The Infected [Books 1-6]

by P. S. Power

  After about fifteen more minutes, a full half hour after getting up easy, maybe longer, someone finally noticed him. Agent Lancaster walked over to the area and waved to him, so he stood up and went to see the man. The agent approached the Director, which is where Brian figured he needed to be as soon as possible anyway. Lancaster said something to Moore that Brian didn't hear, not being close enough yet, the voices having gone low and secretive, then after scratching his nose the agent hurried off toward where the vehicles were kept.

  The Director, in a not unkind tone, asked where he'd been, so he explained the thing with Penny quickly. Then he filled the man, and all the people listening, in on the whole situation with the Chambers family and waited for an outburst or to be told they already had a better cover story.

  Instead the older man beamed at him. “Brilliant! Better than I expected by far. I kind of wondered if Prime was going to start picking us off in our sleep or something. Yes, of course they have our full cooperation. Did they... I suppose it's too much to ask that they might stay, isn't it?” The old man sighed and then scowled for a bit, not saying anything.

  “Well, I asked Rachel to stay and offered her a room here, and moving costs if she wants it, and I think if that happens they may be willing to at least consider the idea. I won't lie, if you want them to stay we – and I do mean all of us – need to do a lot of apologizing and groveling for a while. We messed up and we owe them. As an organization we failed them so drastically I don't have words for it and we need to make that right. Oh, I think Rachel plans on coming out here around noon, so if we could send a car for her and, I don't know if we can do it, but if we can get some of their clothes and things? That might be a good gesture... Some notes from their friends, ones that didn't try to beat them up, Hobbs from Team Two maybe, and if anyone can find Bridget's emerald bracelet? That or tell me how to get a new one. She's a little worked up on that score. Hers is missing.”

  Brian left them after a bit, not being needed for anything pressing and having nothing else to do he walked to the medical section to find Burrows and tell her about her hero doctor. She raised her eyebrows and looked... impressed.

  “So he really was needed here after all. I thought you were just blowing smoke. Hey wait here for a second...” She came back and washed his arm with an alcohol swab and gave him several shots. “I know you must be in agony, sleeping cold, on the ground, after wounds like that. I know that none of us wants you to turn into a whiner, we couldn't handle it if you did, but you can mention if you hurt, all right?” Brian felt tempted to kiss her, just on the cheek, for having thought of it.

  He did hurt, ache more accurately, his head still rang, a deep pain inside that made him feel slightly ill. They didn't have that kind of relationship so he refrained, but he did thank her and tell her all the symptoms.

  She let him go with a smile that didn't look real at all, more like she was incredibly sorry about something. Probably the inevitable brain damage she hadn't mentioned yet. Then again, she just may not have gotten her morning coffee. Some people didn't function well without it at all. The best they had right now without a thirty mile run into town was the coffee packets out of the military rations. Brian felt better after all the shots, something in them being more energizing than what they normally gave him.

  At about ten Dharma showed up to let him know another “fight” would be coming up in a few seconds, against a single regular person with no weapons. The Goth girl shrugged.

  “I don't know, maybe... just stand in place and play this one by ear?”

  When he shifted locations he found himself facing an angry and frustrated young woman in a blue terry cloth robe, with dark, matted looking hair, who screamed and jumped back, then looked at him and screamed again.

  “Don't hurt me! Where's my baby, what happened to my baby!” The woman freaked for a while, Brian finally made her sit down and explained why he was there.

  “So you were going to kill him. You obviously don't want to, but it was going to happen and probably not by accident... So what we're going to do now is get some help. I can't leave until the baby's safe, and... Well, just showing up and talking to you hasn't seemed to fix it yet. That means that even if you promise to be good right now, within a few days you'll still do something bad. On the good side this lets you get help on your own terms and when you get some sleep and help you can go back to normal again. Maybe at least. So, do you want to go with me, or for me to just go?” It would look better if she went with him, but all he needed was a hospital or fire station, even a restaurant with honest people.

