Hush (The Infected: Ripped to Shreds Book 1) (35 page)

With that, there was no real
reason that Kerry couldn't fix the woman, if she wanted. It was clear that she
didn't even really need to consciously understand what exactly she was doing.
Having the right data would be enough for her to work it all out.

The thing there was that the girl
didn't know that about herself really. All the signs were there, and some part
of her understood it to be fact, but her conscious mind didn't. After all, she
was only a class four. That had been driven into her by the people at the base,
even if it really wasn't true. She was closer to a five, in actual fighting
power. Maybe even a six.

Denis
knew that, but still hadn't
worked out how to get his friend her arm back.

It was really tempting not to
explain it all to them, since it wasn't
her
business. Then, faking that
she was on their side, as well as she could,
was
part of her personal
survival plan at the moment. Finally she shrugged, and looked from one person
to the other.

"Kerry, you need to get with
Lauren's doctors and rebuild her arm for her. I mean, if Director Turner signs
off on that. It might be better for you to wait on that, so she can't fight as
well? You can do it at pretty much any time." She stopped for a bit,
reading more on that, since Kerry actually knew all about it on a deep level.
Actually, there were things in there that were very nearly frightening to think
about, that she could do, if she wanted to and had anything like an
imagination.

Thankfully she really didn't.
Otherwise the woman could potentially make things explode. As in nuclear
detonations, with nothing more than her mind.

That let Cin nod a few times,
only to find Hobbs doing the same thing, smiling. He didn't really mean it, but
it wasn't about him being dour or sour inside. It was just his default
position. A way of throwing his enemies off their guard. He practiced it all
the time, so that when he was in pain, or struggling to survive, it would
always seem like he was gleefully playing.

Now however, he was actually
trying to prop the girl up. She'd betrayed them, due to her weaknesses. That he
hadn't seen it coming and helped her earlier, was, to his mind, his own fault.
It was a failure that he didn't plan to repeat, if he could help it. At that
moment it meant making Kerry feel needed again.

"Ah! That is no doubt the
truth. Yes, we should see what Lady Marcia says, and if it be her will, seek to
give such aid to Lauren. She has lost her way, only, I believe. All can do
that, from time to time. We should seek to help her find us again, if it may be
done." The whole little speech was all for Kerry.

A thing which wasn't lost on
Denis, but truly was on the sandy haired blonde girl.

"I... Don't know if I can do
that."

Cindy snorted then, and shook her
head.

"Look. If
I
say you
can, then you can. You don't even have to do that much. Just look at some
pictures and have some working material around. For this I'd suggest her arm.
The one that was ripped off? It should be made of the same stuff, making the
whole thing easier for you. Not that it will be that hard. Think about it, have
you ever known me to be wrong about anything? Information is what I do."
That presupposed that what she read was real, which there was no guarantee of,
but breaking the girl down right then wouldn't get the work done.

So, instead, Cin waved at them.

"Showers first, then we
should eat and run this past Turner?" She was asking, but sounded so
forceful about it they all nodded.

She really wasn't hungry yet, but
met them in the dining hall, and then walked with them toward the front office.
She was in slacks and a button up shirt, since it was a work day for her, and
no one had given her nifty fatigues yet. Hopefully she wasn't expected to buy
the ugly things for herself. Everyone else had them however, and nothing would
tell the world that she was one of the group as well as fitting in like that.

No one said anything about her
clothing however, even when they managed to pick up Bridget on the way to the
office. She was cute looking, in her little tan outfit that said Chambers over
the left breast pocket. She had on tan boots too, and did look very military
and official. The younger girl didn't say anything as they all got inside,
though she was taking a chance to glare at Kerry a bit over something. Probably
the whole selling them out for drugs thing, but it could have been something
else.

Which as it turned out, it was.

As soon as they got into the
office with Director Turner, the girl half growled at them.

"They want Kerry to grow
Lauren's arm back. Bad enough they already saved her life. I don't think we
should risk it." There was no doubt in her words that Kerry could pull it
off, just that she didn't think it was a good plan. "If anything we should
take off the other one to keep her in check."

That got Denis to glare, at
Bridget, clearly not all that happy to hear about her ideas on the topic. Kerry
shrank into herself, as if she weren't the most powerful being in the room... Which
it turned out, she wasn't. Hobbs just stood there, smiling, the stress of the
whole thing causing his mind to prepare for battle. That meant a lot of
illustrations and plans to join up with Lady Marcia, if it came to blows or use
of powers. The thing there was that he didn't think they could win, if the
others were truly against them.

Still, that was where his loyalty
and honor lie. With the Lady of the IPB. His commander now.

No one else was thinking of
taking it to blows, however. Denis was about to try and calm everyone in the
room down with his power, and Kerry froze, not even able to run for the door.
She was far too scared for that at the moment. Bridget was just arguing, and
Marcia was trying not to make things worse, by rolling her eyes.

Finally, after several heated
minutes of boring conversation that had nothing to do with her, Cin shrugged,
and cleared her throat.

"Or we can go and tell
Lauren that she'd been being messed with? That it wasn't one of the IPB Agents
doing it at all? I'm willing to bet that she'll come back to our side if she
knows that. No one really wants to be the bad guy, after all. If we let her
know that, it might make a difference."

Then Bridget spun on her, and
tried to slap her in the face. The move was faster than Cin could dodge, or
should have been. The trick there was that the girl's own psychic powers told
her what to do to get out of the way, very exactly. She even had enough time to
read the instructions and get the timing right, which made it seem like she was
ducking the moves, all three of them, perfectly. There was dodging too, and a half
twist, but she got them all right.

