The Infected [Books 1-6]

by P. S. Power

  “That's good. I can deal with that.” Better than Itch really.

  That wasn't a high bar. Still it was the best nickname anyone had ever come up with for him, even if it did make him think of little rooms with big desks and shelves of books.

  They stopped talking about him and focused on Karen for a while, since she was the only one in their group with an actual relationship to gossip about. She started out shyly but eventually went on for about an hour, telling them how great Brian was. Denis would have felt jealous, except that really, he'd just become a huge fan of the guy too. The thought, almost as if it were physically happening again, of the ground rushing at his face made him jolt for a second, Karen gave him a concerned look and stopped talking, but didn't say anything.

  Denis shrugged a little and forced another grin.

  “Flashback. I'm pretty sure I'm in for a few years of falling dreams or something fucked up like that.” Wincing he ducked his head. Not a genuine move, a cover for the fact that he didn't care about what he said, no more. Still, he tried, so that counted. Maybe.

  “Sorry, I meant to say “something messed-up” I need to work on my language, I know.”

  Almost instantly Marcia perked up and smiled, “fucking right you do! We work with the public now, so none of that shitty language or all the normals will think that Infected people all have potty mouths. Can't have grandma “McCunty” thinking we're heathens after all.”

  The group laughed, not a big laugh, one that barely counted as jovial to tell the truth. Just as it ended a deep thumping sound could be felt inside. Denis sensed it well before he could catch the sound, or understood what it meant. Marcia stood and smiled.

  “Chopper. Let me scout this first. Be ready to move. It's probably our ride, but if it's not we need to be ready to subdue them or flee. Ready?”

  It took her about a minute to get a visual, and the markings seemed right, she told them after coming back. Black and big enough, an older model meant to carry troops. She said the name of the type of craft but Denis didn't catch it, the sound getting a lot louder as it landed.

  “Even if it's from the base, that doesn't mean we can trust the pilot or that it's not loaded with assassins. Itch... I mean Gabe, I want you and Lady Glory to get ready to hit whoever this is. I'll go in first, the rest of you stand at the tree line. Goblin, you're backing up LG, if she has to strike, you go too, I want a psychedelic power ballad from you, don't wait for orders on it. Clark... You're on the injured man. If we have to run your only job it to make sure Jay makes it out, got that?”

  He did. They all did. The helicopter set down in the same field they did and four people popped out almost instantly. Since two of them were doctors that Denis vaguely recognized from the hospital level, chances were that it wasn't a set up. The other two were agents, the tall one with the blond hair and a shorter Hispanic looking guy, both in black agent suits. So one of them could be a plant.

  Denis casually mentioned it this to Marcia.

  “Beatdown,” he said softly, “I recognize three of them. The short man in black I don't know, but how can we be sure the others aren't all... I don't know what to call them... bigot commandos?”

  She snorted at him, but didn't correct his suspicions in an angry fashion. She wouldn't though, would she? Not with suspicion being her own first mode. It would just make sense to her, as if Denis was finally acting in a sane and rational fashion.

  “I have high confidence in Lancaster, the blond guy, and Reyes the shorter agent. The doctors are pretty certain too. The guy's Kern, and the Japanese woman is Doctor Burrows. Kiko Burrows, she's the head of the medical department. Nice, but I can't really vouch for any of them either. High probability they're not working against us. No proof other than previous behavior.”

  “OK, so, we send invulnerability girl in first like we planned? Then you chat with them, feel them out, see if the guys check out your rack or look away in disgust from the “dirty Infected”, all that? Maybe make out with a few of them to make sure they can stand being around Infected or whatever the current test is for things like this? I'll stay back here with LG and the rest, since I'm not even a tiny fraction as tough as you are. Sound all right?” Denis grinned. That worked for him. He hated bullets, to tell the truth. Probably allergic to lead even. He didn't want to test it out for some reason.

  “Exactly. Except for the making out part. Though that could work as a test in the future. I'll keep it in mind. I don't suspect problems and it looks like Lancaster flew, so it seems right... Back me up from here.” It wasn't a question. There was no doubt in the words either. She really trusted him to do it.

