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bought. In
fact, Alyson was the first to arrive in the cafeteria where Martin
and Vince waited.
    Out of habit, Martin stood at attention
beside Vince, who’d plopped into one of the chairs. Alyson
approached them and smiled at Martin. “Hello, stranger,” she
purred, flicking her long red hair out of her face with a slight
shake of her head.
    “Hello,” Martin answered. A good number of
the base’s staff had been female, but none of them had ever acted
in such a fashion toward him. He realized her movements were
designed to initiate mating, but he could neither explain nor
understand the feeling inside of him as she drew closer to kiss him
on the cheek.
    “Back off, Alyson,” Vince said. “Martin isn’t
human.” He saw the hurt in Martin’s eyes and immediately cursed
himself for being so tactless.
    “What?” Alyson squeaked, retreating a few
steps.
    Vince hated his poor choice of words even
more. “That’s not what I meant,” he said, trying to explain himself
to both of them at once. “Martin’s a person just like us. I just
meant give him some space, okay?”
    “A person like us?” Alyson asked. “What in
the hell is that supposed to mean? Why would you say shit like
that?”
    “I am a bio-genetically engineered weapon
capable of evolution and independent thought,” Martin
explained.
    “Oh,” Alyson gasped. Neither Vince nor Martin
could tell if she believed him, but she did seem calmer and she
continued to look Martin over. “I’d let you be one for me.”
    More people started pouring into the room,
and Martin locked onto Chris and his newborn daughter as they
entered. “I came here to help,” he announced to the crowd.
    Vince grabbed his arm. “Wait. Wait until
everyone’s settled and then explain. That way you only have to do
it once. It’s easier, trust me.” Vince stood up, putting a hand on
Martin’s back, and Martin deferred to his wisdom.
    ***
    After Laura had left the conference room,
she’d returned to her quarters. She had faith that Vince could
introduce Martin and convince the group that he wasn’t a threat.
Jack’s reaction had upset her, but there was nothing she could do
except give him time to calm down. In his current state, she knew
reasoning with him would be out of the question, it would only make
matters worse. Anyway, she had more important matters to deal with.
She could feel another attack coming on, and she wanted to make
sure she was alone when it hit.
    She took off her lab coat, slumped onto the
edge of her mattress and rolled up her sleeve. When she finished,
she opened the drawer of the small desk beside the bed. Inside was
her private mini-pharmacy from the hospital’s stores. Unlike
Alyson, about whom she’d heard rumors, none of her stash was
narcotic in nature. It was composed entirely of treatments for her
cancer and its symptoms.
    She measured out a dose into a syringe and
shot up, praying the treatment would stem off the attack. Exhausted
both physically and emotionally, she reclined on the bed and closed
her eyes, wishing she could bring herself to dream of a better
tomorrow.
    ***
    Vince waited as long as he felt comfortable
for the group to gather in the cafeteria. Almost everyone was there
and settled in by now. Only Laura, Jack, and a few of the man’s
cronies were absent.
    When the room finally grew quiet, Vince
spoke. “As you all know, the man beside me is Martin Kier. He’s the
person we made radio contact with recently. And yes, his story is
real. He arrived this morning by helicopter and brought us a
delivery of supplies from the military installation he’s been
surviving in since the plague started.”
    Murmurs of excitement rippled through the
crowd.
    “There are a few things you need to know. The
base may not be a viable spot for us to relocate to. We are making
plans to send a small task force to ensure it will be safe for all
of us.” Vince could see the hope dying in the crowd. “Please, don’t
be discouraged. It’s just a