Chapter 5

Finally, the day Tommy had been dreading arrived ... almost arrived, that is. Tomorrow morning was when the government wanted to do some tests.

He had been constantly vacillating between a fear of being dissected or used as a lab rat and his belief that the Army wouldn’t risk a potentially unique resource like him. And he still didn’t really know which it would be, but since they were asking instead of just grabbing him, he hoped it was the non-dissection option.

Instructions were included in an envelope with large red letters which spelled out, “Read Immediately” on the top of that morning’s set of papers ... more orders than instructions, really ... for him to gather up at least one sample person for each level of mental capacity among the Infected. They had listed them out by numbered levels.

5 - Fully able to speak, think and control their actions. Have control over other Infected (i.e. Tommy himself).

4 - Fully able to speak and think, but not necessarily in control of their actions (i.e. May).

3 - Fully able to think, with the capacity to read and write (e.g. one of the members of Tommy’s Brown Derby team).

2 - Partially able to think and care for self, not able to read/write (e.g. most of the Infected).

1 - Low level ability to think and retain knowledge, likely not able to care for self (e.g. someone like Red).

Except that there was a lot of extra, unnecessary detail to everything, obviously written by some egghead professor type. Tommy had respect for people like that, as long as they didn’t get too full of themselves. Anyway, whoever wrote it also included a list of tests to do, most of which could be done from safely behind a fence.

He was to have at least one of every type listed by the normal drop-off gate tomorrow morning at 9 am, preferably a dozen or more of each type when possible.

In the end, Tommy only thought about it for a couple minutes, before leaving a reply, saying, “Yes, sir. 0900 hours.”

Then he made sure his watch was wound properly.

As he drove off, he started considering things, thinking out loud by talking with Holly.

“Well, four and five are easy, since there’s just me and May. For number three ... I dunno. I want Henry to keep working. He’s the only real chance we have right now, when it comes to keeping the power running. I don’t really know if Jebediah can read and write properly. I mean, I’ve seen ... I know he can read, but he moves his lips while he does it, and he’s a bit slow and careful when he writes. Maybe’s he’s ... ummm ... self-taught? I guess it’ll be Jacob or Jackie or Zeke. Maybe Delores? Maybe I’ll just ask for a volunteer at today’s meeting? I suppose number two should be easy, I mean, I could just grab someone randomly off the street ... but how’d I know if they were a number one or two?”

He glanced over at Holly, who was watching him intently.

“It’s just that, if we can show them we’re organized and that we can work with them ... that I ... that we can keep things under control ... well, I think it’ll help us out a lot in the future. It’s just ... Sorry, I don’t mean to unload on you. I’m worried, but I’ll handle it.”

Holly reached over and put a comforting hand on his leg, patting, then moved on to rubbing a little. He covered her hand with his and held it.

What he was actually thinking was that the better he was able to show the general that things were under control, the more likely the Army was to be willing to keep them all alive. If LA turned into a pit of death and destruction, they might just let everyone die off on their own or turn the city into a shooting gallery. On the other hand, the whole situation was so far beyond him, it was seriously frightening. He had fleeting thoughts of using the Infected as an army to do ... what exactly? Besides, he knew that these were still real people, and civilians, at that. They were just ... damaged somehow. And he ... somehow, Tommy Byrd, a nobody from the ass-end of nowhere in Georgia, had control over them. And that made him responsible for however many millions of people.

At some level, Holly must have sensed his ongoing uneasiness, because she tried to snuggle with with him ... while he was driving ... driving an old Army jeep with the stick shift positioned between two completely independent front seats. They were lucky he didn’t crash.

Instead he swerved over, jumped a curb, and came to a stop in a cheap motel parking lot. He quickly checked them both over for injuries, then sat back and started laughing. He pulled her into a hug when he saw her panicked look.

“I love ya, Holly, but ya can’t do that sorta thing when I’m drivin’,” he told her, catching his breath.

He leaned down a little to kiss her, and she tried to crawl fully into his lap.

A couple minutes later, he looked up and noticed the motel.

“You tryin’ ta tell me something?” he asked. Glancing at his watch, they had a little over two hours before they were due at the meeting. “Wanna get a room for an hour or so?”

She seemed to understand his meaning, as she started rubbing his dick through his pants.

He felt dirty doing so, but he left Holly in the Jeep and walked into the small front office to get a room. It was empty, and if the dust was anything to judge by, no one had been moving around in the room for weeks. He easily found the room keys behind the counter and grabbed a few. When he drove Holly around to the right section, they noticed a lone maid pushing a small cart between rooms, so he hoped the rooms would be livable.

