Chapter three
It's in the blood
Jane tossed and turned for majority of the night as dreams of the undead plagued her, sitting up in bed her breathing was labored as she blankly stared down at the sheets that she had fisted in to her trembling hands.
Pulling back the cover Jane left the warmth of the bed and stepped on to the cold tile floor below, a shiver ran up her legs and into her spine as she walked over to the clothes piled on the make shift end table that was really a plastic chair.
Removing the nightgown she slipped on a pair of dark blue jeans and a navy blue tank top, picking up a light and dark blue flannel shirt she buttoned it up leaving the top two undone and freed her hair that got caught under the collar.
Slipping on the same running shoes that Jacqui had given her yesterday she exited the small room, and made her way to the kitchen.
The kitchen door sat ajar letting the light from inside the room shine on the floor, stepping through the opening she froze hearing someone or something rustling around in the kitchen. "Hello?" She whispered noting the trembling in her own tone had her cringing, how horror movie cliché.
"Oh, hey Janie." A voice replied as TDog's head popped up from behind the counter, a small smile graced her lips as she walked over and leaned across the counter from him.
"Hey, what're ya doing down there?" She asked
"Eggs," TDog stated pulling a box out and dropping it on the counter inside her, "I was hoping to get them made before everyone was up." He stated standing up,
"Do you want any help?" Jane asked looking from the powdered boxed eggs and frozen bacon, back to TDog.
"You know how to cook?" T asked eyeing her with doubt, something she noticed and brushed off.
"Nope, but I've been told I'm a quick learner." She stated moving around the kitchen counter to stand beside him, "now, put me to work."
The two shared a small smile before getting to work on breakfast. "So did you play in college?" Jane asked as she flipped the scrambled eggs.
"A little, I was on the team." TDog answered as a few people started to wonder in to the kitchen, first in came Glenn with the support of Dale followed closely by Andrea.
"Ya doing alright?" Jane asked eyeing Glenn from where she stood at the stove, his response was an incoherent groan.
"Had too much to drink last night," Dale stated glancing over his shoulder at the woman after Glenn had sat down and started to cradle his head.
"Well we're cooking up the cure for your hangover, buddy." TDog stated with a grin eyeing his friends back with a look Jane could only assume was amusement.
"What're you making?" Andrea asked standing by the table trying to eye the stove top that TDog and Jane were blocking from her view.
"I'm cooking up some bacon, Janie here is frying up some eggs." TDog answered bumping her hip lightly with his own, provoking a smile from the woman.
Andrea eyed the two with faint interest wondering when they became so friendly. Shrugging it off she sat down at the end of the table, "sounds great." She stated
"Hey, something smells great." Lori stated walking in with Carl in tow, who nodded in agreement.
"Their making breakfast," Dale stated nodding towards T and Jane, who shared a small smile as TDog hummed softly. Jane couldn't help but notice he was really enjoying himself, whether it was because of the cooking or attention she wasn't sure.
It wasn't long before everyone else started wondering in and TDog started to serve everyone, Jane sat on the counter top that TDog was leaning over picking at his own plate. Jane's eyes shifted through the small crowd of people like they often did.
They're like family to one another. The thought should have made her smile, but she couldn't help but feel her heart sink and constrict. Chewing on her lower lip she wanted to push down the feeling that caused a dull ache to form in her chest.
She wanted what they had, to feel comfortable around everyone and know the people around her. She wanted a family, that's when the thought hit her. Did she have a family somewhere outside these walls? Were they waiting for her? Were they alive?
Bringing her hand up she swiped away a stray tear that rolled down her cheek and shook her head in attempt to rid herself of the thought. Just as she caught site of Daryl walking in making his rounds around the table picking at the remaining bacon and eggs.
"Ya planning on eating?" T asked glancing up at the girl sitting beside him who swung her legs in a slow motion.
"I did." Jane stated staring up at the ceiling
Frowning TDog wrinkled his forehead, he didn't see her eat anything and come to think about it not that he was paying too much attention the night before but he did notice the little amount that had been on her plate. "Since when?" He asked
"When you were making your rounds with the eggs," She glanced down at him out of the corner of her eye, "I stole some bacon." Jane stated.
The man beside her huffed, "ya need to eat more than a piece or two of bacon girly," he stated lifting his place and walking over to the table putting some more food on it before turning to stand in front of her. "Ain't no time to be worrying over your figure, ya hear me?" He stated dropping the plate lightly in her lap.
Smiling Jane rolled her eyes and picked up a piece of bacon, "yes sir." she stated before taking a bite.
"Hey," Shane greeted as he walked in and headed straight towards the coffee.
"You as bad as I am?" Rick asked eying his friend, Jane couldn't help but do the same there was something about Shane but she decided to write it off as his dislike for her.
"Worse." The man mumbled turning with his coffee.
"What the hell happened to you?" T asked looking at Shane as he stood in front of Jane, "Your neck?"
