Rose and Wes thanked Bernard and S.Q. for everything. The two left to hike back to the lab. It was a long journey but neither of them felt tired.
"What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up in that pool?" Rose wanted to know.
"Afterlife," Wes looked over to her. "And you?"
"You thought we were dead?" Rose looked up at him.
He shrugged. "I thought I heard you die. I was next. Logically it seemed to fit. Everything sparkled. We were naked. Feeling of content and floating. Yeah. I thought we were in the afterlife. Let me guess, you thought science."
She smiled. "I did. I thought science."
"Do you think the rest of the town knows?" Wes looked back to where he was walking.
"Perhaps," Rose shrugged this time. "That group must have been an affiliation of Proudfoot. Boastful type, they would have sent off something indicating we were dead. I don't know if the town knows. Our deaths won't be called though." Wes looked over to her with curiosity. "With you, its three months before they call our deaths. Because that is how long it would take for me to save you or any person with me."
"Why not less?" Wes was curious. "Or more?"
"I'm intelligent but not that great," Rose explained. "Not more because then I don't want to be found." They continued on walking. Some conversations were about what had just happened, some about the future.
Meanwhile, Burt was finishing up his most recent hunting story to the town.
"After gearing back up again, we trekked over to Fish Springs, where all cases of these graboid life cycles were coming from," Burt stood in front of them. "And do you know what was buzzing about? The damned government! Feds all in black, some even had assault weapons! You know what they said to me? Great job hunting. Your work is no longer required. Please head back to Perfection. They didn't even ask for my ID. They just knew who exactly I was by looking at me."
"You are pretty famous," Jodi countered. "We also work with the government here and we all have files. You were also there for over a month now hunting."
Burt kept talking how weird it was. The town had explained to Burt and Tyler what happened first. That took most of the day.
Tyler was sitting with Jack at a table nearby. "You're saying that El Blanco wanted you to follow them?" Jack nodded. "You think El Blanco thought my jeep was safe?" He nodded again. Tyler shook his head. "Look, Burt used the jeep sounds to condition El Blanco to never come near it or there would be explosions. El Blanco beached themselves in front of the jeep so you could follow it?"
"Then that would mean El Blanco risked their life and was so desperate for help they came to the very thing they thought was dangerous," Jack let out a breath. "Must have been really desperate. But then again, El Blanco has been on that side of the valley ever since that semi-trailer left." Jack looked over to Burt. His voice got lower. "So, you're saying he doesn't remember much of last year?"
"It's spotty," Tyler leaned in closer. "I was driving back since he was exhausted. Doesn't help he fell down right after killing the assblaster. Already hurt himself earlier. Anyways, driving back I wondered out loud how his son, Wesson, is doing. Don't know why I said his full name but Burt responded thinking I was talking about a Smith & Wesson gun. I brought up other names of people." Tyler shook his head. "He doesn't remember. He also had the big idea, even though Jodi mentioned it, to do more survival videos. Especially now since everyone in Utah wish they knew how to survive graboids and such. Thankfully, I hit up Jodi about this earlier. Her and Larry, luckily he remembers Larry, are going to make him do all his speeches for the holidays and anything else they can think of, because he told her, he's going to be getting on that soon. Meaning he's not going to stick around Perfection anymore."
"Maybe he will do it around here," Jack hoped.
"Maybe but I think he will leave afterwards," Tyler thought otherwise. "No more creatures from the lab escaping. Burt is a monster hunter. He's going to get restless in this town. It's Burt."
Jack nodded. "That is true. Since he doesn't remember his son at least he won't have to suffer about knowing his loss."
Tyler bobbled his head in thought. "Yeah, but Wes was a great guy. You'd like him. We're thinking of holding a vigil for the two when Burt's gone to the doctors next week. Easier for him to not know."
"Would love to be there but I have things I have put off since coming here and helping out," Jack declined.
It was until late in the evening when everyone dispersed from the market and went back to their homes. Wes and Rose finally made it to the mobile lab. When they entered it was back to normal as could be. Rose could see how someone had gone through and cleaned it up. Wes was surprised that it was clean.
She grabbed the phone that was lying next to her computer. She hit a number and pressed call. It rang three times only to hit a voicemail. Rose waited for the voicemail to end. "Hello, I would like to order two cheeseburgers, large fry, medium Coke, chocolate milkshake, a medium pepperoni pizza, tacos not the fast-food kind, the authentic kind-about a dozen of those, and a lemon meringue pie; Wes want do you want?" She looked over to him.
He was shocked. "Wait-that's all for you?!"
"He will have the same," Rose looked away. He stood there with his mouth open and a scorned look in protest. "This will need to be delivery and we shall tip good if you get here in time. You know the place." She ended the call.
Wes closed his mouth. "Um." He scrutinized her. "Um. Hm. You're weird."
"That's all you have to say?" Rose headed over to the living area. "I'm weird? Coming from the man who wanted to kiss the weirdo. That's seems weird."
This made him perk up. "Are you still wanting that kiss?"
She came back to him holding some syringes and vials. "Yes, but after we draw blood."
"You're so weird," Wes shook his head.
After Rose labelled the vials of blood, she put them in the fridge. She told Wes how she wanted to go into the lab one more time as this could be their last. Wes agreed. Even though it was night time, the two could still see pretty well. It was thanks to Mixmaster. They didn't notice it in the pool when they woke up but looking back at it, there was no light at all in that area yet they could see each other just fine.
