Blue Plague (Book 7): Hope

by Thomas A. Watson

  “Let’s get this baby out before it gets in trouble again. Mark incision time at 10:02,” Stance said, grabbing a scalpel.

  With a calm face, Angela looked at Bruce. “She’s here,” Angela smiled then a nurse put an oxygen mask on her.

  Goosebumps sprang up on Bruce’s arms as a smell filled his being that he would know anywhere. Tears rolled out of Bruce’s eyes as he nodded. “You don’t think she would miss the wives having babies,” he mumbled then closed his eyes.

  A calm fell over the room as Bruce held Angela’s hand and everyone worked quietly. “It’s a girl,” Stance called out and a small cry filled the room and Bruce leaned over Angela, hugging her. Nancy came over, taking the baby and wrapping it up in a blanket.

  “Angela, are you okay?” Stephanie asked, crying.

  Angela nodded with a smile and Bruce stood up. “She’s fine, Stephanie,” Bruce said.

  He turned to see Mike and Carroll pushing Stephanie’s bed closer. Standing between the beds, Bruce put his arms over them and they reached a hand out to each other. “She’s here,” Stephanie said, crying and cradling the twins in her left arm.

  “Like I said, Debbie was the expert on delivering babies in this family,” Bruce said, crying. “She wasn’t about to let something happen.”

  “What’s her name, Angela?” Stephanie said as Carroll reached over, wiping Stephanie’s nose with a towel.

  Pulling off the oxygen mask, “Jessica,” Angela smiled. “That was the next girl name that Debbie had picked out.”

  After Stance was done, Nancy brought over Jessica and put her in Angela’s arms. “Holy cow, you come out half grown!” Angela chuckled.

  “Nine pounds, four ounces,” Nancy said, wiping her eyes.

  Bruce smiled and kissed Angela, “You can’t blame her for sitting on your bladder, she was out of room.”

  The room was cleaned and Bruce brought in the family. With everyone standing behind the beds and Bruce between them, a picture was taken. When it was printed, a shimmering orb was in front of Bruce with rays of light going to Angela and Stephanie.

  Then, just as suddenly as the smell and presence had hit Bruce, it was gone once again.

  Chapter 39

  When Bruce stepped out in the hall following Stephanie and Angela out, he stopped, looking at the mass of people being held back by his troops. Everyone shouted, waving at Angela and Stephanie as they were pushed down the hall. “You think this is something, you should look outside,” Ted said, moving beside him.

  “Will you tell everyone they are doing well, but need rest?” Bruce asked.

  “Gopher is announcing it over the radio and TV,” Ted replied, walking along with Bruce.

  Going through a set of doors, Bruce saw Steve walking up and grinning. “Congratulations, Dad,” he said then hugged Bruce again.

  “Thank you, son,” Bruce said, hugging him tight.

  “You still want me to start the operation?” Steve asked, letting Bruce go.

  Taking a deep breath, Bruce watched Angela and Stephanie being pushed into the same room. “Yes, son,” Bruce said.

  “Gene is flying in and should be here soon. He or Daddy Mike can run it, if you want,” Steve said in a hushed voice.

  “No, son, I’ll do it,” Bruce said, patting Steve’s arm. “You be careful. I don’t want to have to go out and get you.”

  “Don’t worry, Dad, we’ll be alright,” Steve said, hugging his Dad once again and then left.

  “What operation?” Ted asked.

  Looking at Ted with sad eyes, “One that I’m running and totally responsible for,” Bruce said then headed into the room. “Nobody but staff and family in, Ted.”

  “Copy that,” Ted said, bringing the radio to his mouth.

  Nurses were helping to get the mommas into bed as Bruce walked in. When Angela and Stephanie were in bed, Bruce moved over between them. “You guys did a great job.”

  Stephanie looked up from the twins, “Okay, it was worth it,” she smiled with tears in her eyes.

  “Like I said, God knew what he was doing when he had the female half bear the responsibility of carrying the species,” Bruce grinned and kissed the babies.

  He moved over and kissed Angela then noticed they were alone in the room. “Where did everyone go?”

  “Look at the TV, Bruce,” Angela said and he looked up to see Mike standing in front of the hospital with a very large crowd. Grabbing the remote, Bruce turned up the volume.

