Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted my quarry entering one of the apartment buildings across the street, and moved to follow her to her destination — wherever that might be. What was she after, here? I’d never been here before, and she hadn’t mentioned it at any time during the time we’d been together. What other secrets has she hidden from me? It didn’t matter now; I had to get her out of here and on the road.
Of the 12 field agents, 10 had been successfully activated. ‘AEGIS Actual’ looked up from his terminal and out the window, putting down his headset. His aide stood beside him, listening to his own headset and taking notes furiously on a clipboard.
“That’s it, Frank. It’s done,” said Maxwell.
Anderson murmured one word — “standby” — into his headset and turned to face the colonel, his hands and clipboard folded behind him at exactly the proper at-ease position. “Yes, sir. We have confirmation on 10, sir. Only Ames hasn’t reported.” Frank paused for a moment, apparently ill at ease about continuing. “Sir, about Blake…”
Maxwell held up a hand to forestall further protest. “Sometimes, Frank, we have to bend the rules to follow them. I’d hoped that you’d see that by now. That man deserves a chance to find her.” He turned to look at his long-time friend and colleague, who sighed with resignation.
“George, it’s just as much a part of me to question that order as it is for you to give it. You know that. Any less and we wouldn’t be where we are today. You know I agree with you.”
George nodded and smiled a grim smile. “Still, I had to say something. As you say, it’s a part of me.” He turned back to the window and his view of the Rockies as he picked up the headset again and put it on, sighing softly. “Still, maybe he can get her back; they’re going to need everyone. Have Powell follow up with Ames. If anyone can find out what that asshole’s up to, it’s him. Are the rest of the protocols in place?”
Frank was all business once again. “Yes, sir. All protocols are in place, ready, and awaiting activation, sir.”
George nodded and turned back to his terminal. “AEGIS Actual to all stations. Initiate Protocol AEGIS Five Two, repeat, initiate Protocol AEGIS Five Two. Authorization Golf Hotel Mike seven five.” He looked at Frank, who was issuing the retrieval orders to Powell, then spoke again. “And may God have mercy on our souls.”
I moved quietly up the building’s stairs, not sure exactly what I was headed into. I had managed to follow her here, but I had no idea why she was here, and that made this whole situation dangerous. I should be past Checkpoint One by now. Instead, here I was standing outside an apartment door, trying to hear what the shouting inside was all about.
Love can do funny things to a man.
Suddenly the shouting cut off, the door flew open and I was knocked off my feet by a tall auburn-haired woman with tears in her eyes and a motorcycle helmet in her hand as she exited the apartment. I sat there trying to get my breath back and mentally checking that nothing was broken as I looked up at her. She stood there, frozen in shock.
“Hello, Kimberly,” I said, at length.
A large blond man who looked as if he could crush free weights in his hands just for the fun of it filled the doorway behind her. His young face looked strained and his voice was hoarse, probably from all the yelling. “Who’s this, sis?”
It was only then, as I was picking myself up off the ground, that I noticed the clear family resemblance. She wiped the tears away and stared at me in silent defiance. I raised one eyebrow. When she didn’t respond, I sidestepped her and stuck out a hand towards the big man. “David Blake, 1st Alpha, AEGIS. And you are?”
Kimberly was nonplussed as her brother sized me up — much like Maxwell had so long ago — and then clasped my hand in a strong grip. I winced as he introduced himself. “Name’s John, David. John Barnes. So you’re from this ‘AEGIS’ outfit, are you? Then it’s all real, what’s she’s told me?”
I looked at her out of the corner of my eye as she looked down, slumping. “Well, John, I don’t know exactly what she’s told you, but AEGIS is real, and so am I… and she and I have to go.”
“I told him everything,” she mumbled. “I had to. He’s all I have left, David.” She looked at me as though imploring me to forgive her transgression. As though I had the right to tell her it was okay that she had lied through her teeth to me, to her unit, and to the Army.
“No, he’s not, Kim.” My meaning was clear as I looked straight at her, and she looked away. “I told you I was there for you, and you left me. You left whatever it was we had, and I never heard from you. That was your choice, not mine.”
“Oh? There’s one thing she didn’t tell me, I guess.” John looked at his sister, then back at my unsmiling face, and then shrugged. “I wish it’d lasted, sis. You’ve always seemed so lonely, after…” He broke off and looked down. He appeared haunted, as though he’d seen something horrible. I knew that look, and I guessed he was thinking of their parent’s death, one of the few personal things that Kim had shared with me before she split.
She didn’t tell me about him, though. I wonder how much of what she did tell me was the truth?
John looked back at me. “Well, if you need to go, go. You folks have important things to do, and I won’t stand in your way. Not that I could ever talk her out of anything, anyway,” he said as he looked at her fondly. “Sis, I’ll go to Colorado Springs like you asked. Whenever you get done with this, I’ll be there waiting for you.”
She looked at him, smiled that huge smile of hers, and hugged him tight. “Thank you, Johnny. I’ll leave you some contact info when I know more, if I can. I love you.”
