The Infected: Ripped to Shreds (Book 1): Hush

by Power, P. S.

  "Not bad, except the wardrobe. I don't know that this really needs the big guns. Team Four... We could have handled it."

  Cindy was distracted, not by the strange man, since a lot of Infected people looked different. Being a good looking elf wasn't too bad that way, since a lot of them ended up kind of ugly. So it wasn't that. It was just that the words she saw for the form in front of her didn't make sense.

  They were all about cooking, and getting waffles out for the fourth meal. It was really in-depth, too. Planning on a maple walnut syrup that had been made earlier in the day. Staring at it, she read for a bit, which started to explain the situation after a while. The back story was interesting. The man in front of her wasn't real. He was a different person altogether, in a far off place.

  "Rigsby? All of this team is one man?" She whispered the words, but everyone there turned to her. Brian was standing not three feet from her, so had heard it like a normal person. The others had really great ears, so it worked the whole way around.

  Bridget nodded.

  "That's a secret. We don't talk about it." There was no command that she shouldn't speak on the topic, but the idea flashed up instantly above her head.

  The IPB was hiding the fact that what they called Team Four was one individual. Possibly the most powerful person in the world. That they knew about. His power let him create energy beings that had super powers. At a distance from his body. Many at one time, and all indestructible, as long as he lived.

  The picture of him that came up was bizarre however. If Bridget didn't have a concussion from the rocket thing, then the man was a teddy bear. It was possible, Cin guessed, but seemed too unlikely to credit.

  Still, keeping her mouth shut wasn't something that she had a problem with. The only trouble with Rigsby was that the man had created a telepath. It wasn't the one in front of her at the moment, but one of the women that had dashed away, flying with bat like wings, was the one she needed to fear. June. She was a shape shifter too, as well as a mind reader.

  A thin line of panic tried to pass over her then. From Rigsby's text she could tell that he wasn't consciously aware of anything the others were doing. Not directly. It was all there in the back of his head however, so by going to the index, she was able to flip over to June, the telepath.

  That got weird, fast.

  Because there was a voice in her head. Talking to her.

  "Hi! Are you on our side?"

  Speaking out loud, Cindy tried not to feel sick. She focused harder and got a visual of what that part of Rigsby was seeing at the moment.

  "I'm Cin. Any luck on the search?" It was tempting to tell her to not read Cindy's mind, but doing that would be a bit like telling her to investigate harder.

  "Nothing. I can only get what people are thinking at the moment, and in about a two mile radius of where I am. Can you get anything?" It sounded like they were just talking, and the voice was mellow, female and calm.

  She shook her head.

  "Nooo. Not unless I meet them first."

  June was not having that one, and there was a strong feeling of eye rolling.

  "Nope. Think about it, you found me, linking from T'ket, to Rigs, over to me. If you can do that, you can eventually find almost anyone. It's just like doing a Google search. If you can find the right person, you can do it."

  That made a lot of sense, and as soon as it was said, she could see how it might be done. That the telepath had known all that was kind of telling however. Thankfully, before she could slip up too much, Brian spoke to her.

  "Are you on with June?"

  She nodded, and forced her eyes wide.

  "Currently. What do you need?"

  That, it turned out, was telling people all about the van. She was able to bring up what Bridget had seen, reading from her computer like screen, and used that to send the images to June, who in turn spread the data to her other people.

  It was the most complex thing that she'd ever done. It was, also, a mistake. One that Cindy walked into directly, without even seeing it coming. It felt like what anyone would have been doing, but after talking to Brian for a bit, Marcia Turner had the phone passed back to her.

  "Cindy? Listen, sorry about the date, but we need to get you in here, ASAP. Can you leave your job safely? What skills do you have?"

  "What's this? A job interview? I have work, thanks." She really wanted to end the conversation, but that didn't seem to be happening.

