The Last Mission of the Living (The Last Bastion #2)(3)

Looking a little deflated, Vaja nodded. “Fine. But once this is done, I’m not doing any more of this.” He gave the commandant a dark look. “I refuse to be conscripted.”

“You won’t be conscripted,” Petra sniffed.

“I also don’t want to be prosecuted,” Vaja continued.

“The commandant already said you don’t have to worry about that,” Lindsey replied, though she wasn’t quite sure how the commandant planned to protect them all from the inquiries that were absolutely going to happen after the planned SWD coup was revealed.

“I better not be,” Vaja muttered, taking her chair.

Petra bestowed Vaja with an annoyed look before tapping her headset to turn it back on and returning to her task, worry nestled firmly on her brow.

Lindsey hurried over to Commandant Pierce. Dr. Curran was nowhere to be seen. The woman unsettled Lindsey and she was more than happy to avoid her.

“Sergeant,” Commandant Pierce said in her husky, silken voice as Lindsey approached. “What do you have to report?”

Leaning on her cane, Lindsey relayed what she’d witnessed on the vid screens and Dwayne’s last command. “I don’t understand what he meant about the virus that Curran gave everyone but Maria. Maria’s Inferi Boon, too.”

Commandant Pierce set her hands on her hips and stared thoughtfully toward the busily working people under her command. Commandant Pierce gestured toward a door that led to a small conference room. “Follow me.”

Once inside, the Commandant locked the door and initiated the privacy protocols. No one could hear them. Well, except for Vaja if he decided to spy.

“Dr. Curran just told me that the virus she gave Vanguard Martinez was not the same one given to the Boon,” Commandant Pierce said in a lowered voice despite the security in the room.

“What?” Lindsey gawked at the Commandant in shock. “I mean, what do you mean, sir?”

“Dr. Curran gave Martinez a different virus. That’s why she’s returning to life. Apparently, Dr. Curran asked Castellan Reichardt to kill both Martinez and Denman and return with samples.”

“So the immortality thing was bullshit?”

“For the other Boon, but not Martinez. She’s the only one who has the virus that could possibly grant immortality. Dr. Curran can’t give any assurances of what may happen to Vanguard Martinez and to protect The Bastion, she told the castellan to eliminate both Boons.”

“But if he knows Maria isn’t like Denman...” Lindsey instantly realized what he’d do. “He’s not coming back because he’s going to infect himself.”

Commandant Pierce’s full lips slightly twisted. “Romantic, isn’t it?”

The dread that had been filling Lindsey at the thought of Dwayne having to kill Maria dissipated. “They’re going into the world.”

“Most likely. Dr. Curran is convinced he’ll return with the samples. But then again, I don’t think she understands how deeply the castellan loves Martinez.”

“So what do we do?”

“We protect them if possible. If the SWD realizes they’re alive, immune, immortal, and out there in the world, they will exhaust The Bastion’s resources trying to find them.”

“To stick them in a lab,” Lindsey grumbled.

“To experiment on them. For the good of humanity, of course.” Commandant Pierce rubbed her temples. “But we know that it would never be administered to the general populace. Imagine an immortal government.”

“They can’t come back,” Lindsey said, the knot in her stomach reforming. “Ever. They’re exiles.”

“Dr. Curran isn’t even certain how the virus in Martinez would affect the general populace. Vanguard Martinez was in exceptional health when infected. The civilian population is not as fortunate. There’s a possibility of an adverse reaction.”

“Like the Anomalies?”

Commandant Pierce sighed, then bobbed her head once.

“So it’s not like Maria could come into the city and kiss everyone and it would be instant utopia,” Lindsey joked, but her tone was laced with despair.

“A kissing spree like that could result in an instant outbreak with only a few of the infected becoming Boon. This was the issue with the Anomalies. Dr. Curran doesn’t have enough data to extrapolate on the long lasting effects of the virus that Vanguard Martinez has in her veins.”

Something in the commandant’s tone frightened Lindsey. “You’re not thinking of killing Maria, are you?”

“No, no,” Commandant Pierce answered. “Let Dwayne and Maria go find a life together if that’s what they want. But once the Constabulary is in control of the city’s defenses, I will not allow them back into The Bastion. I can’t risk humanity. There are too many unknown variables and hazards. Dwayne may be willing to risk all for the woman he loves, but I can’t risk The Bastion.”

Lindsey grimly agreed with the nod of her head. She was never going to see Maria again. The thought shot a sliver of ice through her heart.

“This situation has created a strange dynamic between us,” the commandant continued after a beat. “I would not usually divulge such information to a sergeant, but you’re a valuable asset to me and this city.”