" It's about time ya'll showed up," drawled a blond headed soldier leading the group.
Briggs smiled for the first time that day, "Sorry Cowboy, some of us were actually out there getting our hands dirty, not wallowing in the lap of luxury." She spread her arms wide, gesturing to the building complex behind him.
He smiled in return. "Why don't you bring the kids on down to the nursery and then you can brief us on the situation."
"Okay people, you heard him, climb aboard and we'll head on down to command," she called over her shoulder. Stepping forward she clapped the blonde soldier on the shoulder and the two continued speaking quietly. Masters and Davis stepped around the mall survivors and joined them.
Henry spoke to his brother, "Come on Kenneth, let's get your people loaded up. It's gonna be okay brother, we'll keep everyone safe now."
After everyone had climbed aboard the elevator it began to descend below the surface again. They all took their last look around at the outside, not knowing what to expect below. When they came to a stop at the bottom, the doors overhead began to close, cutting off their view of the blue skies overhead. They began to look around at their surroundings, seeing the fluorescent lights flickering overhead, leading away down a hall. The blonde soldier that Briggs called Cowboy took the lead, she accompanied him along with Masters and Davis.
"So what's the sit-rep Cowboy?" They heard Briggs ask as the group began making their way down the hallway, the soldiers who had accompanied'Cowboy' bringing up the rear, as if to ensure they didn't try to take the elevator back up.
"We've got 125 military personnel here right now, not including your merry band, about a dozen researchers, and whatever survivors could be brought in, plus some of the original staff from the facility. We're occupying strictly the underground levels of this place, just in case those things manage to get through our defenses up there. We have four patrols that watch things from the upper buildings, 10 men pulling 12 hour shifts, one day on, one day off. The researchers are working on a vaccine to defend people against those things, at least the lesser bites and such. They managed to contain a couple of the infected for them to study, they keep themback where they used to house the research animals. The survivors we're just trying to keep alive until this thing is over."
"What about the patrols? Why aren't we still sending out the search and rescue teams?" Masters asked.
"Ya'll are our last team left out there, Team Two arrived back 4 days ago, we lost contact with the other three."
"When," Briggs asked.
"The last time Team Fourcommunicated, they were going in to try to pull some survivors out of a church on one of the islands, no word from them since."
"And the other two," she pressed.
"It's been more than a week since we heard from them, official status is missing, presumed dead."
The two were silent for a few moments while Briggs digested this latest information. "How many total do you have here, including the survivors?"
"I told you what we have as far as military and researchers. We don't seem to have an accurate head count on the civilians that have been brought in, they've been put in the care of the researchers so they could be watched for signs of infection, some of them came in needing medical attention for other injuries. It seems like every day they give us a different head count," Cowboy replied. She narrowed her eyes at him.
"What's the Brigadier say about that."
"Says that it's not our concern, our responsibility ended once we got them brought in here."
Roger and Peter had been listening to this exchange as they followed them down the hallway. Along the way they passed closed doors, some marked, others with windows. Roger gestured at their surroundings as he leaned closer to Peter so nobody else could hear what he said. "What do you make of this place?"
Peter thought for a moment before responding. "I don't like it, something here isn't making sense. Did you see all those creatures outside the barricades?"
"What about them?"
"Some of them had lab coats on, uniforms, I think I even saw I.D. badges hanging from a few of them."
"So?"
"They looked like they were probably the employees from this place. And if that's the case, how did they end up infected and on the island? Didn't that red-headed bitch say something about taking this place over three weeks ago?"
"Yes, but I don't see what your getting at."
"Supposedly they took this place over before the infection spread out of control here, if that's the case, then why are they all dressed like they're coming to work?"
Roger looked at him sharply, "You think they been lying to us?"
"I don't know man, but nothing they've told us so far has added up. I don't like it, I think we were better off on our own at the mall."
The group came to a halt before a large double door marked 'Cafeteria A,' and Cowboy spoke again. "This is where we've set up some temporary quarters for ya'll," he spoke to the group of civilians, "we've got the rest of the survivors that have been brough in set up in various locations, empty supply rooms, another cafeteria, that kind of thing. We're trying to put together some more permanent housing arrangements for ya'll." He opened up the doors and they saw cots set up along a wall. "They may be moving some of you around later, but right now ya'll will bunk here together. There are some other community type areas being set up for you, but when moving around the facility you must have an escort at all times."
"You make it sound like we're prisoners here," Kenneth said, glancing at his brother before focusing on Cowboy again, awaiting his reply. The others all turned toward him as well, feeling much the same as Kenneth about their new situation.
"No, that's absolutely not true. The biochemists have warned us that some of the rooms that were formerly used to house the research animals here may still be contaminated with the diseases they were studying. We're requesting all the civilians we've brought to the facility be accompanied by an escort just to keep any accidental exposure from occurring."
It was a tidy, plausible explanation. Kenneth didn't buy it for a minute. Looking around he saw that none of the others seemed to convinced either. Even Briggs and her group seemed a little put off by what they had just heard. Cowboy spoke again. "Now, if ya'll would like to head on in and get settled, Privates Marshall and Evans will be outside the doors if you need anything. The rest of you will accompany me for debriefing."