  She had a car, an automatic, so he drove them to the closest hospital and explained things as carefully as possible and explained to the head nurse who he was. Then he sat on the floor as the tingling started, which brought him back to the compound at just about noon. Marcia noticed him and walked over, looking for wounds, limps or derangement. He smiled at her.

  “Canadian zombie creatures?” She tilted her head quizzically. It looked cute with her lopsided hair cut.

  “American postpartum depression. First time mother that needed help, not killing. Kind of a nice change up, you know? Anything new here?”

  The engineers had come to test the building, which they said would take about a day. A little over an hour per level. Because they weren't cleared to be in the building unattended, someone had to stay with them the whole time. Mark got stuck with that detail, so Brian offered to go do it himself, or as well, since Mark needed to be there for real safety. Then suggested that Marcia and Lis from Team Two help out as well. It turned out that he and Marcia couldn't be spared for some reason, but Lis got the job along with Dave and a very normal looking girl named Kerry. She was cute, in a snub nosed way, really. Brian wondered why she wasn't on Team One, but didn't ask.

  They all seemed happy enough to help.

  That set things in motion for the day and he mainly talked to people in Canada, including telephone interviews with some Canadian radio shows. He told them all basically the same thing: stay tuned to the news and keep track of where the creatures were, remember that a family car could outrun them – the magic number being about thirty miles, which was about forty-nine kilometers per hour and if it came down to it, drown them or stab them in the mouth. It was easier to do if you got them to yell.

  On one of the shows the host opened up the phone lines for callers and an older sounding woman asked how she was supposed to fight something like that? She didn't even own a gun after all.

  Brian felt his voice go flat. “You do the best you can. Look, I won't lie to you, if you have to fight some of these creatures, there's a good chance you'll just die... and that's scary. But each one you take out, each one you don't let go without at least trying, that might be the one that makes a difference. Don't let yourself get so scared that you forget that you can do it. If you're willing to pay for it, very few things on this planet can take you without at least some cost. Regular people aren't helpless, so don't let anyone make you feel that way.” For some reason no one else called in after that. Brian just hoped he hadn't just freaked out the entire country of Canada.

  Rachel came and they hashed out some plans, mainly ones that Charlot had come up with, but didn't know if they'd fly right now. Brian didn't have to say much, the Director apparently deciding to take his “abject apology and doing whatever they needed to make things right” policy suggestion to heart.

  The days passed quickly, the building being shored up enough for people to return by the end of the third day. The gym was a wreck still and would be for weeks. Fourteen at least. Fifteen had been built to take a lot of punishment and looked to be totally untouched, so Carl had people running exercises there nearly constantly.

  Brian still had two days on light duty from the chest wound he realized. It felt like a lot of time had passed, but it really hadn't. His nearly daily fights and runs seemed to be helping him stay in OK shape. He was too stiff now to really tell. All the deep tissue bruising had set in by the
end of the second day. Still, he felt better overall now, if slower and a bit clumsy.

  The lobby was gone, of course, but all of the first floor and most of the second were as well. No one lived on two, but all of Team One had to find other sleeping quarters for the time being. When Karen mentioned it to him he shrugged.

  “I've got a queen sized bed, if you don't mind sharing? And there's hardly anything in my closet anyway, so that shouldn't be a big issue. If it is, we can just throw my things into a box or something. I mean, if you want to... No big thing if you don't, but I'd like you to, if you want.” This part of dealing with Karen could be hard.

  She could act all tough and push him to exhaustion in exercise, knowing it helped him in the long run, sure. But her high level of compassion made everything seem reasonable to her. Not everything, but a lot of things that ordinary people would never even consider. Give you all her money so you can go on vacation and have fun? Sure! Go on a date with you and have sex because you're ugly and no one else ever would? Of course...