  "No. You're clearly a lot more useful than the files here say. Bridget said you were probably a class one or two, but working with a team you can be a lot more than that, clearly. So we own you. By law. Quit your job, and report here tomorrow." There was a finality to it, and for half a second she was about to just try and run, since going there was probably a death sentence for her.

  Then, carefully, she didn't think about her hobby.

  "Hmmm. No, thanks. I'm a research librarian who doesn't feel fear. I like my job, and think I'll keep it. Besides, you aren't forcing people to work with you anymore. That's what I heard. Is that a lie? If so I need to call some people." At least Wallace. "If not, then please feel free to go fuck yourself on that kind job offer?"

  That got an inhalation that she actually heard over the phone.

  "So I can't snow you into working for us? Give me Brian. Now." It was bossy, but she crossed her eyes, going for playful, and passed the phone over, speaking before Proxy's hand even touched it.

  "She's trying to force me to work for you guys. That won't work. Not trying to be mean here, but she seems a bit bitchy. Is she always like that?"

  Brian made a face, one that was closed and hard, but Bridget left the little elf man, who was watching the world around them in the alley closely. Guarding them, she guessed. Then she checked on that, finding his portion of Rigby's files.

  He was making up a poem, in his head. It actually wasn't bad, either. She was in it, but so was everyone, and the words were kind to her. In fact she was described as feisty and radiant, so it could be worse. Brian was flat out called a hero, and Bridget was described as a lovely maiden.

  That was a bit strange, but it seemed like someone's energy projection liked a certain tiny superhero. A lot.

  Brian blew out some air and looked back at her.

  "Jesus Marsh. Back off will you? I already have Agent Rizzo in contact with her for part time work. It will save money, and she can work from home. This is the new IPB, not the Army. Besides, given her power you can just call things in for her, if you need. As long as you don't make her hate us all. On my date. You got that part, right?"

  There was more discussion then, but it was kind of clear that Brian won. How that worked, she didn't know, but it was a relief. She could hide herself from the Agents in Portland.

  Then, knowing that June was still around, if out of range for the moment, hopefully, she tried to focus on the situation at hand.

  Anything else could end very badly.

  Chapter four

  Thankfully she had Thanksgiving off, because she was going to need to sleep in. They were literally all standing outside until about four in the morning, making sure that the people that had attacked weren't coming back instantly. It was boring, and nerve wracking for her, since her brain kind of wanted to fill in all about her hobby constantly. That would be bad, so she distracted herself, trying to be helpful. It allowed her to seem useful, even though it was kind of clear that Marcia Turner wasn't a big fan of hers, for some reason.

  Possibly due to the fact that Cindy wasn't going to heel like a dog every time she barked. Brian was stressed by that, wanting his old friends to like his new one. Bridget however thought it was funny. Even T'ket was more or less on her side. Which, in fairness, so was Proxy. He'd defended her to his boss instantly, pointing out that she had a right to live how she wanted, Infected or not.

  Turner was an old school hard case however, which meant that once she'd spoken, she expected her word to be obeyed. Like a law.

  Cindy sneered at the ph
one in Brian's hand and spoke to Bridget, who'd moved in next to her again. It made her feel tall, so she didn't mind it.

  "I wonder if she understands that the harder she tries to push at me, the more I'm going to push back?"

  The girl, who had red brown eyes snorted and covered her mouth to smother a gafah.

  "Not a chance. She's always like that, too. Really, she isn't bad, but pushy does come to mind when she's around."

  That got a wrinkled nose from Cin.

  "Ah. Well, probably best I don't move there, then. I wouldn't like that very much. I thought Glenda was bad that way. Then, I probably would think the same about anyone that thought they were in charge of me. If I wanted to take orders, I would have joined the military, you know?"

  That got a wise seeming nod, which was out of place with the youthful face.

