Determinant: a gene or other factor that determines the character and development of a cell or group of cells in an organism.
Chapter 28: Interstices - Part Two
The team flies to California to find Mitch's mom. Family fluff ensues.
Safe Zone Four was in complete and total chaos when he walked through the front doors. Dozens of people were clamoring to speak, all demanding information or shouting into their cell phones to be heard above the din. Apparently news of the cure had spurred a mass exodus from the thousands of people living inside the zone's gates, but many people had nowhere to go. Los Angeles was still under martial law, along with dozens of other major cities across the country. Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco had all remained relatively unscathed, though looting and general panic meant they were still unsafe to live in for the time being.
Mitch turned sideways to slip between two people, wincing as his bad arm was jostled slightly in the crowd. He was beginning to regret not having Abe come along; he could have cleared a path easily. Instead he'd accepted Dariela's offer to accompany him. Her knowledge of military protocol and government red tape would likely be useful in getting to his mom as quickly as possible. Jamie had volunteered to stay behind with Clem, and there had been something in her tone that told Mitch there was more to her request than altruism.
He'd fibbed a little when Jamie had asked him earlier - he'd heard most of the conversation she'd had with his daughter. Just knowing Clem felt like he would love her less just because of his relationship with Jamie...it broke his heart. But Jamie had proved once again that she was far better than he was at dealing with other people's emotions, and Mitch smiled as he remembered the rest of the conversation.
"I'm not sure what's so funny about this, professor," Dariela grumbled as she shouldered past another small group of people. "Do you see anyone who looks like they could be in charge?"
Mitch craned his neck up, ignoring the twinge of pain that shot through his chest, and frowned. "No. I don't see any uniforms."
"Alright," she stopped and glanced around. "Time for Plan B." She snagged a chair just as a young man stood up to greet someone and slid it toward her. Even standing on it she was barely above head height, but then she straightened her back and projected her voice above the noise. "Excuse me! Can I have your attention, please!" She had a note of authority that made almost everyone in the immediate vicinity stop what they were doing and turn. The effect rippled through the gathered crowd, and soon she had hundreds of expectant eyes on her. "Thank you," she said in the same official tone. "Now, I know all of you are waiting for information about what's going on out there and you want to see your families. I can assure you that the people in charge are doing the best they can to get to everyone as quickly as possible."
"Is it true?" One man shouted from near the back. "Are the animals cured?" The news had reported it, but apparently skepticism was high among most of the population.
"Yes," Dariela nodded, and an excited murmur rose from the crowd. "But there are still procedures to be followed, checks that need to be done to make sure it's safe for you to return to your homes. So if everyone could be patient, things will run a whole lot smoother."
Mitch was impressed with her command of the situation, but that still didn't help them find his mother. He cleared his throat pointedly and Dariela seemed to remember why she'd jumped up on the chair in the first place.
"Now, I'm looking for a woman who's here at the safe zone. Her name is…" she glanced down at Mitch, who whispered the name quickly, "Dianne Morgan. Does anyone know Dianne?"
"I do," an older gentleman raised his hand. "I saw her this morning at breakfast."
"Great," Dariela hopped down off the chair and made her way over to him with Mitch on her heels. "Do you know where I can find her?"
Mitch probably should have guessed it. His mother had always had a green thumb, and gardening had been a hobby of hers long before the animals had gone crazy. It made sense that she'd spend most of her days tending to the safe zone's small courtyard garden, safely enclosed in the center of the facility. Artificial lamps gave the space a greenhouse feel, and Mitch could feel himself start to sweat the moment he stepped through the door. Dariela had opted to remain indoors, both for her own comfort and to give Mitch and his mom a moment of privacy.
She was sitting in a rocking chair on the far side of the garden, her head angled down to read the book that was splayed open in her lap. Mitch froze for a moment as he caught sight of her. It had been over two years since he'd seen her, not counting the video message Jamie had recorded. She looked just like he remembered, though there was more gray in her hair than blonde. She had the same wire-framed glasses attached to a chain around her neck, though they sat a bit lower on her nose now as she read. She wore dirt-streaked jeans and an old, gray t-shirt that Mitch recognized as one of her school spirit shirts from the high school in Alabama. The Blue Devils logo on the front was worn and faded from time and many washes, but Mitch knew it well.
