The Infected [Books 1-6]

by P. S. Power

  "Tobin? Can I help you with something?" Her words carried the remnant of what she used to be, which was involved in some secret way with the military. She was a lot more like the Agents than not, and he'd been around so long that it was clear some of them had known each other before the IPB. Things got dropped into conversation, and there wasn't a lot to do for Team Two most days, other than gossip and tell tales.

  "Just checking with you to see what we're supposed to be doing. Is there a potential in the area?" It was their own secret code for potential bigot riot. They weren't supposed to refer to them that way, since calling bigots that tended to make them upset, hence shortening it to the one word.

  That actually got a genuine seeming smile from the lady, whose short, sporty hair had a nice amount of curl to it now that it was a bit longer. Not ringlets, but it looked bouncy. She'd shaved it at one point, which he could have taken as a sign of Tobin solidarity, but knew that wasn't the case. Half of it had been ripped out on one side. That was the only thing she could do to even it up.

  "You know me far too well. We have one setting up tomorrow in Omaha, so I thought we might just swing past, since it's only about five hundred miles out of our way. We'll stop for dinner soon. Any requests?"

  Fear or not, he did like food. He didn't need to eat a lot, compared to some people, so he tried to make certain he actually enjoyed it when he had the chance. That didn't always happen, but it was his goal. For this one though, given the world they lived in, he actually did have an idea of what to do for dinner.

  "We should stop at a grocery store and get some things. Send in Denis and the Agents, maybe you, while the rest of us stay on board and make sure no one can see us. Lauren will need something liquid, and straws if we didn't bring those?" They should have, it was kind of needed for her after all. One of the hardships of living encased in a shell all the time. She could chew, but her mouth was a thin slit on the outside. Anything she ate had to be little enough to fit through that hole.

  "We have that covered. I like your plan however. We should leave at least one person here with you that can cover for the rest of you. Not that having a bus with your name on it isn't a bit of a giveaway. Still, we can take Reyes in with us and leave Burkes. I notice that you didn't include the Team One members?" She was making conversation, from the sound of it, rather than doubting he had a plan.

  "Well... Doug could still go, but the others are too recognizable. Denis we can disguise, and maybe you, but Karen and Jason would be nearly as bad as Lauren going in, as for recognition. Still, they'd probably be served, so that could work in a pinch." It wasn't like he'd never done this before after all. Avoiding problems was what he did, all the time. It didn't sit well though and never really did, but he was a passive person. Too much so, probably.

  Except when he had to charge into battle, to stop some killer or mad man. Those were always Infected too. His own kind. It made it harder really, than if it would have been a mix of people. The IPB didn't get called in to handle muggers or rapists, even if it sort of made sense to use them that way.

  She patted his arm a little absently, which was the kind of thing that the women that knew him did. After all, he wasn't a real option for sex to them, so they didn't think of him as a threat. It was still nice that she bothered, instead of seeming disgusted. That had happened too, even at the base, so he was pretty careful about getting too close to anyone now.

  "It isn't perfect." Her words were soft. Not gentle though, and he knew that she wasn't thinking about how hard the world was for some of them, not even being able to go and do something that everyone else took for granted, because they might be harassed or attacked. If he went into a store alone, being small and not scary at all, people would call him names, refuse to serve him, or possibly spit at him. It had all happened before. More than once. If Peggy tried it, or possibly Lauren, then the police would probably be called before they got through the first half of the shopping trip.

  No, with her first mode and training, she'd be thinking about how to get in and out without being noticed, not about how having to do that made him and the others feel. It was something that a lot of the good-looking IPB Operatives just didn't understand. Karen was compassionate and kind to everyone, and really tried to get it, but she thought that the police were there to help you. Being pretty and likeable, they probably were, for her.

