Determinant: a gene or other factor that determines the character and development of a cell or group of cells in an organism.

Chapter 48: The Barrier - The Last Stand

As the global death toll continues to rise in the wake of the activation of Abigail's beacons, the team must find a way to stop the end of the world.

Jamie watched the chaos around her unfold as the world slowly fell apart. Men and women in headsets barked updates as the tickers on the back wall that counted the dead or wounded kept spinning too fast.

"Status report!" Garrison yelled for the tenth time in an hour.

"Lima's not responding," one man called out.

A woman popped her head up from her screen. "We're losing ground in Hong Kong. Troops are falling back!"

"Berlin is suffering civilian casualties; requesting backup."

Mitch looked up from his small screen. "How many beacons are still active?"

"Twelve," Dariela told him. "Only one is still dark."

"The U.S. beacon in St. Louis," Garrison confirmed.

Jamie looked at the world map covered in far too many red circles. "Are there any nests on the east side of the wall?"

"No," Dariela shook her head. "We eliminated the last one yesterday, but there are still stragglers. The reports on the east coast are bad, but it's nowhere near what they're experiencing everywhere else."

Garrison jabbed a finger somewhere off to his right. "There are plenty of hybrids out there and every single one of them will be charging the wall if the beacon in St. Louis turns on."

"North America's safe enough for now," Dariela said, "but none of that will matter if we exceed the nest threshold." She indicated a countdown on the large screen next to the map. Currently it flashed forty eight minutes. "That's game over for everyone."

Garrison leaned over Mitch to peer at the deadman's switch. "You and that piece of mad tech are our last hope."

"Great," Mitch drawled. "No pressure."

Jamie squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. He could do it. She had no doubts about that; the question now was time. Mitch dove back in, his sharp eyes passing over the scrolling code so quickly it made her head hurt. Jamie turned away to let him work and focused instead on the reports still flooding in. The dead or wounded toll was already in the millions, and it wouldn't be long before entire cities were lost.

"There isn't a clear shut-down path," Mitch grumbled.

Garrison wasn't satisfied with this answer. "I thought you knew how to work this deadman's switch, or whatever you're calling it."

Jamie was getting tired of the old man's dour attitude. "It turned the beacons on, it should be able to turn them off again." She stared him down until he huffed and went back to coordinating his teams. When she turned back to Mitch, he was smiling at her proudly. She made a shooing motion for get him back to work, but there was a hint of a smile on her face as she moved to stand behind his chair.

"I am seeing a way to cut the power," Mitch announced suddenly.

Next to Mitch, Dariela was sifting through data with him, but as he spoke she shook her head. "No, you can't do that. When we cut the power in Tokyo, it triggered a massive explosion."

Mitch grimaced. "Copy that. Can't cut the power...maybe I can divert it." He was mostly mumbling to himself by the end of his sentence, and Jamie recognized he'd gone into his "genius mode." From experience, it was best to let him work through whatever was going on in his head. Garrison, however, had other ideas.

"To where?" he demanded. Mitch didn't answer.

"Sir!" one of the techs came up on Garrison's left. "We're thirty minutes away from nest threshold."

Garrison's already stern expression darkened. "Get the generals," he ordered. "It's time to discuss the contingency plan."

Jamie didn't like the sound of that. "What exactly is the contingency plan?"

It was Dariela who answered. "A multinational coalition of naval warships are standing by to eliminate the beacons and nests."

Jamie sucked in a breath. "We can't fire long range missiles at those things," she protested. "The loss of life would be astronomical."

"Generals are on the line," the tech shouted.

"Thank you." Garrison didn't even glance at Jamie as he walked away.

"You can't do this!" Jamie followed him, unwilling to let twelve major areas of the world be destroyed, even if it meant stopping the hybrids. Hundreds of millions of innocent people would be killed, maybe more. It was unthinkable.

"I am not discussing this with you Ms. Campbell," Garrison barked over his shoulder, shooting her a look that promised punishment if she pushed the issue further. He took the phone from the tech and held it to his ear. "Sir, this is Henry Garrison at the Barrier. We've hit the thirty minute threshold warning. I am requesting a launch of Operation Redemption."

Jamie scoffed at the name. What kind of redemption could they find if they murdered a sixth of the world's population? Jamie opened her mouth to berate him, consequences be damned, but a shout of surprise from one of the techs across the room cut her off.

"The Australia beacon just went dark!" Jamie looked up at the large map. Sure enough, the large red dot over Australia had turned gray. "It's spooling down."

"Hong Kong is down!"

"There goes Russia!"

One by one the beacons across the world faded and shut down. Jamie looked back over at Mitch hunched over his screen. The slump of his shoulders worried her, but she couldn't help but feel a surge of pride and elation at his results. He'd done it.

"Kenya, too. They're all shutting off!"

"Columbia is down." With that announcement the last beacon shut off and a deafening cheer shook the entire room. They'd done it with time to spare. The nest threshold had stopped counting down at twenty three minutes. Jamie watched dozens of people celebrating, clapping each other on the back and hugging in relief. Everyone except Mitch. He stood still in the chaos, the only one who hadn't taken his eyes off the map. He knew something, Jamie realized, something no one else knew. Then she saw it, a faint pulse on the map at first, then it burst to life with the energy of a dozen beacons.

"St. Louis is live," Jamie announced, pushing her voice to carry over the din of celebration. They quieted immediately, their cries of joy morphing quickly to gasps of horror.

