The Infected 2: Gabriel

by P. S. Power

  Crazy jerk.

  The rest of the time they waited for stuff to happen he spent with Peggy. He'd have loved to spend time with Bethy and Ginger, Kerry too now that he knew about her, but that couldn't happen. Sure, the odds that someone would put it all together were small, but if they did, then the whole thing could fall apart pretty fast. They knew for a fact that the IPB was watched, for instance by that chick from Hobbs' world, Timberland and her squad, if nothing else. That Hooper might have his fingers in the pot wouldn't have shocked anyone either. Senators could do that kind of thing, at least if “Dirty Infected” were involved. Who needed civil rights anyway?

  One thing was certain, Denis wasn't going to vote for that guy in the next election. Freaking politicians anyway. Couldn't people tell without hardly looking that the blood suckers were at least as bad as any Infected ever was? It baffled him that they didn't.

  The day Penny got back was a light workout day for Brian, so he jogged slowly with Denis and Hobbs as they watched a much faster group of people running right in front of them. Today was “excitement” day and the runners with Lauren kept increasing their speed. It took a lot of focus to not drop anyone for too long, since they all ran at different rates. A few were so fast that he couldn't really track them and one or two were even slower than he was. Hobbs kept insisting that only the people taking part today be affected, not the ones in the middle of the track, using the weight lifting equipment or practicing unarmed combat. It meant his head ached a good bit while Brian talked to him.

  “So, Director Moore and Charlot want to know if you're ready for the big show?” Brian said as they kept moving. His voice was calm and sedate. He wasn't even breathing hard from the jogging.

  Jerk. Being all in good shape already. Denis smiled at the thought though. He wasn't that out of breath himself.

  It didn't take a Mensa member to get the idea. Fuck. Time for that already? Denis had to do it though. No matter how much the idea embarrassed him personally, it had to be done. The monster was going down... finally. First they'd destroy him and then... serve a perfectly legal death warrant. That way no one would be too up at arms over the whole thing. After a while, trying not to drop his focus on the running people he answered.

  “Yes. Ready as I'll ever be.”

  “Good. I'll pass that along. If you can, be ready for the next few weeks. It could be needed at any time.”

  Weeks? Well, if that's how long all the tests and stuff took, he'd wait. It had taken nearly two decades for him to get this far, he'd rather not screw it all up now because he rushed. The wait didn't take that long though.

  Not even hours.

  The second he came out of his shower after running a deep pounding came on the door. This time Marcia stood waiting for him, dressed in business casual and holding a suit draped over her left arm.

  “Wear this. We meet on two in half an hour. Be there.” She grinned. The lilt in her voice made it sound like an old movie and as if he was being asked to the “sock-hop”. Kind of cheery.

  “Oh, we also ship out in three days for the bigot-riot in San Francisco. Hobbs says you're in shape for it now, but we don't know what the hell we'll be walking into there, not after this thing today. Half an hour.” She clapped him on the shoulder, trying to be encouraging, instead she nearly knocked his towel off from around his waist and sent him to the floor.

  “Seriously Marcia, a little restraint. I'm just now getting use of that arm back.” Denis grinned back though, hoping she'd take it as playing and not an attack. His shoulder really did ache from the blow though. The woman was freaking strong.

  “Oops. Well, I'll make it up to you later by not making you room with Clark. We have Agent Rodriguez coming with us too this time, he lost a coin toss with Reyes. The guy running Tobin from team two? So he and Lancaster get to run pedo-babysitting duty. Just as well, I need someone to run interference anyway so I don't “accidentally” throw Clark out of a tenth story window after “knocking him out” and Rodriguez is one of the nicest people the non-Infected agents have. Reyes is the other and he offered to help Clark out a window as well, just to give you an idea as to the climate there.” She smiled and made quotation fingers in the right places, then she shook her head, a wry look on her face.

  “Honestly Den, I really think we should have just killed Clark. Team two has other telekinetics just as good. I only picked him because I wanted to keep the creep busy and watched. For all the good that did.”

  “Right. Well, he can't fix it if he doesn't survive to try. Still, if he steps out of line again, with anyone, I certainly won't try to help him. If he can't fix his shit now, he can't be fixed. If that happens...” Denis took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Then I'll serve the death warrant myself. I wasn't kidding when I said that.”

  That got another, much softer, slap on the arm and then the woman left so that clothing could be put on. It was a dark suit, a deep blue that would look black to most people in all but bright sunlight. He had shoes that matched, shining black ones and it came with a tie that had red and black stripes, a republican power tie?

  The idea made sense, make them look sane and conservative. He looked alright in the full length mirror so he headed up directly, hoping that the make-up lady wouldn't still be as mad at him. If so he'd be going out without anything on his face. Possibly without eyebrows too. That could work though, the no make-up part. He always felt a little uneasy when it came to make-up, even for professional reasons. Men didn't wear that, right? Besides, he didn't need to be pretty, just trustworthy looking.

  Sighing Denis realized he still needed to apologize to her. Clari the make-up woman. Even if it hadn't been rape, she'd felt abused. His not acknowledging that was... Low. He really didn't want to do it, to explain what he'd been thinking and all at the time, but he owed her that. Hopefully she wouldn't just shoot him.

