PRIME (32 page)

“Damn.” Zero shook his head. He scratched the back of his head. “You did alright at the job though, and you saved that kid yesterday too.”

“Yep.” Cale nodded, speaking bitterly. “And I lost another kid to the zombies. Not to mention I was drunk most of the time at Culex.”

“The kid wasn’t your fault,” Zero assured him. “And as far as drinking at Culex, well I guess we all have problems.”

When Cale looked at Zero, he was surprised to see him smiling. “What?” Cale asked.

“Just glad to know you aren’t perfect after all,” Zero answered with a shrug. “Alice likes you, and I’ll stand a lot better chance with her if you have a few flaws I can point out now and then.”

Cale shook his head, chuckling softly to himself. Zero watched him, unsure how to interpret the laugh. “You have no idea,” Cale muttered.

“What?” Zero asked narrowing his eyes suspiciously. “I have no idea about what?”

“Zero.” Cale gave him a serious look. “I told you in the truck. Alice has a thing for you if she has one for anyone. That’s why I said you have to be good to her. She was just talking with me about you this morning, for God’s sake. Not to mention, I’m a good ten years older than her.”

“This morning?” Zero grinned. “Really? I thought there might be something, but then she got all weird.”

“The poor girl was almost raped last night,” Cale said. “I think I read somewhere it’s possible for that to make a girl moody.”

“Yeah.” Zero looked sheepish. “I did think of that. Sorry man. I shouldn’t have assumed there was something between the two of you.”

“No need to apologize,” Cale assured him. “Just treat her good or I won’t hesitate to lock you up with Jake.”

“Not a problem.” Zero clapped Cale on the back. “Thanks man. I’m glad you’re alright with this. Not sure I would be so nice about giving her up.”

“You get a bit older and you start to know when you are fighting a losing battle.” Cale thought about the fit he had thrown earlier about going to Haven. “I guess sometimes you need to push past it, but not when it comes to a pretty girl. I’m just glad to know you thought I had a chance with her.”

“Chance with who?” Alice asked. Both men turned in surprise at the sound of her voice. She looked at them expectantly. Cale recovered first.

“Flying the plane.” He pointed over to where Grace and Quigley were finishing up by the planes. “The old girl is pretty enough, but I’m more than a bit leery of flying her.”

“You’ll be fine.” Alice sat down comfortably close to Zero. “I spoke to Ian. He was more than glad to volunteer. Seems like those kids understand more about the situation than we give them credit for.”

“Not surprised,” Zero said with a slight shake of his head. “I think kids tend to see things we miss.”

“Either way, he’ll be flying out with us. When do we leave?” Alice asked.

“Grace,” Cale called to the woman. She and Quigley both looked up and started towards them. Cale turned to Zero. “Depends what you two found in the way of weapons.”

Zero gave a short snort. “I think she’ll be plenty happy with what we found,” he assured Cale.

“How did it go with Ian?” Grace asked.

“He’s in.” Alice nodded.

“I still don’t like it, but it will be good to have another set of hands,” Grace said. “Quigley tells me we have J52-Poppers out there.”

“God damn,” Cale said. The others looked at him. Cale grinned. “Sorry, but damn.”

“Indeed,” Grace said with a half smile. “I think we’ll have no problem loading it into one of the planes. We’ll leave tonight around three in the morning. You three and Ian will be in one plane. Quigley and I will be in the other with the J52s. We’ll reach Haven right around dawn; no sense fighting those things in the dark.”

Quigley picked up where Grace left off, continuing the plan seamlessly.

“We’ll get a feel for how things look below. We do a one-two drop of the bombs and go down quick. Hopefully it will take out most of the immediate threat and give us the time we need to get to the children.”

“And then what?” Zero asked. “Will that buy us the time we need to get back to the planes and get the kids out of there?”

“You realize there is no way these planes could hold that many children,” Grace pointed out.

“But then, what are we doing?” Zero frowned.

“We’re betting we can get some of the kids out, but not all of them,” Quigley answered. “We’ll find someplace safe to drop them, and then try to go back for the rest.”

“What about the cure?” Cale asked. “I am not going to risk my life and not try to find it.”

“You do whatever you need to after those children are safe,” Grace ordered.

“No way,” Cale said. “This is my mission.”

“And you made it ours when you found out there were survivors and asked for our help,” Grace said coolly. “Therefore, you will do as I say.”

“No, I don’t think I will.” Cale stood. “Find someone else to fly the second plane.” With that he walked away.

Alice and Zero caught up with him halfway back to the rec center. He didn’t look at either of them and continued walking, rage evident in every step. Neither of them wanted that rage to be loosed on them, so they kept their mouths shut. They followed him silently into the rec center and through into the computer room. Once inside, he grabbed Alice by the arm and tugged her down into the chair.

“Send them a message,” he ordered.

“What?” Alice asked. The intensity in his eyes made her nervous.

