“Sounds like you’re not driving anymore. Are you home?” Sharon asked.
“Just got inside and was checking my mail.”
“I’ll let you go. Call me soon?”
“Of course. Have a good night.”
Sharon and I said our goodbyes. After we hung up, gratitude again filled me that Sharon didn’t press me for details. She had never known the extent of Davin’s and my relationship, but she had known we were friends—very close friends. And she also knew that Davin and I never spoke now, but she never asked me why.
Thankfully.
I dreaded ever having that conversation with her. Nobody knew about the deal Dr. Roberts and I had made, and I intended to keep it that way.
Jogging up the steps to my second floor apartment, I bit my lip as her words from our conversation filled my mind. A flu outbreak and no phone lines are working.
Images of the cruel ways Dr. Roberts had treated the Kazzies rose in my mind. He’d promised to not hurt them. I had proof he wasn’t drugging them, but doubt still gnawed on my conscience.
I really need to go for a run.
At times, running was the only thing that kept me sane.
It was only as I slid my key into the lock on my door that I saw the voicemail on my phone. I tapped the message and put it on speaker as I strode into my apartment. Setting my phone on the kitchen counter, I hurried into my bedroom.
Cate’s voice filled the air. “Meghan, there’s been a change of plan. I’ve already cleared it with Dr. Sadowsky. He’s given you another extended leave of absence from your Compound, so pack enough clothes for a month for your trip tomorrow. I have a proposition for you. I’ll tell you about it when you land.”
I peeked my head around the corner in the hallway so I could hear better just as her message finished. A month?
Dr. Sadowsky, my boss, was the director at Compound 26. He’d granted me multiple leaves during the past few months for the political endeavors Cate and I pursued, but most of those trips had been a few days, none longer than a week.
Returning to my bedroom, I pulled out my running pants and sports bra. Grabbing a rubber band, I turned to my bedroom mirror to put my hair up. My pale skin, hazel eyes, and lean arms stared back at me.
I finished twirling my brown hair up into a ponytail before pulling on running shoes and a sweatshirt. A proposition? I debated calling Cate back, but she said she’d fill me in tomorrow. Frowning, I pulled my apartment door closed behind me as Cate’s cryptic message swirled in my mind.
2 – PROPOSITION
I had to drive to Omaha to catch my flight the next day. Flying commercial was very different from my previous experiences. For one, I couldn’t catch my flight in Sioux Falls.
Since South Dakota was such a rural, sparsely populated state, the commercial airlines had bypassed our state completely. The same had happened to North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, and a handful of other rural states. If I would needed to travel to any of those places, I would have to drive.
I didn’t mind the three-hour trek to Omaha. Crossing the border into Nebraska was surreal and exhilarating. The checkpoints were gone. State Patrol officers and Makanza Research and Response Agency soldiers no longer manned the border roads, highways, and interstates.
It brought a smile to my face.
WHEN MY FLIGHT descended into Seattle, patches of fog greeted us.
“Thank you for flying with us.” The flight attendant’s smile seemed genuine when I passed her on my way out. “We look forward to flying with you again.”
An air of happiness hung in the terminal when a hundred other travelers and I hurried toward the exit gate. Maybe it was from traveling on a commercial flight—something no one had done in over ten years. Maybe it was because the flight was smooth and on-time. Maybe this was the first time my fellow travelers had set foot outside of their home state. Whatever the case, everyone seemed excited and happy.
For once, I didn’t distance myself from those around me. I even managed to smile at a woman walking beside me as she told me her travel plans.
The wheels on my suitcase hummed on the concrete when I stepped through the sliding glass doors to the outside. I waved goodbye to the woman as cool, moist air flowed across my cheeks.
Cate waited for me at the pickup outside. She stood by her car. Her blond hair fell just below her shoulders. It was longer than usual. Normally, she kept it right at shoulder-length.