It was weird to them to see the lab all gutted and cleaned out. The two paused by the stairwell. How dangerous it was for them back then and now it was like being in an empty building. No fear just normal. The two walked down to see the second level that was similar the first. All gutted. There were faint markings of scratches in the cement. Stains where it was obvious that some sort of vine plant life had been growing.
Next was the secret stairwell that was behind a door that needed a passcode. Or so it was. There was no door only the frame. The two headed towards it. Rose thought about all the creatures in the cavern and how they could have lived here in this room together. They headed down the second set of stairs. The secret lab was gutted. It had more scratches and stains all around.
Rose headed over to the corner where the creature that communicated with El Blanco was located at. Her fingers grazing over the cement, trying to feel for any traces. "Some scratches." The two didn't bring any flashlights or headlamps.
"You smell faint nerve agent?" Wes was wandering.
"Yes," Rose nodded. "Area is moist but not by regular human observances. Heightened abilities have its perks."
"Speaking of which, I think I know where we escaped out of the lab," Wes headed back out of the room. Rose followed behind him. He came over to a wall. An ordinary human could see only a cement wall. Their eyes could see some disturbances. He traced his fingers over it. "This where the crack is." He went in a jagged circle.
"This is next to the hardest soil, rocky terrain," Rose thought out loud. "Must have been worried about El Blanco. Hm. It does make sense. There were some mole-like creatures. However, its weird that the seam is this way instead of the other way. Meaning something outside must have helped it make way. Or something in the pools the squirrels brought with that were wrapped in those canoe-like leaves. My guess is on the pools. Water is easier to seep through concrete."
"Makes you wonder what exactly they all got out of here," Wes started to head back. Rose walked beside him.
"I am curious about Mixmaster," Rose grabbed a rope. "A chemical agent turned organism."
"You're curious about everything," Wes teased. She stuck her tongue out at him. The two headed back to the mobile lab
The next morning, a black SUV came rolling through Perfection, headed straight for the lab. In it were four government agents. When they got there, they verified that it was Rose and Wes. The six of them gathered everything up into the mobile lab. The small convoy rolled out of town. Wes and Rose were in the black SUV as it was required for any of those who were missing for a long time.
Larry, Jodi, Nancy, and Tyler were having lunch at Chang's when they saw the convoy go through town. Burt was out doing his rounds. The rest of the guests had left that morning.
"There it goes," Nancy let out a sigh. "That must be the RV they were staying in."
"So, they're really dead," Tyler let out a cough to keep his throat from tightening.
"Who knows," Larry kept on the hopeful side. "No secret director of whichever secret facility they are from has come and spoke about them being dead. Heather isn't here yelling at us as to why her son is dead."
"True," Jodi agreed. "But it's only a matter of time before they will."
In the back of the black SUV, there was the food she had ordered. Wes couldn't believe it. It smelled so good he started to munch away. A month without eating, anything would be smelling good to those two. Rose grabbed a manilla packet. In it were different reports. She started to read through them. Wes would hand feed her while she read.
She let him know about the graboid hatchery over in Utah. How Burt and Tyler were there to hunt. Lewis served as a double agent on his own accord.
"Mm," she swallowed a bite. "Things did turn out great in the end. Dr. Poffenberger has been granted a spot on the research team for the Mixmaster slash Proudfoot lab fiasco. He will be allowed to recreate 4-12 on the circumstances of showing how it was done in the lab. Hopefully he can create a new 4-12 without relying on Blue Diamond Chola cactus buds as the more specific the ingredient the harder it is to come by.
"Dr. Debevic has been granted a spot on the research team for her research on animal sounds," Rose continued. "She has been granted the name Dr. Dolittle and is joining the Last Pioneers. She will be assisting in the Mixmaster slash Proudfoot lab fiasco. Exciting!"
"How come Cletus didn't get a nickname?" Wes fed her some more French fries.
She chewed on them, swallowing before answering. "I think he will get a name, just after showing our agency how it all worked. He's the key on how and why some of these creatures were created since these were his colleagues' ideas." She flipped over the page. She used her other hand to hold it out. "Dr. Thorpe has been granted the nickname Dr. Muad'Dib which is unusual."
"Isn't that from that one movie that also has sandworms?" Wes tilted his head.
"Yes," Rose nodded. "However, Muad'Dib is not a doctor, he's a fighter. Fitting for Dr. Thorpe as he became a fighter for graboid life cycles and the other scientists. Which those scientists are now under him. Those creatures will be heading to a new facility. There are albinos. Which Dr. Thorpe has made a request that the albino shriekers and assblasters be facilitated for the public at Earl's and Grady's Monster World. Dr. Riley will help along with some of the scientists brought in to continue their study on them. Fascinating. Also, the only other albino graboid, besides El Blanco, will be granted a new home."
"Let me guess, Perfection," Wes blinked.
"You are right!" Rose kept reading. "Perfection. We can be granted to help with that depending on what our physicals and blood reports come back as. Dr. Mathews and Roger will be staying in Perfection since there is still Mixmaster influences but depending on the results, they could be phased out since the source has been removed. Hm. Not good news there."
"What?" Wes was about to take a bite of pizza. He had it held up to his mouth.
"Burt has had two injuries," Rose skimmed through. "Concussion with slight amnesia. Burt has no recollection of most major events that have happened in Perfection within the last year. This could be also a correlation to the graboid blood that has mingled in with Burt. Maybe our blood may help him out."
"We also have Mixmaster now," Wes reminded her. "But there is a chance."