  Denis got it a little bit, but wrote it off to the cops being jerks, and most people just being a-holes. It was probably true, Tobin had to allow, but it wasn't really understanding. The man couldn't know what Tobin was feeling inside for instance, almost all the time. If Den went to a movie theater, he could get a seat, every time. At restaurants he got his meal, as long as he had the money to pay for it. It didn't matter if he was Infected, or even that his first mode was greed. He could pass, and that meant he didn't understand what it was like not to be able to.

  It was a bit strange, but the person he had the most in common with on the trip was probably Lauren. She was identifiable and famous in her own right, and not just as a backup singer, which he sort of was too. Even at that, he was treated different than everyone else. All the time. It made him mad. Angry at the whole world sometimes. It was locked inside him, unable to really come out, because of his mode.

  It also didn't matter at all. He still couldn't go into a Shop n' Save. Even with a team of super-humans that would fight to protect him, it still wouldn't work. Not unless they were going to beat up everyone that looked at him wrong. It was a nice dream, if too violent for him. Enough so that he felt guilty for even thinking it for a few seconds. Sometimes it wasn't that bad, and people just glared at him. He could deal with that.

  Marcia had started talking again, and was looking at a map on her high tech pad thing. He knew what it was, since some of the others on the base had them. He could afford it, but hadn't bothered getting one from the store, since people mainly used them to talk to people, and he didn't want to do that.

  "We have one coming up in seven miles. I'm thinking we send in a three man team. Doug, Reyes and Burkes. I'll hang back with the rest of you in case you need support. I can drive this thing after all, if we need to move. Can you see any flaws in that?"

  Tobin shrugged, and looked away, too tired suddenly to try and fight against the way things were. If he didn't try though, then who would?

  "Yeah. My name is on the side of the bus. I guess that means I should go in and draw the fire that way. It's not a good idea. Still." That was all he said, and was more than ready for the Deputy Director of the IPB to shoot him down.

  After all he could see the dozen or so obvious flaws in the plan he'd just presented, the main one being that he really didn't want to be the magnet for trouble. If they followed him around chanting hate slogans or glaring at him, then they might just leave the vehicle alone. Even better, if they went in separately, people could follow him around while the others got the needed food and supplies. It would suck though and no one sane would let him even try.

  "All right. Let's think about it. You and I could go in and the others will stay here. Any bets as to how long it takes for a mob to form?" She was being sarcastic, and looking at him like he was a moron.

  "Ten to fifteen minutes. If we send the others first, we can hang back and only go in as a distraction, if it becomes needed."

  He was trying to be playful, but she suddenly nodded, as if it were a real plan. That wasn't the case, he knew. They all did really.

  "That's... not bad. Let's see what the Agents say about it. My bet is that we get called nut jobs."

  That wasn't what they were called. Burkes called them "mother fucking crazy dip-wads" which was totally different. Reyes just looked at him and nodded. It was really weird, but the man always seemed supportive of him, and tried really hard to be understanding.

  "Change the world one shopping trip at a time?"

  They'd actually talked about the idea before. If he, and the good Infected like him, the funny looking ones that were nice an
d helped people, didn't stand up and do things, even if it was hard, all people would ever see were the criminals in the nightly news, and Prime kissing babies. They were afraid of the ugly Infected because the only time they met any, they were always dangerous and bad seeming. Of course, when you ran at people with a pitchfork wielding mob behind you, that was going to happen one way or the other, but he was better trained to handle that kind of thing than most.

  He nodded and figured that Marcia and Agent Burkes wouldn't get it at all. The Agent did it seemed, and cleared his throat, glaring at first Reyes and then him.

  "Is this really the time for a political statement?"

  Tobin hated confrontation and fighting, as a rule. Honestly he kind of wanted to just shut up and let the others get food for them alone, sneaking in carefully and moving quickly so that no one would see them going to and from the big black bus. That wasn't going to work however. Not if he wanted anything in the world to change at all, ever.

