The Last Bastion of the Living: A Futuristic Zombie Novel (14 page)

Rubbing her brow, Lindsey leaned toward him. “You cannot ever tell anyone I uncovered this information for you. I hacked deeper into
The Bastion
network than I ever have.”

“We
re
you traced?”

“Of course not.” She scoffed at him. “My father designed that system. I know it inside and out. They haven
’
t changed any of his ol
d codes, but I made sure there
’
s no sign of me being in the system before I exited.” She snagged a folding chair from against the wall and set it down for him next to her
worn
swiveling computer chair. Taking her seat, she turned on a generator tucked under the desk.

“I can
’
t thank you enough for doing this,” Dwayne said as he settled next to her.

“She
’
s my friend, too,” Lindsey answered a bit gruffly. “I wanted to know what the
hell was going on with her
. One day we
’
re planning to go out for the drinks and then she
’
s gone. Off the radar.”

“The information that Petra secured for me says that twenty of our people were signed over to the SWD by the commandant along with Maria.”

“That record was erased soon after she accessed it,” Lindsey answered. “Did she see what I saw?”

“All unattached single people?”

Lindsey nodded grimly as she watched the screens before her come to life. “And mostly veterans of the last push. If I didn
’
t have a gimped leg, they may have come for me, too.”

“So what did you find?”

Lindsey tapped away on her desk for a few seconds
,
then a vid popped onto the screen. “This.”

T
he vid revealed not only the top officials of the SWD seated around a
long conference table, but also P
resident
Cabot
and Commandant
Pierce
. The vid started just as Maria took a seat near the middle of the table flanked by a female scientist with blond hair and a man in a plain white suit that looked remarkably bland, yet dangerous at the same time. The camera zeroed in on Maria
’
s face and Dwayne inhaled sharply.

Lindsey
’
s eyes glittered with tears in the light emanating from the screens. “They
’
re fucking assholes.”

Dwayne had trouble breathing. His hands coiled into fists as he struggled to compose himself. “She looks like an
Scrag
.”

“Because she is. Just listen,” Lindsey said softly.

Dwayne
’
s horror only grew as the female scientist, identified as Dr. Beverly Curran, explained in great detail how she had modified the
ISPV
and injected it into Maria after her life had been extinguished. As the scientist spoke, vids were played for those gathered of Maria
’
s death and resurrection. Dwayne leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he stared aghast at the screen. The vids also revealed a variety of tests. In one Maria destroyed
a
Scourge
sent into a room to see if it
identified her as one of its own
. In an even more chilling vid, Maria was in a blacked out condition the scientist called the “
Inferi Scourge
torpor” when at least a dozen
Sc
ourge
were released into the same room with her. They ignored her until they were dispatched by SWD s
ecurity
. The camera kept flashing to Maria
’
s face as the briefing continued. Though she remained calm and her expression impassive, Dwayne could see that a few times she was surprised by the information that was being revealed by the slight raising of her eyebrows.

“In closing,
we a
re
able to now create a soldier that can dispatch the
Inferi Scourge
with impunity. They can walk among the
Inferi Scourge
without fear. They do not sleep. They do not eat. Yet their personality and intellect remains.
They
’
re
our salvation. The answer to all our hopes.
They
’
re
the
Inferi Boon
. Vanguard Martinez is the first of the squad that will help eradicate the
Inferi Scourge
. With your approval, we will begin transitioning the rest of our volunteers into
Inferi Boon
,” Dr. Curran finished.

“Jesus Christ,” Dwayne muttered
,
and wasn
’
t sure if it was a prayer or a curse.

“Vanguard Martinez,” an all too familiar voice said. It was the president. “You have remained silent throughout this debriefing. I would like to hear your thoughts on this matter.”

Maria looked as surprised as Dwayne was by the question. She hesitated then said, “I am ready to destroy the
Inferi Scourge
and do what I must to secure the future of
The Bastion
.”

“And
you
’
re
willing to sacrifice your life?” the president asked.

For the first time Maria appeared a little unnerved. “It
’
s my understanding that I will be brought back to life and given th
e antidote for the
Inferi Boon
V
irus.”

“That is exactly correct,” the man in the white suit said with a smile.

The president appeared surprised, but then smiled as he said, “Well, then I feel a lot better about giving my final approval on this mission.”

Lindsey snorted. “He would
’
ve approved it even if she had to stay that way.”

Dwayne sank back in his chair as he listened to the last few minutes of the meeting. The vid ended with Maria leaving the room and the president congratulating the SWD officials. “I never dreamed that they would kill her,” he muttered.

“What?” Lindsey gave him a sharp look. “You knew about this?”