"Must have done it in my sleep." Shane replied taking a seat at the table, Jane attempted to get a look at what TDog noticed and grimaced at the painful looking scratch marks.
"I've never seen you do that before," Rick stated
"Yeah," Shane nodded his head glancing up "ain't like me at all."
"Morning," Jenner spoke as he walked into the room diverting the conversation away from Shane.
"Morning," Jane replied with a smile, to receive a small nod from the Doctor.
"Hey Doc," Dale spoke up turning in his seat to face the coffee machine where Jenner stood, "I don't mean to slam you with questions first thing."
"But you will anyway," Jenner replied causing Jane's eyebrow to furrow as she glanced from Jenner's back to the back of Dale head. What was so important that couldn't wait? The thought crossed her mind, and was answered a moment later.
"We didn't come here for the eggs," Andrea stated
"I did..." Jane mumbled causing TDog to shoot her a smile and a subtly nod in agreement.
Jenner turned to face everyone, "right," he mused holding his cup of coffee "you came for answers." He stated with a nod, "well fallow me then."
It took maybe seconds until everyone was moving behind the Doctor, Jane fallowed them with her eyes unsure if she wanted to go with the group. "Ya comin?" Daryl asked pausing by the door, he was the last one she realized as she jumped off the counter.
"Why not, everyone loves a field trip." She stated walking over to catch up, the man didn't wait for her but kept his pace slow until she was walking just slightly behind him.
Walking in to the big room Jane went and stood in the front by Jenner watching the big screen turn on, "give me a play back of TS 19." Jenner stated as Vi confirmed and brought to the video. "A few people ever got the chance to see this," Jenner stated turning to face the group.
"Very few," he stated softly gazing up at the image with a look that is Jane had to guess it was a mixture of compassion, longing and hurt.
"Is that a brain?" Carl asked looking to the Doctor from beside his mother.
"An extraordinary one." Jenner stated confirming Jane's suspicions that he knew TS 19, "not that it matter's in the end. Take us in for an IV."
"Going in for an internal view." Vi replied answering the unasked question that was on the tip of Jane's tongue, the words MRI Virtual Camera sat uneasy in her stomach as she watched the view of the brain get closer.
It was the image of lights that had her body going ridged and her eyes widened as an overwhelming sense took over body and mind.
"What're all those lights?" A much younger version of Jane asked removing her eyes from the MRI she was watching on the tiny computer screen, up at the man who stood beside the chair she was seated in.
"They're electric pulses, everything you do or say comes from one of the many lights you're seeing here." He stated pointing to the screen, "the brain is a wonderful thing, it holds onto all of your memories the experiences that define who you are. It's all here."
Jane took in the sound of pride that came from his explanation as she went back to studying the lights, she sat silently watching as the lights flickered across the screen but frown when she noticed a few small spots that never lit up.
"Why is there grey spots?" She asked quietly, "they don't light up." she stated lifting her innocent eyes to meet his suddenly somber ones.
"Those spots are the cancer sweetheart, they're what your dad is trying to get rid of." She nodded glancing back to the screen, she understood what cancer was and a twist in her stomach started to form as she looked down at her hands that sat limply on her lap.
"Will mommy be ok, daddy?" The whisper left her lips and echoed around her ears causing her heart to swell, when his hand landed on softly on her shoulder.
"I hope so, baby, I hope so."
Jane blinked rapidly fighting back tears that threatened to spring forth, was that a memory? It had to be didn't it? She thought, why else would it bring such strong emotion that threatened to floor her at any given moment?
"What're those lights?" Shane asked causing her mouth to go dry, she knew the answer or she thought she did.
"It's our life." Jane stated clenching her trembling hand into a fist, feeling the absence of her father at her back like a cold wind.
Eyes went to her, both shocked and unbelieving. "You're right," Jenner confirmed with a nod "experiences, memories, it's everything." Jane swallowed, memories, was she getting her memories back? Would all of them be as painful as that one had been? Filled with overwhelming dread of loss?
"Somewhere in all that organic wiring, in those ripples of light is you." Jenner stated pointing at Shane, "the thing that makes you unique, and human."
"You don't make sense, ever?" Daryl asked from behind Jane causing her to stiffen and glance over her shoulder at the man, she understood for some reason what Jenner was saying even with only having a memory of hearing it before, she understood with clarity.
"Those are synapses." Jenner stated pointing at the screen,
"Electric impulses in the brain," Jane stated aloud glancing from Daryl to Jenner who didn't fight the small smile that graced his lips as he eyed the woman who was becoming a surprise to him.
"they carry all the messages." He confirmed with a nod, "they determine all a person does, says or thinks from the moment of birth," he paused "till the moment of death."
"Death?" Rick asked stepping forward "that's what this is, a vigil?"
"Yes," Jenner answered quietly, "or rather the playback of the vigil." His words caused a frown to mirror on a lot of faces, Jane's included as she stood and wrapped her arms around herself.
