He also had the feeling that Angela’s support of his ideas was predicated on his support of hers.
“It won’t be an interrogation,” Angela reassured him. “I just want to make sure that everyone is okay. I also want to document all of our experiences. This is a very important time in our history and someone has to record it for future generations. It can start here, with us.”
“I’ll support you,” Malcolm said, “But we leave it up to them to decide. I’m not going to force anyone. They want to be a part of all of this but they’re still civilians, not agents. They aren’t under orders from anyone and I’m not their superior officer but I will urge them to consider it.”
“Fair enough,” Angela replied. He almost wanted to shake hands on a deal well struck.
Instead he sat back and looked around the room at everyone’s smiling faces. Right now, they were basking in the comforts of the island. Squeaky clean and well fed, it was easy to forget that this wasn’t the end of the line for them.
This was only the beginning. They had a lot of things that still needed to be done.
It was time to remind them that arriving on the island was just the first victory in many more to come.
Malcolm pushed back his chair and stood up, clearing his throat and waiting for the conversations to die down as everyone gave him their attention.
“I know all of you are probably sick and tired of my speeches,” Malcolm said with a smile, “But I’ve got one more for all of you. I know that we’re all excited to be here but that was only the first step. We have plenty of work still to do.”
“Our top priorities are security and food. I know we have plenty in the pantry but if we can grow our own food, we’ll be in an even better place. Winters are going to be a lot longer than we’re used to and we’re best to save as much of the canned food for then. Plus, I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m getting a bit tired of canned stuff and wouldn’t mind a break.”
There were nods of agreement around the tables.
“The others have done a great job on the garden so far and with the extra help we can lend, we’ll be able to put in enough to feed all of us.”
“As for security, we will have three people on watch, do the same four hour shifts like we did on the road. We’re going to build a watchtower down on the north end of the island. The height will give us the advantage of spotting anyone long before they get close to the island.”
He knew the first two requests wouldn’t be a problem but now came the one he was most worried about getting pushback on.
“I also think it would be a good idea for everyone to consider sitting down for a talk with Angela. She’s a psychologist. I know it might seem strange but it was standard protocol for all agents. Truth is those sessions helped more than a few agents stay sane. We’re all excited right now but the high isn’t going to last. Depression is common after something like this and you need to be ready to fight it. A healthy mind is as important as a healthy body.”
Angela smiled at him before she stood up. “I promise everything that is said to me in the strictest of confidence. All the same doctor and patient confidentiality rules apply here.”
“I’m not going to force anyone if they aren’t comfortable but I urge you to meet with her,” Malcolm said.
Though the excitement from before was dimmed and he noticed a few of the others giving Angela curious glances, he hoped that they would listen to him and meet with her.
“Now, this isn’t just the CIA’s place, it’s all of ours and that means we all contribute to making it better. Does anybody have any other ideas they want to bring to the table?”
“I think it would be a good idea to have everyone come to the clinic for a proper medical evaluation,” Quinton spoke up. “I know we’re all feeling good but I’d like to give everybody a physical just to make sure.”
Malcolm nodded at Quinton. “Work up a schedule of appointments and we’ll work the patrols around it. Anyone else?”
The others looked around but no one had anything to add.
“That’s okay. You think of anything else, bring it up, for now we’ve got a lot to do,” Malcolm said, figuring it was best to bring the meeting to an end. “After breakfast, we’ll dole out that day’s chores and jobs for everybody. It’s going to be hard work but I know that we aren’t afraid of that. Our time on the road was nothing but hard work and we proved that we know how to work together.”
He lifted his glass high in the air and the others followed suit. “To Sanctuary!”
“To Sanctuary!”
He took one last look around at the tables, taking in the smiling faces as they drank and chatted about the work ahead. He was proud of the way everyone was coming together.
They were all dedicated to helping each other make a go of it here. They had all been forced away from their homes and into the company of strangers, fleeing for their lives with only the hope that they would find somewhere safe.
And now that they had found their safe place, they were determined to make sure they never lost it.
Subject File # 750
Subject: I don’t like secrets.
Administrator: Most people don’t.
Subject: What I mean is that I don’t like the people who keep secrets from me.
Veronica walked along the dark path, her eyes adjusted to the ambient light during her hours on watch. Watch had been fairly boring out at the boathouse, nothing but dark water to stare at. She had done a few circuits of the dock and the shore around it, keeping herself moving so she wouldn’t drift off but even that had done little to stimulate her. She had been relieved when Lorraine had shown up to take over. She could hear her new bed calling to her and she was looking forward to falling onto it.
She caught the sound of voices drifting on the wind and she instinctively lightened her footfalls, moving silently along the path as one of the cabins appeared in the distance. It was the one that Elaine and Angela were staying in and she spotted two figures standing in front of it.
“Harold says the doctor was asking about the lab.” The British accent gave away that it was Nas standing there.
