Austin limped down the hallway in the medical bay. It was time to debrief. That meant questions and answers, a report, and a scan of Addie's suit.
The whole thing was going to be laid bare. Austin shuddered just thinking about having to relive it. Why did they even have debriefing anyway?
He arrived at his own room designed for SET Operatives. There was a bed not unlike the one Addie currently was resting on, but the room was black.
~~~~
A man in uniform entered Addie's room, the nurses just having finished hooking her up to everything. He sat down in a chair next to her bed.
He had short brown hair- Similar in color to Austin's own, except much cleaner, and plenty more kempt. He was a few inches taller than Austin, though, and his eyes were cold. Not bright, warm, lively green, but instead a much more vicious, calculating and logical blue. His eyes showed no emotion, though he smiled at her as he sat.
"Hi! Sorry to intrude, I just have a few questions for you." He began pleasantly. "First, could I have your name and age, please?"
The whole thing was going to be laid bare. Austin shuddered just thinking about having to relive it. Why did they even have debriefing anyway?
He arrived at his own room designed for SET Operatives. There was a bed not unlike the one Addie currently was resting on, but the room was black.
~~~~
A man in uniform entered Addie's room, the nurses just having finished hooking her up to everything. He sat down in a chair next to her bed.
He had short brown hair- Similar in color to Austin's own, except much cleaner, and plenty more kempt. He was a few inches taller than Austin, though, and his eyes were cold. Not bright, warm, lively green, but instead a much more vicious, calculating and logical blue. His eyes showed no emotion, though he smiled at her as he sat.
"Hi! Sorry to intrude, I just have a few questions for you." He began pleasantly. "First, could I have your name and age, please?"
Austin had just sat down on the bed after turning the light on when the man arrived. He was about the same height as Austin, with dark, dark hair, and eyes almost the same shade of brown/black. He was not an appealing looking man at all, and he immediately sat, and began to question him.
"Name and age, operative."
~~~
Addie was in agony, waiting for the painkillers she had just been hooked up to through the IV to get into her system. When the man entered, she stiffened, frightened, but before exiting, one of the nurses gave her a nod of encouragement, which helped her relax.
Though his smile didn't reach his eyes, it helped that he was at least making an effort. She swallowed sharply, fighting through the fog of pain she felt from her leg and body in general to speak, sounding a bit nasally from the oxygen mask over her nose.
"Addison Marie Scott, 26 years old."
"Name and age, operative."
~~~
Addie was in agony, waiting for the painkillers she had just been hooked up to through the IV to get into her system. When the man entered, she stiffened, frightened, but before exiting, one of the nurses gave her a nod of encouragement, which helped her relax.
Though his smile didn't reach his eyes, it helped that he was at least making an effort. She swallowed sharply, fighting through the fog of pain she felt from her leg and body in general to speak, sounding a bit nasally from the oxygen mask over her nose.
"Addison Marie Scott, 26 years old."
The man materialized a tablet and stylus, and began writing in it.
"Alright. And could you tell me how you met Operative Ross? How did this all start?"
~~~~
Austin sighed and rolled his eyes. He'd done this song and dance enough times to know that sarcastic remarks weren't the best way to go. Besides, he wanted to get this over with so somebody could hook him up to his meds and he could be done with it all. "Austin Anthony Ross. 25 years old. What do you want to know?"
"Alright. And could you tell me how you met Operative Ross? How did this all start?"
~~~~
Austin sighed and rolled his eyes. He'd done this song and dance enough times to know that sarcastic remarks weren't the best way to go. Besides, he wanted to get this over with so somebody could hook him up to his meds and he could be done with it all. "Austin Anthony Ross. 25 years old. What do you want to know?"
With his own tablet and stylus appearing moments later, the man wrote quickly, his voice sharp as before when he continued on. "How did all of this get started? How did you come in contact with the civilian you were rescued with?"