"St. Louis is live," Garrison repeated. Jamie saw the moment he put it all together, and she was right on his heels as he stormed over to Mitch's station. "What have you done?"

Mitch rose to his full height and turned to face the man with absolute conviction. "Couldn't turn them off, couldn't cut the power."

"You redirected it here?"

"The energy's gotta go someplace," Mitch explained with a shrug. The sounds of gunfire game over the intercoms, and Jamie realized the hybrids had begun storming the wall. It went on for a few more seconds before someone reached up and turned off the speaker.

Garrison took a step forward and pointed a long finger at Mitch's chest. "I should throw you in the brig!"

"We have the Barrier, okay?" He was growing agitated; Jamie could see it in the way his hands moved around as he spoke. "We're better off than anybody is. We can handle the fallout."

Jamie felt a mixture of apprehension and pride. She knew Mitch's brilliant mind had already assessed the risks and rewards faster than any of them could comprehend, and he'd come to the only conclusion that made sense. She could see he was just as afraid as the rest of them, but he'd made the call anyway, because he was right. They had the Barrier. He'd bought the rest of the world enough time to regroup and take out as many hybrids as they could. He'd saved countless lives today.

"Mitch is right," Abe spoke up from the back of the room. "That wall is solid concrete fifteen feet thick and forty feet high. We'll take a hit, but this is still the safest place right now."

But Garrison wasn't letting it go. "Did you even stop to think about what would happen if you activated that beacon?" He reached around Mitch and slapped a button, casting the footage from the external cameras onto the wall. "The blood of every soldier who dies here today is on your hands, Dr. Morgan."

"It's better than the blood of millions of innocent lives," he returned coldly. "Which is what you would have on your hands if your contingency plan was activated." He ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. "Look, I just needed to buy some time," he said finally.

"Time for what?"

"To figure out how the beacons are designed. If you can get me all the intel you have on it, I might be able to reverse engineer it." Jamie could see the panic he was doing his best to hide and hoped no one else could see it, too. She'd seen it once before, this frantic, questioning attitude. It had been just after their very first test of the cure in Harare, when the results they had sacrificed so much for weren't the ones they wanted. He had been so unsure of himself then, so lost. Jamie had been glad for Abe's tough love tactic that had finally shocked him out of his spiral and gotten him on the right track.

Garrison nodded after a moment. "We'll start pulling body cam footage from Tokyo," he said gruffly. "If you can't take the beacon offline, we'll have to take it out by force."

Jamie paled. "You can't do that!"

"This is by executive order," he told her. "My hands are tied." Then he walked away. Jamie's eyes followed him.

Mitch turned to Dariela hopefully. "None of this is gonna matter unless I know exactly what the beacons are broadcasting."

She nodded and pulled up an area map on her personal screen. "There's a signaling station in the wall half a click north," she said. "I'll send a team to redirect it to target the beacon."

Mitch nodded and sank back down in his chair. Jamie could see the taut lines of his shoulders and neck as he took the heavy burden of guilt onto himself. My hands are tied, Garrison had said. It was an easy excuse, a nice, clean way to shift the blame. But she knew better. No matter who gave the order, if St. Louis was targeted by those missiles, that shame would stay with all of them for the rest of their lives.

She moved behind him and laid her hands on his shoulders, kneading softly with her fingers at first, then more firmly as he relaxed back into her. His head rested on her stomach and she felt him sigh heavily. She worked through his tension for a few more minutes before bending to place a kiss onto the crown of his head.

"You'll figure it out," she whispered into his hair. "We're gonna be okay."

His right hand raised to grasp hers, and she didn't resist when he brought it around to his lips to kiss her fingers. She folded over him, embracing him from behind, and for a long moment they stayed like that, each pulling strength from the other. They were stronger together, Jamie had always known that, and nothing short of God himself would pull her from his side now.

The sound of someone clearing their throat pulled them both back to reality, and Jamie stood slowly. One of Garrison's techs - a young man in his mid-twenties - stood there holding a flash drive in his hand.

"Garrison asked me to give this to you."

Mitch took it with a curt but sincere thank you and turned to plug it into his station. Jamie peered over his shoulder as he watched the footage from Tokyo's barrier. She winced in sympathy as a man was thrown from the ladder as he tried to get closer to the power source. Mitch paused it, rewound, and played it back again. It was no less jarring the second time. Or third.

Jamie had no idea what Mitch was looking for, but he must have seen something because he kept watching that one clip over and over.

"What are you doing?" she asked finally.

"Looking for weaknesses," he told her without taking his eyes off the screen. He played it again. "The inverter's triple-shielded. Transmitter is inaccessible." He sighed. "I couldn't have designed the perfect system because perfect systems don't exist."

She pulled an empty chair over to sit beside him. "Yeah, and you didn't design the beacons. Duncan did."

"Using my brain, so what's the difference?" She knew he still harbored some guilt over Duncan's actions; it would be hard for him not to. Still, it was hard to hear him speak with so much shame in his tone. "But if anyone's gonna stop this thing, it's gonna be the guy who made it."

For a heart-stopping moment she thought he was suggesting they find a way to reinstall the bio-drive. She immediately felt her body gearing up for a fight - there was no way she would ever allow that to happen.

"Then I'm going to stay here with you - Mitch Morgan - and we're gonna figure it out."

