The Last Bastion of the Living (The Last Bastion #1)(47)

Chapter 13



Dwayne was reviewing weekly reports in his office late one night when Petra appeared in his doorway. She was already off duty, but was still in uniform. He lifted his eyes as she set a steaming cup of real coffee in front of him.

“Mind if I join you?” she asked.

“I’m busy right now,” he said.

He tried to keep the irritation from his voice. There had been no word from Maria in two days and the silence was bothering him. Lindsey had promised to scrounge up what she could when he had contacted her a few hours before. To keep himself busy and distracted, he was trying to make a dent in the pile of reports he had to review before forwarding them to the commandant.

“Too busy to talk to me about a very interesting piece of information that fell into my lap by accident today?”

Dwayne set down his stylus and settled back in his chair. It creaked in protest and he made a mental note to oil its hinges later. “You’re very good at getting my attention.”

Her too-thin form folded onto a chair and she crossed her long legs. She always reminded him a bird: delicate in appearance, but acutely aware of her surrounds. Her thick hair was coiled into a tight braid down her back and not one curl dared to stray across her brow or neck. Commandant Pierce had once tried to snag Petra as her assistant, but Petra had somehow avoided the transfer. Dwayne appreciated her loyalty, but wondered sometimes what he had done to gain it.

“I assume that you have found other sources since you have not been asking me to gather information about the peculiar dealings in the SWD headquarters, or the constant chatter on the news vids about a top secret mission approved by the president.” Petra’s hawkish nose and keen eyes made her look distinctly like a predatory bird.

Dwayne slightly lifted his shoulders, his hands clasped at his waist.

A smile flitted across her lips. “I see. Well, I wonder if your other source of information knows that the SWD has initiated a full lockdown of their facility. Only the top brass is allowed to leave or enter the building. All other personnel have been detained inside.”

Dwayne’s stoic expression didn’t change, but he felt his heartbeat speed up just a bit. “Has there been a contamination event inside the facility?”

Leaning forward, Petra rested her sharp elbow against his desktop and rested her chin on her hand. “This is the interesting part of the story. It’s in response to several breaches. Apparently, the media used its sources to gain some important information about the top secret project the SWD is obviously implementing.”

“I’ve seen nothing on the feeds. Commandant Pierce hasn’t notified me of any additional security measures.”

“That’s because the journalists involved in the breaches were apprehended and are now incarcerated in the SWD facility. The official story to their news outlets and their families is that they’re now imbedded with the SWD and will not be able to release their stories until the top secret operation is over.”

Dwayne chuckled. “I just love how the top secret operation is all over the news and obviously occurring.”

“It’s marvelous, isn’t it? Of course no one knows the true nature of whatever they’re doing. There are rumors they have created a virus that will kill the Scrags, or a new weapon, or some sort of nanotechnology that will revert them to humans...in other words, everyone is guessing.”

Dwayne exhaled slowly, adding this new information to what he already knew. Maria’s silence could be a result of the lockdown and media blackout, but Lindsey had been certain her program could find its way through any security protocols. It was probably best that the SWD go on full lockdown during the mission. He hated to admit it, but he had been greatly unnerved at seeing Maria as an Inferi Boon. What had made it worse was seeing her smile on a dead face and her words tumbling from dead lips. It was difficult to reconcile that the woman he loved was now one of the creatures he had feared his entire life. In his nightmares, he saw her raging through the streets of the city infecting all who came into her path. And the dream always ended the same way. She would find him and tear into him, infecting him.

“A penny for your thoughts?” Petra narrowed her eyes.

“They want us to know that something is going on in the SWD,” Dwayne said at last. “The government is doing nothing to hide the fact that something major is going on in there. The city is abuzz with excitement. They’re building up the morale of the people and giving them hope. It’s on purpose. A ploy. But why?”

Petra sat back in her chair abruptly, her eyes downcast as she visibly pondered the question. “To keep the population from seeing the truth.”

Dwayne sighed, nodding.

“But what is the truth?”

He shrugged. “I can only speculate.”

“The energy crisis maybe?”

“That’s hard to ignore with the rolling blackouts.”

Slightly biting her lip, Petra fell into deep thought. “I suppose,” she said after a few long beats, “I could delve deeper.”

“I would rather you just concentrated on the SWD. I need to know if you hear anything else come out of the SWD facility.”

“Of course.”

“Petra, I appreciate every little bit of information you have ever obtained for me. The commandant tends not to tell me everything I need to know to do my job effectively. You have always filled in the gaps. But these are very dangerous times. With the journalists being detained and the lockdown occurring, it’s very clear that even you may end up disappearing behind SWD walls if you’re not careful.” Dwayne hated to frighten her, but he was concerned more than ever for everyone he cared about.