  On two, the second press room, a big space that normally had a single large table in it, at least from what Denis remembered, had been transformed. The broadcast was going out live, and the interview done by some blond female reporter that Brian Yi had roped into it. It really was a huge story, if an unpopular one. That didn't mean it couldn't make a career though, not if they did it right.

  The front of the space had four soft chairs set up, all a cream white color and a light blue backdrop. The reporter was on the right, leaving Kerry, Ginger and Bethany Yoder sitting together and holding hands. Denis wasn't up yet. His part came later, if everything went even remotely to plan. If not they'd do it on the fly. This was the important part though, the heart rending part that would affect the mind of the public first.

  The evidence was presented with tears, and a bit of sobbing, even the blond reporter cried a bit. That... didn't even seem faked. The whole thing was bitterly tearing on the soul. A true horror just to hear. Then they had experts on who presented the DNA evidence clearly and showed that the facts presented were incontrovertible. The only possible loophole being that somehow some other man was the father of them all. Even with fresh DNA... Well, the “Dirty Infected” could be lying, right? It didn't take long for that to be mentioned, even by the sensitive blond reporter than honestly seemed to be on their side.

  Then Bethy did something that surprised even him. She presented her birth-certificate, which was signed by her mom... and Darren Jones. Denis didn't have one himself, most of the kids didn't. Bethany just happened to be old enough to have gotten one and no one had ever thought to hide it from her. It was a freaking bombshell alright. Still, it could be faked. Anything could be now.

  Before the hour long program had ended all the major news networks were sending people to do interviews. Being this was the IPB headquarters and they ran daily press briefings, there were camera crews setting up before the experts had even finished with the examination of the papers Bethy had. At first, of course, the reporters all wanted sound bites from the girls, the younger ones, the daughters and granddaughters all in one.

  Kerry especially, having
been the bastard's “wife” too. The main topic being the validity of their claims that the good Reverend Jones might be Infected.

  All of that, and what the world wanted to know was if the man had a power? Denis had been ready for it, but after listening to everything said he could hardly credit it. He found himself sitting in a hard plastic chair and fidgeting for the whole time, wanting to jump to his sister's rescue as accusations and harsh questions came in. He couldn't. Not yet. The green chair shifted and squeaked under him as he watched.

  An hour and twenty minutes later it happened. The event they all waited for. Hoped for at least and didn't really expect at all. It was after all, moronic. When he heard Denis stood eagerly, it was finally his turn to do something. He felt nervous, scared even, but ready. Focused.

  Senator Hooper used some of his clout to get an emergency airing for his friend, the “good Reverend Jones” all the stations were covering the same feed. He “demanded “that an IPB representative be brought out to answer for the “scandalous and false” charges made against him. The “good Reverend” asked for this several times, relying on the fact that in the normal course of events, that would take days to arrange, the IPB not being allowed to make more than simple comments about how “things were under investigation”. This time the rules were different though, and they were ready. It made a huge difference when you already knew you didn't have to take someone to court first. The other side didn't know that yet though.

  So what the Prophet Darren Jones got was Kerry and Denis. Exactly what he'd asked for. IPB representatives there to answer questions and face him directly. Every news channel in the country was running the bit live.

  The chairs were arranged facing the cameras and the signal went out the broad faced monster showing on a screen in front of them, near the cameras, so that they could look him straight in the eye. Or at least the illusion would be like that. It made people look honest and forthright. Kerry had to look away though.

  She tried, but she wasn't able to lock gazes with the man. It had been conditioned into her for years, into all of them. Denis had been away for longer though and hadn't been given as much direct influence, not being all that interesting to the man himself. That and all the meditation paid off. He could stare the man down. Thanks in part to Hobbs and crazy Carl.

  So he did.

  The Prophet Darren practically smirked when he saw Kerry at first. He knew she couldn't face him, not under pressure like this. She might not even be able to talk. When the beast saw Denis he hesitated though. Mustering all his focus and concentration, Denis smiled into the camera.

  “Hi dad. Remember me?”

  11

  The denial that followed the first words would have gone a lot better if the moron hadn't nearly shouted “Denis” into the cameras first. Then the man stammered for about half a minute, scrambling for something to say while Denis spoke calmly.

  “The allegations made are one hundred percent true, and we have iron clad proof. More, I've seen years of abuse at this man's hands myself, and this isn't an isolated thing, there are over fifty women and children involved in this case and countless young men that have been driven to their deaths by Darren Jones, using Infected coercive abilities.”

  After that it was just a matter of watching the meltdown. The guy virtually crapped himself then and it got even worse a few moments later when Kerry started laying into him. She had a sudden feeling of righteous indignation that overcame the programming from dear old dad. Denis looked at the screen, but angled himself so he could watch her speak too and kept pumping that feeling out the whole time. The monster may have had his little sister for a lot longer than Denis had known her, but Denis was much stronger. Vastly so. Plus, they had right on their side.

  It made a difference.