Finally, he couldn't stand the silence anymore. "Hi, Mom."
Dianne Morgan glanced up sharply as Mitch walked over, and he saw every single emotion play out on her face as she processed what she was seeing - shock, disbelief, and finally joy. Her book tumbled to the ground as she scrambled to her feet, and Mitch closed the last of the distance between them to wrap his good arm around her. His ribs protested her tight hug but he didn't care.
"Mitch! Oh, Mitch, you're here." Her chin had lifted over his shoulder as she hugged him, and even though he was taller by almost half a foot, Mitch couldn't help but feel like a little boy again in the arms of his mother. He could hear the tears in her voice as she exclaimed again, and when Mitch felt his own stinging his eyes he didn't bother trying to fight them.
"Yeah, Mom," he whispered into her hair, "I'm here. I'm here."
Dianne finally seemed to hear the pain he was trying to hide, and she pulled back to inspect his injuries. Most of them were hidden by his clothes, but the sling on his right arm was hard to miss. "What happened?"
"I got attacked by animals," he told her simply. "But I'm alright, Mom. I promise."
"Attacked?" she repeated. "Mitch, what's going on?"
"It's over, Mom." Mitch smiled down at her, accepting her fussy movements as she adjusted his sling and inspected the bandage on his forehead. "The animals are cured."
Her smile was brighter than the sun, and there was no missing the pride in her tone as she spoke. "You did it."
"Well, not just me. I mean, I have a team. They helped." Mitch winced at how that sounded, then amended, "I mean, I couldn't have done it without them."
"Mitch, have you made actual friends?" She was teasing - he could hear it in her voice - but the very real surprise that accompanied it made him roll his eyes.
"Yes, Mom. I have friends. Don't look so shocked."
Dianne smiled again and pulled him back in for a hug. "I'm just teasing, Mitch. Oh, I've been so worried about you."
"I know," he returned her embrace gently, and Dianne seemed to remember he was hurt. She stepped back as he continued. "I got your message."
"Oh," Dianne startled as if she'd just remembered something important. "How is Jamie? I was so glad to see she survived the crash."
"Me, too, Mom." It was an understatement, but there was no way he was going to give his mom all of the awful details. He wasn't terribly proud of how he'd handled everything last year, and now that Jamie was back where she belonged he was happy to just forget that part of his life altogether. "She's good," he answered her question with a smile, which prompted another teasing grin from his mother. "She's with Clem right now."
At the mention of her only granddaughter, Dianne Morgan reached out to squeeze Mitch's hand. "Clementine? Why is she here?"
"Audra and Justin…" he trailed off, unsure how to say it. He swallowed and shook his head sadly. "They didn't make it."
"Oh, that poor girl. And her illness?"
"Gone," Mitch said, his voice morphing from sorrow to happiness in an instant. "She took medication from an experimental trial that completely eradicated it. She's cured."
"That's amazing! Oh, I haven't seen her since she was a baby."
"Well, if you want to go get your things, we can get you out of here so you can see her and meet the others." He turned to steer her toward the door, eager to get back to the others. Once inside, he introduced her to Dariela.
"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Morgan," Dariela greeted politely.
"You as well, dear. Thank you for looking out for my son. He tends to get himself into all kinds of trouble when left on his own."
"Standing right here," Mitch sighed. She was already ganging up on him with Dariela - he didn't even want to imagine how it going to be with Jamie.
"I'll go get my things and meet you out front."
It took her almost fifteen minutes, but Mitch wasn't surprised when she emerged from the doors with only a small duffel bag. Dianne Morgan had never been accused of being high maintenance.
"That it?" Dariela asked. Dianne nodded and tossed her bag into the backseat of the Hummer before climbing in. Mitch was driving, leaving the two women to chat about whatever as he tried to remember the way back to the plane.
