Redaction: Extinction Level Event (Part I)

by Andrews, Linda

  “I’d like to meet a man that inspires such loyalty.”

  “He’s a good man.” Manny’s eyes narrowed when he stared at the general.

  “That he is Manny, and we could use his advice on a few things.” David reached for the walkie-talkie.

  At the last minute, Manny clutched the toy to his chest. “He’s in the park with the animals.”

  So the kid wasn’t going to give up the walkie. David didn’t blame him. The boy had been through hell. At least he had his brother, sister, and friends. That was more than many other people. “We’ll find him.”

  “In the meantime, you take your friends and get some food.” Lister gestured to the group of children staring at them. “We’ll send the Colonel to you after we speak to him.”

  Manny set his jaw but his gaze stuck to the children.

  Poor kid. His loyalties were being tested for no reason. “Robertson!”

  The private materialized from the dark. “Here Sergeant Major.”

  “Take Manny and the others to get something to eat.” David jerked his head toward the group. “Manny, if we don’t return Wheelchair Henry to you, you have my permission to shot PFC Robertson here.”

  Manny paled and his jaw dropped open. “I—”

  “Relax, little man.” Robertson draped his arm around the boy’s shoulders and dragged him forward. “Big D’s just pulling your whiskers. He won’t let anything happen to ol’ Henry or to me. We sent you the computer so you could find us, didn’t we?”

  “I guess so.”

  “Of course, we did.” Robertson glanced back over his shoulder and winked at David. “Now, tell me which one of those little chicas is your girlfriend.”

  “What!” The rumbled of an engine swallowed the rest of Manny’s reply.

  David smiled. Robertson certainly had his uses. Then again, he wasn’t much older than Manny. A pale horse pulled a rickety wagon out of the neighborhood. A gust of wind carried the scent of decay and death. He watched it pass before heading in the opposite direction. “How many have we lost?”

  “Lost track at twenty-six hundred and that was four hours ago.” Lister clasped his hands behind his back. “Almost everyone is sick, except your group and a handful of others.”

  They passed Mavis’s block. David glanced at the second house from the corner. Lights blazed in every window and people tromped in and out of the ranch house, uniform and civilian dress, clean and soot stained. His attention bounced off one person then another. Where was she? Had she gotten another call from the Surgeon General? Was anyone alive on the East coast?

  “The Doc is getting you chow.”

  His attention whipped back to the general. “Sir?”

  “That’s who you’re craning your neck to see, isn’t it? Once word came down on the horn you were a mile out, she left HQ. I’m sure she needed the break. This has turned into a logistical nightmare and everyone wants their say, from nurses to reverends.” Lister’s eyebrows met over his nose and a muscle ticked in his jaw.

  Had something more than a break in the chain of command pissed off the officer? He followed his gaze to a tall man wearing a flannel jacket with a bible in his hand. A knit cap covered his head and ash streaked his profile. There was something familiar about that face.

  He wracked him memory but came up empty. It would come to him later. Probably wake him up from a sound sleep.

  A coughing woman jostled his elbow before stumbling across the street.

  Right, he had other things to think about at the moment. “At least, they’re not freaked about the imminent melt down.”

  “Haven’t told everyone.” Lister flicked at the ash on his uniform, smearing the gray into the khaki. “Just a select few. Hell, most folks are in too much of a shock to understand the alphabet.”

  David nodded to the line of civilians snaking out of the registration tent. Most had sandwiches in their hands. His stomach growled. Where was Mavis and his food? “But they know we’re leaving in the morning.”

  “Most think it’s because of the fire and rats. Others think it’s on account of the sickness. And then there are the wackos. Wish we could leave some of those nut jobs behind but there just isn’t enough of us.”

  Hot air blew from the air conditioners plastering his pants against his legs and shoving ash into drifts against the curb. People staggered out of the way as an empty wagon clomped by. Others stood in clumps on the side of the road staring blindly ahead. Gray spotted their white bread.

  “Are we going to tell everyone?”

  “According to the Doc, we have to.”

