by Anson Barber
“Yeah. They’re sticking by their reasons why they revoked her clearance, but are saying they authorized an off-site research facility for her, guarded by highly trained security personnel.”
“Which would be me.”
“Yeah, they’ve got the whole thing ready for you to read when you have a chance.”
“Ugh,” The cable I was trying to hang refused to cooperate. I sighed and threw my hands in the air. “I give up.”
“Hey, look!” He pointed over my shoulder and I turned to see Melissa Jacobis and her three boys. Behind them was an older man, their father.
“Dillon!” Melissa waved from the other side of the gate. I went over to meet them. It was nice to see them as a family.
“Jason, this is the man who brought me in, and then brought the boys,” Melissa held out her hand to him.
“Thanks for bringing us all back together,” the man said. “Is it true what they boys are saying? A new treatment?”
I held my index finger to my lips “Don’t tell anyone. Just stick around for the announcement.”
I stood to the side so she could see Corey behind me. She would have remembered him from the game room before I took him. She barely recognized him now. He’d filled out thanks to a growth spurt and a proper diet, though keeping him fed sometimes seemed like a full-time job.
“His eyes!” Melissa gasped.
“I told you, Mom!” Austin said.
I gave her a wink. “Be back here by two so you can get a good spot to see the screen.”
I took Corey to one of the few restaurants still open on OBX to get something to eat because—as he explained with a tortured expression—he was starving to death and was so hungry he could almost drink blood again. I highly doubted that.
He held up his hands in front of him as we sat down at the table with our tray of food. “I know you don’t want to talk about this, and I know you’re going to try to distract me until I let it go, but I just need to say this.”
“Corey.”
“Just listen for a minute, okay?” He picked up a handful of fries and shoved them in his mouth, then started unwrapping the first of three burgers on his tray. “She’s not with him.”
“What?” The words had come out muffled through his fries.
He swallowed. “She’s not with him. At least, I don’t think so. I was with them almost all evening. There were no kisses, or hugs, or sweeties, or dears, it was all business,” he mumbled the last part around a mouthful of burger.
I rolled my eyes. “That doesn’t prove anything. They are very serious people. They don’t do that kind of stuff.”
“Okay. How about this? No ring. Also, she asked me where you were the minute she saw me. And once I pointed you out she kept looking for you.”
“She could have been looking at anything, Corey.”
“And the ring?”
“She’s going to be on international TV. It’s probably a PR move.”
“That’s weak, man.”
“This is ridiculous. Why do we have to keep doing this? I just want to get over it. Why can’t you let me do that?”
“Because it’s not right!” he said angrily. “I tried helping you get over her, but that wasn’t happening. Now I find out she’s not over you and you’re going to sit here like a chump? If you want her bad enough you can make it happen. Please just talk to her. Please?”
I gave in. “All right! If I see her when it’s over, and she’s not too busy, and she wants to talk to me, I’ll talk to her. Or try to.”
“Wow, way to put your foot down. Captain Assertive, on deck!” Corey snickered and took a large bite of his sandwich.
Of all the kids I could have ended up with, I had to get stuck with a snarky Cupid.
After he had consumed a day’s worth of food in fifteen minutes, Corey was eager to get back to his duties, which at this point consisted of going to the makeup room and get made up like a star. It fed perfectly into his ego.
“Let’s go. I don’t want to be late.” He snatched the tray full of trash.
“We’re not going to be late,” I assured him. Maybe he thought I was going to bail.
I drove Corey back and he went inside to meet up with Emery. I checked to see the fence was completed and talk to Rick and the other guards. They’d begun taking their places around the front of the platform, underneath the massive screens.
A large crowd had started to gather by the fence while Corey and I had been at dinner, or whatever you’d call the fifth of his seven daily meals.
There was a tap on my shoulder and I turned to see Colonel Arder behind me. Her dark skin glowed in the lights.
“Hello, Dillon.” She smiled at my shocked face.
“Colonel. How are you?”
“Good. Busy.” She nodded. “And yourself?”
“I haven’t been busy with any of this lately, which has been really good.”
“So, I understand you’ve been a very naughty boy the last couple of months.”
That made me gulp. I had, after all, broken federal law.
“Uh…well…”
The colonel laughed. “Relax! Mr. Mitchell explained everything. He was even willing to shoulder any blame himself. And trust me, if this cure hadn’t worked—we’d have been taking him up on that. You violated national security with your little stunt, you know.”
“Desperate times,” I said.
“They are, indeed. You have no idea how timely this is. You want desperate? The words ‘Final Solution’ were actually being whispered in some of the upper echelons. They were getting that scared.”
That was terrifying to say the least.
“At least now we can focus on the only real problem the Bugs left us with.” Her eyes went heavenward.
I let out a breath. “So how are things going with the alarm clocks in the sky?”
“As soon as this is under control, we’ll be able to take a more aggressive approach. Plans are on the table, we just need the funding.”
