Chapter 4 Welcome to the Wastelands

"Do you think he will make it?"Keira was busy eating a piece of toast.

"Josh has a strong will, and Doctor Atkins knows what he is doing.  Don't worry he will make it, for now,lets focus on the current developments.' Don touched her shoulder.

"Who is going to handle the interrogations?"  She knew the answer to the question, but she asked anyway.  Don could not help himself, he was born for this it was in his blood.  He did not handle retirement with grace.

"Major is going to stand in for Josh and I believe that at this stage I will help out." He combed his hands through his hair.  "We are short-handed at this stage, and as you know new rookies keep on streaming in.  I think that is the reason for the attack last night, we are getting too much exposure at this stage.  People talk, that is the problem.  By now most tribes know our plans everyone wants a part of it.  Whether you want safety or to gain riches people talk."

"So are you going in alone?"

"I can talk to Major and ask if you can assist.  It would be good coaching for you as I know you have had training but reality is always the best teacher."

"It would help to get my mind off of things.  I have to admit that last night rattled me.  It made things much more real.  At any point in time, you can lose a comrade you can get injured,  I am not ready for that."

Don exhaled.  "Nobody is ready for that.  Even the best out there get a moment of weakness some days,  whether it is a judgment error or you just did not react fast enough.  Nothing is guaranteed.  The best way to deal with this is to not bundle it up." 

"Thanks, Dad.  I just can't get past the expression on his face, and the blood, the smell of fear in the air.  It is enough to play with your mind." 

"What you do now is to accept what happened and then move on from that moment.  You have to decide if fear is going to tame you or guide you.  If you give in to fear you will always succumb to it.  But if you decide to face it face to face you can conquer it.  It does not mean that it will not make a turn again, but every time you get victory over it your confidence grows and so even if you face the worst of situations you will find yourself calm.  You think your enemy does not fear?"

"I have been in dangerous situations before, but it has never hit this close to home.  But it teaches us to overcome."

"So do you want to help your old man with interrogations?

"Yes, I need all the experience I can get."

"I am on my way to go and see Major now, you can make a turn and go see how Josh is doing so you can put your mind at ease."

What they had called a hospital was once a veterinary clinic. They were always busy with renovations in town but it was a slow process all depended on supplies.  Luckily there was never a shortage of abled people everyone was looking for a purpose when it seemed there was no purpose.

Hospitals always had a metallic stench to her, it probably differed from person to person.  Luckily as she entered the doctor was busy making his rounds.  

"Keira, I wish we were meeting under different circumstances." He was moving towards her to greet her. He shook her hand.

"I can see you have your hands full."  There were a couple of the town's women scurrying around.

"Looking for Mister Dagon?"

"Yes please." She nodded.

"Follow me." He walked out in front of her.  "I just have to warn you that you are not the first visitor.

"You don't say?" She forgot how intrusive the ladies in town were and that this was just another way for them to get a foot in the door.

"But you are on official business right." He turned around and smiled.  "So visiting for them would be unfortunately cut short."

She cringed never forgetting that everyone in town knew about their encounter at Town Hall.  Small Town Syndrome.

The Doctor opened a door in the passage, he was right.  The smell of desperation made her nauseous,.  

"Ladies, I am sorry to cut in on your visit.  Miss Summons are here on official business."

"I am sure it is." Dorothy stood up from next to Josh's bed.  "I will let you carry on with official business." She turned towards the Doctor.  "Be sure to let me know when they are finished."

She bit hard on her lip to keep quiet.  She knew getting into any type of tiff with Dorothy would just make her question her word choices later on.  Round one Keira for the win, she thought when the ladies left the room.  She shook her head, Keira Summons will never fight for a man's attention.  At this stage, she felt that this pursuit for the heart of Josh Dagon was in ruins.  She shuddered she would never have rest, this was worse than fighting the enemy.  At least the enemy doesn't move after they are defeated.  This is another level of crazy.

She closed the door behind them and walked towards his bed.  His face seemed bleak against the white pillow.  His eyes opened.  "Thank goodness, I did not know how long I could pretend anymore.  I do not mind visitors but the constant bickering among them I could not handle anymore.  I have a headache from their chattering.  I think the Doctor came in three times to quiet them down."

"That is the life of a celebrity husband-to-be.  How are you feeling?" For a moment their eyes met and he seemed vulnerable.

"I am at your service, not only a beauty but my heroin.  In all honesty if not for you I would not have made it.  If you did not take that guy down..."  His voice trailed off.

"Do not think of it that way, you do not know what would have happened."

He tried to move but was hunched over in pain.  "Doctor said I am lucky." He sounds out of breath.  "It is a flesh wound."

"Don't tire yourself out.  You have to get better to take your command back, the team might just go rogue."

His expression changed and he became serious. "You will come to visit again right?"