“Is he suspicious?” a woman’s voice asked. She knew Elaine was scheduled on Lorraine’s shift and should be out at the north point, which meant Nas was talking to Angela.
“Harold says he just seems interested.”
“Well, Harold isn’t exactly known for picking up on social cues.”
“That’s true,” Nas said, “But it’s not that big of a concern if any of them see the lab.”
“It’s a restricted area. Level six clearance only.”
Veronica heard Nas chuckle. “You know that doesn’t matter anymore. It’s silly to try and keep things classified.”
“When my uncle gets here, he’s going to want to see that we kept to protocol.”
Veronica could hear Nas sigh even all the way over here. “Alright, Angela whatever you say, but you know they’re going to get suspicious if they can’t go down there.”
“Who’s going to care enough to push to go down there?” Angela asked.
“The doctor might. If we don’t let him, he will most likely tell Malcolm and you know he will want to go down there. Are you going to tell him he doesn’t have the clearance?”
“He’s retired so he doesn’t.”
“But he’s a part of Omega. He’ll insist on it.”
“If it comes to that, we’ll deal with it then, but I’m not going to worry about it now. I’m going to bed.”
Veronica watched Angela disappear into her cabin, the lights inside turning on and casting out yellow light on Nas. She could make out his features now and she could see he wasn’t happy. He turned away from the cabin and walked towards the path. She moved silently off the path and into the shadows of the trees, waiting for him to walk by. She had the feeling that neither Nas nor Angela would like her eavesdropping on their conversation.
When he was gone she moved back to the path and resumed he
r walk back to her cabin. Their conversation had left her with a bad feeling. Though she hadn’t heard anything particularly alarming, she couldn’t shake this sense of foreboding.
Maybe it was because she was her father’s daughter but the mention of restricted and classified sent shivers down her spine. She agreed with Nas, the whole concept was silly now and the fact that Angela wanted to maintain it didn’t sit right.
At best, the psychologist who was supposed to be evaluating their mental health was so deep in denial about her dead uncle that she was clinging to old pretences. And at worst, she was hiding something.
Veronica tried to shake off the feeling as she walked up the steps to the cabin, careful to keep her feet light on the old wood. Not that the squeak of wooden boards rubbing together would likely to be heard over the whine of the night insects. Still, she was cautious of the fact that this was the first night that Jackson didn’t have a watch shift and she wanted him to get a full night’s rest.
She was careful as she twisted the knob and opened the door, stepping lightly into the cabin. The soft click of her closing the door was followed by the click of a safety being disengaged on a gun and she turned to see Jackson’s shadowed figure on the couch.
“Easy, big boy, we’re on the same side,” she whispered.
“Can’t be too careful,” he said and she stepped closer to see him tuck his gun back under his pillow. “How was watch?”
“Fine.” She sat on one of the armchairs to pull off her boots. “Only thing we saw moving out there was of the woodland creature variety.”
“Good,” he said. “I got watch at eight. Wouldn’t mind an easy morning.”
“You should go back to sleep then,” she said, tucking her boots next to the chair and standing up. “Get a full night’s sleep.”
“Weren’t like I was sleepin’ ‘fore ya came in,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Just starin’ up at the ceiling thinkin’ that I ain’t got no reason not to sleep. Got people on watch and a whole lake between us and any freaks. Should feel safe but I slept better out on the road than I can here.”
She moved to the couch and sat down. She knew that if Jackson had said that much in one go, he really needed someone to talk to before he could settle down for the night.
“If it makes you feel any better, there really is nothing out there to worry about,” she said. “I didn’t see so much as a fish out there in the water.”
“Helps a bit.” He ran a hand through his hair and leaned back against the couch. “I think what’s botherin’ me is now we got somethin’ to protect. When we were on the road, ya knew the camp was temporary. Somethin’ came along, we could load up and move out. Here, somethin’ shows up, there’s no movin’ on.”
He let out a low chuckle. “Probably a good idea I’m gonna be talkin’ to that shrink.”
She was surprised at his answer. She had expected out of everyone, he would be the one to avoid the evaluations. Her surprise must have shown on his face because he smirked at her.
“I’m a recoverin’ addict, V,” he pointed out. “Twelve step programs are all ‘bout talkin’ shit out.”
“It’s just that I wouldn’t peg you as a sharer,” she teased and he smiled.
“Not sayin’ anybody was gonna vote me most talkative,” he said, “But I talked to my sponsor. He helped me sort through a lot of shit and that made it easier to deal with.”
“What was he like?” she asked, curious about his past. She didn’t like to press him about it but he had given her an opening and she was going to take it.
“Billy,” Jackson said. “He was different. He was serving a life sentence. He was drivin’ one night, messed up on crystal and ran a red light. Ended up killin’ three people. Got himself sober and dedicated himself to gettin’ others sober. He was a hardass too, wouldn’t take any excuses or any bullshit.”