~~~
Pressing a hand to the upper part of her broken bone, trying to stifle the pain that came from having one's femur snapped in two, she shut her eyes for a moment, head against the pillow, and finally, pushing her wall aside. "I met Aus...Operative Ross...I don't know, months ago.. In my town, some of the last survivors were barricaded in my ballet studio, just trying to hold out long enough to think of a plan when things got really, really out of control.. nine children, two men, an older woman, and myself. A...Operative Ross just..came out of nowhere when I was trying to rescue another child, helped me get back to the studio safely."
~~~
Pressing a hand to the upper part of her broken bone, trying to stifle the pain that came from having one's femur snapped in two, she shut her eyes for a moment, head against the pillow, and finally, pushing her wall aside. "I met Aus...Operative Ross...I don't know, months ago.. In my town, some of the last survivors were barricaded in my ballet studio, just trying to hold out long enough to think of a plan when things got really, really out of control.. nine children, two men, an older woman, and myself. A...Operative Ross just..came out of nowhere when I was trying to rescue another child, helped me get back to the studio safely."
The man nodded. "You can call him Austin if you'd like. So he dropped in and saved you and the child, then what?"
~~~~
Austin sighed, trying to think back. "Let's see, I had been in the cruiser above the US. I recall noticing a lot of activity around a fairly unpopulated part of the Fort Worth area. Fort Worth, Texas, mind you. I made a podless jump down, and landed. The civilian was being threatened by around four hostiles. Dogs, this time. They were quickly surrounding the town, so I got the civilian to the nearest safe building. There were twelve others: Nine children and three more adults. Two male, one female. They had enough supplies to last them for a while. We stocked up as much as we could hold, and I escorted the group away from the town." Austin took a shaky breath. "Night was beginning to fall, so I had us stop and make camp for the night in some trees."
~~~~
Austin sighed, trying to think back. "Let's see, I had been in the cruiser above the US. I recall noticing a lot of activity around a fairly unpopulated part of the Fort Worth area. Fort Worth, Texas, mind you. I made a podless jump down, and landed. The civilian was being threatened by around four hostiles. Dogs, this time. They were quickly surrounding the town, so I got the civilian to the nearest safe building. There were twelve others: Nine children and three more adults. Two male, one female. They had enough supplies to last them for a while. We stocked up as much as we could hold, and I escorted the group away from the town." Austin took a shaky breath. "Night was beginning to fall, so I had us stop and make camp for the night in some trees."
"When exactly did you make the jump, Ross?" Came his next question. He wrote quickly the entire time, waiting with an expectant look on his face. "Actually,hold on.. Ross, are you saying you went in with THIRTEEN civilians.. and this woman, Ms.... Scott, I believe, is the -only- one who survived?" He sounded appalled.
~~~
"Sorry.. After he got us back inside, we bagged up as many supplies as we could carry in the bags we had, and he took us out of the town, trying to get us to the nearest checkpoint.. It was late afternoon when we left, so we had to stop and camp for the night.. the next day, we found some vehicles, some gas and some supplies at a farm I knew of.. started back on the highway towards Fort Worth, that was the nearest checkpoint." She swallowed, eyes closing.
~~~
"Sorry.. After he got us back inside, we bagged up as many supplies as we could carry in the bags we had, and he took us out of the town, trying to get us to the nearest checkpoint.. It was late afternoon when we left, so we had to stop and camp for the night.. the next day, we found some vehicles, some gas and some supplies at a farm I knew of.. started back on the highway towards Fort Worth, that was the nearest checkpoint." She swallowed, eyes closing.
The man nodded, although he knew Addie wasn't looking at him. "Thanks. So Mr. Ross told you he would get you to the checkpoint at Fort Worth? And how long did that take?" The man seemed more curious than anything, although his overt polite and accommodating manner was unnerving.
~~~~
Austin exhaled through his nose, gritting his teeth. He stared annoyed at the ceiling- He knew where this was going. "No, sir. Two others survived. Children, male." He swallowed, pondering the painful reminder of a promise he never thought he'd be able to keep to two innocent, naive, and completely faithful boys. He maintained his composure before moving on. "And I made the jump on..." He thought for a moment, drawing out the word. "It was sometime in May. Last year."