  Mike held up his hand to the roaring crowd and they slowly fell silent. When the crowd was silent, a microphone was passed to Mike. “Thank you,” Mike said into the microphone and his voice echoed over the crowd. “I just want the clan to know, Stephanie gave birth to two healthy baby boys and Angela delivered a healthy baby girl.”

  The crowd erupted in a cheer as Mike lowered the microphone and Carroll moved up beside him, talking. Nodding at Carroll, Mike held up his hand and the crowd fell silent again. “Bruce is with his wives right now and the newest additions to this family, but I’m here to talk to the people of Hope and the outlying bases.”

  A hush fell over the crowd as Mike looked over the sea of faces. “From the day of the fall, Bruce has never stopped for more than a few days and I can assure you, he only took those off because the command group demanded it. When he lost Debbie, Bruce continued on and fought. He has pushed himself more than any twenty people here. When his kids were wounded, he continued on and fought. Never once has he slowed down and why?” Mike said, looking around the crowd.

  “Because he wants to make sure, he is doing everything possible to secure our future. As of today, there are over three hundred thousand members and we are still growing,” Mike said to the silent crowd. “Today, I’m here to ask this clan for a favor. I would like for each member to go to their community center and write on a sheet of paper that they would like Bruce to take a few months off to enjoy his new family. This war will be here when he returns and we, this clan, will hold the line as he takes a much-needed break. It will do no good for the command group to ask him, so I’m asking the clan: Will you please do this, so we can let Bruce take a break? Will this clan do this for him?”

  The crowd erupted in cheers and the screen split, showing areas from the outlying forts with people cheering. Bruce looked down at the girls. “Looks like I get to stay with you for a little while,” he grinned.

  They both squeezed his hand as the crowd quieted down and Mike lifted the microphone up. “Thank you, clan,” Mike said with a sigh of relief. “If the clan asks, Bruce will do it for you. I will have troops collecting your requests and will present them to the command group when they are tallied up. If the clan votes for him to take two months off, the command group will enforce it and if needed, I will go out in the front yard with Bruce.”

  The crowd cheered and turned away from Mike, heading to their community centers. A knock sounded on the door and Nancy stepped in, carrying a tray. “Hey guys, let me finish my newborn screen,” she smiled, putting the tray down.

  Stephanie looked up at Bruce, “Hold the babies,” she said. “I want to lay on my stomach for a minute. I haven’t done that in four months.”

  “I still can’t,” Angela huffed.

  “Well, you had a huge baby,” Stephanie said, handing Isaac to Nancy and Joshua to Bruce. “Jessica is almost as big as you are and she was just born.”

  Snuggling her face into Jessica, “Daddy better make my next one smaller,” Angela said as Stephanie slowly turned on her side and then on her stomach.

  Bruce cradled Joshua, rocking him and watching Stephanie. “It doesn’t look that comfortable,” he said.

  “It’s not, but I wanted to do it,” Stephanie said, turning her face. A knock sounded at the door and Bruce looked over.

  “Come in,” he called out and the door opened.

  Gene walked in with Sandy behind him. “Sorry it took me so long to get here,” he said, moving over to the beds. He hugged and kissed Angela. “My goodness, your
baby is almost as big as you, Angela,” he laughed and kissed Jessica.

  Angela just beamed at him as Gene moved over to Stephanie and kissed her as she lifted her head up. “I wanted to lay on my stomach for a minute,” she said, putting her head back down.

  Gene moved over to Bruce, “Stephanie, you can do whatever you want,” Gene laughed and kissed Joshua. Bruce held Joshua out.

  “Hold him,” Bruce said and Gene stepped back.

  “Let the kid get some size on him first,” Gene said, holding his hands up.

  Ignoring Gene, Bruce put Joshua in Gene’s arms. “I have to help Stephanie turn back over,” Bruce said and Gene glanced over, seeing Stephanie trying to roll over.

  Sandy moved over to Gene, looking at the baby. “We should procreate to endeavor to bring a new life into this world,” Sandy said with a smile, kissing the baby.

  Helping Stephanie turn over, Bruce looked up. “Sandy, just say, we need to have a baby,” he sighed.

