Cure for a Nation

Chapter Thirty-Four

Claire was watching Lawrence and Bear spar when they spotted it. She was sitting with her legs crossed on the deck and watching Lawrence comically try to knock Bear down. He tried to tackle her but she would leap and throw her legs out so she would land on top of his back and put him in a hold until he tapped and would try again. He stepped in close and tried to push her back over his leg but she put his leg between hers and twisted, throwing him to the side and onto the ground. She sat down on his back until he cried uncle and he tried a new tactic. Claire couldn't help but laugh each time he tried something new and failed. Finally, he got upset and had a running start for his final attempt. With a grunt, he jumped and pointed his feet out in front of him in an attempt to kick her over. Bear simply stepped to the side and caught him out of the air. She held him to her chest the way a child might hold a kitten and Lawrence struggled pitifully until he gave up and hung limply in her arms. Claire giggled as Bear squeezed Lawrence like she was hugging him tightly and he began to shout.
"Okay, okay, you win! Put me down you damn grizzly!" He cried.  She released him and he fell straight onto his rear with an "oof." Bear smirked and offered him her hand. Lawrence took it and when he tried to pull Bear down, she let go and he slammed back onto the deck. Suddenly, Daniel whistled from the front of the Walker and all eyes were on him. Claire ran to his side followed by the other Warriors and the Peacekeepers. They followed Daniel's gaze into the distance. 
"Is that.." Claire began.
"Alexandria," Joan said from beside her, "or what's left of it." Sure enough, there it stood on the horizon. The remains of Alexandria in all of its eerie glory. Claire could see the skeletal remains of a spire standing tall among other destroyed buildings. Even though the city was far away, Claire still had to squint to see past the glare of the midday sun reflecting off of windows. The city was expansive and a dark, ugly mark on the horizon.
"Joan," Daniel said, breaking the silence that had fallen over the Warriors, "do you know where we should go?"
"Wherever energy stands out most," she replied, "that's where we should go. It'll make it easier to hop onto the plagues frequency if we tap into another wavelength. That tower in the center should be a good place."
"Does anyone know how to get there," Claire asked the Warriors.
"Uh Claire," Joan said quietly, "none of them came from Alexandria." Claire noticed the Warriors shifting uncomfortably and Daniel was staring straight ahead.
"What do you mean?" Claire questioned but Joan only looked to Daniel. Her expression was one of pain and of shame. Claire turned to Daniel.
"There weren't any survivors," he answered grimly, "but I can lead us there. I remember the path we made. It's quicker than what Joan can remember. Lawrence, see to it that the Warriors are ready for a fight." Lawrence nodded and began to direct Warriors back to the center of the deck. Bear went down the hatch and began to hand supplies to Lawrence while Daniel stood with Joan and Claire at the front of the Kraken. Claire noticed Daniel gripping the railing tightly, the leather of his gauntlets creaking. Something occurred to Claire and she turned to Joan.
"Joan, if the plague is just a rogue wave of energy, can you sense when it's present?" Claire asked her.
"What, like predicting it?" Joan replied.
"No, just if someone is sick."
"I don't know. I could only tell you were sick once because when you tapped into the energy back at the headquarters, I felt that your energy was scarred and almost dampened. It just didn't feel healthy but it wasn't like you were young or elderly. Something was suppressing your magic."
"Do you have any idea what will happen if we can remove the plague from Aurora?"
"Nope. A lot of what I think of the plague are just theories. My ancestors weren't a big part of the plagues creation. They barely know of its creation. But I'm beginning to think that the plague spreads by latching onto a persons energy when they try to tap into Aurora's energies."
"But what about those who aren't in tune with Aurora?"
"Maybe when an infected person comes into contact with a healthy person, the plague forces that person to tune to its frequency."
"That might explain the sudden effects of the plague on most people."
"It just might. I better go and listen to Lawrence about firearm safety. Looks like the Warriors get a pistol. Come find me when you want to discuss this further." And with that, Joan was sauntering toward Lawrence. He was handing a pistol and ammunition to each of the Warriors while explaining how to use it. Claire winced as he began to shout at a warrior who jokingly pointed it at another. Bear was laying out pieces of armor on the deck beside Lawrence and shook her head at the Warrior. Claire turned back to Daniel. She noticed he was still watching the horizon intently. He was wearing his helmet and his visor was tinted as dark as it could be, almost black.
"Is it hard for you to come back here?" Claire asked. Daniel was silent. Claire frowned and laid a hand on Daniel's shoulder.
