Desperate Measures

Chapter II

Moving with what she hoped looked like an aimless shuffle, Kat stepped out of the alley and onto the sidewalk. There were a few blue-clad citizens wandering about. All of them had slumped shoulders and downcast eyes. As she walked up the road, she listened carefully for the purring sound of scanners. Better to avoid them altogether, than look suspicious hiding her face.

Approaching a cross street, Kat paused at the corner. Above the murmur of street noise she heard the rhythmic thud of booted feet. Turning to look, she felt a chill crawl down her spine and settle in her stomach. A Combine patrol unit had just rounded the far corner and was steadily approaching her position. She felt paralyzed. He reported me!

In a split-second, a dozen thoughts flew through Kat's mind, most of which involved immediate flight. But Kat had learned to listen for that calm, quiet voice. It was hard to hear sometimes but it was usually right. They aren't even looking at you. Look down and wait for them to pass. To run would be a horrible mistake. She waited.

The black-masked soldiers passed her by withouta glance. Kat felt the icy fist unclench from her stomach. She gave herself a second to calm down and crossed the street.

As Kat approached her destination, she scowled in puzzlement. That had to be the right building. There was the scorch mark near the cornerstone and the broken lamp next to the front door. She had followed Barney's directions, but there were two CP's in front of the door. Was he trying to trick her somehow? The CP's certainly didn't seem to notice her.

She continued along, crossed the street and turned the corner. As she had hoped, there was an alley that ran along the back of the buildings. She counted the back doors until she was sure she was near the correct one and slipped behind a dumpster. Kat cautiously peered out and saw that the doorway was open, but there was no CP guard. She waited patiently. She had learned that given time, CP's couldn't resist radio transmissions, giving themselves away. Sure enough, there was a garbled crackle after about five minutes. They must be standing inside the doorway.

Damn! The only other way to get in was a small basement window and she really didn't want to go in that way. Kat thought for a moment. Trying to slip past the CP's with a distraction was too risky. Gathering her resolve, Kat slunk across the alley to the low window. One pane was broken out and it was already unlocked. Praying for no horrific screeches, she gently pried the window open.

Kat cautiously stuck her head into the window. Her body blocked most of the light, but she could see a few lengths of old pipe in a corner. Just what she needed.

She squeezed through the window and dropped to the dusty floor. She snatched up a two-foot length of pipe, crouched against the wall and waited for her eyes to adjust to the dark. She could feel her palms sweating again. She knew all too well what could be lurking down here.

After several minutes, she stood and started searching for a stairway. Piles of broken furniture and old boxes created a confusing maze. She moved slowly from one room to the next, trying to resist the almost overwhelming impulse to sneeze. She had just spotted an unlit exit sign across the room when she heard the familiar scuttling sound to her left.

Kat threw herself against the wall, exhaled sharply three times and dropped into a crouch, pipe at the ready. Almost immediately she heard the warbled screech and felt the wind of an object passing over her head. The headcrab hit the wall where her head had just been with a dull thud and almost fell in her lap. Kat jumped up and pounded it with the pipe before it could reorient itself. She took a couple of gulping breaths, hands shaking.

Heart thundering, she hurried to the door. Despite her alarm, a voice in the back of her head was cheering happily. It worked! It worked! I must be right. It has to be the carbon dioxide that attracts them! Everyone knew that headcrabs couldn't "see", but most people suspected them of orienting on body heat. Kat had come up with her own theory, but no one really wanted to test it out. Allowing herself a small smile, she moved on to the stairs.

Emerging in a dingy hallway, Kat was relieved to find herself next to the stairs with no CP's in sight. She slipped up to the fourth floor and found apartment D. She knocked on the unremarkable door with the correct pattern and waited. After a moment a flat voice asked, "What do you want?"

Kat replied in a low voice, "Barney sent me. I'm looking for help."

There was a long pause with the sounds of a whispered exchange, and finally the scrape of a lock being opened. The door opened a crack to show two suspicious blue eyes. "How'd you get in here? We're under lockdown. How do you know Barney?"

"I came in through the basement." Kat looked nervously towards the stairs, "Look, can we talk about this inside?"

The eyes narrowed and a new voice chimed in, "Jeez, Stephan, just let her in. We don't need to attract any attention."

The door opened far enough to admit her and she stepped into the room. Kat looked around. This sure didn't look like what she expected. There was a tattered blue couch and a small desk with a radio. A pile of blankets in the corner looked like it served as a bed. Two doors led out of the room. One opened into a small bedroom and the other a kitchenette. There were tattered curtains in the window that blocked the view across the alley. The small apartment smelled of old baked beans, unwashed bodies and, strangely, talcum powder.

Two men in their mid-twenties stood watching her. The one who answered the door looked nervous and suspicious. The other, a tall black man, seemed pleased to see her. He waved her further into the room. "Hey, I'm Ivers and this squinty guy is Stephan. Don't mind him, he thinks everyone is out to get us."

"Come on!" Stephan hissed, "How do you know she isn't? Just because she mentions a name you know doesn't mean anything."

He stalked over to Kat and waved a stumpy finger under her nose, "If you know Barney, where did you meet him? What does he look like?"

Kat resisted the temptation to bat his finger out of her face. She scowled back at him, "It's a long story. I guess you could say I mistook him for someone I thought I knew. When I met him he was wearing a CP uniform. He's, I don't know, six feet tall or so. Dark hair, a scar on his left cheek and a he needed a shave. He seems like a level-headed guy."

Ivers laughed. "Yeah, that would be him. Stephan, I think if she were really trying to gain our confidence for evil intentions, she wouldn't be lookin' like she was ready to shove that finger down your throat."

Stephan stepped away with an air of disappointment. "Hmph. Better safe than sorry."

Kat turned back to Ivers and gestured at the room, "This isn't quite what I expected for a resistance 'base'."

"A base? Nah, we're just more like a safe house. Do you know where to go from here?"

Kat felt the old familiar tightness in her chest. "Ahh…no. Barney just told me you guys would see if I check out but he also said this was one of your bases."

Stephan and Ivers exchanged a glance. Stephan replied, "Uh, yeah…check out. We will need to see if you check out before you can go to a real base."

Kat didn't know what to say. Something wasn't right. Her eyes darted towards the door.

Ivers came over and gently put a hand on her shoulder. "Relax. I recognize that look. All I can say to you right now is that you're with the good guys. And as long as you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about. Why don't we get you something to eat and then you can crash for awhile. You look like you could use it."

Kat realized he was right. For the moment, control was out of her hands. She had been on edge for so long, she felt completely drained. She nodded her head wearily and followed him to the kitchen.

Thanks so much for the reviews!

I fixed my settings to allow anonymous reviewers. I meant to have it that way initially, but I must have missed something.