~~~~
Austin exhaled through his nose, gritting his teeth. He stared annoyed at the ceiling- He knew where this was going. "No, sir. Two others survived. Children, male." He swallowed, pondering the painful reminder of a promise he never thought he'd be able to keep to two innocent, naive, and completely faithful boys. He maintained his composure before moving on. "And I made the jump on..." He thought for a moment, drawing out the word. "It was sometime in May. Last year."
The man raised an eyebrow. "So. You left two children on that planet, and saved the woman. Did your..obvious attraction and attachment to Ms. Scott have anything to do with the fact that she is, in fact, the only one you brought back safely?" As if trying to keep Austin on his toes, he quickly reverted back to his other question. "Ross, the cruiser you supposedly jumped from?" He leaned forward, with a suddenly very nasty grin on his face, like a cat having cornered a rat. "It was overrun in March. You couldn't have possibly made the jump in May."
~~~
Addie took a sharp breath, grimacing for a moment. "I didn't exactly have a calendar with me, but.. probably three months? It was slow going with all of the children, even.. even after some of them died. We were nearly overrun a few times. The two men were the first to die, then.."She bit her lip for a moment, fighting back tears as the memories and horror came rushing back. "Melinda, the older woman, and two of the children not long after..."
~~~
Addie took a sharp breath, grimacing for a moment. "I didn't exactly have a calendar with me, but.. probably three months? It was slow going with all of the children, even.. even after some of them died. We were nearly overrun a few times. The two men were the first to die, then.."She bit her lip for a moment, fighting back tears as the memories and horror came rushing back. "Melinda, the older woman, and two of the children not long after..."
The man stopped her when she mentioned the two children. He already knew the number of survivors. "Alright, that's good, thanks. And once you reached the checkpoint, why didn't you get onto the cruiser, or send the distress signal?"
~~~~
Austin knew the question was coming. He knew it. It was inevitable. He'd heard it a few times before, of course, but this time it was different. He couldn't say with confidence that his judgement was not clouded by the fact that he shared a mutual attraction with a redhead. Before he answered, though, the man dropped a bombshell on him.
Austin sat up, despite his legs. "What? No. I..." He ran his hand through his hair. That was wrong. That was wrong. He remembered passing operatives on the way to the first level... Right? Were there operatives on the ship? Was there anybody on the ship? Austin silently cursed. What was going on?
"Well, May is what it said in my helmet," Austin feigned confidence, laying slowly back down. Ugh, his body ached. Couldn't somebody just shove some needles in his veins already? "It's November now, according to pretty much every clock that I've seen." Austin sighed, hoping he had dodged a bullet.
~~~~
Austin knew the question was coming. He knew it. It was inevitable. He'd heard it a few times before, of course, but this time it was different. He couldn't say with confidence that his judgement was not clouded by the fact that he shared a mutual attraction with a redhead. Before he answered, though, the man dropped a bombshell on him.
Austin sat up, despite his legs. "What? No. I..." He ran his hand through his hair. That was wrong. That was wrong. He remembered passing operatives on the way to the first level... Right? Were there operatives on the ship? Was there anybody on the ship? Austin silently cursed. What was going on?
"Well, May is what it said in my helmet," Austin feigned confidence, laying slowly back down. Ugh, his body ached. Couldn't somebody just shove some needles in his veins already? "It's November now, according to pretty much every clock that I've seen." Austin sighed, hoping he had dodged a bullet.
"Ross, we both know that there was no possible way you made that jump in May."But for now, it did seem he was going to leave that alone, only to focus on something else. "Again, did your attraction to Ms. Scott have anything to do with the fact that she is the only person, out of the thirteen, that you brought back safely? did it have anything to do with your decision to leave two children, two innocent, defenseless children, on that planet?"
