The Infected [Books 1-6]

by P. S. Power

  Marcia started nodding then, and chimed in as if it were the actual plan or something.

  "That... seems reasonable actually. You fellows have a real point there, you are taxpayers... Sure, why not? We don't have anything to hide, this isn't a secret base or anything, but I'm sure you can admit that no one really wants to be shot or blown up, can't you? So Penny can do that search for you and we can give you a tour. I don't really have the time in my schedule, since I need to get to some other things, but maybe Ms. Cooper can show you around?"

  She was about to say that it sounded great when they all just turned and walked away, almost as if it were planned or something. She hadn't really planned a body cavity search or anything. She didn't even know how to do that. They got into their large tan American car and took off, flipping them both off as they drove away.

  "Well that's a little insulting." Penny didn't bother glaring after them, but Marcia snorted.

  "Why did you take your clothing off for that? It seems like an odd move."

  "Well... I'd been planning to go in and pretend to be the ghost of a dead protestor, out for revenge, but when I got there it seemed like what they were asking wasn't that unreasonable. They're taxes really do go to pay for this place after all. We don't have a lot of secrets, and we can run tours, if people really want to come in. I kind of thought that they would have taken us up on it though, since we were just going to give them what they wanted. Plus, pie. Kind of a letdown. I was hoping we could make some new friends."

  "I hear that. We should make it policy. I like the idea of a strip search first however. That, and a background check. We should write that up and run it past Director Moore. It makes it a lot harder to claim that we're hiding things if we keep letting them in. Since we clearly don't hide much here at all..."

  Because they were watched constantly, so they hide all the good stuff in other places, like in their heads.

  She collected her clothing and took the time to try and calm down, but it was harder this time, the bit of excitement enough that she had to fight for it. The rest of the day wasn't exactly quiet either, since trouble kept coming in. No one got back to her about renting anyplace either. She wondered if anyone ever would?

  After that she headed over to Lancaster's office, expecting to find him gone, but he wasn't. He yelled into a phone instead, his voice a lot meaner sounding than she was used to hearing by far.

  "Fuck no! You'll stand the hell down, now. The kid is Infected, but still just a kid and scaring him isn't going to work. Wait for our people to get there. They're trained for this kind of thing and it's damned sure that you and your Barney Fife outfit there isn't. No! Glowing can mean anything. A frightened ten year old with glowing skin isn't a vast problem. Just move back. Now." The tall Agent looked at her and shook his head, but didn't seem to want to chat at the moment. "Good. Now, let the IPB deal with this one. Nothing illegal has happened yet, except for you pushing a kid too far. Keep your head on tight and don't let yourself get scared."

  That started a conversation about the nature of fear and whether the man on the phone was a coward in the Agent's mind. He had to soft peddle the answer but didn't set the receiver down at all. Instead the man just kept talking, clearly trying to stall for time. After about ten minutes of this he flinched, hard enough that Penny felt herself jump.

  "Fuck... Fuck. Tell me that was a warning shot? Tell me that one of your fucking morons didn't just shoot a little kid for glowing in the dark." There was a long pause, and Lancaster looked at the phone in his hand, holding it away from himself a bit.

  "Crap. You just killed a little kid. When you go home tonight and talk to your wife or whoever it is you have there, be sure to mention that part. How you and your men slaughtered a boy for being just a little different than you are. No, no... Fuck you. You're people are the ones that have to live with this." He didn't slam the phone down, but it wasn't a gentle movement either really.

  Penny wondered if he'd forgotten she was there, because he just sat behind his big desk, looking miserable. After a few seconds he looked up though, his face set and bland again.

  "May I help you Penny?" He was looking right into where her face would be and everything, which made her want to blush a bit, but didn't cause her to intensify the not being seenness of the whole thing.

  "I... actually just came to see if you'd help me come up with a costume or something, since I can sort of manage being seen that way part of the time. This clearly isn't a great time though. I can come back, or get someone else to help with it."

  "No, this is as good of a time as any. What did you have in mind?"

  She outlined her plan, not thinking it was going to actually be all that possible, since she was traditionally a little hard to fit as far as clothing went, not being able to be measured and all that. He just took down some notes though and promised that she'd have something ready the next day, early.

  "We leave at about five for D.C. tomorrow so you might want to pack a bag tonight. We have a hotel room together. To save on funds."

  She wanted to say something flirtatious, but the words froze in her throat. So that hadn't gone away. Penny had to make herself relax again too. The man was just too hot to be relaxed around all the time.

  Dinner that night was interesting, since people actually talked to her. Not that they hadn't before, but everyone was taking turns glancing at her shirt while she sat at the table, with Denis smiling at her the whole time. Peggy actually bumped his shoulder a bit once and whispered something to him, which got him to laugh.

  "Sorry, Penny. I'm not trying to stare at you. It's just so fascinating to see you move the plates and cups around like that. Especially when you take a bite. I promise though, I'll avert my eyes. No one wants to be watched while they eat. It reminds us all too much of prison."

  She got the idea, and he wasn't wrong, even though it was a primal reflex, not the result of being a hardened ex-con like herself. No one had watched her eat in there after all.