  That's part of why she didn't date, as a rule, at all. Even at that other people generally played referee if anyone even tried to get her alone for too long. How they'd missed Brian, he wasn't sure. So he didn't want to make her feel pressured as if he needed her to do it for emotional reasons or to feel better about himself. On the other hand, she wasn't just about compassion, propaganda aside. She had all the same emotions as everyone else, so if he seemed too blasé about the whole thing, she could end up feeling hurt.

  Her arms went around his shoulders. “Really? That's so sweet! I mean... is it OK though? Won't your other... girlfriends want to have you alone or, can you just go to their rooms?” She asked this so seriously he nearly laughed. Why did everyone always think he had some string of women lined up? Had they looked at him lately? When Dave, the blue guy from Team Two saw him the first time after the fall off the cliff he'd run toward him with his arms spread for a hug, yelling “Cousin Brian!” because of his reddish purple skin tone, that had turned a fairly even plum color that he hadn't been certain a person could turn and still be alive. If it turned out to be permanent, Team Two offered to adopt him. They'd even printed up a little certificate of informal adoption, just in case. It was nice to know he had a backup plan.

  He stuck his tongue out at her. “You do realize that I haven't had more than a friendly kiss in... God, nearly three years. Well, there was that shower with Marcia and Penny, but that was work related. And just to be clear about things, if you decide to sleep with some guy, or gal or anything, I really don't want to know. I mean, safe sex and all that please, but... yeah.” She wrinkled her nose and kissed him, then called him silly.

  Everything smoothed out for nearly a week. A whole week where all that he had to do involved working out as he could, hanging out with Karen and going to visit with the Chambers at their hotel. Almost like a mini-vacation.

  Then on the sixth night as he got ready for bed, Dharma showed up, swearing and with tears in her ghostly eyes. She gave him the situation, more of those creatures up in Canada. She called them ghouls, four of them. Dharma didn't say more. This time he had nearly five minutes to get into his armor and get ready, knife, shoes with new socks and a running start.

  The island he found himself on was small, a hill sticking out of the water, maybe ten foot above the wet at the highest point, where he could make out lights. The whole place was dark otherwise, but he knew this place, where he had to be. Brian even knew the names of the monsters, somewhere in the back of his mind. Rogers, Cavelli, Sorenson and Vert. Two women and two men. The people assigned to protect Melany.

  They were new, still transforming out of human into whatever these things could be called. All had their uniforms on still, without significant damage. Their arms and legs stuck out, but not nearly as much as they would in a week or two based on what the others had looked like. The creatures hunted, but they weren't as strong or fast as they would be. They moved faster than a regular human would and jumped pretty well as they followed him, but he'd dealt with much worse. Brian headed toward the water and waited, then kicked one of the men in. New or not they still drowned easily. It had to be done, he knew, but he felt sad as he executed them.

  Putting them down like rabid animals, not even trying to help them... It made Brian feel a little ill.

  The next one to catch up with him was the other man, he'd been larger in life, muscular and fit, which translated to stronger and faster now. Good to know. This one wasn't any smarter than the first about the water yet, maybe that fear came with time? Brian didn't even have to close with him much, just get the creature to rush him and send it flying with a trip. The women found him and rushed him from two sides at once.

  Then he had a fight on his hands, one that took nearly five minutes, because they wouldn't go near the water and their mouths didn't open wide enough when they moaned to get the knife in. Annoying to say the least.

  Fortunately they hadn't hardened completely yet either. They could be cut. Poorly, and it took a long time, the knife slipping in his hand as he slashed at them. It worked eventually, first on one and then after a fight that delivered way too many hits on his armored arms as he blocked the fast and powerful blows, he got the blade through the right eye of the last one, going into the brain. He just left the body and walked toward the lonely yellow outdoor light up the hill.

  The cabin was rustic, an actual log building, it had windows and a wooden door painted green. It wasn't locked. The inside was dark, but he could hear a humming sound, a generator or something like it. By instinct and years of habit his hand went to the right of the door looking for a light switch. When he flipped it he felt a shock of surprise that made him jump. A light actually came on.