~~~~
Addie forced her eyes to open, staring up at the ceiling. "It was..it was overrun. The city was just filled with Infected, Austin went inside the checkpoint to see if it was still unctioning, or if any of the equipment for the distress signal was operational, but.. " She squeezed her eyes shut again. "We barely made it out of the city alive. Austin..was badly injured, and I, even in the armor he had grabbed inside for me.. we could barely walk by the time we got out."
She lifted a hand to adjust the mask over her nose, oepning her eyes and turning her head to glance at the man. "He did everything he could to get us out then, but there was just nothing that could be done. We would have died in that city."
~~~~
Addie forced her eyes to open, staring up at the ceiling. "It was..it was overrun. The city was just filled with Infected, Austin went inside the checkpoint to see if it was still unctioning, or if any of the equipment for the distress signal was operational, but.. " She squeezed her eyes shut again. "We barely made it out of the city alive. Austin..was badly injured, and I, even in the armor he had grabbed inside for me.. we could barely walk by the time we got out."
She lifted a hand to adjust the mask over her nose, oepning her eyes and turning her head to glance at the man. "He did everything he could to get us out then, but there was just nothing that could be done. We would have died in that city."
Austin just shook his head. May was impossible... So what, then? Was he crazy?
He sighed. This was going to be difficult to answer. "My attraction to the civilian did not effect my judgement." That was a good answer, right? But he was leaving something out. "Not until the end." Better. "The fact that the other civilians were killed had nothing to do with me being choosy with my protection. I was spread thin as it was: A single operative to thirteen people. Each death took its toll." He kept thinking about what happened the day after they left Ackerly. They had found some vehicles and were on their way to a barn up the road to find gas. A tank ran into them and caused them to spin out of control.
"Those deaths were..." Austin choked. He didn't believe it. He couldn't believe it. "They were out of my control." He swallowed. That was a lie. Well, he thought it was, anyway. "We were attacked. Ad-" Affectionate nicknames now would kill the defense he had so carefully put up. Austin corrected himself. "The civilian was the only one who knew how to operate a firearm. She assisted me in ensuring everyone's safety for the majority of the mission." Damn these official terms. Couldn't he debrief with a friend? Someone he trusted?
He sighed. This was going to be difficult to answer. "My attraction to the civilian did not effect my judgement." That was a good answer, right? But he was leaving something out. "Not until the end." Better. "The fact that the other civilians were killed had nothing to do with me being choosy with my protection. I was spread thin as it was: A single operative to thirteen people. Each death took its toll." He kept thinking about what happened the day after they left Ackerly. They had found some vehicles and were on their way to a barn up the road to find gas. A tank ran into them and caused them to spin out of control.
"Those deaths were..." Austin choked. He didn't believe it. He couldn't believe it. "They were out of my control." He swallowed. That was a lie. Well, he thought it was, anyway. "We were attacked. Ad-" Affectionate nicknames now would kill the defense he had so carefully put up. Austin corrected himself. "The civilian was the only one who knew how to operate a firearm. She assisted me in ensuring everyone's safety for the majority of the mission." Damn these official terms. Couldn't he debrief with a friend? Someone he trusted?
~~~~
The man nodded, continuing to take notes on the tablet. "Mhm. And who are you referring to by 'we?' Were there children with you at the time? How many suits of armor did the operative have in his possession?"
The man nodded, continuing to take notes on the tablet. "Mhm. And who are you referring to by 'we?' Were there children with you at the time? How many suits of armor did the operative have in his possession?"
"So, Ms. Scott just happened to be the only person in the group who could use a firearm. At what point did she stop helping to the point that thirteen became just one? Don't you think you should have put more effort towards saving, I don't know, the children, at that point?"
~~~~
"Yes, there were children.. we waited a ways away from the building while Austin went to check it out. " She took a pained breath. Why wasn't the pain medication helping? She couldn't stand it. Shifting uncomfortably, desperate to get some relief, she shut her eyes to try and think. "He..he had one, that he wore until it broke x then the one he gave me to wear."