  "Yeah. I hear that. It's because you were raised with the delusion that you're actually living in a free country. See, now me, I always knew that wasn't true. We just got the cameras taken out of the base in the bathrooms about six months ago. The idea that Infected people have rights is... Well, legally it's supposed to be true, but it hasn't really been for a long time."

  It was a known thing, but for some reason it was getting better. She was about to mention that when Brian waved to her and walked over.

  "It looks like we're pulling out now. Team Four is leaving. I..." He looked away, seeming tired already. She was about to fall asleep herself, so understood the basic idea. "This wasn't that great of a date, was it? I didn't even get to eat the ice cream."

  Cindy wasn't that bugged about the idea really, since it had worked pretty well for her, so far. It was stressful, but she could work with that. The trick would be getting back in with him later. Letting this turn into a bad date, and only that, would cut the potential line of information. Though it might not be true, she realized.

  She could, she thought, pull up the words about Proxy wherever he was now. Cin had gotten stuff from Rigsby, who was in a different state. If that was a thing, then she could get these others too, she bet.

  That wasn't certain yet however, so she smiled.

  "I need to sleep. I say we could get together tomorrow and try again, but it's Thanksgiving." She'd even gotten a turkey frozen dinner for the special occasion.

  Brian nodded, "yeah."

  It was awkward, and not going to work too well. It was clear he liked her well enough, but with this new threat happening, he didn't want to risk her. It was cute, but annoying, since that meant he was planning to cut her off totally.

  Thankfully Bridget was there, and wanted to play matchmaker. Even better, she had an ulterior motive. Keeping the librarian from being murdered. The text laid the whole thing out, where she was safer being with her, Impulse, than on her own. After all, she was kind of cool that way, and so far the attackers had seemed like regular people with weapons, which ultimately wasn't a big deal to the tiny warrior.

  Her words were different however.

  "Um, why not come to dinner? My mom and dad will be there, and I'm sure that great-grandma won't be upset by it. I mean we already have food for about fifty people. Which is about right, given how I eat, but an extra plate won't be missed." There was pretend wistful expressions then, like she really was just trying to get Brian laid. It was clear that he was taking it that way, and felt like Cin was going to assume as much for her part.

  Really, even if she had just met him, he did seem like he'd be a good person that way, relationship wise. He was even nice. Too good for her, probably, but for a short term thing it wasn't a bad plan. If he was kinky in bed it wasn't anything that showed too much at the moment, so there was that too. She liked sex, it just wasn't the primary thing in her world. She could do him though, and not feel bad about it later.

  He looked embarrassed, since he felt kind of certain that she wasn't that into him now. Even if she didn't feel fear, the night had been dangerous and intense.

  That part really didn't bother her that much however, and as long as things smoothed out, it would be fine. That meant no telepaths at the meal. The excitement had been kind of fun, for her.

  "Is that all right? If nothing else, more interesting things might happen, and I do have to bet that this will be better than the Hungry-Man turkey dinner I have set aside for the occasion."

  That got Brian to blink, but he nodded almost instantly.

  "If you want? It could be fun. Well, tense and horrible, since my mother will be there. Um, she's Infected. Not much of a power, but her first mode... She's driven to force the people around her to succeed. Everyone. So, you get me, if you come, you will be pushed."

  "Good to know. I think I can survive that. Besides, it will put me close to all of you, which is a good place to be for now." She grinned at Bridget. "Not because anyone will be coming for me, since, believe it or not librarians almost never attract terrorists, but if I can get a visual on one of them, those people, I should be able to find out a lot about them."

  It was just the truth. It might not work that way, but it was worth a shot. Bridget nodded hugely, several times, then went totally still. That was about her trying to control an impulse, which in this case was the desire to jump on Cindy and hug her. Adults didn't do things like that with people that they'd only met a day or two before, after all. She mainly did it by becoming very quiet inside, and focusing her mind tightly. Enough so that the only word on her mental screen page for a bit just said meditation.

  About a minute later the girl smiled at her. It was a dreaming and soft thing, for her. Bridget moved constantly, or had, before she suddenly changed.

