by M. D. Massey
Lorena blinked demurely and smiled with unmistakable warmth. My adopted aunt might have just spooked me out, but she was still my aunt, and I loved her immensely. That smile was enough to make me relax a little and take a step toward her. A small step, that is.
“Sorry, Lorena, for being so jumpy. The mission didn’t go so well, and we ran into some punters on the way back. Tony—questioned one of them. It has me on edge, is all.” I chewed my lip while I watched her, still nervous about what I’d just seen. My aunt was a beautiful woman, and for as long as I’d known her I’d wanted to grow up to be just like her. Smart, strong, and stunningly attractive.
She was also confident and capable. On occasion, she’d leave the Facility and range out to provide medical care to communities that were within walking distance, or to scavenge for medical and lab supplies. To my knowledge, she’d never run into any trouble, nor had she ever even run afoul of the punters. I had no idea how she could go out alone into the badlands, or even the safe zones, without a care in the world. But I did know what Tony had told me once.
“Don’t worry about your tía, mija. Nobody screws with La Araña.”
But at this moment, I didn’t want to think about how she got her nickname, “The Spider.” I stood still and waited for her to respond. It didn’t take long for her to give me a pitying look and a quick hug. I tried not to flinch as she did.
She pulled away and held my chin gently in-between her thumb and forefinger and she looked me in the eyes. “Ay, mi corazón, sometimes I think your uncle is pushing you too hard, too fast. I worry that you never get a chance to be a regular teenager.” She stepped back and placed her hands on her hips. “I have an idea—we need to do a girl’s night in. Watch some movies, do a little makeup, maybe eat some chocolate ice cream. What do you say?”
Here at the Facility, we had a collection of movies from just before the War, but I’d never watched them. They reminded me too much of my parents. But Lorena liked the old movies, the ones with Jimmy Stewart, Rock Hudson, and Cary Grant. I personally thought that Cary Grant was dreamy, so I didn’t mind watching them with her. Those old films carried zero connection to my old life, so a night in the rec room hanging out with Lorena eating rehydrated chocolate ice cream sounded like just the thing to help me forget what I’d just seen her doing.
I smiled. “Sure, tía, that’d be great.”
She nodded. “Then it’s settled. Come on, let me show you how to lock this place down in an emergency. Just in case.” She winked at me, and all I could see in my mind were those dark, unblinking orbs staring at me from behind the glass.
SIX
TEMPEST
Lorena showed me how you could lock down the containment areas with a single switch… if you knew how to enter the specific set of keystrokes she showed me, which you had to do before you locked the place down. The only problem was, if you were inside the room when you locked it down, you’d be locked inside with Them too. The solution was that you entered a master enclosure first that supposedly kept you safe during a lockdown situation. But honestly, after what I’d just seen, I didn’t want to be anywhere near the place ever again.
After I’d rattled off the exact sequence Lorena had shared with me, I decided to speak to her about what the punters had said. I hadn’t caught every last detail of the interrogation because I’d been trying to block it out, but I had heard something about the woman they were looking for… and something about a reactor. I shared this information with my aunt, but she was suspiciously casual about it.
“Oh, it’s probably nothing. You know how the SNEs are always manipulating the punters. I’ll discuss it with Tony, though, rest assured.” She looked at me and tsked as I yawned. “But you, young lady, need a bath, a hot meal, and then I think you’d better sack out.”
“No ladies’ night in tonight?”
She shook her head. “No, we’ll save it for another night. Besides, I have work to do.” She briefly glanced over at the enclosure that held the spider creature. I acted like I didn’t notice, and gave her a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. Whenever I did, she always turned her face, like I was going to mess up her make-up or something. Of course, she rarely wore make-up except when we were messing around with it for fun, because apocalypse stuff. Still, I thought about how I’d never seen her kiss a man, or anyone for that matter. It made me wonder about how much she had in common with the spider creature in the enclosure.
Were-spider? Spider… person? I’d have to come up with a good name for it, if only for my own reference. Anyway, it was a mystery that I didn’t feel like investigating, because a closet that dark was bound to hold a skeleton or two. It was best that I just leave it alone, for now. Lorena could share her secrets with me when she was ready.
“Good night, tía. Don’t stay up too late working, alright?”
She laughed quietly and winked at me. “Now, who’s the adult and who’s the teen here?”
“Someone has to look after you two. I’ll bring some food down later for you.”
A concerned look crossed her face. “I—might be busy. Don’t worry about it, I’ll get something when I’m done.”
I frowned and nodded. “See you in the morning, then.”
Before I cleaned up and ate, I stopped by the range for a little practice. I wasn’t happy with how I’d missed that ghoul’s eye at close range, and it pissed me off that Tony had had to rescue me. I needed to clean my pistol anyway, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to put in some target practice before I got it all nice and shiny.
Of course, shooting up six targets revealed there was nothing wrong with my aim. Which meant it had just been nerves. Sure, I could blame it on the ghoul moving around and yanking on my leg, but the truth was I’d just been too nervous to hit what I was aiming at. Way to go, Gabby—one more thing for Uncle Tony to rag about. I sulked and had a good time feeling sorry for myself as I cleaned my pistol and picked up the brass from the ground.