  Brian didn't look at her overly, but did sneak peeks at her every few minutes. He was dressed up very nicely in an all black suit, since he had a date later. Clearly not one for dinner though, since he was eating first. He didn't need thousands of extra calories during the day like she or Marcia did. Most of the time he just ate three meals a day and called it good.

  "So, Penny, I heard there was a problem at the gates earlier? Some protestor's? You'd think they'd learn by now."

  "Oh, yeah. Marcia and I invited them in. They didn't want to come. That might have been because of the strip search requirement though. Well, maybe next time. If someone wants to come in, can I bring them to you guys for a chat? I mean a real one, not torture or anything. Just a nice and happy tour and some conversation. Maybe some cake?" This got directed toward Mark, who nodded, even if he couldn't make out where she was looking.

  "Certainly. Why not? I don't think a lot of them will take you up on it, but it seems like a better plan than killing them all and hiding the bodies."

  She had to agree there.

  For dessert they had sponge cake with a peach glaze and a single scoop of sorbet. It was decent, but not up to the normal standards Janine set. Also, it was a bit too fancy for their regular food. It should have been an apple crisp, Penny thought, since it was hamburger night.

  Denis made a face at it, and shook his head.

  "This... Is not good, is it?"

  Rachel had finished hers and smiled at the man, but didn't say anything.

  Penny thought about it, taking a bite, trying to savor it all.

  "It's not bad either. A bit peachy though. Maybe a little too sweet?"

  "Cloying..." Mark provided, which got Denis to flip him off. He stopped after a second and laughed though.

  "Back to the drawing board then. Maybe I should go with something more expected? Chocolate ice cream and regular cake?"

  Brian ate his carefully, and didn't add anything but seemed to like it all right. It was food after all and free. Even well
made. What wasn't to enjoy?

  "What's it for?" Penny asked, hoping that it wasn't a stupid question. For the television show, seemed to be the obvious answer, but Mark explained it to her.

  "Exotic dessert night. It's the theme on Top Chef Review next week. Denis is representing us. He needs five different products for it. Chocolate cake won't do at all. Neither will this."

  "How about deep fried bananas? Turn it into an ice cream dish, sort of like a banana split?" That sounded like a thing to Penny after all. Mark looked curious, and Denis actually leaned in.

  "What the hell is that? Like a deep fried Twinkie? Or candy bar? I've never made anything like that before."

  "Um, well, I just made it up. It could work though. It's supposed to be exotic, right? I'm sure Mark could help you with it."

  That, it seemed, was both possible and would have to wait. They had a date after all, Mark and her, in the common area. That actually sounded a lot better than it really was. Instead of flowers or chocolates she just found herself hooked up to a new machine, one meant to tell if she was tense or not.

  "It seems like your power is directly related to stress, like we thought, but not your brainwaves directly, so we won't have to bother with that for now. All you have to do is relax, and then we'll work on going to a profound level."

  It sounded a lot easier than it really was. She'd done all right earlier, she thought, but it turned out that the level of relaxation she really needed to learn was a good bit deeper than it had seemed at first. Mark thought that some progressive relaxation might help, but it was hard to do. She kept focusing and trying to let go but it didn't feel like it was doing what it was supposed to.

  The little box said she was doing it though, after only about an hour and half.

  "There we go." Mark pointed at the box, which only had two of the four lights left on. They were one on top of the other and all a rather ugly orange. "Go ahead and keep doing that. One more light."

  He ended up softly chanting that, which wasn't nearly as helpful as a person might have thought. She did get it to happen though and had to admit it left her feeling peaceful and... relaxed.

  "But does it leave me any more visible?"

  "Not really. I could see your clothing the whole time and hear you pretty clearly, but it's the same as when you sat down, more or less. I can't see you at all, just the other things. That's fine though, it isn't about that now. It's about learning to control your first mode. If you don't let yourself become tense, you won't feel it as acutely. At least it works for me."

  "Thank you Mark." It came out a little sing song, but she sounded nice, even to her own ears. Not all that shy at all, even though he was looking right at her.

  She got unhooked and then just waited for a while, even after Mark vanished. She was a bit tired, but didn't really want to move yet. There was almost twenty minutes of quiet too, until the team trainer came out of his office, having been there late it seemed. He looked over at her oddly, and then slowly walked across the room, his face seemed a bit like he expected a trick of some sort.

  "Hey Montrose. How's tricks?"

  "Oh, a voice too. Penny?" He didn't wait, because the guy wasn't an idiot. "So, from the way the shirts fits I have to guess you really did do your work outs."

  "Hah! I forgot about that, I can prove that now, can't I? Here, feel my abs." She hopped up and grabbed his hand, which got him to laugh, until she actually had him rub her stomach, which she realized was pretty freaky. He looked impressed though.

  "Jeez Penny, what's your body fat ratio? I shouldn't really feel a washboard like that."

  "Really? After all those years of yelling at me to work harder, now you want to play that game? Huh? That's really what you want to go with?" She tried to make herself sound angry, but couldn't keep it up, and started to laugh. Finally she gave him a little hug.

