Determined
“Damn door.” Rob grunted, putting his shoulder into it. He fed the hungry washing machines, in another hour he’d have to feed the equally hungry dryers. He hated doing laundry. His coinage was always noticeably lighter.
He tossed the basket into the bedroom door as he leaned back, letting his weight shove the door closed. “Deb?” He went into the living room and saw her huddled in one corner of the couch, wrapped in a blanket and shivering. He hurried over and knelt, “Are you okay? I’ll turn up the temperature.”
She shook her head, “I already looked. I think it’s me, Robbie. What ever is happening to you is happening to me.”
He looked into her fear widened eyes, and saw his own worries mirrored there. “Okay. Okay, let’s start figuring this out, then. If we can find out who did this and why, maybe they can tell us how to reverse it.”
“What if they can’t? What if this is permanent?” Tears began streaking her face, “What then?”
“Then we deal with that, Deb. The worst thing we can do is give up. Like I told you, we’ll get through this together. Like we get through everything. Okay?”
She nodded, and he grabbed some tissue to hand to her. She smiles gratefully and dried her eyes. “I’m sorry. I guess it just kind of hit me.”
“It’s okay. Nothing to be sorry about.” He sat next to her, and hesitantly, put an arm around her shoulder. She leaned into him, and sniffled quietly.
After a little while, she sat up and gave a small smile, “Thanks. I think I needed that.” Her voice was quiet, but she wasn’t shivering any more.
“Better?” She nodded. “Good.”
“I’m warming up, too.” She looked down, blushing a little bit. For the second time that day, he noticed how pretty she looked when she blushed.
He blushed lightly himself, then stammered a bit, “G-good. Let’s check and see if Larry has anything.”
“Oh! That reminds me.” She grabbed Larry’s note from the end table and handed it to Rob. “He shoved it under the door yesterday. With all that happened,” she shrugged.
He nodded. “Okay. Let’s call him up.” He grabbed the phone and called Larry, who said he’s be up soon.
“Want some coffee while we wait? I started some while you were putting the laundry in.”
“Sure. I’ll get it though. You want some more, too?” At her nod, he got up and took her mug with him. He loved the smell of coffee, and in his small apartment it filled up the entire place with the rich odor. A few years ago, Deb signed him up for a coffee of the month club for his birthday. He still kept his membership up, and delighted in the different smells it brought.
As he brought the two mugs back to the couch, Larry was fighting his way through the door. When he got it closed, Deb and Rob watched him with raised eyebrows. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll get it fixed today. Scout’s honor.”
Rob had to laugh. “Coffee’s in the kitchen if you want some.” He popped open the cabinet on one of the end table and pulled out some notepads and pens. Larry dragged a chair in from the kitchen with him, and as he sat down, dropped a short stack of photos on the coffee table.
“What’s this?” Deb picked up the stack and leafed through them. They were overhead shots of a grouping of buildings. “Satellite?” When Larry nodded, she traced a finger down the line of a road. “This is the tech college. I recognize that annoying curve the road takes around the administrative building.”
Larry nodded and pointed to one side of the image, “This is the back entrance to the CDC lab. May ?” He held out a hand for the pictures. After she handed them over, he shuffled to a picture and held it over. “This is the same entrance, but centered over it. See the dust cloud? That’s a line of trucks. Once a month they leave and come back a few days later. No one knows where they go or what they carry.”
“Okay, what does this have to do with anything?”
Larry gave Rob a long suffering look, “You said the good Dr. Marqea said his staff thinks the CDC already knew about what was happening, right? Well, take the pictures of these trucks, the underground noises, and all the other assorted rumors, and this looks really bad for the CDC.” At both of the baffled looks he got he sighed and carefully explained. “If the Centers for Disease Control are running unauthorized experiments, maybe for vaccines or not I don’t know, then they would want to relocated out of town once things started to take effect.”
Rob and Deb looked at each other then to Larry. “That’s a lot of speculation, I mean I know things are weird,” Deb picked up Rob’s wooden arm, “but come on.”
Larry shrugged. “I’m not saying that’s what it is, but it is a place to start at least. If they didn’t have anything to do with it, they have to know something, right?”
“Hmm. He’s right, Deb. It is a place to start. We’ll never get in the front door, though. One thing we’ve both seen for ourselves are the armed guards.”