His huge arms enfolded her, making her look small. “I love you, too. Be safe. Now go.”
“Let’s go, David,” she said, walking down the corridor. I made to follow, but her brother motioned me over.
“Take care of her,” he whispered as I leaned in. “If she dies, you die. If she hurts, you hurt. Understand?”
As I straightened, I started to tell him how well she could take care of herself, but he knew that already. He was just being a protective older brother, and I could tell how serious he was about that.
In the same somber tones, I answered him. “John, I promise you I will do everything I can to protect her. She will be safe with me.” He nodded as though the issue was settled for him, and perhaps it was. I felt certain that he would be in Colorado waiting for her when whatever had happened was all over. As I turned and moved down the stairs to catch up to Kim, I wondered how likely it was that she would ever meet him there.
“What the hell, Kim?” I asked as we neared her bike and she climbed on. “Were you ever planning on telling me about him?”
She fumbled with the straps of her helmet, looking down. “I couldn’t. What was I supposed to say? ‘Hey, I’ve got a brother; I have to make sure he’s safe. Oh, and, no, I can’t leave without telling him everything about our super-secret army unit?’”
“Maybe not, but I deserved to know.” I caught her arm as she put on her helmet, forcing her to look at me.
“I know, David. I’m sorry. We can’t talk about this now, though. We’re already late.”
“I’m parked over there,” I said, pointing. “Follow me, and DO NOT report in. We’re already in enough trouble. I’ll handle it.”
“Yes, sir,” she said with a tentative smile that I didn’t return. “Hop on and I’ll give you a lift. Better than walking.”
I hesitated, but got on, reluctantly putting my hands around her waist, and she sped us over to my bike. She idled as I started it and suited up. I looked at her as I reported in.
“AEGIS Actual, One Alpha. Package retrieved, en route to Checkpoint One, ETA 15 minutes.”
The response was immediate. “One Alpha, AEGIS Bravo. Package retrieval acknowledged, proceed to Checkpoint One ASAP.” There was a slight pause, and the commander continued in a quieter tone. “Welcome back, Kim. Good to have you with us.”
She bowed her head
as she heard him, and she sounded somewhat choked up as she replied. “Good to be back, sir.” Her jet-black helmet, visor down, turned towards me, and I nodded. Seconds later, we were twin blurs of speed on the freeway, headed west.
A little while later, we approached Checkpoint One, the local Army National Guard post. As we pulled into the parking lot, we noticed four other similar bikes and parked next to them. As I took off my helmet, I could hear the rotors of a nearby helicopter turning and glanced around. A very young man in fatigues approached and saluted.
“Sir, the chopper is standing by behind the building, sir. I’ve been ordered to see to your motorcycles and make sure you get on board as fast as humanly possible, sir. Or it’s my ass, sir.”
I returned the salute and laughed. “At ease, private. I’m guessing you spoke with Colonel Maxwell, right? And that ‘or it’s your ass’ is a direct quote?”
“Y-yes, sir.”
“Thought so. Let me let you in on a little secret, private. He’s a real softy at heart. Besides, I’m not the one you should be saluting. And don't call me sir.” I grabbed my gear bag from the back of the bike and threw him my helmet. He managed to catch it, then looked over my shoulder and stopped dead still, staring, mouth gaping like a dying fish. I chuckled because I knew what he was seeing.
“Alright, Barnes," I said, chuckling. "Give the poor boy your helmet and let’s get going.” I heard her laugh too, and her helmet followed mine into the private’s arms as he somehow caught the second one as well, without taking his eyes off of Kimberly.
As Kimberly and I rounded the corner of the building, we could see the Blackhawk’s rotors begin to spin faster, and the other four members of our unit climbed aboard, giving us a hand as we raced up to the chopper just as the skids left the ground. I pounded Gaines on the back as I climbed in, pointing to his chin where a scraggly growth of beard grew.
He blushed and glanced Rachel’s way and I laughed. “She likes it, doesn’t she?” I yelled over the noise from the rotors and the wind outside, and he nodded. I felt a pang that they had made it through these nine months and Barnes and I hadn’t, but I gave him a thumbs-up and put on my headset, making sure that everyone was secure as I looked towards the crew chief; SILVERA was stitched on his uniform.
“Chief Silvera, how far behind schedule are we?”
He shook his head. “Far enough that my CO just gave me a royal ass-chewing, sir. I hope whatever slowed you down was worth it.”
Kim looked at me as I glanced her way, and smiled. I found myself smiling back, bigger than I wanted to. “It was, Chief. It was.”
Reynolds looked over at Gaines and Martinez and laughed, pretending to gag. It was as if we were right back to where we were nine months ago. I wasn’t sure I’d feel this way again, ever, but it was like we’d never been apart. Too bad it couldn't last.
