Chapter Thirty: Mistakes

After days of pestering, Jason finally agreed to wear some fatigues supplied by the military as his clothes finally became too tedious to wear. Days of drying sea water combined with bad chaffing was what made the choice for him in the end. Although he didn’t like wearing them, he had to admit that they were far more comfortable than his school uniform which he had been wearing for nearly nine months. Celeste was now under watch at all times Jason had Sarah quarantined and buried an empty, home-made wooden box and Claire was nearly finished with the interrogations. Carlisle had already assembled the team to enter the airbase. The plan was to ambush an incoming shift, steal the uniforms, and go in as the next shift. Once inside, the rest could be let in without detection. They were also carrying explosives. If the mission failed, they would destroy the airbase, but Jason hoped it wouldn’t come to that. Jason had based himself in the Glasshouse, though he had made modifications. He had boards placed on the windows facing the main foyer of the grandstand and he had Claire shutdown the security cameras and just to make sure they couldn’t be used he had the lenses painted. Jason was sure there wasn’t another spy, he just wanted to be sure that, even if there was another spy, they wouldn’t get anything of value. There was a knock on the door.

‘Come in’ Jason said. The door opened and a soldier walked Sarah in.

‘I can walk you know’ Sarah said, a little annoyed. The Solider simply grunted.

‘Dismissed’ Jason said and the Soldier left, closing the door behind him.

‘Has Emilia found a cure yet?’ Sarah asked. Jason had set Emilia the task of finding a way to help Sarah. So far the only solution she had come up with was a bullet.

‘No she hasn’t’ Jason sighed.

‘It’s getting worse. It’s not simply knowing things now’ Sarah said.

‘What do you mean?’ Jason asked. Jason knew he was looking at his future self. What would happen to him after he died, as Jason couldn’t deny that he had also been injected with the same thing as Sarah, though not through lack of trying.

‘I can hear them,’ Sarah answered, her voice quivering. ‘There’s also this’ she added, turning around and pulling up her pant leg up past her knee. Jason didn’t know what was worse; the smell of rotting flesh or the sight of what was happening. Her calf had been cut straight down the middle and was being eaten away. The bone could be seen, but it wasn’t white, it was brown, the same brown as the exoskeleton of the Tallentiri. The remaining muscle and skin were also a burnt brown colour and despite being an open wound, it certainly wasn’t bleeding.

‘How long has it been like that?’ Jason asked her.

‘A few hours. It wasn’t there at all last night’ Sarah replied. Jason picked up the phone behind the bar.

‘Carlisle?’ he asked. There was a pause. ‘Send Emilia up here now’ and Jason hung up.

‘What’s happening to me?’ Sarah asked.

‘We’ll discuss that once Emilia gets up here’ Jason said. For the next few minutes, they sat in silence, waiting, until the door opened and Emilia stepped through.

‘What’s going on?’ she asked. Jason looked at Sarah.

‘Show her’ he said. Sarah reluctantly showed Emilia her calf. Emilia gasped and stepped back in shock.

‘She says it wasn’t there last night’ Jason told Emilia.

‘What’s happening to me?’ Sarah asked again.

‘The obvious answer is you’re changing. I can’t tell you how far you’ll go though. As far I know, no one’s been though since the invasion’ Emilia answered.

‘Yeah, I don’t want to take any chances. She claims she can hear them as well’ Jason said. Emilia nodded.

‘Lie on your stomach on the table for me’ Emilia said to Sarah. ‘Jason, get me a sharp knife please’ Jason got her a knife from behind the bar while Sarah lay down.

‘What are you doing?’ Jason asked her.

‘I don’t know, but I might be able to get somewhere if I can analyse a piece of her leg’ Emilia said, taking the knife from Jason.

‘Emilia, we don’t have time for it. We’re moving in a matter of days. Could even be tomorrow’ Jason said.

‘I’m not telling you not to go. Leave me here with a few soldiers to continue my work with her-‘ Emilia started.

‘You know the plans for this place once we leave. We’re leveling it’ Jason said.

‘And what happens if Jandakot goes south? Where are you going to go? A few hundred people out in the open will attract a lot of attention from the Nexus or the Tallentiri, if not both. If I’m here, studying her, I might be able to cure her, and you’ Emilia said. Jason stopped. He hadn’t considered what they would do if the mission failed.

‘You’ve got seventy-two hours to find a cure. After that, we leave with or without you’ Jason told her.