"This person died?" Andrea asked quietly, "who?"
"Test subject nineteen," Jenner asked as Jane's eyebrows furrowed, that's what he had said but it wasn't the complete truth not really, he knew this person she was sure of it.
"Someone that was bitten, and infected and volunteered to have us record the process." He stated looking at Andrea before turning back to the image, "Vi, scan forward until the first event."
"Scanning to first event." The computer responded sending premature chills up Jane's spine, as the computer started to scan forward.
A black tar like sludge started to invade the brain, "what is that?" Glenn asked as everyone eyed the screen 'not cancer' Jane thought almost venomously unsure of where the spite and anger was coming from she bit her lip to keep it in.
"It invades the brain like meningitis," Jenner stated pointing up at it, "the adrenal glens hemorrhage, the brain goes into shut down, then the major organs." he answered sounding a loss, biting her lip Jane assumed there was no easy way to break it to everyone what happened so it was probably hard for him.
"Then death." Jenner stated what everyone already knew was coming, "everything you ever were or will be," he trailed off glancing down at the computer station that sat in front of him, "gone."
An eerie quiet let Jane make out a faint whisper from the little girl asking her mother if that was what happened to Jim, Jane never met Jim. She had never seen anyone turn or get bit, but she had seen a few walkers as the others called them, she had seen the dead bodies and could only assume that this was what had caused it.
Jane barely paid attention as to why Jenner was talking to Andrea, "I lost somebody to." He stated causing Jane to focus on him, "I know how devastating it is." His statement confirmed the suspicion Jane had, but did little to make her feel better.
"Scan to the second event." Jenner told the computer as he straightened and took a few steps away from Andrea. Again the computer complied and repeated the instruction.
"The resurrection time varies wildly," Jenner informed the group without looking at them, "we have reports of it happening in as little as three minutes."
"The longest we heard of was eight hours," Jane continued to chew on the inside of her lip and cheek, all of what she was hearing was starting to sound like a bad horror movie. Basically from what she understood, you got bit then you died, and finally you came back to walk the earth and eat human flesh. Great, she thought rolling her eyes, just how I wanted to spend my afterlife.
"In the case of this patient it was two hours, one minute and seven seconds." Jenner stated gloomily, just as a dull red light started in the brain. Jane's eyes went wide and guessing from the gasps and stirring she could hear around her, she wasn't the only one shocked.
"It restarts the brain?" Lori asked, Jane couldn't help but shake her head something that caught the attention of both Daryl and Carol that stood nearest to her. It doesn't restart the brain, this is nothing like before. Jane thought eyeing the blackness that left a bad taste in her mouth.
"No just the brain stem," Jenner confirmed Jane's thoughts as her shoulders fell slightly, what had she been hoping for? It wasn't like they came back to life the way they were the first time. No, she clenched her jaw sadly, they were dead. A shell of the person they once were...right?
"Basically it gets them up and moving," Jenner clarified.
"But they're not alive." Rick stated taking a step forward coming to the same conclusion Jane was at.
"You tell me." Jenner stated waving his hand at the screen,
"It's nothing like before," Rick stated eyeing the screen "most of that brain is dark."
"Dark," Jenner agreed with a nod, "lifeless," He stated a moment later sympathetically, "dead...The frontal lobe, the neocortex, the human part, that doesn't come back. The YOU part." He stated looking at the screen "Just a shell..." he mumbled "Driven by mindless instinct."
Suddenly the image changed as something tore through the brain, instantly stopping all of TS-19's movements. "God, what was that?" Carol asked, Jane swallowed thickly around a lump that started to form in her throat, hoping to be wrong.
"He shot his patient in the head." Andrea whispered "Didn't you?"
Jenner turned away somber without answering the woman, Jane's face paled as bile raised in her throat. He killed that person, someone she could tell he had a connection with, sure she saw firsthand as Daryl took down the walker she had tripped over but in all honesty she hadn't thought about it.
Not in the way she was doing now, taking a life in its self was a terrifying thought but to watch someone you cared for die and then have to kill them when they opened their eyes? That was something Jane was sure she could never do.
Jane licked her lips slowly collecting her thoughts as she watched Jenner, "you don't know what it is, do you?" she asked bringing everyone out of their current state of mind.
Jenner met her eye, and her eye alone with a disappointed look. "I could be microbial, viral, parasitic, fungal,"
"Or the wrath of God?" Jacqui interrupted
"There is that," Jenner stated with a nod.
"Somebody must know something." Andrea insisted sounding like she was losing hope, "someone, somewhere..."
"There are others, right?" Carol asked softly trying to keep the tremble from her words, "other facilities?" she failed on the last word.
Jane felt her shoulders and demeanor sag as Jenner turned away from them, was there really no hope? Jane chewed on the inside of her cheek, "there may be," Jenner stated in attempt to ease any ill feelings that were forming, "people like me."
