by Michael Todd
Sal scratched at the side of his jaw and simply looked at her with a blank expression as he thought through what she’d said.
“Huh,” he said and realized that she waited for him to say something. “So those were your panties hanging from the curtain rod in the bathroom.” He stood, moved into his room, and after a short while, returned with the lace underwear. “These are yours?”
“Oh.” Courtney looked down and avoided his gaze. “I almost forgot about that.”
“Well, it’s a good thing that I know which sexy woman those belong to,” Sal said with a nod. “Before I saw them, I actually thought that it was merely a very intense dream.”
She looked up and pushed her blonde hair from her face. “Wait…you think I’m sexy?”
“I’m pretty sure that the only people who wouldn’t are blind,” he responded with a nod and placed the panties on his work desk. “Although that would quickly change if they could touch…you…no, that’s a terrible joke. I can do better.”
“So, you’re not mad about what I did?” she asked.
“Look, before I got here, I wasn’t exactly a stud,” he replied and shook his head vehemently. “All things considered, I’m sure that I actually had a fantasy of a very hot, very smart, scientifically-focused woman taking me while I was asleep. Is it in a morally dark area? Sure. But as far as I’m concerned, no harm, no foul, right?” He shrugged.
“Huh.” Courtney took another sip of water. “I’ll be honest with you. I actually thought that you would be a lot angrier than this.”
“What can I say?” Sal said with a small smile. “I’m a pretty chill guy. Although I’d appreciate it if next time, you could wake me up for it. It’ll make my nap time a lot more enjoyable, I think.”
“Deal,” she said with a laugh. “So you want there to be a next time?”
He shrugged. “I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there, right? So, if we’re done with that, and we’ve established that you are one of the good ones—bad choices while drunk aside…” He made a gesture of pushing the whole conversation away with his hands. “Why don’t we get back to our original topic of conversation?”
“Sure,” Monroe said, and the abashed look on her face faded to be replaced by something a little more hopeful. “So, what is it that you and Kennedy do for money now that you’re freelancing, anyway?”
“Well, we’ve had a couple of trips into the Zoo,” Sal replied. “One was to find some armor that someone left behind. And a research run. Both times, most of our money came from finding the Pita flowers and bringing in intel on the new and improved animals in there. Did you notice how it seems like the goop actually experiments with different animal types? It seems to mix and match as if to force evolution into something like the ultimate…animal, or creature or whatever?”
Courtney nodded. “Yeah. I mean, it seems silly to even think of it, but whatever that stuff is, it makes some interesting changes to the biological makeup of these creatures and plants.”
“Plus, it seems to be able to recreate a dinosaur’s genetic code,” he said.
“We’re not sure if those big creatures are dinosaurs, though,” she cut in. “There are similarities, but there are also similarities between them and birds and modern reptiles. It could simply be that—turned up to eleven like the rest of the animals.”
Sal shrugged. “I guess. Still, I thought it was cool that an alien goop beat us to a Jurassic-Park-type disaster.”
“Again, not really,” she said with a grin. “Sure, the goop is what makes all the changes, but it was humans who fucked up and tried to do too much too quickly. As usual.”
“So long as we don’t start charging people to come and visit, I think we’ll be good,” he responded with a chuckle.
“I’d honestly not put it past some billionaires to pay to have some sort of hunting trip into the Zoo,” Courtney said dryly. “You know, trophy hunting. And then I would laugh when karma decreed that the dumbasses end up getting shit out the back end of one of those big non-dinosaurs.”
Sal chuckled. “That actually sounds too close to reality to be an action movie directed by Michael Bay.”
Monroe laughed and covered her mouth.
He intended to continue his analogy, mainly because he had a long list of bad things to say about that director in particular, but he was cut off by another knock at the door.
“Are you expecting someone?” Courtney asked.
“I don’t usually have a lot of visitors around here,” he said. “Oh, right. Kennedy said she would come by to run some inventory for the trip we’re taking into the Zoo tomorrow. Maybe that’s her.”
It was true. He didn’t have that many visitors. But maybe having Madigan around would stop him from saying something that would make his conversation with Courtney awkward. He was known to do that, and Kennedy was so much better at keeping social situations smooth. She had the kind of wit and social awareness that he’d failed to develop in his younger years.
Sal opened the door. He smiled, and relief washed over him when it was, in fact, Kennedy on the other side. Oddly, she looked surprised to see him and studied him quickly.
“Hey,” he said. “Come on in.”
“Thanks,” Kennedy replied, although her gaze swept the room. Courtney sat on the couch and sipped her water.
Well, they’re both dressed, she thought to herself. That’s a good sign, right?
“I was talking to Courtney about helping with her job…situation,” Sal said. “Can I get you something to drink? I guess I should say some water. That’s all I have.”
“I’m good, thanks.” She seated herself on the office chair where Sal had sat and turned to face Courtney. “I do remember talking to you about some of your business troubles. You asked if we needed any new faces on our crew, and I said…something about needing someone who’s a full-time specialist since Sal is half and half? I think? My memory’s a bit vague on the details, though.”