  Turning sideways, Mavis slipped between a couple of cinder-covered fellows and joined them in the street. “Did I hear my name?”

  “Just telling the Sergeant Major that you plan to tell everyone about the anthrax attack on tomorrow’s emergency alert broadcast.”

  Mavis nodded but her focus was on him. “Hand.”

  He held out his hand to her. It was nice to have someone to come home to.

  Rolling her eyes, she flipped it palm side up and slapped two capsules against his skin. “Take your meds.”

  Automatically, he tossed them in his mouth. They stuck to his tongue.

  She popped the top on a can of soda. “Here. It’s more than a spoonful of sugar.”

  Water sweated from the cold can and dripped from his fingers. He tossed his head back and drained the contents in a few gulps. God, it felt like forever since he’d had a cold drink. He crushed the can and looked about for a recycling pile. “Thanks.”

  She patted down her pockets before pulling out a bundle in a thick napkin. “This should tide you over until we can get back to HQ.”

  Lister rolled his eyes. “The soldier is more than capable of hunting down his own rations.”

  Jealous? Smiling, David peeled away the paper and bit into his dinner. The salt from the ham made his mouth water. “Thanks, Mavis.”

  He deliberately used her given name.

  A vein ticked at Lister’s temple.

  “What have you two discussed?” She reached into her pocket. After sifting through a handful of wrappers, she pulled a throat lozenge from the bunch and popped it into her mouth.

  “Just the revised evac routes.”

  David swallowed his bite of ham sandwich. “And that you planned to tell everyone about the germ attack.”

  She crumpled the empty papers in her fist. “So many people want to stay here and rebuild, it seems the best way to get them to leave. Besides, most of them will cooperate if they think we’re being up front with them.”

  “Lots of folks are angry.” Lister clenched his fists. “I won’t have them taking that anger out on my men, especially when there’s so many sick.”

  “We can keep the wolves at bay, at least for now.” Mavis chucked her wad of papers into an overflowing bin. “I’ll tell them about the fallout once we get to Colorado.”

  David’s crushed can joined the wrapper on the ground. Guess littering wasn’t a big issue at the moment. “Not many will want to live in the mine shaft without a good reason.”

  “Let’s head back to my house to check the forecast and the maps. Beside, I’ve got soup.”

  That and two more sandwiches might make a dent in his appetite. “I’ve gotta meet Wheelchair Henry first.”

  He jerked his head down the road, away from her house.

  “Who?”

  “The Sergeant Major found a few vets on his way over here.” Lister shook his head. “And they’re healthy.”

  “You lead a charmed life, David.” Shivering, Mavis pulled another sandwich from her jacket pocket before tucking her arm through his. Her fever flared along his side.

  Her plan to burn the disease illness out of her body didn’t seem to be working. Still, she didn’t seem sicker.

  “Yeah, he’s a really lucky charm,” Lister growled.

  David grinned. He certainly was and he planned to keep it that way. “You doing okay?”

  “As well as can be
expected.” She coughed before shaking her head. “I’ve had all my shots, remember?”

  He wasn’t bound to forget. After patting her hot hand, he freed his new sandwich and took a bite. Peanut butter and jelly. His favorite. “And you’re taking your meds, right?”

  “Yes, doctor.”

  Lister snorted. “If you two are finished playing footsie over there, we have things to discuss.”

  Mavis crunched the cough drop. “The fire has made it impossible for us to activate all the valley’s points in the emergency alert system. But we think there might be enough public address capabilities in fire stations and churches that we can reach almost everyone.”

  “My men will be finished stripping batteries out of abandoned cars to power them in a few hours.” Lister nodded. “Your recording is good to go. I’d activate it now, but with the electricity out, folks are bound to get hurt if they try to leave in the dark.”

  “I agree.”

  The crowd thinned as they reached the end of the street. David eyed the driver pulling his empty wagon in front of a house at the end. Two men in full biohazard gear stood in the entryway. He stuffed the last two bites of sandwich in his mouth and returned his face mask to its intended position.