Closing her eyes Jane heard Rick ask "But you don't know? How can you not know?" There are still things to be grateful for, she reminded herself, I'm here. I'm safe and I'm alive. I'm not alone...it isn't all bad. Her reassuring thoughts however were short lived.
"Everything went down." Jenner stated before explaining, "Communications, directives all of it. I have been in the dark for almost a month now."
"So it's not just here? There's nothing left, anywhere? Nothing." Andrea stated more then asked "that's what you're really saying, right?"
It was quiet for a moment as Jenner glanced down to the cold floor then to Rick, who looked as if his last shred of hope was being taken away from him. The same look went around the room, "man, I'm going to get shit faced drunk. Again." Daryl stated running his hands over his face as he paced around behind Jane.
Jane frowned as she glanced around the room, she knew vaguely what the world was supposed to be like but not with clarity like the others did. Taking in a steadying breath she decided to not let the outside world brother her, she had no qualms about not returning to it.
This place promised safety, no one here was sick they had food, weapons if they needed to go outside. They would be ok. I'll be ok. She stated firmly in her mind. But her delusion of safety was about to be shattered just as quickly as she had built it.
"Doctor Jenner, I know this must have been taxing for you." Dale stated as he started to walk around a few table stations, "and I'd hate to ask one more question. But," he paused as he walked by Daryl who stood directly across from Jane.
"It's counting down," Dale stated turning to Face Jenner "what happens at zero?"
Jane felt her stomach clench, Zero...what happened at zero?
"The," he paused avoiding eye contact "the basement generators. They run out of fuel." Jane felt herself relax, it would be ok they could fix that they just needed to find more fuel. She glanced to the big red number counting down, they had just under an hour...somehow she realized that it wouldn't be enough time.
"And then?" Rick asked but Jenner walked by him without answering, "Vi," Rick called glancing towards the computer screen "what happens when the power runs out?"
"When the power runs out, facility wide decontamination will accrue." Jane's face paled, what the hell did that mean? Decontamination?
Jane stood motionless while she watched Shane and Rick talk about heading to the basement, everyone seemed to leave around the same time. Everyone but Jane. She stood numbly leaning on the computer desk behind her.
She started walking without much thought as to where she was going. The movement alone was helping, if only to clear her mind. It wasn't that walking had stopped her mind from thinking about the 'what if's' it was just letting her take them in stride without feeling as if anything that she was thinking was real.
"Jane?" Jenner's voiced pulled the woman from her thoughts as she froze finding herself once again walking by his door.
"Oh, wow." Jane mumbled glancing up towards Jenner, "we really have to stop meeting like this." She smiled half heatedly.
Jenner chuckled and nodded, "well if you weren't wondering around," he stated with a wave of his hand causing her to blush slightly. This is what she got for not paying attention. "Actually I'm glad to get a moment alone with you, mind if we talk?" He asked
Nodding Jane stepped in to his room as he beckoned her over, "sure, what's on your mind?" Jane asked and then cringed, seriously what couldn't be on his mind, or her's or anyone's at this point for that matter.
"I finished with the blood tests," Jenner stated
"Oh, yeah?" Jane asked raising a thin eyebrow "everything go as expected?"
"No," Jenner stated shaking his head, "there is something you should know." His statement had her blood running cold, was she infected? Oh God, am I going to die? Panic started to ebb away at her before his voice put an end to it. "But what I'm about to tell you, it'd be best to keep it to yourself."
"ok, you're making me nervous is someone here infected?" Confusion swept over Jane, surely if she was infected he would want the others to know...right?
"That's the thing, no one knows how this disease came to be," Jenner stated eyeing her for any sort of reaction, when there was none he continued. "But what I do know is that it's airborne so everyone has it." Jenner's statement hadn't been what Jane expected, and instantly she started to feel ill.
"so we're all going to die and turn in to one of those...things?" Jane whispered sinking down on his cot dropping her head in to her hands.
"Not all of us," Jenner amended quietly watching as she took in the information.
"I don't fallow," Jane stated the obvious as she glance up at him, "I thought you just said we all have it?" She asked hoping he would tell her she misunderstood, that she had heard wrong. He didn't.
"I did," Jenner nodded "we all do have it, you had it...but for some reason now you don't." Jenner stated shocking the girl, she had it she had been infected but now she wasn't? "From what I've been able to find out so far is your DNA was tampered with and it mutated. You're immune." Jenner stated sounding envious of the news he had just delivered.
"I could have manufacture a cure using your blood," Jenner stated quietly, the words 'If only you had come sooner' or 'if only we had more time' hung in the air.
"I could show you," Jenner offered gesturing towards the microscope that sat on a table across from the cot. "Here," Jenner offered her hand and helped Jane to stand and walked the short distance before grapping a slide and placing in under the scope.
"This is walker DNA." Jenner stated letting Jane looked through the scope, "what do you see?"
Straightening up she glanced at him, "its dark, dead." Jane stated lowering her eyebrows in confusion, of course it was dark and dead they were dead after all.