  "When is there a better time? After everyone that looks like me is dead and buried? When some pretty person like Prime or Lady Glory can be there to hold the public's hand and show them that the funny looking harmless guy really is just a person that looks a bit different? Maybe we should just leave it all alone and let the world burn, without ever even trying?" He looked around, and saw Denis staring at him, and knew what it meant. In a way, it was kind of nice of him. After all, the good-looking man could pass. He didn't need to help Tobin with this kind of thing, but was doing it anyway. Letting him actually speak his mind for once in his life.

  It was a good thing too, since Agent Burkes was dead set against it and started to argue with him over the proper course of action. The man wasn't wrong either. He thought it might be dangerous and sending in Tobin, even with Marcia, was asking for trouble. Possibly with the cops that would eventually show up to ask them to leave.

  "You aren't bullet proof, Goblin. Sure, you can soak a few and heal from it, but take a few rounds to your grape and you'll be just as dead as anyone else would be. Are you trying to die?" The words had a sour flavor to them, one that reminded him of lemons. Not the sweet kind that made candy either, but the really harsh ones that they used for floor cleaners.

  "Are you really saying that I'm too ugly to shop with regular people?" It wasn't fighting fair, since he knew the man didn't mean that. He was just saying it, that was all. His reasons were different, but it amounted to the same thing.

  The little Infected freak should learn his place, and stay on the bus. Possibly hiding on the floor.

  There was a glare in response, but no words for a long time as the others watched the man. It was telling, who was doing it the hardest. Peggy looked away all together, and Lauren was watching him, with her normal, but perfectly blank, expression. Marcia was looking right at Burkes, and Karen held her own arms, as if she thought a real fight were about to start. Agent Reyes was driving, but called out.

  "Well? I mean, I know that isn't the reason, but can you think of any way that Tobin or the others could see it differently? I say we go in and start snapping pictures. I've always wondered if the public would be more polite if they knew what they were doing would be online the next day." He didn't look away from the road, or add anything else to what was being said.

  In the end, Marcia sighed and shook her head.

  "Not this time. We'll send in the guys first, and get back on the road. We don't need to stir things up." She sounded pleased enough with her decision, which got Tobin to snort, which made her look at him sharply.

  "What?" She seemed to be actually shocked about it.

  "Oh, it's just always the same isn't it? You blame me for being less than perfect, and think that it's my fault that others get aggressive in public. You all do it. All the good-looking people. It doesn't matter to you, because you could go in and not be bothered. So, yeah, that makes it okay, doesn't it?" He felt real anger over it, but Denis had turned his focus away, so the social anxiety was coming back, making it hard for him to speak again. Taking a deep breath he went on anyway, knowing that soon it would just come to a stop. "You don't want to risk stirring up trouble, which means that I can't even go and look to see if they have a candy section, doesn't it? I should just take whatever I'm handed, and live off of whatever you decide I should have? If any of you remember to think of me at all."

  The woman next to him seemed shocked, and Burkes looked ready to blow something out in his forehead, actually reaching for his side arm smoothly. The Agents were trained to do that. Shoot first, any time they felt threatened by an Infected person, including their own people. Tobin didn't feel like being shot just for speaking his mind however, so hit the man with his right palm, directly to the chest, before his hand could reach his side. The blow was hard, but not deathly so. Agents always wore armored vests when on duty, under their clothing, so he flew back, across the aisle into the seat opposite him. That threw Tobin back into Quartz hard, who smashed into the side of the bus, making it bow outward a bit. It hurt, but it was Burke's fault, for trying to kill him.

  Then he launched himself across to the other blue seat, punching the man as fast as he could, his tiny fists concentrating the force of the blows, so that he could take the man's weapons from him. Doing it while he was awake and resisting would end up in people being shot, he didn't doubt. Quartz tried to grab him, but he didn't fight particularly as she pulled him away, just growling at her instead.

  "No. He was going to shoot me, and didn't have a reason to. The meltdown was his this time. I'm fine, but back away, and help me disarm him. I understand that he..." Really Tobin didn't. How had him speaking his mind caused that reaction? He hadn't doubled a fist, and wasn't using his voice to stun anyone with a song. As far as he'd known they were just debating a point. He was angry, sure, but not at the Agent, or even Marcia, just how unfair things were. It had to be something else.