Courtney nodded. “Yeah, I do remember something like that. But Sal works well as both a gunner and a specialist. I don’t see why you’d need me.”
“Like Kennedy said, I tend to get, uh…excitable about the gunner part of my duties,” Sal said. “Plus, the only way we can expand is to bring in more personnel. I mean, we’re doing that Zoo run tomorrow, but most of our money has come from research jobs. We could definitely have more bodies on that.”
“Besides,” Kennedy said and refused to give up Sal’s seat even though he hovered uncertainly nearby. “Sal is a good enough gunner that he could take that job over entirely while leaving the job of being a specialist to you.”
“I’m not sure we can pay you a specialist’s salary yet, though,” Sal mused. “We barely get those ourselves. Salaries, that is. Most of our money comes in from incentives and bounties. We’ve put together a good amount of seed money, but we’re still a start-up.”
Courtney nodded. “I’m sure it’ll pay dividends if I get in on the ground floor, as the saying goes.”
“You’re damn right,” Kennedy replied with a grin. “Damn, I wish we had something to drink to celebrate.”
“I have—”
“Not water,” Kennedy growled and rolled her eyes. “How many times have I told you that you need to get some actual booze in this place?”
“It’s not like I drink all that much on my own,” Sal said.
Courtney looked away. For some reason, she felt like she was an intruder in this conversation.
“Well, you should have some anyway,” Kennedy said with a smile and pointed at Courtney. “For when we have company.”
“I think you’re wildly overestimating how much company I have,” he retorted with a laugh. “I mean, three people in my place is more than I’ve had in…well, it’s the most people who have been in this place since I moved in.”
Madigan chuckled. “And that’s fucking sad. Look, I’ll email you the inventory details. I got you a new suit.” She paused and looked at Monroe. “I don’
t think we’ll be able to inventory something for you this quickly—that’s if you want to come with us. I can square it with the team, though, if you feel like coming, Doc.”
Courtney nodded. “I do want to come. And I’ve rented from the warehouse for a while now. I have no problem doing it again.”
Sal nodded. “I’ll work on your contract. They get those processed quickly. You can’t make money if you don’t have your T's crossed and your I’s dotted, right? So…I’ll see you all in the morning?”
The specialist nodded and grinned. “Thanks again. Both of you. You have no idea how much I appreciate your help on this.”
Kennedy smiled. “You can never have too many good people to watch your back. And you’re one of the best, Doc.” She stood and headed for the door, with Courtney following. A few steps away from the entrance, she caught sight of the panties on Sal’s desk. Pink and lacy, and definitely not hers.
The icky feeling in her stomach hadn’t gone away. Madigan wanted to feel happy that they would now work with someone like Courtney, but she’d seen how the doc looked at Sal. She wasn’t sure when the woman could have left those behind, but she knew that they hadn’t been around when she’d last visited.
It wasn’t like she was Sal’s wife, she reminded herself yet again. They had fun and worked well together, but when you lived and worked in a place like this when you could die the next time you went to work, it wasn’t like the usual combination of societal bonds between two people who had sex applied. Or if they did, she certainly hadn’t abided by them.
There was no reason why she should expect that Sal would.
Madigan decided that she simply needed some time to get her feelings in order. She was good at that and had done it all her damned life.
Why hadn’t she brought an JLTV, anyway? She fucking hated walking.
“Fucking doc needs to learn some manners, though,” she grumbled under her breath as her annoyance fueled her pace. Then again, with the lack of rules in this place, it wasn’t like she was the one who could teach manners. But the least the woman could do was not leave her underwear lying all over the place.
Sal watched the two women leave his place and exhaled a long sigh of relief. He didn’t know how Madigan would react to what had happened earlier that day, and while he was perfectly fine with it, she might have a thing or two to say.
Knowing her, there was also a good possibility that the conversation wouldn’t be verbal. Not entirely, anyway.
He shook his head, retrieved the panties from his desk, and walked to his room. It wasn’t like Kennedy to not notice the small things. She had a good eye for detail. Then again, Courtney’s business troubles had been the focus of the conversation.
Still, it was best to keep these out of view. He folded the underwear neatly. The fabric was smooth and easy to work with, he thought with a small smile as he opened the safe again and replaced it where he’d left it earlier. He gave Madie’s container a light, appreciative pat before he shut the safe again.
There were much more dangerous things to be found in his place than underwear, he thought with a grin as he entered the code to lock the safe.
Chapter Fifteen
Anderson looked up from his dinner—a far cry from the roast he’d hoped to return home to—a moment before someone knocked on his door. He couldn’t say how he knew to expect the visitor. He hadn’t really paid attention, and honestly, after he’d taken his meds, he didn’t even want to pay attention. After the day he’d had, all he wanted to do was finish his meal of quickly heated rations of rice and diced chicken and get some sleep. He’d address the fuck-ups—his own and everyone else’s—in the morning.
He sighed, took a sip of water, and wiped his mouth with a paper napkin as whoever it was knocked again, more insistently this time. The colonel pushed his chair back and went to the door. He’d been given a small prefab building to claim as his own. They’d even set up a small workstation and a cot for him to use. It wasn’t the Ritz, but it was miles from the worst place he’d had to sleep in.
