Chapter 28
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Kara tightened her protective vest and checked her weapon as they waited for a clear sign from Burk's team. They had arrived to Baltimore and were now making contact with Grandersons people. She glanced at Alisha standing by her side. She looked nervous.
"You okay?" Kara looked at her and got a nervous nod out of her.
"It's just.. strange to think that we're finally leaving this ship." Alisha let out, her hands shaking.
Kara smiled at her comment and reached to hold her hand. Giving her a reassuring squeeze. She glanced at the upper decks behind them as they stood on the bow of the ship. This ship has been their home for months, and today was the first time they would finally have their feet on United States soil. Home. They had come home.
Her squeeze on Alisha's hand might have gotten a teeny bit tighter as her thoughts briefly went to the news her mother had given her earlier. If she really was pregnant, how would their life be? Where would they go? As her mother had explained, there was still a lot to be done, mass-produce the cure, distribute it.. The work ahead of them seemed endless, and it meant that Danny would most likely be tied to the mission. Where would she be?
"What are you nervous about?" Alisha's voice broke through her thoughts and she gave a look at her. "Just the part of not knowing what is going to happen next, is rather frightening." She answered, the sentiment was true in her current position. And as she let out a deep breath, she thought to take it day by day. As soon as they had established secure accommodations here in Baltimore and her mother was settled at the lab, she would ask her to run the test again. Double check her finding.
Burk's voice crackled over the radio, giving them a sign to move ashore. The pier was secured and the people that had arrived to greet them were identified as surviving troopers of the Maryland State Police. Looks like everything was legit.
Rachel stepped out of the RHIB after Tom and Tex, feeling rather protected of the duo. Adding to her feel of security was Kara as she was trailing behind her. To her eyes she looked just fine, but hoped she wouldn't over do it. As she focused her gaze on Kara she completely missed the introduction of a younger female Lieutenant and she felt like rolling her eyes as she heard Tex's flirty tone state "Hey, how y'all doing?" Was he really hitting on everything that moved?
"Just fine, now that you're here." The young woman replied with a smile and she had to bite her lip not to scoff too loudly. The man is twice your age honey! Not that she had any feelings for Tex, but she considered him as a friend, a dear friend, not to mention a stubborn friend as she specifically remembered not clearing him for this excursion, but the man loved doing the exact opposite of what she wanted.
After the initial meeting on the pier, they were seated in SUV's, on their way to the headquarter were Amy Granderson housed her laboratory. She was sitting in the backseat with Kara and looking out of the window. The streets were filthy, a sign that there hadn't been any maintenance for a while to keep the streets clean. She noticed people walking as they drove. Probably looking for shelter, food, just trying to survive. She tightened her grip on the CDC case as she thought how these people had been living in fear for the past few months. They didn't have to anymore, they had the cure now.
Although a mass-production plan was something they desperately needed, and supplies being a high priority on their list. She hoped the laboratory that Granderson had spoken of, had what she required.
The SUV drove in front of a fancy building that seemed completely spotless. Obviously Granderson ran a tight ship as it seemed to be tidy on this particular neighborhood. Even the windows were shining bright in the morning sun.
Stepping out of the car and looking around her, she overheard Granderson explain how this building had a direct line from a coal-fired plant that was still operational. Well that was a big bonus, she thought.
She followed along with the rest of the group as they walked inside the building, getting a half tour of the premises. It wasn't until Granderson asked about the cure that she focused on the conversation. Her thoughts escalating as she was thinking through the manufacturing and distribution of the cure.
"Captain. I didn't wanna broadcast about the virus over an open radio feed but the President told me that you had the materials to produce a vaccine." Granderson spoke to Tom.
"Is that true?"
"Yes, ma'am." Tom nodded shortly.
"We've actually made a little more progress than that, Mrs Granderson. We have the cure." She finally stepped forward from the crowd, holding the CDC case as a triumphant smile formed on her face. She shared a brief glance with Tom. They had finally come home.
"Fort Detrick was our first option too." Mike listened as Lieutenant Pete Norris told him about how things had gone on land. They were inside the helo bay where the lab was located.
"They had the lab and all, but Thorwald got there first." Norris explained as he rolled up his sleeve and sat down in a chair in front of Mike.
"Thorwald?" Mike asked.
"A former Baltimore P.D turned self-proclaimed leader of the warlords." Mike was baffled. Apparently not all who served in the police force had a true heart.
"Been a real pain in our ass since this whole thing started." Norris ranted on.
"I shouldn't complain. I imagine you've been through a hell of a time yourselves." Norris then gave a look of compassion to Mike and he wondered if he should ask him. If he dared to know the answer to his question.
"Listen, Lieutenant.. Last I talked to my ex-wife, she was taking the kids to Deer Park." Mike explained and watched the man as he listened. "Safe zone, heard of it."
"You know if it's still there?" He asked, almost afraid to hear Norris' reply. But this was it, he would know something.
"There was fighting, but there are survivors." Norris told him, the reassuring coming through in his words. There are survivors. Mike swallowed at the thought of Christine and their kids being in the middle of a fight, a riot or chaos or whatever it had been.
"I can get you there as soon as we get you off the ship." Norris kindly offered and shortly after that he winced as Quincy gave him the vaccine.
"Thanks, doc. You have no idea how good that felt." Norris said.
After his talk with Lieutenant Norris, Mike met Andrea briefly on the P-Way on his way back to the bridge. Organizing the move of equipment and people was time consuming as much as he wanted to get out of the ship and go find his kids, he couldn't do that just yet.
