Genetic Flux (Phase One Book 1)

by Eckrich,Jeremiah P.

  The ride took over two hours. When they neared their new home, the pilot announced, “If you look out the right side you’ll be able to see the whole complex.”

  As Tracy looked down, she saw a large area that had many buildings encircled by grass lands surrounded by woods. It wasn’t until they were closer that she realized just how big it was. She guessed there were at least twenty buildings. The pilot and small group disembarked and walked about four hundred yards towards a large building in the front of the complex. There, another man who was in a suit greeted them.

  “Hi everyone, welcome. My name is Bill.” He took each of their hand’s in turn, as they introduced themselves. He led them to the building and into a large room. There were thirty or forty people already gathered. Everyone had gone through quarantines, and Tracy, for the first time, realized that no one here had any changes. They were as they had always been, no new eye color, no hair half one color and half another. Even at the lab people began to have changes one could see. There had been a couple people who had three different shades of color to their hair. So to see everyone looking so normal was rather shocking.

  Everyone was milling around until Bill called out, “Okay everyone, may I have your attention?” Slowly the room quieted. “We’re all here for the same reason. We are immune to the virus that is changing the others. This is our new home,” He stretched out his hands to encompass the complex. “The first thing we need to do is to find sleeping quarters.”

  A murmur went around the room, and he held his hands out for everyone to quiet down. “I know this is all strange, but we must get organized. I have a list of others who’ll be joining us in the next few days. Some, maybe relatives, that you can share quarters with. Others are children and adults that won’t know anyone here. It’ll be harder for the younger ones. Everyone will need to help them through this. There will be a transition period. I would like everyone to have a roommate through this time. Look the list over and see if anyone you know is on it. Those who’ll be here without other family members are circled on the list. Please check and see if anyone could room with you. Supper is on the buffet table at the back of the room, when we are finished eating we’ll go outside to the living quarters. We are going to try to accommodate everyone to the best of our ability. Thank you.” He walked over to the small group and handed them papers with the names and ages of others who would be joining the group.

  When Tracy received her copy she raced through the names. It was with great joy that she saw her younger sister and a cousin on it. She had a pang of guilt knowing her sister would miss their mom and dad, but her sister would be with her and wouldn’t have to endure the changes. She believed they would have to make this their new home, but, she also felt this would only be for a short while. The three of them would be able to deal with that together. She walked over and stood in the line that was forming in front of Bill.

  When it was her turn he smiled warmly at her. “Excuse me Bill.”

  In a fatherly gesture he placed his hand on her shoulder. “Well, hi Tracy.”

  Her look told him how surprised she was that he remembered her name so quickly. “I was given pictures and profiles on everyone. I wanted you to feel welcomed and comfortable, under the circumstances, as much as I could.”

  “Thank you, sir. Um, I have a sister and cousin on the list.”

  “You’re one of the lucky ones to have family join you.” He wrote something on the list he held. “I was wondering, there is a young woman who is twenty three years old. She’ll have no one here she knows. Would it be okay if she stayed with you when she first arrives? It would make the transition easier for her.”

  Tracy understood what he was saying, she felt very alone in this room full of people. She could not wait until her family arrived. “She can stay with us. She’s only a year younger than me so we could be best friends.”

  “Great, great Tracy. Thank you. I’ll give you a copy of her picture and her profile. Would it be okay for her to receive yours?”

  “That would be fine.”

  “I will get things arranged.” Bill smiled and looked behind her at the next person in line.

  It took two hours for everyone to talk to Bill and get assigned on the list. People mingled, or ate, as they waited.

  Once Bill had all of them taken care of he called out again, “Everyone!” It quickly grew quiet and he continued, “I want to thank each of you. Those who’ll be arriving will have a place to stay. This will make it easier for them to deal with the move. Now, we all need a place to sleep tonight so if you'll bear with me for just a bit longer. I know this is a lot for you to take in, but we must move forward. I ask you to take one of the condominiums with a bedroom for each person who'll be housed with you and no more. This won’t be permanent. After the adjustment period you may move. There are homes and one-bedroom apartments, but these will be for after the adjustment period. We are doing this so that everyone can deal with being separated from his or her friends and family. Now, let’s head to the residential area. I ask that you all meet here at eight in the morning for breakfast. Thank you.” He started for the door and everyone followed him.

  As they came out the door they faced the gate they came through when they first arrived, the fence was ten feet tall and had barbwire along the top. They turned left to walk down a grassy area with a park, playground, and baseball field on their right between the building they were in and the fence. There were two smaller buildings on their left.

  After the buildings was a garden area and rows of barracks. Across from the barracks by the fence was the laundry room. The lights were on inside, so everyone could see as they walked by. They walked a little further. Bill stopped when they came to the residential area of the base.

  “These are two, three, and four bedroom condos. On the front of the doors, on a piece of paper, is the number of bedrooms. After you pick which one you want please bring me the paper with the number of bedrooms, the backside has the address on it. Please, don’t scatter out too much. Remember, once we're past the adjustment period you can then choose where you want to live and if you would like roommates or not.”

