Destiny Unknown

Chapter Seven


Edward and Bella shared a look after the box's declaration, creeping toward their destination. They didn't know what to expect, and with every mile away from the barricade, they wondered what had happened. It was obvious the military were in charge and somehow managed to clear the streets. The survivors they found earlier were an indication of something, but they weren't sure what exactly.

Edward cursed the fact that he hadn't even tried to ask.

Would the military be one more obstacle they would have to endure? The worst-case scenario had now been confirmed: the virus was on the loose, and he had protocols in place. He'd always known if it happened, there would be no stopping the spread without a heavy military strike to the area.

He had to ensure his family was safe first. Something was nagging him, lost memories that made sweat bead across his brow. Whatever it was felt important. "I need to call my father."

Bella looked at him in confusion. "I thought you said he's waiting for us in Alaska." They had little chance to talk, but he had managed to explain that he sent his family to a facility in Alaska. And had she not flown to Arizona, she'd be on the way there herself.

Edward tried hard not to be angry about that. "Yes, but there's a network in place for situations like this and he needs to inform them."

She scrunched her nose and nodded. "Do you mean preppers?" The term was said with some distaste and Edward didn't blame her. Some preppers were extreme and would likely kill people without question if survivors reached their strongholds.

"In a way, yes, but everyone in the network were carefully chosen." Edward pulled up to the curb of a house in its final stages of building. The outside was close to completion, with a roof, a rough coat of stucco, and windows. "They're not going to kill and steal to get what they need." It would be a last resort, and only if the virus wiped out more than what he projected.

"That's because they already have what they need for a few years."

"At least," Edward confirmed her statement. "There's a chance there will be biters inside the home or nearby. I can't tell if the airborne virus has already struck this specific area, but if it was in that apartment building, the chances are high."

"The area was infected approximately forty-seven hours ago. Two armored tanks patrolled the area approximately forty-eight hours earlier. Personnel notified people to stay in their homes due to an epidemic and that help would soon arrive to escort them to a quarantined zone."

Bella poked at the box; the object still glowed. It hadn't said or moved since it informed them of it updating its software. "Has military personnel visited the area since then?"

"Good question." Edward exited the truck and surveyed the area, and waved for Bella to join him. He rubbed his sleeve along his forehead to ease the headache headed toward a migraine. Something he couldn't afford. "Stay locked and loaded, safety off for now. Check the perimeter, Box."

"I have a name." It almost sounded upset.

"Yeah, Gamma Data 247657 something or other," Bella scoffed, explaining to Edward after knocking her out to give her back some memories, the box informed her of what to call it. "That is way too long. Find yourself a suitable name and that's what we'll call you."

"If I must."

Edward realized it now sighed; it was learning at an exponential rate. "Is there any sign of biters or humans inside of or around the perimeter of the house?"

He thought it was best to keep them on task; Bella and the box bickered like siblings. Whatever waited for them inside could potentially hold all the answers they needed, and time was ticking away.

"There are none in the dwelling, but seven hundred yards to the right, two humans on the verge of transformation are in that house. What you seek is in the backyard."

"The military had prior knowledge, didn't they?" Bella's voice sounded angry, which Edward hadn't heard from her yet.

"The military likes to believe they're informed and in charge, but they're as ignorant as you are, my dear." The box zoomed ahead of them, hovering near the front door. A red beam of light shot out of it and melted the door's lock right out.

"That would've been handy a while ago," Edward grumbled, and put on the gun's safety, asking Bella to do the same.

"New feature due to the upgrade."

"Are you done updating?" Bella swept through the living room like a practiced gun owner, boxes of light fixtures and plugs littered the ground. The floor was a dusty concrete slab, sheetrock the only thing on the walls.

"No, it'll take a few days at least. Currently, downloading everything."

"Everything?" Bella asked, holding out her palm for the box to settle in, which it did with a little sigh. "What do you mean everything?"

"Everything that has ever been sent by various forms of communication."

Edward laughed, though it didn't sound pleasant to Bella. Something was going on with him, but she couldn't figure out what.

"I highly doubt that is possible, Box." Edward rolled his eyes and walked toward the kitchen. According to Bella, Alec had to dig to find the box and the cache of weapons Bella's father left her. No doubt, it would be the same at the new location, but first, he needed a moment.

"Maybe to your limited mind." The box now had a condescending tone.

Bella barely stifled a laugh as Edward chose to ignore the tiny pest, but he glared at her. He had been acting rather off putting since she ran away from him, but the situation and everything she learned was catching up with her. It's not every day someone finds out their entire life was a lie. That she was some kind of extra-terrestrial.