Everything else about her was the same. Dark rimmed glasses perched on her nose. Her frame was thin yet in shape. An air of confidence and purpose surrounded her. She was a woman who knew her place in the world and didn’t feel the need to hide it.
She’d also been my idol for as long as I’d known her.
“Good afternoon, Meghan.” Cate reached for my bag just as Harper, Cate’s daughter, jumped out of the car’s driver seat.
“Hi, Meghan.” Harper opened the trunk. As Cate’s teenage daughter, Harper was Cate’s only remaining family, since Cate’s husband had died in the First Wave.
“How have you been?” My anxiety continued to stay at bay. My palms even warmed. “It’s been awhile.”
Harper shoved my bag in the trunk and slammed it closed. “Yeah, sorry I missed you on your last trip. I had exams that week so spent most of it studying in the library.”
Since Harper was eighteen, she was technically an adult, but she still lived at home and probably would for the foreseeable future since she attended college in Seattle.
“Good flight?” Cate opened her front passenger door.
I nodded and slipped into the backseat. “I think so. It’s hard to know since it’s different from traveling with the MRI, but the flight left on time and landed on time so that’s good. Right?” I slammed my door closed and clicked my seatbelt into place.
Harper laughed as she pulled onto the road. She accelerated slowly while looking at me in the rearview mirror. “You got a bit spoiled having the MRI plane at your beck and call. Mom said commercial is how most people flew before Makanza.”
I smiled and leaned back in my seat. “That’s what I hear.”
Rain-soaked streets passed us by. More cars were on the road than when I’d last visited. It seemed each day that the country grew more alive.
Cate turned in her seat. “Did you get my message last night?”
I shifted so I could see her better. “Yes, I didn’t call back since you said you’d tell me about your proposition when I landed.”
Cate smiled, a twinkle in her eyes. “Are you up for going to work right away? Or would you like to unpack first?”
Cate obviously knew how I would answer, but I guessed she’d asked the question out of politeness. “I’m ready to work. What did you have in mind?”
“Will you take us straight to the Compound?” Cate addressed her daughter.
“No problem.” Harper took an exit to get on I-405 and then drove to I-90.
Compounds 10 and 11 were built within ten miles of one another and lay an hour outside of Seattle. The farther east we drove the more beautiful it became. The Cascades grew larger, and I once again marveled at how much everything had changed in the past year. A year ago, I’d only dreamed of seeing the country and experiencing sights that I was seeing at this very moment. Now, I was living it.
I’d been to Compounds 10 and 11 during my previous visits. However, since Cate and I spent the majority of our time working with President Morgan’s political aides to further the public’s education about the vaccine, I’d spent little time working in her Compound’s labs.
Compound 10 appeared first. It stood four stories tall, but its width stretched a quarter mile. Just like every other Compound, its exterior walls were gray concrete and dotted with windows. All of the Compounds in the U.S. were built identically. Compound 26 had the same layout. But here, the surroundings were beautiful in a completely different way. Bright evergreens dotted the mountains, and patches of fog hovered just above the gigantic structure.
Ev
ery Compound in the U.S. functioned like Compound 26. Inside, the Makanza Research Institute scientists studied the virus. They were people like me—scientists who’d devoted their existence to stopping the virus by developing a vaccine. We were average citizens with advanced degrees who spent our days in labs. We’d studied the infected Kazzies’ genetics and the virus’ makeup. It was our work that had developed the vaccine.
On the other hand, the Makanza Research and Response Agency, or MRRA, was the military branch that responded to outbreaks and organized cleanup in ravaged cities—something they hadn’t had to do since the Second Wave.
Thankfully.
“What time should I pick you up?” Harper asked as she pulled up to the exterior gate.
As the Compound’s Director, Cate had a private entrance.
Cate opened her door. “How about 6 p.m. We won’t work too late.”
“No problem. See you then.” Harper shifted the car back into drive after Cate and I stepped out.
It was warmer here with the giant Compound stopping the wind. I loosened my scarf.
