Plagued: Book 1 (5 page)

“Sky, Rickey!” Melissa Mathews waved vigorously.”Get your butts over here!” She and her sister Mary were just sitting down. The twins were in Tactical with Sky as well. Sky took a second to admire their outfits, just as she did every day.

Those girls knew the definition of
style
.

Today, Mary had on a short, navy blue and white dress with a checkerboard pattern, thigh-high socks also in navy blue and her masses of super-curly hair held back from her face in a ponytail. Her sister was wearing a classic white oxford shirt partially tucked into super skinny indigo jeans with a blue cardigan tied around her waist. Her hair was loose, held back by a wide, white headband. The girls always coordinated their looks by color.

Sky didn't really hang out with kids who weren't Negatives. There was too much unspoken resentment over her status as a Redneck. Not so much from people her age, but their parents. Those moms and dads didn't want to see her. Didn't want to think about her and her immunity. The fact that Negative parents didn't have to stay awake, sleepless, before the first of the month blood lottery announcements and every night all winter long. Waiting for that tell-tale cough. Worrying over their children's or their own survival.

“Are those your friends?” He pointed towards the table.

She felt her expression change, her natural sense of humor asserting itself and some of the shyness melting away. They sat at the same table every day: her, Rickey, the Twins, sometimes Sara Anne and Chase and Raj. Hugo couldn't miss them in the cafeteria.

“What did I say? You're staring at me with a very odd expression.”

Rickey snorted a laugh. “Give us a break, Brit. You're not
that
new.”

Hugo looked slightly chagrined. “Yes, I've seen you and them. We never...” he stumbled a bit on the words. “How shall I say, had an opening to speak? Be introduced.”

“This isn't Edwardian England,” she couldn't help pointing out. “We don't have to be
introduced.
”

He brushed his bangs out of his eyes with one hand as he balanced the tray on the other. “Of course. Last night at the hospital, though, we chatted and I sort of...” he let the sentence hang.

“Hey, Christensen!” Mary shouted. “Bring England over, you are wasting valuable eating time.”

Rickey bumped her with his chair. “Ask him to sit with us, Sky.”

“Rickey!” she hissed.

“Yes, Sky, ask me to sit with you,” Hugo grinned.

Good God, he had dimples. She hadn't even noticed last night.

She felt a flush creeping up as she walked to the table and said over her shoulder in the most fake-nonchalant voice ever, “Come sit with us.”

The twins introduced themselves. Chase and Sara Anne were sitting with their friends on the soccer team but waved as Rickey shouted their names and pointed to Hugo. They were both sports mad and lived for soccer. Raj, who had been absent last night, was probably outside on the bleachers eating lunch with his new girlfriend, Michelle. Not a Redneck, nor part of their squad. Daphne, the squad's med-tech, was the last to join them, setting down her tray with a clatter and nearly spilling her drink.

Daphne was very well-endowed and enjoyed wearing V-neck sweater tops that showed her figure to full effect and kept all the boys drooling. Hugo looked slightly stunned as she leaned over to introduce herself – and her breasts – her long red-brown hair sweeping forward and back.

Rickey took the opportunity to whisper in Sky's ear. “Tell all!”

“He was at the hospital last night waiting for his dad. We chatted.” Sky whispered back. “Why is he talking to me? He's been here two months and never said a word. Not one.”

Rickey stared at her like she was crazy. “
Who cares why! Look at him. He's
gorgeous
. And he's British. That accent is divine. Talk back! Make him talk more so I can listen.
”

Melissa leaned over and whacked them both on the shoulder. “Stop whispering. We can all hear you. Ain't you got no fetchin' up!”

This made them all crack up except Hugo, who looked confused. He couldn't know the joke. Melissa and Mary's mom was African American. She passed a year or so after their birth from the plague. They'd gotten the Rh negative gene from their dad. Lately, Melissa had been watching a lot of sitcoms from the 70s online and decided she should learn some old-school vernacular, as she called it. Rickey pointed out that she'd been raised two blocks from him on Homer Avenue and had never been further south than Monterey. Plus, her mother was a Harvard-educated physicist. If anything, she should have a Boston accent if she were interested in her past. This had prompted her sister Mary to research Boston accents. She couldn't do one very well yet except for 'car keys', which sounded like 'khakis' in that city's patois.

“Do not say 'car keys,' Mary.” Rickey waved his fork with several long strings of spaghetti dangling off. “You
know
you were going to!”

This made them laugh harder.

“I see you have made a wise drink choice,” Melissa pointed at Hugo's soda. “If you'd brought milk, we would have asked you to leave.”

He looked surprised. “Why would you do that?”

“Rednecks are lactose intolerant. Almost all of us.”

