LAST IMMUNITY

Chapter Six: Mission Plan One

“So, where’s Tann?”

Dana asked like she already knew the answer, the same way people asked questions about the obvious for confirmation, just to hear another person say it out loud.

Cole gazed into her unwavering brown eyes. "He was bitten last night at the warehouse while we were trying to escape and Tann turned into a Grey early the next morning before I left."

Dana nodded twice and slow, absorbing rather than disagreeing as she put Biscuit down. "Did he—" She stopped and tried again. "Was he in pain when he—"

"No," Cole blurted before she could finish. “He’s still alive and I know that once all of this is over, Tann and other Greys will be given a cure.”

Dana stood up from the couch and turned away from him, moving towards the window and staring at the street below, through a gap in the curtain.

Her shoulders jerked uncontrollably but they stilled and straightened before she could breakdown in tears.

"Tann talked about you," she spoke after a moment. "All the time, honestly. Cole this, Cole that. I always thought he was exaggerating." She paused. "He wasn't, was he?"

"I don't know, depends on what he told you."

"He said you were the most capable person he'd ever met and that you genuinely made terrible coffee."

Cole pretended to search for something on the floor as a faint smile tugged at his lips. "The coffee topic is easily overstated."

"Yeah, well he had very strong feelings about it."

"I know."

Dana turned around, this time her eyes were red but dry as she must’ve decided to cry later, when there was a better time and place for it.

Cole recognized this because he needed it too.

"Okay," she said again, active and different this time. "We have to go."

"Where?" Cole asked.

She picked her phone up off the table and held the screen toward him.

EMERGENCY BROADCAST — SURVIVOR CAMP POINT ACTIVE — LOCATION: HARROW CIVIC CENTRE — 14 BASIN ROAD — REPORT TO CONSOLIDATION POINT FOR REGISTRATION, MEDICAL ASSESSMENT AND RESOURCE DISTRIBUTION — P.A.X AUTHORITY

Cole read it twice but went over the part about P.A.X and read it a third time. The emergency broadcast messages have been coming from the same place as the black drones he saw before.

"You've been waiting on the broadcasts," he said.

"Obviously," Dana rolled her eyes. "Have you not?"

"I've been busy."

"Yeah? Doing what?"

“Keeping my promise to your brother and coming to find you.” Cole gestured to the metal steel in his hand and the blood on his jacket.

"Right, thanks for honoring your promise." She pulled a huge duffel bag from behind the couch—packed and already filled with supplies for the road.

“Woah.” Cole noticed how prepared and daring she was, a complete contrast to her brother Tann.

"14 Basin Road is twenty minutes from here if we cut through the market district and don't run into any one of them Greys."

"The market district will have Greys, we can’t risk it."

"Every district has Greys, Cole but at least we have a direction." She changed into boots, tightened up the lace properly, slung the duffel bag over her shoulder and slid a kitchen knife in the outer pocket of the bag handle-up.

It wasn't much, she knew it wasn't but she'd packed everything she could find. "Are you coming or are you going to stand in my apartment and disagree with everything I say."

Cole looked at her and knew choosing to travel with Dana would be much different and potentially more difficult than traveling alone.

"My brother trusted you," Dana said, her voice going quiet. "That's the only reason why I opened the door. So it’s either you have a better plan or we go to Basin Road."

Cole didn't have a better plan yet, so he agreed. "We go to Basin Road," he walked over to her and secured her duffel bag strap to her waist. "Stay behind me, stay silent, and do exactly what I say, when I say it."

"Naturally." She smirked and clicked her tongue at Biscuit. "Come on."

"The dog—”

“—is absolutely coming.” Dana interrupted him.

Biscuit looked at Cole and Cole looked at Biscuit. "Stay close," he said to them, picking up his pipe and opened up the door.