~~~~
"Yes, there were children.. we waited a ways away from the building while Austin went to check it out. " She took a pained breath. Why wasn't the pain medication helping? She couldn't stand it. Shifting uncomfortably, desperate to get some relief, she shut her eyes to try and think. "He..he had one, that he wore until it broke x then the one he gave me to wear."
"I'm sorry, did you say that the suit of armor broke?" The man was more interested in the information than Addie's obvious physical pain. He waved his hand suddenly, dismissing the idea. It was trivial- Austin could explain it better anyway. "So what did you do after you escaped from the city?"
~~~~
Austin glanced over at the man, his hand on his side. "It was because of Ms. Scott's prior experience with firearms that there were survivors for as long as there were. We were attacked multiple times by Infected while in two separate vehicles. I was rendered unconscious or otherwise unable to perform at an optimal level, and we had to travel on foot for extended periods of time with at least five children. Casualties would have happened either way. The fact that I even got the one civilian out alive besides myself is a miracle."
Was he being prosecuted or was he giving a report? Probably the former- Addie's watch's recordings were probably being played back as they spoke. That was the report.
~~~~
Austin glanced over at the man, his hand on his side. "It was because of Ms. Scott's prior experience with firearms that there were survivors for as long as there were. We were attacked multiple times by Infected while in two separate vehicles. I was rendered unconscious or otherwise unable to perform at an optimal level, and we had to travel on foot for extended periods of time with at least five children. Casualties would have happened either way. The fact that I even got the one civilian out alive besides myself is a miracle."
Was he being prosecuted or was he giving a report? Probably the former- Addie's watch's recordings were probably being played back as they spoke. That was the report.
"Hm." The man wrote quickly, then looked up again. "So. You were unable to send a message in Ft. Worth, is that correct? What happened after that?"
~~~~
Addie was quiet for a time, trying to recall. After being tossed around so much, her mind was a bit fuzzy, really. "We..we found a hotel a few hours from the city, the same one we stayed at the night before.. Austin was badly hurt, and I wasn't doing too well myself.. we stayed two nights before.." She blinked, hard, keeping a cap on her emotions. "Austin heard something outside, and I looked out.. we turned around and there was..there was this man suddenly in the room, I don't know how he got in.. Austin shot him, and whatever he did to Austin just..it almost killed him. The man.." She choked. "He took the two boys, and he was just.gone . "
She took a shaky breath. "Austin couldn't move, I put the helmet from my armor on and it..it told me what to do to help him, it had me remove the wiring from that chip in his neck.." She swallowed. "When we were able to move again, we..we started looking for the boys, just..driving, trying to find some sign of them. Austin was driving, I had just woken up, and..he passed out at the wheel, drove into a ditch..the last thing I remember before waking up on that cruiser, surrounded by Infected, was hitting the windshield." She huffed in frustration, eyes closed, desperately trying to think. How had they gotten up there?"
~~~~
Addie was quiet for a time, trying to recall. After being tossed around so much, her mind was a bit fuzzy, really. "We..we found a hotel a few hours from the city, the same one we stayed at the night before.. Austin was badly hurt, and I wasn't doing too well myself.. we stayed two nights before.." She blinked, hard, keeping a cap on her emotions. "Austin heard something outside, and I looked out.. we turned around and there was..there was this man suddenly in the room, I don't know how he got in.. Austin shot him, and whatever he did to Austin just..it almost killed him. The man.." She choked. "He took the two boys, and he was just.gone . "
She took a shaky breath. "Austin couldn't move, I put the helmet from my armor on and it..it told me what to do to help him, it had me remove the wiring from that chip in his neck.." She swallowed. "When we were able to move again, we..we started looking for the boys, just..driving, trying to find some sign of them. Austin was driving, I had just woken up, and..he passed out at the wheel, drove into a ditch..the last thing I remember before waking up on that cruiser, surrounded by Infected, was hitting the windshield." She huffed in frustration, eyes closed, desperately trying to think. How had they gotten up there?"