He opened the door, surprised to see Dr. Bial standing outside.
“Colonel,” the man said, out of breath, “there’s been a development.”
“Can’t it wait until the morning?” Anderson asked and rubbed his eyes. His anti-anxiety medication had the side effect of making him sleepy.
“Sir, our instruments picked up the team’s cameras again,” the scientist snapped before Anderson had even finished his question. “They’re alive. Well, three of them are. They made it out of the Zoo. We’ve sent some vehicles to bring them back here.”
“What?” Anderson demanded, and his sleepy demeanor dropped like a mask. “Are you serious?”
Bial nodded as a smile touched his normally dour features. “We haven’t been able to make contact with them, but we at least have three survivors of the mission.”
The colonel couldn’t resist a relieved chuckle as he leaned forward and placed his hand on the man’s shoulder. He knew that he had been harsh with him and the whole scientific team. They weren’t military, so that made it easier, but they were there on orders like he was. And he knew for a fact that they had worked tirelessly through the whole day to try to fix what had gone wrong. What had he done?
He’d motivated them to do better, he thought.
“What’s their ETA?” Anderson asked as they both headed to the command center. He strode at a swift pace, and the scientist barely managed to keep up.
“The JLTVs just picked them up,” Bial answered, a little out of breath although he still matched him stride for stride. “They should be back in fifteen minutes, with a few variables.”
The colonel nodded. “But we lost contact with them inside the Zoo. How did we get it back?”
“We had suffered interference,” the man explained. “When their comms went down, we assumed that the squad members had too but, as it turns out, they merely had some technical difficulties.”
Anderson nodded. “I’m sorry for my tone earlier, Bial. I…I have bad memories of losing squad mates.”
“I’ve worked out here in the Zoo for fifteen months, Colonel,” his companion assured him, “so believe me when I say that I know that your heart was in the right place. You might want to share your feelings with some other members of my engineering team, though.”
“I’ll buy them all some top-shelf whiskey,” he responded with a chuckle. “Only one bottle, though, for them to share. I work in Washington, but I don’t make that much money.”
Bial laughed, and Anderson realized that he hadn’t made the best joke. The man was simply as relieved as he was himself.
They reached the compound’s gate, which was dragged open to reveal the blinding headlights of the JLTVs that waited outside. The vehicles rumbled in, and the gates were shut and locked quickly behind them. Guards and all other personnel who could peered out into the desert to make sure that nobody and nothing had followed the arrivals.
Thankfully, no one raised the alarm, and Anderson strode to where his men swung out of the vehicles. The team was no doubt relieved to be able to disembark. The JLTVs were still personnel carriers, and the suits that the men wore were too large to sit comfortably. They made it work, of course, but after their nightmare trip into the zoo, it must have felt like the last straw on the proverbial camel’s back.
There were four suits, but only three of them moved. The colonel’s initial relief was instantly tempered by regret when he saw that the fourth suit was missing the whole of the right leg. It was Blue Team Leader, he realized.
The scientists rapidly removed the armor from the weary survivors. They didn’t look too badly wounded—nothing life-threatening or that would require them to be rushed to the base hospital for emergency surgery. One had a broken leg, but the armor had hardened around it and kept it from further damage.
“Status report,” Anderson said and attempted to keep his tone professional as he squatted beside Blue Two.
“We were swarmed,” th
e man said as he examined his own body with a practiced eye. “Hundreds of the critters came from all sides. It was like they were protecting something. Blue Leader went down, but we managed to get him back. He…he was dead when we found him, and they’d torn the leg off, armor and all. I swear to God, they piled on us at one point, but they couldn’t get through the armor. We managed to push our way out and drag him…drag him out.”
“You did some good work out there, son,” his commanding officer said.
“What kind of mission report will you send back, sir?” he asked.
“Well, I’ll give commendations to all members involved,” Anderson said and patted the side of the young sergeant’s head. “Some serious medals will come your way. I’ll also give this armor some scathing reviews. Software issues aside, simple animals shouldn’t be able to make a crack in this stuff, much less detach a full leg.”
The man nodded. “Thank you, Colonel.”
He nodded and gazed at the rest of his men. The priority was to get them medical attention now that they were out of their suits. The man with the broken leg would probably be stabilized and shipped back to the Staging Area, where he could recover under proper medical care, while the rest would either be sent Stateside or back to their original deployments. This whole operation was an absolute disaster from the beginning. That was what you got when military men and women didn’t plan the missions. Priorities got skewed, and men’s lives were put in danger.
Anderson shook his head and made his way back to Mission Control. Bial fell quickly into formation behind him.
“You know what I’m going to say, right?” the man said, his voice terse. He sounded like he braced himself for another dress-down from the colonel.
But he’d taken his meds. Even with the relief of seeing at least most of the men back and alive when he was sure that they hadn’t made it, he didn’t have the energy to go through the paces of being argumentative.
“We need to head back in to get that leg,” he said with a nod. “Even only the leg has too much for us to allow it to fall into the wrong hands. For reasons of national security as well as for those who that made them, we need to send someone back in to get it.”