That was reassuring. I hated the idea of them still being up there, watching us. It was like they could come back at any moment.
“So, you’re saying I can stop having nightmares?” I laughed.
“Feel free to stop at any time.” She smiled and then her grin turned almost catlike. “But I find the best way to get rid of nightmares is by having someone to share your bed.” A bit of the sexy but frustrated lady from the bar was still in the smile she gave me.
“Thanks, but…” I instinctively looked toward the building to see Emery standing by the door, talking to her father. “I’m still dealing with a few things.”
“Okay. Well, I’ve given you my card twice, so call me when you’re ready to deal with something else.”
“I will. Thank you.”
The colonel left just as Corey came out and whistled to get my attention.
“What?”
“Mr. Mitchell wants you.”
I followed him inside the small radio station and through a maze of hallways until we got to the room with all the humming and activity. It was like they were going to put on a Hollywood production.
“Dillon!” Adam came over to greet me. “How are things?”
“Very good.”
“Yes. Very.” He winked and looked over at Emery who was standing in front of a huge pile of microphones with the names of different stations on them like an alphabet soup. She was getting instructions from a lanky looking man and would nod at him every few seconds. “PR’s idea. She’s nervous, but really she’s the best person to do this. Whoever announces this will be the face history forever associates with the cure, and it’s her discovery. Besides, they might as well use a better looking face than mine.” The two of us chuckled over that.
She had changed into another business suit, this one charcoal gray, and looked
absolutely stunning. They had chosen a podium that would hide as little of her as possible, and already the press pool was looking for the best angles to shoot her from. Her toned legs looked nice in her high heels. Her healthy skin glowed in the lights. And the kid was right—no ring on her finger.
“Corey says you have the official account for me to read? I don’t have a script to memorize, do I?”
Adam shook his head. “Not at all. Just remember that your extraction of Dr. Mitchell was wholly sanctioned by the US Government, but handled under a veil of secrecy. You can read the notes later if you want; however, I have a favor to ask first. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like you to stay nearby Emery, in case something happens. I want someone close to her who isn’t in a uniform.”
“Of course,” I said.
When the room filled up with press, the cameras had finished setting up, and people gathered around outside the fence anxiously watched the giant monitors, the press conference began. I couldn’t tear my eyes off Emery when she began to speak. I was standing just off the stage, I’d be lucky if any of the cameras caught more than my ear in the shot, while Trevor and Mr. Mitchell were standing higher up behind her.
“Good morning. For those of you watching from the detainment facility at the Outer Banks in North Carolina, I realize you will start to wind down in a few hours. I know how distressing it can be to feel the weight of sleep that is beyond your control. I know because, up until a month ago, I was like you. I was a Haunt. But now, thanks to a concerted effort by a number of research teams and an independent project headed up by Mitchell Pharmaceuticals, I am a healthy human being again.”
Members of the media gasped and almost immediately started shouting out questions. I guess they hadn’t realized the news would be this big. Emery waited until the questions died down before continuing.
“That’s right. A human with red blood who likes cheeseburgers and milkshakes.”
People laughed, more to break the tension than anything.
Corey waved at me from behind a curtain where he was waiting for his big reveal. He was acting cool, but I could see he was nervous. I gave him a thumbs up, then looked back to Emery as she continued.
She looked almost like a different person. Energetic, full of life, and utterly unattainable.
“I would like to introduce you to another Haunt who’s been healed—” She didn’t get to finish her introduction before she was interrupted by the sound of gunfire.
There was panic outside, but it sounded muffled from inside the building. The press wasn’t sure what to do, and looked around to see if they should be worried. My eyes were locked on Emery. She was frozen in panic by the podium.
Corey had moved back behind the curtain away from the small crowd.
In the midst of this uncertainty a man in the back pulled something from inside his coat.
“GUN!” I ran the ten feet to Emery and pulled her to the ground, with my back facing the assailant. She wrapped her arms around me like she had that night when we were attacked by the rednecks. Her eyes locked onto mine.
I would never get over her. She was too much a part of my life. The life I wanted.
Shots rang out. A bullet splintered the podium where Emery had been standing. I was sure the next one would be in my back.
Chaos erupted. I heard the sounds of security tackling the gunman to the ground without firing a shot. I got Emery to her feet and moved her into the nearby booth on the other side of the platform, in case there were others. Emery stumbled inside the room. I pulled her down behind the counter before kicking the heavy door closed.
As they restrained and ushered him out, the man screamed about Mitchell Pharmaceuticals being puppets for the aliens and that this drug was the catalyst that would turn all the infected into Bugs. Talk about delusional.
Now that we had a moment to breathe I asked Emery, “Are you okay?”
“I am. Thank you,” she gasped.
“You’re really okay? No pain?” Sometimes people didn’t notice they were hurt when they were flooded with adrenaline.
“You’re lying on my arm,” she pointed out.
I rolled off her quickly, and checked her arm. No blood.