She leaned forward and kissed him, slow and sure. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a little voice told her to seize these moments when they came - she might not get another. As she settled back in her chair she silenced it, but that worry gnawed at her stomach. Mitch continued to pour over the video, jotting down notes in his slanted scrawl that she never could make out.

Dozens of men and women scurried around them, chattering about casualties and odds of survival. Jamie tried to catch pieces of information here and there, but the only things she heard weren't good. Moments later, Garrison came storming back in. Jamie knew what he was going to ask before he even opened his mouth to take the breath.

"Status report!"

"Coalition forces have secured population centers in Istanbul and Hong Kong," one woman announced. "Civilian casualties declining."

Another stood and pulled his headset away from one ear. "The German Air Force is exterminating hybrids outside Berlin."

Garrison nodded at the reports and turned toward Mitch. "Tell me you have good news."

Mitch tapped a key on his keyboard with a bit more force than was necessary to pause the video. "Nope, not yet." Then he spun around in his chair. "Any new beacon activity?"

Garrison shook his head. "No."

Mitch stood up. "So we're winning."

"Dr. Morgan we are still under siege and outnumbered a thousand to one."

"Sir!" A small squad of men bustled into the command center. Their leader was a young man with a square jaw and bright blue eyes. He reminded Jamie of Logan, right down to the cocky grin slanted across his face. His right arm was blood-soaked and rested limply on the stock of the gun slung across his body. His team of three looked just as ragged and exhausted, though they all had an air of triumph about them. Garrison turned expectantly at their arrival.

"Report."

"The monitoring station's been compromised," the squad leader said. "It was overrun by razorbacks. We were barely able to reposition the antenna array and secure the signal data from St. Louis beacon." He handed over a small black square that looked to Jamie like some sort of hard drive.

"Get yourselves to the infirmary."

"I'd be heading to the morgue right now if it wasn't for Wilson here." He reached down and pat the head of a black german shepherd. Jamie could see his dark fur matted with blood and wondered just how close the razorbacks were. The pup thumped his tail once against the hard floor as his handler praised him. "Come on, let's you patched up." He turned and left, trailed dutifully by his squad.

Garrison turned immediately to Mitch and handed him the package. "This better be worth it."

Mitch took the device but didn't get to work right away. "How long do you think your men can hold the barrier?"

Garrison bristled. "Are you having doubts about your fix? Because -"

"How long?"

Jamie jumped at the sharp anger in Mitch's tone. She had never heard it quite like that before, tight and full of panic, and it scared her. What did he know that they didn't? Garrison didn't reply, and that was all the answer Mitch needed.

"Okay, I need you to get my daughter out of here," he said. "Right now, she's the most important person the world. Keeping her here, that's not a risk I'm willing to take."

His words shocked Jamie. "Mitch?"

"I'd ask you to go to, but I know you're too stubborn to go," he added without looking at her. Then, to Garrison, he raised his brow. "Well?"

"I'll have Echo team move your daughter further east. The rest is up to you."

The moment he left, Jamie rounded on Mitch. "You know she won't agree."

Mitch looked at her then, his normally bright eyes dark with worry. "She would if you went with her."

Jamie shook her head quickly. "No, I'm not leaving you." She could hear the people behind her rattling off casualty reports and the sectors of the barrier that had already fallen. It was chaos, and she felt so useless in the midst of it all, but there was no way she would abandon him now. Then Garrison made the announcement.

"Move Delta to the generator," he ordered. "And order the immediate evacuation of all non-combatants." His second command was met with shock.

The lead tech stood abruptly. "Evacuation?"

"Give the order," Garrison barked. "We can't win this fight. All we can do is hold the line, pray we can find a way to shut down that beacon before those monsters find their way through."

Everyone scrambled to comply, and it only took a few minutes for Max and Clementine to come barrelling through the door flanked by a team of soldiers. "Dad!" She came to a stop next to his chair and tugged on his sleeve. "They're evacuating anyone who's not fighting the hybrids. That means you two," she said, glancing at Jamie as well.

Jamie could see Mitch's throat working as he fought back a flood of emotion. Grabbing Clem's hand she pulled her step-daughter into a hug. "We have to stay, Clem. We're working on a way to get through the beacon's shields. But you need to go."

"No," she wrenched herself back. "I'm not leaving you."

"Max," Jamie whispered. "Get her out of here. And make sure Abe goes with you."

"No!" Clem screamed as Max wrapped a strong arm around her and tried to pull her away. "Daddy!"

Jamie slammed her eyes closed in despair as Mitch broke. He lurched from his chair and ran to her, gathering his daughter up in a tight hug. They stood like that for several long moments, Clem sobbing into his chest and Mitch murmuring something in her ear. Jamie couldn't hear what he was saying but they were both crying by the time he let her go. He placed a long, loving kiss on her forehead, then reached out to embrace his father. When they parted, Max clapped his son on the shoulder.

"We'll see you soon," he promised. Mitch nodded, hugged Clem one more time, then turned so that he wouldn't have to watch her walk away. Jamie wrapped her arms around him, heedless of the looks they were getting from the IADG techs.

"It'll be okay," she told him quietly. "We'll fix this and join them as soon as we can."

Mitch nodded against her shoulder, sniffed wetly, then sat back down in his chair to continue his work. Jamie wiped her own tears away and focused on the problem, though she knew she wasn't very much help right now. She turned to go find a break room of some kind - she could at least get him coffee to keep him going - but she stopped short at the sight of Jackson limping in with Tessa right behind him.