  The inside of the place was small, done all in half finished wood, but seemed solid, no major air gaps that he could see or feel, even if it was cooler outside than in here. He found the letter sitting on the floor, written in black felt tip, the words big and simple. “I'm causing this – let me die.”

  Actually it said “cousing” but he got the idea.

  Melany wasn't just the specific-infector here, she knew she was, and what probably had to happen to make it all stop. Damn.

  Fuck.

  It wasn't fair. He wanted to scream it to the sky, but didn't, because that wouldn't do any good. Instead he checked to make sure there was food and fuel and tallied it. Fuel for a week, longer if she didn't run the generator during the day. Food for nearly a month if she knew how to cook. She did alright now over an open fire, at least it seemed so from the debris he'd found a couple of times, but Brian didn't know if roasting fish on sticks translated to making rice. She could read at least and the packages had instructions.

  He sat on the floor and wrote her a note. It took two pages, printed large due to the pen, and told her about him and who he worked for and that people were going to try and help her. Then he added the hardest thing possible. That they probably couldn't save her. That the best they could do would be to buy her time and try to keep her going, away from people on this island, letting the water protect her from the hundreds of creatures coming for her.

  He found a phone and it seemed to work, so he gave her the Directors phone number, which he'd made himself memorize after his last visit to Canada when he'd had to have them call a hotel to get the base contact information from a woman who'd functionally just quit her job. At the end he wrote his whole name and signed it.

  Finally, debating with himself for a long while first he wrote. “Don't give up.” It was all he could do for her. It wasn't enough. He shifted back to his room, making Karen jump. She hadn't even known that he'd gone anywhere.

  Her eyes looked worried when she saw his, not sitting down, afraid getting up again would be too hard, he walked out of the room without saying anything. Luckily she followed him, because he didn't know what to do really.

  “Karen. I... need Director Moore. Can you get me to him?” His voice sounded odd, lacking emotion, bu
t soft and gentle at the same time. Taking his hand she led the way, not up but down to level twelve. He was in his private quarters, not even getting ready for bed yet. Brian just stood in the door and told them what had happened, leaving nothing out.

  “It's her. She's the infector. That poor little girl. I... I can't save her, can I?” Moore patted him on the back and Karen held him, but he didn't really feel any of it. Everything seemed so far away. He'd failed. Again. Like before, the first time he'd met the Jackal and his friend. When he failed Barbara Dorn. And now this innocent little girl was going to die because he wasn't good enough to save her.

  Tears fell from his eyes, thick and dense, running down his face and hitting the floor. He didn't sob or anything like that. At least he didn't think so. He was too busy thinking to notice. After a few minutes, answering the questions asked of him, the Director left to get his phone, so Brian walked away, Karen following. Floor nine was empty when he got there. It was late, after midnight, most people would be asleep or getting ready to. In his room, their room now, Brian laid down and closed his eyes. Not sleeping really, but not thinking about anything either.

  By morning when Karen woke up he'd moved to sit in his chair, focused only on what he could do, ways to save the girl, to keep her alive, to cure the Infection that had savaged her young life. That was a joke of course. No one even knew what the Infection was. No virus had ever been found, no combination of chemicals or nano machines, no bacteria or genetic predisposition had been truly uncovered. It clearly ran in families at times, but no one knew why. It also hit people in regions where they lived in near total isolation from other people, so it didn't spread by any normal means.

  If Brian didn't know what it was, he couldn't fix it. Could they suppress it at all? Maybe, but testing that would be a potential death sentence for whoever got close enough to check if that option failed. Isolation might work, but for how long? Did they need to leave the girl alone for the rest of her life? Could they? Infected tended to get more powerful the longer they lived. A few seemed to taper off over time, as their bodies aged and failed, but some got stronger. As far as he could tell anyone with a class five or greater ability tended to fall into that category across the board. Melany had to be something like a class seven or eight already. How long would it be before that little island wasn't enough to keep her power contained? For all he knew it already wasn't.