"You live on the plane?" Dianne exclaimed. "Well, I suppose that makes sense. Who pays for the fuel?"
"The government," Mitch answered quickly before Dariela could drop Allison's name. His mother had disliked Allison from the beginning (which, honestly, should have been a big clue), but ever since the debacle at the gala and her subsequent marriage to Max, Allison's name was taboo in Dianne's presence. He was not looking forward to telling his mother about her involvement or how he was still going to have to deal with her in the near future as things gradually settled down.
Dariela got the hint and changed the subject, moving to their plans to fly to Louisiana as soon as possible.
Dianne seemed surprised. "Jamie's family doesn't mind all of us dropping in and staying for a while?"
"Nah," Mitch glanced at her in the rearview briefly before returning his eyes to the road. "Her aunt will love the company. The house is certainly big enough for all of us." He realized his mistake a second too late.
"And how would you know that?" Dianne asked knowingly.
"Mom," Mitch's exasperation was evident, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Dariela trying and failing to hide a smile. "Stop that."
"What?" Dariela shrugged innocently.
"I'm beginning to think this was a bad idea," he grumbled as he pulled onto the small road that led to the airfield. As they approached the plane he could see several figures running around in the green field about fifty meters from the plane. Henry was bounding between them as they tossed a ball, and as they neared Mitch easily made out the forms of his daughter and Jamie. Jackson and Abe were there as well, their hawk-like gazes masked behind their casual postures and quiet conversation. Mitch was glad to see the tranquilizer rifle slung over Jackson's back, though he didn't think it was necessary. Still, the extra level of protection was appreciated. It had been about two days since the cure was released; there was no telling how many animals were still uncured.
Jamie and Clem's game came to a halt as Mitch parked the Hummer in the vehicle bay. Henry barked eagerly, ready to play, but nobody responded. Mitch opened the back door for his mother, helping her down out of the large vehicle and onto the metal floor.
"Mitch, this is amazing," she breathed.
"Yeah, I'll give you the full tour later," he promised. "Come on." He grabbed her hand with his free one and pulled her out of the bay and onto the tarmac. Clem had moved to stand next to Jamie, her face a mixture of anticipation and nervousness as the woman wrapped an arm over her shoulders and urged her forward.
The others moved back into the plane to give them a moment, and Mitch was grateful. He seemed to realize introductions would fall on him, and he was ready when they finally all stood within arm's reach.
"Mom, this is Clem. And you know Jamie."
"Of course." Dianne seemed to sense her granddaughter's uneasiness and reached for Jamie first. "It's nice to finally meet you."
"You, too," Jamie returned her hug warmly. "I'm glad you're safe."
"And you as well, dear." Dianne looked down at Clem with a bright smile. "The last time I saw you, you weren't even knee high to a grasshopper. You've grown into a beautiful young woman."
Mitch could tell Clem was still a bit apprehensive and didn't miss the way she leaned toward Jamie just a bit. He was happy that they were getting on, but he had hoped for a bit of a warmer reception.
"Clem?"
"Yeah, sorry." She blinked once, shook her head, and smiled. "It's nice to meet you. Again," she added with a laugh. "My mom's parents died when I was a baby, so I never knew any of my grandparents before."
"Well, now you do," Dianne held out her arms in invitation, and Clem moved into the hug with only the slightest moment of hesitation. They stood there for a few long seconds, and Mitch could see the happiness on his mother's face as she basked in the reunion. Jamie came up on his good side and he smiled down at her briefly.
"Hey," he said finally, "I know Clem knows her way around the plane now. She could give you the tour."
"That would be wonderful," Dianne kept one arm around Clem's shoulders as they made their way back to the plane. By the time they made it through the sliding door and into the lab, Clem was already chatting a mile a minute about everything she'd learned from Trotter and how he'd let her mess with the controls once they were safely on the ground.
Mitch watched as his mother and his daughter disappeared around a corner, not even noticing when Jamie stopped just beyond his peripheral vision. Finally he felt her eyes on him, and when he turned toward her she was grinning.