"Jackson!" She dashed over and embraced him tightly. He winced slightly and she relaxed her grip. "Sorry," she mumbled. "What happened?"

"After the hybrid vultures attacked the chopper, we tried to look for a way to get out. We opened the side door and…"

"And what?"

"They were, uh, occupied." His grimace told Jamie more than she needed to know about what had happened to Logan. She clamped her jaw tight to keep from vomiting. "We made a run for it," Jackson went on hastily. "We almost made it to the wall when they all just started charging."

"Mitch activated the St. Louis beacon," Jamie explained. "It was the only way to shut the other ones down."

"So now every hybrid west of the barrier is headed this way?" Tessa asked. "Jesus."

"We just need to hold them off long enough for Mitch to figure out how to get past the beacon's defenses."

Jackson rolled a shoulder tried to hide a grimace of pain. Jamie noticed then that the back of his arm was covered in blood and she let out a cry of concern. "What happened to your arm?"

Tessa laid her hand on Jackson's shoulder and smiled at him proudly. "One of the soldiers fell. Jackson went out to get him and got bitten."

Jamie tugged his shirt to make him turn around so she could see how deep it was. He chuckled but let her inspect the wound. "It's not bad," he told her. "Barely felt it, really."

"That's the adrenaline, you idiot," Jamie chided. "You should go to the infirmary and get them to dress it at least."

"Yeah, well, we have bigger…" He trailed off as his eyes caught sight of something just over her shoulder. Jamie turned with him to find Mitch staring intently at his screen. Instead of the video, however, he was now analyzing what looked to be some sort of multilayered wavelength.

"What's that?" Jackson asked as he walked over to Mitch.

"It's the signal from the St. Louis beacon," Mitch explained. "But there are two different frequencies here."

"Can you isolate them?" Jamie asked.

"Wait," Jackson tapped the screen with one finger. "I recognize that. That's the frequency Abigail recorded off me." Jamie could see the confusion and hurt on his face. "She said that's how I control the animals."

Mitch crossed his arms and absorbed this new piece of information. "Beacons are designed to draw hybrids. Why would she include your frequency?"

Jackson shook his head. "No idea. I mean, it's not attracting any animals." He peered closer at the wavelengths and traced the oscillating blue line with one finger. "If that's mine," he said before moving to the smaller red wavelength rising and falling in a more gentle curve within Jackson's line, "then I bet you this one came from Abigail."

"Right," Mitch went along with his theory, "it's how she commands the hybrids. My guess is with those two frequencies amplified by the beacon, it creates a sonic barrier."

Jamie remembered the video of the soldier being propelled off the ladder. "Like in Tokyo," she said.

Mitch nodded. "Yep, and if it really is your frequency, you might be the only one who's able to get past the beacon's defenses."

Jackson canted his head slightly in confusion. "How's that?"

Mitch straightened, and Jamie recognized the beginnings of a Morgan techno-ramble. He didn't disappoint. "Because I figured out how I -" he cut himself off, glanced at Jamie, then continued, "how Duncan designed the beacon. And I found a flaw." With a sharp tap of his keyboard, the wavelength was replaced with the image of the Tokyo beacon. "It's all set up to keep people away." He played the video one more time for Jackson and Tessa to see. "Think of it like two identical tuning forks resonating at the same frequency." He held the first finger of each hand up about a foot apart as a visual. "You and the beacon are in sync, but everyone else on the planet is dissonant."

"So you're saying that I won't be affected by the signal."

Mitch dropped his hands into his lap. "It's a guess," he admitted. "But seeing what happened to those soldiers in Tokyo, I think getting close to it is still gonna hurt like hell."

"Okay," Jamie took a breath, glad they were at least moving in the right direction. But there was still one major problem. "But even if you're right, how does getting close to the beacon help us?"

Mitch paused the video and pointed out a small space between the lights that looked like some sort of power cell. "Well, I can rig up a device that we can attach directly to the beacon. It'll give us remote access."

Hope swelled in her chest. He'd done it. "And if you can do that, maybe we can turn it off for good."

Jackson clapped him on the shoulder. "You make the package, I'll make sure it gets delivered."

It took Mitch almost half an hour to make the remote access device. Jamie tried not to pay attention to the reports of failing sectors and dying soldiers, but with little else to do she couldn't help but wander over to the main control station and peer over the techs' shoulders. They'd lost a few outer sections already, which had been marked off in red on the large board on the back wall. The sector they were in was still shielded by layers of protection, both structural and human, but the razorbacks had already infiltrated several key parts of the Barrier. It would take them hours - maybe even days - but eventually the hybrids would win. This had to work.

"Done!" Mitch announced, producing a small circular disc that looked more like a small speaker than the thing that would save the world.

"If this works, I'm nominating you for some kind of award," she told him. "How many times have you thwarted the apocalypse now?"

Mitch smirked at her and handed the device over to Jackson. "Who's counting? Besides," he added, "if this doesn't work, I'll be getting that award posthumously." It was meant to be a joke, she knew, but somehow hearing it out of his mouth was the final straw. She excused herself, unwilling to let them all see just how affected she was. She escaped to the break room she'd found on her first forage for coffee, and the door slammed closed behind her just as a sob tore from her throat.