  “What about furnishings?” Someone called out.

  “All the furnishings are in place. Everything is new and you'll only have to supply personal items, kitchen, toiletries and personal decorating—”

  “How will we get these items?” Another called out.

  “This’ll all be settled in the next few days. Just know that the housing provided for you has new carpet and furnishings.” With a chuckle he added, “Can you imagine what a feat that was to accomplish in such a short amount of time?”

  The little crowd joined him in laughter more out of a release of tension than anything else. The shock of being taken from one’s home and kept from everyone until it was known for sure they were immune was hard enough, but then to be taken here and not be told where here really was, and told this was your new home, was rather difficult for everyone. To realize the work that was done in such a short time was too much to expect.

  “Please, take your time and pick your new home. When you have made your choice take the number off the door and bring it to me.”

  For a moment, everyone just stood there looking around. Little by little, a person here and a person there began their search. Those who had a tougher time adjusting stood there the longest. Those who had made their choice went over to them and asked if they would like some company as they picked their new home. Bill stood back, taking notes on all that was going on, letting nature take its course. He knew that the next few months were going to be very difficult and was grateful to see others willing to help those in need.

  Tracy was so pleased she had a sister and cousin coming that looking for a place to live was exciting for her. She was surprised that there were condos on the base with four bedrooms. When she found one, she took the paper and gave it to Bill.

  Bill wrote the address next to her name. As she started to walk away he placed his han
d on her elbow. “Tracy, there’s an older woman who is rather shy. She lived with her daughter and her family. Now to be on her own is rather scary for her. Would you mind going with her to find a place?”

  Tracy smiled. “I would love to.”

  He walked her over to the woman. “Eugene, this is Tracy. She’ll walk around with you if you’d like.”

  Eugene’s gratefulness showed immediately on her face. “Oh, Tracy thank you.”

  “This'll be fun.”

  Bill smiled as the two walked away talking with one another. Yes, Tracy will be one I can count on to help others. He would have to make sure he didn’t put too much on the young woman. Until now, she had only worked in cafeterias. He wondered if she would have chosen a different career if given the chance. He was jolted out of his thoughts by others who had made their choice.

  After everyone chose their new home, they mingled about for a while. Tracy was in awe of the whole experience. It’s odd, we’re all strangers gathered here trying to find a connection to one another. She guessed that it was just human nature. They congregated around the playground, the oldest ones sitting at the picnic tables while those around Tracy’s age scattered about. This seems like a rather large area to house a few people in. Including those on the list, her best guess would be around one hundred and twenty five.

  When Bill said goodnight it was around eleven thirty. “It’s been a long day I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Everyone chorused a ‘goodbye’ or ‘goodnight.’

  Tracy smiled at Eugene. “Are you ready to go home?”

  “Yes, I'm getting rather tired, dear.” The older woman returned the smile.

  “I’ll walk with you if you’d like.”

  “That would be nice,” Eugene stood up. “I must admit I miss my daughter very much.”

  “It’s okay. If you’d like I’ll pick you up around seven forty five tomorrow morning and we can go to breakfast together.”

  “Oh yes. I’d like that very much.” As Eugene entered her new home she smiled again. “Good night, Tracy.”

  “Good night, Eugene.”

  She turned towards the park thinking she’d go back and hang out a while longer, but everyone was leaving, so she went to what was now going to be her home. When she first entered, there was the entryway with a coat closet on the left. On the right was the kitchen; between the kitchen and coat closet ran a hall going into the living room and dining room area.

  The kitchen, entryway and dining room were all tiled. These rooms were painted a cream color. The kitchen had all the major appliances. It also had a coffee maker, toaster, toaster oven, and microwave. They included everything.

  She opened the cabinets to see what was there; to her surprise, they were empty. When she entered the kitchen from the entryway to her immediate right was a small room with a washer and dryer. She walked out the other side of the kitchen into the dining room/living room area; the dining room had a table and chairs for six and a hutch. The living room was very large with two reclining chairs, a sofa, coffee table, end tables, stereo, large flat screen TV, DVD player and lamps. The floor had a soft brown carpet.

  From the living/dining room area was a small hall. It, too, had cream-colored walls and tile flooring. There was a half bath, which was painted blue, and stairs going up. It surprised her just how big the condominium was. To the left of the dining room was the living room.

  Upstairs on the left side was a Jack and Jane bedroom, a full bath in between the two bedrooms with a door leading into the hall. On the right was the master bedroom with an on-suite, then another bedroom. All the bedrooms had cream-colored walls and the soft brown carpet. The upstairs baths were the same as the half bath down stairs and tiled.

  Tracy was going to take the master bedroom, and then reconsidered. The young woman who would live with her and her family might feel more comfortable with the added privacy. She took the smallest bedroom for her own.