We landed just before midnight at some airfield, the name of which I immediately forgot, and were escorted to a fueled and waiting Air Force Learjet. I exchanged glances with my squad as we boarded, wondering just how bad the situation was for them to send a Learjet for us. Granted, a cargo jet, but still, not something you saw every day when flying for the military. I shrugged and buckled in, just in time for the doors to be closed. We could hear some minor chatter from the cockpit as we strapped in amidst the containers and other materials being transported, not that there appeared to be much of that. Our gear was stowed overhead, and the rumble of the engines increased as we accelerated down the runway and took off.
Leveling off at cruising altitude, the pilot indicated we could stand up and stretch our legs. I decided it was time for that overdue explanation, and looked over at Kim, nodding my head towards the rear. She sighed and nodded, unbuckling herself and then walking back. As I stood up to follow her, Gaines chuckled, though it turned into a grunt as Eaton dug her elbow into his ribs. I chuckled too as I left them there, him rubbing his side and her glaring at him. Martinez was snoring, and Reynolds, for his part, just looked amused and snagged a magazine from his bag.
Kim didn’t look glad to see me as I made my way back through the cargo to the only empty space at the back. She fidgeted and picked at her nails. I leaned against a stack of boxes and waited for her to come around on her own. I’d learned long ago that pushing her too far to do anything was useless. A nudge here and there, but never the proverbial stick.
If only I’d learned that in time, I thought. Ah, well. Que sera, sera.
“I lied to you, David,” she said, not looking up.
Well, this is going to go well, I thought as I waited for her to continue.
“My parents didn’t die in a car crash.” She began to pace back and forth. “They told me after it happened that I couldn’t tell anyone what I’d really seen, what we had been through. We were so young when it happened.”
She sat down on a crate and folded her arms across her chest. “Did you ever wonder why Maxwell and I got along so well?” It occurred to me that she and the colonel had been friendly, but I hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary, and said so.
“My brother and I lived with him for years. He and his wife Althea took us in after… after what happened to our parents. He could have let AEGIS take us away and put us somewhere, but he convinced them that we were better off with him. Johnny stayed with him longer than I did; I joined the Army when I was 18 and got out of there. Johnny eventually joined the service too, though he went Marines.” I noticed fierce pride in her voice. “He made Force Recon. I made George promise never to tell my brother what really happened that night, and he didn’t. I owe him for that, David. I just told Johnny what I’m going to tell you.”
I nodded, taking a seat on a secured crate next to her, letting her tell the story in her own way.
Chapter Seven
Somewhere over Texas
As Kim finished talking about her parents’ death at the hands of a single walker, I was still trying to process everything. I was able to manage a smile as Kim looked up at me, though. I had moved to sit beside her, one arm around her shoulders and the other holding her hand as she told me how her parents had died. I was saddened not so much by her loss, though that was tragic, but more so by the fact that she and especially her young brother had had to witness such horror.
“The man who seemed so sad to me was, of course, George,” she said. “He told me that my mom was dead and that my dad was very sick and might not make it either. He calmed me down and told me that he had arranged for both of us to stay with him for a while, until they could locate some family we could be placed with at least temporarily. I told him not to bother; my dad was an only child and his parents had died years before. My mom didn’t even remember her parents, having grown up in the foster care system. So there wasn’t any family for us to go to.”
“I remember he looked even sadder at that, and somehow I realized at that point that I could trust him.” She snorted as she continued. “Of course, by that time my dad was already dead and had reanimated, and for defense the helicopter crew had neutralized him before they even put him on the chopper.”
The way she said neutralized left me cold, and I realized how brutal an experience that must’ve been for such a young child, and how much it might’ve warped her world-view if George Maxwell and his wife hadn’t been there to help them both through it.
“He took care of us; he took us home and fed us, treated us just like the children he and his wife could never have. He hid the truth from us only because it was so horrible. I saw how he lived and the standards he held himself to, and I knew then that I wanted to be what he was; I knew that the Army was where I wanted to be.”
“So when did he finally tell you the truth?”
“I had just finished a tour in Afghanistan, and I came home for a visit. My first in years, actually; he and Althea were very surprised and glad to see me. Johnny even managed to get some leave around the same time, so it was something of a reunion. One night after dinner, George and I were sitting outside on the
porch, him with his cigar and me with a glass of wine, and he just started talking. He told me the truth about my dad, and even about Jack; the zombie had bitten him too, and I simply hadn’t noticed as I rode him off the farm. They saw the bite right away and put him down before the chopper took off with us.”
“But animals don’t turn…”
“We know that now, but at the time they believed that it was a virus, remember. They were afraid it could end up as a carrier of the contagion.”
“Did you believe him? Maxwell? It’s a big story to swallow if you’ve never considered it before.”
“At first I thought he was just bullshitting me in a weird and hurtful sort of way, but then I realized it was painful for him to tell me all these secrets he’d been hiding.” She stood up and walked to the bulkhead, then turned back to me. “I didn’t believe him, not at first. I mean, I knew he believed it, but I still didn’t. I couldn’t. I mean, zombies? Seriously? So he showed me the tapes and the pictures and the videos.”
The Dying of the Light (Book 1): End Page 10