Did he expect her to go all Sarah Connor in a matter of hours? Hadn't she done that since Alec's attack? Since his arrival? She would have to get a grip eventually since it was essential for what was to come. Edward had thought of an outcome like this for years, and had on some level mentally prepared for it.

Not her. Not yet.

Edward checked the Sub-Zero refrigerator in the kitchen, grateful to find some cold water bottles in it. He tossed one to Bella. "I think I have the perfect name for you, Box."

"This I need to hear." It buzzed toward Edward and stopped in front of his face.

Edward cocked an eyebrow. "How about Navi? You're just as annoying as that little fairy."

Bella started to giggle. "Did you just name it after a Legend of Zelda character?"

Edward felt his face warm, avoiding her eyes. "Sounds like you know exactly who I'm talking about."

She shrugged. "I love most of the games. Did you play?"

He wasn't sure if she was joking, but he wasn't admitting that gaming was his only solace after a long day in the lab was too much. Too personal. He wasn't ready to share that with her, especially if he had to let her go.

She sensed a change in him; he knew that, but he wasn't ready to voice his concerns.

"Crossing checking Navi and Legend of Zelda." After less than a second, the box started to glow a bright white, taking on a round appearance and a high-pitched voice. "Hey, listen."

Bella groaned. "He was kidding." She slapped Edward's arm and rolled her eyes. "I can't listen to that all the way to Alaska, Edward. Apologize."

"Hey, listen. Can Earth's destiny really depend on such a lazy boy?"

"Oh my God, look what you started!" Bella grabbed the box, hissing when it tried to break free without hurting her. "Do not emulate any video game character, okay? He's sorry."

Edward tugged on his hair; his head was killing him, a borderline migraine. Between Bella's and the box's voices, he was ready to lose his mind. It was all too much; he hadn't slept in days.

"I'm this close to destroying that thing, Bella!" He threw his hands in the air. "If it wasn't for the answers it seems to hold, I would've already."

"You're not touching the box if you mean to harm it." Bella stood firm, her hands braced on her hips, her eyes a brilliant violet and narrowed.

He gave a curt nod. "We don't have time for fun and games. We need to prioritize and figure out where we go from here. How long do we have before the military return to the area?"

The box for once offered nothing but what Edward needed. "Two groups of eight are within five miles from here. Their search patterns indicate we have forty-five minutes before they reach the area. They are under orders to shoot anyone outside in the streets under the assumption that they're infected."

Still wary, Bella wouldn't stop glaring. "We need to find whatever my father left here for me." She chugged half the bottle of water and headed toward the kitchen's side exit. "You call your father, check in with Jasper and Alice, and then we'll decide once we figure out how to neutralize the airborne virus."

"Wait." Edward grabbed her elbow, but offered no apology for his outburst. "Let the box check the perimeter again."

"All clear, except for the infected humans—the rate of transformation is as expected, several minutes at most."

Edward followed Bella outside, his cell phone was a lost cause, but his satellite phone was another matter. "Other than the sat phone and radio, all other lines of communication are not working."

"I figured something was wrong when I tried to call you back and couldn't even call the local diner."

Various blue and gray plastic tarps made for interesting obstacles in the backyard, and made Edward uneasy. Home building materials and various tools lay beneath most of them, but one of those tarps was covered in dirt. Edward helped Bela pull it off a deep hole in the ground.

"Whoever dug this up was at least a little more careful than Alec." Bella climbed into the hole with caution, deep enough to bury her, and headed toward another tarp.

"Be careful." Anxiety caused Edward's blood pressure to skyrocket. Vague images in his head started to clear, become familiar. Clues started to click into place.

"Always am." She had to tug and fall to her knees to get a grip on whatever lay beneath.

Edward knew Bella was immune to the virus, but did that mean she wasn't a carrier? What would happen if he were exposed to her blood? Until he could run some tests, they had to be careful of her getting hurt. There was also the fact that she'd never survive being eaten alive by a few biters.

"I'm fine." She waved her hand at him over her shoulder. "Start making those calls. I need to see what my parents left for me."

Edward watched as she used her hands to dig out a familiar box more as he pulled up his father's number. His head cleared further, memories stitching together with lost ones. The borderline migraine, disappearing. It was starting to make sense.

The line rang once before his father picked up. "Son, please tell me you have Bella with you. Alice already checked in and they reached Canada."

Edward exhaled sharply at the news and relayed the message to Bella. He knew she was worried about Alice and Jasper. "Yes, she's with me, but we're still in Arizona. The military is involved, which means it'll take us some time to get there."

