11. Norfolk

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She saw one of the men at the gate say something to his comm. Everyone was standing still, she could hear her breathing loud and clear. If they weren't on their side, surely they would have fired at them, she thought.

"This is protocol, I'm sure." She whispered out loud. Trying to convince herself that there might not be any danger. Trying to hold her posture when all she felt was her heart bumping in her ears. Not sure if she could move a muscle if she had to.

Then they saw someone approaching them behind the gates, wearing a hazmat suit. She tried to squint her eyes and see who it was, but it wasn't easy to see behind the mask.

But as the person gave an clear order for the men to stand down she felt relief. They were their own people. Sighing to herself, she then felt lightheaded and she collapsed on the road.

Waking up, opening her eyes, she saw Burk lying beside her on a cot talking to Ravit, who was sitting on her cot. Where were they? She looked around and she could see they were inside a isolation tent. Feeling the sudden pain on her forehead she reached to touch it and she felt a bandage around the sore spot.

"Hey, hey." She then heard Wolf beside her. "Here, drink a little." He offered her water and she took it. She was thirsty. What was going on?

As she had woken up, they filled her in on everything.

She was completely stunned by the news. Apparently there was a cure in the making, well at least there was efforts made towards discovering a vaccine, but there was no breakthrough. Not yet. But as it turns out their "training mission" to the Arctic had just been a cover up. The real mission was Operation Bluenose. To find the Primordial strain of the virus, in which Dr. Scott had succeeded. But as they had returned to Norfolk from their mission, the virus had suddenly began to spread like wild fire in a matter of days.

It was now at Phase six.

Being interrupted by Dr. Scott herself as she came to stand outside the tent. "I have good news. You are not infected." She gave a smile towards all of them.

The following day she woke up in a bunk on the barracks located on the base. She looked at the clock on her wrist. 09 am. She didn't have any energy in her to move, but she knew she had to report to Captain Chandler and Commander Slattery. All she thought of was Danny. Where was he?

Just a week ago they had been in Orlando. Picking out a dress for the wedding. How could the world change in a split second?

They had arrived in Orlando around three in the afternoon. And they were now shopping for a dress. She didn't feel quite home in the store with the fancy dresses. "What color is your shirt?" She glanced at him as she was looking at the dresses. "White." Came his short reply and she saw he did seem a little nervous. "Well, that won't do. I can't wear a white dress." She said. "How about this one?" She saw him show her a gown in navy blue color. "I wear that color almost every day." She glanced at him. Then she saw a strapless long dress in the color plum. She would also need shoes and a purse to go with the dress. This was going to cost him, she thought.

She glanced herself in the mirror as she wore the dress, it fitted her perfectly, but she felt a little naked on the shoulders, but then again she was going to have her hair open, so perhaps it didn't matter. What would Danny think, she wondered. Smiling at the thought, she then stepped outside from the dressing room and looked at him as he saw her. Seeing that he looked a little stunned about her appearance and she couldn't help, but blush a little because she wasn't usually getting this much attention. "I need shoes and a purse too." She added smiling at him. It took a moment for him to answer her, so she thought the dress was probably perfect.

As she knocked to the office of Captain Chandler, she saw Commander Slattery there as well. Burk, Bivas, and Taylor too. After the Captain had motioned them to sit down, they were puzzled to find out what would happen next.

"As you all have heard about our real mission to the Arctic.." Chandler began to tell them.

So when the Nathan James had come back to Norfolk, both Chandler and Slattery had been informed about the true nature of their mission. Thus allowing them to start planning the safe zones around Norfolk, plan the evacuation for the base if they had to relocate and the most important task at hand, keep Dr. Scott and her research protected. So the Navy had had a plan all this time, they knew this was coming.

Burk, Bivas and Taylor would be working with others to secure the safe zones as well as lead the scavenging tours around the city. Trying to find supplies, food and medicines. That is, if they decided to stay on the base. Hers and Burk's enlistment wasn't up yet, but their commanding officers seemed to understand that with the virus being as deadly as it is, a lot of the enlisted people had chosen to stay with their families. There was no way of knowing if Dr. Scott would succeed in her mission to create a vaccine for the Red Flu.

She was about to leave after the others when she heard the Captain. "Lieutenant Foster, a word?"

"Sir." She turned to face him. Standing in formation even though she wasn't sure whether it mattered in the end.

"Lieutenant Burk here said that your mother is in Norfolk." She saw Chandler look at her with a touch of softness in his eyes. "We can arrange an escort for you to go and find her." He had then continued.

Nodding to him. She hadn't even thought about her mother that much. Guess she had given up on the thought that she might see her again.

"We have made a safe zone for the families of the enlisted in one of the towns hotels, Harbor Tower Apartments." Chandler explained.

"And another thing. As we are short staffed, given that many of the enlisted feel their place is to be amongst their families. And Dr. Scott isn't making any progress on the vaccine. We need to keep our options open." He continued eyeing at her. She felt a little uneasy under his gazing look, not sure where he was going with the matter.

"Sir?" She replied with a puzzled looked on her face. Glancing quickly at Slattery who was standing still by the window.

"I want the Nathan James to be completely functional in case we need a plan B. And Commander Garnett could use your help." He revealed his plan. "So, you up for being TAO?"

She was shocked. She felt she was more than capable of the task of running the CIC, she just didn't think she would get her chance when the world was ending. But hearing what Tom Chandler said next was even more disturbing.

"Lieutenant Commander?"

What? She was being promoted? Feeling that she quite didn't deserve all of this at the same time, not in a crisis like this.

"Thank you, sir. But.." She began to argue against him. But Tom Chandler was quick in his moves as he raised his right arm up and asked to repeat after him.

After she had taken the oath again, Chandler did tell her that her promotion wasn't just because of the fact that they were missing their original TAO, LCDR Barker. But that they had been planning this and as she heard Chandler reassure her that he trusted in her abilities, she did allow herself to feel some pride over the fact that she was now a Lieutenant Commander.

Thank you for reading. :)