  The guy looked a bit funny but hugged her back, "so, are we at that point in our relationship already? Cuddling?"

  "Yep. I've known you for about three years. Over that now. It's pretty much where we are. It isn't the first time we've hugged either. Just the first one you'll get to remember."

  "OK. As long as you do your workouts, I can sell that to the boss. Director Moore I mean. Darryl will kick my ass, so don't mention it. You're his favorite you know." After a beat the man winked. "He thinks of you as the daughter he never had."

  "Oh." That was probably even true, if not exactly what she wanted to hear on the matter. He was old enough to be her dad though. Actually they were about the same age, her father and Lancaster. The big difference there being that her father was a jerk and Darryl was... a bit remote most of the time. Nice, but not emotionally accessible.

  "Crud, I have daddy issues, don't I?"

  "Sorry? You lost me."

  "Oh, I was just thinking that I kind of like Lancaster, but you know, it might play into the fact that my father was always a bit cold and distant. I don't know." She remembered that she was actually talking to the guy about then and disappeared hard, which got him to make a face.

  "Don't let it worry you Pen-pen. Yeah, Lancaster probably isn't for you, but that's not a big deal. I've known him for almost twenty years and in that time I've never seen him date anyone, woman, man or sheep. He's all work, all the time. I don't think he even takes vacations anymore. There are lots of eligible men here on base, especially if you can learn to pull off that thing you were just doing all the time. True, still invisible, but that has its charms."

  "Thanks, Jason." She said the words out loud, but he didn't get it since she was too tense for that. Instead she walked away, wondering if he'd just forget about it later. Was the stuff she did while relaxed more memorable? It was something that she'd have to check out, when she got a chance. Later though. For the time being she decided to go back to her room and see if sleep would come yet.

  Lancaster didn't date? That was weird. Not any worse than she was, true, but still bizarre. The guy was too hot not to like sex. That was a rule wasn't it? A secret guy rule? That if you were good looking you either had to be a player, or gay? Well, if he wasn't interested that wouldn't change just because some invisible chick wanted to get with him, would it? It wasn't like she was attractive at all. Exotic as all get out, but not good looking.

  The night was rougher than she liked, so she got up and packed, then slept for a while, until the clock said it was time for her to get up and find some food. It was still too early for it, but Burt had the dining room open already and some French toast going. She was still in sweats, and pretty well armed, which had the thin and tweeky little man with the Tweety tattoo glaring at her before she made it to the back window.

  "Morning! Is it too early to snag something to eat? My sleep schedule is going sideways on me lately. I blame the drugs. Mark did it the other day. Drugged me, and then didn't even take me to bed, isn't that rude of him?" She said it in a rush, sounding almost a little manic, wanting to get the words out before the man could pay too much attention to her.

  "I suppose. How many pieces?"

  That was the morning cook's way with almost everyone. Direct and a little rough. He was clean though and did his job pretty well, so she wasn't going to complain. She'd always wondered if he was Infected, but hadn't asked. That wasn't something she could have done before really, but now... She wouldn't. If someone wanted you to know that they generally would tell you. It was a big enough deal, not being Infected was so helpful in life, that a lot of people that could pass gave it an honest shot. She couldn't blame them for it either. Really she kind of hoped that her little brother Jeremy could pull that off. His power kind of sucked, but his first mode was mellow. He could be an accountant or something normal some day, if he played his cards right.

  "Three please." She didn't have to wait too long, since Rachel hit the room, ignoring her, a few minutes later and was handed a vast tray filled with food. It was enough for six or seven people, but she put it down right in front of her and started in on it without hesitatio
n. Penny had to eat a lot, but that was ridiculous. When she got halfway through she slowed for a few seconds and waved her fork a little.

  "Hi! I wasn't ignoring you, I just have to get my blood sugar right or my brain won't work for the first few hours after I wake up. Say... I have a body suit that might fit you. You're bigger than I am, but it's kind of too large for me. By a lot. I think it might work though. I don't mean that in a snarky way, I'm just short. Here..." She ran out of the room, not waiting for Penny to answer. A body suit? She probably had the figure for it, but she didn't know if she'd look particularly good in all red, which the woman wore most of the time in one way or another.

  A few seconds later she came back with a few ounces of gray though, smiling so hugely it seemed almost like a trick.

  "This should work for you. Put it on. Burt won't spy on you."

  It wasn't like she didn't hang around naked a lot anyway right? She stripped down and put it on, the back of it was open though, so it would need a shirt or jacket to go with it, but it covered enough of her that it made her look nearly real. It had long sleeves and was skin tight, but not restrictive at all. Rachel just nodded toward her and didn't say anything else. She was too busy eating.

  "Thanks, this is pretty cool. I haven't been shopping for years. I can only steal so much from the store on four. Or other people's rooms. Not that I've been taking anyone's clothing. There hasn't been a reason."

  "But now there is." It came from behind her, Mark carrying something in his right hand. A leather jacket. "This should look good on you. I don't have a hat for you yet, but you should get something. Clari might have one for you, or a wig. I made an appointment for you at nine. I want to see what she can do for you. Maybe nothing, but it will be great to find out. If it works we can get you in on the Christmas show."