I gave my heart the chance to catch up with the rest of me.
“I thought you were avoiding me,” Emery said as I stared up at the ceiling as my breathing slowed to a normal pace.
I smiled slightly. “I was.”
“Well, you may want to watch an instructional video on YouTube or something. I don’t think using yourself as a shield is how most guys do the whole avoiding thing,” she said with a grin.
Her smile made me face the fact that I did want to fight for her. Trevor might be more her type, but I was at least going to try. For the first time since I’d left California, I knew I wasn’t going to just give up.
The door opened as a member of OBX security checked in on us. “The situation is under control, but we’d like you to wait in here until we’re sure. The crowd’s getting ugly.”
“Right.” I sat up and leaned my back against the door after he left. Even through the walls we could hear the Haunt crowd outside the station still yelling. Emery didn’t seem to be in a hurry to get up, and I didn’t know if I could. I was still a bit rattled. She’d almost been gunned down right in front of my eyes, right as she was announcing a cure to the world.
“Look, Em—” I started.
“I know,” she interrupted. “I lied to you. I told you I would wait ’til you got back, but I was sure it would work, and it didn’t feel right to test it on someone else first—no matter how brave they are. Trevor double checked my work and he was positive it was viable. I wasn’t being careless.”
I tried desperately to brush it off. That was old news by now. “Em, it’s okay. It all worked out.”
“But it’s not—”
“Em! Are you okay?” Trevor pushed the door open and almost knocked me over onto my side. I scrambled up, I guess the threat was over. And with it, any chance for the two of us to talk alone.
It took half an hour to get everything in place to begin the presentation again. The security chief gave the press a brief statement about the men taken into custody—it seemed a few Haunts had tried to incite a riot outside and the gunman was one of three Sons of the Sun extremists inside, posing as reporters.
Adam had come over to thank me for saving Emery once more. I brushed it off and watched as Emery walked out after getting touched up and a fresh wardrobe.
Emery thanked everyone for staying, and apologized for the inconvenience, then began to recap her previous statements.
Corey was poised by the curtain again in a new shirt. His old one had gotten torn in the chaos.
When she had caught up she said, “Now I’d like you to welcome Corey McAllister—the first HANTS infected human to wake up cured.” She smiled and clapped.
The small audience clapped while Corey walked out. Cameras flashed and questions were shouted out. Corey waited until everyone could hear him.
“Hi, everyone! I wish I could say it’s nice to be back at the Outer Banks, but it really isn’t.” He shook his head as a few people laughed. “When I left here, I hoped I would never have to come back. But now that I have the chance to come back as a normal person, it’s not all that bad. The burgers are good.” More chuckles.
Corey went on to explain how he had volunteered as a test subject and some of the talking points I was supposed to remember for later, but mostly it was about his own experience. Yes, there had been a blood transfusion. No, the process hadn’t hurt. Yes, he was able to dream again. As he wrapped up, Emery went back up on the stage.
“Thank you, Corey,” Em said, as she gave him a hug. Lucky kid. He came over to stand next to me. I messed up his hair. “Good job.”
“After Corey and I were healed we were able to start testing on larger panel
s in secret. We wished to avoid the heartache and disappointment of those early trials you all remember. We’ve had a one hundred percent success rate and now feel it’s time to bring the cure to you in the form of Dillondryl.”
That caught my ear. Dillon-dryl? Seriously?
“It’s a stabilizing agent that neutralizes the infection and promotes red blood cell growth. In the early stages a blood transfusion was required to completely flush the inert alien fluid from the system, but we’ve modified dialysis machinery to perform the same function.”
Lots of murmurs now. Excitement echoed around the small group. I could only imagine it was amplified outside.
“For those of you watching this from the OBX. We’ve already created lists to service the healthiest infected first, allowing us more time to fine tune the process as we reach those whose systems are for whatever reason weakened. Please have your ID cards ready so you can be given your appointment time. This will be a lengthy process before we can treat everyone at the facility, and other nations will no doubt have similar difficulties. But now, for once, we have hope.”
I turned to Adam who was standing next to me. “When will they start?”
“Small groups right away, but it will be a while before we can do it on a larger scale.” I frowned at the delay. At least everyone had hope.
Hope was a powerful thing this morning. Word was that the hate groups who had been camped outside the gates were backing off. Soon there would be no Haunts to fear and hate.
When the ten hour sirens went off, I saw Corey twitch uncomfortably and then relax. He smiled at me. It was a pleasant thing to see. Corey helped me tear down the lights along with Rick’s men once the sun came up.
“So?” he hinted.
“So what?” I pretended not to know what he was getting at.
“You said you would talk to her and those couple of minutes after you saved her life don’t count. You need to tell her how you feel.”
“You know what?” I pointed my finger at him about ready to tell him to butt out of my business, but I knew it wouldn’t work. I tried a different strategy. “I don’t see her anywhere,” I looked around in places where I already knew she wasn’t.
