The Remaining: Allegiance by D. J. Molles

Author:D. J. Molles
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Tags: Fiction / Horror, Fiction / Science Fiction / Military, Fiction / Science Fiction / Action & Adventure, Fiction / Thrillers / Military, Fiction / Dystopian, Fiction / Science Fiction / Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic, Fiction / War & Military
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 2015-02-24T05:00:00+00:00

NINETEEN

TENSIONS

LEE’S PULSE SUDDENLY FELT like a swarm of bees, buzzing through his veins, rattling around in his head. There was a ringing in his ears. He tried to maintain a poker face, but couldn’t help his eyes jagging to the left, where First Sergeant Brinly stood just a single pace away from the table, watching him. The best Lee could manage was not to grab his rifle. He remained still.

Take a breath.

If they want you, there ain’t shit you can do about it.

But they’ll have to take a dead body.

Staley didn’t move much, but his hands spread out, showing both palms. “We’re just talking. No need for action right now, Captain Harden. Just talking stuff out.”

Lee looked at him hard. “Then talk. It sounds like you have plenty to say.”

Staley retracted his hands from the table and leaned back. “Honestly, there isn’t much that I can say. I take it from your reaction—as controlled as it was—that there is no love lost between you and President Briggs. Is that correct?”

“Acting President Briggs,” Lee corrected.

Staley smiled, fleetingly. “I guess that answers the question, doesn’t it?”

“What are we doing here?” Lee shifted in his seat. His index finger touched the polymer grip of his rifle. It was very close, but so was Brinly. And the other Marine standing off to the left. And the one behind him, standing at the collapsed wall. He could hear their breathing all of the sudden, like his ears were suddenly keener. He could hear the creak of rubber boot soles on the hardwood floors. The brush of their uniform fabric as they shifted ever so slightly.

Could I take them?

Sure, I could take them.

But what about the others outside?

“I can see the wheels in your head turning.” Staley shook his head, an almost unnoticeable gesture. “Please. I promise you that we’re not here for you. We’re here to talk. I’m here to talk. To meet you. To figure out the other side of the story.”

“What story?”

“Briggs’s story.”

“How long have you been in contact with Briggs?” Lee tried to keep the tension out of his voice. It came across flat and without inflection.

“Well,” Staley picked at something that was stuck to the tabletop. “We’ve been in contact since the beginning, but that implies something worse than the truth.”

“And what would the truth be?”

“The truth is that our communication has been spotty at best. The equipment has failures that are often… convenient.” The corners of Staley’s eyes wrinkled, like he wanted to smile, but wouldn’t let himself. The inference was clear, though.

“So your comms work when you want them to work,” Lee clarified.

Staley answered in a roundabout way: “They’re down more often than not.”

“And when they’re up? When they’re working?”

Beside the table, Brinly spoke for the first time. His voice deep, and accented with someplace in the northern interior. “I think our comms have been down for, oh, two months now?”

Staley’s mouth twitched. Behind his lips, his tongue seemed to be scouring his teeth, like it might find the appropriate words there.

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