  Denis waited as Marcia walked forward, holding her hands a bit away from her body as if to show she wasn't armed. It looked funny, but the other agents did the same, the doctors didn't, they just stood carrying red medical bags with easily visible white crosses on them, waiting for a patient to show. After about three minutes of tense conversation the squad leader turned and waved to the others. As a group they all moved out carefully, except Karen who just jogged forward happily, as if nothing could ever go wrong with all her friends having come. Then everyone seemed like a friend, or potential friend, to her, didn't they? It made him wonder what she did when she met a real monster. Hug them?

  Tobin at least had enough shyness to hold back, lagging behind by natural inclination and Clark had to focus a bit to bring Jay along, floating him in a comfortable, but silly looking reclined position. It made him look like he sat in an invisible La-Z-Boy chair. Denis just walked, keeping his own hands out and visible the whole time.

  He didn't have a weapon and didn't want to be shot if one of the agents got nervous. They could be a bit quick on the trigger in tense situations. They were trained to take down up to class three Infected on their own at need, one on one, which meant that by training they were technically at that level themselves and sometimes had to handle fours. That meant they didn't wait for a threat to emerge all the time, they just attacked if the situation called for it at all. From zero to “oopse I killed you” faster than most people could track. Not good people to play practical jokes on.

  “Hey everyone.” Denis spoke softly as the group approached. “Are you our new ride? I can't say I'm wild about the idea of flying right now, if you get me?”

  The doctors both ignored him and jogged to Argos, who still floated in the air. Clark might not be good at catching falling objects, but he could hold large weights up for a long time without seeming bothered at all. The big agent had his mirror shades off, even though the sun was decently bright. He held out his right hand to Denis and shook firmly.

  “I can get that. Best we can do on short notice. Beats the fuck out of walking, as long as the pilot doesn't bail on you. I'll be flying back myself. Don't worry, I promise not to leave you hanging.”

  Denis grinned.

  “Fuck, it's not the hanging that bothers me, it's the falling and the big impact at the end. I'll live though. Any words on the guy that did bail on us? I'd love to find him and... Well, have you and Beatdown work him over. I'll toss in a few painful effects for good measure though. Not trying to be a slacker.”

  This got a grim look, which slowly turned into a thing that shouldn't be called a smile yet would be, by anyone not really paying attention.

  “Oh yeah... I hear that too. It's being looked into, no word yet. You've been out of the loop, so head up warning... She's not Beatdown now, it's Quartz.” The guy didn't blink. It was eerie and a little cold looking. Like what Yi did sometimes. “Changed when she had to go back to Team One, back when Prime looked to be quitting.”

  “Oh. Yeah, no one's mentioned much to me yet, probably comes from having been a bit... difficult in the past. No one wants to risk jamming their hand in the wood chipper. Who can blame them?” After all, really that was all about protecting himself from other people, being hard to be around so no one would want to bother him. It worked.

  Denis realized what had taken place now. It all hit him
in a sudden rush. Maybe nearly dying let him see it. Understand it.

  He'd been brainwashed by those fucking self-help books.

  Be honest with yourself, be kind and polite to others, manage your anger, don't let it manage you. All good advice, except the part where he'd turned into a little pansy. Worse, that crap seemed to be working, at least a little. No one had screamed at him too much yet and a few people had every right to. Yi for one, and probably every one of his friends. Plus anyone that the guy had saved since Denis had tried to kill him.

  Sure, Penny had kicked his ass a bit, but he'd kind of earned that too. Without even getting into the whole Brian part of things.

  Fuck.

  Life had been a hell of a lot simpler before. Wake up, demean someone, hang out all day and keep people away, then sleep. That didn't recall all the lonely nights and the rage of course. That rage, that sense of being weak, less than everyone else, it had led him for... decades. Most of his life now. All to prove to that self-righteous child abuser he was worth something. That Denis Tompkins was a real “man”.