Mitch came through the door a second later, closing it behind him and gathering her to his chest. "Shh," he whispered. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"

Jamie shook her head against his chest, letting her tears soak through his shirt as her arms clutched at his sides. Her healing gunshot wound still hurt a lot, especially now that she'd gone so long without a painkiller, but she didn't care about that. She just wanted to be as close to him as possible, so she let him wrap his arms around her shoulders and hold her tight as she wept.

When she quieted, he held on for a few more seconds before pressing his lips to the side of her head. "Jackson's en route to St. Louis now. Garrison says the fastest he can get him there is four hours."

Jamie pulled back and wiped her eyes. "You think we can hold the Barrier for that long?"

"We have to," Mitch answered. "This is our last option, Jamie. Because I don't...I'm not sure what else to do. If this doesn't work…"

"Hey," she laid her hand on his cheek and forced his gaze to hers. "One problem at a time, okay?"

He swallowed thickly and nodded, raising his hand to press her palm against his cheek a bit longer. Then he leaned down and kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

They stood in each other's arms for several long moments, taking and giving strength in equal measures. Then Jamie's stomach growled and they laughed.

"When's the last time you ate?" Mitch asked.

She shrugged. "No idea."

He glanced around the meager break room. "Gotta be something in here." He stepped away from her to rummage through the pair of cabinets above the tiny sink. He found a sleeve of crackers and a half-eaten jar of peanut butter. It was better than nothing.

They sat at the tiny round table and took turns smearing peanut butter onto crackers with their fingers. When the crackers were gone, they ate heaping globs of the stuff by itself until the jar was empty. Jamie's mouth and hands were sticky, but her stomach was full. She washed her hands in the sink, then cupped them to take several long drinks. Mitch did the same as she cleaned up their impromptu snack, and when he shut the faucet off Jamie leaned back against the counter.

"Do you think Clem and the others are okay?"

Mitch turned to mimic her position and settled back with his shoulder pressed against hers. "Of course they are. Garrison sent a whole squad with them, and she has Abe and Max. They won't let anything happen to her."

"I don't want anything to happen to them, either," Jamie said.

"They'll be fine," Mitch promised. "Hey, since when did you become the pessimist in this relationship?"

A sad smile passed over her features then. "Since my husband was kidnapped, tortured and used to create world-ending devices by a madwoman. Logan's dead, we're being overrun by vicious monsters, and if Jackson doesn't succeed we're all gonna die in here. If he does succeed, we still have to deal with an army of hybrids loose all over the world. It's hard to see the good in any of this."

"There isn't," Mitch admitted. "Not right now. But there will be, as long as Jackson gets that remote onto the beacon." He rubbed his face, then his eyes, and Jamie could see how exhausted he was. She could feel it in her, too, and she stifled a yawn with the back of her hand.

"Come on," she said finally, lacing her fingers together with his and tugging him along. "Let's go see what's happening."

Garrison's men were holding the line, but just barely. Jamie started compiling the reports and data from the areas that had been affected by the beacons. She wanted to try to make sense of it, figure out why Abigail had chosen those specific spots for her nests. And, she admitted to herself, she wanted to get as much information as she could for her next book. Writing the first one had been a good way to really dive into the details of what she'd been through, and the experience had been quite cathartic for her. Given everything that had happened since then, Jamie had no doubt she would need something similar to help her work through all of her thoughts and emotions if they managed to make it out the other side of this.

"Jackson's team is approaching the beacon," Dariela announced.

Jamie dropped what she was doing and moved to stand next to Mitch as they listened to the radio calls. They had opened Jackson's mic to keep in contact with him as he made his way toward the beacon. They could hear his grunts of pain as he fought against the sonic waves, which came over the comms in bursts of static. Then he screamed - a raw, primal sound that shook Jamie to her core. She stifled a sob and turned into Mitch's shoulder, glad when he shifted to wrap his arm around her.

"He'll be okay," he whispered, though Jamie knew it was an empty promise. None of them had any idea what effect the beacon's defenses would have on Jackson, or even if he would survive. Still, she clung to the words like a lifeline. He would be okay, she repeated. He had to be okay.

The lights overhead dimmed for a moment, then returned to full strength. Garrison shuffled nervously as he demanded another report. Gunfire came over the radio before a strained voice followed.

"Razorbacks in Sector H!" the soldier said. "They've broken through the line. We have to fall back."

"Major, do not retreat!" Garrison ordered. "We have to hold the generator." His answer was more gunfire, followed by a scream of agony and a razorback's snarl. "Major!"

"Command, we're low on ammo. And men. There's too many of them!" The voice was different from the first - younger, Jamie thought, and definitely terrified. She didn't want to think about what had happened to the Major.

Mitch's arm tightened around Jamie. "If we lose power, it won't matter if Jackson makes it to the beacon."

Garrison pulled his sidearm from the holster beneath his jacket. "Delta Team needs reinforcements," he announced. "We're all that's left. I want every able body to come with me. Let's defend the generator. Move, people, now!"

Jamie swallowed thickly and knew what she had to do. She shifted her weight to pull herself out of Mitch's arms but he tightened his hold almost painfully. "No," he mumbled.

She didn't want to, but this was more important than any of them. "I have to," she whispered. "We have to defend that generator." She slid out of his arms but he grabbed her wrist.

"You're not a soldier," he growled.

"If we lose power, we're all dead anyway," she reasoned. Still, he wouldn't release his grip on her. "Mitch, how is this different from Pangaea?"