"Not if I have to fight my way to your hospital bed." She smiled but it was not returned.

He stretched to take her hand in his.  "In those seconds that I got stabbed, it felt like forever.  Everything was in slow motion, like a bright light, you appeared.  For a moment I did not worry about my own life, I was terrified that something might happen to you."

"Josh, I know that life-threatening situations can make you have all kinds of thoughts." Was he about to confess how he felt about her?  Was she ready?  She felt as if her heart was about to explode.  

"I knew you would say something like that.  It is ok if you make me work,  I did mess up big time.  This time I will rather show you, that words are cheap."

He was smiling, she had to take a deep breath for her not to stumble when she spoke.  "You still manage to flirt even when you are injured?  Did that flock of girls lift your confidence?" She could not crumble again, Josh had an effect on her that she could not control.  She knew too well what he did with frail girls's hearts.  She was feeling pretty timid at this moment.  Pushing her just a little over the edge might make her end up purring like a kitten.  Not this time.

"Ouch, Miss Summons I may just fall in love."

"Love should be the last thing on your mind.  To get back to reality, I am going to help my father with interrogation."

"Is that wise?" He frowned.

"What do you mean is that wise?

"Nothing against you but you do not have any experience on the subject.  The team needs all the members they can have at this stage."

"The team can manage just fine, they have Major.  I think it will help me as well, I should know what to do even if I get caught.  I need to know how to answer certain questions, it may save my life."

"Even if I would go against it you would end up going anyway."

"You know me too well.  I am off, I wasted too much time on the likes of you.  Seeing how you are back to your flirtatious self I take it that you would be ready to go in no time."

"You are going?  So soon?"

"You don't want Dorothy to wait any longer do you?" She gave a cheeky smile as she turned around.

"What happened to sweet Keira, you are way too cruel."

She was getting better at this, and somehow it felt good not feeling trapped by her overshadowing crush she has on Josh.  If only she was as good at this as she was with a knife.  She would be killing it.  Josh needed someone who challenged him, intellectually and on the battlefield.  He was too strong-willed to be tied down.  For a moment she understood, that his whole life was routine, he needed chaos in love.  It felt exciting, this is how he must feel except for the string of girls.  He loved a challenge.  For now, she had to focus on other things, she needed to be prepared.

Her father was busy in the garden when she arrived home.  He has acquired a lot of different vegetable seeds over time.  It was one of his hobbies, and polishing his weapons. 

"Hi, dad.  Speaking to your plants I presume?"

A hearty laugh escaped his throat.  "I have heard the vibration is supposed to help plants grow."

They had a rainwater system installed which switched over to a pump when needed.  The town made use of solar panels that was also collected from old shops and houses and was regularly maintained and cleaned by local town folk.  A lot of residences swapped and traded fresh produce.  

"Shouldn't you get ready for your big task tomorrow?

"You mean us?" He looked up at her from where he was busy with his tomatoes.

"Major agreed?"

"He agreed that it is in the best interest of the team."

"What do you need to be done?" Her father seemed too relaxed for someone who was going to perform such a tiring task.

"It has already started."

"I should have known you have it all planned out.  Care to share?"

"Interrogation for me is a mental game.  It is exhausting to both sides.  To get the upper hand you must make sure your opponent is mentally tired.  They start talking when their thoughts are so scrambled they can't think straight or just want the torture to stop.  It is not always the torture you would think."

"How many have you caught?"

"Five were caught but three seemed like they were in charge or important group members.  Two seemed like hired hands, so we might not get as much information out of them.  We have placed them in an abandoned building, all are blindfolded at the moment.  This is the interesting part;  we have placed an old record player in the room at full blast playing the same broken-down record for the last seven hours.  We have small intervals where the music stops for about ten seconds and then just repeats again.  Do you see where I am going with this?"

"I can see how this will drive anyone insane.  Especially if you are tired and just want to nap for ten minutes. What happened to the rest?"

"Unfortunately two had passed away, it is never our intention to kill someone.  Especially not in towns where women and children live.  It is never easy to take a life and should be the last resort." 

She could see it hindered him deeply.  "If they don't talk then, what then?"

"Usually one of them starts talking, and then it is easy to start turning them against each other.  It is a who said what kind of game." Her father smiled.  "Are you at ease now seeing that Josh is doing good?"

"Yes with half the town's women worried about their local hero.  I almost had to make an appointment to see him."

It was silent for a moment. Her father moved over to tend to some of his herbs, carefully picking them and putting them in a basket close by.  "Don't try to outsmart him, I will say it again; he is a good kid but he has different needs from you.  I am not trying to keep you from loving, I just want you to experience wholesome love.  He is used to ladies giving up their love easily, and when you get something for free over time you do not find worth in it anymore."

"I get it, my love is worthless to him."