"What?"
"Nothing," she shrugged. "Happy looks good on you."
"Yeah?" He pulled her in and kissed her quickly. "Feels good." Mitch wasn't sure he'd ever felt this level of...contentment - not since Clem was born. "How long before we're off to Louisiana?"
"Not sure," Jamie shrugged. "Trotter mentioned we needed to refuel again. He called Allison and set up a delivery for later today, so we have to wait at least until then. By the time we can take off it might be late, and Louisiana's two hours ahead of California. We should probably just wait until tomorrow morning so we don't arrive in the middle of the night."
"Sounds good."
"How are you holding up?" Jamie asked. "Do you need your bandages changed?"
"No, but I'm about ready to toss this sling," he lifted his injured arm away from his body.
"Mitch, you shouldn't do that."
"It's fine," he told her. "It was just a subluxation. I take it off at night anyway." He reached around to unsnap it, and his shoulder throbbed as he straightened his arm. Jamie frowned but didn't say anything as he tested his mobility. It hurt, but he could deal with it if it meant he didn't have to wear the sling.
"Stubborn," Jamie muttered under her breath, though he was close enough to hear it.
"I'm fairly certain this is a pot and kettle situation here," he fired back. "Besides, being stubborn isn't necessarily a bad thing."
"Okay," Jamie folded the sling carefully, then tossed it onto the nearest work table. "I'll remind you of that when Clem is a teenager and you're complaining to me about it."
He opened his mouth to respond, but the arrival of his daughter and his mother cut off whatever he was about to say. He folded his arms across his chest both to support his injured arm and to keep his mother from seeing that he'd taken off the sling, but it was no use.
"Mitch," Dianne scolded gently, "put your sling back on."
"Mom, I'm fine," he turned and made a show of letting his arms fall to his side. "It was just a precaution, but it's okay. It wasn't a full dislocation."
Dianne pointed an accusatory finger at him. "You get that from your father, you know."
Mitch almost put the sling back on. "Mom, I'm okay. Honest. Did Clem show you around?"
"She did. And she introduced me to your friends."
"Great," Mitch rubbed his hands together. "We have to refuel, so we won't be taking off until tomorrow morning."
"Hey, Mitch," Jackson appeared at the top of the stairs, "Allison's on the phone. Says she needs to talk to you."
Mitch sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he answered. "Tell her I'll be right there." He could feel his mother's cold stare, but he waited for Jackson to leave before he looked up at her.
"Allison?" she asked flatly. "As in Allison Shaw?"
"Mom, listen -"
She held up a hand sharply and he shut his mouth. He waited for the smart remark from Jamie, but it never came. When he snuck a glance, she was rather pointedly staring anywhere but his face. Mitch sighed heavily and pushed off the work table.
"I'll be right back. Jamie, could you find a room for my mom?"
"Sure."
He left them alone in the lab and made his way to the conference room. Allison's image was larger than life on the screen and Mitch didn't bother hiding his irritation as he greeted her with barely more than a hello..
"Wow, for someone who just saved the world, you're being awfully grumpy."
"Save it," he snapped. "What do you need?"
"You," she said simply. "The President is calling for a briefing on the cure, and you're the guest of honor. I need you in Washington by Friday."
"That two days," he shook his head. "I can't brief the President in two days."
"You said, and I quote, 'Just figure it out and tell me where you need me to be.' Well I'm telling you I need you in Washington in two days."
"We're in California right now, and tomorrow we're going to Louisiana."
"I know, Trotter told me. At some point I'm going to have to explain the fuel costs in a report. You can't just gallivant around the country for no reason."
Mitch was growing more annoyed by the moment, and he didn't bother hiding it. "We came to get my mother, and we're going to Jamie's family's farm tomorrow. Then you can have your stupid plane back."
"Sure," Allison kept her tone light and neutral, and Mitch could tell by the look on her face she was doing it purposefully to piss him off. "You can bring it back to me Friday, when you come brief the President."