"Alright," Jenner nodded changing the slides, "look at this one." He stated letting her peer into the scope once again.
"This one is still alive, but it has black residue holding each cell together." Jane stated furrowing her eyebrows, her own description sounds off and wrong to her ears.
"This is your blood, do you see the difference?" Jenner asked once again as he changed slides
"Mine has a higher red cell count? Plus I don't see any of that tar-ish stuff." Jane stated taking a step back, noticing Jenner's concentrated look trained on her. "What?" she asked barely above a whisper.
"What'd you do, before this?" He asked seemingly genially interested in the answer.
Frowning Jane tucked a stray hair behind her ear, "I wish I knew."
"You don't remember?" Jenner asked knitting his eyebrows together, Jane simply shook her head "then I assume you don't know how you came to be immune to the disease either." He sighed rubbing the back of his neck.
"Not that it matters, I suppose." Jane bit her lip to keep it from trembling as the thought of decontamination hit her again.
"We're going to die, aren't we?" She whispered lowering her gaze.
"Everything dies." Jenner stated calmly causing the woman to shake her head.
"No, I mean all of us here in less than an hour...we'll be dead?" Jane asked as Jenner eyed her silently, "you do that, you know?" She stated without waiting for his reply, "you go silent when you don't want to tell us the truth, because you don't like the truth."
"I did the best I could," Jenner stated looking away from Jane seeming lost in thought, "in the time I had." Until his eyes fell back onto Jane, "we always think there is going to be more time." That was when the lights went out.
Glancing up Jane walked over to the door to see the hall lights still dimly lighting the hall, "it's starting. Isn't it?" she asked as he walked up behind her resting a hand onto her shoulder, he gave it one gentle squeeze before walking out the door leaving Jane to follow him.
As she walked down the hall silently fallowing him everyone started coming out of their own rooms, "why's the air off?" Lori asked as Jenner walked by her,
"And the lights in our room?" Carol questioned quietly just before Daryl poked his head out of his own door way.
"Hey what's goin on? Why's everything turning off?" He asked as Jenner scooped the liquor bottle from Daryl's dangling hand. Jane couldn't force herself to meet any of their eyes or answer a single question, after all how did you tell a room, or in this case a hallway full of people that soon they'd all be dead?
"Energy use is being prioritized." Jenner asked before taking a swig from the bottle.
"Air isn't a priority, and lights?" Dale asked as Jenner walked past him shaking his head, Jane glanced over her shoulder watching as the hallway of people started to follow behind her, biting her lip she turned back around and reached for the bottle that Jenner easily handed over.
"It's not up to me," Jenner stated as Jane took a drink and wiped her mouth before eyeing the man, there really isn't anything he can do. She realized sympathetically. "Zone five is shutting it's self done."
"Hey, hey what does that mean?" Daryl asked picking up his pace so he was directly behind Jane, "hey man I'm talking to you. What do you mean it's shutting itself down?" He asked glancing over at Jane "How can a building do anything?"
"You'd be surprised." Jenner stated just as Rick, Shane, Glenn and TDog ran in from another doorway.
"Jenner, what's happening?" Rick asked walking along side him, Jenner barely turned and when he did it was to grab back the bottle from Jane's hands and took another swig before handing it back to Daryl.
"The system is dropping all none essential usage of power," Jenner answered "It's designed to keep the computer's running to the last possible second. That starts just as we approach the half hour mark."
Jane shivered at the realization as her eyes darted to the clock that read '00:31:28' "right on time then." She stated wrapping her arms around herself, glancing down at her Jenner nodded.
"It was the French," Jenner stated glancing towards Andrea who responded with a 'what?' "they were the last ones to hold out as far as I know." He stated pausing on the steps that led to the computer area, "while our people were bolting out the doors and committing suicide in the hallways, their people stayed in the lab until the end."
His eyes landed on Jane as he paused, "they thought they were close to a solution." the hairs on her arms raised, again the words 'If only you arrived sooner' were echoing around her mind.
"What happened?" Jacqui asked quietly,
"Same thing that is happening here," He stated pausing at the top of the staircase "no power grid. Ran out of juice. The world runs on fossil fuel, I mean how stupid is that?" Knitting her eyebrows together Jane stood quietly at the bottom of the stairs not following what he was saying, or his movement up onto the plate form.
"Let me tell you something," Shane stated pushing by Jane and going up to only be held back by Rick.
"To hell with this Shane, I don't even care. Lori grab our things, everybody get your stuff. We're getting out of here now!" Rick shouted looking at his group of people, turning like majority of the group Jane was going to get her things.
Just because this place was running out of power didn't mean she had to stick around and watch the 'end' happen. Jane went to rush forward with the group just as an alarm sounded, the question of 'what's that' was thrown around as everyone's eyes darted around the room.
"Thirty minutes until decontamination." Vi, the computer system stated as a counted appeared on her screen, numbers rapidly counting down.