“The smell of milk makes us sick.” Mary made a face. “Especially Sky and her super smelling sense.”

He blinked a little. “Oh. Well,
hurrah!
Clever me.”

“Oh, Rickey, Rickey,
Rickey!
” Daphne bounced up and down in her seat making her breasts jiggle like custard.

“Right here, Daph. Not deaf. One Rickey will suffice.”

“Yea, whatever.” She waved one hand carelessly. “I keep forgetting to ask. My mom wants to know what to bring your mom. You know, for the birthday party.”

“Is your mother having a birthday?” Hugo sounded very polite and formal.

“No.
I
am having a birthday.
Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me,
” he sang gaily.

“Rickey, focus.” Daphne waved a hand over his face. “My mom, to your mom.”

Sky leaned closer to Hugo. “Rickey's birthday plus his mom's baby shower equals one big event.”

“We're having a Britney Spears birthday barbecue and karaoke party plus baby shower. Britney is the queen!” He shouted the last part and several 'whoops' answered him from around the cafeteria.

“No, you are!” Came back one voice.

“Damn right!” Rickey shouted back.

“I gather you like Britney Spears,” Hugo said suppressing a smile.

“Like, is not the operative word,” Sky murmured. “Do you know who she is? Did they release Britney in England?”

“Oh yes, of course. Our entertainment industry and yours are quite integrated for music.”

“Integrated.” Rickey imitated Hugo's accent. “I like how you say that. Anyway, my mom is handling the Britney Spears part and Dad is doing the barbecue to keep the manliness quotient in his comfort zone. American dads are comfortable charring meat over open fires, Hugo. In case you do not know.”

“And is he okay with you being gay?” Hugo said around a bite of artichoke heart from his salad.

Sky watched the emotions flicker across Rickey's open features. Unlike her, he couldn't hide what he was feeling. Rickey could have been offended. He didn't really know St. James and friends are allowed liberties strangers aren't. Rickey saw his face relax into an easy smile. He'd decided Hugo could be in the friend zone.

“They're good. My dad has my sports-crazy little brother to go to games with. And I'm the daughter my mom always wanted.”

“Until now,” Sky pointed out.

“I know, it's
so
exciting.” Rickey started to gyrate in his chair. “Mom and Dad doing the dirty deed for their country.”

She punched him. “Don't put it like that. God, I know your parents.”

“
Ow
. And that brings me to our Med Tech Daphne's question.” He looked at Hugo and pretended to toss his hair with a flourish. “We are having a girl.”

“Hurrah!” Mary and Melissa cheered. Daphne had her mouth full and clapped instead.

“My mom would like something in yellow. Not pink. Not newborn, she says, but, like, six months old.” He wiped away an imaginary tear. “Because they grow so fast.”

“Do they make Britney Spears patterned baby clothes in America?” Hugo asked in all seriousness.

“I wish! I love babies. Do you love babies?” He didn't give Hugo a chance to reply one way or the other. “Me and Kyle are going to adopt. Like, three kids when I come of age and we can get married. We will make the
best
parents.”

“Kyle?” Hugo prompted.

“Rickey's boyfriend,” Sky explained. “He's two years older, in government service while he goes to college.”

“We're going to get married when I graduate.”

Sky poked him in the ribs. “What about Thomas?”

Rickey poked her back.

“Come to my party, St. James. Sky can give you the details.”

Sky stared at Rickey, saying,
'Really!'
with her eyes as hard as she could.

“Yes, all right.” Looking around the table, Hugo included them all in a brilliant smile. “Thank you very much indeed. What shall I bring?”

Rickey's phone buzzed like a hornet. That was the distinctive buzz for Tactical. They all stopped talking and waited while he spoke.

“Get your gear.” He put the phone in his shirt pocket and backed away from the table. “The undocumented Negative we found last night in the woods is awake. She is not a nice person according to our sergeant. They took her to base and asked for more information. She gave them a lead. The C.O. thinks they have intel on a goblin blood drop. We found her, so our squad is in on the mission. We have to scramble. Van's on the way.”

They left their trays on the table and ran, Rickey in the lead. His wheelchair could go as fast as a bike on even ground. 

Melissa and Mary pushed ahead of Sky. They gave each other high-fives, shouting, “It's goblin time!” 

Glancing back as the doors swung closed, she saw Hugo running in the opposite direction.

Chapter 5

Hot Blooded

“This is a joint operation with the regulars from the Home Guard.” Sergeant McNeil filled them via speaker phone from the van driver's cell. “There will be two Senior teams, your squad and one more Junior squad from Mountain View, joining a team of regulars from the base. Captain Christensen will coordinate. We're heading to Santa Clara.”