She grimaced. “Great. How else are we going to get the info?”
“Easy.” Larry grinned and rocked back on the chair, “We break in.”
He tossed the basket into the bedroom door as he leaned back, letting his weight shove the door closed. “Deb?” He went into the living room and saw her huddled in one corner of the couch, wrapped in a blanket and shivering. He hurried over and knelt, “Are you okay? I’ll turn up the temperature.”
She shook her head, “I already looked. I think it’s me, Robbie. What ever is happening to you is happening to me.”
He looked into her fear widened eyes, and saw his own worries mirrored there. “Okay. Okay, let’s start figuring this out, then. If we can find out who did this and why, maybe they can tell us how to reverse it.”
“What if they can’t? What if this is permanent?” Tears began streaking her face, “What then?”
“Then we deal with that, Deb. The worst thing we can do is give up. Like I told you, we’ll get through this together. Like we get through everything. Okay?”
She nodded, and he grabbed some tissue to hand to her. She smiles gratefully and dried her eyes. “I’m sorry. I guess it just kind of hit me.”
“It’s okay. Nothing to be sorry about.” He sat next to her, and hesitantly, put an arm around her shoulder. She leaned into him, and sniffled quietly.
After a little while, she sat up and gave a small smile, “Thanks. I think I needed that.” Her voice was quiet, but she wasn’t shivering any more.
“Better?” She nodded. “Good.”
“I’m warming up, too.” She looked down, blushing a little bit. For the second time that day, he noticed how pretty she looked when she blushed.
He blushed lightly himself, then stammered a bit, “G-good. Let’s check and see if Larry has anything.”
“Oh! That reminds me.” She grabbed Larry’s note from the end table and handed it to Rob. “He shoved it under the door yesterday. With all that happened,” she shrugged.
He nodded. “Okay. Let’s call him up.” He grabbed the phone and called Larry, who said he’s be up soon.
“Want some coffee while we wait? I started some while you were putting the laundry in.”
“Sure. I’ll get it though. You want some more, too?” At her nod, he got up and took her mug with him. He loved the smell of coffee, and in his small apartment it filled up the entire place with the rich odor. A few years ago, Deb signed him up for a coffee of the month club for his birthday. He still kept his membership up, and delighted in the different smells it brought.
As he brought the two mugs back to the couch, Larry was fighting his way through the door. When he got it closed, Deb and Rob watched him with raised eyebrows. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll get it fixed today. Scout’s honor.”
Rob had to laugh. “Coffee’s in the kitchen if you want some.” He popped open the cabinet on one of the end table and pulled out some notepads and pens. Larry dragged a chair in from the kitchen with him, and as he sat down, dropped a short stack of photos on the coffee table.
“What’s this?” Deb picked up the stack and leafed through them. They were overhead shots of a grouping of buildings. “Satellite?” When Larry nodded, she traced a finger down the line of a road. “This is the tech college. I recognize that annoying curve the road takes around the administrative building.”
Larry nodded and pointed to one side of the image, “This is the back entrance to the CDC lab. May ?” He held out a hand for the pictures. After she handed them over, he shuffled to a picture and held it over. “This is the same entrance, but centered over it. See the dust cloud? That’s a line of trucks. Once a month they leave and come back a few days later. No one knows where they go or what they carry.”
“Okay, what does this have to do with anything?”
Larry gave Rob a long suffering look, “You said the good Dr. Marqea said his staff thinks the CDC already knew about what was happening, right? Well, take the pictures of these trucks, the underground noises, and all the other assorted rumors, and this looks really bad for the CDC.” At both of the baffled looks he got he sighed and carefully explained. “If the Centers for Disease Control are running unauthorized experiments, maybe for vaccines or not I don’t know, then they would want to relocated out of town once things started to take effect.”
Rob and Deb looked at each other then to Larry. “That’s a lot of speculation, I mean I know things are weird,” Deb picked up Rob’s wooden arm, “but come on.”
Larry shrugged. “I’m not saying that’s what it is, but it is a place to start at least. If they didn’t have anything to do with it, they have to know something, right?”
“Hmm. He’s right, Deb. It is a place to start. We’ll never get in the front door, though. One thing we’ve both seen for ourselves are the armed guards.”
She grimaced. “Great. How else are we going to get the info?”
“Easy.” Larry grinned and rocked back on the chair, “We break in.”
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