"Come on everybody, you heard Rick!" Shane shouted clapping his hands drawing everyone's attention to him, "come on now get your stuff."
Jane barely moved a muscle before a big metal door blocked their exit. Glenn started shouting "He just locked us in!" Causing Jane's heart to start racing, I'm going to die, and there is nothing I can say or do about it. Repeated in her mind as she stood staring with wide eyes at the door that would hold all of them to their death.
"This isn't right," she mumbled shaking her head until her eyes landed on Jenner who sat stoic in his chair.
Panic started in the group as the children and mothers clung to each other, "you son of a bitch!" Daryl snarled charging towards Jenner ready to smash the liquor bottle over his head.
"Shane!" Rick shouted just in time to have Shane and TDog stop Daryl as he reached Jenner, pulling him away as he thrashed in attempt to get at the man. Slowly Jane made her way up the stairs, if anyone noticed they didn't pay her any mind.
"Jenner," Rick spoke calmly walking up and stopping beside Jane "open that door, now."
"There's no point," Jenner sighed "everything top side is locked down once the emergence exits are sealed."
"Well open the damn things," Daryl stated calmly down as he glared at the Doctor,
"That's not something I control, the computers do. I told you," Jenner stated "once those front doors closed that they wouldn't open again, you heard me say that." He paused meeting Jane's eyes, if he was looking for understanding it wasn't there, "It's better this way."
"What is?" Rick asked "What happens in twenty eight minutes?" When Jenner didn't answer, the way he didn't when Jane asked them if they were all going to be dead in an hour, Rick looked to Shane for support who shoved the Doctor's chair. "What happens in twenty eight minutes?" Rick yelled infuriating Jenner.
The Doctor jumped out of his seat his face contorting with anger as he shouted, "You know what this place is?!" Instantly Rick took a step back as Jenner whirled and got in to Shane's face next, "we protected the public from some very NASTY stuff!"
He paused turning to face the group as a whole, "weaponized small pox!" he shouted "strains that can wipe out half the country! Stuff you don't want getting out, ever!" Clenching his jaw he took his seat and fixed his shirt in attempt to calm himself down.
"In event of a catastrophic failure, or a terrorist attack for example. HIT's will be deployed to prevent any organisms from getting out," Jenner explained
"HIT's?" Rick asked quietly
"Vi," Jenner was about to let the computer take over when Jane whispering voice stopped him as all attention went on the young girl.
"They're explosives," she stated never lifting her eyes from her feet, "they ignite the air on fire." Jane stated quietly,
"Is she right?" Rick asked eyeing Jenner who clenched his jaw but nodded,
"There's no pain." Jenner stated attempting to catch Jane's eye, who avoiding looking at him as she wiped a lone tear from her cheek. HIT's, how she knew some knowledge that just seemed to click into place she wasn't sure but biting her lip she knew it had to do with her past. It had to, there was no other explanation.
"An end to sorrow, grief," Jenner was still talking as Jane lifted her eyes to look at the man, "regret." he paused looking back up and meeting her gaze with a distant one, "everything."
Jane's eyes went to the clock, in the back of her mind she knew she probably have looked anywhere else because who honestly wanted to watch the minute tick down until they died? But none the less that clocks red numbers stood out mockingly, twenty seven minutes and seventeen seconds.
This was how she was supposed to spend the last half hour of her life? Not knowing who she was, locking in a room by an obviously depressed Doctor with a bunch of people she barely knew?
Sighing Jane watched as Shane and Daryl went at the door with axes before she walked over to stand beside the sitting Jacqui, "how're you holding up?" She asked softly before sinking down beside the other woman.
"I'm doing alright," Jacqui stated with a single nod before patting Jane's hand and asked "you?"
"I'm about to go up in flames," Jane replied glancing over at the clock "in twenty five minutes and forty seven seconds so I'm a little concerned and terrified." Jane stated honestly leaning her head back against the metal desks.
"At least you won't have to fear walkers," Jacqui whispered afraid anyone would overhear, Jane grimaced lowering her eyebrows.
"I think that's sort of the problem," she stated before catching the confused look from Jacqui "I don't remember fearing them, running from them. I think that's the problem." She stated trying to make sense of her thoughts aloud.
Jacqui eyed the girl silently for a moment, "I don't have any reason to want this." Jane whispered, locking eyes with Jacqui "I just want to remember." Her voice cracked as her lower lip trembled, Jacqui squeezed her hand.
"Maybe it's for the best, sweetheart." The older woman stated softly, noting the confusion flicker across Jane's face she continued "that you can't remember. Something caused you to forget, whatever it was couldn't have been good."
Jane nodded slowly understanding, "I started remembering things..." Jane whispered lowering her gaze "nothing that has anything to do with walkers. I think my dad was a Doctor or a scientist...something like that." She stated catching Jenner's eye on her, before looking back at Jacqui.
"It still feels like someone else's life." Jane stated dropping her gaze, as she realized just how badly she wanted to live. Even though she didn't know who she had been, didn't mean she couldn't decide on who she was going to be.