"Understood. Are we going to proceed with Protocol Eve?"

"Yes. Inform the others. In a matter of days, the entire West Coast will likely be overrun with biters—Texas and Nevada will likely be next."

The little box zipped from Bella's side and hovered near Edward's ear. "Two of the infected from the lab remained in Arizona, but two boarded planes to New York and Houston, Texas. Other teams are already there attempting to neutralize the airborne virus."

Edward's gaze snapped toward the box and stared. Did it say other teams?

"Who was that?" Carlisle's asked, his mother in the background asking to talk to Edward.

"I'll explain later. Just put out the signal to start on preparations. Did Jasper have an ETA?"

"Yes, but I need to inform you that his cousin and her boyfriend have joined them."

Edward started to curse. "You know we have to keep our numbers low, even Jasper knew that we had to. We already added Jasper and Bella. We will not survive without scavenging nearby areas for food and supplies if we exceed our projected numbers. The compound is in an extremely remote area; any trips to scavenge would take over a week. Traversing that terrain with large quantities of supplies is hard enough on good conditions, imagine under direst."

"I understand the gravity of the situation. What would you have me do, son? Ask Jasper to run with Alice after Emmett and Rosalie saved them from a serious situation? What we're doing is difficult enough to handle, Edward. If we lose our humanity, then we've already lost any chance of survival."

Edward closed his eyes; crackling silence filled the tension-filled moment. Even Bella cease to stop moving, watching him with growing concern. "Alpha, Five, Zero, Tango, Beta, Four."

"Are you sure?"

Fuck no, he wasn't, but there was little choice anymore. "I am."

They agreed to check in an hour, but Edward failed to tell his father why they had to remain in Phoenix for longer than anticipated. How did you explain to a man who had studied medicine and science for years that aliens existed?

"What did you just do?" Bella's voice was eerily soft. "What was the code for?"

Edward looked toward her and thought of not answering for a moment. "I just gave the okay to send a file to every news station and media outlet. One with irrefutable evidence of what is happening here thanks to the laboratory. In other words, I told the world that zombies are real and to prepare themselves."

She jumped from the hole, in a move that Edward realized was impossible. For a human.

"But they're going to panic, Edward? How are we supposed to neutralize the airborne virus if people are panicking?" She grabbed Edward by the shirt and screamed in his face. "How can we slow the spread of the virus, if you've sent people in a panic?"

Sarah Connor who? She had nothing on the woman in front of him.

"You are neutralizing the airborne virus." It wasn't a question; he knew. Edward watched helplessly when she stepped back in shock and confusion. "Your father wanted you to come to this area, knowing it was ground zero for the virus. Why? Why send you to retrieve something in a city likely overrun by biters?"

Bella paused and took a deep breath. "How?"

"I can't be sure of how unless we run some tests. But I know I'm right."

The box glowed a soft purple and hummed. "Between you and the biters that you came into contact with, neutralization of the airborne virus is slowly in effect."

Bella rubbed her forehead. "I'm so confused. Are you saying that the biters I locked in the shed, the ones that survived the truck, and are out on the loose, are now neutralizing the airborne virus?"

"Yes. I don't know how I know that, but I do know that your father may have orchestrated my career for years." Edward pointed to the box in the hole. "That is the missing case of my vaccine that went missing along with two vials of Serium47, the alien virus found in a meteorite."

"Well, a modified version of your vaccine. Once exposed in the air it will hunt down every living mammal in the vicinity, and then those vaccinated will spread it to others."

Bella rubbed her eyes and shook her head, still confused. "That sounds like a cold, a virus? Oh how I wished I taken advanced Bio."

"It's a similar principle, yes." Edward jumped into the hole and pulled out the case. "I had a mentor back in college, but he only visited me off campus for some reason. Now I know why; he wanted to be discreet, plant ideas in my head without my professors or the company I worked for watching. He gave me a paperweight, that looks exactly like that, but blue." He pointed at the box. "Did you know you have your father's eyes?"

Bella's face blanched of all color. "You knew my father?"


AN: Thanks to Midnight Cougar, any mistakes are mine. I messed around after her edits. You've all been really good about this crazy ass story that for some reason I needed to tell. I appreciate all your reviews, thank you! I loved some of the zombie Twifics out there, but I wanted something different. If that makes it cheesy or a crackfic, that's my choice. So guest reviewer, it's okay if you have to stop reading because it's all so cheesy. No hard feelings. In fact, I've written a lot more this week because of it.