Cain was nobody's foo
l. She knew well that the demons were likely planning to do the exact same thing to them. She had something to drive her will to win that they did not have now, nor had they ever had, nor would they ever have; the human spirit. In the end she viewed herself as a type of sacrificial romantic who would be praised for being the human that brought humankind to the level of a deity.
A knock sounded at her door. Dr. Cain slowly walked towards the door to her well decorated quarters, grabbing drink of the most expensive and precious liquid on the planet on her way. She kept the glass in hand as she prepared to open the door.
Most people in the position of being president of a controversial organization like Organic Ascendancy would never open their door for just anyone. Certainly they would have a guard to open doors for them and insure that nothing was amiss with whomever the visitor was. Dr. Cain was no idiot but neither did she like guards intruding on her personal space. That was all set up several corridors away. There were only a select few people that would be able to be allowed to get all the way to her door.
When she finally opened it she was a little bit surprised to see Dr. Isaiah Neal standing there. She made an odd gesture with her free palm upwards, “Dr. Isaiah; to what do I owe the honor of your presence? Also, why are you taking a break from your eternally important work?”
Dr. Isaiah looked passed her and into her quarters as if wondering why he had not been invited in. Without saying so he seemed a bit irritated that she would insult him by leaving him outside of her door, as if the mere honor of standing there wasn't enough for him. None of that came out when he finally spoke, “Dr. Cain, forgive my taking a few minutes off but I need to discuss something with you. May I come in? This is a matter of an extremely gentle nature.”
Making like she hadn't even thought of inviting him inside, Dr. Cain moved to one side and waved her hand out towards the room, “Well of course doctor. Come right in and tell me what is on your ever-impressive mind.”
Isaiah didn't say anything immediately. Instead he walked slowly inside the room and looked around for almost a solid minute. His eyes wandered over to the large series of windows on the exterior wall that overlooked the wooded area surrounding O.A. grounds. Quickly he glanced towards a kitchen area that included a water cooler. It was as if he were looking at pure heaven. When he finally turned around to speak to her he asked, “Can I have a glass of cold water? I have had bottled stuff for the entirety of my time here but I have never had it from one of these cooler-type machines. Can I have one glass or at least a half glass?”
Dr. Cain looked at him curiously at first but she softened her expression. The things this magnificent doctor had done for her and the rest of humanity were literally miraculous. He was currently working on bringing one of his better friends back from the dead after he watched her shoot him in the forehead at point-blank range. The least she could do is give him a glass of cold water. She walked over to the small kitchen, opened the cabinet and pulled a glass out. She filled the glass to within one inch of the top and walked over to Dr. Isaiah.
“Here you go,” she said with a kind expression, “I can tell something besides general thirst is on your mind Isaiah. What is the trouble? Are you unable to reanimate Abel?”
Dr. Isaiah's face took on an immediate pained expression before he lifted the glass of cold water and took a sizable drink. His expression was pleasant when he finished and he smiled, “That tastes amazing. If I knew how badly I would miss cold water years ago, I would have stored up a million gallons of it.”
“Well,” she smiled, “We have many more gallons than that at our disposal. We are not the richest organization in the present world for nothing after all. Simply request that some bottles get cooled before they are shipped to your quarters. Now, please, my time is short for this impromptu meeting. What is the trouble Dr. Isaiah?”
As if he had just remembered why he was in the room in the first place, Isaiah shook his head quickly, “Oh, right, of course. Forgive me Dr. Cain. No, I am not here because of Abel. To be sure the process of reanimating an actual human being is not going to be easy but I am equal to the task as long as I have the steadfast assistance of your beloved demonic partner. My problem lies elsewhere.”
Dr. Cain's smile was having a hard time sticking on her face. She thought a lot of Isaiah but really would rather him get directly to his point instead of meandering around it for minutes upon minutes. “Please,” she kindly said, “Explain.”
“The problem is Destiny,” Isaiah said bluntly. “She could present quite the problem for us if she were to ever become known to be alive.”
“What do you mean?” Dr. Cain asked, suddenly very interested, “It's not like you to think so much about a female.”
“It is not like that doctor,” Isaiah replied with a sideways glance. “I walked passed Mandy and Admiral Bullosky. As I did, I took notice of how much I did not like her. She might be important for all viable reasons but she is not likable after turning her back on someone she called a friend; even though we call Bayne an enemy. It may well be that I do not trust that she won't turn against us when it suits her like she did with Bayne.”
