He tilted his head. "You been gone a while, huh? Missed a lot." The man shrugged. "A few people didn't agree with Isaac's decision. He didn't force 'em to stay, so they decided to take off. God knows what they're up to. I think they're dumb to be by themselves, especially with all the demon talk."
Everything this man said appeared to be between something surprising and utter nonsense. She coaxed more information from him, realizing that Michaels hadn't been terribly discreet when talking about the nano-whatsits. Rumor, conjecture, and fabrication had morphed the story, and this particular guard seemed to have been told about some hideous, unkillable monsters who were ready to boil out of Old Haven and slaughter everyone with vicious claws and teeth.
Not far from the truth, but whatever. "I'm going to get some of these people settled, okay? I know it'll take a bit to get their names down and get them squared away in empty quarters, but these guys are refugees. The demons you heard about drove them out of their homes."
The guard's eyes went wide. "Sh-shit. Are th-they going to be coming here next?"
Kaylee shrugged. "Who knows?" She walked by the frightened sentry, signaling the group to move forward.
The guard out front of the Institute was less cooperative. Threatening, arguing, and doing her best to frighten him accomplished very little.
"You realize me and my hundreds of refugees could beat you to a pulp and no one would care?" she asked, patience wearing thin.
The man smirked. "Some 'refugees' they'd be, then. You probably won't get much by threats, you know."
Kaylee continued the debate for several more minutes. Part of her wondered if simply marching the individuals by him would succeed, as he appeared to be engaging in nothing more than disagreement for the sake of spite.
"Enough," a ragged voice called from the interior, familiar yet difficult to place. "Your shouting will wake the dead!"
Tanya, Kaylee thought. She doesn't sound so good.
The thin blonde woman walked around the corner, confirming both her identity and status. Tanya appeared shabby, worn out, and half-dead. She held an oxygen mask against her face, which had a pale, sunken, and exhausted look.
"Oh. It's you." The Russian woman gave a slight frown. "Where have you been? We assumed you died."
"I was-"
"No matter." Tanya coughed into her arm. "Why are you yelling at this man in the street at this hour?"
Blinking, Kaylee searched for an appropriate response. "He's saying we can't enter the Institute!"
"Who is 'we'?"
Kaylee quickly explained the situation, including the noble and terrible deaths of Desmond and Olivia.
Tanya nodded. "Yes, I see. We will find them places to stay in this area. Have them remain out front for the time being, and we shall see where we have some room, yes?" Kaylee agreed, and the other woman turned and shuffled off into the Institute.
After smirking with full smugness at the guard, Kaylee jogged back over to the main group. A thought occurred to her while she moved. Yikes. Tanya was being civil. What the heck happened to her?
Rick crouched near the edge of the group. Cass, Michaels, and Quinton were with him, but no one spoke. Malcolm stood a distance away, ever aloof. Rick stared off into nothing, in deep thought; Kaylee and everyone else knew how heavily Desmond and Olivia's sacrifice weighed upon him. Since talking to Michaels on the way over, he hadn't said a word.
He raised his eyes, still not speaking but the question evident all the same.
"Yeah, we're good." Kaylee gave a thumbs up. "Tanya of all people pulled rank on the guard to shut him up. Sorry it took so long."
With a nod, he returned to his distant vigil.
She clenched her teeth, chafing at his withdrawal. Kaylee bit back a scathing insult, worried insensitivity would create further isolation. Glancing about the circle, Kaylee winced at the sight of similar, dismal introspection on the other faces. Good lord, it's contagious. Maybe not yelling, but I have to do something.
Kaylee knelt next to him, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. She stared at him with an earnest expression, not moving or speaking until he turned toward her.
"Come with me," she said, offering a hand.
Rick hesitated, but a slight furrowing of Kaylee's brow spurred him into reluctant action. He took her hand, and together they walked away from the group.
He sighed, finally speaking. "What do you want, Kaylee?"
"I want you to get over this quiet, whining crap." So much for sensitivity, she thought with a wince.
Taken aback, he developed a hurt expression. "How can you say that? Gods, Olivia and Desmond might not even be dead yet. They might still be suffering because of-"
"Because they thought, they knew, you could handle taking care of their people," she interrupted. "Are you so intent on proving their choice wrong that you'll throw out their sacrifice altogether?"
"No, I wouldn't-"
She cut him off with a sharp gesture. "Then what are you doing now? Moping, staying all quiet? They don't need someone sulking in the corner. They need someone who knows what they're doing. Someone they know they can trust."
"Oh yeah?" Rick's face lit with anger. "Maybe I need five goddamn minutes to wrap my head around this shit! Maybe I need to take a deep breath and figure things out before I jump back in with half-baked schemes and sarcastic quips. Couldn't I have at least gotten a little bit longer to think in peace?"
The urge to relent and back off pushed against Kaylee, but she held her ground. "You don't think I want to let go again? Cry a little, punch some walls? Sorry, no more time for it. Pick yourself up; there's work to be done."
"What, not even five minutes when all we're doing is waiting?" He gave a half-hearted smile.
She eyed him warily. "If I leave you here for five minutes, can you pull yourself together?"