Harper drove off as the exterior guard, Private Carlson, nodded respectfully at Cate. “Ma’am. Please place your hand here.”
Fog drifted above as Cate finished her checks. Even though Private Carlson saw Cate every day, she was still required to follow the strict admittance procedure. When it was my turn for the electronic handprint and retinal scan, Private Carlson turned to me.
“Dr. Forester, nice to see you again.”
“You too.”
I’d met Private Carlson a few times during my previous visits so only a slight quiver ran through my stomach when he stepped closer to scan me. A year ago, I would have sweated profusely.
He stepped back. “All clear. Have a nice afternoon.” He punched a code into the door. With a hiss, it opened.
Cate and I entered an underground tunnel that stretched three hundred yards in front of us. Since we bypassed the gates and parking lot, it was a hike to reach the main structure. I clung to my purse and laptop bag. Both jostled against my side as we walked.
“So what’s the proposition you wanted to tell me about?” My voice echoed in the enclosed space.
Cate smiled. “I’ll tell you in my office.”
CATE’S OFFICE WAS on level four, the top story. Her office was similar to Dr. Sadowsky’s. It was huge with a large desk, a full wall of bookshelves, couches and chairs, a bar, and an area to change and shower. I felt fairly certain that all the Compound Directors throughout the country had slept in their offices numerous times. Especially when the Compounds first opened and panic still ruled the streets.
Unlike Dr. Sadowsky’s office, however, in which the windows portrayed rolling prairie with waist-high grass and wildflowers, Dr. Hutchinson’s view was that of mountains and forest. The view was so green, even at this time of year, I stopped to stare.
Cate waved to the empty seat across from her desk. “Have a seat. Would you like a drink?”
A door opened behind me, but I didn’t look. “Coffee would be great.”
Cate’s eyes brightened when she looked over my shoulder. “Ian, please come in.”
I shifted on my chair just as a man sat on the chair beside me. I tensed, as I always did when a new person was close.
He smiled warmly and held out his hand. “Dr. Meghan Forester, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’m Ian Gallager.”
I tentatively shook his hand. Ian was young, probably late twenties. He had reddish blond hair, pale blue eyes, and a trim beard. His shoulders were broad, his hands large, and in his pressed khaki slacks he appeared fit. A warmness emanated from him. It helped my tensed shoulders relax.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said.
“Ian’s become my right-hand man.” Cate called over her shoulder as she moved to the bar. “I’ve been wanting to introduce you to him.” The sound of water heating up in the coffee maker followed. “He helps run the Compounds when I’m not here.”
Since she busied herself with the drinks, Ian and I were left in the awkward position of staring at one another. Clearing my throat, I attempted small talk. Here goes nothing.
“Do you work in administration then?” I clasped my hands together and crossed my legs. I was thankful I wore dress pants and not a skirt. Pants were easier to move in when my fidgeting got the better of me.
Davin’s face flashed through my mind. Words he’d murmured to me came next. If your anxiety gets too bad, call me.
A wave of sadness filled me, the way an unexpected breeze billows through a window, disturbing the still curtains within. I hadn’t called Davin in months.
Ian leaned back and casually hooked an elbow on his chair-back. The movement pulled me back to the present.
“That’s exactly right,” he said. “I joined Compound 10 two years ago to help Cate when the mind-body genomics research began. She wanted more lab time, so I helped with the business side of running the Compounds. I hear that you’ve worked with several of our Makanza Survivor Research Group scientists: Fiona and Paul?”
I nodded. “Yes, they traveled with us to D.C. on several occasions. How are they?”
“Good. They’re both working today. They’ll be glad to see you.”
Ian’s voice was deep and didn’t waver. Not only did warmth emanate from him but confidence did too. In a way, he had a similar physical presence to Cate. They both oozed self-assurance.
“Here you go.” Cate presented each of us with cups of coffee. “Cream for you, Meghan, and black with one scoop of sugar for you, Ian.”