“Cale, you need to calm down,” Zero suggested, putting a hand on the older man’s shoulder and pushing him into a chair. Cale started to snap an answer at him, but realized he was acting foolishly. He shut his eyes and took a few deep breaths. When he opened them again, Alice felt like she was looking at the man she had come to know and admire, instead of the frightening man of a moment before.

“Please, Alice. Ask those kids if they know anything about a cure.” Cale said, as politely as could be expected. Alice nodded and began to tap out the message.

31

Haven Medical base

Simon and Tessa lay on a pile of blankets staring up at the ceiling. Their conversation had gone from aimless to strange as boredom set in. Half of Simon’s brain was on edge, waiting impatiently to hear back from Alice. The other half of his brain wished desperately that everyone else would disappear so he could kiss Tessa again. She kept brushing her hand over his as they talked, and it was driving him mad. He’d come close to pulling her back into the other lab no matter how bad it smelled.

“But then, I mean, can you imagine how many men it would take to fight a dinosaur?” Tessa asked. Simon wasn’t even sure what they were talking about any more.

“Yeah.” Simon nodded absently.

“You’re not listening are you?” Tessa pushed herself up on her elbow and grinned at him.

“Sorry.” Simon turned to face her. “I’m just distracted.”

“That’s okay,” she answered with a half shrug. “It really wasn’t important.”

“Simon!” Tech came sliding down the hall. His socked feet almost propelled him onto the pile of blankets and children. “There’s another message coming in.”

Simon and Tessa shot past Tech, through the lab, and into the computer room at record speed. They only caught the last few beeps. They waited, hanging over the receiver in hopes that the message would repeat. When it didn’t Simon quickly sent a message asking them to repeat their last message. Another few sickeningly long minutes passed before the beeping began again. Simon copied down the message.

“Uh, Tech?” Simon spoke over his shoulder to where Tech had settled onto the couch beside Dodge. “They want to know if we found out anything more with the cure.”

“They do?” Tech asked, appearing beside them faster than Simon would have thought possible. “Well, tell them the truth.”

“Wait,” Dodge ordered. Simon paused with his finger over the key. “What if they don’t save us then? What if they just take the machine and go?”

“Well then I assume they’ll set off the machine somehow, and the end result will be dead zombies,” Tech said, irritated. Simon glanced at him in surprise. Tech was usually more composed than any of them. “Besides, don’t forget any research on the cure is here with us. Simon, tell them the cure is a machine and we have it.”

“Okay?” Simon looked at Dodge.

Dodge scowled, but nodded. “Go ahead. But if we get stuck down here, just remember it’s Tech’s fault.

Simon tapped out the message.

*

Coda Base

“The cure is a machine and they have it,” Alice read to Cale with confusion. The whole concept was foreign to her. “A machine?” she looked at both of the men to see if they understood.

“Huh?” Zero asked, assuring Alice that at least one of them was as lost as she was. Cale however looked contemplative as he stood.

“Some sort of sonic weapon maybe.” Cale nodded to himself. “I guess it’s possible. We worked with sonic weapons that could target and destroy enemy ships.”

“But if we have to shoot it at each zombie doesn’t that make it no more useful than a gun?” Zero twirled a pen again, eyes distant as he thought.

“Must be something more like a sonic bomb.” Cale frowned. “But then that might kill us just as well.”

“That doesn’t sound too good.” Zero dropped the pen and let it sit where it fell.

“It has to be something else,” Alice argued. “Question is, will this be enough to convince Grace we should go in after it?”

Cale thought a moment before answering. “Ask them how they know it’s the cure. Let’s make sure they aren’t just telling us what we want to hear.”

Alice typed the message and they waited impatiently for the response. The beeps began and Alice scribbled the reply.

“Found a lab and notes.” Alice looked up at Cale and Zero, waiting for their thoughts.

“Works for me.” Zero shrugged.

“We have to tell Grace,” Alice said with a smile.

“First, message the kids again.”

*

Haven Medical Base

“You think they believe us?” Simon asked.

“It’s the truth.” Tech shrugged. “I don’t know what else we can say.

“We don’t have any other choice but to count on this,” Tessa said. “If this doesn’t work, we’re pretty much out of options.”

“I wish we knew it would work.” Dodge crossed his arms, worrying at his lip.

“It’s as good a plan as following you down here was,” Tech grumbled. Dodge frowned, but didn’t reply.

The whole group jumped when the next message came in. Simon leaned over Tech and began to write.

“Keep radio on channel one, we’ll explain plan, see you tomorrow AM.” Simon read back to the others, a slow smile forming. “Guess they believe us.”

“And you were worried.” Dodge tried to give Simon a push with his foot, but Simon sidestepped it easily and grinned. Dodge smiled and stood up stretching. “Guess it’s time to tell the others that help’s on the way, huh?”

“And get their hopes up?” Tessa asked.

Dodge shrugged. “I need them to be prepared in case this does work out.