Rickey looked at her and she rolled her eyes. Sky hated having to work with her sister. In order not to seem to show partiality, she was especially harsh on Sky in front of others. Sky could never strip down her weapon fast enough, or throw her opponent in hand-to-hand hard enough to earn any words from her beyond, 'Drop and give me twenty!' Out of uniform, Kara ignored her, which she much preferred.

The squad changed into their gear on the way over to the municipal airport – the local staging area for big missions. Tonight's operation had been dubbed, Operation Cineplex.

Trying to get everything zipped and buckled in the limited space of the van called for gymnastic-worthy contortions. They'd all pulled their gear from the secure lockers as they waited for the transport van. Rickey only needed to put on his jacket and vest. At school, he wore his tactical trousers and boots, since they had to train every weekday anyway. It was a pain for him to get in and out of pants with the chair.

Scrambling to get their weapons together, Sky and her squad ran to take their places with the assembled soldiers on the airport tarmac.

Kara was already speaking, barely recognizable under all her gear. The only skin that showed was her chin and mouth. She had a dimple in the middle of her chin. Just like Dad. “Home Guard Alpha and Bravo teams will rappel down from the helicopters. Gamma and Delta Seniors are on the ground and will provide backup for the regulars as they storm the building. Juniors will be on both flanks to keep the perimeter secure. Antonelli!”

“Sir!” Rickey shouted.

“You wrangle the 'bots. I want aerial in before Alpha Team drops. Once you have that data, send in four Catz. 'Bots are to be armed. On Sergeant McNeil's command, Juniors will sweep towards the target as the Seniors engage with the Regulars. Shoot at anything that tries to get by. Can you handle that?”

“Yes sir!” they said as one.

“I said, can you handle that!” She demanded again.

“Sir, yes, sir!”
they shouted as loud as they could.

Sky sat in the back of the transport next to Rickey's chair as the truck rumbled and shook on the pitted freeway. He was running through some data on his tactical PC pad. Probably programming the 'bots.

Sky placed her hand over the screen. “You invited Hugo St. James to the 'He did It Again Birthday Bash' when I've known him for like, five minutes? What if he'd said no?”

“The Honorable Hugo St. James, son and heir of Viscount St. James, is a gentleman.” Rickey pried her fingers off his screen and placed her hand in her lap. “As such, he would never embarrass a lady in public or a lady man.” He winked.

“
Viscount?
”

“Yeah. Didn't you know? His father is a Viscount and his mother is Lady
la de da
something or other. Hugo will eventually inherit the title. I researched when he first came to Redwood. Sky and Hugo sittin' in a tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g.”

“Juniors, mind on the mission!” Sergeant McNeil snapped from the front.

Viscount St. Jame'. Sky had not known about the title. Not that it should make any difference. Still. It was kind of cool.

Operation Cineplex was happening in an abandoned strip mall and movie theater complex off Highway 101 in Santa Clara. Rickey left for the mobile command van, the rest of the squad regrouping on the far side of an old Taco Bell. They watched the faint red glow of the flybot sensors as they took off in a circle formation for the cluster of run-down buildings.

The sergeant sent Daphne, Chase, and Sky to the left flank; furthest from the action. Mary, Melissa, and Sara Anne, took the center and another Junior squad Sky didn't know handled the right. Their job was primarily to stop anyone trying to flee the scene. Sky's squad took their positions, waiting for the Alpha team to drop.

The choppers moved in even though the sun was still high in the sky. Command had decided against waiting for darkness. The goblins might already know their blood drop had been compromised. It had only been an hour since she and the others got the call at school. They were moving fast.

Sky shaded her eyes with one hand, watching the choppers maneuver over the roof of the cinema complex. A tangle of ropes tumbled from the open doors and the Alphas slid down in textbook formation. A minute later, an explosion threw a column of black smoke into the air. Sky could feel the ground shake from where she stood. They'd blown the roof with C4.

That was the signal. Sergeant McNeil waved them out.

There were rapid bursts of gunfire from inside the building. The goblins were definitely in residence. The Alphas returned fire three-fold. Burst after burst echoed loudly from the buildings and across the parking lot. The movie theaters wouldn't be an easy place to fight. Small rooms, tight corners, narrow hallways and multiple exits. More blasts echoed from inside as the soldiers set off shock grenades.

Sky took point with her group, quickly reaching the last building with no resistance. All the action was centered far from them on the opposite side.

Weapon ready, Sky periscoped out and back, peering around the corner. Seeing nothing, she waved the others close behind as she crouched low and duck walked to the other side. There were palms and overgrown scrub in an old area of landscaping for cover. She and her team were at the back of the strip mall, far from the movie theaters in an L-shaped space of what had been five or six retail stores strung together. The sidewalk ended at the furthest structure, jutting out into the weed-choked parking lot.