  Sandy looked at him, blinking. “I just did.”

  “Come here, Sandy,” Angela laughed. Sandy moved over to the bed and Angela held out Jessica. “Hold her.”

  “Um, I’ll wait till she’s not so fragile,” Sandy said, looking at the baby.

  Bruce moved over, taking Jessica and putting her in Sandy’s arms. “If you want to have babies, you need practice,” Bruce laughed.

  “Gene, bring Joshua over here,” Nancy said.

  Stephanie looked up at Bruce, “You need to bring the kids in without everyone,” she told him.

  “I am,” Bruce said as Gene picked up Isaac. “Steve won’t be here, I sent him on an errand.”

  “Bruce, you just heard the clan tell you to take some time off,” Angela said, grinning at Sandy talking to the baby.

  “I know and I will,” he said, rubbing Angela’s head. “This will be done by tomorrow and I don’t have to leave.”

  They watched Gene and Sandy cuddling the babies and Stephanie glanced up at Bruce. “Can I ask what this is?”

  “No, baby. This is all on me,” Bruce said.

  ***

  It was 2100 and Bruce felt his phone vibrate. He looked around the room. Danny and Buffy were asleep on the couch and Mary and Mindy were in a recliner, asleep. Pushing himself out of the chair, Bruce went over to the bassinets and kissed the babies. Then, he kissed Angela and Stephanie.

  Stephanie opened her eyes, “I’m running to the house. I’ll be back in the morning before the sun comes up.”

  “Okay, baby,” she smiled and closed her eyes.

  Stepping out into the hall, Bruce was blinded by the light. “What do you need, boss?” Carl asked, getting up from a chair.

  “A ride home,” Bruce said and Carl spoke into the radio as Bruce headed for the double doors. Walking outside, they saw Ted standing beside a line of SUVs. Bruce jumped in the middle one and the troops loaded up.

  Speeding back to the house, Bruce stepped out, taking a deep breath. A guard ran up swiping his badge and held the door open and Bruce headed inside. Heading down into the command bunker, he passed through it and into the operations area.

  Jake and Matt were sitting at consoles with only a few other people in the room. “All of the cages are in place, Dad,” Jake said looking up.

  Bruce looked at the wall of screens with a sad expression. “Will you tell me what’s going on?” Mike asked, walking in.

  “This is on me, Mike,” Bruce said, not turning to look at him.

  Stopping beside Bruce, Mike put his arm over Bruce’s shoulder. “Brother, I just want to know,” he said quietly.

  Letting out a sigh, “I had cages built and female blues put in them. Steve handpicked the pilots and flew the cages, placing them from Boston to New Jersey. They placed ten in big cities there, then flew another twenty cages west,” Bruce said, closing his eyes. “Jake, highlight them.”

  On the main screen, a map opened and dots sprang up. Taking his arm off Bruce’s shoulder, Mike took a step toward the screen. The dots were spread out, but formed an arrowhead pointing at the army camp in Pennsylvania. “You’re going to drag a horde on them,” Mike said in a low voice.

  “I’m going to make a horde, then lead it to them,” Bruce said, reaching up and pressing a button. “Confirm,” he said, turning to Jake.

  Tapping his keyboard, Jake looked up as a screen showed a female blue in a cage getting sprayed with a liquid for a second. Mike turned to the screen and saw smoke pouring off the blue from the liquid as she threw back her head. There was no sound, but he knew she was roaring as the camera attached to the cage vibrated.

  “What was the liquid?” Mike asked.

  “Acid,” Bruce said in a solemn voice. “It was more reliable than burning them with fire when I tested it.”

  “Tested?” Mike said as he looked and saw ten more screens showing other cages of blues roaring.

  “Yes,” Bruce said. “This last time I was out, I did some experiments. I know for a fact blues can hear that roar from sixty-two miles away. I couldn’t come up with a safe way to ignite them and control the fire, so I tried acid. And low and behold, it worked better than fire.”

  Mike turned around, stepping up to Bruce. “This is justified, Bruce. I would’ve done this for you,” he said.

