The Last Bastion of the Living (The Last Bastion #1)(42)

“You’re going to make us into Scrags?” Jameson said with disbelief.

“Thinking Scrags,” the young woman with the short cropped hair amended.

“You have twenty-four hours to decide,” Dr. Curran continued.

“I don’t need twenty-four hours,” a man said in a clipped accent. He stood up, his broad shoulders and height impressive. His closely-cropped hair was lightly beaded with sweat and despite his imposing looks, it was obvious he was uncomfortable with all he had been told.

“Chief Defender Omondi, I would like to hear your thoughts,” Mr. Petersen said in his bland voice.

Maria glanced at the black man and saw his eyes narrow dangerously.

“I am ready now for the procedure,” Omondi responded.

“So am I,” a woman with white-blond hair and pleasant features said.

“I see,” Dr. Curran said, a little surprised.

More hands and voices were raised, while a few holdouts remained quiet and pensive.

“I know you’re afraid,” Maria said, directing her eyes away from those who wouldn’t look at her. “I know that everything we showed you is frightening, but this is our last chance. I am Inferi Boon Special Ops. I feel, think, and crave the freedom from the Scrags. When I enlisted in the Constabulary I knew that I may one day put my life on the line to protect this city. I never dreamed that I could continue to protect humanity beyond my death. I died over two weeks ago and yet I stand before you. I still care what happens to every citizen of this city...to you...to my family. I don’t want any of us to face starvation and death. If you decide not to do this, so be it. I get it. I understand. My body feels foreign to me now. I don’t feel alive. But I am still a soldier. And I will fight for my city.” Her last words were raw with emotion as her air ran out and she had to force more air to her lungs so she could speak. Anger was pricking at her nerves and she suddenly couldn’t see any damn reason why her fellow soldiers wouldn’t do the right thing.

“Are you with me?”

Every soldier in the room stood up and let out a war cry.



*



Unexpectedly, Dr. Curran offered to escort Maria to her quarters. Maria was relieved when Dr. Petersen didn’t follow. Chief Defender Omondi shook hands with her before she left the debriefing room. His wide smile said it all.

The two women walked in silence, their footfalls echoing through the long white corridor. Maria wanted nothing more than to lie down on her bed and wait for Dwayne’s call. She wasn’t tired physically, but emotionally she felt drained.

“I thought you were against the hard sell,” Dr. Curran finally said.

Maria glanced toward her and grinned. “I was...I am.”

“You basically called anyone not volunteering a coward and a traitor,” Dr. Curran pointed out. “Not in so many words, of course, but the sentiment was there.

Lifting her shoulders, Maria slowed her pace.

Dr. Curran stopped and faced Maria. “Do you wish to tell me something?”

Maria set her feet apart and set her hands on her hips. “When I was in there, I think I finally believed we can have a successful mission. Looking at all of their faces and knowing what they’re capable of, I felt this surge of hope fill me. Give us the right weapons and training and we can do this.”

Dr. Curran laughed slightly as she rested her hand on Maria’s shoulder. “I never doubted that for a second.”

Once tucked away in her room, Maria showered and let her hair down. The alarm in her wristlet kept her alert as she settled onto her bed to study the file Dr. Curran had downloaded onto a pad for her. It contained maps of the valley and the pinpointed locations of importance, including the gate. The major obstacle to their mission was just the sheer number of Inferi Scourge filling the valley. They formed a massive wall of flesh that was going to be difficult to penetrate, or maneuver through.

After an hour of studying, her wristlet indicated that Dwayne was calling. She brought up the program and smiled as he came into view.

“Still at the office I see,” she teased.

“I’m a workaholic. Besides, now I don’t have you to rush home to,” he answered, his eyes crinkling in the corners as he smiled. “How are you doing?”

“I’m doing fine. The other recruits are going to undergo the procedure soon. I get to guide them through their transition, then we start training for about two weeks.”

“You sound excited.” Dwayne’s voice barely gave away his worry.

“I am. Today I think I finally believe that this is going to happen. We’re really going to clear the valley. I think I believed it in theory, but now it feels real, tangible, possible.”

Dwayne lowered his eyes as his smile grew bittersweet. “I hope you’re right. I want nothing more than for you to return to me.”

“And I will,” Maria promised. “I love you.”

“I love you. Until tomorrow night. I’ll dream of you.”

“I’ll dream of you, too.”

His face vanished and Maria felt a pang of loneliness cut through her. If she could cry, she would have for she realized that she had lied to Dwayne for the first time in their relationship.

She no longer dreamed.





Chapter 12


“So this is what it feels like to be dead,” Chief Defender Obuya Omondi muttered.