While Room #117 was hardly a place of luxury, it was clean enough and the bed was big enough. There was no power in the area, but it wasn’t really needed for their goals.

Once the door was closed behind them, Holly started removing her clothes as quickly as her hands would allow. Tommy was almost certain that she decided to start by removing her shirt and bra just for him. A dirty part of him wondered if he could get away with having her go around topless all the time.

By the time he was naked, she was already on the bed, her legs spread wide, waiting for him. She was saying something along the lines of “Quatty hiregune ids,” when he practically dived on top of her. Less than a minute later, he was inside of her. They clutched each other and just kissed for a while, reveling in the sensations ... and perhaps also in the knowledge that they were alone together in bed for the first time in what seemed like weeks.

While Tommy very much enjoyed his recently expanded sex life, Holly was special, and maybe he occasionally just needed time alone with her.

When he finally started thrusting his hips back and forth, he looked down at her gorgeously-shaped brown body and observed, “You’re just so damn beautiful.”

She seemed to glow with satisfaction at the comment, and pushed her hips up to meet his thrusts.

They fucked for what felt like hours, not resting or feeling the need for it. The first time he came, they paused long enough to enjoy the feeling. When she came, he never stopped moving. Her body would lock up a little, and she might grab for him, but he just kept on fucking her, turning single orgasms into long, drawn-out moments of pleasure. He wasn’t certain how many times she climaxed, but it was at least four or five. Maybe even twice that many.

After he came a second time, once his head cleared a little, he exerted enough will power to look at his watch.

He sighed, pulled out, and flipped over onto the bed next to her. She started to climb on top of him to continue, but he pulled her back down and hugged her close, kissing her.

“We need to be at the meeting in about forty-five minutes,” he said quietly. He nuzzled her with a fond grin. “Hey, Tits, let’s go see if the shower works.”

The answer to that query was yes ... kind of. There was no hot water, and the water pressure wasn’t as strong as it probably should have been, but there was enough for a quick rinse and wipe-down. And maybe Tommy took a little too much pleasure helping clean Holly up, but they still were on-track to arrive a few minutes early.

When they left their room, the maid was only a few doors down from them, and Tommy got a good look at her. She was a young white woman, almost just a girl, as he doubted she was much out of high school, if that. And she was very, very pregnant.

He stared at her, open-mouthed.

He had never even considered that anyone in town would be pregnant.

She moved to enter the next room, but Tommy called out to her and she stopped. He walked over to her, but said nothing, lost in thought and new worries.

He hadn’t seen any infant-sized Infecteds at all. Hadn’t thought about them at all. Maybe they all died while Target Bravo was still alive and sending the hordes of Infected against their fellow humans? But even if that was true, what would this woman’s baby be born as? Human or Infected? And if it was somehow born Human, would that mean any nearby Infected would immediately kill the newborn? If it was born Infected, could it live and grow? Would the mother even know how to care for it?

“Come with...” he started, then stopped himself, reminding himself to maintain at least a veneer of politeness.

“Hello, there, my name is Tommy.” She didn’t wear a nametag or carry a purse or anything helpful like that. Then again, she was dressed for work. Maybe... “Do you have a change of clothes somewhere nearby? Do you have a purse here?”

“Mughbut targun umber fwuwua wrivmi opple cardi numwinbersinging.”

“Please nod if your purse or bag or clothes are nearby.”

She nodded, and added, “Gumbin nilla.”

“Take us there. Come on, Holly. Small change of plans.”

Ten minutes later, the maid emerged from a staff bathroom wearing a dirty blouse and skirt. Her ID said her name was Karen Geneviese, sixteen years old.

He loaded them in his Jeep and drove to the Brown Derby, keeping his speed down due mainly to his sudden desire not to cause any significant jarring to the pregnant woman in the back seat.

Karen seemed to be of above-average intelligence and competence for Infected, but didn’t seem able to read or write, judging from the short time he had known her. Maybe a 2.5 or better on the scale given in the letter.

They arrived about twenty minutes late, and he was pretty sure everyone looked relieved when he showed up, May especially. He was the only one to arrive with someone new, meaning no new recruits today.

He introduced Karen to everyone, and began to explain the new plan.

“ ... so I’m going to ask for one or two volunteers to join me tomorrow morning. May and I need to be there, and I’m going to see if they have a doctor who can take a look at Karen. I mean, I don’t have the first clue what to do if she goes into labor. Do any of you know how to deliver a baby?”

Jackie, Flores and Delores exchanged looks. They were all mothers, and so they presumably knew more about the basics than Tommy did. The men all looked uncomfortable with the question. No one spoke up or raised their hand.

