The Last Bastion of the Living (The Last Bastion #1)(43)

Maria stood over him, her hand on his shoulder as Dr. Beverly Curran studied the various readouts pouring into her pad. “Kind of strange, huh?”

Omondi’s brow slightly puckered as he lifted his head and studied himself. “I feel really odd.”

The man’s very dark skin and black eyes spoke of an African ancestry, but his voice was tinged with a rather posh accent. Most likely his family was from the British Isles. The refugees of the dead world tended to live together in enclaves reflective of their countries of origin. Not all the survivors of the great fall of humanity were interested in retaining the old world cultures, but enough did that languages were still being preserved despite English being the primary language of The Bastion.

“You get used to it eventually,” Maria assured him.

“Feels a bit like I’m wrapped in a blanket,” Omondi decided.

Dr. Curran looked more than pleased with the readouts. “Things are looking very good, Chief Defender. We’re going to do a variety of tests just to make sure the transition was smooth,” Dr. Curran said.

Maria’s smile slightly faded at the doctor’s words.

“How is the rest of the squad?” Omondi’s brow was lightly furrowed with concern.

Maria was slightly jealous that the rest of the volunteers had been housed together while she was doing her duty as Dr. Curran’s test subject. They had been able to bond as a unit while she had been isolated.

“Ready to follow in your footsteps,” Beverly replied. She added with a slight smirk, “They’re eager to join you.”

A large smile spread across Omondi’s lips. “I would expect nothing less. They truly are the best of the best.” He flexed his large hands and wiggled his feet. His smile faded and he slowly exhaled. “This really does feel very peculiar. Do you really get used to it?”

Maria flexed her numb hand and drew a breath to speak. “Absolutely,” she lied.

“How long before I will be ready to train?” Omondi asked. He forced himself to lie back, but Maria could see him flexing his muscles.

“Once all the tests are done. Thanks to Vanguard Martinez, your tests will go a lot faster and much more smoothly.”

“I am grateful for that. I won’t lie. I am very anxious to get out there and begin smashing Scrag heads.” Omondi grinned at Maria.

“I feel exactly the same way,” Maria responded.

Dr. Curran wore a look of amusement on her face as she stepped away from the table. “There will be time for that.”

“I want to be there when my people wake up,” Omondi informed the doctor.

“I’ll see if I can arrange that,” Dr. Curran answered.

Omondi’s good-natured expression vanished as his eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened. “I was told I am in charge of this operation. It’s my responsibility to make sure my people come through it safely. I will be at their awakenings. Is that clear?”

Dr. Curran’s mouth dropped slightly in surprise, but then she regained her composure. “As I said, I will see what I can do. Come along, Vanguard Martinez.”

Maria gave Omondi’s shoulder a quick, reassuring squeeze then followed the doctor out of the room.

“There are too many heads to this beast,” Beverly muttered angrily.

“Isn’t the Chief Defender in charge of the operation?” Maria asked. “Isn’t he the one calling the shots for our mission?”

“The line is blurred between where his mission begins and where mine ends,” Dr. Curran confessed.

Sighing, she kept a brisk pace as they traveled the corridor toward the testing rooms. “Once this project was approved by the president it was no longer just an SWD project. I used to answer to my superiors. Now I answer to a committee consisting of every branch of the military and the government. Nothing is simple anymore on the bureaucratic end. Luckily for you, you don’t have to deal with any of that. Your job is simple. Kill the Inferi Scourge and come home to your new life.” Dr. Curran forced a smile onto her tightly-drawn face, as if to reassure Maria.

Though she didn’t particularly like Dr. Curran, Maria could see that the woman genuinely cared about the success of the mission. It softened her anger against the scientist. She supposed that some sort of resentment was normal considering that Dr. Curran had killed her. “I can tell you that I may have transitioned a bit better if I had someone like Chief Defender Omondi there for me when I came to. I’m glad I was there for him today. I would like to be there for the next person who comes over as well.”

Dr. Curran reluctantly nodded. “You have a point.”

“I am not interested in the squabbles of the brass as long as the people volunteering for this mission are treated with the dignity they deserve.”

“You’re still angry at me, aren’t you?”

“Do you blame me?” Maria raised an eyebrow.

“No, I don’t.” Dr. Curran took a hold of Maria’s forearm and steered her into the scientist’s private office. “Take a seat and I’ll be right back.”

With a sigh, Maria sat at the edge of a chair and listened to the door whoosh shut. The media feed was running on the screen over the doctor’s immaculate desk. It was muted, but Maria read the feed at the bottom as the government propaganda filled the screen. So many promises were being made by the president that it created a sense of unease in Maria. Though hope had filled her the day before, now she felt a twinge of worry. If they weren’t successful, the city would face a dreadful death.