She'd taken her contact filters out for the operation. Scanning the parking lot, she didn't notice anything at first. The afternoon sun was sparkling in her eyes and Sky had to squint to see through the glare. Scanning left to right, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. A few rusted cars and an over-turned delivery truck. She checked those carefully for heat signatures but saw no evidence of anyone hiding. About fifteen yards away from her position, she noticed a flicker out of the corner of her eye. Looking directly at the spot, there seemed to be nothing there. When she looked away, she caught a shimmer as though reality had given a sort of shiver.

After spotting one, the other two glitches were easier. Three objects. They were too still to be people. Not big enough for cars. Motorcycles, maybe.

As Sky watched, a door opened in a big building at the far end. She flattened herself into the bushes and made a sharp downward motion for the two behind her to drop.

Three figures emerged from the back of the building, moving quickly. One by one they blinked out of sight. No heat signatures. Nothing. She knew what to look for now and caught the tiny shiver of reflection in the sunlight as they moved. They were wearing stealth suits.

The reflective material covering stealth gear acted like a mirror, becoming nothing more than background images to the mind. The technology used small electronic bursts from sensors inserted into the material to slightly shake and distort the reflected images. That way, the scenery appeared to flow smoothly over and around them, constantly readjusting for their position. 

As quietly as she could, she loaded a clip of tracking darts into the gun. Three people in stealth suits and three stealth bikes. The bikes would be electric, equipped with cooling units to further reduce any heat residue that 'bots or someone like her could spot. All she had to aim for was the shimmer of light.

Switching the gun to manual, she shot all six darts in quick succession at the glitches as they slowly pulled away, praying one would hit its mark. The small darts she shot were covered in a sticky paste that would adhere to almost anything.

She needed to break radio silence for this. “Christensen to operations, tagged at least one stealth bike leaving target area. Send Catz to track. Leaving the west end of the parking lot now. Do you copy?”

“Copy that, Christensen.” Rickey's voice came over her com. “Deploying Catz in three, two, one. Target received. Marked and tracking.”

The robot cats ran up to 40 miles per hour. The hybrid bikes could go much faster than that, but the tracker had a good range. As long as the Catz stayed within five miles or so, they might be able to find out a little more about the local Hemogoblin operations.

She waved Daphne and Chase over.

“What was all that about?” Chase adjusted his pistol in its thigh holster as he crouched next to her.

“Three stealth bikes and riders. They came out of that door.” She pointed and the two of them looked.

“Daphne, you stay here. Radio the sergeant and watch our backs. Chase, let's see where the door leads and make sure no more rats try to sneak out of the ship.”

Together, she and Chase approached the door cautiously, keeping flat against the wall. Chase used their electronic scanner to look for explosives or booby traps. Some negatives with her type of visual enhancements were attuned to electromagnetic energy and could 'see' electronics. Not Sky. At least not so far.

“Anything?”

He shook his head. “Not that I can pick up. Just the metal door. Wanna' see if it's locked?”

Flanking the door, Chase held the handle while Sky readied her gun. Pulling it open, she ducked in and out to draw fire as he quickly shut it again. Nothing. Doing the same thing again, this time Sky went through the door, ducking low and moving to the side. Chase followed her.

A long corridor stretched in front of them. Dimly lit. Quiet. Clean.
Very clean
, which meant it was in regular use.

Sky scanned ahead looking for telltale red and yellow blurs that indicated people or animals. There was nothing warm that she could see.

Chase brought up his sensor unit. “I'm picking up a drop in temperature ahead. Big blob of cold.  Maybe cold storage unit or something”

“Blood has to be kept cold.” Sky pointed out.

“We should call this in. It could be what they're looking for.”

Sky tried her com. Nothing came through except an annoying hum of static that buzzed like wasps inside her ear. “I've got no reception. What about you?”

He spoke into his mic, listened, then shook his head. “Down. Jammed, I'm guessing.”

“Let's check out what's on the other side of this corridor. Then we'll come out, keep it covered and wait for the others.”

Chase gave her a thumbs-up, and together they moved along the hallway. Their footsteps echoed far too loudly for Sky's liking. They could very well be under observation from whoever used this space. No cameras were visible and their scanner hadn't picked up any residual electronic residue from monitors. That didn't really mean anything. The goblins and Victims Army people were always working to counteract Tactical technology.

Following the same procedure as before, they checked the doorway at the end before going through, quietly closing it behind them.

The explosion ripped through the hallway they'd just cleared, throwing both of them forward with the door propelling them as if they'd been shot from a cannon.