Which got her growled at, until
the girl realized what she'd just done.

"Oh, crap. I'm sorry. I didn't
mean it!"

Marcia nodded, standing there,
with her arms crossed.

"Yeah, you just got lucky.
So much so I should toss you in the brig for doing it. That would have killed
her if it landed. If you'd done the same thing with Kerry we'd be cleaning up a
big mess right now. One way or the other. Now, calm the fuck down, and stop
acting like an idiot? I like Cindy's plan for this one. Go and actually talk to
Lauren, and let her know what's going on. If you think she can handle it, get
her arm back for her. Do you understand that Bridget? This isn't the right time
for you to be trying to exercise that little grudge you've been carrying around
for years. If your dad can forgive everyone for trying to kill him, then you
can too."

She sounded wary, and not exactly
certain that she was right, but there was a slow, soft, nod from Bridget.

"I know. I know that I need
to let it go... But I can't. It's too hard." Then she held up her right
hand. "I've heard all the arguments. That I need to rise above things.
That they did it to try and protect me. None of it is good enough. Not even a
little bit. Lauren helped make everyone think that my dad and I were having
sex. That I was too stupid, or impulsive, to just say no. Even if I could
forgive them all, that doesn't mean I should. No one even apologized to me for
being wrong and thinking I was doing that kind of thing. I know that I'm supposed
to be bigger than that, but I'm
not
. Plus, right now I don't know that
we should be the big ones here. She, Lauren, did it. She betrayed us all.
That's treason, right? She should at least have a trial for that."

The words weren't smug. They
weren't even harsh at the end. The thing there was that both Marcia and Bridget
knew that Lauren really did betray them, and the country, since they were a
federal agency. Given that, and the anti-Infected sentiment the world still
had, she would be found guilty of it too. Then sentenced to death.

It would all be legal, and above
board. Maybe even earned.

That happening would also weaken
the IPB, and probably hurt Bridget a lot more than it seemed like it possibly
could.

Marcia thought that was the case,
and while Bridget didn't, not in any kind of conscious format, her inner self
was all over the idea, and
already
felt bad about it. The whole thing
was silly to Cindy, but everyone else in the room had an opinion on it. Kerry
wanted Lauren to live, since she was
as
guilty of wrongdoing herself.
Worse, the large armored woman had done it trying to be loved. To make the
loneliness go away for a bit.

The whole thing got Cin to sigh.

"This was a first mode deal.
I heard that you don't punish people for those directly, do you? I mean, isn't
that why I basically get a second chance? I clearly don't deserve one. Not by
anyone's way of looking at things. I killed those men, and I don't feel bad
about it in the slightest. But first mode, so
I
get cut slack. Should
she get less than that?" It was just a question, and Cindy didn't really
care, one way or the other, as long as it didn't have her killed out of hand.

Bridget turned on her, and
scowled, then shook her little head. The move was too big, and made it seem
like a joke. No one was smiling, however.

Instead she just let tears form
in her eyes.

"It's always let it go. Let
it go. People keep saying that I'm dangerous and that I have to prove I'm not,
but no one else has to prove shit, do they? No one has to be sorry for hurting
me, do they? You'll always just let them walk." There was misery in the
words, not heat, or anger. Like it was simply reality, and nothing she could do
would ever change it.

Worse, it was kind of clear that
everyone else there was really thinking that it was pretty much true.

Cindy shook her head though.

"I wish I could tell you
that life was different than that. It probably isn't. Not really. We have to
all get by, as best we can. It normally isn't fair, or balanced. Things happen,
and you do what you think is right for you, until someone stops you from doing
it. The problem there is that no one can really stop you, not that people know
about, and that scares them. Lauren is the same way. She's got to be close to
being one of the only beings that people thought could stop you in a fight.
That would be why they recruited her, I bet. Then, when it happened you nearly
killed her, inside a minute. That's why we need you to march in there, get her
out of trouble, and then get Kerry to fix her arm. It needs to look like it's
all your plan, too. That you're the one making sure it gets done. Because
otherwise even people that like you will become afraid. It will look like you
aren't in control, and that won't play well."

It was just common sense, but
everyone else there was looking at the small girl like bombs of wisdom had been
heaped upon her, and they were afraid she might not get it. Not until it was
too late.

Bridget Chambers worked it all
out in her head however, and did so a lot faster than anyone else there, other
than Hush, would ever know. She still wasn't going to be a Lauren fan, but she
got the idea, and started to nod. Slowly at first, then faster.

"Fine. I can do the PR
thing. I expect real apologies from people though. It's been too long. I swear,
if I don't get them, in writing, then..." What she was planning wasn't
spoken out loud, but the guess that the others have, which invovled a tiny girl
meltdown, didn't do justice to what she was actually thinking.

That was all about death and
mayhem on a level that few there would survive, if she had to bring it to bear.
Worse, the whole thing with Prime having supposedly abused her was going to hit
the air again soon. That would probably mean that some news people were going
to die, if they didn't keep their mouths shut. Bridget had plans for that. It
might mean losing her entire world, but she was ready. Things had been sitting
too long already.

Her mind was on fire with the
possibilities. None of them were that great.

Cindy read it all, then nodded.
She looked at Director Turner, rather than Bridget.

"Can I borrow Penny Cooper
for this? We'll get the apologies from the right people here. Then... The rest
we might have to handle differently. The press is about to be a pain." She
didn't want to say that she planned to kill some people, not out loud. Oddly
enough Marcia Turner understood her meaning, and even why she wasn't saying it.