‘I need more time-‘

‘Seventy-two hours. I don’t want to stay here any longer than we have to, and I’m not entirely comfortable with staying seventy-two more hours’ Jason said. Emilia looked like to say something but instead looked down at Sarah’s leg and stuck the blade of the knife into the brown skin.

‘Does that hurt?’ Emilia asked.

‘Does what hurt?’ Sarah asked.

‘What does that mean? Jason asked.

‘It could mean that the tissue is disconnected from the body’ Emilia said, stabbing the brown skin this time.

‘Anything?’ Emilia asked.

‘What are you doing?’ Sarah asked. Emilia sighed as she ran the blade down the bone and they saw Sarah shiver.

‘Where do we go from here?’ Jason asked.

‘We could treat it like Gangrene and amputate it’ Emilia suggested.

‘You are not amputating my leg!’ Sarah said defiantly.

‘Right, I can’t make her do something she doesn’t want to do,’ Jason said. Emilia looked at him. ‘I mean I won’t’ he added.

‘Well I don’t know what to do’ Emilia said.

‘Well figure it out. Take her back down to quarantine, make sure no one sees her leg’ Jason said. Emilia nodded escorting Sarah out. Jason sighed, rubbing his eyes.

‘Yeah, alright’ he said to himself, yawning slightly as he got up and walked out of the Glasshouse. Where he was confronted by Carlisle.

‘Ahh,’ Carlisle said. ‘Just the man I wanted to see. You look terrible. Have you had any rest?’

‘I’m well ahead of you. That’s exactly where I’m going’ Jason said.

‘Ok, well before you go you should know we’re running low on food’ Carlisle said.

‘Alright. Form three teams of six, three civillians and three soldiers in each. One goes South, one goes West and one goes East. You know all that’ Jason said shortly.

‘Yes I do, but everywhere within five clicks has been picked clean’ Carlisle told him.

‘So expand to ten,’ Jason said, slightly annoyed. ‘Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go get some sleep’ he added as he walked up the stairs to the fourth floor.

‘Yes sir’ Carlisle said.

‘How many times do I have to tell you not to call me sir?’ Jason asked, tiredly.

‘Many times. Each time I’ve given you the same response sir. You are the commanding officer and my training has drilled me to address the CO as either sir or ma’am’ Carlisle replied.

‘Right. Don’t address me as “sir” Lieutenant. That’s an order’ Jason said.

‘I have two questions, what do you want me to address you as and does that order apply to all military?’ Carlisle asked.

‘As long as it’s not “sir” you can address me as… as professor banana boat for all I care. And yes it applies to all military’ Jason said.

‘Ok, professor banana boat,’ Carlisle replied and Jason saw a slight smile spread across Carlisle’s face. ‘I’ll let you get some rest’ he added, turning back. Jason nodded as he climbed the stairs to the third floor which had been converted in a dormitory. Jason nodded to himself.

‘Yeah, I’m gonna regret saying that’ he said to himself sleepily as he let himself fall onto a mattress and crashed.

He was awoken by thunder and lightning and the feeling of someone shaking him.

‘Jason,’ Emilia’s voice said. ‘Are you awake?’

‘I am now’ Jason answered, sitting up.

‘Good. We’ve got a situation downstairs. ‘Emilia told him. Jason got up and walked down the stairs.

‘What is it?’ he asked.

‘Sarah killed the soldier guarding her and escaped’ Emilia answered, following him down the stairs.

‘What? How?’ Jason asked.

‘We’re not sure. He seems to have been stabbed with-‘

‘With a talon?’ Jason asked. Emilia nodded. ‘Great’ he added as he walked

‘Carlisle, a word’ Jason walked away from the soldiers and Carlisle followed him.

‘I did warn you’ he said.

‘Yes you did and I should’ve listened. I didn’t and I accept responsibility for what happened’ Jason told him. Carlisle nodded though it was obvious he was angry.

‘Look, I can understand your anger. But it was under my authority that she stayed and ultimately my fault that this happened. But I need you to focus because I am your commanding officer and you know that she is critical to the current plan’ Jason told him.

‘Damn right it’s your fault. She should never have been here’ Carlisle said.

‘I know. But we have to find her. I’d go, but I have to deal with the negotiator. Take seven of your best men and find her. We leave in thirty-six hours, with or without you. Understand?’ Jason asked.

‘Yes’ Carlisle said vehemently.

‘She is to be alive Carlisle. Alive ok’ Jason told him.

‘Yeah I’ve got it. Thirty-six hours and she has to be alive’ Carlisle replied.

‘Then go’ Jason said and watched as Carlisle turned his back and left.