  “My main concern is the delay caused by using the roads.” Mavis’s last word dissolved in a coughing fit.

  He caught the concern in Lister’s eye. Yeah, they couldn’t afford to lose her. “Maybe you should go inside. This ash can’t be good for your lungs.”

  She pounded on her chest as she stopped coughing. “We both know that isn’t my problem. We need to find a way to delay the meltdown.”

  Wheelchair Henry rolled into the cone of light cast by the portable lights. “Did someone say meltdown?”

  Three men flanked him. From their loose yet ready stance, David knew them to be former soldiers. Probably not out of the service long.

  Mavis clamped her jaw shut.

  Lister thrust his hand forward. “General Lister, USMC. You must be Henry Dobbins.”

  Wheelchair Henry held out his hand. “Honor to meet you, Sir. These are Falcon, Brianiac and Papa Rose.”

  David nodded to the men. Definitely not out long if they still answered to their military handles.

  “Nice to see you’re healthy.”

  “Heard that’s a rarity.” Henry offered his hand to David. “Now what’s this about a meltdown? That the reason why we’re leaving the city?”

  David clasped the calloused hand but didn’t answer the question. Lister stared at Mavis.

  Her gaze shifted from the general to him. He nodded once. “Partly. We were attacked by Anthrax. The region won’t be habitable for years, hundreds of years.”

  Henry folded his hands on his lap. “So it’s not the Redaction, huh? But what’s the problem with the power plant going kabluey, if we’re not going to be here?”

  Mavis blinked. “Radiation isn’t going to stay in one location, Mr. Dobbins. And Palo Verde isn’t the only one going. It’s every operating reactor in the United States. That’s over one hundred and four. Add in the rest of the world’s reactors plus all the lovely spent fuel rods that have been piled up over the years, most of the Earth’s surface is going to be sterilized.”

  Henry held up his hand before scraping it down his face. “Guess that’s why you’re the woman in charge.”

  “Yeah, guess so.” Clearing her throat, Mavis jerked another cough drop out of her pocket. “Do you or any of the vets with you know anything about nuclear reactors?”

  The man on the right stepped forward. Small and wiry, he shivered inside his Navy peacoat. “I served about aboard the USS Alaska, Ma’am. She’s nuclear powered.”

  Mavis bit her bottom lip.

  Lister rocked back on his heels. “How different is a power plant than a sub?”

  “I don’t know.”

  The African American man on Wheelchair Henry’s other side stepped up. “Brainiac is super-smart, Ma’am. He’ll know what to do or he can figure it out.”

  Brainiac nodded.

  Henry swiped at the ash on his cheeks. “How much time does he have to buy?”

  Time ticked off in heartbeats. David clenched in his fists. This was her first real test at command. Was she willing to send men she’d looked in the face to their deaths? Or was she best in theories and on paper? He felt tension roll off Lister, no doubt the man was deciding her fitness. If she couldn’t make the hard decisions…

  Raising her chin, she inhaled a shaky breath and stared directly at Brainiac. “As much as he can.”

  David’s stomach threatened to return his sandwiches. She’d done it. God help them, she’d done it.

  The third man stepped forward and set his hand on Brainiac’s shoulder. Light shone on his bald head and highlighted the roses tattooed on his forearm. “Roger that, Ma’am. We just need a way in.”

  Lister offered his side arm and a handful of clips. “This should get you passed the front gate.” The African American man took them and began inspecting the gun. “Follow me and I get you some plastique keys.”

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Day Seven

  “We’re ready to go, Big D.” Private Robertson leapt down from the back of the supply truck. Smoke drifted into the cul-de-sac and ash stirred in small cyclones. The incoming storm had brought the wind, shifting the direction of the fire. Rats streamed into the neighborhood and stopped to inspect the debris piles. It wasn’t the frenzy like when he and his men had found the civilians, but their furry arrival portended the sweeping conflagration heading their way.

  Personnel carriers, civilian four-by-four hauling occupied animal trailers, and humvees rumbled slowly over the asphalt. Death permeated the hot air. He hoped the mountains smelled better.