He tilted his head in consideration before nodding.
With an inward sigh, Kaylee stood. "Five minutes. Mope, cry, curse; do whatever you need. If I catch a hint of it when you walk back over, I'm kicking your ass." She walked away, back to the group.
The brief amount of time since Rick's departure accomplished apparent wonders for the individuals. Michaels, Cass, and Quinton had ceased their silent consideration and instead engaged in soft conversation.
"No, no, no," the researcher shook his head, "simple tissue damage isn't going to be enough. Few of the cultists will be incapacitated by flesh wounds, and their zealous nature and augmented bodies may keep them fighting beyond what you might think."
Cass frowned. "What about hitting vital organs?"
"Yes, anything of that nature will cause incapacitation. We can't count on anything but physical damage sufficient to cease effective motion. Any wound they do receive might heal in time-"
"-but the longer they stay down, the better," Quinton finished the thought.
"Correct."
The only individual continuing the quiet introspection was Malcolm. Not surprising, I guess. She walked over to him, allowing the others to continue the macabre conversation.
"Hey."
He looked up at her.
"Haven't seen you much around lately," she said.
Malcolm gave a slight shrug. "Much happening."
"I suppose..." she replied.
The awkward, halting conversation continued for a short time, and a slight pang of regret resonated within Kaylee. We weren't all that close, she thought, but being around him was never this weird.
"Well, in case I don't get a chance to later on..." she stretched up from her crouch, "I wanted to make sure to thank you for all you've done. Most of us would be dead a few times over without your help."
"Welcome."
Kaylee wanted to ask more of him, to find out how he was coping with memories and identity. She knew it had caused him some amount of strain, but he always held himself at such a distance. He helped her, saved her, so many times; she wanted to repay a portion of the favor but didn't know how.
Tany
a's approach halted any further thought on the matter. The blonde woman limped and half-stumbled. She looks terrible, Kaylee thought. Gottfried never mentioned any specifics, but maybe she was hurt during the Citizen attack. She wondered with a chill where Eugene was.
The woman waved Kaylee over. "We have several places available for them to stay. Are you the one in charge of these people?"
"No; he'll be back in just a minute."
"Hm." Tanya crossed her arms. "I should also have you know situations may not remain as they are, with Isaac's proposed plan. He and the others may already be dead for all I am aware."
"Yeah, I heard about the surrender. He's actually going for it?"
Tanya shifted her weight with a wince. "He held concern based upon your Citizen's findings." She motioned to Michaels. "Since you are not lying about what happened to the poor schoolteachers and the simple fact this Nigel appears to have returned from the dead..."
Kaylee gave her head a slow shake. "Never would've expected Isaac to do the smart thing."
"It is most unexpected," Tanya replied. "Sergei's loss was very difficult for him, as was the fall of too many others..." Her eyes grew distant, and a soft, sad smile crossed her lips.
Aw damn. Eugene... Kaylee thought with a frown. "What happened?"
"Killed." Tanya bowed her head. "Saving me from my own reckless stupidity."
"I'm sorry." Kaylee didn't press for details.
Tanya waved off the apology. "Color begins to return to him. I have removed the bullets from his body and have dressed his many wounds. I hope he will regain consciousness sometime soon."
Kaylee blinked. "Huh? He's... not dead?"
"At first I thought it imagination, but no longer," Tanya smiled. "Your doctor friend was correct about this immortality. My survival is proof enough, but Eugene will walk among us soon. I know it."
"Wow," Kaylee replied, dizzied by the thought. Sure, Michaels had babbled about the healing powers of the crap in Malcolm's blood, and she knew Malcolm himself was reborn of a dead Citizen. I guess I never actually believed it. Not completely.
To a certain extent she still didn't, but she held no doubts that Tanya fully believed it: Eugene had died, and now signs of life returned to him.
"Yes," the blonde woman nodded, "this is truly a time of miracles."
Kaylee opened her mouth to express baffled agreement, but she fell silent instead.
Rick approached, his five minutes concluded.
From his posture, facial expression, and tone of voice, Kaylee knew her bout of chastising did the trick. Nothing but the slightest hints of his former glum appearance remained.
Kaylee raised an eyebrow. "Okay?"
He gave a nod. "Yeah." He looked at Tanya. "You helping us out?"
"Yes," she replied.
"Good." He turned away from them, calling out in a loud voice. "All right, everyone listen up! We're going to organize with this nice lady to discover where each of you are going. Group leaders please come over here in an orderly fashion, and work with her to figure things out. Be patient, be polite, and get to it."
Individuals jogged forward. Rick motioned for Kaylee to follow, and they walked over to where Michaels and the others were seated.
"Okay," Rick said. "I need Malcolm and the doc here to come with me. They know the Institute and the area we need to get to."
He turned toward Cass and Quinton. "You two need to get a watch posted. Try to find a couple others to help out, and keep in mind Kaylee here might know good routes and vantages. There's sure to be some trouble if Isaac comes back, and it'd be nice to have a warning. You can maybe coordinate with other OHU, but don't count on it too much."
Quinton grunted acknowledgement, nudging the reluctant Cass until she provided a nod.