Jenner's words pulled Jane from her thoughts, "You know what's out there, a short brutal life with an agonizing death." He paused his eyes shifting past Jane and landing on Andrea, "your sister, what was her name?"
"Amy." Andrea spoke softly
"Amy," Jenner repeated softly "you know what this does-"
"Stop it!" Jane snapped glaring at Jenner, before getting up and pointing at him bringing all eyes back on her. "Just stop. Don't use her mourning as a way to justify your actions." Jenner met her glare slightly shocked, but he ignored her and glanced up at Rick who had walked over.
"Is that what you want for your wife and kid?" Jenner asked as Jane glanced back over at the red mocking letters.
"I don't want this." Rick stated before turning to look at Shane.
"Can't make a dent." He informed him exasperated.
"Those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher." Jenner stated, clenching her jaw Jane glanced back at the doors standing tall without so much as a mark on them.
"Well your head ain't!" Daryl snapped charging forward with a raised axe, Dale, TDog, Rick and Shane held him back as she watched with shock mildly curious if he was going to run her over in his attempt to hack Jenner to bits.
"You do want this." Jenner stated standing up, "last night you said, you knew it was just a matter of time before everyone you knew and loved was dead." Jane fallowed his gaze to land on Rick, she didn't say anything it didn't matter what her opinion was, after all she meant nothing to the man.
"What, you really said that?" Shane asked "after all your big talk?"
"I had to keep hope alive, didn't I?" Rick asked, but his question wasn't directed at Rick but to Lori.
"There is no hope!" Jenner stated "There never was."
"There is always hope," Rick stated as Jane sighed a conversation about if there was or wasn't hope really wasn't what she had been expecting. "Maybe not for you, not here. But somebody, somewhere."
"What part of everything is gone, do you not understand?" Andrea asked spitefully looking up at Rick,
"Listen to your friend, she gets it." Jenner stated before his eyes moved back to Jane, he didn't have to say anything but his look spoke in volumes 'Hope had arrived, it was just too late for it to matter or change anything.'
"This is what takes us down." Jenner stated keeping his eyes on Jane, causing her to shift in discomfort under his gaze. "This is our extinction event."
"This isn't right," Carol sobbed "you can't just keep us here."
"One brief second, no pain-" Jenner was saying when something in Jane snapped she didn't see it coming until her fist connected to the side of his face just under his eye.
The room fell silent, and her hand throb as she glared down at him her entire body shaking "You're lying." She seethed, "you're lying to them about there being no hope." She stated eyeing him daring him to call her a liar, "you know it and I know it."
"What are you talking about?" Rick asked eyeing the two
"Wouldn't it be kinder more passionate to hold your loved ones and wait for the clock to run down?" Jenner asked never letting his gaze leave her's, just as the sound of a gun cocking echoed around them.
"Shane!" Rick shouted as Jane whirled around to see what was happening, but her attention was pulled back to Jenner who was whispering softly so only she could hear.
"You can't tell them, if they knew you'd take anyway any hope that they have." Jane eyed him quietly, she didn't like it but knew he was right.
"Get out of my way Rick," Shane threatened pushing his friend aside, putting the gun directly in Jenner's face he seethed "you open those god damn doors right now, or I'm going to blow your head off!"
"Brother, brother this is not the way we do this." Rick tried to reason to calm him down as Jane stood shocked still like many others, "pull the trigger and we'll never get out of here." Rick stated though shooting Jenner may relieve some sort of tension Jane thought but she was sure it would be short lived and have repercussions.
Punching him sure had, glancing down at her hand that still tingled and looked like it was starting to swell she realized something. She may have had some anger issues, but seeing as Daryl came at him twice once with a bottle then an axe and now Shane had a shot gun in his face. Somehow she didn't think her anger was as out of control as theirs...but neither of them had actually hurt the man yet.
"Shane you listen to him." Lori stated
"He dies we all die," Rick tried to reason again as Shane let out what could only be described as a battle cry before unloading the magazine into computer screens. Jane ducked like majority of the people did, crouching she held her hands to her ears and watched the man release the building tension that he felt.
It came to an end as Rick struggled to get the gun and knocked Shane on to the cold hard tile floor, "you done now?" Rick asked raising the butt of the gun threatening silently that if he wasn't finished he'd get the blow to the head, "you done?"
"Yeah," Shane stated through gritted teeth "I guess we all are."
Jane dropped her hands from her ears as she watched Rick hand the gun over to TDog, before he turned to Jenner. "I think she's right," Rick stated nodding towards Jane once who was slowly standing "you're lying."
"What?" Jenner asked eyeing Jane out of the corner of his eye
"I think you're lying," Rick repeated "about no hope." Taking a step forward he caught Jenner's eyes, "if that were true, you would have bolted with the rest taken the easy way out. You didn't." He paused "you chose the hard path, why?"