The man sat forward. "What did this man look like? What was he wearing? Did he say anything?" He was taking a lot of notes, now, his questions about the mysterious man were pushy and eager. "And how long did you say it was between you two staying at the hotel and you... Er, waking up on this overrun cruiser? And which checkpoint did you say you were at?"
~~~~
Austin nodded. "That's right. There were two girls and two boys remaining. I had them all get into a car. It didn't start. I couldn't get it to start." Why didn't it start? "The battery was dead. I realized my mistake too late, and hostiles flew in. One landed on the roof when I was outside, and it.." He took a deep breath to maintain his composure. "Ms. Scott was attacked. I had retrieved a suit of armor for her to use after I realized I couldn't make it very far in the cruiser, so she was able to hold it off until I was able to disable it. We were fine, but..." The thud of the impact nearly caused him to cringe. "Another one landed on me and threw me away from the car, keeping me pinned to the ground. I..." This was too painful. Too much detail.
"The..." Austin's voice cracked. Keep your composure. He breathed for a minute before continuing. "The, uh... The two girls were- They were dead by the time the other civilian could shoot it off of me. My suit was deactivated by a misfire of one of our plasma weapons, or the suit itself had an overcharge. My watch was fried and I was stabbed in the left shoulder." Maybe you could see it if I could get some medical attention... He rubbed his shoulder where the five scars were. It was still red around the area. "The four of us barely escaped to the abandoned motel we had been staying at for the past few days, recooperating before making an attempt at the checkpoint. A week or so passed, and..." He drew out the word as he thought over the events that followed. He recognized the man that broke in... However he managed to break in. But from where?
Why couldn't he send the message at the checkpoint the first time?
"A man broke in. He was tall, pale, and wearing a suit of armor bigger than the standard SET Combat armor. He had..." What did he look like? "He didn't have any hair. He appeared to be... Mid forties. His armor was green."
This would send off a bunch of red flags- John was an initial member of the originally very small and first attempt at the SET Project. He disappeared under mysterious circumstances after allegedly murdering the rest of his team and stealing valuable research (although none of it could be confirmed,) shortly after the project was cancelled. What was especially alarming was the fact that Austin- An original member of the rebooted SET (AKA The CYBORG Recovery Project,) had encountered John quite a few times before getting Infected and going MIA. This combined with the nonchalant mention of a computer chip embedded into Austin's spine by Addie (John's 'Experiments'' signature mark and tracking device) would all be very, very alarming. This debriefing might become more of an internal affairs investigation.
~~~~
Austin nodded. "That's right. There were two girls and two boys remaining. I had them all get into a car. It didn't start. I couldn't get it to start." Why didn't it start? "The battery was dead. I realized my mistake too late, and hostiles flew in. One landed on the roof when I was outside, and it.." He took a deep breath to maintain his composure. "Ms. Scott was attacked. I had retrieved a suit of armor for her to use after I realized I couldn't make it very far in the cruiser, so she was able to hold it off until I was able to disable it. We were fine, but..." The thud of the impact nearly caused him to cringe. "Another one landed on me and threw me away from the car, keeping me pinned to the ground. I..." This was too painful. Too much detail.
"The..." Austin's voice cracked. Keep your composure. He breathed for a minute before continuing. "The, uh... The two girls were- They were dead by the time the other civilian could shoot it off of me. My suit was deactivated by a misfire of one of our plasma weapons, or the suit itself had an overcharge. My watch was fried and I was stabbed in the left shoulder." Maybe you could see it if I could get some medical attention... He rubbed his shoulder where the five scars were. It was still red around the area. "The four of us barely escaped to the abandoned motel we had been staying at for the past few days, recooperating before making an attempt at the checkpoint. A week or so passed, and..." He drew out the word as he thought over the events that followed. He recognized the man that broke in... However he managed to break in. But from where?
Why couldn't he send the message at the checkpoint the first time?
"A man broke in. He was tall, pale, and wearing a suit of armor bigger than the standard SET Combat armor. He had..." What did he look like? "He didn't have any hair. He appeared to be... Mid forties. His armor was green."