“I just realized I need to separate those two out, don’t I? All right, first, any volunteers to meet with the Army docs tomorrow and help us do some tests?”

Jacob and Henry both raised their hands. Tommy wasn’t sure he wanted to give up Henry for the day ... or risk losing him for longer than that if the Army wanted more extensive tests done.

After thinking a minute, Tommy said, “Sorry, Henry, but from a purely practical standpoint, we need you to keep training others and keep things running. I don’t know if the testing is going to take an hour or a few days. Jacob will come with me. Anyone else? No? Okay, next, does anyone know how to care for a pregnant woman or what to do if she goes into labor?”

Flores half-raised one hand while she started writing out a note with her other. The note read, ‘Only know for myself, never had to help someone else.’

Tommy thought for a moment and realized that the other two mothers didn’t even think they could help at all. “Still, that might mean you’re the best we’re going to get right now,” Tommy said. “Flores, Jacob, I’ll need you to ... hold on, let’s think about the best way to do this. Neither of you actually know where to go, and the Derby is too far away to serve as a meeting place in the morning.”

In the end, they drove around town as a small caravan of vehicles. Tommy visited with their families -- Jacob’s father, sister, girlfriend, plus his girlfriend’s brother and mother; and Flores’ husband and three children -- to ensure everyone would be safe and to reassure them that Jacob and Flores would return. And to find a babysitter for Flores children.

Then to Karen’s home. Karen lived in a tiny house in a more run-down area of town, more-or-less out of sight of the main city thoroughfares, though less than a mile from the motel where she worked. With her lived a younger brother and sister, and a one-armed father. The loss of her father’s arm appeared to be recent, possibly something that had happened after he became Infected, given the crusted blood on some of his clothes.

Tommy really didn’t like the look of the situation, or of her father, for that matter. He spent some time talking with them, and repeatedly ordered him to treat the children well and not to hurt or take advantage of any of them.

Then they drove to Tommy’s recently occupied mansion, where Flores, Jacob and Karen would spend the night.

That evening, Tommy, with a bit of cleverness that surprised him, explained to everyone in the household that they all very much wanted to help conceal the fact that Tommy was living in a house full of attractive, unmarried women. He wasn’t sure how the Army or the public would react if they found out, but he’d prefer the question not come up in the first place. So by phrasing the statement the way he did, he didn’t change anything about their personalities, instead giving them a unified, ongoing goal of protecting his reputation.

It was dark once everyone was safely tucked away, but Tommy still had one more task to do. He walked outside the estate’s fence and started giving orders to the small crowd that tended to congregate outside for some reason. After half an hour, he was reasonably certain that he had picked out two Infected men who were dumb as dirt, on a Type 1 or Red level of intelligence. Men who would follow orders, but weren’t able to retain information for longer than a few minutes. He directed them inside the house and shut them up in one of the bathrooms ... then remembered what had happened to the previous owner of the house and moved them to a basement closet.

The next morning, he retrieved the two Infected dunces and put them in the hotel bus, assigning May to keep them corralled. Flores escorted Karen to the bus, putting a throw pillow under her to give her a more comfortable seat. And finally, he and Jacob boarded the bus. Then he had to reassign people, because the two dunces couldn’t remember not to crowd May.

For the first time, Holly was completely left behind for the day. She was pretty unhappy with the idea, but he wasn’t willing to risk her and ordered her to stay at the house.

Jacob wanted to try his hand at driving the bus, and Tommy indulged him, taking the seat directly behind the driver’s position. He drove a bit slowly, but didn’t hit anything, so Tommy considered it to be good enough. He also had Jacob stop a mile out from the fence so he could order a handful of random pedestrians to join them.

The gate looked significantly different than the day before. There were small tents set up on both sides of the fence, plus at least a hundred soldiers and others dressed up in that weird Science Fiction gear he had seen before. There were quite a few cameras too.

Tommy really wanted to start ordering everyone not to attack anyone, but part of his written orders had included explicit instructions not to do so. A squad of soldiers waved the bus to a halt while they were still a hundred yards out. They were all dressed in protective gear, heavily armed, and standing next to a Jeep with a running engine. When Jacob turned off the bus’ engine, Tommy could make out static noise sound playing from somewhere nearby.

One of the soldiers cautiously handed a piece of paper through the driver’s window, which Jacob glanced at as he handed it to Tommy.