She could see her own fear mirrored in his eyes, and when he spoke she could hear how it made his voice tremble. "You promised no sacrifices," he reminded her.

"No sacrifices," she agreed. "I know how to use a gun and I'm not stupid. You're needed here in case something goes wrong. But I have to go."

He nodded stiffly, fighting the tears that had sprung up in his eyes. Jamie was grateful for it; if he started she wasn't sure she could hold her own back. With one last burst of courage, she surged to her toes, kissed him deeply, and then walked away.

She fell in with Dariela's group, accepting the rifle the ex-Army Ranger passed her with a nod. "We have the stairs," Dariela said. "No matter what happens, we hold these stairs, do you understand? No hybrids get past us."

Jamie felt her palms sweaty as she took up a position at the top. The door behind her had been closed and locked as a last resort, the intent to give Jackson as much time as possible.

The first screams echoed through the cavernous space, punctuated by the harsh pops of gunfire. Dariela was stationed at the base of the stairs with Garrison, and there were two techs sitting on the steps between them and Jamie. All of them had their weapons trained on the corridor beyond, ready to open fire at the first sign of the razorbacks. The gunfire grew closer, and Jamie could hear the snarls of the hybrids mixed in with the frantic shouts of soldiers and the sounds of battle. Jamie could barely hear it all above the blood pounding in her ears, but she forced herself to focus.

The first razorback slinked around the corner, but it didn't make it two steps before Dariela's weapon reported sharply. The creature fell dead, its skull burst open from the single bullet that had struck it just below the ear. Three more came behind it, spread out and moving fast. Jamie held her breath and pulled her trigger once, then again as the others opened fire. She had no idea if she'd hit them or if it had been one of the others, but all three hybrids fell under the rain of bullets.

"How many are there?" one of the techs asked.

"Unknown," Garrison whispered back. "But it doesn't matter. We only need to hold them off for a few more moments."

Jamie closed her eyes for a brief second and prayed for Jackson to hurry. When she opened them again, there were six hybrids coming around the corner. After orders to hold, Dariela and Garrison split from the base of the stairs, each moving a different direction to divide the pack. It worked. Jamie thought about going for the back of the group to keep from hitting either of the humans who were now much too close to the threat, but she didn't trust her aim right now. Dariela was holding her own, but Garrison had been backed into a corner. He needed help.

The two techs sitting just below her surveyed the scene with silent horror. Neither of them moved when Jamie urged them to help, so she leaped over them and landed hard on her ankle at the base of the stairs. It turned under her, but she pushed the pain away to focus on the danger ahead of her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Dariela take down two of the four that had attacked her, and her position on a second set of steel stairs gave her enough of an advantage that Jamie didn't feel bad about shifting toward Garrison.

Jamie watched as he pulled his trigger once, then twice, with no effect. His weapon had jammed. Sliding quickly to the side to avoid accidentally shooting Garrison, she took aim at the center of the nearest one and opened fire. It yelped in pain and struck out at her with one vicious swipe of its paw. It caught her arm and Jamie hissed as the sharp claws sliced through her shirt and skin easily. Warm blood ran down her arm but she ignored it. One more bullet put the beast down, but the second razorback had already lunged at Garrison. He raised his rifle to block it, shoving the weapon sideways into the creature's mouth to keep its long teeth at bay.

Jamie didn't have a clear shot, but she had two good legs. Raising her right knee as high as she could, she shoved out with a hard kick to the animal's flank, hoping to at least drive a little distance between it and Garrison. It worked. The razorback snarled and snapped as it regained its footing and crouched low to launch at the new threat. Jamie tried to shoot it, but the rifle in her hand clicked uselessly. She was out of ammo. Garrison had regained his feet and was next to her in an instant, shoving her out of the way as the beast pounced.

Jamie flinched as the gunshot rang out so close to her ears. Garrison went down under the mass of fur and claws, but there was no sound of rending flesh or scream of pain. It was dead.

Dariela appeared on Jamie's right side, her body armor and hands flecked with the blood of the four beasts she'd fought off. Jamie helped her pull the dead hybrid off of Garrison, then hauled him to his feet. She turned to berate the two techs on the stairs, but their eyes were focused at a spot above their heads. Jamie turned to follow their gazes and sucked in a breath. Five more razorbacks were slinking down the hall, obviously hoping to catch them unawares. Realizing they'd been seen, their canid body language shifted to pounce.

Something shuddered through the building then, a rippling force that made Jamie's insides feel queasy. Then, just as suddenly as it had come it was gone, and the hybrids stopped their advance.

"What the hell?" Garrison whispered. They all watched as the razorbacks shook their large heads, snarled once, then turned to flee.

"The hybrids are retreating," Dariela said. "They must've shut down the beacon!"

Garrison unjammed his weapon and slapped a hand against the metal stairs to startle the two techs into action. "We have the advantage, people. Let's use it!"

Dariela took point, and they joined up with the remainder of the other teams to drive the hybrids out of the Barrier and back out into the western wilderness. Jamie heard something about an air strike incoming since there were so many of the razorbacks in one area, but she didn't really care. Now that the threat was over and her adrenaline was draining away, she was starting to feel the effects of the blood loss from the wound on her arm. Her ankle was screaming, too, and finally Dariela grabbed one of the young soldiers bustling by.

"Trent, take Jamie to the infirmary."

