“Then we can send Barry to check them out again. But for now, let’s play it cool.”
Barry grinned. “Don’t want to call too soon after our first date?”
“Don’t want them thinking we’re a threat,” said St. George. “They’re probably as freaked out by us as we are by them. And like you said, they’ve got a lot more guns. Let’s wait a couple days and see if the Predator comes back.”
Danielle nodded. “When they do, we can use my call sign and codes. Even if they can’t verify it, they should be able to recognize it as our military without too much trouble.”
Stealth gave a slow nod. “A sound plan for the present.”
“There’s one other thing, though,” said St. George. “What do we tell everyone?”
“What do you mean?” asked Danielle.
“Everyone here at the Mount. Inside the Big Wall. Do we keep quiet? Do we tell them the military’s coming to save the day?”
“I am sure that decision has been made for you, George,” said Stealth.
He looked at her. “How so?”
“Besides the four of us, fourteen scavengers know of the Predator drone. I find it unlikely all of them have remained silent on this matter. I would estimate at least two hundred people have been told the news during the course of this meeting.”
St. George sighed.
“Oh, joy,” said Barry. “That won’t cause any headaches.”
“I would suggest we advise citizens against any premature assumptions as to the nature of this incident. Perhaps we can protect them from potential disillusionment and the corresponding blow to morale.”
“Assuming, of course,” said Danielle, “there’s going to be a reason to be disillusioned.”
The lights flickered. “That’s my cue,” said Barry. He swallowed the last crust of his sandwich. “Batteries are running low. I need to get back to the chair.”
“They’re not lasting any time at all now,” muttered the redhead.
“We’re supplying six times as many people,” said St. George. “We need to figure out a better way to do this.”
“You’re telling me,” said Barry. He swung himself off the table and into his wheelchair. “You know it’s been six weeks since I slept in a bed?”
“Come on,” said the hero, scooping up his patchwork leather jacket. “Let’s get you over to Four.”
“Cerberus,” said Stealth, “if you could escort Zzzap back to the electric chair, I would like to speak with St. George for a few more minutes. Alone.”
“Somebody’s in trou-ble,” sang Barry with a grin.
The redhead took in a quick breath. “Will you be long? I was hoping to get the armor back on tonight.”
“Take the rest of the night off,” St. George told her. “We’ll get you suited back up in the morning.”
“Oh, sure,” said Barry. “She gets to sleep in a bed.”
“Someone needs to check the gates, though,” said Danielle. “If you two are going to be here for a while—”
“I will check the gates once our meeting is done,” said Stealth. “Will you see Zzzap back to Four, please?”
Her elbows pulled in closer to her body. “Sure,” she said. “No problem.” She wheeled Barry around and out the conference room doors.
St. George dropped his jacket back on the table and looked at the cloaked woman. “What’s up?”
“How did the new chainmail armor perform?”
“Nobody likes it, but Danny Foe let an ex get the drop on him and it stopped the bite. Not much past that. Everyone was on their game today.”
“Is there anything else to report from your mission?”
He leaned back against the table. “Pretty much just what we expected to find in the valley,” he said. “Exes seem more numerous but spread out more. Most everything’s looted along Cahuenga, but it’s hard to tell when so it doesn’t help us figure out if there are other survivors out there.”
“Did you listen?”
“What?”
“You launched a flare which would have been visible throughout most of the southern San Fernando Valley. If survivors saw it, there is a reasonable chance they would have made an effort to attract your attention.”
He sagged a little. “I didn’t even think of that. I was so excited about the plane.”
“The fault is mine,” she said. “I became focused on the flare as a signal for our own purposes. I did not consider the possibility it would serve as an indirect beacon to others until after you had left.”
“It’s not your responsibility to think of all this stuff.”
“Someone must be responsible,” she said, “and I am the best suited to the task.”
“Well,” he said, “maybe it won’t be for much longer. If it really is the Army we’re all off the hook. Someone else will be in charge.”
She tilted her head at him. “I did not realize you were eager to be relieved of your responsibilities.”
“Aren’t you? I mean, let’s face it. There’s got to be people better qualified than us to rebuild civilization.”
“Perhaps,” she said. “Perhaps not. To my eyes, you are eminently qualified.”
They looked at each other for a few moments, then a few more, and then she turned and moved to the bank of monitors. St. George picked up his jacket. The doors were closed behind him when he realized he’d missed another opportune moment.
* * *
“So,” said Barry as the wheelchair rolled along the garden, “you want to hang out for a bit? It’s boring as hell just sitting in the chair all the time. I’ve got tons of movies.”
He felt Danielle shake her head behind him. “I’ve got to get back,” she said. “A couple things to do.”
“Like what?”
“What?”
“What do you have to do?”
“Just…stuff. You know. I spend so much time in the armor a lot of stuff gets neglected.”
“So you’re doing laundry? Please tell me you’re doing laundry, because it’s way overdue.” He gestured to the open street as they turned onto 3rd. “Hey, use the center of the lane. It’s smoother. Easier on the chair and my butt.”
“Whatever.”
She leaned and the wheelchair worked its way out into the center of the road. “Yeah,” he said. “Much better.”
Danielle gave a grunt. To their south was the Melrose gate. They could hear the distant chattering of teeth in hundreds of mouths.
“So no movie, eh?”
“No, sorry.”
“I’ve got a couple games, too. Finally figured out how to run an optical mouse remote, so I can use a laptop.”
“I told you, I’ve got to get back to my place.”
“Well, if you want you can swing by my place and take all the cushions off the couch. Keep ‘em if you like. I’m never there.”
“What?”
“I just figured you’d want to build yourself a little fort to sleep in.”
She stopped pushing the chair. “Fuck you.”
“If only someone would,” he sighed. He spun his chair so he faced her. Without the handles to hold onto, her arms pulled in close to her body. “But let’s talk about you. How long were you in the armor for this time?”
“As long as I needed to be.”
“How long?”
She sighed. “Four days. More or less.”
“More or less?”
“Almost five.”
Barry looked at her. “It’s only built for three, right?”
“It can do more if it needs to.”
“No wonder you stink. Have you even eaten?”
“I can stand to lose some weight.”
“Yeah, you and all the other fat people running around after the apocalypse.”
“The suit’s getting tight in the legs.”
“Whatever,” he said. “Look, you know you’re safe in here, right? They can’t get you.”
She glanced over her shoulder toward the gate. Toward the big white cross.
“I’ve got your back,” said Barry. “George and Stealth have it. Hell, most people here love you.”
She smirked. “Not everyone.”
“Well, there’s a few idiots in every crowd,” he said. “Point is, you’ve got to stop hiding in the damned suit.”