It read, “1) The only stop-attack order you should give to the Infected is ‘Stop’ unless otherwise directed. 2) Exit your vehicle(s) and proceed single-file down to the tents ahead. 3) There are tents clearly labeled 1-5. Direct the Infected into their appropriate tents, based on the classifications below. 4) Wait for further instructions.” Below the instructions was a list showing the same set of 1-5 groupings he had read the previous morning.

Tommy spoke loudly enough to be heard over the static noise, telling everyone to “Stay.” He then took Karen’s hand and took her with him out the front of the bus. They stepped out and he had her turn in profile, clearing displaying her baby bulge, then he moved her back onto the bus.

A minute later, a hand-written note was passed in, indicating that the pregnant Infected should be put in tent #6, and that they needed to stay on the bus while the new tent was prepped. About twenty minutes later, the soldier who had been silently passing messages along pounded on the side of the bus and pointed down the hill toward the tents.

It was a long, nervous walk, but they all made it there alive and without incident. Getting everyone into their appropriate tents wasn’t too bad, with only minor annoyances.

Walking alone into Tent #5 took all of the courage he had saved up. Inside, he found a table pressed up against the fence with a chair in front, with another table and chair matching them on the other side. On either side of the tent’s door were soldiers bearing poles with rope loops dangling from the top end, much like something a dogcatcher might use. Sitting in the other chair was a one star general.

His training kicked in, and Tommy went to full attention and saluted.

“Corporal Tommy Byrd, I assume?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Why are you out of uniform?”

“My uniform was ruined past the point of being presentable, and I have been unable to requisition a replacement due to circumstances beyond my control, sir!”

The general laughed and said, “At ease, Corporal. Have a seat.”

“Thank you, sir!”

Tommy sat, but stayed stiff and upright. Unspoken in this meeting was the shared knowledge that any time a mere Corporal came to the direct attention of a General, he was in deep shit. These might be pretty unusual circumstances, but even so, the shit was extremely deep.

This entire visit was a gamble, and he wished he had some extra protection. An image briefly flashed across his mind of himself, surrounded by a mob of Infected people, using them as shields as he moved from place to place. He almost wished he had tried it out today, but that would just confirm any fears the outside world might have about him.

“Relax a little, Corporal. Who knows maybe we can even dig up a new uniform for you, or at least a set of fatigues. But what I’m really interested in knowing is, why aren’t you trying to tear my face off right now?”

His spine refused to unbend, but his mind was starting to regain some focus. Tommy risked a glance directly at the general, who seemed relaxed and curious.

“I really don’t know, sir. I remember seeing Target Bravo get hit by a missile, then collapsing on top of my squad ... some of them, anyway ... but my memories got pretty fuzzy. Next thing I know, I woke up in the back of a trailer filled with Infected people.”

“That’s what your letters said,” agreed the General, “but we’re hoping to figure out a bit more of the details.” Using a radio at his belt, he transmitted, “Professor, we’re ready whenever you are.”

Three people, all bundled up in those weird outfits, entered the tent behind Tommy, and the two who were obviously soldiers took up station on either side of the door. The third was a blonde middle-aged man wearing glasses, carrying a clipboard.

“Excellent,” he muttered, more to himself than Tommy or General Charles. “The subject hasn’t shown any aggressive behavior despite direct nearby stimulus.”

He walked up to Tommy and clumsily tried to snap his fingers in front of him, something almost impossible while inside the suit. He moved his hands back and forth in front of him, watching Tommy’s face all the time. He muttered something about response reaction, then pulled out a small flashlight and pointed it in Tommy’s eyes, moving it back and forth.

“Uhh ... General, sir? Is he all right?”

The general laughed again and said, “Just let the Professor do his work, son.”

After another minute or two of muttering about ‘the subject’, the Professor became frustrated, saying, “I can’t work like this.”

He then proceeded to pull off the headpiece and gloves of his suit before the guards could stop him. Tommy was immediately grabbed by two rope-poles, with two more guards moving to join them.

“It’s perfectly fine,” the Professor protested, “the subject hasn’t shown any signs of aggression toward the General.”

While the Professor was struggling with two guards of his own trying to drag him out of the tent, Tommy calmly raised a hand -- well, lifted it partway, since he was restrained by the ropes -- and said, “Sir, if I may?”

“Hold up!” General Charles bellowed, then turned back to Tommy. “Corporal?”

“Thank you, Sir! First, Professor, the subject is called Tommy, and I’d be willing to bet Tommy would be happier to help with your tests if you stop calling me ‘the Subject’. Or Corporal Byrd would work too. Second, if someone has some handcuffs, you could cuff one of my wrists to the fencepost while you’re out of your suit, if it makes everyone feel better.”

“A reasonable suggestion ... uhhhh ... Tommy. General?”