"Go ahead," Rick spoke to the hunkered down group. "I'll catch up in a sec," he said to Michaels and Malcolm.
Without complaint, the two former Citizens moved off. Rick eyed Cass and Quinton. "You guys, too."
The old man gave a knowing smirk, rising. Flexing his wounded leg, he nodded in approval. "C'mon, kid," he offered Cass a hand.
With a frown, the teenage girl took his hand, rose to her feet, and followed him toward the civilian group.
"We'll keep our eyes open," Kaylee said to him. "You guys just figure out whatever you can."
Rick smiled at her. "We will." He moved close and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you, Kaylee. You were right."
Feeling his warmth, she closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. "Of course I was."
They pulled back from the embrace, smiling at each other and clasping hands. "Be careful," he said.
"You too."
After another lingering moment, they broke contact and turned in different directions. Kaylee jogged after Cass and Quinton, quite pleased to see Rick's renewed focus.
*****
Gottfried's nerves buzzed with anticipation. For certain, he'd predicted the possibility of surrender, but its reality provided something else entirely.
His hopes for Davidson to react in a capable manner held intact as well, careful negotiations filling the last several minutes. Most of it revolved around civil treatment of the OHU individuals, but Isaac threw in a plea for his people, assuming they succeeded and survived, to be considered for Citizenship status.
A bold suggestion; many will be against it, Gottfried thought.
To his surprise, Davidson did not dismiss it out of turn. The Citizen leader expressed the difficulty and reluctance toward such a concession, but he admitted the slight possibility.
Much of the dialogue had revolved around terms and conditions beyond the next day or so. The conversation now turned towards what would happen right away.
"We will be... immediately reassuming control of the Institute and all of its functions," Davidson spoke.
"Of course," Isaac replied, "provided none of my people in that region are required to relocate from their current dwellings." He held up a hand. "There's plenty of space to go around up there; I just don't want my people kicked out. The civil treatment thing is really important."
"Of course, and this is acceptable. However, I intend to relocate every Citizen to the Institute region tonight. Is this possible?"
Gottfried tightened his jaw. Such a large undertaking so soon? He couldn't tell if the act would be insane, foolish, or prudent.
Isaac appeared no less surprised. "That's a pretty big move for your people, isn't it? All at once?"
"Yes." A murmur swept through the nearby individuals on both sides. "However... we must consolidate our power in the location best suited for it. If there is a situation to deal with, we must prepare ourselves adequately. If not, reconstruction of the city must begin at the ideal location." Davidson folded his hands.
"I suppose..." Isaac developed a slight frown, "but it's a bit sudden."
"Hesitation provides no advantage. Immediate action may. Is this acceptable?"
The OHU leader scratched the back of his head. "Yeah... I'd say so. Can you get your people organized?"
Davidson returned a passive stare. "Yes," he said with a hint of impatience.
"All right, I'll need to get back then. Loan me one of your people who has the population numbers, and we'll figure out how to house your Citizens."
"Very good." Davidson turned and walked away, followed by the body guards and the High Inquisitor.
The Citizen leader waved individuals over and passed instructions without breaking stride. A few developed expressions of anxiety or mild distress when ordered to accompany the OHU.
"Gottfried," Davidson spoke without looking toward him. "You return with them as well. Bring any Inquisitors you have and a small force of soldiers. Ensure a secure area, as we shall be following shortly."
The High Inquisitor considered the request. Not unreasonable. Potentially important. "Certainly, sir," he replied. "A moment, however?"
Davidson stopped walking and turned to him, mild annoyance on his face. "Yes?"
"Are you certain this is the wisest course of action? As the man said," he gestured in the direction of the OHU party, "it is rather sudden for such a large undertaking."
"The loss of your Inquisitors and the report from Gregory Michaels cause rising concern," Davidson said. "This movement is... opportunity. Retaking a position of high strategic value in addition to having numerous important resources cannot be considered unwise. Especially doing so prior to... unforeseen difficulties."
Gottfried considered his position, giving a nod after a moment.
"Very good, you are finished?" Davidson asked.
"Yes."
"Then be off," Davidson turned and began moving again.
The High Inquisitor watched the tall man depart, surprised but not displeased by the turn of events. Can it be these people are not as blind and idiotic as I had thought?
Gottfried disregarded such idle musings, focusing upon the work ahead. Much required accomplishing.
******
Every fiber of Michaels' being wished to abandon Rick and Malcolm and instead check on the welfare of Claudia. He had been unable to think about anything else since meeting with the civilian party from Old Haven. The death of the schoolteachers provided a festering unease, and the long day of traveling, yelling, and still no sleep for near two days poured a strong weariness into his body.
He made a subtle exit when Rick began shouting at the sentry posted outside of the Inquisition section of the Institute. Seems as good a time as any. Malcolm watched his departure but said nothing to prevent it.
Through the halls he went, ignoring his tired legs and increasing to an urgent jog. In her state, Claudia rarely said or did anything. She followed his instructions, managing to eat and use the restroom without serious issue, and much of her time was engaged in sleeping. And not much else, he thought.
Exodus (The Fall of Haven) Page 32