Ian grinned and took his mug. “Knowing how everybody takes their coffee is a talent of Cate’s. I have yet to see her get it wrong.”
I smiled genuinely at his comment and sipped my coffee.
Cate sat behind her desk with her own mug. Steam rose from it, and the rich scent flowed through the room.
Already, my senses perked up. Coffee always did that to me, and it wasn’t just the caffeine boost. It was like I’d programmed myself to get ready to work the second a cup of coffee was in my hand.
“So what’s the proposition you have for me?” I took another sip.
Cate eyed Ian knowingly before turning back to me. “How would you like to learn how to run my Compounds with Ian’s help?” Before I could reply, she added, “I’ve been offered a government position in Washington D.C. I feel I’ll be more effective there as we work to free the Kazzies. It’s too hard to accomplish anything when we’re on opposite coasts.”
Coffee sloshed over the sides of my cup when my grip loosened. Luckily, it all dripped onto the saucer. “You’re moving to Washington D.C.? What about Harper?”
“She’ll stay here while she attends college.”
I felt Ian watching me, but I couldn’t look at him. I’d heard for months that Cate was grooming me for her position. In the back of my mind, I’d always known this day would come, but I thought this day would be years in the future. Not now. Not when I was only twenty-four years old and had only worked for the MRI for a year.
“I don’t know what to say.” It was the only response I could come up with.
As soon as the words left my mouth, an image of bright blue eyes flashed through my mind. My gut tightened. Davin would never leave South Dakota. Even if he was freed from Reservation 1, he’d probably return to Rapid City to be closer to his mom. Even if Sharon moved away, although I could never see that happening, I couldn’t see Davin doing the same.
As the last remaining Lakota Sioux, he had a connection to the land that tied him to his heritage. His ancestors had roamed the plains for thousands of years. He had a spiritual connection with the Great Plains that I could only admire.
“Meghan?”
My head snapped up. “I’m sorry, what?”
Cate set her mug down. “I asked if you’d like Ian to show you some of the financial and managerial aspects of running the Compounds.” She held her hands up when I balked. “Just to better inform you of what the pos
ition entails. It doesn’t mean you’re saying yes to my offer.”
I took another sip of coffee. My hand trembled. “Um, I guess that would be fine.”
Cate drained her cup and stood. “You’ll be working alongside him for the next month. I’m flying to D.C. tomorrow to continue rallying support to free the Kazzies.”
I stood numbly. “So I’m not going with you anymore?”
“No, you’re staying here. As long as you’re okay with that.”
“But . . .” I faltered. My entire existence revolved around freeing Davin and my friends. “I want to free the Kazzies. I’m not sure working here is conducive to that.”
Cate’s gaze softened. “I honestly think you can be just as effective working here.”
“How?”
“We still need bodies in all regions of the country. When those of us in D.C. organize rallies, we still need help in all states. A large percentage of Americans have moved back to the Pacific Northwest since the borders opened. I expect that number to grow. South Dakota is home to only a quarter million people. In Washington and Oregon alone, it’s estimated the current population is over four million. That’s sixteen times the number of people. That’s sixteen times the number of votes. We need you here to sway as many people as possible to vote yes to freeing the Kazzies at the next election.”
Assuming the president ever grants that vote.
I bit my lip. Until the president did, we’d never have the opportunity to vote on freeing them, but Cate was right. We needed more votes, and since the Electoral College had died with Makanza, elections were now based on the popular vote.
Cate leaned forward. “Two rallies are already organized this weekend. One here in Seattle on Saturday, the other in Oregon on Sunday. I know it’s not touring the east coast like we originally planned, but there are just as many people on the west coast, and it’s growing every day. I need you here.”
I again felt Ian studying me, but I kept my gaze on Cate. My heart pounded in my chest at the thought of leaving my friends in Sioux Falls, saying goodbye to Sharon, and uprooting from the only home I truly remembered.
The Complete Makanza Series: Books 0-4 Page 62