With a short nod of his head, Dwayne reluctantly admitted the truth. “I knew she had volunteered for a top secret mission.”

“The program I created was for her, wasn
’
t it? Not your mistress to hide from your wife, but for her?” Lindsey gaped at him.

“She used it only once then went silent. That is why I asked Petra to find out what was going on. I started to fear that they had lied to her. It appears that some of what they promised her was true.”

“What did they tell her?”

“She was told that there was a serum that would allow her to walk among the
Scrags
. That it would make her immune to them and they would identify her as one of their own. Maria volunteered because she is
as
desperate as the rest of us to be free of the
Scrags
.”

Lindsey stared at him, her eyes examining his expression and his posture. “You
’
re in love with her. She
’
s your mistress, isn
’
t she?”

“I
’
m getting a divorce. I
wouldn
’
t
call her my mistress. But, yes, we
’
re involved.”

“But the SWD doesn
’
t know that and have no idea that her sudden silence would concern anyone. This is why all those soldiers they transferred are single. They want this as quiet as can be.”

“I can
’
t believe they killed her,” Dwayne whispered.

Lindsey turned away from him to type for a few minutes. Dwayne suspected she was angry, hurt and afraid. He watched her delete all the information she had so carefully extracted. When she finished, she swiveled her chair toward him. Her expression was so intense, he wasn
’
t sure how to read it.

“The vid is only two hours old. This is updated information. Right now, Maria
is the only
Inferi Boon
they
’
ve created. You can stop this.”

“You just deleted the information.”

“I have a copy I can give you. I just wanted it off my system. You can take that vid and show
The Bastion
what the SWD is doing. You can show
everyone
how
they
’
re
killing our own people to make them into
Scrags
. You can get Maria out of there!”

“Lindsey,” Dwayne said in a gentle tone, “she volunteered.”

“They killed her!”

“I know that. And don
’
t think I am not as torn up as
you
’
re
about this. Frankly, I am horrified, but you saw what she said. I know her as well as you do, Lindsey. Tell me if you think she was lying when she said she would do anything to destroy the
Inferi Scourge
and make a better future for us all
.
” Dwayne stared directly into Lindsey
’
s eyes. “Tell me that she
’
s not doing exactly what she wants to do right now.”

With a frustrated groan, Lindsey covered her face. “She didn
’
t know they were going to kill her. I could see it on her face! She had no clue!”

“I agree with you on that point, but she has accepted what has happe
ned. She wants to do this. E
ven if
w
e
’
re
horrified by what is going on
,
the truth is that it might work, Lindsey. Maria and the others might destroy the
Scrags
and save us all.”

He could see the turmoil in the eyes of the young woman as she considered his words. Finally, she shrugged and picked up a small data drive off her desk. “Here. Do with it what you will. This just feels wrong somehow. Maria being
a Scrag
is wrong. She fought so hard against them.”

“She
’
s not
Inferi Scourge
,” Dwayne said firmly. “We both saw that.”

“She
’
s not alive. Not like she was. She fought so hard to live after we were all wounded and the
SWD
killed her.” Lindsey shook her head grimly. “Maybe she
’
s okay with what is going on, but I
’
m not sure I am. Are you?”

Dwayne thought of Maria
’
s slightly gray pallor and milky eyes. “No. I
’
m not. But I know she believes in what she is doing and I will support her.”

“When you finally talk to her what will you say?”

“That I love her. I believe in her. And that I know she will do her best to save us all.”

A bitter laugh escaped Lindsey
’
s lips. “What sucks is I feel the same way. She
’
s our best damn hope for a future and I hate that.”

Tucking the drive into his pocket, Dwayne stood. “I should go. If there is any chance at all I might be able to reach her tonight, I should head home.”

Lindsey stared at her screens thoughtfully. “I
’
m going to try to keep digging.”

“You don
’
t have to.”

“I want to. I want to know what
’
s happening to her.”

Pressing his lips together, Dwayne nodded once in understanding.

Lindsey followed him to the door, hands on her hips. “It
’
s wrong somehow. They
’
re lying. About the serum, about something. I can feel it.”

“So can I.”

“Do you think she realizes it?”

“If she does, she will ignore it so she can get her job done.” Dwayne watched Lindsey unlock the door
’
s many locks. “She
’
s tough. She can handle anything.”

Resting her hand against the door, Lindsey said in a much lower voice, “I hope so. I don
’
t want to lose her like I lost Ryan.”

“I couldn
’
t agree more.”

Once outside in the growing darkness of the night, Dwayne pulled the brim of his hat down over his tearing eyes and rushed home.

* * *