After I’d showered, I heated some water and made myself some rehydrated chili and macaroni with cheese, dumping it over some Fritos I’d found on a recent scavenging trip. We had plenty of fresh meat to cook, since we hunted for local game and had a small freezer where we could store meat. And we had fresh veggies that we grew in a hidden garden a few miles from the Facility. I was just too tired to bother with cooking, so I settled for junk food instead.
Once I was finished, I headed to my bunk to sack out. I put my headphones in and turned the lights out, trying to relax while listening to classical music. When I was a kid, I’d loved listening to pop. I’d been really into popular singers, the ones who had cool videos where they did intricate dance routines with a bunch of back-up dancers. But now, I couldn’t tell you the name of a single one. I’m sure I could find some CDs and listen to that music if I wanted to, but it would only remind me of life before the War. Too depressing. So, I listened to classical music like a solterona, an old maid. Yay, me.
I dozed off with the headphones on, and woke up sometime after midnight to the sound of Tony and Lorena arguing. I’d been having a nightmare about Colt. Tony kept taking slices off him, and they kept growing back every time he was cut. So I was actually glad they woke me up. Sure, the Facility’s outside walls were limestone, steel, and concrete, but the inside walls were thin, and with my hearing it was difficult for those two to have a private conversation. I think they suspected that I could hear them, but they probably thought I was asleep.
Tony’s voice was calm but insistent as he spoke. “You know this means we have to move our timetable up.”
Lorena’s voice sounded really upset. “She’s still just a girl, Tony—a teenage girl, who’s never had a friend, never been on a date, and who hasn’t spent a lot of time interacting with people besides us. She’s not ready.”
Tony let out a frustrated sigh. “And when will she be ready, Lorena? When she’s eighteen, or twenty? We can’t wait for her body to catch up with her brain and abilities. R
ight now, I need every asset I have out in the field, looking for Scratch.”
Lorena gasped. “Is that all she is to you—an asset?”
“No, of course not! But you and I both know he’s our only viable candidate at the moment, and the only subject from Cerberus prelims to survive both wars. We can’t take the risk that he’ll get himself killed before we have a chance to move forward with the treatments.”
“That’s if he’ll agree to go through with it.”
“Oh, he’ll go through with it. I don’t care if I have to drug him and hogtie him to get that serum in him.”
Lorena’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Yeah, that’ll work great, I’m sure. Knock him out, dose him, and wait until he wakes up with superhuman abilities, pissed off and ready to fight.”
“Parahuman abilities, Lorena.”
My aunt practically screamed in reply. “I know very well what they are, Tony—remember, I helped develop the serum. Dios mio, I’m one of them.”
Tony’s voice softened. “Do you ever regret it?”
“Every day. But, what’s done is done, and it’s kept me alive all this time. But the sacrifices—do you really think you want to place that burden on someone else, without fully explaining the consequences of the treatments?”
Tony sounded lost. “What choice do we have? We did it to Gabby, and it turned out to be the right choice.”
“She was dying, Tony. Cancer was eating her alive. It was our only choice.”
A la chingada! What they hell were they talking about? I had cancer?
“Exactly, Lorena. The treatments saved her life. And now, I need her help to save someone else’s life so he can save the rest of us.”
Aunt Lorena didn’t sound pleased at all. “It’s too soon. She’s too young. I think you’re making a serious mistake.”
The rest of the conversation consisted of them going round and round over the same things. I finally got up and walked into the mess hall where they were still arguing, fueled by caffeine and stubbornness.
After standing there for a few seconds, they finally noticed me hanging out looking like a dork in my pajamas and fluffy slippers.
“I’m sixteen, it’s my choice, stop treating me like a little girl, and keep it down so I can go back to sleep.” They both looked at me and then looked away, embarrassed.
Lorena spoke up. “You’re right, mija—it is your choice. And I’ll support your decision, regardless of whether I agree with it or not.”
Uncle Tony took a sip of coffee. “I really do need your help. There’s no one else I trust who has your abilities, and the asset—this person—is flying solo right now. He’s been fighting against Them alone for years, and now that we’ve found him I’m afraid if we lose him, we’ll lose everything. He needs us, Gabby.”
I looked at the file on the table and saw a snapshot of a young, dark-skinned man in uniform wearing a tan beret. He had a lean face and some pretty serious scars over one eye and cheek. My mind was already made up. I had no idea what this Project Cerberus was, or how this guy fit into their plans to fight back against the SNEs, but I was tired of standing on the sidelines.
“You don’t have to convince me—I’m in. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my pillow awaits.” I left them there, staring, Tony smug and Lorena expressionless. Neither one said a thing after I left the mess hall, and for the first time in months I slept a dreamless sleep.
SEVEN
WAKENING
The next morning, I woke up early and started packing my gear. We usually traveled light, so there wasn’t much to pack. A bedroll, a mess kit, some personal hygiene items, basic first aid supplies, and extra ammo. That, my weapons, and some food from the kitchen, and I was set. Uncle Tony was waiting for me as I exited the kitchen.