  He was still angry when he stopped to consider it, but knew that he just didn't seem all that intimidating, so looked at Turner hard.

  "Why did he do that? Am I not allowed to have opinions now?" If so...

  Well, there wasn't a lot he could do about it if that was the case, was there? He could try to quit, but they had a tracking chip in him and being famous now, even if only a little, they'd most likely try to make him disappear if he tried it. That would be to prevent him for making a big scene in public about it all.

  From the back of the long bus, Lauren spoke, her voice concerned, but not panicked really. Just a bit worked up from the excitement.

  "I saw him going for the gun. We all know what that means, and he really didn't have a reason for it. Tobin was a little bit worked up, but not even yelling. Just discussing firmly. What do we do?" This was clearly being directed toward Denis. Since the man had been in lockup recently, that clearly made him the legal expert on the scene, didn't it? Tobin expected him to just side with Marcia, but there were a few surprises about then. The first being that Reyes pulled the bus over, as Tobin started to strip the other man of weapons. He found three guns and two knives, all hidden in different places on his body, and took his cell phone away at the same time. After all, he had no clue what the man had been thinking. He woke up, about halfway through, and started fighting, catching Tobin with a really hard blow under the chin that made him taste blood and knocked him back, before falling to sleep suddenly. That was down to Denis, he figured, since no one else had closed in.

  After that he got a pair of the plastic handcuffs that they kept in the closet up front, Agent Reyes looking at him the whole time, his eyes sad for some reason, like he felt betrayed.

  "What are you doing, Tobin?"

  "Arresting him for assault on a Federal Agent? That's what he did. He isn't Infected, so doesn't have a first mode to blame. He can't have a reason other than bigotry, and that makes this terrorism. I think. Maybe just a hate crime? He wasn't doing his job at the time, just trying to suppress my civil rights." It sounded about right, though he'd gotten soft and shy again, the a
nger wearing off along with any help from Denis, who was more focused on the man he was keeping unconscious at the moment.

  Marcia stood up, the traffic whizzing by outside the windows on the side away from her.

  "Suppressing your civil rights? I don't believe that was the case."

  "Using force to prevent him from exercising his right to free speech? Attempted murder? Take your pick." This came, from all people, Peggy. She was normally very quiet and didn't challenge anyone, but this time she looked ready to fight for some reason. "Tobin was just telling the truth, and you two both tried to make the dirty little Infected shut up and fall in line. When he didn't do it fast enough, Agent Burkes was going to kill him. Kill. A bullet to the brain. He'd just said that, which means going for his weapon not half a minute later was a real threat, wasn't it?"

  At least Reyes was smart enough not to pull his weapon and shoot at her. Since it probably wouldn't work anyway, that would be a bad plan. It left them stuck at an impasse, with one Agent on the ground and the other pulling his own phone to call things in. Except that Tobin didn't know that the IPB would side with him at all. Worse Marcia was doing the same thing, which meant that he couldn't stop them from doing it. He might, possibly, take out Agent Reyes, if he just attacked and didn't give him a chance to go for his gun. He could also possibly use his voice to stop them both, if he sung fast enough, but once the phone lines were opened, it would carry and the people on the other end might be influenced too. Not knowing who they were, or what they were doing, that was dangerous. A person in a car might crash for instance. It was already too late for that option then.

  Tobin didn't have a cell phone, since the secured ones mainly went to the Agents, and while Marcia had one, she was one of the bosses so that made sense. Besides, who could he call to help him? There was no one that would, back at the base, he didn't think. Not after something like this. He was the ugly, and Burkes was normal. That made him in the wrong, no matter what the law said. He knew, and worse, so did the others. He felt himself curling up inside, his body matching that, folding his arms across himself protectively, hunching down and feeling even smaller and less important than normal. His skin changed color too, from its normal black and green to an odd grey. At least on his hands and arms. It had never done that before, not that he knew about.