Dr. Cain was confused, “I understand that and I have planned for that but what does it have to do with Destiny?”
“The soldiers, our soldiers,” Dr. Isaiah said, “I'm sure think the same thing when they see Mandy. But they do not think that about Destiny.” Cain was curious at his point but didn't want to interrupt his line of thought. He looked out the side window and then back at her, “You told me that Destiny was alive. If she happens to find her way back here, we are going to have a few soldiers that are likely to refuse to attack her or worse.”
Dr. Cain thought hard about what he was saying and it made a lot of sense. It was strange to hear such a great forewarning from her doctor instead of her planning specialist but that didn't mean he was wrong. Actually Dr. Cain very clearly saw just how right he was. Of course there could be some tendency from the soldiers Destiny worked so closely with to take her side in some conflict. She was attractive and the best fighter most of them would ever see in their entire careers. Dr. Isaiah had happened upon something that might matter a great deal. They would have to have some manner of propaganda that would make the soldiers hate Destiny terribly; as much or worse than they hated Eric Bayne. But how could they do that without letting them all know that she was in fact still alive. It would not be easy to say the least.
She looked at her masterful doctor and smiled, “That is a very significant problem that we will have to deal with Dr. Isaiah. Thank you for bringing that to my attention. We will be certain to formulate a solution as soon as the next meeting takes place.” Dr. Cain touched his shoulder to guide him away from the center of the room and towards the door but he turned to face her as if he were not finished. She said, “Is there something else?”
“Yes, actually,” Dr. Isaiah said with a calm assurance, “I already have a plan forming in my mind about that Dr. Cain and if I were able to bring it to fruition it would be sure to guarantee that most every soldier would follow attack orders without hesitation. It would be a pity to have to finalize such a plan however. I actually quite like Destiny and though I understand why we all parted ways, I don't think I will ever find her anything other than pleasant.”
“Would that be true if she held a blade to your throat Dr. Isaiah?”
The doctor considered it for a moment and then turned back to her, “Considering what I am doing right now Dr. Cain, I think I deserve to have a blade to my throat in the very near future. No one who plays with life and death as I do should be allowed to escape the clutches of death for very long. I'm certain I will replace my good friend Abel in death soon enough and when I do,” he smiled, “There will be no one here to bring me back. Thank you Dr. Cain. I will see myself out. Thank you for the water.”
Dr. Cain could hardly believe that even someone as odd as Dr. Isaiah would talk so casually about his own death. She was so taken aback by the way he said such
things and with a smile no less, that she very nearly forgot a key point. “Dr. Isaiah! Wait!” When he turned back around with questioning eyes she finished, “You didn't tell me about the plan concerning Destiny.”
He smiled again which now took on a completely uncertain meaning and said, “No, Dr. Cain, I did not.” His smile was still on his face when he shut the door behind him and left her alone in her quarters.
Chapter 10
Fighting zombies had never really been what Destiny considered fun but then she had never actually fought this many before. It was completely different in this incredible volume and really, it surprised her. She hated fighting this many regular zombies way more than a few zombie-demon crossbreeds or even a demon or two. She sliced the head off of three more zombies that very nearly got to her and breathlessly said, “This sucks!”
The still bound, but no longer gagged O.A. Soldier said, “Mother fucker!”
Beside her she could see Eric using his left hand to push dozens of zombies away at a time and slicing easily through anything that came close with a sword that he was controlling telepathically only. Another glance down at the soldier told her that he was looking at Eric as well which was undoubtedly why he was so amazed.
Swiftly she spun her head back towards a threatening bunch that had gotten close to her again. She extended her left hand out and shoved the entire crowd back several yards. Then she heard a panicked cry behind her. Looking around she saw two zombies clawing at the soldier. Destiny swiped her sword through the neck of one, spun around to put herself between him and the second attacker and ended its life soon after.
“Thank you!” he said with a surprised expression.
“Don't make me regret removing the gag,” she said with a wink. The truth of the matter was that it came much more naturally to her to protect a fellow O.A. soldier than it did to fight side by side with Eric. Even though they had been through quite a bit since she was forced to fight with him or die, it was still a little odd to help the man she had called an enemy for so long. But then again, it was a shocking time where all kinds of enemies were turning into comrades. Even human supremacy groups joining up with zombies and demons who classically had troubles with humans was normal right now. When she thought of it that way she was perfectly happy with the position she was in.
The Great War (Surviving the Zombie Nightmare Book 5) Page 10