  The screwed up thing being that he didn't even know what that meant. Bow ties and suits all the time? Being a jerk to everyone and driving them away? He'd only ever managed one relationship that lasted longer than a month and she'd been deaf. Probably didn't realize what the hell Den said half the time. He knew it, in fact. She'd finally left him for some guy that didn't have a mustache and could sign.

  Goody. Insight. Just what he needed to feel good about himself. It would have been nicer if he wasn't a douche. Well... something to work on.

  Jay got looked at, poked, prodded and told not to walk until the ankle healed, then the male doctor, Kern, who looked about mid-thirties like Denis was, but had light brown hair and more of a “college boy” look about him, pulled out a box of high calorie meal replacement bars and tucked it into the man's lap.

  “Eat. You used up about twenty thousand calories slowing your fall, at a guess. If not a lot more. Replace it or else.”

  The box was torn into so fast that Denis thought the guy might be eating the wrappers too. Half way in the fast blond man, his own clothing looking a lot more worn now, frayed, held the half eaten pack out.

  “Sorry, I didn't think about anyone else... Here, you guys have the rest...”

  The lady doctor, a hot Japanese woman that could have been anywhere between late twenties and late forties shook her head and told him to eat them all. He needed the calories more than any of them. Everyone else could do just fine without a meal or two she asserted firmly. Argos still didn't eat trying to assure her that he felt fine. He looked pale and in pain, but he didn't admit to feeling that way.

  Marcia snorted.

  “If you don't eat, you don't heal. If you don't heal, we're a man short. We can get someone to take your place, but no one that has your abilities. So get working on those.” She crossed her arms and tried to look tough, it just didn't work this time. Denis could get that. Jay kind of looked like one of the pretty male movie stars that women liked and was humble and darned close to kind to everyone because of it. Hard to really get mad at someone like that.

  Sighing Denis looked at the guy.

  “Yeah Jay. You should have those done by now, we probably need to load up or whatever and the longer you take to eat, the more behind we get. As it is I don't know how we're supposed to get to Chicago, can this thing take us?” Pointing at the helicopter got Lancaster to shake his head.

  “Not even close. It can get us to the airport though. Denis is right Jay, you heard the doc. I know it's a little against your first mode, but no one here's going to whine about being a little hungry when they need you for backup later with a mob closing in on them, trust me on that. Get that food down while we get ready. Clark, if you would?” The gesture at Argos got the man hoisted into the air, the thin tall Clark just holding his hand out to make him rise and then guide him along as, a bit grudgingly, Jay ate.

  Argos looked guilty the whole time, but honestly Denis knew he wouldn't have been able to eat yet himself anyway. He probably needed to, but inside his mind the ground kept rushing at him, over and over again. That, he realized, could put a man off his feed. Marcia needed to eat more than most people did too, but didn't want to for the most part, since she didn't have a sense of taste or smell, it was a fight for her to keep weight on. Karen was like him, he thought, needing more if she used her power a lot, but otherwise just normal. The other two he didn't have a clue about at all.

  In the copter they had a lot of room, but sat close for some reason. He got why Karen did it, her nature meant she wanted to comfort others, the rest of them made no sense at all. Some kind of team building crap? Denis had half his body pressed against Tobin and the other half against Marcia. Across from them Jay got pressed between Karen, who'd been his friend for years after all, and Doctor Burrows, who seemed to be doing it just because the guy looked good. She winked at Denis when he raised his eyebrows at her. It probably wasn't funny, but he had to laugh anyway. No one seemed to notice though.

  The trip to the airport took less than half an hour. That, for some reason, reminded Den about the plane, when he asked about it no one knew where, or even if, it had crashed yet.

  “I just hope no one gets hurt.” Denis murmured. Tobin nodded but no one else could hear him over the noise from the machine. A deep beating roar that shook his bones a little after a while.

  They had, as he should have expected, missed their flight. Personally he blamed the inept assassin pilot. If he couldn't kill them, he could have at least gotten them to their connection on time, right? Wasn't that part of his job? The part he was getting paid for by the government?

