I’d survived when so many others hadn’t, and I’d spend whatever time I had left to try and fix this broken world. We all had to do our part.
I developeda new routine in Macon’s absence. I worked with Audrey in the mornings, and in the afternoons I’d sketch thebase, adding more details as I uncovered them, starting over on a fresh sheet of paper when mine became too muddled. Sitting in the mess hall long after lunch had ended, I sketched and thought of Cipher, imagining his body replicating healthy cells while the virus withered and died, and I thought about the day when I could give this to him, watch his eyes light up at the sight of a new map.
“That’s a pretty accurate depiction,” Captain Crenshaw said to me over my shoulder. I hadn’t heard her come up behind me, not surprising on account of my disability. Also because I was in the creative zone.
“I do have one question though,” I said as she sat down beside me. “Where are the labs?”
“Ah,” she said and pointed to the main building. “They’re here. Underground. This compound was built in the 1960’s when the threat of nuclear war seemed imminent. StarChem partnered with the federal government to build a fully functioning lab in a bunker under the base in case operations needed to go underground.”
“Were they making nuclear weapons?” I asked.
“No, biological ones.”
It made sense then, why they were set up for biological testing.
“StarChem was one of the first bases we secured after Rabbit Fever hit,” Crenshaw said.
“Were you there?” I asked.
“I was. That’s where I got this.” She pointed to the scar running along her face.
“From a Rabid?” I asked.
“No. One of my soldiers had been bitten but not yet turned. He went on the defense and had to be disarmed. He was a good one. I was sad to lose him.” She grimaced at what was clearly a painful memory, and I nodded in sympathy. We all had tenderspots that throbbed from time to time, but sometimes sharing the pain with someone you trusted could ease it too.
“Was Rabbit Fever developed in a lab?” I asked. That was one of the theories, those who didn’t believe that it had come from the bite of an animal or some other natural transmission.
“I couldn’t tell you. Our intelligence is highly compartmentalized. I’m given information that relates directly to my duties and nothing more.” She paused and gestured at the map. “So, what will you do with this drawing once you’re finished?”
“Oh, probably give it to Cipher. He loves maps. Hopefully it’ll make him feel better about being stuck inside here.”
“His freedom is important to him, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, he’s had some bad experiences with the military and government types.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. There are bad apples in every walk of life, I’m afraid.”
“And sometimes institutions are built to oppress others,” I said, repeating something Cipher had once told me, something I’d seen myself.
“Also true,” she said. “Our mission is to train soldiers so that we might survive as a species and put an end to this plague. In our case, we provide for and protect the medical staff and researchers on base, so that we can get closer to finding a cure.”
“At all costs?” I asked.
“That’s right.”
I turned over her words in my mind. “That’s what Brother Larry had been doing too for his chosen ones. He sacrificed me for the good of the community.”
She nodded and didn’t dispute it. “We’re all making sacrifices so that humanity can have a shot at survival, but I can assure you, Joshua, we won’t sell or trade or abuse you, or allow youto die out there without a fight. We protect our own, as much as we’re able.”
I wanted to believe her, as I’d believed others before her, but only time would tell if she was telling the truth. There was only one person I trusted fully. He was somewhere in this building, fighting for his life.
On the morningof day ten, Crenshaw gave me the good news. Cipher was no longer contagious. I could visit him that afternoon. For the rest of the day, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.
I spent some extra time getting ready for our visit in the shared bathing facilities. I’d been given a basic kit of toiletries on my second day on base, but it didn’t include a razor, so I borrowed one from one of the soldiers to shave off my peach fuzz. Cipher had been the one to show me how to shave, teasing that I hardly needed to at all, but I’d wanted him to see me as grown, so I’d insisted he teach me. I smiled at the memory as I rinsed my face and patted it dry. There were still dark circles under my eyes on account of not being able to sleep very well at night, but there wasn’t much I could do about that.
What if he doesn’t recognize me?
It didn’t matter, as long as he was healthy and well. Whatever else was going on, we’d figure it out together.