  Her words were soft too, though the red head started to twitch again, as soon as she let go of the meditation she'd been doing.

  "I think we're eating at four, so get there early? We can watch sports ball, and snack on cheesey poofs. All that kind of good stuff."

  The words got Cindy to smile, if tiredly.

  "Sports ball? Even I know that Thanksgiving is all about football. Not that I know the rules. I don't know where it is, and need to sleep first." Yawning got everyone else to do the same. The ones that were left. She figured that driving would be all right, as long as she didn't take too long to do it. Her eyes weren't closing and it was only about ten blocks away from her house, where they were collected.

  Not, she realized, that getting there the next day, was going to be a problem. It was Brian's old house. As in where he'd grown up, as a child. The information was in his story, and sprawled in front of her. Even better, she could read all about how to get there later. The idea that Brian knew Vancouver as well as she did, if not better, was weird though. He was some kind of killer from the news, not someone that shopped in stores, or who had gone to the elementary school down the street.

  There was a hug for Bridget, and a hug and a kiss for Proxy, which wasn't romantic or anything, but wasn't just a peck on the cheek either. His lips were surprisingly soft. Warm and gentle. The whole package actually got her interest suddenly. That made sense, given the raw excitement and danger he represented in almost every way, combined with the fact that the man was good.

  She wasn't, by anyone's way of seeing things, so the mix was exhilarating.

  "I'll be there at three?"

  Bridget held up two fingers, changing that, for some reason. Why didn't flash up at all. Not at first. With a bit of careful reading Cindy saw the reason there, in red and black. The girl actually just liked her, and thought she was neat. As in a potential friend.

  It was a bit off seeming, given the age difference, but it wasn't a bad idea really. It was a second pathway into the IPB, which wasn't a horrible plan, really.

  "Two then, if I can wake up in time. No promises. It's been a day." With that she managed to get into her car, as Brian worried that people were going to come after her, for some reason.

  That wasn't happening.

  She thought about that carefully as she drove off. The chatter had pretty much shown that someone had to be after B
rian in the first place. Probably the group from the night before. A lot of them hadn't been captured or arrested, and of those that had been stopped before they'd gotten there, most had already been released. That should have been enough to stop them. Stupid people would be dumb however, so she could see that.

  There was no traffic on the road, so a few minutes later she was able to hop out and get her car in the garage. Then, just being on the fringe of the whole thing, she checked the doors, to make sure no one had gotten in. It was all good, so Cin got cleaned up and in bed, setting her alarm clock for noon. That would give her seven hours of sleep, which was enough.

  As long as she could get her coffee in the morning.

  Which, hours later, beating the alarm by nearly ten minutes, she managed to get going. A half pot of black coffee later, and some stretching accomplished to keep her limber enough to fight at the drop of a hat, she crawled through getting ready for the day. Breaking her normal pattern she turned the television on, and watched the news for a little while.

  There was nothing on. Not about the events of the night before or even the thing at Denny's. So she kept an ear out for anything new as she showered and did her makeup. She did learn that there was a parade that was going on, in New York, and got to see some of that, as well as the big game. Two teams with animal mascots were playing, which meant almost nothing to her.

  The coffee hit her otherwise empty system nicely, allowing a warm glow to cover her entire body. It was, after a moment, a jazzy feeling, that left her feeling slightly ill, and strong, at the same time. Having nearly an hour left, she settled on her sofa, which was decent, even if she had gotten it on sale. It was all red, which had been the reason for the great price, and kind of overpowered the front room. She didn't have the matching chairs, since she didn't have guests, so it was never needed.

  Having nearly an hour left, before she needed to drive the few miles to Brian's mom's house, she decided to try and look some things up. Using her power. It was based on what June, the non-existent, yet very real, telepath had told her the night before. She should be able to find out a lot more than she had been, now that she knew she could.