This would send off a bunch of red flags- John was an initial member of the originally very small and first attempt at the SET Project. He disappeared under mysterious circumstances after allegedly murdering the rest of his team and stealing valuable research (although none of it could be confirmed,) shortly after the project was cancelled. What was especially alarming was the fact that Austin- An original member of the rebooted SET (AKA The CYBORG Recovery Project,) had encountered John quite a few times before getting Infected and going MIA. This combined with the nonchalant mention of a computer chip embedded into Austin's spine by Addie (John's 'Experiments'' signature mark and tracking device) would all be very, very alarming. This debriefing might become more of an internal affairs investigation.
The man just studied him for a moment, then, leaning forward, he scowled. "Ross, are you aware of the fact that for nearly six months (I forgot how long you said I'll edit it after you correct me) before you supposedly made that jump, you were MIA? You were infected, then you vanished, without a trace, until we got your transmission. Do you have any idea how serious this is, especially now that we know about this.." he glanced down at his notes from the other man. "This chip in your neck, and the man you're referring to?"
~~~~
Addie shook her head. "It must've been..must've been months, from when we got to the overrun checkpoint, to when I woke up." She swallowed, then continued. "I told you, we were at Ft. Worth. After..after we returned to the hotel, te man..he was tall, probably..probably 6"2 or so, and paler than I am..he was bald, probably a little older than you seem to be, mid forties? His.."She closed her eyes, thinking as hard as she could. Her head ached. "His armor was a lot bigger than Austin's had been, and it was a dark green color."
She grimaced. "After...After he took the boys.." her voice wavered."After he took them, we were in no condition to move.. I could barely walk, Austin was in just as bad shape..we stayed for almost a month trying to recover before we started off,going te look fe them..we had to have stopped in dozens of cities trying to find either them, or a checkpoint, some way to get a message to someone."
~~~~
Addie shook her head. "It must've been..must've been months, from when we got to the overrun checkpoint, to when I woke up." She swallowed, then continued. "I told you, we were at Ft. Worth. After..after we returned to the hotel, te man..he was tall, probably..probably 6"2 or so, and paler than I am..he was bald, probably a little older than you seem to be, mid forties? His.."She closed her eyes, thinking as hard as she could. Her head ached. "His armor was a lot bigger than Austin's had been, and it was a dark green color."
She grimaced. "After...After he took the boys.." her voice wavered."After he took them, we were in no condition to move.. I could barely walk, Austin was in just as bad shape..we stayed for almost a month trying to recover before we started off,going te look fe them..we had to have stopped in dozens of cities trying to find either them, or a checkpoint, some way to get a message to someone."
There was a moment of silence. The man nodded and wrote down what Addie was saying.
He inhaled through his nose before speaking again. "Ma'am, can you recall what the man said? And anything unusual that happened before you woke up on the overrun cruiser?" The concern in his voice would tip her off- This went deeper than just some disease. There were people behind this.
~~~~
Austin set his jaw and swallowed. "... Would you care to fill me in on who this man is? And why I had that chip in my neck? If I recall, two SET Operatives hit me with a tranquilizer. When I woke up, I was back on the cruiser with the chip in my spine. If that wasn't you..."
Who was it?
He inhaled through his nose before speaking again. "Ma'am, can you recall what the man said? And anything unusual that happened before you woke up on the overrun cruiser?" The concern in his voice would tip her off- This went deeper than just some disease. There were people behind this.
~~~~
Austin set his jaw and swallowed. "... Would you care to fill me in on who this man is? And why I had that chip in my neck? If I recall, two SET Operatives hit me with a tranquilizer. When I woke up, I was back on the cruiser with the chip in my spine. If that wasn't you..."
Who was it?
"All we know is that his name is John. You were.....we'll say, an Experiment of his, an attempt to find an antidote for the Infection. Whatever he did on you worked. However, it didn't seem to work on anyone else. " He glanced down to his notes again. "That chip in your neck was a way of keeping track of you, finding you and monitoring you. The numbness you're feeling?" One of the nurses must have told him. "The chip did that to you when Ms. Scott removed it, a failsafe of sorts to keep anyone from messing with it."