“You ready, kiddo?” he asked with a grin.
“What are you so cheerful about? Or are you just happy that you finally won an argument with Lorena?”
He smirked. “Captain Perez has never lost anything to anyone. Trust me when I tell you that.” He paused and screwed an eye shut, twisting his mouth sideways as he looked my clothing and gear over. “Hmmm—did you grab a jacket and a hat? Could turn cold fast this time of year, and we could be gone for a while.”
“They’re in my pack.” I looked at him and waited, and finally couldn’t wait any longer. “Holy crap, Tony—are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
He chuckled. Man, was he in a good mood today. Sometimes I wondered what really made him tick, and why he was so eager to go after Them. I hadn’t been around a whole lot of people, but what I did know about humans was that most of them were only concerned with getting by. And who could blame them? The average person didn’t have the abilities or skills to take on even a level two SNE, never mind one of the really tough ones.
“I’m just happy to get back out there.” He smiled, and for a minute he was the same guy who used to tuck me in at night. “Finish getting ready, then meet me at exit B-7.”
As he walked off, I didn’t bother telling him I was already packed and ready to go. If I did, he’d find something stupid for me to do, or make me clean the mess or the toilets. Screw that. I knew how to keep my mouth shut. I pretended to mess with my gear until he was gone, and then I went looking for Lorena to tell her goodbye.
I never found my aunt, so I spent the next half-hour sharpening my knife and thinking about my uncle. Even I knew that our relationship was weird. Since he’d found me in the camp, he’d alternated between being incredibly caring and protective of me and treating me like an army recruit. I never knew how to take him, and I really never knew which Tony I was going to get when we were together.
Even before the War, he’d always been a mystery to me. My parents never spoke much about him, but he’d turn up at the house unexpectedly every six months or so and hang out for a few days, then disappear again. He always seemed to be interested in me, and was kind, but he was one of those adults who never really knew how to relate to kids. So our conversations were always awkward and short.
When I asked my dad what Uncle Tony did for a living, he just smiled and said he did important things for the government. That was that. I’d never known he worked for the CIA, or that he was involved in top secret projects, or that he killed people for a living. These days, Tony never told anyone about his past, ever. The story he went with was that he’d worked for the cartels as a sicario before the War, a hit man. It was a story that played well with the punters, since most of them had been criminals before the War, too.
But I still couldn’t figure out why Tony was so happy to be heading out again. I mean, we’d just gotten back. Although it had been a short trip, I’d figured we’d be staying home a few days at least to rest up. My best guess was that the intel he’d forced out of Colt had triggered him into action, for whatever reason. I finally decided that Tony was happy because he wasn’t going to be in a holding pattern anymore. No more waiting, no more preparing. Whatever events had taken place that were forcing him to act, he was ready to move. In a way, seeing him happy made me happy, too.
Lorena was another matter. I hadn’t seen her since I’d woken up, and she was normally up before me. She said that years in the Army had made her an early riser; I said she was twisted for being a morning person. But as we prepared to leave, she was nowhere to be found.
Once I’d screwed around long enough to keep Tony from finding me some busy work, I headed to the exit he’d chosen. “Where’s Aunt Lorena?” I asked as I walked up.
He shrugged. “Honestly, I think she’s angry. Not at you, at me. And she probably doesn’t want to show it in front of you.”
“Mom and Dad don’t want to let the kid see them arguing, huh?”
He winced. “Something like that. C’mon, let’s get moving.” Tony headed up the ladder to the emergency escape hatch he’d chosen. This one was hidden inside a small cave, about a half-mile north of the main entrance. A fake rock covered t
he hatch inside the cave. As he climbed the ladder, I kept bugging him about where we were going.
Finally, he stopped and looked down at me. “Are we really going to do this now? As in, right now?” He sighed dramatically. “Fine, I’ll tell you. First, we have to head to Austin to see what the Corridor pack is up to. And before you ask, no, we’re not going to surveil them directly, and if things go as planned you’re not going to see a werewolf. The idea is actually to avoid them, if possible. I’m just going to check in with some of my intelligence assets in the area, and see what they know.”
“Fair enough. And after that?”
He waited half a beat before answering. “Then, we’re heading into the safe zones west of Austin to find the guy I was telling you about.”
I sniffled and rubbed my nose. “Who is this guy, Tío? I mean, why is he so important?”
Tony listened at the hatch to see if there was any movement outside. “He’s one of the few people who have been exposed to the deader virus and survived. But he doesn’t know that. He was exposed before the invasion happened. He was one of the first, in fact.
“And he was selected by the government to take part in the serum trials, back when he was a soldier. Unfortunately, he was wounded in Afghanistan before my group could extract him and transfer him to our unit. So he washed out by default before he even knew he was in the running. Now, he’s the only person left from the selection process.”
I nodded. “Makes sense. But why is he so important to this project? Can’t just anyone take the serum?”