  “No, Mike,” Bruce said, forcing a smile that quickly left. “We both know there are over twenty thousand people there, but I’m not risking losing our troops in rescuing them. We will fight others, but this group would cost us dearly and I can’t risk it. In time, we will have numbers, but not now. There are others out there just as big, but they don’t pose the same threat.”

  Reaching up and grabbing Bruce’s shoulders, “Bruce, you don’t have to explain yourself. This is the right call,” Mike said.

  “Is it?” Bruce said with his eyes getting misty. “I’m not sure and that’s why I’ll be the one to carry it out. I’ve watched the drone flights over that camp and the people listening to our broadcast, but I’m dooming them because I’m not willing to launch a battle for them.”

  Dropping his hands, Mike nodded. “Bruce, I understand and to be honest, I’m relieved you’re taking this route, instead of launching an attack.”

  Surprised, Bruce cocked his head, looking at Mike. “Yes, Bruce, I agree,” Mike said. “This war is going to last a long time and we need to save every fighter we can. It would cost us too much to fight this group right now. If we left them till we were ready, they would be stronger and we would be facing the same problem.”

  “Thank you, Mike,” Bruce said then turned to Jake. “Show me drones over the sites.”

  The screens blinked and blues could be seen charging across the countryside toward the roaring females. “Who knows about this operation?” Mike asked.

  “The pilots Steve picked, Jake and Matt, along with the personnel you see in here. Harry and Joe built all the cages, but don’t know what I’m using them for,” Bruce said.

  “I would’ve helped,” Mike said.

  “I didn’t want anyone…” Bruce stopped and just stared at the screens.

  “Hey, Dad?” Jake said, looking up from his computer and Bruce turned to him. “Matt and I told you this was the right call.”

  “Bruce,” Mike said and Bruce turned back to the monitors. “Most everyone here will agree with that.”

  “Just what you said, Mike, most,” Bruce sighed. “I couldn’t let this get in a debate and others feeling guilty about it. I did it, and it’s on me.”

  “Daddy Bruce,” Matt snapped. “You better put Jake and I on that list. I’m not happy about what we are doing, but I’m proud of it. We are saving our troops’ lives and like you said, ‘That’s the first job of any commander’.”

  Bruce gave a slight nod and just stared at the monitors for over an hour. Then he reached over, “Show me the cage views,” he said in a soft voice and the screens blinked. When Bruce pushed the button his finger had been hovering over, huge amounts of acid poured over the blues and they dissolved before t
he camera.

  “Next line of cages,” Bruce said, moving his finger to the next button. Another six cages sprang up on the screens with cameras looking at blues. Closing his eyes, Bruce pushed the button. “I’m saving as many as I can,” he said.

  The six blues were sprayed and the cameras all started vibrating as the blues roared.

  “Show me the drone feeds,” Mike said and the screens switched. The masses of blues that had run to the roar turned and headed west toward the new roars they heard. Looking at the screens, Mike shook his head. “Holy mother of God,” he said with wide eyes at the mass of bodies running.

  “Yeah, that’s why I’m doing this,” Bruce sighed. “I hope with as many blues that are heading toward the camp, those there don’t suffer long.”

  They watched as the mass ran west and Mike shook his head, seeing them get close to the next line of cages. Moving over, he pushed Bruce aside. “I understand your reasons and now you need to understand mine,” Mike said. “I’m in this war with you, my brother. If I could’ve thought of something like this, I would’ve done it. I was trying to figure out how to nuke their asses.”

  “Thank you, Mike,” Bruce said then glanced at the screen.

  “Bruce, I have this,” Mike said, putting his finger over the next button and turning to the screens. “Show me the active cages,” he said and the screens changed. Mike pushed the button and the six blues dissolved as the acid washed over them.

  “Next line,” Mike said, moving his finger.

  “You sure, Mike?” Bruce asked.

  Jake and Matt jumped up. “I want to push a button,” Jake shouted and Matt agreed.

  “If Danny was here, you would let her push a button, Daddy Bruce,” Matt snapped.

  Mike looked over his shoulder at Bruce, “He has you on that one,” he chuckled. “You have time off, so go.”

  Bruce looked at the screens, “I have extra cages, Mike. Before you and Gene head out, use them to group that horde up and bomb their asses. This is how we will win.”