"Fine!" Mitch raised his hands in defeat, forgetting about his shoulder for a moment. He winced and lowered it back down, along with his voice. "Fine, I'll come out there, brief the President and then go back to Louisiana. And you can have your plane back."
"Technically, it's your plane," Allison smiled disarmingly. "I just paid for the fuel."
Mitch felt a muscle in his jaw twitch as he clenched his teeth in an effort to keep from spitting out all of the nasty remarks that were swimming around his brain. "Anything else?"
"No, that's it. For now. See you Friday." She reached out and disconnected the call, leaving Mitch seething in the conference room. He stayed in there a few more moments to calm down. He knew he was going to have to talk to his mom, explain the situation, but he wasn't looking forward to it. Instead he sank into one of the plush chairs bolted to the floor around the table and put his head in his hands.
"Mitch?" It was Jamie. She knocked once and opened the door. "You alright?"
He sat up straight and tried to smile, though it probably came out closer to a grimace. "Yeah, peachy. Allison needs me in D.C. on Friday to brief the President."
"Wow." She slipped into the room and sat in the chair next to his. "The President?"
"Yeah. How's Mom?"
"She really doesn't like Allison," Jamie said. "As soon as Clem was gone she gave me an earful about 'that woman.' Don't worry," she added quickly, "I didn't tell her about Allison's involvement in the last few months."
"Could you? Because I don't want to."
Jamie ignored his pathetic plea and sat back. "I put her in Dariela's old room, now that she's staying with Abe."
"Thanks." They lapsed into a comfortable silence, and Mitch took a moment to collect his thoughts. So much had happened in the past couple of days that he hadn't had time to really process it all. He'd been looking forward to spending some time in Folsom just relaxing and trying to make sense of everything, but of course Allison had come along and derailed his plans. Again. A weary sigh escaped him, and Jamie shifted in her seat.
"So what's the plan?"
"For you? The same as it was. We're flying to Louisiana tomorrow to drop all of you off, then I have to fly to Washington."
"I can come with you, if you want?" Her tone lifted at the end, as though she wasn't quite sure if he wanted her to tag along.
He did, but he shook his head anyway. "You should be with your family."
Jamie leaned forward in her seat, and Mitch was captivated by the intensity of her stare as she laid her hand on his forearm. "You are my family." Her fingers were cool on his arm, and as he covered her hand with his they shared a smile.
"It'll only be a day," he told her, "and your aunt and uncle have been looking forward to seeing you. You should go home."
"Alright," she squeezed his arm and stood. "Come on," she tugged on his arm until he rose to his feet next to her. "Apparently we're having an early dinner and telling your mom and Clem the story of the Beast Rebellion from day one."
"Oh, that'll be fun." Mitch rolled his eyes but followed dutifully, his mind already sifting through the last fifteen months and figuring out which pieces to leave out.
The others were already gathered in the kitchen, chatting and laughing as they prepared a meal from their meager stores of food. Even Trotter had joined them, tucked against the far wall with Clem and Jackson as he regaled them with a story from his flight school days. Dariela and Dianne were behind the island plating food as Abe ferried the full plates to the lounge next door. It was the only place that would accommodate everyone now that there were eight of them. Jamie left his side to help Abe, but not before commanding Mitch to go sit down.
He grumbled something about not being an invalid, but ducked his head after his mother shot him a stern look. He ignored the gleeful smirks the others sported as he obeyed, slipping into a chair as Jamie set a plate at his spot. She kissed him quickly, then went for drinks as the others shuffled in to take their seats. Clem scrambled to sit next to him, and his mother smiled as she passed up the empty chair on his left and instead move to sit next to her granddaughter.
As dinner began and Jackson kicked off their tale, Mitch marveled at how right this felt. He reached under the table for Jamie's hand, picking it up from her lap to set their joined hands in his. She squeezed his fingers firmly but didn't take her eyes off of Jackson and Abe as they told everyone about their adventure in Botswana. She had been right - this was their family and there was nowhere Mitch would rather be.