"It doesn't matter." Jenner stated
"It does matter," Rick stated taking another step towards the man, bending over to be eye level with him he continued "it always matters. You staid when others ran. Why?"
"Not because I wanted to," Jenner stated turning to lock eyes with Rick, standing up he stated "I made a promise." He pointed towards where Vi's screen huh, "to her, my wife."
"Test subject nineteen was your wife?" Lori asked sympathetically
"She begged me to keep going as long as I could," Jenner paused "how could I say no?" Just then the sound of steel on steel pulled at Jane's attention as she glanced back to see Daryl swinging the axe away at the metal door once again.
"She was dying." He stated pointing at the screen, "it should have been me on that table. I wouldn't have mattered to anybody, she, she was a lost to the world! Hell she ran this place," he stated shifting his eyes around the group "I, I just worked here."
Jane lowered her gaze when his eyes met her's, she was started to feel for the man and not what she wanted to. She wanted to hold on to her anger to get the hell out of dodge, not feel sorry for him and listen to his life story. Sure she'd listen, she'd give him all the time in the world, if they were outside these walls.
"In our field she was Einstein, me" he paused "I'm just Edwin Jenner. She could have done something about this, not me."
"Your wife didn't have a choice, you do. That's all we want, a choice a chance." Rick stated
"Let us keep trying for as long as we can," Lori begged holding her son close
"I told you top sides locked down, I can't open those." Jenner stated walking around Rick and stopping at the table directly in front of Jane, pressing some buttons on a tiny remote he looked up just as the door started to open.
"Come on!" Daryl shouted as Jane glanced back at the clock again four minutes thirty seconds it read. Everyone was running and Jane wanted desperately to run with them, but first there was something she needed to do.
"There's your chance, take it." Jenner stated to Rick,
"I'm grateful." Rick stated
"The day will come when you don't be," Jenner stated as his eyes shifted over to Jane "don't tell me after sucker punching me you don't want to leave."
"You could come with us," Jane stated receiving strange looks from both Jenner and Rick.
"The world outside, I couldn't handle that." Jenner stated after a moment before grabbing Rick's and hand leaning in to whisper in to his ear. Jane couldn't hear what was being said but when Jenner pulled back and Rick had a stoic expression that shifted to her, she knew.
She knew without a doubt that she wasn't the only one to learn the truth about the disease while they stayed at the CDC. His eyes went to her and her mouth went dry, just as Lori ran up to grab his hand. "Hey we have four minutes left! Come on!" Glenn shouted
"Jane," Jenner pulled her attention back to him just as Jacqui announced she was staying behind, "it's ok." he stated watching her "you don't have to go."
"Yes, I do." She stated finally, "how else are they supposed to beat this thing?" She asked "If I'm immune, if I'm the walking breathing cure then I have to go."
"Andrea, no." Dale voice had Jane glancing over to see Andrea sitting down, "just go! Go!" Dale shouted waving the others off.
Jenner nodded "Stay safe. Stay...alive." he whispered as she ran to catch up with the others, sending a look of despair back towards Dale who nodded in acknowledgement.
Jane dashed down the hall way to the bunker where she slept, everyone had already been through there or they hadn't bothered at all, either way she scooped up her clothing and stuffed them into the purple child's bag. She ran, her legs were burning with the pressure of her foot falls but she had to keep going if she didn't, if she stopped for even a second it could cost her, her life.
That was something she wasn't ready to give up on just yet. A loud explosion sent Jane to her knees, as she blinked in shock. Not dead. I'm not dead. The thought had her pushing herself up off her knees and running again, to get a glimpse of someone's back jumping out of a shattered window.
She ran, and she jumped and she came down hard. Wincing Jane took in a ragged breath, if she didn't hurry she'd fall to far behind and would no doubt end up walker food. Pushing back off her knees for the second time, she knew her knees were bleeding and more than likely bruised, but that didn't stop her from running.
Jane's labored breathing hitched in her ears as she skidded around the fallen bodies, too afraid to take the chance that one of them might not be as dead as it appeared. "Damnit." Shane growled with a frown as he watched the girl that was running.
"Come on!" He shouted lifting his pistol and fired off a shot that dropped a walker that was approaching the girl, she didn't stop to look behind her as she reached him. Her legs burned and she was about ready to have a mild panic attack, when she nearly ran straight into Shane.
His hand wrapped around her wrist dragging her behind him as he ran, he forced her into his jeep and jumped in to the driver's side. Just in time to look up and see Andrea and Dale walking out of the building.
"Get down!" Shane yelled pushing Jane into a hunched over position beside him, seconds before Dale and Andrea made it behind a row of sandbags and before the CDC went up in flames. Shane sighed and shook his head glancing over at Jane as he stared up the engine.
He didn't say anything, but then he didn't have to.
(Authors note: And there it is! Longest chapter by far, promise the next one won't be as long! So drop me a line on your thoughts, so much happened you must have at least one, or what you would like to see happen!)