"Yes ma'am." He shouldered his rifle and grabbed Jamie's good arm gently to drape it over his neck. She let herself lean on him as they hobbled their way to the infirmary.

Doctors and nurses were busy treating the wounded that had come flooding in, and as they stepped aside to let one of the medics by Jamie slipped in something. She glanced down and immediately wished she hadn't. Her good foot was standing in a bright red puddle of blood, and she felt her stomach turn as Trent steadied her.

"The hybrids never made it this far," Jamie pointed out as they entered the large room.

"Good thing, too," Trent said. "We didn't get a chance to evacuate some of the higher risk patients." He got her to one of the unoccupied beds and left her there to fetch a doctor. Jamie felt her eyelids growing heavy, but she knew it was too dangerous to lose consciousness right now. She had no idea how much blood she'd lost. Biting the metaphorical bullet, Jamie glanced down at her left arm. The sleeve of her jacket was soaked in blood, and she realized with a jolt of fear that she couldn't really move her left hand very well. With her good hand she gently lifted away the scrap of black cloth blocking her vision. White bone was visible beneath the blood and meat, and Jamie raised her eyes to the ceiling as another wave of nausea hit her.

It's just muscle damage, she told herself. It'll be fine after it heals.

Then the world faded to black.

When she came to, she was lying down with her upper body propped up on firm pillows. The infirmary was much quieter now, and Jamie listened to the steady chorus of beeps that emanated from the various machines around the room. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, surprised to see the room mostly dark. Her entire body felt heavy, and as she tested out her various limbs she realized her right hand was being held down by something warm and firm. She turned her head and smiled. Mitch's messy mop of black hair was resting on the bed next to her hip, his face turned away from her. His left hand was resting on her right, his fingers curled into her palm as he slept. She pulled her hand free and ran her fingers through his hair, rousing him instantly.

"Jamie?" he whispered as he adjusted his glasses and scooted closer to reclaim his hold on her hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Groggy," she whispered back, mindful of the sleeping patients all around them.

He nodded. "That's the pain medication. You -" he swallowed thickly and took a deep breath. "You passed out just after you got here. Do you remember that?"

"I remember getting here," she said. "Nothing after."

"When they told me where you were…" he trailed off, unable to continue as tears threatened to fall. "God, Jamie." He leaned forward and rested his head against hers, careful of the IV tube snaking from her arm to the bag hanging just above her head. "I thought the worst."

"I'm okay," she told him, cursing the heavy bandages on her left arm that prevented her from comforting him properly. She pressed her face toward him, repeating her words like a prayer.

When he finally pulled away he looked better, though there were still dark circles under his eyes. "Jackson did it. He made it to the beacon and attached the remote. We managed to shut the whole thing down."

"He did it," she echoed. "The hybrids?"

"The IADG and local militia have hybrids contained worldwide," he told her. "They're eliminating stragglers. The worst is over."

"Clem? Max?"

"All okay," he answered. "Garrison recalled their team as soon as we repelled the hybrids. They got back a few hours ago." He raised his hand and gently pushed a strand her hair away from her face. "Max and Clem wanted to sit with you, but I told them to get some rest. I imagine they'll be back first thing in the morning."

"Good," Jamie said sleepily. She felt tired all of a sudden, and her eyes closed and then opened again in a long blink. "You should rest, too."

"I will," he promised. "I just wanted to be here when you woke up."

"Love you," she slurred, unable to keep her eyes open any longer. She felt Mitch's breath on her face just before he kissed her temple softly, then she was under.

The doctor at the Barrier wanted to keep her until the end of the week to be sure she was alright, but Jamie talked him into letting her out a full day early. She'd sprained her ankle jumping off the stairs, but with her left hand bandaged so heavily there was no way she could use crutches. Luckily it wasn't a bad sprain, and the boot that stabilized it was good enough to keep it from hurting too badly. Her arm was another story.

The razorback's claws had shredded her arm to the bone, tearing through muscle, tendons and nerves alike. The doctors had done what they could, but it was going to take time to heal. They had also warned her that she might need another surgery and she was definitely going to need physical therapy. Even with all that, there was a chance she would never regain full use of the hand again. It had been a difficult conversation, but Mitch had been right there when it was over to hold her, whispering a promise to find the best doctors and she was going to be fine.

It was slow going, but she managed to shuffle her way to the cafeteria for lunch. A large screen against one wall blared the latest news of the aftermath, and as she walked in Jamie paused to watch for a moment. The world was still in a state of shock now that it was over, and no one seemed to know what to do next. The death toll had been tentatively declared in the millions and the number of missing was even higher. Search and recovery centers had been set up in a lot of the major cities to help loved ones reunite with one another, but most of the governments of the world were still focused on clean up.

"Jamie!" Clem's joyous cry pulled her out of her thoughts and she smiled as she turned toward the table near the back corner of the room. Max came over to help her and she leaned on him gratefully, happily accepting the affectionate kiss he bestowed on her. Jackson and Mitch shifted apart to make room for her, and the moment she was seated Mitch's hand settled on her leg and stayed there. It was warm and wonderful, and Jamie leaned in to kiss him hello.