  They got in on the last one going out from the tiny airport for the day, but it meant a wait until nearly midnight. Seven hours away. Great fun. They didn't even have their luggage anymore. Not that he'd had a lot anyway. They could make do. They didn't really need clean clothes to do their job, did they?

  Lancaster, it turned out, had been assigned to go with them as backup. He'd been the original choice, since at first Hooper's office had insisted that Proxy go in too, and Brian Yi was one of Lancaster's people to cover it turned out, since he needed a field man more often than most of the others at the base. Yi was also one of the most famous agents in the world right then, which was news to Denis. So Hooper and his cronies wanted the feared and yet oddly popular man front and center at each event, believing that he'd kill people probably. Lancaster chuckled as he explained that bit of wisdom.

  That one got shot down by McCreedy, one of Hooper's butt-buddies in the house of representatives, the agent told him, trying to get him up to date on the situation.

  “That came as a shock I bet, they normally walk in lock-step, but the man stepped right up to Hooper on that one, and didn't back down at all. Saw footage of him yelling about it on C-span. Then again Brian saved McCreedy's life by taking out Tesseract. When a guy beats up on the world's only known class eight by stabbing himself in the heart to save your ass, you probably have to show a bit of respect. Of course Proxy saved both Hooper and his daughter on separate occasions, so you'd think he'd want to play nice too.” The guy stretched, muscle bulging under the suit jacket. Denis thought he might look good with muscles like that, if he could get some. He surely wanted it.

  Then after a few seconds' focus, he made himself not want it nearly as much. Just a normal desire to be fit took its place.

  “So they decided to try and cheap us into failure instead. Barely enough money to cover the plane and rooms. Your TL, Christian Poures? She offered to cover the whole program herself out of pocket, so the bastards added a rider to forbid the use of any personal funds. That's to make sure no one can bribe any of you into... really I read the thing six times and I can't say I understand the point, but it got into the final draft anyway. I can't even legally buy you dinner on this trip, since I'm not on the team roster. It's a cluster-fuck, filled with extra gooey, creamy fuck in the middle, just in case we
might manage to pull a rabbit out of our hats.”

  Denis' stomach growled then as if in response, they both laughed.

  “Hey, stop all that talk, you're making me hungry.” It was just a joke, but the large man went still.

  That... There couldn't be anything offensive in that could there? Lancaster looked around and grinned.

  “Right, meal time. The Director's buying for this trip. Politician that he is, he had himself put on the team as an alternate in case anyone gets sick or injured. I just hope we never have to really use him. Talk about visible presence. Only Prime would be more obvious. That place looks overpriced, and like it has low quality food... any takers?” A single gesture indicated a place down a ways, one that looked like it might have something edible and at least had chairs inside visible through the slightly smoked windows. It was also the only place so he nodded. For some reason he really did feel hungry now, a lot more so than usual.

  He'd probably used his useless power the whole way down, Den realized, trying to catch himself. Well, that hadn't worked at all. The ground had probably been scared to death though, because he hadn't been accidentally projecting anything but terror, that was for certain.

  The first problem of the day, other than bigots trying to get them killed, turned out to be bigots denying them service. Trying to. Not the counter girl herself, who seemed nice enough, the one that rang up what you put on your tray at the end of a cafeteria style line. She looked young and a bit scared after talking to an older woman and what looked to be her overweight lesbian lover, a woman with a tan purse that disturbingly had a tiny dog, or possibly a large rat, in it. One like the little thing from the fake fast food Mexican place on TV. It yipped occasionally instead of informing them all about what kind of food it wanted. Too bad, that would have been kind of cool.

  They approached the girl while giving them obvious dark and mean looks. The young blonde was a sweet looking thing that must have been about twenty or so and had probably been a high school cheerleader before she realized that wouldn't really work out as a career path, but wanted to try gainful employment before resorting to porn, or marrying some guy for his money. Whatever the women wanted she shook her head and they finally left to go back to their table and talk on cell phones in hushed tones.