~~~~
Addie furrowed her eyebrows. This was turning into more than just simple questioning of events. "He..he said he was the reason Austin was still alive, that he was the one who got rid of Austin's infection..we weren't useful to him, buthe said the boys were." Her voice cracked.
"Austin shot him, but nothing happened, and he did.. something, he shot Austin with something that sent him through the door..then he was just gone, the boys too, said...said Austin knew where he'd be, but.."She sat upright, causing several of the monitors to beep, and struggling to pull her mask off. "He didn't, he had nothing to do with this."
~~~~
Addie furrowed her eyebrows. This was turning into more than just simple questioning of events. "He..he said he was the reason Austin was still alive, that he was the one who got rid of Austin's infection..we weren't useful to him, buthe said the boys were." Her voice cracked.
"Austin shot him, but nothing happened, and he did.. something, he shot Austin with something that sent him through the door..then he was just gone, the boys too, said...said Austin knew where he'd be, but.."She sat upright, causing several of the monitors to beep, and struggling to pull her mask off. "He didn't, he had nothing to do with this."
The man raised his eyebrows. "So, you're saying this man claimed to have cured the Operative's infection? How did the man shoot Operative Ross? What was the effect?"
The man stood up and grabbed her shoulder- Not roughly, but he was trying to get her to calm down. "Please, Ms. Scott. You need to calm down." That was probably a mistake on his end- Addie wasn't one to be told to just calm down.
~~~~
Austin rubbed his temples with his thumbs. Where was that name from? He'd heard it somewhere...
Experiments, John, Infection, they all tied together somehow. Who was John?
He nodded. "I guess that makes sense..." It was hard not to let the pain show, but his chest was hurting, he couldn't feel his legs (which was somehow still painful,) and his whole spine was sending off fireworks.
At least Addie was already on her meds, right? At least she was getting the treatment. She was probably resting now.
"Anyway, we spent months searching for the boys that John took. Eventually, we got to the point where it was just a desperate search to find a working checkpoint. Someplace we could get a message out. We were somewhere in Phoenix when I just... I can't remember what happened. I remember regaining consciousness on the cruiser, which was overrun with Infected. I..." thought Addie was dead, or missing, or Infected, and broke down a few more times, letting her carry me to safety before devising a plan to utilize the ship's control tower to send out a distress beacon. "I found the civilian fending off Infected, and we got to the control room. I had her send out a distress signal, and the final escape shuttle or pod or whatever from earth got it and got us the hell out of there. Now we're here."
Can I get my effing meds now?
The man stood up and grabbed her shoulder- Not roughly, but he was trying to get her to calm down. "Please, Ms. Scott. You need to calm down." That was probably a mistake on his end- Addie wasn't one to be told to just calm down.
~~~~
Austin rubbed his temples with his thumbs. Where was that name from? He'd heard it somewhere...
Experiments, John, Infection, they all tied together somehow. Who was John?
He nodded. "I guess that makes sense..." It was hard not to let the pain show, but his chest was hurting, he couldn't feel his legs (which was somehow still painful,) and his whole spine was sending off fireworks.
At least Addie was already on her meds, right? At least she was getting the treatment. She was probably resting now.
"Anyway, we spent months searching for the boys that John took. Eventually, we got to the point where it was just a desperate search to find a working checkpoint. Someplace we could get a message out. We were somewhere in Phoenix when I just... I can't remember what happened. I remember regaining consciousness on the cruiser, which was overrun with Infected. I..." thought Addie was dead, or missing, or Infected, and broke down a few more times, letting her carry me to safety before devising a plan to utilize the ship's control tower to send out a distress beacon. "I found the civilian fending off Infected, and we got to the control room. I had her send out a distress signal, and the final escape shuttle or pod or whatever from earth got it and got us the hell out of there. Now we're here."
Can I get my effing meds now?