"Is something wrong?" Andrea asked and Mike met her gaze, there was nothing she couldn't see. He didn't know how but she knew when there was something on his mind, everytime.
"I asked Lieutenant Norris about Deer Park. You know, Christine spoke of going there with the kids." He explained briefly.
"What'd he say?" Andrea swallowed as she wondered the nature of the news.
"That there was fighting.. but there are survivors." Mike said and felt his voice break as he thought about Christine and his children. But he still had hope, there are survivors.
Andrea hugged Mike and whispered to him "As soon as we're on land, we'll go look for them, okay?" A slight nod against her shoulder was all she registered from Mike. Fighting on a safe zone? Had her parents and Lily also gone to a safe zone? What if it hadn't been safe? What if just like with Deer Park, there had been an incident? The thought was crushing her chest as she thought about her only child.
Tom walked silently to the entrance of the laboratory where Rachel seemed to be at home.
"Look at her, she's in love with a toaster." Tex said from his side and he stared at Rachel as she was exploring a machine that pretty much looked like a fancy toaster.
"You still haven't made your move yet?" Tom asked and glanced at Rachel. They were home now, and it had to be over between them, he thought as his gaze went back to Tex.
"I've been making my move since Gitmo." Tex quipped.
"She ain't buying what I'm selling." Tex added with a sigh. Tom stood beside him and listened.
"I thought once she saved the world, she'd let loose a little."
Tom let out a chuckle. Rachel let loose? His mind was remembering the last time he had seen her let it loose. Well one of the times.. When she had been in Norfolk that summer, there had been numerous times when she had let loose, but one particular afternoon came on his mind right now.
"I dare you." Tom held the bucket of soapy water in front of him, ready to throw the content her way as they were in the middle of washing his car on the driveway of his home.
She had him pinned down, holding the hose in her hands, ready to turn the pistol to spray water on him.
"You asked for this!" Was what he heard before she turned on the water and he felt his upper body get wet. He tried to wet her with the bucket of soapy water, but missed and so it was a game of 'catch me if you can' as he tried playfully to get her while she hosed him with the water.
They were just messing around, both laughing, enjoying a good time. That's when he knew he had fallen in love with her. That laughter of hers was something so pure, and it went straight to his heart.
"This is her letting loose." Tom leaned towards Tex and said. Yeah, this was pretty much as close as he had gotten to see the girl he had known all those years ago. Good old Claire.
The moment was interrupted as Master Chief was trying to contact the James, but got no joy.
"The warlords are jamming the local frequencies." Burk explained.
"They have a radio room, sir. I let the XO know where we are." Danny added and he nodded to the man. A feeling of nervousness coming over him as his eyes landed on Granderson.
"Ma'am, if that radio room's still available. I'd like to get word to my family. See if they're still out there." Tom asked humbly.
Few moments later, he was sitting in front of a radio, he hoped there would be a reply. He hoped he had come back in time. "This is Tom Chandler listening on a spread spectrum, looking for Jed Chandler in Clearwater, Virginia, or parts nearby. Over."
No response.
"This is Tom Chandler listening on a spread spectrum, looking for Jed Chandler in Clearwater, Virginia, or parts nearby. Over."
No response. Damn it!
"This is Tom Chandler, looking for Jed Chandler in Clearwater, Virginia. Over." The tone of his voice was getting frustrated. There was still no response. He began to think of a possible way up to the cabin, the last place he had known they were at.
"This is Tom Chandler, looking for Jed Chandler in Clearwater, Virginia. Over."
Tex came around the corner and caught up with Rachel before she disappeared to the laboratory.
"Howdy."
"Tex." Rachel turned around and looked at the man, getting a strange vibe out of the him, as if he was sad.
"Hey, listen, just wanted to let you know that I'm heading off." She was stunned by the news, he hadn't mentioned anything about leaving the ship, despite of their several meetups during the past few days. She was still following the five people from the trials closely. A sudden wave of sadness came over her as she thought about continuing on without him. After Gitmo, he had come a part of the crew. Navy or not.
Not just a part of the crew, a friend. A friend who had supported her all the way.
"Heading off? What are you talking about?" She asked, the shock of the news coming forward in her voice.
"I'm moving on."
"By yourself? But it's chaos out there." She hoped to reason with the man.
"I've seen worse. And thanks to you, I can travel wherever I like." Tex added.
"Where will you go?" She wondered, why was he in a rush to get away?
"I got things to take care of." A man of secrets, she thought. That he had always been.
"The young girl.. whose picture you keep in your locket." She said, remembering the open locket back during the trials.
"Among others things, yeah. Anyway, you seem to have things plenty well in hand here." Tex said with a faint smile. Avoiding the subject of the locket, obviously a painful thought.
"Right.." She cleared her throat and offered her hand towards him. She noticed his puzzled look to her gesture, but he grabbed her hand. "Uh, you're a special woman, you know that?" Giving a shy smile at the appraisal, she softly added "You too. Well, not a woman.. but you know.." Her stuttering got a smile out of Tex.
"You take care, now." Tex nodded one last time at her and was about to turn away when she briefly heard him say something under his breath, and before she knew any of it, his lips had crash landed on hers. The kiss was a very nice way to say goodbye, but sadly she didn't feel the fireworks, a flame of any kind and as they departed she was left to stand alone in her thoughts as he walked away. Would she ever see the man again? She wondered as she entered back to the lab.