On the left side of the table, Tessa and Harren were in deep conversation about how best to handle the remaining populations of hybrids that still roamed the western United States. Jamie tried to ignore them; she'd had enough hybrid talk to last her the rest of her life. Next to Mitch, Clem and Max had tucked back into their half-eaten breakfast with gusto. Jamie grimaced at the bland looking rations, but reasoned it was better than the oatmeal and watered down juice she'd been given in the infirmary. Just as she opened her mouth to ask someone to fetch her a tray, a familiar hand set one down in front of her. She smiled up at Abe, then rose up on her good leg to hug him.

"It's good to see you," she said.

"You, too," he returned warmly before moving around to join Dariela on the opposite side of the table. As he settled next to his wife, Jamie asked about Isaac.

"He's fine," Dariela answered. "My sister took him with her family north to her in-laws in Canada. He's enjoying the time with his cousins."

Jamie was glad he was okay. Dariela and Abe loved that boy so fiercely, like good parents should. If anything had happened to him…

She shook that thought away, banishing it to the back of her mind. He was fine. They were all fine. Somehow, despite the overwhelming odds, her little family had made it out the other side of the end of the world in one piece. She spared a thought for Logan, who had died so tragically. They could barely be called friends, yet Jamie felt a pang of sadness as she remembered the flash of shock that had crossed his face when the hybrid had snapped the cable. For as long as she lived, Jamie would remember just how green his eyes had been when they locked onto hers, full of fear and pain as he plummeted to the earth below.

Mitch's hand squeezed her thigh gently. "You okay?" His voice was soft and warm, and his breath on her ear sent a shiver of happiness through her.

"Yeah," she sighed. "Yeah, I am."

The worst was over, but there was still a lot of work to do. The little one in Clem's belly was still growing, but soon he would be the final piece of a decade long puzzle. Jamie knew the next few months were going to be tough on them all, but it didn't feel daunting. They'd survived two apocalypses after all. The period after the first had been good - chaotic, but good. At least until Mitch had been taken from them. This one would be even sweeter.

Jamie finished her overcooked eggs and drained the last of her water. "When can we go home?"

Dariela laughed. "Anytime, I guess. Garrison's busy organizing clean up, but that's not really your department."

Jamie lifted her bandaged hand off the table slightly in agreement. "Great, then let's blow this popsicle stand."

Arranging transport from the Barrier was trickier than they first imagined. Every available man was either tasked with restoring the Barrier defenses or ranging out west to eradicate pockets of hybrids. Finally Garrison agreed to give them two jeeps, mostly to keep Mitch from pestering him about it every half hour.

Jackson, Tessa and Harren had volunteered to join those tracking down razorbacks and so would be staying behind. Jamie wasn't too happy with it, but she knew there would be no talking Jackson out of it. She hugged him as tightly as she could with one good arm as they stood on the east side of the forty foot concrete wall.

"Take care of yourself," she pleaded with him. "No heroics, okay?"

He chuckled into her hair and pulled back enough to press a kiss into her forehead. "Promise. I'll come visit soon."

Jamie smiled despite the tears that threatened to spill over her cheeks. "Dianne will be happy to hear that." She hated that he wouldn't coming back with them, but she knew he couldn't rest until the threat of the hybrids was eliminated once and for all.

"My turn." Clem nudged her way gently between them and wrapped both of her arms around Jackson's neck. Jamie couldn't hear what they said as she stepped back toward Mitch, but she saw the fond smile on Jackson's face and the happiness that radiated from Clem when she finally let him go. She had been hurt badly when Jackson had left; it was good to see their bond hadn't suffered too greatly.

A deep voice from behind them cut through her thoughts. "No goodbye hug for me?"

Jamie turned toward Abe with a sly grin. "You'll have to come over here and get it," she told him. "I'm somewhat hindered at the moment."

He gladly walked from where he and Dariela were packing bags of rations, clothes and blankets into their jeep in preparation for their trip north. His larger arms enveloped her in a warm embrace, and Jamie inhaled the sweet and sharp scent of his cologne.

"Be safe, Jamie. I will call you when we reach Dariela's sister's." He stepped back carefully and glanced down at her left arm. "I have a friend in Memphis; he's one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the country. We went to med school together. I can call him, if you'd like."

Jamie didn't really want to think about her arm, or the implications of the damage that had been done. The Barrier doctors had done what they could, but even they had recommended Jamie get to a specialist as soon as she could. The thought of not ever regaining full use of her hand scared her more than she'd like to admit.

Swallowing her fear, she offered him a bright smile that she hoped masked whatever worry remained. "That would be great, Abe. Thanks." She hugged him one more time then moved to Dariela, who had just released Mitch. "Give Isaac a hug from me."

"I will," Dariela promised. "Look out for this one," she jabbed her thumb toward Mitch. "He's a magnet for trouble."

Jamie laughed. "Don't I know it."

Mitch looked affronted, but didn't reply. Goodbyes had been said and the vehicles were ready to go, but no one wanted to be the first to leave. They all shuffled their feet, silent but content in the calm that had settled over them.

Then Clem sighed. "For crying out loud," she turned toward the first jeep and climbed into the back. Max was already behind the wheel, trying and failing not to appear interested in the farewells taking place just feet from his window. With the tension broken Jamie laughed with her friends, bid them goodbye once more, and climbed into the passenger seat next to her father-in-law. He waited until Mitch settled in the back with Clem before starting the engine.

"Home?" he asked jovially.

Jamie thought about the apartment in Baton Rouge where Dianne was likely still waiting patiently for them to return. Then, her mind drifted further to an expanse of sugarcane with a two story farmhouse and an eager smile touched her lips.

"Home."