  In the shadows of the truck, David made out the faces of Wheelchair Henry and young Manny. Children giggled—the sound so foreign, he almost cleaned out his ear to make sure it was real. Mavis’s neighbor sat on sacks of flour, bow and arrows on his right and an oxygen tank on his left. He reached a liver-spotted hand up and tugged on the plastic tubes stuffed up his nose.

  “Stop fiddling with it, Grandpa.” The young boy’s voice broke over the last word.

  Puberty. David grimaced. He wouldn’t go back there for all the Cipro in China. And he hoped there wasn’t a single pill to be found. Bastards! He prayed whatever asshole had concocted this biological offensive was dying slowly in a dark hole. Preferably, while having their balls poked with a sharp fork.

  Across the street a motorcycle engine roared to life—Brainiac pointed at parts of the bike while Papa Rose and Falcon either shook their heads or nodded. David adjusted his copper memorial bracelets. He’d remember the men who were risking their lives to buy the rest of them precious time. How many more like them would be forgotten?

  Holding her open laptop with one hand, Mavis shut her house door with the other. Keys jingled as she aimed for the lock.

  They were leaving the valley for the next ten thousand years and she was locking up. Shaking his head, David crunched across the gravel, eased the keys from her grip then finished securing the house. Habits gave comfort.

  She smiled at him. Fever dotted her cheeks and her eyes were glassy. “Thanks. Did you get the blow-up mattress from my trunk?”

  “Absolutely.” When they would use it was anyone’s guess, but he’d try for tonight. Maybe his body heat would help break her fever. He set the keys in her palm, before taking her hand in his. “We emptied the supplies from your garage, raided the stores for seeds, rakes, and anything else of value.”

  “Luke Air Force Base called.” She shut the laptop and cradled it close. “They’re taking helicopters and will airlift the survivors to the first point along the evacuation route.”

  He guided her along the walkway. “They should be able to make quite a few trips, before the fuel runs out. Lots more survivors.”

  “I hope so.” She chewed on her lip and stared at the deserted street. “We lost so many las
t night.”

  “We’ll find more. Or they’ll find us.”

  “If the Emergency Alert System works.” She closed her laptop and tucked it under her free arm.

  “It will. Lister’s men know what they’re doing.” They’d rolled into camp in time to climb aboard their transport and head out of town. “We’ll be able to hear it in ten minutes.”

  As they roll out of town. Forever.

  “Let me just speak to our atomic saviors before we get underway.”

  He eyed the convoy of trucks slowly leaving the neighborhood. “You have five minutes.”

  She squeezed his hand and tried to pull away.

  He tightened his hold. No way was he letting her out of his sight. Too much depended on her.

  She rolled her eyes and walked to the trio with him in tow. “Four days, gentlemen. We need four days to get someplace reasonably safe from the fallout.”

  Brainiac killed his bike’s engine. “I’ve been looking over the specs and I think I can give you a week, Ma’am.”

  “Keep it running for four days, then you are to leave.” She tugged a piece of paper from her pocket. “I’ve synced the escape route for you to join us. There’ll be some gas at Luke. But it won’t be enough to get you to Colorado, so I’ve marked all the fast food places along the way. Use the oil from the fryer. It should get you close enough to avoid most of the fall out.”

  The trio exchanged looks and didn’t take the paper. They weren’t going to obey Mavis. He knew it.

  So did she. “Radiation poisoning is a slow and painful death. You literally rot from the inside out and having your skin split open while you’re alive to enjoy it is agonizing.”

  Doubt flitted across the men’s faces. Brainiac took the paper, folded it and tucked it into his peacoat.

  Damn, but she was smart.

  “Once you run out of available water, get the hell out because they only thing left to do is die.” She cleared her throat. “Be saviors not martyrs and meet us in Colorado.”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” they chorused.

  Smiling, she tugged him toward the truck. The two motorcycles started, the engines growled as Falcon passed them. Papa rose followed with Brainiac behind him, clutching the seat.