Page 3 of Resolution
Obviously surprised and a bit nettled to be questioned, Briskinn leaned back in his chair, making it squeak. “Sorry, that’s not intel you need to know or at least not on the first day. The General will have to decide what to do about your rank but for now assume you’re rated as a captain. As a courtesy. Don’t try giving orders though. Our men and women don’t know you and until Quantike personally slots you into a command position they’re not obliged to take your orders.”
“No problem.” Jeff raised his hands dismissively. “When will I meet with the general?”
Melly was afraid he was pushing too hard as Briskinn frowned but what did she know about military protocol after all. Jeff was a professional.
“I don’t know what his schedule might be,” Briskinn replied. “Hold off on drawing a uniform from Stores until after the meeting. Report to me here tomorrow at 0800 and we’ll go from there.” He focused on Melly and she felt a spurt of adrenaline run through her. She wasn’t cut out to be a spy. Why had she ever volunteered for this insane mission? Briskinn was going to see right through her.
Tell the truth, that’s all you have to do, she told herself nervously. He has no reason to be suspicious.
“This is my wife,” Jeff said, taking her hand and showing Briskinn the wedding ring. “But she goes by Dr. Jericho professionally.”
“Excellent, we can certainly use another doctor on staff.” Briskinn dug another purple bracelet out of the drawer and handed it over. “Now you’re entitled to an apartment in the military family residence, captain. I’m afraid the accommodations aren’t much to praise—upgraded fairgrounds buildings, you know, but better than a tent or a bunk in the dormitories. Let me see what’s available.” He navigated around his handheld for a minute or two and then grabbed Jeff’s one sheet map and scribbled a number next to a building toward the center of the camp. “You’ll need to report to the infirmary tomorrow morning at 0800, Dr. Jericho. I’ll alert Dr. Sharpton to expect you. He can answer any questions you may have about how he runs the medical shop.” Now the captain turned to Tamsyn. “And you?”
“She’s my assistant,” Melly said in a rush, fearful of losing Tamsyn in the big camp if she was assigned to other work. “I’ll require her to be assigned to me at the infirmary.”
“You’re a nurse, Ms. Wendover?”
“Doctor in training,” Tamsyn said confidently. Melly hoped the Glastine captain wouldn’t argue about her status. “And yes, I assist Dr. Jericho. It’s a sort of an internship program.”
Briskinn frowned and tapped his lips with his stylus as he considered the claim. “Dr. Sharpton can always use another pair of trained hands. I’ll let him decide. Consider yourself assigned to work with Dr. Jericho temporarily.” He pulled a green bracelet from the tangle in the drawer. “Afraid you don’t qualify for the military housing but you’ll find the woman’s dormitory acceptable, I’m sure. Beats being outside the fences fending for yourself among the infected, right?”
Tamsyn took the bracelet and gave him a smile Melly could tell was fake. “Of course. Thank you.”
“That concludes the intake interviews,” Briskinn said, closing his desk drawer and powering off his handheld.
“How is it you have service with the planetary networks down?” Jeff asked.
“We have a local system, hooked into our own power generation hub.” Briskinn boasted. “Advantages of being in a well run camp. Of course the use of the system is restricted to official business and only for certain individuals. The databases governing use of the bracelets and other amenities here are a subsystem. Now if that’s all?—”
One of you has to get me into that system, Cody said in Melly’s head over the subaural com. Their camp was close enough to be in the com’s range and the cyborg had been monitoring the discussion. Everything we need to know is there, I’m sure.
Agreed but not today, Jeff replied, keeping a poker face even as he rose and shook Briskinn’s hand.
Melly still had a hard time not reacting visibly to the use of the subaural coms and she was afraid to glance at Tamsyn, who was even more of a novice at using the system than she was. She managed to murmur her thanks to the Glastine captain and left the office with Jeff’s hand on her arm. Tamsyn trailed behind.
“Thank goodness for fresh air,” Melly said as soon as they exited the building and reached the sidewalk. “The building smelled of mold. This fairground is a really old facility all right.”
“Not sure I’d call this air fresh exactly,” Tamsyn said. “When the wind blows you get the stink of the infected. Being here for any length of time at all is going to be an exercise in sheer terror, I gotta tell you.”
“We’ll make it as short a visit as we can,” Jeff said. “I’m happy the power grid is robust. I don’t even want to imagine what would happen if any of the force fences failed.”
Melly punched him in the arm. “Thanks for giving voice to my personal nightmare. I can’t wait to go to work at the clinic tomorrow and start searching for answers. I want out of here.”
There was an excited shout from the building behind them and a woman ran down the steps. “Tamsyn Wendover, is that really you?”
The rancher turned and the two women embraced. “Devora Sims! I hoped to find you here. Is everyone else from the buses okay?”
“I don’t see people I know all the time, it’s a big camp,” the newcomer said with a bit of reserve in her voice. “But Les is here—you remember him, the bus driver?” She extended her hand to show off her rings. “We’re married.”
“Wow, great news.” Tamsyn’s voice was warm and excited for her friend. Melly was sure the rancher wished she could share her own marital news but of course the whole subject was off limits while they were inside Glastine. “Congratulations.” She looked at Jeff and Melly, waiting patiently and said, “This is my friend from Rosewater. We’ve known each other, gosh all our lives basically. She was the town’s police dispatcher before the outbreak and then we were at Jonny Fafield’s compound together briefly.”
“Yes, before she saved our lives by sending us off in two rickety school buses right before the swarm overran the place,” Devora said. She eyed Melly and Jeff curiously. “New friends?”
“This is Dr. Melly Jericho and her husband Captain Jeff Pearson.” Tamsyn made the introductions. “I met them on the road out of Rosewater and they stayed at the ranch with me for a short time before we decided to head for Glastine.”
Devora’s forehead was wrinkled in a frown but before she could ask any questions, Tamsyn added, “They saved my life a couple of times. We’ve gotten close. I trust them as if I’d known them all my life.”
“A ringing endorsement from Tamsyn indeed,” Devora said with a smile for Melly and Jeff. “What residence did they assign you?”