  Each bedroom had a bed, dresser, and night stands with lamps. On one nightstand was an alarm clock so she set it and got ready for bed. She tossed and tuned fearing she wouldn’t sleep at all, the next thing she knew the alarm was going off. She had allowed herself only enough time to get ready before she needed to leave to pick up Eugene. As she walked through the living room, she noticed two keys on the coffee table. She must have been very tired last night to have not noticed them. She picked them up and headed out the door.

  ***

  “Come on in the doors unlocked.” Eugene called out in answer to the banging on her door.

  Tracy smiled and entered Eugene’s new home. Except for the smaller size and different color, they were much alike.

  “Just let me get my purse.”

  “Take your time I’m not in a hurry.” Tracy answered back. As Eugene headed for the door Tracy noticed the keys still on the coffee table, “Your keys are on the coffee table”

  Eugene stopped and gave Tracy a look of surprise. “I wondered how I was going to lock my door.” She joked as she went and retrieved one of them. “I’ll leave the other for my roommate,” she added and the two of them joined others on their way to breakfast.

  As they entered the dining hall, they could smell the food. Everyone took their turn filling their plates and found a seat. Bill looked around the room and nodded to himself. If it was under other circumstances I’d think these people were happy.

  He had made sure those who were military wore civilian clothing. He wanted a comfortable atmosphere. It was Bills’ responsibility to watch for those who were having trouble adapting or would want to cause problems. Those in the military were trained for the unexpected; they would be relied on to help the others. If they could keep things running smoothly, it would make it easier for all concerned.

  When he saw everyone had finished eating he stood up. “May I have your attention?” It quieted down and he continued, “Today we'll try to get use to our new surroundings and find jobs.”

  A grumble rolled around the room and a young man stood up and said “What? You mean we’re not on an extended vacation?” A broad smile crossed his face and the room roared with laughter. He made a show at bowing and they all laughed harder. The young man bowed a few more times to the room in different directions then took his seat.

  Bill had to wait until he stopped laughing before he could continue and then all he could say was, “Extended vacation, that’s a good one.”

  After a moment longer he regained his composure. “Um, I forgot what I was saying.”

  The room exploded again as he rummaged through some papers trying to find where he was. “Okay, I have it, yes, jobs.” A few chuckles went around the room and he resumed, “Jobs. Yes. Okay. I’ll speak to each of you individually. It’ll take a few days, but while you're waiting, you may look your new home over, meet each other and become more familiar with your new life. In addition, you can go shopping. There is—”

  Before he could finish, a young woman called out, “Shopping? I love shopping.”

  There was laughter once again and Bill wondered if his job might be easier than he had thought. Laughter was a good sign. Once everyone quieted down he continued, “Joann will help out with the shopping instructions. I’ll go in alphabetical order and ask for your patience. If you will, try to be close to my office when your name is called. I’ll use the loudspeaker system to make it easier to keep track of where I am on the list. My office is in this building one floor up and on the right. Steve Adams, you’re first.”

  An older man of about seventy-five stood up. “That’s me.” Bill walked over and shook his hand. The two walked out of the room to Bill's office.

  Everyone else sat around having coffee or tea getting to know each other. Eugene and Tracy were talking when Private Patterson, who now wore only civilian clothing, tapped Tracy’s shoulder. “Excuse me,” she said and smiled.

  “Hi. Private how—” Tracy began but Private Patterson cut her off.

  “Joann. I’m Joann Patterson.”

 
Tracy smiled. It was nice to know her first name. “Hi Joann, this is Eugene.”

  “Hi Eugene. Tracy, I was wondering if you’d want to look around the place with me and a few other girls?”

  Before Tracy could think she said, “Yes.” Then turned to Eugene and added, “Well, I, um...”

  “You young ladies go ahead. Let me know what you find.”

  “Are you sure Eugene?”

  At that moment, a woman a little older than Eugene joined the group. “Hi, I’m Amy.”

  “This is Eugene, Joann, and I’m Tracy.”

  Amy said a general “Hi.” Looking towards Eugene, she said, “The younger ones are leaving us old folks to go look around.” She smiled at the two younger ones to make sure they knew she was kidding, and the two giggled at her. “Some of us are going at a slower pace. Would you like to join us Eugene?”

  “Yes.” Eugene rose from her chair smiling. “I’ll see you later Tracy.”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  Tracy liked the idea of getting to know her new surroundings. It was nice to be able to have the time to look around while getting to know a few people. She was amazed at the extent to which they had gone to get the base set up. As she walked around the compound, she was overcome with its vastness.

  They were given a map of the complex so they would not get lost. The main building had three floors; this was the building they had all gathered in the night before and had breakfast in. It also housed the computer room, conference rooms, other offices, the kitchen, and cafeteria. To the right of that was a school and library in one building and another was used for a digital and live theater. Between the school and fence was a large park, playground, and baseball fields. On the other side of the theater was a large garden area. Next were rows of barracks, then the condominiums, a large park then houses. The laundry room ran between the fence and the barracks. On the far side of the houses was another garden area. To the left of the main building and outside the inner fence was the helicopter-landing pad.