"Danny," Claire said gently, "are you okay?" Slowly, he turned to look at her. She subconsciously took a step back as he turned the rest of his body toward her.
"Danny," Claire said uncertainly. Daniel raised a shaky hand towards Claire and she was suddenly reminded of the first time she saw him in the bunker. And the he collapsed, taking one unsteady step to the right before falling straight onto the deck with a bang that seemed to echo over the sound of the Walker and Lawrences voice. Claire screamed and followed him down, kneeling beside him and frantically grabbing at his helmet. In an instant, Bear was kneeling on the other side of Daniel and inspecting his armor. Lawrence was standing over him, keeping the Warriors from crowding around the fallen Peacekeeper. Claire grabbed at the release lever on the side of his helmet but before she could turn it, Bear was gripping her wrist.
"I have to open it! He needs air!" Claire screamed but Bears grip was an iron one. Claire noticed she and Lawrence both wore their helmets and they were sealed. Claire's stomach dropped as she realized what they were thinking. They suspect the plague, Claire thought.
"Get below decks," Lawrence ordered the crowd but to no avail.
"Now!" He shouted, scattering the crowd. He knelt beside Bear and inspected the gauges in Daniel's gauntlet.
"Powers fine.." he listed, "hydraulics are okay..integrity is peachy..his breathing is a little ragged but the filters are fine.. his suit is clear." Bear nodded and turned Daniel's head towards her. She lightened the tint on his helmet, revealing his face. He was pale and his lips were slightly red with blood. Bear looked up at Claire with concerned eyes. She could tell what Bear was thinking.
"I was sick a long time ago. If i gave it to him, he would have collapsed weeks ago," Claire explained with a brittle voice, "and Joan would have been able to tell if any of the Warriors were infected."
"You think it was those bandits?" Lawrence asked Bear. She scowled and nodded once. Suddenly, Daniel shuddered and flinched sharply one good time and Bear immediately began to drag Daniel to the edge of the Walker.
"Get his helmet off!" Lawrence shouted. Bear was quick to do as he said and Daniel awoke with a sharp gasp. He spluttered and coughed before turning his back to Claire and coughing something up over the railing. Claire didn't have to see to know what it was. She remembered when she first caught the disease. She could almost taste the blood again just thinking about it. Daniel coughed and slowly got to his feet, leaning heavily on the railing. Bear moved to help him up but he held a hand out to stop her. He wiped his face and stood up straight. He turned and leaned on the railing. He looked at Claire with dull eyes and scarlet lips. Droplets of blood split his chest plate down the middle and Claire frowned. She took careful steps towards him and pulled a rag from her jacket. She began to clean off his armor for him, wiping away the blood before using a dry corner to dab at his lips.
"Well," she said unsteadily as she cleaned him, "at least we have a plan, right?" Daniel smiled faintly.
"You need to lay down," Lawrence said as he tried to lead Daniel away from the railing. He wrenched his arm from his grasp and stared him down.
"I'm fine," Daniel said firmly, "just lost my breath for a moment."
"But-"
"I said I'm fine."
"As you say, sir. I'll go and make sure the Warriors are ready." Lawrence left the three of them and went below deck  to tend to the others. Bear looked anxiously around the deck but seemed relieved to see that they were the only ones up there. Claire was holding Daniel's hand, tracing the creases in his gauntlet. Not again, she thought over and over, not again.
"He was sick once," Bear said quietly, "he understands." Even through a microphone her voice soothed Claire. Daniel looked between the two, surprised to hear Bear speak in front of Claire.
"I'm fine," Daniel repeated, "I'll just have to wear my helmet at all times now."
"Danny, you haven't seen what this plague does to people-" Claire began to say but a sharp look from Daniel silenced her.
"I'm going to see this through even if it kills me," he said as he pulled his hand away from Claire and threw his helmet on. It hissed ominously as it sealed shut and he opened a plate over his breast to enter a combination into a dial. His back straightened and his joints clicked before he closed the panel and stormed away from Claire and Bear. The hatch slammed shut and Claire felt a pang of sadness touch her heart. She turned and looked at the steadily growing city on the horizon.
"I have known him for many years and fought by his side in countless battles," Bear said suddenly, "and I believe it is death that fears him. But only now does he know fear. Why is that, I wonder." Claire turned and looked at Bear and found her watching her. Bear's hazel eyes were full of wisdom and Claire wondered what she saw that she didn't. Bear sauntered away and began to patrol the edges of the deck, keeping watch for trouble. If people tell their secrets to the man on the moon, Claire thought as she watched Bear,  then the man on the moon must confide in that woman.