  The spot actually got extended after Darren Jones ran off the set where he was in Washington D.C.. Mainly because of what Denis did next, he thought, which was inform the public that there was a warrant out for the arrest of anti-Infected hate leader Reverend Darren Jones and that a death warrant was being sought due to the dangerous nature of the man's abilities. He said it clearly and repeated it several times, also spelling out that Jones was Infected and dangerous so clearly that it nearly made him laugh the second time he did it.

  No one else did.

  “It could be that many people in his organization are Infected as well. The IPB is looking into all of his known associates in the hate community.”

  The newscaster, a good looking man with a fake tan and comfortable lines on his face, asked the needed follow-up question as if he were on script. Denis practically cheered when the man actually said the words. This guy was definitely his favorite newsman from now on, he decided.

  “The Reverend Darren Jones is a known associate and longtime close friend of Senator Hooper. Both have been very outspoken in regards to Infected issues...”

  “Well Gerald, I can't comment on that right now, except to say again, all of Jones' associates are being looked into. But even if it's shown that Senator Hooper is in fact hiding his own Infected status, like some of his colleagues in the hate community, that doesn't mean that he's purposefully broken any law with the use of his ability. The IPB does not, in any way, seek to persecute people simply for being Infected. We only seek to protect the public from wrong doing at the hands of people that cannot, or will not, control themselves. That goes for everyone, even senators.”

  Sitting next to him Kerry nodded firmly. She was IPB too after all. The first line of defense against the real horrors of the world.

  Sometimes the only line.

  The next weeks went mad, for Denis at least. He nearly started to look forward to Hobbs beating him or whatever torture the day would bring. The press had started to get old fast, asking the same things over and over again like they did. It took all of his will not to cuss them out on the air. He spent hours each day talking to reporters and on the phone giving interviews. As bad as it was for him though, the girls all had it way worse.

  Finally, Charlot Chambers had to step in and slow down the rate of exposure, fearing that the women would break mentally under the strain. That she could see that and cared... It made him wonder if the woman was different than he thought somehow. She still glowered at him when they met, but she was nice to the girls, which meant a lot.

  Mark's show aired, to interesting ratings. Kind of mixed.

  After a strange and bizarre fashion.

  People watched, a lot of them, more than any other new cooking or baking show in history. That part was going fine, they had the numbers and that made the network very happy. Mainly.

  Then the watchers screamed and hollered about how evil it was. Showing Infected being nice and safe? Doing nothing more than baking and serving food to people? The horror. Not all of them, but enough that there was some worry about the show being boycotted by advertisers responding to a call for it from Senator Hooper.

  Kerry got a larger role after that since the Senator couldn't really be seen to try and attack her personally without drawing attention to his own recent scandal. That part went pretty well. When the first poll was taken she was actually tied with Warren as the third most popular person on the show, with Prime coming in second, even though he was mainly just the pot washer still. He just naturally did well in things like that and managed a lot of screen time somehow. It was like magic, how often his face was on the screen.

  To everyone's amusement and his own personal amazement, Denis was tied in popularity on the show with Mark in the first spot.

  “People really do like watching other people fail and struggle. Plus the way the show is geared, he's the comedy relief, which always makes for decent exposure.” Charlot told them as she gave them the numbers. She hardly even glared at him when she revealed the news. A little, but her hands didn't glow every time they met anymore, so that was looking up.

  For nearly a whole month everything went fine. Not perfect. But alright.

  For instance, Denis
kind of thought that Lauren had a crush on him. He didn't want to be rude to her, or mean in any way, since the woman was sweet and so lonely it hurt for him to watch it, but a physical relationship just didn't seem to be in the cards there.

  As in not physically possible, even if he was willing to try it out of friendship, which... well, he was. She was a good person. If he could make her life better by sleeping with her, Denis would. He would have missed it happening altogether, except that Kerry, in her new role as sister, pointed it out to him several times. That... could be dicey. Insulting the giant woman wouldn't be good for her mental health at all. For the time being he decided to just ignore it. If nothing else he could always tell her he was already seeing someone. Which he was, after a fashion.

  Shrugging he wondered if he could use his ability to get the giant off. Maybe make it feel like she was being hugged and cuddled too? It did nothing for him... but then he really did kind of have someone already. He'd just have to try, if that's what Lauren really wanted to, at least. They could have a date night or something.

  Peggy was low key about the whole thing, and certainly didn't seem to expect much from him, but managed to come to his door at least twice a week. They normally spent the night together then. Denis felt a little awkward about it, because he didn't love her. Really, he didn't know if he was even capable of love, not after all he'd been through in life. Still, no one else was vying for the place in his bed either, so for the time being that worked. Didn't it?

  It was Cellophane that came for him when it happened. She pounded on the door next to his, loud and hard, three beats followed by three, followed by three. It seemed a little off, but he figured it for S.O.S. Old Morse code.

  Emergency.

  Denis ran to the hall and felt his arm grabbed, the left one, and the girl propelled him through the base. He kept up a bit better now at least, thanks to all the regular jogging in the mornings. When they got to the conference room the murder was being played on a loop. There, on his knees was the Prophet Darren, who looked thinner and bedraggled, wearing filthy clothes and begging a small figure dressed in all black not to kill him.