Jackson shrugged. “Billy never tried to hide what he did. He told ya straight up that he’d done somethin’ horrible and unforgivable. He said he knew he was goin’ to Hell. I once asked him if that’s why he did it. Ya know, gettin’ others off the junk to atone for his sins, get himself off the track to Hell. He said there weren’t no way he could be forgiven for what he did but he could try his damnedest to make sure others didn’t commit the same sin.”
“It worked with me,” Jackson said. “I’d been damn close to killin’ that store clerk. Shootin’ him had been an accident but I’d brought the gun, right? Part of me must’ve been thinkin’ I’d kill him and all for a fix. It was pathetic. I’d become somebody who thought my next fix was worth more than a person’s life. Just took Billy holdin’ up the mirror for me to see it. That’s why it’s good to talk to somebody. Ya see yerself better.”
What he said made sense but that bad feeling she’d been trying to ignore was still there when she thought about talking with Angela.
“Are you sure we can trust Angela?” she asked. “We don’t really know her, should we be telling her all our deepest fears and secrets?”
“Where’s this comin’ from?”
She knew she had to tell someone and other than her brother and sister, Jackson was the person she trusted the most on the island.
“When I was coming back from watch I overheard Angela and Nas talking about the lab. Angela was concerned that Quinton and Malcolm would want to go down there. She said it was restricted and they wouldn’t let them down there. I don’t know, they didn’t say anything bad but it gave me a bad feeling.”
“She say why she don’t want ‘em down there?”
“Just that it was restricted and that her uncle wouldn’t want them to break protocol. I don’t know if she’s just deluded or if she’s using it as an excuse.”
“Ain’t much to go on. Could be they’re hidin’ somethin’ or could be they’re typical CIA agents.”
“I thought the same,” she admitted, “But the idea of sitting down and pouring my heart out to her doesn’t sit right with me. I’m just worried that if we reveal too much, they could use it against us. What if it’s about assessing us for our weaknesses so they have leverage or something?”
“There ain’t much she can get from talkin’ to us that her eyes ain’t already showed her,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. “Our weaknesses are obvious to anybody. We’ve got a buncha kids, a lady ‘bout ready to pop out another kid and even a blind man could see Malcolm and Quinton are in love with Kim and Janet.”
“I guess you’re right,” she said, though even she could hear that she didn’t really mean it.
“Look at it this way, if she ain’t someone we should trust, she’s gonna be suspicious of us too. Ya end up bein’ the only one who won’t talk to her, it’s gonna raise her suspicions. Ya don’t wanna do that. I think ya should keep up appearances but ya should also tell Malcolm what ya heard.”
He was right. She knew that rocking the boat could cause some serious problems. If she pushed too far, it could mean that they would lose their place here. And no matter what else it might be, this place was safe. This was the kind of place they could live. The girls would have a future here. She couldn’t risk all of that on some gut instinct that could very well be simple paranoia. She’d tell Malcolm and leave it to his discretion.
“Alright, I’ll talk to her,” she declared, this time more confident.
“Think it’ll be good for the girls too,” he said. “Pretty sure they’ve got some issues we’ve probably missed.”
He was right. She only had a very rudimentary knowledge of child psychology, mostly the big identifiers that would mark a child who needed to be referred to a qualified professional. Though the girls hadn’t shown any obvious signs that worried her, she knew it was impossible for them to have endured what they had and come out without scars.
“Well, fingers crossed we haven’t screwed them up that bad.”
He laughed at that and she dropped her head back on the top of the couch, staring up at the ceiling for a moment before she turned her
head to look at him. He was staring back at her, some of his hair covering one eye but the other one clearly focused on her.
They sat like that, staring at one another in silence and as the seconds ticked by, she became acutely aware of the outside of his thigh pressed against hers and his shoulder brushing against her own. She could smell the soap he had used and, beneath that, his own scent that she had become familiar with during their time together.
She knew she should go to bed and get some sleep but she was reluctant to leave. She liked being around Jackson, especially when she was sitting in the dark on what was effectively his bed, close enough that she could feel his body heat.
She ran a hand through her hair and sighed, knowing that she was being ridiculous.
Okay, maybe she had a bit of a crush on Jackson but it was silly. The man had thick walls and she was barely starting to get through them enough to call him her friend. Anything more than that was wishful thinking on her part.
She pushed herself up off the couch and smiled down at Jackson over her shoulder. “Best get to bed. Morning will be here before we know it.”
“Night,” he said, pulling his feet back up on the couch and stretching out. Of course he would still sleep out here instead of in his bedroom.
“Sleep tight,” she replied and went into her room, closing the door and leaning back against it. Maybe this whole living together thing wasn’t the best idea.
No, this was her fault. She just needed to get control of her hormones and realize that the driving force behind her attraction was likely her just searching for some physical comfort after the stress of the road.
Yes, that’s all it was and she had to remember that risking the little family they had built for the girls wasn’t worth that.
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